#don’t be upset that I should’ve put different characters

[mof-rot]

I did this with other fandoms on my old acc, why not do it here?

[antiguagealach]

Thoughts about this relationship

First of all I am sorry for my English, but its not my first language. I will try to express myself the best I can. (If anyone wants the Spanish version, let me know.) 🥲

Before watching Rings of Power, I was already familiar with all the lore surrounding Elrond because he’s always been my favorite character. So, when the first season aired, I watched it with the idea that Elrond and Galadriel had this mother-in-law/son-in-law dynamic. That was a mistake on my part because I didn’t realize the show could take a different path as an adaptation. I should’ve kept an open mind to this new take instead of being stuck on the original lore. I think that’s why, up until episode 2x07, the relationship between Elrond and Galadriel felt a bit weird to me.

After that episode, I decided to rewatch the series from the start, but this time without any preconceived ideas, just enjoying the show for what it is, without thinking about what will happen or following any specific lore. And I think I’ve figured out what they’re trying to do:

By unifying several storylines that in the books take place over centuries into one timeline, they’ve limited the appearance of certain characters—like Celebrian, for example. I get that, for Galadriel's character development, she can't be a mother just yet. But considering I’m 99.9% sure the series will end with the War of the Last Alliance, there isn’t enough time for Celebrian to be born and for centuries to pass so it wouldn’t feel strange for her to marry Elrond. After all, that would take a thousand years, and Isildur and Elendil don’t have that kind of lifespan. Plus, if we stick to Elrond and Galadriel’s relationship as close friends, Elrond would basically become “Uncle Elrond,” which would feel pretty weird. I think if they had planned to include Celebrian from the start, the relationship between Elrond and Galadriel would have been portrayed differently.

That’s why I have the feeling the show is playing off some of Tolkien’s earlier notes, which hinted that these two characters could’ve been married. As I read recently, a Tolkien expert said this world was always evolving—so why shouldn’t the series took a diferent way too?

What I see is that the show has been testing the waters with this potential relationship since season one, probably to gauge the fans' reaction. What’s my evidence? The kiss scene. Not just the kiss itself, but the music. All the elements surrounding that moment suggest something beyond just a platonic relationship (and I know people who saw that scene and felt the same, even without knowing anything about the lore). Plus, throughout season two, we see Elrond rejecting the rings because they could be manipulated by Sauron, but in that final scene, we see the conflict on his face. He doesn’t want to use the rings, but he also wants to save Galadriel’s life. It’s an act of love where Elrond puts Galadriel’s life above his principles and the risk of using the rings, without hesitation.

I like to think they plan to keep developing this relationship (a friends-to-lovers), even if they do it subtly so that the purists don’t get too upset. And then, in the final episode, just confirm it all and not care about the backlash anymore.

But if it were up to me, they would confirm it in the next season. 😋

I hope they continue be brave.

[the-ferocious-kittyrose]

Stuff I wish we could’ve seen in HOTD

1. Alicent comforting Rhaenyra after her mother’s death

There’s a deleted scene that shows Rhaenyra returning to her room after her mother’s funeral, to find Alicent there waiting for her. As soon as she sees Alicent her strong facade breaks and she bursts into tears. She falls into Alicent's arms, and they sink to the floor together.

Rhaenyra has a tendency to mask her emotions when upset, and Alicent seems to be one of the few people she feels safe being vulnerable around.

2. Rhaenyra confronting Alicent about the engagement.

There’s a somewhat infamous deleted scene that shows Rhaenyra confronting Alicent about her engagement to Viserys.

She asks how long Alicent has been meeting with her father without her knowing. When Alicent says it’s been going on ever since the queen died, she is furious and calls her a whore, accusing her of seducing him.

A lot of people shit on Rhaenyra for this, saying she’s victim blaming, which, yeah, she is, but it’s also a very realistic reaction. She’s not only dealing with the fact that her father is remarrying, she’s now dealing with the fact that her best friend is gonna be her new step mom and their relationship will never be the same again. She’s probably also afraid of the possibility that her friendship with Alicent was never real and that Alicent was just using her to get power.

Alicent immediately denies it, saying they never talked about marriage, and Rhaenyra responds, saying she should’ve known it was leading to marriage since she was visiting him alone in his chambers. She asks what she expected to happen, and Alicent doesn’t answer.

Because she did know. From the moment her father told her to where her mother’s dress she knew. But their conversations were so casual and non sexual that she convinced herself that it was purely platonic, as a way of protecting herself from the horrible truth of the situation.

Instead of answering the question, she deflects, and says that she did it at her father’s command, and when Rhaenyra says she should’ve just refused him, she snaps back that not everyone can get away with doing whatever they want like she does.

This seems to be the moment Rhaenyra accepts that this isn’t Alicent’s fault and that she’s lashing out at the wrong person.

Rhaenyra says they (Otto and Visarys) can’t do this. That she is the princess and she will have it annulled.

Rhaenyra obviously doesn’t have the power to do that, and she knows it, but she’s not used to having problems that she can’t snap her fingers and have fixed. She’s also putting on a strong confident facade, saying, “don’t worry, I’ll fix it,” partly to comfort Alicent, and partly to comfort herself.

But when Alicent doesn’t seem comforted by this, Rhaenyra begins to realize that Alicent hasn’t protested the marriage. So she asks her if this is what she wants, and Alicent, who’s resigned to her role as a woman, says it doesn’t matter what she wants.

This is the key difference in their characters. Rhaenyra wants to fight against the restrictions imposed on her as a woman, while Alicent accepts them. Alicent has been groomed her entire life by a misogynistic society to view this unfair patriarchal system as the natural order of things, and to believe that her submission to it is a virtue.

3. Alicent and Viserys’s wedding

There is a deleted wedding scene that we don’t know a ton about, but it would’ve been nice to see. And by nice, I mean incredibly depressing and uncomfortable.

There are pictures of Rhaenyra helping dress Alicent for the wedding, mirroring Alicent dressing Rhaenyra for her heir announcement ceremony thing. It’s a reflection of their respective positions in the kingdom. Rhaenyra is destined to rule, while Alicent is destined to marry.

Also the sad finality of it. This is the last time they will get to be just friends. After this is done, they will be step mother and step daughter.

Also, disturbingly, in the book, Rhaenyra was at the bedding ceremony and was one of the ones who undressed Viserys. I can’t imagine how disgusting that would be. Not only having to undress your father so he can have sex with your best friend who clearly doesn’t want him, but also having to stand and watch him rape her, knowing that there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

4. Rhaenyra and Harwin Strong’s relationship

I’m not the only person devastated that we didn’t get to see Rhaenyra and Harwin’s relationship begin. We saw him eyeing her up when she was covered in blood, but that was about it.

Was they’re relationship a purely sexual fwb situation, or were they in love? I like to believe they fell in love, but the show doesn’t tell us. How did Harwin feel about not being allowed to openly claim his sons? That shit has to eat away at you after a while.

How many times did he want to tell them? When he was killed in the fire at Harrenhal, did he think of his boys? That he would never get the chance to tell them the truth? That he could never tell them he loved them?

Harwin’s sisters also become Rhaenyra’s ladies-in-waiting in the book. It would’ve been nice to see her befriending them and them being aunts to the boys.

5. Rhaenyra trying to have a good relationship with her half siblings

There is a deleted scene of Rhaenyra holding baby Aegon on her lap and trying to teach him to say her name.

Not only would Rhaenyra trying to bond with her siblings make what ends up happening even more tragic, but it also makes since politically. She doesn’t want her siblings to see her as an enemy and be tempted to usurp her in the future. So she tries to win their affection through gifts and teaching them how to ride their dragons. In the book, Aegon even says, “what kind of brother steals his sister’s throne?” But that could’ve just been sarcasm.

And Rhaenyra always wanted a sister, so you can’t convince me she didn’t try to have a relationship with Helaena. Even if she grew to be less than fond of Aegon and Aemond as they grew older, I believe she loved her sweet sister.

Of course on the opposite side you have Alicent who has Otto trying to convince her that Rhaenyra is untrustworthy and is a threat to her children. At first Alicent doesn’t buy it, but as time goes on she begins to believe it more and more, and her subtly mounting paranoia leads her to isolate her children from their half sister.

Then you have the whole thing with the fight at Driftmark, and I could go on and on about that. It was so needlessly cruel and stupid of Rhaenyra to order Aemond be interrogated about where he heard a rumor that everyone and their mother knows about. I know that’s what they say happened in the book, but I feel like it could’ve been done better.

Like, Alicent gives Rhaenyra grief about the pig incident, so she lectures the boys about how just because Aegon is allowed to bully Aemond, that doesn’t mean they can too. Aegon is not a person they should emulate. She may not be overly fond of Aemond herself, but it doesn’t matter if he’s mean and mopey, he is their uncle and they’ll treat him with respect because that’s what’s expected of them, and them acting out makes her look bad.

So at Driftmark tensions between the kids and Rhaenyra and Alicent are high, so she tries to do some damage control by going to Viserys and Alicent and suggesting that, because there are so many dragons and eggs here, they should try and get Aemond a dragon, and of course Visarys agrees.

But Aemond doesn’t want just any dragon or a lousy egg. He wants the biggest dragon in the world. He sneaks away to claim Vhagar in secret, but Rhaena (who wants to claim her mother’s dragon just like her dad wanted to claim Meleys) try’s to stop him only to be shoved by this much larger boy into a pile of dragon dung (like Joffrey in the book.) Aemond claims Vhegar, and Rhaena goes to get Baela and the boys. When Aemond lands, the fight happens like it did in the show.

When Rhaenyra finds out what happened, she’s not focused on the bastard thing, the kids care more about that stuff, instead she’s focused on the fact that Aemond, her half brother who she was just trying to help claim a dragon, threatened to kill her sons with dragonfire, and tried to bash their heads in with a rock.

Alicent demands Luke’s eye be cut out, and Rhaenyra and Viserys both refuse, with Rhaenyra angrily insisting that her sons will not be punished for defending themselves and their betrothed. Instead, she blames Aemond, saying, “Words of war become acts of war. Better he learns that now before he loses more than his eye.”

And that’s when Alicent grabs the dagger.

Idk, I’m not a writer, I’m just spitballing.

6. Laena and Rhaenyra’s friendship

In the book, after Baela and Rhaena are born, Daemon writes to Viserys and asks if he may bring them and Laena back to Kingslanding, and, of course, Viserys accepts them with open arms.

When Laena comes to Kingslanding, she and Rhaenyra become close friends. Laena and Daemon choose to live at Driftmark, but Laena and Rhaenyra still fly to visit eachother often, and would race their dragons from castle to castle.

When Rhaenyra heard Laena was in labor, she flew to Driftmark and stayed with her through her three day labor. In the show, when it becomes clear Laena won’t survive the birth, the maester overseeing the birth suggests a forced caesarean. The same thing done to Queen Aemma. I can only imagine the hell Rhaenyra would’ve raised to prevent her friend from suffering the same horrible fate her mother did.

After Laena’s death, Rhaenyra and Daemon mourn together. It’s not romantic, it’s not sexual, it’s just two people who just lost someone they both loved.

[winns-stuff]

LO RANT:

Because why not? I just don’t understand the way that fans think, on one hand we can’t associate or even compare Lore Olympus to the myths because they’ll say “well it’s her retelling she doesn’t have to do things exactly alike” but on the other hand when you’re talking about the story by itself they’ll then try to counter whatever argument against Lore Olympus by saying “this is what they did in the myths!! why are you guys mad at greek mythology??” so which one is it because it’s giving me a headache. I get so tired of seeing the exact same argument from fans it’s so redundant and I mean that in the nicest way possible, I’m sure a lot of you are great people but the things y’all say and do for this comic is insane.

Rachel is adding yet another sex scene and people are rightfully angry. We’re in the climax where the world is basically in an apocalyptic state and the gods are all in danger of having no mortals to worship them and give them any purpose and it’s all because of Persephone, no one is thinking “oh yeah this is the perfect time for intimacy” and if you wanted to give fan service to those who are craving it you should’ve did it in a more calmer setting?? No one is threatening Rachel and telling her that she needs to add these ridiculously high stakes to her comic which prevents her from smoothly writing NSFW of the main couple, she’s literally doing this herself which is one of the reasons why it gets so annoying whenever fans get mad at people for being upset or disappointed. She’s doing this to herself, am I saying harass the woman or cyber bully her? No but that’s not what a lot of these people are doing, in every single webtoon especially one as big as Lore Olympus you’re going to have people who view your content differently or disagree with the way you’ve written things. I’m not trying to encourage the idea of changing your entire story to bend to those people but a large majority of your fandom are starting to have the exact same complaints and it’s clear that your plots are not being fleshed out at all, these people are just asking (no, begging really) for a cohesive story not a masterpiece.

Which brings me to my next point, all of the criticisms and explanations many critics have been sharing are entirely valid. You cannot put a sex scene as a replacement to storytelling, it just never works since it adds virtually nothing to what’s happening. Especially right now when, like I said before, Rachel is starting to spiral the plot into chaos (I’m not being insulting by saying this it’s literally chaos it seems like all of the characters are in trouble) and introducing or welcoming back a lot of intriguing plot stories and characters that many people are excited to see. To make an odd and unnecessary shift to romance in the middle of absolute destruction is crazy, especially when none of it is earned. I’ve said this in my later rants but I’ll say it again because it’s true, the romance between Hades and Persephone has no stakes and it never will it seems since Rachel doesn’t even allow stuff like that to happen. Nothing about their romance keeps you straddled on for the ride or leaves you at the edge of your seat which is why so many people are bored with their dynamic if there even is one to begin with. Slow burns and other romances are all about the payoff that’s what everyone’s here to see, after chapters on chapters of wondering if their love will brave the dangers around them and between them we finally get our question solved with appropriate intimacy.

Lore Olympus as a whole rarely wants to develop actual relationships in real time, it only skips to “the good bits” while completely ignoring the fact that the entire bonding experience between your ships and your fans rely heavily on us actually witnessing their chemistry/bond and being shown why they should be together, not being told by forces outside of the relationship.

All in all the potential sex scene is just terrible timing on Rachel’s part and it should’ve been done while literally nothing was happening to avoid all of the backlash that it’s getting now.

[pedroscurls]

Third Time’s A Charm (Part 16).

Character(s): Frankie “Catfish” Morales, Santiago “Pope” Garcia, Victoria, and Reader (female, second person POV)  Summary: Frankie finally confronts Victoria. Word Count: 2,533 Author's Note: This chapter is mainly just Frankie’s POV because I wanted to focus more on Frankie’s side of things. Thanks for reading. We got one more chapter and an epilogue left... Stay tuned! Warning: language (cursing)

Frankie was quiet the entire drive to the house he used to share with Victoria. He couldn’t believe that an entire year without you was not because you wanted to keep your distance, but because the woman he decided to marry had threatened you. He was furious, filled with so much anger and frustration that at first, he was taking it out on Santiago and on you.

But as he settled with his own thoughts, though, Frankie had begun to understand why you hadn’t fought for him, for your friendship with the rest of the guys. Santiago was right; you were always the type of person to put everyone else before yourself.

As he drove, Frankie’s mind drifted for a moment. He was so caught up in his own emotions, in his own hurt, that he was regretting not asking you to just stay home. Instead, he let you leave, let you walk out – upset too – and while he wanted so badly to go after you, he knew that he had to speak with Victoria first. 

Frankie knew that he could handle speaking with Victoria alone, but having Santiago there with him would help keep him grounded. The last time he had spoken with Victoria, she had said some hurtful things that got in his head, but he didn’t want to give her that power anymore. Frankie rarely had regrets, but one of them was marrying Victoria. It was a habit that Frankie had: use something – or someone – else to help him forget the reality of his current situation. When he didn’t want to deal with his nightmares, with the negative and nagging thoughts that haunted him, he turned to alcohol, to cocaine; and when he didn’t want to deal with the fact that you were in California and you were no longer together, he decided instead to get married. 

And with each distraction, it never really helped Frankie in a way he thought it was supposed to. 

“You okay?” Santiago asked, pulling Frankie out of his thoughts.

“Yeah,” he replied. 

“You know what you’re going to say?” 

“I’ve got some idea,” Frankie answered. “But I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to talk to her without yelling.”

Santiago sighed. “Yelling wouldn’t be the worst thing…”

“I know,” Frankie said with a sigh. “And with everything that happened, everything that she’s said…”

“She deserves it,” Santiago finished. “You won’t be a bad guy for standing up to someone who is manipulative, hateful–”

“I get it,” Frankie interrupted. “I just wish I could have seen it. She was never like this when we first got together.” 

“People tend to hide their true selves, Fish.”

Frankie knew that all too well. He wasn’t transparent with Victoria with his nightmares, his PTSD, his past use of cocaine, but there was one main difference between him and Victoria: Frankie always tried to be better; he knew that he needed to get his act together, while Victoria had no accountability for her actions. To her, she didn’t see anything wrong with what she had said, what she had threatened you with. 

“I should’ve gone to California,” Frankie admitted. “I should’ve–”

“You can’t go back and change the past, Fish,” Santiago interrupted. “Things were meant to happen the way it was supposed to.” 

Frankie nodded, pulling up to the driveway of the house. He let out a shaky breath and put his truck in park, looking over at Santiago. 

“Wish me luck?” 

Santiago chuckled. “You don’t need luck, hermano. Just remember what Benny said… You have the one person that matters and she’s gonna be waiting for you when we get back.”

Frankie smiled to himself, reaching over to clasp a hand over Santiago’s shoulder. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m just gonna say my piece and then we can head home.” 

“If you aren’t out of there in fifteen minutes, I’m coming in to get you.”

Frankie shook his head. “I’ll be okay.” He climbed out of the truck and walked towards the front door, deciding to ring the doorbell and knock instead of allowing himself inside. 

A couple of seconds passed when the door opened and Victoria looked at him with a shocked expression. Immediately, she bit her lower lip and gripped the doorframe.

“Frankie…”

“Can we talk?” He asked, motioning towards the inside of the house.

“Sure, yeah,” she replied, opening the door further and allowing him inside. Frankie stepped inside and remained standing in the middle of the living room. He moved his hands to his pockets as he looked around, so many distant memories flashing in his mind. He had been happy with Victoria in the beginning, but when you had come back from California, Frankie knew that Victoria (or any other woman for that matter) would never come close to you. 

When Frankie heard the door shut, he looked over at Victoria and stared at her with a tight jaw. 

“Is there something you wanna tell me?” he asked.

Victoria furrowed her brow, her arms crossing over her chest. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Frankie sighed. “Come on, Vic.”

“What, Frankie?”

“Why would you even threaten her in the first place? Do you know how goddamn selfish that is?”

Victoria tightened her jaw, looking at him with narrowed eyes. “Oh, so she told you?”

“No, Pope did.”

She rolled her eyes. “You were my husband, Frankie. Mine.”

“And she was around long before you came into the picture, Victoria. You knew about her and you were okay with it, you said you were–”

“Are you fucking stupid, Frankie?!” she exclaimed. “Anyone with eyes could see how much you still loved her, so yes, I told her to stay away from you and from the guys because you were my husband and they were your friends.”

“She had nothing,” Frankie replied. “That entire year she was– She was alone because of you!” 

“Oh please,” Victoria rolled her eyes. “I know she’s been with other guys and–”

“Don’t,” Frankie interrupted. “This last year was fucking hell because of you,” he spat. “I know I have a lot of baggage, a lot of shit that I don’t deal with, but she– she was my best friend and I needed her.”

“I needed you!” Victoria yelled, tears stinging her eyes. “I was here and–”

“Stop lying!” Frankie shouted. “I tried! I tried to come to you, to talk to you about things that didn’t come easy for me, to open up to you, and you didn’t want to hear it. You told me to get over it, Vic! You pushed me over the fucking edge!” 

“You’re a goddamn addict, Frankie! Take accountability of that and–”

“Accountability?” Frankie interrupted. “I know I’m a fucking addict! I’m trying, I’m doing the best that I can and I have been sober for months now and it’s easier because I’m with her, because when I have bad days, she’s there to tell me that it’ll be okay, that no matter what happens, she isn’t going anywhere.”

Victoria was seething, tears falling from her eyes, but Frankie was looking at her like she no longer mattered. There was no ounce of sympathy and the eyes that she had once fallen in love with were now filled with anger and… and hate.

“Frankie–”

“No, it’s my turn to talk,” Frankie interrupted. He took a deep breath and grabbed his wedding ring from the pocket in his jeans. He set it on the coffee table and looked at her with clear disappointment in his features. “We are done. You stay away from me, from her, from the guys… You’ve done enough damage and you’ve hurt her enough.” 

“Frankie–” she whispered, reaching out for him. “P– Please, I–”

“She lost her job today because of you, but you know what?” he said, looking directly at Victoria. “She’ll bounce back because despite the shit you put her through, the shit you said… She still hadn’t said anything bad about you when she has every fucking right to.” He shook his head and began walking towards the front door. “She’s a good person, Vic, but you? You’re a fucking conniving, manipulative bitch.”

Victoria cleared her throat and looked at Frankie, walking over to him and shoving him. “F– Fuck you, Frankie!” she yelled, her fists coming down hard on his chest and Frankie bit his lower lip, grabbing her wrist and gently pushing her away. 

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he spat. “I’ll have one of the guys get the rest of my things, but from now on, we only communicate through our lawyers.”

“Frankie, I’m sorry! I’m–”

“Yeah right,” he interrupted. “You’re just sorry that you got caught.” Frankie turned around and opened the front door, glancing over his shoulder at Victoria who was now a crying mess. 

“Frankie…” 

“I really do wish you the best, Vic,” Frankie sighed. “But you crossed a line and I’m never going to forgive you.” 

“Please–” Victoria pleaded. 

“We are done,” he said sternly. “Goodbye, Vic.” 

“Is she worth it?” Victoria asked, biting her lower lip.

The corner of his lips lifted upwards as his mind drifted to you. “Absolutely.”

—

Frankie and Santiago were now making their way back to your apartment and Frankie felt the heaviness that he seemed to be carrying for the past couple of years finally lifted from his shoulders. He felt free, at peace, and ready to move forward with you. 

“Did you say what you needed to say?” Santiago asked.

“Yeah,” Frankie nodded, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him. “I’m ready to start my life with her,” he admitted.

“I’m proud of you, Fish,” Santiago said. “I know that wasn’t easy.”

“It was like Tom said,” he said with a sad smile. “No matter what happened, someone was going to get hurt.” 

“He was always the wise one, wasn’t he?” 

Frankie chuckled. “I’d say he had his moments.” 

“You know what you’re gonna say to her when we get back? Benny and Will said she’s home now.” 

Frankie shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. 

“Maybe start with an apology?” Santiago laughed.

“Very funny,” Frankie smiled, gently shoving Santiago with his free hand. “I still can’t believe it, Pope… Of all the things I’ve done in this life, what did I do to deserve her?”

“Whatever it is, can you let me know? I’d love to have a Mrs. Santiago Garcia soon,” he teased, looking over at Frankie. “I knew when I introduced the both of you that it was going to work out,” Santiago continued. “You’re both what each other needed.”

“Oh, right, you? Settle down?” Frankie chuckled. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” As he pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Frankie put his truck in park and looked over at Santiago. “Thank you, Pope… You know, for bringing her into my life.”

“She’s a good one, Fish, and we’ve all been rooting for the both of you.” 

He nodded to himself. “Let’s head inside. I miss my girl.” 

Frankie and Santiago climbed out of the truck and walked to the front door, unlocking it slowly. Once inside, Frankie saw you sitting on the couch with your legs underneath you while you were holding a slice of pizza. When his eyes met yours, though, Frankie bit his lower lip and set his keys down on the dining table. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his curls before he walked further into the living room. 

Then, he saw you set your food down followed by you wiping your hands on a nearby napkin and suddenly, you sprang to your feet and ran in his direction, jumping into his arms. Frankie caught you immediately, his arms snaking around you as he felt your legs hook around his waist and your arms moving around his shoulders. He felt you bury your head against his neck as you held onto him in a tight embrace. 

“Hey, hermosa,” he whispered, moving to bury his face against you as well. 

“I’m sorry. I should have told you and–”

“I love you,” he interrupted. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m the one that’s sorry.” Frankie sighed against you, pulling back to look up at you as he held you up in his arms, your legs still wrapped around his waist. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. I’m sorry that I didn’t ask you to stay. I’m sorry that I–”

Frankie’s words were cut off when he felt you lean in to press your lips against his. He melted into you immediately, forgetting that Santiago, Will, and Benny were still in the apartment. One arm remained around your waist while the other moved to cup the back of your neck, moving his lips expertly with yours. 

But when you let out a quiet moan, Santiago, Benny, and Will were the ones to break you both out of the heated kiss. 

“We’re still here!” Benny said with a chuckle.

You blushed and untangled your legs from Frankie’s waist, hopping back onto your feet. Frankie looked down at you, running his fingertips along your back as he pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated quietly. 

“Okay, can I eat?” Santiago smiled, interrupting. “I’m hungry and–”

“Yes, Pope,” Frankie replied, keeping his eyes focused on you. 

“Just heat it up. It got cold,” you added. 

Benny and Will joined Santiago in the kitchen, leaving you and Frankie (finally) alone in your living room. 

“You okay?” Frankie asked. “I should’ve asked you that earlier…”

“I was upset,” you answered honestly. “Upset because I lost a job that I worked really hard for. Upset that you and the guys were angry. Upset with myself because you’re right, I should have fought and I didn’t and–”

Frankie shook his head. “But that isn’t who you are,” he interrupted. “And I love you for who you are. You’ve got such a big heart, hermosa…”

“And it’s all yours,” you smiled. “But I’ll find another job, Frankie.”

“You worked so hard for it, though, and–”

“Yeah, losing my job sucks, but as long as I’ve still got you, Frankie, that’s all that matters to me.” 

Frankie sighed contentedly, wrapping his arms tightly around your frame. “I want everything with you, hermosa. I don’t want to waste anymore time.” 

“Frankie…” you whispered. 

“You’re all that I’ve ever wanted,” Frankie admitted. “And I’m gonna ask you to marr-”

“You guys want pizza?!” Benny interrupted. “I can save you a couple of slices, Fish.” 

You and Frankie were staring at each other with a small smile, letting out a quiet chuckle. 

“When that does happen,” you whispered, referring to what Frankie was about to say before Benny interrupted him. “My answer will be yes.”

Frankie grinned. “Benny likes to find just the right moments to interrupt, doesn’t he?”

You smiled, looking over at Santiago, Benny, and Will laughing in the kitchen. “Yeah… Yeah, he does. Come on, let’s eat.” 

Frankie’s arms wrapped around you from behind, allowing you to lead him to the kitchen. He leaned down and kissed the crown of your head; he was content, happy, and especially hopeful for what was to come.

---

Part 17.

Taglist: @harriedandharassed, @tanzthompson, @casa-boiardi. @bitchwitch1981. @painitemoondust, @pedritosdarling, @vanemando15, @kittenlittle24​, @gracie7209​, @your-voice-is-mellifluous​, @mikeyswifie

[grumpylia]

i hate to be a hater but here’s a little yap about ep 6 of the pjo tv show

- i was soooo disappointed in this episode! i literally got bored halfway through LMAO and kept getting distracted which was so upsetting!! because the lotus hotel is one of my favourite chapters of the lightning thief!!

- starting from the beginning; i wish wish wish that we’d gotten the ‘you’re my friend, seaweed brain - anymore stupid questions?’ moment because i just love that moment

- but if they weren’t going to give that moment to us surely they could’ve at least given us?? something??

- instead of just luke’s fan service-y ‘old married couple line’

- i also think the whole the trio things tlt is clarisse thing is just?? underwhelming. the show hasn’t done a very good job at making us really understand the stakes here!!! it feels like they’re just fucking around and i don’t like it!! like they literally missed the deadline!! and that didn’t even feel like a big deal!! that should’ve felt earth shattering!!

- also where was the zebra. where was percy being able to talk to the zebra :(

- i wish also that they’d done more with grover in the start of this ep - they could’ve showed us his character rather than just giving us a massive exposition dump

- the EXPOSITION!! i was fine with it in the first few episodes, bc like the book isn’t exactly perfect with exposition either but it’s actually getting to a point where i think it’s taking me out of the story!

- why why why did they skip the lotus hotel stuff??? omg! i can understand some of the other changes (e.g. waterland) but the lotus stuff would’ve translated soo perfectly to screen!! it would’ve been such a good way to build tension without having the characters ohtroght saying to the audience “this is the lotus hotel. time doesn’t move properly here, and if you’re not careful you can forget who you are.”

- i still can’t believe that they didn’t adapt the book this chapter! it would’ve been so perfectly suited for screen! this tv show also has a tension/stakes problem so it would’ve been a great way to help fix that

- also they’re meant to be TWELVE ! ofc they come across a hotel with infinite food and games and money and love it! the whole point is that across the series we’ll see them grow and become more wary of these things! i could understand why they made the change with medusa, but them knowing what they were walking into here just felt like such a boring choice

- and if nothing else the lotus hotel episode should not be boring!!

- also why are we talking about may castellan🤨the reason it has so much impact in the og series is because you’re putting these pieces together and then it all just hits you

- but here it’s just like…

- and hermes’! i don’t have an issue if they wanted to include hermes’ in this scene - cancel me but i think lmm lowkey ate - but i don’t understand why they would do it in this very expositiony way. and are we not meant to think that hermes’ is neglecting luke too?? at least until som?? if i was writing this and i reallly wanted to include hermes’, i feel like there are sooo many different ways to include him that would’ve read sooo much better. still brainstorming what those ways are, but point still stands

- i did think the taxi scene was really funny tho sue me

i hate to be a hater because i really wanted to love this show! and i really did enjoy some specific moments and episodes! but i just wish they’d done a closer adaptation of the book - i think they’re trying to do way too much way too soon and they need to just let the characters and the story breathe for a bit before trying to really go heavy in with all these really in your face themes and exposition

[pumpkinpie59]

random hot takes i have cause i’m bored and emotionally dead:

-i literally cannot stand any leo ship other than leolotus, especially if it involves 87 leonardo. i’m sorry but it has made me physically nauseous before. shipping as a joke or a small crush on someone else is fine but pls don’t bother me about other leo ships it’s too much for me. ((i won’t hate u if u ship other ships dw <3 i just ask not to be bothered by it)

-i’ve already ranted about this so i won’t go into depth but i hate the 2012 season 4 finale (moreso requiem than owari but owari still bothers me). i think in general? i think 2012’s writing is mindbogglingly bad after they leave the farmhouse in season 3, but that doesn’t mean i don’t still enjoy a lot of it. just don’t expect me to drop the issues that bother me. season 1 is my baby tho and i’ll defend it to my dying day.

-2012 apritello is good. they just had to go through character development. my only issue with it is that their entire situation was pushed to the background so ppl only notice their development if they’re paying attention to april and donnie the whole time (like i do).

-1987 treats its girl characters better than the other shows which is shocking.

-capril sucks. i have literally never liked it or was just neutral to it. i got close to liking them in idw but then casey became a jerk.

-that said i don’t like shipping casey or april with the turtles with the one exception of 2012 apritello.

-i think 03 casey and splinter are annoying.

-2012 casey is best casey :p

-2012 michelangelo pisses me off. he has some good lines here and there and sometimes has fun dynamics with other characters but in general he’s just an ableist representation of adhd and he literally never faces consequences for his mistakes and instead everything works out for him so he never grows. like literally he stays the same throughout the show. also i dislike his actor sorry :p and his entire dynamic with renet just ruins renet as a character and it bothers me.

-i forget rise exists most of the time tbh. it’s good but like. i forget. also rise leo and donnie’s writing bothers me anyway-

-1987 content needs to sTOP mischaracterizing raphael PLS PLS PLS. “michelangelo is the jokester and raphael groans at his jokes” NO!!! raphael is the jokester so he gets upset when his brothers make stupid jokes bc that’s HIS thing !!!!!! and he’s not angry in the same way other raphaels are except in red sky when he was angry that they became villains in society’s eyes!!! but otherwise he’s emotional and whiny but not angry!!!

-leonardo is best when he’s a dork. he wants to do the right thing but will be a frickin idiot about it but - oh wait buddy don’t do that no wait put the sword down hold on-

-the turtles should never have blue eyes but especially not michelangelo.

-ramona is great but it’s okay for them to just be friends too. either way they slay <3

-lotus blossom and jhanna are the most under appreciated characters in tmnt give them some respECT-

-i think howie should come back. not bc he’s a good character i just wanna see what would happen.

-i hate koya. so much.

-mondo/mikey makes me rlly uncomfortable. it feels exactly like leo/venus since they mutated in the same place so mondo feels like a long lost sibling …

-this is literally just my take and i don’t expect others to agree but like. the 1987 team is the only version of tmnt where i feel like every turtle is equally likable and works as a unit best. like i like 03, but i don’t especially get attached to mikey? he’s good but compared to the other 03 turtles he’s just not my fav. same with 2012 but more extreme since it has rlly good raph, donnie, and leo,, but like i said i really dislike mikey. and then i’m not rlly attached to the rise turtles except mikey. the 87 team tho is all great.

-while i rlly love rise casey, i think waiting to reveal she was casey was a bad idea. i think she should’ve been introduced as casey or should’ve been a different character,,,

-i like red sky but the last episode was a disappointment,, also where are all my fav side characters 😭

-the turtles should never be tall they will always be lil guys to me. they should be under 5 ft plsssss

-not a hot take just a hc that was recently revealed to me and i think it’s genius: the 5th turtle kirby (like from 90s concept art) should be the donatello clone from 1987. like hello??? that’s genius pls watch the clone donatello episode

-if i see yall reducing mm april to just be shipped with leo i will end yall.

-lotus blossom is an interesting character even without her connection to leonardo and i wish everyone would notice !!!!

-not a hot take but rob paulsen should be in every tmnt thing we should make it tradition.

[zorria]

I wasnt sure how to go about answering this because you said you wanted your name hidden so I hope this is okay lol 🥺❤️

But anyways in my opinion I don’t see it as Nakaba putting Percy on this pedestal and saying fuck you to Tristan at least not in my eyes

It’s just More so the fact that the demons love Percy because percy saved the dying demons when he was a baby from the behemoth so they ended up seeing him as their savior and treating him like one of their own

Now with Tristan it’s different because the demons hate Tristan and are racist towards him because he’s half goddess and as Gawain said in the beginning of the arc some demons still hold a grudge for what happened in the holy war. Now this doesn’t condone them being racist and hurtful and straight up threatening to kill Tristan just because he’s half goddess like that’s actually fucked up cause like what the hell he can’t control that, that’s not what I’m saying but what I am saying is them acting like that is in my opinion In character.

The way Tristan reacts to this situation is also In character in my opinion because it starts to bring out his self conscious side and makes him start to have doubts and leads to him feeling like he’s not even worthy to be in the demon realm at all and it’s understandable why he would only want to visit the demon realm once thanks to how they treated him

The reason I say it’s not Nakaba putting Percy on a pedestal is because he’s not actively using it as a way to pin Percy against Tristan it’s just more so the fact they both had to different experiences while Percy is loved by the demons Tristan is not

But I can definitely see the demons coming around towards Tristan once he shows them how powerful he is and by helping save the demon realm

Now as for the rest of what you said in my opinion zeldris didn’t just immediately shoot down chions idea of them using Tristan’s Saint coat to protect them what he said was

That while yes they may get some protection with Tristan’s Saint coat it won’t be enough to withstand the negative force of the behemoths negative energy. So mainly he was just saying they can use it it just isn’t an affective means to get to the behemoth. At least that’s how I see it

And as for the demons loving Percy and them seeing him as someone who can do no wrong well that has at least some what of a reason

As zeldris said in this chapter the demons owe their lives to Percy because he was the one who saved them in the first place they quite literally would not be alive without him. So them not blaming Percy when they should and yes I agree they probably should’ve been a little mad cause wtf lol snd maybe not let him off Scott free it’s understandable why they don’t blame Percy because if not for him In the first place they would already be dead

So to them being sealed is a worthy Sacrifice because Percy already saved them once before so that’s why they aren’t all that mad which is a little strange cause like again tf but makes sense

Now as for why zeldris and the others aren’t mad like Nasiens it’s mainly because as much as they should be angry and upset it won’t realistically get them anywhere it won’t help fix their situation so as like Tristan Said they’ll just have to leave it up to faith and let things unfold but until then they can worry about what they can change right now which is the behemoth situation

And well as for Nasiens being mad that’s still valid as fuck because Percy quit literally betrayed him when he told Percy not heal that chaos knight and still healed her anyways without thinking of the consequences so him being mad this chapter is very much valid in my opinion he’s still hurt

But yeah this is just my opinion sorry if it’s long as fuck I just had to break stuff up in parts ❤️

[mulansaucey]

Hot take:

I liked the live action show.

Of course there were things I thought could have been done better. Of course I feel like they chose to leave things out that should’ve been in the show. Of course I notice it.

There will always be critiques, there will always be things that could have been done better.

BUT if I wanted a side by side shot, I would just watch the original show. They warned fans that they would leave stuff out. What fans aren’t listening to is that it only makes room for other stories to be told.

Sokka’s arc about his misogyny was important to his character. They took it out but still gave him a an arc. An arc that goes to the root of the problem, his toxic masculinity. His need for male validation that he is “manly”, that he is a warrior. In the live action show we see Sokka realize he can be more and something different than a warrior and still be a man. (Which animation touched base on.) There is no true definition of it. There’s no special test or requirement to be considered a man. He can still be strong. They emphasized that in the show instead of him being misogynistic. I still see how powerful that would be if a little boy saw that, it’s just not the original story. And that is okay.

The show is not perfect and at times it looks goofy. But I knew what I signed up for when I decided to watch it. I still found joy in it and I loved the messages that came with it. Just bc some of these things didn’t appear in the original show doesn’t mean that there still isn’t value in the message that they were trying to make.

In the next season I do hope they make some changes regarding Katara’s character and female character arcs bc they were lacking and lazy writing. I am upset about it too.

I understand the frustration but don’t let frustration block the beauty of the show. Because it is good. I laughed, I cried, I yelled about how stupid some of the things were, and I enjoyed myself.

So if you haven’t seen the live action bc of all the hate I think you’re making a mistake. It’s worth the watch and you might find something you liked better than in the original. Or maybe you won’t, that’s part of the journey. The dedication that the actors, editors, production staff, director, etc put into this show tells itself.

REMEMBER THIS IS FICTION, THIS IS FANTASY HAVE FUN AND HAVE AN OPEN MIND 🩷

[epicspheal]

Something that I brought up on twitter that I wanted to bring here was how some of the choices for the Indigo League in the original anipoke series are often severely underrated. Namely speaking how Gary was knocked out of the tournament before Ash does and Ash will soon be knocked out too. As much as the anime gets a lot of flak for it’s writing (and yes there are plenty of flaws) I think it often doesn’t get the props it deserves at times for actually being a bit subversive in how it handles certain aspects and the Indigo League is good example of that when it comes to the rivalry of Ash and Gary The Kanto Protagonist-Rival dynamic is one of the most iconic in the franchise and for good reason. It’s portrayed solidly throughout the games, anime and manga although it’s really iconic mostly for the games’ portrayal (and I’m talking the RBGY and FRLG portrayals because it’s the minute details that made it so worthwhile Blue as the rival whereas trying have lightning strike twice with Trace fell flat and it’s not because “Friendly rivals are trash” but rather “you can’t put friendly rival in a story meant for a character that has negative tension with the protagonist and expect it to work”). The manga’s portrayal is solid but it’s the most vanilla of the three dynamics because it takes out one of the key features of the dynamic (the strong friendship that was destroyed prior to the journey adds emotional weight that both the game and anime portrayal actually keep intact) and didn’t do anything subversive with final like how the games and anime do. Now the anime, I think writing-wise had the most shocking portrayal of the rivalry. We’re coming into the series, especially if you watched this is the late nineties/early aughts where shows like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Beyblade were also on TV, expecting for a climactic showdown between Ash and Gary in the finals of the Indigo League where are naive rookie Ash will take down his former childhood rival and become champion. They don’t even get to face each other at all. Gary is knocked out in the top 32. I remember watching this as a kid and I was like “WHAT!? When is Ash going to face Gary?” because we had been waiting for a battle between them for ages. If it is one major criticism of the Ash-Gary rivalry that I have is that they should’ve had more battles with each other leading up to the eventual final battle in Johto. But still the subversion was huge and now that I’m older I can really appreciate it for what it was trying to do.

First off it’s super realistic that two people in a heated rivalry never face off compared to how most manga/anime tournaments tend to be where it just so happens that the main character will face most if not all of the major side characters. As a sports fan, realistically match-ups are quite random and rivalries don’t always get a chance to be settled in major tournaments (especially in the finals where even non-sports fans tend to tune in). Of course in a fictional narrative we want to see that payoff hence why the match-ups are a bit more contrived but it’s categorized under the willing suspension of disbelief for the sake of closing story arcs. Second upsets happen in tournaments all the time. Number one seeds get ousted by the lowest ranked people/teams in the tournament. Promising newcomers get unexpectedly thrashed. Gary was definitely one of the more promising rookies and we were expecting for him to go further than he does but again being promising doesn’t guarantee anything really Those two bits of realism act as a major wakeup call, for Gary, for Ash and for the audience. For Gary between that and being clapped hard by Mewtwo at the Viridian Gym (again another subversion from the games and manga where Blue is with Red and Green the last few characters to ever win the Earth badge off of Giovanni as gym leader) it’s a huge signal that something’s got to change. It’s why he acts so different once we meet him again after Ash comes back from the Orange Islands. In the moment of the Indigo League, this is a huge wakeup call for Ash as he realize “shit is real”. Despite the current animosity between him and Gary he still massively respects him especially as a trainer. And seeing him get knocked out the tournaments leaves such an impact that Ash almost considers dropping out himself, showing some rare moments of insecurity because at the moment he doesn’t believe himself to be better than Gary. If Gary can’t make it past the Top 32 what chance does he have? And then for the audience it’s a wakeup call that this despite being a kid show isn’t going to play by every trope that we come to expect. That you’re not going to win everything or always get a chance to prove yourself to someone else. It’s sobering, and quite mature for a kid’s show and I think it just doesn’t get as much credit that it deserves. It leads to introspection for both Ash and Gary and even though they don’t have their final battle until the silver conference Ash still “claims” a victory of Gary by getting further and going to win the Orange Island Cup. And this helps inform Gary’s eventual decision to become a researcher because he’s really not seeing the same results as his game and manga counterparts end up doing in their respective universes.

[joshuaalbert]

ok I said I wasn’t gonna speculate but I’m speculating.

it’s possible jack ii is actually picard’s son and that’s where the mystery ends but tbh I think the fact that beverly never actually said anything is going to come into play. I could see it coming out that he’s not actually picard’s son and him being like “why did you tell me he was?” and her going “I never told you he was, you assumed and I wasn’t going to correct that assumption when it was the only way to be sure you were going to save his life,” which then sets them up for a couple different avenues of conflict (he feels lied to and like he doesn’t know her/can’t entirely trust her anymore, she’s potentially upset that he would’ve. let her son die if they weren’t blood related. so they could bring in that whole idea of like what counts as family which is stupid we should’ve been done with this like 35 years ago but it would be an improvement).

and like i do feel like that’s in character for this version of her I could very much see her not wanting to outright lie to him, but using his assumptions to save her younger son’s life, especially when she already sort of lost the first one? I could absolutely see that.

maybe they really were just going for like wow even after all this time they can communicate without words in which case I’ll put on my clown shoes or whatever but I in combination with the whole “it’s been 20 years you don’t know her as well as you think you do” thing…I do kinda think she’s playing him (for completely understandable reasons because it’s a dick move to be like well I was gonna let your son die but now I won’t because I think he shares some of my genetic material)

[endlessvoiq]

Cortado and Opalize

(846 words. CW : self-deprication, character venting, one implication of suicidal thoughts)

          Opalize was sitting, partially covered by the sheet of the ‘hospital’ bed the strange group had. At this point, she’d been here for a few days now. Some of the group’s members had visited at least once, either to introduce themselves or see if she was alright. Opalize had never said much in response. The events that had happened replayed in her head like a broken film, over and over again, only thinking of what she could’ve done.

          Maybe if she hadn’t been such a fool, she’d be alright. Maybe if she hadn’t been so scared, she’d still be with her friends. Maybe if she hadn’t been a coward, she’d still have two eyes. Maybe if-

          “Opalize?”

          She looked up. A java stood there, the same one who’d been tending to her while she was here. It took a moment for Opalize to remember his name, but she eventually remembered : Cortado. That’s what it was. Cortado.

          Cortado sat on a chair near the table, looking up at Opalize. “I’m just checking up on you. Feeling any better?” Opalize shook her head. The java sighed.

          “...physically, are you doing any better?”

          “......Oh. Uh, yes, I…yes, I am.”

          “That’s good. Now, what’s upsetting you?” Cortado asked with the same expression as always.

          Opalize blinked. “Pfft- upset? I’m fine! A-Okay! There’s no need to be worr-”

          “Opalize.” Cortado sounded stern, then sighed, “anyone with a fraction of a brain can tell you’re upset. Which is completely fine, considering the injury you’ve gotten- a recent one, too. And I can’t imagine being in a different place full o’ strangers in such a vulnerable state is helping, either. It’s alright to talk about it.”

          Opalize stared at Cortado. For a moment, she considered simply not talking. She considered just not saying anything, letting Cortado get bored, and go away. She didn’t know where to begin, anyway. However, her mind seemed to have different plans, and so, she only blurted out two words :

          “I’m useless.”

          Cortado didn’t say anything. Panic rose in Opalize, fearing that perhaps she did something wrong, but hesitated as Cortado raised a hand to silence her. “Don’t panic,” Cortado murmured, “I’m not upset. You can continue talking if you want to.”

          Now, without Opalize really realizing it at first, the words just stumbled out, “I- I could’ve done more. To prevent all this. I just- I never thought it’d happen. I never thought he’d do that. I never thought this would happen. Maybe if I did more, it wouldn’t have, you know? I could’ve stopped this. I could’ve stopped this..”

          Her breathing quickened. “I’m a coward. I’m- I could’ve stopped him. I- I just stood there and took it. And now look where I am. I nearly died. I..nearly died. I nearly died to him. Maybe I should’ve. Maybe-”

          Opalize stopped when Cortado put a hand on her shoulder. The java looked very concerned, a feeling of guilt welling up in Opalize.

          “...this is where I’m going to have to stop you. For your own sake.” Cortado mumbled.

          Opalize looked down, “I…I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

          “You don’t need to apologize for being sad.”

          “...I don’t?” Opalize blinked, bewildered.

          “No, you don’t,” Cortado nodded, “and the fate of the world doesn’t rest in your hands. You don’t need to blame yourself for someone doing terrible things to you. I know how it feels, to feel like you could’ve done more, but as tough as it is to admit…sometimes the better course of action is to accept nothing can be done now, and try our best to recover.”

          “..but I just stood there.” Opalize whispered, her voice hardly stronger than a breeze.

          “You’d just been betrayed by someone you trusted,” Cortado hummed, “who wouldn’t be in shock after that? betrayal doesn’t just break trust. It breaks our hearts. It breaks a part of your life you thought you were safe in. Who wouldn’t be affected by that?”

          Opalize couldn’t muster up the words to respond. She just stared at the java, unaware of the few tears forming in her eye. Cortado waited a moment longer, before continuing,

          “And you know what? You’re damn stronger than you’re giving yourself credit for. Sure, you nearly died. But you didn’t. You pushed through. You dragged yourself through alleyways for who-knows-how-long, practically refusing to die. You never gave up, Opalize. That takes more strength than most people have.”

          Opalize hadn’t realized she was crying before a teardrop landed on her hand. She wiped her eye, speechless. The alla couldn’t even begin to form words to respond to the other being, her mind cluttered and conflicted. Cortado hummed, glancing toward the door and standing.

          “Well, it sounds like the others might need me now. Never give up, Opalize. Your life’s worth living,” Cortado dipped her head, not waiting for a response before walking out. Opalize stared at the java as he left. Only now could she muster up anything to say- she didn’t care if Cortado was too far to hear her now as she whispered, as quiet as a leaf,

          “Thank you.”

4/4

aaand just gonna sprinkle a bit of angst into their story- OH FUCK THAT'S THE WHOLE BOTTLE

In all seriousness, this is the last of the 4 fics (? oneshots? are they oneshots??) that I had written beforehand! As you can see, I am soooo normal about these goobers, and I do plan to write more oc related stuff if I can, databrawl or not. I'll try to be more active as well, so keep an eye out for more stuff! And thanks to everyone who has been reading/looking at my stuff, it means a lot! And with that, I'm off to hopefully be more productive than I was in June (maybe)

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 2: Two Challenges

Narrated by Nikki.

Narrator: I flip open the script at the desk, marking out Jenny’s lines with stars as I read.

Choose “What kind of character is she?”

You: What kind of character is she?

Narrator: A young princess.

Choose “Does she live in a castle?”

You: Is she an extravagantly-clad princess who lives in a castle?

Narrator: Doesn’t look like it.

Narrator: Jenny is a princess who loves adventures. She embarks on several dangerous tasks in the play.

Narrator: I take out my sketchbook and try to jot down my fragmented ideas.

Nikki: White is a good color for showing the princess’ innocence, while bright colors accentuate her adventurous spirit.

Choose either “Red should be a good choice” or “Black creates a great contrast.”

If “red,” ...

You: Red should be a good choice.

Nikki: I agree! Red is a symbol of passion and courage. It’s also a classic combo with white.

If “black,” ...

You: Back could create a great contrast.

Nikki: It’s a bold choice for sure. Maybe some parts in the latter half would require some black.

--

Narrator: I dip my brush in red paint and color in the hem of the dress.

Nikki: Hmm... a puffy dress would be hard to move in. The princess would need a sleeker design.

Narrator: Wielding both pencil and eraser I tweak my design until it looks easy to move around in.

Nikki: Whew, almost done!

Narrator: I end up with a sketch of a red-and-white dress. Jenny’s actress will look like a blooming flower twirling in it.

Nikki: I hope the troupe members will see what I’m trying to convey.

Narrator: I bring the sketch to Edmond the next day and explain my ideas to him. Even put up an impromptu performance.

Narrator: Edmond listens attentively and studies my sketch a bit. His mustache raises in amusement.

Edmond: Excellent design. I’ve decided that you may join us... as the actor of Jenny.

Nikki: Yay! ...What, what?

Narrator: I’ll be playing Jenny?

Choose either “You’ll play Jenny” or “You should’ve known.”

If “play,” ...

You: Yes. You’ll be playing Jenny.

Narrator: But I thought volunteers would only be in charge of costume design and set work...

If “known,” ...

You: You should’ve expected this, right?

Narrator: Yeah, I guess. A lot of theater actors double as costume designers, too.

--

Narrator: No wonder Lolory said “Looking forward to seeing you on the stage.”

Edmond: What do you say? We’re very eager to have you as one of us.

Nikki: Thank you for placing your trust in me. I’ll do my best and practice hard.

Narrator: Things, of course, don’t go that smoothly. I devour the script and memorize the lines, but the acting part...

Narrator: I just can’t convey my character’s emotions properly. Seeing my agitation, Momo tries to comfort me.

Momo: Don’t be so upset! You’re challenging yourself with something new. Of course you’ll face a few setbacks.

Momo: I heard backstage that Yexiao’s working as a designer for the play, too, and she’s not doing that great either.

Nikki: Yexiao’s style is pretty different from the troupe’s. She must be challenging herself with a new direction in her designs.

Momo: You’re working as hard as she is. Besides, you have me! I know a way to help you to train better.

Momo: You’ve been reciting your lines to a lifeless lamb plushy.

Momo: If you practice with me instead, you’ll be more in tune with your emotions!

Nikki: Practice with you? Can you handle that?

Momo: Of course! I’ve watched tons of dramas.

Narrator: All Momo ever watches is soap operas. Still, as worried as I am, I fill him in on the plot.

Momo: There’s no need! I’ve been watching you practice for a while and already know the story!

Narrator: We bring Momo to the rehearsal site the next day and explain the situation to the actors.

Nikki: I have trouble getting into my role, so I asked Momo to help me practice. Is that okay?

Actor A: Sure. Getting into a role is never easy, and you’re still new to the scene. It’s good to practice with someone familiar.

Actor B: Yeah! I’m so jealous of you for having such a cute practice partner. My only partner is myself!

Actor C: In fact, if it works out well, we might invite Momo to perform in the play, too!

Narrator: Everyone is very understanding, and Momo ends up taking over the role as my “lamb.”

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

[winns-stuff]

LO RANT:

Genuinely believe the fans don’t know what Lore Olympus is even supposed to be anymore. It’s sad going into their comment sections and seeing so many fans be poisoned with utter hypocrisy and be so blinded that they don’t even read what they’re saying. This is why having just one positive opinion isn’t always the best way to go, it’s okay to say that Lore Olympus is not doing the best this is not going to kill Rachel. It’s fine if you’re getting tired of the plot stories, it’s more than fine if you can’t read anymore because of the bad character designs etc. Every time I see a fan it’s like they’re under some mind control and it truly does make me wanna shake my head especially when arguing with a critic, their points will always never make any sense or they’ll just be horrible takes.

For one I’ve noticed a lot of fans love to use the whole “this is how the myth goes!!!!” statement whenever someone has a problem with either the story or the characters in that episode that day. You guys please stop saying that shit, it’s getting old and it doesn’t even make sense. You can’t say that Lore Olympus is exactly like the myths and in the same breath defend Rachel’s abstract artistic choices by saying “she can do whatever she wants!! it’s a retelling!!” which one is it damnit? Is she following the myths or putting a massive spin on it? Pick one you can’t have both at the same damn time.

That’s the backwards thinking of this entire fandom that really trips me out though, the fans want two very opposite and different things to exist all at once but in reality it never will. Your webtoon is plagued with so much hypocrisy that even defending it or trying to make a point will make you a huge hypocrite. Lore Olympus does too much of “yes we can do this but no we cannot at the same time”, it’s never standing clear on beliefs, personalities, morals, relationships, etc. Everything always has to be both at the same time and I’m thinking the reason for that is because Rachel probably thought this would help her case more, like is pedophilia inside of the story? In a way yes but also no. Is feminism in the story? In a way yes but also no. Is mental health in the story? In a ways yes but also no. Are y’all seeing the pattern? Someone from outside of this fandom with zero knowledge about Lore Olympus cannot outright say that “Lore Olympus doesn’t talk about sexual traumas” because it does but it doesn’t at the same time. They just use both sides of every topic they decide to throw into the story that day so theirs never a person who can genuinely be upset that something isn’t there because it is, it’s just not being handled well or written with any decency.

Also last thing, I wish that a lot of the fans would stop the blatant sexualization of the characters it’s so uncomfortable to sit through and a lot of the comments are dehumanizing. There’s a difference between saying that the characters are hot and begging for them to literally scramble your insides and headcanoning how they fuck each other. Genuinely it’s getting out of control with how you guys treat this story like it’s some kind of kinky fanfic (which I can’t even blame you for because that’s what this is to Rachel at this point) mainly because there’s serious topics being discussed in your beloved comic that your amazing author decided to write into this series. So no, it’s never been about watching these random characters fuck each other it’s always been so much “deeper” than that sadly and even though I’ll never stop explaining how Lore Olympus never should’ve put those very real and serious conversations in her story if she was not going to shed any positive or even respectful light on those themes because it’s giving the readers a horrible depiction of all of them I will say that you all need to settle the fuck down and start realizing that this comic is more than seeing Persephone and Hades get naked (fucking barely, you don’t even see anything yet everyone still wants more detailed and graphic scenes).

[rek1s-headband]

Break up prank on the sk8 boys

➯ Characters: Reki Kyan, Langa Hasegawa, Cherry, Joe, Miya and Shadow x gn reader

➯ Warnings: none, just some angst to fluff. Enjoy!

Reki:

He thought it was a joke at first

Like you, he watched his fair share of videos, and had seen the trend going around already

But you weren’t discouraged, you were going to try and make him believe it no matter what

He laughed it off the first time, but after you simply gave him a puzzled look and a “huh?”, he felt his heart pick up significantly. Maybe you weren’t joking??

Instantly he was running back in his mind where he could’ve possibly gone wrong, where he could’ve messed up so badly that you felt the need to leave?

After his nervous laugh died down, he went deadly silent

“You’re serious?”

You were starting to feel awful, like maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all, but you decided to persist

When you nodded your head slowly, you could’ve died when you saw how quickly his face dropped

Even though he had a small smile on his face, you could see the tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. He was running a shaky hand through his hair, and when you were ready to take him into your arms, to tell him you were only kidding, he wouldn’t let you get a word in edgeways

A flood of questions was suddenly leaving his moth, all his unvoiced questions coming out in one go. He was holding your hand now in an almost death grip, asking you why you were unhappy, why you wanted to leave

Why he wasn’t good enough for you

That’s all you needed before you were pulling him into your arms, sobbing yourself. This shut him up, he was completely speechless as your tears pooled on his shoulder, telling him you were so sorry, that you were only joking. You just wanted to see him get a little panicky, you never expected the outcome to look like this

As soon as the words left your mouth you saw his shoulders visibly drop, pulling you impossibly closer as he let the last of his tears out. He chuckled shakily, running a hand up your back.

“I thought I lost you for a second there”

That was when you pulled your head out of his shoulder, grabbing his face between your hands and pulling him closer to you. Eyes wide, he simply watched as you declared he could never lose you, that you weren’t going anywhere. You were stuck to him like glue, whether he likes it or not

He gave you one last relieved smile, before he was pulling you close again for a desperate kiss. He kissed you like it was the last time he ever would, because now that he’d thought he lost you, he was never going to take anything about you for granted again

Langa:

Was fully convinced you were serious right off the bat

Right as the words “I think we should break up” were leaving your lips, his brain was doing overtime trying to figure put how he hadn’t realised how unhappy you were. Sure, he was kind of bad at reading emotions, but surely he wasn’t so terrible he couldn’t figure out how his own s/o was feeling?

Was he really as bad at communication as people told him he was?

You instantly regretted your decision as you watched his mouth hang open, saw his eyes scrunch slightly as he wrung his hands quietly at his sides

He nodded, and you couldn’t seem to swallow the lump in your throat as your eyes locked on the small tear rolling down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away with a small smile

“If thats what will make you happy”

You couldn’t seem to collect your thoughts as you watched him step closer to you, dropping his head to your level as he grabbed your hand. It was soft, as if he didn’t want to hurt you any more than he thought he had. He stumbled over his words, trying to find the right ones to say. Eventually he just took a deep breath, and looked into your eyes

“Were you really that unhappy?” Your heart broke when you heard the crack in his voice towards the end. “How did I not notice how sad you were?” Tears were falling down his face again and he didn’t even bother wiping them away this time. Suddenly you were shooting forward, grabbing his shoulders as you began to cry

“You’ve never made me unhappy Langa, not once.” You saw his wide eyes stare at you, not even attempting to reply as he watched you continue. “It was a joke, Langa. I wanted to see how you’d react, I didn’t think you’d take it this seriously. Did you really think you made me unhappy? Ive never been happier than when I’m with you-“ you barely got to finish before he was wrapping you in his arms, his grip vicelike. His face was digging into your shoulder, clinging to you as if you’d disappear any second.

His breath was ragged and shaky as he pulled you even closer, making sure there was absolutely no room for you to escape. You ran your hand through his hair in an attempt to calm him down as he slowly emerged from your shoulder

With a small chuckle, he rubbed the side of your face with his hand, letting his head drop slightly as he let out a sigh of relief

“I really thought I was ignoring my own s/o’s feelings.” You laughed, pulling him into another hug

“If I’m ever upset, I’ll let you know. Just know it wont be for quite a while” you grinned, grabbing his collar to pull him into a kiss. It was sweet, and gentle, and you felt all your previous problems melt away as Langa pulled you closer, smiling into the kiss

Cherry:

You and Kaoru rarely fought, and when you did it was over minor things that were reconciled within a day. So when you were sitting him down, asking if he’d be okay with breaking up, the only thing he could feel was complete confusion.

What happened? You’d always been so happy, never expressing much discontent. And besides, whenever you did it was resolved as soon as possible. What was so different today?

What was making you so unhappy that you felt the relationship was beyond saving?

Or worse, what outside your relationship was making you happier than him?

He kept these thoughts to himself, coughing quietly to try and open up his throat that seemed to be impossibly tight at that moment. He held your hand, stroking it softly and nodding before looking up at you

“Why the sudden change of heart, hm?”

The small smile on Kaoru’s face that was slowly diminishing by the second made you want to melt into the ground. Even when you were asking him to leave, he was still so caring, still so loving. You could only watch, feeling your heart break as he looked at you, his eyes glassy as he quickly plastered the fakest smile you’ve ever seen onto his face

“Well, if you’re unhappy when you’re with me, surely we shouldn’t be together.” He let out a small, breathy laugh that was almost missed by you, if you hadn’t been watching him with such avid horror. “I dont know why you feel you aren’t happy anymore, sweetheart, but I’m glad you realised what you want.” You watched him stand without a word, as you slowly realised that this is real.

He thinks this is real

That was all you needed before you were leaping off the couch, practically turning it over with the force you’d pushed off it. You were shouting his name, grabbing him by the arm and absolutely dragging him to face you. With the sudden turn and shock, you both ended up on the floor as you began to babble, words pouring out of your mouth and tears streaming from your eyes

“Kaoru, of course I’m not unhappy, you always know just how to make me happy, I could never leave you!” You were jumping on top of him, wrapping your arms around his neck as he sat up, a hand on your back and the other pulling your hair back from your face, trying to find any trace of a lie on your face

“Are you serous? It was all...” he was speechless. He didn’t realise you would even pull something like that, much less go so far with it

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” you sobbed. “I never meant for it to go this far. I just wanted to see you get a little worked up, pull a funny prank, nothing else, i prom-“ you were cut off when Kaoru pushed his lips onto yours, breath shaky as he ran his hand through your hair, as if you were going to disappear any second and he was making sure you were still there

When you finally pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours, letting out a small laugh

“Don’t ever pull that shit again”

Joe:

When you first brought it up with him, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Surely you weren’t serious, right?

He kept a smile quirked on his lips, a questioning look in his eyes. Still, you kept a face of steel, as if challenging him to ask if you were joking

As worried as he was, he wasn’t sure you were being serious. Something about it wasn’t..genuine? You looked too straight-faced, your expression staying neutral the whole time as if to not give something away. He was certain he hadn’t done enough to make you this delighted about breaking up, so why were you so unaffected?

The cogs were turning in his brain, all arrows pointing towards one of two directions: either he was a massive dick, or it was a prank

Oh. A prank

Of course, he wasn’t certain, but it would certainly explain quite a bit

So he decided on a plan. It wasn’t exactly the nicest thing to do, but if it was a prank, it was a nice way for him to get you back for the little skit you pulled. And if it wasn’t a prank, well, maybe it’ll take the sting away a little

His mouth quickly dropped to a frown, ready to put his plan into action. “Oh yeah? Well, thats a bit of a relief.” He had to try hard to hide his grin when he saw your eyebrows furrow, saw the frown begin to spread across your face. So maybe it was a prank. You could only watch as he continued his speech

“You see, I’ve been thinking about ending things for a while now. There was a girl at S I met a few weeks back, and man, you should’ve seen the eyes she’s been giving me. Anyways, I’ve taken a real liking to her, and Ive been thinking about giving things with her a shot. Of course, now it shouldn’t be a bother, right?”

When he saw your face contort from confusion to anger, he knew he’d fucked up severely. Suddenly you were getting up close to his face, prank forgotten, poking him in the chest as you began to shout

“Are you serious!? After all we’ve been through together, you’re just gonna leave me for some bitch you met a few weeks ago??” You were fuming at this point, while Joe watched you with with a look of mock confusion

“What’s your problem? You were the one who wanted to “break up”, right?” Something about the way he said ‘break up’ made you freeze, looking up at him as you watched a grin begin to form on Joe’s face. That bastard

“You...you asshole!” You were lost for words. He knew this whole time? And instead of enlightening you, he decided to play along? You watched with a blank expression as Joe laughed, pulling you into a hug

“I knew it” he let out a loud laugh, but it almost seemed forced. You pulled away, and when you tried to look at him his eyes seemed to be everywhere but you. You grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at you

“You didn’t think id actually want to break up, did you?” When he simply frowned, pulling his eyes away again you cooed, pulling him into your chest as you stroked his hair, feeling his arms slowly wrap around your waist and hold you close

It’s safe to say the two of you stayed like that for quite a while

Shadow:

When you asked him to break up as a joke, you simply wanted to see if you could piss him off. Hiromi was prone to getting mad at the smallest things, cursing up a storm when he did something as small as mess up his makeup

So when you saw his face break, felt him shrink in on himself as he asked you why, what had he done that made you want to leave, your face was frozen with shock

Now this was completely new. Of course, you knew Hiromi wasn’t just some big angry man, but you didn’t think he’d get this worked up

Brows furrowed, he brought a hand to his forehead as he let out a long breath

“What happened?” Those two words held so much emotion it almost made you break. You didn’t realise how much this would affect him, just how upset it would make him. But here he was, an emotional wreck as he wiped an almost-tear away from the edge of his eye

But soon after, he was stepping close to you, grabbing your hand and looking at you with all the sincerity in the world

“Please, give me another chance. I dont know what I did, but I do know we can fix it. I know we can, please y/n. I cant lose you”

His heartfelt speech was all you needed for the tears to slowly fall from your eyes, Hiromi looking at you with a look of concern, and confusion. You were stepping into his arms, crying silently as he hesitantly put his arms around you, not quite sure what to do. So was that a yes?

You picked your head off his shoulder, not moving from his arms

“Oh, Hiromi” he looked down at you, concern washing over his face once more. “It was only a prank, I’m so sorry.”

Now he wasn’t just upset, but relieved. A bit of anger was in there somewhere, but that could be overlooked for now. He let out a loud laugh, hugging you so tightly you could’ve sworn you felt at least 3 of your ribs break

“And what made you think that was a funny thing to do?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm, not letting you out of his death grip. You simply shrugged, burying yourself deeper into his chest. He smiled, his knees practically buckling after the whole ordeal

He held you at arms length, a frown on his face. You felt a twinge of panic, maybe he wouldn’t forgive you?

This thought was quickly forgotten when he barked out a loud laugh. He dropped his face to your level, putting his hands on your shoulders

“Pull something like that again, and I swear you’ll give me a heart attack”

Miya:

Miya has never been one for properly expressing his emotions, so when you walked up to him one day and asked him to break up, he simply frowned. He didn’t let it on, but his world was very quickly caving in around him

Keeping a neutral expression, he sighed and nodded his head. He didn’t trust himself to speak right now

When you gave him a confused look from his lack of a verbal response, he really had to try to not walk out of that room there and then. You break up with him, and then expect him to just take it and walk away with a smile??

When you continued to look at him expectantly, he just let out a breath, turning away from you. “Fine. Whatever. If thats really what you want then so be it” he was kicking himself for being so blunt, but what other choice did he have? He couldn’t think, his lungs felt too small, too cramped

And now you were going to leave just like everyone else had

You tried to put your hand on his shoulder, calling his name quietly. He simply shrugged you off, dipping his head so you wouldn’t see the tears that were quickly collecting in his eyes. You’d just dumped him, the last thing he needed was you seeing him cry. You didn’t give up, asking him why he wouldn’t just look at you. Still not facing you, he attempted to talk again

“What more is there to discuss? You want to leave, so go. I’m not going to stop you if its what you want.” The crack in his voice at the end of his sentence broke your heart, and you were quickly turning him around, with more force this time, so he was forced to look you in the eyes

“Do you really think I’d leave that easily? It was a prank, you dumbass.” His head was buzzing with thoughts, why the hell would you do that? So you dont actually want to leave? You’re still gonna stay with him? You-

His thoughts were interrupted by you flicking his forehead. His hands flew to his head, letting out a cry. First you pretend to dump him, and now you have the audacity to flick him?

However, it did serve its purpose of pulling him out of his thoughts, and you were quickly pulling him into a hug while you stroked his hair. Before long you felt your shoulder grow wet with tears, the occasional sniffle leaving him. You laughed, holding him close as you tilted his chin to look at you

“I’m not going anywhere, as much as you might like me to. You’re stuck with me for a while longer, Miya Chinen.” He looked away from you, clicking his teeth

“Shut up..” he was mumbling, but there was so mistaking how hard he was gripping your clothes, as if you might try to leave again. But like you said, you weren’t going anywhere for quite some time

[shotorozu]

hello!! i saw that your requests were open and wanted to ask if you could do single dad! atsumu suna and sakusa falling in love with reader, like it's sort of a meet cute (or not) but the reader falls for them and the kid and happiness lskfjsdfk have a great day!!

single dad! falling for reader

character(s) : miya atsumu, suna rintarou, sakusa kiyoomi (haikyuu!!)

legend : [Y/N = your name] they/them pronouns used, timeskip au! (because,, single dads.)

headcanon type : fluff, crack and angst if you squint (x reader)

warning(s) : mentions of the character’s ex wives, the ex-wives being jerks for multiple different reasons and ways (so,, be warned. for negligence, not very detailed hitting, and cheating, but not on reader)

note(s) : me, writing for haikyuu?? wow, a surprise! also, it’s been a while since i’ve written for haikyuu so if i don’t get the characterization correctly— ESPECIALLY FOR SAKUSA, i’m sorry in advance.

»»————-　♡　————-««

miya atsumu

at first, his marriage was happy. miya atsumu— successful in his 20s, basically set for life, and with a head strong wife that gave him a wonderful daughter

he was elated when his son, genji came into this world. he wouldn’t swap him out for anyone else. and it was all good, really

until he started spotting marks on genji’s delicate skin, and he even found a large bruise on his shoulder when he was changing his shirt! he almost passed away seeing that

genji would also have a sudden fear of being alone in the house— even when his mother would stay behind to take care of him

but why though? genji’s only 4! what could’ve happened to him? he doesn’t recall hiring any babysitters.

he finally found the answer one day, when he found out that his head strong, intense wife— has been physical with him!

basically, all the love for his wife flew out the window, and he filed for a divorce— and of course, he won custody

and he assumed that his love life would stop at that— and it didn’t sound terrible. all that mattered was that his son was safe, and happy again

but this is where you come in

you work at a toy store, a small business toy store really, that sold the highest of quality only

and atsumu took genji to either replace, or fix the toy he broke a few days back. the place was recommended to him by shoyo— who also had a kid of his own

you’re just two years younger than him, eyes full of determination and care, practically the complete opposite of his ex-wife.

you put up a good conversation with him, while you fixed the toy— the two of you talking about the mutual friends, and that ‘this place should be a lot more popular.’

and also, his son did happen to take a liking to you. he seemed joyous in your presence— compared to how he was with his ex-wife

and from that moment on, the two of you would only become closer— especially when a bunch of his son’s toys started breaking magically

before atsumu knew it, he harbored something for you— the absolute angel you were to the both of them

“‘m sorry for the inconvenience,” the faux blond scratches the back of his next “didn’t know genji here was a ‘lil clumsy weasel,”

you laugh, and genji’s just staring at you with amusement, “it’s fine, genji could break his entire toy box— and i’d still fix it anyway.”

so this was the nerve wracking part, “to make up for it, would you like some coffee later? i could treat ‘ya.”

“is this yer way of askin’ Y/N—”

“shut yer mouth for a sec— uhm,” he looks at you, sheepishly

you laugh, “miya, i wouldn’t mind honestly. but i’d assume you’re busy as it is.”

“not at all!” atsumu replies, “i’ll just, drop off genji first. say yer thanks to Y/N,” atsumu looks at genji, encouraging him to say his thanks

“,,thanks for fixing my toys, Y/N.”

“no problem, genji.” you smile at the two of them when they move to leave the store, fixed toys in hand— as they wave at you before parting

“oh, Y/N?” atsumu calls out,

“yeah?”

“call me atsumu— from now on.” his cheeks are tinted pink, and he can feel genji’s eyes on him.

“oh, uhm. yeah! i’ll see you later, atsumu.”

so yeah— the two of you went out for some coffee, and before he even knew it, he was in love.

it might take him a few months to realize it though

suna rintarou

i can’t imagine him having kids for some reason 💀 but if he were to have any, he’d definitely have a daughter

rintarou himself, didn’t think he would have kids at at all, really. but the moment he was able to meet asuka— his lovely little daughter

he was hooked. he seemed a little awkward at first, not very used to caring for a child. but he was actually decent at his job

he’d sneak into his daughter’s room to hold her when she was upset— even when his wife was too knocked out to realize it, and he’d show her picture books

since she liked them a lot, even when she can’t coherently read a straight paragraph yet.

it started to concern him when he realized how little his wife was involved in the development of their daughter.

she started acting different, a little bit after she didn’t have to breastfeed asuka

and then, that’s when it happened.

“i literally can’t believe you,” he speaks when he’s packing his things, “we have a child together.”

his soon to be ex wife is on the floor, begging him to stay— but he doesn’t care. “look, the idea of you cheating wasn’t very surprising. i don’t care anymore, really. but the fact that you’ve been neglecting asuka for your selfish needs is low. i hope you’re ashamed of yourself.”

his words are so much different that his lenient, calm self. which only solidifies reality

so he leaves with asuka, not caring about the sobs that left his soon to be ex wife’s mouth.

and even though he was still angry at his wife for not being there, he’d never let it show to asuka

he’d still show her picture books, he’d still sit down and watch miraculous ladybug with her— even when she doesn’t understand it all completely

and speaking of picture books— he decided that he needed to buy more for her

so he took her to the bookstore, and he didn’t really know what he was doing. he bought all those previous books when asuka was still a newborn

now it’s a little fuzzy on what he should be looking for. colors, right? he needs a picture book that has plenty of colors.

and that’s where you come in. you’re youthful, despite looking not that far off his age, you’re humming to yourself as you fix the bookshelves

“uhm,” he calls out for your help, and you look at him in recognition “need any help? what are you looking for?”

there’s a helpful glint in your eyes, and it reminded him of what should’ve been in his ex wife’s eyes. “my daughter, likes picture books. and,, i don’t know what i’m doing.”

she’s basically a replica of him, same eye color, and same hair color. but her eyes are much more rounded, youthful.

“cute kid,” you smile when she coos at you, “the children books are this way, follow me!” you exclaim, moving to navigate your way to the children’s book isle

so it seems to be that you really know what you’re doing. most people would’ve recommended picture books with a lot of words, or just no words at all

but you’ve found the books that made asuka exclaim in happiness.

and although it’s not very obvious that rintarou’s caring to his child— he is, and you could tell. despite looking lost, and sometimes bored when you’re explaining the books.

so every 2 weeks, the father would return with his daughter, after he got back from volleyball— and you’d help them pick out on certain books.

rintarou assumed he’d never take a liking in anyone again, but,, here he is. and he doesn’t know how you’ll react to that.

but it’s worth a try— he’d try and get your number when he’d see you again

the next time you see him, the middle blocker’s alone. and he tells you that he needs more picture books for asuka, since she’s staying over at his volleyball friend’s house for a day

“Y/N,”

“yes?” you turn your head, meeting his stare. he looks well,, himself. like how he first sought out for your help a few weeks back

“,, could i get your number? y’know, just in case asuka wanted worded books in the future. you’ve helped a lot, so,,”

you smile, “is this your way of hitting on me?”

he didn’t think it was that obvious, “what?— i mean,” he fumbles to reason out, feeling a bit more awkward. because yes, he’s asking you out but,, he has the power to make things more laxed, y’know?

truthfully, you don’t know much about him. you know a lot about his daughter, sure! but you don’t know anything about her biological mother, or what happened, or why she’s not taking asuka to the bookstore

but you chose not to ask, out of respect. he’d tell you some other day. “i’m just teasing,” you smile, moving to get a small piece of paper— writing your digits on the paper, and placing it in his pocket

“i’d like to see you again,” you smile, “say hi to asuka for me.”

the middle blocker left the store in content, absolutely sure that asuka would love to see you again even when she can’t form proper sentences.

sakusa kiyoomi

didn’t think he’d be fit to be a father— but here he is

though he seems cold, he does take responsibility, and he does love and care for his child, seina

it’s not like he’ll be posting pictures of his child everywhere— i mean, even if he had a different personality, he still wouldn’t be posting his kid everywhere

but he does cherish seina, like his life depended on it. he’d still silently watch her cross out word puzzles in a messy matter, he’d silently listen to her talk about her favorite pastries

he loves her!

so that’s why it made him mad, when even after 4 years of seina being born, her mother made little to no effort in spending time with her

doesn’t matter if it was a simple gesture like tucking her in, or showing up to a birthday— she just,, never did.

it was almost as if she was ignoring seina, which causes some distraught on the child’s behalf— which passed on the negative feeling to him

like,, seina wasn’t an unbearable kid. sure, she acted up here and there, that’s an issue kiyoomi has been trying to fix on his own

but it was nothing too concerning, and it was containable. but his wife treated her like she was absolutely unbearable

and it was super strange because, she’d act normal around him, but would barely acknowledge her own daughter’s existence

so what did kiyoomi do? he confronted her, of course.

and no— his wife wasn’t cheating, and nothing tragic happened that would’ve caused her to be this way

she was just,, lazy

“so.. you gave birth and stopped caring for her? is that it?” furious was an understatement, considering that his wife forgot to make her daughter breakfast

which caused her to sneak out of the house, and ask for some breakfast from some nice neighbors.

“look, if you want nothing to do with her, just say that. i’m taking seina, and leaving.” so yeah now he’s a single father.

to say he didn’t love her was too quick, a part of him didn’t love the fact that his wife loved him, but didn’t show any sign of affection towards her daughter.

he knew it was going to fade away anyway. his feelings for his unofficial ex wife.

and i don’t think he’d plan on seeing new people, since now these days— people just like the idea of being with him

which meant that most people would’ve been scared away, or turned off if they really sat down in a conversation with him

besides the point, kiyoomi was taking his daughter to the bakery again— as she was craving new pastries, and wanted to go to the new bakery that just opened near by

and kiyoomi was like “why not ig” and took her there— but then, this is where he’d meet you for the first time

you were one of the bakers, and it’s not like he was going to pay attention to you— until you did something even HE couldn’t do

“papa, whyyyy” the whining sounding painful in his ears, as his daughter clung to the display of pastries “can’t we get moreeee??”

“seina,” he sighs, “no, we can’t.”

“but—”

“papa, you’re no fair!” her bottom lip trembles, and he could almost FEEL the judgmental stares of the other customers in the bakery

and this is where you come in, “is something the matter?”

“papa won’t.. get me more!” she stares at the selection of pastries, “i’ve been so nice but.. it’s no fair!” her eyes tear up

“don’t cry,” you bend down to blot her tears away with a tissue, “y’know, he probably has a reason, but you’re in luck— actually!” you maneuver behind the counter

you come out from behind, presenting a fresh batch of pastries— that were just right to his daughter’s liking, to the point that it shut her up entirely

“they’re on the house, today’s our opening day, so it’s the bakery’s treat!”you state in a warming matter, grabbing a paper bag to place the pastries in

kiyoomi stares at you, observing you quietly— you could feel his cold stare, even though he’s wearing a medical face mask, that covers about half of his face

you blink, not knowing what is going through his head, and you gesture to his daughter to take them

you clearly don’t know who he is— and that gives kiyoomi some sort of relief, compared to the other customers that are murmuring to each other “sakusa kiyoomi’s here with his daughter! is this what he does in his free time?”

kiyoomi takes the paper bag, giving some sort of non verbal acknowledgement, before he takes his daughter’s hand and leaves

“bye, kind person!” seina calls out to you, which catches you off guard— this causes your coworkers to coo at the girl’s words

“didn’t know sakusa’s daughter was so cute!”

and you’d assume that your interactions with the quiet stranger and his daughter would end at that, but no! life is full of surprises.

the tall masked father comes in again, a little bit before closing time— you were absolutely beat, your back feeling as if boulders were glued to the back, and your feet burning from all of the rush

“oh, what could i do for you?”

he stays quiet, but a small presence sticks behind him, and peers up to you. the face is familiar to you, so you wave “hi there! it’s nice to see you again.”

“i wanna say thanks.” her rounded eyes practically shimmer when they lay themselves on the pastries again, but she shakes her head “for the pastries! they’re very tasty.”

“i’m glad you like them, what was your favorite part of the pastry?”

“the filling! twas yummy!” she gives a toothy grin, “tell me, where ‘dya learn to bake like that?”

kiyoomi stares at the scene unfolding before him. it was.. new. unfamiliar— he hasn’t seen his daughter act like this with anyone else— besides him and his team mates. so, he simply watched.

seina babbled and babbled, much to the your amusement— and the other staff members. you listened to her with your full attention, your interest never wavering in the slightest

it’s a bit later, kiyoomi holds a tired seina in his arms— you expect him to leave the bakery, his daughter’s wishes been fulfilled, and he wouldn’t have a reason to stick around

but then he presents to you a large stack of cash “for the pastries. my,, daughter really liked them.”

your eyes widen, “sir! i told you, the pastries were on the house!” you shake your head, “either way, i can’t take this! it’s too much for some pastries!”

“no, seina insists. in fact, she’s entirely why i’m here.” his tone stays consistent, but even with the mask— you could tell that he’s smiling. “she’s well,, everything. if she’s set on something, then she’ll do everything to achieve her goal.”

you smile at the statement, “thanks for bringing her here sir..?”

kiyoomi hesitates to tell you his name for a moment, an unfamiliar, yet familiar pound in his chest rises— he chooses to not figure it out right now, considering that it would be too soon to pursue a romantic relationship.

but, if his daughter brought him here, then it must be for a reason. “kiyoomi.”

“right,” you smile, “thanks for coming here, kiyoomi. you can give me a call, if seina wants any more pastries.” you write your number on a piece of paper, and hand it to him

he doesn’t reply, but he does take the piece of paper anyway— keeping it in his pocket

and for once, he thinks that he doesn’t hate having to go to the bakery weekly., because there’ll be a warm presence there to greet him— and of course, seina.

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