#character devel | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

avacolemanplsbebi · 3 months

Text

The Subtle Romance of Avanine: Could It Be Real?

In the season 3 finale for "Abbott Elementary," Gregory and Janine seem to be throwing caution to the wind and finally getting together. To Avanine truthers everywhere, that seemed to be the final nail in the coffin and relegated any Ava x Janine content to fanfiction and fanart. But I am fully delusional and believe that this might not be the end for Ava and Janine. In this essay, I will explain why I think Avanine could be endgame, including narrative evidence and character development throughout the series.

Janine's Journey of Self-Discovery

Janine Teagues has been on a remarkable journey of self-discovery from the very beginning of "Abbott Elementary." Introduced as an idealistic and perpetually optimistic second-grade teacher, Janine's character is defined by her selflessness and unwavering dedication to her students. However, this dedication often comes at the expense of her own happiness and personal growth. Over the course of three seasons, Janine's character has evolved significantly, marked by several pivotal moments that have shaped her journey.

One of the most defining moments in Janine's journey was her breakup with Tariq, her long-term boyfriend. This relationship, while comforting and familiar, was also limiting. Tariq's lack of ambition and direction contrasted sharply with Janine's passion and drive. Their breakup in season 1 was a crucial step for Janine, allowing her to break free from a relationship that was holding her back and start focusing on her own aspirations and needs.

As Janine navigates single life, she begins to explore new relationships, including a brief romance with Maurice, a friend of Gregory. This relationship serves as a stepping stone for Janine, helping her to understand what she truly wants in a partner. Maurice's easygoing nature and genuine interest in Janine provide her with a sense of validation and confidence. However, it also highlights the contrast between Maurice's laid-back attitude and Gregory's more serious and supportive demeanor.

The kiss between Janine and Gregory during the teacher's conference is another pivotal moment in her journey. This unexpected and passionate kiss brings Janine's feelings for Gregory to the forefront, forcing her to confront the reality of her emotions. It's a moment of vulnerability and clarity for Janine, one that sets the stage for future developments in their relationship.

Janine's decision to tell Gregory that she wants to be selfish marks a significant turning point in her character arc. Throughout the series, Janine has consistently put others before herself, often to her own detriment. Her declaration of wanting to be selfish is a bold step towards self-empowerment and self-care. It's a moment of self-realization where Janine acknowledges her own needs and desires, setting the stage for her to make decisions that prioritize her happiness.

In the first episode of season 3, Janine's journey takes another significant turn when she goes to Gregory, hoping to rekindle their relationship. However, Gregory's response, "Honestly, Janine, in my mind, I had kind of put a period on that," is a harsh reality check for Janine. This moment forces her to confront the fact that not everything will go according to her plans, and it challenges her to reassess her approach to relationships and her own emotional needs.

The culmination of Janine and Gregory's journey occurs at the end of season 3 when they seemingly "get together." This moment, while joyous, is also complex. It's a culmination of their long-standing chemistry and mutual feelings, but it also raises questions about Janine's growth and her ability to prioritize herself. Gregory's decisive action in going to Janine's place and initiating their relationship contrasts with Janine's earlier desire to make decisions for herself. This dynamic sets the stage for potential conflicts and growth in their relationship moving forward.

Gregory's Character Development

Gregory Eddie's character development throughout "Abbott Elementary" has been more subtle compared to Janine's and Ava's, yet it is equally significant. Gregory starts as a substitute teacher with aspirations of becoming a principal. His reserved and disciplined nature often puts him at odds with the more chaotic and unpredictable environment of Abbott Elementary. Despite this, Gregory's character evolves as he becomes more integrated into the school's community.

One of the key aspects of Gregory's development is his dating life. Gregory's relationships with various women throughout the series highlight his struggle to find a balance between his professional ambitions and personal life. His interactions with Janine, however, reveal a deeper emotional connection that transcends his usual guarded demeanor. Gregory's evolving feelings for Janine are evident in the way he supports her, offers advice, and ultimately, the way he handles his own emotions.

The pivotal moment of Gregory telling Janine, "Honestly, Janine, in my mind, I had kind of put a period on that," is crucial in understanding his character. This statement reflects Gregory's attempt to protect himself from emotional turmoil by setting boundaries. It also indicates his frustration with the uncertainty of their relationship. Gregory's desire for stability and clarity contrasts with Janine's more spontaneous and emotionally driven nature.

By the end of season 3, Gregory's character reaches a turning point when he decides to be with Janine. His visit to her place and the subsequent kiss signify his willingness to take a risk and embrace his feelings. However, this decision is not without its complexities. Gregory's choice to initiate their relationship, rather than allowing Janine to make the decision herself, highlights a potential conflict. Janine's journey towards self-empowerment is challenged by Gregory's assertiveness, setting the stage for future growth and negotiation in their relationship.

Gregory's development from a cautious and reserved individual to someone willing to take emotional risks is significant. His relationship with Janine serves as a catalyst for his growth, pushing him out of his comfort zone and challenging him to confront his own vulnerabilities. This evolution is crucial in understanding the dynamics of their relationship and the potential challenges they may face in the future.

Ava's Transformation

Ava Coleman has undergone one of the most remarkable transformations in the series. Initially portrayed as a self-absorbed and unprofessional leader, Ava's character is revealed to have surprising depth and complexity. Her journey from a seemingly selfish individual to someone who genuinely cares about the school and its staff is both compelling and significant.

Ava's initial portrayal as a self-centered and flamboyant principal sets the stage for her character development. Her disregard for rules and her tendency to prioritize her own interests over those of the school create a comedic but problematic dynamic. However, as the series progresses, Ava's character begins to reveal unexpected layers. Her interactions with Janine, in particular, showcase a different side of her personality.

One of the most surprising aspects of Ava's character is her adeptness at various tasks when she chooses to apply herself. This skillset, combined with her sharp wit and resourcefulness, highlights Ava's potential as a leader. Her transformation is marked by moments where she steps up to support the school and its staff, demonstrating a growing sense of responsibility and care. This shift is particularly evident in her interactions with Janine, where Ava often goes out of her way to support and protect her.

Ava's relationship with Janine is a key element of her character development. While Ava's initial interactions with Janine are marked by teasing and superficial comments, their relationship evolves into one of mutual respect and support. Ava's protectiveness over Janine becomes more apparent as the series progresses, and their shared moments outside of work hint at a deeper connection. This transformation from a self-centered individual to someone capable of selflessness is significant in understanding Ava's character arc.

A notable moment in Ava's development is when Janine decides to leave Abbott Elementary to work at the District. Ava's decision to hire someone who is the exact opposite of Janine underscores her deep attachment and appreciation for Janine's presence at the school. This action highlights Ava's growth and her recognition of Janine's importance, not just as a colleague, but as a friend and confidante.

Janine and Gregory's Relationship

The relationship between Janine and Gregory has been a central narrative thread throughout "Abbott Elementary," marked by numerous ups and downs. Their journey from colleagues to potential romantic partners is complex and layered, reflecting the intricacies of their characters and their individual growth. Understanding their relationship requires a detailed examination of key moments and developments over the seasons.

From the moment Gregory joins Abbott Elementary, there is an undeniable chemistry between him and Janine. Their shared passion for teaching and their mutual respect for each other's dedication create a strong foundation for their relationship. Gregory's initial crush on Janine is evident in his supportive actions and the way he often goes out of his way to help her. Janine, on the other hand, is initially oblivious to Gregory's feelings, focused on her relationship with Tariq and her commitment to her students.

As their friendship deepens, Gregory and Janine share several significant moments that bring them closer. The kiss during the teacher's conference is a turning point, bringing their feelings for each other to the surface. This moment of vulnerability and passion highlights the depth of their connection and sets the stage for future developments. However, the complexity of their feelings and the external pressures they face create a turbulent path forward.

Janine's declaration that she wants to be selfish and focus on herself adds another layer to their relationship. Gregory's response, "Honestly, Janine, in my mind, I had kind of put a period on that," is a pivotal moment that reflects the tension between their individual needs and their mutual feelings. This statement underscores Gregory's desire for stability and clarity, contrasting with Janine's journey towards self-empowerment and self-care.

The culmination of their relationship occurs at the end of season 3, when Gregory goes to Janine's place and initiates their romantic relationship. This decisive action by Gregory contrasts with Janine's earlier desire to make decisions for herself. While this moment is a culmination

of their long-standing chemistry and mutual feelings, it also raises questions about the dynamics of their relationship. Gregory's assertiveness and Janine's journey towards self-empowerment create a complex interplay that sets the stage for potential conflicts and growth in their relationship.

Overall, the relationship between Janine and Gregory is marked by significant moments of connection, tension, and growth. Their journey reflects the complexities of balancing personal needs with mutual feelings, and their evolving dynamic highlights the challenges and potential of their partnership.

Janine, Ava, and Gregory

The dynamics between Janine, Ava, and Gregory add another layer of complexity to the narrative of "Abbott Elementary." Ava's initial attraction to Gregory and her evolving relationship with Janine create a rich tapestry of interactions and emotions that influence the main characters' journeys. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to fully appreciating the potential of an Avanine romance.

Initially, Ava's attraction to Gregory is a source of comedic tension in the series. While Ava is not interested in a serious relationship with Gregory, her flirtatious behavior and attempts to get his attention create a humorous dynamic. However, this attraction also sets the stage for Ava's evolving feelings towards Janine and her protective behavior regarding Janine's relationship with Gregory.

One of the key moments that highlight the dynamics between the three characters is the club scene where Janine and Gregory are dancing together. Ava's decision to break them up and invite Janine to continue clubbing with her and her boyfriend is significant. This moment not only underscores Ava's attraction to Gregory but also her interest in spending time with Janine. Janine's reaction to Ava being in a relationship and her decision to join Ava instead of going home alone highlights the evolving bond between the two women.

Following this, Ava and Janine's relationship deepens as they begin to spend more time together outside of work. Their shared moments suggest a growing intimacy and mutual support. Ava's protectiveness over Janine becomes more apparent, and their interactions reflect a deeper connection that goes beyond mere friendship. This evolving dynamic adds a layer of complexity to the potential of an Avanine romance.

However, the most significant shift in Ava's behavior occurs in season 3, when she begins to actively push Janine and Gregory apart. Despite having previously supported their relationship, Ava's actions in season 3 suggest a change in her feelings. Her happiness when Gregory tells Janine he has put a period on their potential relationship, and her constant interruptions, indicate a deeper emotional investment. This behavior raises questions about Ava's true feelings and her motivations for keeping Janine and Gregory apart.

The final look Ava gives Gregory during the party scene in the last episode of season 3 is particularly telling. Despite being canonically over Gregory, Ava's expression suggests jealousy and concern. This moment highlights the complexity of Ava's emotions and her potential feelings for Janine. It raises the possibility that Ava's actions are driven by more than just friendship, suggesting a deeper, unspoken attraction to Janine.

Ava and Janine's Relationship

The relationship between Ava and Janine is one of the most intriguing and complex dynamics in "Abbott Elementary." While much of their interaction occurs off-camera, the glimpses we see suggest a deep and evolving bond that could potentially develop into a romantic relationship. Understanding the nuances of their relationship requires examining key moments and the subtext of their interactions.

One of the most significant aspects of Ava and Janine's relationship is the way they support and understand each other. Ava's hyper-awareness of Janine's location and her actions to ensure Janine's well-being suggest a level of care that goes beyond mere friendship. Janine, in turn, knows exactly how to break Ava out of her serious moments and bring out her playful side. This mutual understanding and support highlight the depth of their connection.

Their regular outings to a drag club indicate that they spend significant time together outside of work. These moments away from the school environment allow them to connect on a personal level, further deepening their bond. The fact that they have a regular place where they hang out suggests a routine and comfort in each other's company that is significant in any relationship.

Most of Ava and Janine's interactions that have deepened their connection have occurred off-screen and in private settings. This contrasts with Janine's interactions with Gregory, which are often public and chaperoned by their colleagues. The private nature of Ava and Janine's moments suggests a level of intimacy and trust that is crucial in building a strong relationship. These off-screen interactions allow them to explore their feelings and support each other without the pressures of their professional environment.

The comments from Janelle James, who plays Ava, further support the potential for an Avanine romance. James has hinted at the depth of Ava's feelings for Janine and suggested that their relationship could develop into something more. Additionally, the show's creator, Quinta Brunson, liking an obviously gay Avanine edit, adds another layer of intrigue to the potential for a romantic relationship between Ava and Janine.

The evolving dynamics between Ava and Janine, marked by mutual support, private interactions, and hints of deeper feelings, suggest a strong foundation for a potential romance. Their relationship is built on a genuine connection and understanding, making the possibility of Avanine an exciting prospect for the future of "Abbott Elementary."

Conclusion

While Ava and Janine might not get together, the evidence suggests that Ava has a significant crush on Janine. This crush, combined with the complex dynamics between Janine, Ava, and Gregory, is likely to create interesting developments in the fourth season of "Abbott Elementary." The potential for an Avanine romance adds depth and intrigue to the narrative, and fans can look forward to seeing how these relationships evolve. Whether or not Avanine becomes canon, the possibility itself enriches the story and keeps viewers engaged with the characters' journeys.

TL;DR: The season 3 finale seems to solidify Gregory and Janine's relationship, potentially sidelining any romantic possibilities between Janine and Ava. However, examining the narrative and character development reveals that the potential for an Avanine romance remains strong. Janine's journey of self-discovery, marked by pivotal moments like her breakup with Tariq and her declaration of wanting to be selfish, contrasts with Gregory's more stable but less aggressively developed character arc. Ava, initially self-centered, undergoes significant growth, showing unexpected depth and selflessness, particularly towards Janine. Their off-camera interactions and mutual support hint at a deeper connection. The complex dynamics between Janine, Ava, and Gregory, including Ava's changing behavior towards Gregory and her evident jealousy, suggest Ava's unspoken feelings for Janine. With Ava canonically over Gregory, her actions indicate a crush on Janine, setting the stage for intriguing developments in season 4. The essay argues that while Avanine might not become canon, the possibility enriches the narrative and keeps fans engaged.

19 notes · View notes

bg3ficreviews · 6 months

Text

The Loving Master series - #BG3 FanFic Review

Review by Apollo (@apollo-stories)

Good timezone my friends, I am happy to present another constellation in the bright sky of fanfiction: The Loving Master series by calqmity on AO3. (You can find the author on Tumblr at @calqmity and on Twitter.)

A note from the BG3 Fic Reviews team: As always, mind the tags, and for this wonderfully dark work in particular, as it includes numerous controversial and dark themes. These include NSFW; dead dove; necrophilia; non-con elements; and abusive relationships; among others. Our review is continued below the fold due to the heavy nature of the content in this particular series.

Virtual photography by @xandirge.

The series is comprised of three separate works exploring the dark desires of our favourite bloodsucker Ascended Astarion. It starts with The Doll Collector, a fantastic title in and of itself with no small amount of sinister foreshadowing.

In this story there is a constant and ominous theme of dehumanisation as well as an exploration of Astarion’s relationship with death. The author details Ascended Astarion’s recently devised methods of collecting his new vampire spawn cohort, as well as the addiction he develops in controlling their lifeless bodies. (Reminder: mind the tags!)

Astarion is obsessively controlling, and takes great delight in stripping any sort of independence or autonomy from his spawn that they may have once enjoyed in their former lives. It is a dark work, and there is no healing to be found here. This is an excellently constructed examination of Ascended Astarion’s dark mind and how he fulfills his most toxic needs as his spawn become his latest possessions to play with at his leisure.

The Unbearable Pressure, the author's second work in the series, is no different to its predecessor in its exploration of Ascended Astarion's growing darkness and cruelty. This work focuses more on on his relationship with his most disobedient spawn, Blaze, and his efforts to break her and ensure her obedience.

The theme of dehumanisation and dollification gets more pronounced the further we read. Astarion wants to control every single part of his spawn. And even despite the obvious sadism of his actions, Astarion genuinely believes he is doing his spawn a kindess, and grapples to understand why his spawn are not more grateful for his 'assistance' and what he considers his dedicated 'care'. The author has expressed Astarion's delusion of benevolence well, as our narrator is wonderfully unreliable.

Haunted By Your Touch, Aching For Your Love is our third and final work in the series, and quite possibly my favourite of the three! (I would call it a crowd pleaser, but that requires that the crowd in question likes breaking characters down and making them suffer oh so deliciously.)

The cycle of abuse and the affection for one’s captor can be difficult to write in fiction. There is a common mistake of stepping back from the scene and becoming more clinical in order to convey why the cycle is happening and why it continues, and, in so doing, create a disconnect between the reader and the characters. This work sees that tripping point coming from miles away and does cartwheels over it.

We are deep in Astarion’s mind and psyche in this work as his delusions and twisted perspective have completely erased any distinction between reality and his wicked desires. It is left to the keen eye of the reader to pick up on the subtle hints and evidence of his delusions, which are expertly described by the author via the reactions of the other characters that suffer Astarion's whims and mistreatment.

The Loving Master, as a whole, is a wonderful exploration into dark themes and abusive relationships. Astarion’s character is portrayed consistently through the entire series using beautiful metaphors that I could hear Astarion himself repeating in his own voice. And beyond our lead antagonist, the author's original characters are well-written and developed, becoming well-established personalities in their own right. Each one has their own clear motivations and responds to Astarion differently, adding to the depth of the overall narrative with every line. These stories are also structurally sound, as you can look forward to a healthy mix of short and long paragraphs and sentence structures that makes the story easy to read and easy to enjoy.

Mind the tags on AO3, as The Loving Master does not shy away from NSFW elements and very heavy themes.

Enjoy your dove, but be aware. It is very, very dead.

---

We have included a snippet of The Doll Collector below for your enjoyment, as well as the author's tags as they are currently listed on AO3 for this particular work. Please remember to support the author by leaving kudos and comments on their work on AO3. 🫶

The Doll Collector

"One more bite, is all it would take."

And now his beautifully pliant Lydia laid underneath him, fully submitted to his one desire: for her to become his. Her jet black hair framed her round, delicate face. Through her long, black eyelashes, her dark purple eyes stared up at him, wide and vulnerable. The indigo moonlight skin that bruised wonderfully under the force of his fingers was soft and warm to the touch.

"Be gentle," her quiet voice trembled.

There was nothing gentle about forging an undead monster out of an innocent, precious soul—his perfectly obedient, beautiful little monster, yet a monster nonetheless—but he could pretend, for just a moment.

He brought her wrist up to his mouth, laying a feather light kiss on top of the flesh, eating the garnish before digging into the main course. He cradled it in his hands before sinking his teeth in. Her quick yelp from the sudden pain sent a raging, hot inferno through his abdomen, encouraged by the red delicacy on his tastebuds.

Eventually he forced himself to pull away, letting the bloodied, shaking hand fall from his grasp. He leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her head, trapping his prey.

"You have given me everything...thank you." His words came out breathy and in between sighs of pleasure. The taste of her blood lingered on his lips, but it wasn't enough. He needed every last drop. While the ritual had rid him of the hunger caused by his supernatural curse, it had been replaced with a new hunger: to take, to take, and to take, from everyone around him. He wanted it all.

She look terrified out of her mind about what was about to happen, her eyes glancing at the liquid ruby dripping down his chin. In this moment, she looked like a porcelain doll. Her plump lips and flushed cheeks had a warm glow cast on them from the candle light in the tavern room. But when his fangs pierced her neck, she did not crack—only screamed. It was like biting into the plumpest, ripest fruit in the orchard, and her cries of pain were the beautiful notes of the birds' song high above in the sky.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 fanfic #bg3 fanfic review #bg3ficreviews #mind the tags!

27 notes · View notes

kiraisrika · 6 months

Text

Hazbin Hotel: Trace the primal light

This will be part 1/3 Of my hazbin hotel rewrite

Link to part 2: xxx

Edit: this is a safe measure to vivziepop's stans that happen to come across my silly post

I just did a rewrite of a show i thought have so much potential, viv's ideas is good, great even and i respect her (though not support her) because of how far she has come. Shes a great animator and artist, i just wanted to expand her idea in another way unlike her way, its just a silly little rewrite you don't have to take it seriously.

Tldr: I am a bored teen who see the potential and decided to expand on it im not attacking Viv im just critisizing her work, all writers, artist, creator go through that (even me) its just a part of making creating for other people to enjoy. So lets be respectful.

Lets start of with the big fish, the tonal problem of Hazbin Hotel.

I feel like Viv can't decide whether its a serious story or a comedic story, everything feels so unbalanced, one thing the viewer is supposed to make fun of a character the next you need to sympathies with them in one scene to another.

Im not saying comedic shows cannot have a serious setting once in a while, see for example: the amazing world of gumball or heck even my little pony A SHOW MADE FOR KIDS THAT MEANT TO BE LIGHTHEARTED

But ofcourse, Hazbin Hotel have this problem, so lets change it shall we?

In my rewrite HH is in its core a semi-serious show, it has mature theme that is handled seriously and it doesn't make fun of a character in their more character driven moment

Ofcourse, HH still has their humor and allat, it just doesn't interfere with the over all tone of the show

now we move on to season 1 (-ep 9)

In the original series, hazbin hotel has 8 episodes, i wouldn't blame them because their an indie production but i think it should be extended to 9 for good measure

Ep 1 focuses on the setting, tone and introduction

Ep 9 will lay out the stary of the conflict in season 2

And lets just say, the Pilot of HH did a pretty good job of standing in for Ep 1, it has the setting, the characters and how they interact. I particularly liked the introduction to charlie at the start of the pilot, when its the end of the recent extermination and she's essentially "waking up" the rest of hell.

It captured Charlie's motivation and role so perfectly and nicely, it shows her status as princess, and her motivation to end the extermination for her people. All without a single dialog only her song.

Season 1 of my HH rewrite will lean onto more episodic elements, each episode after ep 1 will introduced a new character that come to the hotel and want to be redeemed.this will be the perfect chance for viv to showcase her designs and push the premise forward.

What about sir pentious? Hes a guest yes, he's a guest in ep 1 and will be more of like the core cast along season 1

My rewrite will probably look like this:

Ep 01: Prolog

Ep 02: a guest related to greed

Ep 03: a guest related to gluttony

Ep 04: a guest related to wrath

Ep 05: a guest related to sloth

Ep 06: a Guest related to lust

Ep 07: a guest related to pride

Ep 08: cast centric episode (maybe angel dust)

Ep 09: epilog that will lay out future season

I will talk about ep 9 later after i talk about the villains in part 2

But kira how about the main cast? How about their development?

Good question and i have an answer to you

Each cast or more will handle the said guest in every episode, for example Charlie will try to calm down a rouge wrath guest or Husk will try to help slmeone with the gluttony problem and so on and so forth.

The guest will contrast the cast very much, and this will give you how they interact with someone outside the main cast

Now how about the main cast itself? How do they interact with each other? Through the episodes ofcourse, found family dynamic that build up slowly but surely. Like angel, who don't care about the hotel at the start but slowly warming up to the others

But how about their personal development or trauma? Yes, beacuse season 1 focuses alot more on episodic, developing a character through episode is hard but plausible, so i guess in season 1 we will get a little development in the show don't tell format while in season 2 we will push to more character driven story and story driven story episodes.

how about the main characters?

Ofcourse we gotta start with the main cast

Charlie morningstar

Charlie in my rewrite is nice, sweet and often times pushing herself too much, she has her pride and will do anything to protect it, even if it harm herself. Shes down to earth and thats why she gets brushed off so much by her people because she doesn't earn their respect yet

Her development in season 1 is all about her trying to gain respect and all the while pushing the inner conflict of herself for working herself too much.

And her flaw is shown in one of the scene where she lashed out to her fellow main cast beacuse of her pride as in only her method is the right one. But through out the said episode she will try to fix that part of her in the guidance of her friends.

Likable component

- friendly

- nice

- confident

- leader type

- down to earth

- caring

Unlikable component

- prideful

- Headstrong

- pushing herself too much in the cost of her own self or even her friends

- gullible

- get jealous fairly easily ( not in like a posessive way but in like of how dare you're better than me way)

Vaggie | Vagatha | Valitas (angel name)

Yes i did rewrote her name too because what the fuck is Vagina.

Anyway-

The problem i had with her is the fact she doesn't have any and i mean Any character outside of her being "Charlie's girlfriend who is an angry latina stereotype" so we gotta fix this

In my rewrite, shes a pretty serious and headstrong woman, often being the "straight man" inside the chaos of Hazbin Hotel. While she look like she's made from stone, she actually has a pretty soft side more to her friends.

She's only acted aggressively where she deemed the situation is calling for it or she sense danger arising.

Shes a very good fighter and has been with Charlie for a long Time, though they never outright have a relationship. Their romance is a slow burn one, scenes here and there like lasting glances or playful flirting throughout season 1 that build up to season 2.

She has a pretty good, enemies to friends dynamic with angel dust, and out of all the main cast she's the closest to him by far (platonic!!)

We can easily showcase her character in a show don't tell format like simple gestures like putting a hand in front of charlie when she danger is coming or reassuring the other main cast calmly while holding their hand if need be

Likable components

- attentive

- logical

- serious

- street smart

- wise

- gentle

Unlikable components

- headstrong

- violent (if the situation calls for it)

- self loathing

- overbearing

Angel dust

Angel dust oh yeah we gotta talk about him

*sigh where do i start

I am not going to show his SA scene

Thats it, thats the rewrite

JUST KIDDING

But still no SA scene bcs wtf is that

Angel dust in my hazbin hotel rewrite is a confident and flirty man, he's confident, charming and sexually active man though he does fake his emotions a whole lot.

He stand in the middle of a string between overconfidence and self loathing at the same time, even if he's tired he'll often push all of his real emotions inside and stand proud in his drag queen persona.

He is an actor after all.

He has a very heavy trauma history with Valentino, and beacuse of valentino he develop his eating disorder and self loathing tendencies.

His interaction with main cast starts from him using them as means to escape valentino to him genuinely caring about them

Hes a very complex character over all

Likable components

- confident

- charming

- caring (he doesn't want to admit it)

- attentive

- soft spot

-attractive

Unlikable components

- he'll often accidentally invading others personal space because of his flirting (he'll work on it)

- self loathing

- overconfidence

and also his eating disorder (he'll work on it too in season 1 this will be viewed negatively as in its a bad thing not that angel dust is a terrible person to have ED)

Angel ae urip iki

Husk

Husky dusty my lil meow meow (hes a grown man) Just kidding!!

Husk in my rewrite is often times dismissive, petty, and overall a not fun person beacuse of his " i don't care" attitude but surprisingly hes a pretty good listener and a very detailed observer, he has street smarts and will sometime spit out uncharacteristically good advice.

His relationship with alastor will be dived in more deeper in season 2

Over all he will be that one idgaf bartender that has surprisingly good advice

Likable components

- attentive

- observant

- good listener

- street smart

- wise

- uncharacteristic good advice

Unlikable components

- petty

- dissmissive

- bitter

- salty

Nifty

Ah yes, the hyperactive skrunkle

she's honestly...a very interesting can of worms, she acted like a child but in that one episode she displayed in this sexual setting that made me ick for a little bit

Her character is basically nothing outside of the sociopathic, hyperactive silly goober

In my rewrite she's more reserved while still holding on to that hyperactiveness of her, shes a clean freak and kinda a sociapath often times.

While she hold on to that shes a rather friendly and approachable character, shes like that one friend you would talk your problems with all the while she offered to get rid of the problem (in more ways than one). While she has her flaws with her, it wss established that she was not aware that what her doing is wrong, because in her human life she never thought about right or wrong

And yes in my rewrite shes a rather young gal (maybe high school age?), how did she met alastor? No one knows

And she's ace btw, it just doesn't accured to me she will be the type to think about romance, let alone sex.

Likeable components :

- friendly

- easily approachable

- positive

- clean

Unlikable components

- cant distinct between right or wrong

- gullible

- violent

- overbearing

Alastor

Alastor alastor alastor, what should i do with you?

In my rewrite he is an polite and old timey man, he is a gentleman and quite a charmer. Hes smart, observant and confident.

He'll probably will be the only character in my rewrite to not swear once, instead he will passive aggressively critisize someone with his signature gentleman words for example:

"Your highness perhaps with that silly little head of yours you cannot comprehend this level complexity do you?"

but ofcourse he wasn't a tumblr sexyman for nothing Ain't he?

he's manipulative while simultaneously approachable, making him more dangerous, he is sadistic and psycothic all of his move and act is for himself and only himself

It wasn't clear of wether or not he started to care for the other main cast or not but one thing is for certain that he is a force to behold.

And hes one of the girls

Also, no voodoo thingy

Likable components :

- Charming

- polite

- gentleman

- observant

- smart

Unlikable components

- manipulative

- sadistic

- fake.

- obsessive

Yes that's all for today's rewrite, part two will hopefully be tomorrow, ofcourse this is not a perfect rewrite, im open to what interpretation you guys have about my rewrite!!

Edit: sorry guys, i write this on a whim in the middle of the night and im veryy sleepy so i hope the typo and grammar mistakes can be excused

#kira rambles #Hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel rewrite #hazbin hotel critique #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel criticism #Not supporting viziepop!#Hazbin Hotel: trace the primal light au

18 notes · View notes

p0m0u · 1 month

Text

Campus Visit vs In Love, an analysis

This post was inspired by @kitabearuwu’s posts, here and here. This also a companion post for this post, and heck, why not, this other post. The video is super rudimentary, but I hope it helps to understand the musical thingy better.

Before we get to the main issue, a few notes on the usage of music to convey meanings: some composers (classical, ost) use the concepts of leitmotifs and themes to add a deeper layers of information to their compositions, or to films and series.

The difference between leitmotif vs theme is that a leitmotif is usually a sequence of just notes (one-two minimum), while the theme is the developed version of the leitmotif (with more notes and accompaniment). The Hedwig leitmotif would be, for instance, “dan-dan, da-dan-dan, dan-dan, dan, dan, da-da-dan, da-dan”, while the theme is the whole Hedwig’s theme track, with full orchestration.

A leitmotif can be used in a lot of ways: to imitate a sound (of a bird, for instance), to convey a feeling (love) to represent a character (Darth Vader), a place (Hogwarts)… and so on. When played in a negative tone, it can mean the contrary (love = hate or break up). When developed, can evolve into anything else (loneliness = friendship).

(For more info on this: this video and this video)

Leo Birenberg borrows some leitmotifs/themes from Jurassic movies and creates new ones, even though he said he doesn’t (I don’t believe you, my musical dude). Darius, Ben and Yaz have their own themes (that represent concepts), although Sammy makes Yaz’ theme her own since s4 in a few sequences.

Camp Cretaceous (the camp itself) has a theme, too: it’s the theme of friendship mainly. It plays in ep 1, when the kids hop off the car and contemplate the camp for the first time, or in ep 4, in a negative way, when Yaz says they are on their own, or at the end of ep 2x8, when the group hugs.

You might think that this is not relevant but it is, because Camp Cretaceous theme is played in a negative way in Campus Visit track, along with the In Love leitmotif (just 4 notes, it’s not still developed like the In Love theme). CC theme sounds different here because it’s a variation (with added notes), but it’s the same idea as in JWCC.

And my dudes and dudettes, the In Love is the very same that plays in both tracks, no doubt. Played with different notes and different scale, but the idea is the very same.

Ben’s In Love sounds more positive, despite having the sad Camp Cretaceous theme, and also ends in a positive way, contrary to Darius’ In Love, while this last one is more developed: Ben’s In Love is played just with and harp (struck string instrument), while Darius’ is played with violins (bowed string instrument) + light voice chorus. Darius’ theme is more developed simply because we still don’t know what would happen with Brooklynn and Ben but we do know that Darius is in love with Brooklynn. Also, Darius theme is kinda unresolved / resolved in a negative way because, allegedly, Brooklynn didn’t reciprocate him.

My theory again (a bit romantic one) is that Brooklynn is the girlfriend and she really likes Ben romantically. Remember the “at first, I was like, ugh, but this view?” line? I believe that’s a hint. As I said on my short essay, Brooklynn has been alone and isolated for months. Talking online with Ben probably helped her not only to keep tabs on Nublar 5, it also helped her emotionally. At the beginning, they were just online friends, but with time both felt something more (even though Ben does not know that his friend is Brooklynn). And instead of abstain herself, she let herself go.

That’s why (maybe) the In Love plays, but also the sad Camp Cretaceous theme, because this catfishing is going to hurt Ben and damage their friendship for a while, but if I interpreted the piece correctly, they will make up somehow, although the piece ending positively does not imply them being canonically together. I believe that another season will be needed to develop this.

The other option of Catfishing is that Brooklynn did it because “Whatever It Takes” is her motto and she went on a spiral. I don’t like this option because it would damage their friendship even more, and maybe beyond repair, but it’s an option we have to consider.

“But do you consider the possibility of Ben having an actual girlfriend?” I did considered it until I re-watched the sequence thanks to @kitabearuwu and also noticed the themes.

And that’s it. Feel free to comment/discuss!

#jurassic world chaos theory #benlynn #darilynn #camp cretaceous analysis #camp cretaceous things

9 notes · View notes

ynscrazylife · 3 months

Text

got an angsty scenario that idk how i’d write (like pairing/character wise) but i’m gonna share it with you all anyway!

it’d be a demon/devil x human or angel. forbidden romance, ofc, but once they actually fall in love with each other and get together, the human or angel gets sick. feverish. a bad fever. at first they presume that they’ll just get over it (or, if it’s an angel, they’re a little worried cause angels aren’t supposed to get sick). but it doesn’t stop. their devil partner does everything to try and help and nothing works. eventually they realize — the devel is unintentionally causing the fever with hell’s heat radiating off of them. bam. angst. hurt. sadness. there you go.

#devil x human #demon x human #demon x reader #devil x reader #demon x angel #angel x devil #fanfic ideas #fanfiction #whump writing #whump

7 notes · View notes

canonmisogynyvictimstournament · 1 year

Text

PROPAGANDA

SAKURA HARUNO (NARUTO)

1.) 1.) It is repeatedly stated throughout the series the areas in which she excels. We are told over and over again that she is gifted (early on in the series) or tremendously strong (end of the series) and yet with the exception of of the Sasori fight, there seems to be a staunch refusal to actually SHOW her being competent in a fight. 2.) her backstory ties into nothing plotwise as far as the overarching world and history of the village and its families. The three other leads (Sasuke Naruo, Kakashi) all get their own relevant backstory that gets delved into. But Sakura? Neither has one nor goes off and embroils herself personally into one of these overarching plot points. She is constantly forced to just be a companion/side character to the stories of her male counterparts. 3.) She's given so much potential for a great powersuite and those all either go unrealized or she gets shown up by other characters. idk if this is what was meant by propaganda but its what i got

2.) Despite becoming the world's best surgeon and doctor at age 17 (including doing open heart surgery in the middle of an active battlefield), her achievements are routinely undercut and underplayed by the canon.

It's all the more disappointing because in some ways, she's a very realistic and humanistic depiction of a teenage girl. Unlike her teammates, she grew up in what we would consider a pretty average family situation (two living parents who love her, even if they don't understand her choices), and has relatively average goals at the beginning. Compared to her teammates who are orphans from dynastic ninja clans, who were basically born to a lineage of massive amounts of powerful ninja magic; Sakura's civilian family has given her no genetic predisposition to being powerful. Despite this, she's shown to be highly intelligent, achieving top scores on exams and having a deep knowledge for theory and concepts.

She begins the story having a crush on Sasuke Uchiha, a boy who has no interest in her, and hating Naruto, their village's Omelas Child. However, as she works with her team, she bonds with them on a deeper level, and works very hard to meet their natural level of skill and not be deadweight on their team.

However, despite the fact that trios are treated with deep cultural and narrative significance throughout Naruto, the narrative quickly abandons the "Team 7 Trio" framing in all the ways that matter, becoming the Naruto-and-Sasuke show in all ways that matter. When Sakura gets her time to shine, she's always undercut. Her massive physical strength and strong sense of self in Shippuden are never treated with the same reverence as her teammates'. Despite the fact that she can easily shatter rock and manipulate the ground with her sheer physical power, and that she was originally presented as good at genjutsu (illusion magic); she becomes a field medic/doctor -- a carer/support role, rather than a DPS. Her decisions to advocate for herself and the people she cares about (such as trying to kill Sasuke) are treated as foolish and naive, not a heroic choice to try and help her friends at a large personal cost.

She also basically never gets to fight a man, except for one important case: Sasori. This is important, because the female characters in Naruto are routinely presented as less powerful and less of a threat than male characters. While her fight with Sasori is a fantastic arc, it ends with Sasori undercutting her victory by being like "well actually I wanted to die", implying that he'd chosen to let her win, not that her win is well deserved. This is at the start of Shippuden, she doesn't get a solo fight arc after that.

Of course, the most egregious thing done to Sakura is that she's married off to Sasuke. Despite the fact that Sasuke is never once shown to give a shit about her, and the fact that her character development in a large part was about her giving up the childish and misogynistic desire to be a wife to the cute guy in her class, suddenly they're together. Sasuke is a deadbeat husband, however, and immediately fucks off, to the point where he doesn't recognise their child when he meets her, and tries to kill her. Sakura-the-housewife-waiting-at-the-window-for-her-husband's-return is again now deeply in love with a man who doesn't give a shit about her. The only photo she has of them together is shown to be a cutout of another photo of Sasuke stuck on a photo of her. She's again trapped in a housewife box, her achievements and skill sideline to her ability to rear a child for the male lead. And worse, despite the fact she's a very confident person who otherwise has no issue advocating for herself, she doesn't really seem to fight back against this awful status quo in her relationship, grateful for the scraps of affection Sasuke delivers to her once a decade.

3.) Despite being on a team of three, she's always side lined for the other two. Her whole thing is healing, then in a major arc at the end of the main series a character gets hurt and when she goes to attempt to heal them, she is pushed aside so Naruto can do his amazing magic healing that he just learned and is already better at it than her.

ADA VESSALIUS (PANDORA HEARTS) (CW: Domestic Abuse)

1.) Her treatment is so terrible. She gets abused by a guy who's only dating her for other goals, and has openly told her he's only using her and doesn't love her, and yet she's written to constantly forgive him and love him to the end, anyway. She's only used as a plot device, being kidnapped and having her life threatened multiple times just to further her brother's story (he's the MC). And whenever she tries to make her own choices, like God forbid date someone, the male figures in her life get in her way because "that's my sister/daughter/etc". Not even because the guy she chose sucks lol. Her arc is basically just...forgiving people that shouldn't be forgiven, I guess? But that's generous. She doesn't have an arc, and has basically no personality.

#polls #round 1 #week 1 #new #cw domestic abuse

30 notes · View notes

constellaj · 1 year

Note

i saw that post of you wanting pople to ask you about your regular show rewrite and i saw the bits of it you posted and i wanna know more

okayyyee sry this is a late response

like most things I invented this lore alongside @crystalfloe and she's brilliant and amazing and the guy who got me into regular show

first things first you need to understand this is. for some fucking reason. a lore heavy regular show au/rewrite. it's so cringe man. please remember this is regular show

that aside the general premise is that The Park is haunted/cursed. The Park is a magical landmark that wants to preserve itself + nature and needs guardians/workers to take care of it. so it "selects" people (normally those who live on park property).

Mordecai and Rigby do not know this. they are 2 normal human dudes who suck at life and desperately need a job so they go to The Park, which they know always has Help Wanted signs (because nobody wants to work at The Cursed Park).

They meet Benson, who Is A Gumball Machine, and they're like... yooo wtf. they don't know why he's like this. but in this world it's not unheard of for weird mutants or objectheads to exist, so they decide not to ask questions because dude that's totally insensitive.

Benson hands them an employee contract and stresses that they Need to Read the Fine Print if they want to work here. Mordecai and Rigby do not read the fine print. They freak the fuck out when The Park starts Cursing them by turning them into animals.

Turns out The Park is a big fan of character development, and mutates the people it Selects to encourage it; if mordecai and rigby stop being dicks, their mutations reverse. This is how you get blue haired anime boy with wings out of a greasy emo art dropout. The general Plot of their lives know is dealing with this forced character development, hiding their mutations because they're 20 and easily embarrassed, and learning to work with them instead of fight against them.

Mutations generally follow a theme based on the Most Character Development Needed. Benson is uptight, doesn't know how to relax, and is awful with children, so he's Cursed™ into being a literal candy dispenser. Mordecai has shit self-esteem, so he's a flashy preening bird. There is nothing wrong with Rigby Rigby doesn't shower /has general living issues so he's a literal rodent but one that's actually known for its hygiene.

If you become aware of The Curse, The Park gets pissy and makes it so you can't reverse your mutations. This is what happened to Skips; his anger issues when he was younger translated into being a gorilla, and then he found out how it worked /tried to game the system, and now he's stuck like that. It can still get worse, but it can't get better

Muscleman + hi five are a unique case. 'Mitch' was a park employee who was an insane daredevil with no regard for his own safety, who ramped a car into a flaming pit and died in the wreckage (maybe this was The Curse, who knows). MM and HF are the aftermath; MM is the zombie corpse reanimated, and HF is Mitch's ghost/soul. Neither of them remember their past or even know that they're technically the same guy, and there's like a whole character arc around that and realizing that you're a different person now

Techmo is also a unique case (thumbs up for techmo enjoyers). instead of being a human who was cursed, he was actually created directly by the park to be a nature guardian. he got a little silly obsessive evil with it until he realized what The Park was doing to him, so he left and got into technology in an effort to distance himself from the nature of The Park as much as possible. There's parallels now between him and Mordecai; Mordecai has main character syndrome, and so The Park is trying to basically make him a second Techmo.

Pops is. Uhhh I don't think we worked Pops out fully. He's an alien still and not actually tied to The Park the same way the others are, which gives him a little more freedom. Plus he doesn't need character development he's already the perfect man

generally, The Park isn't actually an inherently *good* entity. It has goals and a specific mindset it wants its Guardians to have, and part of the nuance of working at The Park is balancing helpful character development (such as Benson learning to relax) with The Park's fucked up selfish agenda (like replacing Mordecai's mind to have the ideal Guardian. don't worry about it).

and that's the regular lore

#regular show #ask #au

28 notes · View notes

causeilikelix · 6 months

Text

During the Rainstorm - Chapter Two

↳ Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x Yoon Seol (OC)

↳ Genre: Romance, comedy, smut (eventual), slow burn, enemies (idiots) to lovers, non!idol au, angst

↳ Series warnings: See Chapter One

↳ Chapter Warnings: None, nothing serious. Mentions of nausea and anxiety. Hyunjin actually appears in this chapter, so let's start the ride!!

↳ Read on my A03: Here

↳ Masterlist & Summery: Here

↳ Notes: This is a repost of this series and I think a re-upload of the first chapter. I also am taking the liberty of making a name change of one of the characters. Woojin and Minho are switching names/characters.

<- Chapter One - Chapter Three ->

THE BRIGHT TROPICAL sun was bright enough to blind even in the early morning. Seol pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her bag and slipped them over her eyes. The warm salty air blew through her hair, whipping it all around her head and across her face. She tried not to think about the knots that she would have to brush out later at the hotel. Seol decided that the concept for an open air Jeep with no doors, top, or windows was decent, but in practice she wished they’d never been built.

Yoon Dayeon and her fiance Kim Minho sat in the front seats, laughing and smiling together about something Seol couldn’t hear. She tried to ignore the happy and loving looks that the couple exchanged, but she figured she would have to get used to them at some point. Seol tried to focus on the glistening ocean, the clear blue sky, and the warm summer air. Maybe Eun Bi was right and being in a beautiful place like this would get the creative juices flowing.

She took a few deep breaths, letting the salty air permeate her senses. Blazing rays of sun seeped through her clothes and caressed her skin. The ocean glistened, sparkling like diamonds under the summer sun. Seol wondered if she could write a poem about the ocean or the palm trees or the bold blue sky. However, nothing came to mind. No words, no comparisons, nothing.

Nothing yet. Seol tried to remind herself. It’s not like she expected to get flooded with inspiration in her first hour on the island.

“Seol-ah.” Dayeon turned around in her seat to call for her cousin over the wind. “I hope you brought a swimsuit! Our first stop after the rehearsal is the pool!”

“Did you really think I would come to Jeju Island without a swimsuit?” Seol grinned. “I brought my cute red one, too. Surely there’s a cute guy somewhere out there for me.”

“That’s the spirit!” Dayeon exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “It’s about time you got out of your funk after that asshole you were dating.”

“Honestly, he wasn’t worth my time and energy anyway.”

“Didn’t you write a collection of poems about him?” Dayeon tilted her head forward to peer at Seol over the rims of her sunglasses.

“Look, they weren’t all about him.” Seol crossed her arms. “Besides, I had to have my catharsis somehow and it’s not like my creative outlet is a secret.”

“Alright, alright. Fair enough. Did you write the lightning poem about him?”

“No! He doesn’t deserve that kind of brilliance.” Seol scoffed at the accusation.

“Damn right!” This cry came from both Dayeon and Minho.

“What did I do to deserve you guys?” Seol laughed.

“You were literally born into my family. Now don’t worry, maybe this weekend we can hook you up for someone a million times better than that asshole. Minho has a bunch of his friends coming for the weekend.”

“Oh, what about Changbin?” Minho chimed in.

“Maybe... but I think he’s too... oh, I dunno...” Dayeon hummed.

“Loud? I agree.” Minho shook his head. “In any case, a bunch of them will be at the rehearsal since my bachelor party is right after. I can introduce you, if you like.” Minho offered, shooting her a prince-like smile through the rearview mirror.

“I appreciate it, but that’s not really my priority for the weekend anyway. My publisher is cracking down on me to write a novel instead of just poetry so I’m going to try and develop that. With any luck, I’ll be too distracted to care about men.” Seol waved off the offer.

“If you insist. Maybe you’ll change your mind once you see the wedding hall. It’s absolutely gorgeous!” Dayeon clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. “It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

“I hope it lives up to the hype.” A laugh burst from Seol. “You’ve only been talking about it for months.”

“It will, I swear! This is going to be the perfect wedding. I have the man of my dreams, a show stopping dress, my favorite cousin by my side,” Dayeon threw in a wink for Seol’s benefit. “And the most delicious dinner you’ve ever had in your life. Honestly, I don’t know how this could get any better.”

“Me, either.” Seol shook her head, turning to watch the glittering ocean. There were no storm clouds on the horizon, allowing the spotless blue sky to extend as far as the eye could see.

The road snaked and curved along the coastline, gradually ascending upwards towards a dramatically modern island resort. The white sandstone and glass exterior reminded Seol of a Grecian villa. Palm trees and vibrant flowers decorated the entrance. They surrounded a large silver sculpture with an obscure shape, somewhere between a globe and a mountain. Seol peered at it as the Jeep wound up the hill and around the roundabout towards the parking lot. The sun’s reflection in the windows blinded Seol, even with the sunglasses and she winced away from the light. She reached for her purse to dig for her chapstick as an excuse to hide from the light.

From the driver's seat, Minho slowed the car and tapped on the horn. He called excitedly to someone in the parking lot and Dayeon joined in when she saw who it was. Seol glanced up from her bag but the person on the sidewalk was wearing a hat and looking away.

“Hyung!” Minho called again, stopping the car.

“Oh? Minho-ah! Did you and Dayeon go on a pre-wedding date?” The man on the sidewalk responded with a deep, well rounded voice. Seol glanced up instinctively, but her chapstick had migrated to the bottom of the bag.

“No, we had to pick up Dayeon’s cousin from the airport.” Minho explained.

“The one who’s going to be reading at the ceremony?”

“The very one.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing which poem you’ve chosen! Look, I’ll see you inside, okay? I want to put my bags away.”

“Great! See you in a few minutes at the rehearsal!” Minho called.

He let off the brakes and continued into the parking lot. It didn’t take him long to find a spot and by then Seol gave up looking for her chapstick. She hoped to maybe buy some in the hotel if they had an in-house convenience store. Minho got out of the car first, making his way around and helping Dayeon out of the car. He waited patiently for Seol to gather herself before offering her his hand. Seol grinned at Dayeon, who watched Minho with hearts sparkling in her eyes. On one hand, the romance between them was disgusting, but on the other Seol had to admit that Minho was a gentleman. Once Seol was out of the car, Minho went back in for her bags. He refused to let her take them from him.

“Who did we just stop for?” Seol asked as the trio made their way into the building.

“Ah, that was one of Minho’s friends from university. They were in different departments, but took a bunch of the same classes.” Dayeon linked her arm with Seol’s as they walked.

“We’ve been best friends since college. So, of course he had to come.” Minho continued. “I just barely managed to get him down here, though. He’s had a thing about beaches recently.”

“A thing about beaches?” Seol quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, I dunno. Something about how they bring him terrible luck. He hasn’t told me much more than that. But, Dayeon is a genius and can convince anyone to do anything and talked him into coming down. He knew he had to be here anyway.”

“It would have been his loss. That ocean is beautiful.” Seol determined.

“I agree completely.” Dayeon beamed, turning her face towards the sun and sighing contentedly.

“Are you guys staying in Jeju for the honeymoon?”

“For a while. We’re spending a week here before flying out to Greece and touring the country.”

“I’m so jealous! I’ve always wanted to visit Greece.”

“The next time we go on a trip, we’ll bring you along.” Minho promised, falling back to let the girls enter the hotel first.

“So I can be a third wheel the whole time? What an irresistible offer.” Seol laughed, only half joking.

“Oh, come on. You wouldn’t be alone!” Dayeon exclaimed. “You’d have your three bags of notebooks with you!”

“You’re the worst.”

Dayeon only laughed, unfazed by her cousin’s teasing. The three of them made their way to the desk where Minho helped Seol check in. Most of the hotel bookings for the wedding were made under a group reservation. Surely there was a discount involved, but Seol didn’t know anything about that. Not officially, anyway. Dayeon and Minho kept insisting that Seol didn’t owe them anything for the room but Seol was determined to eventually pay them back for it. Finally, Minho turned around and handed Seol her room keys.

“You’ll be on the third floor. I’ll walk you up.” Minho gestured towards the hallway labeled Elevators. “Jagiya, I’ll meet you in the wedding hall, alright?”

“Of course. See you soon.” Dayeon smiled warmly, touching Minho’s shoulder gently. “Seol-ah, when you come down make sure you’re dressed cute. Some of Minho’s friends will be there and you want to make a good impression.”

Dayeon winked before setting off in a different direction. Minho led Seol to the elevators, heaving her backpack higher on his shoulder as they walked. Seol knew that her backpack was heavy, seeing as it contained mostly books and her laptop. She didn’t expect to get too much time to do some writing, but she figured that if there was nothing to do after the reception then she should have her computer just in case.

“Are you sure I can’t carry at least my backpack?” Seol offered as they waited.

“Oh, I’m sure. It’s not that heavy.” Minho shot her a dazzling grin. Dayeon sure did win the jackpot. Seol knew for a fact that her backpack was very heavy.

“Well, thank you. I appreciate the help.”

“Anytime. Ah, I asked if they would be able to take your dress and prepare it for tomorrow. Someone will be meeting you at your room in a few minutes to take it so they can press or steam it or whatever they do.” The elevator doors opened and Minho waited for Seol to get on before following her.

“Dayeon told you about my dilemma yesterday?” Seol guessed.

“You were on speaker.”

“I am... not surprised.”

The walk to Seol’s room was quick but Wooojin kept her entertained regardless. He talked about the wedding planning and the nerves building up in his stomach. Sure, he was excited to be marrying Dayeon, but the overall event was still nerve-wrecking. Seol wished she could relate. The more he talked about the wedding and his excitement about marrying Dayeon, the tighter she had to grip the bag of her purse. She swallowed thickly, trying to wash the jealousy down.

Ever since Dayeon met Minho six years ago, their love had been fairytale perfect. Minho pursued her diligently before asking her on a date. Dayeon called Seol after their first date to gush about how much of a gentleman he’d been the whole time and how he was definitely getting a second date. From the moment Seol met Minho, she knew that he and Dayeon would be planning a wedding in no time. While there had been some postponements due to illness in the family and a year-long business trip, the relationship persevered. Now, Seol’s cousin was marrying an actual Disney prince. Seol would be lying if she said that she didn’t want a prince herself. Dayeon could have Minho. Seol wanted one of her own.

They reached Seol’s room and Minho stepped inside just to drop her backpack on the bed and leave the roller case at the end. When he finally stepped out and the door closed behind him, Seol groaned deeply and fell back on the bed. The plush mattress and cotton blankets sucked her in. Her eyes slid shut and she considered letting herself drift off. Traveling always made her tired and since she had to catch an early flight to make it on time she had to wake up before the sun rose. Seol determined that waking up before eight or nine in the morning was not for her and should be outlawed.

Her consciousness was just beginning to drift when a loud knock on the door shocked her awake. Seol groaned, throwing her arm over her eyes and wishing whoever was outside would go away. The loud knock came again. Seol heaved herself off of the bed and moved to the door.

“I’m here to take your dress to be pressed.” The hotel employee stated almost robotically.

“Oh, right. Um, let me get it.” Seol folded the lock in the door so it wouldn’t shut and hurried back into the room.

Seol unzipped her bag and pulled out her dress in its plastic protective bag. Through the clear plastic, she could see that it hadn’t fared the trip as well as she’d hoped. It didn’t look awful, but it could use a good press. She carried it bridal style back to the door and passed it off to the employee.

“It’ll only take a couple of hours.” The employee smiled politely.

“Oh, I’ll be out and about for a bachelorette party. Will you put it back in my room?”

“Yes, we can do that.”

“Perfect, thank you!”

The employee started down the hall and Seol let the heavy door slide closed behind her. Seol made her way back into her room to rummage through her bag to find something to wear. Apparently her jeans and simple t-shirt wasn’t ‘cute’ enough for the rehearsal, so she had to find something else. Unlike Dayeon, Seol didn’t make it a habit to bring enough clothes to change three times a day when she went on a trip so she wasn’t sure if she had anything to wear to the reception that would meet Dayeon’s expectations. As she rummaged around, Seol found her notebook with the pencil tied to the ring. She took a deep breath, not remembering when she’d packed it. Seol lifted it out of the bag and flipped it open to the last page with any words written on it.

“I think I need to see you again... there’s something I need to say... Even though we know nothing about each other.” Seol’s eyes scanned the next line. “You and I... after that night, I began feeling things I’ve never felt before and I’m scared. I don’t know the right thing to do and I want to talk to you. I think you would know what to do.”

Seol didn’t have the confidence to say that he would know what to do. She didn’t even have the confidence to say that he would have wanted to talk to her, or given her a second look once she told him what was on her mind. Luckily for her, the problem had been fleeting and she hadn’t needed to talk to him, to Hyunjin. The fear and the urge to reach out to him had only lasted a couple of days but it was enough to send her spiraling. A few of those poems ended up in her book, but luckily no one took much notice of them. Seol didn’t want to think about it. Not today.

Thankfully, she found the sundress she’d brought to layer over her swimsuit and decided it was better than nothing. She changed into her red bikini to layer under it before pulling the red cotton sundress over her head. Seol toed on the pair of red flats she brought with her and checked her appearance in the mirror. She grabbed her hair brush immediately to run it through her tangled strands, not realizing how badly the wind had messed it up. The pull of the brush against the knots pinched her scalp and she winced. The ride in the open air Jeep did a number to her hair and it took her several painful minutes to get it back to a healthy level. When she checked her appearance in the mirror once more, she was glad to see that the simple makeup she’d applied at the airport had stayed.

She grabbed a small plastic bag out of the front pocket of her backpack and pulled out a pair of earrings and slipped them into her piercings. Seol hadn’t expected to ever wear the seashell earrings again, but Jeju Island seemed to be the most appropriate place. She almost hadn’t brought them. She’d stared at them for several minutes that morning as she put her wedding jewelry in the plastic bag. Seol couldn’t describe why she needed to bring them, she just knew that she didn’t want to leave them there.

For a moment, Seol paused, caught by her reflection in the full-length mirror hung on the wall. She took in her appearance with her long hair, crystal earrings, and red dress. She took a few deep breaths, letting her eyes fall on her own face, peering closer at her makeup to make sure it looked okay. Her eyes dropped lower across her chest to her stomach and a hand lifted instinctively to cover it. Her eyes slipped closed for a moment as she pushed down the emptiness. A chasm had ripped itself open inside her months ago and no matter how hard she tried, the dull ache within her refused to subside. No matter how much she wrote or how much she drank, the hurt remained.

“Stop looking.” His voice filled her ears and he appeared over her shoulder.

She met his eyes through the mirror, ripping her attention away from her frazzled and unkempt appearance. Her face and eyes were red and puffy from crying and from sitting outside in the cold for so long. Her dress wrinkled where she’d gripped the skirt in lieu of gripping the neck of her ex. Seol’s hair looked windswept and angry. She’d only wanted to check and see if her nose was bleeding after something wet slipped out of it, but she got caught up in looking at her sorry appearance. Heartbreak looked ugly on her. Luckily, her nose wasn’t bleeding.

Hyunjin’s large, warm hands covered her shoulders and he slowly turned her around. He smiled at her softly and without pity. She wondered why he didn’t pity her when the person she cared about had betrayed her so horribly. Seol knew she deserved his pity but she didn’t want it. Perhaps he saw that in her and was determined to be someone she needed instead. And she did need him. When she faced him, he lifted one of his hands to gently fix a small lipstick smudge on the corner of her mouth and he smiled when he completed his task. Hyunjin’s plush lips looked inviting and Seol fought the urge to claim them for herself.

“You don’t need to see what he did to you.” Hyunjin’s soft voice filled her heart and helped the shaking within her subside. She hadn’t realized the extent of her anxiety until he started whispering. “Seol-ah, don’t look at yourself anymore tonight. Instead, look at me. Just me.”

“I’m not sad anymore.” She declared. Seol wasn’t sure if it was the truth. “I just want to forget. I don’t like that he’s the last person who touched me.”

“He doesn’t have to be.”

Seol blinked up at him in surprise at his words, wondering if he was insinuating what she thought he was. Hyunjin’s gaze was soft and innocent, and for a moment Seol wondered if she was even physically capable of placing her hands on another man, much less her mouth. For just long enough, she’d dedicated herself to someone else. She didn’t think she would need to touch or kiss other men. But Hyunjin... Hyunjin looked too beautiful to pass up.

“Will you...” Seol started but the words died in her throat.

“Yes?”

“Will you hold me?”

Seol shook her head and was almost tempted to wave her hand above her head to help the thought bubble dissipate. She couldn’t believe how desperate she’d been that night. She could believe how desperate she felt all the time. Over the course of one night, her ex boyfriend had torn her down and Hyunjin had built her back up. Something about him scared her, and she did what she always does when things get hard. When things with Hyunjin began to feel real, she ran. How could she let herself get hurt twice in a row? She wondered if leaving Hyunjin there had hurt more than healed.

She couldn’t stay here a moment longer.

Seol grabbed her small purse out of her backpack and decided she was finally ready to head out for the evening. She grabbed her hotel key from her discarded jeans and set out into the hallway. The long hallway was deserted but her room was close enough to the elevators. She hoped that the inner workings of the hotel were simple enough and she wouldn’t get lost looking for the reception hall. When in doubt, she knew Dayeon and Minho would always be there to save her.

The elevator opened up only for Seol to come face to face with the man she’d only just parted ways with. Minho smiled brightly when he saw her and stepped aside to let her out. She waited for him to get on, but instead he gestured for her to follow him through the lobby.

“You’re not going up?” Seol trailed behind him.

“No, Dayeon sent me after you. We’re about to get started.” Minho explained. Seol followed him through the lobby and down another hallway. The ceiling vaulted overhead and modern chandeliers hung from above. Dayeon sure had good taste.

“Ah. I’m sorry I took too long!”

“No, no. I’m sure you’re tired from traveling.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted. I’m going to need to sleep for a thousand years after this weekend.”

“Tell me about it.” Minho chuckled. “I’m already tired thinking about it all. But luckily, I think Dayeon and I will only be awake on Sunday to say goodbye to everyone and then we’ll be back to bed.”

“Oh yeah, I can’t even imagine how tired you guys are going to be after all this.” Seol shook her head. “I can’t say I envy you.” Much.

“This wedding has been crazy to plan, to say the least. Luckily, Dayeon is pretty easy to make happy. It feels unreal that by tomorrow we’ll actually be married.” Minho grinned.

“Yeah, it feels unreal to me, too. You have to bring me some souvenirs and stuff when you go traveling!” Seol nudged Minho’s arm playfully and he laughed.

“Of course I will! Hopefully you’ll get married soon and can go on a nice honeymoon.”

“Ugh, that’s not likely. I don’t think I’ll ever get married at this rate, but it’s fun to daydream about.” Seol shrugged.

“Hey, maybe you could write about that? I mean, doesn’t poetry come from desire?”

“Sure, some of my poetry does, as you’ve seen. However, poetry comes from all different emotions, not just desire. I don’t think I have enough desire left in me to write another collection like that.”

“True. Actually, one of my favorite poems you wrote is... oh, what’s the name?” Minho mused, pausing outside the doors to the wedding hall. The doors were propped open and the low murmur of various wedding guests and family members filled the air. Minho stopped conveniently out of sight so no one would see them yet. “It was in your last book, but I think it was about the loss of opportunity.”

“The chance to learn was lost before the day ended in the east...” Seol recited the line and Minho perked up immediately.

“My skin and my heart, like ice as the sky loses it’s sun... Night comes inevitably, to say the least.” Minho continued. “Exactly that one! It was short, but impactful.”

“Well, thank you!”

“Do you mind if I ask... what happened?”

“Oh. I don’t know, I barely remember writing it.” Seol laughed nervously, gripping the strap on her purse for some kind of stability. “We should probably go in before Dayeon sends someone after us.”

Without waiting for Minho to lead, Seol stepped forward and into the vast room. The vaulted ceiling rose two stories up, making her a little dizzy. A large, intricate crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room, creating small refracted rainbows on the walls. A large raised, white-vinyl aisle sat in the middle of the room leading to the raised platform where the altar stood. Bouquets of white and pink flowers lined the aisle and served as centerpieces on the several dozen round tables set up around the room. The tables were done up with white, pink, and gold tablecloths and decorated with white and pink china, gold candles, and flowers. The chairs were draped with white cloth and held in place by golden bows. Seol’s eyes widened as she did some mental math to see how many chairs there were in the room. Did Dayeon really expect this many people to show up to the wedding? Seol didn’t even know that many people, much less invite them to her hypothetical at best wedding.

Dayeon herself stood at the end of the aisle with a handful of hotel staff who were listening intently as the bride gave them instructions. A few of the girls Seol recognized as Dayeons friends from school had taken over one of the tables closest to the altar, talking among themselves and waiting for the rehearsal to start. A handful of guys dressed nicely sat or stood around a table near the girls, also passing the time. Dayeon sent the hotel staff away and turned to see Minho and Seol at the door. She waved them over and turned to talk to the officiant, one of Minho’s uncles.

Seol hesitated at the steps leading up to the aisle, not wanting any attention drawn to her. Today was supposed to be all about Dayeon and Minho anyway. Luckily, Minho ascended the stairs ahead of her and stared down the aisle, leaving Seol to trail behind him. He must have sensed her nerves. Minho seemed to vibrate as he made his way towards his future wife. Despite the role reversal, the air buzzed with excitement as the bride and the groom got closer to each other. The girls at the table sat up and took notice when Minho entered the room, sighing as the real life Disney prince gazed upon his princess as if there was nowhere else he would rather be. In fact, there was no place he would rather be.

Against her will, a few lines of prose invaded Seol’s head as she watched Dayeon and Minho embrace as if they’d been apart for days rather than a few minutes. Minho smiled at her like she was his entire world and Seol turned her attention to her feet to ignore the pang of jealousy that overtook her. Dayeon’s friends all sighed happily as they watched their friend receive the love she deserved. For a moment, Seol wished she would have brought one of her notebooks downstairs.

“Seol-ah!” Dayeon called suddenly, pulling away from Minho to pull her further onto the platform. “This dress is so cute, when did you get it?”

“A couple months ago? I don’t know.” She laughed sheepishly, tugging at the hem and trying to force it to sit a little closer to her knees.

“Well, it’s perfect! I love it. Alright, since everyone is here let’s get started. Oh, girls!” Dayeon grabbed Seol’s hand and pulled her to the edge of the aisle and gestured to the table where a handful of girls sat around one of the tables. “This is my cousin, Yoon Seol who will be reading the poem at the ceremony! Seol-ah, did you bring it with you?”

“Ah, I forgot my book upstairs but I have it.” Seol winced, remembering seeing the book in her backpack.

“That’s okay, you don’t need to read the whole thing right now.” Dayeon waved her off. The girls around the table greeted Seol politely and she responded to the greeting with a shallow bow of her own. “Seol will be joining us for the bachelorette party, too! She’s been like my sister since she was born, so be sure to treat her well, okay!”

The girls responded with a chorus of agreement and Dayeon linked her arm with Seol and led her back over to where Minho and his uncle stood. Seol swallowed thickly and her hands shook as she glanced out over the large room. She knew that Dayeon wanted a large wedding, but Seol hadn’t been this prepared to read her work in front of this many people. For a moment, Seol almost wished she would have brought her book so she could practice in front of people. However, the urge to scurry away into a tiny hole with a fluffy blanket overpowered that want. Why had she agreed to do this again?

“After the rehearsal I’ll introduce you to all the girls properly. All of them are girls from work or friends from college, but I know you’ll get along just fine!” Dayeon continued, her excited energy practically sparking off of her. “Minho will also introduce you to his friends! Hopefully one of them will catch your eye!”

“Why is everyone here for the rehearsal if the party isn’t until later this afternoon?” Seol inquired, sparing only a quick glance to the two tables.

“Well, our family can’t be here until tomorrow morning and Minho’s are getting in tonight. I wanted some support today and luckily all of them could be here! Besides, once we’re done here they’ll be serving us brunch before we go out. Ooh, I can hardly wait!” Dayeon’s bright smile could have lit up this massive wedding hall on it’s own. Seol grinned. “Oh, by the way, it looks like one of Minho’s friends has already taken a fancy to you?”

“What?” Seol started to look over her shoulder, but Dayeon hissed and made her look forward again. “How? Who?”

“Don’t look now. But it’s the classmate we were telling you about earlier. He is so handsome and tall and really successful! Just your type! He also works in your field. He works at Mariposa Publishing.” Dayeon whispered. Seol’s blood turned cold at the name of the company.

“Oh, really?” Seol feigned ignorance, trying to ignore the horror settling in her stomach. No. It couldn’t be.

“Honestly, I don’t know why we didn’t think of him before.” Dayeon shrugged. “Isn’t he so cute?”

With permission to look finally granted, Seol slowly turned her head over her shoulder. Her eyes drifted over the girl's table to land on the boy’s and her heart sank into the floor. Seol found him immediately, just as he’d found her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t sensed his gaze on her immediately, but she definitely could now. His sharp, attractive features were curved into a frown that created deep lines around his eyes and mouth. His thick eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was so tense he could probably cut paper on it. He had every right to be angry after he woke up to an empty bed without so much as a note. After all this time, trying to avoid him and pretend as if she hadn’t made a total mistake, he sat right there with a gaze made of daggers. After all this time, there was only one person who could make the ghost of the nausea she’d had after him return...

Hwang Hyunjin.

~!~!~!~!~!~

<- Chapter One - Chapter Three ->

#stray kids #skz #stray kids smut #skz smut #hyunjin #hyunjin smut #hyunjin angst #hwang hyunjin #lee minho #lee know #skz lee know #during the rainstorm

6 notes · View notes