#AND SHES STILL VERY BUBBLY AND CUTE AND CURIOUS IN SERIES 8

[impossibledial]

you hate clara in series 7? not a clara stan.

you hate clara in series 8? not a clara stan.

you hate clara in series 9? not a clara stan.

you think clara’s farewell in hell bent is bad? not a clara stan.

in conclusion, if you can’t take the time to understand her arc then you are not a clara stan.

[randomfandomimagine]

End Of The Year Faves

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 8 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome work!

I was tagged by @myriadimagines and @musicallisto, thank you, lovelies!

10. Zack Fair (FFVII) gif imagine

I really love this one because it’s like the definition of short and sweet. It’s adorable, warm and I think I got Zack’s characterization pretty well and I often reread it when I need a smile. I just love my boy Zack and how this little thing turned out.

9. Connor (DBH) prompt (”I shouldn’t be in love with you”)

The reason I love this one it’s because I wrote it as one of my favorite things to write: a character study. I tried to express Connor’s struggle as he develops feelings for the reader and how conflicted he would be to have fallen in love with someone, having developed such a human thing as feelings. One of the many reasons why I love Connor is because of his arc in the game, because of how guilty he feels for becoming deviant despite being the very android that hunts them, it just gets to me. I’m just really glad that I could explore that in this prompt and that I managed to show it properly as well as make this more angsty, since my specialty is usually fluff.

8. Yennefer (Witcher) prompt (”I shouldn’t be in love with you” “Are you jealous?” “I’m so scared”)

This is the only Yennefer request I’ve ever gotten (besides one for a dating would include that I had already written), and I had so much fun writing it! Yennefer has appeared in my Witcher writings a lot, but never as a main character and never as a love interest, so that’s why this was so cool! I think she’s a very interesting character, so I really enjoyed getting the chance to explore her personality. I love how it turned out because I think it’s the perfect balance between her being sly and also being loving and showing her feelings for the reader. 

7. Too Nice (John Ambrose McClaren, TATBILB ficlet)

John Ambrose is another character I really like writing for. What can I say? I fell in love with him and it was great to write something for him. This is somewhere between love and almost hate, with a lot of misunderstandings and complex feelings that ultimately lead to a happy fluffy ending. He’s just the sweetest and it was curious to write his reactions to someone who doesn’t always respond well to his kindness, even if because it flusters them.

6. Special (Howl Pendragon, HMC ficlet)

And yet another character I love. It was a bit hard settling on just one version of the character, because I love both the movie and book versions, so I tried to make it a little bit of both... even if this Howl is more suave and charming like in the movie rather than the absolute endearing disaster that book Howl is. Still, I always have fun getting other characters involved with the reader and their love interest, so I loved adding Calcifer and Marko to the mix. As well as the cute interactions Howl and reader have, I love the ending in which he hints at the fact that the reader unlocked something in his heart that he didn’t think was possible.

5. Kind (Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad ficlet)

I don’t often get to write about Jesse, so this was awesome! Peekaboo was one of my favorite episodes and it was amazing to get to explore it. While it’s not perfect, I really like how the connection between Jesse and reader turned out, how kind (:D) he is and patient and respectful, and I think I also poured a lot of emotion to the reader with that background.

4. Separated (Zuko, ATLA ficlet)

By this point, it’s obvious that I’m more proud of ficlets (because they’re longer and take more planning and more time and effort) and about characters I love because I think the passion I have for them is more obvious. I wrote this one right when I was watching ATLA because I loved (and still love) Zuko so much. It’s sort of a character study as well (it’s established that I adore writing them) and I’m so glad that I had the idea of getting Iroh involved because he’s awesome. This ficlet just has a lot of pining and repressed emotions that come out in the end and I love it.

3. Weight On His Shoulders (PS4 Peter Parker ficlet)

This one if pretty recent, as I wrote it after beating the game myself. This game is just awesome, and this is my favorite representation of Peter ever. He’s cute, charming, nerdy, loving, kind, a bit awkward and just everything that Peter and Spidey should be (at least for me). I wanted to represent both his personas in this one, and I like the balance I achieved with it as well as the emotions, the pining, the secret identity and in the end the understanding of the reader. The part with Spidey saving reader is great and I’m very happy with how reader is prepared to confront him about it once they learn he’s Spiderman only to change their mind when they see how much it’s weighing on him so they decide to relax with him for a bit.

2. Reunion (Cloud Strife, FFVII ficlet)

I’ve written a lot of things for this fandom this year because I was super inspired after beating the remake with my brother, I loved it (honorable mentions to Heal My Heart and Stars In Your Eyes, two other ficlets that I wrote and I’m very proud of). Cloud has always been one of my favorite characters, and in this one I got to examine a side of him I usually don’t. Not only does this ficlet include Zack Fair (another one of my favorite characters) but it also goes along with an idea I had been thinking about for a long time of a female reader pretending to be a boy to get into SOLDIER and becoming friends with them, but it also shows Cloud as the meeker and shy boy he is in Crisis Core. It was so cool to write about him back then and after once he had joined AVALANCHE. His relationship with the reader was also bittersweet because of their past and it’s just so complex and emotional that I love it, especially their reunion at the end.

1. Soul of a Warrior (Jaskier x Nissa, The Witcher Fanfiction Series). This was a big project, as series always are. I spent several months planning and plotting the story and even more months writing it, and also revising it once it was finished before posting it. I put so much effort, love and time into this series that it absolutely had to be number one. Soul of a Warrior is probably the thing I’m most proud of (that I have written) in 2020. 

As most of you know (my mutuals definitely do, as they have gifted me amazing things with him), Jaskier is probably the character I fangirled the hardest about this year. I wrote many things for him (the ficlet What Would You Do Without Me? deserves another honorable mention because it’s probably my favorite thing I’ve written this year along with the series) and working on each of them has brought me so much serotonin. Jaskier is just such an amazing character, loving and compassionate but cheeky and selfish while at the same time being charming, optimistic, bubbly, extroverted and a huge flirt. So many layers!

But back to the series... Soul of a Warrior had one of the best faceclaims I’ve found, the sweetest friendship between my OC Nissa and Geralt and the slowest of burns romances with Jaskier. Him and Nissa are very similar in some aspects, so much so that they’re both too blind to realize the other’s feelings (idiots to lovers, am I right?) but they care so much about one another. The three of them were strangers, but they become family (found family, another one for the fandom bingo!) and I’m the proudest of how real and organic their relationship feels. Not to mention that their dynamic was super fun to write because Geralt is the only one that knows they’re in love and is so fed up and exasperated with their obliviousness. As well as this, I think I managed to mix action, emotion and depth really well. My secondary OCs feel more alive than others before them, Nissa was pretty complex and coherent and had a true voice of her own, and their part on the story feels important. There are tense moments, cute ones, sad ones, tragic ones... a little bit of everything. I think this one as a lot more angst and whump because I was in a bit of a dark place when I wrote it, but it still has hope and light in it, which I really love. The series also has a lot more violence than what I’m used to, but it was interesting to get out of my comfort zone a bit. 

Overall, not only do I think it’s fun to read, compelling, funny and emotional all at once, I’m just very proud that I managed to write something a little different from what I usually do and feel like I did it well. I put a big part of me in this series and for that reason Soul of a Warrior will always have a special place in my heart 💜

That it’s, sorry if I ranted a bit! I tag anyone who wants to do this!! 

[intjmd]

Types of INTP

As many of you may have noticed, INTPs come in different flavors. Some of my closest friends are INTPs, and I have noticed some differences between them that I have not spotted in other types (ENFPs seem more homogeneous to me, I know a bunch and they have basically the same values, outlooks on life and even similar (or the same) interests). In consequence, I have decided to classify my beloved INTP to see if we can understand this better (or even arrive to the conclusion that some of my friends are mistyped). After thinking for a while, I have decided to keep it simple and describe only two different types or INTPs. I know it’s not enough, but I don’t have all the information that I would need to make an accurate description of other subtypes of INTPs (I think there might be at least another one). Feel free to comment, add or correct anything you may find here. Let’s go.

INTP 1 - AKA Chill INTP :

Looks/vibes:

This INTP looks like the most carefree person alive. Seriously. They are often cute and definitely have their style. Why do they say that INTP have a horrible fashion sense, then? Well, it’s just that their style is not the conventional style. They can be obsessed with certain parts of their bodies (e.g. perfect nails) and completely neglect others. Or they can aspire to look in a certain way (kawaii, really kawaii) that could look inappropriate in someone their age. They don’t care. They dress as they want, ignoring other wishes and advice. And sometimes it works out. 

In general, they look rather sociable and happy. Try approaching them and you may be surprised. Sometimes, Chill looks even dreamy and you can tell they are fantasizing about having a dragon pet or whatever.

Habitat:

They dwell in their rooms and when they go out, they wish they were on their room. This type of INTP has watched more than 50 TV shows this last year, and probably reads a lot of fanfic. Their room is their sanctuary and is often filled with the interests of the owner, packed with action figures, tech, their clothes or maybe some painting that they did years ago and didn’t want to throw out.

Personality and interests:

Chill INTP is curious. He/She/That thing over there is an INTP after all. They remind me of  an ENFP (Ne here) because the way they talk about about their passions and dreams. To put it bluntly: they can’t talk about a single topic for more than five minutes before changing the subject to something different. They do this with a bubbly/excited look and act like everything is possible for them (but then they are “too lazy” for achieving said dreams) (this has literally been said by two of them so it’s not an insult). 

This Chill INTP loves series, fanfics, memes and the Internet as a concept. They have mastered every single shortcut of their computer and act like it’s part of their bodies.

Although Chill INTP looks approachable, they hate small talk and are very shy and private. Above all, they have trouble initiating conversations. If you befriend them, though, they will open up and flood you with an unending stream of ideas.

Academics: Chill is smarter than the average person, but also lazier than the average person. What’s worse, they know that they are smart and sometimes (only with their closest friends) can brag about it. While it’s true that they are bright and have no trouble understanding complex topics (actually the more abstract, the better), they lack motivation and often procrastinate. Sometimes, usually in hight school exams, they are able to successfully wing it and get good grades with almost zero effort. They will still whine a bit after getting an 8 in some subject that they didn’t even read, though. However, this “luck” (talent, actually, it’s raw intelligence plus a little bit of rhetorics and an innocent look) doesn’t last forever.

In the end, no matter how academically talented Chill may be, after missing a thousand classes and studying for maybe ten seconds, Chill fails. Hard. Usually for the first time in University. But it’s not that they can’t do it, it’s just that they don’t want to put in the effort right now. Maybe later.

Personal opinion:

This INTP is reaaaally fun to hang out with (I’m an INTJ, maybe we click because of that). They are witty, punny and can cheer you up with their innocence or random remarks. In addition, they get sarcasm (THANK YOU) and are not afraid of saying something regarded as “insensitive” if it’s true. This Chill INTP can be a bit stubborn, and will not change their behavior even if they admit it’s damaging them. 

Overall, they are nice and don’t ask for much attention.  

P.S: Chill INTP is NOT chill all the time. They can have breakdowns where all of their frustration gets out and they can cry in disappointment because the are not living up to their own standards. The agony disappears after a while, and they come back to their laptop and keep scrolling with a smile on their faces.

INTP 2 - AKA  NERDY INTP:

Looks/vibes:

Nerdy INTP does not care at all about how they look. It’s a practical question, not a fashion contest, and they are going to pick anything as long as it covers the parts of their body that can’t be publicly shown. The plainer, the better, this way they can combine anything in their wardrobes.

Also, this INTP does not look “chill” at all. It’s more like a quiet fragile serenity that could explode anytime. There is a difference there. Chill INTP is very comfortable anywhere, even in the midst of a crowd, they just do their own thing and ignore everyone. Nerdy INTP is watching over you, analyzing your patterns and thinking, always thinking. This INTP is full of anxiety and is shyer than chill INTP. And when they are looking at a wall they are either thinking hard about the wall itself (colour, texture, design) or totally lost inside some theory inside their mind. The thing is that you know that they are questioning things.

Habitat:

Their rooms, but with zero clutter. It’s not minimalism, it’s a prison cell with the occasional coffee machine. They have a laptop, books and a bed, but that’s all. This INTP lives in his head, not on Earth. That’s why they don’t mind going outside, but they do this to think elsewhere, not to be elsewhere. Their heads are a mystery, I would describe them if I could.

Personality and interests:

Nerdy is not merely curious, Nerdy is utterly obsessed with knowledge and the truth. This means that they can research a single topic for like 40 hours nonstop and speak about it too, getting deeper and deeper and finding internal contradictions between the different sources until you (random listener) can no longer know anything. But they really understand it, and it just comes easy for them. They can keep their concentration forever and ever until their body stops working and they get into a random nap. Then they jump to the topic again.

Nerdy likes talking about different subjects. Unlike Chill, once Nerdy chooses ONE topic, he will remain in that area until nothing more can be said (which is approximately never) or until the other person changes the topic. Nerdy also strongly prefers one to one conversations, while Chill can manage up to four/five people at the same time. 

In short, Nerdy seems much more focused and driven than Chill, but they are not natural achievers (#goalz #checklists) like an INTJ. Instead, they seek pure knowledge for the sake of it, to deepen their understanding of the world. They don’t need to change it, they just think that it’s interesting to dive into the most obscure and complex topics and master them. Their thirst is not for power but for wisdom.  

Nerdy is as Internet addicted as Chill but it’s easier to find them looking for papers than watching Netflix on their own. They have three or four series that they love but they are usually complex (picture high fantasy) and the things they read are not the cliché YA novels in which Chill tends to indulge more.

Academics:

If Nerdy has chosen a career that sparks his interests, he will do great in his knowledge field. At least, Nerdy will spend hours and hours reading about this topic and becoming an expert. They will understand EVERYTHING and create a sort of “mind map” in their minds (just a map, then) with concepts and their connections. Nerdy is a bit lazy too, but their curiosity and intellect alone if directed towards the adequate career can take them to the top (or at least they are not whining at the bottom as sometimes Chill does).

Even if both Chill and Nerdy feel incompetent, Chill actually puts 3/10 effort and ends up getting a 5. Nerdy studies a lot (maybe not the most important things, they will probably get lost in the interesting bits) and try to do their best. Even if their results are great, they will feel as if they had failed because they are too perfectionistic. 

To sum up, they work harder and get more results than Chill, but also set higher standards for themselves, which leads them to often overexert themselves and have higher levels of anxiety. This is why they do nOT look so chill.

Personal opinion:

For me, Nerdy feels like a caffeinated, stronger, sharper version of Chill. Maybe a little more hopeless and cynic, maybe more concerned with astrophysics than the newest One Piece episode. If Chill was fun, Nerdy is a hundred times funnier. However, Nerdy is also incapable of small talk (Chill knows how to, he just doesn’t want to do it and tries to avoid it) and has more trouble meeting new people. This INTP is only capable of speaking logically, and will destroy you incoherent arguments in seconds (yeah, every conversation feels like a debate). If you show any weakness, they will show no mercy.  This side of them can bore or get tiresome for the more dictatorial (Nerdy will call out your bullshit, authority means nothing), harmony loving (debates are just debates, no feelings involved) (however, if you think that disagreeing equals hating each other, you are so fucked here) or happy-go-lucky (”Don’t think and be happy”) types. 

If you are not ready to do some mental exercise, then leave alone Nerdy and go back to Instagram. If you go, try to chatter with Nerdy and then disregard all his ideas/hypothesis/arguments and it gets upset, you are a mere asshole. I actually love Nerdy INTP and think that his brain should be protected as World Heritage.

Things both (I think all INTP) subtypes have in common:

Curiosity about the most random things.

They hate small talk and initiating conversations.

They are so much fun for an INTJ.

They can be very insensitive when talking to other people (not a big bother for an NT)

All energy is redirected to their heads, their bodies are nOT fully operative.

They are always up for: COFFEEE, films or going to a new restaurant. 

People love them and they don’t want to admit it.

They feel different but never complain about it (and never flaunt it as a virtue).

They have meltdowns and they saw them coming.

They love the Internet.

Kinky. Very specific kinks and you can’t kinkshame them. It’s better to join them.

They look innocent, like sweet cinnamon rolls but they are not.

P.S:

Maybe these two types are not well described and some of you think that Chill is just more well, relaxed Nerdy. Or that Nerdy has more willpower than Chill. I don’t know. I honestly think that both have different manifestations of the INTP functions and they are true INTP regardless of their differences. I also think that both are fun, smart and can become great friends. 

P.S2:

@intp-the-thinker​ @intpmd this is for both of you, feel free to abort this unborn theory/hypothesis.

[utterlyinevitable]

Alrighty sooo we all know Becca but what about this woman named...Hannah in you WIPS? (and in my WhatsApp) 1,2,4,8,9,15,16,18,23,26,27,31,33,39,45,52,54,55 this shall keep u occupied lol

 *sighs* Hannah Hannah Hannah... when will I finish your saga 😔

i’m going to use both prompt lists for this and choose my favorite questions aha

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything? &  Age, Birthday, Star Sign

Hannah Amelia Weill

I really like writing complicated women with long names and multiple identities.

Growing up her friends all called her Hannie. She was always Hannah to her family and everyone who doesn’t know her intimately. One boy (’Bryce’) called her Han. Later in life her partner calls her Anna because of his thick accent. Her alias and the name she went by during her uni identity crisis was Leah, a derivative of her middle name.

I don’t like her last name so it may change to fit with the metaphor of the whole piece 🤷🏻‍♀️

The story moves between her being 16-18 and 23. 

tbh i haven’t given much thought to her birthday 😂 i feel like she’d be an edgy libra 

2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them? & Gender Identity

Nothing formal lol 

But her mother calls her a ‘hurricane’ and after high school that group of friends she had relegated her to a ‘selfish bitch’ and proceeded to cut her out of their lives without any warning. (side note: later in life she’ll realize she may have been The Toxic Friend) 

She’s hetero female. Though she was bi-curious with only one friend when she was 17. She leaned into that for a while but realized women just weren’t doing it for her. 

4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents? & Race and Ethnicity

She’s estranged from her father and hasn’t seen him since she was five. She’s an only child and had some distance between her and her mother because of socio-economic factors. At her core Hannah is a private, enigmatic person and her mother always kinda let her do whatever she wanted as long as she kept her grades up. It wasn’t a bad childhood or growing up. There were some rough patches but she lived in a bubble compared to the rest of the world. When she moved away her relationship with her mother got better because her mom would call or text her every week to make sure she’s alive. She still does and Hannah sometimes doesn’t answer so her mom calls. 

She’s white bread with European roots. 

8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals? & Weapon of Choice(?)

They had a dog which she loved and taught her the meaning of unconditional love. The dog even slept in her twin sized bed. As an adult Hannah is much to irresponsible (and self aware about this fact) to bring a pet into her life. She loves animals but keeps a distance and prefers the odd well behaved domestic pup.

She has wit, stoicism and psychological manipulations at her disposal. 

9. Hometown and current residence

She grew up on the waterfront in Suffolk, New York. Now she resides in Southwark, UK. 

15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking? &  Can they sing? Can they dance?

She can cook if she has to. She’s not bad at it when she knows what she likes but she cannot handle another person in the kitchen with her and gets so so so angry when they make comments over her shoulder. Some times she gets the urge to bake but it’s TERRIBLE at dough so it’s just a box cake or cookies. Others think it’s edible. 

When she’s older ‘Ethan’ teaches her how to cook fancy, complex meals and it’s rather meditative. And maybe she doesn’t mind having him in the kitchen with her. 

She cannot sing to save her life. She has absolutely no rhythm. Doesn’t stop her from doing either. Her go-to dance of choice is a drunken grind.

16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it? &  Can they drive?

She doesn’t, well not really. She tries to hoard books but she’s moved around so much her moms outlook on life seeped in. Her mom always encouraged her to get rid of unnecessary things and so she has very minimal clutter (excluding her closet girl loves clothes). She does have a book shelf filled with CDs and vinyls and books and that makes her happy. 

When she’s settled down and has disposable income she starts to collect tattoos and street art. 

She can drive but doesn’t like to, especially in Europe. She’s thankful she lives in places with fantastic public transport. 

18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything else & Have any special keepsakes?

Books: she likes horror and drama as books she’ll read in public. When she’s alone she likes a romance book or young adult novel. 

Music: folk, indie and alternative. 

TV: comedy, drama, anything on the old CW was her jam. She likes dark humor. 

Films: romantic comedy. she went through a phase of only watching foreign films to seem more cultured. she’ll only watch action if there’s a comedic lead because blood and gore disgust her. 

Video games: she doesn’t play. never got into them. but she did try because ‘Bryce’ really loved his xbox and she loved ‘Bryce’. 

The one thing she made sure to take with her was a throw pillow that she’s had since she was a kid. 

23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?

She remembers everything about the people in her life. For better or worse - it’s no bueno for her mental health because she overanalyzes everything and dissects it until she’s essentially fabricated a whole other reality. 

She misplaces things all the time and gets mad about it. ‘Ethan’ finds it an endearingly annoying habit of hers. 

She’s okay with names and better with faces. But she really identifies people by their vibe and how they make her feel. If she feels good she’ll remember every single thing about them. If they make her feel bad she’ll only remember the bits about that person that make her feel that way - even if it’s only one sentence out of an entire year of friendship, that person will become that one bad thing to her. 

She never truly forgets someone. Sometimes it’s better to pretend like she did in order to save face. 

26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions? & Guilty Pleasure

When she’s happy she can do anything! She feels like she can fly. She usually is listening to a song and she’s very creative in this space. She parades around in her underwear singing at the top of her lungs when she’s alone. When she’s happy and with someone, she lets her guard down and shows who she really is. When she’s happy she’s the person she wants to be and not the front of an unbreakable woman she’s been pretending to be since she was old enough to remember it’s importance. 

Oh yes, Hannah hides her emotions. it’s her MO. 

Her guilty pleasure is popular culture. ‘Ethan’ makes fun of her for it but indulges her any chance he can get. For the longest time he’s also her guilty pleasure. She doesn’t want to like him from the beginning. But conversation just flows. And he’s such a Good Boy. she can’t help but fall for him quick and quietly. 

27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad? & What’s their family like? Who’s in it? What’s their relationship with them?

People make her sad. Failure makes her sad. She’s trying to cultivate a better life she’s read about in stories and feels like she needs to be successful to show up everyone who’s ever doubted her. She needs to be successful to prove to herself that she’s not a waste of space and worthy of this existence. 

But successful comes in all shapes and sizes. Which is something she’ll learn when she least expects it. 

Hannah only lets herself cry less than a handful of times a year. Usually in the dead of night or in the shower. And only when she knows she’ll be alone the entire time. 

After she falls for ‘Ethan’ she can’t control her emotions as well any more. He’s always there for her even if he’s the source of her tears. 

When she’s mad it’s almost manic depressive. She gets really really low and cuts people out. ‘Ethan’ will not have that. He will not let her go through this alone. Even if she doesn’t want him to see her or hold her he’ll still only be a short walk away. 

I think I answered this above ? Her family was her and her mom. They weren’t close growing up but once she moved away they both made an effort to keep in contact. 

31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing? &  What’s their current main conflict?

Yes. She chooses whiskey and scotch for the connotation associated with them. She cannot stand scotch but the commitment to the illusion is greater than her taste buds. Her new friend Polly introduces her to wine. She gets really bad stains on her lips from red wine and no one tells her this until she’s half a bottle down with ‘Ethan’ and he comments on it. She’s so embarrassed and rushed to the bathroom to wipe it off. He stands just outside the doorway laughing his ass off. 

She’s the kind of drunk that wants a smoke or sex. Sometimes both. 

When other people are drunk and she’s not she cannot stand it and avoids them. Unless it’s her roommates whom she cannot avoid. She’s teasing and loving and will be a complete idiot with them. 

When ‘Ethan’ is drunk she lovingly teases him and finds him so fucking cute. 

uhhhhh her main conflict during the entire series is trying to find herself. She needs to stop being the person she is out of necessity and be the person she doesn’t know who she is at her core. 

Then there’s the conflict of falling in love with ‘Ethan’ given the circumstances and how stupidly happy he makes her. And the conflict of still loving the ‘Bryce’ she knew back then that still gives her butterflies and plagues her thoughts and dreams and then comes face to face with her temptation after all these years.

The Enigma, The Boy and the What If 👀

this girl’s just trying to figure life out because she didn’t have a strict parent to map her whole life out for her. it’s a blessing and a curse compared to all those she grew up with and modeled her life after. She’s just off on an unknown adventure making things up and she goes and stripping the past from her future.

33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties? & How have they changed over time?

She likes hipsters but if there’s an ounce of a chance she’s gonna be naked she needs a v-string even if they make her feel constipated. As for bras she loathes them. But apparently she needs them because of her body type. So if she’s gotta have a bra it’s padded and sexy. She’s not wearing it for her it’s for whoever will see her in it. 

Eventually she’ll learn to love lingerie. For herself, not for ‘Ethan’. 

The Hannah Evolution is messy. 

A generally happy kid -> bogged down by having a single parent and the connotations that comes with that -> curating the perfect personality not to put strain on her mom -> creating an air of mystery and becoming an enigma. of never sharing her true feelings with anyone, even herself -> going after her dreams even if it pisses people off -> stupidly letting herself fall in love -> self sabotaging her happiness -> letting the facade crumble and rising from the ashes   

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging? & Your character walks into a cafe. What do they order?

Modern love letters are texts to wake up to and fall to sleep to. That’s something she romanticized with ‘Bryce’ and didn’t realize that meant nothing until ‘Ethan’ showed her. 

Cappuccino. Probably a lemon poppy seed muffin. Or if they do sandwiches it would be a panini. 

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

Other people not related to her see her as arrogant and a closed book. She isn’t forthcoming and makes it really hard to get to know her on a personal level. That makes making friends in adulthood hard. 

Her ex-friends see her as selfish and fake and can’t deal with the drama that seems to follow her. They are actually really resentful for how well life was panning out for her once they all stopped being friends. 

‘Ethan’ is intrigued by her. She finds her brilliant and beautiful and he wants to know more about her. The difference is he’s willing to put in the work. He’s able to see the funny girl hiding behind the rogue exterior. 

She varies in how she sees herself. Some days she loves who she is and walks down the street with unwavering confidence. Other days she cakes on a face full of make up and becomes her alter ego. She’s never truly fully happy with herself. Something inside her is constantly looking for the next best thing to happen in her life and it is detrimental. 

52. How are you and your character the same? How are you different?

You can find the projection yourself 😅

I’m not as bold as Hannah. I also like to think I’m a little more lovable and have a better grip on reality than this mess. 

54. What does your character want, and what do they need?

She wants to be successful and shove her success up the ass of everyone who told her no growing up. She wants to be on the cover of Forbes 30 under 30. She’s creative and a bit chaotic and follows whims. She just wants recognition. 

What she needs is ‘Ethan’ and everything he’s opened her eyes to. 

55. What’s your character’s core trait? What’s their best trait? What’s their worst trait? When happens when these all interact with each other?

Instability. 

Her best trait is her drive. It’s a little shaky in the grand scheme of things but at her core she just wants the best life.  

Her worst trait is her tendency to write and cut people off without another glance. She does it swiftly and unapologetically. 

Gosh all of these things combined come out when she fights with someone and it’s terrible. There’s screaming and slamming doors and ‘Ethan’ doesn’t know what’s going on and wishes she’ll just talk to him. But she’s not that easy and he understands that but goddamn he loves her and for him this is worth fighting for. 

THE END.

[redmxnn]

The Prince (Tom Holland Royal AU Part 10)

Pairing: Royal Tom x royal reader

Description: A Tom Holland Royalty AU, where you are a princess and he is a prince. Your family is forced to agree to an arranged marriage between both you and Tom. What could happen? LAST PART BBYS

Word count: 1479

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10

The sun glistened against the pale glass of the window. The rolling green hills passing by for what felt like a lifetime. The gentle vibration of the engine that powered the car could be felt in your feet that rested on the floor.

 “Y/N,” the soft voice of your mother caused you to look away from the grass bathing in the sunlight outside and towards her. She tentatively smiled and reached a hand onto your knee. Your rose-filled eyes looked towards hers. A peaceful smile was rested on your lips. She returned a smile back at you as she slightly pinched your leg in a comforting way. You looked from her to your father who was sat across from both of you.

His head was hiding in his shoulders, hesitant to look up. A sad smile replaced yours. You always loved to look in your fathers eyes. They were large blue pools of hope. He was always happy, always curious and his eyes always proved that. As a child you would always climb up into his lap and stare into his pupils. Trying to find your own reflection in the shiny black dots. However today, his eyes seemed dull, quiet, reserved. There was nothing there that you recognised. 

He gently cleared his throat, regaining your focus on the now. “Y/n,” he paused, “I’m very proud of you in everything you’ve done,” He spoke slowly, giving every word its complete purpose. “i’m sorry I couldn’t be here for you during this difficult time, for all of us.” You nodded your head in understanding. This was hard for him too. He had to give up his only daughter knowing it wasn’t something that you willingly wanted to do. He sacrificed your happiness. That’s not an easy decision for a loving parent to make.

You reached over to grab his hand. You squeezed it gently as his fingers fell next to yours. You said nothing, just looked into his eyes. Spotting your reflection in his, a smile rested back on your lips. It’s okay you thought. This is all okay now. 

The engine of the car began to slow down as crowds of people formed outside the windows. You inhaled a sharp breathe as your stomach twitched in nervousness. “Here we go,” you whispered as you closed your eyes and felt the engine stop completely. This is is. No running away now. 

-

A quiet murmur of people chatting filled the church. You were anxiously waiting near the entryway. Family, friends and special guests had all taken their seats and were waiting for you. All these people were going to be watching you. Your hands felt clammy, your feet felt sore, your brain felt frazzled while your heart rate increased. Your eyes couldn’t focus on anything as your brain raced through a series of thoughts. This isn’t going to work. Everyone is going to know that it's fake. I’m a fake. This is all going to fail. Tom’s going to hate me. And on and on they went. Your thoughts filling your mind, suffocating. 

“Hi,” A small voice broke into your mind. A tiny hand fought its way into yours. You looked down confused. One of the flower girls had managed their way to stand right beside you, possibly standing on your train, but that doesn’t matter right now. Her tiny hand squeezed yours as she beamed up at you. Your face relaxed at her innocence. She was so happy, not a care in the world. “You look so pretty, I’m so excited for you!” 

“Really? I’m honestly ready to put my pjs on,” You let your breath go in a weightless motion. She giggled at your honest reply. “Me too,” She matched your energy. The gentle strum of a violin began to fill your ears. A melody started on a piano as the orchestra picked up. You moved to stand at the end of the walkway. Breathe in. The little girl rushed back to her spot, somewhat tripping on your long dress. Breathe out. 

Hundreds of people rose in their chairs. That’s your cue. Stepping forward you looked straight ahead. People turned to look at you, you focused only on what was ahead. Standing, what felt like was so far out of reach, stood The Celebrant, Tom, his family and yours. The closer you got the more you could see. Your family had turned to face you, cheerful smiles as they watched you near. Tom and his family remained facing away from you. They were a family that upheld all royalty rules. They were. 

With about 20 steps until you reached him, Tom turned around to face you. 

His naturally curly hair had been styled backwards to show off his face. His boyish freckles danced across his cheeks. His muscular frame was still somehow noticeable in his all black suit. His brown eyes crinkled as a smile spread across his face. You tried to hide the blushing giggle that formed. A sweet smile couldn’t help but creep onto your face. You stopped focusing on your steps, stopped focusing on all the people looking at you, stopped focusing on this heavy and tight dress. It didn’t matter. Tom was being Tom. He broke the fucking rules. 

His stupid, gorgeous smile made everything else disappear. Tom was all you cared about, all that mattered.

-

“Good afternoon friends, family, guests and the beautiful people of Holland,” The royal official spoke. After the ceremony there is always a formal announcement to the city, welcoming the new royal couple. A mere 10 minutes after saying ‘I do’ you’re on top of a balcony saying ‘hello, I’ll be your queen one day,’ to thousands of people who have very very high expectations of you. Talk about romantic. 

You and Tom were stood directly behind the glass doors, a sliver of material blocking you from the crowds. Tom stood as close as he physically could to you. His hand was tightly gripped in yours, his shoulders nudged right against yours. He quickly but silently shuffled in his spot. You giggled at his closeness, was he nervous? His hand pulled away from yours as it reached up to his chin. “Can you…?” Tom whispered shyly.

You scoffed at the coincidence, “Really?” “What?” Tom blurted out not connecting the dots to your previous encounter that was all too similar for you. “Do you need help with your tie?” You asked mockingly. “Yes,” He whispered back embarrassed. You giggled at his cute boyish nature reaching up to help him with the expensive fabric wrapped around his neck. “You would be helpless without me,” You teased. “Why do you think I married you darling?” Tom smirked down at you. His hands reached yours as you finished. Your eyes looked up to his confused by his action. “Hey,” He whispered. “Hi,” you replied matching his demeanor, looking up into his eyes. Tom went to speak but paused, his eyes darting towards the door. You watched his eyes move frantically back towards yours. “Hey,” He repeated nervously. 

“I would like to welcome you all, Prince Tom Holland and Princess “Y/n Holland,” The voice of the royal official could barely be heard of the intense atmosphere you and Tom had created around yourselves. You were both in a bubble, looking into each others eyes, not knowing who’s going to move first. 

“I think I love you Y/N,” Tom continued ignoring the rustling of people beside you. The doors were quickly opened revealing you to the world. The sunlight shone on both of you, lighting up the view for the crowds. Cheers began to erupt in the crowd as the townspeople got there first glimpse of the royal couple. You were ushered to walk forward and address the people. Smile and wave and act all proper in love, that was your instructions. But you and Tom didn’t do anything. You both stood there lost in each others eyes. His words rung over and over in your head. 

Your lips edged upwards in the faintest of smiles. Toms eyes fell from yours to your lips, noticing your small movement. That was all he needed. His warm hand reached up to behind your neck, balancing the weight of your head. His honey-like lips reached yours in a tender and wholesome kiss. His lips meeting yours, feeling at home. 

A loud cheer broke out in the crowd. You pulled away from Tom, smiling heavenly. You blushed at your public display. Tom noticed your slight embarrassment and giggled while stepping forward to block you from the crowds. He turned and faced you, only you. “Now let me tell everyone else I love you,” You beamed at his words, stepping forward to place your hand in his. “Hey Tom,” you whispered. “Yeah?” Tom leaned down slightly to hear your whisper. “I think I love you too.”

Let me know your thoughts! I would love to have a chit chat x

Taglist: @butithasntkilledyouyet @loxbbg@wifunozomi@loricwizardbluetoastedcake@thecolorfulunknown@slytherpuffyy @holland-in-disguise@reblogsfics @casualprincess77 @phluffyphantom @kallimendes @steamyimpala  @h-oneyholland @radioblah-blah @bbyxk 

Author’s note: I wanted to say a massive thank you to anyone who took the time to read, like or comment on any part of this fic. I never expected for it to receive the amount of appreciation that it did. I am truely so thankful for all of you guys, thank you for being so patient with me. I hope you enjoyed this while it lasted and I may or may not be working on something else already shh. 

[etherealwaifgoddess]

What He Wants (Pt. 20)

Main Characters: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced Reader

Summary:  On going series of Bucky getting his shit together and falling in love with you.

Warnings/ Content: none, just an unexpected visitor, a protective Bucky, and a very worried Pepper Potts

Word Count: 1554

Author’s Note: Well lovelies, we’re in the endgame now. We have probably two days left depending on how long I decide to draw this out/ how long it takes me to scrub over the last four parts. Yep, we’re going to 24 parts total. Then that’ll be all folks. But let’s not dwell, we still have a little left in this journey. For now, let’s find out who was knocking  at your door so early in the morning...

If you missed the first few parts, you can read them here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

XOXO - Ash

What He Wants, Pt. 20

Bucky opens your front door to reveal a very confused Director of SHIELD. “Barnes, this is a surprise.” he says as he enters your apartment.

“Hi Fury.” you say affectionately, going over to give him a quick hug. Despite what most of the agency thinks, you know for a fact that Fury is a sweetheart. He rarely shows it but you have spent enough time with him over the past eleven years to have built up a solid friendship with the man. 

Fury purses his lips and glares at Bucky but he accepts your hug and reciprocates it. “You didn’t tell me you had collected a stray, Minnie.” 

“I did too! You knew he was flying back to stay with me.” you protest. Bucky moves next to you to pull you in against his side by your waist, it’s blatantly territorial but you let him. 

“Yes, but letting him crash here is very different than the lack of clothing going on here. And I’m betting if I so much as move wrong towards you, lover boy here would have me split in two.” 

Bucky shrugs and nods at Fury who chuckles at his brazenness.

You turn bright red as you realize you’re in only a t-shirt and Bucky is just in his sweatpants. It looks, well, it looks like exactly what it is. “Come on, Fury. I’m a grown up.”

“I know you are. I’m just a little surprised. Never seen you with a man before, Minerva.” 

Your face flushes even harder. “I’m selective.” you bite back at him.

Fury laughs hard and recovers himself quickly. “So what’s the deal here, Barnes? Do I need to ask what your intentions are with our girl?”

Bucky’s grin is wolfish, “Well, Fury, I just got done making her breakfast and once we’re done I was gonna take her back to bed and-”

“No!” you yelp, cutting him off, “Nope, don’t you dare finish that sentence.” 

Fury is laughing again, “I get the idea, Barnes. How long is your little sabbatical going to take?”

Bucky gives you a sidelong look before responding. He hasn’t had a chance to talk to you about it yet and doesn’t want to over step, but he can’t imagine leaving your side anytime soon. “Take me off the list for now. I won’t be doing any more missions for a while. I’ve already emailed Pepper letting her know I’m out indefinitely.” 

This is news to you. You had hoped but didn’t expect him to really step away from it all. “You didn’t tell me that.” you say, your voice hopeful. 

Bucky kisses your cheek, “I was going to over breakfast. I don’t want to get pulled away right now. I’m going with you to work next week, see how it goes.” 

“Okay, we’ll see how it goes.” you agree. Your heart is beating out of your chest and you jump when Fury clears his throat. 

“Well, isn’t this cute.” he deadpans, “Minnie, if you need anything, call.” he says fondly to you before shooting another glare at Bucky, “Barnes, if you need me, good luck.” 

Bucky laughs and you roll your eyes. Fury hands the case he’s been holding to Bucky and he thanks him for the delivery. 

“Yeah, well, I hadn’t seen our girl here in a while.” Fury shrugs and turns to you, “Your paycheck from the mission was deposited yesterday, by the way. And Barnes, the kids at St. Agnes and the shelter over on East 33rd were both very appreciative of the donations. They’re set up nicely for the foreseeable future.” 

You both thank him and Fury says his goodbyes, reminding  you again to call if you need him. 

“I didn’t expect him to show up like that.” you tell Bucky as you sit back down to your breakfast. 

“He’s just looking after you. Probably wanted to make sure you were okay since he knew I was crashing here.” Bucky guesses.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him surprised like that before. He cares though, I can’t fault him for that.”

“Absolutely not, the more people keeping an eye on you the better.”

You pout at him, only slightly offended, “I can take care of myself just fine, thank you.”

“Not saying you can’t, mouse. But it doesn’t hurt to have backup from some very powerful people. There’s something about you that brings out a guy’s over protective instincts.” 

“Like I’m a damsel in distress?” you raise an eyebrow at him.

“No, like you’re the most valuable thing in the world and must be protected at all costs.” 

Your face heats and you give him a shy smile, “Smooth talker.” 

“Only the truth, doll. I would give up my right arm before I let anyone hurt you.” 

You can see the seriousness in his eyes and you drop your fork. A warm, desperate feeling is bubbling up inside you, but it’s too fast, too soon, not even rational. And yet still it forms deep in your chest. You’re blinded by it and its intensity. “Bucky… I…” you flounder for words. 

Bucky sees the emotions flitting across your face and he knows. He sees the emotion you’re trying to stifle down and it echoes what he’s felt forming in his chest since he woke up to you in that hospital room. It doesn’t make any sense to him either and he refuses to think too deeply on it, but it’s there and he knows it’s only getting stronger the longer he’s around you. “It’s okay, doll. Come on, eat your breakfast before it gets any colder. I’m gonna go start on the laundry.” 

Bucky deposits his empty plate and cup in the sink and goes to gather up the dirty clothes. He’s glad you’re tidy by nature, all of your laundry is easy to find in a wicker basket by your dresser. His clothing is strewn between his bag and the floor next to it on his side of the bed. He smiles to himself as he picks up the socks and shirts, he has a side of the bed now. Bucky had noticed the stacked washer and dryer when he was looking for towels in the hall closet and hauls the basket, now full of both of your clothes, over to it. The dials are simplistic and close enough to the ones he had to figure it out on his own. Once he gets the load started he goes back to make the bed, wanting to give you time to eat in peace. He’s finishing up when he hears the sink running and realizes you must be starting on the dishes. Bucky makes his way back to the kitchen and sees that he was right. “Come on, mouse. I’m supposed to be doing all this.” he complains lightly.

You shake your head at him, “No way, you cooked, I’m cleaning up.” 

Bucky grumbles but lets you go. He heads off to find his phone and see if Pepper has responded to him yet. It turned out she didn’t email him back, she called him. Four times. The voicemails range from curious, to annoyed, to concerned. He slips out onto the balcony to call her back.

“Hey Pepper.” he says when she answers.

“Bucky, god, you had me worried!” she yells at him.

“I’m fine, just taking some time off.”

“Time off? Your email said indefinitely. And you won’t even say where you are. What am I supposed to think, Bucky? So soon after Steve, and Tony, and you went on that stupid reckless mission…” she’s genuinely upset and Bucky feels guilty for worrying her.

“I’m sorry, Pep. I get it and I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

“So where are you? What happened on the mission? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, the mission was a success. I did get shot but I’ve already healed and I decided to stay with a friend.”

“I’m not even going to start on the ‘you got shot’ part. I know all of your friends, Bucky, they’re here at the compound. So where are you?”

Bucky snorts a laugh at her determination. “I made a new friend. I really can’t tell you where I am though. I can’t do that to her, she’s very private about her life outside of SHIELD. All I’m going to say is that she’s a newly retired agent and I’m perfectly safe.” 

“Wait… you’re with a woman?” 

“Yes, Pepper. She’s a woman.” 

“James Buchanan Barnes.” Pepper says in shock. “Is this woman a friend, or a friend?”

“I care about her very much and I'm leaving it at that. Maybe I’ll bring her out to the compound to meet you guys but don’t expect it anytime soon.” 

“Wow. Just… wow. Okay. As long as your safe. If you need anything from your room here let me know how to get it to you, and you have your card so you don’t need to worry about that. I, uh, I just… wow. Okay, well, be safe and let me know if you need anything. I’ll make sure to take you out of rotation until you tell me otherwise.”

“Thanks, Pepper. I appreciate it. You take care, tell everyone I said hey.”

“You take care too, Bucky.”

They said their goodbyes and Bucky heads back inside to you. 

Tag List Lovelies: @my-current-fandom-is @blacklightguidesnic @amazonianbeauty@ladyemofhousestark@abswritesfandoms @rupestria @dark-night-sky-99

[sol1056]

git along little nonnies

Got a whole bunch of you on related themes, so I’m just gonna do this all at once: a bunch of questions about DW, spinoffs, merchandise, business, management, support (and protest) and whatnot. In no particular order.

Ok there are petitions and peaceful boycotts directed at DW but problem is they aren’t addressing the EPs and things they, not DW, did so how are we to sign them, how to handle this when this could at best confuse the situation and not give any results and at worst, make matters even worse about what we want regarding DW addressing things? 

Here’s what companies care about: money. Everything else is gravy.

If you want a corporation to pay attention to your complaints, then you need to figure out their sources of income, and find a way to threaten that. If the social reprobation is high enough, damage to the brand can translate into lost sales, but the tempest required to make that happen must be much, much larger than anything I’ve seen the fandom manage. 

I’ve been saying this all along: voices are far more powerful than signatures. If twenty thousand people wrote or called in, and said what they liked vs what upset them, that would have a far greater impact. Certainly a lot more than a list of names with no emotion beyond a request that may not even be something DW can, or would, fulfill.  

And don’t even get me started on mailing stuff in. Cute, but hardly actionable.  

Do you know what kind of contracts DW sign, as in, are they obligated to air all seasons, can they choose not to air them, do the companies they work with (netflix, wep) have a say or more say than them? Who gets the last word? Is airing all seasons squarely on DW or more? 

As I’m not a corporate lawyer employed by any of the signatories, I can’t tell you what the contract stipulated. What I can tell you is that a contract of the magnitude of the DW-WEP-Netflix agreement probably had a dissertation worth of riders covering the different types of possible defaults or breaches, and the penalties for each. Additionally, the contract also likely covered what constituted ‘satisfactory delivery’ of the product. 

To take it down to a really simple level: you place an order at a restaurant. You expect to get it, eat it, and pay for it. You don’t expect to be told, “hey, we burnt your steak and we’re out of butter for your sweet potatoes, so have some green beans instead,” and then be told you still owe the full amount, anyway. 

Netflix wouldn’t settle for ordering (and paying for) something never delivered, anymore than you would. Sure, any corporation worth their over-inflated stock options would try --- but that’s the point of contracts, to make sure they can’t. 

Netflix paid, DW delivers, end of story.  

 ...do you think ppl in charge didn't think EPs would tell they made changes and also thought they'd manage to bury it? And then they got in trouble and DW is going thru changes for that reason? -waves at DW goings on and silence.

I got lost in all the pronouns, there. Who’s the first ‘they,’ the EPs or DW execs? Is the second ‘they’ referring to the same as the first? So... I’m not really sure what you’re positing, but if the ‘DW is going through changes’ is implying DW’s got a shakeup and/or is promoting its head-of-TV to president and that’s somehow connected to two newbie EPs screwing up?

I’d say the chances are so infinitesimal as to be nearly in the negative. (I should also note, the press release listed successful shows Cohn oversaw, yet oddly did not include VLD.) DW is not a three-person start up; it has stakeholders and a board and a C-suite to satisfy. Cohn got that promotion ‘cause she’s got a track record going back thirty years, most recently growing DW’s TV division from 8 to 800 in five years. 

Most corporations tend to announce their new CEO or President like someone woke up that morning and went, hey, I’ve got a great idea. Truth is, it’s usually in the works for at least a year, sometimes several years, or more. The only thing that has me side-eyeing the announcement is the silence around who’ll fill Cohn’s previous position. 

But that’s again less to do with a single series, and more to do with what it says about DW as a whole, business-wise. 

What meaningful changes could the new president Margie Cohn make that would be different than the last one? Also I'm sorry if your getting a bunch of Voltron/DW questions lately, you just seem to be the most knowledgeable person on this platform.

I’d be willing to bet I’m far from the most knowledgeable person; I’m just someone not bound by an NDA, and curious enough to do a bit of digging and jaded enough to talk about (most) of what I find. 

A president can have immense impact on a company’s direction; that’s kinda why they exist, to set that high-level strategy. That said, Cohn will be bound by all contracts signed by her predecessor. The TV side (barring someone filling the shoes she left) will probably continue as it was. The theatrical side (which she’s taking over) will be where we’ll probably see any major changes. 

And even those aren’t likely to be on films currently in production. Hell, given theatrical animation can take up to five years, I’m not sure that’d show much change, either. Look instead to changes in investors, new deals, and new properties. 

What do you think DW will do about a sequel if there’s really no bible? Theres tons of plot holes & abandoned storylines. VLD will never feel satisfying, and fans already argued with different interpretations based on conflicting content, without a nice satisfying explanation...

I know this is the first of a three-part ask, but I’m skipping the rest because the only answer possible is to your very first question: the bible doesn’t matter. 

Any new series --- even a continuation --- will construct its own bible. Same as we’d do in fandom: they’ll patch together what they can, fill in blanks as they need, and gloss the rest, or retcon it outright. Even if there were a bible, diligently followed, that doesn’t mean the next series is automatically beholden to it. Some franchises would care (ie Star Wars) while others might let a reboot mess with the details (ie Star Trek). 

For every continuation, there’s gradations in between, since otherwise what’s the interest for creative minds, if you’re obligated to follow someone else’s script exactly? So, no. The absence of a story bible doesn’t preclude the next iteration making its own, as it needs, to whatever extent it requires. 

I was wandering around the hot topic online store, and i noticed a shirt that raised a few flags and questions. it's the 'Voltron Location' shirt. it has all the paladins in different places in a star globe chart thing? with what might possibly be planet designations. plus Lance is the only one not inside his blue colored bubble. Keith is in Red and Shiro in Black again. it's interesting at least.

Nearly all the shirts use the same base images, just changed up. It feels a little like someone handed a designer a half-dozen images with a request for forty-something designs --- and now HT is just throwing them all at the wall to see what sticks (or sells). 

HT’s stuff has been pretty consistent, from what I’ve heard: Shiro is Black, Keith is Red, etc. Considering the t-shirts seem to be selling out regularly (along with various other sidelines), I’d say someone is savvy as to the fact that the segment of fandom spending the most money is also the segment that prefers the S1/S2 lineup. 

If that’s what customers want, it’s smart business for DW to provide.

(Yes, that applies on more than one level.)

There are VLD comic books being released by LionForge Comics, are those considered canon? Do LM and JDS have any involvement? They take place before Season 7and8 but I don't wanna support the original EPs.

Every fandom has its own stand on what counts as canon. Sometimes (especially with adaptations) you’ll find fandoms being explicit as to whether they’re book or movie (ie HP and LotR). I expect the same will eventually shake out in VLD’s fandom, too. 

From everything I’ve heard, Hedrick and Iverson were handed the comics and ran with it. I suppose that would argue for seeing the comics as canon, being they were written by people also writing the main series... but from what I can tell, it’s one-way. The show affected the comics, but nothing in the comics ever affected the series.

That said, your purchases have nothing to do with the original EPs. All you’re doing is telling DW you like the VLD-iteration of Voltron.

What are your thoughts on the final vld poster? I feel like it’s missing the end. Allura is randomly staring back into nothing.

It’s a clever idea to do a poster for each season, but it’s not something I’ve ever paid any attention to, really. If it were drawn by the head writer? That might mean the artist had more insight than, say, a storyboarder or animator. But even then... cool picture, still not-canon. I’m only interested in canon.

Do you think that Voltron was rushed purposely by the EP's. [...] Wouldn't this effect the quality of, well, everything? I feel as if they got frustrated with the show at that point and just wanted out.

Dude. There are times I sit here and just stare into space, bewildered yet again not just at the thought of 39 episodes released in one year --- but doing that with 26 as a last-minute cut-and-paste rearrangement. All I can tell you is that what I’ve seen from animation people and aficionados (and friends) is that three full seasons in one calendar year is just bonkers. 

If DW hadn’t wanted the schedule that packed, the EPs aren’t the ones getting the say. That’s a DW-Netflix thing. I really wonder whether DW used VLD as a guinea pig. TH went a year between S1 and S2, and the numbers slumped badly. Perhaps DW wanted to know if more episodes, more often, would keep fan interest high? DW has experienced execs, but they’re all from broadcast; how you arrange and time things in the brave new world of binge-watching is a completely different beast. 

So, it’s possible it was less of a rush job to get the show out, and more from a desire to see what'd happen to release so much, so close together. 

I still think it’s a bonkers schedule, though.

"Relaunch the whole property" sounds like they won't continue expanding the whole vld universe and they'll make a new itineration. Though if they do a spin-off it'd likely be on the vld universe surrounding the new "Legendary Defenders" from the epilogue. And "especially given the response" do you think after the negative response from s8, wouldn't be better for WEP to not keep working with Dreamworks? Or maybe they need to clean their brand from vld fiasco? What can you say about all of this?

I can say you might try re-reading, because boy is that a radical interpretation of the text. Remember, Jeremy was speaking before S8, and all indication is that he was caught off-guard as much as the fans. Re-read in light of Jeremy (at the time) appearing to expect S8 to be a crowd-pleaser.   

...I'm becoming more confident in my belief that DW has something planned for Voltron. I mean they are still heavily promoting the show, LionForge is still publishing Voltron comics, and merchandise is still being made. These don't seem like the actions of a company trying to get people to forget a show. 

You’re not wrong. Up to the last few days of 2018, DW gave every indication they wanted S8 quietly buried. Nothing they’ve done since has fit that pattern --- including the anomaly of failing to announce their 2019 series. Something is going on, that’s for certain. 

Did DW really just throw the VAs to the wolves [for] three days? and there's still no official stance? One panel was enough. They had [the VAs] take the heat for them? But thankfully fans felt sorry for them? Which could also have been the goal, shut the fans up [with] the VAs of the characters who got the worst treatment and who love their characters ... Yes DW this really makes me trust you /sarcasm/

I don’t think that was the original plan. Let’s pretend DW released its 2019 schedule via press release in the first few days of January, and among those was an announcement of a VLD sequel or spinoff, coming late 2019. 

People wouldn’t be fussing over putting the VAs through three panels. They’d be complaining we didn’t get the biggest room for every panel. The majority of the fandom doesn’t trust the EPs, and is wary of DW --- really, the only ones who retain any goodwill, at this point, are the VAs. So who better than to assure a nervous fandom about the goodness of the second iteration than the VAs whose characters were most shafted by the first iteration?

What breaks this is that immediately after S8 dropped, Josh and Kimberly went silent on twitter. AJ slipped into passive-aggressive snarking; Jeremy fell off the radar and usually he’s pretty interactive with his fans. Bex pretty much wiped  VLD from her stream, possibly including deleting older tweets. Neil tried to engage and made a hash of it, bless his heart. 

Josh and Kimberly are consummate professionals who reliably promote the series after every season drop, but their radio silence continued for almost two weeks. This wasn’t the first season that came saddled with controversy; if there was a time to go quiet, it was after S7. Something else was going on. 

I have strong suspicions backed by research, but if I’m right, I’d be stepping on a major legal landmine. In the interest of not getting blown up, I’ll only say that the VAs appearing for those three panels (and their low-key and mostly diplomatic hedging around VLD’s conclusion) was a good sign that all parties involved are willing to work things out.   

[DW was] quick to handle the Season 7 backlash and have stayed mum on what is arguably a much worse reaction to the 8th and final season.

and

I believe the S8 of voltron we got was not the original ending we were supposed to get and highly edited. My question is why? What was the point of changing the original ending? [The] radio silence from DW and the cast is driving me nuts. I wish DW would make a statement.

DW is in an interesting place. Its TV side is barely five years old, but dominated by execs with long-time broadcast experience, predating vibrant interactivity afforded by platforms like twitter, tumblr, or instagram. DW’s background as a theatrical company also seems to incline it away from any ongoing engagement with the audience. It releases a movie and by the time that hits theaters, DW is onto the next thing. 

It’s a strong contrast with production studios like Zagtoon (Miraculous), who penned an open letter to their fandom about production delays. Or little studios like Wonderstorm (The Dragon Prince) whose deft use of twitter and tumblr sets their brand apart. Or Federator (Castlevania), with their witty marketing campaigns and willingness to engage with fans. Even Disney was willing to be open about its errors with Tiana, and to make clear how it was striving to do better --- so there’s no excuse that only small studios do such outreach.

My guess is that DW's core leadership is from the school of business in which admitting a mistake is tantamount to ritual suicide. Don’t blink first, or maybe the rule is never let them see you sweat, but whatever it is, DW is turning into a textbook case of how silence can damage a brand. 

Companies have multiple avenues to reach customers directly, now. Our modern technologies are a two-way street, and good companies leverage that to create not passive fandoms but active communities. It takes work, careful planning, and some level of transparency --- something old-school execs find highly uncomfortable, to be honest --- but in this day and age, those are crucial building-blocks to achieving any kind of audience loyalty.

DW isn’t going to render itself obsolete (at least not overnight), but it's on a track to end up as the studio whose work audiences only watch when there’s nothing better being offered. Unfortunately for DW, there’s a hell of a lot of other studios out there, and they're all offering something better. 

[marvelandponder]

Lost Episodes? Well, You Better Go Find Them!

Ever browse through the internet looking for the lost ideas that never made it air? Have you gone to conventions just to hear the insight on what the show staff left out? Are you already on board thus defeating the purpose of me giving a third example?

As a fan who enjoys the occasional interview, commentary, or behind-the-scenes tid-bit, that describes me pretty well. 

I always like hearing the stories we could’ve gotten. To me, there’s an element of intrigue, and the same feeling I get hearing urban legends except with the confirmation that this was in fact true information.

This month we saw the revival of the script for Fame and Misfortune, a story M.A. Larson wrote around the time the staff was writing the 5th season that was then retooled and edited to fit with the current season. In honour of that lost script getting new life, I thought I’d go through and find all the coolest lost content MLP never had to offer!

Of course, to super fans, this may not be new information (I don’t have access to the pony version of the deep web quite yet...), but hopefully there will be some surprises in here for even those who seek out the lost and unknown...

Honourable Mention Section

Debunked Nightmare Moon the Villain for ALL of Season 1: This has since been corrected by Lauren Faust, but the original rumour was that Faust planned for the show to be a serialized, on-going story, and that instead of being defeated in the first two episodes, Nightmare Moon was supposed to reign over Equestria for all 26 episodes. We now know Lauren always planned for the show to be an ensemble comedy, but it was a very cool rumour nonetheless - Source (x)

Lost Pinkie Pie Songs by Amy Keating Rogers: In the Season 1 finale The Best Night Ever, Amy Keating Rogers says Pinkie was meant to sing a few more songs that she wrote for her. These would’ve been the standard early seasons Pinkie songs, one being called the Pinkie Conga - Source: (x)

The Hub Commercials: While not exactly lost (and hence not on the list), new fans of the show might not have been around before the switch from the Hub to Discovery Family, and have no idea about these hidden gems. These relics include, but aren’t limited to an April Fools series trailer for a Cowboy BeBop inspired Spike spinoff called Dragonfire, a dub of the 2014 Maleficent trailer by the official cast with Discord as Maleficent, and a parody of Kay Perry’s California Girls called Equestria Girls that predates the series of the same name! 

3 Scootaloo Episodes Dealing with her Disability in the First 2 Seasons: Since we ended up getting an episode that dealt with this topic in the form of Flight to the Finish, this didn’t quite make the list, but it almost did based on the fact that was originally supposed to be an arc. Scootaloo would’ve taken 3 episodes to learn that she would never fly and achieve her dream of being like Rainbow Dash, according to Lauren Faust, but ultimately, the little squirt would learn her real worth didn’t depend on her wings or abilities - Source: (x)

Lightning Dust’s Redemption: Anybody out there holding out for hope for Lightning Dust? What if I told you she could’ve already been redeemed? Well, it’s true. Our good friend Megan McCarthy released two portions of the original ending on her Twitter, including one where Lightning Dust become Rainbow Dash’s wing pony (Source: x):

Derpy’s Deleted Flashback Scene, The Last Roundup: Remember how people got mad about Derpy’s voice and clumsy behaviour? Well that was nothing compared to the destruction they had planned. Originally, there was going to be a flashback to Derpy accidentally destroying the town hall, thus giving the episode an inciting incident. Amy Keating Rogers let us in on the original scene (Source: x x), and well, it wouldn’t have ended pretty:

With those out of the way, let’s get to the real list of unreleased goodness! Remember, all of these have been confirmed, and you can check the sources as they’re provided for proof.

#10. Lauren Faust’s Big Mac Episode

Imagine a timeline where we got a Big Mac episode in season 1. Now imagine that was going to be our timeline.

Lauren Faust originally planned to have an episode starring Big Mac that featured the then monosyllabic stallion going through his daily life with his three outspoken family members. She’s described it on her Deviantart thusly:

“Big Mac is a stallion of little words. He just keeps his opinions to himself. I think he knows he's around three opinionated mares and it's easiest to just go with the flow. We had a Big Mac centered episode idea where he was helping all three of them one day, just going along with what they wanted to keep the peace (the running gag being that his three family members were quite verbose and he spoke only with facial expressions) but finally got fed up and took off. The Apple ladies worried that they had taken his easy going nature for granted and made a big production out of apologizing and promising not to take him for granted ever again, only to find out that he went into town to get another hand- er, hoof- to help. Of course the only words he'd say were to graciously accept their apologies and promises anyway. I thought it was cute and I LOVE non-verbal gags and acting in cartoons, but it was turned down.” - Source: (x) 

We clearly never got the episode, but MLP comics issues #9 and 10, Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair, did end up following Big Mac through a chaotic day and relying mostly on his expression to get across his feelings. Whether this mini-arc was inspired by the lost episode, we may never know, but we got a good story out of it all the same. Eeyup.

#9. Rainbow and Applejack Help a Deer Family Episode

Once again, Lauren Faust provides! Since working on the show, Faust has said that one of the early episode concepts involved Rainbow Dash and Applejack stumbling across a deer family with a young pony who thought he was a deer. Perhaps cut for its similarities to Over a Barrel, the episode’s conflict would’ve centered around RD and AJ taking sides of the issue on whether or not to burst the “deer’s” bubble.

Ironically, Applejack and Rainbow Dash took surprising positions on the issue, given their Elements: Rainbow Dash wanted to break the news to the pony, whereas Applejack wanted to leave well enough alone.

Jokes about their Elements being switched aside, I would imagine this episode would’ve established the depth of their characters outside of their roles as the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow Dash would rather speak her mind and be blunt and deal with the consequences afterward despite her loyalty, and Applejack would rather tell a lie if it meant keeping a family together.

In my opinion, this most likely would’ve set precedent that even the each of the Mane 6′s Elements have areas of exception, and those areas reveal something about each pony.

And, if all that wasn’t cool enough for you, this episode also took place in White Tail Woods, which is where it got the name that stuck with the show despite the episode concept being lost. You can still find White Tail Woods on the official map to this day.

Source: (x)

#8. The Curious Case of FlutterDragon

Here’s a famous one, but a fascinating one: Normally during conventions like Comic Con or BronyCon, when a voice actor gives out information on an upcoming season, it’s pretty reliable (unless it’s obviously a joke).

So, the Comic Con before season 3 rolled around, and as usual, we were getting a lot great information on the upcoming season. Trixie would be returning? There would be a Twilight and Spike duet? Score! One piece of information that stood out, however, was from Tabitha St. Germain, who as you most likely know voices Rarity and Luna.

She said that her favourite recording session was for the episode that “Fluttershy turns into a dragon.”

Not the episode where Fluttershy faces a dragon or anything like that that had already aired. 

Megan McCarthy eventually had to debunk this theory via Twitter, but I kept this on the list because it came from an official source all the same. A recording session that never made it to air that, to this day, hasn’t been explained? Now that’s mysterious.

I have to wonder if that was a warm-up of some sort, just to get the voice actresses in character. Of all the staff members, Tabitha is one of the least likely to just troll the fandom, so I still have to believe she was truly referencing something. Even Andrea Libman, Fluttershy herself, seemed to know what she was talking about as Tabitha described it being funny hearing Fluttershy’s soft voice coming out of a giant dragon.

The story behind this pick alone is enough to make me wonder...

Source: (x)

#7. Rarity’s Deleted Scene in Luna Eclipsed

Have you ever noticed that there’s one pony missing in Luna Eclipsed? 

Well, Rarity originally had a scene that explains her absence. Lauren Faust to the rescue again!:

“...May I ask why Rarity wasn't in it? Lauren: She was in the script. Sounds like she got cut. Kitmit: What was she supposed to do in the script? You think she would of made herself some fabulous nightmare night costume... Lauren: She was still working on her costume, and perfectionist as she is, it wasn't ready. (I forget what it was.) There was a whole sequence where Twilight brought Luna to Rarity's for a makeover, hoping she could give Luna a "softer," less intimidating look. Rarity freaked out about getting to dress up a Princess and over did it, covering her in the pinkiest pink princess get up ever. Luna disliked it and in taking it off, had a piece of the dress in her mouth. Pinkie showed up just at that moment and screamed that Nightmare Moon ate a princess and all the kids screamed and ran. Source - (x)

Rarity’s over-dramatics most likely would’ve made this scene hilarious had it made it to the final cut, and honestly, that’s all I need to say. Tabitha St. Germain might’ve spread the FlutterDragon rumour by accident, but she’s one hell of a comedic voice actress, and her playing off of herself and Tara Strong for a scene could’ve been a stellar performance.

At least we know where Rarity was the whole time now... and judging by Scare Master, she learned her lesson and just went with something less than utter perfection the year after. Does that count as character development?

#6. Zecora’s Mentor Role

This might be common knowledge for hardcore fans as well, but in hindsight it’s such a loss that it deserves it’s own spot.

Zecora has become critically underutilized, especially in later seasons, but that wasn’t always meant to be the case. Zecora was originally meant to fill the mentor role in Twilight’s life while Celestia was busy in Canterlot. Of course, Twilight would still write to Celestia for guidance, but Faust also said:

“If we had penned more adventure stories, the only difference I can think of is that perhaps you would have seen more of Luna and Zecora.  Zecora was designed to be a sage and mentor to whom the ponies could go for information about their quests. She was designed to be a second mentor to Twilight, but that didn’t come to pass.”  Source: (x)

We can see bits of this throughout the series, though, in episodes like Secret of My Excess, The Cutie Pox, and Magic Duel. 

If she were Twilight’s second mentor, it might have even been interesting to have a conflict between Zecora and Celestia about some kind of magic, leaving Twilight in the middle to struggle with the fact that both of the authority figures might not be teaching her the right solution, and it’s up to her to decide. Just some speculation, based on where Twilight’s character would’ve been at the time...

Perhaps Zecora’s role can be reclaimed in the future, as she’s included in more episodes to come. But for now, we can only think of what might’ve been.

#5. Sunset’s Duet, Homesickness Storyline, and Alternate Ending to Friendship Games

Okay, so this is definitely well known, but given just how well-constructed and nearly finalized this story-arc was, I couldn’t leave it off the list! Plus, something something Sunset Shimmer bias.

Thanks to the Friendship Games DVD extras, you can watch all the deleted scenes, including the duet, over here if you’ve never seen them:

I always found the parallels drawn so satisfying, even if the alternate ending had Sci-Twi leaving for Crystal Prep.

In hindsight, what’s even more interesting is that they’ve seemed to go in the opposite direction with Sunset: when she finally did return to Equestria, it was rather reluctantly, and only briefly. Despite the fact that she has friends and an ex-mentor on the other side, she seems to be eager to stay in the human world.

Or, maybe she’s avoiding somepony...

Seeing how completely opposite things could’ve turned out is fascinating in and of itself.

#4. Lost Slice of Life Gags

How could that episode get any crazier? Slice of Life is already the epitome of our absolutely wild fandom, what more could there be?

Well, of course, M.A. Larson does not disappoint for this list, providing some insight into missing scenes like a Devil Went Down to Georgia inspired cello battle between Octavia and King Sombra.

In fact, there’s a whole list of cuts:

“In the first draft Vinyl Scratch's talked, but they told him she doesn't talk, so it was removed in phase 2. 

The original Vinyl Scratch and Octavia scene involved Vinyl crashing at Octavia's house and destroying her sofa. So she goes to Quills and Sofas to buy a new one. They weren't originally roommates, but The Hub and Hasbro made them roommates.

Flash Sentry was originally in the script. He was following Cranky asking why no one likes him.

Another cut scene was a group of ponies coming in, and a group of their recolor ponies running into them, followed by awkwardness.

His original reason for not wanting to bowl, was because he had trauma as a kid where he couldn't figure out the physics behind it, which lead to his science focused career.

Outside of episode 100, there was originally a cut scene where after Twilight is coronated, Rainbow Dash and her fly around Equestria, eventually ending up in dragonland where they do a musical scene.There was a scene where Derpy is saying "I don't know what to do doc! I don't know what to do!" and the camera pans over to reveal Dr. Caballeron, revealing Derpy at the wrong table with the wrong doctor.  Gags like this were throughout the entire original script.

After everyone is gone and in the town hall, the bat ponies and royal guards are outside doing silly impressions of Princess Luna and Celestia. "Every day shall be cake day!". 

At one point, Lyra tells Bonbon to "stop using that ridiculous voice!" to make fun of her other voices. 

In the script, Gummy had a french accent. 

There was a moment where Doctor Whooves is running up to Carousel Boutique, and he sees Opal and Tom.

 A scene between Coco Pommel and the pony from season one in Boast Busters with the green mane that Rarity accidently insults was cut. She had a full green wedding ensemble on with Coco's stamp of approval, and said she couldn't wait until Rarity saw it as revenge. Coco Pommel then says she doesn't really like green, and asks for anything in pink. 

The original ending had the hugging scene with the mane 6 being their usual end-of-episode corny selves, but the camera pans to the sunset where a changeling army is flying in...”

Source: (x)

This episode went through a lot of research and development to get just right, and even I would’ve loved to see all of that be left in, we ultimately only have so much run-time per episode.

But if that weren’t enough to convince of why I admire M.A. Larson as a writer...

#3. Fillidelphia Ragtime 

I suppose you might be wondering how a single undeveloped episode idea can beat out all that Slice of Life goodness.

Well, it comes down to structure, adult (but nowhere near too adult) implications, and a really intriguing idea.

I’ll let Larson make the pitch himself:

(55:24-57:50)

Larson pretty much immediately sold me on this. I think because there’s a part of me that loves implying the maturity of these characters without going into it for the kids sake, and honestly, it would be so much damn fun.

This episode was never meant to be, it seems, but damn is it ever a good premise.

2.5. Twilight Nearly Resigns From Being a Princess

Note: I stumbled on this one late in the game and instead of bumping something off the list, I decided to cheat and give you all an extra pick. I’m a stinker that way.

We know Twilight wasn’t always so sure about herself as the Princess of Friendship, but did you know she almost gave it up?

“In "Amending Fences," Twilight is at her lowest low and goes to visit Celestia in the middle of the night. She tells her mentor that she has to give up her role as princess of friendship because of how her past actions have affected Moondancer. She says, "How can I tell others about the magic of friendship if I've killed that spirit in somepony else?" Celestia then surprises her by saying that the lesson Twilight is in Canterlot to learn is one that she herself has only recently learned. Twilight is surprised...Celestia knows everything about everything. But Celestia looks out the window at the moon and says, "Some relationships are so broken, so filled with bitterness and anger that they seem impossible to mend. But the lesson you're here to learn now is that it's never too late to repair a broken friendship." So Celestia uses her own experience, her gradual rebuilding of trust and friendship with her own sister, to tell Twilight that everyone goes through it. This gives Twilight the hope that she can fix things with Moondancer. I thought it was a nice scene, but you only have 22 minutes and this was an easy cut.”

Source: (x)

Easy cut my ass! That’s a huge deal! Twilight would’ve come through in the end anyway, but it’s still interesting to know how close she could’ve come to giving it all up...

#2. Seapony Two-Parter

Seaponies? In G4? Don’t be ridiculous....

But it was true. One of Lauren Faust’s ideas at that. She would’ve designed them after the sea ponies of the first generation, with a plot sounding preeetty darn cool:

“Hasbro never asked for seaponies, but other ideas that had nothing to do with them. Lauren was hoping for a two-episode special so that she could have the proper build up and payoff for the seaponies, but the idea never came up. Lauren planned for the style of the seaponies to be the same as G1 with seapony bodies and pony heads. While Lauren didn't have the seaponies in her show bible, she had a plan for incorporating them. The episodes included one of the seaponies washing up on the Equestrian beach and begging for their kingdom to be helped. Their kingdom would be in the Equestrian Ocean, drawing inspiration from Greek and European mythology. She even thought about using the Kraken as a villain.” Source: (x)

Undersea shenanigans and the chance to make a genuinely terrifying sea monster the villain sounds perfect, to be honest. This may not have fit within the schedule for the first two seasons Lauren helped work on, but lo and behold, we’re finally getting around to the fish-horses one way or another! I find it hilarious that in G4, they’re almost majestic and carry with them some sort of epic quest for the girls.

Shoo-be-doo, indeed.

#1. The Series Finale Version of Magical Mystery Cure

After all this time, Magical Mystery Cure holds up in some regards (Celestia’s Ballad is gorgeous no matter what, the animation is beautiful, etc.) but good pacing, it was doomed to never have. Writer M.A. Larson asked the studio execs if they could make it a two-parter, because at the time this was going to be it, they really didn’t know if the show would be renewed. Buut Hasbro said no, so a two-part story had to be crammed into a single episode.

Even with that aside, what was the series finale of MLP going to be like?

Larson recalls that his original script was more a Pandora’s box story than anything else. Celesita sent Twilight a box and, by letter, told her student to wait for her to get there to go over the high level magic inside. Celestia’s mistake was telling Twilight this would lead to a new level of her studies.

Twilight, of course, couldn’t handle waiting to see the amazing magic within, and just like Friendship Games, her curiosity would’ve gotten the better of her. Which, of course, is when she would’ve unleashed the cutie mark swapping spell.

Celestia would then send Twilight a letter that just read My faithful student, what have you done?

To imply that even Celestia herself couldn’t handle this.

In both versions of Magical Mystery Cure, our favourite reader becomes an author of a spell, but in Larson’s story it’s a bit more clear as to what exactly Twilight’s spell does.

Twilight wasn’t just finishing a spell to create new magic (which... only seems to undo what the first part of the spell does), she was rewriting a spell that was already in existence. The words even rearranged on the page for her.

Granted, I like the idea of Twilight standing on the shoulders of giants to earn her wings (finishing Starswirl’s spell) but what a way to end the series: with the book that opened in the first episode closing, implying that Twilight and her friends became legends.

But, in the end, I’m glad we didn’t get that version of Magical Mystery Cure, because what we did get, and what came after, was worth anything that was lost.

More Pony? I’ve got that! I do reviews and editorials! Check out the last three things I’ve done here:

Fame and Misfortune, Triple Threat, and Campfire Tales Reviews

Year of the Pony

Featured Artists of the Post Include:

Derpy’s Accident by GlancoJusticar Apple Siblings Vector by 773her Bramble Vector by CheeseDoodle96 FlutterDragon by Skyfries Rarity’s Nightmare Night by GlancoJusticar Zecora Vector by Stabzor Sunset Vector by KeronianNiroro Sombra Vector by Fercho262 Octavia Vector by WishDream Applejack Vector by Midnite99 Rainbow Dash Seapony Vector by GreenMachine987 Twilight Picture by The Shadow Stone 

Go check out these talented artists! They’re nice enough to work really hard to make these vectors available with credit, so go appreciate their talent and hard work!

What Never Was and Might’ve Been

[btsgroupchat]

Away From Home Pt. 9

Word count: 4,782

A/N: l can’t believe I finished the chapter…lol But for those of you who are still reading it and keeping up with the series, I hope it was worth the wait 😭 Thank you so so much for your support and patience, you all know who you are 😉

< Part 8      

You spend the next few weeks texting Jimin despite his busy schedule. Although you feel guilty about talking to him because of his promise to Taehyung to keep his distance, you can’t help but feel better about having him back in your life.

One Saturday afternoon you find yourself shopping with Soojan, and your ever so perceptive roommate instantly catches wind of your phone abuse.

“That thing is like glued to your hand.” She glances up from the clothes rack she’s been sifting through for the past fifteen minutes. “I thought you said you wanted to look for a new outfit.”

“I am looking,” you pathetically lie. You allow yourself to type up the last of your message to Jimin before shoving your phone into your pocket. You haven’t touched a single article of clothing since the two of you walked into the store.

“You’re such a bad liar,” she retorts as she goes back to her rack. “So who’s the lucky guy, huh?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You absentmindedly pluck a dress off a rack and press it to your frame.

“I can tell when something’s going on.  You’ve been smiling like an idiot all morning.”

You consider for a moment whether or not to tell her about rekindling with Jimin, but you opt not to. For now you stick with attempting to keep her in the dark, which you quickly find to be difficult as she tries to sneak glances at your phone for the remainder of the day.

By the time you guys leave the mall – you haven’t found a single thing while Soojan managed to pick out three outfits – it is just short before dinner. You grab some take out on the way home and later find yourself seated at Soojan’s desk huddled around her computer.

“So why do I have to watch this with you?” You pluck your chopsticks apart as you watch her scurry for her laptop charger.

“Because it’s BTS. They’re having a live interview and everyone should be watching it.”

You hadn’t tried very hard to turn her down but you would never admit to her that you were curious to see the interview. This was your only way of checking in with Taehyung and seeing him in person.

The MC walks onto the set and begins to talk up the crowd as he prepares to introduce the members. You reach for your food before your phone buzzes against your leg. It’s a text from Jimin.

        Are you watching the interview?

Soojan glances at you from the corner of her eye, so you tilt your screen away and hastily reply.

        Yes. Roommate forcing me out of my will.

You’re about to put it away before it buzzes in rapid succession once more.

        We have to introduce ourselves

        I’ll throw you a shout out

Before you can reply, Soojan is squealing as members of BTS begin filing onto the set. The boys are all dressed in similar fashion, dark clothing with silver or gold chains hanging from their necks. Your roommate is making a fuss about Min Yoongi, but you are too busy staring at Taehyung.

He looks thinner than you remember, but he has a bright smile on his face. The members quickly go down the line and introduce themselves and you are almost too hung up on Taehyung’s signature rectangular smile that you almost miss Jimin’s introduction.

The rest of the members had opted for a curt bow and a cute smile, but Jimin opts for something else. Your mouth hangs open as you watch him pucker his lips and wink, something that drives the crowd wild.

Soojan stares in disbelief and catches your own reaction. “Oh my god” she squeals. “Don’t tell me you stan Park Jimin!”

“What?! No way! I just can’t believe how much of a flirt he’s become,” you quickly respond without missing a beat.

She hums in agreement. “How can someone who looks like a fluffy cinnamon roll dance like a professional stripper? It’s unreal.”

You sit in silence for the remainder of the interview, zoning in and out of Soojan’s comments. You can’t seem to focus on anything else but Taehyung. His hair is bright orange and cut short, something that makes you smile to yourself because it fits him so well. His skin is pale in contrast, not the golden tan you were used to seeing. In fact, you can’t even remember the last time you had seen him.

Since you stopped watching their promo videos, you hadn’t really been paying close attention. Is he eating well and getting enough sleep? Does he have enough time for himself to wind down after a long day of practice? You watch him carefully through the screen to see if you can find any kind of sign or hint but the Taehyung you watch is not one that you know.

For the most part he is his usual charismatic and bubbly self, yet you can tell that he is putting on a show. This isn’t Taehyung your best friend of many years - this is Taehyung of BTS. This is the Taehyung that the world gets to see, the one he wants to show everyone, including you.

You immediately lose your appetite. You have never felt more of a stranger to him in all the years you have known him. Here you are watching him through a screen…what makes you any different from the millions watching him as well?

You attempt to distract yourself by watching Jimin instead. He is the same charming person on camera and you notice how anything he says or does easily makes the other members laugh or smile. He seems a bit shy as he covers his face whenever he laughs or someone compliments him, but you find it endearing with the stark differences of his real life persona.

For the remainder of the night, you secretly hide under the covers and watch the interview over again. The first few times you told yourself it was to catch anything that you may have missed, but after the fourth time you couldn’t deny that you just wanted to see Taehyung.

A notification from Jimin interrupts your sixth rerun.

        What did you think?

You blink in astonishment.

        Your shout out or the interview?

He replies almost instantly.

        Both! You caught it, right?

You can’t help but smile.

        The interview was great and now you’ve officially stolen the hearts of everyone who was watching.

Another instant reply from his end.

        Does that include you?

You don’t respond right away, you’re not sure why his comment has you so flustered. You resurface from your blankets and put your phone aside, meaning to reply once you’ve thought of a response, but you instead lie there thinking about Jimin and Taehyung until you drift off into sleep.

Days blend into weeks and weeks into months, and soon you find that you’re already halfway into the second semester. By the end of the semester you were going to have to declare your major, something you haven’t really been giving much thought.

It wasn’t really something you liked talking about but one day you find yourself in a call with Jimin, something he rarely has time for but always insists upon when he does.

“What do you like doing the most?”

He had been trying to help you find what you were passionate about when you first told him about your current situation. You never really enjoyed any of the subjects you had to take for your general education classes, but you did enjoy that one music appreciation class you took last year with Soojan.

“We had to listen to a bunch of different genres of music and write about it…it was actually more technical than I thought it would be. I suppose I also enjoy editing pictures and videos.”

Jimin hums thoughtfully on the other end of the line. It’s true, you liked editing photos as a hobby and even once ventured into making a few video edits for several class projects.

“Maybe you can be a video director? Or a producer?”

You give his suggestions some thought but don’t dwell on it for very long. “Maybe. I have a few months left to figure it out, so we’ll see what happens.”

He wishes you luck before diving into a new subject. “Hey so…we have our first fan meet and greet next month. We haven’t promoted it yet, but I thought…” You can hear the hesitation in his voice.

“You thought I could come by and check it out?”

“Yeah!”

Jimin’s voice is a bit too loud, and you’ve come to tell that it happens when he’s nervous.

“We’ll see.”

You know you’re probably not going to go, but you don’t want to let him down completely. He doesn’t seem to catch on, and his excitement over takes his nerves.

“You’re the best! I’ll give you more details about it when it gets closer.”

Jimin spends the last few minutes of the call talking about his past week – they’ve been practicing a new choreo nonstop and trying to sync it for their music video. He’s in the middle of telling a story when you make out the sound of people walking into his room in rowdy chaos. An all too familiar deep voice makes you freeze.

“Who are you talking to, Jiminnie?”

You can only imagine Jimin has frozen on the other end as well. You hear him hastily shrug you off as “just an old friend” before turning back to you to quickly end the call. You sit up in disbelief, Taehyung’s deep voice still playing on repeat in your mind. So close yet so far away…

The only thing stopping you from reaching out to Taehyung is not knowing how. His phone was your only real source of communication and now that he’s gotten a new one, you’re not sure how else to reach him. You’ve considered asking Jimin for it but given that you’re not even supposed to be talking to him, you’re not sure it’s such a good idea. Would Taehyung just get upset if he finds out you two have been talking all this time?

For the next couple of days, you try to distract yourself with schoolwork. You’re doing relatively well in all of your classes, but the biggest thing pressing for you right now is declaring your major.

Much to Jimin’s dismay, you don’t make it out to the fan meet but he understands when you tell him you have a lot on your plate. The following day you have a meeting with your academic advisor as the deadline that once seemed far away has arrived.

For the past couple of weeks, you’ve sat yourself down almost every night to figure out your career path. You thought of all the talks you had with Jimin where he tried to help you figure out what your passion is and kept a note of the things that you could think of. By the time you two talk on the phone again, you can hardly contain your excitement.

“Business?” His voice is soft with traces of excitement on the other end, signaling that he is tired from a long day of practice.

“Well, and a minor actually. I thought I’d take on music too.”

“That’s great! So why those two, though?”

You recollect the meeting with your academic advisor, the short man excited for your choice but realistic enough to inform you how hard the endeavor would be. But you were certain this is what you wanted. Music has always been a secret passion to you thanks to Taehyung, but you wanted to be able to create something from that.

“I’d like to be a producer someday. Maybe start my own company or something.”

Jimin whistles on the other end of the line but congratulates you for finding your career path. He continues to talk about the possibilities of the career you’ve chosen and even jokes about working with you sometime in the future. Who knows, maybe this will also somehow bring you back to Taehyung. Especially since watching him through your screen makes him feel so far away…

The next time you see Jimin, he’s wearing another face mask and a black cap low enough to conceal his eyes. You can’t help but laugh at his incognito appearance.

“I think this just makes you stand out more,” you half joke as he gives you a big hug.

“I’m doing this for you, you know. If you’re caught out in public with me, it could mean trouble for you.”

“Somehow I doubt that. If anything, I don’t want to damage your image.”

He gives you a soft smile and a shake of his head as he leads you towards the parked vehicle around the corner. You smile to his driver as you climb into the car, asking Jimin where he plans on taking you today. He doesn’t tell you right away, just a nervous smile and a reassuring pat on the back.

The car ride is quiet for the most part, a peaceful kind of quiet that you don’t mind. Somewhere along the ride, Jimin rests his hand on your knee, something you don’t pay much attention to until he starts rubbing his thumb in slow circles as he absentmindedly stares out the window. Confused, you shift in your seat and cross your legs in a subtle attempt to escape.

He seems to snap out of whatever was keeping him occupied because he instantly pulls his hand away in reflex as if burned, apologies tumbling from his lips. You try to laugh it off to ease the tension, but the faint red glow on his cheeks indicate his embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, I just…missed you.”

You respond with a smile, trying again to ease the tension. “I’ve missed you too, Jimin.”

“We don’t get much free time from our schedules, so I don’t get to see a lot of my friends. I’m constantly around the boys, so it’s nice to be with someone else for a while.”

“How is that?” you ask him before you can stop yourself.

“They boys are great, but sometimes we all need our space. Jungkook loves to mess with us and sometimes I want to strangle him. The other day at the dance studio, he took Seokjin’s clothes from the bathroom when he was showering. He was forced to walk around in a towel until he found them. It can get tiring after a while.”

You picture the youngest member, his short black hair and dark eyes that always seem lost. You find it hard to imagine that someone as soft looking as him can be as mischievous as Jimin describes.

“Who do you consider yourself closest to?” You secretly want Jimin to talk about Taehyung, so you ask him a question you already know the answer to.

“Taehyung, easily.” He scratches the back of his head almost embarrassed, but he has a huge smile on his face. “We’ve had our differences in the past, but he’s so easy to get along with. We just…work so well together.”

Images of Taehyung flash through your mind and you feel a subtle ache of nostalgia as you continue to listen to Jimin talk about your best friend. He talks about him with a newfound fondness and you find it strange how two people can just start over with each other, especially after knowing the history between them.

After a considerable amount of time passes, the car pulls up to a lavish two-story house in a gated suburb. You pan the area and notice all the lawns in the community are neatly cut, the streets kept clean, and the houses all uniform with neatly trimmed bushes lining their borders.

The front door is slightly open and you can hear loud music pumping through a set of speakers. There are a number of voices inside, none which you recognize, and Jimin pushes his way through the door to be met with a bunch of cheering and screams.

His radiant smile has you distracted for a second before you scan the room to find no one you immediately recognize.

“Sorry I’m late, I was picking up a friend,” he cheerfully greets as a few people around the room come by to shake his hand or give him a pat on the back.

A brown headed girl with short hair swings by and hands you both a red cup filled with a sweet smelling liquid as she brushes against Jimin’s arm with a flirty smile. Jimin smiles back with less interest and leads you further into the room where a few people are playing beer pong by the back door.

“What is this, Jimin?” you question as he takes a sip of his drink.

“It’s a small party for the dance team,” he trails off with a sheepish look on his face.

“Oh, are these dancers from your company?”

“Not really,” he looks out the back screen door in an attempt to keep himself distracted.

You’re a bit skeptical with his vagueness but before you have the chance to ask, the people in the room begin to cheer again. You turn your attention towards the door and freeze when you see a familiar red-headed female entering the room with bags of drinks. Her attention immediately shoots to Jimin before her eyes fall onto you, the dark orbs glinting with acknowledgment.

She drops her bags by the door as a few people swarm to get them assembled in the kitchen and comes rushing over to you in glee.

“Oh my god Jimin, you should have told me you were going to bring ______!”

You blink back in disbelief, confused by her over dramatic display of affection as she envelops you in a hug. “Hi May Lee,” you manage to get out through her excessive squeeze of a hug.

She takes a step back to look you over and beams as she claps her hands together in satisfaction. “You look good, I’m so happy you’re here!”

Jimin doesn’t say much, but just nervously smiles back at her when she greets him. She excuses herself to help set things up and you take this time to turn an accusing eye towards him.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I know i should have told you where we were going,” he guiltily rubs the back of his neck. “I just knew that if I mentioned May Lee, you would have automatically said no.”

“I don’t know where you got that idea,” you roll your eyes. “I’m always down to spend time with you.”

Jimin beams to that and apologizes once more. “May Lee’s been planning this for a while, the dance team has these parties at the end of the semester and they invited me since I lead their workshop at the beginning of the year.”

You wave his apology off and take a sip of your mysterious drink, surprised at the taste of sweet nectar with minimal traces of alcohol. You take a few more gulps before Jimin grabs your arm with an amused laugh and cautions you to slow down.

“That’s jungle juice, you know. It may not taste like it but there’s quite a bit of alcohol in there. It’ll catch up to you if you’re not careful.”

You hum back, already feeling the warmth creeping on your cheeks as you follow Jimin into the next room. The two of you are beckoned over by a group of people playing games on the floor and you spend the rest of the day enjoying yourself in Jimin’s company.

Later that evening, you find yourself stumbling outside for fresh air, relishing in the way the crisp night air cools your face. People have been offering you more drinks as the night went on, and you’ve lost track of how many you’ve downed.

You remove your shoes and dip your legs into the pool as you sit back on your hands and enjoy the night. It’s been awhile since you’ve been able to really enjoy yourself. The past semester has been filled with stress and uncertainty, and this is the first time in a while you’ve been able to properly have fun.

You’re not sure how long you’ve been outside until a soft voice interrupts your solitude.

“Whatcha doin out here by yourself?” May Lee clumsily clambers down beside you, grabbing onto your shoulder for support.

She’s drunk. You can smell the alcohol from her lips as she speaks and her cheeks are flushed crimson. Her eyelids flutter at you expectantly and a big smile is plastered on her face.

“Hey, why don’t you come inside and join us? We’re about to play truth or dare!”

She uses your shoulder again for support as she rises and stumbles back into the house. You peek in through the door to see Jimin cross legged on the floor talking to a couple of May Lee’s friends. He looks over at you and motions for you to come over, so you try your best to wipe the water off your legs and join everyone back inside.

Someone hands you a shot which you down without much thought, the golden liquid leaving behind a burning trail down your throat. May Lee is seated on the floor and she blurts out when you finally take a seat by Jimin.

“It’s YOUR turn!” she points a finger at you while drunkenly giggling.

Jimin speaks up in your defense as he turns to address you. “You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.”

But you shake your head, the alcohol buzzing in your system as you clear your throat and straighten your posture. “No, I’m good,” you stare down May Lee as she readies her question.

“Truth or dare?”

She’s watching you closely now, her eyes narrowing and sparkling with mischief as she awaits your answer. Without missing a beat, you take her challenge.

“Dare.”

May Lee seems satisfied as she leans back against the couch and folds her arms against her chest. “I dare you to spin a bottle and make out with the person it lands on.”

Everyone in the room starts whooping and yelling, excited from the unexpected dare. Jimin looks nervous beside you, but you brush him off when he reminds you that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.

Someone brings an empty bottle from the kitchen and you place your hand on it while looking around the room. Before you spin, May Lee makes sure to add that it has to be at least ten seconds, but that doesn’t stop you from going through with it.

The room is silent with anticipation as the bottle comes to a slow halt, stopping just short of May Lee and landing on the tall, dark haired male sitting next to her. You look at him expectantly as he flashes you an encouraging smile, and you can’t help but notice how attractive he is. Everyone starts screaming again when you get up from your spot on the floor and kneel in front of him. He smiles at you and nods, getting up from his seat and mirroring your stance.

From the corner of your eye, you see May Lee slip out her phone, but before you can tell her no pictures allowed, her friend grabs your shoulders and begins to lean in for the kiss. You hesitate for a second, but just long enough for Jimin to grab your arm and pull you up from the floor.

“Jimiiin, you’re ruining all the fun!” May Lee pouts as she lowers her phone from sight.

“That’s enough, May Lee,” Jimin starts to lead you out the door. “We’re leaving now.”

“A dare is a dare,” you protest, just as confused as everyone else in the room. “I really don’t mind.”

He doesn’t say anything as he grips your arm tighter, holding on to you until you’re back in the car. The alcohol has your mind feeling fuzzy, but you can vaguely feel him angrily fussing with your seat belt.

“Are you okay?” You manage to breathe out as you rest your head against the window.

Jimin stares at you with a blank expression, but there’s a fire in his eyes that you haven’t seen before. You decide to reassure him that you’re okay.

“It’s not that.” Despite his lack of expression, he angrily ruffles his hair. “May Lee was up to something.”

“Jimin, it was just a game,” you place a hand on his arm.

“That’s the thing, everything is a game to May Lee. I don’t trust her.”

You’re fully present now as you force the buzzing of the alcohol to the back of your head. Whatever Jimin was upset about goes beyond what just happened in that house. Why would he be friends with someone he doesn’t trust?

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Jimin props his weight on his elbows and buries his face in his hands. “I don’t know what May Lee was planning, but she’s somehow dragged me into it.”

“What are you talking about?” Your stomach clenches with anxiety but you try not to expose the fear in your voice.

“I don’t know, she’s…it’s like she’s always plotting against you or something,” he responds in a quiet voice. “She found out I’ve been talking to you and really pushed me to invite you here.”

“But she acted like she didn’t even know I would show up!”

A small shake of his head tells you that something more is troubling him. It’s only when you decide to keep pressing him on it that he gives in.

“Do you remember the end of the year dance back in high school?”

You raise a brow, curious to hear what he has to offer. “Yes…”

“Remember how you lost Taehyung towards the end and I took you on that walk?”

Memories from that night come rushing back to you - Taehyung’s disappearance, Jimin’s attempt to kiss you, Taehyung’s anger…

“What is this about, Jimin?”

Your friend takes a deep sigh and ruffles his hair again. He sits up straight and looks you in the eye for his confession. “May Lee planned all that. She had someone bump into you to distract you as she took Taehyung away. I was supposed to distract you.”

You blink back at him, not sure how to respond. “Why?”

“Because she was crazy about Taehyung…and she couldn’t stand the fact that you had what she couldn’t.”

“I…Taehyung and I weren’t…”

“I know. But to May Lee, you two may as well have been.”

You take a moment to consider everything, not sure what the proper response should be. A part of you wants to be angry, but it would be over something that happened two years ago and you know it’s not worth it. You are more curious about Jimin.

“So why did you agree to play her game?”

“I don’t know. I guess that’s just the kind of person I was back then.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me our friendship started as a game to you?”

Jimin seems to notice your change of tone because he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “Look, I was only in on it for the hell of it and only doing what I was told. But that’s different now.”

“And what changed?” you demand.

“I didn’t expect to be so drawn to you.”

That’s the second time tonight that Jimin has stumped you. “What do you mean?”

He doesn’t look you straight in the eye but stares out of the window behind you instead. “I don’t know. You’re clever, funny, strong willed…every time we hang out or talk I have a great time. It makes me feel guilty about lying to you and putting you in that situation because you’re such a great person.”

The only source of lights are the dim lamp posts that illuminate the street, but you can see the faint glow of pink that paints his cheeks. You want to be angry at Jimin, but you can’t help but feel flattered that you were the reason for his change of heart. You tease him about it, but he only shyly smiles back at you.

“So our friendship…” you carefully start.

“It’s real.”

You take his hand in yours and give him a small smile. There’s no way you could stay angry at him. He gives you a small squeeze and keeps his hand in yours as he rattles on the compartment window to give the driver directions.

“Let’s get you home.”

Part 10 >