#so April did what she does best and owned the name

[kattythingz]

Nicknames

(Speaker tags listed below the cut)

In absolutely no particular order, at all (headcanons bolded):

Aoi ⇒ Splinter (the lovely, precious source)

Berry-Blue ⇒ April

Leo-chan ⇒ Usagi

Sensei ⇒ Casey Jr.

Champ ⇒ Raph

Pepino ⇒ Señor Hueso

Nardo ⇒ Donnie

Leon ⇒ Mikey

Blue One ⇒ Casey

[retiredteabag]

The Open Window Lets The Rain In

pairing: satoru x reader (semi suguru x reader)

synopsis: Your time at Jujutsu Tech was something of a sanctuary for you. The position you were born for did not allow you wishes of your own. Resigning yourself to your destiny, you savor the moments you have with your friends. And don't dare to wish for more.

tags/warnings -angst to eventual fluff, multi pov, canon compliant, series, mentions of child abuse, manipulation, malnutrition, violence, injuries, and smoking-

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"We ought to start back, Satoru." The other boy urged, parroting the concerns of their teacher. But while Satoru pretended not to hear his dark-haired classmate, you truly hadn't. Your focus was all too consumed by the people in the distance. Laughing and enjoying their day together, oblivious to the fact that they carried with them every unspoken wish silently held within your heart comfortably in their grasp.

"Huh?" You murmured, looking back up to your classmates ahead of you, realizing they had been calling your name for some time.

"Get a move on! Unless you want Yaga to lecture us all again!" Satoru shouted back to your nodding face. The boys turn from you and you shake the thoughts from your head.

It was time to turn back.

--

You had been quite young when your cursed energy had presented, and you have been paying for it ever since.

--

It had barely been six months since you began classes at the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School. You had joined in your second year, having spent your first over in the Kyoto branch. Near the end of your third semester Gakuganji, the school's principal, seemed certain that your potential would be better utilized in Tokyo. With this news, you had left without complaint.

Back then, you hadn't been sure you would fit in with the group of second years, but by the end of April, the small class had accepted you with open arms.

Your education prior to high school had been selective and rigorous, not in the academic sense but rather, in the physical. This, paired with your immense cursed energy made it easy to catch up with your fellow special-grade classmates.

Satoru Gojo was not at all what you had been expecting. He was immature and flamboyant. He seemed not to have a care in the world. Just as you had anticipated, however, his strength was insurmountable.

Suguru Geto was lenient and sarcastic. Like you, his parents were non-sorcerers. Even so, he went home to live with them during breaks, and his family accepted him for what he was.

Shoko Ieiri was the most laid back among the three, she also had the most technical skill. She was easy to like and the two of you had been fast friends. You both often made fun of the boys behind their backs.

"Do we really have to do this tonight, Geto?" Shoko is sat on the dorm room sink, lighter in hand.

"Don't tell me you're getting squeamish Shoko, need to take a breather?" Satoru is making a falsely pouty face as Shoko twirls a sewing needle between her fingers.

You're standing before Geto marking his earlobes with a pen.

"If anyone is squeamish it's you Satoru. But Y/n's got a mission tomorrow, she should be in bed." Shoko jumps off the sink, throws a look at the white-haired man and tilted her face to look between the markings you've made on Suguru's ears. "That looks pretty even."

"Awe boo hoo, a mission with the first years, so tough." Satoru rolls his eyes. "Why does Yaga always send you, anyway?" The man looks at the back of your frame. Your school jacket was strewn across Sugurus desk, you're clad in your dark, high-necked top. You've pulled your hair away from your face.

"He sends me because I'm responsible" You murmur, rubbing alcohol on the back of Suguru's ears, turning finally to smirk, "Unlike you three." You take the needle from Shoko and do your best to sterilize it with the flame, you set the earrings Geto chose on the side table next to him.

"Don't lump me in with those two." Shoko looks at you, offended, but you just laugh.

"Now, it might hurt a bit after I shove the jewelry in, just so you know." You meet Suguru's eyes. He looks calm, a grin present on his lips.

Satoru comes in close on the other side of you two. Loudly proclaiming, "Oh, please, if that tiny thing hurts he might as well not be a sorcerer." The boy's glasses are solid black but you can tell he is rolling his eyes dramatically.

You make a face at him but Suguru draws your attention once more. "Ignore him" he laughs, and you join in because you know that it is the very thing Satoru cannot stand. Said boy huffs beside you both.

"Alright, count of three." You stand to the boys left and you can see Satoru swallow thickly. Such a child.

Shoko is watching intently, stowing her lighter back in her pocket, you're leaning your knee against the bedframe Suguru is sat upon and Satoru is trying his best to even his breathing.

"One," you hold the tip of Sugurus ear, "two," you pick up the small black stud and roll it in your other hand, "three." You put the needle head on the tiny marking you put there, and press.

Suguru does not even flinch. Satoru lets out a pathetic noise and aggressively swings around so as not to look.

You try not to laugh while focusing on getting the jewelry in your classmates ear without too much pain but Shoko is toppling over herself with laughter.

"S-Satoru!!" She guffaws. "You are so-" but she can't finish, the giggles escaping steal her words.

Satoru is shuttering, having dashed in the bathroom now, he kneels by the sink, continually making disgusted sounds, running his hands over his arms to ease the chills.

"That wasn't so bad." You say, ignoring Satoru's noises. Shoko brings out a small mirror to show Suguru and he makes a pleased sound.

"Not at all..." He murmurs, turning his neck to get a better look.

"Leave it at the one." Satoru is back now, quickly crossing his arms. "I'm not watching that again."

"I bought a pair, Satoru, I'm doing them both." Suguru gives the boy a deadpan look and you prep the next earring while Satoru makes an annoyed "Ughhh" sound.

The self-proclaimed strongest sorcerer bites his knuckles while looking at the two of you. And when it's done, you worry he might faint. After a closer look though, he might just be in search of attention.

"All done. You should probably keep them clean." You turn to wash your hands.

"Mhmm, probably." Shoko echos, giggling still.

"Thanks." Geto stood up to look in a bigger mirror.

"Ughhhh Yaga is gonna kill you." Shoko looks up at Suguru and smiles, a sort of "tattle-tale" "I told you so" air to her voice.

"That's fine, it was worth it." Suguru waves her off, you give his ears one last look before making to leave with Shoko to your hall.

"Ohhhh yeah, I forgot! Y/n's got a big day tomorrow. So tiering, monitoring those first years." Satoru teases to the other boy. You chuckle and Shoko turns.

"As if you would know." She sticks her tongue out before making to leave with you, kicking the door shut.

"He's so stupid." She rolls her eyes, flipping her phone open.

You just hum, turning the halls in the silence.

--

The weather had long since grown warm in the ending weeks of spring, consistent as you were, however, you pulled your near-black turtleneck past your abdomen while dressing that morning. In the past, Shoko has jovially claimed you always wear the same thing, even outside of school.

Your uniform, customized to your comfort, consists of straight-cut, dark blue pants, your uniform jacket, and a form-fitted turtleneck. It did when you were at the Kyoto branch, and you have no intention of changing it now.

You shut the door of your closet, the rack of muted high-collar shirts hung there. Each tag was removed. Though easy now to ignore, you cannot avoid the region of sensitive flesh permanently branded just below your neck.

The early morning air is crisp, and in the time you have before shadowing Nanami and Haibara's mission, you allow yourself to enjoy the dull peace it brings to your morning.

Satoru thinks the first years are weak. Or maybe he just says that, you can never quite tell if he means all that he says. Regardless, they are skilled enough to handle a mission on their own. Even so, Yaga insists on someone monitoring them, after this years exchange event, if all goes well, perhaps they will be allowed to handle missions themselves.

You were hoping that your thoughts weren't too wishful when you are pulled from them, Haibara, adrenaline-filled and curious, calling your name.

"I've never really seen you use your technique, I mean, I guess that's the point, but I think I probably know more about Gojo's cursed energy than yours! And I barely ever see him!" Nanami is trailing slightly behind his classmate, listening to him ramble.

"Well" you hum, "That's good, don't you think? Just means you never need me to intervene on a mission." You look over and smile.

"Awe c'mon! What is it that you do? I'm so interested! I hope I can be a special grade one day too! Though, I doubt I ever will at this rate..." He mumbles around his words, seemingly too focused on his thoughts to actually be worried about his placement as a sorcerer.

"You already know about my technique, Haibara. I create weapons with my cursed energy. That's about it... I'm pretty lucky though, since they're not physical items, most curses can't really see them which means they can't tell what it is I'm using."

You lift your arm in front of yourself, palm up, in an instant your short sword appears there, held at equilibrium, a few inches up the blade. As soon as it appeared, the weapon melts away in your grasp and you look up at the boy, knowing he couldn't have seen what you'd just done.

"Except Gojo, right?" Nanami is beside you now, trying to meet your eyes. You turn to him.

"Yes..." sighing, you look up at him, "Yes, that's right- Gojo, he's the exception to a lot of things."

Nanami shakes his head, seemingly annoyed by this and Haibara bounds ahead of you both.

You can't be sure, but after today you have every confidence that this years exchange event will end well. And by next spring, you won't need to monitor the first years. With all that time on your hands, you can't imagine what you'll get up to.

--

Utahime was a fourth year when you were finally given liberty to come to Jujutsu Tech, despite her seniority, she has always felt like something of a little sister to you. You'd never tell her that though.

This is her first year as a full time sorcerer and her presence marks the onset of the exchange event. Her voice carries across the grounds as you make your way to stand by your classmates at the school entrance. A smile comes to your face as you watch her throwing visceral insults at Gojo as this is the only way she can attack him.

It's not her fault. He is cruel to her.

When she spots you, her gasp only makes your smile grow. She shrieks out your name, "AH! How I missed you! I feel SO bad you have to be here with THEM." She throws an anguished look at your classmates and Shoko only grins, knowing Utahime would never associate her with the two boys.

"Now that's just mean, Utahime, you-" Gojo is cut off as Iori spins around, pointing a finger at the younger boy and shouting that he ought to be more like you.

"She's so polite!" Utahime gives you a big hug. Her arms wrap snuggly around your neck and you flinch at the contact, playing it off as a movement to pat her shoulder.

"Why would I want to be more like anyone?" Gojo swings himself off of the stoop that leads to the schools entrance, landing with his arms lifted, "I'm already perfect!" He pushes his glasses back into his hair, his gaze seems to tease Utahime, she looks as though she wants to stomp her foot, but contains the urge.

"You are insufferable." She spins to look at you once more, "I'm rooting for you," She turns one more time to glance at Gojo, "and only you," she clarifies, "in the event. I know you'll do well. Be kind to the Kyoto first years." She gives you a pleading look.

"I'll be gentle with them." You smile at her and she grips your hand once more before dashing off, likely to help coach the students from her alma mater.

In the time you've been in Tokyo, one could understand your forgetting that Gojo Satoru has eyes behind those pitch glasses he wears. Rarely removing them, you hardly see the famed six-eyes, but when he looks down at you just then, his look pierces you in a startling way.

"Don't go easy on anyone, that's so lameeee." He extends the words and droops his head too look at you, "Ugh what's even the point of this whole thing when everyone is so weak."

"Gojo, they'll never get stronger if you beat them down too much." You speak from experience, having witnessed this "invisible lid" phenomena before, but he couldn't possibly know that.

"They'll never get strong at all, lets be honest." He laughs to himself and somewhere behind you both you hear Suguru pestering him about being entitled.

But deep down, you know he's right. Any sorcerer can improve but there are few set apart. Born with intention, with purpose, and you have long since given up trying to evade the purpose of your existence.

As a child, days came and went the same as they do now, the one consistent aspect that remained true in those days was the dull ache, that- evidently eternal- buzzing on either side of your spine.

It was difficult to enjoy the exchange event when your mind was elsewhere. You simply could not tare your subconscious away from the dread that swam within you at the advent of summer break. It was clear at the grins of your classmates that you were the only one with wishes of staying at school for the summer holiday.

None of your classmates were familiar with the Residential Boarding for Children with Unattended Cursed Energy. They either came from sorcerer clans, or they had parents that couldn’t mind or know of their abilities. Gakuganji, the principal of the Kyoto school seemed well informed about the "goings-on" at the estate you were raised however.

You had been taken by the boarding school with little memory of your life prior. Cursed Energy rarely presented itself in children younger than five years old, however, your technique developed early, and was unexplainable to parents without knowledge of the Jujutsu world.

Allowed to be trained from a young age by competent sorcerers, it was easy to see how the boarding school might have been portrayed as a charity, or even a blessing to orphaned young. Gakuganji certainly made it out to be. Even so, what went untold were the secrets just below the surface of the dojos and dorm rooms seen by the public.

Nearly all forms of gambling or organized fights (outside of mixed martial arts competitions) were highly illegal in Japan. Having said that, you learned quickly that those drawn to violence and risk were often willing to go to the most extreme lengths to take part in the underground world hidden from the eyes of law abiding citizens.

And you, as well as many other children with unbridled cursed energy were forced to take place in the bloodthirsty entertainment so enjoyed by those that put little value in human life.

--

In your future years, you might be surprised to know, the scars etched into your back would hold little to no significance in your daily life, at this moment, however, as a child with no claim on your autonomy, the bar that was so neatly tailored to your neck dug its wired talons into your scapula, void of electricity, yet still unforgettably present.

Before you was a feast to your young eyes, fresh bread, marinated beef on rice, pork dumplings, roasted vegetables, and baked potatoes. This was the best meal you had received in your time as a ring fighter. It was fair to say that the motivation of a good meal was encouraging enough for you to take aim at whomever stood askance in the opposing corner of the ring.

Heads across the room shot to the door as soon as the entrance to the hall was slammed.

"Shame you couldn't get your act together." Came a deep voice in the hall, firm boots echoed up the stony floors.

As the adults approached the guarded off room you sat in, the noise of a struggle worked its way closer as well. A frustrated grunt came from one of the men who looked to be tugging a young boy by the arm into the space.

"Alright. That does it." A dull buzz was heard and most everyone in the room visibly turning away from the scene. Eyebrows pulled down, gazes averted, knowing exactly what the boy in the mans grasp was feeling.

"I swear they do it to themselves." The man who once held the boy removed his finger from the device on his hip. The boy collapsed in a heap on the floor. Barely-there breaths escaping him.

"If ya had behaved you could've eaten with the rest of the kids. See where making a fuss gets you?" The toe of the mans shoe was gently placed under the boys jaw, one might think the man about to kick the child but the next moment, his figure had turned and he was walking off. The opened door left behind as a mockery to the onlooking boys and girls.

You knew what the man had been saying, the boy could be eating right now with the rest of the kids, but each student was only allowed one meal per time block, and none of the children sat on the tables were willing to give up the little bit of stew allotted to them that night.

The boy on the floor looked far too weak still to get up and scan his bar for dinner. You had already felt slightly sickened by the abundance before you, but now, with the child laying a few feet from your spot by the wall, you had decided.

--

That was how you had met Kaito.

He had been far older than you when he was accepted by the program. In the later years, the mentors would come to learn he had little cursed energy. Not very strong. Not much good for entertainment.

Those who could not fight. Did not eat. Or at least, did not eat well.

You looked out for Kaito back then, sharing your meals with the boy. And he had looked out for you in other ways. Being one of the most known students among the crowd awarded you many good meals, and more experience training your technique, but did not grant you much time of study. Kaito excelled where you fell short, and frequently insisted on tutoring you, eventually, you both would find joy in the stories he would read to you while you massaged your limbs after fights.

Kaito was the only one you looked forward to seeing as you exited the station and made the trek back to your off-season boarding. He was eighteen now, and had not been used for entertainment training purposes since he was taken on by the grounds crew.

When you had first left for Kyoto, he had an established job as a groundskeeper. Now, his tenure at the estate might very well be coming to an end and you were unsure how you planned to move forward without him there.

It was already challenging enough, leaving Shoko, Geto, and Gojo with a smile, but at least you knew you would see them again. Was it selfish to wish Kaito could remember you, even as he inevitably goes on to pursue a normal life?

And then even worse, would it be wrong of you, to feel the weight of envy on your shoulders?

These questions swirl in your mind as you stand before the estate, it was clear that in the time you had been away, funding for the school had grown to new heights. Crossing the threshold, a hand on your duffel, you make your way to the communal dorms, picking an open bed, and sprawling across its length.

Unfortunately, this place smelled of home. Five weeks seemed too cruel a sentence for the turning of the season.

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

[masonmount-vii]

It'll Make Sense One Day

Part One

april fifteenth

It's wedding season.

Y/N turns the blush pink envelope over and over in her hands, debating on whether or not to open.

Miss Y/N L/N is written in pretty, loopy cursive on the front, followed by your address. There's no return address, but you'd recognise your best friend's hand writing.

You already knows what it is.

"There's going to be a surprise from Scott and I in the post next week!" You remembered your best friend, Rachel chirping over the phone last week. "Oh silly me! I shouldn't have said that, because now you probably know what it is! Pretend i never told you!"

You, however, don't know why you are hesitant on opening the envelope.

Probably because then you'll have to acknowledge that all of your friends are getting married despite that you're still single, a voice that sounds suspiciously like your older sisters shrills.

You tear open the envelope and pull out the card inside. It isn't a card. necessarily, not one that opens or closes, like it would for a birthday.

Save The Date.

The glossy postcard-sized announcement reads in white script. Below is a picture of your best friend, Rachel, and her fiancé, Scott, on a mountain somewhere, a large expanse of valleys and sky behind them as they laugh. There's a rather large diamond ring on Rachel’s finger; you can't see it, you know it's there.

Rachel + Scott: 15/08/2024, the rest of the card says, and you take a moment to take it to the front of your fridge using a magnet to stick it on.

It's not like you are going to forget about this wedding; it's all Rachel has been talking about for the past month, ever since Scott proposed. At first, you had been enthusiastic; getting married is a big, exciting step, and you were genuinely excited for your girl.

But the more Rachel goes on about this wedding, the less you find yourself wanting to go. You know that all of your happily married friends are going to be there, and you're still single, have been for longer than you'd like to admit.

You wonder if you'll have to bring a plus one. If you do, It's not like you have anyone to bring.

Is there some sort of website people can use for this? Like a dating website, but for people who need plus one's for weddings?

You find yourself googling it and aren't too heartbroken when such a thing doesn't exist.

You'd known it would've been a long shot anyways.

Later on in the afternoon, you're making yourself dinner when your phone rings. You put it on speaker as you stir the pasta for your dinner.

"Hello?"

"Did you get our Save The Dates?" Rachel asks, straight to the point, her voice loud and excited on the other end.

You dare to laugh, despite feeling like that's the absolute last thing you want to be doing right now. "Yeah, I did. They're very cutesy. How does Scott feel about them?"

"Oh, I don't think he really cares. He just said that they could look like however I wanted to design them, as long as our families got them."

Does he care about anything when it comes to the wedding? You think, but there's no way in hell you'd ever say that.

"Do i need to bring a plus one?"

"You don't have to, but it would be nice. In fact, do you want me to set you up with a few guys in the months leading up to the wedding? That could be fun!"

"I'll pass," You tell her with a laugh.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Rachel is her best friend, but before she met Scott, she was a little misguided when it comes to guys, and dating.

Not only when it came to guys, you think, but when it came to setting you up with guys, as well.

There was this one guy that Rachel set you up in our first year of university. His name was Nick and he refused to pay for your dinner in addition to his, so he basically expected you to pay for both of your dinners but you put your foot down and made a deal on paying for our own dinner. And to top it off he wouldn't even give you a ride home, so you had to call Rachel to come pick you up.

"Well, if you want to bring someone, you certainly can, Y/N," the future Mrs Hamilton is saying, and you don't know if that's a suggestion or something she's going to keep bringing up in future conversations.

You fight the urge to roll your eyes even though Rachel can't see you so it wouldn't be a big deal.

"The wedding isn't for another four months," you are gently reminded at the end of the phone call, so you know you have time to find a plus one.

It's just a matter of how.

And then, you get an idea.

-

The next morning you are woken up by your phone going off.

It's the kind of wake-up when you hear a noise and it's just the right volume to startle you awake, which you don't like.

You had forgotten to shut off your ringer last night, and the single ping must've been what woke you up.

TINDER: you have a message from Alex! the screen notifies you as you glance at it.

Who sends a message at seven in the morning? you speculate after seeing the time, and then you had pick up your phone anyway to see what Alex had said.

You had created a profile shortly before you fell asleep, in a stroke of genius so rare that you don't know where it came from or if it'll happen again. You had found four of your best pictures, typed out a relatively short bio (purposefully leaving out the reason why you had made the account in the first place: you didn't want people to think you were too weird), and then ser out to start swiping on guys.

Alex was 27 and he was the first guy you had matched with, except you couldn't figure out what to say.

Do you lead with the whole 'i need a date to best friends wedding so that all of my non-single friends could get off my back', or would that scare him off?

So, you decided to not say anything about it. While you weren't sure if he was the one, you didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. Alex was average looking, with chesnut coloured hair that stuck straight up and he had dark brown eyes.

You know that you aren't looking for love, as most of the people on her are (well, not real love anyway). A fake boyfriend perhaps?

The point being, you didn't want to get too attached, because you aren't expecting anything.

Your eyes skim to Alex's message, and you try to decide if it deserves a reply.

I think your eyes are really pretty.

That's it? you think glumly. You'd always been a hopeless romantic, someone who believes in love at first sight (or, in this case, love at first swipe) and you feel somewhat let down when average Alex sends you an average message.

Then again, what did you expect, in all honesty? The perfect guy to send you the perfect message on the first try?

That's not likely to happen.

Thank you! You reply, and then you slightly regret it, because even though Rachel's wedding isn't until August, you really don't have time to waste, and you aren't sure that you want him to be your date.

Just give him a chance, Y/N. You're not agreeing to anything.

Plus, there's a small part of you that hopes you'll find something other than just a plus one to this wedding.

The next message Alex sends you is two days later, as you're sitting at your desk at work.

It's shortly after nine in the morning, and you're working on next weeks article for the fashion blog that you work for.

You forget about it until an hour and a half later when you're having your break.

Y/N, huh? Is that short for something? the message reads.

You laugh at first but then you stop when you realise that average Alex is serious, which prompts you to type back a no, Y/N isn't short for anything, only then wondering if you had been too harsh as you press end.

You spend the rest of your lunch break swiping on a few guys; it takes you a while to decide whether or not you'll swipe on them in the first place, because in order for this fake plus one thing to work, it has to be believable.

You aren't yet sure if you want Rachel to know that the way you are going to find a date to the wedding is through Tinder.

None of the guys that you swipe on match with you, but when you check your phone later that evening, you see that a few of them swiped right in the hours that you weren't looking at your phone.

One of them may even be the one you end up taking to the wedding, but neither of them know that yet.

-

Thank you so much for reading, I’m hoping you’ll continue to stick around 💓 next part will be 28/08/2024!

[aprilmayverse]

mayverse dash simulator

💅 pinkprlncesses Follow

🧟‍♀️ samuraishattered Follow op this is an incredibly fucked up and insensitive way to post about this. six people are dead. four of them are literal children. imagine losing a loved one and people are fucking memeing about it with supernatural. grow up. learn some fucking respect for the dead. this isn't just some quirky little fandom story like sharpie bath or whatever. these are real kids who had hopes and dreams and families and loved ones and now they are dead.

💅 pinkprlncesses Follow was it ever really that deep

🦴 trudycryme Follow New video about June July and Dysnomia Badmann's murders on the way! Special surprise at the end so stay tuned ;) Sponsored by Tender Lender <3

🦴 trudycryme Follow No fucking way

🩰 blood-and-books Follow wait, has anyone noticed that the accomplice in the bluecorp case and that 13 year old who killed her gfs parents and 2 random boys are half-sisters??

🍭 mera-duras-left-eyebrow Follow WAIT AND THEIR OLDEST SISTER HAD LINKS W/ BLUECORP TOO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN

🪷 helloroses Follow does anyone remember how fucked up april may's career was. i rewatched pint-sized princesses after the news got out about her execution and like i know it was the 90s but what the fuck was going on there. it feels like a crime to watch it

🪷 helloroses Follow it's the same with her modelling career, why was she, a teenage girl, doing so many photoshoots where she was barely clothed. why did ad campaigns need all this

🦢 evilwomanenjoyer Follow why are we defending june july in 2018. she killed people. she murdered people. you are the same people who defend joe darke and dahlia hawthorne and matt engarde and fucking redd white. she took lives. where am i.

🐜 what-is-a-username420 Follow please learn about nuance and use your brain

🦢 evilwomanenjoyer Follow nuance is for fictional characters like pious priestess or whoever the fuck. not for real life situations like this.

🐜 what-is-a-username420 Follow sometimes im like "the reading comprehension on this site isnt THAT bad" and then i read shit like "nuance is for fiction not for real life"

🦴 trudycryme Follow I am truly, truly sorry for attempting to film those teenagers corpses and for breaking into the victims childhood home in an attempt to interview his family 2 days after the murder, I understand why I was wrong and I'm going to try my best to refrain from doing stuff like that next time lol. To further this, I'm starting a new merch collection and donating 20% of profits to JAVCV (Japanifornian Association for Victims of Violent Crime), buy it before the sale ends on March 4th!

🧟‍♀️ samuraishattered Follow not to be harsh but i hope you die

🌈 godsstrongestfujo Follow i think april may was a genuinely a bad person like she was just this rich woman who both did the modelling campaign + assisted in the murder to get money from her sugar daddy. shes not as innocent as yall make her out to be she just has pretty privelege

🍁 diskhorse-divorce Follow 1. she was not rich. she, her single mother, and sister were homeless for years. she had to be a child star and teen model to provide for herself and her family. they lived in a trailer at some point 2. she was very obviously being threatened by white. the courts said it was a lie because of fucking misogyny and white's power over her. 3. even if she did do it out of her own free will she still got executed over a crime where the death penalty at age 23 was not justified. 4. why are you calling a thirteen year old a bad person for doing an ad campaign where she was being heavily sexualised and exploited and stolen from you fucking weirdo

🩰 angelfawns Follow april may was such a tragic girl and an icon and so beautiful omg. she looked SO good during the summer 2008 ad campaign for bluecorp too. hold on i need to change my pfp

🐦‍⬛ proud-edgelord Follow if my parents named me teylhoure i wouldve killed myself too

[mirioho]

💼 Reyu Carrera- Intro & Profile

Character Info:

Reyu grew up in the bustling city of New York,  specifically in Jackson Heights, alongside her younger sister Mila. They were raised by their working parents that eventually got divorced shortly after Reyu turned 7 years old. Having witnessed and overheard the many fights and discussions between her parents, Reyu knew this was the best choice, but it still stung. However, it would only hurt more when her father stopped taking her to her ballet classes and didn’t show up to her recitals anymore. Slowly but surely he distanced himself from them all until he completely gave up his parental rights, wanting nothing to do with either her or Mila.

Left with only her working single mother to raise her and her sister, Reyu took it upon herself to lessen any burden she could for her mother. Stepping up as a reliable older sister to Mila and a responsible daughter for her mother. And Reyu’s mother would be undeterred by her ex-husband’s lack of involvement, she was a strong woman and she would see to it that Reyu and Mila understood that they were both loved by her and she would do her best to shape them into independent and strong young ladies herself.

Reyu greatly admired her mother, and though there was still an ache in her heart, she did her best to be strong, moreso for her mother’s and Mila’s sake. Reyu could tell how tiring it could be for her mother, having to provide for the three of them on her own, having to work double jobs, having to do long hours, just to keep moving forward. It’s why Reyu did her best to do her part and work hard in school, to make sure she had top grades her mother could be proud of, to earn rewards and certificates and to participate in activities and extracurriculars that would show her mother that her efforts weren’t in vain. She also would take care of Mila, going to school with her, making her lunch and even dinner, helping her with homework, and being an older sister she could be proud of. Reyu didn’t want to become a burden to her mother, she couldn’t. She couldn’t crumble in front of Mila who needed her. So she had to be someone worth sacrificing so much for.  She had to be someone worth looking up to. There was no time to dawdle and wish things could be different, the reality was she needed to put in the effort to get what she wants and be who she wants.

After discarding her ballet shoes long ago, and tossing aside a dream of becoming a ballerina, Reyu has the goal of becoming an affluent and well-established Family Lawyer. A goal she pursues by looking up qualifications she’ll need and doing her best to prepare herself for law school, maintaining her GPA, making connections, doing research, joining her school’s debate team, and even earning herself an internship for a law firm.

But she never does make it to her internship, instead, she finds herself inside a coffin, lost in a completely different world that seems like something out of a dream she’d never believe.

Basic Info:

Name: Reyu Carerra Age: 17 Gender: Female Pronouns: She/Her Sexuality: Bisexual Birthday: April 27 Height: 172 cm Class: 1-A Dorm: Ramshackle Homeland: New York Club: Board Game Club Best Subject: Mathematics Dominant Hand: Right Favorite Food: Dosas Least Favorite Food: Shrimp (Allergic) Twisted From: Robert Philip (Enchanted) Hobbies: Writing, Bullet Journaling, Scrapbooking Likes: Reading, Watching Legal Dramas, Soap Operas (Secretly), History, Coffee, Stationery, Poetry, Magic Tricks, Trying New Food, Flying, Candles, Chess, Museums Dislikes: Cleaning, Rats, Cockroaches, Blind Optimism, Failing, Danger, Being a Burden, Dancing (So she says), Vanity, Playboys

Personality:

Reyu is, of course, hardworking when it comes to her studies and is often reading one thing or another, always expanding her knowledge although she would already be considered intelligent, she knows learning doesn’t have an end point. 

She can be quick-witted as well, having grown up in the city, her mind is constantly on the go and ready to react to one situation or another. Though, being in Twisted Wonderland, even she finds herself taken aback and dumbfounded at the things that occur. Still, she strives to remain practical and calm when she can.

Reyu does her best to be kind and polite when necessary but will often be prone to sarcasm and snarkiness, especially when a situation or person is ridiculous to her.

She tries to be realistic about every situation as much as possible, and thus doesn't try to delude herself with fairytales or anything close to it. Has a hard time dealing with overly optimistic people, not understanding the ability to essentially remain blind to what she considers to be the truth.

But, she’s still a helpful and caring person underneath, and she’s very forthcoming about following her personal principles. Some which include being honest and remaining pragmatic, helping those who she considers helpless, always accepting the consequences of your actions, and always follow through on a promise.

Overall, Reyu is a self-reliant, sometimes strict, yet responsible, protective and trustworthy person.

Relationships:

Extra:

Since living in Ramshackle, she's been getting into DIY due to all the fixing up she's been doing to the place.

Works shifts at the Mostro Lounge for the extra money.

Her favorite flowers are Angel's Trumpets.

Her younger sister Mila, is 3 years younger than her.

Likes horror movies and novels. Can't consume either before bed or else she'll stay up all night.

Prefers tea over coffee but finds coffee to be more useful in waking her up in the mornings.

Despite not liking or believing in fairytales, would read her younger sister any fairytale book she wanted before bed.

Her favorite animal is a great horned owl.

Despite being allergic to shrimp, has a guilty pleasure for shrimp cocktails.

Has a phobia of ventriloquist dummies after watching a horror movie about them when she was younger.

She likes to write poetry sometimes but doesn't think it's any good, it's moreso an outlet for her emotions.

When she'd still attend her ballet classes and recitals, she'd unconsciously always look if her father was in attendance.

Reyu gave up on her dream of being a ballerina early on when she realized it likely wouldn't bring in the money she felt was necessary to ease her mother's financial burden.

References:

Notes:

Reyu's dorm outfit was based on Robert's prince outfit at the end of Enchanted with a mix of the Ramshackle colors and style. The long jacket was made to a short, blazer like style to fit in more with a business suit type vibe for Reyu who wants to be taken seriously.

Her coffin icon contains a briefcase that has a similar keyhole to the ones in the gacha of the game. Colors used were mostly taken from Grim's coffin icon.

credit to @/ai-kan1 for templates, @/alchemivich for coffin icon base and kalim sprites and to @/twtysevapr for chibi base

[reelovesfictionalmen]

Single Dad Simon Riley

A request for Single Dad Simon from @buzzyb33 I hope this is what you wanted, I kinda just went with what my monkey brain came up with.

SINGLE DAD SIMON

Single Dad Simon has twins. A boy who is docile, shy and hides behind Simon's legs around new people. His daughter is bold and boisterous. Sometimes he swears she almost bounces off of the walls. Their mother has been out of the picture since not long after they were born, she pays child support but has otherwise severed all parental support and interactions with the twins. The boy twin is named Theo and the girl is April. The names are the only two things their mother left them with.

Single Dad Simon used to hate her for abandoning their children but in time he accepted it as being the best. Forcing her to stay would likely have just hurt the kids more. Simon gave up his career in the military to take care of his kids and be a present father. He works as a plumber, a pretty good one at that. He makes enough money to provide for his kiddos and put money aside for emergencies and/or their futures. He wants to have enough money put away for them if they decide to go to university. Giving up his career was difficult but it had to be done, he was all they had and he wants to give them a childhood so much better than his own.

Single Dad Simon finds being a dad almost as stressful as being in the SAS and doing all that sort of thing. Raising the twins on his own through their infancy to toddlerhood was mentally and physically exhausting. There were nights when both of the twins were teething, would not go to sleep and just kept screaming where he felt like running away. But he never did of course, our Simon aint a quitter ESPECIALLY when it comes to his kids.

Single Dad Simon is still in contact with 141, they come to visit when on leave. Soap and Gaz like to spoil the twins. April LOVES uncle Soap. She calls him a "pretty princess". She also makes takes Gaz, Soap and Theo out into the garden where she likes to play construction work barbie, digging up the garden and making "roads" for her and her brothers cars. Theo, the sweet little boy really opens up around Price. Something about Price brings out his bolder side. He's always tackle hugging Price and asking lots of questions about the cool planes and other vehicles he's been in. Neither of the twins really believe that their father was big and tough like their uncles. Simon honestly prefers that they don't believe that he was a big bad military man, he tries to keep as much of his personal military career from them.

Single Dad Simon who frets when the twins first go to primary school and after school care. He doesn't like being away from them for such long periods of time, deep down he knows that they will be just fine and they will be safe but the other part of him frets terribly. What if they get bullied? What if they hurt themselves? What if they get mean teachers? After the first year he calms down considerably with his worries but there is a side of him that will never relax and be wary for danger.

Single Dad Simon who finds himself getting lonely as the kids settle into school life and his business does well. He finds himself wishing for romantic companionship and a feminine influence for his children. He worries that only having military men for family will stunt their mental growth. He promises himself to open himself up to the possibility of meeting someone new.

When Single Dad Simon does find someone he clicks with, he doesn't hide that he has kids and is a single parent. But he makes clear that it will take an extended period of time before he introduces them to her. He needs to be sure that he can trust her around them. If she already knows them through some outside of school place, like the bakery they always go to on Sunday or the Librarian at the library where the after school program is held, he will be less wary of having her in their private lives but will still TAKE HIS TIME.

Single Dad Simon is a good dad. He struggles with the stress and isolation sometimes but he has 141 as his brothers and maybe one day soon he might have a lady in his life who will welcome his kids and him with open arms into her own life.

[kaminocasey]

Sacred Woman (Part One)

Summary: You're the First Mate on the Meson Martinet, the ship that Sidon Ithano captains. A few years ago, you all accidentally found Kix, thinking he was the lost treasure of Count Dooku. Instead, you found an even better treasure. Now, you’re searching far and wide in the galaxy for the scientist who could possibly undo the progressive aging gene in Kix's DNA. You'll stop at nothing.

Pairing: Pirate!Kix x (fem) Pirate!Rader

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Violence, Attempted SA, Blood, Angst, eventual Smut

WC: 3.3K

A/N: I've been working on this since APRIL. I'm so freaking excited about this story! Parts of this were inspired/used from "The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku" by Landry Q. Walker (Free on Kindle Unlimited). Photos found from Pinterest!

Sacred Woman Masterlist │ TAGLIST FORM │ Sacred Woman Playlist

“Look at this, Blitz… A pretty little thing… walking all alone down this dark alley.” A slimy voice purrs and you automatically start to grab your knife out of your boot. 

One of the guys chuckles, obviously underestimating you. His mistake. It’s been a while since you’ve fought someone, but only because you’ve been doing your best to keep out of trouble. 

“She thinks that’s going to do something.” The other guy smirks, glancing at your knife. 

Normally, you’d give a guy a warning. But with these guys… this could’ve been some other poor woman walking down this back alley, so you won’t feel too bad when you inevitably have to slit their throats. 

You wait for one of them to touch you. You wait for them to make the move… 

“Come on, sweetheart.” The first guy starts to touch your jacket.

That’s all you need. You strike first, grabbing his wrist and bending it back, making him gasp in pain. His buddy is taken aback and stumbles back, startled. Good. 

“You bitch.” The one in front of you, growls and you smirk, pulling your knife up under his chin, trailing it down to his Adam’s apple. 

His snarl quickly turns into trembling fear and he automatically starts begging for his life. They always do… Except his buddy starts to grab for a blaster tucked in his jacket and you quickly throw your knife into his wrist, making him cry out in pain. Sending your fist into the first guy’s right jaw, you knock him right out. He drops with a satisfying ‘thud’ and you quickly slide over to the other guy, grabbing your knife out of his wrist and he starts to run away, leaving his buddy behind with no problem. 

A set of footsteps brings your attention back the other way as you raise your knife, prepared for another fight. You’re met with a tall Delphidian holding one of his hands up in a surrendering manner, the other hand holding a red Kaleesh helmet. 

“What do you want?” You ask him, not tucking away your knife. 

He smiles, softly. “I’m Sidon Ithano, the Crimson Corsair.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?” You lean down and wipe the blade on the shirt of the guy who’s still out cold and then tuck it into your boot again before standing up. 

“I’m a pirate.”

“Okay. And?” You ask him, still staring at him.

“I saw those guys starting to attack you and then tried to come help. But you clearly had no problem on your own, there.” 

You shrug. “Did you need something?” 

“I could use some muscle like that on my crew.” He smiles. 

You let out a huff of a laugh, tilting your head. “You want me to join your pirate crew?” 

He nods. “You’re a Mandalorian, are you not?” 

You stare at him, harder. You’ve not called yourself that for a few years now. There weren’t many of you left. 

“Used to be… How could you tell?” You ask, placing your hands on your hips.

“From your fighting. It was a Mandalorian style I’ve not seen in a long time…” 

“Right…” 

“So, what do you say?” He asks. 

You walk past him. “No thanks.” 

Who the hell is this guy? The Crimson Corsair… why does that name sound so familiar? 

“Do you have another purpose here?” He asks you.

You stop, staring ahead. How could he see through you so well? You’ve been on this planet for a few months, temporarily living in a cheap hostel, doing bounty work on the side. Quite a life, you’ve made for yourself, right? Your family would be so proud… 

It wouldn’t kill you to start a new adventure. Or maybe it would. But either way, you can’t help but be curious. 

You turn around, staring at the tall pirate. “When do we leave?” 

Five Years Later… 

“What do you think?” Sidon’s modulated asks you as you both stand over a dead Trandoshan.

The crew is still up in the ship and as Sidon’s first mate, you’re next to him at all times. He doesn’t speak a lot, except to you. He trusts you to do most of the speaking on his behalf.

“Well, it doesn’t look good.” You joke. 

The planet you’re on isn’t necessarily First Order run… but there is a presence here. You’re supposed to be picking this guy up so he could take you to a scientist who you’ve been searching for for two years.

“Should we leave him, Captain?” You ask.

“Do you think someone is leaving us a message?” He wonders, aloud, ignoring your question. 

“Could be…” You shrug in agreement. 

“But from whom?” Sidon murmurs, kicking the guy over onto his back. “There are very few people who know who we’re looking for.”

His eyes are missing, leaving burnt crispy edges behind. Ew. 

The truth is there could be any number of people trying to “leave you a message”. You have a lot of friends, and you have a lot of enemies. So to narrow it down is next to impossible. 

“Tell me what you think.” Sidon tells you, turning back to face you. 

He glances past you at some of the crew peeking out the hatch. When they see him looking at them, they quickly make themselves busy. 

“I think we should leave him.” You answer. “We’ll find another way…” 

He nods, considering it for a moment… calculating… “We’ll leave him.” 

You start to head back up toward the hatch, Sidon only a step behind you. But you feel him pause, so you turn to look at him as he still stares at the body, deep in thought. After knowing the Captain for the last five years, you’re pretty well able to anticipate his moves and thoughts. It feels like you’ve known him your whole life. 

“What-” You start to ask, but all of a sudden, violent blaster fire is raining down on you.

You and your captain run toward the hatch, with you yelling into your comm to start the ship. Only seconds later, you hear the familiar sounds of boosters and engines starting up. Sidon pauses at the closing hatch toward the culprit of the blaster fire and more than likely also the dead Trandoshan. 

It’s always a trap, isn’t it?

“All hands to stations.” Your voice carries throughout the ship. “I repeat, all hands to stations. We are under attack.”

As you make your way through the Meson Martinet, up to the bridge, you run directly into your medic, Kix. Kix is a clone who once fought in the Clone Wars and got kidnapped by Separatists and held in cryo for 50 years. You and Sidon, and the rest of the crew found him a few years ago, thinking it was the lost treasure of Count Dooku. Turned out to be even better than treasure. Though you’d never admit that to anyone. You have a soft spot for the man. He’s also who you were doing all of this for. That Trandoshan was supposed to take you to a scientist who’s supposedly able to undo the progressive aging gene in Kix’s DNA, which once affected all clones.

“You alright?” He smirks. 

You nod. “Yep.” 

“You find the guy?” He asks, falling into step with you as you head toward the bridge again. 

“Yeah, but someone else got to him first apparently.” 

“Dead?”

“Yep.” You reply, popping the ‘p’ sound. 

He considers this as you get into the lift up to the bridge. “Well, we’ll figure it out.” 

“Always so positive.”

“Only because I believe in you.” He grins.

You ignore the warmth spreading through your veins and to your cheeks. 

Get it together, you’re under attack right now, you chide yourself internally. 

When the lift doors slide open, you nod to the medic and approach Sidon. 

“Get us out of here.” Sidon commands Parth. 

“Yes, sir.” He replies. 

The Meson Martinet lurches upwards toward the atmosphere, shaking slightly from taking fire. Yours and Sidon’s eyes remain forward out the windows, until you see the vast blackness of space.

“Hyperdrive. Now.” Sidon commands.

The ship pauses ever so slightly before shooting forwards into the dancing bright blues of hyperspace. You can feel everyone visibly relax once Sidon sits down in the captain’s seat. You stand next to him, looking down at him.

“Where to now?” You ask him.

He gently waves you off, to let him think. With a nod, you walk away to the deck command. 

“Reset the coordinates.” You tell the pilot, Parth, a young Rodian, but also one of the best pilots you’ve ever seen.

“Where for, ma’am?” He asks, quietly.

You glance back at the pondering captain, who still seems to be deep in thought, before giving Parth the new coordinates. It’s a quick split decision that you make. If Sidon decides that it was a waste of fuel, then fine. But for now, you know it’ll be a safe place to go. 

As you walk through the ship, you do your duties of inspecting things, checking the cargo, making sure people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, helping out when you’re needed. You’ve been Sidon’s first mate for the last four years. It was a hard job at first, but now it all seems to come natural to you.

Kix smiles and says your name from the open door of the incredibly small makeshift medbay when you start to pass by. Stopping to lean in the doorway, you cross your arms with your own soft smile.

You’ll never forget the first time you and Kix locked eyes when he woke up from that cryo-cycle stasis pod. He looked so scared and confused. It made your heart hurt right away, even though you did your best to hide that fact. 

“You don’t understand!” He yelled, his voice breaking as he shoved Reveth, a red twi’lek. “I’m a medic, and I learned something… something horrible… Fives knew. He’s the one who figured it all out after Tup… and it got him killed. But I kept investigating. They said it was a virus…” 

You see out of the corner of your eye Sidon gesturing subtly to Squeaky, a large Gamorrean, who’s surprisingly kind and funny, and Pendewquell, a tall Ishi Tib man who’s been on the crew probably longer than you’ve been alive. The two guys start circling to either side of the poor clone. 

“A chip in our heads. In all the clones’ heads! And an order. A command to betray… kill… and it comes from the Chancellor!” 

Kix had grabbed Squeaky’s outstretched hand and flung him into Pendewquell. The effort is obviously too much for him though and makes him stagger a bit but he keeps talking, quicker this time. 

“The Seppies… captured me. Interrogated me to find out who else knew.” He seems to be sweating and shaking. He looks so sad, your heart is urging you to go to him. 

Finally his eyes land on you and he starts to slow down. 

“I… I never had a chance to tell anyone else what I learned. I didn’t know who I could trust… But I wouldn’t tell them anyway.”

You nod. You’re sure your face is mirroring the heartbreak in this man’s voice. His eyes never leave yours as he continues. 

“So they said… they said they were sending me to someone I couldn’t keep secrets from… To the Sith… the cold… the freezing, burning cold…” He slumps immediately to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. 

You rush to him, holding him up. His body still freezing cold, you take off your jacket and put it over him.

“Stasis poisoning,” Reveth tells you quietly. “He was trapped in there for too long.” 

“No…! I can still save them. Skywalker…” The clone mumbles intently. “Get me General Skywalker! He’ll help. We can save… save the Jedi… save the Republic!”

“What’s your ID, trooper?” Quiggold, a large nervous Gabdorin, asks him.

“CT-6116.” He coughs. “Kix. They call me… Kix… sir…” 

And with that, he slips into unconsciousness. Reveth hands you a breather to place over his face. 

Kix. You can already tell you’re going to do anything to help this man. No matter what. 

You’d barely made it out of that cruiser alive. A bunch of old super battle droids had powered up and then the ship had started to sink. You’d gone to escape in the escape pods but there had only been one and Sidon pushed everyone into it and then pushed the activation switch, which had launched the crew at a high velocity through the Sea of Sand back on Ponemah Terminal, away from the burning and sinking cruiser. 

You’d stayed nearby for three weeks, camping out, scared to leave Sidon behind if he’d somehow made it. You weren’t ready to be a captain yet. You’d only been a first mate for a year. But supplies had started to run low and a desert planet was a really bad place to be without food and water. 

Kix had recovered, physically. He was of course in deep shock over all the history lessons you’d gently given him. 

You hear your name behind you and find Kix, who was after two weeks out of cryo finally looking a lot better. 

At least, physically. He still woke up every night with nightmares, so you stayed nearby him at all times in case he needed you. Everyone would cast you knowing glances and Q even made the mistake of making a comment, but you threatened his life and he apologized and promised to mind his own damn business. 

“Are you alright?” You ask Kix. 

He smiles that heartbreaking smile and nods. He’s incredibly handsome. Probably the most handsome man you’ve ever laid eyes on. And since you aren’t the type to sleep around or fall in love, this revelation of how Kix is making you feel makes you nervous.

Reveth and Quiggold walk over to you, intent clear on their faces. Well, mostly on Reveth’s. Q just looks nervous as always. 

“What?” You cross your arms.

“He’s gone.” Reveth tells you. You know she means Sidon. “And we might as well have sunk with him. We’ve lost everything. We’re ruined.” 

“I know… I just…” You look at the massive indent of where the cruiser was three weeks ago. “One more week. I mean maybe-”

“Maybe what?” She demands, clearly agitated. “Maybe the captain somehow tamed the giant worm and rode it through an explosive desert of sand and lava? Is that what you’re hoping for?” 

You shrug. Theoretically, if anyone could do all of that, Sidon could. But… you know deep down there’s more than likely no chance and that it’d be best for the crew if you were to pack it in and start to head back to the Meson Martinet.

Except right as you start to tell everyone to pack it in, yours and everyone’s jaw drops. In the doorway, stands the Crimson Corsair. Sidon Ithano. His cloak is in tatters and his red helmet is in desperate need of a polish. But here he is right now in front of you… alive.

“H-how?” Quiggold asks, clearly at a loss of words.

Hell, so are you. You’re so happy, you could cry. 

Sidon waves away the questions and instead tosses a metal cube to Kix. 

“What is it?” You ask him.

He looks from you to the cube. “It’s… it’s a Separatist cruiser’s memory core.” Kix tells you. “These were designed to self-destruct. But this one… it must have malfunctioned.” 

He looks up at you. “This cube carries a complete map to every hidden droid factory ever built by the Separatists. Secret bases. Weapons warehouses. Everything.”

Reveth passes by and takes the cube, whistling appreciatively at it. “This would’ve been impossible to decode fifty years ago. Now? Easy. We track down those installations… that’s our ancient buried treasure! We’ll be rich!”Quiggold whistles. “And we just happen to have an expert in Clone Wars-era military installations and their security systems on hand. Welcome aboard, Kix.” 

Kix turns back to you and smiles, making your chest tighten at the sight. You smile softly back at him. If he wants to join the crew, you’d be happy to let him. But if he’d rather go on his own, then you’d have to be okay with that, too.

“Would you like to join the Meson Martinet, Kix?” You ask him, trying to keep the hopeful tone down.

He looks around at the rest of the crew before settling his back on your own. “I’d like that very much.”

You try to ignore the excitement stirring in your stomach and instead cast your smile toward the alive captain.

“How did you survive? The fire… the sand… the giant worm?” You ask him, unable to help the curiousness.

“You know better than that, love. I’m Sidon Ithano… I don’t die so easily.” 

“You busy?” Kix asks you. 

You glance down the empty durasteel hall and then back at Kix, going inside the medbay, shutting the door behind you and leaning against the door, crossing your arms again. 

“I’m sorry someone got to that Trandoshan guy before we could.” You murmur. 

Kix was already showing some slight aging. Maybe that of a man in his mid 30s. The lines in his forehead form a little more each year, and his beard makes him look a bit older. In a good way. Distinguished. Rugged. Handsome. 

The thought of finding this scientist when it could be too late… 

“I’m not upset.” Kix’s voice is softer than it should be. 

He should be upset.

“I am, though.” You look up from the floor, staring at him, coldly. 

He opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Parth comm-ing you to come to the bridge. 

“On my way.” You keep eye contact with Kix as you speak into the small device. 

You and Kix stare at each other for another moment as his brown eyes bare into yours. With a sigh, you turn to go. 

“If…” He starts, making you pause. “If we don’t find this scientist… it won’t be the end of the world.” 

You turn to glare at him. Maybe not the end of the world… but it would be the end of yours… 

“You’ll need to move on-” He tells you, but you don’t let him finish because you walk away, back up to the bridge. 

How could he say such things? Although, it’s not like he knows how you feel. He doesn’t know how you’d tear apart the entire galaxy to find this scientist. He doesn’t know the things you’d do to give him a good, long, happy life. But you can show him. 

When you reach the bridge, Sidon beckons you forward to him. 

“Concordia?” His modulated voice asks, his head tilted ever so slightly. 

You don’t have to be able to see that he’s quirking an eyebrow at you, curiously. He’s basically been prepping you to be captain since you joined the crew. He always tells you what a great leader you’re going to make one day. So, he’s not questioning your choice per se. But he is curious as to why. You know that.

You shrug. “There’s someone that I think could help us.”

“Incoming aircraft, identify yourselves.” A familiar voice says, and you raise your eyebrows at Sidon, waiting for his final okay. 

He thinks for only a few seconds before nodding. You nod once to him before turning back toward Parth and his command deck. 

“Vil,” You say your brother’s name, letting them know you’re not a threat. “It’s me. I need help.” 

It’s quiet for a long moment. Too quiet for too long. When finally…

“Free to dock. Wait to be boarded.” 

“Copy.” You sigh, then look at your crew. “On your best behavior, everyone.” 

You can feel Sidon’s curious smirk as Parth lands the Meson Martinet. 

“Don’t give me that, right now.” You shake your head, amused. 

“Aye, Captain.” He murmurs, teasingly.

TAGS: @twistedstitcher27 @rebel-finn @rexandechosandwich @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @brynhildrmimi @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @idledreams @redheadgirl @themcuwriter @ashotofspotchka @sunshinesdaydream @crosshairsimp73 @ariadnes-red-thread @rosmariner @heyitsaloy @starstofillmydream @high-ct5555 @echos-girlfriend @sleepywych @nekotaetae @justanothersadperson93 @aconstructofamind @book-of-baba-fett @chopper-base @palliateclaw @501st-rexster @dead-poolz @nahoney22 @where-is-my-mind-tho @jediknightjana @erishimoon @witching3 @queen-of-many-fandoms @wizardofrozz  @burningfieldof-clover @rebelsriley

[baxterstockmanisthecenterfold]

Aside from Baxine, do you have your own original takes or versions of Baxter?

3 versions funny enough actually. Back during my sophomore year of highschool when I was still a big TMNT fan. I made my own fanmade adaptations. But I didn't stop at 1. I made 3 different adaptations. With the 3 different tones we've seen in the turtles over the years.

(yeah I never got around to digital drawing them)

First one was called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Power. Tone wise, it was a good balance of mature but funny. (Think IDW & 2012).

This Baxter is a young innovative inventor who starts off honest much like his 87 counterpart, suggesting his MOUSERS to a shark tank like company only to be laughed at & mocked. When he leaves to find another company to take his work, Hun approaches him & tricks him into making an army to go after the turtles (again, unaware like 87) which of course leads to the turtles going after him & getting him arrested. But Shredder himself bails him out of jail & manipulates him from there.

My second adaptation, simply labeled "Ninja Turtles" Which follows the more darker & mature route (Mirage & 2003) I never did fully finish working on this take but I do know I did have a story for this Baxter. Now THIS Baxter is much more in line with his IDW & Mirage counterpart. He doesn't take shit from anybody, he won't hesitate to end you if you're a liability or so & he's always 20 steps ahead of everybody. Right next to him you see an unfinished version of Krang who he does eventually gain a partnership with somewhere deeper in the story & you think Krang has the upper hand & treats Baxter bad like the status quo of every version. But nope. Baxters just been pretending to be his weakling & ends up not only betraying Krang after he got what he needed but killing him too! Instantly becoming the new big bad of that season afterwards.

And my 3rd & Final adaptation "Turtle Power" follows the more lighthearted & comedic route (Rise & 87)

As for my final Baxter. Getting it out the way with now, Yes he is white in this one. Like I mentioned in my other ask, even tho I prefer him black, I genuinely don't care what race he is. That includes my own takes on him too. So if you're gonna bitch about this. Please don't. I'm just going to immediately delete your response & block you. Like I said in the other ask. His race was never a big deal.

As for this version as a character. I do admit he's going through his usual underdog status (mostly 2012) who just wants to have his name known in the world. But he also starts off as an honest man, but his desperation for respect especially with the bullying he's had in his life is what ultimately leads him into crossing over to the bad side. He's also April's childhood best friend in this version, so that's also going to be a really heart tugging arc in this adaptation especially with what happens to him later on. Feeling like she failed to save her best friend from all of this.

And those are pretty much my own Baxter Stockmans plus the adaptations they came with.

[nnnyxie]

donnie 💜🍇🔮👾☁️

Donnie, who is the first to intercept April’s call that fateful day.

Donnie, who doesn’t know how to feel when he’s made aware of the whole situation. He had answered April’s call with his usual flair, relaxed and amused at the fact that their best friend was still outside in the bitter New York autumn–winter weather; he slurped loudly on his steaming mug of coffee for emphasis. Because he’s a little bastard.

Donnie, who’s the first one out of his siblings to know.

Donnie, who sets his dumbstruck-ness aside in order to put forth what he does best: work and help. April sounded so distressed and that was enough. He could tell she was masking it, though, and that just augments the entire situation. He doesn’t bother saying much – seeing as Leo had been there to hear the main gist of the conversation. The twins move in perfect sync as they prep their individual stations: he’s set in one part of his lab while his robotic arms are in another, and by the end of it, the Med Bay is set up to his impeccable standards; his monitors are set separately with April’s tracker and a loaded screen ready for data collection on another.

He ends up doing a dramatic arm sweep when cleaning off one of his desks– a desk which was previously occupied by a load of junk that Leo had brought in earlier: snacks, a couple takeout containers, comics, a unicorn lovey, a half full pickle jar for some reason?

–and Leo can’t even be mad. He’s too preoccupied in his own mind.

But it’s a funny memory for them to look back on – solely for the way Donnie was so aggressive with it while focusing on something else entirely.

Donnie, who keeps a neutral standing once you and April arrive, but he’s just as worried as everyone else. When you both make eye contact– he feels it. The shiver at the center of his ninpo. The sense of familiarity is strange and overwhelming . . . he’s never met you before. So, what in the name of Ohm’s Law is this?

Donnie, who feels a fickle sense of kinship with you right from the beginning. He won't be the one to tell you that outright, tho. He was far more taciturn in his approach to you; compared to his blue banded brother, at least. He mirrored Leo's tactic of telling you what he was doing before or as he did it, and he moved with the hands of a kind-hearted scientist. Gentle, swift, and efficient. He may not have joined in on Leo's jokes or cute little comments to distract you – but he did give you a sympathetic expression in spite of himself.

Donnie, who runs a RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF BACKGROUND CHECKS ON YOU. I’M TALKING METRIC TON WORLDWIDE DATABASE SEARCHES. HE BYPASSED SEVERAL GOVERNMENTAL HEADQUARTERS, PROBABLY ALERTED THE PENTAGON ON ACCIDENT BUT HE’S NOT FOCUSED ON THAT RIGHT NOW–HE KNOWS WHERE YOU’RE FROM, WHO YOU COME FROM (??), HAS ACQUIRED A DIGITAL COPY OF YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE SOMEHOW?? (which, might I note, got completely destroyed in the Invasion and there are literally no known traces of it anywhere else–) His statistics are simply unmatched. Bro’s weird. And terrifyingly capable.

Donnie, who offers his own bedroom to you when Leo and he are finished dressing your wounds. He had spoken with Mikey about what would be the best things to feed you, and after the intrinsic nudge he sensed, left the kitchen to whatever aftermath of thinly controlled chaos his brothers would achieve this time. After all, it's not everyday you come into caring for a whole child.

Donnie, who had kept track of your vitals the entire time you were asleep, dropping everything to check on you when something went awry. He forced April to go with him (though it didn't take much convenience) but blessedly, you didn't rouse to full consciousness outside of twitching in your sleep. He left April to soothe you even further back to slumber, loitering nearby, stiff and simply watching.

Donnie, who isn't good at emotions. At all. Didn't really like them, either. They were something that was difficult for him to properly process through and were unpredictable. But he does swear then and there that, in spite of all things… you were important.

Donnie, who says as much while they all discuss what to do with you at the living center of the Lair. Despite his desperate masking of his very off-kilter emotions, he was an open book.

He grit his teeth, he worried his lip, he returned Leo's incredulous eyebrow ridge raise with a glare so cold you could've put it in a drink and called it refreshing… and found that in the grand scheme of things, he didn't care.

There were much more important things to worry about at the moment.

That's what he tells himself.

That's what he tells himself as he ignores the fact that he's the one who's most adamant on taking you in. That's what he tells himself as he and Leo share a knowing look again. That's what he tells himself as his gauntlet beeps to alert them all that you're fully awake now. And that's what he tells himself as he and April descend the halls to you. To you. You.

Donnie, who doesn't stay around for all the excitement once you agree to staying. He had turned away and immediately went to work at getting the whole process started – and he most certainly did not turn away so quickly so everyone couldn't see the palpable shift in his aura. He would never admit it, but he was excited. And that was scary. He hardly ever knew you! As far as he was concerned, you were just a random street child that his best friend who wore their heart on their sleeve took in. And yes, that's true in every sense of the word, but everything happens for a reason, no?

Donnie, who's excited for change.

Donnie, who's entirely terrified that he's excited. For change.

Donnie, who may be terrified of what he's feeling, and when he can't filter through these new feelings, shoves them deep down to work through later. Much, much later. For now, he puts on his Big Boy gloves and rocks it as the genius he is.

Donnie, a veritable professional in all things [Name]. Albeit the road to get where you guys are now was paved with . . . well. Oddities. In instances, he regarded you as another “project” or living statistic breach. As peculiar as it may sound, this process is what aids Donnie in becoming much closer to you in such a short amount of time.

He wouldn’t consider himself to like kids: they were sticky, loud, nosy, reckless and gross . . . but you? You were an exception. You always are.

Donnie, who doesn’t admit you become his favorite in a first-rate amount of time, but it’s blatantly obvious that you become his favorite in a first-rate amount of time.

When you get over the initial shyness and come out of your shell (HA.) a lot more, you find yourself wandering into Donnie a lot. Be it in his lab — ... where this whole thing started, really. The catalytic incident happened like this: you bypass the extensive security system without a cinch, he nearly unleashed all seven gates of tech-grade hell on you by reflex because you actually scared the Softshell out of him– but when he realized it was only you, he simmered down to a cold and sulky puddle, if only a little tense. Turning you away was on the tip of his tongue but . . . something, something, stopped him.

Long story short, you ended up staying. He set you down on a nearby beanbag after a very lecturing warning to not touch anything, and turned back to his work. It might’ve come off as annoyance, but he just didn’t want you to get hurt: physically and emotionally.

(He just sucks a–word at showcasing his emotions /aff◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ Y’all get there eventually, don’t worry.)

Then you prove your worth! You’re respectful, and though your eyes shine with childish curiosity, you don’t disobey Donnie’s words and stay put. Lookie, no touchie. And that’s probably what catches Donnie’s attention at first– very early on; he doesn’t outwardly show it, and Donnie is not one to be easily impressed, but you? You impressed him. Greatly.

Also, you’re willing to listen to him!! He rambles on and on and you sit there with a cute little expression on your face. You’re invested, despite what may be showing on the outside, and just when Donnie has it pegged as everything he’s saying isn’t registering to you, you ask him relative questions.

He’s pretty much hooked from then on out.

You get privileges that nobody else does! He sets up a little corner reserved just for you in his lab, stocks up on your favorite snacks and drinks, and he creates so. many. things for you! Gift giving is his prime love language after all.

He sees you as a ~fresh mind~ And when you initially don't decline his interests in the sciences, he is practically vibrating with excitement! Proceeds to stuff your hungry little brain chock full of everything he knows, and beyond that!

However, even if you don't have a STEM-dominant mind, it's okay! If you happen to doze off while he's well into another one of his infodump rambles, he doesn't get mad. If anything, he's kind of... endeared?

He might tease you a little, but it's all from a place of love.

Concerning academics, the help from Unca Don-Bon always ensures that you at most get a passing grade for all your science-centered subjects! Not to mention the science projects and fairs. Oh man.

Y'all either dominate the entire school every time, or you come within nano inches of getting expelled every time.

Oh also also— this man scoffs at modern-age technology, you can't tell me he doesn't. You ALSO can't tell me he didn't create his phone from scratch. Heck he might've created his entire family's phones from scratch. Bro has his own OS and — when you come of age to start holding onto your own electronics — everything you own is patented by Genius Built™. Of course.

Don't insult him (or do. just for the laughs) by utilizing said modern-age technology. Just don't. (Do it. His reactions are golden every time.) He can appreciate good technology where he sees it, but it's not often. That's why it's so funny.

The most he did once when you gawked over the PS5 was scoop you up into his arms and give a condescending look so low to the contraption, it had you cackling the entire way as he ranted about the highs and lows of technology.

But hey! All your electronics are one of a kind! You can't ever say that~ Any updates or features that you want, he makes it happen. He completely personalizes it to your tastes to make it as comfortable for you as possible.

Your acquaintances are mad jealous of your cool tech and you can only knifecatmeme.jpeg your way through like a boss. (Golden ref. 🙌🏼❤️)

Donnie, who all too gladly helps you with your homework! April has to stop him from literally doing all your work for you.

—y’all be getting into the dumbest situations fr 😭 Be it conversations or infiltrating multiple high–standing scientific research facilities or simply discussing the economic state of the world or literally what's better: flavorless juice or pineapple smoothies, y’all gone be the main ones. That’s all.

(He gets you something yummy afterwards tho! As a treat. Bonus points if you don’t snitch. He always takes responsibility. He throws in an extra head ruffle or two. But he always, always makes sure you don't get in trouble. He's got your back, you have his. Partners in crime, best way to describe y'all.)

“If Little Jimmy has 12 apples and he gives 5.7 of those apples to his friend Becky, multiplies by the 7 to the nth power, then divides that all by the median of an octagon, how much horsepower was Little Jimmy’s dad conducting the neighbor’s car after 15.5 minutes exactly of installation?”

“. . .”

“. . . .”

“. . . . . Seven–”

“What in the fresh hell are they teaching you at that wretched, poor excuse of a school?”

(And Donnie loves school. That’s how you know it’s bad. Zeep, blatantly dissing the public education system? More likely than you would think!)

Cue April walking into the kitchen in her pajamas, all sleepy-eyed and confused, only to see her best friend and child reciting PEMDAS at the table. You start crying and Donnie sings the Pi Song with his best opera voice in support.

Donnie, who is very, very protective over you. He's the type to show, not tell, but believe me - once you're out of sight, he has a lot of colorful things to say to your offenders . . .

your foster mother being a prime example.

Needless to say, your foster mom is now completely ineligible to foster in the system any longer (as well as any and all forms of careers in all of New York. And the surrounding states. Probably the whole world.)

—and if anyone has anything to say about it, all he sees is the flashing image of a sweet little child, homeless and scared and alone, braving it out on the streets.

He'll never let anyone hurt you. His tech is always on standby when it comes to your safety.

And I mean, all his tech.

Donnie, kooky, scientific and calculating uncle Donnie –

. . . forthcoming, thoughtful, heart full of love Donnie, who may not be the best with his words, especially when expressing how much he loves you, but is one of the beloveds in your corner who says it the most.

“Haha! Aw, man. I love you, Purple Rain.”

“Mhmm. And I do suppose you’re enjoyable at most, my Young Apprentice!”

“Unca’ Don-Bon . . .”

“ . . . Ah, Sweet Galileo. I love you too, [Name], you already know I do.”

🫐‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪🪻 ִֶָ☾.

(we did it boys *passes out on your lap* Donnie Bonnie is doneeee!!! it was under high construction for quite a while, especially after Tumblr ate it, so this is a revamped version! but just as well, no? :'3 hope you enjoy this one, ceejie pie!! 🥰🤍)

ZEEPIE🫀

i’m still a little sick (& delirious) so i’m so sorry if my reply doesn’t make sense—

okay so— as much as i LOVE and ADORE uncle don….

what if…. NOW HEAR ME OUT OKAY?!

WHAT IF ………. it was dad don™️

dad don that ensures a proper education. he’s explaining the (poorly taught) subjects to you better than any teacher ever could. is he a bit aggressive about it? yes. but does he reward you afterwards? also yes!!

dad don who never expected to be seen as any sort of father figure.

it’s donnie who nearly cries when you accidentally call him dad one day.

dad don who raises you to be strong, smart, and independent. dad don who’s so proud of you when you get awarded for any subject.

and donnie— he never expected to adore a child as much as he does you. but— the moment you looked at him and his inventions with such passion and curiosity… he just knew that you would be the only exception (youuu are the onlyyy exceptionnnn). the only kid he’d ever care for.

but going back to uncle tello— he’s the kind of uncle to do illegal pranks with you— especially when it’s towards your school (again, illegal?).

uncle tello can’t even hear you say “love you, uncle” without wanting to burst into tears— not because it’s uncomfortable but— because, he’s so overwhelmed with joy.

uncle donatello that secretly goes to your school on the first day of kindergarten because, he’s so scared that something bad could happen to you. he doesn’t want a ‘purple dragons’ incident (you’re literally 5??).

uncle don and dad don are both so attached to you because, he’s been one of your main caretakers since you were just 3 years old.

donnie has watched you grow into such an amazing person and he can’t help but feel so happy that he was able to witness it all.

teehee (michael jackson style)

(i really hope this makes sense…. i am loopy from meds)

[aphicelend]

Misaki Shirayama

26 y.o | 1.52 cm | Japanese | April 4th | Aries

(APH) Human | City Ver. | Colorful AU | BOX AU

Tags: #Art/HC tag | #Posts related to her | #MisAme

Wanted to do a profile for her here 💦 Misaki has been one of my fave oc's since 2012 and i'm having fun drawing her a lot again, and I love to put her in my other oc's stories 💃 so here's info of her hetalia AU(?

i wrote everything in spanish and im lazy to translate it properly so, google translator yay

| Personality

Introverted | Temperamental | Stubborn | Agressive | Kind | Caring

Misaki is a young woman with a fiery personality, she has little patience for stupidity. She is a hard worker, and likes to put effort into what she likes. She is also stubborn when it comes to opinions if it is not her way she will not do it, she tends to violence when someone bothers her. Her pride is something precious to her.

Despite this, when she gets upset she needs her time to calm down and then apologize. Even so, Misaki is a girl who cares about others, her way of showing her appreciation is through actions, especially cooking.

Socially inept, having lived surrounded by “nations” Misaki behaves awkwardly with other humans, for some reason she always feels distant and finds it difficult to understand them.

Having grown up with nations, Misaki did not develop “parental affection” or someone to consult her problems with, because she considered that Japan would not fully understand her.

He usually feels a constant feeling of loneliness, his heart is a hard shell that makes it difficult for him to let in emotions like love.

| BACKGROUND (Hetalia AU)

Strip about her background

In this AU, Misaki was raised by Japan who took care over her as she was abandonated. Her childhood was kinda chaotic, surrounded by nations of course she didn't grow like other kids, she felt distanced.

Japan tried his best to give her a normal life, of course he wasn't used to raise a kid. Misaki always wondered why did he took her? He felt lonely? She would never know.

She always had a sense of loneliness, a feeling of she doesn't belong where she is. Mother? Father? What's that, she only had "weird uncles"

Misaki was very problematic at school, her classmates teased her a lot and she answered back with violence.

Through her adolescence, she kinda developed a crush on Yao, and she was rejected, of course, the man only saw her as a little sister.

More about it here.

Time heals, she tried to moved on. On Uni, she meet a guy named Kazuo, they clicked and became a couple, Misaki thought that finally had someone who cared for her deeply, but no. The guy cheated on her. That was the point that made her close herself.

-> She lives alone in an old traditional house that Japan left for her, she works as botanic in a national park in Kyoto.

| Interests and facts

She LOVES gardering and plants. She has a traditional garden on her house and it's her first priority.

She's very good at cooking, Japan and China taught her very well.

Also Romano as shared with her some italian recipes so she could "learn something good"

Her way to show love is giving you food.

Her dream is to open her own restaurant.

One of her interests are kimonos, she likes to make her own

Favorite station is autumn, she loves when trees go orange.

Loves cats, and bunnies, loves cute things.

She likes minimalist clothing, plain clothes or stripped patterns

Her face may look annoyed but she's kind, and gets along better with girls.

She has been mistaken for a minor

Does she feel something for Alfred?? who knows.

She's just afraid to someone break into her heart and get too attatched.

| RELATIONSHIPS

I made this chart

| Music

Mostly vocaloid because i'm a weeb

Balsam / Misaki - About her loneliness

The Beast / Misaki - Her fear to open her heart

I'm glad you're evil too / Misaki - Her wish to find someone

Girl Pilot / MisAme - Their dynamic, Alfred trying to reach her but he can't

I can't stop the loneliness / Misaki - the song says it all lol, maybe her fear that its too late?

Hammer Song And The Tower Of Pain / Misaki - Pushing everyone away it's the best

MAD HEAD LOVE / MisAme - Their dynamic, they're idiots.

----

If you got this far here's some old misaki drawings, old hetalia? ocs? she used to have friends and now she's DEPRESSED.

2012 | 2014

[wingedcupcaketimemachine]

Scattered Remains (TMNT 2012 and Rise! Crossover)

Summary: After April’s enhanced psychic powers destroy Donnie, she attempts to bring him back to life. But, the purple turtle she finds is not her own

Warnings: Spoilers for TMNT 2012 Season 4, Episode 22

A/N: I’m finally done with the first chapter! If this does well, I might create a comic based off of it on my art account!

Fic starts below cut

TMNT 2012 Masterlist

Rise of the TMNT Masterlist

Main Masterlist

“Red, is that really you?” Casey asks, as he cautiously approaches April.

“I think so. But Donnie,” she says with teary eyes, “What have I done.”

The group stands still for a moment before Leonardo breaks the tense silence.

“It’s not your fault April. You had no control,” he says.

“But it is!” she gasps, looking up at him through her tears, “It was all me in a way. If only-”

She pauses for a moment, focusing on the broken crystal shards.

“Donnie’s not gone! He wasn’t really destroyed, just molecularly scattered,” she says as she faces the turtles and Casey, “I can bring him back.”

The boys watch in anticipation as April’s powers hone in on Donnie’s energy. If she can bring him back, she can make her family whole again.

She has to bring him back.

The turtles and Casey watch as blue sparks fly through the air, forming the silhouette of a body.

The turtles watch, full of anticipation. Their brother wasn’t gone. He was coming back!

Their excitement quickly turns to horror as they realize the figure in front of them is not Donatello.

Though not their missing brother, April still managed to bring another mutant turtle to the place where Donnie had been vaporized minutes before.

This turtle seemed younger, maybe by a year or so.

Raphael breaks the stunned silence as he holds a sai against the neck of the unfamiliar turtle.

“Who the hell are you? And where’s my brother?”

“Woah, Raph! Chill out dude!” says Michelangelo, pushing his brother out of the way, “He’s just a kid. And he’s scared.”

Michelangelo was right. The mystery turtle was still pale and shaking even as Raphael released him from the ground.

“It's ok mystery dude! We’re not gonna hurt you…anymore,” says Michelangelo, glaring pointedly at his hotheaded brother.

Raph rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“What are you doing Mikey? This is some random mutant that April brought here with her freaky crystal powers. We have no idea what it’s capable of.”

“Mikey’s right,” says Leo after a long stretch of silence, “This turtle is just a lost kid. He was brought here with April’s powers, which means he’s our responsibility. We have to take him back to the lair.”

“Are you crazy Leo? We have to focus on finding Donnie. Our brother is lost somewhere and you're focused on a random mutant we found on the street!”

Before another argument could break out, the mystery turtle interjected.

“Your brother’s name is Donatello?”

The group of teenagers looked over in shock. Michelangelo was the first one to respond.

“Yeah, dude. He disappeared when April got possessed by a freaky alien crystal.”

“The same crystal that brought you here,” says April in shock, “I was trying to find Donnie, but it brought you instead.”

“So that means…you’re Donnie?” asks Casey.

“Yes,” says the other turtle, “Just not your Donnie..”

“We have to get back to the lair and talk to Master Splinter. We’ll come up with a plan to find our Donnie and get this Donnie back home.”

“Seriously Leo?” Says Raph, “You’re gonna believe him just like that? Even if he is a Donnie he’s not our brother. We can’t just take him to the lair.”

“Think about it Raph,” says Casey, “If April accidentally brought the other Donnie here, our Donnie is probably stuck wherever he came from. Trustingthe other Donnie is our best bet.”

Raph huffs, but doesn’t argue any further.

“That’s it then. We’re headed back to the lair,” said Leo, “April, you should probably come with us. Maybe you can help Donnie replicate the research that you and Donnie did on the crystal.”

April and other Donnie both nod in agreement.

“I might be able to use other me’s research to try to replicate a similar

kind of technology that could get me home,” said the alternate Donnie, “If all goes well we should be able to find your brother too.”

The group looks to Raphael, gauging his reaction.

“Fine,” he said after a beat of silence, “But that doesn’t mean we trust you. All we need you for is to get Donnie back.”

The group sits in tense silence as Raphael stalks off towards the Shellraiser.

“Don’t worry about Raph little dude!” says Michelangelo with a small smile,

“He’s just worried about Donnie. He’ll come around.

“Mikey’s right. It’s nothing personal…probably,” says Leo before looking over to the Shellraiser, “We need to get back to the lair and tell Master Splinter what happened.”

“It’s late, I should probably get home,” Casey finally speaks up, “Let me know if you come up with any ideas on finding Donnie.”

The group watches as his figure retreats into the night before following

Leo into the Shellraiser.

[svmjaeyvn]

sincerely yours, s.jy.

chapter 05. firsts. pairing: idol!jake x afab!reader

synopsis: where they meet once on the subway but he never forgets her or the encounter no matter how much time has passed

"YOU KEPT MY NOTE IN YOUR WALLET THIS ENTIRE TIME?"

"WELL, YEAH? I WASN'T JUST GOING TO THROW IT AWAY,"

05. FIRSTS

previous masterlist next

word count: 4.7k

my tags: @slutforsjy @jaklvbub @whowantshota @addictedtohobi @coolwitu @simjyunnie @kgneptun @graythecoffeebean @143ikeu @zyvlxqht @tesywesy @nxzz-skz @enczen @dreamiestay @ikkeumyluv @v3lv3tsin

a/n: i love them so much i eat up a good speed run into love tbh

— APRIL ‘22

"SO," YOUR VOICE broke the thin air between you two. Picking his head up, Jake flickered his gaze to met yours, a smile appearing on his lips almost immediately.

"So," He repeats, fingers dancing around the rim of his cup. After getting your respective drinks, the latte for Jake and a caramel concoction that was recommended by the barista for you, you two had sat in silence for the past few minutes. For one, it was rather comfortable, able to get yourself suited and sip at the coffee filled drink but for the other, it was notable how after the first minute he began to grow antsy but did his best to remain composed.

And so as you were about halfway done with your cup, it now becoming a tolerable amount of warm to drink without blowing on every sip rather than the piping hot it once was, you felt it was best to begin the conversation. Though, you didn't know what to talk about. You weren’t exactly the best conversationalist when put on the spot, and to be quite honest, slightly nervous because you didn't know what was on and off the table to speak about considering your different lives. He was a normal person but you still wanted to be respectful of his work and not make it seem like all you cared about was his career, because in reality, you honestly didn't.

You pursed your lips, glancing around the small cafe momentarily. The mid-morning rush seemed to die down and with it, the buzz of conversations had lowered significantly. Students seemed to be secluded, typing away or writing assignments while a few elderly couples sat at the booths in the far end of the shop, enjoying their morning coffee while the baristas stood lax at the front counter conversing amongst themselves at ease.

"If you had to choose, what animal would you like to be in your next life?" You speak up, your question lingering through the air for a few moments as Jake tilts his head, his brows pinching together out of curiosity. Noticing his expression, you allow a smile of your own to perk at your lips, leaning back in your seat as you watch him intently. "What? The answer can say a lot about a person,"

Your words cause him to pause, eyes flickering down momentarily as he thinks it over. With his bottom lip being pulled between his teeth pensively, Jake scrunches up his nose. "I feel like a dog is a generic answer, no?"

You shake your head, a laugh leaving your lips. "It suits you," You reassure causing him to send you a bright grin in return. "I'm assuming you're a dog person then, yeah?"

Visibly, Jake's eyes light up and you know you asked the right question. Watching him begin to fumble to pull his phone out of his pocket, he began to ramble out of excitement. "I have a dog actually, her name is Layla," Pulling up a photo, he holds out the device and gestures for you to grab it. As you does, Jake swipes on the screen, indicating for you to follow as it was an endearing album specifically filled of pictures of him and his dog. "She's a border collie, her birthday's on October 31st,"

"She's a Halloween baby," You coo, a smile forming at your lips at the thought causing Jake to nod along. "Layla's really pretty," You add, handing over the phone and him immediately agreeing to the latter statement displaying his obvious affection for his dog causing you to refrain from a snicker at the sight.

"Do you have pets?"

"Ah," A small pout forms at your lips as you shake your head, the expression new to Jake but it only lasted for a second. "My mom has a fear of dogs and we're both allergic to cats so the traditional pets were always out of the question. Besides, I was moving back and forth between here and the states for the past few years so there was no way to get one," Your eyes wandered out the cafe window, lingering after a young girl who seemed to be walking a dog of her own with ease and Jake felt an idea flicker in his mind.

"Jay's allergic to cats too," He threw in, glancing around the shop seeing as no one had remotely paid any attention to the two. Momentarily pausing, Jake quickly began to type along the search engine, his fingers working as fast as the wifi would allow. "Jungwon, Niki, and Sunghoon all have dogs too,"

Nodding along, you soon came to realize that rather than meeting your gaze this time when your eyes fell upon him, he was focused on his phone screen. Leaning your chin against your hand with a small smile of amusement, you tilted your head as you watched the expressions pass by Jake's features as he was practically an open book of readable emotions.

"Hey Jake," You spoke softly, earning a small hum from the boy who still hadn't budged an inch from the device. "Is cereal a soup?"

"Yeah," He responded instantly, voice airy as it was evident he hasn't put any thought behind the answer. With a snicker, you drummed your fingers along the table absentmindedly.

"Thoughts on pandas?"

"..Uh huh, they... cute,"

Refraining from a laugh, you bit down on your lower lip. "Jake," Another hum. "I've always wanted to get a nose piercing, I think I'll go soon to get more on my ears anyway. It'll look good, yeah?"

Absentmindedly, Jake nodded slightly. "You're always pretty," He spoke truthfully, still in his daze preoccupied by whatever was taking up so much of his attention but you had reached your breaking point, laughter bubbling over and loudly escaping from your lips. The sound filtered through the air, reaching his ears enough to cause his head to look up and at the sight of you leant against the table top with eyes as crescents and a wide grin, he took a second to process everything said in the last few moments properly this time. "Oh god," Jake blurts, placing his phone down as he covers face with his hands out of embarrassment.

"You're cuter than I thought," You hum, the amusement still sparkling through your bright expression. Jake had reluctantly peaked at you through his fingers, the apples of his cheeks flushed a tint of red while his nose scrunched up ever so slightly as a small laugh left his lips. Taking a moment to admire his features, you felt your dimple popping out as you sent him a toothy smile, one that certainly wasn't helping with his accelerated heartbeat and flustered expression.

There was a small buzz that vibrated along the table. The noise caused both your eyes to fall upon his still unlocked phone. Although you couldn't properly see the search results that he had been skimming through, you could see the incoming message from a 'JAYJAY PARK😻😻.'

Quickly swiping up to clear the message, Jake felt another wave of embarrassment wash over him, this time at the contact names he had been too lazy to change after the last time Ni-ki and Jungwon had stolen his phone.

Deciding against teasing him further, you glanced the other way, providing privacy for Jake to check the message in peace. He did so, seeing that it was now three texts instead of one. The first was an address, the second was the link to a dog-only pet café, the same as the one provided in the address, and the third was a complaint about how he sent the boys off into a frenzy in both the group chat and at the dorms for asking for help on his not-date with you just a few minutes ago.

Rolling his eyes at the last text, he began to type a thanks but two more gray bubbles were sent through. A picture of Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Heeseung close up staring at the screen. The message that followed read, 'Bring her back to the dorm or you're kicked out of the group ¬､¬ (P.S. JUNGWON SHOWED US PICTURES, SHE'S REALLY PRETTY HYUNG☀️☀️).'

Poking his tongue along his cheek, Jake refrained from letting out a small laugh. Typing back his response, he returned to the directions to the address after taking a quick glance at the website, deeming it fit especially considering Jay was the one who found it himself anyway. Directing his attention back up to you, who at this point were now staring out the window, seemingly people watching with interest before he let out a soft clear of the throat.

Blinking out of the daze, you flickered your eyes back to the warm brown ones already staring at your own. Seeing as how he was now unoccupied and giving you his undivided attention once again, you nodded slightly. "Everything okay?" You question, referring to the previous buzzing of his phone that was now silenced.

"Perfect," Jake hums with a boxy smile. "Did you have other plans for today?"

Raising a brow, you softly shook your head. "Aside from meeting you, no," Watching curiously as Jake quickly peaked over the table to check your now nearly empty cup, paying no mind to his own that was still halfway filled. As he abruptly stood up, which caught you by surprise, your eyes widened as he held out his hand. "What're you doing?"

"Let's go somewhere else," Was what he responds with. Still patiently holding his hand out for you to grab hold of, Jake stood with a boyish gleam of excitement, silently praying that you wouldn't turn him down. "Trust me,"

Glancing around, notably surveying Jake's attire which covered him head to toe from any noticeable characteristics, you hesitated. "Are you sure?" You ask softly, the question not due to your own feeling of resistance but rather for the circumstances and situation. Although you didn't know much about his group, from what Hiah rambled on about and your knowledge of nearly anyone related to the Hybe corporation, they had to be successful and have a large fan base. The risk of him being out on the street, especially with an unknown girl, was sure to brew a scandal if caught.

Jake leaned closer, his excitement dying down but instead the genuine look in his expression seemed to answer your worries. "Trust me," He repeats softly.

This time, you slipped your hand in his without hesitating. Allowing yourself to be pulled up from your seat, you secured the face mask back up on your face. As Jake had begun to walk with a smile and slightly swinging their still attached fingers, you stopped him short.

Carefully grabbing hold of the material that was beneath his chin, you moved it up so it sat in place along his nose, covering the lower portion of his face and hiding his notable features. "Tsk tsk Jake, I don't know about you but I don't have the dream of headlining dispatch today,"

Slipping your hand away from his own, you instead adjusted your grip around his arm, comfortably fitting between the space of his bicep while you continued onward without another word. Instead, you displayed a smile from beneath the mask, seen by your squinted eyes and bright expression.

Momentarily dazed by the skin ship as well as your bold nature that never failed to take him by surprise, Jake allowed himself to follow like a puppy although it was him who suggested the change of plans. Merely being pulled out of the café, barely lifting his eyes to bid a goodbye to the baristas at the front, he felt his stomach do an involuntary flip as your head turned to meet his gaze.

"So, where to next Jake?”

"I WANT TO take him home," You sigh, continuing to cuddle the Samoyed dog to your chest as he snuggled against you. A pout takes over your lips as his eyes shut, seemingly comfortable with the situation. "Eh Haru, what do you say? I think I should just put you in my pocket and keep you," You nod, voice softening as you spoke directly to the dog who let out a small sigh as if he understood.

From beside you, Jake sat leant against the wall, his hands absentmindedly petting the poodle who was more than happy to be getting attention at the moment. You two had arrived at the dog cafe almost 30 minutes ago. After their initial entry fee payment, you having a momentary freak out moment and practically throwing yourself at any dog that showed interest in you on the first floor which consisted of the hyper active and younger dogs, you finally migrated to the second floor of older and calmer dogs for a break.

Jake had ordered the two a set of drinks as well as a shared order of dessert waffles and as you waited in a little cubby in the corner, you two had been visited by the two dogs accompanied by now. The staff was kind enough to answer all your questions, informing you that Haru was actually the senior dog of the shop owner at 14 while Suki, the poodle who had taken a liking to Jake, had been a new addition to the café, merely 5 but rather timid and reluctant to customers however still a total sweetheart and easy to win over with time.

Thankfully, there had been no indication that Jake had been recognized so far. The main population of customers within the shop included young children with their parents or teenage couples on dates on the first floor while the second consisted of couples who seemed to be in their later 20s who enjoyed the peace and company of canines to themselves.

"Are you going to try and steal Layla away from me too on the first meeting?" Jake teases, smiling at how infatuated you were with the senior dog.

Lifting your gaze, you return the expression. "Oh, most definitely," You joke, a small shrug added while Haru places his head down on your lap, eyes shutting to rest causing your mouth to drop open and free hand to furiously gesture at the unsuspecting animal. 'Oh my god,' You mouth, wide eyed and smile shining bright as Jake lets out a small laugh at the overjoyed reaction coming from you.

He silently praises himself for thinking of the dog cafe earlier, making a mental note to thank Jay for his help. The usual calm and collected you had completely been erased, exposing a new side which you would admittedly be embarrassed of thinking back on later but for now, Jake would soak up every moment being the only one able to indulge in it first hand.

"I'm glad you like it," Jake verbalizes, echoing his thoughts while you focus your attention back to him. With your gaze softening this time as you stared back at him, you opened your mouth to speak but were cut off by Suki who interrupted the moment by allowing her tongue to swipe a slobbery kiss along Jake's cheek.

A laugh bubbles from the your lips as you watched the surprised blond jump at the contact. "I love it,"

"ARE YOU SURE this is okay?"

"Are you sure this is okay?" You repeat, gesturing around yourself as the two of you stood outside of the dorm building. "Does your manager people even know that you're bringing a random girl home?"

"When you say it like that it sounds bad," Jake whines, combing his fingers through his hair before placing the hat back on.

Letting out a snort, you shrug your shoulders. "It's the truth,"

He shakes his head. "You're not a random girl. Jungwon, Jay, and Ni-ki know you already, and besides, we met before I debuted so it's like you're a friend from the past," Jake justifies but you remain unconvinced.

"Whatever you say," You hum, patting his shoulder momentarily before letting out a breath. Sparing a final look at the building ahead, you nod to yourself before grabbing hold of Jake's arm to drag him along. "Alright, let's go,"

"W-wait!" Jake scrambles, mind fuzzy from the contact but also in a mess trying to stay calm thinking of how disastrous it'll be to have all six of his members together with you at once. "Let's go somewhere else—"

"Nope,"

Unable to resist the gentle but secure grip you had wrapped around his arm, Jake reluctantly allowed his feet to shuffle along the sidewalk. Reaching the front, you waited expectantly for him to unlocked to door, looking away as he punched in the security code, and as you heard a click, you soon came to hear the series of voices that flooded within and heavy footsteps.

On the other side of the door, an unfamiliar boy with orange hair stood, his fox like eyes were wide with surprise before he let out a dramatic gasp. "He brought her home!" He calls out, voice slightly higher than you anticipated but you barely had time to process it before he made his way toward you. Shining a pearly smile that lit up his features and gave off a warm welcoming aroma, he stopped a few feet away to not scare you off. With a shy bow, he stood slightly rocking on the heels of his feet out of excitement. "Hi noona! I'm Sunoo, it's nice to finally meet you,"

Blinking away the surprise, you reacted quickly to the younger boy. "Ah, hello Sunoo-ya," You smile, matching with a slight bow and dropping the formal use of honorifics since he did so already. Before you could speak more, three more heads popped up from around the corner.

"___ noona!"

"___-ssi!"

"You’re here!"

Ni-ki, Jungwon, and Jay all fell into place, crowding the already small entryway and causing Sunoo to pout seeing as his one-on-one time had already been stolen away. The trio bombarded the you two, the youngest stealing you away from Jake's grasp before he had time to protest and already began to lead you through as they rambled over one another.

"Yah, Jungwon-ah, didn't I tell you to stop with the -ssi stuff? It makes me feel old," You whine, a teasing smile placed on your lips as you refer to the conversation held last night and over in the group chat a few hours prior to your meeting with Jake as well. "I've known you for a couple months. We're close enough now, don't you think?"

A sheepish smile fell onto the boy's lips. "Sorry noona," He mumbles, nose scrunching up out of embarrassment causing Ni-ki to poke his side.

As they rounded the corner, you abruptly came to a halt seeing as the final two members who stood waiting in the hall. Glancing toward Ni-ki, you noted that they were the tallest of the group, one with bleached platinum hair and the other with faded pink.

"Oh," You breathe out, taken by surprise by the new faces who looked rather stoic. "Hello, thank you for welcoming me to your home. My name is ___," Introducing yourself, you allow for a bow, being mindful of your manners and mustering up a friendly enough smile to not be overbearing.

For a moment, neither of the two spoke. Their silence and expressionless gazes caused you to feel awkward and rather uncomfortable, turning your head slightly to look for Jake but he was shoved aside to the back bickering with Jungwon for a chance to step closer.

"Stop being weird hyung," Sunoo sighs, softly hitting the blonds shoulder who immediately broke out into a slight smile upon the contact.

Following like a domino, the pink haired one allowed for a laugh to bubble from his lips. Flashing a pearly white smile to you, he bowed slightly and nudged the other beside him to follow in suit, the two formally greeting you.

"It's nice to meet you ___, I'm Heeseung," He spoke.

"My name is Sunghoon," The blond adds quietly, a sheepish expression placed on his features. "I'm sorry, Heeseung hyung said to do that to see how you'd react," He mumbles, throwing the older of the two under the bus.

"Ay, Jay said she was practically unfazed by everything so I wanted to see," Heeseung defends, a smile of apology sent toward you while you merely shook your head, waving off the harmless experiment.

"Heeseung is our eldest," Jay butts in, an arm lazily leaning against your shoulder. "Hard to believe, right?" He whispers, obviously teasing but the older boy raised a brow.

"I understand that," Heeseung scoffs, the words coming out in albeit broken English but English nonetheless.

"Now that you two have played your little joke, can we please move out of the hallway?" Jungwon interrupts, gesturing to the crowded walkway and how you stood in the middle of the group of boys that huddled around you.

"Ah, the food," Jay mumbles to himself, seemingly remembering his previous obligation and making his way to the left while the others guided you to the right.

Barely having time to take in your surroundings, you looked around the living room which was surprisingly tidy for a group of seven boys that lived together. Having your bag taken away to be hung up by Sunoo, you were encouraged to take a seat on the long couch which took up the far end of the wall. As you sat in the middle, the boys filed in around you like puppies.

Jungwon, Ni-ki, and Sunoo opted for the floor, taking a seat on the pillows and blanket that were already sprawled out along the hardwood. Meanwhile Heeseung and Sunghoon filled in to your left side, keeping enough distance to keep you both comfortable. The five boys all focused their attention toward you rather than the TV screen which was displaying a now discarded Kdrama, although the elder two at least attempted to hide their excitement by not staring directly at you as the younger ones did.

Jake, who admittedly got pushed to the back of your mind in the havoc of meeting with the six other members, stood at the living room entrance. He slipped away to his shared room to put down his things but as he came back, he had to refrain from poking fun at the way they were acting to save himself from their teasing that was sure to come.

Seemingly noticing a pair of eyes on you, you allowed yourself to look up and meet his gaze. For a sliver of a second, your stiff posture lessened, relieved to see him as a small smile played at the corners of your lips. The maknae's took note of both these things, suggestive looks being sent to one another as you gesture for Jake to make his way over.

Although you had known Jungwon since February, you also knew that he was still rather timid in being entirely comfortable around you. Meanwhile, you had barely met Jay and Ni-ki the night prior, although they were wonderful, you didn't feel as at ease compared to how you did with Jake around even though it was essentially the same circumstances. Perhaps it was the fact that you had already hung out all morning, yeah, that had to be the reason you were so drawn to him.

"Hey," You whisper, smiling slightly as Jake sat himself down in the open space to your right.

"Hey," He repeats, shuffling to adjust. Feeling the multiple pairs of eyes on you, he lets out a small sigh, reluctantly peering over your shoulder to meet Sunghoon's gaze who didn't look away but rather widened in his cheeky expression instead. "What're you so happy about?"

As you turned to see what Jake was referring to, Sunghoon looked the opposite way, his face dropping void of any expression out of panic causing you to frown your brows curiously. Meanwhile, Sunoo and Ni-ki down below let out small laughs, finding amusement in the older boys antics as he was perfectly fine teasing Jake but not quite comfortable enough to let you know of his endeavors.

The sound of hands clapping progressive got louder until Jay entered the room. Gaining everyone's attention, he stood with a bright smile placing his hands on his hips and a dish towel thrown over his shoulder. "The food's ready,"

The previous attention that was on the two of you along the couch was now forgotten, each of the boys getting up to run in the direction Jay came from. Leaving you and Jake on the couch, he softly cleared his throat to gain your attention.

"Are you hungry?" Truthfully, you had eaten at the dog café, and stumbled upon a street market which led to indulging in more snacks on your way to the dorm, so neither of you were necessarily in the mood to have a full meal. But you nodded anyway, pulling yourself up having figured that since the boys knew you were coming, Jay must've prepared enough food for you all and didn't want to disappoint by at least not having a bite of it.

"Let's have a little," You hum, holding out your hand to help Jake up. Nodding along, he allows himself to be pulled up. Guiding you through to the kitchen, you heard the murmur of voices and plates clattering as you made your way to the other end of the dorm.

"Noona~ come sit here," Sunoo calls out, spotting the two and patting the empty seat in between him and Sunghoon — whom of which eye's widened in surprise as he was in the middle of scooping a mouthful of food in his mouth.

"Ah, okay," You nod, moving away from Jake's side to slip into the seat. Sending Sunoo a piercing look, the red head smiled innocently at his elder member before turning his attention to you who settled in beside him.

"Jay hyung is really good at cooking, but be sure to eat or else he gets sad thinking no one liked it," Sunoo whispers to you, nodding over to Jay who stood at the head of the table serving each individual plate for the members with pride. Humming in response, you made a mental note of it and took a deep breath, preparing yourself to indulge in the meal although you weren’t anywhere near hungry.

Maybe we shouldn't have had all those snacks, you thought to yourself. Glancing around the table, your eyes locked with Jake's, who sat on the across the table one seat to your left. He was rolling his eyes at Ni-ki who was mumbling something to him before he felt your gaze.

A sheepish smile picked up on the his lips. 'I told you,' he mouths, gesturing to the loud room of boys making a ruckus eager to eat. Shrugging in response, a smile takes over your lips, surprisingly not overwhelmed by the controlled chaos.

"___-ssi," A voice interrupts. You turns your head to Sunghoon, who was hesitantly holding out a plate that Jay just finished serving for you. "This is yours," He says softly, you taking note that he was still timid in speaking to you as his eyes awkwardly darted away from yours.

Sending him a small smile, you took hold of the plate. "Thank you Sunghoon-ah," You say kindly in hopes that he lightens up. A slight smile cracks at his lips as he nods back before turning his gaze away from yours once more.

Placing the plate in front of you, your eyes widen at the food. It seems that Jay went the extra mile by making roasted pork belly along with numerous sides.

Silently praising Jay for his culinarily skills, you mentally scold yourself for having too much to eat prior, wishing you’d been able to enjoy the meal properly. Looking around the table, you noticed how he had put significantly less on your and Jake's plate compared to the others.

A small smile peaked at your lips, assuming Jake had let him know prior, the gesture from both causing you to relax. Cute.

©svmjaeyvn

[starssoblue]

miraculous: ladybug & chat noir, the movie | a(n in-depth) review

prefacing this to say that i recognize a lot of feelings about this movie are related to a frustration with experiencing the tv series for five seasons since 2015. i, however, went into this as a brand new fan, having finally tried the series just since april of this year. so those feelings of frustration aren't going to be present in this review and it's coming more from a (somewhat) objective place, considering the film as its own entity. (spoilers abound.)

marinette:

so i'm a marinette dupain-cheng shooter, i'll fight for this girl forever because of how targeted the hate is for her (and leading female characters in general). but i have to say, even though the movie did a good job not having her be the completely messy pre-teenager she is in the show (especially around her crush), i found that the character change was a little strange.

i think, despite how flustered she gets, marinette in the show is a very strong character. she's a child who spent three years being relentlessly bullied by a politician's daughter (chloe) that people she was generally (she has no good friends but she has an amicable relationship with her peers because they all grew up together) friendly with stayed away from her, for the fear of becoming that girl's next target. she tries her best to stay out of this girl's way because of this bullying, and her defense is to keep quiet and not draw attention to herself so she can get through the school day without being harassed. this harassment leads to marinette having intense anxiety and a lack of confidence in herself, despite having strong opinions and being an otherwise passionate person. meeting her new friend alya, who is very self assured, inspires marinette to not allow her bully to walk over her anymore, and when she gets her first win as ladybug she finds the strength to finally stand up for herself. though she remains a target of that bully, this newfound strength helps her not allow that experience to reign over her life and this gives her bully less power.

in the movie, marinette (there was one trailer that implied she was "the new girl" but the movie itself does not really give us this impression—her scared meekness would make more sense to me if she actually were a new girl in school but more on this later) still grew up in paris with those same peers, but has so much crippling anxiety she has no baseline relationship with anyone. instead of it being mere general awkwardness, the film decides to make her especially clumsy to the point of insane catastrophes constantly happening around her (i guess for her entire life?), and this chaos makes the entire school laugh at her and spread rumors about her, so she has no friends at all. (would make a lot of sense if she's the new girl unless the point is the entire school has been making fun of the wasian girl since maternelle that she's still infamous in lycée for it and spent her entire life without a friend until alya filmed chloe harassing her and saved her, which is... concerning. or wait, is it because they've just entered lycée so they're all technically "new" even though she's lived in paris her whole life because they're starting grade 10 together? but what are the chances that no one she knew from collége are in this school with her now? so she enters lycée, is so clumsy and catastrophes happen around her that she develops a reputation for herself and people like chloe know her by name because she's become that infamous that quickly? but in the song 'reaching out,' marinette sings that she always dreamed of calling paris home, which seems to suggest that maybe she's new in paris. but their bakery seems too established to be new... i don't know. tbh this is information we shouldn't have to guess, and this lack of clarity is something i struggled with for this film.)

as an introverted person, marinette's anxiety and fear of leaving her comfort zone resonate with me, but i feel like while this is explained in the show as a result of years of bullying, it's portrayed here in the extreme. i understand that she's afraid at school because of all the rumors and the disasters that follow her, but even on the streets when she was singing to herself, random people would wave to her and she'd (sing) to herself, "i can't show my face!" even though nothing embarrassing or disastrous had even happened. she's just deathly afraid of people. i don't think this in and of itself is an issue, but it definitely needed more explanation or build up. is marinette this terrified and timid because something (worse than what happened in the series?) happened to her here? is it because she's (new to paris? again, they don't really say but it would fit better if it were true) wasian and she feels out of place in largely white paris? is it more about her biracial identity rather than clumsiness? who knows. so i feel just more background and character development would elevate the movie. arguably, she could just be an anxious and introverted person, but the portrayal of these characteristics just seemed a lot more surface level than they are in the show. i guess this is an example of a limitation a creator has with a film—they can accomplish so much more with years of subtle hints in a series and lay the foundation for certain backgrounds and traits, but in a movie they have to figure out what to tell us, what to show us, and how to develop it in under two hours. sadly, i feel with marinette, as a result of this time crunch, some of the film's portrayals ended up being weak.

(there's this scene all over twitter celebrating marinette standing up to chloe after her newfound confidence as ladybug—i am actually very confused why this was pointed out as a difference from the series. once marinette realized through alya and her first success as ladybug that she didn't need to be afraid of chloe anymore, she stopped. she constantly argues with her, doesn't put up with her bullshit, and even is sometimes mean to her (i'm not going to judge her for it—that girl bullied her badly for three years straight sooo...). i like the scene in the movie too, but my point was that it's consistent with the show and not an actual change.)

people love to attack marinette for some instances where the character in the show was used for absurd comic relief, and i appreciate that the movie doesn't do this with her much. i do think the female characters in miraculous, series and film, would all be better written if written by women, but i digress.

i like that while film marinette tries to reject the earrings just like series marinette, she fails because the magic that has chosen her won’t just let her throw the earrings away or give it to someone else. though she doesn’t randomly decide to give the earrings to alya here, she does try to throw them out a window and they kept coming back to her because she was the chosen one. this was a nice change. i never thought it should be that easy for her to just re-gift them to any random person when they chose her specifically for a reason. 

adrien:

adrien agreste in the series is outgoing, full of energy, lonely but eager to make friends, kind of optimistic. his mother has only been missing for six months at the start of the show, while he's in the public eye, working almost full time as a teen model and the face of his father's massively successful high fashion brand. his circumstances, his public image, the fact that not much time has passed and he's still a 13 year old child all lead him to resist being too affected by his grief (he's obviously still affected but it's not a crippling part of his life, and though he experiences loneliness and has moments of being withdrawn and sad, he retains a relatively optimistic and outgoing nature that influences his outlook on life and his interactions with his peers. he's socially inept through lack of interaction with kids his own age and homeschooling, but he's willing to learn and this, as well as his pure heart, are what define this character.

adrien in the movie is different, but in a way that is realistic and understandable given the changes the film made to his background. he's more quiet, withdrawn, lonely but chooses to stay that way and intentionally pushes people away as a coping mechanism for grief. though in both universes his father's role in his life decreases once his mother vanishes, and he essentially loses both parents rather than one, in the show, being a model and the face of his father's brand allows him to continue having a place in his dad's life even though his father treats him like dirt. in the movie, the time period in which his mother has been missing in his life seems to be much longer, and there has been no indication that adrien has anything to do with his father's work. with his grief affecting him for a greater length of time, his age being older, and his dad being an absentee parent for several years rather than a few months, it's no wonder that the adrien we meet in the movie chooses to pull away from people, allows the sad feelings to dominate, and just overall lacks the energy and optimism show adrien possesses. (i'm also not sure if it's even his first day of school or if he was homeschooled his whole life—chloe claimed she wanted to show him around, but nino interacts with him like they've been friends for more than just a day and he's known him for at least a little while).

honestly, i really like the changes here, despite being tv adrien agreste's #1 fan. this insight into his feelings about his parents, his resignation about his constantly deteriorating relationship with his father, his fixation on the piano which was an interest he shared with his mom, how palpable his feelings of nostalgia and longing are for his mother... the way he was a child when she disappeared and now he's a teenager still thinking about her, always missing her... it was such a natural portrayal of love and grief and though you can see which circumstances prevent show adrien from turning out this way, movie adrien is such an understandable and empathetic character. you really feel for him the whole movie. i think his (possible) lack of fame adds to this too (he doesn't seem to be a model in this, he has no schedules and isn't driven around everywhere, there are loads of photos of him at home but they could just be photos parents put up of their only son). at the end of the day he's a teenager with a father who neglects him constantly for his business and his own grief that he feels very alone, and these feelings keep him from wanting to get close to anyone else, either because he's sad or just afraid of further abandonment. i found the character so incredibly relatable and it was interesting seeing a more vulnerable side to this character, a vulnerability show adrien only occasionally demonstrates, a vulnerability more hinted at in the show through chat noir (but this is an essay for another day).

most importantly, show and movie adrien are both total dorks. the essence of this character is portrayed well in the movie, i really didn't mind the changes because in the end he was still recognizable as my sad sunshine adrien agreste, and i hope people look past the surface differences to recognize and appreciate him for who he is.

plagg plays a bigger role in adrien’s life in the series than in the movie. i love their relationship so i missed that here, but i also feel like maybe they didn’t need him to be looking out for adrien and essentially taking care of him (gorilla does this in the series too, and he wasn’t needed in the movie as adrien has the freedom to largely come and go as he wants and use public transport, something series adrien could never do) because of how much less restrictive his life is in this iteration. 

ladynoir:

the film introduces ladybug and chat noir as "two rival heroes." plagg and tikki themselves are called rivals. eventually ladybug redubs them as "partners" after she and chat noir find a rhythm and master fu also tells them they're stronger together, so i am puzzled why they even tried introducing them that way. in the show, ladynoir aren't rivals at al—they've always been a team. and in this movie, despite those initial comments, it's no different. there's banter and flirtation for sure, but the most "rival" these two get are when they first meet and are goading each other into an argument over which hero is better and who is the sidekick (before they've done anything lmao) and that one fun volkswagon ad when they race each other. i love the flirty competitive sparring, the way they tease each other, when they're just messing around and being playful in the 'stronger together' sequence. you really watch these two become best friends, and like the series, chat noir falls in love with ladybug like a thunderbolt (a coup de foudre!) while for her, you see her affection for him grow the longer they work together and get to know each other. i don't think this is as much of a departure from the series as stan twitter would have you believe, but it does spend more time on their dynamic in one setting than any episode ever does (ladynoir is developed over time in the series, little by little, and their cute flirty dynamic is very reminiscent of how they're portrayed in the first two seasons before the guardianship and other miraculous holders complicated their relationship. at their core they've always had great chemistry and a strong connection). i like both developments tbh, but that one scene of them training together and having fun for a significant amount of time was so lovely to see. don't get me wrong—there are some great moments these two share outside of battle in the series too, but it's been a while since we've seen this dynamic there with everything else going on that it felt so nice to return to this, and in such a huge way too.

the one thing i miss is chat noir calling ladybug "milady." it's such a cute thing he does in the series, and though i enjoyed that "insane!" / "watermelon!" banter, i do miss this being what he calls her all the time. (there is a song called 'my lady' that chat noir sings to himself after he falls in love with ladybug, and in the very last line of the song he calls her this, but otherwise it's just not a thing in the movie.) it really doesn't matter, but i still mourned its absence.

adrienette/adrinette:

the first time i watched this film, i did not like the first adrien/marinette meet-cute at all. to be honest, i wasn't being fair. the first miraculous scene in the series that had me completely enchanted was that umbrella scene in origins, and it is the foundation for this ship and why i love them so much. every bit of the original scene is perfection, with the careful finger brush, the soft smiles, the way their eyes meet and marinette hears a thunder clap (an actual coup de foudre) in the distance as the instrumental 'in the rain' plays in the background... that scene was so spectacularly constructed, it was always obvious nothing this movie did was ever going to match that.

and that's okay.

watching the film a second time, i found that while the umbrella scene still is incomparable, there are things i did like about marinette and adrien's first meeting. the way marinette asks for "a little luck" and she follows the light through the bookshelves to see adrien, who approaches her himself because he thinks she might be in need of help, asking her if she's okay or seeing the distressed look upon her face and wondering if she's crying. it's different from origins, but in some ways it's the same—marinette was distressed, adrien approached her first, she's thrown by his kindness and flustered by his beauty. they have some kind of moment and in the end, he offers her an awkward but gentle smile.

but in origins, they already had history. she didn't care and barely realized he was famous or even connected to her dream of becoming a fashion designer. his looks don't register to her until she's already fallen in love with him. and it's his initiative to correct the misunderstanding between them and show her kindness despite her being harsh and unfair to him that makes her take a second glance, and once she does, she falls in love fast. though i do see the essence of that moment—the being drawn to adrien's kindness aspect—in the movie's library scene, it's less impactful. she doesn't know adrien, so there is barely a conversation between them, and other than his concern over her and his offer of a helping hand when she falls, i don't really see what he does that makes her fall strongly in love with him. if it's still his kindness, it just feels weaker. one could argue that her instant attraction to him is because of his cuteness, and this is what flusters her, and his kindness (less impact than the series, but in this new universe, barely anyone in this school has ever shown marinette kindness rather than gossiping and laughing about her clumsiness so maybe to her this is a real moment of kindness) is only secondary. it's not all that clear. either way, marinette is fascinated by him to keep looking at him before she even falls and he offers to help her up, so the meeting feels a lot more shallow (he had noticed her distress and asked if she was crying before, but i don't know... is just asking about her enough kindness to get that reaction from her? it makes sense after he helps her up but the fascination before.. maybe i'm just longing for the impact of the umbrella scene and this was actually fine...?). the scene ends with adrien's confused, soft smile when he says "she's so weird" to himself (they barely interacted, so i don't know if i'd call it a "fond smile" but it's not the malicious thing some people on social media have been making it out to be. in this iteration adrien tries not to interact with many people, so it's a big deal he was kind enough to still reach out to her. this meeting probably stuck out to him as something unordinary and the comment felt more like he was curious about her more than anything else. it ends up being important to marinette because her clumsiness makes people usually mock her, but he didn't do that, so her instinct then is to try to talk to him (and ask him out, probably?). not the big momentous falling in love scene from the series, but it is still a nice moment for these characters as they're established in this universe.

i think one of the reasons this ship feels weak to me in the film is that outside of this moment, adrien and marinette's friendship development is reduced to a musical montage.

if the movie had used this moment to develop their relationship further, i probably would have actually liked the romance here. while ladynoir had scenes of interactions and ladybug and chat noir getting to know each other and becoming comfortable with each other and literally becoming bffs who trust each other as only two people in the world who share a singular unique experience can, all the development adrien and marinette have is shown through one musical montage in the middle of the movie. (they do have a small interaction at the fair, but this is around the time adrien is first coming out of his shell so it’s very brief.) in the montage, you see many shots of adrien and marinette hanging out with alya and nino in picnics and at the movies, and he looks more at ease with each outing. and you also see adrien opening up to marinette specifically about his mom, sharing photos of her, and finally working through his grief rather than withdrawing from everyone. but because this is a five second scene in the midst of a musical montage illustrating the passage of time, we never get the words exchanged, the scene is glossed over and the impact is only felt by fans of the series who know what this means to him. (fun fact: the film has adrien trusting marinette enough to feel so close to her he talks about his mom with her before he talks to ladybug about her and how in his grief he pushed people away before he met her. though ladybug was the catalyst to him opening up to people, i do find it meaningful that he opened up to marinette first. but this is still a crumb and you have to be looking to make those connections in order to see them. the film should have shown adrien falling in love to some extent outside of the mask as well, he’s supposed to have some kind of inner conflict and it’s hard to believe that he does here with all the missing pieces.) i’m not sure if casual viewers would even notice it in the midst of all the other scenes happening as the theme song plays in the background. had we seen more of stuff like this, gotten some kind of explanation that over time adrien had started to feel for marinette too and this montage is proof of it (it shows that they’re friends and he trusts her now to some extent, but it’s so fast it barely registers. you can’t deduce he’s in love with marinette here, whereas in the scenes with chat noir you see ladybug actively struggle with her feelings, develop affectionate feelings for chat noir, and feel bad for rejecting him because of that, not just because it sucks to have to turn someone down), then that would have been fine. but that’s not what happens. after this montage we barely see adrien and marinette together at all until she tries asking him to he ball and he says he’s sorry but there’s someone else. though his rejection was soft, and you do see him look upset he had to reject her, there was no doubt he was going to reject her here. the core conflict—that they’re in love with two people, one they fall in love with like thunder and another that slowly builds in their heart—is so badly illustrated in this movie. you can see the intention is there if you’re looking for it, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. 

though i appreciate that marinette didn't struggle to find her words around adrien in this film, and appeared more realistically flustered and anxious rather than the over the top thing they do in the series, i still feel like the adrinette in the series is overall written and developed better as a ship. in the tv series, you see this initial conflict —chat noir falls fast for ladybug, who turns him down because marinette fell just as fast in love with adrien agreste—turn into marinette forming a friendship with chat noir, whom she then starts to get close to outside and in the mask, as adrien starts to fall in love with marinette. the series is now at a point where adrien and marinette are actually in love, despite never actually falling out of love with their superhero counterparts, so that if it finally leads to a reveal (which it hasn’t yet), it would be incredibly moving.

my issue is, without this adrinette relationship development, the reveal feels less impactful. if you’re frustrated the series hasn’t given you this moment yet, you feel satisfaction seeing it in the conclusion of this film solely because of the progression of the series. without it, looking at the moments in this film alone, it feels halfhearted. though marinette is ladybug, it’s an idealized version of herself she’s created to take on the challenge of being a hero. these characteristics are still hers, but it feels like someone falling in love with a celebrity. though this isn’t wholly true—chat gets to know ladybug’s vulnerabilities too as they get closer—it’s still not fully her the way marinette, as a normal person who now has the confidence being ladybug provides her echoing in her daily life too, is. so her struggling with her feelings, turning chat noir down reluctantly before adrien rejects her, but still reaching out to him once discovering they’re the same person—you just see that she falls in love with all sides of him. but it’s less clear for adrien. you can analyze that montage and make a deduction, but it’s not as explicit. instead, it just feels like he rejects who she actually is for her heroic persona, and that makes the reveal feel one-sided (unless you carry over your feelings of frustration from the series never giving us this moment).

it sucks that adrinette was underdeveloped because as far as scenes go, the reveal is actually quite beautiful. adrien has tears in his eyes when she introduces herself as ladybug and he realizes she liked him all along, but if we knew why those tears of relief and happiness appeared upon realizing the girl of his dreams was marinette, it would mean more. [he’s also at this ball wearing the bow tie marinette made for him that she threw into the trash after he rejected her, and i’d love to believe that this isn’t a continuity error, but it probably is. it’s hard to imagine adrien felt so torn up about rejecting marinette (after ladybug already rejected him??! like it really felt like he’d like to go to this ball that he never asked ladybug to go to alone rather than with marinette, which is…not great ) that he went by the trash, saw his name on a box and opened it up, realizing she made him a gift, and then chose to wear it. he literally doesn’t think about marinette once in this film after he rejects her so this feels like a reach… unless it was intentional, in which case they should have written so much more to make this (and this ship) clear.]

gabriel agreste:

i can't remember if origins explained how long gabriel agreste had the butterfly miraculous and if he used it right away upon acquiring it, but what i liked in the film was that it was clearly explained that he had had that artifact for a while, done research on its capabilities, considered the risks and rewards, and then after a long time of deliberation finally made the active choice to do what he knew was wrong just because he loved his wife so much he would never be able to live without her. ("if chaos is the way, i will burn the world and lose myself to do so!") each time he misuses the miraculous to hurt people, it takes a toll on his physical and mental health, making him look haggard and act more crazy and reckless (this happens in the series as well—season 1 gabriel isn't season 5 gabriel but he becomes more villainous over time).

one thing that confuses me though is that gabriel got a sense of the chaos and terror committed with the butterfly miraculous upon just touching the item, but the series and later on in the film, it's explicitly stated that this miraculous isn't inherently evil. in the show there are many reasons why ladybug and chat noir historically were called to fight, but in the movie it seems to be implied that it's this one miraculous alone that summons them through creating chaos in the world. but it's also allegedly 'good'—this contradiction is confusing (and my friend who had no knowledge of mlb was so lost watching this movie). i don't think the show does much for romanticizing this decision the way the film does, and it certainly doesn't make us believe that gabriel agreste felt forced to make this decision and had doubts he overlooked because he was that desperate. i mean, his desperation comes across in the series in other ways but not in a sad lonely man who is struggling to live without his wife way. the film humanizes this stupid, terrible man in a way the series fails to do so (which makes sense given some of the atrocities he goes onto commit that film gabriel doesn't come close to doing). this softer portrayal works for the movie as many of the things i dislike about m. agreste are never portrayed, leaving him a bit more of a sympathetic villain even as he terrorizes all of paris. he still sucks though, just on a lesser scale. 

when gabriel tells the story about how much adrien's mother meant to him, and how difficult it was for him to face the sadness in adrien's eyes upon losing a parent (tbh he's so dumb. his son finds it hard to cope with one parent leaving him so his solution is to make him lose the second parent too just because it was hard to deal with his son's grief on top of his own...dumbass), he says it was only after she was gone that he learned about the miraculous. does this mean that in this universe adrien actually wasn't conceived using the peacock miraculous and the coma emilie is in at the end is caused by something else? gabriel and adrien both speak about his mom like she's dead. and at the end it's revealed that like in the series, emilie is still alive but in a magical coma. did he just mean that they already knew about the peacock miraculous and what he learned about was the butterfly miraculous and then the wish the ladybug and black cat miraculous combined make? i'm lost. (maybe it's just really huge a continuity error?

i saw a lot of people wonder why adrien in the show doesn't argue with his father or blow up at him the way adrien does in the film. aside from the fact that gabriel agreste in the movie is a lot less criminal than the abusive doucheface he is in the series, it doesn't look like adrien is being controlled by his father if he's a sentibeing here too and the worst thing gabriel has done is be an absentee parent (bad, but it's not the locking your kid up, forcing him to work since he was a child, controlling his every second of every day, having your employees follow him around and spy on him for you, trying to control who he interacts with on a daily basis, forbidding him from hanging out with friends, trying to akumatize him or exploit him in other ways, being emotionally abusive, etc etc). adrien in the series being younger, experiencing his father being an ass only since his mother disappeared six months ago and taking nearly a year to realize his treatment isn't normal and he physically can't resist his dad's orders even if he wanted to... they're in such different predicaments. older adrien with less manipulation and abuse would have an easier time yelling at his father. tv adrien also eventually argues with his dad in season 5, but it takes a lot to build up to that and then the series quickly destroys all this character development because of a hole they wrote themselves into, but that's an essay for another time... i don't think these can be fairly compared. (that said, i clapped hard when adrien told his father he lost his dad a long time ago. his father made a decision not to act like a parent once he lost his wife and it's been a long while since then, he's essentially raising himself at this point.)

it's this change in adrien and gabriel's relationship that allows the end of the final battle to make sense in the movie in a way they wouldn't make sense in the show. tv gabriel agreste doesn't care to hurt his son—you see this constantly explored in different timelines. there is a reason why there's so much fanfiction guessing gabriel would exploit adrien if he learned he was chat noir, or actively try to trade him for his wife. movie gabriel, however, stops right away the second he realizes that the teenager he was ready to hurt was actually his son. hell, even earlier, he called adrien to leave the fair before sending akumas there because he didn't want him to get caught in the crossfire. tv gabriel would never. (i guess show gabriel also does this mid-series sometimes but it's so inconsistent...granted show gabriel doesn't know what his son is even doing most days unless he's leaving the city—the one very aware of his schedule is nathalie sooo maybe it's an issue of knowledge. either way, by season 5, gabriel tries to deliberately put his son into harm's way and even akumatize him sooooo....) so that heart to heart they have that helps gabriel deal with his grief and talks him down from being a supervillain any longer is a beautiful moment (the scene itself has the prettiest animation of those two embracing as purified butterflies surround them), but one that the series would not be able to replicate (that character is really not redeemable there even though they kind of tried).

chloe:

to be honest i don't really care for her in any iteration of this, but i did find it interesting that while she said she offered to show him around (as she does in the show too), we never see adrien with chloe in this movie ever. he doesn't talk about her, he doesn't acknowledge her. i always see their friendship as one created by circumstance—when you're kids and your parents' friends only have the one child you're left to interact with so you become "friends" but that friendship isn't anything deep despite it being one of your first. not going to analyze their relationship in the show because while it's not the best friendship some people in fandom fictionalize, it does have some complexity, but in the movie, i'd honestly argue they barely know each other. chloe mentions adrien on multiple occasions. but he doesn't once talk or think about her. he's already friends with nino (is he new in this? chloe said she wants to show him around, but he's already hanging out in a library when we first see him and he already is friends with nino enough for nino to try to invite him out—is it that he's new but this time it's not his first day we're seeing? i don't know, it's unclear), and they make plans to hang out. you see a montage of him hanging out with nino, alya and marinette later, but nothing on chloe. if she wasn't so extremely anxious, i'd wonder why marinette believes chloe at all when she suddenly claims to be the girl adrien likes. i saw some people say chloe in the film is more redeemable than chloe in the series, and while this is true (because of things chloe does to aid a supervillain in seasons 4 and 5 that can't really be undone) i don't see much of a difference in her relationship with marinette. she's not a "rival" (rival suggests a largely harmless competitiveness—marinette isn't competing with her. she's trying to stay out of her way so chloe doesn't hurt her). the degree of bullying is possibly different (we don't really know. movie chloe threatens to strangle marinette with her own hair, so while she's probably not the sole reason marinette has no friends this time, she's still pretty much an actual bully, though a little more aware of being shamed via the internet for her crimes, though not so much at school in front of people... probably because irl people she can control but on the internet, as a politician's daughter as well as a famous hotel heiress, she is bound to face backlash for herself and her family...?) but it's still not great enough to be claiming this character deserves serious spotlight or a redemption arc (honestly she's hardly in the movie). like the series, i get the impression that there is some racism at work here too, but it's not as strong as it is in the show (marinette being this white girl's main target for no reason, her talking to her like she's inhuman, the way the entire school is so quick to dismiss her whenever she's targeted by lila or chloe without ever investigating anything because a white girl cried wolf, and then chloe's actual comments to marinette's uncle, the way she stresses the 'cheng' part of her surname when she's addressing her, etc. etc. the film doesn't do any of this).

there's a scene where chloe is ordering sabrina to locate marinette so she can harass her, and sabrina finds marinette but chooses to lie and pretend she couldn't find her. though sabrina in the series slowly evolves and learns to listen to her own conscience, i like that outside of chloe's line of sight, she knows what's wrong or right. though this is true of series sabrina too, she doesn't act on this sense of morality. i like the change that she does in the film, at least away from chloe. it's the bare minimum but at least it's something.

the music:

it took me a whileeee to care about the music here, but i still find a lot of the music just largely forgettable. (honestly i was hoping for disney classic level music in this animated film, so i guess i have no one to blame but myself there. it doesn't help that i'm obsessed with the actual instrumental music in the series—'in the rain' is one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard. also i was hoping for ce mur qui nous sépare, but i guess that was a hopeless dream. i was hoping, if they were excluding it, the song wouldn't apply in the movie because there were less "walls between [them]" than in the series, since it was ending in a reveal, but the film doesn't actually go that route... more on that later.) despite the fact that the music wasn't my favorite part, and i really think the movie would improve if there had been a better balance between story development and music (the film really suffers from too much unneeded music in favor of less story development), i did really enjoy some of the songs and the usage of series throwback musical motifs was excellent. also really enjoyed the usage of 'careless whisper' in this movie lmfaoooooo, comedic excellence.

(unpopular opinion: i really didn't mind that lou sings for christina. it doesn't fit well at all, but i heard about it long before i watched the movie and was just expecting it. it's not the best because their voices are so different, but it didn't really take me out like i thought it would, and i got used to it really fast.)

in the first song marinette sings about believing in herself. the visuals are gorgeous. the film brought to life her sketchbook, evolving the mundane to the most elegant of clothes. honestly would love to see and hear more about marinette's passion for design and her dream of becoming a designer. the film barely touched upon it (the show could go into this more too! they do sometimes but i want moreee), but it would be nice to hear where marinette's inspirations come from, why this dream is so meaningful to her. what i found interesting was, in the show marinette exclaims that gabriel agreste is her favorite fashion designer. but movie marinette doesn't mention him ever. does she know about him? is he less influential to her here? she walks by his showroom on her way to school but that's the extent we see of anything in this vein. curious.

though i don't think the 'you are ladybug' song was a necessity (adrien didn't get a song about becoming chat noir, but i guess he didn't need the extra encouragement, since he was ready to go instantly), i did actually enjoy it. lyrically it isn't strong, but it's a fun back and forth between marinette and tikki, and the way the song pays homage to the miraculous ladybug theme song is beautiful (the entire "i have one job / i'm good at it / i've been doing it for so many years" follows the tune to "another day / i'm back at school / i look at him, he's so cool" in the series theme song, and i especially loved "but why me? / i'm nothing special, bug / wait and see / what you're capable of" sung to the melody of "oh oh oh / he's got me spinning 'round / oh oh oh / my feet are off the ground." just TOO GOOD). the rap where tikki channels lin manuel miranda made me die of laughter, but also i really can't get over her going, "we'll come THISCLOSE to dying and then we'll do it all again!" as a selling point to convince this teenager to put her life on the line for all of paris. the other part of this song i really loved was the polyphony at the end when marinette and tikki sang their own melodies at the same time—not just because it sounded nice but because i died over tikki saying, "i'm about to kick your butt if you don't start to listen" lmao.

my entire theater laughed at hawk moth’s song (the song was okay, but the concept of hawk moth singing took me out lmao). it did have the feel of a classic villain song in movies like anastasia or the lion king, but it wasn’t as memorable. i do think it expressed gabriel agreste’s mental state really well though. 

reiterating that i really don’t think marinette needed 3.5 different songs about the same theme, but the best song lyrically/musically/vocally is definitely ‘courage in me,’ hands down.

maybe it’s because i adore the fuck out of the music drew ryan scott sings as ’christopher wilde’ in the disney channel movie starstruck, but i love the song chat noir sings after being lovestruck by ladybug after their first meeting (sung by the same man). the visuals of him literally singing with his head in the clouds were excellent, the character song fit him so well, and i think the melody had such a dreamscape feel of falling in love. i actually really like the lyrics in this song too (“it’s been a while since i smiled and meant it” adrichat my bb ;A; ) and my favorite part is “then she appears like a dream in a dream!” i think this song also does what music is meant to do in a musical—add to the story so that part of it can be told in song. so we get adrien basically saying he’s been withdrawing from people for sooo long, and this encounter with ladybug in which he almost died is the first time he’s felt something in a long time. this musical interlude leads to him hanging out with his friend nino at the fair (he said ‘whatever’ when nino first asked him to go, but the difference in his expression and the fact that he seems more smiley and enthusiastic in this encounter, and even hopeful enough to ask his dad to actually come to the fair and hang out with him already demonstrates a change in his demeanor), actually having a conversation with marinette, and then a montage of him no longer choosing to deal with his grief alone and finally reaching out to others, so you can see how that moment with ladybug (and all the other moments of them getting to know each other afterward while fighting or training) really did impact his life.

the miraculous title musical montage around the middle of the movie was too excellent and showed the passage of time really well, both as ladybug and chat noir, and as adrien and marinette. this was a great way to develop parts of the story (it also depicted marinette’s character evolution, making her more self confident in her daily life and no longer being an anxious messy creator of catastrophes). it was also nice to just hear a familiar song. (chat noir smiling goofily to himself after seeing ladybug smile at “and when i see her smile, that’s when she becomes miraculous” is my fave—it's just so well done, i love.)

‘stronger together’ is one of those songs that i love the first half of but find the second half too messy. the sequence is gorgeous, the scene is one of my favorites in terms of relationship development and animation in the entire movie. and i am weirdly in love with the part of the song where it pauses before he sings “take my hand!” and the music picks up. it’s so playful and flirty and the essence of how ladynoir are depicted in this movie, and i love that. the vocals are lovely. there’s a musical motif throwing back to one of my favorite instrumentals in the tv series—'the last dance' which serves as the background of so many touching ladybug and chat noir moments in the show—at the end of the song where she ponders the mixed feelings inside her heart before ultimately rejecting chat noir (“what is this feeling now? i cannot fall for him…” / “we could be great, i know / i’m falling for you.”). as a song, this back and forth dialogue feels so random tacked on here but it is a musical so i guess that fits, i just found the whole thing kind of messy. but i love that they did this dialogue to the melody of ‘the last dance’ because it’s such a gorgeous melody and a sentimental throwback. honestly even if i only like half the song, the scene itself is a film highlight and i fucking cry over the cheesy cute “you save the world every day with your mask, but the girl behind it saved my heart” he says to her that causes her to gasp (same).

film additions that are just better:

the animation, obviously. (THE HAIR TEXTURE! THE SCENERY! THEIR EYES? I CRY I CRY.)

i am fond of the fact that their miraculous lights up (flickers? glows? there's light of some kind) when the city is in need of ladybug or chat noir to save the day, and just kind of guides adrien and marinette to where they need to go. this is a big difference from the series where they have to physically encounter the danger themselves (and they do! because in the show, most of the people akumatized are people they know, random adults in their lives or the kids in their class). and at least one of them has to be present to call the other one to appear. this is not necessary in the universe of the movie. it's also more realistic because hawk moth isn't specifically targeting the kids in his son's class, but is akumatizing people at random all over the city.

i also really loved the fact that tikki and plagg use magic to choose their own chosen holders, rather than master fu doing a random test in the middle of nowhere and hoping to attract people of pure heart out on the street. it helps add to the lore that they're actually chosen, and that they're fated and compatible, and i love that a lot. (there is a scene where he, while trying to chase tikki, ends up in the middle of the street in front of oncoming traffic, and marinette risks her life to save him. but this wasn't used as a means for him to choose her for the ladybug role, but rather as a means for identifying that she was destined to be ladybug and tikki had chosen her. i will add that while i love the concept, the scene itself made me laugh because he sounded crazy interacting with her, no wonder she ended up being scared and running away from him.) the fact that adrien spots a black cat that leads him to the black cat ring and marinette spots a ladybug that guides her to the ladybug earrings... *chef's kiss* i'll confess, i wasn't a fan of every single person they choose throughout history being called ladybug and chat noir (in the series, they choose their own names. ladybug is self explanatory but the fact that adrien's mom used to read him a bedtime story about a hero named chat noir and this resonated with him so much he chose to name himself that immediately upon discovering he has powers means so much to me), but this really wasn't a significant change and i only care because i love adrichat so much.

it was a cool detail in the scene where marinette meets tikki that she awakens like the genie in aladdin (she even calls herself a genie in this one rather than a god. it doesn't matter, but i prefer kwamis being called gods. tikki then goes on to talk about how she can't grant wishes, when we know the black cat and ladybug miraculous can grant a wish in exchange for an equal price which is the entire plot of the movie, but this terminology preference is unimportant). the way she noted all the societal changes and how much time has spent since she's been needed to reawaken was very fun.

in the tv series, gabriel agreste akumatizes himself when he thinks ladybug and chat noir might guess his identity as hawk moth, hoping that if he appeared as a victim they'd be off his trail. while this serves its purpose in the show, i thought it was really cool that film gabriel agreste decided his dark heart would be stronger than the people he's been akumatizing, and instead of continuing to sit back and use innocent civilians for his means, he chooses to akumatize those negative feelings he always carries with him and turn into the ultimate villain himself. and he succeeds, becoming a villain that is so strong, he gets the earrings himself and nearly gets the ring. though i liked that he did this, something about this battle still felt really anticlimactic. it's probably a pacing issue because i really did love that final scene between gabriel and adrien, but everything happened so fast it didn't feel as epic as it seemed they were going for. additionally, i know that the point was ladybug and chat noir are only unbeatable if they work together and they were not at all united this final battle because their feelings got in the way, i was still really troubled that the only reason they won against hawk moth is because he backed off. had chat noir's mask never gotten torn, he would not have stopped...

(i also have to ask, since his identity gets revealed on a large scale and the newscasters even announce that it was him the whole time, does he actually get consequences? like he did back off, but he was still terrorizing the whole city for months... if he's exposed, shouldn't there be ramifications? i can't tell if he went to prison. the movie did not say.)

where the series shines more:

to someone who has never seen the series (i watched this initially with a friend who knew absolutely nothing about mlb), the powers are confusing. in the series, origins explains really well what cataclysm and lucky charm do, how they can only use them once before given five minutes before detransforming and needing to re-transform to use the power again. the series makes use of this, creating tension with the five minute rule (which is explained to only apply to them while they're children, so once they "mature" the time limit will disappear and they'd be able to use their powers over and over without fear of exposing their identities). while the movie does not need to stress over the time limitation (as the film aged up the characters from 13 to 15/16, so i guess they've already hit 'maturity'), it spends no time on explaining what a cataclysm is (a power chat noir doesn't even use until the final battle, and NO EXPLANATION IS GIVEN. WE'RE JUST SUPPOSED TO KNOW HE ALWAYS HAD THIS ABILITY HE NEVER NEEDED TO USE UNTIL HAWK MOTH WAS READY TO KILL HIM) and there are no lucky charms.

actually, the entire battle format makes little sense. in the show, ladybug and chat noir have to figure out what object hawk moth akumatized to turn civilians into his supernatural army, break the akumatized object, free the butterfly, and then purify it. in the movie, all they're really told is that they're meant to fight these beings, and after they win, ladybug can purify the butterfly. there isn't an explanation for when the butterfly leaves the akuma—no objects are being broken; they're literally just fighting until the monster can exist no more. this is strange to me because these fights have no rules. it's just, literally physically defeating a creature until the magic can no longer hold it.

i don't know how i feel about this, but i liked how the series does it. because it's an emphasis on physical strength, the movie lacking lucky charms makes sense, but what i always liked about that was 1) it called back on ladybug being the embodiment of good luck that her power would be chance, and 2) it was specifically marinette's time to shine. her strength in the series is her creativity, her creative approach to problem solving and use of her clever mind is what sets her apart and makes her the best ladybug in the series no matter who else has worn the ladybug miraculous. without this, i felt like a big essence of the character was missing. (the film does call upon her intelligence and creative mind in some scenes, like in the first battle where she uses her yoyo somewhat strategically to stumble her way through traffic and save chat noir, but it wasn't enough for me. i guess it was supposed to be implied that she planned the gargoyle to get hit by the train and the collision released the akuma, but the film is so unclear about this. it looked more like a happy accident rather than marinette using her brain to save the day.)

in the show, ladybug also has the ability to undo akuma damage when she throws her lucky charm into the air and shouts "miraculous ladybug" at the end of each battle. since lucky charms are absent in this iteration, it makes sense this isn't a thing either. (i guess it could also be tedious to show this in the movie after every single attack whereas once an episode is fine, but they could have just shown it once and implied it always happened. instead, what they implied was that after every battle, the damage to the city was actual damage and the city had to deal with the infrastructure hawk moth damaged until after the final battle, when ladybug gave master fu the butterfly miraculous. upon reclamation of that miraculous, fu told her that she, as the holder of the miraculous of creation, could (now, i guess?) use her power to rebuild the city. instead of it being a lucky charm thrown into the air with an incantation that creates a swarm of butterflies spreading over the city for an immediate cure, it's marinette directing her power slowly to every corner of the city and actually creating to undo the damage. this made for a very pretty scene that i really liked, but imagine how awful paris would look if in the series, none of that damage was ever fixed and it would have taken til the end of season 5, ten months after hawk moth started terrorizing the city, for anything to get restored (actually this wouldn't even happe if the show universe worked the same way because they don't reclaim that miraculous at the end of season 5).

so one of my main issues with this film is that a lot of the major themes and didactic messages are just constantly shoved in your face rather than learned by the characters. i think the series—because it has the time—does this better than the film because it allows characters to fail and learn things on their own, rather than having the message delivered in big "life lesson" quotes to the characters all the time that it doesn't at all feel natural. (so the film constantly tells rather than shows.) for example, on her way out of the bakery, marinette randomly asks her mom, "how do you make your dreams come true?" this conversation comes out of nowhere (they were talking about her embarrassment from her dad's antics and her lack of friends right before), and it's followed up with a lesson in believing in herself. it might have made sense had her mom encouraged her to embrace who she is and related that to her reaching out of her comfort zone to consider befriending some of her peers, but that doesn't happen. (it does lead to a song about believing in herself and how if she did so she'd reach her true potential, which is nice, but feels so disjointed from the conversation that happened before it, it was a bit jarring.) when marinette meets master fu on the street, he randomly says to her "who saves a life saves the world" and scares her. but then moments after, she ends up somewhere a ladybug leads her to the same words written on stone. we really didn't need master fu saying this to her when she was going to encounter the message anyway (especially as it comes into play significantly at the end of the movie in the final battle when fu reiterates the quote).

i cringed so hard in that scene after their first fight where master fu appeared out of nowhere just to say “before you discover who i am, you must first discover who you are.” like... okay?

similarly, this is how i felt about the "stronger together" theme. i love that this message is important to the plot—chat noir and ladybug literally are stronger together. but this is constantly being stated rather than the movie trusting the audience to realize it on their own. in the show, ladybug and chat noir work best as partners. their teamwork and trust in each other makes the entire show. here, they work best together also, and their powers even amplify during the moments of teamwork rather than when either of them try to take on a fight alone. i thought this was an interesting change (i love both), but i really like the two of them discovering this on their own through trial and error rather than having master fu mention it to them once and they just spend the entire movie constantly thinking about it.

the one “life lesson” that i thought was more naturally expressed was when chat noir, before being a cute goofball and teasing her, realized ladybug was a little hesitant to accept the mission, and he said, “i understand you’re afraid, but failure is not your enemy—your fears are.” though his delivery was lighthearted, the message stayed with her and she even parrots it back to him later. this is how a film expressing such “life lessons” should do it—through natural progression rather than a bunch of fortune cookie quotes thrown at you over and over again. (though the scene is different, it was reminiscent of the scene in origins when ladybug panics because of how they messed up their first fight, and chat noir reassures and encourages her, inspiring her to continue being a hero despite her being afraid of making more mistakes. this is another example of the film having corresponding but distinctive scenes that i still really enjoyed even though they were different from the series.)

actually, that scene towards the end of the film when tikki reminds marinette that she's ladybug even outside of the mask was really well done too (as well as its reference to the earlier "you save the world every day with your mask, but the girl behind it saved my heart" scene). i loved seeing marinette muster up all the strength she has to try to free chat noir from hawk moth's grip. that one shot of her tackling him out of the way of hawk moth's attack as herself untransformed is so beautifully animated.

overall:

honestly, ignoring all those tweets arguing the movie is better than the series (they're incomparable—there are things the film does better, but overall the development of the series spread out over a hundred episodes is way better than a movie limited under two hours with way too much music), i found that the movie was fun if it wasn't taken seriously. as much as we all hate astruc i don't think it can replace the series even with the things it did better, but i don't think it was meant to (despite what tons of great marketing tweets by fans have claimed). it's just another way to enjoy these characters that mean a lot to us, another iteration of a story we cherish. i do hope the writing improves and the lessons come more naturally in the sequel, but even if it's just a continuation of this i'll eat it up every time (especially now that the movie approaches territory the series has never come close to: marinette and adrien know their feelings for each other and their identities, a fanfiction reader's dream! and maybe they can retcon the adrienette and explore whatever was meant to be conveyed via that montage so that the relationship works on both sides of the mask). i hope anyone familiar with miraculous (and those even curious about it) go and enjoy this film on netflix because it's still a fun ride, and i'm really glad i had the opportunity to experience it at the cinema and laugh and cry all the way through.

[ettawritesnstudies]

Hi Etta! Sorry if you already mentioned this, but where/how did you find your editors? (If you don't mind sharing)

Don't mind at all!

I know there are companies like Reedsy and the Writers Digest which have databases of editors, but that seemed really overwhelming. At the end of the day, the best way to get resources is to network (make friends, and hope their mutuals like you too).

Last year, I did an interview for Amanda Auler on Instagram and she boosted my account, so months later I ended up doing an interview for Addison Horner. He does editing for indie authors, so I asked him for a sample edit and liked it, but I wanted to get other points of comparison first, so I asked around and came up with a short list of editors. I contacted them, and when I had enough to compare, I ended up deciding I liked Addison best and drew up a contract with him. God moment that I found him so quickly.

But if I had to give this advice to someone else I'd recommend following these steps:

Read books in your genre. Read INDIE AUTHORS in your genre. Review their books. Follow them on social media. Be a friendly fan but don't make it weird.

Indie authors are one person publishing teams desperate for engagement and positive attention. They will thank you for your help and be willing to pay it forward when the time comes.

Once you have a handful of books you like that have similar vibes to your book, flip to the acknowledgements and find the editors name.

Google the editor, find their site, submit your inquiry, email works better than a form.

If you can't find the editor online, DM the indie author and ask "hey I really liked your book and it's a good comp title for my WIP. Who's your editor and what was your experience with them like? Do you mind pointing me their way?" Follow the author's advice. Repeat as needed.

(I've only ever received nice responses to this, don't be anxious. If they don't reply they're probably just busy, not annoyed).

When you contact editors, ask about their availability, rates, and be specific about what type of editing you need. Ask for a free sample edit. Mine were 250-2500 words.

Supply details about your WIP. Mine looked like this:

Title: Runaways

Genre: Middle Grade Portal Fantasy. I'm not labeling it as "Christian Fiction" as religion isn't a focus point of the story, but there are significant underlying Catholic themes.

Premise: When Cecelia goes missing one stormy Halloween night, her older sister, Hannah, must venture into the faerie courts to learn the truth about their past and bring her home. (Linked WIP Page with additional information)

Length: About 86,000 words, 180 pages (Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced, standard 1in margins formatting). 21 chapters with an epilogue

Style: 3rd person limited, present tense. 3 POV characters: primarily Hannah at first, and then Cecelia and the third added later, alternating.

Status/Timeline/Availability: Currently with a 2nd round of beta readers, and I'll be getting feedback by March 31st. After editing the draft to reflect their feedback and doing my own line edits, I'll be looking for a line/copy edit around April/May or early summer.

Types of edits needed: As I understand, every editor uses "line" and "copy" edit slightly differently, but I'm looking for a combination of both styles if possible: checking for internal consistency, logical choreography, adequate descriptions, minor plot or worldbuilding errors, as well as language concerns like cutting crutch words, making sentence structure more dynamic, choosing the right verbs, etc. Developmental editing not needed. Waiting to do proofreading at the moment

When perusing at the editors site, look for credentials/certifications, their backlog of works, and testimonials

If you don't have enough options following this method, join some discord servers! I'm in a local NaNoWriMo group and a Catholic Writers Guild called Inkwells and Anvils which were both useful. I think there might be some writeblr ones as well. Find the critiques channel and send the same information there^^

Compare sample edits. Who respects your voice? Who supplied the most insightful comments? Do you vibe over email? Are they willing to do a stylesheet? Do they like your book? Can you set up a 15 minute zoom call to see if you vibe and discuss details?

Look at prices. My rate is $.015 a word but that's pretty cheap for the industry. Most of the rates I saw publicly were between $.02-.03/word for line editing.

Pray/sleep on it

Once you pick your best option, set a date to send them the manuscript, sign contracts, and make payment.

Send a polite email to the other editors and say "I regret to say you're not quite the right fit for this book, but I appreciate all your time, help, and advice! I hope to work with you in the future" or something along those lines. Don't burn your bridges.

Celebrate!

This whole process took me a couple weeks, everyone was very punctual and professional and friendly. I ended up going with Addison not only because he was the cheapest but also because he made 3X the number of comments as any other writer, and his comments were specific and useful. He understood my characters immediately, I think in part because his writing style is similar to mine, based on his debut novel, Marrow and Soul. We're both Christians who like YA dark fantasy. It's a good match. He's still taking clients for later in the year if that's your vibes. I also worked with Amber Burdett and Sariah Solomon, who were both lovely.

I wish you the best of luck finding an editor who fits your story! I hope this was helpful and not overly long.

[mythos321]

The Fourth of my WoF x Persona AU Profiles, this one being just a confidant as opposed to a Phantom Thief(also with a different arcana compared to the character they’re crossed with)

Kestrel: The Hanged Dragon

Arcana: Hanged Man

Birthdate: April 7th, 4981 AS

Backstory:Kestrels backstory starts similar to how it does in the main universe, with her losing both her children at The Diamond Spray river, one to Queen Scarlet, and the other to the river. However, due to the lack of The Talons of Peace, Kestrel instead kept up her search for her son, searching high and low for him almost like a madwoman. She nearly did find her son many times, but each time he disappeared from her sights, and she had no idea what to do, however, she had determined the general area where he stayed, and set up a cavern for herself for the time.

However, the day she finally found her son, she realized he was completely terrified of her, he hadn’t been disappearing from her for no reason…he thought she was trying to kill him. This shook Kestrel to her core, and though she tried to speak with her son, a small scavenger seemed to attempt to ward her off, and Kestrel, in so much shock, willingly fled, however always keeping close to her son as she slowly tried to make him trust her, with very minimal progress in such.

Kestrel felt lost, broken, and ashamed, passing her time by turning her cavern into a sort of cafe/bar she(uncreatively) named Cavern Tavern, serving multiple assortments of dishes, mainky coffee and curry. During this time she met a Mudwing named Asha who was the closest she had to an acquaintance, and one day learned from her about her nephew Clay, who by Ashas accord was being sent on probation due to being framed for attacking an unknown Skywing official.

Kestrel put together from the Skywings behavior they must have been Queen Scarlet, and with this knowledge, volunteered to let Clay stay with her as his guardian, and until his probations up, he shall be taken under her wings(hehe).

Physical Description: Kestrel is overall the same in her appearance, with a minor change in having a small scar on her paw after it was stabbed by a certain scavenger that was with her son. The biggest difference in appearance is actually Kestrels demeanor, having a much calmer abd more approachable face.

Personality:Although she used to be very similar to her main version, Kestrel is much less aggressive now after what happened between her and her son, with her having had the subconscious realization her actions and way of life made her own child afraid of her. She however is still very strict and cold, if only initially when Clay first meets her. Some also claim she has a smooth charm to her, though Kestrel herself admits she lost a lot of over the years.

Goals:To try and make amends with her son, and hopefully find her daughter one day.

Trivia

-Unlike her main counterpart, Kestrel would never even dream of harming the other dragonets, much less Clay

-Kestrels immediate assumption whenever Clay brings a dragon around his age to her cafe is that they’re his girlfriend/boyfriend, and she often snarks he’s surprisingly uneventful in that regard considering all the other hijinks he tells her about(or what she secretly reads from his journal and letters when he isn’t looking)

-Kestrel has a medical condition that gives her a forked tongue, she thinks it’s weird but does admit it makes for the occasional fun party trick

-Kestrel is a master of curry, her best ones being Beef Curry and(after lots of practice) Vegetable curry, the latter which she mainly makes for Sky

-Kestrel thinks those who do nothing about themself and use the excuse that that is the way life made them are losers who should get thrown off a cliff, she’d know, she used to think that way

[this-daydream-is-dangerous-13]

Daylight MV by Harry Styles - why was it not the unreleased Two Ghosts MV 2.0? A timeline.

This video, released on July 19, 2023, is jam packed with Blondie and Haylor references. I think it was almost the sister project to the never released Two Ghosts MV…until it wasn’t. And I have an idea as to why.

Don’t believe me that it’s Haylor AF? Go read this amazing summary by @womanexile at whose request I am writing this timeline.

As we know, Harry was filming the video on and around May 10 and 11, 2022, based in articles and pap/drone photos from the time, like this Daily Mail article:

Let’s review the timeline:

April 22, 2022 - Harry performs at Coachella weekend 2 in Indio, CA.

April 26, 2022 - OW is onstage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas when she is served custody papers. H is not there.

But where is H? According to the article - circus training!

Late April/early May - Harry starts training in Kent, England with family-owned Sanctus Circus.

From the article:

“A source told [the publication]: Harry has spent weeks being taught circus skills for this video — he wanted it to be a real spectacle.

'It is probably his most expensive video yet because as well as all the rehearsals, it was a huge set with loads of extras and really extravagant costumes'.

The source revealed to the publication that the singer pushed himself to the limit in order to perform the stunts. Adding: 'It's been a real undertaking and the finished product will prove why he's one of the biggest pop stars in the world.' “

So late April - May 11 - circus stuff. Which is part time and on-and-off, I imagine. Then filming. And this was an UNDERTAKING that would have required a lot of planning.

He even arranged to have live animals, as outlined here in an article with the horse and parrot handlers:

Some take aways:

- he was supposed to the riding *the WHITE horse*. And when that didn’t work, he ensured the white horse remained in the shot.

- they only had a short time to teach him with the animals, but he listened and did exactly what they said.

- the legendary Styles charm extends to grumpy parrots named Poppleguy. “He's a little bit picky and he went straight on Harry Styles' shoulder, the sign of a good vibe," [his owner] said.”

Who can resist this man?!

But he HAS to know that he’ll get questions about the song title, since it shares a name with a song by Blondie. And he gets photographed making this video - articles about it start appearing May 12, 2022.

So what does he do next? Creates a smoke screen! Good thing two of his best friends—Ben Winston and James Corden—run a late night show known for outrageous bits with musicians. And he has a long history of doing crazy things with them, so no one will bat an eye.

He heads off to NYC for Harry’s House promo and ONO, but first — he has a DUPLICATE video to shoot.

And it’s hilarious, watching him shock and delight a quartet of Brooklyn residents and their friends:

And look at the clapperboard to date it:

Bottom right - MAY 17/22.

The next morning, May 18, he is on air with Howard Stern who immediately brings up Blondie (look at H’s usual TS grin!!). And watch him evade:

“You’re reading too much into it…I know you’d like me to tell you ‘you’re spot on’ but…yeah, you’re not.”

But you know who thinks Howard actually is Spot On? Harry’s Mom!!

The Late Late Daylight video airs on May 26/27, 2022 (depending on your time zone). And here is Anne’s IG story when she watches it:

And then - Harry keeps the circus video in his pocket. For FIFTEEN MONTHS. And makes and releases other videos.

There’s background speculation that the still images captured (Birdrry) might be for a Daydreaming or Grapejuice or other video, despite the bird. After all - we already have a Daylight MV!

And then, on July 18th, 2023 at his penultimate HSLOT concert in Lisbon, Harry has the bird image shown on the screen as he finishes singing Daylight.

After the concert, we learn that the video will drop in July 19th at 5pm UK, 12 pm Eastern.

And while the As It Was video promo stated: “It’s just us”, this one proclaims “It’s just a video, just for you.”

Which naturally leads us to this parallel:

And it is followed by the 10-minute 2nd encore piano ballad at the final HSLOT concert on July 22, introduced in Italian by saying “I wrote this for you, just for tonight.”

**My theory - its release is another in a long line of grand gestures designed to remind and assure Blondie of his ongoing, perpetual love and devotion.**