#crystal sun dancer

[birindale]

As the third and final wave of toys launches, we must once again reckon with a 'new' She-Ra. The people of Etheria throw the 'Parade of Happiness' and march across the land, until Catra attacks with her sinister Shower Squirter, getting all the princesses soaking wet. Bubble Power She-Ra and Noble Swift Wind save the day with infinite bubbles, face-kissing, and rainbows. 

You can't make this stuff up, folks. 

Transcript/Image ID below the cut

[Image Description: 14 comic pages from the She-Ra mini-comic, “Don't Rain on My Parade!”.

Cover: Bubble Power She-Ra holds the Sword of Protection aloft, posing heroically in the Whispering Woods. Shower Power Catra lurks behind her in the trees with a sinister smile. At the top of the page is the "Princess of Power" logo, and at the bottom in tangerine is the title of the issue, "Don't Rain on My Parade!". Below that is the copyright information: "Illustrations (copyright symbol) Mattel, Inc. 1986. Hawthorne, CA 90250 U.S.A. PRINTED IN TAIWAN. All Rights Reserved (registered trademark symbol) and (trademark symbol) designate U.S. trademarks of Mattel, Inc." 

Page 1: Adora stands atop a small rock, waving at a crowd of revelers in golds and oranges. Her own cape is a high-collared golden affair, matching her boots and bracers. Both she and the crowd are dwarfed by the enormous blue trees of the Filmation-styled Whispering Woods. 

A pale blue caption box reads, "Princess Adora stood at the crest of Whispering Woods. Never had Etheria looked more beautiful and never had she felt so excited! The sweet sound of music filled the air and hundreds of people lined the path below her. "There are Frosta and Perfuma!" Adora cried, waving. "And Bow and Peekablue! Oh, I can hardly wait for the Parade of Happiness to begin!""

End Page 1. 

Page 2: A pale blue caption box reads, "Bustling about, Glimmer and Flutterina groomed Enchanta for the day's festivities. The winged creature had never looked more beautiful! She was decorated with elegant ribbons and flowers. And the horses? Why… Spirit, Moonbeam and Sun Dancer had never looked more dashing!" Glimmer ties a bow in Enchanta's mane, while SweetBee does the same for Crystal Sun Dancer. In the foreground, we can see that Spirit is no longer crystal, instead a pink-tinged white with a hot pink mane. Enchanta, a maned swan vehicle from all the way back in wave 1, is a little off-model; she has her saddle and bridle, but her beak isn't pink and frankly doesn't look much like a beak. 

"Adora will certainly be proud to lead this year's parade!" says Glimmer. Her hair has shifted a few shades lighter between panels. 

"...if only Catra doesn't spoil it!" says Adora, with a fierce scowl. 

End Page 2.

Page 3: A pale blue caption box reads, "Joining her friends, Adora leaped to Spirit's back. "Let the parade begin!" she cried. In an instant, she was off. A cavalcade of horses, floats and merrymakers fell in behind her." 

Adora, cape how red, hops onto Spirit's back, waving at the crowd. Behind her, SweetBee, Glimmer, Bow, and Frosta look on with beaming smiles, and a few civilians with page cuts smile at her and play buisines. Several hanging banners bear an orange flower, outlined in yellow, against a pink background. Glimmer has a green basket full of flowers tied around her waist, and she appears to be grabbing handfuls and tossing them like a flower girl at a wedding.

End Page 3.

Page 4: A pale blue caption box reads, "Together, they marched happily for many miles. "Thank goodness! For once, Catra has left well alone," Adora smiled. But, as Spirit rounded a turn in the road, the fair Princess heard a terrible commotion behind her. She looked over her shoulder and was dismayed by what she saw." 

Adora rides astride Spirit, leading a procession of flower-draped Etherians. Peekablue, her tail feathers reduced to a fan-shaped hair ornament, is riding Enchanta. Glimmer rides Crystal Sun Dancer, and Bow rides Crystal Moonbeam—although they were sold in gift sets with SweetBee and Peekablue respectively so that would be a strange choice even if Arrow didn't exist, but it's fine. It's whatever. 

There's someone with a portable lap harp, just walking around like that's a thing people play in parades usually. Another fellow with a buisine, hanging off of a float.

"By Etheria… noooo!!!" says Adora, as she and Spirit look behind them. 

End Page 4. 

Page 5: A pale blue caption box reads, "Everywhere, people were running in every direction. Frightened horses threw their riders from their backs. And the reason for their fear was just indeed, for there stood Catra, scowling. "Rebels!" she cried. "You dare defy The Evil Horde with all your fun and merriment? Well, I shall put an end to that!" "

Shower Power Catra looms over Bow and SweetBee, arms raised but claws sheathed. Glimmer and Crystal Sun Dancer startle slightly in the background, but Glimmer remains un-bucked. Bow is pushing himself up on his elbows, glaring up at Catra. SweetBee appears to be swooning. There's a man with a stringed wishbone which may have been intended to represent a harp running away in long sleeves and no pants. Your typical parade, really.

"Now you wait just a minute…" says Glimmer, glowering at Catra. Crystal Sun Dancer scowls disapprovingly. 

End Page 5.

Page 6: "Glimmer! No!" says Bow, horrified beyond reason. 

A pale blue caption box reads, "But Bow's warning came too late. Catra paid no heed as Glimmer tried to reason with her. "Foolish child," she hissed. "A little Shower Power will put a damper on your rebel spirit!"" 

Catra sprays Glimmer and Crystal Sun Dancer, both of whom barely flinch, with the Shower Squirter—basically the fantasy equivalent of a Super Soaker. 

End Page 6.

Page 7: A pale blue caption box reads, "In an instant, Catra had drenched everyone and everything in the parade with a blast of her Shower Power. Poor Perfuma's lovely locks crinkled! Enchanta's pretty bows wrinkled! And Moonbeam and Sun Dancer's shiny crystal coats beaded!" 

Catra is laughing maniacally and everybody is soaking wet. Sad wet Bow. Sad wet crystal horses, who aren't beading because why the hell would they, sad wet bannerman in the background with a sad wet banner which is indistinguishable from a happy dry banner. 

End Page 7.

Page 8: Oh it's a two-page spread. Yes, more sad wet parade-goers. Perfuma's got a bit of a coloring error on her skirt but perhaps the paint got sad and wet too. Sad wet Enchanta, sad wet SweetBee. Glimmer looks moments from tears. Loo-Kee is here and guess what? He's sad. And wet. There's a soggy float and a few more wet people in the background.

End Page 8. 

Page 9: A pale blue caption box reads, ""Come on Spirit," Princess Adora cried. "You know what we have to do! " [sic] Quickly, the noble steed made its way into a grove of fruit trees. There, where no one could see them, Adora summoned all the powers of Etheria. She and her horse were swiftly transformed. "For the honor of Grayskull, I am She-Ra! Come on Swift Wind! There's not a moment to lose!"" So I guess she gets her powers from Etheria now? And not the sword? You'd think it would be because she's Bubble Power She-Ra now and has a different weapon but no, still lifting the sword. 

Swifty is now Royal Swift Wind, with hot pink secondary coverts and a golden harness with some drapey bits that I'm not sure how to describe. Sorry. I took Ornithology but must have missed Horse Fashion 101. Bubble Power She-Ra is holding the Bubble Blower in her left hand. 

End Page 9.

Page 10: A pale blue caption box reads, "Full speed, She-Ra and Swift Wind flew to the aid of their friends. The Princess of Power raised her Bubble Blower and let loose hundreds of perfect bubbles."

They do that. 

Catra looks kind of indignant but not surprised or particularly angry to see them, and Bow is still dripping wet in the foreground. 

"You can try to burst my bubbles, Catra," says She-Ra, "But don't rain on my parade!" Booooo. One at a time, girl, you gotta let them breathe! 

End Page 10. 

Page 11: A pale blue caption box reads, "Catra aimed a steady stream of Shower Power at She-Ra's lovely bubbles. Pop! Pop! Pop! The fearsome feline's aim was perfect. Several bubbles burst at once but, try as she might, Catra could not break them all." 

Catra sprays She-Ra and her bubbles, clearly unhappy, while She-Ra continues to use the Bubble Blower against her. A few of the bubbles pop. 

End Page 11. 

Page 12: A pale blue caption box reads, "She-Ra's Bubble Blower worked its special magic. A crystal clear shield formed around her frightened friends. Even Catra's strongest blast of Shower Power could not penetrate it. Kissing their sad faces gently, the bubbles made Glimmer and the others smile." 

Catra claws ineffectively at a series of bubbles around SweetBee, Crystal Sun Dancer, uh. Perfuma? With red hair? Maybe? Like they didn't line her well so they just colored everything red? But also there are lines on her shoulders as one might see in a jacket. Also Glimmer is there. Only SweetBee is smiling, and it looks kind of scared tbh. 

"Why, Glimmer—would you take a look around us?" asks a startled Bow. 

"Ooh, that tickles!" says Glimmer, smiling brightly. Bubbles are touching both of their faces. 

End Page 12.

Page 13: A pale blue caption box reads, "No one had ever seen the likes of it! The light of their smiles had turned Catra's drenching drizzle into rainbows—hundreds of them! Etheria's good citizens were merrier than ever. The evil she-cat's dark plans had failed." 

This might be the gayest minicomic. It's hard to move past 'Catra gets a bunch of women wet' but they're literally just holding a parade under a giant rainbow and blowing kisses, I mean bubbles which kiss you. Ahem.  

Not some of Skip's stronger work though, he stuck too closely to the color palette he'd set with the 'yellow sky' thing and just added some alternating stripes of blue. But with all the characters on this page I imagine he had his work cut out for him… probably wanted to keep it from getting TOO chaotic. 

Everybody's smiling at each other, including the bubbles, which is… I mean I guess they're reflecting the revelers' smiles? I don't THINK they're sentient. Bow, Peekablue, that guy with the wishbone instrument and the pageboy haircut, Royal Swift Wind, Bubble Power She-Ra, Frosta, SweetBee, Crystal Sun Dancer and a couple of incidentals are all officially cheered up. 

"Bubbles! Bubbles! For all my trouble… I am undone!" says a scowling Catra. A bunch of smiling bubbles float past her face. Probably going in for a kiss, huh. 

End Page 13. 

Page 14: A pale blue caption box reads, "So it was that She-Ra led the grand parade. And though their spirits had been dampened for a time, no one was the worse for wear. "Long live the Rebellion!" Bow shouted, and the crowd joined in his cheer."

Honestly if there were any place for a two-page spread I'd say it was here, but whatever, not my circus not my monkeys. SweetBee is flying overhead, Peekablue is climbing the float in a new, orange top, Swift Wind is blond, Enchanta, Bow, She-Ra and Glimmer are all beaming. Frosta is there, except she's even blonder than She-Ra. I think the yellow wash may have gotten away from Skip here. The float is back, and the flowers appear to have dried off too. Crystal Moonbeam isn't smiling, but he looks fancy again so I'm sure he's fine. 

Some guy is playing the flute in the foreground. He's wearing the same style hat as the wishbone guy, and his sleeves are… hm. You know, he kind of looks like Willawind. I don't think it IS him, but there's a resemblance.

"Loo-Kee here. Did you spot me on page 8?" asks Loo-Kee. Yes, you patronizing little beast, we did. "Now for the moral of this tale: A smile's a frown turned upside down. Wear one each day—you'll chase your troubles away." 

End Page 14.

End ID]

[onewiththestarss]

[ponyvilleparty]

Pssssst.. Did you know that you can still play the G3 My Little Pony browser games, even on your phone?

Thanks to Web Archive and a Flash emulator called Ruffle, some of the 2000s web games still work! You don't even need to install Ruffle to do this, Web Archive's got you covered!

Here are some useful links:

The playtime home page, for selecting games

The Matching Game

Ponyville Forever Interactive Sticker Book

Friendship Ball Interactive Sticker Book

Twinkle Twirl's Dance Studio

The rest of the games can be found in the Flashpoint Archive, including the interactive coloring books!

Amusement Park

Butterfly Island Adventure

Ponyville Minigames

G3.5 My Little Pony Dancer

G3.5 Matching Game

Crystal Princess Coloring Book

Holidays Coloring Book

Fun in the Sun Coloring Book

On the Go Coloring Book

Party Time Coloring Book

Sleepy Time Coloring Book

Winter Fun Coloring Book

G3.5 Meet The Ponies Coloring Book

You can view most of the webpages as well, they are not very interactive, but it's a wonderful trip down memory lane :)

[rorja]

pirate!suguru is a man who easily commands attention.

his name echos on the lips on children, stuffed dangerously close to the edge of searocks, in plein water — risking so just to take a peek of the legendary ship he owns.

the women of the village, even though tired and with fingers all shriveled from washing linen on the shore, try their best of luck. walking amongst the folks on the streets, holding their wicker baskets and their heads low to not meet strangers eyes. their whispering close to themselves with a hand in front of their mouths.

suguru walks, as if the bath of the onlookers on the main square is nothing more than droplets amidst the salty air kissing his skin in the early morning. as if tales about his birthright place amongst the many sons and daughters of the olympus have not been widely spread throughout the small village. and it’s frustrating. infuriating.

you envy the sea. to have birthed such a dutiful son, to be the one who’s solely holding his heart.

because suguru looks like a god — something divine that could only come from the finest of paintings, but he always has been so. from the days he used to sport an haircut perhaps too uneven, gotten from the only pair of scissors that could be found in the third drawer of the kitchen. from the bun he would tie his hair in, on days he would run between the freshly washed linen and big, colorful skirts of many dancers on the main square amidst the village’s main festivities.

you watch him from afar, wondering if the people who now blushed at his mere presence remember the kid he used to be. the one with a tooth missing and some bruises on his knees because of clumsiness.

(the one who always held your hand— guiding you through a labyrinth of salt and sheets hung to dry. scattered kisses from the sea drying somewhere between your small toes and ankles.)

you wonder if he still cling to the memories of sunsets and handmade seashells necklaces— all of what remains of a youth that resurface every time when his name is mentioned, or when the moon hangs lonely in the deep sky.

but he doesn't. in your heart, you can feel this answer growing louder like the sole of his footwear on sand. jewelry tingling, dancing under the warm rays of the sun altogether with the one too many knives hidden in his bizzarre and dirty clothes.

(he chose the sea. he chose the sea, leaving you behind.)

suguru walks, never once turning back to mourn the life he had bargained for his freedom. he belongs to the sea. and it's painfully visible in his stance, in the white crystals among his hair, in his longing eyes.

the grip around the seashell on your necklace tighten. suguru left you behind— and yet, you can't help but fall for the ghost of this stranger once again.

a/n : don't ask me what is this...... i literally have no idea..... i just had a vision and ran with it TT

[mintmatcha]

a meet cute

cw: cisfem reader, reader is part gnome, dungeon meshi universe, it's about an insane side character, sorry

A gentle breeze cuts across the shop, just over the front counter. You have to lean into it to get any sort of relief from this summer's heat. Your shop door's bell chimes as a customer walks in. It's unusual that anyone is out this time of day in this type of heat, let someone fully robed, scarf and hat included. He's dressed in dark, rich colors, the types of dye that drip with indigo and money, a contrast to the reddish tuft of hair of his head.

He'd be cute, you think, if he wasn't a gnome.

It's not that you don't like gnomes-- you are one, mostly-- but gnomes around your age are boring. The men nod along to anything you say, try to impress you with pleasantries and tidbits, all with that glint in their eye, they've found their next wife. They are dictated by societal niceities and traditions, topped off with a strange sense of superiority, all while they still eye you like a piece of meat-

But this gnome isn't looking at you like that. No, he's marveling at your wears.

The stranger tilts the glass in the sunlight and rainbows refract across the floor, dancing in looping, wonderful patterns long after his movement has stopped. Figures of dancers twirling around each other, bowing and dipping with ease, disappate into the air. His hands are actually a bit small for a gnome, thin fingers, uncalloused and delicate with the way he inspects the magic.

"The runes on this are subtle," he notes, mostly to himself. "Gnome magic on elven crystal."

"You have good taste." You lean more forward on to the oak surface and he jumps a bit, as if he hadn't noticed you were even there. "And a keen eye."

The man melts into a polite smile. His eyes are downturned and his cheeks are round, tickled pink from the sun. He approaches you, a prickle of chill following suit. There must be some elemental magic sown into his clothing or something.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you," you say. "It's my work."

"You have a talented hand for magic, then."

"And you have a talented eye."

His nose wiggles in that delightfully gnomish way that only old men do. "No talent, all practice."

You give him your name, he gives you his. Holm. Classic. Boring. Standard.

"Is this a gift for your wife?"

"Oh, I'm not--" He waves that thought away with disinterest-- which happens to peak yours. "My party mate is getting married."

"An elf?"

"Dwarf, actually." He twirls to glass again and the waltz of light resumes. "To be honest, we aren't very close. I don't really know what she likes, I just think she deserves something nice."

"The effect won't be as brilliant for her, because dwarfs don't tend to have a very good mana flow, but it'll still be pretty. A couple glasses for her and her beau-" You wipe away a bead of sweat that's begun to roll down the side of your neck. "And maybe a bottle of chilled wine. I think that's a very good present for anyone."

He nods, button nose crinkled with delight as he places the glasswork on the table before you. "I'll get a sex then."

A beat passes. You can't help the wild smile that sneaks out. "What was that?"

"Hm?" He hasn't moved, frozen in place, still holding the glass. His expression doesn't change, but you swear there's a touch of pink creeping over his ears.

"You said a sex."

"No, I said a /set./"

"No, you didn't." You cock your head to the side in the way that makes your neck look long and your smile charming. "Are you thinking about sex, Mr Holm?"

He swallows and you think maybe you've gone too far. Your brand of needling is more of a half foot type of humor, which isn't universally appreciated, to say the least.

"I'm- I don't--" Holm surprises you by laughing at him self. "I don't do that."

Interesting. A gnome with a sense of humor. You didn't know those existed. You lean back, trying to bite back your smile as you speak. "What? Think about sex?"

"Or anything else to do with that word."

You inspect him a bit closer. The colors, the hat, the symbol burnt into his pouch-- they're religious symbols. He's a spirit worshipper, one of the religions in the south. You aren't sure of all of the intricacies, but you know the most devout are completely celibate.

Holm shrugs rather casually. "Close enough."

"Oh, you're one of those monk-things, aren't you?" For some reason, you're a bit disappointed. Of course the man you have a nice rapport with is one that won't fuck you.

Not that you want to fuck him.

"So, you must think about sex a lot." You call as you walk to your backroom. There's a couple of different versions of the glasses, so it takes you a moment to find another set of dancers. Really, this guy has nice taste; this is your favorite piece. "Since you can't have any."

"Probably less than you do-" he calls back. "Since you heard is when I clearly said set."

Despite yourself, you laugh. It's not particularly funny, but there's butterflies in your chest and a tremble in your hands. You wrap the glasses in pieces of cloth and ribbon-- purple, to match his scarf-- before bringing them back up. The stranger is still watching you with that look on his face, the crinkle in his eye-

"It's on the house," You slide the gift wrapped presents over to him.

"I couldn't possibly."

"Just come back again some time. Or buy me a beer if you see me at the bar."

You both know that isn't a fair trade. Crystal is expensive, magic work even more so; you could charge him a couple hundred gold if you wanted, but... conversation is sometimes more valuable than money.

"I don't drink." He rubs the back of his neck, almost sheepish. "I eat, though."

The flutter in your chest gets worse. "Food then."

He nods. Taking the gift, he picks it up and starts towards the door, a hum on his voice and a deeper smile creeping up on his face. When he gets to the door, he puts up an arm to open it, then pauses.

He turns back around.

"I want to pay." The strange says, firmly. "I'll still buy you food, but I want to pay for these."

He pulls a bag of coins from his belt and presses them into your hand. It's heavy with gold. He doesn't pull away until you meet his dark, stern eyes and close your hand around the bag.

"I don't want to lead you on," he says, softly. "I find you very..."

He says more with silence than his words.

"Don't worry," you say, even though a worry does creep up your spine. "I'm not so desperate that I'll fall in love with a priest."

"Not a priest, but thank you." His cheeks puff with smile and you immediately know that you may have lied.

[zhounauts]

SYNOPSIS kim minji was privileged. and she was your best friend. born to the top percent, she was born to go to decelis academy, a school built by and for the elite. yet she wasn't. you were instead. and you were attending as her. GENRE mystery, rich kids au!, slight romance, angst FEATURING YN LN, MEMBERS of NEW JEANS, MEMBERS of ENHYPEN, MEMBERS of IVE, AND MORE WC 3.45k WARNINGS cursing, lying , mentions of food, death A/N VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY experimental fic, lmk how it is

THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL —

elite.

that was what decelis academy was. an academy built by and for only the most privileged and elite in the entire world. money, power, and status ran deep in the school, evident in its gold embellishments on the wall, crystal chandeliers and the tall, high ceilings.

decelis was known world-wide, a prestigious school for academics, sports, art, and everything else you could think of.

and it was where you were now enrolled, taking the place of your best friend kim minji who had run away.

decelis was a school meant for only the elite and privileged. that was rule number 1, and you had already broken it.

july had always been hot and humid, the sun blaring down onto you, not faltering. but this year, it seemed even hotter than before. it felt like the entire world was on fire, it felt like your life was at a boiling point, reading to overflow, and bubble over.

and on july sixth, it did.

“i don’t want to go to decelis,” minji whispers, “i don’t want to leave everything behind,”

“minji. . .” you trail off, “listen, i get it. you’ve been here your whole life, but it’ll be okay, it’s just a new, fresh start,”

“i can’t stand it,” she says quietly, “i can’t handle all of that pressure yn. i’m not insanely smart, insanely athletic, or anything like that. i can’t live up to those standards. those kids are going to eat **me alive,”

“minji—”

“i wish i was like you. you’re smart without having to study, you’re athletic you’re*. . .”* she stops “you’re everything decelis wants.”

“oh come on, don’t dismiss your own achievements. minji, listen i get it’ll be hard for you to adjust—”

“it won’t have to be,” she suddenly says, excited. “yn, you are everything decelis wants!”

“so?”

“swap with me,” she begs, “you are everything they want,” and in the scorching heat of early july, the boiling point of your life, your world boiled over. you were going to decelis. you were kim minji.

maybe you should’ve thought out this idea a little more before committing to it, because now that you were sitting in the front of minji’s car, acting as her chauffer, you can only shift nervously. the two of you constantly send glances at one another in the rear mirror, unable to say anything with both her parents in the car.

you’re ready to dip, yet you know you can’t betray your best friend like that. you knew how minji was. she was kind, sometimes too kind, and you knew a school like decelis was definitely not for her. but it also wasn’t a school for you. you weren’t rich. you weren’t elite. sure you had the skills, but when it came to background? you’d be eaten alive if you were found out.

yet, this was also a good opportunity for you. in fact, this would let you take classes from some of the top professors and teachers in the world, and you’d have access to opportunities many others could only dream of. the plan was simple, as a ‘chauffer’ you’d help minji unload her bags, escort her in, rush into the bathroom, swap outfits and be on your merry ways.

minji had told you that she’d be leaving for a flight promptly as soon as she got home, planning to go to America and meet up with an old friend to pursue her dreams of being a dancer. you knew how much minji loved dance, and while her parents supported her in it as an extracurricular, a hobby, they absolutely refused for her to go professional. you’d heard it one too many times, from all the times you’d hung out with her.

“it’s an unstable job, there will always be someone younger, someone better than you,”

“dancing will not make you successful in life,”

“you aren’t good enough anyways to be like the pros,”

ouch, you think to yourself, recalling the insults they had thrown at her. her parents were harsh. they were stereotypical as well: strict, stubborn, unmoving, unloving. in comparison, you didn’t have parents. they had passed long ago, and you had been passed on to your mother’s then twenty-two year old sister.

she knew about the plan, you had fought with her over it. yet, you didn’t back down and the day before you left she wished you good luck, pulling you into a tight hug, whispering to you things you could not understand.

“stay safe, stay low, don’t step out of line, don’t be like ahra,”

the mere gate of the school leaves you in awe, it’s incredibly large, with the decelis enbelm in the center of it all. your heart races. you watch as the two men in front of you open the gates, revealing a long pathway, nestled in a large amount of trees.

driving up the driveway only makes you more and more nervous, making you gulp in fear. you check on minji in the rear mirror, and you can see how scared she is as well. she doesn’t look at you, but by the way her eyes goggle at the school, you can tell she’s intimidated. you’re not sure, how long you drive up the winding path for, but the school is even more amazing.

it’s sat on top of the hill, so incredibly large, practically a castle, and you can see even taller buildings behind this main one. you pull in slowly into porte cochere, a ton of other fancy cars pulling in as well. you watch the students who step out, all of them dressed in the same uniform, only with different patches and symbols marking your year. they’re all chattering and smiling with one another. you gulp.

“chauffer?” mister kim calls out.

“right, sorry! miss minji, let me get your bags for you,” you quickly hop out of the front of the car, adjusting your cap and wig, and heading to the back. you watch as minji approaches you, scanning the school around her. she would only be going to decelis her final year of high school. her grades had always been average, and because of that her parents were always too ashamed to send her to develop. yet after one more try at the entrance exam, which you had actually done for her, they finally sent her, or well, you.

belift academy was not a bad school, ranked top fifty in the world still, yet her parents wanted her to reach new levels, to meet other kids in her circle. you pull out her luggage, setting them onto the ground, scanning the school yourself behind your sunglasses. you watch as minji’s parents approach her, talking to her. you can only watch them from the side. they don’t hug her, they only lecture her.

“mister and missus, i’ll help miss minji take her bags in, and i’ll be straight out,” the two of them nod at you, only staring at minji. you grab ahold of her two luggage, trying to pretend they aren’t heavy. as soon as the two of you enter the school, you search for a secluded place and dash to it. the two of you had practiced this earlier today, and you quickly slip on her uniform, the blazer, skirt, socks, and clunky shoes. you stare at minji, you can barely tell its her, with the stupid sunglasses and goofy wig.

you bring her into a hug.

“thank you so so so much yn,” she whispers, “i don’t know how i can ever repay you,”

“just be happy, and achieve your dreams,” you smile, “you can repay me that way,”. you pull away from the hug, and the two of you stare at each other one last time. you grin. “i’ll be fine minji, update me as much as you can,”

“of course,”

the school is huge and despite being in your final year of high school, you’re still a new student, so you head to the orientation, sitting in the new students section. you analyze everything, your eyes scanning the crowd to see someone you could talk to.

“are you a third year?” you whip your head around quickly, staring at three girls who stand behind you. they’re dripping in luxury, shimmery jewlery, polished hair, and glossy lips. if it were not for minji giving you her things, you would’ve looked incredibly out of place.

“yeah, i just transferred here,”

“i’m kim chaewon,” she starts, “my parents own kim food corporation,”

“danielle marsh,” the other girl says, “my parents own hyundai, plus i’m from australia”

“and i’m hwang yeji!” the third girl says, “my parents own TOI media,”

okay. holy fucking shit. you think to yourself. “nice to meet you!” you exclaim, putting on a smile, “i’m. . .kim minji. my parents own WQ group,”

“ooo!” chaewon chirps, she smiles, “your third year of high school, but first year here?’ she asks. and despite the kind smile on her face, you know she’s analyzing you.

“Yeah, I guess it is kinda weird,” you shrug, “but i’m here now and that’s all that matters,”. the three girls stare at you, and nod. yeji claps her hands together and smiles.

“find us after the orientation! we’ll be outside waiting for you,”

you watch as the three girls skip away together, and as nice as they seem you know that deeper down they’re judging you. they’re assessing you, seeing if you live up to the standards first, then if you’re worth keeping around. you grit your teeth. you had been here for less than twenty minutes, yet you knew you’d have to play it safe, keep a low profile. and most importantly, keep that smile on your face and act like you were just like them.

you meet the three of time as soon as the orientation ends, and as promised they’re standing outside the large auditorium. danielle gives you a smile, “so, where’s your dorm room?”

“uhm. . .” you mutter, taking out your sheet of information, “it says i’m in summa hall,” the three of them whistle.

“you must’ve scored high on the entrance exam,” you nod, sweating at the memory.

“you never told me that i’d have to take their entrance exam minji!” you hiss.

“you’re academics are better than me! and plus you’re the one going really,”

“aughhh!” you exclaim.

“what does summa mean?”

“it’s latin, summa cum laude, with highest honor. and then theres magna cum laude, which is with great honor. then there’s what we just call cum laude, with distinction. then at the bottom is Infimus, which just means the lowest,” she explains, “and you, minji, are in summa meaning you’re one of the top in school,”

“impressive,” chaewon whistles, “most kids enter their first year way lower, and work their way up. it’s amazing you did it in one try,”

“that entrance exam was hard though. . .” you mutter.

“guess not hard enough,” yeji laughs, “all three of us are in summa,”

“right, yeji’s rank 7, chaewon 6, and danielles 5,”

“the ranks are based on the entrance exams everyone takes before school starts, they can change after ever marking period though, based on popularity, and extracurriculars” yeji groans, “it’s hard to maintain, but the benefits are endless. plus! the summa dorms are the nicest, so enjoy it!”

yeji was right, the summa dorms were top tier. you never knew another bed could be even comfier than your own back at home, and the fluffy pillows were to die for. summa dorms only had twenty rooms, ten for the top girls, and ten for the top boys. you were still unsure where you were in this whole caste like hierarchy, you didn’t really care, the bed was enough to keep your mind off things.

you wake up at the ass crack of dawn, five thirty in the morning, to get ready. you knew impressions were everything at this school, and even walking by those of the lower ranks, they were dressed up as well. you sigh, looking at your closet, filled with minji’s things. you sigh. this was going to be a long first few weeks.

by the time you’re done with your makeup, hair, accessories, and all, it’s already seven forty, meaning breakfast would be served at eight. you grab minji’s backpack, shuffling out of your room, your shoes halfway on.

“you new?” you hear suddenly. you whip around, to see a second-year boy, standing in front of a dorm that’s six doors down. you jump.

“uhm, yeah?” you analyze him, head to toe. he’s decked out in expensive jewelry as well, and you gulp underneath his stare.

“and you dethroned leeseo ,” he grins.

“what? who?”

“well her name’s actually lee hyunseo, she was the number one girl, but now you took her place,”

“i’m. . .what?”

“danielle i’m number one?”

“you didn’t know that??” she asks, staring at you wide eyed, “what do you think the numbers on the dorms meant!?”

“w-what the!? i thought they meant just your room number! like suite one or something!” you exclaim, “i didn’t know! and now who the hell is lee uhm lee hunsoo???”

“you mean lee hyunseo??” danielle says, fake shuddering, “she’s a bitch. she’s been number one ever since first year, she’s been in that room for years,”

“shit,” you mutter, “i don’t want enemies!”

”oh please, don’t worry,” danielle says.

“i am worrying. . .” you murmur, but danielle ignores this, only dragging you faster to the dining hall. you can’t help but think have the worst feeling in your gut that this lee hyunseo, leeseo, girl wouldn’t let you take her spot so easily.

“ooo! fresh build-your-own omelettes! minji hurry up!”

being a summa means essentially all your classes, except for electives, are seperate from everyone else. you have the better classes, better teachers, and overall better programs, and it makes you feel absolutely gross.

despite having yeji, danielle, and chaewon now you still didn’t trust them. sure they were nice to you, but that was only after they knew who your supposed parents were, after you had revealed you were a summa to. you trail behind them, danielle by your side chattering to you about some trip she had taken to aruba a couple months back. and while you could care less, you nod and give short responses, letting her chatter on.

all the summa classes are in the north building, in apollo hall. you can feel the difference in atmosphere as soon as you set foot in the hall. it’s much quieter in comparison to the rest of the school, it’s decorations even more intricate, and the school’s motto is engraved into the ceiling.

Sapientia Potentia Est.

wisdom is power. . . you gulp. danielle pulls you slightly, nudging you to hurry up. you want to laugh at how untruthful the school’s motto seems, sure wisdom was power, yet in decelis that wasn’t the case. wisdom wasn’t power.

money was power in this school, and while wisdom would get you somewhere, in the end it all boiled down to your background. you look at the motto once again, engraved in the door above your classroom. you scoff.

the classroom is suffocating. despite the friendly chatter going on around the classroom, you can feel the difference almost immediately. as friendly as these kids were acting, behind their smiles, their laughs, they were all watching one another carefully.

and all eyes are on you, the new student, kim minji, who placed first in the entrance exam, and was now ranked number one in the entire school. this was not the lowkey life you had originally planned for yourself, and you realized that because of this you were going to be noticed. you would be under a spotlight.

fuck. . . you think to yourself, sighing. you bury your head into your arms at the classroom’s seats.

“kim minji?” you look up only to meet eyes with a girl you’ve never seen before. she’s pretty, really pretty. her hair is glossy, her lips and cheeks are rosy, her lashes are long, and she’s also decked out in dainty, yet glimmering, expensive jewlery. you look at her, discreetly looking at her nametag. lee hyunseo.

“yes?” you answer sweetly, smiling, “you’re, leeseo right? sorry i’m still new,”

“yes, that’s right,” she smiles a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, “i’m lee hyunseo, but you can just call me leeseo. congratulations on your entrance exam score,”

“thank you,” you tell her, “it was a really difficult test,”. you put that stupid, sickly sweet smile on your face again, not showing any emotion. you’ve gotten used to reading others. you were a scholarship kid at belift high, the only one in fact, and ostracized. you weren’t rich enough to afford anything at belift, and because of that you were judged. it got even more intense when you became friends with minji, who was well known in the school. you knew leeseo’s facade, what she truly implied. she was feeling you out, establishing you as her competition.

“it is,” she says, “i hope you enjoy your stay in the number one dorm, it really is as nice as others say, amirite?”

“yeji told me about it and i didn’t believe her,” you answer promptly, “i was truly surprised,” she nods.

“don’t get too comfortable,” she laughs and then she walks away. that was a threat. enjoy your stay, but you’re going down

“man. . .she’s intense,” chaewon mutters, “making her move already,”

shit. you think to yourself. leeseo had said little, but the meaning behind it said so, so much.

your original had been simple. stay low profile, make a couple friends in the lower ranks, pass classes, join a sport, and live your life here.

it was simple.

but fate had other plans for you. you were now the new girl who had scored the top grade in the entrance exam, shoved into the spotlight of the entire school alongside with other elites of the school. as much as you wanted to keep it lowkey, it was all too late now.

you weren’t going to back down now, especially since leeseo was high-tailing your ass. even if she didn’t directly say it, you knew what she meant. it meant more than just getting her rank back, she was going to bring you down as far as she could. she was threatend.

for some reason, the thought makes you laugh. you were poor, if she knew where you really were from she’d laugh at you, and step all over you. the fact that some girl who had it a thousand times better than you was threatened and jealous of your presence made you happy.

“kim minji?” you turn around, to see the boy you had talked to earlier in the morning. you recognized him from some of your classes as well. he smiles at you.

“yes. . .?’

“i’m kim sunoo,” he smiles at you, “i’m a second year,”

“ah, nice to meet you. i’m minji,”

“right. . .i’d like to be straightforward with you,” he says, and you stare at the boy. he has an oval face, fox-like features and his hair’s styled down. he has a friendly face, but his eyes say otherwise. he wants something. “i don’t like leeseo,”

“. . pardon?” you blink.

“you heard me,” he sighs, “i don’t like her,”

“and. . .?”

”you’ve taken her spot,” he smirks, “i can help you keep it,”

the offer hangs in the air, it’s unexpected, strange, suspicious even. you find yourself caught off guard by his proposition, and you can only stand there, unsure of what you should do. his straightforwardness startles you, and the way his eyes gaze at you makes you nervous.

“keep her spot?” you repeat, trying to remain nonchalant, “what do you mean by that?”

sunoo laughs “you know exactly what i mean, kim minji,”

“right. . .”

“i know how she operates,” he says, “she’s not as innocent as she seems. she's ruthless. to other’s she’s just another stuck-up girl, but now that someone’s really dethroned her, she’s scared now. she’s going to do something,”

“and why are you helping me? what do you gain from all of this?”

“i have my own reasons, kim minji,” he says. there it was again. kim minji. it rolled off his tongue in a way that irked you, and the way he constantly repeated it made you fidget. it made you think he knew something, yet you couldn't be sure. “don’t wonder about me too much. i’m helping you, giving you a warning,” you narrow your eyes at him.

“who ever said i wanted to keep that spot?”

“why wouldn’t you want to?” he asks, you watch as he looks around, scanning your surroundings. he leans in close next to you, his mouth right next to your ear. you gulp.

“hey what—”

“and plus, it was your mother’s spot,” he whispers.

DECELIS BOYS TOP 10 —

??? 6. ???

??? 7. ???

??? 8. ???

KIM SUNOO 9. ???

??? 10. ???

DECELIS GIRLS TOP 10 —

KIM MINJI 6. KIM CHAEWON

LEE HYUNSEO 7. HWANG YEJI

??? 8. ???

??? 9. ???

MARSH DANIELLE 10. ???

a/n spring break = no school = time to write = clear head to write new ideas and stuff = no writers block

literally grinded this all day without stop cause i had nothing else to do, ngl i'm proud of it, but at the same time idk what i want to do with it so like. . .??? + like i said in first a/n this is a very experimental fic and i prob won't continue it, but anyways PLEASE share thoughts on this

networks @a-dream-bookmark

[lmk-oc-competition]

LMK OC COMPETITION - ROUND 1

click to see full image

Yan Yu Ji belongs to @thesleepingdramaqueen

Lǐ Nà belongs to @violina08

Learn more about them below the cut!

Yan Yu Ji:

She a white monkey demon with light blue eyes, she's an ambivert and limits her trust solely on her closest friends, she's a descendant of the monkey zodiac but is considered an outcast due to the fact that she's a half-human, her mom disapeared during her childhood and her human dad wasn't very present in her life so she has abandonment issues and suffers from small spectrum, she is often being looked down upon by other zodiac families but dosen't really care,she stopped school at 24 due to pressure, she lives in the monkey house with her veterian uncle, retired grandpa,three big brothers and little monkeys, she has a nice job in the noodle shop across pigsy's and tries her best to avoid her few exes ,her power is to bend sand(she is called the sand dancer) and her weapon is a sword called the crystal blade, her story begins when she stumbles upon some of her mom's secret research that could possibly lead to her and when she encounters a certain shadow simian.

Lǐ Nà:

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

ೃ⁀➷ __ʙᴀꜱɪᴄ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ__ ꜰᴜʟʟ ɴᴀᴍᴇ:Lǐ Nà ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ / ᴛɪᴛʟᴇꜱ: Flashy ᴀɢᴇ: +20 ᴘʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴꜱ:she/her/herself ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ:Poly/Pan

ೃ⁀➷ __ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ__ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ:5'3

ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ: she can cause lighting in every second but that will cost her much of her powers, at first Lǐ Nà is struggling to control her powers but by the time she uses it, she also gets used to the power and in the end she can control it perfectly.

ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜꜱ: she isn‘t weak but not SO strong at the same time. but the flashes she can cause can burn really bad, she’s can be really smart in serious situations but not always.

ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱᴇꜱ:When someone puts her friends in danger or threatening them, but she can’t help them, nor the people she wants to help. She wants to save everyone,||but who saves her.?||

ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ: Lǐ Nà since she was a little child, she’s quite enthusiastic and all fun! But sometimes she can be really emotional! Doesn’t matter what she can always cry, even if she sees some kitties. She acts like a little child, she needed attention, also Lǐ Nà can also range. There may be situations where she wants to kill someone so bad for hurting her loved ones. She’d do everything for them.

ꜰᴇᴀʀꜱ:Thinking that she’s not good enough…Thinking that she can’t save everyone, thinking that her friends may just turn away from her, ignoring her, despite her..She also has a big fear of spiders and insects!

ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ:she absolutely adores animals for example kitties, their silly cute lil faces are just so cute to her! Lollipop is her favourite snavk, she can eat it whenever she’d like. If someone is baking her the chocolate cake she’ll gift the person soooo many things! she’s nice to people who are nice to her!

ᴅɪꜱʟɪᴋᴇꜱ:Spiders/Insects, she also despises sudden loud noises. It also annoys her when people and underestimate her.

ೃ⁀➷ __ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ__ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ / ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴠᴇꜱ: she has a mother but she doesn’t know her at all, her name is BeiPan(背叛).

ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ: The whole town are her friends! but especially MK and Sun Wukong !

ʟᴏᴠᴇʀ(ꜱ)*: none yet! (yet…heheh..)

ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇꜱ: The Lady Bone Demon, the bull king family and BeiPan.

��ɴʏ ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?:

• Lǐ Nà likes holding hands or hug! Thats making her feel safe:3!

•A grandma in her village raised her, and her village she was born in was helping her and treated her like treasure

•she isn’t really a fan of apples and bananas, its just not what she would always eat

•She always has lollipops with her

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

[definegodliness]

Inner realms

The meadow's comforting Mint green; Zephyr stirred blades, Surrounded by rustling Late spring lush age old oak trees; I see Their winding branches In my most private escapist Fantasies.

Unchartered territory; unshared, if you will.

With the sun On my back — always Shunned for its blatant Eye-piercing brightness — I could Watch The stark blue of, Above, the spotless sky, In attempts to quiet my racing mind, But I find this heaven's endless emptiness Only irks me.

Baby blue, I know you; The shimmering crystal castle at your heart And the lazy lamb clouds Drifting by.

I have seen

Underwater realms Where orbs of light guide All those who can breathe, so allowed.

I have seen

Lands of slate stone frothing waves Where white cliffs weather ongoing rage; Fantastic spectacles Of lightning and Rain.

Realms of perpetual flame, Soothing to the touch, where music plays For phantasmagorical dancers.

Realms of coal and blood.

All, unique, and charming, I'm sure, yet not For me. Not specifically, at least.

My retreat Is the oak embraced meadow With its Interchanging shades Of soothing green. Empty, so empty, And yet sometimes all of the sudden Bestrewn with daisies.

Then, I think:

'This is where we'll fall in love.'

That is What I believe in.

--- 8-3-2024, M.A. Tempels ©

[candiedspit]

You thought you found the thing, I said out loud to the garbage cans, the vaguely threatening spikes of the fence guarding the park, the elderly man at the end of his millionth cigarette.

You thought you had found the thing that was going to keep you alive, I continued, waving my cigarette around as I spoke.

The girl you had been waiting to meet your entire life. The crystal to your ball. The one who knew the way you grooved, who understood the world as you knew it, saw the fissions in the skyline, watched the sun dribble down like a belly dancer with her foreign diamonds, tasted the same heat, heard orchestras in building demolitions, the melodies in a cup of black coffee as you weep in the living room, hungover and sweating you are done with the beast. But going back and back like a wounded dog. And she wanted the same things. To be taken by a UFO at the end of a long summer day; the wheat standing still in the cool night. She wanted an easy exit. She wanted to be anybody else. She wanted to dream as you wanted to dream. She shared the same language, the tones of people trapped in a burning room.

And you had her; for a year, you were in the same room, I said, speaking to the trees.

Licking the same piece of licorice, falling into the same wondrous and terrible sleep. Sometimes too altered to speak. Not needing to speak. You shot her up on Christmas Eve, her face glistening with hushed pinks from the lights you convinced her to get. You wore her panties around the house. Filled a plastic kiddie pool with water from the hose and waved, handed out lollipops to the kids next door and to whoever you saw. Opioid receptors. Movies you would forget you watched. Fights over a gram. Slow dancing in the kitchen to Sinatra records, kissing her exactly where she wanted to be kissed. Staying together on the couch, watching the world pass through you.

We never wanted that world, she said one evening as the newscast told us about terrorism, wars. We never wanted that stupid world.

There’s no room for us, I said and held her close.

You wanted to be an eyelash on her face. She was petroleum. She was cake. She taught you how to use a needle. You had figured out a way to live. And could see yourself living in the trailer park for years to come.

And eventually you and her would kick the habit.

This was a secret desire. A week of atomic bombs and shallow waters. But you would get clean and meet her parents. There would be large thanksgiving dinners, happiness.

And when she ended things, you bought a gun. But you were rushed to the clinic before you could smear yourself out of existence. You mourn her at night. You smell her milk. You hope she is in a field, watching the light lounge over the grass. You hope she is alive. You hope she wants to be. As for yourself, the bomb could go off and you would light another cigarette, watching the fallout blot the sunlight with a famed nonchalance. And as the fire reached you, you would picture her in your mind. The only miracle you’ve known.

[cats-are-grey]

FFXXIV Directory - Ley Qunya

Art by @minoruru

Roleplay and Inspiration Blog for Ley Qunya, FFXIV RP character on Balmung (Crystal). Most things are queued. Occasionally NSFW.

Ley is the reclusive and somewhat aloof owner of Spell Bound, a small bookstore specializing in rare, powerful, or lost tomes, for those who know where to look for it.

Carrd Playlist Screenshots and Art Prompts and Asks My Art (Coming ... Eventually) Writing OOC Tumblr

Name: Ley Qunya

Age: Unspecified Adult

Nameday: 16th Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon

Race: Miqo'te (Keeper of the Moon)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Demi Bi (Polyamorous)

Relationship Status: It's Complicated

Server: Balmung

IC Jobs: Scholar, Summoner, Dancer

Art by @the-sycophant

Appearance: Ley is a fairly unremarkable Miqo'te, aside from the fact that she is nearly all grey. Her hair is well cared for, long and silky and cut in a straight line across her back, the silvery tone nearly identical to her skin. Paler clan markings flow across her body and marks her face, along with a small teardrop shape at her forehead.

Eyes: Grey

Favored Clothing Style: Ley's clothing preferences falls somewhere between Hobo Wild Witch and Dark Academia Prodigy.

Common Accessories: She almost always carries a tome tied to her belt.

Profession:  Rare book dealer. Author.

Hobbies: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ley reads a lot. What may be less expected is that in her spare time, she finds a decent amount of guilty pleasure in reading romance novels, preferably with an adventure spin. She also plays the cello.

Residence: Gridania, though she spends a decent amount of time traveling

Birthplace: The Black Shroud

Patron Deity: Menphina, the Lover

Spouse: No. Marriage is not a part of her culture and while relationships are not out of the realm of possibility to her, she values her independence and mostly solitary lifestyle too much to give it up.

Children: None, and no plans for that to change.

Parents: She doesn't know her father, but she grew up in a small family clan with her mother and a couple of aunts, who co-parented all the children.

Siblings: Ley has several sisters, and while they don't always see each other a lot, it's not uncommon for them to check in on each other once in a while. She also has a brother she has not seen since he became an adult and left their clan.

Other Relatives: A bunch of cousins she also grew up with.

Pets: While not exactly a pet, Ley is often accompanied by a small faerie named Nox, and a Carbuncle. She also has a silvery Chocobo named Andraste.

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Smoking Habit: None

Drugs: It depends. Not regularly, but she can enjoy certain kinds of drugs.

Alcohol: Rarely.

Spell Bound: Ley runs a small bookstore called Spell Bound, specializing in rare and sometimes dangerous (and sometimes illegal) books, tomes, and grimoires. Appointment required.

Forged in Ink: Ley is a fairly decent forger of books and documents if she can be convinced to take on the work

Wild Steps: Ley's tribe traveled heavily through the Black Shroud, and traded with other Keeper tribes. She may be familiar to other Keepers of the Moon.

I am generally open to RP and connections, but I work a lot so I'm not always around. Contact me here on tumblr or find me in game is the best bet.

I do have a Discord and I do RP on it. I don’t give that information out right away though. I’d like to interact in game or through tumblr a few times before I feel comfortable giving that information out.

Player is +30. I am open to most kind types of RP, but please don't expect immediate romance, Ley is a pretty reserved character.

[birindale]

As we enter the second wave of toys, a new She-Ra and Swift Wind have to be explained to the consumer, so Adora and Spirit wander through an interdimensional portal into a beautiful land called Crystal World. Josh is there. 

Transcript/Image ID below the cut

[Image Description: 14 comic pages from the She-Ra mini-comic, “Across the Crystal Light Barrier”.

Cover: Starburst She-Ra stands with arms spread high to show off her sparkles, Crystal Swift Wind at her side. They’re standing atop a mountain made of glittering crystal, beneath the Princess of Power logo. At the bottom of the page, “Across the Crystal Light Barrier” is written and actually outlined, though still definitely not the color I would have gone with. Beneath that, in a small font, it reads, “Illustrations: (copyright symbol) Mattel, Inc. 1985 Hawthorne CA 90250 U.S.A. PRINTED IN HONG KONG. All Rights Reserved. (registered trademark symbol) and TM designate U.S. trademarks of Mattel, Inc. 

The coloring style from this issue on becomes more pastel, and the gouache is blended more, giving it a softer feeling.

Page 1: A pink caption box reads, “Outings in Etheria are always very special and today’s picnic had been no exception. Adora smiled as Josh and Bow leaned against a fruit tree, the picnic basket empty and their bellies full. Spirit and Arrow stood nibbling at the lumps of sugar Glimmer held out in her hand.” Which pretty much covers the illustration. Adora is sitting on a blanket with the empty picnic basket.

Josh was apparently slated to be the Robin to Bow’s Batman at one point, but he never did get an official design, so this is just ‘generic blond man’. A second pink caption box at the bottom of the page contains the credits, “Produced exclusively for Mattel by: Writer… Tina Harris & Eric Frydler. Penciler… Jim Mitchell. Inker… Todd Kurosawa. Colorist… Charles Simpson. Editor: Joan Dumbauld & Lee Nordling”. 

“Want to race, Adora?” asks Glimmer. The composition on this page is leaps and bounds over the previous issue. Whatever Jim Mitchell was doing between waves one and two, I appreciate it.

“Sure! Come on!” says Adora.

End Page 1. 

Page 2: Adora and Glimmer mounted up. The second Bow fired his starting arrow, they took off! Galloping down the orchard path, they disappeared from sight. Neck-in-neck [sic], they raced against each other. Adora and Glimmer sped over field and stream, dashing wildly along the winding path.” So apparently we’re just going for outright narration. That’s cool. Kind of a weird decision in a comic, but I’m not a cop. Bow shoots his starting arrow and the girls take off, Adora on Spirit and Glimmer on Arrow. 

A beautifully colored panel of the race in partial silhouette. 

A rounded white caption box reads, “Suddenly, a mysterious burst of light appeared from nowhere!” and we see Adora rear back on Spirit, who balks at a stylized glow. 

End Page 2.

Page 3: A pink caption box reads, “Adora and Spirit slowed their pace. Startled, Arrow bolted, throwing Glimmer from his back”. Arrow is rearing and our heroes are walking sedately into the light.

End Page 3. 

Page 4: A lavender caption box reads, “Rounding the bend, Josh and Bow hurried to see the race’s finish. They found Glimmer on the ground and helped her to her feet. "Where is Adora?" Bow asked. "I don’t know," Glimmer replied. "She just disappeared!" "Over here!" Adora cried. I’ve crossed the Crystal Light Barrier." Missed some quotation marks there. Another reason not to use them in caption boxes. Adora and Spirit’s silhouette is distorted by the field of light and Josh’s hair is brown now. 

“Spirit and I are lost in a strange and wondrous land!” says Adora.

End Page 4. 

Page 5: A lavender caption box reads, “There Adora and Spirit stood, across a bottomless crack. "Arrow and I will save you!" Bow exclaimed. Glimmer begged him not to go and Adora breathed a word of caution. "She’s right. It’s much too dangerous. We’ll have to find our own way back to Etheria."" Adora and Spirit stare down into a foggy abyss, surrounded by crystal.

“Come on, Spirit! Maybe we can find someone to help us,” says Adora. 

End Page 5. 

Page 6:  A pink caption box reads, “Adora and her faithful steed wandered for many miles. Above them shone a bright rainbow sun. All around them, jewel-like mountain tops and petrified flowers glistened under the strange light.” over an illustration of exactly that.

“How beautiful!” says Adora, smiling.

End Page 6.

Page 7: A lavender caption box reads, “Soon they came upon a dazzling sight–a glittering herd of horses, unlike any they had ever seen before! Each horse had a color all its own–and each one shone like crystal! "Spirit, look!" Adora cried. "We’ve found help at last! But who can these beauties be?"" Adora points at a group of seven sparkling steeds, each with a pair of feathered (crystalline) wings.

“We are the Guardians of Crystal World,” says a voice from off panel. 

“Who…? What…?” asks Adora, looking around. 

End Page 7. 

Page 8: A lavender caption box reads, “The voice belonged to a sleek, crystal horse named Crystal Moonbeam. Adora quickly spoke to him. "We came across the Barrier and now we can’t get back." The lavender stallion nodded. "Recrossing the Crystal Light Barrier is certainly most difficult."" And I have to tell you, this horse is not lavender. His toy is a translucent violet, but this comic has him a soft periwinkle, cut through with orange light because he’s made of crystal. 

“Quite soon, you and your horse will become like us,” says Crystal Moonbeam, ominously.

“You mean we will turn into crystal?” asks Adora. Neither she nor Spirit seem thrilled at the possibility. 

End Page 8. 

Page 9: A pink caption box reads, “Crystal Moonbeam nodded gravely. "Yes. Anyone who touches the ground of Crystal World must change." But Adora hadn’t changed at all!” There was plenty of room for dialogue boxes saying this. Why even make this a comic? 

“I haven’t stepped from Spirit’s back,” says Adora. “I haven’t touched your world."

“Then, there may be a chance,” says Crystal Moonbeam. 

End Page 9. 

Page 10: A lavender caption box reads, “Dashing to his herd, Crystal Moonbeam returned with a sparkling filly. "This is my sister Crystal Sun Dancer," the lavender horse whinnied. "She knows the way across the Crystal Light Barrier."" The still distinctly un-lavender Crystal Moonbeam introduces them to a slightly smaller, yellowy orange horse.

“But to cross the Barrier again, you must have the power to fly!” says Crystal Moonbeam. 

“The crack is too deep to risk crossing it any other way,” says Crystal Sun Dancer.

End Page 10.

Page 11: Adora raises her arms and becomes Starburst She-Ra, with a long flowing cape with two wrist loops. Swift Wind becomes Crystal Swift Wind, a transparent pink plasticine version of himself. Herself? What are Swift Wind's pronouns this wave? The horse is see-through now. They have wings and a golden pleather mask, complete with unicorn horn. Light and sparkles radiate off the pair of them as they transform.

A pink caption box reads, "Adora unsheathed her Sword of Protection at once and raised it to the sky. In an instant, she and Spirit were transformed. Crystal World echoed with her powerful cry. "For the honor of Grayskull, I am She-Ra!" 

End Page 11. 

Page 12: "Swift Wind! Walking here in Crystal World has given you a crystal sheen!" says She-Ra, smiling as she reaches around to touch Swift Wind's face. 

A pink caption box reads, "Crystal Sun Dancer, Crystal Moonbeam, She-Ra and Crystal Swift Wind glowed with an unearthly energy as they leaped toward the deep opening. With a brilliant burst of color, they broke through the Crystal Barrier and vanished—gone!" as we see all three winged horses take flight, Swift Wind carrying She-Ra, surrounded by glowing and sparkles. 

"We'd better change back fast before our friends find out our secret!" says She-Ra, dismounting from Swift Wind and spreading her arms to show off her new starburst cape. Crystal Moonbeam and Crystal Sun Dancer aren't in frame, but they're still around, I promise.

End Page 12.

Page 13: A pink caption box reads, "Meanwhile, in Etheria, Bow, Glimmer and Josh had been looking high and low for Adora and Spirit. Suddenly Bow heard a rustling sound behind him." Right, Josh is here. I forgot about him already. He's a brunet now. He's holding onto his belt and kind of pouting at the panel gutter, while Glimmer stares forlornly at her staff (here a pink and blue rendition that looks more like a clock than the toy-accurate rose-with-jewel). Bow looks over his shoulder at the approaching Adora, Spirit, Crystal Sun Dancer, and Crystal Moonbeam. A mountain range towers behind her, and the few trees we can see are full of orange… bubbles? Transparent fruit? They've missed a few of the leaf portions. Sloppy work, Skip, but you were dealt a poor hand here. 

"Adora! Where have you been? We've been worried," says Bow, with an uncomfortable smile.

"Oh Bow! I've been in a wonderful land called Crystal World," says Adora. These last two panels were just close-ups, but the backgrounds have some really beautiful gradients on them. It really seems like they were going for more of a 'storybook' feel from this wave on. 

End Page 13.

Page 14: A lavender caption box reads, ""Tell us, Adora, who are your new friends?" Bow asked. Adora made introductions all around and Glimmer fairly gleamed. "Oh Spirit, with your crystal coat, you're more beautiful than ever!"" Josh and Arrow smile on as Glimmer and Bow greet the new, shinier version of Spirit. Adora has an arm slung around Spirit's neck, while Crystal Sun Dancer and Crystal Moonbeam watch with smiles of their own. 

"It is exciting to see another land…" says Adora.

"But it's so much better to come home to my friends!" she finishes, in the traditional red used for a minicomic's 'moral'. So… I guess the moral is don't wander into interdimensional portals? Traveling might seem cool but you're going to enjoy going home way more? Who knows. Bow, Glimmer, and Josh have all shuffled places, but they're crowded around Adora now, horses nowhere in sight. Everyone's smiling contentedly. 

End Page 14.

End ID]

[healingfairy000000001]

Minnie series, witch straw hat, we can spend the night in my dealers house.

Ahh yes, Alabasta the land of sand, belly dancers clothes given to me by sanji and Vivi's country!, but most importantly lizards! tail's for distracting potions maybe a smokey corpse smell, it's eyes for and limbs for stealth ohhh~what I will do~

Ace was looking at her creeped out, she had a creepy aura around her as she looked around the ground,

"Don't mind her she get's like this sometimes" said nami patting his shoulder before continuing walking.

"she won't boil us alive, right?" he asked to conform his suspicions.

"don't worry ace, Y/N is my friend!" comforted him luffy, before they continued there march.

Y/N ignored them but focused on her hunt as chopper stayed by zoro, but vivi got dragged into helping her.

and though vivi was creeped out by decapitating lizard she couldn't bring her self to refuse helping her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the sun sat down and the wind's slowed down the night sky came with the light of the moon and a bit of cold, they found a spot to camp, sanji was cooking a warm meal, zoro was napping by the rocks, nami was comforting a crying vivi from cutting lizards tails and limbs all day, while ussop helped sanji out, Ace and chopper on the other hand were curious about Y/N need for the creature.

"What do you plan on doing with this?" asked Ace looking at her storing them in jars.

"Lot's of things! smoke screens with a heavy smell, it's limbs for a scripture to walk on walls" she explained holding different jars for each purpose chopper seemed more curios about magic looking at her jars before pointing at something

"what's that?"

"dried bat brains" she answered with a huge grin as everyone twitched a bit, except Ussop who looked scared as hell

"WHY DO YOU NEED THAT!"

"greater hearing and night vision"

silent fell before luffy broke it "can I eat it?"

"why would you want to eat it!" scolded both nami and ussop

Y/N was having a good laugh while the rest continued on their work, with vivi trying to calm down nami and chopper helping in storing everything.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As dinner was eaten and everyone was ready to sleep under the star light having a moment of tranquility cut short by Ussop, "DAMN COLD!" he stood up shouting gerly being fed up with the cold, vivi tried to re-explain "the desert is Hot as fire in the morning and cold as Ice in night"

"that doesn't make any sense!" he protested, while nami and sanji tried to deescalate the situation

"well what other choice do we have? suck it up" nami said tierdly

"we can sleep in a whale" Y/N said standing up while opening her bag, her words struck the crew as a joke but her seriousness was evident

"you do realize were like, far away from the ocean?"said Nami as the rest agreed but luffy and chopper got exited,

"YOU CAN SUMMON WHALES!"

"that's so cool!"

as she looked at them she got out a crystal ball blue in color and smooth in texture, "it's my dealer, I buy stuff I can't gather there" this seemed to gather the two interest even more, while the rest had one common thought 'what are those ingredient's?'

"Yeah I can you come here? I need a favor to ask" she spoke to the crystal as it glowed a soft light, "here we go"

a few moment's later a sudden ripple split the air, and with a thunderous splash, a starry-blue whale materialized out of thin air, casting shimmering reflections from its body.

While nami and Ussop were panicking, zoro,sanji and Ace being on guard, the rest were curious

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

"Gernario mardo evou" she yelled and the while opened it's mouth the woman simply walked in, "WOAH! Y/N why didn't you show us this before!" yelled luffy following in, and though the rest felt reluctant Ace zoro and chopper followed closely.

The inside of the whale was like stepping into a dream; a flat surface of shimmering water stretched beneath their feet, while tiny fireflies flitted around, casting gentle reflections on the liquid ceiling, this seemed to put everyone in awe.

"WELCOME travelers" said a man's voice from deep inside, "what might you need" he asked

"yeah, uncle goerg can me and my friends spend the night here? it's cold outside" using her best puppy dog eyes the man appeared in front of her, with a bold head and a long beard with bare feet he looked at her un-amused

this 'uncle george' was walking and smelling everyone, some pushed him away while some hid behind the other, "those are....Human's" he said the word human with disgust before going back to his customer

"how dare you bring strangers into my domain here, this ain't a hotel, shoo"

as he started to push her and the crew out with strong winds coming from inside the whale with a snap of his finger looking at the witch in displeasure, she pulled out her final card, "I'll pay!"

"no we won't!" protested nami

"I don't need your worthless berries humans"

"no! it's two jars of high quality lizard limbs collected by the princess her self!"

he raised an eyebrow, before she looked at her semi flying before giving up, "and my prized bat's brains!"

taking a moment to think, he looked at vivi and nami then at luffy before agreeing, with a snap of his fingers the wind stopped letting everyone fall to their face as a bedroom was dragged in with a hand sticking out

"You and your lizard limbs, kid. Fine. But keep your humans away from my stash, now give me the jars"

"here" she gave in reluctantly, satisfied with his prize he left them alone, "Y/N-Chwaaannnn~you got us a room for free~" said sanji swooning over the depressed girl

"tell me if you want anything Y/N-chan" even nami was swooning a bit for the 'free' room

soon everyone looked around in peace with the disappearance of the old men with the jar, there were enough bed's for everyone a table of fruit's and a bathroom.

"wait you could've done this before?" asked nami

"yeah, I knew him since I was 7"

"why didn't you do this before!" nami, ussop beat her up in anger "I could've died of the cold!" adde'd ussop

"hey! I lost two of my prized stuff! have some decency!"

"shut up!!"

it was rowdy and chaotic but soon everyone found some comfort to fall asleep.

[winxngasks]

Tattoo Headcanons!

Following after the previous piercing headcanons, finally here are my tattoo headcanons for the main cast! Like I mentioned on that post, similar to their civilian fashion posts these are just my general ideas and they don't take place at any specific point in time/season. But, you can consider these as all the ones they will have in the future, with many getting them done here-and-there throughout the seasons/their young adult years. Also, there are specific characters I chose to give multiple tattoos to for their own reasons(for example, a couple of them I just see really being into tattoos), but some characters have multiple tattoos simply because I just came up with multiple design ideas for them lol.

I hope you enjoy reading these! :3 If there are any other canon characters you guys want piercing and/or tattoo headcanons for, feel free to send them in an ask!

================================================

- The Winx Club

* Bloom: dragon tattoo on left hip, fiery nymph on back between the shoulder-blades, and daphne flowers on right forearm

* Stella: moon with sunflowers on right upper-arm and sun with moonflowers on left upper-arm, and triple goddess-moon symbol on the back of her neck

* Flora: family tree on her back down her spine, flowers on both sides of ribcage mirroring/matching each other, flowers on back of neck, her family's birth flowers on her right leg, and Helia's + her future children's birth flowers on her left leg

* Musa: giant lotus on back, two sleeves that spill onto the back(one of music notes, traditional Melodian flowers and birds, and the other of other random things she likes), and random ones all-over her legs

* Tecna: binary code on left forearm, geometric heart on back of the neck, motherboard details on right forearm, qr code(specifically spelled to change to whatever she currently likes) on the inside of the left upper-arm just above her elbow, and simplistic blackwork cybernetic design on side of right calf

* Layla: yin yang fish on her left collarbone near her shoulder, ocean wave on the side of her left foot, the word "freedom" turning into birds on the inside of her right wrist, an Androsian rune on the inside of her left wrist, and an outline of a dancer between her shoulder-blades

- The Trix

* Icy: snowflakes on her left hip, and a matching tattoo with Darcy and Stormy to represent their coven, on the back of her neck

* Darcy: delicate and minimalistic tattoos on her fingers and wrapping around her hands and wrists of occult symbols, a cauldron brewing up a poison-skull on the side of her left calf, an armband of the moon phases wrapping around her left forearm, a witch hat inside a crystal ball on her left upper-arm, purple crystals on her right upper-arm, moths on her right hip, and a matching tattoo with Icy and Stormy to represent their coven, on the back of her neck

* Stormy: storm clouds on both upper-arms, lightning starting from both ankles and shooting up the lower-legs, and a matching tattoo with Icy and Darcy to represent their coven, on the back of her neck

- The Specialists + Nabu

* Sky: Erakylon prayer of protection down the spine

* Brandon: sword tattoo going down almost the entire side of his right calf, and right sleeve of a forest/mountain scene with a silhouette of someone rock-climbing

* Helia: his favorite short poems on his back, outstretched bird wings above the poems, an origami bird on the left side of his ribcage, a quill writing "love and peace" underneath his origami bird, flowers Flora drew on his left forearm, and flowers his future children drew on his right forearm

* Riven: Red Fountain's motto across his shoulders on his back, a giant griffin taking up most of the rest of his back, two sleeves made with heavy blackwork; one with a wolf and skull, the other in a more Japanese-style with swirly elements and pops of red, a sword on the side of his left ribcage, and random ones over his legs and chest

* Timmy: a small blaster-gun on the inside of his right arm above his elbow

* Nabu: matching purple tattoos that span across the entire length of his forearms and onto his hands a little bit; they consist of a butterfly with swirly leaves and energy swirls, and wizard runes/glyphs on the side of his left calf

[reflections-in-crystal]

💫 OCs 💫

Renoki

Name: Renoki Sinro

Race/clan: Miqo'te/Keeper of the Moon

Gender: Male

Age: Mid-twenties

Nameday: 7th Sun of the 1st Umbral Moon

Guardian: Halone, the Fury

Main job: Dragoon

Personality/overview: Laid-back, friendly, gets distracted easily, easy to please, protective. Cares deeply about his friends and loved ones and tries to see the best in people.

Overview: Very close to G'raha and Y'shtola, and sees Alphinaud and Alisaie as his younger siblings. Frequently returns to the Crystarium and spends a great deal of time there. Renoki owns a house in the Empyreum and often visits Aymeric (and Aymeric often visits him in his house). Renoki and his sister are orphans and were raised in Tailfeather following their parents' deaths. He left Tailfeather for Ul'dah to learn the art of Thaumaturgy so that he could better provide for his sister, but ended up following the path of the Dragoon instead. Renoki is very expressive, and the positioning of his ears and tail are very telling of his current state of mind. He is noticeably more cat-like in his mannerisms than many other miqo'te.

Rinoka

Name: Rinoka Sinro

Race/clan: Miqo'te/Keeper of the Moon

Gender: Female

Age: Early twenties

Nameday: 17th Sun of the 1st Astral Moon

Guardian: Halone, the Fury

Main job: Dragoon

Personality: Feisty, resilient, protective, boisterous. Has a tendency to keep people at arm's length and is slow to trust them.

Overview: Suffered severe amnesia after the Calamity due to being hit by rubble and rendered unconscious, leaving her unable to recognise her brother, Renoki, despite his fame as the Warrior of Light. She remembers her life as a child and remembers her family's faces (and her parents' fates) but is unable to recall their names. Usually hides her amnesia from others to avoid unwanted questions. Rinoka learned to wield a lance during her time in Tailfeather, and has recently come to Ishgard following a long stay in Meracydia.

Y'rhuna

Name: Y'rhuna Tia

Race/clan: Miqo'te/Seeker of the Sun

Gender: Male

Age: Late teens

Nameday: 32nd Sun of the 1st Astral Moon

Guardian: Thaliak, the Scholar

Main job: Paladin/Scholar

Personality: Cheerful, ambitious, slightly naïve, optimistic. Driven by his determination to prove his ability as a fighter.

Overview: Born and raised in Sharlayan, has lived quite a sheltered life. Always looked up to the likes of G'raha Tia and Alphinaud Leveilleur, and is very keen to show everyone that he can be skilled both academically and physically. Idolises G'raha Tia in a similar way to how G'raha Tia idolises the Warrior of Light. Commissioned a tailor to make him a copy of the Crystarium gear after he saw the Warrior of Light wearing it.

Lyra

Name: Lyra Tachibana

Race/clan: Viera/Rava

Gender: Female

Age: Around 120 years old

Nameday: 11th Sun of the 6th Umbral Moon

Guardian: Althyk, the Keeper

Main job: Dancer

Personality: Charming, strong-willed, calm, proud. Tends to be quite secretive.

Overview: Elegant and graceful, Lyra is used to being underestimated when it comes to her prowess on the battlefield. Like the Warrior of Light, she is able to travel between the First and the Source, and it is rumoured that she fled to the Source some time before the Crystal Exarch arrived in Norvrandt.

Faelene

Name: Faelene Sinwood

Race/clan: Viera/Rava

Gender: Male

Age: Mid-thirties

Nameday: 15th Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon

Guardian: Oschon, the Wanderer

Main job: Lancer/Archer

Personality: Shy, thoughtful, introspective, curious. Very considerate of others and good at empathising.

Overview: Longing to explore the world outside of his native forest, Faelene set off alone to venture into the heart of Eorzea and learn more about the different races that inhabit it. He decided to become an adventurer after hearing adventurers share their tales in the various taverns he visited. Despite discovering that he could further advance his mastery over the bow and the lance to become a Bard and a Dragoon, Faelene decided to continue to fight and hunt in the ways he had been taught as a kit. Even with his gradual acclimatization to the bustling settlements of Eorzea, he retains the somewhat reticent nature of his people.

[pretty-little-howtown]

Han Jisung x Idol!Reader

Genre: Suggestive, Fluff, Angust

Warnings: None (I know of, if there are any please let me know)

Word Count: 9569

Masterlist

You are a part of a 6 member girl group (CELESTE) under JYP 

The group has a sort of ethereal almost mythological vibe 

Each member represents, a mythical creature

The group had two previous comebacks before this theme

Mihi (lead dancer and sun vocals): fairy 

The closest to the two previous comebacks

glitter purples pinks 

art deco inspired, ordinary objects are pretty and ornate 

Flowers, petals, some wind motifs as well

Hee-young(main vocalist, visual, makne):angel 

sky heaven themes 

Has a massive pair of wings in the MV 

Gold, light blue

Wind motifs feathers 

Yuri (main dancer, main vocals and sub rapper): elf 

Also, elegant but there are glimpses of something darker 

tree themes (think Galadriel LOTR)

Foresty, vines, some crystals mostly opal diamond selenite moonstone and white howlite 

honestly, Lord of the Rings stylez

Aera (lead vocalist, visual): nymph 

floral themes, water lilies, some more water themes 

Perhaps suggest a sort of rusalka vibes (not explicit, just some sort of implication the nymph may be a vengeful spirit???)

The darker parts are more obvious but with a brighter colour palette that acts as a kind of misdirect

(Sugar Rush TXT vibes)

Y/N (main rapper, main vocals and sub dancer): vampire 

The dark parts are now on full display, and fully embraced 

deep red blues greens

Lace, silver

gothic with a splash of grunge 

Title track has scream’s (dreamcatcher) styling with the lacy dress parts not the magic in the MV lol with a cross between Odd Eye and Nxde (with it’s sampling of classical music)

B side track is the one you got to go crazy on. It’s full rock/ metal think I Miss the Misery by Halestorm with Odd Eye’s styling) 

Nam-Gli (leader and lead rapper): witch 

The dark parts continue with as much elegance, but there’s a certain finality to it 

dark purples, black, gold, and silver 

Misty, foresty but a darker green to Yuri similar to Odd Eye MV

(As an aside: the birth order is Nam-Gli, Y/N, Aera, Mihi, Yuri, Hee-young)

Each comeback is based on one of the mythical creatures of one of the members

The group is very popular, but because comebacks are rarer than for most k-groups not massively successful 

A lot goes into giving the perfect vibe, a lot of you do brand deals and modeling on the side. Aera has two dramas under her belt

You, Yuri and Nam-Gli have your own lil side trio, with you and Yuri being a duo when Nam-Gli is busy. y’all cover your favorite songs usually by other trios

The three of you had covered 3RACHA songs several times and the fans loved it

The three of you settled on the members that complemented your rapping styles with Nam-gli usually covering Han’s lines Yuri Changbin’s and you Bang Chan’s

The fans absolutely adored your little trios 3RACHA covers so JYP had the grand idea of getting your groups together and you started doing more activities with them 

It started off slowly, with the label testing the waters

At first it was just your trio and 3RACHA doing a lyric challenge of sorts where they would have to rap the next line of yours and your group members verses while you would have to do the same with 3RACHA songs 

The atmosphere was really nice and to your surprise you seemed to bounce off Jisung the most 

You didn’t really think much of it at the time, the company probably wanted to strike while the iron was hot and get both groups some more promotion 

You didn’t really think you’d see any of Stray Kids again 

The company, however, had other ideas. After the fan response they knew they struck gold and quickly set up more activities for both groups

Despite initially being shocked to see Stray Kids again you found yourself natural drifting towards Jisung in the group interactions  

Really quickly it was easy to see you and Jisung had wonderful chemistry in the group shows and so you ended up doing separate vlives just the two of you  

The very first one started off a bit strange, the two of you had no idea what to say to each other when it was just the two of you. During group activities, the two of you would sit next to each other either piling on top of one another in fits of laughter when another member said something you found funny; defending something either of you said that you agreed on, or playfully arguing whenever you inevitably disagreed 

One time, both groups were asked if a sauna was burning, what would you rather cover your private parts or your face. You and Jisung collapsed in on each other when Seungmin said the question was probably which would you protect from burning

In short, you could always rely on other members to say something for the two of you to react to 

You both awkwardly asked how your morning was at the same time before bursting out with laughter, slightly diffusing the tension. While the rest of the live was slightly awkward, the initial icebreaker allowed you to joke with each other a little more

From then on, the lives usually consisted of you guys catching up with each other, Jisung excitedly telling you about his busy days while you filled him in on yours

The lives had different vibes depending on where they took place, if it was in the Stray Kids dorm the lives were far more chaotic; one day he threw a pillow at you. You glared at him, beckoning with your finger for him to come over. He looked terrified, and you struggled to keep your grin in. You subtly grasped the pillow he threw at you in your hand and hit him with all your strength, starting a pillow fight which, much to your chagrin, Jisung ended up winning

He would always do mildly annoying things to get a rise out of you, but you dealt with it with a Stoic patience, only occasionally giving in. Every live always ended in laughter 

You would often stay round afterward as both of you had a break, he was remarkably chill when the cameras weren’t on him, it was difficult to get used to but refreshing

After a few hours of being high energy, you were both tired, so you’d either put on a movie or scroll through your phones, showing each other memes and catching each other up on things you couldn’t say on camera 

You told him about all the comebacks for Celeste. He asked more about the groups' concept in general, and you happily explained how with each comeback a certain member is focused on as it’s their theme. Celeste's last comeback was fairy themed, so Mihi was featured the most, and she had more freedom to implement her vision. You joked that for this comeback, she became the group's pseudo leader

Jisung quickly asked when your theme would come up. 

You said not for a while, as the company wants the group to establish themselves with more feminine themes first. You said Yuri’s was next, and you were still super excited by it. The concept she talked you through sounded amazing

“What concept have you got?” Jisung quickly asked. He was leaning towards you on the couch, and he’d put his phone down, listening intently 

You were extremely taken aback, you’d talked at length about it with your group, seeing if they were okay with all your ideas, and they were annoyingly accommodating it made you want to cry a little. 

They’d suggest ways to make your vision come true without compromising it in any way. They said it was because you did the exact same thing with their ideas. It made them really happy, and they wanted to make you happy as well

You shyly started with the mythological creature your theme was about and Jisung’s eyes went wide, “Vampire?! That’s so cool!!”

This boosted your confidence a little and you told him everything. How you wanted it to be inspired by classic vampire literature with a modern rock twist. You listed your inspirations from Dracula and Carmila to Halestorm’s music. You said you wanted the music video set to be in a gothic revival house (you didn’t mind if it was a replica or green screen as long as it fit the vibe) like Strawberry Hill in London. You realized that the rock vibe probably won’t be accepted by the higher ups, but you were sure as hell gonna try 

Jisung looked at you in awe, you were amazing already, but even more so when you talked about your project. The determination in your eyes made him smile

Lives in your groups' dorm were a lot more chilled out, both of you having chill conversations perhaps scrolling through your phones if there was a lull in activity on the vlive but mostly responding to comments made by fans 

This is where the fans really got to see a different side to the both of you. Often you would be working on something while Jisung read out the comments. You stop what you were doing and join in the conversation. Then you would switch, Jisung would put in an ear bud and work on his music while you carried the conversation

Occasionally you would set out vlives where people could just work with the two of you, usually when you had deadlines coming up

In the vlives at your dorm you would always be draped over each other in some way, just general keeping physical contact

For some reason after these vlives Jisung was full of energy and would end up causing a raucous, the two of you had a makeshift lightsaber fight, and you enjoyed it so much the two of you impulsive brought lightsaber replicas after

When yours arrived, you raced over to the Stray Kids dorm ready to challenge Jisung, you burst through his door activating your white lightsaber, but your eyes went wide when you noticed he was in the middle of a live

You blinked a couple times trying to hold back a laugh, “I’m so sorry, I’ll wait” you left the room with your lightsaber making whooshing noises as you left the room and closed the door 

You could hear Jisung burst out laughing as Minho passed you, saying “told you so”

You quickly checked the vlive to make sure the fans weren’t mad that you interpreted, thankfully only a small handful said what you did was really disrespectful, while most were clearly enjoying themselves. There were lots of laughing emojis, with loads asking if it was a lightsaber

Jisung replied smiling saying how after your last vlive together you impulse brought yourselves lightsabers, “mine actually came today” he enthused and took out a purple lightsaber

You laughed as he swooshed it around, hearing the replica make the noise 

Your cheeks heated up when all the comments started saying “lmao y/n’s a massive nerd’ Jisung laughed on your phone screen nodding his head

His eyes seemed to light up as he talked about how much you loved Star Wars and how you knew so many historical facts and how much you knew about architecture

Your stomach pleasantly twisted, causing a shiver to run up your spine

You saw Jisung sign off and quickly pocketed your phone, but not before you saw a comment teasingly saying he ‘shouldn’t keep his girlfriend waiting’ 

You hopped Jisung didn't glimpse that one, you knew he’d overthink your friendship and might stop acting in the same way he did

Besides, you didn’t need him overthinking at the same time as you were

He swung the door open and stared at you, expression unreadable. He took his lightsaber from behind his back and activated it, the purple glow lightly illuminated his upper body 

You activated yours, and you dueled each other throughout the dorm before collapsing on the sofa and watching a movie like usual 

A couple of days later, your two groups had to complete a series of challenges pulled from a challenge pile, you read yours out loud “challenge someone on the opposite team to a lightsaber duel” 

You and Jisung burst out laughing, confusing both of your band members

You fell first. On a separate vlive someone asked how you’d managed to find such a good friend in Jisung, you look at the comment a little shocked, you didn’t know how to answer

Of course the content your groups make was thought of by the company for further promotion and without that you doubt you would have ever met Jisung 

You tell the truth: you’re not sure, “but he always takes care of me. He always checks if I’ve eaten and checks in to see how I’m feeling, and I return the gesture in kind.” He’s always drinking energy drinks, and you’ve been trying to get him to cut back at least a little. “You’ve all seen the vlives I’m sure, and it thinks it’s really easy to tell that we’ve got a good rapport with each other and I think we’re gonna be good friends for a really long time” 

Your heart clenches when you say friend, and you realise you want something more than just friendship 

Jisung takes longer to come to terms with his feelings but where you lacked in action on your end he did not hesitate to initiate 

Every time someone asks about you on one of his vlives his eyes light up as he compliments you to no end “she’s so nice, she always checks in on me, makes sure I’ve eaten. Oh! She’s trying to get me to cut back on energy drinks because the caffeine is bad for you and I drink way too much.” He’ll then go on to talk about your stage presence and how it absolutely mesmerises him and how you were the first member that caught his eye when your group debuted even though the fairy theme is the complete opposite of yours, you killed it 

It takes relentless teasing from his band mates before he realises his feelings for you 

He walks in after one of his vlives and his band mates are all talking about the will they won’t, they between the two do you 

When they mention it to Jisung he obviously denies it saying he’d know if he had feelings for you, and he doesn’t, you’re just friends

Minho looks at him incredulously and pulls out an edit he saw of the two of you made by, clearly a very dedicated fan, “you look at her like you’d look at a girlfriend, and you say you don’t have feelings for her” he scoffs. “I do not look at her like that, and I do not have feelings for her. Can we drop this?”

That same night, he can’t help but reach for his phone and search your names on TikTok 

The more edits he watches, the more he notices how he’s staring at you. His eyes really do betray him, and he remembered back to his vlive how his heart pounded when he talked about you and how he couldn’t stop smiling

He’d fallen hard 

And just in time for your theme to be the centre of your group’s comeback

You kept it from Jisung because you wanted it to be a surprise you knew how excited he was for your theme to come up and every time he said it you willed your heart not to explode 

Loads of your friends were excited, Jisung was no different, you told yourself

The comeback was steeped in deep blues, rich reds and engulfing greens, silver necklaces and black lace. The music’s tone was darker, like something watching from the shadows; it sent a chill down his spine as he watched the MV

You sampled a lot more classical music as well as used more classical instruments (violin especially) to give a more gothic feel to the comeback, all somehow perfectly intertwined with some fully rock songs. 

At the very end, you let out a splendidly sultry laugh, showing off the fangs made especially for the comeback. If you had to be honest you kinda liked them, probably too much

JYP decided it would be good publicity for both groups to have Stray Kids react to your group’s most recent comeback, especially as the two groups were still close despite your groups popularity rising and thus having less activities together 

There were lots of shocked expressions and ‘whoas’ coming from the group in general. They were used to the bright colour palettes and upbeat feelings of your group's songs 

Despite there being a lot of posing and standing, the boys found it endlessly compelling, there were bursts of quick movement where the screen would go blank, and you would end up in a different place on the screen

Similarly, there would be a blur of motion followed by one of the members changing their position in the room

Jisung watched intently whenever, you showed up on screen of the title track’s MV, by the end he was brimming with pride knowing you were the main driving force behind the comeback

He watched you fully sink into the role, more than he’d ever seen you do before, you embodied the vampires of legend, you were dangerous but endlessly enticing

While most of the scenes took place on a set that resembled and old mediaeval castle, the choreography scenes were set inside a hall clearly inspired by Strawberry Hill 

Chan, mostly impressed with the composition of the song, asked who’s theme the comeback was, before someone from behind the camera could answer Jisung beamed and yelled “Y/N’s it was Y/N’s.” 

When the group looked at him questioningly, he said you had told him everything about your vision, he just had no idea it was coming up next. You must have kept it from him as a surprise

The group talked more about what they thought was really good about the comeback’s title track, from the lyrics to the set design

Next, they showed the boys the album’s B-side track; even Jisung, knowing everything he did, was utterly shocked. Like you mentioned, he didn’t think the company would allow you to do a fully rock song 

The lyrics seemed to hit really close to home, the song expressed the frustration in knowing your feelings for someone but not being able to do anything about it, having to hold back every time they’re around you. Not allowing yourself to give in and the hurt that carried with that

Not to mention, the visuals were heartbreakingly beautiful, seeing you laying in a forest with a—very familiar to him—band hoodie and ripped bell bottom jeans just staring at the sky made him feel things!

All he could do was stare at the screen watching the credits roll by, and he kept noticing your name a lot more than in the title track  

Everyone was in awe and thought they’d seen it all

The video ended with the whole of Stray Kids wishing your group the best of luck throughout your promotion and that they’ll see your group at your comeback stage

Needless to say it was an absolute hit, within the first couple hours there were already thousands views on the title track’s MV with the number was steadily growing 

You and your group prepared frantically for the comeback backstage. Everyone was rushing about getting makeup and any clothing alterations done

Yuri rushed over to you to make sure you were okay, judging from your expression you were very anxious, “hey, what are you worried about?” she asked 

You were taken slightly aback that she was able to tell, but realistically, who wouldn’t. It was very clear you had been a ball of stress ever since before the comeback was even released. “I don’t know, just-what if it all goes horribly wrong? It’s on me, I suggested the concept. I picked all the outfits, set the staging, sure the video has enough views, but they’re a meaningless metric of popularity for the company. If they don’t receive a high profit from album sales and promotions, that’s it. It’s the end-” 

You continued rambling until Yuri interrupted you, “you were not the only one, if the company saw something they knew wouldn’t work they wouldn’t have let it happen. Besides, this comeback was awesome! I, for one, loved every second. I don’t think that’s the only reason you're nervous. I think it has something to do with a certain boy group member you often hang out with and his opinion”

You gave her a warning glance, taking a deep breath. Yuri just patted you on the back and let you finish getting ready

Jisung watched the entire comeback stage in awe, his expectations were utterly blown away, you looked stunning in your outfit and the looks you gave on stage were perfect

You brilliantly embodied the essence of enticing but deadly on screen and stage

The red skirt opened and closed around your thighs with every movement, contrasting with the tucked in baggy band T-shirt, that was also in the B-side music video. He smiled, you thought of every detail

God, he wanted to kiss you so bad 

With the very last beat of the stage, fake blood was poured all over you and staying in character you smirked at the camera running your tongue over your teeth as you grinned bringing attention to the fangs you’d worn for the performance 

You got a small break where you promote the album more, telling them there were more performances still to go

You did all that without paying any attention to the blood still dripping down your face, seeping into your clothes and Jisung couldn’t keep the image of you grinning as blood dripped down your face out of his head 

you took one last gulp of water and set yourself in position for the B-Side track performance 

It was just as high energy as the title track but with more intricate group movements usually surrounding you singing your lungs out in the middle 

At the end you all bowed and one of the staff came out in stage whispering in your ear and ushering you off stage 

Everyone was confused until Nam-Gli clarified the staff wanted you to get changed because the dripping blood was a bit of a safety hazard, all while avoiding several pools of fake blood on the floor 

The audience and group laughed at the side steps, but thankfully staff came out with mops cleaning the blood patches 

As they’d finished you ran back on stage and Jisung nearly choked, there was no way you could have looked more stunning on your big day yet here you were. Pulling out surprise after surprise 

The entire outfit was skin tight, a stark contrast from the previous look, under the black jacket's front buckles was a black bustier top that slotted inside the hem of the leather chained and pleated skirt 

Jisung was relieved to see you kept the thigh highs, he’d never admit it, but they were his favourite part of the ensemble 

The stage continued with renditions of previous songs as well as a rehash of the title and B-Side until, tired and ready for bed, your group bid everyone goodbye leaving the stage 

Turns out Stray Kids left early because they were all stood backstage waiting to congratulate you all

Jisung launched himself at you as soon as he saw you, enveloping you and in a tight hug. He breathed in your scent as he buried his face in your neck and refused to let go, until Chan cleared his throat at which point you separated 

After several congratulations and cheers, the conversations started separating off

You stood next to Jisung with Changbin and Yuri, all of you conversing about the coming days both for your group and Stray Kids 

You barely paid attention to their words, hyper focused on how close your hand was to the Jisung’s, you could feel the heat radiating off it

One tiny shift and your pinkies would be intertwined, another small shift, and you’d comfortably fold your hand into his 

Your hand twitched a little at the thought, so desperate to follow through on your desires but ultimately stopping short 

You couldn’t do it, you made up excuses for yourself, he hasn’t given any clear indication he likes you, the dreaded dating ban. Not that you followed all the rules, but this one was just too convenient 

When you left your daze Jisung was staring at you and once you made eye contact he reached for your hand folding it into his own

Your heart jumped, did this mean what you thought it meant ? 

“Can I speak to you?” you saw a small flash of pink dust his cheeks, “privately” 

Your heart lurched again as you nodded, not breaking eye contact 

He dragged you into a dressing room and stood in front of you, this time holding both your hands 

“I wanted to take a moment to congratulate you, personally. You were amazing. I mean, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You were mesmerising,” he grinned, and you smiled back, your heart swelling with each word. 

“I’m so proud of all you’ve accomplished already, and it’s only the beginning”

Meanwhile, the group were placing bets as to why Jisung pulled you into another room, he wasn’t exactly subtle 

“They’re definitely gonna bone?” Minho deadpanned

“Ew gross, they’re not gonna do that”, exclaimed Mihi 

“No I agree, Jisung’s too much of a chicken, probably hasn’t even kissed her,” Changbin teased 

Felix then chimed in, “it’s weird he’d go for Y/N. I was always under the impression Nam-Gli would be more his type”

“Please,” she dismissed Felix’s claim, “I want someone who can take care of me, I’ve already got my hand full raising these four” 

“What about Y/N?” Chan frowned 

“She’s an equally stressed parent” Nam-Gil smiled and the group laughed 

Back in the dressing room, Jisung continued, “I can’t wait to see my best friend grow and become even more famous!” 

Wuhoh, ‘best friend’ your brain wouldn’t stop repeating the word, it packed onto it and refused to let go 

Jisung regretted it as soon as he said it, it felt so wrong, it made his stomach churn 

You managed a weak smile and replied, “thank you so much,” you slipped your hands from Jisung’s warm hold, “we should probably head back and all go home. It’s late, I don’t want the girls to think I’m doing anything weird” 

“Oh yes, totally, this was just a casual conversation between best friends,” Jisung really couldn’t stop himself. He had no idea what else to say, my crush? A conversation between two people who could possibly grow to have a long and beautiful relationship? Maybe start a family that spans a generation, with each child being more successful than the previous? 

At least ‘best friend’ wouldn’t freak her out as much he thought 

‘Best friend’ that infernal title was stuck with you all the way to your bed, nagging you and telling you we're stupidly misinterpreting the signals. He was just being friendly 

Soon you fell into a flat dreamless sleep

When Jisung got back instead of sleeping, he looked up his and your name again. On TikTok, YouTube, everything. He found several edits that made him smile a little  

Twitter, however, made him blush the most, it was filled with playful ‘wish he looked at me like that’ followed by screenshots of his staring at you in joint lives

Others were from the video filmed of his group's reactions to your comeback. The tweets talked about how absolutely whipped he looked for you, mostly with, ‘we all know who that look’s for ;)’ and ‘jiy/n dating when?’ comments 

Part of him hoped you’d see these and know, he didn’t mean that he only wanted to be best friends but the other hopped to god you didn’t see them to save him the embarrassment

He fell asleep to an edit of the two of you with the classic sickly love song played in the background

You weren’t able to see Jisung as often as you had previously, the comeback schedule was gruelling, but perhaps it was for the better

At least not seeing him meant you didn’t have to hear ‘best friend’ emerge from his lips and painfully lodge itself inside your heart 

Jisung, however, couldn’t help but feel upset. Every time he saw you his heart filled with a strange mix of pride and adoration with an insufferable anxiety because why were you only just texting him back it’s been an hour? 

Your comeback schedule kept you too busy for Jisung’s liking. He understood, he really did, but after the so dubbed ‘best friend’ incident he was constantly on edge seeing you 

Maybe ‘best friend’ did freak you out and your comeback was nothing but a perfectly convenient excuse to ignore him 

You sat on a raised bench behind three of your bandmates in between the other two, there was no missing you 

Each of one of you was given a pointer for your ‘most likely to’ game

You enjoyed some fun ones like, “who’s most likely to stack it on a night out?” “who would not realise they stayed up all night because they were too busy playing video games?” etc.

It was hilarious getting to know new things about your members you never would have before

When the next question got asked, you froze, ‘most likely to fall in love with someone from another group?’ 

Act natural you thought as everyone pointed at you 

You tried to diffuse some of your nerves by delaying your point for comedic effect, the MC laughed, so it must have worked a little 

“Me?” you mock gasped, “I would never!” all the members laughed, and you chuckled along with them

“Oh, are you sure?” Yuri teased, “it seems exactly like something you’d do”

“In all seriousness is it?” the MC asked 

“I mean, if it happens, it happens” your heart skipped a beat thinking of one person in particular. “I’d like to say, I’m aware our group's dating ban isn’t over yet, so I wouldn’t do anything I’m not supposed to. Besides, feelings aren’t always reciprocated” you ended with a bittersweet smile

Feeling the tension you left in the air, you spoke up again, “unless of course your Yuri, who responds to so much fan mail she can barely keep up,” you smiled brightly

Yuri blushed to the backdrop of all the members laughing, “aww don’t be embarrassed, it’s cute” you smiled again, and she shyly smiled back with the rest of the members giving small chuckles at the interaction 

Jisung had finally decided on something to occupy his time with. 

He had been working on lyrics to a new song

The frustration that came with the “best friend” incident gave him a sick sort of inspiration, making him want to write his feelings into song 

One song was about how one person can make you want to be the best version of yourself while the other, he imagined, as a sort of sister track to your comebacks b-side track

He quickly looked up from his notebook to his phone, still pinging with a notification 

He picked it up immediately, hoping it was a text from you

Sadly it was just a YouTube notification for your group’s newest video 

He was curious and couldn’t stop himself from clicking the notification and watching the video 

He laughed a couple of times thinking how he would have probably picked the same members having known them for so long 

All of a sudden, all the pointers are on you

The answer to the question sparked hope in Jisung, if you were most likely to get with someone from another group he could shoot his shot

Perhaps the “best friend” incident was long forgotten, but his heart wrenched when he heard your response 

To him, it was clearly aimed and didn’t miss 

As a result he decided to drop hints like Hansel and Gretel dropped crumbs in your next vlive hopping the trail would lead you to his true feelings

He started the live before you came in so the two of you could get right to it, and he could have your usual alone time with you quicker 

You walked into his dorm room with heavy steps 

You’d rushed over after recording the relay dance for the B-side track and were exhausted, but you really couldn’t miss this opportunity. You hadn’t properly interacted with fans in weeks 

Jisung noticed immediately and asked if you were okay. You just tiredly looked at him and sat down with a lopsided smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes 

You didn’t want to admit in front of fans that you were exhausted 

Jisung noticed and did the first thing he could think of to distract the fans 

“Where's my hug?” he pouted, and you looked at him confused 

Jisung continued his half serious pout, “I really wanted a hug but since you won’t give me one I’ll have to take it!” he grinned and quickly wrapped you up tightly in his arms 

“Jisung come on, let go,” you lightly chuckled 

“Nope, I’m not letting go until you hug me back,” Jisung proudly stated 

You rolled your eyes smiling and wrapped your arms around his neck burying your head in it, and he did the same 

You breathed in his scent and whispered in his ear, “I feel a lot less tired now, thank you” then pulled away and smiled

“You happy now?” You teased out loud 

Jisung’s heart beat so fast in his chest the rest of his body couldn’t seem to keep up, but he smiled nonetheless

He started at you and gave you a killer grin, “I’m always happy when you’re around” 

It was your heart's turn to explode. You bit your lip and turned round to the screen seeing the comments full off, ‘ew guys get a room’ with Jisung quickly replying that they’re already in one making your eyes go wide 

He then quickly and expertly changed the topic asking how everyone was and what they were up to, picking out and responding to the ones he managed to catch in the sea of comments 

The live went by smoothly, and you noticed Jisung would bump your hand with his every so often almost like he wanted to take your hand, god you wanted him to take your hand

He pulled away to switch the song that he’d put it on in the background and carried on talking to the fans 

You really tried to stay in the conversation, but you zoned out singing along to the music under your breath (imagining 2/14 by the band CAMINO) 

Jisung noticed and smiled before joining in 

You both fell into the rhythm of the music, vocals effortlessly moulding together into a beautiful concert 

The fans adored it, with comments of ‘you guys should perform together!’

You smiled at each other and said that maybe one day you’d be able to get it organised

When the live ended, he grasped your hand, fulfilling your deepest want of the moment before leading you away to the sofa when he draped himself over you as soon as you sat down 

“You sure you’re okay?” Jisung asked, “you looked absolutely exhausted.” He looked at you with care and sympathy. You replied that you were better now, just tired from filming 

He, still draped over you on the sofa, tangled your legs together and asked you to tell him what you’d been up to 

You indulged him relaying the events of the day

Jisung didn’t look away for a single moment, his eyes betrayed warmth as he inched closer to you

You drew out the last syllable of your sentence and went silent, looking into Jisung’s eyes 

Your breath hitched, and your eyes were half closed as his face closed in on yours. “Ji,” you breathed, “what are you going?” you whispered smiling and glancing at his lips

“Call me that more,” he sighed, looking up from your lips to meet your eyes; a fire just behind his pupils 

This was it, it was the moment you’d know Jisung didn’t mean the stupid friend comment, there’s no way you could be friends when all he wants to do is kiss you until you were out of breath

There’s no way he could only be friends with you when he wants to nip chains of bruises down your collarbone 

There’s no way he could only be friends when he wanted you to rake your hands through his hair 

Time slowed to a crawl, you were in a parallel universe where time didn’t move and the consequences of a kiss didn’t matter 

A parallel universe with just the two of you, no company, no toxic fans, nothing that would get in the way of your affection for one another; where your connection wouldn’t be denied but accepted and encouraged

You focused on his lips, and you felt his searing breath on your lips 

He was so close, you were impatient 

Before you could launch yourself at him, you heard a sharp knock on the door

The two of you threw yourselves at opposite ends of the sofa as the voice that belong to the knock said “I’m coming in”

The door opens, revealing a mildly annoyed Minho “are you coming or did you forget?”

Jisung stared at him blankly, you could see the cogs moving in his brain, and he yelled apologies

He shot up from the couch, and you knew this was your cue to leave 

You walked to the door but were stopped by Jisung who wrapped his arms around you and quickly whispered “I’ll see you soon” 

Your lips were still blazing on the way back to your dorm 

Your members were enjoying their free time by watching a new drama on Netflix as you walked through the door

You took off, your shoes and sat down next to Aera on the arm of the sofa 

Everyone turned to face you and Nam-Gli asked, “So how was it?” 

You gulped and yelled, “such a normal time!”

“Why are you being weird?” Yuri asked, eyeing you up suspiciously 

“I’m not being weird, you're being weird,” you rapidly released the words 

“Very chill response,” Yuri responded in a flat tone, “now tell us what happened”

“Me and Ji- we,” you took a deep breath, “we nearly kissed. Minho interrupted. Turns out he had to go to an event but forgot about it” 

You looked away as they yelled in surprise

“What are you gonna do when you see him next? You guys have another vlive in about two weeks, don't you?” Mihi asked 

“Honestly, I don’t think I can face him after this. What am I supposed to say? ‘Let's continue where we left off?’” you grimaced 

“YES,” Yuri yelled, “just get together already! Do not use the dating ban excuse, I know for a fact you couldn't care less”

The two of you argued about the importance of the dating ban, with you trying to defend yourself because ‘it’s not just an excuse’ 

“Okay, we get it you disagree,” Nam-Gli quelled the fire. “How about you give yourself until your next vlive together to see him? That way you can put it out of your mind?” 

You nodded, grateful for her intervention, you relaxed and continued watching the drama with the rest of the group

You woke up feeling refreshed until you remembered why you wanted sleep to refresh you 

Your heart started racing, remembering the events of the last day, and you couldn’t help but smile

There was hope after all

Be quickly the hope turned to anxiety, the dating ban was still in effect and would be for another few weeks, and you promised fans you and Jisung would perform together 

That meant weeks of working closely with him every day after the two of you nearly kissed 

You took out the switch you’d saved up for a booted up Legend of Zelda, hoping it would distract you, and it worked for a couple of hours 

You finally found one of Links missing memories and as the cut scene played it was strangely captivating

Usually you would have skipped over it, having played this game to completion several times already. But something about the way Zelda looked at Link was familiar

You couldn’t help it when you reached for the phone you had been religiously ignoring since waking up 

You clicked on his contact, seeing only one unread message when you expected more: ‘how do you want to pitch a song cover to the company?’ 

You couldn’t decide if you were relieved or angry that he said nothing about yesterday’s incident 

You ignored it for as long as your mind would allow you before you huffed and picked up your phone 

You replied with a mostly generic response about how the fans really wanted it and it would give both of your groups exposure 

The two of you texted back and forth until you had a plan of action and before long you decided to meet with the company in a couple days as Jisung already managed to set up a meeting with the execs somehow 

Overall the conversation was painfully professional. Neither of you cracked any jokes or referenced your favourite shows. It was so unlike you 

Despite all of this you still hoped, he set up the meeting way too quickly. 

Of course there was the possibility he wanted this partnership over with as quickly as possible but there was no way that could be true. Not with the fire behind his eyes when he looked at you 

Jisung waited impatiently in the building lobby for you to appear 

You hadn’t brought up the nearly kiss at all and he was worried. Did you think he was weird? Maybe he should have waited and dropped more hints. Was he moving too fast?

He nerves stilled when you walked through the door, despite your smile being slightly awkward it made Jisung feel light 

“So shall we?” you asked 

It was a simple phrase that meant nothing but what was on the tin but it made Jisung soar, he hadn’t heard your voice in longer than you would like 

The two of you talked to the executives who loved your idea

Jisung watched as you professionally presented all the benefits this collaboration would have and how this is something that the company would be able to carry on into the future 

He wasn’t expecting you to say anything about the future especially after the last incident 

As you wrapped up your pitch the execs asked what song the two of you wanted to cover, Jisung hadn’t even thought that far but it seems you had. Immediately with confidence you said ‘PING PONG’ by Hyuna and Dawn 

He could feel heat crawl up his face but despite this he still nodded his head and smiled after seeing your own impossibly infectious grin 

“Great the matter is settled, you guys can work on it in time for the next award show” one of the execs said with a grin 

The next few weeks you and Jisung saw each other every day for at least and hour if not more 

Both of you decided to work on learning the choreography first because at you listened to the song to learn the choreography you’d pick up the lyrics easily

As a result your joint lives were mostly updating fans on how the rehearsal process was going 

Despite your worst fears the vlives weren’t as awkward as you pictured, the energy flowed between the two of you effortlessly

However, you noticed how where previously he’s have a hand on some part of you body be it you are or your knee, he now refused to have any part of him closer than would be considered disrespectful 

You missed his warmth. You were upset because you could tell he was holding himself back 

You could imagine why, but it’s not like you pulled away during the incident. In Fact you distinctly remember yourself moving closer, until Miho barged in

Between the bittersweet lives and standing nearly every spare moment practising with Jisung the award show hd rolled around quicker that you expected 

For some reason you signed yourself and Jisung up to be the opening act for the award show and regretted it 

It hit you that you were supposed to perform a song made for a performed by a couple

Just you and Jisung. Just you and the one person you wished desperately to be in a relationship with but couldn’t  

It was all well and good casually running through all the moves in rehearsal but this was serious 

You felt nervous as you thought about what the fans would say

Most would not doubt enjoy it but you couldn't help but focus on the ones who believed they owned the idols they admire

All of a sudden you were hyper aware of the dating ban that had ended only a couple days prior 

If the two of you were too close it would not doubt cause a scandal 

Your mind spiralled as you imagined the headlines calling you undignified, loose, easy

“Hey, you’re gonna do amazing,” were the words that stopped your spiral, they were soft and reassuring. You knew painfully well who they belonged to 

You took a deep breath and looked Jisung in the eye and he smiled 

It made you insides melt and you were certain he could see it on you face because his eyes darted to you lips for a split second

You recalled how close he was to kissing you in his dorm room and once again thought back to the dating ban 

If it was finished surely there was no harm right?

“Yeah, we’re gonna smash this,” you smiled back. “We’ve rehearsed this song so much it might as well have been made for us to perform,” you joked begging no one noticed the implications of your statement 

Jisung only hummed and his eyes looked to your lips once again, this time they stayed there for longer than they should have 

You licked your lips gently, part of you wanting to make sure they were ready for Jisung to capture them after so long 

The other knew it wouldn’t happen as you saw the PA approach to tell you you were on in less than three minutes 

Just like in the original you started off the show, the train attached to the right side of your body suit swayed along with your body

You felt confident and full of energy until you felt Jisung’s hand trail all the way up your leg confidently brushing your ass

Thankfully you were facing away from the audience allowing you time to collect yourself 

You knew this would be more intense than rehearsals but you didn’t expect Jisung to go this hard 

It fired you up and you decided to give it your all as well 

Jiung could feel the heat crawl up his face as you shake your ass dangerously close to his crotch 

He couldn’t help but smirk as you bit your lip looking him directly in the eye as if to challenge him 

He eagerly accepted and the while performance had a push and pull effect to it 

The two of you goaded each other on stage testing the waters every time your faces got too close to be called innocent 

The built up tension culminated in Jisung dipping you and you holding his face in you hand ready for him to bend don and kiss you as the song ended 

The two of you stayed in that position with massive grins on your faces until you couldn’t hold it anymore and Jisung pulled you up and you buried you face i your neck as he laughed and waved at cheering crowd 

Once you recovered your turned around and waved at them as well smiling widely 

Jisungs hand never left your waist 

The two of you left the stage and you shot like a bullet towards Yuri who was silently screaming and telling you how good you were 

Chan came up to Jisung and clapped him on the back but Jsiung couldn’t keep his eyes off you

He knew this was the moment to tell you. He was sure you must have known but he still gave you your space

He couldn’t lie and say he was entirely confident, there was a part of him that was worried because you hadn’t made any moved 

But he had to tell you 

Jisung walked over to you still smiling and took you hand in his, “can I talk to you, privately?” you glanced at Yuri who nodded and gave you a knowing look 

“Sure,” you replied, content with your hand in his. You could get used to this you thought 

He lead you towards a dressing room and closed the door behind you 

You basked in each others presence just looking at each other 

“You really went for it didn’t you?” you questioned with a smile 

“Sorry, was it too much?” Jisung answered taking several steps closer to you 

“No,” you breathed out, “it was perfect.”

You stayed still for a moment and Jisung admired the grin on your face 

The silence was comfortable and electric, calm and expectant 

“I really hope I haven’t misinterpreted things but I really like you-” 

You cut Jisung off before he could say more, “I know. I really like you too,” you trailed off 

“But?” Jisung asked with a mixture of hurt and frustration. If you liked each other what could possibly be stopping you?

“But, I’m not sure we should do anything right now. My dating ban’s only just been lifted and I don’t want to make things more difficult for either of us” you explained

Jisung was ready to argue, he was ready to present every piece of evidence that supported the two of you dating but this wasn't one he had prepared for

Much to his dismay he couldn’t argue with you on that point 

 Whatever happened he knew, that he would come out unscathed but you on the other hand. Well it would be a lot harder for you 

His mouth opened and closed as you apologised before leaving him in the room alone with his thoughts  

You gulped and went to perform your groups stage, you put on a show for the cameras and tried not to betray heartache in your eyes 

Jisung did the same he finished his group’s stage and after neither of your groups won this particular award he went home disappointed 

The rest of the members were getting slightly worried for him, exchanging glances 

Minho ended up sitting down next to him on the sofa of their dorm

“I’m guessing talking about your feelings didn’t go well?” he asked tentatively 

Jisung choked out a ‘no’ and repeated your exact reasoning 

“That’s bullshit,” Minho stated

Jisung stared at him shocked, waiting for him to explain 

“Sure dating is terrifying but hiding behind the dating ban is nothing but an excuse,” Minho expended

Jisung replied with his reasoning and Minho refused every claim 

Jisung bit his lip, “ok well it’s not like I can do anything now,” he explained how he’d agreed and you would have to be the one who comes to him and tell him you’re ready 

But Minho frustrated mumbled something under his breath and left 

Thanks to your stellar performance the company said you and Jisung can have a break from your activities, that included your collective vlives, much to your relief 

You couldn't imagine facing Jisung after what you told him. Not to mention you had already had an argument with Yuri about what you’d told Jisung 

It was much the same as always; Yuri telling you to stop hiding behind the dating ban and you trying to explain you weren’t hiding behind it and this is the ebay option for everyone 

You reached for yet another tib of ice cream hoping it would stop you from wanting to text Jisung 

Any thought of him was painful but what was more painful was being apart

You missed your vlives, you missed hanging out with him after them, you missed the way his body melted into yours when he was draped over you on the sofa 

Jisung tried taking his mind off the situation but nothing worked, not properly 

Instead he dived back into work and finished the song he started all those months ago 

At least this way he could work through his feelings

He frantically scribbled lyrics rewriting them to fit the beat of your bride track

He wanted the two songs to be connected even though the two of you couldn’t

“But?” Jisung asked with a mixture of hurt and frustration. If you liked each other what could possibly be stopping you?

“But, I’m not sure we should do anything right now. My dating ban’s only just been lifted and I don’t want to make things more difficult for either of us” you explained

Jisung was ready to argue, he was ready to present every piece of evidence that supported the two of you dating but this wasn't one he had prepared for

Much to his dismay he couldn’t argue with you on that point 

 Whatever happened he knew, that he would come out unscathed but you on the other hand. Well it would be a lot harder for you 

His mouth opened and closed as you apologised before leaving him in the room alone with his thoughts  

You gulped and went to perform your groups stage, you put on a show for the cameras and tried not to betray heartache in your eyes 

Jisung did the same he finished his group’s stage and after neither of your groups won this particular award he went home disappointed 

The rest of the members were getting slightly worried for him, exchanging glances 

Minho ended up sitting down next to him on the sofa of their dorm

“I’m guessing talking about your feelings didn’t go well?” he asked tentatively 

Jisung choked out a ‘no’ and repeated your exact reasoning 

“That’s bullshit,” Minho stated

Jisung stared at him shocked, waiting for him to explain 

“Sure dating is terrifying but hiding behind the dating ban is nothing but an excuse,” Minho expended

Jisung replied with his reasoning and Minho refused every claim 

Jisung bit his lip, “ok well it’s not like I can do anything now,” he explained how he’d agreed and you would have to be the one who comes to him and tell him you’re ready 

But Minho frustrated mumbled something under his breath and left 

Thanks to your stellar performance the company said you and Jisung can have a break from your activities, that included your collective vlives, much to your relief 

You couldn't imagine facing Jisung after what you told him. Not to mention you had already had an argument with Yuri about what you’d told Jisung 

It was much the same as always; Yuri telling you to stop hiding behind the dating ban and you trying to explain you weren’t hiding behind it and this is the ebay option for everyone 

You reached for yet another tib of ice cream hoping it would stop you from wanting to text Jisung 

Any thought of him was painful but what was more painful was being apart

You missed your vlives, you missed hanging out with him after them, you missed the way his body melted into yours when he was draped over you on the sofa 

Jisung tried taking his mind off the situation but nothing worked, not properly 

Instead he dived back into work and finished the song he started all those months ago 

At least this way he could work through his feelings

He frantically scribbled lyrics rewriting them to fit the beat of your bride track

He wanted the two songs to be connected even though the two of you couldn’t

You continued, “I heard your song, it was beautiful. It was emotional and heartbreaking and it made me feel a bit hopeless about love. I wanted to talk to my members about it but not matter what it didn’t seem right.” 

Jisung listened intently his heart beating out of his chest 

“That was until I realised there's no one I want to talk about these things with. I was being overly cautious not wanting to lose what we already have, but if we were meant to be then we’ll last.,” you explained, “Ji I really want to date you. I don’t care what  happens, I just know I want to experience it with you.” 

Jisung couldn’t help the grin on his face and he stepped closer. His eyes effortlessly travelled to you lips, down your collarbone and back up again 

He let out a small breath tickling you until you couldn't take it anymore 

He could feel you wanting to get closer, so he wrapped an arm around your waist, cupped your cheek with his hand and his lips finally landed on yours 

You groaned, this was all you wanted and more

No matter how many times you imagined this moment the real thing was better 

He pulled away and with half lidded eyes said “whatever happens we’ll weather the storm together. I promise.”

A/N: The ending is super rushed and I'm very sorry but I have been so close to finishing for so long and I needed this out of my drafts. Either way I hope you guys enjoy it :)

[alldancersaretalented]

Some Dancers at YAGP Finals:

Ballet Academy of Chapel Hill:

Tinsley Wallace (10)

Ballet Bloch Canada:

Keenan Mentzos (14)

Bayer Ballet:

Chloe Helimets (13)

Jaslyn Kwan (15)

Crystal Huang (15)

Amelia Chen (15)

Cary Ballet Conservatory:

Eric Poor (14)

Concept Pavielle:

Harper Anderson (11)

Club:

Harper Schwalb (10)

Bella Linman (10)

DanceLova:

Charlotte Pham (10)

DKCBA:

Summer Wellman (11)

June Freeman (13)

Kiera Sun (13)

Natalie Kulba (14)

Cayman Lee (14)

Clara Riggs (15)

Lyla Briggs (15)

Izzy Howard (16)

Aimee Choo (17)

Elite Classical Coaching:

Nicholas Du (11)

Angelina Tan (14)

Fort Lauderdale Youth Ballet:

Dylan Custodio (12)

Independent:

Emma Bassel (11)

Jun Lu:

Athena Hu (11)

Larkin:

Savannah Jackson (9)

Isabella Charnstrom (11)

Savannah Manzel (13)

MBA:

Ophelia Thiem (10)

Ellary Day Szyndlar (11)

Victoria Carrillo (11)

Tova Tustin (12)

Channing Dennis (14)

Sabrina Dorsey (15)

Lillian Rossman (15)

Gracie Kirkwood (16)

Chloe Hennessey (16)

Audrey Lyons (17)

Melanie McIntire (17)

Alecia Lucchesi (17)

Sofia Rutova (18)

Parker Rozzano-Keefe (18)

Tyler Cohen (18)

New Level:

Reese Braga (10)

Pittsburgh Ballet House:

Giada Reino (11)

Stars:

Santiago Sosa (13)

Studio 4:

Reese Ottney (11)

The Art of Classical Ballet:

Ashley Demi Otano (11)

Kya Massimino (13)

The Dallas Conservatory:

Maeve Olsen (9)

Georgia Reed (10)

Zoey Reese (12)

Tobias Weber (13)

The Rock:

Jillian Chapler (11)

Crystal Huang (15)

Yoko's:

Isabella Tjoe (13)

Fiona Wu (13)

Xtreme:

Blake Metcalf (13)