#i’ve been into aqua this week

[amethystsoda]

[cherryyycosmos]

hi if it’s okay if you can do my oc Aqua A. Anita x Cuphead if that’s alright with you

Btw Anita is a They/Them

Ofc^^ (Very cute OC^^)

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Barbie Girl 💄 | Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin Imagine

Takes place before, during, and after the events of Top Gun Maverick

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Barbie!reader (romantic), dagger squad (platonic)

Content warnings: light profanity, fluff | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 4.3k

Requested 📨 yes/no (for @kayla-swiftly)

Premise: They say the sky is the limit and anything you set you’re mind to will be achieved as long as you’re dedicated to it. For most people that testimony is nothing but a mere fantasy. But for one woman, with too many dreams to count on her fingers, she took that statement to heart. Proving you can be anyone you want to be and maybe even a few others give or take 😉

Note: Anyone else obsessed with Barbie lately?? Omg y’all I saw the movie last week and absolutely fell in love and i had this request from around the time the final trailer dropped and knew it was the perfect time to write this. I know I know I haven’t been living up to my promise of being consistent but man they having me working my ass off at my job. Also I’ve been traveling and I saw Big Time Rush last night (i felt like a teenager again and it was amazing 😭) anyway I hope you enjoyed this and let me know what you think!

—————————

“Hi, Barbie!” The familiar greeting fills Y/n’s ears as it does every morning she arrives at the hangar. With it comes an instant smile, hand raising to wave at the person responsible for it, “Hi, Phoenix!”

“Hey there, Barbie,” winks another friendly face.

“Hiiii, Hangman,” her tone is playful like his, turning energetic for Bob when he goes, “Hiya, Barbie!”

“Hi there, Bob!”

“Hey, Barbie.” “Good morning, Barbie.” “What’s up, Barbie Girl.”

“Hello, Rooster.” “Good morning to you too, Fanboy.” “Nothing much, Pay. And yourself?”

Unlike her fellow pilots, clad in their deep green flight suits, Y/n stood out in the crowd for hers was a little unorthodox when one thinks of a naval fighter pilot's uniform.

It was pink. Completely as in her combat boots were also the bright color and the patchers were white and pink tones rather than red, blues, black and any other color seen in the ones attached to her coworkers arms. ‘Barbie’ in pink cursive writing instead of traditional bold Times New Roman lettering.

And don’t forget the little flower dotting the ‘i’.

Growing up, Y/n took ‘you can be anyone and anything you want to be,’ quite literally. At no point was it a joke to her when she would tell her friends and family, “oh I’m gonna be a fashion designer and Olympic Gold medalist when I’m older,” “I wanna go to space, fly in planes, and see all the wonders of the world,” “I’ll be a doctor, a teacher, and movie star!” They’d smile and laugh, thinking it was adorable for a little girl to dream big. No way would it be possible to achieve all of those careers. Everyone only gets one life to live and time goes so fast one can only set their eyes on one path and hope for the best.

But Y/n was a dreamer. And if you’re going to dream, might as well dream big.

All through middle and high school people took Y/n’s intelligence for granted. Focusing more on her beauty rather than brains, it came as an under shock to everyone when Y/n had the credits to graduate at the ripe age of 15. Exceeding in her standardized test scores with a high school resume taking up three pages with extracurricular and academic achievements, she had colleges from all over the country begging for her to apply.

Stanford. Cornell. Pratt. Juilliard. NYU. John Hopkins. Harvard. UCLA. Duke. Top medical and law schools. Ivy League universities. Performing Arts schools calling for auditions after sending scouts to watch her perform in school plays and dance recitals. Coaches from high ranking NCAA gymnastics teams sending emails after emails.

So many to choose from….And so the story of Y/n L/n becoming a real life Barbie Doll begins.

Setting her eyes in New York, Y/n attended not one but two of the best schools in the country. While obtaining her bachelor’s in both astronautical and aeronautical engineering at NYU Y/n also completed a two year degree in Fashion Business Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology. During this time she continued training for the Olympics in hopes of making the 2008 Beijing team in gymnastics.

“How do you do it?” Her roommate at NYU constantly asked. “You go from here to FIT, working on two degrees that are completely on opposite sides of the spectrum and career paths,” she emphasized with hand expressions, “and still have enough to time to go to the gym to practice, eat three meals a day, have all your assignments done early, and sleep a reasonably about of hours each night.” Letting out an exhale, her roommate looks at Y/n as if she’s an alien from another world, “What’s your secret? Are you some kind of Barbie doll the government created as a test robot?”

Each time Y/n would pause, think for a moment before smiling, “I don’t know if I should find that as an insult or compliment, but I’m gonna chose it as a compliment and say it’s because I want to live a life where I can look back on and go, ‘I took a risk and tried something new even if it didn’t look possible but it was all worth it.’”

By the time Y/n turned 20 she had accumulated a vast list of credentials to her name. The list included getting her fashion business degree at 17, Bachelors in astronautical/aeronautical engineering at 19–receiving her Master’s for it at 20–An Olympic Gold and Silver medalist, dancing with the Radio City Rockettes, performing with the NYC Ballet Company in their rendition of Swan Lake, landing a role on Broadway, walking a runway at NY fashion week, and appearing on episodes of SVU, 30 Rock, All My Children, Sex and the City, and Ugly Betty.

So yeah, New York was a success in experiences for Y/n.

Following the high note, she packed her bags to leave the golden apple for the flashing lights of Hollywood, California. This time Y/n was working on her doctorates at USC, running her own business with her fashion degree called ‘Dream Closet’, and auditioning for film and tv shows.

Hollywood was a dream come true just like New York. Again she attended two different schools, this time flight school and USC. During the day she was occupied running from class to the hangar and then the observatory. Coaching dance and gymnastics on the side, designing clothes for her online shop which developed into a pop-up chain store in malls across America.

It wasn’t long until Y/n’s name grew into nationwide popularity. People started realizing the Y/n L/n who won the Gold and Silver medals in the 2008 Olympics was the same one responsible for the most recent fashion trends and guest starring on their favorite tv shows. What really set it in stone was when Y/n landed the role of an engineer officer in the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, going on to appear in both the 2013 and 2016 sequels.

Impressive was the only word her costars could use to describe her. What else was there?

Anytime there was a question involving, “who’s most likely to become president?” “Who’s most likely to try something new or create a new hobby?” “Who’s most likely to win a Nobel Prize?” Along those lines…the answer was obvious.

“Oh Y/n,” Zoe Saldana waves her hand, “Always.”

“Yeah,” Chris Pine agrees with a laugh, “That woman, I-I don’t know how one has the energy to do all that she does—a-and still want to do more.”

The Interviewer laughs with them, “didn’t she just race in the Daytona 500 last year?”

“Yes!! And she did a song with Lady Gaga when they were on American Horror Story,” Zoe’s tone is in absolute awe, “All while teaching at USC and creating new technology at NASA.” Chris lifts a finger.

“Don’t forget she had her own Mac Viva Glam line a couple years ago.” Zoe made a sound along the lines of ‘see what I mean,’.

“I’m telling you, she’s gonna be a name in the history books.”

What all has Y/n accomplished career wise? Let’s take a look.

Model, dancer, actor, singer, fashion designer, entrepreneur, athlete, engineer, race car driver, and professor.

And now she can add pilot to the list. Although she got her license to fly way back in 2009, Y/n didn’t put it to use full time until 2016, wanting to wait until after the release of Star Trek: Beyond to say goodbye to Hollywood for the time being and set forth on her next adventure.

Boy did it come as a surprise what she had planned.

The Manila folder containing her resume hit the desk of the Admiral, his eyes wide as saucers. “You wanna join the Navy?” Reading the front page for a fifth time, Cyclone glanced back at the woman in front of him. Doctor Y/n L/n. Or is it professor L/n? “And you wanna be one of my pilots?”

“Yes, Sir.”

”Ma’am, I apologize if this comes off as offending,” he really didn’t know any other way to put it. “But you are more qualified than any person on this base. Doctorates in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California,” he counts off on his fingers, “you recently developed a groundbreaking advancement in space technology that’s going to help our astronauts—on the road to becoming a Nobel Prize nominee.” He raises his eyebrows, “And this is only what relates to this career field. I’m not even mentioning your acting, athletic, and fashion credentials. Why join the Navy?”

Y/n only offers a shrug, “I think the better question is, why not?” Cyclone lets out a sigh.

“What did you say your callsign was again?”

“Barbie.”

There was no stopping the small smile trying to break free, “I should’ve guessed.”

After completing OTS there was much debate on what Y/n’s rank would be coming into the Navy. Civilian lawyers and physicians often are Lieutenants (O-3) right away, but considering Y/n had two doctorate degrees and her pilot license they felt it was only fair for her to come in as Commander (O-5). From there Y/n was sent to North Island to attend Fighter Weapons School.

Better known to its flyers as Top Gun.

Y/n was used to the looks she received on a daily basis. From head to toe she was covered in variations of pink depending on what she was feeling. When teaching her briefcase and pantsuit were baby pink, in the labs her coat was hot pink, at auditions she wore pink leather jackets. Even her race car for the Daytona was pink.

Shoutout to Mac cosmetics for the sponsorship.

So it’s no surprise her flight suit would be the color she was known for—despite it being out of regulations.

Being more qualified than your superiors had its perks.

If she could have a pink F-18 she would but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. That was okay for Y/n. After all, she managed to get her own custom flight suit. One which had everyone having to do double takes whenever she walked into a room.

“Is she wearing…?”

“How the hell did they allow that?”

“Does that mean I can have mine in purple?”

Her first day at Top Gun Y/n met Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace. They were paired as roommates in the dorms and quickly became good friends. Phoenix was beyond amazed with Y/n’s accomplishments and experiences. Every conversation led to a new discovery. “Do you ever burn out?” Nat stag criss crossed on Y/n’s satin pink bed sheets, admiring her wall of photos from when she traveled to see all the wonders of both the ancient and modern world. “I feel I’d be a walking corpse from exhaustion. And you mentioned you’re still running and designing clothes for ‘Dream Closet’?”

Y/n removed her diamond studs, placing them on her desk she was using as a vanity. “I have a team dealing with the business side of things for the brand. I’m still CEO and creative director—usually I work on designs for a couple hours before bed to prepare for the next launch.”

Nat was in awe, “I have to ask….what’s been the best career you’ve done so far?” A common question Y/n heard, there was never a true answer. She loved every career. They all had their perks and their flaws, but at the end of the day it left her satisfied she achieved them.

“I don’t know yet,” she spoke truthfully, “I still have a few to check off on my list. When that happens I’ll let you know.”

Fast forwarding to 2019, Y/n answered the phone to Admiral Simpson’s voice with the news she needed to report back to North Island for a highly confidential mission. The details were unknown, but Y/n packed her bags, loaded her pink vintage corvette convertible and high tailed it to sunny San Diego.

The squeals initiated by Y/n and Nat the moment she stepped foot in the Hard Deck had heads whipping in their direction. “Hi, Barbie!” Nat’s arms opened for a hug.

“Hi, Phoenix!” Y/n accepted the embrace, still grinning ear to ear. The guys around them were looking at each other like, ‘what the…?’ Y/n wasn’t in her standard Khakis like they were—minus Rooster. She bore a pink denim number with matching boots with her hair curled and pink eyeliner surrounded by tiny rhinestones.

“You got selected too?” Nat complimented her outfit before cutting straight to the point.

“For the special detachment? Looks like it,” she winked.

“What happened to the Artemis program? Weren’t you up as a candidate?”

“Oh I still am,” Y/n affirmed proudly, “They’ll be announcing who’s to be selected in the coming months. So for now I’m still with the Bounty Hunters. Plus,” she leans in to whisper, “this will look good on my resume.” The two giggle before Y/n drifts her gaze to the boggling gazes in front of her. “Oh! I’m sorry for being so rude. I’m Y/n L/n,” extending her hand to the first person who’s name tag read Fitch, Y/n added, “But you can call me Barbie.”

“Barbie,” the blonde holding a pool cue repeated like a question, “like the toy Barbie?” Nat chuckled, throwing an arm around her friend after she was done shaking everyone’s hand as they introduced themselves.

“Fellas, if there is anyone who is a life sized version of Barbie, it’s this one right here.”

“Now, Phee…” Y/n’s tone was that of, ‘Don’t start.’

“It’s true,” the pilot defended. “Not only is she Commander Y/n ‘Barbie’ L/n,” jaws drop, “but she’s Professor and Doctor L/n.” The jaws hit the floor, “On top of founder, creative director and CEO of ‘Dream’s Closet,’” Javy makes a sound, familiar with the brand, “Emmy nominated actress,” Fanboy chokes on his water, “Olympic Gold Medalist and soon to be astronaut for the Artemis program.” By now all the guys are on the verge of losing their minds.

Bob rapidly blinks, “uh—.”

“Now I’m not an astronaut yet,” Y/n points out, “I’m a candidate for one.” Nat scoffs lightly.

“They’d be stupid not to pick you, Barb,” she then slaps her side, turning back to the guys, “Oh and how could I forget Broadway, Vogue, and the Daytona 500.”

“Daytona 500!?” Payback practically screeches.

“You were on Broadway?”

“—featured on Vogue—?!”

“Wait a minute I recognize you from Star Trek!”

“—How in the hell—.”

“Guys, guys!” Y/n laughs with her hands slightly raised, “Please, one at a time.” They were in for a long night of questions and story times. And just like Nat was years prior when she first roomed with Y/n at Top Gun, the officers were in complete amazement over the woman in front of them. Never had they met anyone like her.

“Wow,” Jake whistled once she finished bringing them up to date on her most recent careers. “You really are a real-life Barbie.”

“Shhhh,” a finger went to her lips, followed by a wink, “don’t tell Mattel.”

And thus the dagger squad was formed. Two and half weeks of hell bearing training preceding a face-with-death mission brings people closer. Every morning Y/n arrived at the hangar to a chorus of “Hi, Barbie.”

She waved at Reuben, “Hi Payback.”

“Hey there, Barbie Girl,” Javy threw her a peace sign.

“Hiya, Coyote!”

“Good morning, Barbie,” Rooster tipped his hat.

“Mornin’, Rooster.”

“Hi, Barbie!” “Hi, Barbie!” Her favorite duo harmonized.

“Hi, Bob! Hi, Phee!”

And for some closer than others….

“You know I was thinking,” Jake commented, taking Y/n’s hand before leading her to the pottery class he signed them up for. Every Friday night was reserved for date night. Dinner and a movie. Walk on the beach. Spending $20 worth of quarters at an arcade. Attending a comedy show. Paint and sip. Following the successful mission, Jake and Y/n hit it off and began seeing each other.

“Famous last words.”

“It’s not bad,” a chuckle left his lips, stopping at the door. “I just thought it was funny. You know how you’re basically Barbie?” His cheeky smile resulted in her mirroring it.

“Yessss.”

“This means I’m pretty much your Ken, right?” The question makes the woman visible ‘awe’. Jake ruffles a hand through his hair and gives his best blue steel, “we kinda look alike. Don’t you think?”

Laughing, Y/n kisses his cheek, “I mean…name a more iconic duo than Barbie and Ken.”

“Barbie and Hangman?”

“Exactly.” It was safe to assume what their Halloween costumes were going to be.

Time went on, missions were run. And after a year of anticipation—though it felt like forever, it was finally announced in 2020 Y/n would be one of the astronauts selected to be part of NASA’s Artemis program launching in 2024.

Making Y/n the first woman to go to the moon.

The call came in from a restricted number when they were in a meeting, and knowing she was to expect a call within the month everyone quickly shut up so the pilot could answer.

She excused herself to leave the room, staying in front of the window so the team could see her. Throughout the conversation Y/n’s expression remained neutral to the point none had a clue whether the news was good or bad. Only when she reentered the room did they get the answer.

“I’m going to the moon!!!”

“Ahhh!!!!” The team exploded in an array of cheers, Y/n jumping up and down, careful not to drop her phone that was in her hands when Jake lifted her in his arms.

“I’m so fucking proud of you!” Despite being unauthorized to show pda in uniform, Jake gave her a big kiss on the lips, not caring who saw. “You are the most exceptional human being on this planet.”

“Jake,” tears welled in her eyes, which he kissed away. Her heart filled with warmth and gratitude. Feeling on top of the world with her closest friends supporting her.

Once all calmed down and they finished the meeting, Mickey jumped from his seat, “Come on Barbie, let’s go party!” Everyone sped to the Hard Deck to celebrate the news. Mav bought the first round, followed by Payback.

“Guys you don’t have to do all that,” Y/n said once she realized they all agreed to buy her drinks for the night.

“We want to,” Nat tapped her beer with Y/n’s cocktail glass, the guys voicing agreements. “For years you’ve been dreaming about this and it’s finally happening. Your hard work is paying off and we want to celebrate—show you we love and appreciate you, Barbie.”

Y/n fought back tears, never afraid to show her emotions. Some may find it childish or thinned skin, but to Y/n that was what being human was all about. “I love you guys.”

“We love you!” The voices echoed together.

The night had been going well with the squad hanging out by the pool tables like they usually did when Y/n approached the bar to pick up the next round Mickey was paying for. Not paying attention to those beside her, she smiled at Penny and repeated the order before waiting patiently.

But what’s a night at a bar without someone who lacks boundaries.

“You must be the one they call Barbie,” a voice says, flirtation seeping through the words. Glancing to her right, Y/n recognizes a gentleman from the flight line whose name she could not recall. “You’re quite the talk around base. In fact, weren’t you in some Hollywood blockbuster?”

“Yes,” she politely responds, keeping the answer short. Though she was known to be a sweetheart and kindhearted to anyone she met, Y/n could tell where the interaction was heading toward and did not feel comfortable entertaining it any further. “A long time ago.”

“I’m Lieutenant Paul Billings,” he extended his hand, and she immediately clocked he was trying to show off his rank. ‘Boy he’s in for a treat.’

Not wanting to make a scene, she accepts the handshake. “Commander Y/n L/n,” there was emphasis on the Commander, displaying the woman was of higher rank and therefore a silent warning to Billings to not cross a line.

There was a flash of surprise on his face. Y/n held back an amused laugh, ‘guess you didn’t hear everything.’

“Something the matter, Lieutenant?”

“No,” he brushes it off, “Nothing. Say,” he nods to the bar, “can I buy you a drink.” Did he not just hear her order a round for the people she came with?

“That’s kind of you,” she starts just as Penny arrives with a try full of cold beers and her usual cocktail. “But I’m all set, thank you.” Hands moving to take the tray, she jumps slightly at the feeling of his own coming to her wrist.

“What about lunch this week?”

“I’m sorry but I am spoken for, Lieutenant,” removing his hold, Y/n takes a step away.

Now Paul had lost his reasonable composure. Scoffing, he says, “What? Am I not enough for you?” The question results in her raising a brow.

“I beg your pardon?”

He makes a face, “You think because you’ve done all these careers and occupations that you’re better than the average person? I’m not a pilot and an actor or researching the cure for cancer while creating a documentary series,” venom seeps through his tone, obviously depicting his jealousy, “Basic is not up to your standards, so you have to throw our failures in our face as if we don’t already know.”

By now a crowd has formed. Jake started moving the second he noticed Billings etching too close to his girl, followed by Nat and the others who were ready to back him up. Behind the bar, Penny was fixing to ring the bell until being stopped by Y/n’s wave of the hand.

“Are you done?”

Paul’s expression was that of, “what?” No audible response was voiced therefore Y/n continued.

“Okay, I’m gonna go ahead and say this, Paul,” Y/n drops her shoulder. The change in body language let Jake and her friends know she wasn’t taking anything that the man said personally. “I know I should be offended by your insults and insinuations, but the truth is I’m not.” A small smile forms on her lips, “I don’t view myself higher than anyone because of what I accomplished. The only person I do that to, is myself—because I don’t have to prove to no one but me that I am capable of achieving what I set my mind to. And yeah,” a light chuckle escapes, “I’ve set my mind to a lot of things—way more than the average person. But that doesn’t mean you or anyone else can’t do the same.”

Pausing Y/n takes a breath before exhaling, “You look at me, and hate the way it makes you view yourself. Makes you believe you’re a failure because you didn’t follow the path you hoped to make for yourself.” Paul’s expression shifts to one of solemnity, like he was thinking of his younger self who had dreams and aspirations. Mourning what could have been.

It made Y/n sad for him. Empathetic despite him attacking her. “One thing I’ve learned over the years…is time is what you make of it. Life is about taking risks. You can still set out to do whatever it is you wish, as long as you’re committing to taking the risk no matter how scary it is. Sure you’ll find obstacles and it’ll feel like the whole world is against you. But determination will guide you through the walls, and you will be successful so that you can look back and think, ‘it was worth it.’ As cliche as it sounds,” she couldn’t hold back a laugh, “Barbie isn’t a person or an object you can obtain. Barbie is a mindset. And you have to unlock it in your own way, Paul.”

It was so quiet in the building, a pin could drop and everyone would hear it. Their looks of awe, admiration, and even newfound motivation by Y/n’s speech. Impressed by how classy she handled what very well could have been a scream match between rival squadrons.

Behind Billings the Dagger squad stood with proud smirks at their friend. Especially Jake, who caught Y/n’s eyes and threw her a wink. Nat gave the woman a salute, a silent gesture to say, ‘you inspire me everyday.’

And Billings? Well he was at a loss for words.

Patting his shoulder, Y/n grabbed the tray of drinks, “I wish you luck, Paul.” Thanking Penny, who gave her a proud nod and replied, “this ones on the house,” Y/n returned to her friends where she was met with a sweet kiss from Jake, claps on the back and “You go girl!” “Tell them who’s boss.” “Damn, you made me wanna go out there and live life the way I should.”

“What’s stopping you, Javy?” she handed him a beer, “the world is your playground.”

A couple hours later it was time to call it a night. Hugs went around, promises to meet up the following night and tabs were closed.

On their way out, Jake dropped a kiss to Y/n forehead, pulling her close to him as he led her to the door of the parking lot, “So what’s next for you, doll? You’ve proved you can be anything and anyone you chose to be,” he grins at her, “What will you set your mind to now after space?”

“First, I want to write a book—I think that’s something a lot have been waiting for me to do. Afterwards, well, I’ll have to wait a couple more years, but,” The corner of Y/n’s lips lift up before flashing a dazzling smile, “I’m thinking….the Oval Office is in need of a makeover. Don’t you think?”

Then, before he could answer, Y/n turns her head in the opposite direction as if she’s trying to find a hidden camera. Makes eye contact with you, the reader, winking before turning back to Jake where she sets off on her next adventure.

…………….

TGM Tag List: @avaleineandafryingpan @caitsymichelle13 @poppyalice2001 @cutelittlepotatofry @luckyladycreator2 @americaarse @elenavampire21 @back-tooo-black @wildellaa @artemissunn @pinkpantheris

[neptunedivine]

astro observations pt. ii

hi! I hope you’re doing well! I know it's been a while. I have a lot of things I wanna talk about. But for now, here are some observations I've noted since I've been gone. I hope you enjoy the read!

mutable signs and intelligence ✧ ALL MUTABLE PLACEMENTS SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR THEIR INTELLIGENCE. Since Virgo and Gemini are both ruled by mercury, I feel like this is a given. Sagittarius rules the 9H which controls higher education, so the same thing can be said for them. But then people throw Pisces under the bus…as if Virgo isn’t their sister sign. I feel like people see sister signs as opposites of each other, but in reality, they have their sister’s traits in subtlety.

As a Pisces sun and mercury myself, I understand the anxiety my Virgo homies get, it’s f*cking intense. But will I ever feel it full throttle? I don’t think so and I’m thankful for it.

But yeah, Pisces placements are not airheads, their smart too. I just think their intelligence is out of the ordinary or just not palatable like the other signs.

9H suns ✧ Kind of an addendum to my last bullet, but a lot of 9H and 12H sun celebrities are really smart. I’ve noticed this with Kendrick Lamar because he’s a 9H sun (in Gemini @ 9° -- damn), and he’s considered a conscious rapper (a subgenre of hip-hop that focuses on creating awareness and imparting knowledge). When I think of him, his words always have meaning, they’re not said just because. The same thing can be said about SZA (9H Scorpio sun @ 16°) and Frank Ocean (12H Scorpio sun 4°).

I'm noticing that they're both Scorpio suns at a Cancer degree, I might investigate that more in the future.

When they put out a project, I get annoyed when people immediately have a response (in all I think I get annoyed when this happens to any long-awaited album), because with the lyricism they have, let the words marinate. Their words are never just face value, there's always a deeper meaning.

SZA is also just smart period. She went on this little biology rant a couple of weeks ago. I was shocked but I loved it. Idk sometimes I forget that celebrities have other traits because they choose what they present to their audience and a lot of the time that isn’t intelligence.

✧ Do any other Pisces mercuries talk in funny voices or accents a lot? Like an unhealthy amount? Just me? Okay.

✧ Undeveloped Pisces placements want yes men to their delusions.

LGBTQIA+ ✧ Having mutable + Aquarius Venus/Mars placements and/or aspects could be an indicator of identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Mutable placements are used to changing their mind a lot, so when it comes to who they’re interested in, they might not have a fixed answer. With aqua placements, they’re not used to sticking to the traditional. So going against the grain with who they’re romantically/sexually involved with is a common manifestation.

mars-jupiter and clumsiness ✧ Those with Mars-Jupiter aspects can be clumsy. Maybe because Mars can rule the physical body and Jupiter expands, they may be overestimating their range of motion.

aries/1H mars and headaches ✧ These placements can be prone to headaches, yes because Mars rules the physical body and anger, and Aries rules the head. But you guys are also quick to anger, so you kind of set yourself up for it. Breathe please, I don’t like seeing you stressed out babes.

aries/scorpio placements and tattoos ✧ Speaking of Aries placements, Aries and Scorpio placements, in general, could like tattoos, whether they want some themselves, have them, or just like the look of them. I feel like Venus and Mars placements are attracted to those who have tattoos, while Mercury placements could have the desire to tattoo people/become tattoo artists. If you have Aries/Scoripo in your midheaven, this could be a good career for you!

that’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed the post, see you later!

[yuseirra]

Ch 161~

Can't draw so much during the week..!

More commentary about 161..

I'm actually convinced Fatal and Mephisto should be Kamiki's song?? I think some things hint of it.

and that he DOES really care about Aqua.

and that he does have to do with Sarutahiko, Amenouzume's husband(although this part is a speculation)

More stuff in the read more:

(first written in another language and chatGPT helped me translate it... I can't write things like this twice ;v; it's a great world here. so convenient~)

Honestly, it's frustrating and a bit agonizing; what is this even about? The plot is stressful, but...

Still, being able to focus like this... I guess it’s a good thing to find a work that hooks you and makes you think deeply in some way.

LOL, it also means I’m living a life where I have enough time to care about a manga, even though I’m currently in a pretty tough spot.

This manga, whether it's in a good or bad direction, seems to be driving me crazy in its own way.

If I’m disappointed, I can always go read something else, (I even got permission from someone to draw a Persona fanfic fanart, but I’ve been too hooked on this manga to do it.. that fanfic was so good.. I need to do it sooner or later..).

But I was so confident about my analyses. Like, really... I’m usually good at picking up on these kinds of things? This manga is great at psychological portrayal, and it was amusing to analyze that, There are just too many things sticking out for me, and things feel uneasy.

It’s not about the pairing... It just keeps bothering me... Am I really missing the mark on this? I’m usually good at sensing these things...

Without the movie arc, this development would be fine, but that arc is sandwiched in there, and I interpreted the character based on that too...

Honestly, every time I listen to the songs, I get this strong feeling like, "This isn’t Aqua." The kind of emotions in these songs, it's not him that's singing them. It's the dad. I immediately posted about it when I first heard it in July. As soon as I heard it, I thought, "This is it," and got a gut feeling.

I really want to feel that emotion again.

Even if Kamiki does turn out to be a serial killer, I still think these songs could describe his inner state.

I think we’ll get some explanation in the next five chapters or so, even if it takes a bit longer.

Also, the expression Kamiki makes when Aqua stabs him is so genuine. Until that moment, he had been smiling, but...

If that expression was because he suddenly felt threatened with his life, it’s a bit pathetic. But... I don’t think that’s the case. What I really pay attention to are the emotional flow and expressions.

When Aqua says he wants to watch Ruby perform, the smile on Kamiki’s face... it’s soft. That’s... definitely a look of affection. It’s not like, “Oh, I've won him over!” or, “Yes, I’ve convinced him!” I interpreted it as Kamiki having paternal love, and there was a scene that backed up that idea earlier. I’m sure he really likes Aqua.

That’s not a bad expression. It’s more like, "Yeah, you wish to see Ruby, don't you. Go ahead, watch her. Keep living" (Which makes me wonder, is he really planning to harm Ruby? If he harms her, maybe he plans to do it after the Dome performance? But even that doesn’t make sense. Does that mean Aqua would have to come back to stab him AGAIN after that takes place?? Does it really add up to his logic for telling him to go watch her?)

Aqua says Kamiki will destroy Ruby’s future, but...

How exactly is he going to do that? Hasn't this guy literally done nothing? If they're talking about the Dome performance, at least that should go off without a hitch, right? So at least until then, Ruby would be safe?? So, Kamiki isn't planning to harm Ruby now at least, right? Even with that weird.. logic that he proposes (I hope he's lying about that tbh)

Then when Aqua smiles and says something like, "Haha, but I’ll just kill you and die with you," while pointing the knife at him again...

Kamiki’s expression at that moment really stands out, and it’s not like a twisted look of being frustrated about things not going his way. It’s not anger or annoyance he's feeling. It’s the same shocked and despairing expression we saw in chapters 146 and 153.

Aqua seems to have no clue what kind of person his father really is, huh? He can’t read him at all.

Honestly, from the way Kamiki speaks, I get the impression that he’s actually quite kind. He’s not saying anything too wrong.

Remember the scene where Ruby gets angry because people were talking carelessly about Ai’s death? Kamiki probably knows about that too. I think Aqua and Ai, and Ruby and Kamiki, are quite alike in nature. Kamiki might’ve felt a lot of grief over Ai at that time. I do believe he loved Ai.

The phrase, "People don’t want the truth," is pretty painful, especially if you think about Ai. That’s why Ai lived telling lies. Isn't Kamiki thinking about what's happened to her, then? By bringing that up? He should have felt it, loving/watching a person like her and what unfolded.. Ai died because of the truth that she had kids with him. Ugly fans like Ryosuke and Nino couldn't take her being less than perfect. Wouldn't this have hurt Kamiki too? The fact that they loved each other(At least Ai did genuinely, we know that) was unwanted. People could not accept that, and that's one of the reasons why they had to break up.

From the way Kamiki talks, it feels like he genuinely doesn’t want his son or daughter to go through that kind of pain.

I think Kamiki has a pretty good nature. When you look at how he speaks, it’s gentle, and he seems to genuinely care about Aqua and knows a lot about him. Maybe he’s been watching over him from afar for a long time? He probably even knows who his son has feelings for.

It really feels like Kamiki is trying to persuade him: "I’m fine with dying. But you, you have so many reasons to live, right? Shouldn’t you return to the people you care about?"

And, the way Kamiki reacts after Aqua stabs him also shows it. He’s visibly agitated afterward. His expression noticeably shifts to panic and darkness.

Wait... stop it, don’t do this! That’s what he says.

The way he’s talking to Aqua in that moment.

It’s not like, “How dare you?” but more like, “Aqua, please don’t do this.”

It really seems like he doesn’t want Aqua to die.

He’s really shocked by it.

From his expressions, he seems more shocked by Aqua getting stabbed than by his own fall, like he didn’t even know how to react properly. He's being grabbed onto but he isn't looking at the hands that are grabbing him, his line of sight is on Aqua there

The final expression he makes can seem really pathetic, but...

Oh man, I think that’s the truth of that situation.

And it makes sense because Ai dreamed of raising her kids with this guy. I think he could’ve been a really great father who adored his kids... at least until the point they separated. He was just really young back then.

Doesn’t this guy really love his kids? Even without the movie arc, there have been hints of his concern for them.

I’m not trying to interpret him kindly just because I particularly like or find this character attractive.

If he’s a serial killer psychopath, then yeah, he should die here. When I first got spoiled, my reaction was completely merciless. "Well, he should die if he's like that," I said. But...

I don’t think that’s the case. It really seems like he cares about Aqua.

Oh, and Kamiki’s soul being noble in the past is mentioned, right?

So, he was a good person before?

Well, I guess I wasn’t totally off in reading his character? LOL.

Does that mean he could be a fallen god?(could be a stretch, but there IS a lyric in fatal about fallenness!!!)

Sarutahiko is often described as a "noble" and "just" god, so it’s quite possible that Kamiki’s true nature is based on Sarutahiko, the husband of Ame-no-Uzume = Ai.

That couple was very affectionate, and according to the Aratate Shrine description, they even go as far as blessing marital relationships. Those gods really love each other. In that case, Ai being so fond and loving of Hikaru also makes sense. It could explain why she asked her kids to save him...

So, can't “Fatal” be his song? Maybe he’s fallen from grace?

The lyrics in "Fatal" say things like, "What should I use to fill in what’s missing?" Could that be about human lives? But did he really kill people? How can you save someone after that? That’s why I don’t think he went that far.

"Without you, I cannot live anymore"

“I would sacrifice anything for you”

This isn’t Aqua. This is Kamiki.

Would Aqua do that much for Ai? He shouldn’t be so blind.

When I listened to "Fatal," I immediately thought of "Mephisto" because the two songs are so similar in context.

They’re sung by the same narrator, aren’t they? That made it clear what Kamiki’s purpose was, which is why I started drawing so much about him and Ai after that.

He keeps saying he’ll give up his life and that he wants to see Ai again. This isn’t Aqua! These feelings are different from what Aqua has.

At first, I thought because Ruby = Amaterasu, with Tsukuyomi having shown up, and Aqua perhaps having relations to Susanoo (he’s falling into the sea this time, right? LOL) I wondered if Ai and her boyfriend’s story was based on the major myth of Izanagi and Izanami, since they’re so well-known.

That myth is famous for how the husband tries to save his wife after she dies, though he fails in the end.

The storyline is similar to Mephisto’s, so I thought, "Could this be it?"

And then I realized Sarutahiko and Ame-no-Uzume's lores also fit really well. Ai thinking Kamiki was like a jewel when they first met is similar to how Ame-no-Uzume saw Sarutahiko shining when they first met. Sarutahiko guiding Ame-no-Uzume is similar to how Hikaru taught Ai how to act. They even had descendants that have a title that means "maiden who's good at dancing" The two also fell for each other at first sight. The shrine the characters visit in the story is supposedly where those two met and married. If they REALLY are those gods in essence, It feels like something went wrong with the wish because one or both of them became twisted.

Anyway, I think Kamiki was originally noble but fell from grace, and it’s likely that Ai’s death was the catalyst.

But I’m not sure if he really went as far as killing people.

What is Tsukuyomi even talking about? I’ve read it several times, and I still don’t fully understand.

I really hope she's wrong because… killing others to make Ai’s name carry more weight? That doesn’t make any sense. What does “the weight of her name” supposed to mean?? I don't think that's something that should be taken just at face value, I feel like there's more behind this idea.

What kind of logic is that? And on top of that, I can’t understand why Ai’s life would become more valuable if Kamiki dies. It just doesn’t follow.

Why would he even say that?

He must be really confident... Does he think he’s someone greater than Ai?

Even so, how does it connect?

I read two books today, because I started wondering if my reading comprehension has dropped. Thankfully, I’m still able to read books just fine. It’s not like I can’t read, you know? I’ve taken media literacy classes and pride myself on not having terrible reading comprehension.

I tried to make sense of what exactly the heck this may mean, and I think.. if it were to mean something like, “I’ll offer my life as a sacrifice to Ai,” I’d at least get that. That kind of logic, in a way, has some practical meaning.

Kamiki talked about sacrifices? tributes? offerings? in chapter 147. I really remember certain scenes clearly because I’ve gone over them carefully. In that case, if Kamiki dies, then the weight or value of his life would transfer to Ai, and that would “help” her, right?

If the story is going in that direction,

when I look at “Mephisto” and “Fatal,” I can see that by doing this, Kamiki would have a chance to either save Ai or get closer to her. At least that makes some sense.

But is it really right for Ai to ask someone to save Kamiki, who killed others? As soon as the idea of it came up, I knew something was up.

Because of what Ai's wanted, I think it’s possible that Kamiki didn’t actually go that far. In the songs, they talk about gathering light and offering something, but they don’t say anything about killing people… Kamiki said he’d sacrifice his own life. People around him may have died, but…

Kamiki’s true personality doesn’t seem like the type to do that… And looking at his actions when Aqua was stabbed??

He hasn’t shown any direct actions yet, so I still don’t know how far he’d actually go.

It’s not that I don’t believe Tsukuyomi’s words entirely,

but I don’t think the conclusion is going to be something like, “Ai should’ve never met Kamiki.”

Every time we see Kamiki’s actual actions, there’s this strange gentleness to him, and that’s what’s confusing me.

The more I look closely, the weirder it feels, and something about it just bothers me. If Kamiki were truly just a completely crazy villain, I’d think, “Oh, so that’s who he is,” and I wouldn’t deny it.

But each time, I start thinking that maybe Ai didn’t meet someone so strange after all? Ai liked him that much, so on that front, it makes sense to me. I want to believe that’s the right conclusion. I mean, doesn’t what he says sound kind? Isn’t he gentle?

No, but seriously, when Kamiki listened to Aqua’s reasons for wanting to live, I thought his expression was warm. It didn’t seem like some calculated expression like “according to plan” like Light Yagami. It felt more like a fond, affectionate expression. I draw too, you know. I pay a lot of attention to expressions. This character often makes expressions that really stand out.

It’s like he’s genuinely trying to convince Aqua not to do anything reckless. Maybe I’m being soft on Kamiki because he’s Ai’s boyfriend? But actually, it’s not like that?

I mean, I’m the type who’s like, “Anyone who did something bad to Ai should die!!” It’s because he’s a character. If this were a real person, I wouldn’t so casually tell someone to go die or say such strong things.

But… he seems like a good person.

+It’s a small thing, but why did Kamiki drop his phone while talking about Ruby? Ppft If you drop it from that height, it’d probably crack. Was he trying to look cool? (It’s an Apple phone, huh.) Is he a bit clumsy? Well... since it looks like him and Aqua are about to fall into the sea, maybe it was a blessing he did so. The phone might be saved after all. If he manages to climb out of there, he could contact someone with that phone.

[sl-newsie]

Spelled (Descendants x Sanderson Daughter): Red's Rising

“A 5-year graduation reunion?”

“Yes, following the opening ceremony for the upcoming school year. That’s next week.”

Fairy Godmother’s sink in. How has it already been five years? 

“But I didn’t officially graduate,” I reply with an arched brow. “Got run out of school, remember?”

The kind woman smiles and takes my hand. “You’ll be awarded a diploma nonetheless.”

An official education? Sounds fancy. But the past years of studying witchcraft have taught me far more than any textbook could. 

“This means that you can apply to be an official member of the Magic Committee.”

My eyes widen. Five years ago I would have killed to be on the council. To be taken seriously. But time can change one’s perspective.

“With all due respect,” I start slowly. “I think my place in Auradon lies somewhere else rather than discussing politics. Something… independent.”

She nods in understanding, though still saddened at my decision. “Will you be staying for the reunion?”

“Of course.” Now to tackle a different topic. “You mentioned that you have a meeting with Uma?”

Fairy Godmother’s eyes light up. “Oh! Yes! She’s probably on her way now. Um, would you like to stay? She can be a bit… bold.”

I chuckle and stand up from the couch. “Uma’s like that with everyone. I’m sorry but I’ve already promised Ben I would meet with him.”

I give her a final handshake and pass through the room, taking a moment to look at Carlos’ portrait hanging proudly on the wall. He would have been proud to see Auradon’s program come this far. How much everyone’s accomplished. Jane, being the ambitious go-getter she is, became a foreign exchange student in Auradon. Audrey, having found love in planning Mal’s wedding, became a wedding planner. Tiffany’s been working at Miss Muffett’s, Fiona landed her own spot on the Magic Committee, Lonnie is a member of the royal guard, Doug’s the best security technician in the kingdom, and Rosaline appropriately became a hair product saleswoman.

Back in the courtyard, Ben and Mal are waiting. Packed luggage waits next to them.

“Late honeymoon?” I joke.

The beared king laughs. “No, this isn’t a pleasure trip.”

“We’re sailing the Trident Seas for international diplomacy,” Mal says. “Ben says he’s wanted to do it for a long time but our kingdom needed to be dealt with first.

I remember hearing his dreams like it was yesterday. “And you left Uma in charge? Smart choice.”

“Well since FG’s being made the President of Auradon University, Uma will bring order for the time being. We thought about asking you, but…”

“I’m not exactly jumping for joy to boss around kids,” I finish for her. “You read my mind.” I snicker. “I gave up being Royal Advisor ages ago. Honestly, all the politics and rules are starting to bore me. I’ll pass.”

Honk honk!

The familiar limo drives up and Remus pokes his head out. “Time to set sail!”

The couple gives me one final group hug and they both climb in. Before they take off for the harbor Remus gives me a wave.

“Still up for that walk by the Bewitched River?”

A blush colors my cheeks. “Yes, when you get back!” I call as he starts to drive.

“A walk?” Uma taunts from behind.

I groan and turn around to face the aqua-haired VK. “Yes. A walk, nothing more.”

“Sounds like a date,” she smirks. “You deserve a treat, Sparky.”

“Treat? I want a treat!” A voice whines.

Dude comes bounding across the lawn and jumps onto a rock. The sight of the mutt makes me smile. After all these years he’s still got spunk.

“On a different note,” Uma continues. “I’m about to go talk to FG about my plans. I’ve decided to include Wonderland in our student program.”

Wonderland. Hm. I’ve heard rumors but never gone too deep down the rabbit hole. Literally. 

But Uma’s not finished. “And I’d like you to be in charge of magic security.”

My thinking comes to a halt. Magic security? Must be a new position. But why bring me into this? Uma knows I’m not a fan of high authority.

“No one else can? What about Fiona or Bianca?”

Uma pretends to think deeply. “Hm. A snippy fairy, or the most powerful witch in Auradon? It’s an easy choice. I trust you.”

Trust. The word feels refreshing. But the unknown of Wonderland still leaves me uneasy.

“Uma, is this a good idea?”

She takes a deep breath. “Magica. We both know what it’s like to grow up in an unwanted place. I need you to help me make the new student feel welcomed. How do you think she’ll react when she gets here?”

Uma’s right. This girl’s past could potentially mirror my own, or any other VK’s for that matter. 

“I can’t speak for others, but she could very well be scared. Auradon isn’t like Wonderland and she might need help adjusting.”

“Sound familiar?” Uma asks, then gives me a pleading look. “Please.”

Dude nuzzles against my boots, almost giving a sign to say yes.

“You’re right. And if Carlos were here, he’d say the same thing.”

One week flies by and before I know it it’s time to welcome the new students. If only some of the old ones weren’t leaving.

“Will you be returning to Oz?” I ask Evangaline as she hauls her luggage across the courtyard.

My green cousin stops to give me a tight hug.

“Yes. It’s my home. I’d love to explore Auradon more but I’ve been waiting so long to be home.”

“You’ve made wonderful progress at Auradon Prep,” I smile. “Your parents will be proud.”

Evangeline squeezes my hand. “And so will your mom.”

Mother. I do miss her. The spellbook containing my family is still safe at home but the thought of bringing them back has been taunting my conscience for the past year.

“Oh by the way, how’s Willow?”

Hilarious. Another jab from my past. After the whole turning Willow into a plant situation, I reversed the spell and returned her back to normal. In a sputtering mess Willow apologized and seemed to grow a genuine fear of me. I reassured her that there are no more hard feelings. 

“She wrote me last month. Said she’s settled in Charmington.”

“It’s good to hear that not all Sandersons are afraid of letting go of a grudge.” Evangaline finishes packing her luggage into her green car and gives me one last hug. “Goodbye, cousin.”

“Safe travels.”

So off drives another friend. Maybe I can make some new ones- Or rekindle old friendships.

“All set, Remus?” I ask as I approach the red head, who's wearing a spiffy white suit.

“I guess so. Uma’s stationed me near the front gate to inspect the cars.”

Is it wrong to think of how cute he looks in his suit? These past years have allowed my heart to heal from grieving Carlos, but have also allowed for me to detach from the idea of having only one true love. I know deep down that Carlos wouldn’t want me to keep myself stuck on him, so I’ve slowly been moving on. Remus has been nothing but patient and understanding. But has that been through friendship, or something more?

“Excuse me, where do we check in?” A dark-haired girl asks. “I’m Jade, by the way. Jasmine’s daughter.”

“Oh, of course! Right over there.” I point to the forming line.

Goodness, everyone showed up for the opening ceremony. Yzma’s daughter Yanitza, the Madrigals, Sylvia, King Arthur’s heir Adam. I can’t believe all these people have traveled here just to be part of this!

“Magica!” And here comes Lonnie in her new uniform. “Magica, since you’re now the head of magic security I thought I should touch base on a few things. Merida has set a perimeter just in case the Queen of Hearts isn’t so friendly. Where would you like us to escort Queen Anna?”

This all feels too familiar to when I was Royal Advisor. Only this time instead of carrying out Ben’s wishes I’m being asked for my own perspective. It’s starting to grow on me.

“I think the best place would be the tea room, so she won’t be crowded. She can give her speech after Uma kicks things off.”

The soldier nods. “Good choice. It’s better to think ahead before everyone gets here and starts running a-muck.”

Uh-Oh.

My eyes spark and I hold my hands stiffly to my sides. No, no! Not now- But it’s too late. I start clapping and twirling around, unable to control myself. 

“A-muck, a-muck, a-muck-!”

“Easy now,” a calm voice says and I feel someone behind me. It’s Remus. 

“Is she okay?” Lonnie asks.

“Just excited, that’s all,” he replies and rests his hands on my shoulders, wearing a big grin. “Aren’t you?”

I get my own sheepish smile and look to the ground. Lord, why today? 

“Thanks,” I mutter once Lonnie’s gone.

“Don’t fret about it. I think it’s cute.” Remus suddenly gets a concerned expression when he sees someone behind me. “Is that them?”

I turn around to see who he’s talking about. It is. The Royal Hearts family themselves. Their clothing practically screams red royalty. The queen’s wearing a blood-red gown with roses making up the skirt. A giant heart is formed into her bodice and collar. Her daughter obviously shares her tastes. Her leather outfit reminds me of Mal’s old one, only it’s red too. Patterned with hearts, of course. They each share the same red hair, only Red’s is curlier.

And no one looks happy to see them.

Everyone gasps in horror and scatters out of the way as the red royals march up to the school entrance. The princess’ look hides a smidgen of apology for their harshness but the queen’s enjoying their fear. We watch them get to the line. People are still tense- Except for Queen Cinderella. Is it just me or does it look like they know each other? The red queen’s icy glare shows dangerous chemistry between them. It seems to be spreading to their daughters as well.

“I’ll go handle them,” I assure Remus and make my way over.

 I’ve never personally met Chad’s younger sister Chloe but from what I’ve heard she’s a lamb compared to the other Charming sibling. The blue-haired girl sees me approaching and she gets a giddy smile.

“Oh! You’re Magica Sanderson! I’ve heard so much about you!”

Her excitement to see me is not shared by Red. She gives an annoyed groan and leans against the wall while her mother banters with Chloe’s mom. Uma’s guess about Red wanting to be here could be right if the Queen of Hearts wasn’t so keen on spreading her ego today.

Meow!

Something claws at my skirt. A feline I haven’t seen in years.

“Twilight?” I gasp and scoop up the black and white cat. “Where have you been, you frisky kitty?”

“He hitched a ride with us from Wonderland,” Red speaks up. “She must have fallen down the rabbit hole.” She scans me with uncertainty. While all the other AKs are wearing cheerful sundresses, my own attire of a purple corset dress and laced boots sticks out like a sore thumb. “You are… different. Are you a VK too?”

“Indeed. Magica Sanderson, at your service, Princess Red.”

She huffs a laugh. “Red, please. Being a princess is being a prisoner.”

So I’m right. Red does want to be here but it’s to escape her mother’s parenting. Can’t say I blame her given my own family history.

“Try being the daughter of a witch who wants to eat children’s souls,” I joke lightly.

Red chuckles. “Touché. Eh, no matter. Once school starts I’m gonna paint Auradon red.” Um, alright. Not sure what to say to that. She looks around the courtyard with slight surprise. “How did commoners get in?”

How different are things in Wonderland? 

“Actually royal status doesn’t matter at Auradon Prep,” I explain gently. “At least it shouldn’t. There are some, not giving names, that still hold themselves high for it.”

Chloe rolls her eyes. “Stop the teasing, I know you mean Chad.”

“Yes. Remind me, how did he get into college?” I mutter under my breath with a doubtful tone. 

“What about her?” Red points to a ‘“commoner” girl on the bench reading a book.

“That’s Annie Kelly. Her mother runs the orphanage and her father works in our stables.”

Red nods and points to another new student. “And him?”

“That’s her cousin Denton Jacobs. His parents work for the biggest newspress in Auradon- I’ll take that.” I reach out and swipe another boy’s cigar.

“Hey! That’s my cigar!” he whines.

My eyes narrow and I wave a finger at him. “No smoking in public places.”

He scowles and takes off sprinting to follow some other kids. “I wasn’t gonna smoke it!”

“Antonio Higgins, if I catch you running again you’ll be scrubbing floors for a month!” I warn. “Celia, Elvin, stop encouraging him!”

Forget magic security. My biggest challenge is going to be keeping these rascals in check.

“By the way, do you know Maddie Hatter?” I ask Red.

“I know her brother, Maddox. He’s my tutor. And my… friend.” She pauses. “I talk to him when mom’s not being the friendliest… which is often.”

Oh. Red’s got so much potential. Why does her mother have to hold her back?

“Coming from someone whose aunt worships the Devil, I know what it’s like to not get along with family.”

Red’s stern gaze softens. “How do you deal with it?”

“I don’t let my heritage define my future. At first I never thought I could fit in at Auradon Prep, much less make friends. It took some time, and a few mishaps, but it’s how I’m here now. That, and it helps that my coven is locked away in a spellbook.”

That sparks her interest but we’re interrupted when Cinderella walks over.

“Hello, dears!” She smiles kindly at us and playfully nudges Chloe. “I hope my daughter’s behaving.”

Chloe rolls her eyes. “Yes, mom.”

“I’m going to miss you.” Cinderella squeezes her into a hug. “And so will your father.”

She walks off into the courtyard to take a seat. I’ll admit her daughter is a peach compared to Chad, but how did he not end up with the blue hair?

Chloe groans. “School's gonna be a break from my family. I love them dearly but I’m sick of seeing my parents make heart eyes at each other.”

Red and I share a look. We were just discussing our troubled family dynamics and she complains of having loving parents?

Uh-oh. The red queen’s noticed us and is coming this way.

“Darling!” She smiles tightly and pulls Red to her, eyeing me closely. “Who is this?”

Careful. Don’t set off her temper. If it’s anything like Aunt Winnie’s I want no part of it and I don’t feel like having my head chopped off. 

I curtsey politely. “Magica Sanderson, your Royal Highness.”

The queen tilts her head. “Finally, someone who recognizes power. The daughter of Winifred Sanderson. I should have guessed from that ridiculous pointed hat.”

“Actually I am Sarah’s daughter,” I correct her.

She puts a hand to her chest and chuckles. “Oh that’s bupkis. How is the daughter of Sarah so… level-headed?” 

My jaw drops. It’s like a broken record. The instant people begin to respect my heritage, someone comes along and kicks it into the mud. Red catches my appalled reaction and leads the queen away, who's still laughing at me.

“Don’t listen to her,” Chloe says. “Maybe being in Auradon will help change her.”

I scoff. “Which one? The prejudiced killer queen or her clone of a daughter?”

Normally I wouldn’t think such dark thoughts but how much more must I have fingers pointed at me? Instead of screaming in terror at my name the queen mocks my mother’s dumb kindness.

“Come on, Magica!” Chloe pulls me along. “It’s starting!”

Maybe the welcome ceremony will lift my spirits. Fairy Godmother stands ready on stage and signals for everyone to be quiet.

“Attention please! Parents and students, it has been a great privilege to serve you. But the time has come for another to take my place. So please join me in welcoming Auradon Prep’s new principal!” 

We all turn to see Uma’s crew flipping down the aisle chanting her name. Out strides Uma, making her grand entrance as usual. Hasn’t lost her touch.

“What’s my name?” She asks the crew.

“Uma!” 

She smirks and points to the audience. “That’s Principal Uma to you. So you better get it straight, or you’ll be walking the plank.”

“She’s just kidding, just kidding!” Fairy Godmother assures the crowd.

“I never got to go to Auradon Prep. But as its captain I am proud to be charting a new course to a bright future. Beyond the old ways of heroes and villains.” Uma finds me standing in the back and we both nod. “So in that spirit I’d like to welcome Princess Red of Wonderland.”

Everyone looks expectantly at Red but the royal red pair remains seated. The queen seems to be toying with something… Playing cards?

“Excuse me.” The queen’s head rises to look at Uma. “Do you mind?” she asks kindly.

"I do, actually,” she replies tartly, looking at the crowd. “Hm.”

“Mom, what are you doing?” Red asks nervously.

“Oh, I’m playing my favorite game.” She chuckles as she stands and shuffles the deck. “Waaaarrrr!”

The queen’s Hellish cackle fills the air. She throws the cards into the sky, causing a cloud of red cascading across the sun. Pop! Pop! What in the name of Auradon-? They’re soldiers?!

Red heart soldiers pop from the cards and land all around, caging us in. The queen flicks out more cards and they block the exits. Uma’s trying her best to fight the soldiers with her sword but I can already tell it won’t be enough. Where’s-? Fairy Godmother! She has her wand!

“Bibbidi bobbity-”

The red queen’s icy glare stares her down. “No.”

Another card flicks across and collides with the wand, snapping it in two. Dear God. 

Fairy Godmother stands there still as stone, trying to piece together what just happened. Red’s watching it all with the same expression.

“No! Let go of me!” Uma grunts.

There’s no way I can fight these soldiers hand to hand. Even my most powerful magic is too dangerous to use. I could hurt the captives. Oh! My invisibility cloak!

I slip it on just in time to see the queen striding towards Fairy Godmother with a triumphant smirk.

Red’s still shocked. “Mom, this is crazy! Even for you!”

“Crazy, crazy that it’s taken this long,” her mother mutters with malice. “I have been waiting years to be welcomed back into Auradon! So thank you, Red. You finally did something useful.”

Red’s invitation. Her mother used it to infiltrate Auradon when our guard was lowered. She can't even be proud of her daughter for wanting an education.

“I should've known this was never about me,” Red whispers, shaking her head.

Her mom’s eyes narrow. “Everything I do is for you.”

“That was my invitation. My school. My life.”

“Someday you’ll thank me.” She pats Red’s shoulder and smiles at Fairy Godmother, holding what looks like a small mirror. “Oh! And we’ve already seen the ending. Spoiler alert! We win.”

Through the scrambling crowd Cinderella makes her way to the front, only to be stopped by the queen’s guards. “Stop it, Bridget. You’re better than this.”

Her Cheshire grin sends chills down my spine. “Let her through.”

The guards comply and push the blue royal ahead.

“This is too far. I know what happened was hard on you but that was ages ago.”

Talk about never forgetting. And I thought my family held grudges.

The red queen simply looks down at her with murder in her narrowed eyes. “Feels like yesterday to me.”

Cinderella shakes her head “It was a stupid prank.”

“Stupid? Who could forgive humiliating a girl at her first dance? Turning me into a monster in front of everyone? Now that’s just cruel.”

“You’re right,” Cinderella admits.

The red royal sneers. “You didn’t care then. You were off with your prince. Ooh, but you will now. You will all show me the respect I deserve!” She points down at her. “Now kneel.”

“I will never kneel to a tyrant,” the blue queen rejects.

“Ugh. She’s denied a royal order.” The Queen of Hearts looks at her daughter. “What do we do about that, darling?”

This whole time Red’s stayed quiet. There’s no denying the guilt behind her eyes. She’s too young to be given an order to kill someone.

“Look. All you have to do is pledge allegiance. Is that so hard?”

Cinderella also seems to see she’s hesitant. “If it means giving up everything I stand for, yes.”

Her mom is getting impatient. “Who are you loyal to, Red? Hm? These strangers? Or your mother? Hm? Now make me proud. For once.”

Ouch.

“Come on, Bridget. Even your daughter knows it’s wrong. She can’t do it.”

That sparks something. Why did she have to say that? That’s just edging Red on even further!

“Treason. She’s guilty of treason!” Red declares to the crowd of captured guests.

“Exactly right, my dear. And that means off with her head!” 

Lightning crackles across the sky. An execution? Lord, I have to do something! But what?

“Shoo.” The red queen waves her hand at the guards, signaling for them to drag Cinderella away. 

“It’s gonna be ok, Chloe.”

But her daughter is far from calm. “Mom? Mom!”

“I love you! Be strong, Chloe!”

The blue royal is dragged away to the dungeon. Chloe tries to follow but the guards block her path. She grips her sword and stands to challenge the red royals.

“That’s not fair! Let her go!”

The queen shows mock surprise. “Oh, bless your heart.”

Chloe charges with her sword held high. In the corner of my eye Red’s pulling something out. A pocket watch-?

Flash!

The two girls collide and a snap of light engulfs them. I’ve seen some strange magic in my time but that was something completely new. That was no portal, no spell… What could possibly have caused them to vanish?

“Oof!”

One of the guards crashes into me, sending us both tumbling to the ground and my cloak slips off. Oh no-!

“Well well, what have we here?” The red queen looks down at me. “Here, let’s fix you up, shall we?”

She snaps her fingers and another guard hauls me to my knees. Ow! I feel them clasp something around my neck- A metal collar. Attached to a red chain.  

“Stop this madness!” I order and hold up a hand. But no magic sparks to life. An enchanted collar?

“Obey, Sanderson.” The queen yanks the chain and I fall to the muddy ground. “Do you want these people to suffer?”

“Let her go!” I hear Remus growl somewhere.

The queen huffs. “No.”

He fights his way forward. His suit is just as torn as my dress. “Take me instead!”

Wh-What? No, Remus! What are you doing?

“Hm. A Sanderson witch or a simple peasant? I don’t think so.” Guards seize Remus and force him to kneel. The red royal approaches him slowly with an intrigued smirk. “Interesting… Oh, how precious! You love her.”

My pulse snaps. Love? 

Remus doesn’t back down. He keeps glaring up at her with his jaw set tight. In a split second his gaze flickers to mine. He’s biting his tongue. Why would he speak out to save me? Quit it, Remus! She’ll chop off your head!

“Yes. I love her. Please don’t hurt her anymore.”

My jaw drops. He loves me? 

“And I thought your father was pathetic,” the queen sneers. “The question is does she return your love?”

Everyone’s eyes turn down to me. Do I love him…? Yes. I do love you, Remus. Despite my stubborn mind telling me not to, my heart can’t let you go. But how can I answer yes? She’ll use Remus as leverage against me. I can’t put him at further risk.

My lip quivers as I lift my saddened eyes to the diabolical royal. “No. I do not love him.”

It’s convincing, because the reaction it gets from Remus shows me his heart just broke. I know that look all too well. I’m so sorry.

“Aw, boo-hoo,” the queen mocks and waves her hand. “Lock her away and I’ll find use for her later. Maybe a housemaid.”

Locked away. My fears are coming true. Go ahead, Royal Highness. Lock me away in the dark where no one can ever find me. I’ve been broken before, I can heal again. But will Remus?

The chain is tugged and I’m forced to follow, but suddenly a man bursts through the crowd. The guards grab him just before he reaches the queen.

“Ah, Charming. So nice to see you again.”

He must be Chloe and Chad’s father. God, how to tell him his wife is being executed and his daughter has vanished?

“Where is she? Where’s Cinderella?” he demands.

“Why? Are you looking for these?” The red royal holds up a gleaming pair of silver heels that’s just been handed to her. Oh Lord. I’m too late.

Charming’s face falls. “What have you done?”

She lazily flings them to the ground and they shatter. The king falls to his knees and reaches out for the gleaming shards.

“Not so funny now, am I?”

“No… No! No!” I screech as I’m pulled away. 

“Quiet!” The guard leading me barks. 

I hang my head in shame, crawling pathetically down stone stairs into the inky darkness. Whatever prison or dungeon this is, none will ever be able to hide my disgrace.

“In here!”

The sound of creaking metal means a door is being opened. The guard grips my torso and tosses me in, locking the cell. How did I let this happen? I was supposed to be in charge of magic security. Is there no right place for me in Auradon?

How long has it been? How many more innocent lives have been slaughtered because of the queen’s rage? Why must she keep me locked down here instead of killing me too?

Thud thud thud!

Hurried footsteps alert me to look up. Someone’s coming. Probably to finish the job-

“Remus?” I gasp weakly.

He kneels down and clings the bars separating us. How can he still love me after what I said? Why would he risk coming down here?

“I’m sorry, I had to see you. I-I’m sorry about earlier…” He pants and hangs his head. “I know what you’ve been through and never want you to feel that pain again. But… I love you, Magica.” He softly presses his hand to mine. “Even though you’ll hate me-”

“No, no,” I quickly interrupt. I’m not going through this again. I’m not pretending to not love someone anymore. “Remus I could never hate you. I… I think I love you too. Even though I’m supposed to have only one true love.” I try to ease the atmosphere with a small chuckle. “Guess I cheated Fate after all.”

Remus’ melancholy face shifts to one of bewildered enchantment. He leans his forehead against the bars and slips a hand through to caress my cheek. I’d forgotten what it’s like to feel loved. I miss it.

“Is this okay?” he asks softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

“No tricks,” I answer honestly and press a soft kiss to his cheek through the bars.

If there was no cage separating me I would bury myself in his arms and give all the love I have left. But even through this small act Remus moans against the bars to show his affection.

“I won’t let them hurt you,” he promises and gets up to search for the key. “I’ll get you out of here-”

I grab his hand to stop him. “No. If I rebel against the queen she’ll hurt you.”

Remus kneels down again, this time with a stern look. “Do not ask me to have to witness you walking to the courtyard to have your head chopped off.”

Aw. Gory, but still very sweet. He’s-

Snap!

Ow! Something tugs at my head, almost as if an invisible knife is slicing through my brain. I buckle down and Remus starts panicking.

“Something’s happening…” I grunt in pain.

“Magica! What’s wrong?”

“Something’s… changing.”

Indeed, I feel the magic around us being warped. What-?

Flash!

“What’s my name?” She asks the crew.

“Uma!” 

She smirks and points to the audience. “That’s Principal Uma to you. So you better get it straight, or you’ll be walking the plank.”

“She’s just kidding, just kidding!” Fairy Godmother assures the crowd.

“I never got to go to Auradon Prep. But as its captain I am proud to be charting a new course to a bright future. Beyond the old ways of heroes and villains.” She finds me standing in the back and we both nod. “So in that spirit I’d like to welcome Princess Red of Wonderland.”

Everyone looks expectantly for Red but she’s staying near the back while her mother remains seated. The queen seems to be toying with something… Playing cards?

“Excuse me.” The queen’s head rises to look at Uma. “Do you mind?” she asks kindly.

I do, actually,” she replies.

“Mom, what are you doing?” Red asks nervously.

“We’re my favorite game.” She chuckles as she stands and shuffles the deck. “Hearts!”

The queen’s red and white gown stands out in the crowd. Wait. I could've sworn her dress was all red. And she’s… smiling? The cards fly across the sky and pop into heart-shaped bubbles. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” She apologizes to the crowd. “I couldn’t help myself, I’m just so excited for my daughter to be here.”

Her loving gaze traces back to Red, who’s approaching with her own smile. 

“Well nothing I say is gonna top that, so… Have a great year, y’all!” Uma finishes.

Something changed. But what? It feels like a faint dream but I swear I was imprisoned in chains.

The crowd laughs in delight as Twilight and Dude run to and fro through the sea of people. While the students and parents dance and enjoy the snack table I walk up to the redhead VK. 

“I don’t know what you did, but you’ve proven to be good, Red. But thou be warned: manipulating the future has a cost. The bill will come due.”

But before she can respond her mother tugs her away for a dance. Uma walks up from behind and we both watch Red and Chloe jig about.

“Getting your way can be dangerous when you mess with the fabric of time,” Uma says. “They did something, didn’t they?”

I nod. “You and I both sense it. Something shifted not too long ago.”

Just then Remus walks into the room with Adam in tow. Remus. Does he-? Could that have been a dream too? Or maybe…

“Go to him,” Uma says. “It’s time you went on a date, Sparky. Though I never pinned you for a ginger fan.”

I roll my eyes. “Uma-”

“No, no, I get it!” She holds her hands up defensively. “A Rumpelstiltskin and a Sanderson? It sounds like a match! Now go.”

She pushes me forward and I nearly trip on my skirt.

“Okay, okay, I’m going!” I giggle. God, please let it be so. “Remus! Can I talk to you? Alone?”

The spark in his eye tells me he does feel the same. “Sure! See ya later, Adam.”

He offers an arm, which I graciously take, and we walk out to the gardens where it’s less noisy and more private.

“So, what’s on your mind?” he asks. “I think today went pretty good.”

“Remus, would you like to go out on a date sometime?”

The question throws him off guard. Remus stops in his tracks and looks at me as if an angel just descended. 

“Wha- Really? Yes! How did you know?”

“I just… Know. Once upon a time you might have confessed to me. Not that you remember- It’s complicated.”

Remus shrugs and nudges my shoulder. “You know best. So… Does that offer for a date still stand?”

I nudge him back with a playful smile. “Yes.”

He catches my gaze again and we stop walking. No words, just two young people testing the waters. Time truly is a fickle thing. We’re not quite grown-ups, but I’m worlds away from where I used to be. Who I used to be. Maybe Remus is the person who’s been there for me all along.

Remus breaks the silence. “Does this mean things are normal again?” he whispers.

I have to stop myself from smirking. “Things are never normal for us, Remus.”

“Yeah, but… Can we abnormally be a couple?”

He’s leaning closer. Unknowingly I’ve gotten closer too. We each see an unspoken message and our lips finally meet. No memories of Carlos trouble me with guilt. I just feel Remus, and the love that he feels for me. It’s no wonder people enjoy love so much. It’s time to end my time of being alone and search for the next step in my life.

We break apart to breathe, but don’t stray too far. Whatever the future brings… It shows so much potential.

“With a little bit of luck, I hope so.”

[ggukkiedae]

miya

[3:30am kst, 231217, wc: 620] [cw: jonghyun (read at your own discretion)]

(from c: i miss jonghyun loads. words can't explain. he has been one of my longest running role models, and i just really wish he's happy and at peace making music for all the angels and stars up there with our moon)

Yoonmi never felt lonelier.

Her members, her brothers, her constants were all in the military, and she had restricted access to communication with them. In fact, she wouldn’t be able to contact four of them for a few weeks at all. Her siblings by blood and on paper were both busy, and her boyfriend just arrived in the country and was probably tired.

She sighed to herself as she looked over to her photowall, a floor to ceiling section filled almost completely with photos, one catching her attention in particular.

Sitting up gently to keep from startling her pets, she approached one specific photo. One of her and someone she used to always go to for advice or comfort when she couldn’t ask her members.

“Hey, Rajah,” she looked at her kitten, “there’s someone I want you to meet.”

The small kitten just looked at her curiously, patiently letting her owner pick her up. After getting her kitten in a sweater and herself in sweatpants and a coat, Yoonmi grabbed her helmet and the body harness for her pets and made for her motorcycle.

The drive was cold.

There was no other way to describe it. It was the middle of December, the beginning of winter, but she didn’t care. Those thirty minutes she spent driving to him would always be worth it.

She silently greeted the security guard, one she grew familiar with over the years, and handed him a pack of brownies as she placed her helmet on her motorcycle. She knew the security guard would guard it like he always did. After a deep breath, Yoonmi walked past the gates.

It was a minute walk before she reached her destination, the person she wanted to see. With a smile, she sat down across from him and gave him a smile.

“Jonghyun oppa,” she bowed her head to his resting place in respect, “I feel like I’ve been bothering you too often, but you know you’re one of my safe people.”

She gently lay a brownie piece on her handkerchief and placed it by him. “I know I’m a day earlier than you probably expected, but I brought brownies! Though I will have to take this piece back when I leave. I don’t really want to litter.”

A laugh escaped her lips as she gently began to unfasten the harness around her torso. Small mewls filled the air as Rajah was shaken out of her comfortable position.

“Oppa,” she showed off the kitten, “this is my new baby, Rajah. Rajah, that’s Uncle Jonghyun. Isn’t she cute, oppa? Jimin oppa got her for me so I wouldn’t be too lonely over their enlistment period.”

She sighed as she set Rajah down, watching as the cat curled up just under Jonghyun’s name. “I made it through the SHINee oppas and their military service, but this is different, you know? I’ve had the oppas with me almost every day for the past thirteen years, and now all seven of them are going to be away for so long.”

“I guess I feel lonely.” A sad smile made its way to her face. “Especially because everyone’s so busy… I know you are, too, but you’re right here with me, right?”

Something, she didn’t know what (or maybe she did), prompted her to look up. Right in her field of view, a star shone brighter than the others. Maybe she deluded herself into thinking it had a slight pearlescent aqua hue.

“Thank you,” she smiled back at him, petting Rajah slightly and taking out a small paper slower she had made from her backpack and placing it next to his name. “I miss you lots, Jonghyun oppa. I hope you’re happy up there.”

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[shellingtons-failed-driving-test]

Chapter One

4,311 Words

Authoru's Note:

Sorry, this doesn't have a title yet, but I'm trying to think up one. I just wanted to go ahead and post it to see what people think. If you have any suggestions pls put them in the comments.

Oh, my word this got way longer than I'd originally intended. I hope I was okay with the characterisation. I was worrying so much as I was writing it. I hope the interactions feel in character and you enjoy it.

Also, I have changed the ages slightly, which I think is fine because they're unspecified. However, it is canon that Peso has finished Medical school, but in the story, he has not. He's 19 and a half because he went to nursing school right after high school and plans to get a medical degree later.

And, in this universe, all humans are animal hybrids so they have actual hands and feet but still ears and tails. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but they're referred to by what type of hybrid they are as well as their race. Certain areas have more common hybrids that correspond to what "regular/normal" animals live there. EX: skunk hybrids are only in the Americas because skunks don't live anywhere else.

Anyway, sorry about my ramblings, and happy reading!

Peso's Perspective:

The big car stops with a squeal, throwing me forward with its sudden breaking. As soon as the door opens the sound of waves crashing and seagulls crying fills my ears. The sea breeze is refreshing after being cooped up in a vehicle for so long.

“Here we are.” The driver says curtly. He’s a state government employee with a scruffy beard that makes him look older than he probably is. He didn’t say a single word the entire drive, leaving me in silence broken only by the occasional crackling of the radio. In a way, it was good because it gave me a chance to do some last-minute studying of the Octonauts handbook pdf I printed out at home. Still, I felt like he was kind of glaring at me in the mirror. Maybe it’s just the anxiety. Maybe he’s just a grumpy person. He had photographs of his children clipped to his visor, but I didn’t see a wedding ring. Divorced, maybe?

“Thank you, sir.”

“It’s just my job. Say, you’re with that team of astro- er, aqua- whatever, scientist, right?”

“The Octonauts, yes.”

“Right, that’s what it was.” He nods as he helps me unload my bags. I gulp a bit at their size. I’m really going to be living at sea for months. I hope my family will be okay.

As soon as he sets the bags down, he closes the hatch and drives off, leaving me once again alone. The other Octonauts, the original Octonauts, have been at sea for a year already. They got a send-off with fanfare at their port in England, all I got was a crumpled map to try and find my way around this place. I’m not jealous but . . . it only reminds me that I’m the newbie, not one of them.

I’m only here as a filler for Dr. Deere, who had to leave due to a research development for one of his projects on land. They’re going to have a proper replacement, someone qualified, in six months at the latest, that’s what they said. It takes a lot to qualify for this programme, the best of the best with years of study in their fields and here I am, just some lucky guy. I’m not even an actual doctor, just a nurse, and even then I still have a few final training courses to complete. All week I’ve wondered, why on earth would they pick me? Am I even good enough?

I blink at the blare of a ship’s horn. Crap, I can’t zone out like that! I need to be prepared for anything, ANYTHING. I will be . . . as soon as I find the ship.

I was sent the training videos, all 600-something of them, on a hard drive the size of my hand, but obviously, I haven’t had time to watch them all and downloading them would’ve taken nearly all of my storage space, so I just packed the whole hard drive instead. The schematics are on the hard drive too, so I have no idea what this thing looks like. They said they’d go over plans and safety once I was settled, but I wish I could at least have a photo. It’s got to be some kind of submarine, right?

The port on the Isle of Skye is a small, but bustling place. The signage is old, and blocked by containers coming in. A crew pulls a fishing net of turtles out onto the dock, and I wince. Then, I see they’re all for studying. Several scientists surround them, scanning red tags on the fins and retrieving cameras from their shells. I smile as I pass them, waving at the turtles, who wave back. I notice one of the scientists, a brown-haired man hurrying around. When he looks at his tablet he jumps in surprise.

“Jumping jellyfish! We were totally wrong about the feeding grounds. This is amazing! I thought . . .”

I don’t catch the rest as I walk on. I’ve never heard someone so excited about being proven wrong before.

As I round the corner, I see it. 

Dios mío . . .

It looks like an octopus. Of course, it does. I’m so stupid. It’s the Octopod. A state-of-the-art international research station with laboratories capable of housing a crew of 10 for extended periods. Can I just go in?

I stop when I get to the ramp, hesitating at the bottom, I survey the large oddly shaped submarine once more. My temporary home. As I look up something flickers in the window, like a lamp, or a streak of orange, but it’s gone before I’m sure.

I remember what my 4th grade science teacher, Mr. Perez always said: Take a deep breath. I do, and even after all this time, it helps.

The ramp echoes under my feet in a comforting way, assuring me of the ship’s solidity. A small yellow creature greets me, and I gasp. It frowns.

“Oh, I’m sorry, that was terribly rude of me. You’re very cute looking, you just scared me.”

It makes a chirping sound, which sounds affirmative. Laughing, I follow it into the elevator, as it closes I hear footsteps, someone running.

“Tunip!” A male voice pants, he has a heavy Scottish accent. “Don’t . . . leave me.” 

Huffing and a little winded the scientist from before appears. The yellow creature makes a sound that sounds like a scold. 

“Ah, well, sorry. I got distracted with the turtles.” the man says sheepishly. He’s the same scientist I saw with the turtles. Now that I can see him better it’s clear that he’s not too much older than me. His chestnut brown hair is messy and his eyes have bags underneath them but are still concerningly bright, He bears the appearance of an overworked uni student, and yet somehow still cute.

The creature blows a raspberry at him and starts to close the lift doors.

“Hey, now that’s not very kind! I was just trying to– Ah, hey! Don’t close the lift on me!”

The creature huffs, sounding almost affectionate, but allows the man into the lift. 

Once inside he takes a deep breath, pulling a handful of Polaroids from his shoulder bag, looking at them as if to make sure they don’t disappear. They’re of the turtles, and a few have him in them, but he doesn’t spend as much time looking at them. Finally, he turns to me, as if he’s just noticed me.

“Oh, hello there. Forgive me, I didn’t see you. I’m Shellington.” He doesn’t extend his hand, only nodding, but the greeting is still just as friendly.

“I’m Peso. I’m the temporary medic.”

He nods, more to himself than to me, I think, muttering “Oh, good. It’s dangerous for us not to have one on board, especially with Kwazii.”

As the lift rises, it makes a loud mechanical whirring, as if no one had bothered to dampen it as they do in most lifts. In fact, the whole thing looks industrial and feels about five degrees colder than before the door was closed. I wonder why, I also wonder who Kwazii is. Finally, it dings and the doors open and he steps out into a small dark room. I trip after him, barely able to see a centimetre in front of me.

“Uhhh?”

My foot collides with something and I go sprawling over (except not really because there’s barely space in this room for my body length).

“Owwie! You’ve stood on my foot!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. But, where are we?”

“Oh, whoops, I must’ve forgotten to mention. This lift is only here because some equipment would be unsafe to carry any other way, either because it contains potentially hazardous materials or it’s simply too large.”

“Oh . . . I suppose that makes sense.”

It would be hard to carry an entire x-ray machine up and down stairs, even a portable one.

“Welcome to my closet!” He says it with his arms wide to indicate the space around us with affected excitement, but the space is small so he can’t extend his arms very much. I can’t help but laugh.

The idea of being in a closet makes me laugh a bit, but I still don’t like dark spaces.

“Can we, um, maybe get out?”

“Oh, right, yes.”

He presses a switch I can’t see and light streams in. With a sigh of relief, I follow him into the larger room. It’s a laboratory. It’s very green, with light green walls, floors and posters. Now that I pay attention, even his shirt is olive green. He must really love green.

I turn to ask him about where I’m supposed to be, only to see he’s already gone back to work. Right, they don’t have time for a bumbling rookie. After a moment of debate with myself, I tap him lightly on the shoulder. It takes a few times before he notices, and when he does he jumps again. 

“Excuse me, do you know where it is I’m supposed to go?”

He furrows his brow thoughtfully, “Hmm, I don’t have much to do with the recruitment process, that’s Professor Inkling and the Captain’s job, but I believe you’re supposed to meet with the Captain, he should be in HQ. I have to finish processing this data, but Tunip can take you.”

“Okay.”

The creature, Turnip, seems to smile. He chirps excitedly leading me back to the lift. When he gets in he jumps high enough to press the button that reads HQ. The ride is short and the doors open out to a large circular room. Glass makes up the top half of the room, a large skylight. I can only imagine what it must look like underwater. It must be incredible.

In the centre stands a tall man, not quite old enough to be my father, but a little older than Pogo, with neatly combed white hair, he wears a blue uniform with a tool belt. This must be the captain. He smiles, extending his hand. He towers over me.

“Good morning, you must be Peso. I’m Captain Barnacles, it’s lovely to finally meet you, Dr. Deere told me all about you.” His voice is loud, but kind.

“Oh, h-he did?” It comes out as a question, and I stutter under everyone’s sudden gaze. Even Tunip looks expectantly at me. “I mean, I’m glad he did. And I’m very glad to meet all of you and be working with you.”

“Us as well, we hope you can learn a lot during your time here. Let’s meet everyone.”

He waves for me to follow and takes me to a station full of buttons and computers. A woman gets up when she sees us. She has warm brown skin and hair cut in a fluffy chin-length bob, sunbleached with blond highlights. She’s a bit taller than me

“Dashi, meet Peso, our new medic.”

“Rad! Nice to meet you Peso. I’m Dashi, head of system and operation here in the Octopod. I run all the computer systems and track the weather patterns, but on my days off, I’m a surfer.”

With her Australian accent, it definitely makes sense.

“Ooh, fun.”

“It is, have you met anyone else yet?”

“The Captain, but that was obvious, sorry, and Shellington. He introduced himself as just Shellington, but does he have credentials I should call him by?”

“Not yet, but finished uni and he’s doing his PhD research on this mission, so he will. Have you met the vegimals yet?”

“The what?”

“They’re what he’s doing his research on. Oh, I’m sure you’ll just love them. I think Barrot is with Tweak right now actually.”

At this, Captain Barnacles nods, “Yes, I’m taking him to meet Tweak next.”

“Great, see you around, Peso!”

“You too.” I take a breath as we get back in the lift.

“This must be a lot for you.”

“Oh, no, sir. It’s really fine.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can handle it, but if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask any of us. I know they can be a bit intense at first, but they’re all good people and they all want the same thing, to help creatures in the ocean. We’re happy to have you and they’ll be happy to help you adjust.”

“Thank you, Captain.” I can tell from his voice just how much he believes in the crew and in me, the only question is whether the crew feels the same, and if I even deserve that belief.

“I do hope you’ll settle in easily.”

“I’ll try my best. The crew all seem really nice.”

The lift dings then, relaising us to what looks like a garage with a large pool in the centre.

I see more of the creatures like Tunip standing next to a machine I can only describe as looking like a big orange shark, holding wrenches. What was it Dashi called them? Vegi-mals? The vegi-mal is as orange as the gup.

“47, please.” a female voice calls. Whoever she is, she has a southern United States accent like I’ve never heard before. I look around for the woman but I only see a pair of fluffy, light green ears sticking out from underneath the metal shark. They contrast oddly with the orange.

The vegi-mal hands her the large wrench he was holding.

“Thanks, screwdriver.”

She reaches up and he puts a small screwdriver in her hand.

“Thanks.” she hands the wrench back, “carrot.”

Huh?

The vegi-mal hands her a carrot straight out of the toolbox.

“Tweak, are you almost finished?” the Captain asks.

“You bet, I’ll be done faster n’ you can say buncha munchy crunchy carrots.”

Just as she pronounces the “t” she slides out from under the machine, half-eaten carrot in hand.

“What’s up?” Her hazel eyes sparkle in a nice way.

“Tweak, I’d like you to meet the new member of our team, Peso. He’ll be our medic for the next few months.”

She jumps up, striding over to shake my hand, “Nice to meet ya, Peso. Welcome abroad, and welcome to the Launch Bay.”

She takes a big bite of carrot, smiling, her green braid swinging as she walks over to the control panel. She’s more muscular than I am, wearing a jumpsuit not zipped all the way so it shows her tank top revealing her build. Her belt is full of tools I can’t even name, she looks like she belongs here.

“Thank you, it’s such a nice space,” I tell her honestly, looking around at all the gadgets. Finally, I spot something familiar. Ring of Fire, it's my younger brother, Pinto’s favourite video game. Seeing it makes me miss him more. 

She follows my gaze, “You play? I’m always up for a tournament!”

“Oh, ah, no. My younger brother. I’ve joined him a few times but I always die before the first round.”

“Shame, maybe I can teach you. Perhaps I can even teach you so well you’ll beat Kwazii. Ah, speakin’ of Kwaz, I should probably put Bea way before he comes lookin’ for her.”

Two people now have mentioned Kwazii. I wonder what his deal is? Is he the Octonauts mischievous pet or something? Whoever he is, I really want to meet him now. Meanwhile, there's a bubbling and the orange metal contraption disappears into the water.

The Captain laughs, “Yes, you should. Thank you for taking the time for Peso, I’m sure we’ll be back soon to see which Gup he’ll be riding in.”

“Well I was working’ on a little project . . . but yeah, s’probably best if he just rides with one of us for now. Gup A’s probably safest. You’re going to see the professor?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well tell him thanks for the book, it’s helped a lot with my design.”

“I will. He’ll be glad to hear it.” The Captain smiles as he takes us back to the lift.

“The Equipment elevator, really, Cap?”

“Well, I thought that—”

Suddenly there’s a whooshing, and somebody lands right next to me.

“Ahoy Tweak!” A male voice shouts.

Tweak looks unimpressed, but I can see hidden affection when she rolls her eyes. “She’s not here.”

“Not anywhere?”

“Nope, ya just missed here.”

He whines, “Tweeeak! When am I gonna get my Gup back?”

“Come on, it’s just repairs, we do this every quarter, you know this.”

“I know, but . . .” he turns, starting to stalk off, then calls over his shoulder, “Fine, but I’ll be back!”

“I’m sure you will.”

While he’s looking at Tweak he stalks right into me. I fall very gracefully onto my butt. He snaps his head back in my direction with surprise, looking down.

“Oh, hey there little fella. I’m sorry about that.” he bends down offering his hand, and after a second I decide to embrace the humiliation and take it. He smiles, “So what brings you here?”

“I-”

“Are you lost?”

“What? No, I-”

“Kwazii.”

“I’m just trying to make conversation, Captain.”

“I know but-”

“Are you here for a tour? I didn’t think they let people do that.”

“Kwazii.” Captain taps him hard on the shoulder.

“Ouch! What is it, Captain?”

“He works here now.”

The man, Kwazzi, steps back, eye wide, then narrowing into basically a slit. I shiver. “Oh.” he lifts his eyes patch, squinting to look at me . . . and then he bursts out laughing.

I feel my entire body heating up with humiliation. Tweak winces.

“Oh, matey, I’m so sorry!” he manages between laughs, “I thought you were a kid. My bad, my bad.” At last, he recovers himself, extending his hand. “You must be Peso. I’m Kwazii, First Lieutenant.”

I don’t shake his hand. He frowns, retracting it and crossing his arms in disappointment. He seems kind, like someone who cares but that only makes it more patronising, only he isn’t wrong. Of course, he thought I was a kid. I am a kid. I don’t belong here with these smart talented adults.

It must show on my face because he softens, he steps forward, then back as if unsure of what to do. I don’t want to be babied. I’m not some creature he has to help. I want to be here to help, and here I am obviously a penguin out of water.

“Oh, I’m not laughing at you, I was laughing at meself, for being so knot-headed”

It’s fine really. I’m used to it, to being underestimated (even though I’m not sure I even have the skills) I don’t let it touch me anymore. (at least that's what I’m trying to tell myself. It’s not working.) I shake my head, not able to help the sign that escapes me. I am so in over my head. I don’t think he meant to be rude (surely not, but maybe insulting rookies is acceptable in scientific communities. Even if he sounds like some sort of pirate, he’s probably waaay smarter than me). “Oh. No, it's perfectly fine, you’re not the first and won’t be the last.”

He stands even farther back, not saying a thing, arms still crossed. His eyes scan over me, as if picking me apart, definitely judging me. He almost looks still, almost, but I can tell he’s not, not on the inside anyway. He can’t seem to truly stand still, his tail and ears twitching impatiently. He rocks on his feet ready to go do whatever it is he does at a moment's notice. Now that he’s as close to still as I suspect he gets I take the chance to really look at him.

The last member of my new team is tall (well, tall to me, and most people are tall to me, so probably medium height), and ginger. Unlike most gingers I’ve seen he’s not actually strawberry blond or a carrot top, but a light shade of orange that changes colour as the light shifts. It’s pretty.

His eye does the same. I can only see the right one and it's hard to tell because he keeps twitching but I think he has heterochromia, the rarer kind where one eye has two colours. The eye that I can see is brown with an amber in a ring around the middle.

But that’s not the strangest thing about him, one of his ears has a piece missing from it. I shiver at the thought of what could’ve done that. Did he get it while on a mission? Luckily they said I won’t have to go on missions . . . probably.

The Captain coughs awkwardly to break the silence. “Kwazii is field personnel, so he spends most of his time outside of the Octopod. You most likely won’t be seeing each other too often.” he looks at me as if trying to assure me. I know it’s unkind, but it makes me feel a bit better that I won’t have to spend much time around Kwazii. He's loud, seems unpredictable and looks dangerous (though I’m sure he’s not).

“That must be very exciting. I’m sure we can get to know each other some other time, then.”

He smiles but like all cats he has fangs, so it’s all teeth. I try my best not to gulp. Thankfully Captain leads me toward the lift. As we walk away I hear Kwazii whisper to Tweak “Huh? Where are they going?” I don’t even know why I turn around, but I do.

“Why aren’t you using the octochute?”

“The what?”

“The octochutes, haven’t you been using them?” I can tell he’s not trying to be mean. He looks so genuinely confused that it’s almost comical. His face is like the "???” expression in real life. It makes me laugh a little, releasing the tension.

“No.”

“Well then how’ve you been getting around, then?”

“I just took the lift.”

“But . . . it’s for equipment?”

“Yes, Shellington told me.”

He still looks incredulous. “The equipment lift? Why in the seven seas would ya do that, matey?”

“I don’t know, I just . . . did.”

“Matey, we ONLY use it for equipment, plus it’s sooo slow, and cold.”

Oh, that would explain why it isn’t nearly as fancy as the rest of the ship and opens into closets. I feel dumb for not realising it before. I guess I just thought they were cramped for space, but of course not. How stupid of me.

“Kwazii. Be polite, I told him too. It is his first day, after all. The octochutes can be a bit shocking at first, and he’s already come a long way to get here. I wanted to ease him into it.”

Kwazii droops, face losing the confusion and entering to a neutral state with no expression at all, after seeing him so energised it looks wrong like excitement is the natural state of his particles.

The Captain leads me away, back into a second equipment lift (I didn’t know there were two), I exhale when it closes and Kwazii and Tweak disappear.

After escaping another closet, we step into a bright blue and white room. It’s filled with medical equipment. This must be the Medical Bay. Through the door’s small window, I can see through the window across the hall. In his laboratory, Shellington is typing away on a desktop. Probably finishing the data he was talking about earlier.

“Here we are.”

I turn back to where the Captain stands. 

“This is the Medical Bay, where you’ll be working for the next few months. You share a sleeping pod with Dashi and there’s an Octochute that will take you there.”

“Sh-hare?” I mean, sure, I’m gay, I’ve known that since I was young, but still, wouldn’t Dashi like her privacy? I’d like my privacy. We barely know each other!

“Oh, not like that, this isn't a sleepaway camp. We’re all professional adults, she gets one half and you get the other, there’s a wall in the middle with an Octochute. If you want Dashi to show you how to use it she’ll be happy to, I’m sure.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Captain.”

“I hate to leave you all by yourself, but I have a meeting with Tweak to discuss her latest project. If you need anything just find one of us.”

“Oh, okay.”

He leaves, and then I’m alone. The Octopod must be soundproofed to outside sounds because I can hear nothing but the air system cycling. I pull my phone from my pocket for music, but the battery is dead. Great! And then, I’m not even sure exactly why but I start to cry. I’m an idiot, trapped on a ship with people I don’t know who probably think I’m incompetent and unqualified for a job I didn’t even sign up for. The meeting with Kwazii showed me exactly how much I don’t know. Now here I am, pathetically crying. I miss my family.

There was a cat in my class in primary school, an orange tabby just like First Lieutenant Kwazii. He’d been held back a year so he was taller and bigger than all of us and he was loud too and would always bully the smaller kids and get away with it. I don’t even know why I’m remembering him all of a sudden. I know he and Kwazii aren’t the same, but I’ve never liked loud unpredictable people. They scare me. Maybe that’s why.

And something tells me I’ll be seeing Kwazii in the Medical Bay somewhat often. I’m not sure how to feel about that. I don’t dislike him, of course not, but I feel . . . wary.

Oh well. I won’t allow him or anyone else to interfere with my job. I will prove to myself and them that I can handle myself for a few months. And then it’ll all be over and I’ll get to go home again.

Taking a deep breath, I keep busy by familiarising myself with the workings of the Medical Bay and everything in it. It’s fully stocked with any supplies and equipment I could need so all I brought were clothes. There isn’t much to do, so I resort to cleaning the space that’s probably already sterile, just because it calms me down.

After a while, an announcement comes over the speakers that we’ll be departing for the Mediterranean Sea to aid in the preservation of coral at sunrise tomorrow. 

Before I know it I find myself falling asleep at the work table. Too tired by the day’s events I let myself drift off.

(A/N: Poor Kwazii, he can be kinda scary without meaning to be. He’s just so confused as to why someone wouldn’t want to use the super duper fun octochutes. LOL)

[lovingaquarius]

My astrology observations #2

‼️DISCLAIMER‼️

this is completely based on my personal experiences and observations do not take what i say literally i am NOT a professional astrologer

did another one bc the last one was fun hehe

❣️i’ve only seen people talk about how aries placements are “angry/fast” or “aggressive” drivers but what i’ve noticed is it’s the leo placements that will drive accordingly to their current emotions ex: driving fast when angry or upset or even when fast paced music is playing. i dont even think they realize it

❣️this isn’t really an observation really but there really needs to be a support group for people with 11h saturns. it’s hard out here we just want lasting, reliable friends 😭 extra points if it’s rx

❣️ with cancer placement’s especially heavy (and maybe 12h placements too ) it’s like music is therapy for them. like yk how some people can just go weeks without listening to music, not them it’s like it balances their energy

❣️something about cancers and cooking?! this has probably been said before but i’ve noticed cancer placements love food but especially cooking or baking. it can also be one of their love languages

❣️the aquarius+sagittarius friendship compatibility is unmatched. as an aqua sun i love sag placements but something about sag suns 😫🥰🥹be my friend RIGHT NOW

❣️scorpio mercury vs not having hot or beautiful voices GO! ex: miley cyrus, drew starkey, drake, zac efron, emilia clarke, halsey, frank ocean, sza there’s SO MANY

❣️ please tell me all you earth dominants out there are going outside and grounding yourself regularly bc i’ll be so ready to check myself into the grippy socks hospital until i go outside and sit in the grass.(ofc this doesn’t substitute actual mental health care) 🫶

❣️what is it with air signs/placements and lying or having a habit of telling “little white lies” now i have done this so i can attest unfortunately 😭 I JUST WANNA KNOW WHYY

❣️i know this has been said but it really is important for 7h placements to develop a comfortable and strong relationship with themselves before getting in a relationship and especially when they’re in one. we tend to want to spend all the time with our partners and forget that time for ourselves is also very important and that isn’t negotiable.

❣️i’m convinced mercury doms need AT LEAST one other mercury dom in their lives bc no one gets us like we do (my virgo sun, gem rising friend and i w/my rising in virgo and gem moon, can just talk and talk about anything and everything and we know we’re not annoying eachother or talking too much) and that’s something so special to me 🥹

[defilerwyrm]

Oh, Alcohol.

Barenaked Ladies saved me from a life (and possibly death) as an alcoholic.

Let me explain:

My first official, tax-paying job as as a mutuel teller at a horse track in the mid aughts. I worked for $8.15/hour most of the year and during live season (when races were taking place at my track) they bumped it up to $8.50. During live race nights, I could easily pull in $100 in tips in a night.

You would have thought that a nearly-homeless college dropout trapped in a relationship he didn’t yet fully realize was extremely abusive would have squirreled that away to make a better life for himself, but no. My coworkers (including The Ex From Hell) liked to go drinking at the restaurant/bar across the highway from the track after live race nights—twice a week—and I, being starved for company and having TEFH as my only ride home, went with them.

It was always a jolly old time. I drank so many mudslides & flying grasshoppers and ate so many mozzarella sticks you wouldn’t believe. My regular bartender and I (and that phrase should set off alarm bells in your head already) developed a new drink! It’s still one of my favorites. Here, let me share it with you:

AQUA VELVET 2 parts blue curaçao 2 parts Midori (melon liqueur) 1 part pineapple juice spritz of Sprite Shake with ice, strain, serve cold in a hurricane glass.

Fucking incredible drink.

But yeah. I drank pretty heavily every night we went out. Drank until I got loose and loopy and extremely homosexual. Drank until I didn’t care about the dysphoria I was trying to ignore and the mental illness & traumas I couldn’t afford to get help for. Until, for just a few hours, I was happy.

And then one night as “Closing Time” by Semisonic played on the speaker system and I received my solo bill, I really looked at it and realized I’d spent literally all of my tip money for that day’s work. I spent over $100 on alcohol in one sitting—in 2007 or 2008 money, on an $8.50/hour wage. Moreover, I’d drank over a hundred dollars worth of booze specifically for the goal of getting drunk and staying that way.

As a sidebar, one of the many things wrong with me is moderate/severe OCD. My most intrusive symptom is endomusia—music stuck in my head…every…waking…moment. As in, I can tell when I’ve woken up because that’s when the music starts. (In a fascinating twist, my father and brother both suffer this, too.) Any little thing that I see or hear or think about could set off a new song playing on repeat in my head.

And in that moment, looking at that staggering total on my receipt for the night, I heard Barenaked Ladies jamming their way through a syncopated bridge:

I thought that drinking just to get drunk was a waste of precious booze

Had it not been for that song, I would not have known that drinking to get drunk on a regular basis was a classic sign of alcoholism. But because I knew and loved that song, and because I had that moment of crystalline clarity at something like one in the morning, I realized that I had a fucking problem and I needed to stop.

I am immeasurably lucky that I came to this realization before my alcoholism developed into an actual dependency instead just of a deeply stupid bad habit I did for fun twice a week. I don’t take for granted that it could have been the end of me if not for that single moment. As much horrific shit as has happened to me in my life, holy fuck have I ever gotten some lucky breaks.

I don’t drink much nowadays, and haven’t for almost a decade. I don’t really like how it makes me feel most of the time. I just finished a top shelf margarita before writing this, in the safety of my own home, and it’s—I think the second alcoholic drink I’ve had this year.

So yeah. Music saves lives, y’all.

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

Light in the Dark

It's just past 7:45pm on the 6th of September in my time zone, so I might as well post my first Terraqua Week fic! :D

@terraquaweek

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

Aqua opened her eyes to see the Land of Departure as it used to be, as she’d done multiple times during her time in the Realm of Darkness. It wasn’t real—she knew that by now—but her heart still leapt in anticipation. For she knew this was a shared dream, and she would see Terra again.

It had been a while since she’d seen him last. She’d first connected with him in Enchanted Dominion—or its dark counterpart—and later on they’d continued meeting up either wherever Aqua was or in this dream-like place, an illusion their hearts had created.

‘Terra?’

There was no response. He must be at the summit, like he always was in these dreams. She was standing at the entrance of their home, at the bottom of the mountain, so she must climb up to him.

It didn’t take long. She was up there within moments, and then she saw Terra standing on the edge of the summit, gazing at the stars. His back was to her, but he turned when he heard her approach.

Her heart swelled ridiculously. It had been too long since she’d last seen him, and she had to admit that she’d missed him a lot. The Realm of Darkness was lonely and smothering and dark and her meetings with Terra were often the only bright spot she had. She wondered if he felt the same way about her. 

She could see Terra’s eyes light up upon seeing her. But it saddened her to see the shadows in his eyes and on his face. It looked too much like her own—tired, sad, heartsick. She hated that—but most of all hated that there was nothing she could do about it, since she was stuck in the Realm of Darkness and he was—

No. She didn’t want to think about that just now. She tore her mind away from that line of thinking, took the final steps toward Terra and grabbed hold of his hand.    

‘I’ve missed you,’ she said. ‘It’s been too long since we last saw each other.’      

‘I know,’ Terra said quietly. He looked at her, as if he were trying to memorise every inch of her face. ‘I missed you too. I always do.’

As always, the fear and worry for him rose up in her heart. He never told her outright what he was going through, but she could tell by the look in his eyes and his voice that it wasn’t good. In fact, it was probably worse than he would ever admit to her. It hurt her to know that she couldn’t fix anything, but she could at least distract them both from their troubles.

‘Let’s just look at the stars for a while,’ she said to him, and tried to smile. ‘We can forget everything else.’

His face relaxed slightly, his eyes softened, and he almost smiled. ‘Yeah,’ he breathed out. ‘Let’s do it.’

So they both sat down on the edge of the summit and just gazed at the stars. Aqua didn’t know how long they sat there in silence, but it felt good, wonderful. Then Terra spoke again and shattered the moment of comfort.              

‘Aqua…’ He refused to look at her and kept his gaze on the stars. ‘I don’t think we should see each other anymore.’

��Why?’ It was a silly question. She had a fairly good idea of why these meetings had to end, but she needed to hear it from him. ‘I just… I need to know.’

She heard him swallow hard, painfully. He still didn’t look at her when he said quietly, ‘You should have almost reached the Dark Margin by now, so you’ll be safe. You don’t need me anymore.’

‘I always need you,’ she told him firmly.

He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘And… it’s dangerous being around me. The first time we met up, Xehanort almost attacked you and tried to used me to trick you into giving away where you hid Ven. I don’t want to put you at risk anymore with my presence. I couldn’t bear it if you were hurt because of me.’

She couldn’t see his face, but she heard the tremor in his voice, and knew that he was just as hurt and reluctant as she was at losing each other again. Wanting to comfort him somehow (and also wanting some comfort herself), she squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

‘Why have you kept coming back then?’ she asked him quietly. ‘If you were so worried about my safety around you, you could’ve just stopped coming after Enchanted Dominion.’

He laughed without humour and turned to look at her. ‘I couldn’t bear to stop,’ he admitted. ‘You don’t know what it’s like, stuck in a crushing endless void with only Xehanort for company. You’re the only bright spot of light I have. I couldn’t let that go.’

She understood completely. It was the same for her. After all, she was stuck here in the Realm of Darkness with no one but herself. She couldn’t bear the thought of going back to suffering alone.   

‘You’re the light in the darkness for me, too,’ she admitted. ‘These meetings… they’ve kept me going, while I was fighting Heartless and trying to survive in the Realm of Darkness. Even if it’s dangerous, it’s worth it to me, just to see you again.’

Her words surprised and heartened him, she could tell. For a moment, she thought he would change his mind, but then he bit his lip, squared his shoulders and said, ‘I just can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry, Aqua.’

Her face fell, but she understood. ‘Then this is really goodbye?’

She couldn’t help the painful ache in her chest at the thought. She didn’t want to be alone again.

Terra looked away from her, back to the stars so she couldn’t see the look in his eyes. ‘I guess so.’

‘Will you be all right?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said quietly. She hated his answer but appreciated his honesty. ‘But I’ll try to survive.’

‘Don’t just try. Promise me you’ll keep fighting, Terra,’ she urged him. ‘If—when—I get out of here, I’ll wake Ven up and we’ll find you and get you back. We won’t forget about you—we would never do that. You just need to keep fighting.’

‘All right,’ he said, after a moment of thought. ‘I will. I promise.’

‘We’ll see each other again. I know it. And we’ll all be together again—you, me and Ven.’    

‘Aqua, I…’

She could see the words on his lips but covered his mouth before he could speak them. ‘You can tell me when we’re both back in the Realm of Light. But for now, let’s just savour the time we have with each other.’ She didn’t know how much longer they had in this dreamscape, but she refused to waste another moment of it lamenting what they could not change. ‘Deal?’

He smiled at her slightly—a real smile. It heartened her to see it. ‘Deal.’  

[nijigasakilove]

Aghh Doga Kobo the wonders you’ve done. Aqua literally being able to reach Ai with the emotion and pain in his acting was just beautiful. That desire to just have one more conversation with her.. also a nice reminder that time has stopped for Aqua since that day, it’s been his singular focus to find who killed Ai and get revenge and even though it was all in his head, being able to let out that pain if only for a moment was so cathartic.

It was Akane’s Sayahime who brought him to that level of acting and helped bring out his black star so best girl duh :p. Not a lot of Aqukane moments today but we take what we can get.

Rest of the performances went well and now it’s time to move on to what’s actually one of my most anticipated moments in the series, the DNA test with Himekawa, what a cliffhanger to leave off on and a big bombshell. Too bad we gotta wait two damn weeks for it 😭 but if that’s what DG need to ensure we get a good quality episode it is what it is, they barely made the deadline for todays episode I’ve heard.

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Candy Coated [Chapter One] Even in Death [Buddha]

A/n: this is the first chapter of the Buddha (ROR) story that I’ve been mentioning for a week or so now. It was inspired by the one-shot that I wrote ‘Lost in Paradise’, and this story basically follows the same idea. 

I waited to post this chapter until the poll went down, which asked about the gender or lack of gender of the Mortal Reader. 65% of 52 voters voted for the reader to be a female and 35% voted for the reader to be gender neutral. I have the screenshot in case anyone wants to see it, though to be honest, I did my best not the mention the gender of the reader at all unless I need to. So, with the voting done, the reader will be female. Thank you for the support and for the votes.

There is a tag list below; if you would like to be added to it in order to keep up with the story when I post chapter, please let me know so I can add you. I plan to update this story as often as possible with two other stories I’m working on, so please be patient. Read the warning tags and enjoy.     

Words: 2,139

Tag list: @tojibreedingme​, @quinloki, @yingxian, @2lottie2

Warning(s): soulmate au, reader insert, mentions of death, female reader.

No Minors Allowed!!

Fear devours you, tightening your muscles in a way that leaves you powerless and frozen.

You honestly don't remember much; the siren woke you, but it was far too late to evacuate. The storm had been far worse than the news had reported; it had become a category 5 before anyone even knew what was happening. You had tried to shelter yourself indoors as the powerful winds rampaged outside, but it wasn’t enough and the walls came tumbling down.

But somehow you had wound up outside, sitting amongst the wreckage.

This can’t be right. It's silent; the entire world around you. It's almost like the noise had been drained. You can’t hear the wind screaming in your ears or the houses as they are torn asunder. In a way, it’s peaceful, but the silence is also frightening. Especially with your body lying meters away from you, caught beneath the rubble of your cheap apartment.

Why are you looking at yourself?

"This is terrible," a sincere voice utters.

You avert your attention in the direction of the noise, drawn like a moth to a flame, and see a teenage girl with short lilac hair standing in the middle of the road; her aqua-green eyes are filled with tears as she stares out at the chaos.

"The Gods have no mercy," she mentions. "There are so many souls here."

What is she talking about? You raise a curious brow, glancing at your body once again. The reality of the situation hits you like a ton of bricks and tears gather in your eyes.

"I'm dead."

The sound of footsteps brings your attention back to the teenage girl to see her approaching you. If you are dead, is she some sort of reaper? You dart to your feet and take a cautious step away from her, but she raises her hands in defense.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. I was sent to help."

"How?" You ask in disbelief, motioning toward your body. "I'm dead. How can you help me?"

She narrows her eyes in sympathy.

"I can take you to the afterlife where you can move on. I'm sorry, but there isn't much else I can do for you."

So, she is a reaper. She doesn't look scary at all, but this doesn't mean that you trust her; a point you emphasize by peddling back as she takes a cautious step forward.

"My name is Göll. I'm a Valkyrie; a demigod. Um... you know, like––"

"I know what a Valkyrie is," you mention. "It's the 21st century."

What you don't understand is what a Valkyrie is doing here. Are they not mere legends? They are specific to Norse mythology, or so you had thought. Realizing that she has been prattling on the entire time about something you haven't been listening to, you raise a hand and stop her.

"So, you came to take me to heaven... or Valhalla–– whatever you want to call it." You ask.

Göll nods.

"Well, not just me. My sisters came here too." She takes a brief look around and frowns. "This was a tragedy. There are more souls here than I can handle on my own."

How many had died? You widen your eyes, a motion that doesn't go unnoticed by Göll.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bum you out." Her eyes fill with tears. "I'm terrible at this."

You can't help but snort. She is an animated person. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you glance at your body once again in sadness. Göll is right; it's time to move on. As much as it pains you, it's time to leave your life on Earth. Warm tears gather in your eyes, but you blink them away and saunter toward her. Göll notices and smiles.

"There's no need to worry. I'll guide you."

She offers her hand to you, but once you take it, a strange sensation overcomes you. Something tightens simultaneously around your ankles and before your eyes, a red cord appears, flickering in and out like a light. Göll squeals in alarm.

"W-what is that?" She asks.

"You don't know? I thought you were a Valkyrie."

Leaning down, you snatch fearfully at the cord, seeing that it's transparent. What is this? It almost looks like a red string of fate. But how can this be? It's in the wrong area.

When it doesn't seem to be hurting you, besides giving you a major craving for sweets, you calm down, though your heart is pounding. It's impossible to tell where the cord is leading; it twists and coils through the rubble like a snake, going further than you can see.

"What do I do?" Göll asks out loud.

She taps her green high-top sneaker on the ground and groans.

"I'll have to take you to my oldest sister. She'll know what to do."

Grasping your shoulder, a blinding bright light surrounds you. For a moment, you fear being trapped in the light, but quickly it fades. You drop to your knees and rub at your eyes.

"Warning next time."

Göll apologies.

"I'm sorry. Please wait here, I'll be back."

You hear her sneakers squeak on the floor as she rushes away, leaving you alone. With your eyes clear, you glance around to see that you are in a bare room no bigger than a bedroom; there's honestly nothing in it. Where did the Valkyrie take you?

Standing with a grunt, you saunter toward the door, checking to see whether it will open or not. It isn't locked, so you know that you aren't a prisoner. A long marble corridor stretches out on either side of you, but as far as you can tell there is no one around. You take an uneasy breath, shutting the door. Göll had asked you to remain in the room, so you plan to do just that. You aren't certain, but a part of you wants to believe that she is going to do you no harm; she seems nice enough, and a nervous wreck perhaps.

It was nice of her to try and comfort you. Though you reckon it's her job to show sympathy toward lost souls. You feel no less grateful to her. It had been a shock to see your body lying in the dirt; the lifeless look in your eyes nearly shattered you.

And then there is this.

You lift your right leg and watch the red cord flicker in and out. It's a tether; it can't be anything else. But who is on the other end?

And what does this mean for me?

The door comes open with a sudden low click and in saunters Göll and a beautiful woman wearing an elegant white dress with gold and navy detailing. Her piercing eyes observe you in a way that makes you uneasy like you are on the receiving end of a judgmental interview.

"Lift your leg."

Can she not ask nicely? Her tone is demanding, but you can hear the interest in it. Hesitantly you bend your knee and watch as she leans down to have a look; a section of her midnight blue hair falls over her shoulder as she does.

"What does it mean?" Göll asks.

The older Valkyrie stands and hums.

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Y-you don't?" Göll questions with a squeak.

A deep sigh comes from her sister as she closes her emerald eyes in thought.

"Calm down. I know that it's a God Tether... But for whatever reason this soul has it I don't know."

"This soul has a name," you mention giving it. "You can talk to me. It's a fate string, isn't it?"

She hums.

"It's known as a God Tether here but means the same I imagine as your interpretation of it."

"But do souls have tethers?" You ask.

The woman shakes her head.

"I've never heard of a soul possessing a tether; it's for the living. Is this the first time you've seen it?"

You're certain this is the first time. You nod.

"Very well," she utters. "This warrants an investigation. Come with me."

Raising a brow in question, you watch her turn and saunter toward the door; the feather train hemmed into the inside of her dress slides across the floor as she walks. You glance at Göll a moment in uncertainty, humming as she nods to assure you that it's fine.

As you step out into the corridor, the smooth-tongued woman turns to you.

"What sort of living arrangement suits you?"

You raise a brow in question, having been put on the spot. Your face heats up in embarrassment.

"Um... I guess comfortable and simple, but honestly anything will do."

"Göll, have someone prepare this room," she orders.

Tensing, the expressive teen nods and rushes off leaving you with her. You avert your eyes at her in question.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Brunhilde; the eldest of the Valkyrie sisters," she answers with a grin. "Now come this way."

Following her, you survey the area. There isn't much to look at as far as you can tell. The walls are decorated in elegant gold trim and some of the rooms you pass are locked with electronic keypads which is strange to you, as they appear technological; far too 20th century for a 12th-century Valkyrie to have. Did they advance with the times? Perhaps they've always had this technology and mankind just took its time.

"How many Valkyries are there? I recall reading that the number is uncertain."

Brunhilde peeks over her shoulder at you for a moment, then averts her attention to the path ahead.

"There are 13 of us."

That's a lot less than you had expected. Upon meeting Göll you had known that things were not exactly as the history books had written them to be. The question of how much intrigues you.

"And you guide souls from every corner of the Earth?" You ask.

"The human realm is known as Midgard and the God realm in which you reside is known as Valhalla, or as you know it, Heaven. Gods from every pantheon live here," Brunhilde explains. "But to answer your question, yes, we do."

Interesting. You had always assumed Valkyries only led warriors to Valhalla. This discredits a lot of theories about death in general, like there being reapers.

"Do you know a lot about God Tethers? Or fate strings as you call them," Brunhilde suddenly asks.

Peering behind you for a moment, the cord slides along the floor.

"Only what media and fanfiction taught me about them. They're called the Red String of Fate and it links you to your soulmate. But I’ve always heard that the string is around a person’s pinkie, not their ankles.”

"Then you aren't aware that a God is the one who tethers predestined humans?" Brunhilde questions.

"I wasn't aware... But it makes sense."

You frown in response. Fate is only a concept to some it seems.

Brunhilde laughs uncouthly, a noise that doesn't match her demeanor.

"You seem upset."

"That some God is yanking people around like puppets on a string, yes," you answer honestly. "It doesn't seem fair and now even in death it can't be escaped."

You don't understand it at all.

"But that's not entirely true...is it? I'm a unique case or else you wouldn't be speaking to me."

"I'm merely curious," Brunhilde answers.

She stops at the end of the corridor, behind a railing that overlooks an enormous roofless stadium with thousands of seats. Your eyes widen in amazement.

"What is this place?"

"This is the Valhalla Arena. At the moment it stands as a precaution but that matters not at this time," Brunhilde answers.

You wonder what she means by this, but taking into account her entire answer, you know it isn't your place to ask. Perhaps it is a form of entertainment for the Gods and nothing more.

I doubt it, however.

With an uneasy sigh, you glance at her.

“Somewhere out there is the one I’m bound to.”

“Yes… so until I know who they are, I’d like you to remain here,” Brunhilde concludes.

You hum in understanding. Of course, you are curious, but the unknown unnerves you.

“Who is the God who put the string on me?”

Brunhilde grins.

“His name is Yue-Lao. He is known around China as the God of Love and Marriage. And for some reason, he has taken it upon himself to tether the dead.”

You get the feeling that Brunhilde wants to know why just as much as you do.

“I’ll help in whatever way I can.”

“As one would hope,” Brunhilde states.

You have no idea how long this investigation will last, but you are willing to wait it out for clarity.

I’m dead… there’s not much else I can do.

For once time is on your side.  

[immortal-raine]

NEW OP CHARACTER (OC)

Out of the 7 years I’ve been consuming OP I haven’t made made an Oc until now hehe

She’s still in daft so bear with me, tbh she doesn’t have a name yet maybe Mylo? Nova?Lmao idk

Gonna have to zoom in, to really soak in the plot jk jk I’m info dumping here: (but if you don’t wanna read a lot, the images is a recap more or less)

- Born In Water 7, This Kid Worked as a Apprentice Shipwright at Galley-La Co.

- Got Caught in a Annual Aqua Laguna

- Ended Up Stranded On a Random Island, Built a Boat to Get Back Home; Without a Log Pose, Map, Or Navigation Skills, She Just Ended Up Drifting From Place to Place. Kinda Became A Adventure on It’s Own

- Found and Ate A Devil Fruit called smth like…

[ Sheep Sheep Fruit Model: Komahitsuji]?

- Now Can’t Swim, She Decided to Stay on Island And Just Live as a Sheep, Eat, Sleep, Shit and Repeat living the dream y’know

- Months Pass And A Ship With A handful Of Pirates Show Up, Izo Being Apart This. Believing A Sheep Native to Wano Somehow Got Out Of Country, Decided to Bring it Along. Izo Using Snack Sack To Get it Aboard The Ship, And Her Being Have Sleep And Delirious, She Follows.

- Not Fully Aware During The Trip Back To The Main Ship, She Wakes Up in Front of Whitebeard Confused, But Keeps up The Sheep Act really what do you expect, they make awesome food, she can chill all day, and be on the sea without worry, it’s a solid deal

- After Week She Just Decides To stop The Act, Playing With Stephan Was Fun But Getting Treated Like Them, Not So Much

- Huge Shock For Everyone But They Got Over it, Got Adopted By Whitebeard, And Became a Official Member Of Whitebeard Pirates

- Starts Working as a Apprentice Shipwright Again, Under 6th Division Blamenco!

- Working in The 6th Division Means She’s Not Always On The Main Ship, But When She is She’s Following Izo around, Izo Being The one Who Brought Her is Kinda Responsible of Making Sure She’s Alright

- Besides Izo, She’s Learning a Few Things From Haruta, Ranting to Namur, Listening to Stories from Whitebeard, Gushing about UTA to Thatch, and Bothering Marco because everyone likes to do that once in a while

- Getting Away From Work Is Where Whitey Bay Comes In, Jump Ship With Her and Be MIA until She’s Found Out and Called Back

Ace Joining (Kidnapped) 5 years after her:

(Gonna have to zoom in man)

- Met 2 Months into his assassination attempts they met randomly, when Whitey Bay dropped her off.

Ace and Her Was Cool After The Assassination Attempts, They Would Talk When She’d Get Back From Where She Working

After The Paramount War:

- Not Able To Participate In The War, She Was Left To morn Whitebeard and Her Brother’s Lives

- She Decided To Work For The Revs

- Learned Protocols And Tactics For a Year

- There She Loved Meeting Ivankov because who wouldn’t? And Learning under Inazuma Was Fun Reminded Her of Learning Things From Haruta

- Met Sabo and Talked about Ace and Moments She Spent With Him

- After Being Deployed In A Mission With Sabo, Koala, Hack, And a Handful Of Revs, She Both Respected And Feared Sabo

- Koala Unintentionally Saved Her From Talking With Sabo Once And Became Her Saving Grace Ever Since

- She Was Deployed Under Morgans as a Spy to Keep Tabs On Him and Anything Else Note Worthy

- Shockingly Met Deuce, Told Him The Truth because she’s conditioned to tell her older bothers the truth He Didn’t Care Much, So He Became A Silent Accomplice

- Another Year Pass And Strawhat Pirates Make Their Debut Into The New World, While Working For The Revs She also Helps Deuce Write Reports On The StrawHats Newest Exploits

Now That that’s Over With, Here’s All Her Art (Still Drafting)

Sketches:

With Color:

Thanks for coming to my rant fest, or just looking at the art, I appreciate it, okay bye :D

[adrienneleclerc]

Parents Day

Masterlist

Paring: Xavier Thorpe x Mexican!Reader

Summary: it’s parent’s day and Xavier is finally going to meet his girlfriend’s parents.

Warnings: Spanish with translation. Boyfriend!Xavier, involved parents, probably many spelling mistakes

A/N: Since I don’t know much folklore or mythical creatures from different Latin American countries, I made the reader to be a catrina like La Muerte from Book of Life because it revolves around Mexican culture and that’s the culture I know the most. If you haven’t seen The Book of Life, La Muerte is made entirely of white sugar candy with knee-length black licorice hair that is tied in a low ponytail and multi-colored glowing eyes with aqua eyeshadow that are in shades of gold and red. Though a catrina itself is just a skeleton, La Muerte is different. La Muerte has magic to transform herself into a human, has telekinesis, can revive anything including nature, controls and generates fire, and in her catrina form, she leaves trail of marigold petals and levitates herself. So to avoid any confusion in Nevermore, Y/N is usually in the human form that she has created for herself. When her parents come in for parents day, they are in their catrina form. Xavier knows Y/N is a catrina but he has NEVER seen her in her catrina form. Understand? Cool.

This is how La Muerte looks, Y/N’s catrina form is basically like that but smaller since Y/N is younger. Y/N’s mom is basically La Muerte in her Catrina form

Y/N was hanging in Xavier’s art shed, just watching him paint.

“Are you excited for parents day tomorrow?” Xavier asked Y/N as she plays with the marigold plant she gave Xavier last week. “Kinda, why?” Y/N asked. “So I can finally meet your parents. You barely talk about them. Like I know you talk to them on the phone a lot but you never talk to me about them.” Xavier said as he got closer to Y/N. “There’s not much to tell, we’re a very Mexican family.” Y/N commented, waving her hand over the marigold so more flowers can sprout.

“Well I cant wait to meet them. I’ve even been practicing my Spanish.” Xavier said, sitting next to Y/N. “That’s good that you’ve been practicing.” Y/N commented. “I do have a question though, how come I’ve never seen you in your Catrina form?” Xavier asked. Y/N was shocked at the question, for the years you guys have been friends, months of dating, he has never asked this before. “I’ve been reading up on Catrinas so I don’t say anything stupid in front of your parents, right? In this book of Mexican Folklore, it says that a Catrina is made up of white sugar, candy, has black licorice for hair, their eyes are glowing candles, their faces are decorated, their clothes are made up of candy too. Catrinas are literally made up of sugar, slice, and everything nice! But they have the ability to take on different human forms. I’ve always seen you in your human for, how come I’ve never seen you in Catrina form?”

For Y/N it was a sensitive topic. Not that she didn’t like her Catrina form, she LOVED it, it was very beautiful, reminds her of when she would visit Mexico and see all her relatives. However, being the only Catrina in Nevermore, Y/N became self conscious.

“I’m not entirely comfortable with being in my Catrina form in front of people that are not my family.” Y/N said, when Xavier was about to say something, Y/N’s phone rang, a Luis Miguel song playing, Y/N got off the seat and walked towards his paintings. “My mom, LOVES him, bueno? (Hello)” Y/N answered the phone.

“Hola mi amor! Como has estado? Mañana es el Parents Day de tu escuela así que tu padre y yo vamos a estar contigo todo el día, llevaremos a tu hermano, me encantaría conocer a todos tus amigos. (Hello my love. How have you been? Tomorrow is Parents Day at your school so your dad and I will be with you the entire day, we’ll bring your brother with us too, I would love to meet all of your friends)” her mom said.

“Sí, claro mami. Van a estar con su forme humano o Catrina? (Yeah, of course. Are you guys gonna be in human form or Catrina form?)” Y/N asked. “Forme humano para no llamar mucho la atención. Pero eso sí, cuando ya me cansé, me vuelvo catrina, no entiendo como puedes mantenerte en forme humano todo el tiempo, aveces cansa (Human for to lay low. But once I’m tired, I’m going back to my Catrina form, I don’t get how you can stay in your human form all the time, it’s exhausting)” her mom commented. “Si lo sé, te hablo luego, adios (Yeah, I know, I’ll talk to you after, bye)” Y/N hung up the phone, Xavier just stared at her. “What?”

“I just love hearing you speak Spanish.” Xavier said with a loving smile. “Maybe you could teach me Spanish!” Xavier said, Y/N just laughed in disbelief, “Last time I tried teaching you Spanish, you didn’t pay attention like at all, so no. Stick to duolingo, guapo.” Y/N commented. “I know that word! It means handsome, right?” Xavier asked Y/N as he got up to stand in front of her, his hands on her hips. “Yes it does, good job.” Y/N said, Xavier leaned down and kissed her. They continued kissing until they ran out pf breath. “If we keeping kissing like that, I won’t be able to stop.” Xavier said, leaning his forehead against hers. “I’m going back to my dorm, don’t stay here too late.” Y/N said, giving Xavier one final kiss before leaving his art shed. As Y/N was walking back to Ophelia Hall, she was making figures with her fire powers, so much fun. She saw Yoko and Enid talking.

“Finally you’re here! We’re having a sleepover in the dorm, Divina and Wednesday are coming too.” Yoko told Y/N. “Are you sure Wednesday is the sleepover type?” Y/N asked, looking at Enid. “Maybe she’ll surprise you. I can’t wait to meet your parents tomorrow! What are they like? Are they really made out of candy? Are they coming in their Catrina form? I was asking Wednesday about Catrinas because Xavier has the book.” Enid said and Y/N was shocked. “Why do you want to learn about Catrinas?”

“Because you are one! No one is teaching us about different creatures and outcasts from around the world so I gotta learn.” Enid said. They entered Yoko and Y/N’s dorm and waited for Divina and Wednesday for the sleepover. “How is your mom dealing with the whole ‘not being able to wolf out’ thing?” Yoko asked Enid as Enid was painting Y/N’s nails a pastel blue color. “She’s not handling it well, I swear, we she comes for Parents Day, it’s going to be awful. I’m better off meeting Ajax’s parents, that doesn’t sound too bad, actually.” Enid said, a few minutes later Divina and Wednesday showed up. “Girls, you’re just in time, sit on the floor, let’s get started.” Yoko said.

Meanwhile Xavier and Ajax were playing video games. “Dude, I just don’t know what to say to her parents. What if they don’t speak English?” Xavier said. “There’s a reason why you’ve been learning Spanish. Just relax, her parents can’t be different from Y/N, you’ve been learning about Catrinas, why are so nervous about meeting them tomorrow?” Ajax asked, they have been having this same conversation for a week.

“I don’t know, i just want to make a good first impression.” Xavier said. “I’m sure you will. Now one last round before you go back to your dorm.” Ajax said.

The next day was Parents Day, Principal Weems finished her announcement. Enid was sitting with her parents, Wednesday was with her parents and Pugsley, Xavier and Y/N were sitting together at a table, talking to Ajax.

“There is no way you stoned yourself. I thought there were some showers without the mirrors.” Y/N said as she laughed after hearing Ajax’s story about why he couldn’t make his date with Enid. “There are! Those were taken though, such a horrible experience, even if it does last a couple of hours.” Ajax said. “My folks are here, I’ll talk to you guys later.” Ajax said, hugging both Y/N and Xavier. When Y/N and Xavier were talking, Y/N saw her parents walks in…they were in Catrina form. “Ay, no manches (no way)” Y/N said looking at her mom, she walked towards her parents.

“Hola hoja, como has estado? (Hi, how have you been?)” Y/N’s dad asked her, hugging her. “Pensé que iban a estar en forme humano, qué pasó? (I though you guys were gonna be in human form, what happened)” Y/N asked her dad, getting out of his hug. “Dante quería estar en su forme alebrije, por lo menos tu hermano está en forme humano (Dante wanted to be in his alebrije form, at least your brother is in human form)” Y/N’s mom said. “You couldn’t give me a warning?” Y/N asked her brother. “I would have but mom took away my phone.” Y/N’s brother said, she was gonna keep talking to him until she felt Xavier come up from behind her and hugged her.

“Are these your parents, babe?” Xavier asked. “Obviously, mami, papi, él es Xavier, mi novio. (Mom, dad, he is Xavier my boyfriend.)” Y/N said. “Mucho gusto conocerlos, señor y señora, mi español no es muy bueno pero estoy tratando lo mejor que puedo (nice you meet you, my Spanish isn’t really good but I’m doing the best I can)” Xavier said and Y/N looked proud, she kissed his cheek.

“Well, Xavier, it is nice to meet you too. Where are your parents?” You mom asked in English but with an accent. “My dad couldn’t make it.” Xavier said. “Oh that’s fine son, just spend the day with us, it will be fun, we brought tacos.” Y/N’s dad said. Xavier smiled, “I would love that, thank you.”

They went to the park/picnic area of the school so they could eat. “Here you go, honey, you should add the salsa to your taco, it tastes so good.” Y/N’s mom said. “Sure, thank you, is it spicy?” Xavier asked. “No, not really.” The whole family replied, Xavier added the salsa to his taco and took a big bite, a few seconds later, his eyes were watering and drank about half his bottle of water. “That’s really spicy, what the heck.” Xavier said.

“Rule number one; of a Mexican says something isn’t spicy, it is. If they say it’s a little spicy, it’s very spicy. If they says it’s very spicy, don’t eat it. Now you’re all caught up.” Y/N said as she finished her taco. The day continued that way until everyone’s parents had to leave, they said their goodbyes and now Xavier and Y/N were in his shed.

“I wanted to show you something. But first close your eyes.” Y/N said. Xavier did what she asked. “Okay, now open them.” Xavier opened his eyes and low and behold, Y/N was in her Catrina form. She looks very similar to her mom, except instead of having a big hat with candles and skulls, Y/N had a flower crown made out of marigolds, with 3 small skulls, and 2 small candles. Her dress was made up of cherry fruit roll ups, decorated with marigolds, the hem of the dress was lined with candles as well but the dress went up to their knee.

“What do you think?” Y/N said, she was floating, gauging Xavier’s reaction. “You look absolutely beautiful. Can I paint you like this?” Xavier asked. “Sure.” Y/N “flew” to the stool that Xavier longed her to, leaving a trail of marigold petals and she sat on the stool. “Is this pose fine, Xavi?” Y/N asked. “Yeah, babe, you’re good.” After about 2 hours of painting, Xavier was finished. Xavier showed Y/N the painting and when she saw it, she was so happy, his painting was amazing. He moved his hand in front of the painting to make it move and the Catrina in the portrait began dancing and twirling around. Y/N went back to her human form.

“Xavier, I love it, it turned out so beautiful.” Y/N hugged Xavier and Xavier kissed her forehead. “Of course, this is probably one of my favorite paintings yet. You, my love, are a walking work of art.” Xavier said and kissed Y/N. “You’re so sweet. Let’s go to your dorm though, maybe I can thank you a little more intimately.” Y/N said as they walked out of his shed.

Hope you guys like it, if you know of any other “mythical creatures” native of Latin American countries, it would awesome if you let me know. If not, every Hispanic outcast reader will be a Catrina or a Nagual.

[yuseirra]

Kamiki-Ai relationship: how they felt about each other(Going a bit wild this time)

here I am..way past bedtime going on about them yet AGAIN

Will I ever get tired of talking about them?? Well, the more I look into this as every new chapter drops,… idk..the guy turns out to be even milder than I thought he would, and it makes SENSE. It's been so fun and tense speculating about them lately. I have to say I'm becoming increasingly optimistic and tend to try and take things in a pretty good light; but I do see that sort of possibility with the two. If Mephisto and Fatal is Kamiki's song then at least he's DEVOTED.

SoOO this time, I went wild in my stream of consciousness earlier, and I found it really funny and worth sharing. I'd like to share it here, too! :) I hope you enjoy this positive take. I'd like to do it while it's still possible!

(translated using chatgpt4.0. I daren't write the entire thing again o<-<)

It seems like there’s a break this week~~ I feel at ease during break weeks.. lol. At least this week, whatever I write won’t be contradicted by new developments, right? lol

I’ve already written quite a lot about these two, and I’m sure I’ve written more logically in previous posts.

This time, I’m just writing based on intuition and feelings, without much structure (but sometimes, these are what actually ends up being more accurate in sense).

I think Ai found Kamiki really cute. Like how a mother would adore her children, she had that kind of affection for the character. Since they met when he was small, it probably made her feel that way even more. And we can see that in how she first pinched his cheeks when they met, and how she teased him by saying he seemed like a child and was cute when they went out to eat. When Kamiki hugs Ai (in chapters 146 and 153), the way he looks up at her makes Ai seem like the older sister, and it’s really like that. Despite only being a year apart, their relationship does have an older sister-younger brother dynamic. And at that age, a one-year difference can have a significant psychological impact, so it’s natural. Ai is the older sister, and because of that, Kamiki probably relied on her a lot (oh dear). Even now, that dynamic might still be there.. lol. If they were to meet again now, that dynamic might surprisingly still be present. I feel like the fact that both of Aqua’s heroines are a year older than him was a conscious choice, possibly influenced by this dynamic.

In my view, if you combine Aqua’s relationships with both heroines, you get Kamiki and Ai’s relationship.

When Akane talks about her feelings she has towards Aqua to Kana? Was it when they went to the beach? It’s chapter 149. She says she has a maternal-like affection for Aqua, and Ai probably felt something similar for Kamiki.

Oh, and Akane says she hopes Aqua gets a good job and gets into a good university... that she supports him in that way.

That might be one of the reasons Ai and Kamiki broke up... even if it wasn’t the main reason, it’s still there. The reason they ended up like that was because Ai wanted to protect him.

She probably also had that heart-fluttering affection for Kamiki, similar to how Kana feels about Aqua (though Ai’s personality is different from Kana’s, so she wouldn’t show it as outwardly bubbly. But who knows, chapter 140 makes me wonder. That was very similar to AquaKana, and Aqua denied that the movie was just a fabrication so she could have been outwardly affectionate as well- that chapter is what I frequently work with when I make fanarts as well).

The character has a tendency to dote on others. Early on, when she says her kids are geniuses and that you can’t hide genetics, it made me think. While Ai’s intelligence isn’t fully highlighted, Kamiki later started a company, didn’t he? Ai probably wasn’t unintelligent, but I think Kamiki may have been the more studious one. That comment might have been made with Kamiki in mind.

Even the fact that she named her children after jewels might have been influenced by Hikaru. The one who compared Hikaru to jewels in the story was Ai. The children’s hair color and features resemble their father, especially Aqua, who looks like a mini version of Hikaru (though oddly enough, Ruby seems to resemble him more the more you look). The fact that she put two characters for “love” in Aqua’s name, with the kanji for “longing” in between, could be because she thought of Kamiki when naming Aqua, who resembles him so much. Considering how much she liked that character, I think that’s quite likely. She really wanted to stay with him, but couldn’t.

Ai loves cute things. I think her first impression of her boyfriend was that he was a “cute boy.” And Kamiki, when he was younger, had those big round eyes and a gentler, more delicate appearance compared to Aqua (even now, he looks more “delicate” than “handsome” Aqua). If you look at his actions back then, he was an innocent kid in a tough situation with a pretty gentle nature...

So with Ai’s personality, I think it’s natural that her protective instincts would kick in. Ai likes taking care of others.

Even though she struggled with understanding what love is, she still showed affection by petting and hugging her kids with a smile. That’s just her nature (although being affectionate isn’t always essentially the same as being a good caregiver, I think it still helps a lot. Ai probably wanted to be a good mom and a good lover, and she likely worked hard for that). Looking at how she treats Kamiki, she often holds his hand and hugs him. She must have adored him. It seems like Kamiki didn’t realize it back then, but I think he came to realize after seeing the video and thought: “Oh, right... Ai really did treat me like that. How could I have believed that she didn’t love me...” and that’s why he broke down.

Ai wasn’t the type to express affection in a cheesy or overly cutesy way. She probably wasn’t very delicate or expressive, likely even blunt at times. She also couldn’t tell a white lie to save her life.

But there must have been silent expressions of affection, and when they were in a bright mood, they probably laughed together and had a “normal” good time. And for those two, having someone they could be “normal” with must have been very special. I’m not sure if I should mention this, but they probably didn’t only sleep together once, considering how the kids were conceived. The dialogue suggests it wasn’t just once. They were very affectionate together, then (They were so young though... Goodness...Kids need better sex education in schools... I’m really worried there might be kids like this in real life. I hope everyone will be okay.)

Let’s stop here with Ai and move on to Kamiki’s side.

If we delve into the meta and even bring up mythology, the god who inspired this character is described as someone who guides souls to purity. And it makes sense. He seems genuinely kind by nature, and it actually doesn’t seem like that’s changed much.

When you look at this character’s dialogue, it’s very gentle...

And he trusts people too easily. The whole situation with Ai also happened because he took her words at face value and believed them. It seems like he can’t really imagine people doing bad things. Since he isn’t capable of such actions, he doesn’t even think of them.

Sarutahiko is said to guide people down the right path, right? So that’s the only kind of behavior he expects... He doesn’t anticipate people having malicious intent, wielding a knife, or harming others. Since he himself can’t do such things, he can’t grasp when others might lie or act with ill intent, even when he knows it’s happening.

In "Mephisto", or even ever since when this character first appeared, his words were oddly... kind. Even when the lyrics are about asking his children to come get back at him, the way he tells it is sweet, like telling a bedtime story.

I don’t think there’s even a hint of “hate” in his feelings towards Ai or his kids. It was never love-hate, it’s just “love,” pure and simple.

Looking at what’s been revealed so far, I wonder if this character is even capable of hatred. Because even towards people who anyone with a normal mindset would understandably hate, he shows no signs of that. He seems to internalize everything as his fault and suffer because of it. He’s such a gentle person. If you disregard the theories that this character might have harmed Ai, killed Yura, or committed serial murders, he’s always been really kind in his actions...

Think about it. Aqua plans to turn the things that happened to him into a film and distribute it. The content is provocative, and it’ll definitely be a hit. If it were me, I’d feel conflicted about it, wouldn’t you? It’s like reopening old wounds, right? And showing that to all of Japan? Even if I acknowledged my mistakes, I’d find it too painful.

But after seeing that screening, he comes back and asks his son in an interview if he took the role to help his mother and sister, despite of the role being a very painful one to act out. That's a question filled with consideration for the person who made the film. Something extremely generous.

Aqua has become twisted, showing a darker side, but his character still seems to speak kindly, even if he’s fallen apart.

I think Ai chose her man well. This character’s speech is so soft-spoken, and even when he believes his son is trying to kill him, he’s happy to see him and cheers him on. He praises his daughter and smiles kindly at people. He never shows intense emotions.

As a child, he always endured things alone... There’s never been a scene where he truly gets angry. When something happens, he blames himself.

Even when others treat him poorly, he thinks about what he could have done differently, believes it’s his fault, and takes responsibility. That seems to be his basic behavior pattern, and it hasn’t changed from what I can tell. He’s someone who blames himself for everything, similar to Aqua, but with a gentler personality. Very mild.

I think Ai made a good choice to love this guy.22222 There’s a mention that this character helped Ai improve her personality, right? He’s inherently really kind, gentle, and doesn’t come to blame others. Being around someone like that probably made Ai open up quickly, fall in love with him, and take action for him. Ai didn’t want to break up with him. She doesn’t say she wanted to break free because it was hard to rely on him. Instead, she wished they could have stayed together. If the situation hadn’t gotten so complicated, he would have been the right person for Ai to be with.

It doesn't seem like he would have been very obsessive. It seems likely that Nino had some connection with Ryosuke, as I suspected.

If that's the case, Kamiki might have only found out about the birth of his children when Ai called him from the public phone in episode 8. He hadn’t gone near the hospital, that could have been Nino.

If that's the case, the reaction I imagine this character would have had to Ai's phone call would go something like this:

"Hey, you know, the kids have grown up quite a bit. Would you like to meet them?"

"What? What are you talking about? Kids? Grown up? Ai, you’ve been raising kids? You gave birth to them? By yourself? How have you been all this time? Raising them? Then, I—"

"No, it’s not like I’m asking to get back together or anything."

"What?"

"Our kids are really smart, so they'll understand our situation."

"Ah... I see." (Silence) "Yeah, I want to meet them. I’ll go see them. Where should I go?"

"Yeah. The new address is—"

I feel like that’s how it would have played out... I can picture this lol. He doesn’t seem like the type to speak strongly, and he probably wouldn’t have been able to say much due to being at a loss for words. He couldn’t even hold on to Ai when they broke up; he couldn’t say anything properly.

Even when Airi really gaslighted him, he couldn’t argue back (when I watched that scene, I was like, "What the heck is she saying? Is it because she’s an actor in a morning drama? What kind of nonsense..." Although, being a movie, it’s probably dramatized. But there must be kids who experience something like this in real life. Not just 'might,' there definitely are. What a terrible world! Airi deserved divine retribution. What kind of adult acts like that;;;). That’s just his personality. Even when he was on the phone with Nino this time in ch 158, I bet he spoke very gently, maybe just saying something like, "Let’s stop this now." When Nino was with Takamine, she didn’t seem like a very strong person. In fact, she seemed more like a glass cannon, right? Yet even such a character yelled, "What do you mean by that?" to Kamiki. By now, I can’t even imagine this character speaking strongly.

After that call with Ai in the booth, he probably felt confused, troubled, sad, and disappointed, and he likely felt like crying. Wasn’t he around 19 at the time, just the legal drinking age? In the scene where he meets Ryosuke, there are what look like small liquor bottles drawn in the background; isn’t that a bar? Lol. Maybe he went to drink for the first time and didn't know what he was talking about because he didn't know his limit and drank too much.

I don’t think he would have been angry. This character doesn’t seem to get angry easily, or maybe he can’t. He probably just thought, "What is going on... Did Ai raise my children alone? Am I really that untrustworthy? Does she really not want to be with someone like me?" And so on. He likely felt sad and, as mentioned in chapter 158, felt "disappointment" that he couldn’t be with her. He doesn’t seem like someone who would resent Ai for that. If he resents anyone, it would probably be himself for being unreliable. He might think, "Because I’m like this, Ai doesn’t want to marry me..."

It seems like he would have just cried miserably. When you look at this character’s behavior, this pattern seems to fit his personality better. THIS is more like how he's reacted throughout his childhood and maybe even till his present day.

And from things like Mephisto’s lyrics, what he says in front of the kids, or even earlier when he showed up with flowers at Ai’s grave and said things like "our children," it’s clear he does have paternal love.

It’s just that he’s probably thinking of dying (please refer to my previous post on analyzing Mephisto),

But if things were normal, he would have been a kind and good father. Whenever he appears, he doesn’t miss a chance to praise his kids, showing that he probably liked them a lot... if only he had the chance to raise them.

The scene Ai imagined, where they are raising the kids together, laughing and walking side by side, is likely accurate. Since she knew him well, it’s reasonable to think that’s how things could have been.

I just think Kamiki may end up to be a really pitiful guy who really loves Ai. I’m not sure if he could have killed Yura; if he did, it might have been done in order to save Ai... It’s ambiguous. Ai left a request to help him, but can you really help someone who’s killed someone? It’s tough.

But the more this character appears and does things, the stronger the interpretation that he is like this becomes.

I sometimes worry if I’m being too kind in my interpretation,

But every time he appears, it turns out to be even more like that than I expected.

So maybe he’s even more like this than I’ve written. I keep saying this, but with this manga, if I decide to go two steps further than how I anticipated in terms of what the characters are like, it usually turns out to be about right. I got a LOT of things right so far. I feel I have a right sense of direction, the manga turns out to make the feelings even stronger than that(and that's natural, since I can't just go ahead and go berserk beyond the original portrayals)

It’s incredibly interesting!