#the cinderella we deserve huh

[clockwayswrites]

Not Exactly Cinderella Part 2

Part 1

WC: 818

“You have a thing for black hair and blue eyes, huh?” Dick teased, looking at the guy that Wally had pointed out. He laughed as Wally slapped his shoulder for the comment. “What? I’m not complaining. And you’re right, he does have a cute smile.”

Wally just blushed again.

“Well, come on, I think that most of my official duties are done. Let’s go see what he’s like,” Dick said, heading back towards the stairs.

“What if he’s a jerk?” Wally asked.

“Then we just move on and go find someone else to talk to,” Dick answered easily. “This isn’t a mission or anything, Walls, if you don’t click you don’t click. You can think his smile is cute and not want to do anything with him.”

Wally sighed, though, rather than being comforted by that.“You keep talking like he’ll want to do something with me.”

Dick stopped them at the bottom of the stairs, tugging them to the side. He knew he probably looked a little worried, but he couldn’t help it. No, of course he could fake it, he was a damn Bat, but he didn’t want to. Wally deserved to know that he was bothered by this. If Dick had known that Wally was having these self esteem issues, he would have done something earlier.

Wally deserved to know how amazing he was.

“If he doesn’t want you, it will because he’s straight or not into quick romance or doing something physical,” Dick said. “Or because he’s insane and doesn’t like red heads. Never trust someone who doesn’t like red heads.”

Wally rolled his eyes but he looked more relaxed. “Just because you have a thing for red heads…”

“Walls, sweetheart, you’re amazing. You’re smart and funny and fun. And you’re pretty damn hot too between the red hair and adorable freckles and your runner’s body. If he’s not into you there could be reasons for it, but it’s not because you aren’t an amazing catch.”

Wally let out a breath of air and nodded. “Okay. Sure. I mean, I don’t agree but sure. Let’s go talk to him.”

“Great!” Dick said with a grin. He took Wally’s hand but dropped it as they got closer to their target. The guy must have taken a break from his last discussion and was over to the side with a fresh drink in hand. Dick detoured them briefly to get drinks also; it was important for everyone to feel like they were on the same social page. They settled near the other as if taking a break from the crowd themselves.

“Enjoying the evening?” Dick asked, drawing the strangers blue eyes to them.

Oh, fuck, more adorable freckles.

“You know, I actually am,” he said, seeming surprised by that. As an after thought he held out his hand. “Oh, sorry, I’m Danny.”

Not a socialite if he was leaving off the last name. That was a positive.

“Dick,” he said, shaking the offered hand before backing off. “And this is Wally.”

“Nice to meet you,” Danny said, as he shook Wally’s hand. “You two having a good night?”

“Mostly. We’re finally where we can relax and talk to who we want to, which is nice. Wally here always has to track down the other scientists at these things,” Dick answered for them, pleased when Danny perked up at that.

“Are you scientist?” Danny asked

“Chemist, mostly material sciences but some organic too,” Wally said with a slightly bashful little smile. “You?”

“Bimolecular and biomedical engineering,” Danny said.

At least Dick would have an easy excuse to duck out when the conversation got too technical for him.

“Did they do the same thing with you and keep trying to make you pick one?”

Danny laughed and gave a little shrug. Dick could tell Wally almost swooned at the sound— not that Dick could blame Wally, Danny had a really nice laugh and the crooked smile was downright precious.

“Totally. I though that two of them were going to get in a fist fight over me at one point! Which I suppose at least would have been hilarious. I’ve won so far, but it’s going to be hard to pick a doctorate when I get there.”

“Oh man, good luck. I got my masters last year and stopped for now. Want to get some work experience, you know?” Wally asked. “But it sounds like you’ll kick ass whatever you choose. Where are you going to school right now? Gotham doesn’t really do much of that, right?”

“U Penn,” Danny said. “I’m close enough location wise that my godfather called in a favor for me to be his plus one for this event, but it really hasn’t been that bad so far.

“Who’s your godfather?” Dick asked curiously.

Danny smiled that crooked smile again. “Vlad Masters.”

Dick couldn’t help the way his nose wrinkled at that.

Danny just laughed.

--

AN: Just a little bit of Dick's POV! And oh no, Dick thinks Danny is cute too! Whatever will we do...

Wanted to write more of this, but *waves hand at everything*. But this brings us to the end of the 'new schedule'! It was fun to do but I certainly won't be doing it every week. It's back to just trauma Tuesday for now! Stay delightful, darlings.

[c-rose2081]

AGDUSHFUEBDHDHD YOUR RECENT FIC WAS SO FUCKING GOOD LIKE AGHHHHHH

Bridget being such a sweet and caring liek cutie pie. Thinking Chloe might have a fear of blood or something is so adorable. And honestly now I’m just chucking every available fear or weakness Headcanon onto Chloe like she’s shopping cart of angst. Cause yeah Chloe def would have a fear of blood despite her ironic love of swords and shields.

God I knew it all along but somehow it wasn’t even fucking hitting me that Chloe in the movie migrates to her mom not only cause it’s her mom, but it’s her MOM. Her mom who’s DEAD. She’s seeing her mom ALIVE in some way and that must be so fucking conflicting to her and for Ella to have been so cold to her must have been mind breakingly painful. Cause fuck. I totally get the morally gray Ella vibes but Ella’s attitude towards Chloe the whole time was honestly just rude. Like saying that she doesn’t deserve her shoes just cause it was a good thing? Like no that’s not the point at all. The point should have been thag rewards like that are a privilege. And that assuming others have that isn’t good. Not that being rewarded for good behavior WITHOUT EXPECTING IT somehow makes you some prissy uptight monster. Like ugh I could rant about that forever I think they handled that HORRIBLY. Like they’re really trying to make Chloe look like she worked for nothing and just expects lavish gifts. Like NO?! She’s getting straight As. Working herself to the bone for swords and shields. And yes we should all just normally strive to it, but being a good person takes fucking work. Being nice and honorable and kind to all has so much strength! These are all amazing things and it’s not a bad thing at all Chloe was rewarded for it. She worked hard for all of it. It’s the assumption that everyone else’s life is similar and that their is no grey area that’s the bad part. That’s what I wish they focused on.

Anywhoooo. Chloe being rejected AND seeing the blood on her hand must have been so fucking painful. I mean it’s nearly like a graphic symbol of her mom being so brutally decapitated. And Ella with that mother line like GOD. Chloe must feel so damn alone. And I definitely think they overlooked how emotional she should be. Like they needed to incorporate the breakdown you just wrote.

and lordy it must be so fucking painful cause in a cruel twist of irony, the person who decapitated her mom is the one comforting her. The one soothing her and hugging her and taking care of her. Acting so motherly in her own way it must make Chloe miss her own mom even MORE. And any comfort from Bridget must be so damn conflicting cause she’s the enemy. But no one else is comforting her so she’ll take it. Ugh beautiful masterpiece.

LOL and of course I’m a die hard bridgella fan so it’s so fun to see more Bridget and Ella interacting. Like YES Ella stops as soon as she realized she snapped at her precious angel Bridget. YES Bridget is the only one able to get through to Ella when she’s going through something. Yes after Ella apologizes Bridget gives her a kiss and they go snuggle together. Wait huh-

anyway. Adored this fic entirely. I’m vaguely curious to see Ella’s apology now honestly. And I’m also wondering where tf red went. Like girly just disappeared without checking on Chloe 😭

Thank you for reading I’m so glad you enjoyed! I love writing angst so much, especially around Chloe and the lack of grief from Chloe’s end really bugged me in the film.

I’m not sure if I’ll actually write Ella’s apology or not? And as for Red, I actually have an idea about that. She probably goes to break down herself somewhere, cause naturally RED knows fully well how painful it is for Chloe to get rejected by her own mother, because it’s partly her fault Cinderella’s dead. She doesn’t go to comfort Chloe cause I imagine this happens right after they arrive? Like, they hardly know one another yet so they aren’t actually ‘friends’ yet.

Anyway, thanks so much for this! I always love hearing what you have to say 😊

[lampmanliveblogs]

Oh look, it’s the echo mouse Musse.

…you know, I don’t think I ever explained why I call him that. It’s because the swedish name for Mickey Mouse is Musse Pigg. That’s it. But hey, he gets to have one last appearance, pulling a Cinderella alongside Bat-Queen’s kids. I mean, that has got to be a deliberate reference to the Disney animated Cinderella, right?

Steve’s here too, of course, and he’s cutting into a cake. As someone who likes to bake but isn’t that good at it, I like to say that I’m not very good at making things that look good, but I can make things that taste good.

This is the exact opposite of that.

And with King growing older and stronger, he’s beginning to generate his own magic and his own glyphs! Hmm… it looks like his glyphs have a different design, but i assume they’d be the same four elements.

(also, while rewinding the scene, I noticed Eda’s wearing Raine’s earring. cute)

The crew, who know and love me, gives me just a few more pretty lights to look at with big wide eyes, drawn to them like a moth. The Collector’s in the neighborhood and decided to put on a big ol lightshow.

On this last good bye, they threw in a few more characters, just for funsies. We’ve got Salty the boat captain, Willow’s parents, a couple of faeries, Gus’ dad, Tibbles, and that little kid from Separate Tides.

So… this is the end, huh?

What do I even say? What do I even say? What can i say about this show?

This liveblog exists because of The Owl House. At the time, I was in a creative rut and trying to find some way out of it. I figured maybe getting into a new series might help. I was also a fan of several liveblogs, and so I thought, why not try it? I figured it might get me back to writing.

My journey, as my loyal readers know, has not been always been a smooth sailing. It’s taken me a long time to get here; I finished this episode over a year after it came out for crying out loud. There have been times when I’ve been beat down and unable to create. But never did I lose my love for this show, to contrary, it only ever grew greater.

So yeah, good show, 6/10.

…

I’M JOKING! I’M JOKING, THAT WAS A JOKE! P-please put that down, it was only a joke!

Jeez luise, you people… ahem.

No, I love this show. That much should be clear, no matter how much snark I inject or how many sarcastic quips I sprinkle into my text, the time spent with this show has been genuinely good. And I joke about things, how we never got Bat-Queen’s backstory for example. But, well… there’s a good reason for that. This show deserved so much better, and the amazing crew deserved so much better. Still, they delivered a fantastic story, and I will undoubtedly return to this again and again.

So what comes next?

As I’ve already mentioned, I am going to watch and liveblog, or at least make some post about The Owl House pilot episode which was leaked a while back. i don’t know what the timeframe is on that, but hopefully not too long.

I’m also gonna keep working on that Vee fic. Speaking of which, I linked it earlier, but just in case you missed it, the first chapter (and a prelude) is up on AO3 right now. I’ll continue to post updates on here, so stay tuned for that as well. I don’t know how long it will take for that to get done, but I’m really excited to work on it, more excited than I’ve been for any creative work in a long time. I’m beginning to feel like maybe I’m not a complete and utter failure and a talentless hack.

Will I continue posting incorrect quotes? Maybe. I’ll continue as long as I get new ideas and I’ll stop when I run out.

But the real question is, what is the next liveblog? Well, I’ve said that already as well, but for those who weren’t paying attention…

The next liveblog will be Amphibia! I’ve bene looking forward to that one for some time now.

My aim right now is to get started with Amphibia in July. Why July? Because that’s when I go on my vacation.

I should probably also do some tidying up on this blog, do some upgrades. I also wanna clean out my askbox, cause, uh… I’ve got a couple of unanswered asks… some of which have been sitting there for a long time now… I should really get around to that.

For now… this has been The Owl House, I’m The Lampman, and I would like to thank you for reading. Take care of the planet Earth and remember that anything can happen in space!

Our lives became a fairy tale Without rules or laws But is there anyone who knows? If the journey has an end?

The End… for now

[meteor752]

Episode 6 and 7 thoughts

This will now be a regular thing

Also im writing this as I go

Episode 6

So Izzy thought Ed was Roach. Huh. Does he and Roach talk regularly? <- Coming from a Rizzy shipper

“Do weeeee?” Fang I love you

Oh my god, Frenchie and Jim coming to Ed and Stede like they’re kids asking if their cousins can sleep over

The crew going shoppiiiiiiiiing!!!

Frenchie’s lil dancey dance added many years to my life

Ed being nice and giving kids mon- oh never mind, oh that’s a knife okay. Ed never have kids please

“Don’t pirate kids” well listen okay I don’t have HBO Max it’s the only way I can watch this show

MY QUEEN

Wee John you’re so beautiful and amazing and we don’t deserve you

Jim’s lil mustache, like yeah me too <- Non-Binary person

Stede looks so happy about seeing Wee John!! He’s so proud of his son!

Izzy is gorgeous. I’m actually so happy to see him explore more sides of himself, and to find things he can indulge in. This whole season has really just been Izzy’s big therapy arc

His hair makes him look a bit like Cinderella’s evil stepmother though

Oh he can sing too! Izzy!!! <- A person who did not like Izzy in season one

Wee John X Izzy? Roach X Fang?

YO THE

POLYCULE DANCING?!

Ed protecting Stede….just, immediately putting him behind himself…I just…

I rewatched that clip five times

“Because I only hang out with cool pirates” Stede’s face!!! He’s just like Oh Snapppp

Despite it all, Stede and Ed are still the cutest couple that has ever graced the TV screen. Like hell yeah, make fun of people together!

Ed keeps being protective…..okay I need a moment…

Roach you’re a lunatic and I love you

“Whatever this is it’s just gonna turn me on” Izzy you’re a shining star

Also I just now noticed that Black Pete and Lucius aren’t there. I’m guessing they eloped somewhere and are currently taking care of their adopted cat

Nope okay, literally the second I unpaused there they are. That’s the worst timing

Hell yeah my dudes, I hope you broke whatever bed you used

“I’m just doing it for the lolz” Yeah that’s sounds like something someone from the 1700s would say

I know this is a pirate ship but why do they just have so many knives and swords laying about

Who is this fanged torture queen, and how do I acquire her number?

Stede remains best employer, while Aziraphale is the best landlord. Can these two people just run the world please and thank you

Hell Cat Maggie is my soulmate

I feel like there needs to be a pirate workers union

The crew of the revenge is the best found family of all time

Stede Bonnet can rival Steven Universe in reforming villains, like he’s just such a genuinely nice dude

“Alright gang! Let’s talk profit sharing”

Oh protective Stede, alright let’s go mate defend your mans

Okay but why is Stede kinda 👀 in this scene

Oh Stede, love…

OH THEY FAWHKING

That French? Izzy speaks french?

I want to see that man get dicked down

I guess the revenge now has a pet goat

Episode 7

Okay Ed is a soft boy again, aight

NO NOT THE LEATHER JACKET

The anime toast in mouth thing. He’s officially been baby girl for a long while, but we’re really solidifying it

OH THEY FUCKED

Isn’t there an anime where a mob boss becomes a house wife? Yeah that’s Ed

Oh we’re telling him about the mermaid fantasy, okay

Izzy what the fuck, you’re amazing

“He’s jealous” my darling

The polycule is going strong, and I love the absolute lack of jealousy. This is the best representation I have ever had

Oh they’re going on a date! That’s so sweet actually

It’s really sweet that they’re talking about their time apart

Stede’s famous now? Good for him!

I need to stop falling in love with every pirate lady In this show. That being said, I hope we see more of the fangirl lady

I’m reinforcing my claim that Stede and Ed are cuter than anything that has ever been on screen

OH MY GOD SWEDE

The Söt Och Saftig, my love. Also this far in and this is the first time the character “The Swede” actually says something in Swedish

Scammer Frenchie is back in business, love that

Jim and Archie trying to get their boyfriend set up is very sweet actually

The character development of Izzy going from wanting Ed to remain “Blackbeard” to him saying if being a softie makes him happy then he should do that, like I get it now, I know why you all love this man

OH MY FUCKING GOD STEDE

Can’t believe Stede is an official Slut now

Open communication? Like genuine conversation about their relationship, and the pace they’re taking it? Ed being honest that he’s not ready for the steps they’re taking in their relationship?

What is this argument

I live for Lucius and Black Pete’s nicknames for each other

“I’ve only known you for a few hours Bonnet, but I’d fucking die for ya” Same random dude. Same

Izzy🥹

Zheng and Olu are really cute actually

Oh my god the polycule will end my fucking life

DONT BRING ED INTO THIS ZHENG

“That was really mean” YOU TELL HER STEAK KNIFE

Protective Jim my beloved

Oh my god

Roach and Fang friendship?

Roach is the queen of self care

[sxnyarostova]

it's almost been a year since i first hyperfixated on into the woods so let's get back into my cinderella bullshit! people seem to forget that into the woods is a satire sometimes so let's state that real quick before i get into the nitty-gritty-- on the steps of the palace is meant to be funny-- satirical, if you will, and cinderella's character arc is meant to be reflective of someone who slowly grows to scorn societal expectations of how women should react when faced with the choice to marry a rich handsome prince.

okay so let's get into why i think my beloved itw cindy can be read multiple ways; first, we've got the aroace lens. her dissatisfaction within her marriage with the prince, her disregard for romantic love, almost? she evidently does not want this. she likes (or is she forced into liking) caring for people in the platonic sense; when it comes to romance, however, she starts to quail and i think that's really quite interesting. this response can also be read into her not wanting a man for a romantic partner (lesbian cindy is my favourite reading but let's not get into that; that deserves a whole brainrot post), being pressed into marriage with the prince because it's what society tells her is right for a woman of her age and station, or just, you know. WANTING TO SOCIALISE WITH PEOPLE AT A BALL, because the only people that she converses with at home are her demeaning stepfamily, distant father, and the birds who flutter in occasionally to help her with things.

the last one is where the satire really comes in, i think, because what cinderella wants is freedom and autonomy; not a prince. that is why she struggles so much with making that decision of staying or leaving; she's never been in control of her fate before and she doesn't know if she should go with what society wants or what she personally wants, so she ultimately concedes her power of choice and lets the deus ex machina to do it for her. I've got a whole other post about the motif of decision making in itw somewhere on my blog (if you go to the into the woods tag and scroll back far enough it'll be there) but yeah. that's all i wanted to say i guess. i think this last bit is reflective of what happens in society; we long for something, but when it's given to us, we throw it away because we're unsure what to do now that we've got it. crazy, huh.

[twilightmalachite]

VS★PRINCESS - Battle Royale 12

Characters: Mao, Leo, Subaru, Tsukasa, Esu, Fuyume, Nice

Translator: Mika Enstars

JP Proofreader: 310mc

"Thunderrrrrrrrr!"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Spring

Location: Prince Castle (Hall)

Nice: “All participants gathered here at the first venue, Prince Castle!”

Leo: Ooh, what is it, what is it?

Esu: It’s NiceP!

Fuyume: Oh, it is. For some reason, that weird old man was lowered down from the sky, like an angel.

No fair… It’s Yume who deserves such beautiful staging.

Esu: It’s fine. The appearance you made had more than enough impact.

Fuyume: Really? Yume was beautiful…?

Nice: “Allow me to introduce myself once again! I am Nice Arneb Thunder!”

Subaru & Leo: Thunderrrrrrrrr!

Tsukasa: G-Guys, please be quiet! Although I can understand that is a word that makes one wish to scream it out loudly!

Leo: Oh, so you get it? You're a boy too, huh, Suo~!

Subaru: It’s like a magic spell! Thunder!! C’mon, Sally~, chant it, chant it! ♪

Mao: Why are you under the impression that I work as a magician?

Nice: “Fufu, it appears it is a difficult name to remember, so you are free to call me Nice-san.”

Subaru & Leo: Nice-saaaan!

Tsukasa: I told you to stop making a ruckus! It’s embarrassing!

Subaru: I like that guy’s sparkly vibe a whole lot. ♪

Mao: Is that so? I find him sort of fishy, though…

Nice: “Fufu, what a nice reaction! ♪”

“I am thankful that I seem to be welcome here! For whatever reason, people tend to be taken aback despite myself simply acting in an ordinary way—”

“Well, that aside. I didn’t appear only to surprise you guys, you see!”

“Allow me to explain to you the contents of the “competition” that will take place at this venue.”

Mao: Oh, now that’s pretty important.

Subaru: Yeah, ‘cause honestly, it’s been nerve-wracking not knowing what they’re gonna make us do.

Esu: Think we’re gonna end up killing each other after all?

Fuyume: If so, Yume will protect you, Esu. Esu’s enemies are Yume’s enemies.

Esu: Right now, my greatest enemy is you.

Nice: “Fufu, I’m overhearing some ominous words, but—”

“We have no intention of making this that sort of brutal competition, of course.”

“I’ll say it again, and again. You idols are the sun that illuminates this world.”

“Why would we cover you with mud in order to measure your brilliance?”

“Allow me to be specific and concise.”

“—I’d like you to hold the “Best Ball (butou-kai)”.

Mao: A martial arts tourney (butou-kai)? Are we gonna battle in order to determine who's the strongest in the world?

Subaru: What are you talking about, Sally~? Are you even paying attention?

Mao: Why are you so abnormally harsh when other people say something stupid?!

Nice: “Indeed, this isn’t a martial arts tournament where we will be battling each other, but a ball meant for dancing.”

“The same kind you see in fairy tales, such as in Cinderella and in Snow White, dancing with a “sha-la-la-laaa~” ♪”

Fuyume: Those are what Yume loves the most…☆

Esu: Oh yeah, you’ve always loved picture books and the like since way back.

Fuyume: Mhm. Y’know, Yume, ufufu, Yume wants to become a princess…♪”

Nice: “Alas, unfortunately, we are not prepared to hold a ball as we are now.”

“Take a look around. At the moment, the inside of this castle is completely empty.”

Leo: I was wondering about that. There’s nothing in here.

Esu: Right~… I was exploring all around out of habit, but there was nothing and no one both in or around the castle.

Nice: “In short, I want you all to prepare the ball to be held later on.”

“The ball will be held on the final day of 4piece here.”

“In other words, a week later.”

“You must prepare everything needed for the ball by the time that day comes.”

“That, simply put, will be the contents of the “competition” taking place here at the first venue, Prince Castle.”

Mao: Hmm… Sounds like something you’d see in the Hunter Exam![1]

Subaru: I have no idea what you’ve been saying for a while now, Sally~!

Mao: You should try reading manga sometime.

Subaru: Reading books makes me sleepy, you know? Even if it’s manga. I like the sparkle of real life more!

Tsukasa: Hm… It appears to be more peaceful than we anticipated, so that is a relief.

Leo: But how exactly do we prepare for a ball? In picture books and stuff, it’ll just suddenly be the day of. It’s not like we really know what’s needed, y’know?

Nice: “Of course, that’ll be part of the job for you all to think about!”

“Now, let’s rack our brains together. Just what exactly is essential for a ball?

Leo: Hm… Isn’t it usually thought of as a feast or somethin’? I’ve been to a couple party sortsa things myself, and it felt like I got to eat a bunch of delicious food for free!

Like roast beef! And sushi! And then some kinda teensy-weensy cake!

Tsukasa: What do you even mean by “teensy-weensy”...

Well, I’d say providing meals alongside other Services are essential to entertain invited guests, no?

Leo: Come to think of it, you’re a rich kid, Suo~, have you ever gone to an ordinary ball?

Tsukasa: Hm. Is it safe to assume the social Parties I would regularly attend and the ball we will be preparing for are similar enough?

Leo: I dunno the difference! And I dunno what we’re bein’ asked to do! I can’t write a song like this!

Esu: Ah, since it’s a ball, it means that there’s usually a dance, right? So maybe we’ll be needing outfits, or maybe a song for that?

Leo: Oh, if a song needs bein’ made, I can do that!

Though if I don’t know what kinda people are attending the ball and why, I dunno if I’ll be able to make the right song with just the right feel.

Esu: Honestly, if that much is unclear, then there’s not much that can be done, huh? Or well, okay, maybe that is also somethin’ we gotta come up with ourselves?

Nice: “Indeed—I hate to interrupt you as you all are so happily discussing, but you must decide what that is first.”

“First, we must think about the premise!”

[ ☆ ]

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A reference to Hunter x Hunter. During the Hunter Exams, a series of tests an individual must pass in order to become a certified member of the Hunter Association. The tests are decided by elite Hunters and change out every year. An example that comes to mind is when the protagonists are challenged to “cook a meal that would satisfy the examiner”—an out-of the-ordinary test among those that generally test one’s physical prowess.

[routeunlocked]

Taisho x Alice Heads & Tails Review

Time Played: 20.5 hours

Taisho x Alice is one of my favorite otome games, so the fan disc getting localized made me extremely happy. It didn't disappoint either. I thoroughly enjoyed getting after stories with these lovely characters, spending more time with Woolfe and Ryoushi in their stories, and laughing over the Arisu Academy AU.

(This review is spoiler free, but some cgs will be included.)

RYOUSHI ROUTE VA: Tomohisa Hashizume

I've always loved Ryoushi since his first introduction. I'm glad we got a platonic route to spend more time with him. His relationship with Yurika is funny as they bicker like most siblings, but they still obviously care about each other.

I wouldn't mind a spin-off with a different protagonist to romance Ryoushi. Who doesn't love a sassy doctor?

WOOLFE ROUTE VA: Natsuki Hanae

Forever crying over the fact Woolfe never really gets his romance arc. He is charming in an honest, persistent kind of way. Can't deny he's loyal.

I thought it was nice to see the story through his POV. He's more of an outsider to the situation we've seen go down, giving it a unique twist. Plus his developing friendship with Alistair was so wholesome. I was happy to see more of Alistair and their interactions.

I was pleasantly surprised it was a lot longer than I expected too.

CINDERELLA AFTER STORY & AU VA: Daisuke Hirakawa

There's something so endearing about Cinderella to me. He's such a mess, but he manages to be surprisingly respectful where it matters. And the way he values marriage and family makes my heart melt.

Please stop him and his leg fetish though. (Not really. I find it funny how open he is about it.) Stop his spending habits too. The amount he spends on simple things like shampoo is astounding.

RED AFTER STORY & AU VA: Tomoaki Maeno

Look at him showing off his ears now! Proud of him for the confidence he's building up. On the other hand, Yurika yelling at him for being a perv was so deserved. How does he manage to function with all of these nosebleeds?

He feels like a real superhero with his determination to uphold justice and protect others. And what superhero doesn't love flowers? They deserve to be protected too

KAGUYA AFTER STORY & AU VA: Toshiki Masuda

Are we avoiding the moon talk this time? I prefer Kaguya staying right here. It's great to see these two develop their relationship without any extremes. I eat up the drama, but a period of peace after the drama is so satisfying.

His love of rabbits is precious. And I like seeing he and Yurika still exchange letters! There's something about Kaguya that pulls at my heartstrings.

GRETEL AFTER STORY & AU VA: Takuya Eguchi

Gretel, you really need a balanced diet. All that sugar cannot be healthy. Although, I certainly want to try some of those desserts. I guess Yurika feels the same since she has a tendency to spoil him.

I somehow got stuck in a loop of constantly getting on Gretel's route in the Arisu Academy AU. Can't escape Gretel, can you? But his deadpan humor and dedication to Yurika still earn him extra points in my book. Please keep calling her "Yurika" instead of "Sister" though, thanks.

SNOW WHITE AFTER STORY & AU VA: Shouta Aoi

There's something about the way these two kind of have their own little world that feels wholesome. I like that they share their interests with each other. I also like how Ryoushi constantly shows up since he's a big part of both their lives. Snow's easily integrating into this family, huh?

His sarcastic and violent tendencies get me every time. Warning: Don't call him cute or books will be thrown.

I'm a sucker for bookworms since I relate.

WIZARD AFTER STORY & AU VA: Wataru Hatano

I never feel like Wizard is getting his happy ending. Sure, it's an improvement from before, but it still feels like something is missing to me. He deserves to be loved as strongly as everyone else.

Seeing him walk around with Kuro is adorable. What would a wizard be without a loyal companion?

Now if only he'd stop putting everyone else's happiness above his own...

ALICE AFTER STORY & AU 💙 VA: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Alice really makes this whole story. He can't ever be honest, can he? Everyone sees through him anyway. I felt the after story was a little strange in some aspects, but it did resolve some problems between the two.

Arisu Academy was a little more fulfilling for me. I felt their antics and confessions hit just right.

I'm guilty of being a tsundere fan, so Alice ultimately gets my stamp of favoritism. He lives up to the classic tsundere trope so well.

PROTAGONIST PRAISE

I am a strong defender of otome protagonists. Yurika is one of my absolute favorites for her outspoken nature. I adore that she acknowledges she's selfish and she'd do anything for the person she loves. She deserves happy endings with every LI.

She plays off their personalities perfectly. And the way she's bold enough to tease them? I'd like to see that more often from protagonists.

I do appreciate she's not always bold either though. She has her moments where she gets flustered or backs down. She voices her concerns too. There's a healthy balance between her teasing and care.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I thoroughly enjoyed this fan disc. It's exactly what I wanted- more time with the characters, cute scenarios, and a decent amount of playtime. The situations and dialogue had me laughing so often throughout the game. The voice acting was phenomenal as always; I'm so pleased with the cast they have and the effort they put into their roles.

I do wish we had seen more of Alistair outside of Woolfe's route, but I still liked the content we got with him.

If you were a fan of the Taisho x Alice games, I would highly recommend picking the fan disc up. If you wish Ryoushi and Woolfe had more of a spotlight, you won't be disappointed.

RATING: 9/10 RECOMMENDED: Yes!

[leiakenobi]

measure the silence of a house

Fandom: Succession Pairing: Stewy Hosseini/Kendall Roy Rating: Teen Word Count: 901 words Summary: Dude, what are we gonna do? Sit in the dark and drink Laphroaig? A/N: I knew 4x04 was gonna have me back on my kenstewy bull shit and here I am y'all!!!

Stewy showed up at Kendall’s door that night with a bottle of Laphroaig and a shit-eating grin, which would have been funny except that Ken had lost his spark almost the second he crossed the threshold of his apartment. Cinderella turned back into a scullery maid at midnight, and Kendall Roy – temporary CEO of Waystar – returned to his natural state as a sorry son of a bitch who felt as though the world was on the brink of engulfing him. And standing in the doorway, Stewy eyed him in the pale white light cast from the hallway, taking in Kendall’s bloodshot eyes flush with tears, his too-small figured huddled under a blanket. No doubt he was thinking about how he’d just gone to bat for an absolute mess of a spoiled rich kid. But his smile shifted, turned soft and tender in a way that Ken hadn’t deserved in years. “I was going to say we should celebrate, but maybe we’ll drink some Laphroaig in the dark after all, huh?” Kendall’s lip quirked up, just a little. “Asshole,” he said, before standing aside to let Stewy in.

Read the rest on AO3 here!

[sidsinning]

Seeing some push back on such an old post lol

Since I like talking about Cinderella:

"Stop putting the emphasis on how she was abused and wants freedom. That's not Cinderella."

?????? She...was abused...and literally....wants freedom...???? That's literally the story??? Freedom to fall in love, freedom to go out, freedom from her abusive household- idk how you missed it but freedom is a MAJOR theme in Cinderella, and is her greatest desire as a person. Its why the main event of the movie is her just going out to have a night of fun. She wants escape.

"Stop defining her by her abuse" bruh I'm not??? But obviously it's the central conflict of the story so it's gonna take up space 😭

2015 was weak bc it made changes that just deadass made no sense to the themes of the story

Why the heck is she dancing and singing in circles in her attic after getting the last bit of hope she has snuffed out

"She's just so good at persevering and having faith despite her circumstances"

No??? She's just being dumb??? They play it like this was so noble of her to do when it's not. Especially when we have the original 1950s Cinderella to look at. Clawing tf out of your prison despite what hardships have kicked you down for so long is perseverance, not just singing to escape from your situation (ofc its valid to get away from your worries by distracting yourself- but this is what she is doing here. Distracting herself. Not a big defining moment of what makes Cinderella so special)

"Cinderella is all about persevering no matter what circumstances she is placed in not that she's abused"

,,,yeah and the circumstance here is her abusive family. 😭 like idk how you can ignore talking about the elephant in the room here.

Maybe I didn't go into it here in this post but I have said this before- ofc what makes Cinderella great is her ability to remain kind and continue living despite what she's been through. Cinderella to me is about someone who remains kind and resilient in the face of hardships FINALLY getting to let loose and have fun-bc again, this is primarily a FAIRY TALE.

You see this girl going through it and cheer for her when she finally gets what she wants

I feel like just saying "oh Cinderella is so great bc shes nice to everyone and take care of people who don't deserve it and treats subjects with care" is a disservice to her agency as a human being. Throughout the story we follow Cinderella's life and are constantly aware of her PERSONAL desires and feelings aside from just being the best person for everyone else to be around. She wants to wear a pretty dress. She wants to get tf outta her ratty ass house to dance the night away. She swoons to herself about spending the night with the prince. She's not thinking of faith or being good to others. She just wanted some peace for herself for once.

This is why her fighting in the end is so so SO much better than what 2015 did. She had agency in her life and bc of her kindness to the seemingly insignificant mice around her- she is rewarded with their help in breaking out and is finally free. It's pretty fucking sick that Cindy from 1950s got to grab hold of her own happy ending through her own efforts and friendship. She got down and dirty and used her head to move. In the 1950s!!! All on her own!! That's huge!!!

2015 was just such a strange change bc while it did keep the kindness to the mice helping her in the end part, they just made her so weird 😭✋️ like who tf reacts like that to such a devastating revelation. Singing and dancing in the attic. Like she doesn't even bother thinking about her future besides welp just gotta deal with this shit again huh. 1950s Cinderella had the much more real reaction bc unlike 2015 she feels more human and grounded. Like you can say faith saved her or whatever but that can be kind of a smooth surface level excuse for any character that lacks agency. Lots of characters are kind despite their circumstances but aren't just defined by their ability to deal with people's shit.

It's smtg I am especially critical of with female characters bc its smtg ppl use as an excuse to not have them be an active part of the story. Authors will just have a super nice angelic girl who can do no wrong to friend and foe alike while not giving her anything substantial to do. Wouldn't go as far as to say 2015 completely merc'd Cinderella like this, but it really bothers me how I am supposed to accept her singing away her troubles as some kind of W for her. Especially when the narration is saying yeah she gave up on all her dreams but she's got nice memories to keep her going. It's great. NO. Can you please TRY. IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE SHE DEFAULTS TO SINGING INSTEAD OF ATTEMPTING ANY REAL ACTION. BC SHE STILL HAD OPTIONS IF SHE REALLY CARED ABOUT SEEING HER PRINCE AGAIN. IM JUST SAYING THIS CHOICE WAS CONFUSING BC LOGICALLY AND CHARACTER WISE IT MAKES NO SENSE 😭

Anything you wanna bring up with history on the aristocracy and other details of the fairy tale not given to us by the movies themselves are off the table to me. Like I should be able to just watch a movie and take what they give me without researching to make it better. Although it is interesting to learn more about Cinderella as a whole.

Idc what her dad said about leaving love in the house he would've wanted her to get tf out if he knew she was being abused and neglected bc she stayed there for him

Inheriting the house and those kind of plot details feel pretty irrelevant to me. It doesn't lessen the weirdness of the 2015 attic scene.

As for her godmother the new one isn't so terrible but 1950s still clears. She just makes more sense and is much more loveable and charismatic to me. Bippity boppity solos

Anyways despite all this I STILL think 2015 isn't so bad 😭 I promise it's fine like I would rewatch it and be chillin

Her dress goes hard

Although I am laughing that she asks her godmother to not change her torn up dress too much so she has a piece of her mother with her- only for the both of them to happily ignore how it turns into a completely different dress in every way LOL (it not even the og pink girl 😭)

UNNECESSARY AND UNHINGED RANT ABOUT CINDERELLA'S CHARACTER FROM CINDERELLA (2015) INCOMING

Lemme talk about Cinderella from Cinderella (2015) for a bit actually yeah because these changes to my girl completely baffle me

She has friends now

Goes outside on her own

Says the only reason why she's staying is because it's her parent's house- bruh.

All of this takes away (+ more reasons down the cut) from the true cruelty of OG!Cinderella's backstory and how it all connects so well to inform you of her character and the actions she takes

OG!Cinderella has been indoctrinated into accepting her life as a maid to her step family since she was a small child. She is never seen going outside of the house besides the night at the ball. The only friends she had were random animals around her she couldn't even fully converse with. She had no other human perspective on her situation or how to get out of it. It makes sense why she's just taking her stepmother's tyranny while holding everything in because this isolation and neglect is all she knows. This is the entire limited scope of her world. A sad reality to many cases of abuse in real life.

And they just. Erased all of this for some. Reason???

The night at the ball was a big deal because she literally NEVER gets to go out. This is the only time she interacts with the outside world aside from the ending. The impact of that was HUGE in the original movie. The new one just cheapened that imo by implying she goes out in town and talks to others regularly. This event was an impossible, fantastical dream come true to someone who is never treated as anything but a servant to everyone she knows.

Basically OG!Cinderella has it way worse which is what makes the ball such a huge deal in the first place.

Third point I don't think I need to explain how Cinderella staying in her abusive home bc the house is "hers to love now that her parents are dead" is not a good character change and doesn't make sense. I would understand if her dad was alive and insisting on staying, but he is GONE. It is a building you grew up in sure, but that's all it is. Not something you sacrifice your wellbeing for. So that's a shit reason they didn't need to make up to say why this character is stuck in her abusive household. The isolation and years of gaslighting were enough. (Also showing how much of a frightening presence and manipulative villain Lady Tremaine is.)

And she sure left it quick after getting hitched lol

The Fairy Godmother having the audacity to test Cinderella with that "oh I'm a poor old woman and I want some milk please" nonsense

Not very godmotherly of her in this version. 🥴 The Fairy Godmother appeared in the original to offer pure comfort to Cinderella in a time of desperate need, when this resilient and kind spirit finally reached her breaking point. The dress, slippers, pumpkin carriage, and magic were all given freely as a present to make her feel better at least for one night.

Meanwhile this goofy ass Godmother has the audacity to be like "hey is she gonna be nice or not even though she's crying in tattered, recently destroyed clothing- I need to see that or else she doesn't get the magic juice". Like why did this become a way to test her morality all of a sudden? Why did you need something from her to give up the magic goods?? It's not even a good test she just walked a couple steps and poured some milk in a bowl,,,

Idk man they made their relationship transactional for no reason which taints the original purpose of this scene imo. The original Fairy Godmother already KNEW Cinderella was kind without having to make sure by disguising herself as a rancid old lady. 😭 Weird and unnecessary addition.

Kinda nitpicky here but this film did not at all match the terror of the torn dress scene which really shows you how horrifying and humiliating it was to Cinderella

Comparison

AND THE BIGGEST OFFENDER: THE WAY SHE "ESCAPED".

I NEED TO TAKE A BREATH

BECAUSE LIKE. WHAT WAS THAT.

Original Cinderella, seeing a real chance of escape from her abuse, uses everything in her possession to do so. She's yelling for the mice to get the key, to get Bruno to chase away the cat, running down to meet the prince's attendants to make sure they get the proof of her identity from her- and that moment she oh-so-casually pulled out the second slipper??? SEEING HER STEPMOTHER'S SLACKED JAW??? GAGGED US ALL.

ICONIC

But 2015. Bitch. What is going on. She gets locked up and easily accepts her doom. She just twirls and sings in her prison like a dunce because cINDerELLa wAs aLReADy cONTenT wIth her sMaLL mOMEnts oF hAPPIneSs anD dREamS wItH thE pRinCE.

Just. Gives up.

Not the mice begging her to get up and save herself come on now

The mice have to do their best on their own to push open her window so the prince and his crew hear her on time.

And yeah, all she had to do was open a window.

WHAT. WHY. HOW. WAS THIS??? MORE EMPOWERING???

1950: use your brain to fight to the very end

2015: quit while you're still ahead, or don't try you just gotta dance and sing all pretty then someone will come along and save you

I'm sorry, but for a production that was so critical of the notion of "Cinderella just waited around for a prince to save her"...is that not literally what they changed the ending to?

You wanna talk about lack of agency in princess stories well here you go 😭

You know what's sad about all this in the end is this is still the best recent live action Disney remake imo LOL

Anyways hello if you've made it all the way down here I rest my case

[christinealtomare]

Derek Klena about to perform at Cafe Carlyle (Jan. 15, 2019)

[wet-towel-socrates]

No Matter How Your Heart Is Grieving

An idea I got listening to the Cinderella OST (yes I listen to old Disney soundtracks stfu), specifically "The Dress/Escape to the Garden" bc it's so sad and I got into my feelings :'( also I just wanted to pen this onto something as an outlet.

*Tw for depression, mentions of suic*de, general angst and hopelessness/no religion outright stated but implied prayer and mention of "angel"

*Yuu/MC is genderneutral

Crowley was getting ready for a late night meeting with the housewardens. Beforehand however, he decided to call Yuu to the mirror chamber to finally come clean.

"There is no way back home for you. I'm sorry."

Yuu cannot believe it. They are completely stunned.

"If I were you, I would switch gears and start getting used to Twisted Wonderland as your new home, if you haven't already."

Yuu tries but can't hold back the cascade of tears as they run out of the chamber. They bump into the housewardens on their way to Crowley's, but don't bother looking back.

"Oi, watch it Herbi—huh?"

"Prefect?" Riddle calls out to them, "prefect, what's wrong?" Yuu keeps running, wiping the tears and holding in their sobs.

They run towards the edge of the courtyard, away from the wishing well and slump their body over a stone bench beneath a weeping willow. In that moment, all their dreams and hopes of returning home left their body in the form of shaky, hiccuping breaths. They couldn't bear to draw attention to themselves even though it was the dead of night. God forbid they were a nuisance to anyone else while they were grieving the loss of their home and their loved ones that they will never see again. Yuu dared not to let out a whine or murmur, instead desperately limiting themselves to trembling gasps as the tears rolled down their cheeks and slithered down their neck.

It's hopeless. It's no use.

A lone figure walking along the outdoor walkways surrounding the courtyard saw the figure under the tree, draped over the bench with their head in their arms. Is that... The prefect?

Yuu looks up, attempting to clear their nose from the stuffiness.

"I can't take this anymore," Yuu whispers. They gaze at the moon and the tears sparkle from where the lone figure is standing. The figure slides behind a column and watches Yuu.

"I remember whenever I was homesick," Yuu began, "you told me to look up at the sky, because no matter where I was, we'd be united underneath it. We'd see the same moon and the same stars, and that way I wouldn't feel so far away from you." Who is the prefect talking to? the figure thought.

Yuu can feel a new wave of emotions blur their eyes as they thought about their closest friend from home. "But now, when I look up...the sky I see... Is foreign. The moon, the stars, the constellations— I don't recognize any of it." Yuu looked down and hid their face in their arms. "And then it hits me. We aren't even on the same plane of existence. I couldn't be farther from you if I tried."

The trembling in Yuu's voice made the figure feel icky that they were eavesdropping on such an intimate moment, but they had never seen Yuu look so defeated, much less cry. Why are they crying?

"And now, I've never felt so lonely."

Yuu glanced up once more as if speaking to someone in the clouds.

"I've done everything Crowley's asked of me. The Overblots, the fairy gala, the ghost bride, I've taken care of all of it! I've kept my grades up even though I don't have magic and I've watched over Grim and the others." Yuu paused to catch their breath.

"Is it too much to ask for some reprieve in my troubles? My heartache and my pain?" The figure's expression dropped slightly, hearing such a modest plea from a person that they knew was more deserving of anything than everyone else in NRC combined.

"Please," they begged towards the sky, "I cannot take this anymore. I no longer want to be a burden on anyone else here. If someone is out there—send me your angel of death... And put me out of my misery. As long as my home is out of reach, I can't bear to stay here. I don't belong here." Another wave of stinging tears poured out their eyes, streaming rapidly down their neck. "Please. Please. Please."

[asholestone]

Asher's grin widened at the sight of Ria beaming like that—he hadn’t seen her this happy in a long time, and it felt like something special. "You deserve a whole fairytale ending, honestly," he said, his voice softening a bit. "And not just for one night. You should be feeling like a princess all the time."

He laughed when she called him out on never blushing, a playful glint in his eyes. "Okay, okay, you got me. Maybe I'm a little too aware of my good looks," he said, flashing her a wink. "But coming from you, it means a lot. Seriously, Ria, you always know how to boost my ego just the right amount without making my head explode." Asher gave her a warm smile, genuinely touched. He always saw her as a big sister figure, someone who had his back, and hearing her say she was glad he was there hit home.

"Your Cinderella moment, huh?" He chuckled, nodding. "I feel that. Except my post-midnight routine is probably me in my boxers with leftover pizza, so... not as glamorous." He gave her a teasing nudge. "But hey, at least we can live it up on the dancefloor before the clock strikes midnight. I’m holding you to that dance, though. Can’t let your fairytale moment pass without a good spin around the floor, right?" He held out his hand for her. "We can dance now if you want?"

"That's the plan." Ria was almost beaming, which was unusual for her, but she just couldn't seem to wipe the smile off her face. The evening just felt magical, not in a supernatural way, but like a fairytale. For one night only, she was feeling like a princess, dressed to the nines, doing something she loved, surrounded by people she cared about. Nothing could top this, and she hoped she wanted to hold onto this feeling for as long as she could.

"Oh, please. I don't think I've ever seen you blush, and I've known you for what feels like forever. You know you look good, and I bet your effort is greatly appreciated by everyone who sees you. You really good look great, Asher. I mean it. And I'm glad you're here." Asher was like a little brother to her, and she was always happy when he was around. He always had this energy about him that just made things feel lighter, and that was something that she had always appreciated.

"This is my Cinderella moment. When the clock strikes midnight, I'll be home in sweats, makeup smudged beyond recognition, eating a pint of ice cream in bed." She laughed, shaking her head. "But, of course I'll save you a dance."

[denkamis]

sk8 characters as cheesy valentine’s day tropes.

masterlist. | valentine’s day event masterlist.

warnings: none! i swear like once but like what’s new. just some pretty fluffy scenarios. reader is gn!

characters: reki kyan, langa hasegawa

notes: dedicated to @babykirishima ,, for being so sweet and hilarious to talk to, as well as one of the best sk8 headcanon-ers i’ve read. we love and support talent in this household, i can’t wait to become closer with you. thank you. <33

reki kyan

slow dancing together in the living room

you two had gotten home from going to the skate park for valentine’s day

the long ass 7 hour date just does not end between the two of you

at first you guys were dancing along to old alternative rock, then indie, then disney songs like the crazy fools you are

then suddenly “this is love” from cinderella came on

and suddenly prINCE REKI MODE ACTIVATE

fuck i love him so much he deserves so much and he’s lucky that he has you to give him the world

reki kyan was quite the hopeless romantic. when he had met you, he had the click as he called it. he knew that you were a person that he would hold onto for a very long time. the first time your eyes had met at s, he just knew. now on your three year anniversary (yes, reki had asked you out on valentine’s day like an absolute dork), you two were reenacting the iconic duet between princess jasmine and aladdin with varying degrees of talent being shown. you were shouting the lyrics, standing atop the couch in your shared living room as you sang aladdin’s part. reki, who was a rather talented singer, hit the high notes with ease.

he completed your duet as you jumped right into his arms rather dramatically. he spun you around in his arms, his contagious laughter filling your ears. “you’re too good at singing!” he encouraged in his usual sunny tone, peppering your face with sloppy, wet kisses. “reki!” you squealed, finally being set down by your goof of a boyfriend, but not before he poked your tummy and causing you to giggle at the tickles he was teasing you with.

he was just about to pinch your cheeks until the soft melody of “this is love” began to play from the bluetooth speaker the two of you had set up for your little dance party. it seemed that there had been a switch flipped inside of reki, his head tilting down to meet your timid gaze. one of his hands trailed down to your waist, his other taking yours and lifting it up into an elegant hold.

you’re speechless, not having expected such grace from the goofy man that held your heart. reki rests his forehead against yours, humming along to the music that floated the two of you around the room. you followed his lead, amazed that he could even dance like this. he slowed down for you, the world seemingly stopping as the two of you danced. it felt so utterly transparent between the two of you, his honey coloured eyes never leaving yours for a second. you felt warm all over, his hand squeezing yours reassuringly as he gave you a gentle smile. you couldn’t imagine yourself being anywhere else, dancing in the middle of your living room without a thought on anything besides each other.

langa hasegawa

a quiet night in with a movie

langa usually says yes to whatever you want to do with him when it comes to dates

he’s a very chill boyfriend, opting to go with the flow of things

that doesn’t mean he isn’t as passionate as reki is about you, however

whenever he spends time with you, he feels his heartstrings being played like you know them by the back of your hand

he’s just a little more subtle about it, like during nights in with a movie

langa held you in his arms while you were snuggled beneath the fuzzy blanket he had gifted you for valentine’s day. the two of you had decided on some type of comedy as your movie genre of choice for valentine’s day. oddly enough, you were invested in its plot. langa, conversely, was not watching the movie at all. he was watching you instead.

his sapphire eyes kept drifting from the television screen to you curled up comfortably in his arms. his chest felt like it was being squeezed, small tingles beginning to make themselves known at the tips of his fingers. he only got such feelings while skating against challenging opponents in s, but with you everything felt different. it felt so warm, so inviting, so right.

his hands moved on their own, his thumb rubbing the exposed skin of your side from how your shirt lifted slightly. he didn’t mean anything suggestive, it was more of a way to ease you into him, comforting you and allowing you to feel safe within his hold. he rested his chin upon your shoulder, cheek resting against the nape of your neck. his actions made you chuckle, your hand moving up to brush your fingers through his cool blue hair. “what are you doing, huh?” you asked him, turning your head only to see that he was staring at you with such intensity. blush coated your cheeks at his expression. you smiled at him, “you’re doing the thing, langa.”

“what thing?” he asked in a confused manner. he had no clue that what he was doing was creating hoards of butterflies in your tummy. you snickered at his aloofness, opting to press a kiss to his lips instead. he kissed you slowly, following your lead as you pulled him closer to you. “i love you, y’know that?” you hummed, moving even closer to him and letting your head rest against his chest.

a smile made itself known on langa’s features, pride and satisfaction evident from the way he did. “i love you too,” he responded, pulling the blanket up higher to your shoulders. it didn’t matter what you two did together. you were so comfortable with him, you could stay in his arms for hours on end. langa would happily hold you, letting you lead him to fall even deeper for you than he already had.

all works © denkamis 2021.

tags:

@meilbox

want to be on the taglist? see this post!

[undercoveravenger]

Glass Ceilings

Pairing: Actor!Hamish Duke x Male!Reader

Requested: Yes

Original Request: “Hi for the fairy tale au could you do a Cinderella kinda story where he has a bad family but then against their wishes he goes to a party and meets the famous actor and singer hamish duke and they fall for each other”

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

Hamish Duke hated parties.

Well, that wasn’t really true; he didn’t hate all parties, just the galas his mother threw to raise money for one charity or another. Hamish really didn’t mind that the parties benefitted charities, but he didn’t like the way that the wealthy people who attended them used them as an excuse to show off just how much better than everyone else they thought they were.

He would avoid them if he could, but with his newly-found fame brought on by a lucky break in the entertainment industry, his mother had started dragging him along to all of her over-the-top events since she thought that her son’s fame would drive up attendance.

Of course, she had been right about that, but that also meant that Hamish spent the duration of each of the grand balls hosted in his family’s manor being mobbed by people that were far too old and had been married far too long for him to feel comfortable dancing with them.

It was one such night and Hamish had only narrowly escaped the clutches of Mrs. Smith, a wizened old woman with beady green eyes who always dug her overly-manicured nails into his shoulder when he danced with her the way an alley cat might sink its claws into a mouse, when he ran directly into one of the servers. The waiter’s tray tipped at the sudden impact, spilling champagne over them both.

(E/c) eyes widened almost comically behind the uniform black mask that all of the staff were wearing as he realized what he’d done. “I’m so sorry,” the waiter exclaimed, seeming torn between trying to wipe the champagne away with the decorative towel slung over his arm and being too nervous about ruining Hamish’s suit further to try. “Are you alright?”

Hamish chuckled, the first genuine laugh that had escaped him all night. He was nearly as surprised by the sound as the (h/c) that had accidentally assaulted him. “I’m fine. I’m tougher than I look,” he teased.

“Well,” The (h/c) started, “That’s good to hea-”

He was interrupted by the sound of an older woman shrieking, calling out loudly for someone to help her in the kitchen.

The server winced, panic flooding his otherwise beautiful (e/c) eyes, and Hamish felt the sudden urge to intervene. He peered over the crowd in an effort to track down the disgruntled woman before he reached out, taking the stranger’s wrist in his hand and gently tugging him along behind him until they’d made it out of the ballroom.

“Where are we going?” Hamish’s new companion asked, clearly confused. “I should really be getting back to work before my manager has a conniption.”

“Your manager, huh? Was that the lady that was yelling for you?” Hamish asked, curious what could possibly make someone work for someone who seemed so mean. “Why do you put up with her?”

The stranger nodded slowly, like he was afraid he’d give too much away. “I don’t really have a choice.”

“Really? Surely there’s better options out there,” Hamish protested, thinking back to the way the woman’s face had flushed red as she bellowed at her employees before the event had started.

He shrugged, tugging awkwardly at the sleeves of his jacket as he tried to focus on anything but the conversation. “She’s also my mother.”

Hamish stopped in his tracks, stunned. He turned to look at the former server with wide eyes, “Your mother…? How is someone as nice as you related to someone like that?!”

His companion huffed a light laugh and Hamish felt pleased that he’d been able to brighten his mood, “Well, technically she’s my step-mother, but she’s all I’ve got left and I can’t really pay for college without a job so…” He shrugged again, brows furrowing as a thought hit him, “Hey, you never said where we’re going?”

The blond grinned, tugging a fraying tapestry out of the way to reveal a hidden hallway. “Do you trust me?”

“I don’t even know your name,” he retorted, crossing his arms over his chest protectively.

“Well, that’s easy enough to fix,” Hamish grinned. “My name’s Hamish Duke. What’s yours?”

“(M/N),” he answered reflexively, eyes widening as he recognized the name. “Wait, Hamish Duke? Like the actor? Like the son of the lady hosting the party?”

Hamish laughed, nodding. “Yes, just like that.”

“I’m dead.” (M/N) said resolutely. “I’m dead because my mom’s going to kill me when she realizes that I spilled champagne all over one of the most famous people in the state.”

The blond rolled his eyes, cocking his head toward the tunnel again, “You coming with me or are you on your way to the graveyard?”

“Very funny,” he started, cutting himself off as his step-mother’s voice echoed down the hallway. “I’m right behind you.” Hamish grinned, taking (M/N)’s hand in his and tugging him along the hidden path behind him.

--------

Moments passed in almost complete darkness and companionable silence as Hamish led you through the twists and turns of the hidden tunnel, until finally the two of you emerged out into a dimly lit room with the furniture pushed back and out of the way, leaving the center of the room bare.

“What is this place?” You asked quietly as Hamish released your hand and made his way to the center of the room.

He hummed his acknowledgement softly as he started to unbutton his suit jacket, tossing the wet garment aside and sprawling out on his back to look up at the ceiling. “Come join me?” he asked quietly.

You followed his gaze upward, breath catching in your throat as you realized what this room was meant to be. Instead of finding an ordinary ceiling the way any other room might have, the ceiling here towered above you in an arching dome made out of crystal clear glass, allowing the two of you a flawless view of the stars.

“Wow,” you breathed, edging forward to lay down beside him. “This is incredible.” “Yeah.” Hamish agreed, “Breathtaking.” You couldn’t bring yourself to check, but the weight of his gaze had you suspecting that he wasn’t talking about the stars. He remained quiet for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh and beginning to speak, “I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. When my problems always felt so big and it seemed like that was all there was, I’d sneak up here and look up at the sky and it would remind me that there’s more to life than the moments you feel trapped.”

You hummed softly as you pondered his words. “It’s hard to imagine that someone like you could ever feel trapped,” you mused.

Hamish laughed, tipping his head toward you so he could look at you, “I wasn’t always an actor. I am a law-school dropout, y’know?”

Your brows furrowed incredulously as you turned to meet his eyes, “Really?”

Hamish nodded solemnly, ocean blue eyes glimmering in amusement, “Oh, definitely. I spent a lot of time up here after my father found out about that decision.”

You hesitated as you realized just how personal this observatory was to him, eventually forcing yourself to ask the question that had been weighing on you, “Why did you bring me here?”

“I’m not sure,” he said after a moment of thought. “Does it sound crazy if I say that it felt like I was meant to know you?”

You shook your head, turning back to face the glimmering stars. “No. I think things are meant to happen for a reason.” You huffed when your phone chimed in your pocket, wincing when you noticed your step-mom’s name as the contact before reading the text. “I have to go; the party’s ended and the staff has to leave. I’ll be lucky if I’m not fired when I get home.”

“Everything happens for a reason, huh?” Hamish murmured under his breath, eyes fixing on you determinedly as you pushed yourself back to your feet. “Hey, you said you only work for her to pay for college, right? What if I offered you a better job?”

Your brows furrowed as you turned back to look at Hamish, “What are you talking about?”

“Your stepmother? You only let her treat you like that because you need the money?” Hamish prompted, getting to his feet and moving to stand before you, “What if I make you a better offer?”

You smile but shake your head, getting ready to refute his questions.

Hamish pressed on, interrupting your line of thought, “I’ll give you ten thousand dollars if you agree to go on a date with me.”

Your heart stopped in your chest as you struggled to comprehend what Hamish had just told you, “Hamish, no. I can’t accept that-”

“Please,” he said, taking your hand gently in his. “You deserve so much better; give me a chance to give you that.”

As the clock began to chime midnight and the stars glimmered merrily through the shining glass ceiling, you leaned forward to kiss Hamish, resolving to yourself that, even though you weren’t going to take the money from him, this would not be the last time you saw him.

[mcustorm]

YouTube offers some movies to watch for free, and so I put on 2004′s A Cinderella Story to kill some time. 

It was very cheesy. But also nostalgic. This particular brand of teen movie, you know the ones that Hillary Duff and Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes had a reign over in the 2000′s, I see people often say that they miss movies like this, “[teen] movies just don’t hit like they used to” or something to that effect.

And that’s great and all. They are nostalgic as I said. But these movies, stretching back to even the great teen movies of the 80′s, almost unilaterally centers a white person and their experience. Black people are either a 2D villain, sidekicks, or background characters.

                                     Some of us got too comfy in the role.

In A Cinderella Story, Oscar/Emmy winner Regina King plays a woman who by her own admission works in a shit diner for ~10 years just so that she can “look after” Hillary Duff. She has all the platitudes of the magical negro: caring, supportive, wise, has her life (and her story) all figured out, seemingly has no purpose but to help out the [white] protagonist. She literally is the movie’s Fairy Godmother...how’s that for magical huh. The only other black character in the movie is a nameless sidekick in the inevitable “mean girl trio”.

/* An aside for my comic book fans. This is why ultimately Evolution as a concept doesn’t work for me, because Storm was never intended by Claremont to be a grown woman with her life figured out chasing around all these white children. In fact, part of her whole arc is her rejecting that status. Dammit...Storm just wants to go to the dance. */

When we look back on these movies, yes it’s fine to feel nostalgia, but we should also acknowledge the genre’s missteps, the most glaring of which [to me] is that only straight, cisgender white people’s stories are being told. 

So when Marsai Martin says that there is to be no black trauma in her productions, I fully agree. And that doesn’t mean I just wanna see “good” black horror as opposed to the nightmarish Them, that doesn’t just mean we want compelling black dramas either. I also mean that we want to go to the dance.

I would love to see a wacky teen romcom with a black guy just trying to get a black girl to like him. Because off the top of my head, I can think of maybe one and I didn’t like it soooooo...

And we can talk about the gays too, because someone in Hollywood must have noticed all the straight and white movies that were going on and said “We have to fix this!”

We did it...we fixed oppression. Now white gays can tell their stories too! And they can be in those cute Hallmark Christmas movies now! Oh and Freeform gave them a nice little romcom last year too! Equality!?!

So the media has generally decided that now white gays get to go the dance too, which on the one hand good for them, but on the other hand is yet another example of how at the end of the day even they benefit from this fucked up society of ours.

Black gays want to go the dance too. Now I would really like to see that movie, because off the top of my head it literally does not exist. If it exists please PM me that recommendation...but it literally does not exist. We don’t have to let Moonlight be the end all be all of black gay movies.

People of all races, fat people, disabled people, transgender people, we all want to go the dance, and teens of all varieties deserve to see themselves in these movies. At the dance in any given teen movie, there’s a room full of different looking people from different backgrounds and cliques. They ALL have a story, and they ALL deserve to be told, even if it’s fiction.

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Event! SP Granny’s Tailor Shop: A Giantess can Fall in Love too! Chapter 2: Inside Secrets (黑幕重重) Translation

“Gao Ran opened her heart to me, telling me about the show’s true colours. In order to put Xin Xian on a pedestal, the director had regarded all the other contestants as nothing more but pawns to increase the show’s ratings.”

*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join my Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Event story tag will be #For Light and Memories

I made two cups of hot chocolate to ease the tension in the air. I placed a steaming cup of it before here.

MC: It's made of pure cocoa. I made it not too hot. Is it okay?

Gao Ran: Don't worry. Even I feel like taking in something sweet once in a while.

Gao Ran: I have a friend who likes hot chocolate a lot, just like her skin tone.

MC: Are you talking about Luo Luo?

Gao Ran: Yeah.

Gao Ran: ...She dropped out of the competition.

She stirred the brown liquid within her cup again. The steam that wafted from it tinged with a hint of bitterness.

Gao Ran: I’d thought that as long as I did my best and upheld what rang true for myself, I wouldn’t be hurt by their little tricks and ploys.

Gao Ran: But I was too wrapped up in myself, and I never thought that it would implicate my friends as well…

MC: That’s not your fault at all.

MC: Wait, are you saying that it’s because of you that she…

Gao Ran: You've seen the news, haven't you?

MC: Yeah…

The overwhelming gossip everywhere on social media all pointed fingers at Luo Luo’s apparent selfishness for forcing her mom, old and frail, to sell her blood for money to fund her own selfish desires.

MC: You can tell me about it if you want to.

MC: You can tell me anything; just treat me as a background board.

❖☆———————————★❖    

I didn’t know how to comfort her, so all I could do was sit down and quietly listen to her.

Her voice was hoarse as if she was suppressing her raging turmoil of emotions from within.

❖☆———————————★❖    

Gao Ran: Now that the competition has come this far, it’s no longer just a competition to compete.

Gao Ran: Luo Luo often told me that it was very nice that she got to know me. Actually, I should be the one saying that. I was lucky to get to know her too.

Gao Ran: And that’s how we became regarded by the director as the disobedient duo. They can’t touch me, so they went after her instead...

Gao Ran: He recorded what Luo Luo said using a pinhole camera, then edited it to smear her personality and character.

Gao Ran: Thus, in their eyes, she was nothing more than a pawn to increase the show’s rating.

Her eyes were slightly red as she drank a mouthful of hot chocolate before continuing.

Gao Ran: In order to put Xin Xian on a pedestal, the program team found countless reasons to cut the props and equipment I was able to utilize on my end, using all the funds to help build her stage.

Gao Ran: She’s just like the princess in fairytales, decked with the best outfit and armed with the best props.

Gao Ran: I don’t know what else I can use to compete with her… And I even talked bigger than I could achieve by saying that I’d help Luo Luo get the justice she deserved.

Gao Ran’s eyelashes slightly trembled, the last of her words sounding choked and forced. After a long silence, I finally answered her.

MC: Jade cannot burn by fire. Everything is not over; not until the very end.

MC: Rather than worrying about every this and that, why don’t we look at the important things lying before us?

I looked at her seriously as my fingers covered the back of her cold hand, hoping that it’d help ease some of the tension she felt.

MC: Has this director already set everything into stone?

Gao Ran: Yeah. We have to perform a stage play. And the catwalk will be integrated into the story itself.

Gao Ran: And… They’ve already confirmed the starring guest actor on Xin Xian’s end… It’s none other than the Hollywood star, Devid…

MC: Looks like they're really pulling out all stops… But, don't forget that even Cinderella only came to be with the help of magic.

Gao Ran raised her head, sniffling. Her nose was red, and she looked especially fragile

MC: A designer I really like once said that clothes only have meaning when they're being worn.

MC: The moment you don an outfit to play a certain role, then the clothes themselves have long since surpassed their original value.

MC: That's why the best stage doesn't need to be grand or luxurious, so long as it is meaningful to you.

MC: Do you have a stage like that in your heart?

Gao Ran furrowed her brows together, seemingly trying her hardest to retrieve something from her memories. However, the crease between her brows soon eased almost immediately after.

Gao Ran: ...The Fengshan Grand Ceremony.

MC: Huh?

Gao Ran: It's a folk performance that's trending in Mount. T, telling of an ancient emperor's sacrifices to the world.

Gao Ran: I saw it once as a kid. I didn't know why, but I still felt moved despite not being able to understand it.

Gao Ran: But it's something so traditional and not as well known… Can it be brought to life on a catwalk?

MC: Definitely. As long as you want it to.

MC: Besides, you do have an omnipotent and brilliant magician by your side, don't you?

Gao Ran looked at me, swallowing before her long-lost smile finally returned to her face.

❖☆————— ⊹ A Giantess can Fall in Love too! ⊹ —————★❖

⊹ Previous Part: (Chapter 1: Accidental Meeting) ⊹ Next Part: (Chapter 3: In the Depths of Memory)