#since I'm a gal who likes fixing things too))

[mncein]

I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY .

"once a maestro of hearts, perhaps it's time to relinquish the stage?" (high-school au)

new jeans masterlist | main masterlist

MINJI —

"my jaw hurts so much from talking with you, hanni." minji expressed, edging further from the vietnamese, even if she hasn't even spoken yet?

"i'm simply suggesting, what's the allure behind embracing such a big red flag?" she replies, referring to the school's big player, you.

"i can't explain it. she had me captivated in a way i never intended." hanni sneers, her eyes rolling in some attitude of hers. minji is like an open book, completely oblivious, honestly.

"just observe how she acts, she's always chewing on a piece of gum, giving me a vibe akin to that mischievous heartthrob from a cheesy tv show." minji's head swivels leisurely, fixing a gaze on hanni, questioning the sincerity. once more, she's prattling about the same thing, and minji endures those words nearly every single day at school.

"you still watch those? ew." the taller girl comments with a face of disgust.

"no, you idiot. at least i don't like someone who's unloyal." minji's face turned into an offended one. well, hanni does have a point, you won't be loyal if you're a player. if you ponder on it, you practically attract all the guys and gals around the school, and those individuals are offering you the opportunity to toy with their emotions for amusement, sigh.

"consider this, she's not deserving of your attention." hanni lets out a weary sigh, her head shaking as she stows her books into her bag, preparing for the upcoming class post-lunch. minji gazes at her with a remorseful grin, comprehending that hanni only wants what's best for her, but she can't easily release those uncanny feelings on you.

"okay, i'll think about it." minji responds with a slight pout, acknowledging the challenge as she encounters you daily, unable to elude your presence.

"great, because i'd honestly figure out a method to transform haerin into a canine if you decide to date that y/n." hanni uttered, her expression potent enough to vanquish anyone under its gaze. she bid her goodbye to minji and headed off to her own classes, the taller girl watched as she gets left alone.

"seriously, i can't tell why i like y/n." minji mumbles under her breath, unaware of your presence lingering just behind her.

"you like me?" you chatted nonchalantly, not trying to be creepy or anything. her surprise was evident as she jumped from her spot, startled by your sudden appearance.

"what- why- how- what?!" she exclaims, her uncertainty leaving her at a loss for words and actions, as if her entire world has crumbled when you knew about her feelings. now she feels like your clueless admirers at first.

"i am very happy to say that i like you too, kim minji." you chuckled, stuffing your hands inside your pockets, staring at her with a sweet smile you never show around anyone. 'so this is her hidden side...' minji notes in mentally, but are you genuinely sincere, or is this just another one of your playful tricks like you've done with others?

she was still in her state of shock, her mouth hangs open but she doesn't say anything.

all in all, she remains unaware that you've truly been observant of her, and she never notices. you genuinely began to watch over her once her circle was welcomed into your own friend circle. you even knew her friends doesn't like you one bit, but you noticed that blush on minji's cheeks at specific times, especially when both of you were, kinda left alone.

"minji?"

"yes! i like you too. a lot. since the ktv bar happened..." her confession caused your heart to race and skip a beat, you never felt like this when the others talked to you about their feelings, you're serious this time.

"i demand you to be my girlfriend, kim minji."

"i accept with all my heart."

"KIM MINJI!" uh oh... someone is going to turn into a canine.

HANNI —

"i'm already telling this to you now, hanni, she's not good for you, i swear to god-"

"i know- i know, yunjin-unnie." hanni cuts off her senior, she told yunjin about her feelings for the school's heart player. "i mean, what if she has another side-"

"don't even finish, not a single relationship with her lasted for a week."

"no way-"

"do you believe me now?" yunjin asks quickly, wanting hanni's feelings for you gone instantly.

"no way." hanni utters with greater clarity, prompting an audible gasp from the elder.

"seriously, dude, don't go for it-"

"i'll take the risk and whatever comes, i'll accept it." hanni swore like her life depends on it.

"even if she breaks your heart?"

"she'll never."

...

"someone looks sad today..." haerin states as she analyzes your face.

hanni had dragged you to their club room. being the leader of it, instead of a proper meeting, she discussed on how she got you to change in an instant. the four girls snicker on every word she said about you, now being someone who knows how to obey and listen. 'that's new', they thought.

yunjin face palms as she listens to hanni, doubting the vietnamese is really a thing she shouldn't have done. hanni spoke with confidence, explaining how she confessed to you and how well behaved you looked. (and it's because she was glaring at you while she reveals her feelings...)

then she turns and faces you with a serious look on her face. "you don't regret accepting my feelings, don't you?" she glares while speaking her last two words, making you quickly shake your head no. you wouldn't dare to tease and piss off the "angel" hanni...

she turns to the girls if they had something to say. "uhm, she looks like she's forced..." danielle chuckles nervously, received a glare from hanni which makes her regret saying that.

"are you?" hanni's grip on you tightens when she catches your eyes that are already staring at hers. "go on, answer dani." you gulped when all of the eyes turned to you, curious and waiting for what you're about to say.

"you didn't even let me finish my side of confession, while you talked my attitude away." you say quickly, embarrassed about the part where hanni just makes your behaviour better with simple as words. the girls look at each other then at hanni for confirmation.

"yes, it's true." hanni nods, but still feeling the girls' eyes on her, like they were doubting the vietnamese. "what? brat taming is my specialty." she smiles smugly at you, as if she's telling that you're a brat that she could only tame, really humiliating.

"i'm not even close to being a brat, i listen and obey too, you know." you roll your eyes, she doesn't know you like you know yourself right? (or maybe she does...)

"when was the last time you listened?" she asks, eyeing you up and down with a look of disbelief in her face, first thing to have a wonderful relationship is, trust. oh well.

"i just listened to you earlier and promised i'll change!" you answer with slight frustration, this girl isn't gonna back down that easily, and that's one thing you're going to deal with everyday, from now on.

DANIELLE –

hanni and haerin looks down at danielle's phone, a picture of you opened in danielle and hyein's conversation. "no shit, she's pretty-"

"hanni! language." minji glares, the older went with the three to go to the mall and hang out, but looks like danielle had other plans. danielle stares forward, trying to find you through the large crowd of students making their way out of the school.

"whatever minji, anyways, do you like y/n?" the vietnamese asked, swiping to see more photos of you taken by hyein. danielle affirms, a charming and self-assured grin adorning her features.

haerin covers her eyes in a dramatic manner, "unnie, your smile is so bright when talking about y/n. it almost hurts my eyes." the younger peeks through her fingers, seeing danielle's fake offended look.

"does it minus your cat life?" danielle jokes back, now having a cackling haerin, which is unusual, she seems very happy today. hanni squints and looks at the scene before her, confused.

"what happened?" minji glances at the vietnamese whom spoke.

"and we have the oblivious and blind grandma pham." the three girls except hanni herself, bursts out laughing, forgetting about the y/n topic they were talking about, is this really a joke to all of them? sigh. "what's keeping you busy anyways?" the older asked, peering over the phone in hanni's hand.

"y/n's pictures hyein took secretly. dani, why do you have a "y/n, blue heart, black heart" titled album in your gallery?" hanni shows, and under the album is the date updated, and photos were added today? oh danielle.

"is that some sort of update? you almost update it every weekdays." minji adds, seeking confirmation if what she's seeing is true. danielle, whom blushed from all of that, nodded shyly while her head was down. silence, then haerin hears footsteps building up behind them which the others doesn't really notice or hear. she turns back, seeing you with hyein, walking over to them.

"uh, code jeans?" haerin attempts to mimic hanni's finger snap but falls short, yet still managing to capture the others' attention. the two older girls gasped seeing hyein, who is smiling smugly, walking beside you while headed to them.

"hi unnies, look who i brought with~" hyein wiggles her eyes brows, specifically towards danielle who is a messing blush.

"now, now. y/nnie wants to know who among you all has a crush on her." the taller gets straight to the point while putting her arm over your shoulder. everyone except danielle looks at hyein and replies with a shrug. your attention shifts to danielle, who remained quiet throughout your presence; you were genuinely surprised.

"is it you, danielle?" you verify, angling your head to catch sight of the girl's expression. finally, she musters the confidence to meet your gaze, gracing you with her now charming smile who she is saving up to show you. the girls cheered as they watch the romantic scene unfold among them.

"when i knew you liked me too, i changed, for you. hyein told me everything, we became friends since the time i caught her taking pictures of me." you paused, looking over to her unnies and haerin. "would you allow me to court danielle?"

"yes-"

"you don't need to ask them! yes!" danielle cut in, embracing you warmly and finally realizing her dream of hugging someone every day. you reciprocated the hug, at last experiencing a warmth you had never felt before while embracing someone you had previously used to satisfy your desires. it was truly a wonderful sensation, to be valued for who you are, not just for your fame or appearance. danielle had genuinely won over your heart and claimed it as her own.

HAERIN –

"haerin stop spacing off and eat your food." minji chimed in, playfully gesturing towards the girl's nearly frostbitten slice of meat. 'cause this is their grand reunion after a month of separation, not exactly a daily occurrence, but it's been ages since they last ate on a samgyeopsal resto.

amidst the laughter all around, whether it's here or there, the only thing that truly matters is haerin's gaze fixed on you, just beyond the restaurant's window. well, you happened to be with your 'date' right outside that adorable café, conveniently positioned across from the very restaurant they were in. oh, and haerin couldn't quite put into words how enviously preoccupied she was instead of enjoying her own time with the squad.

the way your nose cuts through the air with such finesse, even visible from a distance; how your eyes meticulously survey your companion, your lips crafting tender phrases. she yearned for a reality where she stood in the place of that fortunate soul, basking in the pleasure of your company.

"seriously, haerin, where are you looking at?" it was hanni who peered over the table to check on the younger one. all the girls pivot their heads towards the scene catching haerin's attention. hanni and minji's expressions twist in distaste, while hyein and danielle let out resigned sighs.

"what's up unnie? did y/n get your attention?" hyein inquired with a mischievous brow wiggle, proving she can't survive a single day without playfully poking at one of their squad members. seriously, it's her thing. danielle playfully elbows the younger one, while minji and hanni shoot hyein parental glares that could create a storm, they didn't raise hyein like this?!

haerin sighs, she really wanted these feelings off her shoulder, "i actually-"

"where did you learn those words?" haerin falls silent after minji spoke, deciding to save her words for another time. minji folds her arms, fixing a stern gaze on hyein, who trembles with nervousness – yet again caught in the act of being scolded for minor antics.

haerin maintained her watch over your romantic outing, anticipating her moment to join the conversation. yet, the passing moments seemed to stretch endlessly, a sense of timelessness settling in, and danielle was perceptive enough to recognize this. "guys! let us hear about what haerin has to say and maybe continue the argument later or tomorrow?"

haerin's attention shifts to them, all eyes fixed upon her, eagerly awaiting for her words. "uhm, i like y/n..."

a chorus of gasps resonated, haerin fancying the school's notorious heartthrob?! this had to be some kind of enchantment you'd cast on the dear human-cat.

"figures, it's quite obvious." hanni reclines in her seat, exhaling with a sense of reassurance that the news isn't negative. however, the notion of haerin being in a relationship with you takes shape in hanni's thoughts. she believes it might not be a suitable match, particularly considering your reputation for simultaneously ending several relationships.

"there's nothing wrong with it, actually," minji starts, leaning back on her chair like what hanni did, her figure relaxing more than before. "but are you really sure about this? i mean feelings get confusing in the start."

"unnie, why are you saying that like i am going to date her soon?" haerin inquires, perplexed by minji's remarks, wondering why she's bringing up such matters even when they're merely discussing feelings and not romance. yes, haerin was well-acquainted with the confusing realm of emotions. she had even heard about it in a song she played during breaks. however, she had no doubt about her feelings for you now.

"aren't you gonna confess?"

"oh that-"

"haerin right?" the girls redirect their attention to you as you call out. you're standing there, your gaze primarily fixed on haerin. they catch the fragrance of your perfume distinctly, drawing their gazes to you. although you had a date earlier, your appearance is even more refined now. why the added formality?

"y-yes, that's me, why?" upon hearing her answer, you turn back to the girls with a polite smile, which they haven't seen before.

"may i borrow her for some minutes? just by the balcony up here." before the unnies and hyein could answer, haerin abruptly stood up, taking your hand and leading you up herself.

after the girls eavesdrop on the two of you, they realized how much you have changed for haerin to like you back, that was not they were expecting, but they're happy for the both of you.

HYEIN –

(like danielle's, but hyein endgame !)

striking this angle, striking that angle, all for your snapshot, not hers. that's her covert tactic when she's trying to capture pictures of you just for herself. she's quite the enthusiast for candid shots of you – and there are quite a number of them, truth be told.

"ooh~ who is that?" danielle sneaks a peek from behind the taller figure, prompting a gasp from hyein who nearly fumbles her phone. poor hyein whirls around with eyes wide, a hand clutching her heart.

"what's happening?" minji and hanni enter the room along with haerin.

"it's nothing-"

much to hyein's dismay, danielle is a quick learner. "oh! i get it now, hyein likes y/n!"

"you what?!" hanni and minji both exclaim simultaneously, utterly taken aback by what they've just heard from the youngest member.

"really, dani-unnie?" hyein lets out a sigh, settling into one of the library chairs, with the others following suit. clearly, this is a weighty topic to address."

"explain, now." minji taps the table repeatedly. hanni elbows the older, muttering a small, "stop, you're going to pressure her."

"look unnies, it's not like what you think it is." hyein initiates, employing hand gestures to elaborate on the scenario, and she's putting in her best effort to spin a convincing tale. "i don't like her, i'm just simply taking photos of her for my friend."

"i'm not convinced, any of you have any proof to show or tell?" minji turns to the other three, haerin raises her hand. "the pictures she's taking is all going to some of her albums. i saw."

"aish, phone, now." minji gives the table another tap, signaling for hyein to surrender her phone. hanni facepalms, utterly unimpressed by minji's unconventional method of gaining someone's attention. poor hyein, it honestly sucks for hyein to be put in this kind of situation she didn't even want to happen.

"oh my, you must like her very much then?" danielle points out, having stumbled upon a whopping 213 photos of you meticulously arranged in hyein's '143 <3' album. seriously, who wouldn't deduce her feelings after encountering that extensive visual evidence?

and even before hyein could speak, you walk behind them and wrapped your arms around hyein's waist. "hey babe." you smile, looking over the jaw-dropped 4 girls staring in disbelief. (plot twist ehe)

"babe?!" minji and hanni exclaims together, again, the librarian that is currently present shushed all of you, earning gazes from the other students.

hyein smiles and reciprocates the hug and turns to her unnies with a bright smile, "surprise~" she opens her arms in a surprising them manner, danielle and haerin could only chuckle while minji and hanni sighed. "not expecting that? well, it's been quite a while.

"promise, unnies, hyein already humbled me. you don't need to worry." you provide reassurance, prompting another sigh from the elder. however, this time it's accompanied by a sense of relief – they're clearly pleased."

"you better make her happy or else i will freakin-"

hyein chuckled. "language minji unnie."

"i promise, i will, she's always be my precious baby that i wouldn't dare to get her hurt."

ps: shh! *speaking in a very quiet voice virtually* don't tell anyone i posted 😼 i've been reading books and nothing really improved my english and i'm starting to get bored 😭 anyways some of my classmates are leaving my school so i just hope someone who likes kpop especially my ults transfers and we can become bests of friends ! (or more... who knows 😼)

[riddledeep]

FOP Sideblog Update - Sept. 2024

Hi! This lovely ol' sideblog's been tidied up in light of A New Wish! I have a new AU for New Wish works. Let's talk about it!

Main blog - @fountainpenguin

My FFN - My AO3

Sideblog masterpost

Housekeeping Updates

- New avatar - @zachbrightside and I updated our FOP sonas. Tossed the headcanon'd honorary pixie hat on mine! :) Shout-out to that one kid in "School of Crock" who wore this hat with no explanation. And squared my gal's wings! Experimented with pink and purple hair options, but I like the brown too much to change.

- Fixed all broken masterpost links - Checked 3 or 4 times, so let me know if you find something wrong.

- Added things to the masterpost that weren't there (Ex: Art section)

- Combed through every post and changed the bullet point system so they're easier to read, following format update from several years ago that condensed the spacing between bulleted items.

-> As part of this, I've used indents and dashes in place of bullets in many posts. I've also added periods on otherwise blank lines to force blank space, as the blank space is another thing we lost during that format update.

-> This is so posts will look better on the dashboard. The dots may seem odd when viewed directly on the blog, but it definitely makes it easier to not lose my place while editing long posts. Also, they should be more readable now than they would be if they're reblogged to others' dashboards without this change.

- I combed through the short bios and long profiles and divided paragraphs more. There were many bulky paragraphs that have now been divided in a way that should make posts - especially these big profiles - easier to read.

-> Cleaned the "Appearances" sections of the long profiles. They used to list each 'fic that character is in, but now they have a labeled AO3 link to works written by me that include that character. Sleek, clean, and automatically updates!

- Shout-out to me having Dale Dimmadome already down as one of H.P. and Sanderson's past godkids 5+ years ago. I knew that was my headcanon, but I did not remember that was on his profile and I'm glad it was, haha... oh no. I don't know what my plan is for that in light of New Wish, but I'll figure it out.

- Changed posts that called my canon Riddleverse Classic to say Cloudlands AU, since that's the new name for my series. Left the name Riddleverse for posts that encompass multiple AUs.

-> Updated my Icebreaker post with this and other new info

- Deleted any posts tagged as "Delete later"

- I have a lot of long profiles and other posts saved to my drafts from years ago. Once Tumblr shifted to the new format (including with the queue), it became so distressing and ever-changing that I struggled a lot to find my footing.

Ex: They took away line dividers, which I thought was frustrating since I used those on my long posts and found them helpful. I was holding out hope they'd return. - Some posts (like my wing refs and the giant 20k-word class overviews) kept getting flagged if I edited them, and I was worried I'd lose my stuff or have the account deleted - Back then, the queue would only tell me which day of the week something was posting, not which month or day. It was just overwhelming to create a schedule or keep track of my stuff, so I took a break from Tumblr in general.

These days, I'm much more comfortable with the editor and my queue is now more specific about deadlines. I look forward to posting here again!

I won't be on a schedule, and the big character profiles do take a lot out of me, but my plan back in the day was to release one a month. Might be able to get to there! If not, maybe the short bios.

Future of this FOP Sideblog

- More worldbuilding posts! I let this blog sit a long time because I felt like I'd said all my worldbuilding and the only thing to do now was profiles and bios (which I was reluctant to prioritize when I felt "behind" in my 'fics).

However, I found some things I'd never moved to this blog, such as my notes on aging. I'd like to post that and others I found.

- No longer hesitant about sharing stuff for "weird" characters or OCs. I had a post about celebrity kids (Poof's age and younger) that I never posted because I didn't think anyone would care about my headcanons for Simon Sparklefield (who only appears in one obscure episode I don't count as fully canon anyway) or Billy Crystal Ball (also obscure) but... Hey, that's why you're here, isn't it? So let's talk celebrities!

In other words, I'd like to bring this blog back as the unapologetic place to share my FOP things. We have references to canon characters and talk of OCs (like Hadley, Emery, Whistle, Soren, China, Anti-Saffron, Kalysta, Iris, Idona... List goes on.)

- This blog will have more polished fanart than the doodles from my main blog

- Polished 'fic cover images will be reblogged here. By this, I mean the posts I do on my main blog that outline what to expect from a 'fic. I won't reblog my general chapter announcements; I don't want to flood this blog with those.

- 130 Reasons Why I'm Fairy Trash's cover will be reblogged, but the posts for individual trains won't be. - Existing cover images will get new, polished posts for their 'fics before I reblog them here.

- I went through the blog and added the tag "Cloudlands AU" to many posts, apart from a few I'm still hesitant to edit (or where it didn't seem worth noting). Cloudlands AU refers to my lore for the 11 seasons of the main series (i.e. including the "Oh Yeah!" shorts), and this is what my sideblog was meant for.

- The reason for this new tag is to separate it from City Lights AU: my new AO3 series for works about New Wish. These works are not compliant with Cloudlands AU, which was designed years ago.

Ex: Peri and Irep will get a short bio on this blogged tagged as City Lights AU to explain what we're setting up for their characters over there, distinct from the existing short bio for Poof and Foop in Cloudlands AU (who are very well established in their arcs). In other words, I'm not rewriting Cloudlands AU canon to fit with A New Wish, but I still want to write works for New Wish. Expect bios and art for Hazel and Dev here someday (and others).

The next thing I post will be Hadley's full character profile (now with updates that are compliant with A New Wish).

After that, I'll reblog my Cloudlands AU and City Lights AU guides to this blog so they'll be under their tags and on the masterlist.

When that's all done, I'd like to knock out full character profiles for Dale, Dev, and Hazel when I can (in addition to finishing my drafts for Cosmo, Wanda, Poof, and Foop). Long, slow process, but it would be cool to have those things done by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

Feeling decent about my idea for Hazel's birthdate. I have nice options for Dev, but no commitment until Zach and I nail down where "Operation: Birthday Takeback" goes in our New Wish timeline. Enjoying the process so far! -> Dev's b-day is QUITE the toss-up between options like "National Day of Unplugging," "Plant a Lemon Tree Day," and the absolutely golden combo of "Pizza Party & Virtual Assistants Day." And perhaps others we've not investigated!

I think that's everything! Hopefully, this is the last "blog news" announcement we have for a while, and the blog can return to being a landing spot for fanart and story meta.

As always, the sideblog's Asks are closed as I want to maintain a consistent feel for this blog. You can reach out to my main blog (Askbox here) if you want to ask a worldbuilding question.

Additionally, I'm interested in following other people's worldbuilding / AUs so I can engage more with the community, especially those passionate about FOP worldbuilding. -> I'm open to self-advertisement if you want to shoot me an Ask on my main blog telling me where I can find your work! -> I'd prefer to follow a blog that is primarily for FOP worldbuilding / art / 'fics (or subscribe to an AO3 series for FOP works), but I'm open to consideration if your blog is multi-fandom! My preference: Thoughtful takes on characters and world that dig deeper than just ship art / ship 'fics- Nothing against shipping, but I'm more interested in character analyses and worldbuilding. Bonus points for a focus on miserable children, Dale lemonade trauma, Pixies, or Timmy growing up to lose his memories and live an average human life. If you don't fit this, you can still recommend your AU and I'll check it out, but that's my wishlist :) Also, if there's anyone who makes Timmy/Molly content, you are my hero and should totally link me your work.

It's such an honor to see so many followers of this sideblog despite its long absence! To those of you interested in staying with me as we enter this next phase, thank you very much - it means a lot to me - and I hope you enjoy browsing!

And to anyone who's lost interest, thank you for spending time while you were here <3

One last note - My goal has always been to reblog others' fanart for my 'fics here, but most of them are still sitting in my drafts, unreblogged. I'll queue those up. I'm always delighted to receive gift art! Feel free to tag @riddledeep and I'll reblog it here! Same goes for gift 'fics, so don't hesitate to share!

[rileys-battlecats]

Finally made some simple reference sheets for my little guys :D I also put together some little facts about them and their personalities :P

Minare

pronounced mee-NAH-ray

Half leader, half figurehead to the rebellion against the current king and his heir

The people who work with her respect her as the last scion of the true royal line, but also they have known her since she was Fresh Out The Womb so she's also kind of their baby. Collectively. Collective rebel baby

Disregard the fact she's like. Early twenties. That's their baby girl

This makes Minare A Little Insane. She loves the rebels, they've supported her and her family through the worst times they've seen in living memory, but also She's An Adult and she NEEDS to have someone respect her and her decisions.

Her opinions don't always hold the weight that she thinks they should, her being the future ruler of the kingdom and all

Much of her work in the rebellion is stunted by the fact that she is THE last of the true royal family, so she is Not Expendable. They have to keep her safe, and she knows why, but it's also a little infuriating that she can't help more

Dangerous missions are an Absoultely Not, but Mina still helps by doing safer missions and planning/strategizing

She's been given tons of self-defense training, and she carries a short blade with her just about everywhere. This is seen as slightly unusual, but ultimately understandable for a young lady when she's traveling on her own often. Like having a can of pepper spray with you

Makes casual friends very easily; she manages to seem incredibly open and personable while simultaneously telling you Nothing important about her personal life

That being said, she doesn't have many close friends. She doesn't want to put anyone in danger, and she also doesn't want to put herself or the rebels in danger by making an opening that could be exploited. Her friendship with Vaitus is something that happens without her really meaning for it to happen. She just looks up one day and realizes she's gotten way too attached to this guy that was supposed to just be another acquaintance

She's got a protective streak a mile wide. if she makes the connection in her brain that she's responsible for someone, they INSTANTLY become someone Under Her Protection. This clashes with the inherent sacrifices she has to make as a leader of a political rebellion with high stakes consequences for each decision made

If one were to ask a random citizen of the capital if they know Minare, 9 times out of 10 they're at least acquainted with her. she's always keeping an ear out for people who need help, and is known for being able to give them a hand. If she's not doing the helping herself, she probably knows a guy

Loves finicky work. tinkering, fixing things, touching up stuff, anything that most people would find boring to work on, she's your gal

Vaitus

I'm. not sure how to explain pronunciation like I did with Minare. It's 'Vai' like in 'vital', and 'tus' like in 'tusk'

Doing His Best™

Crown Prince of the kingdom. I think I might name the kingdom 'Acora' but I haven't decided on that quite yet

"Crown" Prince is kind of an unnecessary title, since there's no other heirs. There used to be! Up until Vaitus was around 7 years old, he was one of the last in line for the throne. But then An Event occurred. I will get into this event at another time, I've got a few animatic ideas for it :P

Vaitus is less than enthused (read: terrified) by the idea of becoming king one day, but he's also aware that the kingdom would almost certainly fall into chaos if the current king died without a ready heir. A rush to fill a power vacuum could tear the kingdom apart. So he just. keeps on keeping on!

Fantasy autism. it's just like real life autism except the royal physicians diagnosed him with "occasionally possessed of foul spirits and daemons" so the diagnosis wasn't really helpful. He has no idea why he suddenly loses the ability to speak (or sometimes even think) in high stress situations. this is especially unfortunate when most of his life consists of going from one high-stress situation to another

Very thoughtful. will not speak until he's got the full sentence ready + 3 possible follow up sentences depending on where the conversation goes

Animal lover. but he doesn't know this until he gets to interact with an animal. he meets one (1) stray dog and is so normal about it (lying)

TERMINAL rbf

Was told as a child that it's impolite to not make eye contact with people, so now he makes All The Eye Contact. he's being polite. wait what do you mean he's being scary

[salezmanradioz]

🎙️, 🔒, and ✈️ :]!!

🎙️ What’s your favourite (used or unused) voice line in the games?

My favorite line that I constantly quote from IEYTD is Juniper's "WINE, GLASSES- AND OH IS THIS BRIE?????" or his other line of "Then you took the time to write "JUNIPER HATED ON IT" and sent THE BOTTLE TO ME". It's so funny because why did he say Brie with such a emphasis on it, it's hilarious. But also him whining about wine is really funny.

🔒(If you subscribe to the relevant headcanons/theories:) What allows Agent Phoenix to reset after they die?

In the sense of the way I write my Phoenix: My Phoenix (Polyblank otherwise known as) is connected to a radio that he once carried years ago. When Prism was creating her robutlers and attempting to make them more "sentient" in a sense and more "human" she unknowingly made a sentient program on her computer titled "Nexus" which is similar to that of clippy. A former agent who was no longer in the field managed to , in a sense "possess" the former data on themselves. After a while, Phoenix latched onto the closest thing he knew, the radio. - I went on a long tangent but for the jist of it, Phoenix "resets" in his radio. I would imagine during the Death Engine while falling to their most certain death, he would've retreated back into the radio to recooperate. Obviously the radio would have been broken to smithereens but the Handler knows exactly how to fix it and here comes Phoenix crawling out the radio like nothing happened.

In a more closely related to the IEYTD franchise: I just think ultimately the game in itself is very silly and I just think that Agent Phoenix just defies all laws of how the world works in the game and just keeps defying death. Injured? Definitely, but alive. I like to think the TK Implant has something to do with it as well. There's NO WAY possible that the TK implant does not have side effects, both great and horrible.

✈️ Give a shout out to a fan artist / fic writer / etc. in the fandom that you appreciate! @purple-to-my-tangerine / @heres-to-all-that-is-mine Hi I immediately thought of Bug. Bug honestly let me indulge into the IEYTD more fandom (surprising). I didn't meet Bug through IEYTD but ey is pretty darn cool. Bug has watched me transform my John Juniper and Prism interpreations into OCS (I will still draw em for IEYTD but they'll be from now on tagged "IEYTD au" since I don't want too many people thinking they STRICTLY belong to IEYTD). I like silly and positive spin on things no matter who the characters are from the franchise :). Bug is a cool friend @cowboypigsy I mean come on buddy, I've know you for YEARS how could you NOT be here. Anyways, Pigsy sent me the IEYTD openings before a year ago and I listened to em like "wow these are so cool". Now here I am knee deep into this game. I took a listen again and got obsessed until I fixated on it. I then dragged Pigsy into the fixation with me and now we have agents, actors and cute gals.

There are other artists and writers I secretly lurk on (hi I'm too shy to engage sometimes) but I appreciate everyone's work here <3. I think this fandom is great and while every fandom has it's own flaws, I think most people here, if not, are pretty relaxed. Anyways shout out to the other artists and creators <3

[miraclesabound]

When It All Goes to Hell

Summary: Shoresy manages to really fuck things up between himself and Reader, and while Laura is willing to help patch things up, things get ugly first. Sequel to "That Hits The Spot".

Pairing(s): Shoresy/Laura Mohr, one-sided (?) Shoresy/F!Plus Size Reader, eventual Laura/Shoresy/F!Plus Size Reader, background Sanguinet/Mercedes

Notes: I know this makes her a little more like an OC, but I'm now expressly writing Reader as a plus size woman, and Shoresy has given her a nickname related to her job as a publicist for the Bulldogs. She can still be read as any race. Set after Season 1. Any italicized dialogue is meant to be in French. Also on AO3.

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and drunkenness, romantic frustration, canon-typical language, past fat-phobia on Shoresy's part, Reader using Shoresy's first name, misogynistic and fatphobic language, sexual harassment, aggravated assault, mention of police, description of injuries, hopeful ending (Friends to Enemies to Possible Lovers)

Tags: @pettyprocrastination, @captainsbestgal, @magpie-to-the-morning, @deadbranch, @brewed-pangolin, @ironmandeficiency

When Shoresy calls you over to play foosball with him and Sanguinet and Mercedes, you figure it’ll be guys vs. gals like it’s been most of the evening at the lanes.  Generally, it’s been you, Nat, the twins and Mercedes on one side, and Shoresy, Sanger, Hitch, Dolo and Goody on the other.  However, he surprises you by nodding to his side of the table. When you ask, he says, “Trust me, Pubsy, small game like this – makin’ Sanger play against his sweetie would just be mean.”

Honestly, you don’t mind the nickname. You like your job as a publicist for the Bulldogs, and at least he didn’t choose Pubby. That sounds too much like “Tubby”, and you hope that your weight isn’t the only thing Shoresy sees about you. In the last few weeks since he helped fix up your back, you’ve found yourself getting more and more sweet on him.

You join Shoresy on the red team, while Sanger and Mercedes take blue. “Rules are simple,” Shoresy says. “Gals on goals, guys in the middle, reset the ball if no one can reach it, we’ll play best two of three, losers buy the next drinks.”

You’re decent at bowling and billiards, but it turns out that foosball is much more your speed. With your goaltending and Shoresy on the attack, you absolutely annihilate the other couple. A third game isn’t needed, and you even join Shoresy in a bit of trash talk before Sanger goes to get your victory shots.

You and Shoresy stay a team for the rest of the night, and his arm keeps ending up around your shoulders. The others aren’t blind to the two of you getting cozy. Hitch and Dolo make particular note of it, and their conversation makes Nat’s ears tingle, even over the noise of the bowling lanes.

“You think he’s wheeling the publicist?” Dolo asks.

“Dunno, me son,” Hitch responds. “But ‘s true that where she’s to, that’s where ‘e’s at.” He smiles. “They do make a right pretty pair – would knit a fine coupla’ little ones.”

Nat’s managerial instincts are screaming at her. When no one’s looking, she pulls out her phone and sets herself a reminder – she needs to talk to you within the week about this Shoresy situation.

--

“Am I in trouble?” you ask. Coming into Nat’s office during the day is rare – she usually leaves you to your own devices in your room down the hall.

“Not at all,” Nat promises. “But I need you to be straight with me about something – are you and Shoresy a thing?”

“Um…” you shrug. “We’re not officially giving it the old college try, but we’re not not a thing…I think?” You wish you could give a clearer assessment. You and Shoresy have spent time together every day this week, and he’s been physically affectionate, but he hasn’t tried to kiss you either.

“Fuck…” Nat mutters. You look at her funny, and she speaks more clearly. “Listen, you’re a grown woman, I can’t tell you who to spend time with, but there’s some shit I think you need to see.” She pulls out her laptop and opens it to a video link. “Did you watch the National Seniors Championship back in ’19?”

“Didn’t get the chance.” You come around to her side of the desk and crouch to see the video. You squint when she hits play – “Is that Shoresy and JJ?”

“Yup – and it wasn’t pretty how they met.”

Your eyes grow wider and wider as the video goes on. It’s not just Shoresy hitting JJ’s leg that gets to you, though that’s one of the uglier hits you’ve ever seen. What’s viscerally upsetting is what Shoresy is saying to JJ through the whole thing. You’ve heard some vicious anti-fat talk in your time, both directed at you and in general. However, the pure vitriol coming out of Shoresy’s mouth is enough to make you nauseous.

The video finishes, and Nat turns to you. “You see why I’m worried?” she asks. You nod your understanding. “Plus, he’s getting Laura Mohr to warm up to him. He’s cleaned up his act, but he’s still a loudmouth, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“No, no, I get it,” you say. “I appreciate the lookout.” You really do, even if you feel your heart deflating.

--

Nat’s words echo in your head for the next few weeks, especially after Laura finally accepts Shoresy’s request for a date. You hold out hope that it’ll just be a one-off, but when she starts attending practices and coming along to group outings, you know she’s Shoresy’s sweetie for real.

You don’t hate her – far from it. In fact, as she integrates into the group, you understand why Shoresy is into her. She’s more his type, especially with the age gap, and she’s just good fun to be around. This woman knows every joke you can think of and then some, she’s got good taste in movies, and when you see her around her kid, you recognize that she’s a wonderful mother. You’re even comfortable with her calling you P in front of the gang.

No, it’s not Laura who ruins things between you and Shoresy – it’s Shoresy himself. You understand him pulling away from time together; you’d be doing the same thing if you’d met someone. That part makes perfect sense, even if it stings. That said, when you see him, he’s still kind to you – or so you think.

However, one evening changes all that. You’re finishing up paperwork in your office, and you hear the guys on the team chatting down the hallway. You’re not above gossip, so you put your work down, trying to focus on what they’re saying.

“Think we’ll ever ask JJ back?” you hear Hitch ask. “The man could do his work, b’ys.” You’ve been wondering the same thing yourself – you know he ran back to Quebec after some woman trouble, but you never knew the particulars.

You hear Shoresy’s voice chirp back, “Not if I can fuckin’ help it – Frankie’s a fuckin’ coward who doesn’t know how to treat women. Fuckin’ walrus pulled Laurence LeBouef and didn’t worship at her fuckin’ feet? Fuckin’ fat loser…”

You tiptoe to the office door, close it as quietly as possible – and then go back to your desk and sob. Nat comes by to check on you about ten minutes later, and you tell her everything.

--

You’re not going to have Shoresy booted from the team; you’re not that vindictive - but you do cool considerably around him. You’re still cordial to the others and to Laura, but to him? You are winter incarnate. One time, he tries to tease you about something innocuous, and your response shocks him.

“Knock it off, Fenton, you’re too old for this.” NO-ONE, not even his dad, uses his first name. He doesn’t know how he stepped in it, but he has to make it up to you.

It’s Laura who texts you some time later, asking if the three of you can meet up at Doghouse. You haven’t been answering Shoresy’s texts or calls, and you know that he’s using Laura as a workaround, but if she’s going to be there with him, maybe this won’t be so bad.

On the night in question, you get there early, and you find a seat at the bar. You’re looking at your phone when someone taps your shoulder.

“Hey, is this stool taken?” The voice belongs to a decently attractive man with dark well-groomed facial hair and a stylish haircut.

“All yours – my friends’ll use these other ones when they get here.”

You think that’s the end of it, but instead of taking the stool elsewhere like you expect, the man sits down next to you. “Buy you a drink while you wait? I’m Rolland, but everyone calls me RJ.” You can’t remember the last time a guy took the initiative so quickly to chat with you. You ask for a whiskey and Coke, and RJ gets a tall pint of some beer you don’t know the name of.

The conversation flows easily at first – but then you find yourself ill at ease. You don’t know if it’s RJ’s mannerisms, or if he’s looking too intensely at you – but something here isn’t right. It doesn’t help that he finishes his pint rapidly and is already on a refill while you’re only halfway through your cocktail. When he asks if you want to leave with him after only about fifteen minutes of chatting, you’re only too happy to tell him no.

“Told you, I’m meeting my friends.” Your phone buzzes, and you see a message from Laura. “In fact, they’re parking now.”

RJ has been smiling, but now that smile turns into a snarl. “You got some fuckin’ nerve leading me on, you fat bitch!” Before you can chew him out, something crashes into your face and shatters against it. You lose your balance and hit the floor hard.

As you try to sit up, RJ is staring down at you with a twisted grin. “Not so high and mighty now, are ya?” He reaches out like he’s going to grab your hair, but in a blur, he’s shoved back against the bar, and Shoresy is there, his eyes burning like the wrath of God.

You’re so disoriented by the last twenty seconds that you think you must be seeing things – when did he get here? That said, Shoresy’s voice is unmistakable. “YOU DON’T HIT WOMEN, YOU FUCKIN’ ANIMAL!” He bellows, and he lands at least two punches on RJ, both to the face.

Someone touches your arm and you nearly jump out of your skin. “Hey, P, hun, it’s just me…” You turn, and Laura’s right next to you. “Can you stand?”

You nod, and she helps you up. Two bouncers are pulling Shoresy off RJ, and when you hear a siren, you realize someone must have already called paramedics, cops, or both.

--

The paramedics confirm that you avoided a concussion, but RJ isn’t so lucky. The small cuts on your face are also nothing compared to his black eye and broken nose. The cops even try to hold Shoresy briefly for assault. They don’t let him go until they get the video from the manager showing what happened. By the time it’s all figured, it’s past midnight, and you just want to go home. Laura’s been helping you stay calm, but when Shoresy finally comes over to check on you, you lose your shit.

“Fuck you, Shoresy!”

“Fer what?!”

“Fer bein’ a fuckin’ hypocrite!” you tell him. “I know how you feel about fat people; I heard you shit-talking JJ when he’s not even here to defend himself – and then you go and nearly goddamn kill someone because I’m insulted??”

“But Pubsy, it was more than –”

“I’m not fuckin’ finished! You do this in front of your sweetie too? Like I’m…fuckin’…like I’m yours to save? And now I’m gonna hafta explain this whole goddamn thing to Nat and try to keep it out of the news and….and…oh fuck me…”

You can feel tears stinging the edges of your eyes as the last of the adrenaline leaves your system. Laura lets you lean on her, and she tells Shoresy, “Babe, I think it’s gotta be just us girls for a minute – see you tomorrow?” Shoresy pouts, but he accepts a kiss on the cheek as a goodbye and he scoots out.

You and Laura sit down on a nearby bench, and she pulls a tissue out of her coat for you. While you dab your eyes, she says, “I’m not gonna tell you not to be mad at Shoresy, but did you actually see what it was that RJ hit you with?”

You shake your head. “Nope – just that it crashed on my face and I hit the deck.”

“It was his pint glass – and I saw that one of the shattered pieces looked like a dagger. I don’t read minds, but I know I feared the worst – and I bet Shoresy did too.”

A cold feeling runs down your spine as you remember the violent glint in RJ’s eyes. “You…you think he might have…?” You make the throat-cutting gesture.

“I dunno,” Laura admits. “But I know Shoresy doesn’t want to take any chances when it comes to you – he likes you a lot.”

You want to be happy about that comment, but everything just feels like shit right now. “I’m sorry,” you groan. “I swear I haven’t been trying to steal him – fuck’s sake, I’ve been actively pushing him away!”

“I know,” Laura says. “But…if he were to get himself figured out, would you … be willing to share?”

Your mental gears grind to a halt so fast that you’re surprised steam hasn’t come out of your ears. “….WHAT.”

“That’s what we wanted to talk about with you tonight before everything went pear-shaped.”

The idea Laura’s presenting is something you just cannot process right now. Your confusion must read on your face, because she offers you a hand to stand up and says, “Let me get you home so you can sleep – we’ll catch back up on this in the morning.”

[karatekels]

I saw your writing recently, and I must say, I love,love love it! Do you think you could write something about kk3 Terry? The reader maybe training along with Daniel during that time. Him not being able to say no to keep the act up and genuinely training her on the side, a contrary to Daniel's 'classes'. Maybe they've been a little flirty here and there but as soon as she found out Terry's plans, she's been rather cold. She gets a little too 'friendly' with Daniel and Terry snaps with the immediate need to claim her *spicy spicy* , dragging her to his home that night to make her his! The little virgin gal...

I'm sorry I went on forever there, but my brain conjures up scenarios 100 miles a minute for this guy! Thank you in advance🤍🤭

I’m happy to give it a try, anon – this will be my first KK3 Terry request (though I do have an ongoing fic on AO3 with him right now!) This should be in 2 parts, so enjoy! (Part 2 | Oops, I lied. Part 3)

This now has a sequel that starts here!

---

Silver Seduction - Part 1

---

“Trust me, Y/N. Mr. Silver offered to train me, and since Mr. Miyagi won’t, I’ve got to take him up on it! I can’t let those guys knock me around, and if you’re going to be hanging out with me too, I need to be able to keep you safe!” Daniel LaRusso explained, walking with you through L.A. to a karate dojo. You had only known the boy for a week or so now, but he seemed to have latched onto you with the attentiveness of a puppy and a strong sense of chivalry.

Danny was a sweet boy, just shy of eighteen, but was entirely too sweet, not to mention young, for you. You had been introduced by your little sister, Jessica Andrews, who was planning on leaving L.A. to reunite with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, just as you had arrived to visit your aunt. You were on summer break from university and having just turned 21, were looking forward to a bit of independence in a city as big and important as L.A.

Before leaving, Jessica had filled you in on what had been going on with Daniel. A karate champion from last year’s All-Valley, Daniel had had several unpleasant run-ins with bullies trying to threaten him into competing in the tournament again, and was currently having a strained relationship with his mentor Mr. Miyagi, who he was living with for the summer. Your heart went out to him, imagining he must be quite lonely without any family or friends his own age to confide in, and you agreed to keep an eye on him while you were in L.A., as you didn’t have any friends here either.

“Settle down, Danny – no one has attacked me yet!” you point out, laughing good-naturedly at his enthusiasm for playing the knight in shining armour.

“And I won’t let it come to that,” he promised sagely, and you bite back a smile at his serious tone. “Okay, here we are!” he announced, pointing to the entrance with a grand gesture.

“Cobra Kai karate?” you say incredulously, reading the name above the door. “Isn’t this the place where the last bullies came from?” you ask, trying to keep things light, but unsure if the boy had thought things through.

“Yeah, but that was under the old sensei, Sensei Kreese! Mr. Silver said that he had died, and he’s done nothing but help me so far. He seems like a really nice, hard-working guy, and he doesn’t have any students right now since he’s fixing up the place.” Daniel explains. “Now come on, I don’t want Mr. Miyagi to find out we were here.”

Danny leads you into the dojo, and you walk in quietly to see a man training on his own. He moved through a series of punches and kicks; his kicks were especially amazing, especially for such a tall guy! After a moment or two, he bowed to his reflection in the mirror and turned to face the two of you, trotting over to greet you both. Uh-oh, busted.

“Hey hey, Danny!” he welcomes Daniel warmly, seeming excited, and you take a moment to look at him more closely. He was an incredibly handsome man, probably in his late-twenties or early-thirties, with long black hair tied back in a tight ponytail, stunning blue eyes, and a friendly smile. He seemed to be looking you over as well, his eyes twinkling as he takes you in. Maybe accompanying Daniel on his karate quest had been a good idea after all?

“Hi, Mr. Silver. Listen, I thought about your offer, and-”

“Now Danny, where are your manners? Don’t you think you’d better introduce me to your lovely friend here?” he interrupts. “C’mon, am I gonna need to teach you how to be a gentleman and karate?”

“Oh, uh, sorry, Mr. Silver, of course. This is Y/N Andrews, she’s visiting for the summer. Y/N, this is Terry Silver – he’s going to train me in a different kind of karate.”

Mr. Silver turns to you, bowing, and you blush lightly. “Y/N,” he repeats, savouring your name, “great to meet you.” He hasn’t turned any lights on in the dojo, and the light from the windows is fairly dim, which must explain why his eyes look like they’re glinting.

“Likewise, Mr. Silver,” you reply, smiling shyly. He looks like he’s about to say something else to you, but Danny cuts in.

“So yeah, Mr. Silver, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to take you up on your offer. Just short term, I mean…”

“Trouble? Are you kidding? It would be an honour!” He responds to Daniel with enthusiasm that seems genuine, but you think you may have seen a flash of annoyance on his face as he turned from you to the boy.

“How does Mr. Miyagi feel about it?”

Daniel hesitates. “Mr. Miyagi, he uhh… he doesn’t know about it.”

You give the two of them some space, stepping away to take a closer look at the dojo as the matter didn’t concern you. You had never been in a karate dojo before, but it felt a little familiar. You had taken gymnastics classes for years, while your sister had taken up rock-climbing, and you imagine that this was where the feeling of familiarity stemmed from. Based on the moves you’d just seen from Mr. Silver, karate sure looked like a lot fun. Maybe he could teach you too, you thought, half-serious.

“It’s not much yet,” Mr. Silver says, and you jump, not having heard him approach. He puts a hand on your shoulder to steady you, giving you an apologetic smile. “But it will be when I’m through with it!”

“I’m sure it’ll be great, Mr. Silver! Danny says you’ve been working really hard to fix it up,” you encourage. He smiles at you, taking a couple of steps closer and bending down to speak in your ear.

“Hey, c’mon, you’re not some kid I’m teaching. You can call me Terry when it’s just us!” he whispers conspiratorially. You find yourself smiling, pleased that he sees you on more equal footing with himself.

“Okay, Terry,” you emphasize, and he gives you a pleased smile. “Where’s Daniel?” He gestures down the hall to a closed door.

“Changing; I had a spare gi in the closet. He wants me to train him, and we’re not gonna waste any time!” he declares. You find it sweet of him to take Danny under his wing so immediately. “What are you doing with that kid, anyway? You his babysitter or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” you laugh. “My sister introduced me to him before she went back home, said he’s been dealing with some kids harassing him. I don’t really know anyone here, and he’s a nice kid, so I thought I’d keep an eye on him.”

“Hey, you know me now, so you can hang out with someone your own size!” he jokes, clearly referencing Daniel’s short stature. You take a step back, making a show of looking up at him to emphasize your height difference, and he laughs. “Well, someone who’s also an adult, then,” Terry concedes, smirking slightly and looking over your shoulder.

“I’m basically an adult!” you hear a voice from behind you, and turn to see Danny standing there, having changed into the uniform for training.

“Danny! Wow, you look great,” you say, gesturing to his gi. You hope you haven’t embarrassed him with your conversation. How long had he been standing there listening, anyway?

“Thanks, Y/N!” he says, beaming at you. He was so sweet and innocent, and it was so easy to make him happy. “Are you gonna stay and watch me train?” he asks hopefully, and you can tell he’s eager to show off. You look over at Terry.

“I’d love to, if it’s okay with Te- with Mr. Silver, of course,” you say, winking at him. He grins, giving you a once over, and you blush. “I mean, I’d love to learn a few moves myself. Oh, I know!” you exclaim, hopping up and down in your excitement. “You guys can use me to practice on!” Daniel balks at the idea immediately, but Terry considers you with a thoughtful expression.

“I don’t wanna hit you, Y/N!” Daniel protests, but you shake your head.

“No, nothing like that. But if Mr. Silver is going to show you how to flip someone or sweep their leg or something, you can practice on me! That way he can make sure you’re doing it properly. I won’t get hurt, I’ve done gymnastics for years and I know how to land safely! Please let me help?” you ask, looking at them both hopefully.

“I don’t know…” Danny hesitates, still seeming uncomfortable with the idea, so you turn to Terry, knowing that if you can convince him Daniel will have to go along with it.

“Oh, come on! I let you and Danny practice tossing me around, and I pick up a few moves in the process! It’s a win-win! Please?” you ask, eyes bright. You had told Jess that you would keep an eye on Danny, especially with the bullies that had been bothering the two of them lately, and this would give you a great opportunity. Plus, you really wanted to spend some more time with Terry. You’d had fun talking with him today, and he was more than easy on the eyes. Terry eyes you, sizing you up and clearly contemplating something.

“Alright, alright!” he gives in, raising his hands up and grinning. “I guess I could use the help. But you’re both gonna have to listen to me, alright?”

You and Danny both nod, excited to watch Daniel train and to learn from Mr. Silver – Terry – yourself.

---

You landed on the floor on your back as your legs were kicked out from under you, hitting the ground the way Terry taught you, and giggled breathlessly. That was fun!

“You like that, huh?” he asks, grinning down at you. You take his offered hand and hop to your feet, smiling back. You had had a great time, watching Terry put Daniel through the paces – you tried to follow along with the kata as best you could, trying to copy them but not wanting to take Terry’s attention away from Danny. He’s the one that really need to be trained, after all.

“See, Danny? I’m totally fine!” you point out to him, and he folds his arms and rolls his eyes, but gives you a smile.

“Fine, I guess it’s okay,” he concedes, and you and Terry share an amused look.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Terry says. “Why don’t you go get changed, Mr. LaRusso, and I’ll walk Y/N through another couple moves so that she can practice with you tomorrow?” Danny nods, heading back down the hall to get changed. Terry turns back to you, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“You’re a pretty fast learner, Y/N,” he compliments. “I saw you trying to follow us through the kata, and you’re not bad. I bet I could really teach you a lot if I didn’t have to focus on the Karate Kid,” he says, pointing back to where Daniel was with his thumb. You blush at the praise.

“Thank you, Mr. Si- Terry,” you correct yourself, and he smiles wolfishly. “But Daniel only has a few days to train, so he should of course take priority.”

“So I’ll train you separately!” he proclaims, and you go to protest, but he cuts you off. “I was gonna have to train Danny without you anyways, to go over the stuff that you can’t help with, and he can’t train all day; he’ll wear himself out!”

“Won’t you wear yourself out, training both of us all the time?” you point out, raising an eyebrow at him.

“It takes a lot more than that to tire me out,” he says, winking at you, and you bite the inside of your cheek to keep you from smiling. Still, you hesitate, not wanting to take up too much of his time.

“The response you’re looking for is ‘Yes, Sir’,” he offers teasingly, quoting himself from an earlier conversation with Daniel, but his eyes are intense. You bite your bottom lip, and see that his eyes track the movement.

“Yes, Sir!” you concede, giving him a mocking salute. Terry beams at you.

---

And so it went. Terry would spend the next few days alternating between teaching you and Daniel together, going through the kata and using you to demonstrate moves, and then teaching you separately, Daniel visiting the dojo in the early afternoon and you coming by in the evening.

You were on your way to the dojo now for your evening class, and took the time during the walk over to think about all that had happened in the past week. You were definitely sore, and had more than your share of bruises, but from the way Daniel had been limping around (trying his best to hide it), you can tell that Terry was training him way harder.

Still, the training had been worth it – not only were you learning to be a decent fighter, and helping Daniel to improve, but getting to spend time with Terry, especially during your 1-on-1 sessions, was really fun. You had been getting more comfortable with one another, and had definitely been flirting throughout your private training with him. Did he get a little closer to you when correcting your form than he would need to, and did his touches linger as he adjusted your hips, adjusting your stance to land a proper punch? Most definitely, but you couldn’t find it in you to mind. Terry seemed genuinely pleased by your progress, and you loved the charming smile he gave you when you perfected a move. And yesterday, when you walked into the dojo, he had presented you with a beautiful flower, saying that he’d seen it on his drive over earlier that day and that he couldn’t resist picking it for you. You had accepted the gift, smiling shyly, and had reached up, pulling him down into a hug so you could place a quick kiss on his cheek.

He was just so wonderful, and you could definitely feel yourself falling for him. You were very inexperienced when it came to dating, having only had a couple of relationships in high school, and had been too focused on studying in college to waste your time with boys. But if Terry decided to ask you for a date, you knew you would be helpless to resist him.

Smiling at the thought, you turned the corner to the Cobra Kai dojo, but were startled out of your daydreaming by the sound of a panicked scream and laughter. The door banged open, and you quickly dashed into the bushes outside to hide. Daniel came running out, clutching his stomach, and you could see blood on his shirt and that he looked absolutely terrified. What on earth was going on?

You heard the door open again, and heard bare feet hitting the pavement at a run.

“Get back in there, LaRusso,” demanded a young boy in a white Cobra Kai gi.

“Leave me alone, Barnes! I’m not fighting anymore!” Still, he turned to face the boy as he said this, assuming a defensive stance and trying not to let the pain on his face. Barnes? Wasn’t that one of the kids that had been harassing him and Jessica? What was he doing here?

“Hey, we ain’t done with you yet!” yelled the boy, taking a threatening step towards Daniel.

“But he is now done with you.”

Mr. Miyagi stepped in between the boys, appearing from nowhere. Where had he come from? Had he seen you? You tried not to panic, pushing yourself further against the outer wall of the dojo to stay hidden.

“Was I talking to you, old man?” Barnes sneered dismissively.

Quick as a flash, Mr. Miyagi had picked up the boy and thrown him clean through the dojo door.

“You stay here, Daniel-san.” He ordered, walking in after the boy. Daniel hesitates, eyes wide, but after a moment or two sneaks in after him. You hear a scream, and the lights in the dojo go out. Turning, you try to see what’s going on through the window. Where was Terry? Was he alright? But you can’t see anything through the closed curtains, and can only hear the sound of fighting. Just how many of them were there? You couldn’t bear the thought of Mr. Miyagi going up against more than one person. You knew he was a good fighter, but he was so small.

Suddenly, you hear the now-familiar sound of Terry’s voice, but he doesn’t sound quite right. He sounds mean.

“You think this is the end of it, old man? I’m going to open Cobra Kai dojos all over this valley!” you hear him scream. Terry was fighting Mr. Miyagi?

“Hell, I might even teach for free! From now on when people say karate around here, all they’ll mean is Cobra Kai karate – John Kreese’s karate! You won’t even be a memory!” Kreese? Hadn’t Daniel said he died? What the hell was going on.

You hear Daniel’s voice, close to the entrance. “Yes he will! You won’t!” he cries passionately, and the door opens again, and you see Danny and Mr. Miyagi step out onto the street once more, both thankfully looking unharmed. As the door swings shut, you hear the sound of men laughing evilly, like hyenas, and it sends a chill up your spine.

“Now will you train me?” Danny asks desperately.

“Hai,” the man agrees, nodding sagely, and the two of them head down the street back home. But Daniel suddenly stops in his tracks, looking horrified.

“We gotta tell Y/N to stay away from them! She’s probably on her way for her lesson!” he exclaims, taking off down the road. Mr. Miyagi walks quickly after him, and you feel your heart warmed at the thought that they were looking out for you. But you were an adult, and you didn’t need others to take care of you, at least, not without you getting a word in first.

Steeling yourself, you take a deep breath and walk into the dojo. Immediately, you take in the mess of broken glass and paint, and are immediately relieved that Danny and Mr. Miyagi appeared to walk out unharmed. Stepping quietly into the dojo, you see the younger boy, Mike Barnes, on the ground, looking bewildered with his head in his hands. Terry – covered in paint, for some reason – is talking in a low, angry voice, to a shorter yet still very intimidating-looking man, who you recognized from signs in the dojo as John Kreese. So, not dead then, you realize, and your heart immediately clenches at the realization that Terry had been in on it from the beginning. How could you have been so stupid?

“Terry?” you call out to him, hating how your voice comes out weak and shaky, but your anger has caught you so off-guard it isn’t able to burst out of you quite yet. Barnes jumps to his feet and immediately takes a fighting stance, but Terry waves him off with a hand. The three of them move to approach you, with Terry in the centre, eyes wild with excitement.

“Hey hey, beautiful!” he greets boisterously, clapping his hands. You’d think he’d be a bit less exuberant, covered in paint and having had his ass kicked by a man twice his age and half his size. He lopes over to you, grabbing you by the arm and pulling you over to the others, and you’re in such shock by his lack of awareness that you let him.

“Johnny, this is Y/N! Ain’t she something?” he asks, standing behind you with his hands on your shoulders and looking to Kreese for approval. The older man looks you up and down, and you feel dirty.

“When you told me to enjoy myself in Tahiti, Terry, I felt bad enjoying the company of those women you’d provided. It would’ve cleared my conscience to know you had found yourself a girl stateside!” Kreese joked, leering at you. The pair share a laugh that sounds more than a little cruel, and you feel yourself start to tear up. But the feeling of devastation is quickly overwhelmed by your anger.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” you yell at him, wrenching yourself out of his grip. “What did you do to Danny?” he crosses his arms, looking down on you like he’s disappointed that you’re even asking, and shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it, baby girl,” he croons, reaching for you, but you swat his hand away, and a flash of anger crosses his face. “That little prick ruined the name of this dojo, my dojo, and I needed to teach him a lesson!”

“What are you talking about? I saw him come out of here bloody and hurt! He’s just a kid!” you exclaim, and he laughs under his breath, smirking. Who was this guy, and where the hell had the sweet, kind Terry you’d gotten to know gone? “You… you lied to me.” You hear your voice shaking, and you’re close to tears. You hate how weak you must look in front of these men, these monsters, who would jump a kid just for winning a karate tournament.

“Hey, I didn’t lie to you,” Terry says smoothly, and you try to interrupt him, but he continues. “I lied to him, and you just happened to be there.”

You’re shocked at how cold and callous he’s being, your mouth falling open, and he comes towards you once more. You feel yourself shrink back in fear.

“Come on, doll. This doesn’t have to get in the way of you and me,” he croons, reaching towards your face. Without thinking, you reel back and punch him in the face, causing him to stumble back, more from the surprise than the force.

“Don’t you ever come near me again, do you hear me? I’m fucking done with you!”

Kreese looks shocked, but doesn’t make a move towards you, standing his ground with his arms crossed and surveying the situation, but Barnes comes towards you again, fists clenched. Terry, one hand clutching his bleeding nose, reaches out with the other to stop the boy.

“Leave it,” is all he says, and Barnes obeys like a well-trained dog. You back out of the dojo, staring at Terry through your tears, and as soon as your back hits the door you turn, running off into the night.

[questing-wulfstan]

So, I watched Remainder (2015), because I'm a simple gal who enjoys watching Tom Sturridge play various shades of unhinged gremlin on my screen and, I have my own theory :

I don't think the black out at the end is the fuse to a new loop and that it starts all over again. I think the black out is Tom's death. That Tom's been dying the whole time.

At the beginning, he's declared clinically dead, and I don't think he recovers actually. Rather, the movie is a 1 hour and 43 minutes-long stretch of the few seconds between the accident and Tom's actual death, throughout which his 'life flashes before his eyes', as the established expression go. Except part of his brain is already destroyed from the squashing, and the memories stored in it are erased, and Tom has to do with what is left for his 'life review'.

Except he does not, he's terrified of death (as human beings usually are), and he takes refuge in this ultimate surge of brain activity, lets it delude him that it is, in fact, reality. Thus, it makes no sense to him that parts of his memories are missing, and he fixates on these and endeavours to recover them, like he ought to be able to do since his brain is intact and he believes himself to have already gone through the process of, and succeeded in recovering his motive functions.

And stubborn, sort of patient, repeat has been the method to recover his motive functions, it ought to be for his memories as well.

He 'fixes' his life ー or, his memories of it ー as he goes too. I don't think he was running away from the bank robbery when he's squashed at the very beginning. The first and last scene of the movie are nearly identical, except for one detail : in the first scene, when he looks back to Catherine, she smiles and goes down the stairs towards him. She does not in the last scene.

I'm not sure what exactly was happening before the accident, but it's reasonable to infer from the informations provided throughout the movie that he found out Catherine was 'a real cunt', to quote Greg, packed his things and stormed out. That is why she's so hopeful when he turns and look at her in the first scene.

Except that is a failure, and not something Tom's unconscious want to replay last before his death, nor something he wants to go through ー again ー at all. So he reaches for something else, and grasps the memory of the news of Christopher's death. I don't think he was actually close to Christopher, but his death is 'glorious' to Tom, much more so than his own. And this might not be his own life, but if he can piece motive functions, and memories back from oblivion, surely with enough practice he can make someone else's memory his. So when he reaches the end of his life's tape, Catherine doesn't go down the stairs hopefully towards him because now he's the one who hurt her, he's dangerous, and she fears him, fears what he's capable of. The other way around than what actually happened. And much better.

Plus now, he's turned the flashing of his life before his eyes as death creeps on him into a whole other thing. Respite. Reprieve. A second chance. And surely more chances will be granted to him. Now he's in a time loop that will resume 'until the universe runs down'. Now he's endless.

Except he's not.

[archerinspace]

Fionna and Cake card analysis

Based on these cards, I wanted to give my thoughts on them since there was not much Fionna and Cake lore around the time the book was published (2016) and I'm forever searching for more. They'll be under the cut since this will get long but some of these things never cease to amuse me.

Note: All cards will be written out in text as well so if you have a hard time reading them, you can read them in plain text.

Fionna and Cake Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball Ice Queen and Lord Monochromicorn

FIONNA THE HUMAN GIRL FIONNA is a feisty little fist-flapping female fool who fancies stuff like swordplay, slush-monster deflection, and Prince-Gumball-butt-saving. Fionna has one weakness- a blinding infatuation with yours truly, Ice King, which transcends the boundaries between her and fan-fictional Land of Ooh, in which I don't even exist, and the real Land of Ooo, in which she doesn't exist! Hey for a figment of my imagination, she's a real cutie. I mean, what a backyard, and what a front yard! (Girls, take note of her white bunny hat, semi-ironic athletic stockings and Mary Janes, all designed to appeal to my, AHEM, I mean YOUR predilection for postmodern, anime-stylin' fashion culture. Let it not be said that Ice King doesn't dig Kawaii!!!) But this chick is zilch compared to the incredibly hip ICE QUEEN, into whose frosty embrace Prince Gumball is destined one day to fall, frozen forever in a cryogenic icicle stupor. C'mon, his dopey dalliances with Fionna are obviously just a phase! Just like his flirtations with expressionist gummy sculpture and free-form candy-whistle jazz! But I'll save that Magnificent Wint'ry Wizardess ICE QUEEN till last! See, when I'm excited I get way ahead of myself!

Immediately I find it interesting this book refers to it as the "Land of Ooh" instead of "Aaa", a name that was said to be mentioned around the writers room or by some of the AT writers at some point.

I don't know how to feel about Ice King knowing about Kawaii or anime but it makes sense. I can only assume he enjoys Sailor Moon and eats snacks while saying 'me too usagi, me too'.

I don't know when this book was written but this just proves to me that early F&C stuff was just in very early S1 stuff of AT or at least from Ice King's memory that Finn openly had a crush on PB. I'm going to ignore his comments about Fionna being cute since it was later fixed in "Bad little boy" he wants to be friends with her which funny enough I guess he does in 2023.

He's not wrong that this is just a phase(looks at gumlee), though this is only the START of him going on about Gumball and how he should fall for the Ice Queen and generally bullying him.

This card from 2014 also backs that up. I guess he's just mad and thinks Gumball thinks he's better than IK somehow...despite the fact he's writing the character.

CAKE Fionna's feline funkster gal pal and adopted cat sister CAKE is an insufferable, dulcimer-playing furball floozy and a bottomless dispenser of cheap sassitude. Basically a smelly lowlifer, cake is roughly the size and shape of an overstuffed throw-pillow with legs unless she is, oh, I don't know, ANY OTHER SHAPE AND SIZE SHE WANTS! Because this weird whisker-head has stretchy powers! She can make her legs look like monster mutations made of molasses oozing from her cat torso! But so what, I mean, big deal!!! Ice Queen does way cooler stuff, right? Okay, what else about this fuzzy freaky Friday? Oh yeah. Cake got totally hitched to the majestic Lord Monochromicorn (who's way out of her league, by the way, I mean, lets get real!). But it's no secret that, like her sister, Cake would ditch that weirdo in a heartbeat for one lousy date with that paragon of perfection, the Ice Queen!! Seriously, that annoying cat is all about me, I mean, the Ice Queen. But what Fionna and Cake don't realize is that those two are ALWAYS in danger of obliteration at the mighty Ice Queen's perfectly manicured hands, and I'm tellin' ya, folks, it's only a matter of time until the ice pick falls!

I don't really know what to make of this one since I didn't expect him to be so mean towards Cake. I think(?) its a good thing he's vaguely aware of IQ being a self insert of him and that's some way to feel important while his brain continues to be a mess of hallucinations but at the same time he admits on IQ's card that he'd break boundaries to date/marry her and rule with an icy hand. So I guess he takes it a bit as a personal attack Cake is against her.

Also Simon is showing his age cause only my mom has ever used the word 'floozy' that I know of and that's pretty funny.

[blue-howlite]

I love you too. You literally feed into my delutions of the doom breaker guys and gals ❤❤❤

Anyways here is another request for the doom breaker guys and gals (especially Ned and Fade) I was thinking soulmarks, a timer that counts down to when you meet your soulmate, the first words your soulmate says to you gets tattooed on your body(this one can be funny), and so on.

I just think it would be funny especially for zephyr, that because he return back in time instead of his timer is on the negatives and going up till it goes to 0 (signaling how much time till he remeets his soul mate again)

Happy to be feeding the delulu!

Also sorry it took me so long, creativity is not creating. But! I wrote some mini scenarios of how the meetings would go!

Soulmates

Feat. Zephyr, Ned, Fade.

Warnings: prob ooc, big creative liberties, soulmate au, goofy misunderstandings implied.

Author note: I'm making up some sort of fate deity that can see the future and ties people's fates to eachother. Keep it in mind while reading so that if I mention a "god of fate" you know what I'm referring to. Also the soulmark is a counter, and it doesn't tell what time measure it's using, so it can go from 1 (year) to 11 (months), or 1 (day) to 23 (hours) and so on, it's up to who has it to understand it.

Also everyone's counters suddenly change when Zephyr gets ten years into the past, since the original timeline has been altered. Prepare for chaos.

Zephyr (you're from Altair's court)

He scoffs when he sees his counter is set to negative. A gift from the god of fate, who fixed his timer according to the new timeline he was going to create. And it was much sooner than he remembered from the last time.

They met the princess, they talked with her and everything went fine. Zephyr's anxiety seemed to rise with every instant. The counter was moving properly, changing every hour, from -23 to -22, to -21, and so on. When the number changed from -1 to -59, signaling that less than an hour was keeping him apart from his soulmate, he started to struggle masking his nervousness. He knew that the counters of everyone had changed when he came back in time and had assumed it was because he was messing with the timeline and many people would meet earlier or later in life; but what if his messing around had changed too much, what if the god of fate had played a trick on him and changed his soulmate?

He had to hide it carefully or someone could have guessed something was off with him. But he would check it everyday, to make sure it was moving properly.

His counter reached -23; it was the day he was going to meet his soulmate again. Zephyr had glanced at the mark many times. It was a calming feeling, knowing that there was one certainty among all the things that could go wrong, knowing that at least you would be there. Ned had noticed the change in his behaviour, the way Zephyr seemed excited yet oddly relaxed; something was going on.

But right when he saw the counter reach -1 and finally get to 0, someone bumped into his shoulder.

He was at the party and making an effort to keep the mask on using the special techniques he knew. His counter reached -1, then -59 again. It was changing fast, it was a matter of seconds now. He still couldn't spot you anywhere. He couldn't help but be nervous. The gods could be so cruel, he knew that, what if they wanted some more entertainment by messing with his love life?

«I'm sorry, I wasn't looking-»

No trick was played. He turned around to find you, flustered and nervously glancing at your counter. You must have been distracted looking at it and didn't notice him. Both your counters had reached 0.

«It's alright. I'm Zephyr.»

His mask had completely fallen, he looked just like himself now, too relieved to focus on his looks. And you were too busy noticing his counter to realise the change in his appearance. You had met your soulmate, and he had re-met you.

Ned (you're a shadow apprentice... that can't have attachments)

This is going to be cruel, but in the original timeline he didn't meet his soulmate. His counter was an eternal 1, as in "1 lifetime". The god of fate knew already that he'd die before meeting anyone of interest, but caught a glimpse of the second chance Zephyr, and by extension Ned, would get.

In Zephyr's second run, Ned's eternal 1 suddenly changed into a different number. Ned was aware that the 1 mark since he was a kid probably meant that he'd never meet his soulmate, so the sudden change shook him. The god of fate had made a mistake with his counter? Or was this the sign of a bigger event coming up, one that even the gods couldn't control?

At first he didn't know what the new number stood for. Years maybe? He soon realised it was months. The counter had changed from the eternal 1 to mere months until he met his soulmate.

Ned wasn't one to scare easily, but the sudden news shook him. He didn't contact his master only because it would probably be a waste of time. Ned already knew what course of action he'd have to take regarding his soulmate: kill them. His master wouldn't approve of any 'loose strings' or attachments, even if Ned decided to leave their soulmate behind; loyalty was key to the plan's success.

The timer made Ned extremely anxious. Many people excitedly waited the day they'd meet their soulmate, but he? He dreaded it, as if he was to fight a formidable foe. Maybe his soulmate would be just an unlucky adventurer that ended up being aided and enslaved by the church; but maybe they'd be a powerful warrior who wouldn't go down without a fight. Whatever the answer to that, he needed to be ready. Other people from the church noticed that he was training more than usual, and he was more severe with his subordinates. He didn't sleep at all when the counter went to 3, the days until the fateful meeting.

On the last day, he spent it almost entirely in his room. He had gotten some potions for himself, to make sure the sleep deprivation wouldn't weaken him. Before drinking them, he stepped into the garden to get some fresh air and calm himself. It wouldn't do him any good to face his enemy - that's how he thought of his soulmate - with a nervous mind.

'Just a minute', he thought to himself as he sat under a tree, breathing deeply and focusing on the present instead of the future.

'Just a minute'

And before he knew it, Ned was asleep.

Ned jolted up to glance at his own counter, also at 0. Then his eyes found yours, and you both spent an awkward moment just staring at each other... until you broke the silence.

All his preparations and plans rendered useless as almost an hour later you walked up to the sleeping man. Your master had sent you after receiving updates from demon followers on an odd slave that caught Ned's interest, and you were to take Ned's place in case something went wrong with the retrieval of the dragon heart. There were suspicions that the slave was Ned's soulmate and that his loyalties had shifted.

Ned sensed your presence approaching, but he was still half asleep so he just opened his eyes. The first thing he saw? Your troubled face as you looked down at your counter, that had reached 0.

«Well, at least it wasn't the slave...»

Fade (you're "White Rose"'s partner in crime)

Fade... got genuinely pissed when his counter suddenly changed. His original timer, at the time the change happened, marked 3 years until he met his soulmate. The change of the counter messed up his future plans quite a lot, since now it was just a matter of months.

He also got pissed when he found out someone was producing poisons with Persephone's techniques. He had to take a little detour at the third parish and visit a certain dealer, the one selling the poison, "White Rose". He knew his counter was dangerously close to reaching zero, but timing wasn't on his side and he decided that he'd just cross that bridge once he got to it. Or burn it, depending on the case.

Finding out a nun was running an illegal market of artifacts and monster parts wasn't too surprising to Fade, he had seen how deep corruption could go in the world. Finding her, and interrogating her were his priorities to find out if the one producing the poisons was the same man that destroyed Persephone.

The matter of his counter... Fade didn't like to think about it. Meeting his soulmate wasn't something he ever felt thrilled about. He just hoped it wouldn't be a troublesome person; in the best case scenario, Fade thought he'd tolerate the person. Getting along with them, or even getting to know them? That was a luxury he probably wouldn't have, given the circumstances. During his journey to reach Lucius Giornetti, Fade guessed that his soulmate would be someone from the third parish, due to the time left on the counter and the time until he reached his target.

«I just hope it's not White Rose.» he murmured before entering the third parish. He had one hour left before the fateful encounter, and he was getting increasingly annoyed at the god of fate for meddling with his life.

He had contacted the poison dealer a few days earlier, pretending to be a client interested in the products. Infiltrating the parish was easy, despite the lockdown. Fade soon came face to face with the infamous White Rose, known to the people in the church as Anna Primrose. To his own relief, his counter still had ten minutes on it; his soulmate wasn't the dealer. As pretty as she was, she also had a mannerism that annoyed Fade. She was beating around the bush too much and acting too friendly for someone she barely knew. It took some time to get the poisons he was interested in, and the moment he saw them he knew he was in the right place.

You were clueless to what was going on with Anna's mysterious customer, another underling of hers just came to call you and tell you she wanted to see you. You were her partner in crime, working with her and running the black market around the third parish; it was normal for Anna to call you whenever there was a client that worried her. So when you stepped inside the room and found your friend on the ground, and a mysterious man threatening her... You pulled your weapon out and prepared to fight the stranger. You didn't think of checking your counter, that had reached zero the moment the other man glanced at you, and didn't notice you were facing your soulmate.

Fade noticed though. And cursed the god of fate's name out loud.

[kyraxyrespace]

What if 'Gundam SEED' was told from Flay's point of view? How would they approach it? Would it have been better?

I don't know about better, but the Western audience probably wouldn't have cheered the death of a troubled fourteen year old if she was given a bit more focus. If we're going strictly on the beat-by-beat of Gundam Seed, then all that'd change is that we'd be following her and probably getting the audience to see things from her side.

Now if you're letting me completely change Gundam SEED with Flay being a more prominent character, then buckle in.

I'd probably feature her experience at Heliopolis and capitalize on her terror. Then probably on the episode where her dad arrives, show a flashback of a little Flay and her dad to really hone in how much she loves her dad and follows in his footsteps. It won't explain away her racist feelings toward Coordinators, but how many teenagers don't think like their parents on political views? Also, if I remember, I don't think her sentiment was completely in the minority? Still wrong, but the way the Western audience treats her it's like she's the ONLY ONE EVER to have this thought. She'd also still try to kill Lacus because she's desperate to save her father.

She'd still blame Kira and hatch her plan to kill him and have him kill the other Coordinators because hell hasth no fury like a woman scorned. She'll still stay on the Archangel as in the original as a way to keep Kira there and in the fight too, but I'm going to go one step extra and have Flay become a pilot when they get their hands on the Strike Rouge. I recall that Flay was supposed to pilot this Gundam, and I think that'd be a fun addition. I don't know when/where'd they'd get the Strike Rouge, but at some point before they touchdown on Earth they get it and Flay begins to pilot it to further incentivize Kira to die in battle for her but to also personally kill the enemy for killing her father. It's through this and Kira's loving feelings that start to sway Flay away from the dark side. She'll see the fighting is rough and takes a toll and further she doesn't get that same satisfaction as she thought she'd get.

She still keeps Kira away, but this is kind of also on the friends who are just bogged down in work, and the adults who are just okay with kids just not being watched. Plus, as a fellow pilot, she really gets what Kira is going through and keeps up her "my thoughts will protect you."

I don't think I'll have them break up before getting to Alaska. It may be the Kira/Flay gal in me, but I think it'd be better if they were still dating when Kira is "killed" in action in Alaska. It'll bring her more anguish as she realizes, in that moment, she genuinely loved him from the bottom of her heart and she never got to apologize for her actions. She won't seek comfort from Sai and Mira like she had in the original just because she'll have become too distraught and collapsed in on herself. Somehow she'll still find her way into the medical wing where Dearka is being confronted by Miri (maybe Flay had an emotional/psychotic breakdown that she wound up there and was sleeping) and she'll still pull the gun on him because how dare he get to live and breathe while Kira had to die? The original tried to paint it as her still having anti-Coordinator hatred, and while I'm sure she did at that point, it always felt like an excuse for her still reeling from Kira's death. So I'd present it as her being furious that one of Kira's enemies is alive and he'd dead and she'll fix that.

As fun as it'd be to keep her on the Archangel, I'll send her off like in the original. They stated in the original show that her plea to stay on the Archangel the first time around was compelling, so they wanted her to do it again, thus making her their poster child. Since she's now a pilot, this will be even more appealing to everyone. She'll of course be against this and when the base is under attack try to return to the Archangel only to get nabbed by Rau.

From here, things will play out pretty normally like from the show, though we get some more time to see her under ZAFT's hands. She'll be apprehensive at first considering her role as a pilot that engaged battle with them one too many times, but they don't hold it against her, treat her civilly, and Flay starts to not only see that she was wrong about Coordinators, but also begins to desire peace.

Now at this point I've gone back and forth in my head on whether or not she goes to the Dominion, but as a Kira/Flay gal, I'm going to say no. Since she's a pilot, she's familiar with the radio system, so unlike her original self who was hitting whatever button in the hope of reaching the Archangel, Flay is able to open the appropriate channel. Kira will of course hear her voice and be overcome since he had been distraught to learn she'd been transferred out while he was MIA. He'll rescue her, and the opposing side will only realize too late that they'd rescued a pod.

Kira and Flay will get their reunion in a fashion similar to when Kira had rescued Flay in the life pod, except this time they kiss. She'll make amends with her friends, show no hostility to the likes of Athrun and Lacus (she'll even apologize Lacus and Cagalli for the way she treated them) and take up her place as the Rouge pilot. Also any romance between Lacus and Kira is ended here because of Flay's return. This is nothing against Lacus who is a great girl. It's just that in this what if scenario I'm canonizing Kira/Flay, so his flirting/affections with Lacus has to be pinned at some point.

There can be two ways to end the series: killing Flay or not. While her death does spur Kira to unlock his seed and go ultimate, I'd much rather go for a 'perceived' dead. He thinks she died, but she actually didn't and maybe even helps him towards the end of the final battle. Then the two recover from the war and go to live a peaceful life until SEED DESTINY starts up.

I haven't seen Gundam SEED in years, so most of this is just what I can remember from the show. I don't think this would be better than the original, I just find this one fun. As for keeping Kira/Flay the main couple instead of canon Kira/Lacus is that I like their storyline more. Flay was HORRIBLE to Kira, there is no question of that. But the beauty of their love is that his pure love for her changed her. Love made her a better person.

So hopefully that answered your question.

[tmntxthings]

Oh! I always wanted to do one of these matchups! Don't worry if you can't get to it! Takw care of yourself please ♡♡

Anyways, I'm a fairly standard teen from Brazil, I'm slightly chubby, wear glasses and have the 'tism. I LOVE history, arts and English! I adore dancing and I tend to infodump alot. My love languages are gift giving, quality time and some physical touch (None if the person dosen't like!) I love cooking and will bring people random trinkegs that remind me of them, I also like to fix things, it's calming!

Thanks for taking the time to read, I adore your blog and remember to take carw of yourself, stay safe! ♡♡♡♡

Oml you are so cute 😭 I know I said I’m a opposites-attract kind of gal BUT

I match you with Donatello Hamato

And here are my reasons

Technically he’s into Maths, Engineering, & the Sciences so perhaps this is a lil’ opposites moment! He can totally info dump on you about all of that ↑ PLUS, his latest and greatest inventions, and when he finally has to take a breather or yk has ended the info dump, it’s now your turn!!! You tell him what you learned recently in regards to history/art/ & english, he pays careful attention too bc he’s the type of turtle to want to gain knowledge no matter the subject! He loves your enthusiasm and gets so excited when you listen to his info-dumps too <3

Speaking of learning, since your from Brazil he’s definitely going to want to learn (Portuguese? I believe is the main language?) if you speak a diff language he’s def learning that, and all about the culture, he would want to visit if you two met online and not in the streets of NYC! I’m talking the turtle is building planes, or doing the whole cloaking-brooch thing to get to you~~!

And once the two of you are together, you can dance the night away >\\\\\\< so flipping cute!!! He’s a dancing machine as well, and can totally keep up! Maybe the two of you squabble over who takes the lead but I bet it’s fun either way hehe

Coincidentally your love languages seem to match up with Donnie’s as well (though besides gift giving he is a big words of affirmation guy) the two of you surprise each other with trinkets & gifts especially if it’s long distance! You can expect him sending over gifts quite often if that’s the case bc he’s always thinking of youuuu

And it just keeps getting better, he TOO finds fixing things calming, so the two of you can do that together too hehe, I can just imagine him getting super frustrated over a project or maybe he’s used up all his brain power so something that should be a simple fix is taking him a much longer time to get through, and like the savior you are, in comes you and your magic hands, easily fixing whatever he’s stuck & BOOM, he’s smitten

anddddd that’s all I got c: I hope you enjoyed <33

[highladyluck]

My Minor Meta

Part 3 of my Reference Posts series! These are the not-quite-as-comprehensive posts about the white-hot pulsating core of my WoT obsession, or posts about other WoT things I find interesting. Sometimes the line between these and jokes I take seriously is quality, length, or how much they shaped my thinking.

Categories:

The Science/Metaphysics of Wheel of Time

Mat

WoT on Prime!Mat

Tuon

Mat/Tuon

Mat & Other Characters

Other Characters

The Seanchan

The Ajahs

The Science/Metaphysics of Wheel of Time https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/642695973462786048/highladyluck-the-math-behind-adding-male-and Linking rules are based on electron valences

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/687528565697396736 Robert Jordan's Gals Law states that the power of a woman’s personality varies inversely with her height.

https://wot-tidbits.tumblr.com/post/636152027386380288/highladyluck-its-been-a-while-since-i-looked-at Age of Legends Moonbase truthing (also RJ dumped Africa into the sea)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28398306/chapters/69585366 Fic: Fly Me To The Moon, where Talaan din Gelyn and Bodewhin Cauthon teleport to the moon. Also invents a spacefaring backstory for the Sea Folk.

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/636134450633326592/one-of-the-most-irritatingly-compelling-things Every day I am haunted by Robert Jordan’s batshit worldbuilding

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/704437824685015040/wheel-of-time-theology-oh-yeah-the-devil-is The devil is real and he’s leaking out of hell

Mat https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/666229600066650113/eotw-reader oh my god Mat what is your problem

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/643398044203761664/in-honor-of-absolute-favorite-dumbass-mat-cauthon Early Mat Cauthon Playlist

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/634094870653550592/i-started-looking-up-mats-family-in The Theory of Big Cauthon Energy

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/642151079975534592/i-know-this-canonically-happened-in-the-gathering Mat's too good a liar to do elaborate backstories

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/681289701813108736/is-there-anything-word-of-the-creator-definitive https://www.theoryland.com/intvsresults.php?kwt=%27mat%27s%20luck%27 On whether Mat's luck is the dagger or ta'verenness (I'm firmly in the former camp)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30434337 Fic: How To Spot A Grey Man; relevant meta is the idea that Mat's ability to spot Grey Men comes from the dagger

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/658499271022280704/mat-cauthons-terrible-horrible-no-good-very Mat's #VampireProblems (this is one of my most popular playlists and it's been a really useful framework for me to think about Mat)

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/680481481243639808/robert-jordan-and-this-is-mat-cauthon-my-adhd RJ sent Mat to military school to fix his ADHD

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/667381653566603264/run-son-of-battles-playlist Run, Son of Battles Playlist

WoT On Prime!Mat https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/666111991091527680/been-thinking-about-the-wot-show-character-blurb Thoughts on the WoT on Prime character blurb for Mat

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/668701687303766016/thoughts-on-wot-on-primemat Thoughts on WoT on Prime!Mat

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/672024739162800128/i-like-this-observation-they-are-the-most The unreliable narrators got the most screen time increase in show vs book

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/703105973430206464/luckhissoul-wait-did-the-gifmaker-add-the-little foreshadowing win in S1

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/730438025904046080/i-liked-the-mushroom-tea-as-an-alternative-to Season 2 Mat

Tuon https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/686332178014093312/tuon-is-the-kind-of-asshole-who-looks-gift-horses this bitch looks gift horses in the mouth

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/662761130347855873/winters-heart-ch-14-you-certainly-were-not Tuon and fear

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/645230396513058816/tuons-empathy-doll-shot-he-remembered-the-face Tuon's empathy doll shot

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/664206707888635904/faile-and-fortuona-some-commonalities Faile and Fortuona parallels

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/640667946003415040/my-5-favorite-wasted-join-me-speeches-in-wheel Favorite wasted join-me speeches

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/648805384399749120/ok-remember-that-scene-in-tgs-where-rand-attempts The Rand vs Tuon scene I'm obsessed with

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/649354806063988736/tuon-i-have-some-knowledge-of-herbs-me-at Why Tuon knows first aid

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/651024860391342080/fortuona-athaem-devi-paendrag-playlist Tuon character playlist

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46184641/chapters/116270389 Fic: Daughter of Battles, Wheel of Fortuona (aka the fem!Mat/Tuon courtship retelling that is maybe saying something about gender but mostly saying a bunch of unsettling things about Tuon)

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/665901848609325057/how-it-started-how-its-going-matrim-cauthon-is Premise & teaser for the fic The Fox That Makes The Ravens Fly, which is basically me trying to get Tuon to commit to reforming Seanchan in the main book canon while still keeping her in charge of Seanchan troops at the Last Battle.

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/731430893058654209/for-the-fic-questions-3-4-17-and-37 actually a lot of people remember Hawkwing's face & I'm obsessed with kidnapping Mat's baby

Mat/Tuon https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/665656421206163456/mat-in-book-1-i-stole-this-so-the-accompanying the stealing is non-negotiable

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/647084040929886208/mat-correctly-reads-a-situation-mat-thinking the seed of all the superstition/prophecy/influenceability meta

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/634706790960037889/robert-jordans-like-alright-were-doing-a Spelling out the trip to the underworld

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/679997042603458560/mat-i-can-fix-her-its-just-gonna-take-a no fix! only make worse!

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/652249065525002240/tuon-and-mat-each-have-their-fate-hidden-in-the Mat and Tuon have their fates hidden in the other's name (absolutely excruciating puns warning)

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/738629196659703809/i-truly-thought-there-were-no-more-worlds-to Tylin is a pun too

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/710084122473857024/what-im-learning-from-the-kiss-marry-kill-poll oh god imagine introducing Mat to Empress Radhanan

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30425868 Baby's First Knife; relevant meta is the idea that Mat's first problem with raising a kid in Seanchan culture is going to be the assassination attempts. Not that the kids channeling won't be an issue down the line, but this one is big and urgent.

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/641433164386091008/for-the-fic-title-meme-lay-down-your-crown-and Outline for "Lay Down Your Crown and Sword" which is an exploration of Mat's immediate priorities post-LB (convince Tuon to abdicate; when that fails, kidnap baby.) The accompanying playlist is all Mountain Goats songs, so this is mostly a 'bad ending' for them.

Mat & Other Characters https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/190503592888/theres-a-bit-in-cot-a-cluster-of-rosebuds-about Abell is a used car salesman and you can fight me about it

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/612294199398760448/the-moment-in-amol-where-egwene-is-like-oh-shit Egwene and Mat trading the same thought

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/680549423170879488/mabus101-and-i-were-talking-about-your-mat-flicker Here's how Mat/Nyneave could happen

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/669388289337376768/setalle-anan-is-also-one-of-my-absolute-faves secondary characters in Mat's circus arc

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/723416667921776640 Perrin as the Dragon Reborn

Other Characters https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/636254191659188225/i-went-from-wow-i-hate-lanfear-shes-very-bad-at How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Lanfear

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/644290325380251648/anyboli-highladyluck-just-like-every-time I love Elayne because she could do so many atrocities

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/673001095251050496/sixth-light-reading-the-wheel-of-time-companion The Green Ajah needs Elayne and her ter'angreal skills

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/695239911816691712/we-should-be-grateful-that-elayne-never-got-chance Mad scientist Elayne masterpost

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/683956402992087040/why-egwene-is-really-good-at-inventing-weaves Why Egwene Is Really Good At Inventing Weaves

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/639618641871224832/highladyluck-yall-is-galad-like-that-because Why Galad is Like That

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/636639559899348992/rating-the-forsaken-an-incredibly-subjective-list Rating the Forsaken

https://www.tumblr.com/highladyluck/642309620823654400/wheel-of-time-relationships-where Assassination is a WoT love language

The Seanchan https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/611623395692544000/i-have-too-many-things-to-do-already-which-is https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/665252064193118208/wot-musing-the-seanchan-and-aiel-as-parallel extremely vague thoughts on the parallels between the Aiel and the Seanchan

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/701098314375020544/an-adventure-in-conlang-etymology-or-we-cant Mardhol ('We can't keep calling it Randland')

https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/691590789349916672/a-tragic-update Ajimbura is proof that mainland Seanchan is not a monolith

The Ajahs https://highladyluck.tumblr.com/post/644381100851036160 How the Ajahs will change post-series

[top-tier-tickles]

Super Mario Role Reversal AU

Chapter 2! I'm so excited to write this fic and I hope you enjoy it! Also, please don't be mad for what I did to Pauline, please please please please please PLEASE-

______________________________________

Chapter 2: Hooked On The Pals!

"We're the Pipe Pals, and plumbing's our game-

We're not like the others who get all the fame!

"If you're sink is in trouble, you can call us on the double!

You can count on these gals, you'll be hooked on the pals!"

Flashes of two women bounced around the screen as the rap played, showing off various aspects of their plumbing services, specifically fixing a man's flooding sink.

"It's me, Peach!" A blonde, fair-skinned woman wearing a pink shirt and denim overalls cheered on the screen.

"And me, Daisy!" Another woman cheered, this one with short brown hair, tan skin, and an orange colored outfit. Both women had a hat in their respective colors, each adorned with their first initial.

"Are you tired of paying too much for plumbing?" Peach asked, standing in front of a green screen image of cash.

"Oh my!"

"That's why the Super Pipe Pals are here!" She assured, as she and Daisy planked on stools to give the appearance of flying superheroes.

"Here to save Brooklyn!" Peach flicked a tiny toy van on a map.

"And Queens!" Daisy added, repositioning the toy when it veered a little too far to the left.

"And your wallet!"

"Thank you Super Pipe Pals! It seems like the only thing you haven't drained is my bank account!" The man from earlier said, squinting at the card offscreen.

The commercial cut back to the pair, standing in front of there van with their arms wrapped around each other.

"So forget those expensive plumbing companies where you're just a client. With the Super Pipe Pals, you're family!"

...

The two women stood in the parlor, arm in arm in awe at their commercial. It was cheaply made and super corny, but god dammit, it was theirs. And they loved it.

The ad ended and the TV, hanging amongst pictures of famous fighters of years past, cut to a news broadcast.

The two laughed, smiling widely at each other.

"You were great!" Peach complimented, knocking Daisy's hat in front of her eyes.

"I was great? Are you kidding me? You were great!" Daisy retorted, giving Peach's arm a few punches.

"I am so glad we spent our life savings on this commercial!" The pink woman said.

"Hey, that is not a commercial, girl! That is cinema."

"B-But what about the voices?" Peach asked, recalling the high-pitched tones they performed, "Is it too much?"

A bystander, who was playing a nearby arcade game, turned to them.

"Too much? It's-a perfect!" He said.

"Alright, I'm gonna trust you!" Peach giggled.

A laugh interrupted their celebration.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Brooklyn's favorite failures: the Stupid Pipe Pals!" A woman with dark hair, sunglasses, and a hat that read "Wrecking Crew" on it laughed, taking a bite out of a pizza slice.

"Oh, fantastic. Pauline's here." Daisy grumbled.

"Hello Pauline." Peach said, rolling her eyes.

"Ha, Yeah! 'Oh my!', She laughed, mocking their voices.

She took a minute to collect herself, taking off her sunglasses to wipe a tear from her eye. Pauline turned back, her chocolate brown eyes meeting Peach's bright blue.

"Tell me, have you two gotten ONE call since you left me to start your dumb company?"

Daisy pulled out her phone, "As a matter of fact, we have."

"Wow, really?" Peach asked, surprised herself.

"Yeah! Our friend, Mona, called and said: 'OMG, You guys! That's the best commercial I ever seen!'" Daisy recounted, imitating Mona's voice, "And I said: "Well, thank you my friend, we're very proud of it!" She finished, wrapping an arm around a mortified Peach.

"So BOOM!" Daisy jeered, slamming her phone into the hard floor, freezing when she heard the screen shatter.

A tiny moment of silence passed before Pauline laughed again, wiping her mouth with a napkin before balling up the lipstick-stained paper.

"Yeah. Good luck running a business with this ditzy airhead-" She tossed the ball at Peach who caught it before it hit her face.

"What did you just call her?!" Daisy growled, balling her fists.

"Daisy, take it easy..." Peach said, pulling her back by the shoulder.

"Careful, Peach. You might need to put a leash on her."

Peach paused, turning to Pauline with a cold, hard stare.

"Excuse me?"

Pauline smirked.

"Insult my best friend again, and you're gonna regret it." Peach threatened, tossing the napkin right in their former boss's face.

Pauline sat stunned for a second, before standing up.

"Oh yeah?", She said, grabbing Peach by the straps of her overalls, "Get this through your tiny brain, Peach. You're a joke! And you always will be."

She dropped her, sending her to the floor. She fixed her red work button-up, tossed her tip on the table, and left the parlor with a laugh.

"Rancid bitch!" Daisy hurled, kneeling down to help Peach up, "I oughtta-"

"Daisy, come on. You can't start fights with everyone who looks at us the wrong way." Peach huffed.

"The Hell I can't! I'm not gonna let her talk to you that way! And frankly, you could stand up for yourself more often!" Daisy retorted.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"Yeah, sure they don't hurt ya, Peachy."

Their banter was once again interrupted, this time by Daisy's phone ringing. Hse picked it up, an unknown number showing on the shattered screen. The pair shrugged, and Daisy answered.

"Hello, Super Pipe Pals! Uh-huh....A drip in your faucet- That's great! Er- uh, Great that you called us! Because we can be there and fix it right away!" Daisy stuttered and hung up, turning to Peach.

"Peach, we got one! The Super Pipe Pals are in business!" Daisy cheered. The two embraced each other, jumping, spinning and squealing just as they did as little girls.

"Wahoo!"

The two rushed out of the parlor and into their van, buckling up and revving up to go.

Until their van sputtered to a stop, refusing to start up again.

"Oh God, we're gonna be late!" Daisy lamented.

"No we're not! Come on, let's go!" Peach jumped out of the car and ran around the corner, Daisy stumbling behind.

"Peach, wait up!"

Peach jumped over a trash can, through a open car window, and past a nearby shopper, all in record time.

"Come on, Dais!"

Daisy attempted the same thing, only to knock over the trash, agitate a cat, slam into the car door and shopper, and drop her tool bag in the process. She spouted out apologies, scrambling up the tool bag and rushing to follow Peach, who'd stopped at a construction site.

Daisy caught her breath while Peach ran forward, leaping straight into the zone.

"Aw, Peach, what the Hell are you doing?!"

Peach leapt and bounced, climbing the platforms and opening up a clearer path for Daisy. Despite the disturbance they caused, Peach jumped to the pole of Castle Burger, sliding down.

"C'mon, Daisy, work those legs!"

"I'm trying! I got bad knees!"

The two made it to their client's home shortly, a large white penthouse, much different from the surrounding buildings.

Daisy whistled, "Oh, Wow. We have hit the big time!" Peach fist bumped her, laughing.

They knocked on the front door, and a woman answered.

"Oh! You must be the plumbers."

"Yep! The Super Pipe Pals, at your service, ma'am! Where's the problem?" Peach asked.

"Follow me, dear." The woman prompted, they followed her and her husband into the home. Everything was pristine and white, shining in the sunlight from the giant windows.

"The drip is right upstairs, at the end of the hall."

"Can you fix it?" Her husband asked.

"Very confident, sir."

"You'll be careful about making a mess?" The woman inquired.

"Ma'am, I assure you. We don't make messes, we fix 'em!" Daisy laughed, suddenly freezing when she saw a cat lying in a bed.

"Oh this is Michelle! She likes you!" The woman, cuddled the purring kitty.

Daisy hesitantly stepped forward, accidentally stepping on a plastic ball with a bell in it, snapping it in half.

The cat stared at her, and Daisy stepped back, being pulled into the bathroom by Peach.

Peach eyed the sink spying the aforementioned drip in the faucet. The pipes below squeaked, spitting water in Daisy's face. She handed Peach a wrench, and with one swift tightening, the drip stopped.

"And that is our first job complete!" She said, her and Daisy performing their handshake. They turned to leave, only to stop in their tracks.

Michelle sat in the doorway, holding her broken toy under her paw. Her ears flipped back, her hind leg shut the door behind her, and she slowly approached the two, hissing.

She launched herself at them, hitting the sink and knocking it loose off the wall. The feline turned to Daisy, who had a plunger pointed at it.

"Peach, do something!"

Peach sat on the shower floor, tossing a nearby shampoo bottle at the cat, it turned its attention to her lunging forward with her claws out. Peach was able to hold her back, leaping against the wall over the cat, and shutting the shower door.

She caught her breath, before hearing a creaking noise.

"Uh, Peach?" Daisy prompted, pointing at the now loose sink. Water spouted from under the tap and the pipes inside, cracking the tile on the wall.

Underneath the floor, pipes burst, lifting the tiles up, which Peach stomped back down. Daisy stomped down another one, before turning to the now shaking mirror.

A blast of water launched the mirror in Daisy's face. She pushed it back with all her might. The lid to the toilet tank erupted water as well. Being held down by Peach. This only redirected the water to the shower, knocking the shower head and handles off.

The closed shower filled with water, slowly bringing the feral cat up to the top.

"That demonic cat is gonna escape!" Daisy yelled, still holding the mirror against the wall.

"No it won't!" Peach grabbed the wrench, and turned at a pipe, allowing the filling water in the shower to drain.

Peach sighed, sitting on the toilet lid to catch her breath. It was short-lived, however, as the cat had climbed onto the ledge of the shower door, growling.

"Eheheheh....Who's a good kitty?" Peach laughed nervously, holding the wrench out while Daisy shielded herself with the mirror.

The cat jumped, and the two women hugged each other, screaming. They both jumped out of the way, and the cat missed them. The window had been knocked open, the cat flying out of it.

Despite their tussle with the feline, they couldn't just stand there! They can't let an animal die, let alone a client's pet! Peach leapt after it, catching it with the plunger. Daisy held onto her legs, yanking them back into the bathroom.

Of course, it was then that the woman and her husband came up, coming to check on the girls. They both gasped at the sight of their now destroyed bathroom, their soaked pet, and the two guilty women.

Peach giggled nervously, "Found the problem..."

______________________________________

END OF CHAPTER 2

[sodiumlamp]

Picard

Okay, how do I explain this? There's three things going on in this episode.

Picard and Guinan are being held in some musty FBI file room by a crackpot FBI guy.

Rios is trying to fix the ship after the Borg Queen hijacked the computer.

Seven and Raffi are trying to track down the Borg Queen, currently inhabiting Jurati's body.

None of these things are very interesting. Rios can't get much done, so he spends most of his time talking to the doctor and her kid that he met earlier in the season. Everyone was really worried about screwing up history when they first got to 2024, but now they're just saying "fuck it" and doing whatever they feel like. Rios and the doctor talk a lot, but none of it amounts to anything. The kid gets four cakes from the replicator, which is pretty awesome... for him. I mean, I baked a cake for myself a few days ago. I have my moments, but it's not good television.

Seven and Raffi chasing Borg-Jurati could have been pretty cool, if it got a whole episode for just that one plotline, and they caught up to her and settled it at the end. But instead it gets like a third of an episode, and it drags on into the next, and probably the one after that. The queen is too slippery for the gals, and she links up with Adam Soong to get his help. Her evil plan is... get ready for this... she's going to assimilate people! With nanoprobes! And they make green lights when they get injected into people! Gosh, it's so fresh and exciting. A bold new take on the Borg!

As for the FBI agent, he encountered a pair of Vulcans in the forest somewhere when he was a kid, and they tried to mind-meld his memories of the sighting, but it didn't work and he's been haunted by the encounter ever since. Somehow he found out about Picard using the transporter to get into L.A., so he's convinced he found a link to the same aliens.

While he grills Picard, Guinan meets Q, who shows up because that summoning ritual she used earlier actually worked after all. But he's dying, and his powers don't work, so it took him this long to show up. Did he arrange for Picard and Guinan to get arrested, too? Guinan thinks this whole time travel thing is his attempt at one last grasp at meaning or something before he dies. I'd discuss this in greater depth, but I'm pretty sure the next two episodes will cover that for me.

As he leaves, he mutters that humans are always stuck in the past, which Guinan takes as a clue for Picard, so she.... does some sort of trick to project her image into the interrogation room? I'll give the show this much credit: they're finally paying off the idea of Guinan having weird spooky powers. TNG teased it for years but never paid it off. Anyway, this gives Picard the hint he needs to convince the FBI guy to trust him and make peace with his past. He just straight up tells him the truth and then he decides to let Picard and Guinan go. He gets fired over this, since he just wasted everyone's time on a dumb alien story, again.

I thought he was going to help Picard and Guinan find the Borg Queen, but they seem to have it covered. Well, not really, but they have Gary Eight to give them a lift, so there's not much for FBI guy to do for them at this point.

Anyway, this episode was about 45 minutes of people just talking and talking and not much happening. Jurati kicked Seven and Raffi's asses, and that kid ate four cakes for dinner. Q's appearance was kind of nice, but I already figured out he was dying so it wasn't that big a deal for me.

I don't like Picard very much.

[leorawright]

Could I have a romantic Overwatch matchup please? :)

Please don't match me with Sigma or Winston-

I am a trans man who is also pansexual :)

I'm usually very quiet to new people but once I know them I really start to open up :) I ramble about things I enjoy and I could go on for hours talking about my interests.

I love messing and tinkering with stuff a lot and I'm known be able to fix things so people ask me to fix stuff for them. I also keep notes on things so I don't forget since I can forget things very fast-

I stim quite often and I do tic sometimes from tiny squeaks to kinda loud noises-

I also really love hugs a lot and when I'm with someone I'll usually cling onto their arm :)

(Also pssst I love all your posts make sure to take breaks if you need :D)

Hmm pansexual means you're getting two people my friend

For Overwatch gals I'd have to say...

Mei!

Mei is also a little quiet but she'll definitely open up once she starts to get to know you

She adores listening to you talk about your interests and she'd be super happy if you let her talk about her interests

She's pretty good at tinkering with things so sometimes you two both work on things quietly together and it's pretty nice

Since you forget things she'll always make sure to remind you so it doesn't slip your mind

She finds your stimming adorable and never makes you feel bad about it

Also hugs are always a favorite of Mei's no matter the time of day

As for the men on the other hand...

Junkrat!

You'll probably know everything about him before you can even tell him your name

He tends to ramble and he's always been a bit of an open book so don't worry about him hiding any secrets from you

But when you want to talk he'll eagerly listen and he asks a lot of questions so be prepared

He loves tinkering with stuff hence his bombs so he always has plenty of scrap for you to use

Your and his labs are covered in sticky notes for the both of you not to forger stuff

He was surprised when he first heard you stim but after that he finds it adorable and he's not afraid to tell you (unless you don't want him too)

Physical affection? Of course this man is like a personal heater but luckily he adores clinging to you as much as you love clinging to him

[fishnets-fingers]

I'm fast. I'm very fast.

[She is  currently behind Earl’s stall at the farmer’s market, where he’s selling his produce and flowers. The slanting rays of the afternoon light, permeate through the thin petals of the dahlias, making the pointed edges seem luminous. It was unusually busy, the marketplace, almost all of Earl’s produce were sold out. Her eyes were fixed on the task at hand - wrapping a sheet of newspaper around a bouquet of aster and dahlias.] Please I LOVE the way you describe things!!

[longing for him to glance her way but he was busy] awh :(

[The crisp autumn air does not make her quiver, like it used to. She’s still getting used to layering for the cold, but she thought she did a great job with her outfit.] I literally spent the last two summers in my summer clothes and one jacket but this winter I've been layered up since the midst of November... and every one's surprised, including me

[But Harry had stepped out with a surly look in his eyes, doing nothing but giving her a curt nod and he’d remained like that till now.] Someone's being rude this time I see

[Hoping to lighten his mood Layla jabbered about what happened in golf and the nosey question a student asked about the two of them; she received nothing but apathetic nods and muted hums.] Oh no he did not.  

[That’s how it started then it snowballed into completely pretending like she doesn’t exist until now. He didn’t meet her eyes and went out of his way to put space between the two of them. Gone was the warm touchy, kissy boyfriend and in his place stood this lanky frigid boy - who looked like he didn’t want anything to do with her. It was someone pressed a button that bought a sledgehammer that shattered Harry’s lavender haze.] Oh my god I can't stand them separated from each other already.

[Maybe he realised loving you way too much of a burden, she shakes her head, trying to dispel her thoughts] OH HELL NO SHE DID NOT GURL I'M JUMPING THROUGH THE LAPTOP SCREEN

[It doesn't go unnoticed that Harry immediately steps away from her when she brushes past the two, making her frown. Since when does he pass up the opportunity?] Ah tell me what happened already so that I can fix these two folks' brains!

////

[Layla had managed to make quite a spread. A creole potato salad, sweet chilli halloumi with cashew slaw, and Ribollita.] das my talented gal.

[she’s slipping on some mitts to take out the pan] some writers use ANY OTHER word than mit's and that confuses the hell out of me always.

[She notices Harry’s wallet peeking out from his tote - abandoned on the kitchen island - as she sets the hot utensil down. Maybe if I put the tickets in there? Maybe the surprise would make him perk up and stop being surly, she ponders.] First of all, do no tell me she's going to do exactly that and Harry will catch her in the midst of it all and taunt her of robbery cause I will snatch all the hair off this guy's scalp if that happens. And second, do not tell me those are the tickets to where I think they are.

[She takes it as an opportunity to  quickly pull out the black Gucci wallet and flip it open.] I'm on my toes.

[The image in his photo pocket makes her want to run over and tackle him in a giant hug. He’d put a picture of her in his wallet. He went out of his way to print a wallet sized picture and slotted it in there. Important enough for his wallet, it makes her smile.] AWWH

[It was the picture he took on the day of Abi’s flower braiding ceremony - the two of them on her bed smiling into the kiss, dimples on display, her hands cupped around his face, lips pouring affection into each other.] I REMEMBER I REMEMBER

[making her swiftly dig into the pocket of her black faux leather jacket, slot the two fall carnival tickets she bought at the market behind his dollar bills and discretely slip it inside the tote.] NOT THE FALL CARNIVAL TICKETS I WANNA GO TOO 

[The corners of her mouth droops when he barely looks at her, staring pointedly at the glass as he pours in the pineapple watermelon  big boy soda Earl has stocked up.] This bitch ain't gonna get away with this behaviour.

[Despite not being acknowledged, she continues, “I remember you telling me about your final night in Tuscany where you, Mitch, and Sarah were so drunk and how you all stumbled into this dodgy looking place run by an elderly couple at midnight. And how that ribollita was the best you’ve ever had.” He even told her that if he ever got a chance to take her anywhere in the world, he’d fly her out to Anghiari and trudge up the steps of the town, wine drunk with interlinked hands under the starry Italian skies. “I found this recipe on YouTube by some nonna. Took a while to make it; hope it tastes -” “Whatever,” he says quietly, shrugging his shoulders, walking over to the dining room with the glass of green liquid on one hand and the squash on the other with the dish towel. “Prick,” she mutters, shooting daggers on his back.] THIS BOY DID NOT. HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT. I SWEAR I'M ON MY WAY TO PUNCH HIM IN THE DAMN THROAT.

////

[“Everyone has headaches,” he says, popping an ibuprofen in his mouth. “Not everyone had a stent placed on their heart three years ago. You’re feeling faint often, yeah?”] Oh no. OH NO NO NO.

[She pries the tab open to find red coloured rectangular papers inside, she shuffles them out and five ticket stubs fall out. There’s a picture of Mickey and right underneath it it says ‘THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH.’ The other end of the tick stub is perforated, and it says ‘ADMIT ONE.’ “No fucking way!” She squeals. “You got tickets to Disney World!”] WE LOVE EARL IN HERE

[“Hush,” Earl shuts Layla down. “You and Harry have worked in my shop and helped me with so many orders. Think of this as your wage.”] awwwh

[“ Why aren’t you coming with us, Earl?” Vasanth asks. “I’ve been there multiple times with my grandkids. Plus, I’m heading to Florida in the new year to stay with my son for a few weeks.”] Why do I feel like he'll be in his grave when they come back... maybe I've read too many stories.

[Harry made this on Photoshop. He even got it printed, so you all can have a tactile reminder.” “Thank you,” Layla smiles at Hary who’s scooping up the Ribollita. He doesn’t say anything, but gives her a tightlipped smile in return as she spoons some salad on her plate.] what happenedddddd tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

[He quickly walks away from where he was in conversation with Earl to his niece, who he believes Shiva put on his Earth to turn every hair on his head grey.] lmaoooooo

[she spent over an hour trying to meticulously follow his wife’s recipes hoping the elimination of thick cut bacon won’t affect the taste as much.] please I'm either awing, or shouting my head off.

[“உன்னை அடிக்க வைக்காதே(don’t make me whack you), Layla. I’m being deadly serious. You could end up in trouble with the cops.” “Hey! I’m not that bad of a driver.”] okay this was funny.

[“Calm down, சித்தப்பா! Look,” she shuffles through her tote and whips out her licence from her wallet.  He examines it closely. “When did you-” “தாத்தா ஒரு நாள் என்னை அழைத்துச் சென்றார் (Grandad, took me one day).” She winks.”You’re crazy to think I would do anything that would jeopardise my shot at a PhD.”] SLAYYY

[“Because,” she blushes, knowing Anne’s right there. “I don’t get to spend much time with you,” she says quietly. “Aunty works remote on certain days but you always go out the door at nine and get back home after six. Then you have things around the house to take care of and I know this is really selfish of me to say this but I don’t know how to share you with someone as needy as me.” “Are you talking about the -” She nods. “I’m just selfishly trying to bank on Layla Vasanth time before you run out of that because you have an infant to cater to. And I know that’s how it it should be but -” “நீ என் பயி���்சி சக்கரங்களாக இருந்தீர்கள். அப்பாவாக இருப்பதில். (You are my training wheels. For being a dad.)” He sniffles, pinching her cheek. “Besides we both know the minute you’re gonna start studying here, you’re gonna be my pain in the ass full time.”  She laughs. “Shut up!”] watch me cry-laugh.

[“Bowling then? I can teach you how to,” Vasanth proposes. “We can even go see a movie while we’re there.” “It’s a date.” Layla smiles.] heheh

////

[Unfair, Layla thinks as she watches Abi muss up the hair at the scalp to give it that oompf. Layla would kill to look that effortlessly gorgeous. ] Her might might be gorgeous but that doesn't make Layla any less drop-dead gorgeous like queen you slayin'

[“Open, please. Harry’s coming with?” “He’s not exactly speaking to me at the moment. Don’t know why but nevermind, you finish your meeting.”] sigh.

[Panic! At The Disco t-shirt ] we love it

[but the redeeming factor were the pockets. They were as deep as the mines in Moria; Layla was akin to greedy dwarves throwing it into the shopping cart, when the pocket swallowed half her forearm. ] lmaoo, true tho.

[ breathed a sigh of relief when they found out that she was tall; it was a right pain to find someone for Vasanths’s towering six foot two.] hahahahah

[So, she used up some emergency snack money she’d set aside in her wallet and got her a set of these dragonfly pearl earrings and a matching pendant. It wasn’t made of real pearls or gold, it wasn’t the fanciest choice either, she’d bought it in a small fancy store - a small shop that often sold bangles, bindis, kaajal, and some cheap imitation jewellery - but Abi’s reaction indicated that it was the most precious thing that she’d ever received. Layla’s heart warmed when she caught sight of the tarnished, worn out dragonfly pearl necklace in Abi’s jewellery drawer yesterday, when she raided Abi’s closet for the faux leather jacket.] my heart is in your hands. my heart is in your hands.

[“Aren’t you up late?” Layla speaks. “Amma and I came back from a movie half an hour ago,” he answers. “What movie?” “Ponniyin Selvan.] ayeee i know which one you talking about!!

[“இன்று அவனிடம் பேசினேன். ஒரு ஐபாட் வாங்க முடியுமா என்று கேட்டார் - (I talked to him today and he asked if you could get him an iPad -)” “Appa! Do I look like an Apple mule to you all?”] LMAOO

[But if I get detained by the TSA for looking too suspicious with this many Apple products in my carry on. You’re gonna pay.” Her dad guffaws on the other end. “உன் முகம் கடத்தல்காரன் மாதிரி இல்லை (Your face doesn’t scream smuggler).” “To you maybe, நான் எப்படி மற்றவைகள் இருக்கிறேன் என்று யாருக்குத் தெரியும் (who knows what I look like to others)?” She laughs.] help- als I really like her dad. Better than her mother, at least, Maybe that's why I've briefly mentioned him in the fic.

[Her dad lets out a laugh. “Now, Amma will hold you to the same standard when you get back. Listen, பாட்டி (grandmum) wants me to remind you to buy Ziplock-” “Already bought three boxes of her precious ziplock bags.” “Good. Okay, kutti. I’m gonna head to bed. You take care okay?” “Will do. Tell Amma I said hi. Bye.”] I'm happy with this conversation.

[The door swings open as she makes a fist to try knocking on it and there he was - clad in one of his muscle tank top that had darkened patchily with sweat, blue shorts, hair pushed back with the blue bandana she’d got, lips  and eyebrows pursed in a grimace.] oop-

[“What do you want?” He grits his teeth, as he looks down at her - a result of the trapezius bundle protesting.] dare you fucking talk to her like that again.

[“I don’t want anyone’s company.” “Well -” the door shuts on her face, and she feels her heart drop. “I’m not anyone,” she mumbles dejectedly at the wooden door, tears prick the corner of her eyes and she makes her way back to her room. Tossing the gift box on her bedside table. Tearing off a page from her notebook, she scrawls with tears beading her waterline.] I SWEAR TO GOD THIS BITCH DID NOT I WILL RIP HIS HEAD OFF HIS SHOULDERS HOW FUCKING DARE HE I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR THIS OH MY GOD HE WILL NOT SEE THE NEXT SUNRISE IF ONLY I WERE THERE

[That’s all she manages to jot down before her mother’s voice echoes in her head, “சில நேரங்களில் உன்னை விரும்புவது கடினம் (It’s hard to love you sometimes).”] NO NO NO NO NO I WILL KILL HARRY

[She abandons the crumpled ball,] he better find that.

[What other perfect way is there to channel gamer rage other than using the bubbling anger directed at her boyfriend to kill the remaining two warrior women with wings.]* practices deep inhaling and exhaling*

////

[(die, pig, die)’ at the projector screen armed with one of her video game controllers.] I'm not even able to laugh at this I'm SO upset with Harry

[“Yup. As long as the boy was Hindu and from our caste,” Abi answers. “Of course. It came with terms and conditions,” Layla giggles. “As long as they were from the same caste. Could you imagine going around and asking people what caste they belong to when you’re out on a date.” “I know right! Hella awkward.”] trew. I hate Harry I'd have been enjoying this convo rn.

[“Yeah,” Abi chuckles. “I didn’t make it easy for my parents either. I had given them a zillion expectations that they needed to meet. I rejected many. Plus, they had to find someone taller than me.” Layla laughs. “It’s the same thing that happened with Uncle. Finding someone tall enough for him, தாத்தா பாட்டி (grandad and grandmum) almost pulled out their hairs trying to find someone tall.”] heheh

[ Your uncle asked me what I wanted, rather than ask me what I want as one half of a couple. ] big slay

[I haven’t told him this but when he readily put his notice in and moved to Charlotte with me - before he found himself a job here - he just became so much hotter.” Abi uses one of her hands and fans herself.] lmao

[“I initially thought the kick would be like a ping but it’s like a jelly rolling around with her. Getting more active by the day this one.”] my mum said the same thing!

[“You two are gonna team up and make fun of us, aren’t you?” She manages to get out in between fits of laughter. “Obviously.” ] duh Abi

we love some good advice.

I literally just fought with my parents to let me stay up (to finish an essay *wink wink*)

[He’s been secretly hoping you have UNC at the top of the list, so you can live with us while you study.”] I hope so too

[I heard you tell him the other day that you’re gonna marry him when you were eating the focaccia he baked. And I know it’s not my place to say this but I get that you meant it as a term of expression but sometimes it necessarily might mean the same for him. Have a talk with each other. The sooner the better. I know he means the world to you and I know you mean the same to him.” “I didn’t think of it that way… I never thought that I’d feel all these things for him. I just thought it’ll be a fun hookup but I guess you’re right. I think he knows that I don’t mean it like that. Whenever we talk about things we know our priorities - colleges. We always talk about the future like it’s distant. I think the hardest thing about January rolling around soon is him. I don’t want to leave,” Layla bites down on her wobbly lower lip. It only makes the angry flames in her chest spark up again because Harry’s being an utter asshole to her. All she wants to do is cosy up to him and drum her fingers down his back as he presses wet kisses on her pulse. ] nooooo don't cry!!

[“Maybe I’m overstepping my bounds but do you ever see yourself getting married or are you just saying no because of what happened between your mum and dad?”] oh this question is an attack to both our guts.

[you know how everyone says we often butt heads because we have similar personalities - and that means I’d have to go through the same things she did. As much as I do and villanise her sometimes, I honestly don’t think I have an ounce of the strength and determination she does. We lived alone for almost a year and she single handedly took care of all of the finances and even now, she works and does so much work at home too.] LITERALLY SAME. that's the problem.

[“That’s not true, kutti. We hit a rough patch during my final year of my MBA. We even talked about separating,” Abi explains.] wot-

[All of the little free time we had went to chores. We went weeks without talking to each other, and didn’t even acknowledge each other. It was like two strangers living in a hotel. Every time we’d open our mouths, we’d snap at each other and both thought that things weren’t working out because we’d grown apart.”] ohhh

[Marriage is not easy. They don’t just work. You make it work. It’s very easy, at least, with arranged marriages to drift off to your separate paths - be strangers - and it takes work to meet in the middle again. And it needs to be done because you’re growing as your own individual too. That’s how we make it work - we’re not the same Vasanth and Abi who’d agreed to marry each other. We set aside time for ourselves. We talk. Go out on dates. Take holidays. We make each other a priority. It’s work. We are at this point because we put in the work to get here and we will need to put in the work after the baby too.”] I- I've got nothing to say, your honour.

[“Oh yeah? Finally realised that Abi is like that tortoise from Kung Fu Panda,” her Aunty jokes around. “Yeah. An old tortoise,” Layla snickers. “Are you calling me old?” Abi pinches her cheek. “I wouldn’t dare,” Layla tries to say it earnestly but her giggles give her away. She shuffles closer to her, throwing her hands around her shoulders, slotting her body to the side, mindful of Laya’s residence. “By the way, you didn’t overstep your bounds at all. I’m glad it took you four years to find Uncle because there’s no one else I’d rather have as my Aunty.” ] ah, love this duo and also want to watch kung fu panda again...

////

[Harry can hear Layla’s voice faintly drifting from the floor above - wrapping up her class - as he makes his way up the stairs to her room. It’s twenty past one in the morning and every time Harry shut his eyes, he couldn’t help but shake the image of her walking back home dejectedly when he slammed the door. ] oh look who's here.

[What catches his eye was the crumpled ball of paper lying limply at the foot of the bed.] good, you're doing good h.

[his heart falls to his stomach when he reads what she’s scrawled in cursive. Fuck, he shakes his head, plopping down on the mattress.] yeah, fuck.

[Harry can’t help the way the corners of his mouth tug upward - she always grunts out that word when she’s finished with whatever exhausting activity she was engaged in.] i know i know.

[“No!” She says, voice louder than either of them anticipated, stalking further into the room. “Leave,” she seethes, chest heaving as she rapidly takes in shallow breaths, clicking the door close to not wake Vasanth and Abi. “I don’t care. Just go.”] SLAYY

[Harry gets up. “Baby, please listen to me.”] dare you call her baby bitch

[I’m fucking livid!” She blinks back the angry tears that begin to prick her eyes.] oh no-

[Harry’s eyes blur as a thin film beads at his waterline, and he’s quick to blink them away before they have the chance to trickle down. The last thing he wants to do is upset her further, so he sighs and mutters, “Okay. I’ll go.” He makes his way to the door with his head hung dejectedly.] see how it feels?

[Layla’s eyes soften, instinctively stepping closer to him. “Shit. Your shoulder still hurts?” She enquires, eyebrows furrowing in concern as he gives her a weak nod. “Go wait downstairs in the kitchen… I’ll be right behind you,” she exhales.] that's love right there and i'm here for it

[“Can you take off your hoodie for me?” Layla asks, as she spoons some of the brown and green balm into the bowl.] omg watch her grumpily tend to him I always eat that shit up omg

[“Sorry about the smell,” she tells him quietly as she kneads his muscles in circles - easing the taunt muscles under.  Harry’s speechless as she works her way down his shoulder and back, letting the warm liquid trickle down and later gently rubbing it all over. He doesn’t deserve this from her, especially with the way he’s treated her the past two days. But here she is carefully working the knots in his shoulder, even after asking him to leave her sight. He feels his heart weigh heavy in his throat, and he closes his eyes to succumb to the emotions his girlfriend’s tender act stirs up in his chest.] *nods* yeah.

[And Amma (mum) did this for me and I swear the pain subsided the next day, which I know is not possible but I barely felt it after. I mean it’s just pain gate theory, right?” She waffles on hoping to distract him from the pain she might be causing him as she massages the last of the liquid on the expanse of his shoulder. ] i love her so much i'll cry

[ “Sometimes I think I’ll perish if I don’t have a jar of Tiger Ba-” she stops where she hears a sniffle, followed by a shaky inhale and feels his frame tremble under her palm.] oh no there we go, as he should be. he should be crying but hey i feel bad now why is he crying

[and Layla realises that he’s hurting. He’s been hurting the past two days and that he wasn’t apathetic and detached. ] oh?

[“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to - Sorry,” he blubbers, pulling her close to him, burying his face in her midsection as his arms hold her in place.] oh no it's okay i don't hate him make him stop crying

[“Sorry. Sorry. I’m -,” he hiccups, a fresh wave of tears halting him and all he could do was nuzzle into her warmth as he bawls. “We’re okay. You’re okay. Let it out. I’m sorry too, babe,” she whispers, mollifying him as she rocks him to and fro, letting him cry it out.] sigh

[“I’m sorry.” He says, rapidly blinking down another fresh set of tears. “I’m sorry too,” she says, hand coming to caress his cheek.] that's a healthy relationship right there.

[“I uh - I was jealous,” he replies, cheeks reddening in response.] oh NO DO NOT MAKE ME MAD AGAIN

[“Ashwin,” he admits, feeling the blood rush to the tips of his ears as he hangs his head.] i knew it!! i fucking knew it hahah!!!

[“I do! It’s a me thing. Don’t take it personally.”] not that, uh-uh

she's right in this argument.

[“Hissy fit,” Harry chuckles] how dare he?

[ “How are we gonna work through this? What are you gonna say next? ‘Let me mark my territory when you hang out with others, like how a dog would do?!?’” She shuts her eyes, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths through her nose so she would raise her voice and wake her Aunty and Uncle. She knows she’s spiralling and spewing out ridiculous things but she can’t help but feel hurt by his admission. ] oh shit- it's getting real now

[“No, baby. No. It’s not you!” ] stop calling her baby when she's mad!! it makes you look like a shitty man!!

[“every time I see you two hanging out, it makes me insecure and I didn’t like feeling like the second best again.”] oh no I'm going to cry not the second best oh no

[“I’m just scared that you’ll realise he’ll give you something I can’t.” He confesses. “Like you don’t need to check if a Tamil movie has subtitles at the cinema to watch with him, he gets all the references you make, you don’t have to translate things in your head or explain why you’re doing certain things - like the other day when you accidentally stepped on my book and you’d stopped talking to bend down to touch it and bring your fingers to your eyes and you’d spent the next twenty minutes explaining why for me. And it’s scary to think that one day you’ll realise that I’m not worth it and leave.”] naurrrrrrr

[ It works both ways too. You taught me so much about your home too. I didn’t know what a chip butty was before I met you,” she jokes weakly. Harry doesn’t laugh - or even smile - instead he looks crestfallen, Layla leans over and stamps a soft kiss on his pink lips and his splotchy cheeks. “I’ll never not think you’re not worth it. Ever. You mean the world to me. You make me feel safe and you make me feel loved. And that is something I will not take very lightly. Ever. I have nothing like that with Ashwin. I hitched a ride with him the other day because everyone else was gonna shower at the country club and head straight for work. Ashwin had a day off and obliged to drive me to Raleigh to pick something up for you,” she tells him, nodding towards the black box. “Besides, he acts like he’s from the hood sometimes - I guess most brown boys do that when they come here; pretend to be an African American rapper. It just does not get my motor running like you in a pair of fishnets.”] I was going to write something sappy but OOOOH HIM IN FISHNETS EH

[“It was,” Layla agrees. “I did not deserve to be treated that way. I thought you were mad at me or that you needed space which is very unlike you. Because I’m the one that pushes you away-” “Not in the way that I did. You always told me that you need some time to yourself before you share but I just pushed you away.” “True,” Layla sighs. “Would inviting you along help whenever I go out with that gang? I’m not gonna stop hanging out with them because I feel like I’m hanging out with my cousins. And I’m trying to make the best out of that because they’re gonna fly out as soon as the wedding is over.”] yes woman, slay.

[“That’ll be nice. I sorta felt left out when you went to watch that movie without telling me because I’m really used to being your number one go-to person for everything,” he admits. “I didn’t want to seem clingy I guess.” ] ahhhhhh okk

[“You said earlier about not wanting to feel second best again. Has it got something to do with your dad? I mean you don’t talk about it and I’m just theorising but feel free to tell me to back off if I’m crossing a line.”] oh..

[“Yeah. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if he chose us. He was a good dad, Layla. He was everything I wanted to be when I grew up. But I guess, I was not enough for him with anything I did,” his lower lip wobbles. “He’d had another family and I guess in the end my step-siblings - god,  it’s so weird to call them that - had something that I didn’t and when he figured it out he’d just left mum and me.”] imagine if anyone were to walk in on me tearing up and red nosed

[It made sense to Layla now - his icy behaviour was not to attack her but to protect him, his inner child. ] I WILL sob whenever it has to do something with inner child of a person.

[She had the power to make him feel the things he once felt, and the second Harry realised that she held the power; when he felt ‘not enough,’ he’d cut her off so she wouldn’t put him through that - like a hedgehog balling themselves up and straightening out it’s quills when it senses his predators were nearby.] i can't fucking see tears are blurring my sight

[ Remember when you told me love is not a burden?” She can feel him nod against her neck. “Love shouldn’t be earned either. It’s not conditional - especially from a parent.”] oh no tears are falling out.

[“No need for thank yous. I’d take care of you anytime,” she shrugs.] I will 'aw' out loudif it keeps going like this

[Harry’s fingers trace the gold foiled lettering - Fink’s -  against the soft material. He flips the box open to find a dainty gold chain and a thin cross pendant hanging from it of the same metal. It looked identical to the silver one he’d have around his neck - he’d go on a limb and say this one looked even more beautiful. He immediately looks into her homey raven eyes, bottom lip trapped with her teeth, as she looks at him expectantly. “I know I ripped it off your neck that day,” her face flushes with heat thinking back to their lecherous activity upstairs in the swing room in front of his giant ornate mirror. “I’ve been feeling bad since. I’ve never ever seen you take it off and when I got the deposit money for the commissions, it was the first thing I thought of. I wanted to get you an exact replica but I just couldn’t bring myself to get it in silver, so I called Fink’s and had them make it gold. You kept complaining that the clasp on the old one was too tiny, so I asked them to use a circular clasp, so it’s easier for you.” She rambles. “They said they couldn’t make the chain dainty in 22 karats, something about them not able to get the metal to bend, so it’s only 18 kara-” Harry cuts her off with a passionate kiss, hands clutching her cheeks holding her close, as he pours his devotion. His tongue melds with hers and it makes her breathe out a quiet moan, as she sinks his fingernails into his bicep. He breaks apart, pressing his forehead to hers as they both catch their breath from the dizzying ordeal. “I love it! Put it on for me?” He asks her, thumb caressing her bottom lip, making her smile.] AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

////

[a spatter of gold paint he’d managed to get when he helped her paint the ornate frame of his mirror.] we love quality time

[“I don’t do it hard,” she replies.

“Well my stinging ass cheek would beg to differ.”] LMAO

[“I could just lift you up and spin you around,” he suggests. Layla laughs. “Cute that you think you can lift- aaah!” She shrieks as Harry quickly squats down, to grab the junction where her bum and thighs, and hoists her up. “You were saying?” He arches his eyebrow up at her. “Put me down,” she demands as he makes his way to the hoop. “Nope. Make this backwards basket and come on a walk with me around the pond.”] i'm literally smiling ear to ear and my throat is hurting bad

[Layla tosses the ball and Harry turns them around to watch it perfectly go into the net, making him hoot and spin her around in celebration. They both laugh as Harry loosens his arms around her thighs making Layla slide down his torso. She doesn’t stop giggling as she wraps her around his neck, fingers massaging the baby curls at the nape of his neck, as she rubs her nose against his - feet still dangling above the ground as he holds her in place. “This is my favourite trick shot,” she whispers. “Nandhini’s watching,” he mumbles, reminding her of her PDA rule around brown aunties, as she angles her head. “Fuck her,” whispers with a smirk as her eyelids flutter close and she closes the distance between their lips.] ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh

MAYA YOU WERE BACK AND WITH A BANG. Literally only you can pull so many emotions out of me i love you sm and this part too <33

Here, lots of Lotuses for ya:

Aaah lotuses my heart just can't!!! You went on a ride reading it and I went on a ride reading this!

My favourite moment is Layla being grossed out by the fact that her her aunt thinks her uncle is hot and the baby agreeing with her. And omg Earl's gonna be there to hear about the adventures in Disney World... Plus, the gold chain finally made an appearance... I love the fact that it was her that bought him something he'd have on him for a long long time.

I love that you were ready to throw hands for Layla and wanted to smack Harry so much lmao... I can't believe you read it so quickly aaah!!! Thank you so much!! Here are some virtual flowers from the hundred acre wood!