#yes he loves her romantically in one version but the main part for me is

[celebrimbor-apologist]

I can’t get over the fact that Celebrimbor never stood a chance. If he had not let Halbrand in, he would have changed form and come back. I truly think that Sauron could have easily done that, but preferred to keep the face as Celebrimbor already knew and trusted him.

And that’s it.

He hasn’t stood a chance since Halbrand first met him, he’s the tragedy that haunts the narrative in the doors of Moria, in all the rings, as even the One was done as a mockery of the art of Celebrimbor himself. Of the good intentions he had. The hope.

There is no version of this in which he makes it because he is a tool to Sauron’s plans, just another tool to craft the rings.

And all else he is, passionate and hopeful and Smart and clever, the compassion and love and kindness? That all gets lost. And that’s the tragedy.

[karlachismylife]

Writing Russian-speaking characters

So I have once again been chuckling at some adorable clumsy Russian in Nikolai and Nikto fics, and thus I decided to make a little list that might be helpful for fellow COD writers here. And yes, please, feel free to reach out to me if you need any proofreading of your Russian phrases, I would be glad to assist since google translator can butcher it in ways non-speakers won't be able to notice.

I would really appreciate if you guys shared this post and helped it reach people that might need it, I put way more effort into it than I expected myself <3 Also, I might make a followup with some more words and/or phrases that can be useful, so please feel free to request some, since here I am mostly focusing on terms of endearment.

I will write down Russian words, their (approximate and wonky, sorry for that) transcription/transliteration and what part of speech they are (keep in mind that adjectives can be used as nouns when used to address someone) and provide according translation and use.

Keep in mind that in Russian the gender of the word is important!!! I'll write down them in following order: he/him (он/его) version/ she/her (она/её) version/ they/them (они/их) version. However! They/them is NOT traditionally used as gender-neutral pronouns, it's plural only. Some queer and younger folks do use they/them (myself included), but it does sound wonky as it's direct copy from English. Unfortunately, Russian is not very suitable for gender-neutral writing, but there are ways to go about it (I'll try to note some of that too).

*however, since Nikto is sometimes using plural they/them to describe himself, that would be okay with him since it's plural. I hope that makes sense, lol.

So if you're putting an adjective with a noun (example: милый котик) you have to use an adjective in the correct gender form FOR THE WORD! If the noun (котик here) is masculine, you use masculine adjective form EVEN if you're referring to a person with she/her pronouns.

What is love?

The main thing I noticed is that y'all use a direct translation of the word "love" - "любовь" [l'ubov'] (n) to refer to a person. As in "how are you doing, love?". However, that's wrong. "Любовь" is either a word to describe the feeling, or a name (short version would be Люба [Lyuba]). If you wanna use an affectionate pet name, consider one of the following!

дорогой/дорогая/дорогие [dorogoy/dorogaya/dorogiye] (adj) - means "darling". Often used between spouses. Mostly used to refer to person directly, sounds a little quirky if you use it to refer to them in third person (as in "my darling went out to buy some strawberries").

любимый/любимая/любимые [l'ubimiy/l'ubimaya/l'ubimiye] (adj) - means "beloved/loved/loved one" and is probably the closest to "love". You can use it to refer to person directly or to talk about them in third person (as in "can't wait to see любимую". Also yes, the endings are changing depending on the case and I'm not entirely sure how to explain this concisely without going deep into grammar lol).

милый/милая/милые [miliy/milaya/miliye] (adj) - the word means "cute/cutie", but is also used as a general terms of endearment, like "sweetheart". Mainly to refer to someone directly, using it in third person is a little old-fashioned I'd say. Also commonly used by people outside romantic partnership, a kind old lady can definitely call you over with this one asking to help her read expiration date on a milk bottle or something.

любовь моя [l'ubov' moya] (n + adj/pronoun) - okay, I kinda tricked you saying you can't use the word "love" to refer to a person. If you say this (means "my love"), you can! It's pretty romantic and I am actually the one person that uses this daily, otherwise it's either very romance-novel/old-fashioned sounding, but there are moments when it's perfectly suitable. Have that fairytale moment! Also please note, that while "моя любовь" [moya l'ubov'] (adj/pronoun + n) is grammatically correct, it sounds kinda weird if you use it to address the person directly (like in a phrase "my love, you shine brighter than the stars"). While Russian doesn't have particularly strict rules about word order, it does matter to some extent, and this is a prime example: people just use one order way more often that the other.

Pocket-sized

I've already told somewhere here my favourite Nikto fic moment: the sweetest, romantic moment, interrupted by him calling reader "детёныш", which means "cub" as in baby animal. And while my parents do use this word affectionately, I can assure you, most people don't, and it was clear that this was a result of a clumsy translation of "baby" or something like that. So here are some variants for words like baby, little one and such!

малыш/малышка [malysh/malyshka] (n) - I'd say this feels more "little one" than "baby" to me, it's a tad less sexually charged if you get what I mean. Also, you call "малыш" a person of any gender/pronouns, while "малышка" is strictly for she/her. Obviously can be used for kids too.

детка [d'etka] (n) - this one is definitely "baby" or "babe" as a term of endearment, calling a real kid this would be WEIRD if you're not a really old granny. I would also say that it's more commonly used to refer to female partners, but that might be just my perception and experience. It's still okay to use both ways. Also this word can be very much used if you need a little bit of sleazy/catcalling/bad pickup line energy, like someone shouting after a girl passing by on the street. Yuck.

маленький/маленькая [mal'en'kiy/mal'en'kaya] (adj) - this just means "little" or "small", I'd say it's used less commonly and usually in this form "маленький мой/маленькая моя" [mal'en'kiy moy/mal'en'kaya moya] (adj + adj/pronoun). I will expand on this a little later here! Can be used to refer to kids too.

All kinds of fauna

While poor детёныш is reserved for furry freaks like yours truly, there are some animal nicknames that are very widely spread! Here are some that I think would be most useful for y'all. Granted, some people think that these are a lil' bit cringey, but I think it really just depends on what you're used to hear around you. So if I think calling someone a cub is cute, and bunny is cringe, that probably says more about me :D

котик [kot'ik] (n) - this is a term of endearment for a cat. NOT same as kitten, mind you! Mostly used to refer to men (since the word is of masculine gender) - in my experience.

котёнок [kot'onok] (second o here is like ö in German) (n) - now THIS is "kitten". I would say this is more gender-neutral than the previous one, but the word is still masculine gender.

зайка [zayka] (n) - I believe this would be an equivalent to "bunny", although it's actually a cute word for a hare, not a rabbit. Definitely used for all genders (also the word can be both masculine and feminine gender), also is okay to use referring to kids (even teachers that are into endearing nicknames can call pupils this and it's not weird. well, in elementary school). You can also say "зайчонок" [zaych'onok] (n) which is a word for baby hare, even cuter.

рыбка [ribka] (n) - a term of endearment for a fish. I think it's viewed as a bit old-fashioned and thus only used jokingly nowadays, but you know what? Nikolai could pull this off 100%. Bonus points if it's "рыбка моя" [ribka moya] (n + adj/pronoun). Only used for women and the word itself is of feminine gender.

медвежонок [medv'ezhonok] (n) - now, I actually have never met someone who would call their partner this, but I myself would (and I definitely saw it in some media, but that's obv not too reliable). It's a word for a bear cub, so I think it's cute to call a huge ass bear of a military man this word. It's of masculine gender, but I would say it's okay to call a she/her person this too. ALTHOUGH there is a grammatically incorrect (but this only adds to cuteness as it often happens) word "медвежонка" [medv'ezhonka] (n) - this would be a female bear cub. My family uses this word, I use it, no, it won't be in a dictionary, but everyone will understand what you mean. Is okay to use for kids too.

щенок [sh'enok] (if it helps, щ is like German "schtsch", like in Borschtsch, like sh but soft) (n) - now, this actually is not used as a term of endearment, it's "puppy" and it's suitable for degradation. The word is of masculine gender, but you can call anyone this to be honest. You can tell Nikto he's "глупый щенок" [glupiy sh'enok] (adj + n) (silly puppy) and that man will either bark for you or gut you. If you say "тупой" [tupoy] (adj) (dumb) instead of "глупый" [glupiy] (adj) (silly), it will be downright offensive. You can say "щеночек" [sh'enochek] (n), which is an endearing term for a puppy, so it's a little bit sweete. OR you can use my personal favourite - "щен" [sh'en] (n), which is actually also incorrect, but if you've ever heard of a great poet and poetry innovator Mayakovskiy, he was called this word by Lilya Brik. I do NOT have the time to unpack that wild relationship (there was a throuple involved. Russian poetry scene of early XX century was WILD and it's my favourite poetry period hands down), but it's pretty famous. The word "щен" consists of the word "puppy" but with the end diminutive suffix cut off. The trick is, that while some words return to their non-diminutive form with such procedure, this one does not - so you're basically inventing a new word that now sounds quite degrading and harsh, but also sexy as hell (personal opinion). I would definitely call Nikto this word.

птичка [ptich'ka] (n) - that's just "birdie", but I actually wouldn't say many people use it to refer to each other. HOWEVER, Nikolai 100% calls his steel bird this. The word is of feminine gender and if you are calling a person this, it's probably more suitable for a woman.

цыпа [tsipa??] (n) or even цыпочка [tsipoch'ka] (n) - that's a chick, like a baby hen, used only to refer to women (feminine gender word). Honestly I only heard this in foreign films dubbed in Russian or like in jokes/sarcastic phrases. It's kinda rude/indecent/vulgar and the only man that can say that and stay attractive is Captain Jack Sparrow (he used this word in Russian dubbed Pirates like once maybe, talking to Elisabeth, and that was funny cuz he be crazy like that). But maybe you want this, idk.

And everything sweet

Unfortunately, I haven't seen anyone translate the word "honey" as "мёд" directly, that would be another brilliant laugh (cuz it's wrong to refer to a person like that), but there are some "sweet" words to use!

сладкий/сладкая [sladk'iy/sladkaya] (adj) - this just means "sweet", like the taste, and it can be sexy or sleazy or just cute. You can call a kid this word too, BUT for a child would be better сладенький/сладенькая [slad'en'kiy/slad'en'kaya], which is like one step further into diminutive-endearing department.

конфетка [konf'etka] (n) - this is a diminutive word for a candy, a sweet, like a caramel or chocolate or whatever. Not very common, but is cute. Also a way to describe a sexy/good-looking person (more likely a woman, the word is of feminine gender) or just something really good (a bit jokingly). The latter is usually used in a phrase build like "не ..., а просто конфетка", which is roughly translated "that's not ... that's just plain candy". Might have an actual English equivalent that I can't think of right now. Maybe "a total snack"? Probably that one, yeah. Can be said about anything, a car for example.

Shiny

I wanna stick in a few more words of endearment and they all are kinda shiny, lol, so here you go!

солнце [solntse] (n) - this means "sun", like that big glowing thingy in the sky, but it's very welcome as a term of endearment. This word is NEUTER gender (explained in the next section). Viktor Tsoy (a famous rock musician with an unfortunate fate and immortal cultural heritage) had a song ("Cuckoo" - "Кукушка") with the words "солнце моё, взгляни на меня" [solntse moyo, vzgl'yan'i na m'en'ya] (my sun, look at me), so "солнце моё" (n + adj/n) is a good one. You can also use "солнышко" [solnyshko] (n) which is an endearing version of "sun", so it's like "sunshine". Also of neuter gender! Can and should be used to address kids too.

золотце [zolottse] (n) - this literally means like... a little gold? A little golden piece? I don't think there's a proper equivalent in English. It's a word of neuter gender and it's very much used for kids too. Another version would be "золотой мой/золотая моя/золотые мои" [zolotoy moy/zolotaya moya/zolotiye moyi] (adj + adj/pronoun) - this is "my golden", it's a little less common and I feel like it's often used to be condescending, but it's not inherenrly bad, so you can use it for a loved one.

сокровище [sokrov'ish'e] (once again it's щ, look previously) (n) - this is a word of neuter gender and it means "treasure". I personally adore this one and it's pretty common. Can be used for any gender and for kids!

звёздочка [zv'yozdoch'ka] (n) - this is like a little star/starshine. Wouldn't say it's that common, but I use it a lot. The word itself is of feminine gender, but you can call anyone that! Or you can say "звезда моя" [zv'ezda moya] (n + adj/pronoun), which means "my star". Also feminine gender word, but can be used for anyone.

This dog belongs to...

I am not going to go too deep into sexy/sex-related words in this part, because I'll just get overwhelmed with the amount, but I want to go over some words of ownership quickly.

мой/моя/мои/моё [moy/moya/moyi/moyo] (adj/pronoun) - this means my/mine. It goes really well with many words in this list, especially the adjectives, like "мой дорогой" [moy dorogoy] (my darling) or "солнышко моё" [solnyshko moyo] (my sun/sunshine). The last version, "моё" [moyo] is neuter gender, it's NOT gender-neutral! It's the "it/its" I guess (not exactly, but let's just stick with this simplyfied explanation). Previously there were some words of that gender, so here you go. BTW I would say that in speech it's more common to put this word before adjectives and after nouns (like in my examples), just sounds better, but it's not wrong to do otherwsise. You can also just say "ты мой" [ti moy] (you're mine). Also can be used to refer in third person, like when you're discussing your man with your gossip girls, you can just go "а мой вчера..." [a moy vch'era] (and mine yesterday...) and everyone will understand that you mean your man. Unless you wee discussing pets, then they'll probably assume it's your cat.

хозяин/хозяйка [khoz'yain/khoz'yayka] (n) - saw this one too btw. This means "owner" or kiiiinda "master/mistress", and they are gendered, so it's actually wrong to call a woman "хозяин" unless there's some kinky genderfuckery going on (which I'm all for, but like. you get what I mean).

господин/госпожа [gospod'in/gospozha] (n) - okay, THAT is definitely master/mistress, also gendered. Standard BDSM terminology and yada yada.

And that's where I'd like to wrap up for today! However, if needed, I can write more - perhaps with curse words or with sex-related words, or some phrases? I dunno, you tell me! Once again, I kindly ask you to share since I think this will help people (and while I understand the struggle of writing in another language and especially using words from language you don't speak at all, I can't help but be a little thrown off every time I see a wrong use of words in text).

Also remember: while Siberia is bigger than USA or even Canada, there are still other regions in Russia that deserve to be mentioned <3 a lot of places with mindblowing nature, cultural heritage etc.

[moonferry]

what type of movies the sdv marriage candidates would watch:

so this is just for funsies, but i decided to brainstorm what types of movies/shows all 12 marriage candidates would watch. there will be a mini-drabble assigned to each one, as a treat. sorry i got a little carried away with some of these. i hope you guys enjoy <3

bachelors:

harvey: he loves romcoms. there is literally no denying it.

i picture him on the farmhouse couch, wrapped in his favorite blanket with a mountain of tissues next to him. you walk in and take "your spot" next to him (which is basically as close to him as humanly possible, your head resting on his shoulder). he leans into your body to acknowledge you're there, but he's too invested in his movie. DEFINITELY a movie crier. "why can't she see that he's the perfect guy for her!!!" absolutely inconsolable during the parts where the love interests are fighting, but then when they finally get together he's like "i knew it!!!" harvey would have a variety of snacks, though most of them are things like apple slices with peanut butter and some assorted nuts. happy to share his opinions about the movie and even ask your input on the love interest(s). for example, if the main love interest has a current partner who is definitely not right for them, he'd be like, "so, you see that persons TOTALLY the wrong one for them, right?" he'd also "take notes" and use what hes learned from these movies to plan romantic dates for the two of you.

elliott: let's all be honest here. he also loves romcoms.

he and harvey have a "book-club" style meeting where they watch a movie and discuss it over tea/coffee. of course, he'd invite you, too. being the romantic - and writer - he is, he spends the entire movie critiquing things and going "oh, well, if i wrote it i'd do it this way-" you love him, even if he does talk over the movie. i also think he'd be the one to bring the most AMAZING array of snacks to a movie night - like full on 3 course meal with dessert. a bit overkill, but what else would you expect? elliott probably gets too invested in the storylines and - if its an ending he doesnt like - will write his "own version" with tweaks. yes, elliott is a part of fandom, sue me! he'd definitely show you the finished script and ask for your input. who knows? maybe elliott will direct his own movie one day - with you as the star, of course.

alex: if you guessed sports movies and gridball games... you'd be completely wrong. i think alex enjoys animated movies - it doesn't really matter the genre. alternatively, i also think he would enjoy westerns.

here me out: everyone always assumes he's like.. sport obsessed, and he is, but thats SOOO boring. i think he does enjoy watching sports, yes, but his favorite movie type is animated. im talking studio ghibli animation. he loves howl's moving castle and makes you watch it with him several times a week. honestly, you aren't entirely sure he doesn't have a crush on christian bale, but like, who could blame him? now for the westerns. from my own personal experience of visiting my grandparents, they watch westerns exclusively. i think living with george and evelyn would have introduced him to the western cowboy film genre and he would have instantly loved it. it's mainly a nostalgia thing - when alex was younger, he'd always sit on george's lap and watch the western movies with his grandfather. evelyn would be making cookies in the kitchen and then bring kid alex a heaping portion. whenever he watches a western now, he feels warm and safe. it reminds him of his childhood. of home.

shane: action comedy

i don't really think this would needs much explanation.. shane just enjoys a good action comedy movie. i think he'd laugh way too loudly. personally, i think he enjoys animated action comedies much more than live action ones (though he'll still watch those). i think his favorite would be kung fu panda, just because he sees himself as po in a way. i think he would supply ample snacks - though most so unhealthy and sugary that they'll make your teeth fall out. he's definitely the type to fall asleep during a movie, cheesy dust coating his fingers and his hands still in the bowl you two were sharing. you just shake your head and place a blanket over him. maybe you even fall asleep, too. that's all fun and games until you somehow knock the bowl off in your sleep and cheese balls spill all over your carpet flooring. oops. it's okay tho! 5 second rule. i also think shane is the type to walk into a room where a movie is playing while he was doing something (ie bringing you something, cleaning, etc), stand at the edge of the room with his arms crossed like he's "not interested", and spend 20 minutes watching before finally sitting down next to you.

sam: thriller movies

oh, sam. sammy sam samson. he's another tough one. theres so many good genres that i think he'd like, so hes sort of a chameleon. he's open to watch any and everything, but he LOVES thriller movies. more specifically, dystopian future thriller movies. he loves anything that's exciting. sorry sam fans, but i think he'd be the type to watch movies EXCLUSIVELY on his busted android phone. he'd also laugh loudly at parts and rewind to show you, but it's not like you can see through all the cracks so you're just like "oh, that's hilarious". sam loves sending you youtube compilations of "funny movie clips" and will be like "yoo, did you see that clip i sent you?" even though sam will watch anything, i think he absolutely despises war movies. even though he knows its just a movie, he can't help himself from imagining his father in that situation. war movies are a definite DO NOT WATCH for him. i think he would buy an entire large pizza for the two of you to share but.. im sorry, but you do NOT get any pizza. boy just eats the whole thing in 2 bites.

sebastian: historical movies

controversial, i know. but i feel like sebastian would love historical movies. growing up with demetrius as a step-father, sebastian always loved learning new things. historical movies allow him to continue to learn new things. now, i don't mean that he loves documentaries, i mean he loves historical FICTION movies. specifically, pirate movies. sebastian definitely is a laptop-only movie watcher. it doesn't matter if the tv is three feet from him, he will not watch something unless its on his laptop. i imagine him sitting on your shared bed, leaning back against the headboard with the laptop on his legs. he'd absolutely lose his mind if you joined him - even letting you hold the laptop, if you want. i think he would melt if you laid your head down on his chest and asked him questions about what he was watching - which he'd be happy to answer. he would definitely start playing with your hair if he seemed to be getting bored of his movie, or maybe he'd just do it without realizing.

bachelorettes:

emily: musicals!!

again, no real explanation needed. girlie loves to sing along - maybe even dance along - to the musical numbers. i think she is a musical theatre fanatic, though she really loves movie musicals. because broadway tickets are like so expensive, she prefers to stay home and watch them with you. she knows all the lyrics and has definitely watched them multiple times. during her favorite numbers, she'd pull you up from the couch and convince you to dance with her. you'd be having the time of your life - even if you didn't really know the lyrics. if you did, the two of you would be singing (well, screaming, really) along to every word.

leah: this one was a bit tough, but i think leah would like fantasy movies.

i really think she would enjoy the movie scenery more than the actual plot, though. like the beauty of the nature, you know? you two would be watching a movie where someone is going on a big, exciting quest and leah would be like "oh, gosh, look at those trees. the coloring is just spectacular." you don't mind, though, because she's right: these fantasy worlds always look so breath-takingly beautiful and it's hard not be captivated by them. i think she'd prefer the artistic aspect to the movies, especially if it's an animated fantasy movie. if it was animated, she'd be absolutely speechless and just in awe of how the animators drew something/someone. what she doesn't realize, though, is that you're looking at her the way she looks at the movie. she just looks so breath-taking and you can't help but smile every time she makes a comment about it. "this movie is so gorgeous" and you would think "but not as gorgeous as you."

maru: mysteries!!!

specifically murder mysteries or whodunit's. while she does love scientific documentaries as well, she also enjoys a good mystery movie. and when she watches them, she gets INVESTED. im talking making her own predictions and even asking you who you think the killer is. of course, she's always right. maybe she has some sort of "detective intuition"? you think it's adorable how she clings to your arm and rambles about her guesses. "how could you think it was THAT person? it's obviously this one!" can and will provide evidence on how she's right. makes you think and really dive deep into the movies. it's fun to watch them with her because it lets you view things in a different light than normal.

abigail: i think abby loves comedies.

yeah, everyone thinks she would like horror movies - and she does - but her favorite? comedies all the way. she loves a good laugh. the two of you have a movie theater date, making sure to get the extra large popcorn to share (but you wouldn't be mad if abby ate it all, since she usually does. but she looks cute with her face full of popcorn.) she laughs super loud and everyone else in the theater is .. glaring at you two. i think she would also have "full body" laugh reactions like she would smack the seat, smack her legs, just anything. she's having a good time tho. by the end of the date she is completely covered in popcorn (yes, it even managed to get in her hair, somehow) and you spend a few minutes picking each piece out.

haley: honestly? i think she enjoys horror movies. not because she's overly interested in the horror aspect, but because it gets her closer to you.

she would invite you over for a movie. of course, she would probably be scared out of her mind (or not, depending on the severity of the movie). regardless of if she was actually scared or not, i think she'd still find a reason to cuddle up next to you "for comfort" or "because she was scared". you don't mind, though, and you're happy to have her feel safe in your arms. eventually, she'd just stop trying to watch the movie all together and just cuddle up next to you.

penny: i think she would like dramas or melodramas.

penny, being calm and quiet herself, probably likes these genres of movies because she doesn't express very strong emotions herself. not that she doesn't feel them, she does!, she's just very soft spoken and doesn't like to speak her mind for fear of upsetting someone. when she watches these movies, she can relate to the characters and their experiences. it makes her feel.. calmer? in a way. i think she is the type to watch movies while in pajamas, probably before bed or at a sleep over type setting. she will defend her movie choices (not that you'd insult them, anyway). i also think she would be the type to bring "easy" snacks - peanuts and saltine crackers are her best friends. penny seems like the type to have a movie on in the background while doing something else (cleaning, trying new recipes, etc). if you two had a sleepover, she would definitely try to get you interested in her movie choice and list any possible actors you may know. even if it wasn't really "your thing", you'd still watch the movie because it makes penny happy.

[-tokoyami]

It's amusing how the relationship between Jonrya is treated as the most absurd and impossible hypothesis when it's a plot line written by George himself and explicitly characterized as romantic initially. Whether it remains in the story or not is the question. The point is that these characters were created to complement each other emotionally and have this absurd and intense connection from the beginning. The love they feel for each other is a big part of the characterization of these characters. They speak in union and have spent so much time together that they are able to guess what the other is thinking. Their souls are so intertwined that even their respective wolves (extensions of their souls) are in tune with each other (Wolves and women wed for life). And within the main characters, no other relationship is established as this indestructible force, being overly emphasized so many times, despite the time and vows or any forces that can separate them.

The first 13 chapters of AGOT were sent with the 1993 outline. Fans who have looked through the manuscripts have noticed few differences compared to the published version. All these iconic quotes and the relationship between Jon and Arya settling in between major narrative plots have always been here.

Girls get the arms, but not the swords. Bastards get the swords, but not the arms. Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle. The memory of her laughter warmed him on the long ride north. Stick them with the pointy end. These passages were thought with them in a romantic relationship in mind :) Got a problem with that? Go take it up with George.

Plus, “You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.” > Arya kissing the cat in the brow, who is the real king of the castle and the black bastard > Jon being called the black bastard in the wall in ADWD. Grrm subtly returning to old foreshadowing? Oh interesting I guess!

Textually, Jon and Arya are platonic soulmates. They are each other's heart, home and priority. Their bond defies death, is unique within asoiaf and is magnificently written as something no one else has. Trying to level down their relationship only reveals an inability to read the text and the narrative arc of these characters, who have been deeply connected since book 1. They yearn so much to be reunited, regardless of any factors, that it is painful. These are feral loves that simply shake the readers and imply visceral emotions and actions. Like Jon breaking his vows to rescue "Arya" and suffering the consequences for it. It is insane, but this is the true representation of love. An unstoppable force that can drag anyone down. The things we love destroy us every time. He, along with Nymeria, are the reasons that allow Arya's identity to be preserved and that's why she never loses herself. Her desire to reunite with him, even before all the tragedy, is the factor that motivates her to continue living. And she has such overwhelming faith in him (Jon will want me, even if no one else will.) that she knows she will be safe in his arms. Arya's physical home as it was... simply doesn't exist anymore, but JON is her home. And most of all, her pack. In Braaavos she never thinks of any other alternatives besides him. And she would never abandon him.

The abundance of love between them not only brings significant transformations to their internal and external worlds, but also resonates in the narrative. The forbidden love between them would defy logic, social and moral conventions. This is the kind of conflict that George loves to explore and enhance. George is not a conventional writer. His more vanilla romances are not overly explored by the text. He likes drama, complex and contradictory feelings, relationships that involve some degree of moral complexity and that torment his characters. That's why it's so funny to see fans so shocked by his initial ideas because his text itself reveals where he takes things, to the utmost of the heart in conflict with itself. He seeks to address these issues because he likes it. Asoiaf would be much less fun if he only cared about the readers' feelings.

In a scenario where the zombie apocalypse has wiped out everything and everyone, why wouldn't they be together? If, even when they're apart, they still yearn for each other? Why wouldn't they choose to live their lives together, if that's already a desire expressed by both of them? And share their pains and joys with each other. And grow old together? I'm not even talking in a ship sense. It's just that these two characters explicitly inform readers that they love each other above all else and unconditionally. If they have no hope because they've changed so much and nothing will ever be the same, what relationship does asoiaf have a chance of thriving? No one else? If 90% of the relationships established in the books don't have even half of this devotion, loyalty, and affection. How would they be in a better position to thrive?

I'm not saying it will happen exactly as he initially planned. There are obstacles, of course. However, I think those obstacles are magnified to the extreme even in hypothetical scenarios. If the lack of time skip is a hindrance (in a saga that is still ongoing and can last for years), then it is a problem for other relationships as well, in Arya's case perhaps except with Ned Dayne. "But, he can write off-page around the end or in an epilogue". In other words, this narrative device can also be used for Jonrya? Right? "Oh, it's so controversial". Since when did this stop George from writing anything? I find it funny when people say they can't see her reciprocating the feelings. When GRRM totally can and wrote it that way initially 😁 He is a writer fully aware of the universe he created, you don't need to tell him. Platonic soulmates falling in love after a reunion and being horrified by it is exactly the kind of emotional mess that GRRM likes to explore. Regardless of whether they end up together or not.

I am of the radical opinion that, if George wants to write something, he will simply find a way and do it. If Jon and Arya somehow end up together in the end, it's part of the endings he's been dreaming up since 1991 and he won't change them, so it's going to happen. We can only wait for the end of the saga to know for sure. I'm not very creative, but maybe Arya looking for Jon north of the wall, spending some time with him, an open ending with the two of them together or maybe implying that the Stark bloodline continued with them and that they had several Stark looking children. Maybe she could be like the Mormont women, claiming that the fathers of her children are bears, in Arya's case, a wolf. Or, for magical reasons, Jon making a pact with The Heart of Winter and being able to meet her only in the spring. If he wants, there are so many narrative paths that can be presented.

It's very obvious to me how much George loves and values ​​their relationship. His favorite quote is something between them. And he constantly elevates and builds on. He revisits old ideas, makes these characters think about each other all the time. He puts extra emphasis on their bond. Like Jon was supposed to die at Hardhome, but he went there and wrote the Pink Letter, just to put more focus on the relationship between him and Arya once again. Idk, but it doesn't seem like he's written off Jon Arya the way ppl think and I think their fates are more intertwined than fans believe. The guy has tripled down on their relationship. So it's going to be very impactful and relevant.

Arya is the most important and beloved person to Jon. While he is the most important and beloved person to her. And that is why it is difficult to visualize them voluntarily separating. Regardless of the direction their relationship takes, they are undeniably made for each other and are the true soulmates of asoiaf.

Granny: Are you trying to say something to the reader by drilling into us how much Arya and Jon love each other?

George RR Martin: “Say something to the reader?” No, I’m just reporting how the characters feel. Of course, everything in the book says something to the reader. -GRRM

[helpfandom]

Analysis on YANDERE PLATONIC TAS Batman Villains. Pt 1.

THIS IS NOT THE NEW ANIMATED SERIES. Strictly ONLY The Animated Series.

Villains:

MR. FREEZE

RIDDLER

CLAYFACE

POISON IVY

MAD HATTER

CATWOMAN

What I am using as the archtypes: https://www.tumblr.com/helpfandom/724022554446135296/types-of-yandere?source=share YANDERE_AUXILLARY made it!!!!

I find it so curious that people neglect Platonic as a yandere version, {not to say that I am a pioneer, no no no, but rather that people don't write about it as much as romantic.} And so, here is my analysis on various TAS Batman Villains. Of course, this is part one, as there are many TAS villains. I just need to get to them.

Also, side note. Thank you TAS writers for already making Mad Hatter a yandere so now I have less work to do.

Mr Freeze: Now, he is the yandere type of Obsessive, Overprotective, Clingy. He found something else to focus on, and it happened to be you. Reader would be more of the friendly type, more outgoing for Mr. Freeze to have such an obsession with them. He wouldn't stalk you as much, more so just an immediate kidnap the next time he sees you. Most likely catalyst for his yandere swap would be dealing with the loss of his wife. He lost his wife. He won't lose his kid too. Maybe Reader was there to help, or maybe he saw his wife in you. No matter what it was, as soon as there is an obsession, he wants to keep you. You're screwed as soon as it began. He's overprotective, constantly hovering over you. "I've lost too much. I won't lose the last thing of my wife, too!"

Riddler: Hmm... His yandere archetypes for platonic is... Possessive, Delusional, Sadistic, and Self-Indulgent. His egotistical personality, tied with an obsession with a kid who is unafraid to throw hostility back? Not a good pair for Gotham. In his mind, to not be afraid of him, or to throw hostility back at him, must mean that you like him. And with his intelligence, how could you not? His catalyst, well, there isn't really a catalyst per say, more so he was already obsessed with beating Batman and being intelligent, so why wouldn't he be obsessed with someone who can challenge him? He's more of a stalker type, only kidnapping when Batman and Robin get a little too close to you for his comfort. You're just like a little him, well you have to be taught by the best, most intelligent, and that's him. "Well well, my dear child. You seem to have escaped, but I'm sure you know that you won't be out for long..."

Clayface: He is... Clingy, Manipulative, Impulsive, and slightly Sadistic. He would be obsessed likely with a theatre kid, or someone who enjoys the fine arts {So an Art Kid, Band Kid, Choir Kid, etc.} He would see that and miss the days when he could do that, when he could act or enjoy the arts. Because he can transform his shape into anybody, he transforms himself into people close to you, of course he stalks them ahead of time so that he can properly assume their character, but he quickly kills them off so he can assume that role in your life. If it was a friend who had a crush on you, he enjoys watching the life leave their eyes. How dare they try to ruin your potential with their desires? He uses someone in a position of power, too. Likely a teacher, or if you have a director? Boom, suddenly you have the main role, or a solo, or you won the first place in an art competition. Who knows what kind of a catalyst would be there, all I can tell you is that BOOM! You're being kidnapped by someone you trusted deeply. You watch your former mentor's skin droop off of this, this person, who's kidnapping you, revealing a rocky, clay texture. Clayface. "Heya kid, you already slipped up and called your teacher Dad, so I know you can for me too. Here, would looking like them help?"

Poison Ivy: Her yandere archetypes are Overprotective, Clingy, and attempts to be Manipulative. Delusional, but yet Lucid; She has delusions about Reader, but not in the 'ah, yes. Reader loves me too.' She would be a little apprehensive at an uncaring Reader, after all, if you're not for plants, you must be against plants. For an uncaring Reader to work, Reader must be a plant lover. Poison Ivy would see this, and suddenly everything makes sense. She assumes that Reader puts up a fake persona so that Reader can care for plants in their free time, so that no one knows that Reader loves plants. She loves that about Reader, and that's why she gets obsessed. She wants to keep the only other plant lover in Gotham and protect them against the cold, cruel world. She would originally try a sporeling, but she misses the real you so that plan fails and that's why she would kidnap you. "Come here my Rosebud, the world is cruel. Let me be your mother, like Mother Earth."

Mad Hatter: His characteristics are Delusional, Self-Indulgent, Overprotective, and Clingy. Who truly knows why he started to care for you? Perhaps you reminded him of someone a little too much... Nevertheless, not what we are here to focus on. He would not be a stalkerish type, but he would delude himself into believing you love him like a father. He would not be afraid to use his mind control on you. As soon as he manages to get you under his control, you're screwed. You're gone from Gotham forever. He has been shown to be willing to do it before, with Alice. I think he would be willing to do it until he gets you to the safe house which looks a lot like one of the sets for Alice in Wonderland... He would be overprotective, scared that Batman would take away his kid, take away the few things in life he loves. "NO NO NO! Batman simply cannot take away my child too!"

Catwoman: She is Clingy, Manipulative, Impulsive. She has been shown to be someone with a ton of money, {Paying $10,000 dollars for a charity that she loves, a lot of money, period, but also for 1992} So I feel that she would be willing to use that against her kiddo, saying that it's okay for Reader to use her money, and then guilt tripping Reader {who, realistically, wouldn't give a shit, but I digress.} Into staying with her to pay off the debt. Her clingy and Impulsiveness is because of when she was involuntarily transformed into an animal, some things stayed the same, and now that she found her cub? Even Batman can't fight a wild animal for her kid. "Lioncub, why are you worried? Mommy's got enough money for the both of us."

[penultimate-step]

Love, Lies, and Romance: The 3 Ships of Oshi no Ko and 3 Thematic Resolutions

Oshi no Ko is a series deeply concerned with what it means to love and be loved. Ai's wish to love is what starts off the series; her love for her children, and their love for her in return, form the emotional fulcrum upon which the whole manga turns.

Romantic love, too, is a type of love. Aqua's three possible romantic relationships each represent three different interpretations of how to love, and how those relationships are treated is a reflection of how the series views those kinds of love.

For organization's sake, I'll go down the list in order of what I judge as least to most likely to occur in the manga itself.

Ruby - Love is Lies

I've already written a longer meta about this, but to summarize the relevant parts: Ruby, as depicted in chapters 77 to 142, doesn't understand Aqua, nor Gorou. She instead loves him for the image she's constructed of him in her head, for the way he makes her feel - but this has very little to do with the man himself. Her view on Aqua is, in my opinion, a direct parallel to Aqua's view of Ai - she puts him on a pedestal, idolizes him, but that same impetus is what has her mentally keeping a distance from his real self. You can see this all the way back in chapter 77. When she thinks of him, she first thinks of how he made her feel:

Now, this isn't on it's own a red flag, but it is contrasted directly afterward: when asked to predict his own actions and feelings, she's hilariously off:

I think many readers kind of wrote this off as a joke at the time, but this kind of thing lines up perfectly with her behavior in the movie arc. Not only is she inventing a backstory for him (does Gorou ever show romantic interest at all? Why would she assume he was in trouble with girls?) but more importantly she interprets his kind rejection as a tease, and his care to a friend and patient as romantic intent.

A version of the story in which Ruby is Aqua's love interest would literally validate Ai's famous quote, that lies are love - that the person doesn't matter, only how they make them feel does. And that is directly contrasted by, uh. The whole rest of the manga. But to pick a specific scene, see C9:

The kind of love where one person projects on another, the manga has shown us again and again, the kind of love that is lies, results in this. It cannot end happily, for anybody. If Ruby and Aqua end up dating for real, my next bet is that the story ends in tragedy, because that's the only end for that kind of love in Oshi no Ko.

Akane - Love is Lying

To Akane, love is an act - a lie. But hear me out, this is markedly different from Ruby's position. Akane, I think, is actually the closest of the main characters to Ai's mindset. She doesn't feel that she understands love, but she wants it, so she actively cultivates an image of herself that can show love. We know this well, of course, given her actions at the end of LoveNow. She creates a persona of love in chapter 28, much like Ai describes in 4.

And believes that regardless of the artificiality of it, she can keep up the act forever: to earn love through the act is to earn it in reality.

So you may be asking: what is the difference between what Akane is doing, and what Ruby is doing? Well, the difference is in the intention. It is not the lies that are the important part, but the lying - neither Akane nor Ai felt they knew how to love, but their desire to love, their care for others, that was all real love. The performance they put on for others was not an impersonal pedestal, but an active effort done for another's sake. It may be lying, but it is an act of love nonetheless.

If Aqua/Akane was the endgame ship of Oshi no Ko, it would be a simultaneous validation and rejection of Ai's worldview. Yes, if you care enough, lying can be love, if you are willing to forge that connection. But, in this paradigm, Ai's mistake was lying one-sidedly, to a faceless crowd. The crowd cannot return your love, not in a way other than idolization, and we discussed how that turns out in Ruby's entry. Akane's relationship, on the other hand, is much less one-sided and unhealthy, because she lies for Aqua's sake alone, and doesn't hide that she's doing it. As such, her performance can be recognized and appreciated as such, and he can reach back and return her love.

As such, while the lying is a performance, their relationship isn't a lie. The two of them start to see each other's real selves. The dynamic of two people who don't really understand love or how to love, performing a relationship together until they can learn how to do it together, is a sweet one. I could actually totally see this as the main relationship of Oshi no Ko.

But the actions of the characters make clear what the issue is in this kind of love. The seeds of this breakdown are set in chapter 72, which is ironically one of the ones that sets the dynamic up - even as they are trying to create an equal relationship, Akane decides to lie to him for his own good. After all, their relationship has already been established on the basis of lies. To lie for someone else's sake is inherently a one sided choice, and while in chapter 28 we can see it as a cute start to a relationship, it comes back around in a much more harmful way here:

which pays off in their grand breakup in chapter 98. Akane is willing to one-sidedly make the choice to kill Hikaru for Aqua's sake. Aqua, in return, refuses to let her make that choice, tracking her position, then stopping her and cutting her off for her own safety. While Akane is the one who calls him out for this, neither of them are treating the other as someone with agency, and both are making choices for the other. As such, in Oshi no Ko, lying cannot be love - you cannot impose your love on another.

Kana - Love is Sincerity

Kana, differently than Ruby and Akane, is defined in her moments of honesty and sincerity. She is an actress, yes, but even her acting is a kind that emphasizes her true self. There's too many pages to post here, but chapters 60-63 talk all about this directly - her modern acting is about hiding herself in order to aid others, but her best acting is when she ignores everybody else and acts to her heart's desire.

This same sincerity is what forms the basis of the Aqua/Kana ship. Unlike the two above ships, which are on some level founded on artifice, many of the moments between Kana and Aqua are focused on moments where they are each acting as their truest selves. Chapters where they interact, like 30 and 117, show that they both have an easy rapport, acting thoughtlessly and honestly. Chapter 40 points this out directly: Kana has the ability to draw Aqua out of his depressed and overthinking mindset, letting him be his unrestrained self.

This is similar to Ai's own actions in chapter 4. Though she normally puts on a facade and acts out love for the cameras and crowds, the one moment that she is truly recognized as smiling is the moment she accidentally lets slip, and shows true love for her children:

As such, Aqua/Kana serves as a complete repudiation of Ai's mindset. She was wrong that one can lie to love. The only way to love is to be honest, the only time she was able to honestly express love was the moment she died, when she was able to tell her children she loved them. If you aren't sure how to love, you must reach out honestly and you will find it. No act or performance can be love, no matter how well meant.

If this is the ship the manga ends on, which it could be, the message would be that love is in baring oneself to others. Hiding from others with lies, even when well intentioned, like Aqua does to Kana before chapter 107, is a mistake, and to love truly you need to face up to your own feelings and see the other person directly.

Finale

So, what does this all mean? It means that the romantic love demonstrated in the three ships are unavoidably intertwined with the story's ideas about love as a whole. However, his isn't necessarily a foolproof prediction of what the author plans to do next, or what ship the story endorses. Though obviously I think some of these are much more supported by the series than others, until we reach the end it is still possible that things will change, and it could go with any of these, or none of them. This is merely the lens in which I interpret the romantic interactions in the text.

In fact, it's entirely possible that the series ends with no romantic resolution at all, rejecting all three above views on love. After all, while the romantic relationships are undeniably important to the narrative, the love that started this whole story was Ai's familial love for her children - thus, I wouldn't be surprised if platonic love between family and friends will be the most important in resolving it. In any case, the question of how to love is a key part of the series, and will have to be resolved by the story's end.

[mysticmoondancer]

🎃 Happy Halloween from the MBAV Crew! 🎃

Thought I'd have them all dress up in a group costume and their theme is of course DC superheroes. More specifically, those who were part of the Justice League! I originally wanted to do the founding (or rather the original) members who started the Justice League, but sadly couldn't, seeing as there was only one female member (Wonder Woman) that was part of the Justice League's creation. And of course, for the MBAV gang there are TWO females. So, it just wouldn't work. So, I just went with the more well known/popular members of the Justice League instead.

🔽 More down below about their costume choice and a better look at them individually, as well. 🔽

Rory is Flash because he lost to Benny in a game of "rock, paper, scissors" to see who gets to be Batman. After losing to Benny, he wanted to be Green Arrow, but no one trusted him enough to have a fake bow with arrows. Also, Erica really didn't want him to be the Green Arrow too because from what she remembers, the Green Arrow used to date Black Canary (her costume choice), and she didn't want to hear it from Rory or have him annoy her about that little fact all night long, as well. So, she STRONGLY had him choose another DC superhero to be, instead. Like the Green Lantern, but he didn't want to be the Green Lantern because he thinks his superpower is weak and lame due to having to rely on a ring that you have to recharge every now and then (which is stupid in his opinion, despite what Ethan may think). So, the Flash it is! Plus, he's super excited because now he can use his vampire speed to zip around everywhere like the Flash does!

Benny is Batman because he wanted to be all dark and mysterious. Plus, he thinks Bruce Wayne is awesome because of how rich he is and how he's a known playboy/lady's man to boot. Which is why I chose Benny to be Batman. I think he'd admire Bruce's lifestyle and also just like how Bruce has a bit of dark side to him, so does Benny too, as seen on a few occasions in the series. Oh! And he chose the costume with the fake abs because he wanted abs and thinks it makes him seem even more manly as Batman.

Ethan is Superman because he wanted to do a couple's costume with Sarah while also still doing the group one. And yes, I know that famously Superman's main romantic interest is technically Lois Lane. But it wouldn't work here if Sarah was going to be Wonder Woman and after some research, I found that in some rare instances there have been comics that had his love interest as Wonder Woman and NOT Lois, instead! Some even declared this rare pairing as the power couple of the DC universe! Anyway, that's why I picked Superman for Ethan. Plus, Ethan kind of has some of the same personality traits that Clark Kent/Superman does, as well. Depending on your version of Clark Kent/Superman that you choose, that is. For me, I was going for the Clark/Superman in the animated series "My Adventures with Superman".

Sarah is Wonder Woman because Ethan thought it would fit her, and she agreed. Plus, she gets to be a badass Amazonian warrior princess, as well! She also likes what Wonder Woman stands for (like justice and virtue) and can sort of see a bit of herself in her, as well. Like being a compassionate, strong, courageous, and honest person. If not a little bit stubborn, also.

Erica is Black Canary because she thinks she's badass and cool looking. Not to mention hot-looking, as well. Oh! And is a blonde like her, also! Originally, she was gonna be Wonder Woman but decided to let Sarah be her instead. Mainly because she too thought that Wonder Woman would be a better fit for her bestie rather than herself. Plus, Erica gets to mostly dress up in one of her favorite colors, too. Black. She also thinks that Black Canary has a way better fashion sense in the outfit department than Wonder Woman does when it comes to their superhero costume/look, anyway.

[yutahoes]

Caramel

(Part Fifteen. Last Chapter)

gif credits to @noyuta

characters: ex-stripper! company vice-president! dad! Yuta x female! ex-wealthy! secretary! mom! Y/N genre: chaptered, smut, angst, fluff, a little humor word count: 8k words (sorry) summary: Y/N has everything in her bitter life, not until she meets a sweet-looking stripper.

warnings: matured theme, ex-stripper au!, third person POV, a lot of cursing, an attempt at humor, a lot of crying, sexual talk, romantic stuff, mentions of killing and dying

taglist: @cherrymotodude @tenjyucat @justsomekpopstuff @ilhoonseyeballs @whyme11 @a-bts-world @amazinggraxia @princessrarah

a/n: Thank you for your suggestions. And because of how warm you received Caramel, I wanted to post this quickly. I remember starting this fic without any plot in mind but here we are, in the last chapter of this story. Thank you so much for encouraging me to write this story and just being here. I know it doesn't mean much but I realized a lot in life while writing this piece and I'm very thankful to the readers who waited patiently for this fic. And just like the main character, I hope you find the Caramel in your dark coffee.

“Mommy, I just want to live here,” Kenshin exclaimed while bouncing on the Pororo bed making Yuta chuckle. “This room is so cool and it’s all mine.”

The girl had to glare at Yuta before asking the young boy to get down the bed. “You’ll break the bed, Ken.” She reasoned out.

“I can buy him another.” Yuta blurted out earning another glare from Y/N. “But Kenshin, mommy is right you’ll hurt yourself if you keep jumping on your bed.” The kid stopped, staring at both his parents who were standing by the doorway. “You can jump on the bouncy house in the next room.” 

“A bouncy house?” Ken exclaimed, eyes wide and sparkling. Yuta nodded, gesturing to him to follow him. The younger exclaimed in awe as his father opened the room adjacent to his, with a huge bouncy house in the middle and different arcade games on the side. 

Y/N opened her jaw at how extravagant all this was. Yes, Yuta has a huge house. But she didn’t expect a gaming room in one of the rooms. The younger ran to the bouncy house, squealing in excitement. “Yuta,” Y/N called, “I told you not to go overboard.” 

“I didn’t.” He even raised his hands to revolt but she just glared. “I’m sorry, I can’t resist. Kenshin looks so happy in the bouncy house and the arcade games.” He reasoned out then stepped closer to her, “I’m really sorry, I just want to see my son happy.” 

Y/N hated that Yuta always knew exactly what to say. She gets it. He’s just a father yearning for a son. It was her fault, she did deprive him of a chance to be a parent. But this is just too much. “It’s unfair that I can make my younger siblings happy but not my own son. I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ll tone it down I promise.” 

“Can we get pizza for dinner?” Kenshin shouted from inside the room. 

“No.” “Yes.” Both adults exclaimed at the same time, Yuta earning another glare from Y/N. “Last time, I promise.” He pleaded while taking his phone from his pocket. The girl only sighed. There’s really nothing she could do, right? 

Y/N was always curious about why her son loves pizza. She wasn’t that fond of the said food, it’s too much oil. But watching as the two males in front of her devoured the slice of pizza, she came to the conclusion that Kenshin was indeed Yuta’s younger version. How could two people look and act the same? And how did that young kid come from her? Maybe she had to feel the pain of childbirth since that was the only contribution she had over Kenshin. Everything about him just screams Yuta. 

“Why?” Kenshin whined, hiding his head with the pizza slice. “Mommy, you’re creeping me out.” 

The girl had to laugh at that, apologizing. “You just look exactly like your dad. It’s weird.” The younger kid had to grin, making the older annoyed. “Sometimes I wonder if I am really your mom.” 

Yuta chuckled at that but the lower lips of the child started quivering. He put down his pizza slice, got down from his chair then climbed on his mother’s lap. “Of course you are.” He wrapped his arms around her neck. “You’re my only mommy.” 

Does he also get this trait from Yuta? Y/N wonders. Even at a young age, she was well aware that Kenshin was so clingy with the people around him. He kept on kissing her cheek as she whined that he was rubbing the pizza oil on her, making the child giggle. “Finish your pizza so we could go.” 

“Wait, you’re not staying for the night?” Yuta asked. “It’s Sunday tomorrow, you can stay here for the night.” Kenshin even complained that he didn’t want to leave and that he wanted to sleep on his new Pororo bed. 

The girl pursed her lips before staring at her son. He’ll probably have a fit if they do come home right now. That bed is amazing, she had to admit. He really knew how to entice his son to live with him. “Will it be alright if Kenshin stays tonight?” The child nodded but Yuta had a curious look on his face. “I’m supposed to meet Jaehyun early in the morning.” 

Yuta put down his pizza slice as he watched Y/N talking to Ken about behaving while he stayed here with his dad. Why does she have to meet Jaehyun early in the morning? They already established that they were not together, so why? Is it that important for her? Why is he so pissed off? “You could just ask Jaehyun to come here in the morning. I’ll prepare breakfast.” He claimed before he could even think of it. Wait, is that too weird to say? He doesn't sound too jealous right? “It’s late and your apartment is too far.” He reasoned out. “You could stay in my room.” 

It was dangerous, Y/N knew. She shouldn’t have agreed but how can she not when even her son is pressuring her to stay the night? Kenshin settled in his own room which surprised Y/N. When they first moved back from Canada, he was a crying mess. Maybe the Pororo bed did its magic. Yuta pointed at the door beside Kenshin’s claiming that it was his room and that she could settle in. The girl was surprised at how huge the room was, another door which he pointed to as the bathroom was by the corner of the room. The large bed and rows of cabinets and drawers made up half the room. “There’s an extra towel and toothbrush in the cabinet above the sink and then you can get some clothes in the drawer,” Yuta claimed making her nod. 

The guy took two pillows from the bunch of pillows by the headboard of the bed. “Where will you be sleeping?” 

“Outside,” he shrugged. “The bouncy house if it gets cold.”   

Y/N chuckled at that, imagining his huge body sleeping in the small bouncy house. "Well, I feel bad taking your room.” Yuta shook his head but stopped at what she said next, “It’s a huge bed, we can share.” The guy sighed hard, staring at her as if she was a lunatic. “It’s not like I’ve never shared a bed with a guy before.” 

Yuta was fucking annoyed that he kept punching the bathroom tiles as he took a shower. The fact that those words came out of her lips meant it must be true. Has she fooled around all these years? Is that why she’s meeting Jaehyun? Maybe they have more than a friend relationship. Has she shared a bed with Jaehyun? Maybe that kid who lives with them. Mark Lee? Maybe that was why she wanted to go home. But Haechan claimed that it was Mark’s parents who adopted her when she lived in Canada and their relationship is highly platonic. His head was just aching at all the possibilities there were.   

He was busy placing a pillow fort in between the bed, the sound of the shower running in the bathroom making him more nervous. Is the space enough for Y/N? Should he move the pillows to take some of his space? Can he even fall asleep knowing that the girl he had been yearning for so long is so close, on his bed even? Yuta shook his head. He should be cool about this. 

The emails were answered and he was just scrolling on his phone, seated by the foot of the bed, when she came out of the bathroom while ruffling her damp hair. His jaw fell open at how pretty she was. This is unbelievable. Yuta might be crazy. She was just wearing one of his sweatpants and a plain gray shirt, for crying out loud, yet he felt his whole system broke down. 

He’s sharing a bed with this gorgeous woman? He should go to church tomorrow because God damn, he might just sin so bad. 

“You can take that side of the bed,” Yuta pointed at the wider space that startled her. “I wouldn’t trespass, I promise.”

The girl giggled, sitting on the bed. “I hope you don’t mind I used your body wash,” she started which made him shake his head. That’s why she smelled familiar the moment she went nearer.  His mind was going haywire. He can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that she smelt just like him. Now, he wanted to bury himself in her scent. “I’ve always wondered what your perfume was. It turns out your body wash is Vanilla Caramel.” She claimed then sniffed her wrist. “It smells so sweet.”     

“Johnny gifted me a bottle once and I have been using it since then.” 

Y/N nodded. “That’s why I cannot find your perfume.” She said it more to herself than out loud. “It smells good, different from other guys with musky scents.” She claimed with a shrug. 

Yuta put down his phone. Other guys? She really has hung out with other guys. “Y/N,” he called facing her. “Are you dating someone?” She looked confused before shaking her head. “You mentioned that it wasn’t the first time you shared a bed with a guy.”   

“Now that you said it out loud, the statement does seem weird.” She said, cocking her head to the side. “I meant, I share the bed with Kenshin so it’s not new to share a bed with a guy.” Yuta gasped then nodded. So that was what she meant, why is he over his head and overthinking it? “Besides, it’s not like we never shared a bed before right Yuta?” She claimed with a giggle. “We even made Kenshin.” 

Seriously, she’s just going to say that? Y/N was lucky he was in his right state of mind or they might even made another Kenshin. Yuta shook his head, he’s not the same testosterone-filled adult as his dad. Thinking of her sexually is so wrong, he really should go to church. “Is Jaehyun coming for breakfast tomorrow? Does he have any request?” 

“He’s not going here tomorrow.” Yuta looked surprised. But she’s adamant about meeting him tomorrow so he thought it was important. “He had to meet a client in the morning but he promised that he’ll just buy the gift for Junyoung.” The guy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and she stopped, obviously surprised that she had said so much. “It’s Junyoung’s birthday tomorrow.” 

“Is he having a party tomorrow? Or are you just having dinner together?” He then smiled, “Junyoung might be tall now.” 

Y/N hummed in answer. “He probably is,” The answer confused Yuta. “I haven’t seen him since I went to Canada. The last time I saw Junyoung was at the wedding.” In a soft voice, she continued. “I haven’t seen anyone else except Jaehyun.”  

Yuta wanted to learn more. Why? How? Does that mean she hasn’t seen Doyoung or Jungwoo as well? Is this because of her mom again? He knew what happened to the family, it was global news at some point. There was a time when he wanted to check on her. This was the company she worked hard for and now it’s crumbling in the ground but he assured himself that she probably doesn’t need him. He thought she was married and with Jaehyun’s swift take-over of the company, he was given the reassurance that she had all the support system she needed. He even saw Doyoung performing in New York once and Jungwoo in magazines. 

He thought they were fine. That they were happy. Because Y/N is happiest when she is with her brothers.   

A happiness that he wanted to return to her. 

—-

Y/N believed that sleeping in the same bed as Yuta wouldn’t make her fall asleep. How could she? When his scent was twice as intense in stimulating her senses. An addicting sweetness along with an addicting warmth. In surprise, she opened her eyes and Yuta was just centimeters in front of her. What happened to the pillow fort? Was she moving actively while sleeping? Why is she wrapped in Yuta’s arms this morning? 

She should get away, that is the right thing to do. But she cannot. Not when his body was warm, not when his arms were wrapped around her tight, not when he smelled so good. Maybe she should just let this moment stay, pretend that she’s still sleeping. She squirmed a little bit to move closer to him. 

It seemed like a long time that they were in the same position when the door opened and Kenshin started climbing on Yuta’s torso. He had to turn his body around to give space for the younger kid and was annoyed at the sudden loss of body heat from Y/N. “Good morning,” he greeted, making Kenshin smile. “You woke up early.” 

“I miss mommy,” he whispered as Yuta placed him in between their bodies. Ken had to hug his still-sleeping mom, nuzzling his cheek on her breasts. The girl had to hum, hugging the younger guy. Yuta doesn’t know he’ll get jealous this early morning. And with his son? He might be crazy. “What are we getting for breakfast?” 

Since Jaehyun isn’t coming for breakfast, Yuta just suggested eating outside. Y/N tried to revolt at first but seeing the cafe where they went, she was glad Yuta pushed for them to go out. The cafe had changed a lot, she remembered that this was where Yuta and Y/N first had breakfast together - the cafe where he sold caramel. 

The girl was surprised that they both had the same coffee order, black coffee with caramel. When Ken asked, Yuta reasoned that it was addicting before glancing at the girl in front of him who seemed to understand what he meant.  

The whole Sunday was a blast for the young kid who got everything he wanted in the mall. Of course, Y/N was once again reminding Yuta not to spoil his son but he kept revolting that it was just for today, which she knew would be impossible. The older guy drove Y/N and Kenshin to their apartment where Mark was waiting with a wide smile on his face. “I thought you were going to live with your dad.” he teased the young child.

Y/N glared. It’s obviously not the kid who he was teasing. 

She thought the whole dynamic in the office would change. Even if they have a child together, which the whole office knows now, she is still his second secretary. A position that she was badly reminded of when he asked Haechan to join him for a lunch meeting. She was left in the office working on another proposal for a new company, a marketing event to invite more investors. When both Haechan and Yuta came back, the older walked briskly to his office while the younger placed a paper bag on her desk. “Mark said this is your favorite food.” 

Mark? Y/N opened the paper bag and the smell of lobsters filled her senses. But this is expensive. “I think Yuta hyung feels bad that he left you here all alone so he called Mark to ask about your favorite food.” The girl lightly glanced at Yuta’s office. He’s so unpredictable. 

Before they could leave the office, the vice president had to call the girl inside the office. He inquired her about a dinner meeting and that he’d just pay for her overtime work. Y/N was just startled that it was her who he was bringing along and not the first secretary. “It’s at Tulip Row.” She knew that restaurant. It sells amazing ice cream that it was one of Junyoung’s favorites. “I’ll pick you and Ken up at eight pm.” 

With Ken? Now she’s just confused. A dinner meeting with Kenshin? Isn’t that trouble? This is still work, not a family dinner. Yet before the clock struck eight, Yuta came knocking on their door. It’s also confusing how Yuta looked so casual in his red polo shirt and jeans. If this is a dinner meeting, shouldn’t he be wearing something more business-like? She seemed more formal than him in her pantsuit. 

The restaurant was almost empty which is confusing for Tulip Row, reservations here are difficult. What is this? He’s not proposing, isn’t he? Y/N shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? But someone was standing in the middle of the room, making Ken immediately run to him while calling him, “Uncle Jaehyun.” What is he doing here? When Jung Jaehyun stepped to the side, she saw someone else then everything clicked. 

The man sitting behind Jaehyun stood up immediately and in the same manner as Kenshin, ran to his older sister. “Noona,” Junyoung called, wrapping his hands around her. “Y/N noona.” He called once again. Her eyes went to Yuta who was only smiling at her then at Jaehyun, carrying his son, who was nodding. 

The restaurant choice. The dinner meeting. The reservation. The two of them together in this place. Is this their plan? Her hands wrapped around the younger guy, whispering his name. “Junyoungie.” The tears fell from the younger’s eyes as his hug got tighter. 

Who would have thought that the young boy she used to carry around was now carrying her own child? Yuta was right, Junyoung got taller now but his childhood features are still there. He’s wearing glasses now which makes him more alike their dad. She then realized how these two in front of her were the only blood-related relatives she had. Her only blood-related family. “Jungwoo hyung called me yesterday. He said he’s opening a store in Paris.” Junyoung shared, “Dad video called last night. He’s walking after therapy now.” That’s great news. “And Doyoung hyung is busy with his new musical.” The girl had to smile at that. They’re really doing well in life.

“They’ll be happy to know that I saw you again, noona. They have been asking a lot about you.” Her face fell at that. She missed them as well. But after everything that happened, she doesn’t have any courage to see them again. 

“Mom hasn’t been well but Dad told me not to visit her anymore.” The mention of her startled Y/N. Junyoung had been visiting their mom? “She tried to hurt me when I visited her once.” Even Yuta visibly jerked at that statement. “She said I was the one who killed her son.” 

“Oh my God,” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, noona.” That made her look at him. He was the one who was hurt, why is he apologizing to her? “When I was young, I didn’t understand why you didn’t like to stay at our house. I thought you hated me.” She shook her head. To be honest, it was Junyoung who was the reason why she kept returning to their house. “I didn’t know Mom hurt you so much.” He reached out to hug her as tears welled in her eyes, “You don’t deserve that because you’re the best noona I have.” 

“I’m your only noona.” 

Junyoung nodded, brushing her hair. “I’ll always choose you as a big sister even in the next life.” The tears fell in her eyes. How could Junyoung say these words to her? “I’m sorry I was born too late but I promise I’ll do my best to take care of you now, Y/N noona.” 

Because she had been crying too much, Yuta suggested that she and Kenshin stay in his place since it was nearer. The younger was already sleeping soundly when they arrived at his house, Y/N just tucking him to sleep and then closing the door of his room quietly. “He might have tired himself playing with Junyoung,” Yuta whispered while chuckling. He then stopped when Y/N hugged him, hands wrapped around his torso. “Hey, are you alright?” He asked, brushing his hand on her back to calm her down from crying. 

“Thank you for doing this Yuta.” She cried which made him hug her. “I didn’t realize how much I miss Junyoung. Thank you.” 

The guy had to tap her back, “You deserve to have all the happiness in the world, Y/N.” 

She lightly pushed him, glancing up to stare him in the face. Y/N breathed heavily, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do Yuta.” 

He smiled, “Then let’s get you to bed.” 

Y/N’s heart was stammering really hard as she was sitting on the edge of Yuta’s bed, the man arranging the pillows. “Yuta,” she called quietly. “You should know that it’s been so long since I had sex with someone. The last time was with you.” 

The guy giggled at that. “I’m not doing anything to you, Y/N.” He fluffed the pillows. “I want you to sleep. Your eyes are very puffy.” He took two pillows from the pile. “Take a lot of rest and skip work tomorrow.” 

Before he could leave the room with the pillows, she held his hand. “Where are you going?” 

“Sleeping outside.” 

“You could sleep here,” she whispered, moving to the side of the bed while taking one pillow. “It’s a huge bed.” 

Yuta smiled, putting back the pillow. “I’ll arrange the pillow fort…” 

“Don’t bother. You know it will be gone in the morning.” He gulped at that. Why is she making him crazy like this? “It’s fine, you said you wouldn’t do anything to me.” 

The guy had to lightly smile at that. This girl, really. He lightly tapped the bed, “Then get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Yuta.” 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” 

—-

Yuta can’t take his eyes off her. He had watched her in these board meetings presenting her ideas and proposals but every time she just gets prettier and prettier. It seemed like she was born to do this job, to run a company of her own. A trait that made her so charming. 

The stakeholders congratulated Y/N for a presentation well done, even tagging her as the gem of Suzaki company. “If this Suzaki kid doesn’t marry you, I’ll introduce you to my son.” One of the company presidents claimed making Yuta glare at him. Y/N only laughed at that. Why isn’t she saying no and rejecting their offers? 

The girl was standing in the middle of Yuta’s office room, twiddling her thumbs together. “You wanted to take a leave for a week?” The vice president asked, looking at the letter she submitted. “You’re going to New York?” 

She nodded, “I think it will be a great gift for Junyoung, to see Dad and Doyoung.” 

“Are you bringing Ken on your trip?” The girl shook her head, reasoning out that her money could only pay for her ticket and Jaehyun was paying for Junyoung’s. “I could pay for Kenshin’s.” 

Y/N sighed. She wanted to bring Kenshin along. This is her chance to introduce her son to her stepdad and stepbrother. But bringing the hyperactive kid and her teenage brother to a foreign place is a little difficult for her. But then, that was what happened when she moved back to the country with Ken and Mark. Maybe she could do it. 

Her boss allowed her for a week break but she’s already freaking out. The tickets were already in her purse but she kept on checking on it to not forget anything. Y/N had kept on reminding her son not to run away from her and to just stay where she could always see him. Yet she knew that would be false hopes especially whenever he sees anything related to Pororo. 

The girl was just breathing hard, Junyoung following his nephew. They’re still in the airport but she feels like she cannot do this. Someone turned the corner while carrying her son, making her stop in her tracks. “Mommy said not to run, why are you running away from your uncle?” Yuta asked, making Ken apologetic. 

“What are you doing here?” The girl asked, eyeing Yuta’s backpack. 

He handed her his plane ticket and passport, “I’m coming to New York.” Her eyes widened in surprise. “It’s a business meeting so I won’t bother you but you clearly need help with these two.” Y/N only nodded, breathing in relief, thanking him. 

It was a heartwarming reunion. Their dad was seated in his wheelchair but he tried standing up to hug both Y/N and Junyoung. He kept on apologizing for not being a good father and just leaving the two to fend for themselves alone. Junyoung kept on crying, whispering that he was thankful to have him as his father. Jungwoo also came from Paris, which launched another crying fest from the family. 

They all complimented Y/N for Kenshin’s adorable antics, even stating that they were proud of her for not giving the younger boy up for adoption. “Did Yuta ask you for marriage yet?” Doyoung asked, making Jungwoo nod curiously. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t let you go now.” 

“By the lengths of what Yuta can do, I’m sure marriage is your endgame.” Y/N stared in confusion. “He was the one who bought me the ticket for this trip.” 

It’s not like Y/N had never thought of that before. With the endless days she spent with Yuta lately, she was getting used to a life with him. Everyone at work was teasing them about getting married, even Kenshin had been asking her why his parents were not together. But they are not together, to begin with. They’re just co-parenting Kenshin and that’s all. 

“If he hasn’t asked you for marriage yet, maybe you could ask him instead.” Her dad suggested. 

—-

Yuta was rubbing his temples, staring at the Excel file in front of him as if it would magically fix itself. He did attend business school but why is this application just so damn difficult? Should he call Y/N? She’ll know what to do since she has solved countless of these problems before. But she’s with her family and it’s her leave, he cannot just bother her with work. 

But he wanted to call and ask her what happened. Surely, she would cry and he wanted to calm her down. Maybe he just misses her voice. He stared at the time on the bottomside of his laptop then shook his head. It’s late. Maybe tomorrow. He’ll call in to check on her tomorrow. Meaning, he had the whole night to fight with this impossible file. He was ready to give up and close the laptop when a knock on his hotel door could be heard. He did put up the ‘Do not Disturb’ card, didn’t he? Yuta was startled seeing Y/N standing outside. “Hi,” he greeted. “What are you doing here?” He then glanced around for someone in particular, “Where’s Ken?” But Yuta let her in anyhow. 

“Dad asked if Kenshin could stay at their place. With Jungwoo arriving, the house is very crowded.” Oh, Yuta understands. But why is she here? “Can I spend the night here? I’ll take dibs on the couch.” 

The guy had to chuckle, disappearing to the kitchen to get her something to drink. He was just thinking about her. Is this the power of manifestations? Then should he just start manifesting a life with her? Maybe that would come true as well. “Are you working on something?” She asked, which made him hum. When he returned to his receiving area, she was seated on the couch and looking at his laptop. “The formula for this cell is wrong.” she pointed then stared at Yuta who was just watching her, “Can I?” 

He nodded as she sat down on the floor and started typing on his laptop. Yuta put down the drinks on the table next to the laptop, watching what she was doing. It’s truly amazing, the things she could do. Obviously, it’s not something that she learned from school. It really is from her experience. 

An advantage that makes her the most eligible for the presidential position. 

“You’re really great at this,” Yuta complimented as the Excel file showed the results he had been yearning to achieve. “Do you want to be the president of the company?” Y/N laughed. “Dad is resigning soon.” 

“Wait, you were serious?” 

Yuta nodded. “My dad and I have the same 35% stocks while the stakeholders have 10%. I can’t let some stakeholder take away the Suzaki company even if I hate that name.” 

“Then you should do it,” Y/N stated as a matter of fact. “Where’s the other 20% of the stocks though?” 

“Yours and Kenshin’s,” he claimed that startled her, even choking on her orange juice. “I did mention that the money you gave me was used to start the company.” 

The girl pursed her lips at that. The company is slowly progressing to a global market earning hundreds of thousands each day. That was a huge amount of money for Kenshin to even inherit. Yes, Yuta is his dad and he is the vice president of the company. But that is still huge to think about. “Yuta, you do realize that Suzaki company is a family-owned business, right? I think you would be the best candidate for the president position.” 

“I can’t.” 

“Your department had brought in a lot of investors.” 

“But that was because of you.” He reasoned out. “And no one in my brothers or sisters would bother running a company. You are my only hope, Y/N.” 

The girl sighed. “I told you it’s a family business. I’m not even a Suzaki.” 

“Then let’s get married.” Yuta blurted out. He blinked realizing what he said, “Though you’re not a Suzaki by blood, you will be on paper.” 

“Let me make this clear,” She started, “You're going to marry me so I could be the president of your company?” Wow, Y/N thought, that kind of stings. And she thought they could be together somehow. 

Yuta was quick on his feet, kneeling on the floor in front of the table that even startled her. “Wait, wait. That’s not what I meant.” He immediately cleared up, shaking his hands frantically. “God, I would love to get married to you but only if you wanted to, Y/N,” he exclaimed. “It’s not because I wanted you to run the company, I want to marry you because I want to be with you.” He rumbles. “I want to start my day seeing you, I want to end my day with the image of you. I want to see you smiling and happy all the time. I want to give you all the love you deserve, Y/N.” He claimed then stopped to take a breath. “I might sound like a crazy man right now but I’ll be the happiest man in the world if you agree to marry me.” 

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows at the cute rant. “Is that your marriage proposal?” She asked making Yuta sigh as if defeated. “It was cute but very unprompted.” She teased making him glare at her while pouting. How cute. “But Yuta, you cannot marry your secretary. That’s against company rules.” 

The side of his lips turned up, “And you cannot marry a low-life stripper you just picked up in the street, Y/N. That’s against societal rules.” The girl mirrored the same smile as him. “But here we are, Y/N. Two people sitting on the floor at a hotel in New York.” She giggled at that. Yuta placed both her hands on his shoulders, his hands holding her waist. “Can I kiss you?” 

She leaned in for a quick kiss, “You don’t have to ask every time.” 

Yuta moved closer, his lips devouring hers. It still feels like the first time. As if fireworks were popping around and butterflies in his stomach wanting to be set free. He felt his lungs constrict with air while his heart kept stammering harder by the second. He felt like dying yet being alive at the same time. How weird is this feeling? How could this moment feel so familiar yet so different, more intense, at the same time? “I love you, Y/N,” he whispered, forehead against hers. “I love you so much.”    

“I love you too, Yuta.” 

—-

There was a huge shift in their relationship after going back from New York. Haechan made sure that the couple knew what it was when he kept reminding the two that they seemed like a married couple already. Everyone in the office, even Yuta’s father, kept on asking when they would hear the wedding bells making the two just smile at them. It’s not that they’re not planning or even wanting to, but there are a lot of things going on at the moment. There are more company projects that they need to prioritize. 

Y/N kept on presenting her ideas to make the company larger and known in the global market. In her effort, they had made millions in just a month. She even urged Jaehyun to invest in the company, earning high-status recognition from other companies. And Yuta was just amazed at how she did it. Truly, it is a gift. No one could run this company but her. 

And he’s willing to do everything to give her the position she deserves. 

There were countless date nights before. They would often leave Ken to Mark or Haechan’s care, sometimes Jaehyun and Junyoung’s. So it isn’t new that Yuta was driving Y/N in town. Maybe they’ll eat at another fine-dining restaurant. But the road he was traveling to was so familiar, she had been driving her car countless times in this place. When they entered a majestic gate, her confusion grew. Is there a party they need to attend? Why this hotel? She’s clearly underdressed for this hotel. 

Yuta was driving so slowly, even stopping at some point and then shaking his head before driving a little bit forward. “What’s wrong?” He then stopped the car that confused Y/N. Is his car broken? Why are they stopping in the middle of the hotel's driveway? 

The guy breathed hard before facing her, “I saw you here exactly six years ago.” Y/N glanced at the place and then gasped. They did. “I did plan on walking the entire driveway but you came and offered me a ride.” Yuta smiled warmly as if reminiscing that moment, “A car ride I knew I wouldn’t forget.”  

“I knew you said the proposal in New York is enough but it’s not,” He took a box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a simple ring. “And you hated tacky things like a diamond stone on your finger so this is the simplest I could buy.” The girl giggled at that. 

“Y/N, I want to spend all my mornings and evenings with you. Whenever you feel tired, I want to take care of you. Whenever something happy or sad happens in your life, I want to be the first person to hear all about it.” His hand came to her cheek, wiping the tears falling from her eyes. “I’ll give you the moon and the stars if you want to. I’ll remain loyal to you even if you share a bed with other guys.” She chuckled at that, lightly hitting his chest in a playful manner. “I will love you until my last breath, Y/N.” 

The girl gasped at that. How did he come up with those words? “So, Miss Y/N Y/L/N, will you do me the honor of marrying this crazy guy who only loves you the most in the world?” 

“Yes, crazy man.” Y/N smiled. “I will marry you.” 

The guy had to hug her first, assuring himself that this wasn’t a dream like the one he had days ago, before slipping the ring on her finger. The girl even praised him for picking the right size which made him beam in delight. “I’m always holding your hand, I feel like your hand is already molded on mine.” The girl giggled before he placed their foreheads together, “I love you, Y/N.” 

“I love you too, Yuta.” 

“Can I…?”

“I told you, you don’t have to ask.” She claimed, holding his cheeks to kiss him. 

—---

“And then we should utilize the reach of Jung Tradings to advertise the collaboration project with Hikari Studios,” Y/N explained before tapping her pen on the vice president’s desk. “Were you listening to me?” Yuta shook his head and she rolled her eyes, shifting her weight on another leg. “This is kind of important.” 

“I know,” he claimed while standing up. He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. “But you’re distracting. Why are you so pretty?” The girl had to turn her body to face him, giving him a glare. “Let’s take a break, hmm?” 

“Yuta, you said that ten minutes ago.” She shook her head, holding his shoulders. “I haven’t moved past the third slide of my presentation.” 

He chuckled, pulling her closer. “I don’t have to hear it to know how great your ideas are.” 

When they said that it’s dangerous to have a relationship with your boss, Y/N doesn’t believe that crap. Of course, there’s a huge wall between being professional and being personal. Yet Yuta is proving her otherwise. It’s not a bad thing though, it’s endearing actually. But he’s becoming more clingy ever since they got engaged. 

The guy kissed her neck which earned a small squeak from her. “Yuta, not here. Haechan is outside the door.” 

“He already left,” The girl looked startled. But it’s still early. “He’ll just force me to have a bachelor party.” 

“Then why don’t you?” Yuta had to let go of the girl as if she was burning hot. Is she crazy? Is she really asking that question? “You’ll enjoy that more instead of fucking your secretary in your office.” 

Yuta let out a hearty laugh. “Then will you be having your bachelorette party?” 

The girl shook her head with a pout. “First, I don’t have female friends. Second, I’ve seen better.” She grinned. “If it’s Johnny dancing, I might reconsider.” 

His arms were back on her waist, tickling her sides which made her giggle. “But you promised me that you’d hire me for your bachelorette party.” 

“Oh yeah,” she mumbled as if just remembering it. “I did, didn’t I?” 

“I think I still have my skills left,” he claimed. “A little rusty because of lack of practice.” She raised an eyebrow at that. “But I could give you a lap dance for free.” 

Y/N giggled, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll avail that service after you bend me on your desk, sir.”

Yuta smirked. She does know how to make him crazy. 

Crazily in love with her. 

—--

The wedding hall looked majestic and everything was in the right place. Jaehyun even claimed that this was better than the wedding they almost had. Even Kenshin was well-behaved as he wore his suit and tie. A lot of emotions were running in his veins at the moment, excitement leading the bunch. He cannot wait to see his very lovely bride walking on the aisle. He can’t wait to finally call her his wife. 

Jungwoo was walking along the aisle, looking like his runway self but his eyes were focused on Yuta. Anxiousness filled his chest. Something isn’t right. “She’s frantic.” The other guy claimed that confused Yuta. “Junyoung is trying to calm her down but I don’t think she wants to go out of the room.” 

Doyoung tapped his shoulder, “You should go see her.” 

This was a bad omen, right? A groom shouldn’t see his bride before the wedding. That would ruin the surprise, the anticipation of getting married. But what is happening to her? He’s more worried about her than this growing anxiousness in his chest. Is she sick? Is she suddenly regretting saying yes to him? Yuta shook his head while briskly walking to where the bridal room was. Her younger brother was pacing back and forth then looking relieved when he saw him. “Noona is freaking out so bad.” The guy opened the door after thanking Junyoung. 

There she was seated on the couch looking as beautiful as ever. If he saw her walking the aisle looking like this, he would have easily cried. But right now, he just looked worried. Y/N was biting her thumb, her left knee bouncing up and down. “Hey,” he called softly, placing a palm on her cheek. “What happened?” 

She rubbed her hands together before taking both Yuta’s hands and asking him to sit down. The guy could feel his heart dropping from his chest. She might really be regretting her decision to agree to marry him. But why? Did he do something? Is it because of the lap dance? Because they had been too sexually intimate the past nights? Did he force her? “Y/N, I’m…” 

“You’ll say ‘I do’, right?” Wait, what? “You still want to marry me, right?” 

Yuta had to blink twice. What the hell is she saying? “Of course.” He held both her hands, “Do you have any regrets?” She shook her head at that. “Then what’s wrong?” 

“I feel like all of these happened before.” Damn, Yuta thought, Jung Jaehyun traumatized her this bad? “You’re not going to stop the ceremony just to tell me that I deserve better, right?” 

He laughed to avoid showing how annoyed he was at Jaehyun at the moment. “If you want, we can just skip the ceremony and tell the officiant to proclaim us husband and wife already.”  

“You still wanted to marry me?” She repeated. 

“Of course, Y/N.” 

“Even if I’m pregnant.” 

“Of course…What?” Yuta’s eyes were wide. “You’re what?” She handed him the pregnancy test. “Since when have you known?” His eyes were focused on the two red lines appearing on the small rectangular object.  

Y/N stared down at the lace of her dress, “I’ve been feeling weird a couple of days ago. It’s a familiar weird, so I checked.” Her fingers started rubbing the material of her skirt. “I understand if you don’t want to marry me now. Who would even want a pregnant lady?” 

Yuta had to hide a smile. Is this because of her pregnancy? Why is Y/N suddenly so adorable? “Are you kidding me? This makes me want to marry you much faster.” He held her hand, kissing the back of her palm. “Let’s do this ceremony first then let’s go to the hospital after.” He wrapped his arms around her, “Y/N, I never thought I’d be more happy today but you just made me the happiest man alive.” He did his usual action, putting their foreheads together. “I love you so much, Y/N.” 

“And I love you too, Yuta.” 

He stood up, lending a hand for her to take. “Let us be officially husband and wife, hmm?” 

She smiled, taking his hand. “Yuta,” she called quietly which made him hum as an answer. “I hate how your perfume smells.” The guy only cocked his head to the side. But he’s not wearing any perfume. 

—--

“I’m sorry, I’m late.” One of the executives muttered, putting down his bag and then a cup of coffee above the conference table. Yuta had to lightly glance at the girl in front of them before calling for his secretary. “I’m sorry,” Haechan started, taking the cup of coffee. “President doesn’t like the smell of something sweet.” 

Yuta sighed. With the first child, she had to suffer by not eating seafood which was her favorite. Now, with the second baby, they had to remove everything sweet-smelling at home. He even had to change the body wash he had been using for years. But the worst of it all, is her hating the smell of caramel. She loves caramel: in her coffee, on donuts, on his body. But the pregnant Y/N would always get sick just smelling the sweet treat. 

Pregnancy is so bad on Y/N. He shouldn't do this to her once again.

Yet whenever he wakes up and just stares at her, he can’t help but fall deeply in love. How deeply can you love a person? Yuta doesn’t know if he’ll ever have the answer to that question, he can’t seem to find the deepest point of his love for her. It just seemed endless. She was always glowing, prettier each day, and he was glad for that bump on her stomach to assure himself that she was his.

Pregnancy looks very good on Y/N. He might consider another one.  

When she ended her presentation, everyone was just clapping for her. Yuta was just seated on his chair, taking it all in. He must be a really lucky man. How could this gorgeous goddess standing in front of him be his? Everything must be a dream. A dream he doesn’t want to wake up from. 

“Congratulations, President Y/N.” Jaehyun greeted, before asking if he could touch her baby bump. Yuta glared but the girl only nodded. “But shouldn’t you start your leave? Isn’t it your due date already?” 

“Next week,” she answered. “And I just finished this presentation. I don’t want Yuta to worry so much.”    

The dimples on Jaehyun’s cheeks can be seen that annoyed Yuta, “You’re a lucky dude.” 

Yuta smirked. Of course, he is. “My girlfriend is the best.” 

“I’m your wife, Yuta.” She claimed as a matter of fact. 

The guy's eyes widened, a wide grin painted on his face. “My wife? That’s even better.” The girl giggled making Jaehyun shake his head. Y/N had to stop and then grabbed her husband by the shoulder. “Why? Are you dizzy? Do you want to sit down?” 

Her grasp on his shirt got tighter as she kept breathing heavily. “You should call my doctor,” She said calmly, blowing heavy breaths. “I think Kazi wants to come out.” 

“What?” Water started spilling on the floor of the conference room as Jaehyun held on Y/N’s other arm. “Don’t panic!” Yuta shouted, letting go of his wife then paced around the room while repeatedly whispering where he left his phone. Both Jaehyun and Y/N were looking at him in worry.    

“Love, your phone…” She was pointing at the device on top of the table but Yuta shouted from the other side of the room, “Y/N, I said don’t panic!” 

—---

“Black coffee with caramel for my lady,” Yuta claimed, handing her a warm cup making Y/N smile. “Are you sure you can drink coffee now?” 

The girl nodded, he was there when the doctor assured her that she could return to her normal routine. Besides, she already missed caramel. She took a sip and then hummed at how tasty it was. The perfect coffee taste. Maybe she just missed the taste of coffee or probably it’s just Yuta’s amazing coffee-making skills. 

“They look very happy,” Yuta claimed, sitting beside her while kissing the side of her head. Her gaze fell on the crib where Kazi was lying down, Ken playing with her by covering his face and shouting peek-a-boo. The younger girl’s laughter echoed across the room. Y/N nodded. 

She can’t believe that these two kids are her own. Her flesh and blood, her children. Why are they so perfect? How could two gorgeous beings come from a woman deprived of a mom’s love and a man who grew up deprived of a father? How ironic. She giggled at that making Yuta confused. “We did come from troubled parents, didn't we?” Y/N whispered which made Yuta laugh, nodding. “But look at them.” The girl had to stare at her husband, smiling warmly. “I think we’re doing better than our parents.” 

“I think we’re just great parents together, love.” He whispered, holding her shoulder to hug her closer.  

Y/N held the cup of warm coffee in her hands. Before, she would always see the darkness in every cup and sip the bitterness coffee had to offer. Just like her life: dark and bitter. But after knowing him, her caramel, the dark color became lighter and the taste richer, indulgent. Her life had become worth living in. 

Hearing the giggles of her children, she figured it wasn’t just the caramel making her coffee richer and tastier. There's the presence of water. Warm water. As she held onto the cup, she realized her life had become like this cup of coffee.

Coffee, caramel, warm water.  

Y/N. Yuta. Kenshin. Kazumi. Her family.

And just like her cup of coffee, everything is perfect in her life.

[redjoey1992]

So last year, Disney's Wish was supposed to be a celebration of Disney's 100th year anniversary, and everybody was hyped up. Sadly, when it finally got released, people were very, and I mean very, disappointed with it. Yes, Wish has its flaws, and some parts felt rushed undet it's 80 to 90 minute running time, but for me personally, I thought it was good and it could've been better. For everyone else, it was a disappointment.

Then, people keep saying that they were robbed because of two concept arts that have been breaking the internet for over a year. One of them is the idea of a romantic plot of Asha and Starboy, a humanized version of the Star from the original movie (unaware that the humanized star is actually the younger version of Asha's Grandfather and the idea of them having a romance is gross, plus it's questionable because Stars are thousands and thousands of years old). The other is King Magnifico and Queen Amaya as a villain power couple. While those two sound like nice ideas, but in reality, they don't add anything new to it or could make it even more convoluted that it already is. Nevertheless, those two concept art ideas have been the main focus on everybody's Wish rewrite fanfic.

So, if I ever wanted to do a Wish rewrite fanfic, the first thing I do is change the main hero and villain.

ARMAAN:

Armaan is a starry-eyed and optimistic 11-year-old boy from the kingdom of Rosas. He’s energetic and passionate, sometimes rushing into a situation without thinking about it first. Although he considers himself a fish out of water because he has lived in Rosas for almost a year, he’s brave and hopeful and always puts a positive spin on any situation. He deeply loves and cares for his family and friends, especially his paternal grandfather, Sabino.

Armaan was born in a small region in North Africa to a philosopher from Rosas named Tomás and a seamstress named Sakina. Growing up, Armaan would hear his father lecture him about the stars and their connection to all living things. He would also spend time reading books, drawing, and building things. When he was nine years old, his father passed away from an unknown disease. Soon after his father’s death, Armaan and Sakina moved to the Kingdom of Rosas, where they now live with Sabino. He then made friends with seven kids named Ruth (10), Marri (16), Simon (15), Hal (10), Safi (11), Bazeema (12), and Dario (10).

At first, he had a high opinion of Princess Celeste like everybody else in Rosas, but he is rather curious about how she has the power to grant wishes and how the people of Rosas have great admiration towards her. He entered a contest to meet Princess Celeste for only one day on her 18th birthday. He saw this because of Sabino’s wish to inspire people with his music, and his grandfather’s 100th birthday is also on the same day as Celeste’s 18th birthday/wishing ceremony. Armaan won, much to his excitement.

The hangout with Princess Celeste started great in a little brother/big sister way. Then Celeste takes Armaan to her chambers, where she shows him the collection of all the wishes from the people of Rosas. When Armaan saw Sabino’s wish, he asked Celeste to grant it. But she rejected his plea. Celeste also revealed a dark secret to him. She erased everybody’s memories of the citizens’ wishes, rendering them devoid of any ambition and making them rely on her and adore her, which causes tensions between her and Armaan, which escalates into Celeste passing on Sabino’s wish.

Later that night, Armaan feels like he disappointed Sabino on his 100th birthday. Sabino then comes in to cheer him up and shows him to a wishing tree he and Tomás used to go to and says that sometimes wishing on a star can inspire him not to give up hope, something that he gave to Tomás when he was young. Soon, Armaan takes his grandfather’s advice and makes a desperate wish upon a star, hoping everyone in Rosas can make their wishes come true.

His wish is highly tremendous and pure, and he is granted the star itself, which takes on the form of an anthropomorphic ball of light whose name will be called Star. This will lead Armaan on a noble adventure to free all the wishes from Celeste’s wicked clutches.

So, I wanted to make Armaan’s relationship with Sabino as the emotional core as well making Sabino show him the wishing tree just like how he showed his father before him (it's taken from a deleted scene). Based on a friend's suggestion, I would have Armaan be more curious about Princess Celeste, her power to grant wishes, and the people of Rosas' greater admiration towards her, making Celeste’s villainous reveal more shocking. I based Armaan’s character design off of Ravi Cabot-Conyers (my ideal voice actor for him), Mickey Mouse from "The Sorceror's Apprentice" segment from Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Aladdin. There's also a little bit of Antonio from Encanto.

PRINCESS CELESTE:

Princess Celeste is the most beautiful, charismatic, and beloved 18-year-old princess of Rosas and the only daughter of Queen Amaya. From the day she was born, she was enchanted to be attractive, sing beautifully, and be beloved by all, but she was born with magical powers. As the princess grows up, she's been learning and mastering all kinds of magic and sorcery and studying astrology and alchemy. But her one extraordinary magic power is that she can grant the wishes of her subjects. She has that ability because, unbeknownst to everyone, including herself, Celeste is born a half-human/half-star hybrid. She considers her magic superior to all others to the point where she lets the power go to her head, leading her to develop a giant, vain, self-absorbed ego.

One day, people forget what they want or desire. Then, on her 15th birthday, Princess Celeste declares that she will be willing to help her people by announcing a ceremonial event where she'll grant only one wish every year on her birthday.

Unbeknownst to the people, including her mother, Celeste is wicked, selfish, devious, callous, narcissistic, and sociopathic. She cast a powerful and dangerous spell that will steal the memories of her people’s wishes and keep them sealed and locked away in her study room forever. Celeste can only grant wishes that would benefit her and keep the rest locked up, especially those that she deems a threat to her. She created the wish-granting ceremony every year on her birthday to maintain her power, beauty, and influence and have people feed her ego. She learned that spell from a book containing forbidden magic, which she uses as a contingency in case something threatens her power.

Despite her potent magic and enchanting appearance, Princess Celeste harbors an intense jealousy and resentment towards her mother, Queen Amaya, who is more humble and caring to the people of Rosas, leaving Celeste to feel overshadowed by her and will do anything to make herself the center of attention.

On her 18th birthday, she can only invite one person to spend one day with her so she can grant one special wish for the winner. When an 11-year-old boy named Armaan was declared the winner, things went wonderfully in a little brother/big sister way. Then she showed him the millions of wishes in her study room. Armaan discovers his grandfather's wish to inspire people to play the guitar. Once he tells her about her grandfather's wish, she assumes that it might be dangerous, although Sabino is mainly kind and harmless.

Then Armaan starts questioning why Celeste only grants one wish while many others will never for another year instead of being given back so the people who initially wished them could achieve them themselves. Celeste tells him that they can't do it on their own because it's unachievable, and they come to her because she's the only one who can grant the wishes to come true, so they don't have to worry about doing it on their own. Armaan is shocked and surprised by how she did it so people would forget the best memories about themselves, with an enraged Celeste declaring that she's the only one who decides what the people deserve. So, she refused to grant Sabino's wish at the wishing ceremony, leaving Armaan crushed and heartbroken.

Later that night, Armaan wished on a star for help, and the star, revealed to be a little, exciting, boundless ball of energy, answered. Celeste saw the light it caused and believed that someone had threatened her power. All this would lead to the events of her downward spiral, building up to her inevitable defeat.

My idea for Princess Celeste is to create an evil Disney Princess, which is something that Disney has never done before, so having a Disney Princess be the main villain sounds more refreshing. Plus, it would make more sense for her to grant only one wish a year every year on her birthday so she can have the people of Rosas feed her ego. I based Princess Celeste's character design off of Chloë Grace Moretz (my ideal voice actor for her), Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, and King Magnifico. Some of her character was inspired by Princess Fiorimonde from the fairy tale "The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde" and it's a very awesome read. You guys really need to check it out.

More ideas of my Wish rewrite will be coming soon.

[gauloiseblue]

What is IOFAB König's kinks if he has any? And intimacy stuff that isn't necessarily sex stuff? Cuz there's like this thing that I'm rotating in my head that is... very indulgent and shameable ... and it won't go away ;_; it's not related to sexy stuff (nor is it even related to him) but I just wanna be a self indulgent vindictive little baby fantasizing about being evil... Ninaaaaaa ;_;

The way you write König (all of them and not just IOFAB hubby) is just so... WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Like, I feel like breeding kink, primal play (the chase part and hunting), and biting kink are already a given (extremely indulgent hc is overstim) 🤔... He may not like kids that much but kids are permanent and very binding and [insert random words that if I was more eloquent and not dumbed down by horny, would be here]. Primal play is obvious, I feel like if he's sure she really won't get away, he would have a game of hide and seek or catch with her in the forest and whoever wins gets a prize 😏 (I would elaborate but it is way too shameable). Biting kink is just so interesting to me because while he is The Hunter defined by his patience, he is obviously way more feral and animalistic than the animals and wife he hunts down, he would leave bites all over that ranges from love bites to hickeys to straight up just normal bites (not enough to draw blood but would leave a mark for a short while).

VERY SHAMEABLE AND EXTREMELY SELF INDULGENT but I like to think that he likes to use his wife as a chew toy and a fidget toy/stress ball/plushie. By that I mean he likes cuddling his wife and just gets very handsy EVERYWHERE (this would probably get worse once the children comes). Touches ranges from nice massages to groping her to squishing her to holding her to just straight up fingering her. Squish wife for good luck. He also likes pulling her to him or pinning her down and just puts his mouth on her EVERYWHERE. Kisses to her face. Hickeys all over her neck. Bites along her thighs. Nibbles everywhere. Sometimes he kisses the back of her hand and also her palms which is so sweet... then he softly bites her hands, marks her, nibbles on her etc etc

I am way too shameable I can't think of vindictive thoughts of vengeance without my brain doing horny thoughts (God made me horny so that I wouldn't be evil)

We're SO back at our bullshit 🙌🙌🙌

I don't think he has a specific kink, other than doing-whatever-I-want-to-my-wife. If we talk about intimacy, I think he's the type who doesn't talk but shows it thru action instead. He won't say something like "You're the only one for me", instead, he'll literally search for her in the next life. Which is very romantic if you ask me XD

Also, what's that thing that's been rotating in your mind? You have to tell me 🫵

Tysm for liking my version of König 😌 I know he can be OOC sometimes, but he's fun to write

I guess you can say that those are his main kinks, especially primal play because he likes all the run and chase 🤔 breeding kink, not so much. He just likes the idea of marking her, literally or figuratively. I kid you not, I've thought about a smut where he's 'playing' hide and seek with her, and whoever wins gets to demand something from the other. Which is just an excuse for me to write animalistic sex where König holds her body down really tight

YES!!!!! THAT'S LITERALLY THEM 😭😭😭 like, what's up with the dynamic of a dog and its chew toy. They..........

[priscilla9993]

Tale of Coming of Age, Not Coming Out

Sometimes, Ouat gets it right, happy accident or intentional. With its history of queerbaiting (Mulan romantically tragic) and cash grab representation (Dorothy and Red underdeveloped), Once could have rehashed a bare bones version of “queer representation” with Robin and Alice’s love story. There was a likely chance considering Tiera was originally told she’d be slated for 3 eps, Rose for 5 eps, and their eventual characters’ storylines mainly played out in s7b. 

Now, I’m going to play the Devil’s Advocate and be like but wait, wasn’t Robin and Alice’s kiss in season 7 episode 10, the mid-season finale, a coming out moment, shocking to the audience that Robin and Alice were lgbtq?

Okay, you’re right, if you only watched the season or overheard at face value that the episode built up to two females aka Alice and Robin kissing as the Dark Curse loomed. However, coming out implies that initial assumption that the two are straight and happened to realize who they wanted to be romantically with, showing that to the world, family, or in this case, the audience. 

Author’s Note: Yes, while I do think any coming out story or queer representation is important, I feel that the media and Hollywood use that to pander with the bare minimum, doing what sells headlines, is dramatic, or can be easily pushed into the background. Sometimes, its inclusion is played out for laughs or as a flawed foil to put heterosexual ships on a pedestal. Ouat is no exception with its history and having two white attractive straight oriented blonde actresses play into an easily accessible trope of lesbian romance compared to the rarer gay/trans/non-binary category. That said, it’s a PG fairytale soap opera that aired domestically on Disney owned ABC and internationally elsewhere. Who needs reality to be the downer when we can live in a fluffy fantasy where love and hope is all that matters? Don’t get me started on the toxic fans or parts of the Ouat fandom. Rather than rioting a personal projected attack against a dislike, make verbalizing not liking something or a ship normal again. That out of the way, it may have taken 7 seasons to have a queer love story that’s taken seriously and might even be comparable to main ships, but it’s still something by having it canon and not end in ‘bury the gays’. I’m looking at you Supernatural. 

That said, into the rabbit hole we go!

Alice, since the start of her centric ep, 7x04 Beauty, winked and teased at Rumple by asking, “Are you looking for a prince?” regarding the ball and as Tilly mentioned to Weaver, “I had an ex-girlfriend who worked for [Victoria Belfrey] once.” Unless considered a blink and miss moment instead of casual on the nose comments, it’s clear Alice is queer or lesbian, cursed or not. 7x10 continues laying it on as Alice worries about her love, saying to Killian, her dad, “But Papa, if it happens, I will lose her.” He’s unfazed and responds with comfort, “Don’t say that, love, don’t! True love can win out over so much more.” Even though an act of true love has only been seen in Ouat as a magical solution to a curse when two people, familial or romantic, love each other and believe in magic, it can be taken here to validate and uplift that Alice and Robin’s love is strong enough to connect and endure. He also knows who to deliver her letter addressed ‘My Love’ to, without a mention of a name.

At the start of the episode 7x10, Robin worries and says, “If [the coven of the eight] are here, I have to warn-” to which Zelena, her mom, comforts her, “Don’t worry. Look, darling, we’ll warn everyone. We’ll protect our loved ones,” and tells Regina, “She’s got a case of young love.” Although Robin was a baby prior to s7 and we don’t get a clear look into her as a person before 7x10, it’s certain that Zelena knows who Robin wants to warn and is in love with, enough to nearly run aimlessly around the New Enchanted Forest for.

Assuming the audience is cued in on the love storyline, Robin looking for her love and Alice already explicitly hinting at her sexuality, their parents both supportive to them, the shock value should come from not their sexual orientation but rather who they're in love with. Instead of being reduced to their labels, Alice and Robin’s love story is about two people who come to know and love each other, their differing sexualities being an added bonus.

So, elephant in the room out of the way, where does the coming of age come in?

Well, in the characters’ growth and relatability as Alice and Robin both strive to be more than their past of summed up parts and the people they come from. TLDR: It’s all about finding their place in the world and discovering who they want to be rather than letting their past and others’ views define them.

Girl in the Tower vs Tower Girl

You could say it means the same thing, but like hear me out. Double meaning, Great Gatsby style. Was it intentional? In Ouat fashion, it usually is.

Taken literally, the first represents a girl that happens to be in a tower while the latter emphasizes how a tower is a characteristic of the girl. In context, when Robin first meets a spy lurking to watch a papa with a poisoned heart, she puts two and two together and curiously remarks to Alice, “Wow. So you’re the Girl in the Tower.” 

Just like how Alice is known for being in Wonderland, she’s also given names by strangers who know Killian, seen as “Nook’s kid” and the “Girl in the Tower”. Robin unintentionally gives away how interested she is in Alice, the referential girl in the phrase, caring about her enough to keep track of descriptive names and stories of someone she’s never met until then.

Despite being caged in Robin’s trap, Alice rebuttals uncomfortably, “I got out of that tower years ago.” 

The phrase also gives way to the way Alice thinks and feels about herself. She took notice of the ‘in’ bit, probably gravitating on the word ‘tower’, and wanted to clear the air. Alice defends and distances herself in term, separating away from any connection or fondness to the tower. By saying she got out of ‘that tower’, she claims she’s no longer trapped inside the tower and feigns indifference, as if it's a tower out of many instead of the home and her world before the Troll helped her escape.  

Later on, Robin nicknames Alice as Tower Girl, in fondness, awe, and sometimes disbelief at how Alice exists, seeing and going about the world as she does. Robin only says Alice’s name in moments of sensitivity and as a grounding basis, sarcasm and jokes out the window. To give a list of Robin’s usage of the nickname, it’s after Alice: claims the Troll is her friend instead of a monster flattening villages, is led by Robin through a humorous string of homonyms regarding riding a bug and having a whole life held in a smartphone, has differing views on goals, and tackles Robin upon her aim at the Troll. 

From the starting flashback in 7x14 to the Troll destroying the Tower in frustration, the tower is a part of Alice as much as she was a part of it. Being physically free of the tower wasn’t enough as it haunted her, either on the lips of others or how much she wanted her freedom to be the solution to making reality okay, happiness attainable. When Alice was trapped, she had hope that things were better outside and could be sheltered in the bubble of love her papa gave her. Alice was the girl in the tower, away from the judgement of society, unhurt by the reality outside her scope despite her imprisoned situation seeming bleak. 

Surprisingly, in the last time we hear “Tower Girl” being uttered in 7x14, it’s straight from Alice’s mouth after she says goodbye to the Troll in front of the tower, confronting the things she left behind and couldn’t be free of, coming to terms with her childhood and past. At the age of 18, Alice escaped the tower and ran away to multiple realms on tons of adventures to explore more while on her quest to find a cure. However, there was nowhere she wanted to be more than back home. In the end, she inadvertently did come home, say her honest truth, had someone by her side to hear her out, and realized that the tower didn’t have to be her enemy or her stopping point. By saying, “Goodbye, Tower Girl,” to the broken tower, we get the sense that she redefines herself as not one held back or prisoner to the tower, but one that keeps moving forward in spite of her original circumstances, staying true to herself.

Conforming to Expectations vs Accepting Themselves

Imagine growing up in a small town like Storybrooke where people are larger than life and everyone is intertwined with legends. If fairytales inspired joy, I doubt they did for Robin who had bigger shoes to fill than most. Robin Hood-Mills, daughter of the powerless Wicked Witch and the deceased Robin Hood who saved the world from a vengeful god. To be a powerful witch or leading archer? Both required skills and inadvertently influenced comparisons to be made.

Of course, although her mother had a lot of talent, Robin didn’t have much nor was she allowed to practice magic except in secret. Considering Zelena probably saw what power did to their family and her lack of magic to protect them both from danger, the forbidding of magic was an extreme safeguard. 

So, with small minded people in a school where everyone ages K-12 went, the deck was stacked against her. It wouldn’t be surprising if Robin was a goody two shoes initially, but learned that doesn’t build street cred or help make friends. If she was to survive school, Robin would have to fit in or stand out. And how did she do that with peer pressure and expectations to conform to? By pretending to be someone she’s not, becoming popular and cool. With that, Robin could make a name for herself, gaining attention and acceptance from her peers, leaning towards while stepping away from her parents’ shadows. 

What’s cool to high schoolers in Storybrooke might be being good at magic, making things look effortless, breaking rules, and not caring what anyone thinks. Thievery was frowned upon, but getting away with lockpicking, hotwiring, and stealing earned cool points and recognition in others. Robin might not have powerful magic, but in 7x11, she gets Regina to help her and her friends practice magic in the old vault via Cora’s spellbook. However, Robin doesn’t want to be popular per say; she wants to be accepted and loved for who she is, discover what she really wants with no pretenses.

If Storybrooke wasn’t the answer, anywhere else was. Throughout the season, Robin/Margot runs away to find and be themselves while longing to be home with supportive loved ones. In 7x11, Robin makes a potion to summon Mother Nature, which whisks her away to Gothel in another realm, claiming to have run away. Robin tells her mom upon shunning her away, “I am my own person, one you refuse to let me grow into,” and “I didn’t love magic. I just felt like I was supposed to… and there’s all these things I’m supposed to be good at,” after getting saved.  In 7x14, Robin admits to Alice that she hotwired and stole Emma’s yellow bug, to be away from Storybrooke and only getting away for “eight glorious minutes”.

By the end of 7x11, Robin has reconciled with Zelena; Robin trusts her mother’s good intentions while Zelena vows to support Robin on any endeavor. However, her journey hasn’t ended, even in the New Enchanted Forest. In 7x14, Robin vows to honor her father’s legacy by killing the Troll and becoming the villagers’ hero. She retreads all her mistakes in medieval fashion until she wants to defend Alice from the mob, realizing that protecting those who need it matters most to her and connects her to her dad. Making peace with her parents and her insecure self, Robin decides to forge her own path and be more honest. 

Margot has a similar arc of wanting to change and see change. While less of a jerk and more open to different viewpoints as a mature traveler compared to Robin, she regressed in terms of relationships with her mom, Kelly, and never feeling like she’s treated like an adult, being in the know as equals. In 7x10, Margot is mentioned to have had a job at the bar, a ticket to Amsterdam, turned away from college at Vassar, is currently in Phuket, and never coming back home out of her mom’s lack of coolness. Lots to unpack, but the point is Margot decides to come back after 7x11 when her mom calls saying she’s changed and wants to talk, only worrying about Margot’s safety. By 7x16, Margot fights with her mom, claiming that she left in the first place because they’ve “never been able to communicate”. Hurt, Margot spills, “I am done being patient with you. All I’ve ever done is wait for you to change. You know what? I never should have come back.” 

Margot hates the lies and sinking feeling inside that her mom doesn’t trust her or might be in trouble. She doesn’t give her mom a chance until Tilly suggests that Margot seems amazing and wise, but her mom might be not avoiding the truth for a good reason. They make up, Margot giving her mom a bit more time and eventually chooses to stay in Hyperion Heights regardless of anyone else’s life choices or opinions on her.

Either way, Robin and Alice go through their own arcs, dealing with things we can relate to: feeling alone or unheard, being left in the dark, craving acceptance, doubting self, running away from problems, and worrying about people’s perceptions. Luckily, both women find their way on what they want and who they want to be; they become individuals that grow and adapt to their environments while learning to stay true to themselves, accidentally falling in love during the process. 

[pynkhues]

I am SO CURIOUS about so many details surrounding the trial, and I'm sure we'll get answers to at least some things next season, but right now I'm curious, if Lestat is being held against his will (and I think he had to be, since if he weren't somehow imprisoned, he could have just saved Louis and Claudia by warning them), then the coven/Armand knew that he didn't want Louis and Claudia to die--so, assuming they didn't think he'd have the strength to mind control the audience like that, were they at all worried that he'd just go off script and start telling the audience to save them, or something? Or did they threaten him with something if he didn't go along with it? Since apparently they/Armand have enough control over him to keep him in Magnus's tower (as Sam said that Lestat wouldn't go there voluntarily)? It's just so intriguing--Lestat is lucid enough to behave the way we see him in that rehearsal flashback, and his displeasure at what's happening is clear, yet they seem to expect that he'll mostly go along with the trial and either not try or not be able to save Louis or Claudia.

And as I write this, I wonder if there is some of the torture/weakening stuff that the books have, and that Armand threatens Lestat with more if he doesn't comply, or something---but could it also be that Armand doesn't think Lestat LOVES Louis, or Claudia, enough to defy him for their sakes? That he thinks that even if Lestat doesn't like what's happening, he can't possibly care deeply enough about someone to sacrifice himself for them? Just thinking of the way Armand says "He loved you..." in ep. 8.

No idea if that's right, but it's just one of the MANY things I am curious about. Still so curious too about Lestat being in that tower and that whole interaction between the three of them and what was really going on.

Oh, interesting, anon! I hadn't actually considered that Armand and the Coven might think that Lestat didn't care deeply enough about Louis and Claudia to think he wouldn't try something. I've really been thinking they probably felt the combination of Armand's power (particularly with him being so much older than Lestat) and their own as a collective, on top of deliberately keeping him in a weakened state (I assume they're going to be feeding him the corpse blood like they do in the book given how unwell he seemed to be by the end) would be enough.

I actually tend to think that Armand knowing how much Lestat loves Louis and Claudia will be a part of what's motivating him to go through with the trial?

If they stick to that plot in the book and Lestat comes to Paris hoping to drink from Armand to finish healing, while Armand thinks he's come to see him romantically, it really does impact Armand two-fold. After all, now in the show, he knows exactly how much Louis hasn't been able to let go of Lestat, and if he knows how much Lestat loves Louis in return, Lestat's re-emergence doesn't just become a fresh rejection of Armand, but it poses a threat to Armand's current relationship with Louis too.

Armand's been starved of genuine love throughout his life, and a part of what's particularly fun (and upsetting!) about the Armand and Lestat dynamic in those early books is there's this genuine charge and connection between them, but Lestat always chooses some version of a family apart from Armand. First it's Gabrielle and Nicki, then its Louis and Claudia, and Armand's role in the destruction of parts of those families - cutting off Nicki's hands which leads to his suicide and the murder of Claudia - gives such a sense to me of like - - if he can't be a part of it, if he can't be the main part of it, he's going to destroy it.

I think that's a part of what's at play for Armand in the trial? He sees Claudia as a hindrance (a burden!) to his relationship with Louis, yes, but he's obviously hung-up on the fact that Lestat was her maker too, in the same way he derides Lestat for making Nicki. These falliable, imperfect children who somehow become more important to Lestat than he can ever figure out how to be himself, and I think it's interesting that he tells Lestat about Nicki, then Louis about Claudia, that neither of them were ever going to survive before becoming instrumental in their deaths.

I don't know if that makes sense, haha, it's still early here, but yeah! I think Armand knowing how much Lestat loved them is probably deep down motivating him, as opposed to something he's overlooked.

[that-one-satanic-tree]

Okay, I was thinking about the parallels between Alastor and Darkstalker and am now superrr autistic about a Hazbin Hotel/Wings of Fire crossover sort of thing. This is gonna be LONG, so thoughts under the read more.

Sunny is the Charlie of this story, kind of obvious but also, I can entirely see her doing this sort of thing. I think it’d be something like Jade Mountain, but for any dragons that feel like they’re on the wrong path.

I see Tsunami as the Vaggie of this, instead of having the two of them romantically involved, I think it’s more of an older sister-younger sister dynamic between the two of them. I think Tsunami would make a good Vaggie parallel because she also had a violent history that she needs to hide. 

I’m swapping out one of the other Dragonets for Deathbringer to be a sort of Angel parallel. His personality fits it more and he’s a bit closer backstory wise. While obviously he’s nowhere near as fucked up, we’re not getting anything like Angel’s story in WOF and I feel like being an assassin is one of the darker jobs in that series.

Admittedly, it was also so I could get Huskerdust parallels. Not even gonna touch any sort of Glorybringer drama, but Glory and Husk=similar enough in personality, plus similar ship dynamics. 

This part is also going to repeat in the Jade Mountain version, but Alastor and Darkstalker. That’s what got me started on this idea anyway, and…just…yes.

I think Glory ended up under his control during some quest for power he has, and our Niffty character is Whiteout’s reanimated corpse that turned out…well…wrong. Also, I’m going to have the royal characters as stand-ins for overlords, which will become relevant a few points down.

The Exorcists are the IceWings. I think in this version they’re less relevant so I haven’t figured out their part in it as much, but in the Jade Mountain version, there’s way more to it.

Overlords are the royal family. I think Carmilla is probably either Coral or Glacier in this version, haven’t thought much about anyone else.

Rosie is Scarlet and the cannibals are the SkyWings

I would have found a way to get Peril into this, but it would be even more complicated. She was an alternate idea I had for Vaggie’s role.

(This is kind of reading like a play casting now)

(I was very happy to think of this) Now, what three antagonists all have names that start with the same letter and are closely linked to each other? Both the Vees and the SandWing Sisters! (confetti)

Vox is Blister, smart but eventually destroyed by his own ego and pettiness. Velvette is Blaze, because they are both pretty and I had no idea. Val is Burn, frankly an overly violent dumbass. I would personally like to see him get bit by a dragonbite viper and die. 

(This also gave me an idea where Val is Scarlet and Angel is Peril. Goddamn ideas)

Speaking of snakes! This is a place where I can put Peril! Clay is Sir Precious! Peril is Cherri! I take back what I said about not finding able to put Peril in. Yippee.

Lucifer would probably be Thorn? Actually, the duck man will end up being Thorn in both of these because she has a parental relationship with both of our Charlies (the Jade Mountain Charlie is Qibli, spoiler alert)

So, in this, it’s closer to the actual Hazbin canon. Sunny has her idea for this great project to help dragons and Darkstalker shows up and is like “:) i see you need some help!” 

and then stuff happens

BLISTER GETS ZAPPED BY LIGHTNING! VOX HAS ELECTRICAL POWERS AND SHIT! i love my parallels

if you’ve read this far i’m scared

Anyway, on to the next one with Jade Mountain. This one, I’ve actually thought about because there are fewer easy parallels, so it should have more plot.

first, main character parallels, getting it over with: Qibli-Charlie, Winter-Vaggie, Kinkajou-Angel (i have explanations for those two), Moon-Husk, and Darkstalker-Alastor with his reanimated Whiteout-Niffty again.

that is a great sentence out of context 

Winter is Vaggie because, as I mentioned in the previous version, the IceWings are Exorcist stand ins.

also qinter

For the Kinkajou-Angel thing, I actually thought a lot about it. I think in this AU, Kinkajou still has to work on the NightWing island (it didn’t get blown up here) because of some sort of contract, so while she doesn’t live there, she has to go back and get tortured all the time

I’ll probably make up a random NightWing to be Val

This time, I have proper story stuff for the Exorcists

Lute is Icicle, Adam is one of the royal IceWings

maybe Immortal Non-Disembowelled Arctic

treats women badly? check

kind of annoying? check

died very bloodily, publically, and in a funny way? check

Lynx and Snowfall are Emily and Sera (lynx my beloved)

and Thorn is the duck man

thinking less about characters this time and more about plot (yippee but also boring)

also I should mention Moon is Husk because that guy seems to know everything and well, Moon reads minds

and Darkstalker manipulated her

so Qibli has his whole “help and rehabilitate dragons” shtick going on, and then (again) Darkstalker shows up and is like “heyyy, i see you need some help :)”

put some epic music in there

and then the IceWings show up because of course they do

and be stabby

qibli is like “you guys can’t keep doing this! i’m going to the ICE KINGDOM!” and then “winter! my beloved! come with me!”

winter being all traumatized is like “ehhh…”

cue but she was right, seraaaaaa

damn now i want to rewrite some of the songs 

poison would be particularly great because y’know. poison. that comes from. kinkajou’s fangs.

this is not fucking funny it just came to me.

anyway

she showed us a soul can improve-

i should stop

he saw the light, sera-

should probably switch the pronouns around but whatever. genderfluid kinkajou and qibli are great anyway.

snowfall is like “we had to :((( the other tribes were dangerous”

and i have to do it now

lynx gets all heed the morals your purveying

random icewing royalty and icicle do the whole there’s no question to be posed, he’s unholy case closed, did you forget that hell is forever?

if you couldn’t tell what my favorite song from this show is

yes i know that was out of order. the grammar and polishedness has just gone downhill here as i got more and more hyper fixated on this idea or something 

anyway, after that, we find out winter is part of the royal family or something (he’s trying to keep it secret in this au) and qibli goes to our rosie character

i’ll say it should be ruby? idk, there aren’t many queens left to assign roles to

and is like “my boyfriend lied :(, help me”

ruby gives him advice and shit and makes the sky wings help him

then we have our big final battle

icicle probably loses a wing instead of an arm

and our icewing royalty is dead

let’s say it’s Immortal Non-Disembowelled Arctic

getting really attached to this guy

whiteout’s reanimated corpse stabbed him

darkstalker got his ass kicked

our Vees are celebrating 

shit i forgot about sir precious

let’s say sir precious is umber

cause he’s basically dead the way we NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN

flame is cherri

so umber is dead

thorn sings the whole encouraging finale bit and all that

the end!!!

is this going to be my legacy? that guy who made the MASSIVE hazbin hotel/wof crossover post? idk. could be worse.

i should also probably clarify that for all the jokes i made, there are serious things in both of these series, i don’t mean to make light of them. 

if i were to make some sort of proper crossover, it would be a hell (haha) of a lot more serious than this. 

anyway. now i’m properly done. 

checked all the boxes that you said would-

time for a lobotomy i guess.

[lunar-rcp]

Shipping thingy, go ig? (Also kinda ranting about my ships)

(Romantic and idk of sexual can be applied here (points to my aspec headcanons)

Now I may or may not be the one behind the term "poliamroy", now known to show Poli, Roy and Amber in a polyamorous relationshio, but I just adore these gals.

Although I do like Polroy, whatever ship name will Mark × Bucky have, and Sandber, although Sanber is so far the only one not canon in most of my AUs so far (maybe in (In)Security? And yes, that parenthesis is important)

My crack ships, however, are Carry/Keaton, Truck X/C4L4M17Y (aka a psychopatic and monstrous vehicle...thing...she'll be seen soon on WTPB/P.O.L.I.), and Poli/Amnesia (WTPB/P.O.L.I. is not the only AU of mine that have that ship...shhhh)

For kiddos (mostly Daily Life, but I'm comin' to get the ones shown in the main show like Annie and Jessie...I'm coming to yeet angst and lore at Mach 88 at those who I find >:) /j) I got something going on for the Modfall versions. But so far, the only thing I can tell you is Jenny/Mary because it's both obvious in my designs of them and any interaction I'll show about the AU. Don't worry, none of the ships are sexual, just crushes that can work it out, and the Modfall kids are also teens.

(Platonic)

Now don't get me started on this one, especially for Helly. Bro will get all the bitches because of his personality but instead of starting a harem, he just starts a breakfast club that may or may not be plotting the end of the world. /hj

Mostly, it's just gotta be Jin&that gas station girl (using the & and / system of AO3 identifying ships, &=familial/platonic and /=romantic/sexual), the rest of the Rescue Teams unmentioned, also Helly & anyone from outside of RCP, most of the Daily Life kids, and I haven't got into this part well yet.

(Familial)

Oh boy, this is where the lore fuck-ups happen. Depending on AU, it varies A FUCKING LOT, but what is consistent are 1) Helly treating the older RTs as his parents, 2) Poli getting uncle status on any young RT member, 3) and Roy always vibing with any Jin AU's mother.

For WTPB/P.O.L.I., there are a lot of adoptions, and even there will be a future plot point surrounding it. This one is highly confidential, but as I can say here...Jin knows Poli more than Poli knows himself, Helly still have connections to someone in the military he calls bro, and Roy is adopted by a WW2 veteran when he was a juvenile.

For (In)Security, Amber is Helly's foster mother, Helly's bro is...dead, Poli/Price's parents are fucking homophobic cray-cray, and Roy/Rhode got a bad relationship with his father. Jin has a similar role to Tessa, but her parent is still Steve Harrison (also WTPB!Jin's dad).

As for Modfall...shh......

And for that new AU, "Poli"/Mr. Robinson is Harley/Helly's godfather.

That is all...Dave away from this bullshit!

*screams in ace*

woah, thats a LOT of relationship hcs you have there!

youre so creative!! to think you can make so many relationships and write so much amazes me, love your aus! they're great

rooting for your aus honestly!!

[lollytea]

in a hypothetical toh/Peter pan au (bc the parallels are interesting to explore) The Collector is probably the closest equivalent to Peter (eternal child who's repressed all their troubles in the name of Fun and Whimsy and has an ambivalent approach to morality) (though keep in mind I'm not a scholar and it's been a while since I last interacted with a pan adaptation. You're the more knowledgeable one here feel free to correct me)

And then Wendy's closest equivalent as the viewpoint character who learns the main lesson about growing up and moving on and while not losing the part of yourself that made childhood seem so wonderful would probably have to be Luz (though obviously if we're going for this lineup then the peter/Wendy dynamic would have to be decidedly not romantic. Probably lean more into the "mother" thing from the book or Luz and Collie's like. Babysitter and baby dynamic)

Though again I'm very interested in what you, Lollytea, local Peter Pan scholar and toh enthusiast has to say and whether or not I'm off the mark on these ideas. P.S I feel very seen w/ u obsessing about an early 1900s western children's Isekai (/j) bc I did the exact same thing w/ the wizard of oz.

Okay okay okay okay okay okay this is a huntlow AU for my little huntlow brain but I decided to develop the universe a little and give some info on where all the main characters currently are and what they're doing.

Yes absolutely the Collector is this universe's version of Peter. The island adores them for mysterious reasons and their mood and temperment has complete control over the elements. All his whims and dreams and fantasies become a reality here so the place is very chaotic. I'm imagining that the island has the same starry sparkly aesthetic as the BL in S3.

The Collector is heaps of fun and the Lost Boys love hanging out with him and going on adventures. However....he's also prone to tantrums and his tantrums can have devastating consequences so.....none of them are really his true friends either. They're afraid of him, they tiptoe around him, they try to keep him happy.

His only real friend is King, a Neverbeast whose species is as ancient as the Island itself. King has a depthless cavern of power that he just....hasn't really developed yet. He might be a few centuries old but he ages similarly to the Collector. Just a pair of babies. Boys will be boys.

Luz is the most recent Lost Boy in a whole village of Lost Boys. You know how they had that epic village in Hook (1991) Yeah that shit was so cool, I'm giving them one of those. Anyway Luz's reasons for taking the Collector's offer are very similar to her reasons for choosing to stay in the BL. Fantasy as a form of escapism, struggling with the conventional education system and also grief and her mom trying to get her help that she doesn't want. It lands her here.

Amity is a girl who used to be frequently visited by a fairy named Willow when they were both little kids. However, Willow's friendship influenced Amity's overzealous imagination. She was drawing pictures of and writing about fairies and the stories her friend told her about Neverland and this got her in trouble with her parents. Cracking under the threat of more severe punishment, Amity got into a huge fight with Willow, ending in her declaring "I don't believe in fairies!" before slamming her window shut. This is the most cutting thing you could possibly say to a fairy.

Now, years later, Amity is residing in the world she tried so hard to forget about all those years ago. You see, she was at the age where her parents were preparing to send her off to finishing school and were having discussions about future arranged marriages. But Amity is not ready for that just yet. She wants to be a teacher!! She wants to be an inventor!!! So she runs away to Neverland where she can live out her dreams for a while until she's ready to return home.

She's currently running a "school" for the Lost Boys and is affectionately referred to as "Miss Amity", while also tinkering in her spare time. She feels very comforted by the order and control she has over her life now.

It's Luz's arrival that throws it all into disarray. Luz doesn't agree with Amity's style of teaching and though she doesn't deliberately try to interfere, a lot of Lost Boys do end up gravitating towards her, preferring her strange anecdotes and insane hyperfixation infodumps to Amity's lessons. This ends up putting the two of them at odds.

Gus is a Lost Boy....with a gift!!! The Collector was initially drawn to Gus because of their fascination with his primative human "Magic" tricks. Cards, coins behind the ear, cute silly stuff like that. He chose to go to Neverland because the stress of his Dad's high expectations was getting to him and he wanted a bit of a break (a case of miscommunication between father and son).

However, after being spirited away, Gus became Neverland's official Magician, knighted by the Collector himself. And by that I mean the Collector went "Haha I like you. I wonder what you could do if you had real magic!" and then proceeded to snap their fingers and gave Gus powers beyond his comprehension. Like waaaaay too much power. Gus is currently struggling to control his new magic and it tends to come out in uncontrollable bursts and its actually more of a curse than a gift. But he's pretty optimistic about his ability to eventually master it. And also the Collector refuses to change him back so....[shrug]

Willow and Gus? Besties. They're kinda like Peter and Tink in that Willow's favourite place to chill is atop Gus' shoulder or in his pocket.

She does not tell Gus about her secret romantic rendezvous with a certain pirate because that pirate tried to kidnap her once and Gus is very protective of his best friend.

Eda is.....a lot.

Okay. Originally a rebellious but insanely intelligent human girl, Eda and her sister were preparing to take on the world together. They were both aiming to attend the same university on a scholarship, but due to circumstances, the opportunity was only available to one of them. Eda's sister Lilith, panicking about all her dreams being ruined, wound up doing something she'd regret.

She snitched. She told a representative of their dream school of one of the delinquent acts Eda committed. Things quickly got out of hand. One person told another, things getting warped and exaggerated and other people who knew Eda personally began chiming in with their opinions of her. Some things were true. Others were not. But the most hurtful thing is that everybody was willing to believe all of it, because that just seemed to be the person Eda was. All of a sudden, it felt like the whole world had turned on her.

Life became very difficult Eda, she felt isolated and detested. She felt like a monster. This resulted in her running away to Neverland, but she carried her outcast feelings with her. She continued to stew in her own self loathing but that had terrible consequences.

Neverland is unpredictable. Its wishy washy. Its very attuned to imagination and dreams. Because Eda felt so strongly about being a monster, she gradually became a monster.

The Owl Beast is like the Crocodile to Belos' Captain Hook. She sees him as a reflection of the way she was treated back home, while he views her as everything vile and disturbing about this wretched island. Plus when he looks in her eyes, she reminds him of somebody he used to know. Somebody he hates with his whole heart and soul. He needs her dead. She needs him dead.

A huge part of Luz's goal in this AU is uncovering the mystery of the Owl Beast and eventually bonding with her and maybe even helping her return to her human form.

Anyway so yeah thats what's poppin on the island if anybody was interested. We can have our fun with this stuff, incorporate it however we want. I'm very focused on huntlow being silly tho. It's fun to me.

[dragons-and-magic]

I hope this doesn’t overwhelm you with more questions, but I LOVE THIS AU!😭💖

What are your main shippings?

What’s the dynamic between Nia and James?

Who’s most likely to go close up to humans if given the chance?

Do dragons hoard things like gold or piece of trash?

Can dragons purr like cats? LOL

How do dragons display of affection (both romantic and platonic)?

What type of dragon is Mavis and Hiro?

Has any of the dragons been raised or rescued by humans?

Do all the dragons have unique powers or fire breathing techniques?

Is there any dragon that are venomous like snakes?

What’s the funniest thing that Gordon does?

What’s Toby’s biggest pet peeve? (Example: Chewing loudly)

Lol! It's fine! I've been itching to get this lore written out! And these questions definitely motivate me to do so!

Apologies for there not being any art. I'm still not feeling great and unfortunately, don't have any concepts prepared. But I'll try to answer the questions as best I can!

1: What are your main shippings?: OH BOY.🤩🤩🤩 I have so many ships! Lol! I'll try to just put down the most important ships though. There aren't actually that many that are super important to the story. But let's see what I can do!

Edward x Boco: This one is one of the first ships to occur in the story! Boco makes his debut in the this AU's version of Day Of The Diesels. Him and Edward are an adorable couple and love them with all my heart!

Thomas x Ashima: I've been shipping these two since I was a little girl! I love them together and honestly, I'm shocked that there isn't more stuff for them in the fandom!

James x Nia: THIS ONE is the RAREST of rare pairs. But I love it. Please just trust me on this one. Please please please please please please please please please please ple-

Frankie x Hurricane: They were totally married in Journey Beyond Sodor. At least that's what I thought.🤣 I've written them a super interesting backstory. I can't wait to share it!

2: What’s the dynamic between Nia and James?: I'd say, begrudging allies, to friends, to lovers. He meets her when he gets lost in Africa and is at first a bit annoyed by her. But after she becomes his guide, and saves him a couple times, he slowly starts to warm up to her. And vice versa. They discover they have a lot in common! Both outgoing and playful individuals! Also, on the adventure, Nia helps James to see the world and himself in a new light. And Nia finds that he isn't all hot air. He does have a loving and gentle side. But he's scared to show it, fearing it will effect his image. She helps him open up and accept those parts of himself. They're adorable.🥰 I can't wait to write about them!

3: Who’s most likely to go close up to humans if given the chance?: Definitely either Thomas or Percy. Thomas because humans intrigue him. And Percy because he's young and a bit naive. Edward would probably too, but very cautiously. While he has known good humans, he's known more bad ones.

4: Do dragons hoard things like gold or piece of trash?: YES! I need to tell you about James's hoard. It's frickin hilarious! So, James is part wyvern, right? So, because of that, he basically has a crow brain. Meaning he'll collect anything that is remotely shiny. And despite his collection being mostly made up of tin foil, candy wrappers, glass, and bottle caps, he convinced it's absolutely priceless.🤣 Also, you could say that Edward hoards books, since he's a wizard and has tons of magic and history books stashed in his house!

5: Can dragons purr like cats?: Yep! Dragons can purr, chirp, hiss, growl, screech, chuff, and roar! They communicate with their wings as well! Fluttering wings means excitement. Flared wings can mean shock, or an act of intimidation. Folded wings means the dragon is neutral or simply calm. But wings pinned tightly against the back means fear or anger. Kinda like a cat flattening their ears.

6: How do dragons display of affection (both romantic and platonic)?: Oh! This is a great one! I'm not great at explaining this stuff, so just bare with me. Okay?😂 One form of affection is sun bathing together. Whole clans cam sometimes be seen sun bathing in a nice warm rocky place. Grooming each other is another one. It's considered more intimate and usually only done between immediate family members, very close friends, or mates. Also, dragons gives kisses kinda like cats, by licking. Mates definitely do that to show affection, though like the others, it's not strictly romantic. Dragon mate's may also entwine tails and rub noses to show affection. In addition, Dragon's have various ways of showing interest in a potential mate. Wyverns sometimes have flashy feathers and dances. Regular Dragons have certain calls or nest building techniques. Some species even bring their mates presents like fruit or shiny stuff.

7: What type of dragon is Mavis and Hiro?: I haven't decided on Mavis yet. She's been a tricky one to figure out. But Hiro is an ancient Wind Spirit Dragon! He was among the first dragon spirits, like Lady! He is spirit of Sky and Wind! Hiro looks like a usual Eastern Dragon, but very big, and with beautiful black and gold scales! He also has the usual lions mane his species is known for. A long flowy white and silver one!

8: Has any of the dragons been raised or rescued by humans?: Yes! Salty was! When he was a young dragon, he got lost in a storm and landed on the deck of a pirate ship! He was welcomed aboard by the pirates and became part of the crew! He was quite well respected actually, despite obvious language barriers. Lol. He knew how to get his thoughts across anyways! And that's why he has that name and so many adventure stories!

9: Do all the dragons have unique powers or fire breathing techniques?: Not all do. Even within species were they usually have it, some simply won't inherit the powers, cus genetics are weird. And sometimes dragons that have never been known to possess any sort of magic will miraculously get some! (Like Henry!) Some say this is the work of Lady. She is the Spirit of Magic and Life and will give magic to those she thinks will need it. And as for fire breathing, not all dragons breath fire. Some spit venom instead!

10: Is there any dragon that are venomous like snakes?: There most definitely are! Some species even slightly resemble snakes! Like the species Sonny is! He can spit venom, and has a cobra-like hood! And certain dragons and wyverns also spit venom. They live mostly around the equator. Since fire isn't very helpful in places with a lot of vegetation. (Fire hazards! Oh no! 😱🔥🔥🔥🧑‍🚒)

11: What’s the funniest thing that Gordon does?: Crash land and get his head stuck in the branches of a tree. Percy and Thomas were laughing about it for days. Not around him of course. He would probably end them if they did.🤣

1: What’s Toby’s biggest pet peeve? (Example: Chewing loudly): Actually, annoying sounds is probably very in character for him. He likes quiet, so I could see repetitive noises being very frustrating for him. Totally not self projecting. Haha. :D

Thanks for the questions!😁