#the shows a mess but the girlies. the whole girls 4 girls thing made up for it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hyperfixated-fan · 1 year ago

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Here is some of those wonderfully nostalgic girly-girl shows in vague order in which I watched/discovered them that no one asked for but I’m giving to you anyways.

1. First up, we’ve got the Horseland

Back in the day, I was a major horse girl (a part of me still is), but this show was so awesome and adorable. It’s just a bunch of gals riding their horses and hanging out at the barn. And their horses and other animals talk amongst themselves. It is all an animal lover like me could want. It’s just so cute and gives sweet life lessons. And occasionally, I found it interesting that they do touch upon some serious topics such as eating disorders and loss. The episode “Mosey” always makes me cry. All the episodes are on YouTube.

Overall, I have to say my favorite character is Alma Rodriguez.

2. LEGO Friends

The first generation of LEGO Friends is nostalgic, but I also seriously love the LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission. It’s just a bunch of teenage girls getting up to shenanigans and being besties (Oddly, though they are high school age, we barely see them in school XD). I particularly enjoy Girls on a Mission (the episodes are on YouTube) because the episodes were so well put together and it fleshes out each girl a bit more uniquely. It’s a genuinely fun show though I generally am partial to LEGO shows. I am personally not a fan of latest generation of LEGO Friends. I’ve watched a few episodes and it’s just blegh. It might be the nostalgia talking but I just can’t get into it.

My fave character has always been Emma (she’s so adorable) and my fave ship is Emma x Ethan in the Girls on a Mission iteration.

3. Barbie Movies

Not sure if all the movies are pictured above, but there’s a good portion of them. I admit, I haven’t seen all of the Barbie movies (especially the good old classics mainly due to animation that did not age well so sorry) and did not really become a fan until later than most little girls. However, I still find the movies to be very enjoyable and cute. I think a lot of my affinity comes from many familiar Canadian voice actors being in most of the movies and I find it fun trying to pick out familiar voices.

A few of my personal favorite movies are “Princess Charm School” (it’s the first Barbie movie I ever watched with one of my best friends), “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” (so many voices and characters to listen to and try and remember), and “Mariposa” (I am rather partial to the voice of Chiara Zanni and loved her playing Barbie).

4. Ever After High

It is so sad that Ever After High ended after Epic Winter. I really wish we got to see more. I loved the imaginative twist on fairytale characters and the whole “facing your destiny” storyline. The princesses, knights, dragons, and wonderland were all great components as a lover of fantasy. Disney Descendants ain’t got nothing on Ever After. It was a very creative show and it was interesting to see all the characters that would pop up.

A few of my favorite characters are Rosabella Beauty, Ginger Breadhouse, and Lizzie Hearts. Call me basic but I really do like the ship Darabella (obviously the execution of it could’ve been better but I still like it.)

5. Miraculous Ladybug

Simply put, this show is a mess. Miraculous Ladybug barely made the list only because I have fond memories of it. I’m not caught up on any recent events and admittedly quit watching it after season 3 or 4 (I don’t exactly remember). The show had potential and many amazing fanworks, but after a while, the episodes just get repetitive. I still like the earlier seasons before things got too messy. As a lover of side characters, I also wish they fleshed out the side characters a bit more instead of keeping on creating more and more side characters. I still occasionally pop in to see what is going on and apparently Nathalie is dead?! Idk what’s going on and I love looking at spoilers with no context because it makes the show all the more funny.

My fave character list includes Alya Césaire, Nathalie Sancoeur, and Juleka Couffaine and I’m partial to the ship DJWifi.

6. Monster High

Since I was a fan of Ever After High, it was only inevitable that I would eventually become a fan of Monster High. It took a while but I eventually did fall in love with the show. And I fell hard. All the characters are so unique and while I absolutely love all the generation 1 content, I do not completely hate the g3 series. I loved the message of standing out yet belonging at Monster High, freaky flaws and all. The animation is very dated yet endearingly nostalgic at the same time. I love all the different twists on various monster creatures.

My favorite characters list gets pretty extensive, as I love g1 and g3 Abbey Bominable (I always love an ice queen), along with g1/g3 Cleo De Nile (bc she’s your typical mean girl/diva but truly cares for her friends), Robecca Steam (her steampunk aesthetic and little accent are adorable), Deuce Gorgon (a kind yet popular jockish character is rare), Jinafire Long (Chinese dragon is always a win), and Rochelle Goyle (she’s just neat).

Fave ships = Cleuce (CleoxDeuce) and AbbeyxHeath. I just love them okay!

7. Lolirock

I believe I discovered this show coming off of Storm Hawks and Steven Universe so the crystal motif and everything was already an intriguing concept for me (plus familiar Canadian voice actors drew me in). I just love the trio of girls trying to “secretly” protect earth with sparkles and spells while putting up the front of being a girl band (the songs are very catchy by the way if you can get past an ungodly amount of auto tune). The episodes gave me vibes similar to Miraculous Ladybug but somewhat better with less convoluted characters. Overall, it’s a very bright energetic show and I wish they would’ve delved into the backstories of the other princesses a bit more instead of focusing on Iris all the time. Here’s to hoping they eventually do come out with season 3. All the current episodes are on YouTube.

My favorite characters are the sisters Izira and Talia. They have so much power and the show needs to actually do them justice.

8. Mysticons

This one is definitely lesser known than most on this list. I found it shortly after LoliRock since it has similar features and characters. It’s a very simple show with simple characters but I am fond of it still (and I’m pretty sure it made me cry at one point. I don’t remember when but I remember something about it made me emotional). The fantasy magic of the world was definitely a big win for me. I think the creators did a decent job at world building. It’s your typical prophesied heroes must save the world from certain destruction but I found the show overall enjoyable and cute with a nice dose of found family thrown in.

My top favorite characters are Zarya Moonwolf and Emerald Goldenbraid.

9. DC Super Hero Girls

I started out as a G1 fan when it was still coming out and became a fan of the reboot as well. It was interesting to all these wonderful kickbutt superheroes placed in a high school -esque setting. The original series was very average with their shorts but it was such fun to see what characters would pop up to help (I even will tolerate and enjoy the LEGO specials). The reboot had better design and animation. I am sad it didn’t get a chance to run longer. My only qualm was that some characters had such a drastic change from their backstory and original character development that it moved from being whimsical and imaginative to simply keeping the name and having an entirely different character. *cough* Jessica *cough* They don’t get that she was such a powerful Green Lantern because she was bold but because most of the time she was scared out of mind due to her past trauma but still acted and pushed through the fear to save people.

Rant aside, my fave character is Jessica Cruz despite the reboot overhauling her character and erasing her backstory.

10. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Not necessarily my favorite glittery girly series I’ve watched but definitely an enjoyable series. True to my usual form, I unfortunately did not end up caring for most of the main plot and characters. However, the idea of this show was fun nonetheless and it had its nice moments, so I’m glad it got a decent number of seasons. The magic, weaponry, and elemental powers drew me to this show. I wish they delved a bit deeper into the true effects and trauma that fighting a war would have on all of the characters as they are leaders of their respective kingdoms.

My favorite characters include Entrapta (little nerdy characters are almost always a win for me), Mermista (Vella Lovell was perfect for voicing her and her character design is nice), Netossa (another awesome blue character; if anyone’s seen Six: The Musical, does she vaguely remind you of Catherine Parr?)

Bonus: Rainbow High

An interesting premise though it ultimately falls flat for me because I am not a fashion-oriented person in the slightest. However, I still like the show and all the drama that comes with it. I just overall find it hilarious to watch the squabbles that happen because everyone is just so high strung. (Why do all the guy characters literally look the exact same with that same stupid little hairstyle?) XD

Fave characters are Ainsley Slater and Jade Hunter.

Bonus: God’s School

Greek mythology! Need I say more? This is such an imaginative show. It is even more amazing considering one guy does all the animation. The webisodes that are out are great and I definitely recommend watching them on YouTube. Zeus looks like Disney Hercules and I find that hilarious. All the character designs for the gods are so awesome and I love the details that help indicate who they are. Ignore the fact that over half of them are related in some form or another and everything is fine.

Fave definitely has to be Athena! (…bad*** in the arena. Unmatched witty and queen of the best strategies we’ve seen.)

Bonus: Tinkerbell

These are just cute adventures. I wish the series could’ve continued so we could’ve gotten movies highlighting each of the fairies.

My fave is Silvermist.

Bonus: Steven Universe

I personally enjoyed this show and know it had a large fan base so I don’t get why so many people are going back and hating on it so fervently. It’s a flawed show like any but it still has it fine points and I have a soft spot for it. I heavily debated on whether this qualified for a magical girl show but I think it does. It’s nice seeing Steven grow alongside the gems and it’s a good show to put on in the background.

My favorites have to be Garnet and Sapphire.

Honorable mentions that I never fully watched but seem nice:

My Little Pony - I’m disappointed in myself for never getting into this show because it has all the right points for me to like it, including great Canadian voice actors and magic and ponies. I have watched some episodes and enjoyed them but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sit through and binge the entire show.

LEGO Elves - watched some but I never got truly immersed.

Totally Spies! - never really gave it a go but it seems okay.

Winx Club - I tried to like it but the characters just didn’t hit for me.

W.I.T.C.H. - watched the first few episodes but nothing made me want to continue.

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caitlynmeow · 11 months ago

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Since you did Bela, can you do the the two remaining sisters for your prompt ?

Give me a character and I will answer:

Why I like them:

Daniela is the baby of the family and it shows because she's such a brat who doesn't listen to anything or anyone she has no problems arguing with Bela right in front of their mother because she knows that Alcina is not going to say anything about it. She's also different from her sisters and I think this is really what gives her that distinctive personality and you can't just not love that, you know? Like, the girls are vicious hunters and Daniela especially has little impulse control (slashing that maid's face with a knife just because) but she's actually more tame and the weakest hunter out of the three. She has her own hobbies, she'd much rather be reading or looking after her flowers (she takes that very seriously) than go out and hunt. It made her weaker, which is why Alcina locked her up in the library to protect her because while she dotes on her youngest, she knows when things are about to get serious and that's when mama gets all protective. Cassandra- I love how fucking dramatic she is???? Waving that handkerchief is what did it for me I just knew this one is different and I was right. She's a brat, but unlike Daniela she doesn't keep to herself. Bela is appalled by the mess Cassandra caused in the cellars because this is just her brand. Chasing Ethan around going all "rawr" and literally just messing with him? Pure gold. I also live how her dramatic ass makes her flies scream when her mother is nearby just so that Alcina can make an entrance. You can easily tell she's a handful and the fact that their mother chose her to team up with tells you a lot. Alcina literally just lets her play and have fun, but she gets all serious and scolds her when it's needed. Idk but honestly Cassandra is the one who's closest to Alcina and she lives for the drama.

Why I don’t:

Doesn't apply. They're adorable cinnamon rolls who did nothing wrong their whole lives.

Favorite episode (scene if movie):

I loved Daniela arguing with Bela the most because yes this is obviously the baby and she's not afraid to run her mouth.

My favorite is how excited Cassandra gets when her mother is around like girlie is just beaming and literally just bouncing in excitement???? So precious.

Favorite season/movie:

Long live Castle Dimitrescu.

Favorite line:

Daniela: "Ugh! Ow, so mean!" Cassandra: "Look forward to what mother has in store for you."

Favorite outfit:

I think Daniela would rock any crop top. Cassandra in any type of skinny jeans is just too hot for us mortals to handle.

Head Canon

Daniela:

1- She loves her sisters!! She argues with them a lot, and she always feels like they don't take her seriously but she cannot imagine living without them. 2- Despite her personality, she actually doesn't like anything related to horror and gets scared easily. 3- She has an innocent mindset. She doesn't always assume the worst about people, often taking their word at face value which can end her in bad situations because she does fall for these things (its also because she's eager to help) 4- She admires her mother greatly, hoping that one day she can grow up and be just as pretty. 5- She loves pranks and practical jokes! She pulls them on anybody, doesn't matter if its a family member or a staff member. Bored Daniela is going to have her fun one way or another.

Cassandra:

1- She loves souvenirs! Like whether in game or any AU, she's the one who just loves to have a reminder. In the game she literally says that, and she often keeps hair and nails of her victims because hey why not, you know? I think she'd be the same in modern AU like any place they visit Cass is the one raiding these souvenir shops buying heaps of things she doesn't really need. 2- Cassandra is sensitive! And ironically, she's the one who is more guarded (esp with her feelings) so it's not easy to tell. But those who really know her know exactly her fragile her emotions are. 3- She is possessive. What's hers is hers and girlie doesn't like to share anything. 4- She gives off left-handed energy so I will confidently say that she's left handed. 5- She is a big introvert!! She prefers keeping to herself and recharging her social battery at home as opposed to being out all the time. Despite her wild chaotic energy, Cassandra needs her quiet time to find her balance again.

Unpopular opinion:

Daniela actually has more self preservation instincts than her sisters. She's the only sister who runs into hiding when the window is open because she knows she can't fight like that. So she does the right thing (unlike her sisters who just charge in not caring that they're freezing to death) So I really think she's the more sensible one who actually thinks before acting. Cassandra: She-- How do I say this, she enjoys being part of a family? With her especially, she's never alone. Alcina is literally with her, and she talks about calling Bela and she even call out to her sisters. I think this goes back to her being more sensitive which means she's more emotional than the others and really holds her family dear. She's always talking about them and being with them. She literally was never alone during the castle section like Alcina knows which daughter constantly needs her presence and we can all see that. It's just that Cassandra is actually a huge family person but she's good at hiding so only her mom and sisters know about it.

A wish:

;w; can we pls get a dlc with their lives in the castle before Ethan happened.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:

Nope, been there done that. They still live in my heart though. Canon? I don't know her.

5 words to best describe them:

Daniela: funny - smart - resourceful - spoiled - quick to anger Cassandra: drama queen - sentimental - hunter - sassy - mama's girl

My nickname for them:

Daniela: Dani- baby Cassandra: Cass - Cassie

#thank you for sending this one in!!#i love talking about these girls lol #meme #house dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #re8 #headcanon #alcina dimitrescu #resident evil village #resident evil 8

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armandjolras · 5 months ago

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random opinions on queen charlotte: a bridgerton story (long)

I thought it was ok! I loved the characters and relationships, but not so much the writing and pacing and some storylines.

what I liked:

The younger actors were amazing, they captured the mannerisms and characterisations of the older versions really well

The costumes were beautiful, I think the show’s costume style works much better for 18th century clothes than early 19th century, because they have more structure which makes the modern fabrics look less cheap

probably because I’m not a romance girlie I much preferred the relationships and characters in this to the main show. i don’t love the romance formula and this show didn’t follow it

I loved Brimsley/Reynolds, so great to see gay rep and I especially love the trope of dutiful gay valets. Each of them had such a nice relationship with their royal despite having to maintain distance

really sensitive portrayal of mental illness was lovely to see

what I didn’t like:

The dialogue had this annoying style where the characters kept repeating what the other person just said (I assume this is a Shonda quirk but I haven’t seen anything else she wrote).

The episode 4 flashback was way too repetitive which bogged down the emotions. Also the start and end of the flashback made it unclear whether Reynolds was just remembering or whether he was telling Charlotte things that happened

the 1817 plotline was honestly so bad lol it felt incredibly contrived. No way the queen would ask violet for advice marrying her children off when arranged marriage is the default for royals. I assume Penelope was in the country with her family so how is she reporting on every specific thing the queen does. Violet’s ONLY arc was being horny which is admittedly very funny. And Lady Danbury was just hovering around. And then the conflict about Lord Ledger…

… which i disliked as a plotline. Showing a middle aged white man, who is married to a racist white woman and disagrees but never calls out her racism, sneak off to have sex on the side with a young Black woman feels icky to me. Like some sort of racist cheating fetish

Instead of Agatha/ledger, they should have developed Agatha’s relationship with Charlotte. They’re good friends in 1817 so I would like to see how that happened, maybe Charlotte telling her about George’s illness and Agatha supporting her. It felt like they didn’t know what to do with Agatha in the second half. At the very least, develop her relationship with Charlotte’s brother so it feels higher stakes when she chooses singledom over marriage

the scene where Agatha cries to Augusta was so weird that i thought maybe she was fake crying for manipulation. And then the racist white lady teaches her how to be strong? Ooookay

i have such issues with young violet’s character. She’s supposed to be nearly out, but she acts like she’s about ten, and her existence messes up the timeline — Violet would have been a baby when this show took place. I assume her only purpose was to show she’s not racist and for her to notice her father’s relationship with Agatha. Why not make her a five year old? It fits the way she acts, and then she would have a hazy memory of meeting Agatha as a child and put the pieces together

I can’t believe there’s a whole plot of these two girl best friends talking about how horny they are and yet they don’t help each other out with that 🙄 /j

This may be controversial but I was kind of uncomfortable with the portrayal of Lord Danbury 💀 The styling (old-age makeup that was so matte it looked painted on, and unkempt appearance) and characterisation (pompous and jolly and stupid) reminded me a lot of racist caricatures. I don’t know what the intention here was but it was a miss imo (I found two other people saying this on Reddit so it’s not just me)

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inkandpen22 · 3 years ago

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Permanent Chaos (4/?)

Pairing: MGK x Female!Reader

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: mild swearing, mentions of underage drinking

Part Summary: Sam hosts a party and Y/N makes a not-so-great acquaintance of a certain rock star.

Masterlist

Sam’s house is filled with people. I know the majority of the partiers, the rest I can recognize from whatever field of entertainment they’re in. The music is blasting over the speakers and the voices fill the remaining space.

I search around for him. I manage to find him in the family room on the couch. He’s chatting with a group of people, including Penelope. I make my way over, shuffling between bodies. When I appear out from within the crowd, Sam gleams.

“You made it!”

“I did!” I giggle.

We hug and he introduces me to the girl beside him. “Y/N, this is Cara.”

As if I don't know who Cara Delevigne is, I may be busy but I don't live on Mars. I smile at her kindly. “Nice to meet you!”

“You too! I’m a huge fan of your work on TSL!” She gushes, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

The Seasons of Life is often shortened to TSL, just a side note.

Cara’s accent is so pretty! She’s already a model then she has to have a British accent as if she wasn’t perfect enough!

“Aw, thank you so much!”

Sam slips by me. “I’m going to go get us a drink!”

"Oh wait, Sam!"

“I know what to do!” He shouts back without stopping. I should know better. With how much time we spend together, he would know my order.

“That kid,” I sigh to Penelope and Cara.

The two giggle and we go on to talk about this and that. Fun enough, Cara leaves for Paris tomorrow for a fashion show. Must be exciting to travel so often and to wear the most amazing clothes. She’s quite funny. Her personality is so vibrant and warm. I can see us being good friends.

A loud voice echoes through the house and the three of us look toward the archway to see who it’s coming from. Bodies block the view so I turn my attention back to the girls. Penelope and I discuss the photoshoot in two days and Cara talks about her experiences with Vanity Fair.

“Hey, Cara!” A voice greets behind me.

I don't turn around, but I can feel their energy hovering over me. They shuffle to stand right beside me. I glance up, but can't recognize them.

Cara stands up to hug them. “Good to see you! How are you?” She keeps him in an embrace.

“Great, great!” The guy, who’s back is to me for some reason seems familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

“You know Sam?” She questions as they part.

“Not really, I came with a few friends.”

I look over at Penelope for a hint as to who it could be. She shrugs and watches the two interact.

“Speaking of, have you seen him? I should say hi.” The man asks.

“He went to the kitchen to get a drink for him and Y/N.”

The man turns around and he peers down at me on the couch. I should’ve guessed it… MGK. The hair and a million tattoos should've been a dead giveaway. That bright blonde mess of a hairstyle.

“Colson, this is Y/N Voss,” Cara introduces us.

He glances down at me with a smile. “We’ve met actually,” he claims.

My head tilts, I can’t recall when we've met properly.

“Today after I performed on James’s show,” he describes, towering over me.

“Oh! Awesome!” Cara sits back down next to me.

All I can do is stare at Colson in confusion. “If you count glancing at one another from across the room once as meeting,” I reply a bit snarky.

He gives me a toothy grin and eases down onto the cushion ottoman right across from me. “It was more than one glance,” he argues.

“You would know, you’re the one that never looked away," I fire back.

Cara and Penelope exchange a glance, snicker, then leave the scene together. They offer their goodbye before giggling away. They're smart.

Colson seems to have not noticed or at least doesn’t care. He moves to take Cara's spot on the cushion next to me. “You would’ve had to been looking to have noticed that I never looked away.”

My head rolls back, with a mocking laugh. “Well aren’t you a genius!”

He rests his arm on the back of the couch behind me. “I like to think so.”

“One vodka tonic.” Sam interrupts, holding out my drink.

I take it bitterly. "Thanks."

“Sam huh?” Colson stands up and the two shake hands. “I’m Colson, nice to officially meet you, man!”

Sam treats him like an old friend which annoys the heck out of me. Colson so far has only shown his arrogance to me. “You too! Great seeing you today at the show. Your performance was amazing.”

“Thanks, your interview was hilarious!” Colson fakes charming better than some actors.

“You watched?” Sam asks.

“Yeah, I stuck around just off-camera. You two are great!”

Watching these two talk each other up is a bromance waiting to happen.

Sam gestures to me with his glass. “Y/N here is the real comedian. There’s never a dull moment with her."

“I'm sure.” Colson peers down at me with a bright smile. "We’ve only just met and she’s already sparked a debate with me.”

I narrow my eyes at Colson, what’s he trying to start?

Sam settles down on the ottoman where Colson was. “What about?” He is all for the conversation and is jumping headfirst into the tiff between us.

Colson smiles but I see the mischief in his eyes.

“It wasn’t a debate” I rise to my feet in front of the boys. “If you would excuse.” I step away from the couch a little irked.

“Oh come on now Baby, I’m only joking,” Colson calls not bothered.

“Oh no,” Sam laughs behind me. “Best not call her that or any pet names for that matter. She hates them!”

I don’t even acknowledge them on my walk out of the room. Cocky, annoying, ugh! It’s been maybe five minutes and he’s already managed to irritate me. Maybe all the things they write in the tabloids about him are true. A spoiled, arrogant, womanizing jerk. A piece of the worst parts of the industry. I'm going to go find the girls and stay far away from Colson Baker.

________________________________________

On the set of the Vanity Fair shoot, the atmosphere is lively and carefree. The theme is an 80’s vintage style and since it’s coming back the magazine is mixing old with the new. Sam and I are in an old-fashioned record store and it’s wicked! The walls are teal and remind me of an old Taco Bell. There are rows and rows of just vinyl records. My hair is teased in an 80’s rock band kind of hairstyle. 80s music has been playing on set all morning to set the mood. I'm living for it!

A lady approaches me with a huge light wash denim jacket.

“No way! I get to wear this!” I gush.

She helps me put it on and I’m dying from how awesome this shoot is.

I immediately go to Sam's trailer. “Sam! I’m rocking the denim on denim look!” I show off my high-waisted light wash denim shorts with a black bulky leather belt around my waist.

He laughs. “I appreciate the denim on denim but I have to say my favorite part is the old Bon Jovi T.”

The photographer, Adam, comes up with this brilliant idea for me to stand on the crates of records. Where the two rows in the middle of the store meet, there’s enough room for me to stand. Once I’m up there and I can find the balance in these red heels, they have Sam join me.

“Sam, grab her leg and look up at her as though you’re keeping an eye on her,” Adam instructs.

The camera flashes and between snaps, I change my facial features.

“Good! Good! Let’s get some shots from the counter!”

Sam helps me down from the crates and I hop down. We get a shot of me laying across the counter with a red sucker in my hand and Sam hovering over me. This shoot is incredibly fun and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Sam and I change outfits and Adam asks if he can get a video for the website and YouTube channel. Of course, we said yes. It’ll be a montage of an interview of us individually and then of us just messing around throughout the store with 80’s music playing in the background. Adam has me sit on an 80’s style floral couch they set up in front of a backdrop in the back room. The whole setup is very comfortable and intimate. Only us, a few lights and a camera with the radio playing. Sam is in makeup and dress for the part of the video of us being candid.

“You can sit however you like!” Adam instructs, meaning I’m sitting too formal with my posture straight and legs crossed. “Act like we’re just hanging out or something.”

I adjust myself and crisscross my legs, slouching a bit.

“Much better!” he compliments, staring down at the camera. He hits up on a stool and positions his camera on the stand. “What’s it like to be on the cover of Vanity Fair?”

“The whole experience is unreal! I remember having a subscription to Teen Vogue growing up. My friends and I loved them!”

“Would you describe your style as modern or classic?”

“Classic for sure!” I gush.

Adam snickers. “What’s your favorite decade for fashion?”

I laugh and gesture down at my outfit. “The 80’s.”

“Does anyone from the 80’s inspire your style in particular?”

I tap the tips of my fingers together and hum. “That’s a toughy! I guess I would have to say Demi Moore for the hair. Specifically, her haircut from About Last Night… that’s where I got the style for my hair actually. Another big one would be Cindy Crawford, such a fashion icon!” I could talk about fashion all day and the icons idolize.

“Heels or sneakers?”

“Depends on the occasion. Sneakers for everyday things, I could never live without my trusty Converse. Yet, I would wear heels if I’m dressing it up a bit.”

"Are you more of a girly-girl or tomboy?”

“People who know me well would say I’m a girly-girl but I also don’t mind downplaying it from time to time. I’ve gotten better lately at relaxing and no being so “on” all the time.”

“Hair up or down?”

“Half up, half down,” I wiggle my eyebrows playfully looking into the camera.

Adam chuckles behind the camera. He changes topics. “You’re from South Carolina originally...”

My heart sinks a little at the mention of home, but I hide behind a smile. “That I am.”

“You haven’t been back in almost a year, do you miss it?”

I play with the ends of my hair, examining my lap. Avoiding the camera lens. I look at anywhere but there. “If I were to miss anything about South Carolina, it would be the gorgeous landscape and southern food."

“You have three siblings, correct?” Adam asks next.

“I do, an older brother and sister, then a younger brother.” I list.

“What do they think about the show and your career?”

I nod. “They support me but the distance is hard. As you said, we haven’t all been together in almost a year.”

“Do you have any plans to go visit home soon?”

I sigh, “sadly no, my work keeps me quite busy.”

The interview goes on and we discuss how my style has evolved since I was a teen starting out in the business. I’ll admit, the topics about home and family sucked. Work and personal life are two separate jobs, my worlds can’t collide. I never bring South Carolina into it.

______________________________________________

After the shoot, I received a call from Cara when we were finishing up the photoshoot. Last night, Cara, Penelope, and I had a blast! I completely forgot about the whole tiff with Colson once I reached them in the kitchen. Since then, we’ve been three peas in a pod. While we were talking on the phone, she invited Sam and me to dinner at The Ivy.

“A small gathering of friends,” she told me and asked for us to be there by seven.

Jump ahead to now and Sam is parallel parking the car. I hop out and wait on the sidewalk for Sam to walk around. Our hands' interlock and the paparazzi take notice of us when people on the sidewalk pull out their phones.

“Y/N! SAM! SAM! OVER HERE!”

“HOW’S FILMING GOING?”

“It’s good to be back on set!” I cover my eyes with my clutch.

“YOUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CORDEN WAS GREAT!”

“SOCIAL BLEW UP AFTER THE INTERVIEW!”

Sam asks for the guys to make a path so we can get through without issues. He releases my hand and presses his palm to my lower back protectively.

“WE’VE ALREADY SEEN Cara AND PENELOPE GO IN!”

“A FEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY!”

“ARE YOU ALL MEETING UP?”

“Maybe, maybe not!” I look into one of the video cameras and wink.

The guy behind it gets a hoot out of my expression.

Sam and I reach the restaurant and the men let us go in unbothered.

“WE’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE TO YOUR DINNER!”

“Thanks guys, see you later!” I wave to them and their cameras shoot rapidly.

The noise dies down when we go back further into the restaurant. Sam spots Cara in the back and guides me back there. Tables are lined up in a long row and the majority of the seats are filled.

Cara, cool as a cucumber pulls me into a hug. “Hey Y/N! So glad you two could come!” She sits Sam and me across from each other near the middle. She insisted that I sit by her so we could chat. We get to talking about the Vanity Fair shoot today then she’s pulled away when another guest arrives.

The waitress comes up behind me and requests my drink order.

“I’ll have a sweet tea please.”

“We only serve unsweetened.”

I hate it when they say that. “That’s fine, thank you!” Sam eyes me and I pout about having no sweet tea.

“You realize there’s sugar right here.” He slides me the packets of sugar.

“Yes but it’s not the same. There’s sweet tea at every restaurant where I’m from and I come here boom! Sweet tea is nonexistent!”

"What’s the drink that’s carbonated?” He’s asking to be annoying because the west coast and the midwest disagree on the name.

“Pop!” I glare at him.

“That’s right! Pop! Sounds like you’re saying pot every time.” He laughs at his own joke, finding himself humorous.

“It’s soda by the way," he corrects.

“Uh uh,” I refuse to change my ways, “it’s pop.”

The empty chair next to me slides back and when I glance up to see who’s doing it, an instant headache hits my brain.

Sam greets Colson warmly with a handshake. I shoot Sam another glare. He’s acting neutral but that shouldn’t be a choice in this case. He was my friend first!

Colson removes black Ray-Bans from his face and positions them on top of his head.

“Hello Y/N.” Colson sends me one of his charming grins so many teen girls swoon over.

“Hi,” I reply, not attempting to hide my disinterest. I curve my body away from him and towards Cara, legitly giving him the cold shoulder.

The dinner goes on without a hitch surprisingly, considering the circumstances. Penelope leans down over the back of my chair to say our goodbyes.

I turn around in my chair to face her. “See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya,” she rubs her hand up and down my arm.

She and I exchange kisses on the cheek. “Love you!” We say in unison as we part.

“Later Sam!” She wiggles her fingers at him in a wave.

Sam and I stick around a while longer since Cara and I have gotten into a deep conversation about our shared love for vintage things. A conversation about our collections of records alone went on for twenty minutes. I hadn't noticed that it was just four of us now. Sam and Colson have been talking most of the dinner.

A pair of hands rest on my shoulders and steal my attention away from Cara. “Y/N, you ready to go?” Sam asks.

“We’ll head out too!” Cara announces with her sights directed behind me.

I look over my shoulder and Colson is standing beside Sam. The four of us walking out together… how convenient.

I grab my clutch, sticking close to Sam to dodge Colson.

The four of us walk toward the front of the restaurant and right when we reach the steps leading outside, Cara announces that she forgot her purse.

“I’ll be right back!” She urges us to go on without her.

The cameras waited for us as I assumed they would. They’re capturing every minute of us waiting for Cara.

I place my hand on Sam’s shoulder, “would you go help her?”

“You sure?” His eyes flicker between me and Colson.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure him and he promises he’ll only be a second.

“Go to the car so you aren’t bothered,” he refers to the paparazzi.

“I’ll walk her,” Colson offers.

Sam gives him the go-ahead as he goes off to help in the search for the purse.

I’m left with the one guy I was avoiding. I grip the keys in my hand and walk down the brick steps to the sidewalk. I hear Colson behind me and stop to address him. “I can walk myself to the car.”

He raises his arms mocking a surrender. “I don’t doubt your ability to walk, just helping out.”

“I don’t need your help,” I scoff, starting to walk again.

“I never said you did,” Colson sassily replies.

*Click* *Click* *Click*

A man runs around me to get a photo of me straight on.

“Y/N! Y/N! WALKING IN WITH SAM AND LEAVING WITH MGK, ANY EXPLANATION?”

I pause for a moment, making eye contact with the man behind the camera. Is he honestly trying to start drama? What lies are he going to sell? I’m only going to the car because Sam requested. The only reason Colson is even near me is that he’s so freaking persistent.

I push back the aggravation and force my lips into a kind smile. I can’t have a single moment of weakness. I can’t give in to my emotions like others. “Sam is helping Cara with something inside. Colson was kind enough to walk me to the car.”

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS KNOWN EACH OTHER?”

I purposefully answer quickly so Colson doesn’t even have the chance to think of a response. “Not long, we met the other day backstage at The Late Late Show. We have a lot of the same friends and had no idea!” I peek over at Colson and he gives me a knowing look. I dismiss it and go on with my charade. I will not let this jerk mess with my career.

“ANY CHANCE OF HAVING COLSON GUEST STAR ON THE SHOW?”

“That would be great!” I lie my butt off, “having more friends on set would be fun!”

“COLSON, HOW’S YOUR NEW ALBUM COMING ALONG?!”

“We’re in the recording stage right now. Should be released sometime this summer," he answers.

“FOLLOWING UP WITH A TOUR?”

“Of course!” he chuckles.

I unlock the car and move around the guys to reach the door.

“WE’LL LET YOU GUYS GO ON. ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR NIGHT!” One of them departs.

“Thank you! You too!” I wave goodbye.

Some stick behind to get a few last pictures but for the most part, they all disburse. The ones remaining, however, keep their distance.

I yank on the handle of the door and Colson holds it for me. As if he's a gentleman. I begin to climb in, prepared to yank it shut in his face.

“Friends huh?” Colson chuckles.

I turn around abruptly and check around the general area of the sidewalk for any cameras. Seems the remainder of the guys have left. I shut the door and Colson removes his hand in a rush.

“No, not friends! I only said that to please the public," I huff.

“Ouch!” he acts offended, placing his hand on his heart. “I did find it interesting that you claimed we met backstage the other day so I was right!” He chuckles, believing he caught me.

“No, no, no, no!" I shut that thought down quickly. "The only reason I made that up was that it’s not good for my image if I admit I was at a party. People tend to assume that heavy drinking and drugs occur at parties. I can’t be associate with that scene!”

“Oh, so it’s alright to lie?” He crosses his arms and snickers, glancing down the street toward the restaurant.

I roll my eyes, of course, he doesn’t understand, why would he? “You don’t get it” I scoff, dismissing him. I turn and reach for the car handle again.

“So what if you were at a party? People drink, if some have a problem with that, that’s their problem. Oh! I forgot! You're America's Sweetheart! The perfect angel princess with a spotless record,” he mocks.

I slam the car door shut, having hit my limit. I keep my voice hush. “It’s not that simple! I'm not like you! I can't be caught partying! If the country, the world, sees the truth then my image is ruined! I've been doing this since I was a teenager! I worked way too hard for far too long to lose everything over a stupid mistake!”

Colson’s face falters from his usual carefree expression to one of seriousness.

“Found it! Let’s go!” Sam announces loudly to the whole block.

I toss him the keys and glance back to Colson who stands there in a stillness I have yet to see from me. His stare makes me want to hide. I feel as though I’m under a microscope being studied.

“Toodaloo Y/N! ‘Till next time my pals!” Cara strolls down the sidewalk.

It’s evident she’s had a couple of drinks. She sways further down the sidewalk and comes to a stop once she notices Colson isn’t following.

“Later Cara!” Sam shouts over the top of the car behind me.

Colson and I stare at each other I’m guessing for different reasons. He appears lost in thought and I’m desperately trying to figure out why. If I look away, I fear he’ll break to pieces or something.

Cara pauses. “Colson? You coming?”

He holds out for a moment but finally breaks eye contact with me. "Yeah."

When I’m no longer staring into those black works of art I regain my ability to move. I hurry into the car and Sam says his goodbyes again over the top of the car. I buckle my seatbelt when he climbs in. Watching strangers walk up and down the sidewalk, I’m perfectly aware of Sam starring me down.

He pulls onto the street. “Are we gonna talk about it or are we doing silence?”

I reach over and turn up the radio.

“Of course you make your own option.” Sam watches me, waiting for some sort of explanation.

We come in at the end of a song and the next one is oh too recognizable. The classic rock sound that is a part of all of Colson’s music plays through the car speakers. His vocals enter the soundwave and I groan loudly over the music before turning off the radio.

"No music then!" I snap.

__________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @canyoubuymetoast @bri-3530 @asil1652 @andstilltryingtofindmyself @nadia2021 @olafsidehoe @mgkobsessed @fairywriting101 @ferrell-cat @naylanae-0308 @tonystarkswife10 @alexsa5 @brocksbabyyy @stormrider505 @magnificenthumancopangel @sarcasticfangirlus @lilramencup95beech @missyviolet123 @skeleton-gxr @glitterybearllamaflap @margaritaville20 @amoresix @thysagclub

#mgk smut #mgk fanfic #mgk imagine #mgk #mgk x reader #mgk aesthetic #machine gun kelly #imagine #fanfiction

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journey-of-the-hob · 4 years ago

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Day Zero: Hey guys! My name is Ashley, and I’m starting this blog because I’m going to start going to the gym soon. I’m not that out of shape, but I decided it would be nice to tone up a bit since summer is starting soon. Just get rid of a little pudge from winter y’know? Maybe I’ll even meet someone special with my new bod. I’m gonna do a 30 day diet and exercise challenge don’t worry I’m not going to post every single day, but every couple of days just so I can give a show of my progress. This is gonna rock!

Day Three: Jeez! This whole working out thing is so much harder than I bargained for. I’m sore all over and I miss junk food, eating salad all the time is already lame, but I’m gonna keep with it. I can’t give up after only the third day.

Day Five: Week one is done! I was almost ready to quit after day #4, but there was this guy at the gym who was in really good shape and he offered me some encouragement to finish out my workout and some advice to help me get the most out of my workouts. He was there again today and it was nice to have some help with my sets. His name is Josh and he’s been going to this gym for a while and he said he likes helping out the newbies. He gave me a bottle of vitamins from a company that he buys from and said it would really help me out. It was the male formula, but I mean it’s not like it’s gonna hurt me. They’re just vitamins right?

Day Eight: I got a really killer workout in today. Ever since I’ve been taking those vitamins that Josh gave me I’ve had so much energy and getting through the workouts hasn’t been so hard. I also met a few of Josh’s buddies and they’ve started working out with us too. They’re a great group of dudes and are super encouraging. I’m also feeling more competitive, I guess you could say. Like the guys are challenging me to do better. I’m actually starting to like going to the gym.

Day 10: I’ve kinda been dragging lately even with those pills. I told the guys and they started grilling me about my diet and I told them what I’ve been eating, and they told me everything I was eating wasn’t good fuel for weight loss and I wasn’t getting the energy I needed to keep killing it at the gym. The advise that I start eating more meat, and Josh recommended that I get some whey protein from the company that makes the vitamins. If it works like those I’d say it would be worth it.

Day 12: Hell yeah! I just finished week two and I look amazing! My stomach is flat and I’ve got ab definition. The hard work at the gym has definitely been paying off. That being said I’ve been feeling really hot and tense lately just kind of...pent up. The guys told me that I might want to get laid or masturbate just to let some steam off. Normally I’d be kind a pissed if a guy told me that, but I have been feeling hornier than normal lately, seeing people check me out and tell me how hot they think I am really gets me going I guess, and all of their other advice has helped so far. When I got home from the gym I decided to watch some porn to get me in the mood, which was weird because before I started going to the gym I never like porn. I thought it was degrading, but for whatever reason watching it now was making me soak my panties. It felt great jilling off, but once I put on some girl on girl porn and that really helped me get the big O.

Day 13: it was one of my rest days, so I decided to take it easy. I popped one of my vitamins like I do every morning. The initial dose that Josh gave me was gone. I bought more, and yeah I could have bought the female formula, but I kept with the male version. I’m pretty sure it was stronger and if it works why change? I went to the café by my apartment to grab some coffee while I was out for some errands. There was a seriously hot chick working the counter. I could see her checking me out so I flexed a little without being too obvious. She was blushing and giggling, so I decided to ask for her number, and she gave it to me! I’ve never hit on a chick before, for that matter I never really thought I was into girls but it felt so right, and I couldn’t help staring at her rack, fantasizing about what she was like in bed. Oh yeah I’m definitely enjoying the perks of my new physique.

Day 19: The guys sent me a workout playlist on Spotify. At first I didn’t like it. It was heavy metal, but I found that it but me in the right headspace for the workout. After a while I started to dig it and I’ve been jamming to it all the time even when I jill off. The guys are really awesome and I feel like I owe them big time for helping me get everything out of the gym. I need to think of a way to thank them.

Day 23: I’m starting to get pretty shredded. I’ve been hanging out with the guys a lot more too. We go out drinking on the weekends and get hammered, sometimes we go catch a game at Hooters. To thank Josh and the Bros for helping me make it this far I’ve been taking care of them all the time. To help them relieve stress after a long workout I’ll let them take turns fucking me, whenever we watch a football game I’ll usually give them all blowjobs during halftime. This one time I bet my ass that the Cowboys would win, and of course they lost, but Josh’s cock felt so good in my ass! The guys have been pretty supportive of me lezzing out too, especially since I share all the details and videos of my escapades to our group chat.

Day 26: I still have an off and on thing with Dinah, the hottie from the coffee shop. Anyway she’s been coming to the gym with me the last few days. I got her a bottle of the chick formula vitamins and she’s not building a lot of muscle but she’s looking really good, especially her ass. I think her rack has been getting bigger but that’s a plus for me! I’ve found that I have a thing for babes with big tits. She’s also been listening to my workout playlist. She’s so submissive lately, and there’s nothing better than when she got her head buried in my snatch. It’s so awesome having her there as my little gym bunny, and when I flex she turns into a blushing mess. I gotta go. Got a date with Dinah and she’s bringing a friend. If I’m lucky we can convince her to join us for a three way.

Day 30: The challenge is over and I’m jacked! This was the best decision I’ve made in my whole life. I’m in terrific shape, I’ve made awesome new friends, I’ve got a hot as fuck girlfriend, who’s cool with me having a few side chicks. Looking back on my old posts it’s weird how much I’ve changed. I’m just like one of the guys now, and I love it. I couldn’t imagine hanging out with the prissy girly-girls I used to, some of them were pretty hot though, so maybe I’ll call them up sometime. Me and the boys are going to a strip club tonight to celebrate my progress. I should take Dinah. It would be hot if one of the strippers would make out with her while me and the guys watch! The boys will probably want to pregame with a gang bang, but that’ll be good cardio so I’m totally looking forward to it! Anyway, signing off.

#f2f transformation #tomboy #Gymbo #muscular girl #brainwashing #bimbo vitamins

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floatingcatacombs · 4 years ago

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Evaluting Gatchaman Crowds Through Rui’s Outfits

12 Days of Aniblogging 2020, Day 1

Oh, I’m fashionably late to this one. Gatchaman Crowds is a 2013 superhero anime that serves as a soft reboot of the old tokusatsu franchise, only now with 21st century shitty anime tropes. From this painfully generic setup emerges a surprisingly layered evaluation of technological disruption in the smartphone era. For this reason, Crowds is a favorite amongst anime bloggers as a superhero work that’s actually trying to do something interesting.

Unfortunately I don’t care about any of these guys

But it’s also a favorite amongst all sorts of weirdos because of the character Rui Ninomiya. A horrifying amalgamation of the technolibertarian CEO and trans femme hacker archetypes, Rui is by far the most interesting character in the show, because they’re a surprisingly prescient look at how the tech industry will function throughout the 2010s. But they’re also a ‘boy’ who never leaves their house without dressing in the most girly clothes imaginable. Predictably, this is catnip for me. But the funniest part of the whole situation is that nobody ever addresses it. Rui never provides an explanation for their outfits and the rest of the cast just uses she/her until they properly get acquainted and switch to he/him.

I could tell you that Rui’s obviously trans and wrap up the post right there, but that’s honestly not the most interesting angle of attack here. So I’m just going to use whatever pronouns I feel like in the moment for them and focus on what really matters: fashion! Rui has a surprisingly large wardrobe throughout the show, so I’ll be doing the heavy lifting of ranking each of her outfits. Oh, and also maybe a little analysis of what she represents. Spoilers for the whole show, of course.

7. The Yellow Dress

Let me lay out Rui’s ideology before I lay into their fashion disaster. You see, they’re a tech disruptor who believes that governments and bureaucracies are too slow to achieve the monumental (yet unspecified) change that society needs. So, they preside over a smartphone app called GALAX that successfully predicts Pokemon Go’s geosocial AR gimmick three years early. GALAX is a technolibertarian’s wet dream – crowdsourced emergency response, interest-based meetups, and matchmaking for people who need specific help and the people who can help them, all deeply gamified.

Their outfit here is about as messy as their politics, but at the same time, what a look. She’s got blue-and-white-striped programming thigh highs on under her combat boots, which are both such trans iconography, you know? While they may just be a reflection of early-2010s 4chan crossdressing culture, it’s also totally possible that Rui directly influenced or reinforced trans girl fashion, like the accelerationist she is. What a prescient show, in all sorts of weird ways.

6. Lace-up Dress with Bunny Ears

It wouldn’t be an anime girl cosplay without some bunny ears, now would it? Rui spends 5 minutes in an early episode just wandering around the city in this outfit, listening to people’s conversations and feelings on GALAX. There’s something very funny about how nobody even notices them, like they’re completely invisible despite their ridiculous outfit. This actually factors back into the tech stuff! Like pretty much every tech company, Rui’s app and vision are both sleek and shiny but rely on tremendous amounts of dirty labor kept as hidden as possible. From Amazon’s inhumane warehouse conditions to Facebook’s trauma-inducing moderator farms to Apple’s child labor-tainted supply chains, there’s always suffering humans behind the too-good-to-be-true magic of tech companies. Rui’s lie by omission is failing to mention that the app relies on invisible extradimensional beings called CROWDS that are manually controlled by underpaid workers to assist its users. One of the workers comes to Rui challenging their vision and arguing that they should be sharing this tech with the movers and shakers of the world, not trying to keep it invisible. He threatens a collective walkout and Rui fires him. At this point, we’re not even operating on metaphors.

5. Green Business Casual

Sure, most tech companies have cruel labor underbellies, but there’s also the separate risk of moral rot. It’s what causes Microsoft to take on ICE contracts and Google to develop censored versions of their search engine at the whims of authoritarians. Many tech companies start off with an altruistic message, but without a serious ethical core, they will start doing a whole lot of evil as they bend to financial and other pressures. Rui’s version of this is extremely literal: she made a deal with the devil to gain the ability to use the CROWDS and launch her app. Except this devil is also a butch gender-noncomforming alien (there is a Lot of other gender going on in this show that I don’t even have time for) and the two of them seem to have an extremely fucked-up relationship. Like any good Faustian bargain or any bad attempt at raising more venture capital without a viable business model, eventually the whole thing comes tumbling down and now you’re doing something terribly fucked up. Rui looks good in a dress shirt, at least!

4. Whatever your abusive partner puts on when she body-snatches you

Of course the center won’t hold, GALAX is subject to a hostile takeover, and to nobody’s surprise, an app with the flimsy promise to change the world for the better can actually be way better at ripping it all apart. I guess the prescient social media parallel here is Facebook being used to propagate Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing, or really anything related to Twitter for the last 5 years. FuckedUpAlienMimic!Rui sure does have cute fangs and a way more refined fashion sense though. I don’t feel like looking into that one.

3. Business....Futch?

I know I’m not done outlining Rui’s arc, but I’m going to skip ahead for a moment to say that Gatchaman Crowds also has a second season! I’m largely ignoring it here because Rui is pretty much stripped of all plot relevance and most of her outfits are less exciting, but I had to include this one. For two episodes, she puts on bright yellow stirrup leggings and an oversized polo shirt, with a cute ponytail to boot. It’s a ridiculous look, but still feels really evocative to me. Sometimes a girl just has to put together completely uncoordinated outfits and see what happens.

Unlike the disruption-focused first season, Gatchaman Crowds season two, which aired in 2015, is about how unfettered technolibertarianism can easily descend into fascism. Goddammit.

2. The Bunny Ears Outfit Again Oh God Who Hurt Her

The weight of the world comes crashing down in Rui’s hands, she’s bruised and beaten in a surprisingly sadistic manner by her alien ex-business partner/girlfriend, and she’s locked out of her own company which is very quickly causing society to fall apart. So what does she do? She puts the bunny dress back on, and wanders the streets again until she has to call upon the powers that be to fix her own mess. It’s silly that the powers that be in this world are superheroes, but I bet you forgot that this was technically a superhero show at this point. Anyways, my extended metaphor is quickly drifting off course, but I guess this is the part where Rui gets grilled by Congress and slapped with an antitrust case.

1. Every Trans Girl Stereotype Rolled Into One

I’ve been incredibly harsh on Rui throughout this writeup, because I’m harsh on the industry she represents, but I’ll make it up with this section. Look at what she’s wearing! A choker, the gothiest Hot Topic dress imaginable, arm warmers, no less than three asymmetric garters not even holding up anything, and the tallest black boots she could find. It’s incredible! If the first outfit on this list was hinting at her relationship to stereotypical trans fashion, then this outfit just screams it. It’s the perfect goth femme hacker look, a style commitment I have no choice but to respect.

Gatchaman is a weird show. After spending most of its runtime thoroughly dunking on tech disruptors for being too optimistic and uncritical, it takes a last-minute turn into Lockean state of nature arguments. It settles on “the masses are inherently good enough that empowering people through technology shouldn’t ever be a problem”, ignoring all the suffering that happened due to Rui’s unwillingness to curate their own technology. I’d give Gatchaman Crowds an average rating, but it’s one of those interesting average ratings where instead of being milquetoast, they tried something and failed and wrote themselves into a corner. But hey, at least there’s an interestingly gendered character!

#12 days of anime #gatchaman crowds #rui ninomiya #trans #technology

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silver-wield · 5 years ago

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The Promise Analysis (Cloti)

Sorry about that, Nonny, I relate the promise between Tifa and Cloud to some of the stuff that happens during their resolution and went full tin hatter on it.

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven't played (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it's gonna be a long one so prepare to scroll.

Also, this is one person's interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that's cool and we'll agree to disagree.

You're also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I'm grabbing them from Youtube and it's frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Other analyses if anyone's interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis)

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog)

Tifa character analysis

Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory)

Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti)

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis

Cloti reunion analysis

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Recapping for anyone who's forgotten the basics – cause I assume by this point you're ok with spoilers and me pointing that out is kinda dumb lol

So, chapter 4 and it's mission time with the trio – I love these dorks, especially Wedge, he is my child and if he's dead Imma riot. Jessie is off being sneaky and it's up to Cloud and co to play tag with the security team.

As Charlie Biggs (if you got the ref kudos) explains the plan, Cloud looks up at the night sky — which is a whole lot different to the one we fade up to and I personally wonder what it was about that sky that made him recall the promise to Tifa. Was it just the fact he'd been talking to her and it was his first time he'd paid attention to it? Before that he was under the plate and before that he was in the reactor, so I guess it's safe to assume this is his first chance to relate the two things.

Ok, after the fade in, we're treated to a pretty damn romantic set up. The water tower, the night sky and lil Cloud waiting for Tifa.

In the OG it mentions he waited for so long he started getting really cold, but he stuck it out because he wanted to see her and hoped she'd show. That's an OG lifestream detail not in the first OG promise scene, but let's assume for now it's gonna get a callback in the Remake. That means bby Cloud has been sitting there waiting for Tifa for a while now.

Ok, call her a thirteen year old bitch if you feel good about yourselves here, but she's thirteen and her dad is super overprotective. He stopped Cloud from playing with Tifa after she had an accident at 8 that wasn't Cloud's fault and in fact if he hadn't been there she'd have died on the mountain because nobody would've known where she was. Ok? Ok.

So, he's been waiting, and it's clear he's nervous – he looks so fucking cute I just can't stand it! Nervous fidgeting, balled fist, head down, mouth pulled into a pretty grim line. He thinks she's not coming, but still he's waiting for her.

Sorry, just to further hit home the above points. That is the face of a boy who is desperately hoping the girl he likes is gonna show, but has half given up hope. There's sadness in his eyes and a tensing along his jaw line. This boy is disappointed and my heart breaks for him.

Going back to that focus in on Cloud's eyes before the flashback and we can see here the massive difference mako makes to the colour. Cloud's eyes are a deep blue, while his mako infused eyes are blue/green. I get why he goes on about them a lot because he's probably not used to seeing them like that yet; maybe he never will be. Tifa's comment was about the look in his eyes – which I touched on in a comment I made while replaying. Tifa isn't focused on the colour, she's dismayed he has such a hard look in his eyes and when you compare the look in this boy's eyes, it's clear to see what she's getting at. This Cloud is the real Cloud and he is soft as fuck and trying to look tough.

GODDAMNIT!! There's way too many good moments to grab for this analysis! Look at this precious boy! All but folding under the weight of disappointment! But, what's this in the bg? Our heroine, here at last!

If anyone anyone tries to say Cloud didn't have a great stonking crush on Tifa as a kid then please tell me what this means if it isn't he's gutted he's waited and waited and she didn't show.

We don't know why she's late – maybe Remake will clear that up for us – but I'm guessing she couldn't sneak out or maybe, judging by the amount she's dressed up, she was doing the typical girly thing and couldn't decide what to wear, asking herself if this is a date and second guessing why Cloud called her to the water tower – which is known as a romantic meeting place. Whatever the reason, she's thirteen, sheltered – thanks to her dad – and naturally shy. Maybe she worried herself into a state about whether she should go and had to find her courage to meet Cloud. She likes him just as much as he likes her remember. It's canon, don't argue.

Now, her face is this bit is out of focus, but that's nothing to my weirdly myopic eagle eyes – it's a very specific gift. Tifa's smiling. That we can tell even before she's fully in shot. There's a bunching of the cheek muscles that tells us that. She's pleased he's still there. Obviously, she can't read his body language, but she'd probably be a bit upset to realise she upset him. Because she's not actually a bitch like some people like to claim. Sorry, but she's thirteen. How threatened are yall that you gotta call a thirteen year old girl a bitch and try to erase how important she is in Cloud's childhood just to further your own ends? Seriously, get help.

Sorry for the janky, but this is a transition between focus so it's not gonna be great anyway. Here we can see Cloud's expression when Tifa says heya. Eyes open, wide with surprise. She showed. That's what his face is saying. He's trying hard not to show his emotions too much – I mean he is still Cloud and too cool for all that nonsense – but he's relieved. Maybe his heart even skips a beat, but I'm speculating. Her greeting is casual, reserved. Tifa. She’s being cute even though he’s not looking because she wants him to think she’s cute.

Tifa, ever respectful and respectable sits the right amount of difference away that both encourages Cloud she's interested in being near him, but doesn't over encourage him and make him think of her in a negative way. She's likely cultivated this on purpose – she's the mayor's daughter so she's always got to be proper – because she's got a lot of male friends and having any of them get the wrong idea would be bad. You'll notice in her other flashbacks where the boys feature that she's not sitting too close to any of them and they're running around her, not touching or anything. They're satellites that revolve around her because she is untouchable to them. Because she's the mayor's daughter and has to be a good girl all the time. This is further evidence that goes towards Tifa's overall personality. She's very careful and respectful to people. She doesn't go out of her way to offend anyone unless she has no choice. Though she's a skilled fighter, she's very slow to anger and tries to look on the bright side as much as she can, despite the tragedy in her life. (I'm gushing, I know, but she's such a great multifaceted character and way more than the tropes people shove on her to make her into nothing).

Where was I?

Right. So, in direct contrast to their later conversation during the chapter 14 resolution, here we see Cloud with his back to Tifa and her with her head tilting, inviting him to confide in her. Yes, there really are that many awesome parallels purposely inserted in this game and that's why you need to take more than one look.

From her face we can conclude she's optimistic. She's smiling and doesn't look like someone who's expecting a bomb to drop any second – Cloud if you only turned around you wouldn't have gone through this shit. Sure, you'd have likely died when Sephiroth came to town, but hey, you'd have gone out with your childhood sweetheart lol

What she's probably expecting is for Cloud – who has purposely invited her to the watertower hot dating spot – to ask her out. And since she's there and dressed up, we could conclude she'd accept him.

Cloud is trying to find the cool words he wants to say that'll motivate Tifa to miss him, maybe even push her into saying, “No, don't go,” because even though he's fourteen, Cloud is no good at talking to women. This is just one of his character traits. It's why we wanna strangle him over the Triangle. Bby Cloud is hardly better than adult Cloud, but at least bby Cloud knows he likes Tifa.

Bomb dropped. Kaboom. Poor bby Tifa. Look how disappointed and upset she is. She wasn't expecting this one bit! She looked so hopeful in the seconds before Cloud's hesitant declaration, only it wasn't the kind she hoped for. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's crushed, but she's upset, that's for sure. Her brows have come together and she's turned away from Cloud because she doesn't want him to see how she looks in this moment. She's trying to put a brave face on it, but bby Tifa isn't as good as her grown up self. You can see the mouth trying to form a smile, but the eyes have a different expression in them.This is again seen in chapter 14 when Tifa tries to put a brave face on for Cloud before breaking down.

Shots fired! Tifa goes for dismissive and succeeds! Never mess with a girl with a crush lol

Cloud was trying to get a reaction out of her, but she got one out of him instead. Brave face wins. Well, what did you expect? She's the mayor's daughter and raised on being proper.

He stutters that he's not like the other boys – so cute – and shows off his lofty dreams. He's trying so hard to impress her. He only has these dreams because of the incident when they were smaller where her father said if Cloud can't take care of Tifa then he has no right being around her. This is what drove Cloud to distance himself from Tifa and her friends. Talk about shoving an inferiority complex and identity disorder on a kid. I get it, the mayor was worried about his daughter, but Cloud didn't deserve the bear the brunt of his anger and blame. Still, the fact that nine year old Cloud took that, held onto it for five years and still decided to pursue Tifa by becoming a SOLDIER has huge meaning for them. He was nine. Ok, for argument's sake let's say he didn't have a crush on her, but they were friends and he was told he wasn't good enough to hang with her. So, thanks to propaganda he gets it in his head that SOLDIERS are the best and if he's one of them he'll be good enough for her father to let him see Tifa again. We're not told at any point – nor shown it – that Tifa is only interested in Cloud if he's this elite who can impress her. Remember, she already likes him. Look at what she's wearing compared to him ffs. This girl – again – dressed for a date with Mr Oblivious. Yes, I'm rolling my eyes. Yes, I want to smack him upside the head. Yes, I know he's 14, I meant adult Cloud.

Back to it. The look on his face here is one of “she thinks I'm like the others? I'll prove I'm not. I'm better than that. I can be next to her if I prove myself.” At this point, he's definitely gone from wanting to be around her in a friendship capacity to borderline romantic. I mean, he did call her out to the watertower. Did I mention that? A few times? Because it's significant. He's frustrated she compared him to her friends – no she didn't friendzone him, she likes him. He thinks she friendzoned him. Kids are frustrating and the adult versions aren't much better.

Shots fired part two! Points to Cloud this time! Smug lil fucker, I see that smirk!

Okay, so Cloud says he's gonna be like Sephiroth and at this point in time Sephiroth isn't batshit crazy, he's someone to be admired. Tifa to be fair, doesn't sound impressed, but she's humouring Cloud. Then, she says, “Isn't it hard to become a SOLDIER?” And Cloud replies with “Yes, so I won't be back for a long time.”

Okay, now. This is definitely to get a reaction. The smirk on his face is saying that he's partly getting her back for her earlier shot and partly trying to goad a reaction from her because he thinks he didn't get one before – this is why eye contact matters.

Tifa, for her part, doesn't look happy. He's got a reaction out of her, but it'd be really super helpful if he was facing her to see it. Because he isn't, she can get away with a breezy reply that makes him think she doesn't care.

I'm sorry, can I just say serves you right and leave it at that? Seriously, Cloud, don't mess with girls when you can barely form coherent sentences most of the time. What did he expect? She'd throw herself on him, clinging, crying and begging him not to go? Probably. Once again, our angsty hero is on the backfoot in their conversation. This is why eye contact matters. He's looking a bit gutted at her reaction. He likely hoped for more and got far less than he wanted. It's no wonder he goes to Midgar and doesn't approach her when he comes back as a grunt. He's carrying this presumed disappointment around with him that stops him from seeing her. (I can't really go more into CC events since I haven't played it and I've only seen a few bits and pieces, but what I got from it was Cloud is an idiot.)

Tifa asking if he'll be in the papers is both a brush off towards his baiting and also she's trying to encourage him. This is his dream. He called her out of the house late at night to tell her – just her – that this is what he's gonna do. Of course she won't stop him. She's not that kind of girl. She's supportive and kind. She doesn't understand that Cloud's doing it for her – I honestly don't think it enters her mind at any point until he reveals it OG during the lifestream sequence. She's pretty much as oblivious as he is and assumes they're just really close friends and her attraction is all one sided; same as he does about her.

Ah ha! Tifa thinks, realising that Cloud's lukewarm effort to be in the papers won't be enough to satisfy her. If Cloud's going to become a SOLDIER, then he'll be a hero – like Sephiroth. What do heroes do? Save people. He said he won't be home for a long time, but there's even less guarantee he'd come back at all, and she wants to see him again, even if it's just once. She can't leave Nibelheim. As the mayor's daughter she's got responsibilities to the people there – even though the town is dying out and nobody new is settling. Eventually, she'll be the only person her age left and maybe never hear from any of her friends again. But, she can't leave. She can't abandon the people. She'll be left, alone and lonely, until everyone’s gone. Her life wasted. But, she could see Cloud again and that makes her optimistic. Maybe she wouldn't mind the time so much if she thought she'd get to see him again. See that at least he's pursuing his dreams and he's happy with the direction his life took. Maybe she'd get one grand romantic gesture in her life if SOLDIER Cloud could save her.

Confused boi is confused. From Cloud's pov, he doesn't understand this odd request. He hasn't thought about Tifa saying everyone leaving means she's alone. He's only seen this from his pov, so he can't see why Tifa would need saving or how he would even know she needs him. He doesn't realise it's her way of trying to get some guarantee they'll meet again.

I mean, we can see he's trying to understand her. He's actually turned to look at her this time and his expression is searching, like he's looking for clues why she said this. He also invites her to explain by making a verbal cue.

And now that Cloud has her full attention – you know, the thing he was trying to get all along – he doesn't know what to do with it. He's flustered and awkward, and she's cajoling and turning on the charm, which she likely has in spades because mayor's daughter. I know I say that like it's a personality trait, but in part it is. She's had to learn decorum and everything that goes with it. She needs manners and good behaviour. She has to be just enough of an extrovert that she can attend functions – because even though I know I said the town is dying, they still have a reactor and that means they still get visits from important people. She can't show her dad or town up. In the Resolution analysis I made I said she hasn't been allowed to show emotion for five years since she arrived in Midgar, but it's very likely she's never been allowed to show much emotion. She's gotta be the doll. So, since she can't show she's sad, she goes for positive, and Cloud's frowning because he's not sure how he'll keep this promise she wants so bad and if she isn't interested in him then why is she asking for one anyway? Remember, they just did a do-si-do with each other's feelings acting like they don't like each other.

But then, oh look! Oh look! In the face of Tifa's unrelenting cheer and optimism, Cloud starts to smile. Eyes soften and the slightest lift at the corner of his mouth. He's starting to like the idea of being her hero. And it's just once and maybe from that one time save things would move forward for them. He's definitely not opposed to the idea – especially since he's the one who brings it up with Tifa later and she's pretty embarrassed at the reminder. The confusion from before could be because he thought she wasn't serious, but looking her dead in the eye – this is why eye contact matters – he sees she's serious. She wants him to be her hero. She wants to see him again and even offers a get out clause by saying “just once.” He doesn't have to do it forever or whenever she wants, just once. So, she can have hope she'll see him again some day.

And now we're back with the big idiot, who squeezes his eyes shut as he remembers Tifa in the bar earlier saying she feels trapped. Guilt likely pinches. Maybe he wonders if this was a hint she wanted his help – I'm wavering on this because she does say later she didn't expect this kind of thing when she asked for his promise – but if we go by choice of words alone it's leading. Then again, bby Tifa uses the word trapped, so it could just be a word that she feels comfortable using to describe her feelings. How we speak is made up of specific words we go to that feel right when we say them. It's just one of those things and why not everyone speaks the same even when they're from the same region or you have friend groups where you speak one way and other groups where you speak another.

From the dev pov I'm assuming it's meant to be a callback to the promise, but I wouldn't put it on Tifa doing it purposely to encourage Cloud to help her. If that makes sense.

And we close off with Cloud clenching his fist and resolving to help Tifa. To keep his promise.

At no point do we have confirmation from Tifa that the reason she asked Cloud to make a promise was to get a favour off him.

Conclusion

This is actually a very tragic scene from Tifa's pov. I've seen some people say this is because she's a young girl acting like a fairy princess, but I can't marry that idea with the gritty themes FF7 portrayed, and Remake does still hit those notes. Tifa is a young girl who had her romantic hopes dashed and she's looking for some kind of consolation from the boy she likes. He's leaving her. They're all leaving her. She'll be alone. She just wants hope that she'll see him again.

Is it manipulative? Yeah, ok, if that's how you see it. She's thirteen. Did I mention that? I'll say it again. She's thirteen, and one of the last people her age in town. Soon, she's gonna be the only one her age. She's lonely and doesn't want to lose everyone in her life. If you say that's manipulative by asking her crush make a promise so she can have hope she'd see him again, then go off I guess.

And let's touch on hope. Tifa is someone who has a lot of enduring hope – this is why I initially linked the ask to the resolution scene because the theme of hope runs through both. Tifa gets knocked down a lot. She's almost died several times, lost people close to her when they left town, lost Cloud when he left and still found a way to go on. She was never a damsel or trying to be one. She's wearing a cute dress because Cloud asked her out. She thought it was a date. Or she wanted it to be. And since when does wearing a dress make someone a weakling? Or does it only apply to Tifa because convenience?

After Cloud leaves, Tifa begins training every day. She learns from a master and develops her skills until she's at the peak. I mean, you've seen her fight. She kicks all the ass.

She wasn't sitting around like a damsel waiting for an opportunity for Cloud to come and save her. She got on with her life. She was happy at times, sad others. It was normal. She missed Cloud, I know that much from CC. She dressed up – again – hoping he'd be part of the group inspecting the reactor. She was disappointed when he wasn't there.

The promise between them wasn't about furthering a childhood romance or making Tifa someone Cloud couldn't get over. Neither of them was aware the other had feelings. It was awkward mutual oblivious crushing that clearly carried on for another two years until Cloud showed up with Zack, but didn't appear before Tifa because he’s that kind of idiot.

And what happened during the trip? Well, a lot of stuff, but the thing I know about is Sephiroth went batshit cray cray and slaughtered everyone in the town and then burnt it to the ground. He nearly killed Tifa. Cloud was there and that's what we see in his headache flashes about “I let you down again”.

He carries a lot of guilt about not being Tifa's hero, which is why he tries so hard to protect her. He made a promise to her that part of him believes he hasn't kept, but if it wasn't for him, she'd be dead. Again. He did save her. And he keeps on saving her. Not because of the debt of a promise but because he wants to be her hero. The real Cloud that's hidden deep within him, the one that made the original promise, the one that almost died saving her and got stuffed in a mako chamber for years until Zack rescued him, that Cloud wants to be Tifa's hero.

That's why after he recalls this moment – and it's one of the ones where he doesn't have a headache at all (just thought I'd mention that because certain people go on about how a specific scene is all Cloud not headachey Cloud whatever) – that he becomes focused on helping Tifa. He opens up both to her and others – check the camaraderie with the trio after the mission and him offering to walk Wedge home.

This recollection of a promise is the first step for the real Cloud to finding his way back. That's why it anchors his development and that's why his and Tifa's relationship will never be less than something deep and meaningful.

#final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #cloti #final fantasy 7 remake analysis #the promise #Cloud Strife #Tifa Lockheart

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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

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2003 (1/2) (Vanique) - Ortega

a/n: VANIQUE MUST RIIIIIIISE!!!! ayo team, welcome to this. i pulled this ship from virtually nowhere when i was writing n19f and people seemed to like i as much as i did, so i wrote these two together for the fic challenge. i’ve split this fic into two halves, as they’re two very different vibes. this part follows Vanessa and Monique as they go through primary school and then start their first couple years at high school, so it’s definitely more platonic than anything else but it’s cute! also overall this was inspired by two songs, one being 2003 by Todrick and the other being I Choose You by Kiana Ledé which will be the title of the next part, so look out for that. i so so sosososo hope u enjoy, bc i highkey love this pairing a lot. lots of lo-ove, by-ee!

tw: implied child neglect and drug use

summary: Vanessa Mateo and Monique Heart start school in the year 2003. They love girlbands, superheroes and football, and they’re best friends forever. At least, that’s the plan.

***

The room smells of squeaky floors and play-dough. It’s not like anything she’s ever smelt before, but it’s weirdly comforting. She’s sat on a carpet patterned with all kinds of fruit. It doesn’t have pineapple (which is her favourite), but that’s okay. The walls are covered in colourful paper, an arts-and-crafts rainbow explosion. There’s words too, different curly and spiky shapes making letters. She knows one has a “V” in it because that comes at the start of her name and it looks the same, but she can’t read any of the writing yet. Some of the kids in nursery could already read and one of the boys could even write stories. Vanessa couldn’t. She still can’t, but that’s okay. She can write her name and say please and thank you in two different languages and she knows how to count up to 12 (she gets stuck after that, but she’ll learn the rest).

She looks around the carpet. There’s a girl nearby her with two huge black plaits and huge brown eyes to match. Her skin is dark, and Vanessa feels comforted by the fact she’s not alone in sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the Snow Whites and Cinderellas and Auroras and their matching porcelain-skinned Disney princes that are sitting on the carpet with her. She scratches her head, feeling the bow her Mama tied in dark her hair shift. She hopes she’s not made a mess of it. Then Mama would be mad.

Her teacher’s been talking for a while now. It seems like she’s been talking for two hours. Maybe she has been talking for two hours. Vanessa looks up at the clock, even though she doesn’t know how to tell the time yet so the information is less than useless to her. Bored, her eyes drift towards the girl she was looking at before. She’s wearing a white polo shirt and a red pinafore, and her white socks have got red bows on them. Vanessa is jealous. Her new jumper with the school logo is scratchy on the inside and she told her Mama that her leggings have a hole at the knee but they can’t get any new ones until she gets paid.

She bum-shuffles across to sit beside the girl, keeps her eyes trained on the teacher like a sniper as she leans in and whispers. “You look like a princess.”

The girl gives her a big smile. Vanessa knows she should say thank you, but maybe she doesn’t know as much about manners as Vanessa does. The girl whispers to her. “You look like Meg from Hercules.”

Vanessa smiles at her. She’s seen Hercules- it’s not her favourite, but she’s seen it- and Meg was her favourite character. “Thanks.”

“It’s okay,” she whispers. There’s a pause before she hisses to her again. “My name’s Monique, what’s yours?”

“I’m Vanessa,” she replies quietly. Vanessa picks at the hole in her leggings. It’s now about the size of a 1p coin. She knows about coins, at least. “Hey, you wanna play princesses at playtime?”

Monique nods excitedly, then whips her head around, scared. Vanessa looks up at her teacher. Her eyebrows are almost joined-up and there’s little lines on her forehead and her eyes have gone all hard. Vanessa knows this means she’s feeling cross.

“Vanessa, Monique! It’s rude to talk while someone else is talking. We don’t do that in school.”

Vanessa knows she should nod, but her stomach feels all fizzy and she finds herself frowning at her teacher instead. Monique says sorry. Maybe Vanessa should say sorry too. She decides she doesn’t want to.

“She’s been talking for about 5 hours. Maybe even 4 years,” Vanessa whispers to Monique again. Monique covers her mouth with her hands and lets out a tiny giggle. Their teacher gives them a suspicious look again and Monique shuffles away from Vanessa. Vanessa knows this means she doesn’t want to get into trouble. As soon as the teacher starts talking again, Vanessa hisses over to her.

“Monique!”

No answer. “Monique!”

Monique turns around a little bit to face her. “What?”

Vanessa cups her mouth with her hands so the girl can hear her. “Do you want to be best friends?”

Monique gives her another big smile. It makes Vanessa feel happy too. “Okay!”

She’s only been here for five hours, maybe even four years, and she’s already made a best friend. This school thing is easy.

***

It’s the two of them for life. Vanessa just knows it. They’re BFFAEAE (best friends forever and ever and ever). They get in trouble for chatting at school and their long-suffering teacher monitors them like a hawk. They’re banned from sitting near each other on the carpet because even when Vanessa tries to listen (even if it’s P.E., her favourite), she’ll think of something funny she just has to share with Monique, and of course Monique is incapable of laughing quietly so she lets out a screech that completely disrupts the whole lesson and earns them both five minutes off their reward time. Vanessa doesn’t even mind losing reward time. They sit at the same table while everyone else plays and they write out the class rules, but Vanessa doesn’t mind because it’s the only time they’ll ever be allowed to sit together in class.

In the playground and after school it’s a different story. In Reception they play princesses and animal rescue with their threadbare, well-loved stuffed animals they sneak into school in their schoolbags. By Year 1 they’re popstars learning dance routines and designing album covers and falling out because Monique wants to call their double-act The Strawberry Babies and Vanessa knows that obviously The Starlights is a far superior name. In the Summer between Year 1 and Year 2 Vanessa’s Mama takes them to the cinema to see Fantastic Four and so for the whole of Year 2 they’re obsessed with superheroes, rolling around on the tarmac play-fighting with each other and getting bruised knees and scraped elbows and so far removed from the girly girls they were when they started school.

Vanessa knows everything about Monique and Monique knows everything about her, because that’s what it means to be best friends. Vanessa knows that Monique’s brother is eleven and goes to Big School and doesn’t play with her and slams his door and plays rap music that Monique can hear when she’s in her room with the door closed. Monique stays in the high flats with her brother and her gran.

“Do you have a Mama?” Vanessa remembers asking her one day in the playground, drawing in the dirt with sticks.

Monique’s voice had been quiet. She hadn’t looked up from drawing in the dirt. “Uh-huh.”

“Where is she?”

Monique had shrugged, scribbled out the happy face she’d drawn. “Gran says she’s not allowed to see us any more.”

Vanessa could tell talking about her Mama had made Monique sad, so they don’t talk about that any more. Dads are off the table too. Vanessa doesn’t know hers and Monique doesn’t either. Vanessa doesn’t really need a Dad. Her Mama works in the supermarket and keeps their tiny pebbledashed council house in the estate spotlessly clean and is always on time to pick Vanessa up from school. She drags Vanessa kicking and screaming to mass every Sunday (Vanessa doesn’t like it because all the chanting scares her) and threatens her with El Coco until she’s blue in the face. Monique goes to church too but hers sounds more fun- they laugh and clap and sing their hearts out. Monique sings the songs in school. Vanessa thinks she sounds like she could be in the Sugababes, not that she’s allowed to listen to the Sugababes.

Monique comes round to Vanessa’s house every few weeks or so. She lives close, and Monique is allowed to walk round on her own. Vanessa is jealous of that. She wishes her Mama would let her go places on her own. She tells her that one day and Mama howls with laughter, says she’s not allowed out on her own until she’s at least twenty-one. Vanessa thinks she’s joking. Thinks.

Vanessa gets excited when Monique visits because she knows her Mama will make an effort with the dinner. That’s unfair and disrespectful, she knows; Mama works hard to put food on the table, but her stuffed arepas are just better than rice and beans (and microwave meals if it’s near her pay day, which her Mama makes Vanessa promise she’ll never tell her Abuela they eat). They sit and eat with their bowls on their laps on the sofa in front of the TV and watch The Weakest Link. They sometimes get the questions right even though they’re only 7 and the people on the show are fully-grown adults. Monique is smart, though. Smarter than Vanessa. Vanessa thinks she’s smarter than their teacher. She’s the best at writing in the class and the best at maths too, and she can read any word at all.

Vanessa’s not that smart, but she knows Monique is, and she thinks she’s amazing.

It’s a grey-clouded day in July in the Summer of 2007 when Monique pulls up outside Vanessa’s house on a brand new bike. It’s blue and the seat is close to the ground and the spokes are all shiny. Vanessa runs out to see her, sticks her feet in between the bars of the rusty iron gate at the front of their house and swings back and forth as Monique talks.

“My brother got me it. Someone from the skatepark didn’t want it any more and it’s too small for him, so I guess it’s mine now,” Monique shrugs happily. There’s a smudge of dirt on her face that Vanessa knows her Mama will wipe off with a hot cloth if she sees it. “It’s kinda big for me but it works okay. You got a bike, right?”

Vanessa cringes, thinks about the pink bike with streamers at the handles that lives in their back garden and is probably crumbling away with rust. “I got one, but it ain’t as cool as yours.”

Monique smiles, satisfied with the compliment. “Well, go get it an’ we can go for a ride.”

Vanessa blushes and thinks of how many cool points she’s going to lose when she tells Monique that she has to ask her Mama first. Monique laughs at her good-humouredly, sticks her tongue out at her and calls her a baby. Monique turned 9 two months ago and Vanessa has to wait four more to catch up with her, so the comment stings but she pretends it doesn’t.

To her surprise and delight, her Mama lets her go out on her bike with Monique but only if they just go round the estate and they’re back before dinner time. Vanessa has never been able to follow the rules, though, so when Monique tells her she knows a place by the river under the bridge with a scrub of sand like it’s the seaside then Vanessa doesn’t hesitate to follow her. Vanessa wonders how Monique seems to know the city so well: she takes her on a journey through dark underpasses with yellow strip lights and bright scrawls of graffiti, narrow bridges above busy roads that Vanessa tries to pretend don’t scare her, secret little paths through the big park Vanessa goes to with her Mama sometimes. They pedal wildly and everything zooms by so quickly that even though she has no idea where she is, Vanessa feels safe. Any vaguely scary things they see (big dogs) are gone a second later, and Vanessa knows Monique would protect her if anything scary did happen. She would protect her too. That’s just what best friends do.

They arrive at the place Monique had been talking about. The brown stone bridge hangs high above them but Vanessa can still hear the cars on it pass by. They’re drowned out slightly by the babbling of the river, inky and cold and black with jaggy rocks underneath its surface. There’s huge clusters of boulders that they both have to climb over to get to the sand and they have to leave their bikes leaning against the wall on the path. It’s not a pretty place, but it’s still a little bit magical. It has the aura of adventure rather than beauty and they’d be more likely to discover pirates here than fairies, which is just how Vanessa likes it. Together they chuck stones into the water haphazardly, their hands growing more grubby by the minute and the dirt black under their nails.

“What’s that?” Vanessa narrows her eyes, reaches down to pick up the object she’s spotted. It’s embedded in the sand and she can’t really see what it is, but it looks like what she got her injections with at the doctor’s. Monique races over to see what she’s talking about and pushes her hand away quickly. Vanessa snaps. “Hey!”

“You’re not s'posed to touch that, it’s dangerous!” Monique cries, outraged. “What if you got stabbed?”

Vanessa snorts a laugh. “It’s ain’t a knife, M'nique, it’s only a stupid needle."

Then, almost as if Monique’s warning had been a dare, Vanessa picks it out the sand with her thumb and index finger, holds it by the plastic tube. Monique’s face falls. "Stop it, ‘Ness, that’s creepy.”

Vanessa laughs, starts making the needle float about while making spooky noises. Monique takes a step back, her face all panicked. Vanessa gives a giggle. Monique’s acting like a scaredy-cat; she does that sometimes and it’s funny to wind her up. She usually takes it well but she’s growing more distressed than she usually does. Her eyes are all wide and Vanessa stops playing the moment she sees tears start welling up in them. She immediately drops the needle into the river and crosses over to her, her trainers leaving huge Nike ticks in the sand.

“Hey, what’s the matter? I’m sorry,” she mumbles. She regrets joking around now, and Monique is wiping at her eyes and sniffing and smearing dirt across her face.

“They used to be all ‘round my house before we lived with Gran,” she sniffs. Vanessa gets a churning feeling in her tummy. She doesn’t really know what that means, but it makes her feel frightened just hearing about it. She can’t imagine how frightened Monique felt seeing them for real. Slipping the sleeves of her hoodie down over her hands, she gives Monique a hug, pats her back in the hope it’s comforting.

“I threw it in the river. Don’t worry. You don’t need to see it ever again,” Vanessa says. She’s not Monique, she doesn’t know what it’s like to have a sibling, but Monique is the closest thing to a sister she has and she wants to keep her safe. Monique is smiling at her when she steps out of the hug, and Vanessa feels relieved.

“An’ if it does come back we’ll just stab it before it can stab us first!” Monique jokes. It’s a silly joke but Vanessa still bursts out laughing.

“We’ll stab it with a stick!” she joins in, and soon the two girls are laughing and anything vaguely threatening has been forgotten about.

They end up cycling a lot that Summer, Monique showing Vanessa all sorts of hidden places all round the city. Vanessa never feels freer than when she’s racing around on dirt paths behind her best friend, and worries are a distant memory. Vanessa’s life is good and she has a lot of things to be thankful for but she knows she looks different and doesn’t fit in, she knows there’s a lot of things that the other kids have that she doesn’t, she knows that there are times when her Mama sits up at night time with her bills spilling out across the kitchen table and a calculator in her hand. Monique is a bright smile and a sense of adventure and she makes Vanessa feel happy.

They don’t go out on their bikes as much when they go back to school after the holidays. Year 4 flies by almost as quick as they used to cycle, as does Year 5. They don’t pretend as much in the playground anymore, preferring to run riot on the astroturf with the boys in their class and play football and get bruises on their shins from being tackled to within an inch of their life. Not much changes by Year 6; their last year of primary school when they should be responsible and conscientious and yet they’re still getting in trouble for giggling in class and playing pranks on the other kids and whispering swear words in Spanish (that one is Vanessa’s fault).

They’ve only got a month left of primary school and Vanessa’s allowed to walk home with Monique now as long as she keeps her phone on loud and texts her Mama to tell her if they’re stopping by the park or the snack van. Today is one of those days. They’re sat underneath the huge cherry blossom tree at the park; Vanessa wants to climb it but Monique’s saying that’s too babyish. They’re too old for that now, so they’re bluetoothing each other Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz songs and blaring them at full volume out of their tinny phone speakers instead. Vanessa’s about to show Monique a parody somebody’s made of You’re Beautiful by James Blunt when Monique breaks the not-quite-silence.

“You gotta crush on anyone?”

Vanessa wrinkles her face up, snorts a laugh. “Ew! Nah. All the boys in our class are gross. I ain’t ever had a crush on any of ‘em.”

Monique gives a quiet laugh. “Me neither. They all use that Lynx Africa like it’s gonna cover up their B.O.”

Vanessa lets out a howl of laughter. She wasn’t lying to Monique; she doesn’t have a crush on anyone. If she thinks about it, she’s never really had a crush on any of the boys in her class. It’s just not something she thinks about. She cares more about her best friend than she’d ever care about any boy.

Their laughter dies down, and Vanessa gets a knot in her stomach. It happens every so often when she thinks about high school. Their class went up to see the school last week and it felt like such a terrifying maze of identical-looking corridors and crowds of kids so old they looked to be mini adults. Their teacher had told them to write down three friends they wanted to be in the same form class as, even though she said she couldn’t guarantee they’d get to stay together. Vanessa had written only one name on her form- Monique Heart - in her curly, barely-legible handwriting, the “i”s dotted with hearts. It’s been on her mind ever since, though. They’ve been together since Reception, Monique is all Vanessa knows. She wouldn’t begin to know how to make any other friends. She doesn’t want any other friends.

“M’nique,” Vanessa says, and the other girl looks up. “What happens if we ain’t in the same form class next year?”

Monique gives a small, humoured laugh. “Well then we ain’t in the same form class.”

Vanessa rolls her eyes and shoves her. “Duh, idiot! I mean like…with us. We still gon’ be best friends?”

Monique laughs dismissively, shakes her head at her. “Now who’s being the idiot?”

“I’m serious!” Vanessa objects, annoyed that Monique’s still got her eyebrows raised at her like she’s a little kid. She’s going to be 12 in October; it’s not like she’s a baby. “What if you find other cool girls to hang out with? What if you get a new best friend? What am I gonna do?”

“You’re gonna do nothing, cuz that ain’t gonna happen,” Monique insists. Her face lights up as she gets an idea, jabs a finger against the tree trunk. “Okay. If I carve our initials into this tree, it’ll be like a promise. That we’re always gonna be best friends. I don’t want to hang out with cool girls. It’s fun just me an’ you.”

Vanessa smiles, her heart feeling all warm at the reassurance. Monique rummages around in her bag and produces her keys, starts stabbing at the bark of the tree relentlessly. Vanessa flinches a little, part of the reaction a residual memory from watching Pocahontas too much when she was really little; she used to believe that trees could feel things like humans. She shares the memory with Monique who doesn’t laugh at her, even though she probably has every right to.

“Well humans feel things an’ they get tattoos. So this is like a tattoo for a tree,” she shrugs. She’s chipped a big capital M in the bumpy bark so far and is starting on an H.

“Hey, you think we should get matching tattoos when we’re grown ups?” Vanessa suggests, the idea exciting her. Monique frowns as she drags her key over the wood.

“Don’t they use needles for that?”

Vanessa regrets the idea as soon as Monique says it; she’d forgotten about her friend’s fear. She decides to commit to the idea. “They do, but they’re all clean an’ safe. An’ you wouldn’t have to be scared cuz I’d go with you.”

Monique nods as she starts on Vanessa’s name. “I never feel scared when I’m with you. Except when Mrs Del Rio yells at us.”

“She’s a big baby. She just hates us cuz we would be better teachers than her,” Vanessa shrugs. It’s true.

“Well, what tattoo are we gonna get? We need to decide now so we can start saving up for it,” Monique questions her. Vanessa scoffs.

“How much do you think a tattoo costs? It’s like ten pounds, God!"

It’s Monique’s turn to laugh. "Nah, it’s way more than that! My brother’s got one and his cost a hundred and fifty.”

Vanessa lets out an outraged screech. “That’s a damn lie! You’re gonna go to the bad fire if you keep tellin’ lies like that.”

“An’ you’re gonna go to the bad fire cuz you just cussed.”

“Well, see you down there,” Vanessa shrugs. She considers Monique’s question. “What about we get BFFs in cool writing?”

Monique nods enthusiastically. “Yeah! With a heart maybe.”

“Yeah!” Vanessa agrees, excited about the prospect of their matching tattoos. She Googles “when can i get a tatoo” (spelling’s never been her strong suit) and lets out a groan at what she reads. “Ugh. We have to wait seven whole years.”

“You have to wait seven years, I only have to wait six!” Monique boasts, Vanessa sighing. She hates being one of the youngest in the class. She doesn’t have time to feel down for long though, as Monique shows her her handiwork with a flourish; MH + VM, scratched into the tree forever. “There! Best friends forever.”

Vanessa feels as if her smile is going to break her face. It feels like her body is made of the sun’s rays. When Monique says that, high school doesn’t seem so scary any more.

“Where we gonna get these tattoos anyway?” Monique speaks again. Vanessa’s smile turns wicked and she can barely get her thoughts out without laughing.

“Imagine we get them on our butt!”

Vanessa thinks Monique’s Gran might be able to her them screeching with laughter from the top floor of her tower block.

***

Things change though, despite the promise they make. Monique doesn’t think either of them mean to break it but life gets in the way and God has other plans. It’s what she believes at least.

Though she doesn’t know what his plan was for separating her from her best friend. Monique cries for forty-five solid minutes when she receives the letter telling her what form class she’s in; she knows it’s different to Vanessa’s. Her Gran holds her tight and rocks her against her chest on the sofa while her brother yells at her to shut up and slams his bedroom door. Her Gran is full of comforting words: you’re a strong girl, and you’ve been through worse in your life than this, and this isn’t going to change a single thing, hush now. But it is going to change things. When she’s with Vanessa, Monique feels like she can take on the world. She brings out her confident side when she feels shy, matches every shriek with a screech, takes her mind off the fact that she lives in a shoebox fourteen storeys high in the air where the elevator doesn’t work and the stairwell smells like piss. She can’t imagine starting high school without her. She doesn’t want to imagine it.

Monique batters out of the flat despite her Gran shouting after her, dashes down the stairs like her life depends on it. Her heart feels ready to give out when she reaches the lobby and bursts out into the open air but she still unchains her bike from the rack outside, pedals madly to Vanessa’s house. The bike is too small for her now and it’s uncomfortable to ride but it’s all she has to get her to the person that matters most. She reaches the house and Vanessa’s Mama lets her in, and Monique takes the stairs up to Vanessa’s bedroom two at a time where they hold each other tight and bundle up in Vanessa’s duvet and sob and sob and sob.

But looking back, Monique knows she’d been a little dramatic that day. Not being in the same form class as Vanessa really is not the end of the world. They walk there together on their first day and give each other a tight, nervous hug before they each head to their own form rooms. Monique pushes down on the doorhandle and anxiety fills her body as she walks in, freezes at the doorframe. There’s about twenty other kids already in the room and the whole scene is a bit chaotic. There are two boys chucking a ball to each other across the classroom, some girls with hair in high ponytails screeching and playing Katy Perry out of their phone speakers. Even though Monique has sat through countless interviews with social workers, child psychologists and police officers, this is one of the scariest experiences of her life.

“Hey. You wanna sit with us?”

Monique’s eyes fall on a table of girls with skin just like hers and hair to match. Monique instantly feels 80% more reassured; she’s never seen a classroom with a colour palette like this in her life. She and Vanessa had been the only two girls in their year at primary whose skin colour had deviated from the sea of pink or almost-translucent. There’s one girl who fits that mold at the table with the others, and Monique thinks it’s funny that she’s got pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes and still happens to be the odd one out.

The girls take her under their wing that first day, and the next, and the next. They’ve all gone to a different primary school from Monique and so are already closer than close, but they never make her feel like an outsider. Asia with the sleek, black hair that tumbles down her back has a sweet smile and explains all the in-jokes that Monique doesn’t understand. Antonia, the girl who invited Monique to sit with them, has an intimidating face and a skinny frame but a kind heart and always shares her snack and pens with her. Roberta- Bob- has a huge untameable afro and personality to match, and her cousin Monét isn’t dissimilar apart from the fact that her hair is wavy and caramel instead of jet black and curly. They bicker with each other and gossip about their teachers and make Monique laugh when she’s down. And Brianna is kind and caring and is always able to put a smile on Monique’s face.

Before long, it seems like Monique has made five new friends without even having to try. She wishes she could say she’s friends with Vanessa like she always used to be, but that would be lying.

Because Vanessa’s made friends too. They’re the girls Monique’s Gran always warned her about- friends with the devil and they’ll lead you on a path straight to him. Akeria and Silky make a reputation for themselves at high school within a week of the year beginning. They mess about in class, text during lessons, Silky starts fights with other girls in the corridors that her victims never have the balls to finish. Akeria flirts with the boys and the rumours say she’s had her first kiss already. They backchat teachers and keep cans of spray paint in their bags and walk along the train tracks to the depot after school to spray their wobbly initials on the side of freight trains.

But despite the fact they don’t hang out as much in person any more, that doesn’t diminish the light that Monique keeps burning in her heart for Vanessa. They bump into each other in corridors and chat excitedly in the five minutes they have between lessons, smile and wave at each other from across the lunch hall, and they still text each other and walk there and back from school together. Well, until just after the start of Year 8. Vanessa starts getting a lift from Akeria’s Mum in the mornings and hanging out at the shopping centre with her and Silky after school. It’s not her fault, and Monique supposes she’s no better- Monét lives on Monique’s route to school so the two of them start walking together instead, and after school the girls often go to the chicken shop in town and shovel down wings to make up for the disgusting school lunches.

By her second year of high school it’s almost like Monique has a new best friend.

But she doesn’t want to think like that, so she’s overjoyed when it gets to the start of Summer, just before the last term of their second year ends, and Vanessa’s texts change from general small-talk chit-chat to an invitation to have a sleepover at her house at the weekend. Monique feels embarrassing levels of excitement as she texts back confirming she’ll be there.

M: Are your other friends gonna be there??

V: nah just me n u

And it is just her and Vanessa. It’s a gorgeously sunny day and Vanessa’s Mama puts up a tent in the garden that they can camp out in. It’s nice to be back with her, talking and giggling and laughing about stupid stuff. Vanessa laughs uproariously as she tells Monique about Silky and Akeria’s latest exploits and Monique listens nervously, anxious just hearing about them.

“Do you join in when they do stuff like that?” Monique asks her, after a story about how Silky signed her name in the same Sharpie she does her eyebrows with on a toilet cubicle door and got detention. Vanessa shakes her head, smiles bashfully.

“Nah. I tell ‘em it’s good to keep someone onside in case we get into trouble. The teachers’ll let us away with more if they like one of us. 'Least that’s my excuse,” she explains. Monique smiles, reassured.

“I didn’t think you were like them,” she says, relieved. She thinks Vanessa narrows her eyes at her, but she blinks and her expression has changed. Vanessa’s started wearing makeup and it suits her, even though her foundation is maybe a little off-colour. The mascara she’s swept onto her lashes opens up her eyes a little more and lets Monique see the twinkle that seems to be permanently shining in them.

She is so pretty, and Monique wishes she could look like her.

They talk as if nothing has changed over dinner, various barbecued meats grilled on a disposable barbecue Vanessa’s Mama got from her work. Monique has never had a barbecue before and she decides that burgers charred to within an inch of their lives are the best thing she’s ever eaten. They make smores from chocolate digestives and marshmallows for dessert and Monique howls with laughter as the chocolate and marshmallow melt down half Vanessa’s hand and she licks it off as her Mama rolls her eyes, goes to find her a hot cloth and mutters in Spanish that Monique doesn’t understand but knows is long-suffering. She has almost forgotten the way Vanessa can make her belly laugh just by acting the fool. Monique has spent two whole years not even knowing how much she’s missed her friend, too distracted by her new ones.

When it’s time to go to sleep they both cosy up under Vanessa’s duvet that’s been dragged outside and a sleeping bag each under that. Every available pillow and cushion in the house has been utilised in lieu of a blow-up mattress but the set-up is still comfortable, even though it’s pitch-black both in the tent and outside. It might be the end of June but it’s still cold once the sun goes down, and Vanessa has shuffled up near to Monique in a bid to try and keep warm. Vanessa being so close makes Monique feel warm on the inside as well as the outside.

“Hey, you know that rumour about Akeria kissing Dean from Year 9?” Monique pipes up, interested. “Is that true?”

Vanessa rolls onto her tummy to face Monique, and her eyes are sparkling with mischief even in the dark. It makes Monique’s stomach do a flip. “Yeah. They did it at the food court after school one day. You wanna know what else?”

Vanessa’s face is so full of glee that Monique can’t help but nod in anticipation. She’s almost in fits of laughter as she tries to get the secret out. “He tried to get her to touch his…you know!”

Monique lets out a screech that is equal parts horrified and amused as Vanessa dissolves into giggles too. “GROSS! Did she do it?”

“Ew! What do you think? Of course she didn’t. That shit’s nasty.”

There’s a pause in which Vanessa lets out a few more giggles. Monique doesn’t. She’s silent. She’s thinking.

“I wonder what it’s like.”

Vanessa’s voice is loud in the silence of the night. “What? Touching a boy’s-”

“No, idiot!” Monique laughs, explaining herself. “Kissing someone. Wonder if it’s as nice as people say it is.”

Vanessa falls quiet as well. Monique wonders what she’s thinking. She decides to break the silence. “You ever kissed a boy?”

Vanessa lets out a snort. “Come on, M’nique, you know I ain’t.”

“No I don’t!” Monique protests, her voice dropping to a murmur as she feels herself pout while she speaks. “I feel like I don’t know anything about you anymore.”

They both fall silent, and there’s a shift in the atmosphere that Monique can’t quite put her finger on. Vanessa lets out a sudden giggle.

“What?” Monique asks awkwardly, unsure if she’s meant to be in on the joke or the butt of it.

Vanessa’s face is scheming. She laughs a little, buries her face in her pillow before she speaks. “You know we could practise?”

Monique is slow on the uptake at first. “Practise? Practise what?”

She realises as Vanessa lifts her head and gives another giggle. Monique lets out a screech, takes the pillow from underneath her head and thumps her friend with it. “Ew, Vanessa! Ew, ew, ew! You’re so weird!”

“Oh, c’mon! I don’t wanna go kiss a boy and then be really bad at it, then he’s tell his friends and they’d tell their friends and then the whole school would think I’m shit!” Vanessa insists. Monique’s heart gives a very loud thud as Vanessa inches her face close to Monique. She’s not taken her makeup off and her mascara is all smudged around her eyes like makeshift eyeliner. She looks really pretty.

Monique shoves her away back onto the pillows. “I ain’t doin’ that shit with you! Ask Akeria since she’s so experienced.”

“But I don’t wanna practise with Kiki! I wanna practise with you!” Vanessa says matter-of-factly. Monique’s stomach gives another churn. Something is different, something has changed. Monique isn’t sure what it is or what to make of it.

“Well, tough shit. We ain’t…practising,” Monique huffs, turning her back to Vanessa and letting her eyes burn holes in the flimsy tent walls.

Vanessa’s voice comes from her side of the tent. “Fine! But if they call you…shit, I don’t know…Washing-Machine Mouth Monique…don’t say I never warned you!”

Monique lets out another huff, squeezes her eyes shut and wills herself to sleep. She feels weird. Her heart is going too fast and her stomach feels fizzy and it takes her a moment to realise her face has gone all hot.

“M’nique?” Vanessa’s voice comes from the darkness. She ignores it. “You mad at me?”

She sighs, rolls her eyes even though she knows Vanessa can’t see. “No.”

“Okay,” Vanessa says. Her voice is soft, and she rolls over onto her side. She rests her head against Monique’s back and puts an arm around her. They hug all the time, but this one feels different. It’s nice, though, and Monique feels warm and safe. “I’m sorry we haven’t hung out much. You know. Like we did in primary.”

“I’m sorry too,” Monique sighs, bringing a hand up to pat Vanessa on the arm. She ends up simply leaving it there.

“Hey, we should hang out more in the Summer! You know you can always come round to mine,” Vanessa continues.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Monique murmurs, letting out a heavy sigh. She’s not lying- it would be nice. She knows she could never have friends back to her flat because they don’t have the space and besides, most of them wouldn’t even want to set foot in the high rise anyway. Monét’s parents are doctors and Asia’s Dad is a barrister and her Mum is a lawyer, and Bob’s parents work in something accountant-y, and they all live in big houses with sweeping paved driveways and garages and gardens the size of the Emirates stadium. Granted Antonia’s Mum and Dad both work two jobs to pay the rent and Brianna’s Dad is a dustbin man while her Mum stays at home to look after her baby sister, but at least their families are happy ones. Monique has never known the luxury of a fancy house or a private garden or a car or a perfect, cookie-cutter family. She wonders if she ever will.

She’s pulled out of her thoughts by Vanessa giving her a gentle squeeze, cuddling closer. She didn’t think it would be possible but she somehow manages it, and Monique isn’t complaining. “G'night, M'nique.”

Monique is too tired to think any more. Vanessa’s arms feel comforting around her, and she chooses to settle in them. “Night, 'Ness.”

#rpdr fanfiction #ortega #2003 #vanique #vanessa vanjie mateo #monique heart #best friends to girlfriends #lesbian au #high school au #fic challenge #diversity fic #s10 #black girl magic fic #tw mentions of implied child neglect #tw brief mentions of drug use

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foureoreos · 5 years ago

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oh please do delve deeper into why you think nya is not suited for romance (or at least the way she is written). I do think that jaya sometimes have cute scenes BUT Jay's desperateness ruined them for me. plus I feel like nya is not stupid. if she genuinely liked Jay she wouldn't have let a machine decide she is not compatible with him anymore which honestly makes me believe she just stopped liking him after s2.

Aight, let’s start this, shall we?

I’m really trying here not to turn this into a “why I don’t like ja/ya” answer, but it’s going to be a wee bit difficult to do if I don’t pull examples from that relationship. I’m also going to try really hard not to throw bias in here since I love bruiseshipping, but I will need it at some points to compare and contrast my different points and thoughts to make things clearer/better.

First, I want to start by saying that I’ve run into many people who tell me and mutuals things like “Wow, seriously? You’re still thinking about that? That was in the past, you gotta move on!” or “Look at Skybound again”. This is when I talk about both why ja/ya has been dragged on for so long and why Nya just doesn’t fit right into the whole romance subplot.

Well, buddy, call it what you want, but you can’t just base something off one point in time. Events like these carry over. That’s also what helps build relationships and gives them a stronger foundation.

i.e. How Jay and Cole, after making up during the Tournament of Elements, still continue to progress and develop their relationship. It actually got to the point where the character’s chemistry feels natural and very casual, almost to the point where the characters could write themselves.

For instance, we all remember that love triangle, right? I know people use the excuse “Nya is a teenager, she’s just acting like one” whenever she’s a b**ch or acts out very impulsively around Jay, but frankly, I think otherwise. Her character is really inconsistent throughout the series. There’s some moments when she’s likable and you can get behind her, but other times when she’s just straight up obnoxious.

She’s only nice to Jay whenever the plot calls for her relationship with him. Aka, ja/ya. When the plot doesn’t, she can be really mean and it feels like a complete one-sided relationship, because she acts like she just doesn’t care. And Jay loves and supports her like 24/7. (Also, ja/ya is really only developed one Jay’s end of the relationship? Very rarely or EVER Nya’s. What’s with that?)

Here’s where I point out how she contradicts herself in S3 and S6. Season 3, Rebooted, Nya lets a “match-maker machine” decide for her who her perfect match is. And while she was already dating Jay at that time, she still went ahead anyways to give Cole a shot, just because a machine told her he was the one. Okay. Can I add that she never apologized to Jay for what she did? Like, never explicitly told him that she started the whole mess? That she was the one who cheated on him?

Also, remember in Season 4 when she was telling Wu, “Jay’s funny and all but Cole, Cole’s not Jay…” (thanks to @afrenchfrypassingby for pointing this out to me)? So, what is Jay then? Or do you just have a very poor way with words?

Anyways, so, Season 6. I can’t remember the last time I ever watched this season. Must have been like years ago, because I always skip it in my Ninjago rewatches. Still, I remember a lot of things from that season. Especially when Nya told Jay that “Hey, when I first met you, I knew we were meant to be together”.

Well, hmm. Ah? Okay?

Can we rewind Season 6 a bit more?

I actually liked her at the beginning of Season 6. Only the beginning.

She wanted to be more than just “the girl ninja”, “Kai’s sister”, and “Jay’s girlfriend”. She wanted to find her own identity. And girl, I can 100% get behind that. Plus, she was basically forced to give up her Samurai X identity to become a water ninja. But then I don’t know what the hell happened that made her decide at the end, “I’m Jay’s girlfriend again”. And before anyone says anything about the lighthouse scene, etc. what she did in the end completely defeats everything she clearly wanted at the beginning of the season.

Follow up that Jay was a complete creep in that season. I know it gave him more development to his character and helped him to be more confident and have that “If I want it, I’ll take it” attitude, but the girl said “No” at the beginning and he was?? just?? so desperate to win her back and get the two of them back together? Ugh, that’s not how you write relationships, folks. When someone says “no”, that doesn’t mean “try again”.

Haha, my mind just did a flashback to that one line from Prime Empire when she told Jay she and him had chemistry. That was a lie. If anything, Nya and Ronin actually have more chemistry. And Jay and Cole have more chemistry.

I truly believe that from the beginning of this show, Nya was meant to be written as the “strong, independent, female character that could take care of herself”. But the writer’s try way too hard when they write her character.

If I’m being honest, Pixal actually shows that better. Not to mention Pixal can also be very feminine and still be a cool girl.

Strong female characters don’t have to be buff, they don’t have to want to be irritated by relationships or feeling like it pulls them down (not @ how Jay has said to Nya “I love you” over a thousand times and never once has Nya said it back because she doesn’t like showing affection because it distorts her image. When Zane and Pixal have said it to each other and show a very mutual, loving relationship), they don’t have to dislike “girly” things, and whatnot.

Strong female characters can be compassionate and kind. They can be badass and still care for other people. They can be in a relationship and still be powerful. They can show weakness and affection and emotion.

From the very beginning the writers pulled out the compulsive heterosexuality card and decided “Okay, we have one boy, one girl, let’s just put them together because yeah”. And then they started doing that with everyone else. Kai and Skylor, Pixal and Zane (though, not going to lie, is the only well developed canonical Ninjago romance). What a shame, honestly, because Lloyd and Harumi actually could have been really well developed if it weren’t for the whole “I want to kill you and bring back your dead father” abusive relationship. And, I don’t want to shame you for shipping Lloyd and Akita because I don’t care if you do, but they really had to make her go and kiss Lloyd at the end of the season huh? I personally feel like it was more a “thank you” kiss after some thought, but hah, you just can’t leave a girl alone for one second, can you, writers? And oh my gosh that subtle look between Lloyd and Racer 7 at the end of Season 12?? I got so scared. WOW.

I went OFF. And I don’t want to go any further because it will be so bitter and salty and I will rip her and everything about Ninjago canonical romances APART. But yeah!! This is all I will leave for you :)

Thanks for that ask!

#if you wanna add anything i missed #feel free #lego ninjago #ninjago #ninjago nya #asks #please!! who asked this???#dm me or smth #ninjago romance #why writers #wtf

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ice-cream-nekogirl · 5 years ago

Text

like a dark paradise (Tokoyami Fumikage X Reader)

I’M BACK FOR A BIT! WHAT’S UP MOTHER-TRUCKERS~?!

Ahhhh school is really kicking my ass you guys... >.< But I had this in my head and I wasn’t going to just let it go while the bug was still in me! I can’t get enough of dear Tokoyami so I wrote this! He’s one of my favorites!!

I apologize for any OOC-ness cuz my writing skills are NOT getting any better XD

Featuring... Birb boi!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZwCu8u0bzA

Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise... No one compares to you, I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side...

6 YEARS AGO

He was never treated like the rest of the other children. Then again, not all of the children had features as unique as his, some actually looked more bizarre but they always chose Tokoyami because he was an easy target. Ever since he started school he’d gotten a lot of stares, not subtle jokes made at his expense and he was a sensitive child back during those days so he spent a lot of time hiding in the bathroom, crying.

All he wanted was to keep to himself so he wouldn’t bother anyone with his presence as he sat outside, but they never left him alone and they always followed him just to torment him more. The boy cringed and whined when he felt little bread crumbs being thrown at him. Again. They always did this, any chance students got they would toss bread at him to ‘feed the bird’.

‘Let me at them! Come on!! I can’t let them hurt you!’

But he had gotten his quirk by that time, as Dark Shadow arrived in his life when he was 4 years old and has been with him for the past 5 years. Tokoyami was partially relieved to have a sentient quirk that made him feel a little less alone, but the shadow could be very willful at times and he didn’t have the best control over it yet.

‘No! Don’t! You’ll just make it worse!’

Tokoyami knew better than to fight back, the worst thing children could do at this age of childhood was to stir the pot and give bullies more reason to pick on him. On top of that he had gotten in trouble a few other times because of Dark Shadow’s intervention and he didn’t want a repeat of that because he always got blamed for it even if he and his parents knew that it wasn’t his fault.

“Hungry Tokoyami?” The voice belonged to a slightly older boy, maybe 12 at best with three other 6th graders beside him, all of them boys too. Tomo was the name of the ringleader he thought. The others were Katou, Goda and Maeda.

He slowly stood up where he sat. He could feel all of their judgmental, taunting eyes on him but Tokoyami didn’t dare say anything back to them though, because he feared if he did it would somehow give them more to tease him about.

“I love feeding the birds, but I don’t get why you don’t ever eat what I give you? I go out of my way to feed you dude.” Tomo asked him, leaning in a little closer as he kept his eyes to the ground and kept quiet.

“You need to show a little more fucking gratitude you stupid bird.” Goda then roughly raised his voice as the boy cringed and closed his eyes, his fists clenching from fear as he held them to his chest and trembled where he stood.

“Maybe he don’t like bread. Maybe he’d rather have worms instead? Birds love to eat worms.” Katou suggested with a small smirk, and Maeda had gone off, likely behind a rock to find said ‘worms’ as Tokoyami flinched and gasped a little bit, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes that the other boys noticed.

“Ooh! That’s right… sorry bird boy, I’m an idiot for forgetting that birds like to eat bugs… here we’ll give you something juicer…”

Tokoyami took a step back, but didn’t realize what a mistake that was as Goda hooked his arms under his shoulders and prevented him from trying to get away. “N-No…” He whimpered quietly as he saw Maeda coming closer, hands full of dirt and worms he could see slithering about as he gasped and tried to wriggle away but Katou helped Goda pin him to the ground and held his arms down.

“No… no please…”

He shook his head and pleaded with the boys to show mercy, but he knew that they weren’t as Tomo gave him a menacing grin. “Hee-hee-hee… calm down… just a little bite. It’s delicious… birds eat them all the time… and that’s all you are anyway. A bird we get to feed…” His smirk darkened as the worms Maeda gathered were set to the ground and the latter made sure to hold the 4th grader’s legs down.

“Please! D-Don’t… no…” Tokoyami shook his head, involuntary tears springing to his eyes as he squirmed in their hold but they were stronger than him, bigger than him and older than him.

‘I WANT TO COME OUT! I WON’T LET THEM HURT YOU!!’

‘DON’T!’

The young crow shut his eyes as Dark Shadow demanded to be released but he couldn’t let him, because then the whole school would be after him if he did. “Lunch time Tokoyami~.” Tomo held up two long, wiggling worms as Tokoyami’s eyes widened and he turned his head when those disgusting things were brought closer, and closer to his beak…

“N-NO!!”

Meanwhile…

You weren’t a particularly special student, and you didn’t have a particularly special quirk. All you could do was construct things out of light and you could barely do that. The most you could make was a ball of light, real awesome. You sucked at it…

And on top of that, everyone here at school was lame too, well… maybe except this one guy. He seemed like he was okay but he was a bit of a loner based on what you noticed from the boy.

Perhaps you were a cynical 4th grader but no one really talked to you and you couldn’t find it in you to talk to anyone else either so you decided to just go outside for a bit with your backpack to draw or something instead of being around the other students.

However, you froze when you stepped foot outside and the loud sounds of retching hit your ears as you cringed. It sounded like someone was sick…

“OH HE PUKED!!”

“DISGUSTING!”

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

You heard voices, and they were yelling, and by the sound of it they were yelling at someone. Now the logical side of you was telling you to go and get a teacher, but the impulsive side of you instead forced you to run towards the sounds as the voices and the laughter got louder.

And you gasped and hid behind the corner, your (E/C) eyes widening as soon as you saw what was going on. There he was, that boy, hunched over with his arms around his stomach and a puddle of vomit in front of him with three other boys standing over him and laughing. They looked much older too, hell they were 6th graders! What were they doing picking on a 4th grader?!

It made you so mad you shook and breathed heavily, what the hell was wrong with those psychos? Whatever they did they made the boy throw up and it pissed you off to no end as you looked around the ground…

“Unbelievable… we give you food and this is how you repay us?” Tomo asked the smaller boy as Tokoyami heavily panted in an attempt to catch his breath after purging up what the force-fed him.

He whimpered lightly as he made the mistake of looking at the thick, pale-yellow and chunky liquid that used to be his breakfast, along with the two worms that had been shoved down his throat, still wiggling and undigested. He couldn’t dare look at it anymore without fearing he’d throw up again as he fearfully peered up at Tomo’s face. He tried to glare at him but the tears streaming from his eyes hardly made him look threatening.

“You know… I also read somewhere that mother birds puke up what they eat to their babies.” Katou once had an evil idea as Tokoyami gasped. No, that wasn’t going to happen, he already choked down those vile worms and vomited them back up. He couldn’t take it anymore…

“No…!” He stood up on shaky knees to run away but Goda grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down to the ground. Clutching a fistful of his feathers. “If you don’t eat that throw up I’ll tear off all your feathers one by one bird boy…” The boy growled as Tomo laughed a little bit.

“Well Goda… go ahead… let him eat up his own puke… c’mon it’ll be funny. Do it!” He demanded of the boy and he smirked, picking up the boy and motioning him over to the vomit as Tokoyami shook his head, crying more openly as he pleaded and begged for them to stop, but they weren’t going to…

He shut his tearful eyes as he cried, he didn’t want to look at it, he didn’t want to…

“RAHHHHHHH!!”

Without warning you whacked the brutish Goda on his head with your backpack hard and made him shout as his hands released Tokoyami, making him hit the ground just inches away from his own vomit. Quickly he backed away with wide eyes of shock, gasping as soon as he saw his savior.

His classmate, he had seen you before but not once did he ever expect you to come to his rescue…

You were panting and carrying your backpack with contempt in your eyes as Goda growled angrily at you, while Tomo, Katou and Maeda looked at you in shock. “You bitch!” Goda shouted as he held the back of his head, obviously in pain as you glared at them.

“Go away! Why don’t you ass-clowns go pick on someone in your own grade?!” Despite being a fourth grader, you already picked up on some swear words, but that didn’t matter to Tokoyami. The second he realized that he was saved, he quickly stood up and ran from the four boys and hid behind you. He felt like such a coward but he couldn’t help it.

Tomo on the other hand, still had the gall to be smug as he laughed and smirked, “Oh look Tokoyami. It’s the princess coming to save you… it’s supposed to be the other way around though… hehe c’mon girly girl… what are you doing? Are you really going to try and mess with us? For that freak?” He asked with his hands on his hips, his smirk pissing you off so much that you grabbed one of the rocks you filled your backpack with and threw one right at his stomach.

“OH!!” The boy suddenly held his stomach, groaning and moaning in pain like a little bitch as his friends all gasped and backed away. “AH!” But then they all started screaming when more rocks and small balls of light were tossed as you didn’t hesitate to throw whatever you had on you at them. Unknowingly giving them a taste of their own medicine now that they were the ones getting pelted.

“What the fuck?! Are you crazy?!”

“Get lost Tomo!”

“Bitch!”

“Hey! Leave your mom out of this!” You exclaimed, grinning a little bit when you saw Tomo’s face turn red, and out of impulse you grabbed a very stunned Tokoyami’s arm to run off. The boy yelped a little bit, but he ran away with you as Tomo kept screaming at you both.

“I’M GOING TO GET YOU BOTH!! I SWEAR IT!!”

Neither of you paid him anymore mind though as you and Tokoyami made your ways back into the semi-safety of the school building. Both of you were panting after such a brisk run, but you started to laugh a little bit as you leaned against the wall.

Not noticing Tokoyami looking right at you, his red eyes still wide as he stood stunned, almost marveled and in disbelief. You looked like a heroine in his eyes as he blushed warmly at the sound of your laughter. Such mirthful laughter sounded like a sweet melody to him. You saved him… why did you save him?

“Hey… are you okay…?”

He was so distracted he didn’t even hear you speaking until you waved your hand in front of his eyes. “Hello…? Are you all right?” You sounded gentle, yet concerned and confused especially since the poor thing got sick from whatever it was those assholes did.

Tokoyami finally noticed that you were talking to him, you were talking to him. “I…” He couldn’t quite muster up a sentence though, so he could only timidly nod at your question. “Good… do you need to go to the nurse’s office?” You asked again though, but Tokoyami shook his head.

“ ‘m fine…” He said rather quietly, voice full of trepidation as he averted his eyes shyly.

“W-Why did you… w-why did you do that…?” Finally, he found it in him to ask you a real question, which surprised you since you hadn’t ever really heard him talk before.

“Help? I had to… I don’t know what they were doing but I couldn’t just let them hurt you.” You gave your answer, pretty simply too as if it were obvious. And it was to you, there was no way you could let that happen and not do anything.

However, Tokoyami was still surprised that someone, anyone, would even bother to help him at all. After all, he was just a creep and a weirdo.

“But… I… I-I’m a freak… aren’t I…? Just… some weirdo…” He quietly said, tearing up slightly when he repeated all the things almost all the kids he’s ever met in his life called him. You could see how sad the poor guy was though, so you wiped a tear from his eye and he perked up with a light little gasp, his face growing hot at the unfamiliar touch.

“Don’t show them your tears. We’re all freaks. We all have powers… I’m a bigger weirdo than you…” You smiled with a little giggle, “Anyone who tells you you’re a freak is just a nasty little shit, those boys are nasty little shits and if they think they’re gonna try and be heroes like All-Might they’re as stupid as they are ugly. And they are ugly.” You reassured him kindly despite your language as you flashed him a grin.

“T-Thank you...” He said very shyly, his voice cracking a little bit as you swore you could finally see a little smile from the little crow.

“Anyway I’m (L/N) (Y/N).” Finally you shared your name and gave a little bow, and Tokoyami immediately bowed back, except his bow was lower, more respectful. “I’m Tokoyami Fumikage.” He said in the politest voice you had ever heard from any other fourth grader as you giggled happily, making the boy blush as he looked away shyly. If there’s one thing having a bird head was good for, it was hiding any blush on his face.

‘FUMIKAGE LOVES (Y/N)~!!’

Dark Shadow did nothing to help as he sang that in his head, and the boy immediately grew flustered, “N-No I don’t!” He shouted back at his quirk, outloud as you perked up and looked at him in confusion… now he was REALLY thankful that he had all the feathers…

PRESENT

Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise... No one compares to you but there’s no you, except in my dreams tonight...

Tokoyami’s eyes slowly opened as he escaped dream world but that wasn’t a dream, it was a memory, bitter and yet sweet, just like a dark paradise.

He sighed heavily when it all came back to him, all the bullying, all the torment, and yet here was now. In the prestigious UA Academy, already dubbed one of the stronger students, and he actually made friends. Friends who didn’t judge him based on his appearance, and friends who actually cared about his well-being, amazing friends that he was so happy to have made.

However…

He had to admit that none of them compared to you, as you had gone to UA with him. The two of you remained friends, rather close friends after that day and you freed him from his loneliness. Although Tokoyami had gotten used to solitude and at times preferred it, he made you an exception as the two of you could just be alone together.

Something he considered a personal paradise.

But now that he was awake, he realized that you were not here, you weren’t in his bed as you had been previously. He swore you were just here, you were in bed with him weren’t you?

Tokoyami knew that he shouldn’t have gotten so frantic, but he couldn’t help the rapid beating in his heart as he sucked in a sharp, shallow breath and looked around. He opened his eyes and you weren’t there. Did he dream the whole thing? Did none of that really happen and were you just a figment of his fragile imagination?

If so why did he have to wake up? He didn’t want to wake up anywhere if you couldn’t be on the other side with him. And you weren’t here…

He shook his head as he couldn’t go back to sleep, he wished he could but he couldn��t. All the crow could do was exit his room and go look out the window, clear his head despite the faint tears he tried to fight back. Dammit there was no way that this could ever leave his head…

He hated this, he hated feeling like the same, pathetic little boy he was all those years ago.

The same boy that had to be saved by a kind human being that he wasn’t even sure was real anymore. But then he paused and froze when he heard a familiar voice, a familiar melody.

“Whether near or far… I am always yours… any change in time, we are young again…”

You sang somewhat cheerfully, shaking your hips as you grabbed the small canister of ice-cream and a spoon, “Laaaay us down… we’re in love… lay us down… we’re in love…” Softly you twirled about in your pajamas, not seeing the shocked face of your boyfriend as he slowly walked closer to something he hoped was real…

“Ahhhhh…” You started to hum, but stopped as soon as you finally saw Tokoyami right there, a pink blush coating your cheeks as you couldn’t help but grin widely and nervously. “Oh boy… hee-hee you’re awake… well… good evening handsome~.” Still you kinda flirted with him, but grew a bit confused when you saw his figure slowly slouch as he let out a subtle breath of relief…

So it was all real…

“Good evening.” Feeling somewhat embarrassed for freaking out like that, he reverted back to his polite, ‘edgy’ self as you giggled. You remembered back when he was just a shy little thing and now he was the gloomy prince of darkness, but you fell in love with that, all of him. Of course you had to be the one to ask him out first though, since secretly, Tokoyami was a little bit shy when it came to things like romance even though he was a secret romantic at heart.

“What are you doing awake?” He asked you, a hint of curiosity in his voice as you chuckled sheepishly, shrugging your shoulders. “You know me… it’s hard for me to go to sleep and… I tried to sleep but I just couldn’t…” You sighed a little bit, having had some trouble sleeping since you never did go to bed early, and Tokoyami knew that.

He gave a small sigh as he went over to you, “I can stay up with you.” He offered to you politely, scratching the side of his beak a little bit as you couldn’t help but smile, “Yay~. I’m glad you’re here actually, I don’t like bein’ up all by myself… less I’m gonna be dancing…” You chuckled a little bit and earned a small smile from your boyfriend.

You always knew how to light up a room, like you had lit up the darkness in his life just by being in it. For all his talk about his love of the darkness, you were his break from the darkness by giving him light.

“What about you? What woke you up Fumi?” However, the fact that Tokoyami was awake at the same time you were, didn’t go unnoticed. It was 1 in the morning, and while Tokoyami didn’t exactly go to bed early, as most teenagers didn’t, you were still concerned.

Tokoyami almost froze, the last thing he wanted was for you to ask any questions like that since it honestly still embarrassed him. It’s not like it was even a nightmare or anything, but the memories of those ‘nasty little shits’ from his childhood still haunted him from time to time. How they made him feel, how they treated him, it was something he hadn’t quite let go of yet even though he tried.

But he would never lie to you, he swore to never lie to you when the two of you got together. “I had that dream again. The memories of my childhood.” He admitted lowly, his eyes downcast as you frowned a little bit, eyes narrowing slightly when you recalled those little assholes that you were happy to never see again after they picked on your dear Tokoyami.

You knew it was something Tokoyami didn’t like thinking about, even if something good came out of that memory, parts of it was something that brought out all of the feelings of worthlessness and self-hatred back to him. So you put your arm around him, gently leading him over to the couch, sitting him down as you gently kissed his beak.

He jumped ever so slightly, his red eyes widening as his face burned hot at the little kiss. Even if you and him were dating he would still always blush like a schoolboy every time you kissed him. “Remember what I said? How those boys were all just nasty little shits? Well I stand by that…” You said to him gently, nuzzling up to him and making him blush even darker, but you couldn’t see under the feathers.

“You’re a hero Fumikage… leagues ahead of any of those little shits, and stronger than anyone else I know. To go through all of that, and to be here now… that goes to show that you were always better than them. I always thought so…” Your voice was gentle as you gently hugged him, running a gentle hand through the soft feathers you loved as you felt Tokoyami’s arms slowly engulf you into a soft embrace.

“Thank you (Y/N)… thank you for everything…” Tokoyami whispered to you as he held onto you a little tighter, wanting to feel more of your warmth. It gave him peace during these times as it just reminded him that this wasn’t a dream, and even if it was, he never wanted to wake up from it.

Smiling warmly, you gave his beak another little kiss as you giggled when his feathers floofed up a little bit, no doubt from embarrassment, “C’mon… it’s Friday night. Let’s stay up together love… wanna watch The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina?” You asked as you grabbed the remote, remembering the ice cream you grabbed as Tokoyami couldn’t help but give you a smile.

“Yes I would like that very much.” He said with a very content, relaxed tone as you grinned and turned on the TV but kept it low so you didn’t wake anyone up. Your head on his shoulder as you and Tokoyami gently put his arm around you while the credits played.

I don't wanna wake up from this tonight

#bnha #bnha tokoyami #bnha x reader #boku no hero academia #bnha angst #fumikage tokoyami #tokoyami angst #fumikage x reader #tokoyami fumikage x reader #tokoyami x reader #boku no hero academia tokoyami #mha tokoyami #mha imagines #mha angst #mha x reader #my hero academia #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia x reader #mha fumikage

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idontknowanymoreaaaaaa · 4 years ago

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After watching the live action Kim Possible movie:

Don’t mess with a good tv show

Please

Why did they get rid of Kim being a cheerleader and replace it with soccer? (Yeah I know she said she wanted to try out for cheer and Bonnie told her they were all about soccer in high school, but the whole sport trading thing was just weird they should’ve stuck with cheerleading, that’s what made Kim Possible so amazing) She was a cheerleader NOT a soccer player

Also, where was Monique? Okay I know that the movie is set in their freshman year of high school and they didn’t meet Monique until like, the 2nd season of the show, but still, she was Kim’s best friend aside from Ron. And instead they replaced her with Athena who was so obviously a robot, like I saw that coming from the moment she started fangirling over Kim (although I don’t blame her I mean Athena gave off major queer vibes and if she wasn’t an evil robot designed by Drakken she definitely would’ve just been a gay in denial with a crush on Kim. Who doesn’t have a crush on Kim though I mean she’s smart and talented and kind and pretty...)

And at first I didn’t like that they changed up Drakken so much, I mean, where was his iconic spiky ponytail? Where was the blue skin? But admittedly, the new look grew on me (if he were closer to my age I might even think he was hot) and they did give him like, super blue looking veins, possibly hinting at future blue skin if there were a sequel??? Or maybe it was just a design choice so that the actor didn’t have to constantly have full blue makeup and I’m reading too much into it

Shego. I am so in love with Shego. She’s GORGEOUS. I loved the look, I didn’t even care that she wasn’t pale green. She was amazing. She looked perfect, the acting, the personality was on POINT she was just a fucking masterpiece. A work of art. I am gay.

I loved Ron, his voice was so close to the original that sometimes when I looked away from the screen and he started talking, I could actually picture the original Ron speaking. He was amazing, not perfect, but pretty dang good. Also I think I’m gay for Ron (wait is that weird to say since I’m technically almost 18 and he’s canonically a freshman in the movie? I mean I felt the same about cartoon Ron and he was also canonically in high school but by the end of the show he was an adult and that’s kind of when I started to have queer feelings for him so does that make it okay since he was a senior and I’m a senior or am I just making excuses for myself?? I’m probably worrying too much about this since it’s a fictional character and our age difference isn’t even that far off but I still kinda feel weird about it soo...). Or maybe it’s just that I want to be Ron. I’m not entirely sure. But I’ve definitely got some sort of queer feelings going on for Ron

Kim herself could’ve been better. I liked the look, though her eyes definitely weren’t as green as they were in the show but that’s just a cartoon-to-real-life thing and I have to deal with it. Her acting wasn’t as good as Ron or Shego and I’m a little disappointed in that but I don’t blame the actress, I imagine it’s very difficult to play a girl who is simultaneously one of the most girly girls on the planet, and a tomboyish superhero and I definitely could not have done it so considering all things I’m sure the actress did the best she could. I think my main problem is that the movie was so short compared to the tv show (obviously they can’t cram 4 seasons of character development into an hour an a half) but we didn’t really get to know Kim. She gave her brief narration at the beginning of the movie that kinda-sort of explained how she got into the hero business but it was like, 1 minute of explanation mixed with fighting and explosions so that’s not much character background to go off of which means you only really know Kim if you’ve already seen the show, but even then this is set before the show (obviously since they’re just starting high school whereas in the show they’re already in high school and seem to be fairly familiar with the building which means they’re not freshmen). Overall I think her characterization could’ve been better. She’s not as fleshed-out as she was in the show, and I understand it’s hard to translate a tv show into a movie, like I said earlier in this paragraph, but I’ve seen it done before and this definitely could’ve been done better. (Although it’s still not the worst movie adaptation I’ve seen, I’m looking at you Percy Jackson)

We didn’t get to see much of the tweebs which was kinda disappointing, I loved their antics (and helpfulness) in the show, and in the movie we don’t get any of that. They’re just background characters. I did like that they were played by actual twins though, it’s like Fred and George. Actual twins just play twins better than everyone else

I absolutely LOVED Nana. She wasn’t in the show much, but she was very present in the movie and I enjoyed it. However, if we’re taking the movie as a prequel to the show (and based on the time placement of everything, I’m taking it as a prequel) then that would mean Kim already knew about Nana’s awesome fighting skills before the episode where we meet her, and that would mean that Kim would’ve had to forget about her Nana’s awesomeness and no one thought it was a problem that needed fixed. Maybe Nana asked Kim’s mom to do a little forced brain surgery to get rid of the memory? But that doesn’t make any sense, since in both the movie and the show, Nana doesn’t seem to have a problem with Kim knowing about her skills. So yeah, that bit bugs me, but overall, 10/10 loved Nana

I actually only have one other problem with this movie (other than the fact that a lot of Kim’s lines were super cheesy(and not the yummy naco kind of cheese))

In the show they clearly state MULTIPLE TIMES that Ron bought Rufus at Smarty Mart because his dad has allergies and so he wasn’t allowed to have any pets with hair/fur

But in the movie, Ron just takes Rufus from the lab where they fight Shego. He stole Rufus. And sure, you could say that Ron saved Rufus from whatever experiments might have been done on him if Ron hadn’t taken him, but then what about all the other helpless animals huh? They’re gonna get experimented on and no one seems to care about that. I want answers. Either stick to the original canonity of Ron buying Rufus from Smarty Mart, or have Ron save all the animals from potentially horrible experimentation, even the electric eels, I will not allow exceptions. It just didn’t make any sense for them to change the Rufus-Ron relationship backstory. There was no need to change it. It made perfect sense in the show. It made no sense in the movie. I rest my case.

The movie in general wasn’t terrible I suppose, but as I’ve said multiple times in this post, it could’ve been better. There was so much potential and they screwed it up. But as a stand-alone film, loosely based off a perfect tv show, it was pretty good

#Rant

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janaikam · 4 years ago

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I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You - Kwami Swap

Whoops didn’t mean to miss yesterday! Time just got away from me!

This is Day 5 of @luxyweek

Part 4

Read on AO3

“Are you done yet?” the green thing asked.

XY had been screaming for maybe 10 minutes at this point, but he didn’t care. There was some floating green thing in his room, and it just talked to him. Omg it just talked. Instead of screaming this time XY started to hyperventilate and pace his room.

This was not happening. He just passed out after a long day. He was dreaming. He had to be.

“Deep breathsss,” the thing instructed, putting its paws on XY’s face.

He could feel the cool touch of the thing’s paw hand thing. The fact that XY could feel it told him that this was most definitely not a dream. In dreams you didn’t feel anything, and he was most definitely feeling things.

“My name is Sass. I am the kwami of intuition,” the thing bowed a little towards XY, which helped him calm down a little.

“Hold up green dude. What’s a mommy?” XY started, looking around the room for any cameras. This could all be some elaborate prank for one of those tv shows.

“Kwamiss are magical creaturess that give holderss magical powerss through their miraculousss. Mine iss the power of intuition,” Sassy explained calmly. “When you transsform I resside in the bracelet there.”

XY glanced down at the now light purple bracelet. “Why does it look girly?”

Sassy’s tail unfurled, and the kwami had an almost surprised look on his face. “Um, the miraculous dissguissess itsself to match the ussser. It looksss that way becausse on ssome unconssciouss level you want it to look like that.”

“I think it messed up. I’m not wearing this. It’s too girly.” XY huffed and held out the bracelet to Sassy. The kwami took it in his little paws, and it transformed into a blue-green bracelet with a snakehead in the middle.

“Woah, now that looks cool! I’d totally wear it if it looked like that.” XY took the bracelet out of Sassy’s paws, but the jewelry immediately turned back to its plain light purple color.

He frowned. “Why won’t it stay the same?”

“It’ss dissguissed that way sso people won’t recognize the sssnake miraculouss when itss holder iss detranssformed.”

“Well, I don’t want it then. You can hold on to it.” XY tossed it back to Sassy who scrambled to catch the piece of jewelry.

“In that casse, if you could just return me to Ladybug I’m ssure-”

“Did you say Ladybug?” XY interrupted. “Wait do you turn people into heroes?”

“Yesss...Oh my, I fear a misstake hass been made. I mussst immediately be returned to Ladybug.”

XY considered what the Salami said. If he could turn people into heroes, then he could turn XY into a hero. That would be so cool. He could help Ladybug defeat akumas and replace Chat Noir entirely. Album sales would go up once people realized he was an amazing hero. Even Luka would fall for him. He could see it now.

“How do I transform?” XY could barely contain his excitement as he bounced in front of the Safari.

“I’m not ssure that’ss besst. Bessidess, I’m famished. My last holder wass unable to feed me. So even if I told you how to trassform, it would not work.” Sassy’s floating took on a nervous nature, but XY ignored it.

There was something interesting about what Sassy said. But he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“If I gave you something to eat, would you tell me how to transform?” XY asked. He needed to get on this Kalamari’s good side otherwise he would never become the hero Paris needed.

“I ssuposse sso,” Sassy responded.

“Ballin’.”

--------

The fried chicken he ordered from room service was perfect for Sassy. When it arrived, he dived into the food, eating as much as he could.

In between bites of food, Sassy explained how his powers worked when XY was transformed. He informed XY that the bracelet would allow him to become a hero, and XY was debating putting on the girly looking bracelet.

He couldn’t help but wonder what else it could look like when he remembered how it looked when he first picked it up. It was a grey color, which didn’t make a whole lot of sense to him.

“Hey, this was silver before, why is it this girly purple color now?”

Sassy’s expression turned to one of fear at XY’s question.

“Different holderss have different lookss. The miraculouss musst’ve noticed that you did not intend to wield the ssnake, so it would have stayed like my previouss holderss until you intended to activate it.” Sassy looked concerned at XY’s face. If XY had to guess, Sassy was worried about how he would react knowing someone else had a cooler bracelet looking color.

“That doesn’t make sense because that Luka guy had this before, and it didn’t change for him.” XY waited for Sassy’s explanation, but when it didn’t come XY realized what it meant. “Wait a second. Luka was your previous holder, wasn’t he?”

Sassy nodded reluctantly in confirmation.

“Oh, this is too good. You gotta tell me how to transform now.”

------

XY wasn’t the biggest fan of his superhero look. For one, his suit had no capes. How were people supposed to know he was a hero if he didn’t have a cape? Plus the suit was dark green with no obvious symbol identifying who he was. Plus he had this weird green mini piano thing. He wasn’t sure the point of it, but it fit snugly at his waist.

Once he transformed, XY started running across the roofs of Paris to get used to the new powers that Sassy had given him. It was a really cool feeling and one he kind of hoped he would never get used to.

XY was headed straight towards the pirate ship that Luka lived on so he could show off his new look. He was certain that Luka would be amazed.

Landing on the deck of the boat was a tad bit difficult. There was a bunch of trash lying around, so when XY tried to land he ended up slipping on a ball and crashing into a drum set. The cymbals on the drum created a loud sound that was sure to have woken anyone right up.

Sure enough someone had woken up and was making their way up to the top of the ship.

XY scrambled to pull himself up into a hero pose, and he just managed to do it as Luka’s flashlight shone on him.

“I am Cash Money! The new protector of Paris!”

The light got brighter as it moved closer to XY, and he had to squint so the light didn’t blind him.

“XY!?” Luka exclaimed. “How? Why!? You need to detransform right now!”

XY pouted. “Aw, how did you know it was me?”

“For one, your name kinda gave it away, plus I’m pretty sure you stole my miraculous the other day.” Luka turned off the flashlight moving closer to XY. “At least you’re not Hawkmoth.”

“Hawkmoth is totally not cash money. I could never be him. I’m cash money 24/7,” XY proudly stated.

He paused for a second, wanting to detransform but realizing he had no idea how to.

“Uh, how do you detransform?” XY blushed, embarrassed that he needed to ask Luka for help.

“Say ‘Sass, scales rest’,” Luka instructed.

“Sassy, scales rest.” A bright flash of green flew over him, and XY was back in his normal everyday clothes.

“Now can I have my miraculous back?” Luka held out his hand patiently.

“Not so fast. I know your secret, so I need some kind of compensation for this.” XY took a step closer to Luka, but he hadn’t realized he was on some kind of stage so he fell forward.

“Woah!” Luka exclaimed, catching XY before he could hit the ground.

It was at that moment that the lights around the ship turned on, so XY could properly see Luka.

“Um. We’re home?” a soft voice questioned. XY looked past Luka to see the girl from the other day and another older woman.

Luka quickly let go of XY and turned towards the two women. XY glared at Luka. If XY had been anymore distracted he would’ve fallen flat on his face. It would’ve been a disaster for his public image.

“Oh, Luka, I didn’t know you were having a friend over! We’ll just get out of your hair, so you two can just carry on,” the colorful older woman said. She pushed the girl, Tools?, towards the bottom of the ship. “You boys have fun!”

XY wasn’t sure if it was just the lighting, but it almost looked like she winked towards them before disappearing under the ship.

Luka turned back towards XY a light blush on his face. “Sorry about that.” Luka coughed. “So, uh, what did you want?”

“What?” XY blinked in confusion. What would he want?

The weird encounter with who he assumed to be Luka’s mother had completely shut down his brain. Did she think they were a couple or something like that?

“To keep my secret,” Luka continued, waving his hand to his wrist.

“Your secret...right...uh what was that again?”

“Yeah, nice try. Just give me back my bracelet.” Luka reached out towards XY’s wrist, but the musician reacted faster, raising his hand above his head.

XY grinned. It was gonna be almost impossible for Luka to grab the bracelet since XY was a few inches taller than him.

Luka tried jumping up to grab ahold of the bracelet, but XY kept his arm further away so Luka couldn’t reach it.

“Ah, ah, ah.” XY wagged his finger in front of Luka. “In order to get this bracelet, I’m gonna need a kiss.”

“A kiss?” Luka stopped his attempts and stared at XY. “That is the last thing I expected to come out of your mouth.”

“A kiss on the cheek and you can have your little bracelet back.” XY patted his cheek and turned it towards Luka.

He couldn’t see Luka’s face but based on the sigh of reluctance he heard, XY knew he was gonna do it. After a couple of moments without feeling anything, XY turned to ask Luka what was taking so long, only to have his lips meet with Luka’s.

#luxyweek2k20 #luxy #luka #xy #my fic #my writing #i cant help falling in love with you #kwami swap

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cassoliver · 5 years ago

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new york’s very own cassandra “cass” oliver was spotted on broadway street in reebok club c 85 vintage shoes . your resemblance to sydney sweeney is unreal . according to tmz , you just had your twenty-first birthday bash . while living in nyc , you’ve been labeled as being naive , but also compassionate . i guess being a pisces explains that . 3 things that would paint a better picture of you would be exposed tan lines , loud laughter , and only ever wearing gold jewelry . ( i slept with one of my co-stars while we were shooting on location, not knowing they had a significant other back home ) & ( cis-female & she / her )

lia takes on a second character TAKE TWO whAT is up you guys , it’s ya girl back at it again with another muse . i randomly got a lot of inspiration for this new girly pop and i feel p good about it ! go ahead and smash that mf like button if you wanna plot ! i can slide into your ims or on discord if that’s more your jam !

S T A T S ↴

– * FULL NAME : cassandra rosemary oliver – NICKNAME(S) : cass ( commonly referred as ), cassie – * AGE : twenty-one – * D.O.B : march 16th – * ZODIAC : pisces – * GENDER : cis-female –* ORIENTATION : bisexual biromantic – * HEIGHT : 5′4″ – * NATIONALITY : american – * BIRTHPLACE : asbury park , new jersey – * OCCUPATION : student + actress – * TRAITS : compassionate, creative, intuitive, gentle, empathetic, fun-loving, naive, whimsical, loyal, subservient, overly emotional, pensive, fearful, overly trusting

B I O G R A P H Y ↴

you’d have to be living under a rock to not know jeremy and elizabeth marie oliver . think brad pitt and angelina jolie , will smith and jada pinkett , or whatever other celebrity IT couple you fancy . jeremy is notoriously known for his acting career that took off in the late 80′s . around the same time , elizabeth marie’s acting / modeling career was taking off across the pond . the iconic duo met through work and quickly fell in love . after their over the top wedding ceremonies ( yes plural . they got married once in jeremy’s hometown in new jersey and then again in elizabeth marie’s hometown in england ). shortly after their holy matrimony , they produced three healthy babies : mason , samuel , and cassandra . there were a few years in between the kiddos , but they were all raised in a tight knit family outside of the limelight in asbury park , new jersey . their parents decided to take a break from working in order to raise their kids . i wish i could say that gave the oliver trio a normal childhood . but it’s kind of hard to go to public school and not draw attention to yourself when your parents are household names . it was hard for cassandra to understand that her parents were super famous and for some reason that meant something to people . if you asked her , there was no reason to get all starstruck over her parents . they were just people after all .

so i guess you could say she had a normal childhood . at least , as normal as one could have with their name and photos constantly plastered all over tabloids . cassandra grew up in a happy and loving environment , which is nice . and with her dad working part time as a professor at his alma mater , juilliard , she and her family bounced back and forth between their coastal home in new jersey and their urban townhouse in new york . and she throughly enjoyed experiencing the best of both worlds . both places felt like home to her and she and her brothers made the best memories together . see , her brothers were her best friends growing up . mason and samuel were five (5) and three (3) years older than her , respectively , and she followed them around everywhere they went . the two boys let her reluctantly at first when mom and dad forced them to but over time it became enjoyable to have her be just another member of their friend group . cassandra was well liked and throughly protected by her brothers and their friends . they shielded her away from all things dangerous : from substances to rude people . this led to a pretty sheltered upbringing . she lived in this little bubble where things were all good all the time .

as she got older , she had to learn to fend for herself a bit more . no longer was she under the watchful gaze of her brothers , for they had rushed into graduating high school early so that they could pursue their own acting careers-- following in line with their infamous parents . having the oliver last name gave them an advantage in the film industry and they ran with that opportunity . meanwhile , cassandra stayed back and took her time . acting was always something she was interested in . there’s no way she could be a member of her household and not dabble in the art at least a little bit . but it wasn’t a top priority to her for a long time . she didn’t want to rely on her family name to get her somewhere in the industry . if she was going to do it , she wanted to do it right . she wanted to earn her place just like anybody else . and if it worked out for her then great ! and if it didn’t , well she prepared a back-up plan . she elected to go to NYU for business instead of studying acting or just bypassing college all together . she figured if all else failed , then she’d start her own company and branch out of the creative arts .

and she took her college career very seriously . she’s studious and hard-working , genuinely enjoying learning new things and having a ‘ normal college experience ’. even though people still look at her funny or talk about her behind her back once they figure out why she looks so gosh darn familiar , she’s come to find that college students are much more chill than the kids that used to bombard her with questions about her famous family on the play ground . most days , cassandra gets by feeling like a completely normal girl . no fame or fortune , just a regular schemgular student trying to get by . and she’d probably gotten away with just melting into the background and never breaking out into the limelight if it wasn’t for one little netflix project she agreed on .

it was just supposed to be another passion project . cassandra had done a few small roles in indie movies at that point . just enough to dip her toes into the movie making world but not enough to drag her away from getting a higher education . but when a script for a new netflix original series was slid in her direction by a family friend turned agent-- well , she just couldn’t put it down ! she loved everything about the show and knew she just had to be a part of it . so she gave up one summer of her life to film OUTER BANKS , not at all thinking that it would blow up the way it did a year later when it premiered . and now news is breaking out that the youngest oliver is finally stepping out into the acting scene , which is warranting a lot of media attention towards her . honestly , she feels pretty good about the project itself . she’s very proud of the show and is incredibly grateful that it’s doing as well as it is . but when it comes to all the notoriety she’s getting because of it , well ... she’s still adjusting to being famous in her own right and not just secondhand through her family . she’s a little overwhelmed . she’s a big girl now that has to navigate through this next chapter of her life without anybody holding her hand or shielding her from the highs and lows of being known . whether or not she thrives in the limelight or crumbles under the pressure is to be determined .

P E R S O N A L I T Y & F U N F A C T S ↴

i think it’s really funny to call her the third franco brother ( yes dave and james have a third brother , his name is tom ). bc like her brothers are essentially mega stars w all the movies they’ve been in at this point and she’s sort of the other sibling that everyone forgets about . y’know until recently lol

she is a giant sweetheart !! just v lovey and kind and empathetic ,, has a warmth to her that makes it feel like it’s summertime all the time

v humble bc she does not consider herself famous what so ever . like being second-hand famous from her family and getting a few extra instagram followers bc of her last name is one thing , but with the success of her current show she’s being put on covers of magazines , being interviewed for teen vogue and stuff like that , getting verified on everything , and gaining hundreds of thousands of followers DAILY . it’s crazy to her

naive in the sense that she’s rlly out here thinking that everyone has a heart as big as hers and has only the best intentions when sadly that might not be the case !! so like ,,,, probs gets taken advantage of and doesn’t even realize it . or messes things up bc she thinks she can just continue living a normal average joe life when in reality her whole life has been far from average ,, the whole world’s got their eye on her and everything she says and does publicly can and will be scrutinized and she is just …. not prepared for that

wants to have a good time and do cool art sh*t !! as long as she’s being creative in some aspect , she’s happy . honestly doesn’t take a lot to make her happy

but also when she gets sad oh boy oh boy does she get sad . pretty much down and out and nothing anyone says or does can make her feel better unfortunately . will just self isolate and you just gotta let her ride it out ://

hobbies include painting , reading , collecting plants , and taking photos

has a second instagram account just for her photography ! @casstookthis lol

lives with her “babies” which are like 10 house plants and all of her books

v family oriented ! goes to visit her parents regularly and talks to her brothers basically daily despite living on two different coasts

acting was always something she knew she wanted to do-- and that may or may not have to do w her parents’ influence and the pressure to follow in their foot steps just like her brothers did

as kids , she and her brothers would work together to put on performances in the living room for their parents . they’d make “short films” and upload them to all 6 of their subscribers on youtube

allergic to cats but wants one so bad ,, has never had a pet in her life actually

the little things amuse her . her sense of humor is really quite simple . hit her w some puns and / or a dad joke and you’ll have her rolling

is learning how to speak mandarin and french

always over-prepared , never underprepared ,, needs to feel like she is capable of handling anything or else she panics

cannot tell a lie to save her life , gets nervous and can’t make eye contact

at any given moment , you can tell what she’s thinking and what she’s feeling just from taking one look at her face . sometimes she tries to mask it because she is an actress after all . but it’s not hard to see through the facade that she puts on if you know her well

hopeless romantic af ! romanticizes everything in life ! loves love in all forms , romantic , platonic , self love , whatever ! looks at the world through rose tinted glasses and heart eyes ! probably falls in love with a person , place , or thing at least 5 times a day !

prefers summer and living near a beach / some body of water over living in the middle of the city . so she’ll often visit back home or go stay with her brothers in LA , not just to be closer to family , but to be more in her element

her family has so many houses simply bc their lives are all over the place ???? like they kept her childhood home in new jersey but they also always had a luxury townhouse in new york plus a summer home in the hamptons and a cottage in england and an apartment in los angeles that her brothers currently reside in . she used to just stay in the townhouse while going to school but she recently bought her own apartment bc she wants to be #independent

might catch her as the lead in a new netflix original movie coming soon *wink wink*

is in love with her best friend east harvey and they’re getting married

WANTED CONNECTIONS PAGE HERE

#wealthyhq:intro #this is short right? i tried to keep it short #but anyways plz love my soft girly pop

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blueangelicrose · 5 years ago

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A New Beginning: Chapter 13 (part 4): Just Dance!!!

As Joan was making her way to the restrooms, she suddenly sensed a very malicious but familiar aura. She started to worry. She turned around. Nothing and no one was there. She decided to shrug it off. She figured it was just her nerves getting to her. She later found the restrooms and took care of what she had to do. As she washed her hands, she looked up at the mirror and thought to herself, "Does this makeup really make me look more pretty and feminine?" Throughout her childhood, she had always been told that she was more of a tomboy for the way that she acted with her mannerisms and for her boyish personality. Her family tried their best to teach her proper manners of a young lady, and it somewhat worked. As Joan grew older and wiser, she knew what she had to do in certain situations where she had to apply these manners and when she can go off on certain pricks that tried to take advantage of her or her loved ones. Mostly involving her younger twin sister. Josephine was the more feminine and girly one out of the two of them. But when it came to certain emergencies, she would do the most drastic things for Joan. Going to the battlefield, hardcore undercover missions, and yes, even biting a werewolve's neck. She would do it all for her sister. These two sisters stuck to each other like glue and was loyal to each other like they were the only ones that they could rely upon. And soon this sisterly love would be tested.

Joan sighed, dried her hands, and as she exited the bathroom, a hand suddenly lunged at the wall only to miss her face by only by a mere inch. She froze as she stared dead in the eyes of older but all to familiar furry face of a werewolf. "Who-who are y---" before she finished her question he replied, "How DARE you!!!" "P-pardon me?" "How dare you brats come back to the isle after all these years and then take the one thing that gave me joy!" "S-sir, I have no idea what you're saying. Are you perhaps intoxicated?" "I ain't drunk if that's what you're asking me. I'll make this quick, so listen up! After your little clone bit me on the neck on that day, I swore to find you two pricks and repay you double of the pain that you cost me!" "Listen, I'm sorry that my sister bit you. But you were either too hot tempered or you were so drunk that you were beyond to be reasoned with! I'm sorry that put a bruise to your ego!" "Oh, it wasn't just pride that you brats shattered." Joan was confused at what he meant by this. What did he mean? What else did they mess up in his life? Besides pride and possibly the back of his neck being broken? "I'll tell you what happened after that "incident". You see, back then, I was the leader of a gang. My subordinates looked up to me and my enemies feared me for being the toughest guy on the streets. But ever since that day that I was put in the hospital for a child's bite, all that respect and fear vanished in the blink of an eye! It took me over a decade to rebuild all that back up again! Fortunately, me and my son were able to rebuild a stronger gang that it turned into a mafia! Soon, I was going places all over the world. But I never forgot that day. So I did my research on you gals. And I was only able to gather information about where you lived on the isle and who was related to ya. But after a year, it seemed as though you girls vanished off the face of the Earth! I thought that was it. That I would never get my sweet revenge. That was until I got word that my son was caught by YOUR boss and is probably in a whole world of pain right now!" So that was it. Revenge. But for it to go this far......? " When I heard that representatives of that same casino was going to be at the party, I used every trick in the book in order to get in this fancy party. I was originally going to just kidnap and possibly kill one of these representatives. But imagine my surprise when I saw the two of you pain in the neck sisters come in through those doors, arms linked with the casino's reps. And what's even more amusing is that one of them turns out to be one of the other brats that you lived with!" Joan's face grew pale and started to sweat. "I always wondered what would happen to an object for head's face would look like if there was some cracks down the middle." Joan's fear then grew into anger. She furrowed her brows and made two of her fangs grow. "Don't you dare do anything to my Cuphead!!!"

As the reporter wandered the hallways, looking for even a sign of life, she suddenly heard a noise. "People! Finally!" She ran towards where the noise was, and as she drew closer, the noise seemed to escalate in volume. As she almost turned the corner of the hallway, she stopped in her tracks. "An argument? Maybe I should turn back and see if there's another way." But then her ear caught wind of interesting tibbits of information that seemed to peek her interest. "Maybe just a little while longer." As she thought this, she took out one of her recorders and started to record the WHOLE conversation.

"I'd like to see you try and do something little missy!" As he said this he started to show his fangs and his claws. Joan saw this and she was indeed scared, but she couldn't show it to this prick no matter what. It was in her nature never to show fear in front of her enemies. If she did, she would've lost the battle. And she definitely wasn't going to loose it to this jerk. Especially since Cuphead's safety was on the line. "What do you want?! Me too die just so that you can get your petty revenge?" "Hah! No. I'm going to have my fun with you first and then torture you slowly till you wish that you were dead! And you should feel honored. I only do this to very IMPORTANT people." "Important people?" "Oh you know, just a senator there and a CEO here. But now it's your turn." He used his other hand to pick Joan up by the neck and squeezed her tightly but not so much as to suffocate her. Joan thought of using her powers on him, but she knew the golden rule of the Heavens. To not use your powers on a mere mortal unless you are given permission too. So she had no choice but to send a distress telepathic signal to her sister. It barely got through when....... "Hey you! Let go of her!" As this was said, a woman's flat toed shoe came flying at the werewolf's head. He looked over to where it was thrown with fury.

The reporter was terrified out of her mind. She had no idea what she was doing. All that she knew was that when she saw Joan being picked up, that she had to do something! Unfortunately it was the wrong move, because now she was a target. "What are you gonna do about, huh, lil' chipmunk?" "Chipmunk?!" All that fear had turned to rage. "How dare you?! I'm no chipmunk! I'm a normal human being!" "A normal human being would've backed out and wouldn't be shaking like a leaf." "Just let let her go! Or else I'll report you and all that you said here to the police!" Now she had his full attention. He saw the running recorder in her hand and he narrowed his eyes. "Girl, you're in a WHOLE lot of TROUBLE!!!" As he let go of Joan's neck he was about to lunge at her, until......."Oh you're in trouble all right. Just not her." Then out of nowhere sharp looking cards came flying right at him and had managed to nail him to the nearest wall. It was King Dice with Cuphead in tow! "Joan! Are you alright?!" What the Hell happened?!" Cuphead was right at her side trying to help ease her gagging from being held by the neck for so long. As Dice approached the werewolf he said, "Now, now, now, what should we do with this thug? Any suggestions my dear Josephine?" And right on cue, Josephine appeared right behind Dice and said, "Oh, I know just what to do." As she said this, her fury and wrath was about to come pouring down on this old fiend.

End of chapter 13 (part 4)

To be continued in chapter 13 (part 5)

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