#affected my mom growing up and now she is constantly on alert for anything that could possibly be a critique of her and will throw you

[13eyond13]

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[inkpens-coffee]

So everyone has their own portrayals/headcanons for Akiren’s personality and relationships when they create content with him, I decided to write out how I portray him! ☕️❤️⭐️✨

I love the name Ren Amamiya for him. It’s translation is pretty much Lotus flower in a Rain Palace (so cute!!).

I headcanon him as a trans boy! Pronouns are he/him! 🏳️‍⚧️ He’s gotten top surgery and trains his voice to be deep.

Ren is very shy, quiet and sweet when you first meet him, but once he’s comfortable around someone he becomes a bit more talkative, cheeky and a lil’ bratty.

Country Boy alert! This boy is SO in tune with nature. He loves plants so much, he started a tiny garden in his attic. He uses the herbs and flowers he grows to make spices and sugars for pastries! 🥖🥐🍰

He’s also fascinated with the stars. He likes to sit on the roof of Leblanc at night to stargaze. ⭐️✨

We all know Ren is a cat in a human’s body! He likes chilling in small spaces, cuddling soft things like pillows and plush toys, and taking naps! Number one way to buy his love? Head scritches!

His favorite things to eat (besides Leblanc curry lol) are donuts, bread, cotton candy, sushi, and ramen. He also loves strawberry milk but can’t drink too much or his tummy will hurt.

Ren has an oral fixation. Whenever he’s feeling nervous, stressed or on the verge of an anxiety attack he NEEDS something to chew or suck on. His go to is lollipops because his mother liked them too. If he doesn’t have a lollipop on hand, he’ll just suck his thumb.

Old fashioned boy, can’t figure out how to use today’s devices to save his life.

Only one he uses is a Nintendo Switch to play Animal Crossing and Cooking Mama! still needs help from Futaba sometimes lol

Bless his heart.

Ren is such a sweetie…

He never notices when someone is flirting with him. He can’t take a hint. Send him flowers? Oh nice, he’ll talk your ear off about flowers! Buy him sweets? Good, he was getting hungry! Compliment him? He’ll give you one too! Fr is anyone wants to date this boy they gotta grab him by the face and tell him to him straight.

At the same time, Ren is so sweet he never sees the bad in people. Which in turn makes it far too easy for him to be taken advantage of. He’s quick to blame himself for everything even if nothing was his fault.

Ren’s relationships with others! ❤️

Ryuji

Ryuji is his absolute best friend! Those two are inseparable. They hangout together the most!

Ren likes falling asleep in Ryuji’s lap and getting headpats from him.

Ryuji always knows when something is bothering his friend. The second he sees Ren pulling his hair and tapping his heel, he’s the first to pull him aside and ask him what’s wrong along with a feel better hug.

It’s not uncommon for Ryuji to always have an arm around Ren’s shoulder or waist just to keep him safe.

Ann

Besties!!

Ann thinks Ren is absolutely ADORABLE! Girl straight up pampers him like a baby brother. ❤️

She’s always taking Ren shopping for clothes. Once she discovered he likes pastels she went all out on finding the cutest outfits for him to wear.

Ann is always carrying sweets in her school bag, so whenever Ren is tugging on her sleeve and quietly asking for candies with his cute lil face she doesn’t hesitate to give him some. When she found out sucking on a lollipop calms Ren down, she made sure to always have a couple in her bag.

Morgana

Ren sees Morgana as the ultimate plush toy most of the time.

At first Mona didn’t enjoy constantly being picked up and cuddled half to death, but he accepted his fate after a while.

It’s actually nice to know he can provide Ren with comfort.

Morgana takes his job of being Ren’s cuddle buddy very seriously!

Yusuke

Something about the artist’s aura is incredibly soothing to Ren. He likes to be in Yusuke’s presence whenever he’s drawing or painting.

Whiiich often leads to Ren falling asleep and Yusuke having a stroke because GOD if Ren isn’t the most flawless prettiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on. Fr half his sketchbooks are full of drawings of Ren asleep.

They love going to the park and stargazing together!

Makoto

So you know how cats react to people they don’t like?

Yeah.

These two are not a good match

That brief time when Makoto was stalking him was extremely stressful for Ren and he didn’t like it. It doesn’t help that Makoto is still so strict and wants to be a police officer after everything Ren’s been through.

Futaba

SOS Ren has no idea what she’s saying most of the time

Futaba teases him for not knowing about basically anything modern and drags him to watch anime with her and talk his ear off. Sweet Ren still doesn’t get it but it’s nice to see Futaba so happy about something she loves!

Haru

Oh, she’s basically his mom.

Ren was having a panic attack once, so Haru pulled him to lay on her chest so she could stroke his hair and calm him down. He started sucking his thumb and that was the exact second she was like “this is my baby now, I’ve adopted him”.

Haru was excited when she saw Ren little garden and they trade gardening tips often! Sometimes they bring all the crops and herbs they grew separately and make delicious treats for their friends with them!

Goro

/deep breath/

DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?

Goro is Ren’s number one protector. Ren is the only person that can cuddle up to him and give him physical affection. Ren could spend an entire Phantom Thieves meeting sitting in Goro’s lap and playing with his hair and Goro wouldn’t bat an eye.

Similar to Ryuji, Goro always notices when something is up with Ren. Occasionally he’ll give Ren a little present like a plush toy, candy, or just shiny trinkets he knows Ren will love just to see him happy.

Whenever Ren is really stressed or upset about something, Goro is the one he’ll call.

Ren spends time at Goro’s apartment a lot where they have lots of movie nights with cuddles :3

[tickletastic]

Everything’s Growing In Our Garden

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Ship: Thiam

Summary: Theo learns what it's like to finally have a family, and Jenna, David, and Liam are more than happy to help him along the way.

Living with the Dunbar-Geyers was… different for Theo, to say the absolute least.

Before the dread doctors, he was always coming second to his sister. He was sick, and asthmatic, and terrible at sports. Tara was the star of her middle school’s soccer team, and in the off-seasons she juggled piano lessons and debate team. Theo had things of his own: he did dance when his asthma wasn’t acting up, and he could write circles around the other kids thanks to his reading addiction, but it was never enough for his parents. They wanted trophies and medals to show off, and cute pictures in uniforms, and Theo could just never give them that. He didn’t really understand it as a kid. He thought that most kids were vying for the attention of their parents and Tara was just an exception. He wanted to feel special too.

When the dread doctors enticed him to join them, they had made him feel special. They said that he was so unique for being chosen by them, and once he gave them what they needed he could have everything he ever wanted.

The doctors never fulfilled their promises. Instead, Theo was threatened on a daily basis, and prodded with needles and x-rays until he was blue in the face.

Theo never did feel special. At least, not until he started living with Liam and his parents.

Liam was constantly around, bubbly and jumpy as always, making sure Theo was comfortable. Liam spent two days trying to figure out the perfect plan to convince Theo to move in when he found out that Theo was homeless. In the end, he took the easy way out and stole Theo’s truck. He refused to return the keys until Theo promised he would take the Dunbar-Geyers’ guest bedroom.

Liam’s parents welcomed him with open arms. They both did everything they could to make sure that Theo would be comfortable after Liam described the older boy’s flighty nature to them. It wasn’t hard for either of them, they both took a liking to the boy instantly, and Jenna found it easier than Liam had described to read Theo’s emotions. Mothering a teenage boy will do that to you.

Dr. Geyer loved talking biology with Theo. He even offered Theo an internship at the hospital before the Geyers had found out that Theo needed to graduate high school. The second the doctor came home, he would often talk with Theo while helping Jenna with what was left of dinner. The two of them got along very well, and Dr. Geyer found it refreshing discussing medicine with someone who wasn’t a colleague.

Jenna and Theo had many, many things in common: they both loved to read, they both loved to cook, and they both loved to annoy Liam to wit’s end. Jenna was actually one of Theo’s favourite contemporary authors before the two had even met, and he would be embarrassed to admit to the fanboy moment he had when they first met. Jenna had written a popular fantasy children’s series under her maiden name, Tate, before transitioning into adult fiction under her current name. Liam hadn’t even known that Theo was a fan of his mom until Theo met her. Jenna barely had time to introduce herself before Theo was turning bright red and gushing: “I have read Noire Kingdom seven times!” Jenna laughed, and Liam swore that he would never let Theo live it down. Liam quickly learned not to mention it when his mom and his new housemate had started to gang up on him with the teasing.

It was really strange to Theo to be treated like he was part of the family. It was weird to have two parent-figures that had grown to love him. Theo didn’t really know what he imagined parents to be like. He couldn’t remember much of his own, and fake parents never quite fit the bill.

Dr. Geyer was understanding and pensive. He would check in on Liam and Theo when the security bell would alert his phone of their homecoming, and he would bring home sweets from the bakery near the hospital once a week. When Theo first arrived he had believed it was already a tradition: Dr. Geyer would bring home an assortment of treats every week; tarts for Liam, muffins for Jenna, cookies for himself, and an assortment of others. One week, Dr. Geyer’s usual box of goodies changed from an assortment to just four. The tarts, muffins, and cookies remained the same, but instead of the usual variety of extra sweets, there were sprinkled donuts. Dr. Geyer never mentioned it, so Theo never did figure out how the doctor had realized they were his favourite. It wasn’t until months after that Liam let it slip that the sweets hadn’t been tradition before Theo’s arrival, but his dad had instead decided to create new traditions to include Theo.

Dr. Geyer showed his affections through small, silent acts of kindness, and even that was a bit overwhelming for Theo.

Jenna? Well.. some of her maternal habits were kind of strange, Liam was completely willing to admit it. He had filled Theo in on a few of them:

- Simply for her own peace of mind, Jenna would try to make Liam smile at least once a day - Jenna called Liam by his first name only when she was angry, otherwise, it would always be some variation or nickname, and last but not least; - Jenna packs Liam’s lunch, always slipping a little note into it

Theo didn’t really see what the point was in Liam telling him all of this, after all, Theo was definitely not planning on passing judgement on the woman who had given him a home.

Theo didn’t understand until he had been helping Jenna cook dinner one day.

“Baby face, could you pass me the flour?”

Theo hadn’t heard Liam, or even smelled Liam enter the house, so he turned to the entrance of the kitchen, his brow furrowed. When he turned around, the entrance was empty, the house only occupied by Theo and Jenna, as expected.

Theo’s brow furrowed, and he looked over at Jenna, who was humming peacefully as she mixed the dough in front of her. She looked up at Theo when she realized he had yet to pass her the ingredient.

“Theo, sweetheart: the flour?”

Even Theo’s crazy ability to hide his emotions couldn’t help the furious blush that made its way over his face. He nodded frantically before turning around and handing Jenna the bag of flour.

“Are you okay, honey? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Theo nods frantically again, “yup, perfectly fine, Mrs. Geyer.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jenna?” She tuts before continuing dinner.

Some of the nicknames do get absurd, but others are so cute and fond that they force a blush to rise over Theo’s cheeks no matter how many times he’s called them.

Theo finally understands why Liam felt the need to fill him in on all of the strange maternal habits that Jenna has developed when Theo opens his backpack one morning, finding a brown paper bag in it. He eyes it strangely, but it doesn’t smell suspicious... In fact, it smells delicious.

Three periods later, Theo sits down for lunch with Liam and the puppy pack, taking out the bag and placing it on the cafeteria table in front of him, eyeing it with suspicion. He’s so deep in wonder that he doesn’t even notice when Liam stops his conversation with Alec mid-sentence, eyeing Theo with the same suspicious look that Theo is giving the bag.

“Dude, it’s just the lunch my mom packed for you, I promise she didn’t lace it with wolfsbane or anything.”

Theo scowls, looking down in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. When he finally does open the bag, the effort to hide is rendered completely worthless as he reads out the note written on a heart-shaped sticky note stuck to the container of his sandwich.

The rest of the table certainly notices, and Corey, the little shit that he is, grabs for the note, tearing it straight from the container.

“Have an amazing day at school, sweet boy. I know you’ll do perfect on your biology midterm. Xoxo Jenna.”

Theo grabs for it, but of course, that doesn’t stop Corey from reading it out to everyone else present at the table. His face is bright red, and Liam jokingly leans in to pinch his cheek. Theo glares before hastily grabbing the brown paper bag, getting up and tossing his backpack over his shoulder as he grumbles under his breath.

The moment that Liam realizes that he has forgotten to fill Theo in on everything comes a moment too late, but Liam ends up being grateful in the end.

Jenna has a habit of touching her family on whatever body part happens to be closest to her. Liam thinks that she doesn’t even know that she’s doing it, it has just always been a calming ritual for her. Usually, it would be a normal body part, she would scratch Liam’s scalp while asking him about his day at school, or she would rub David’s shoulder while asking him to pick up groceries. Today, David was on a shift at the hospital and, while Jenna was actively working on her next novel, she was home for the time being. It was after school on a weekday, so she figured she could spare the night away from her office to feed her favourite boys.

When the two teens had arrived home, they had greeted Jenna in the kitchen before heading to the living room. Liam had gravitated to the floor directly in front of the TV, playing video games on his PS4, and Theo had gravitated to the couch behind the younger teen. Liam was sitting with his back against the couch, and Theo was curled up on the couch, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open despite his long day at school.

Jenna rounded the couch from the kitchen, standing next to Liam in front of the couch. She started to absentmindedly scratch Liam’s head, and he leaned into the touch, practically purring. She stopped when she realized that Theo’s eyes were closed, and she cleared her throat. Theo’s eyes squinting back open.

“Hey, kiddo, long day at school? You should head up and take a nap before dinner,” Jenna started, smiling softly at the boy that she now considered her second son. “What do you want for di-”

Jenna was interrupted by a frantic giggle from Theo, as he quickly rushed to cover his face with his hands. Liam hadn’t been paying much attention, but he starts to when the sweet sound of Theo’s laughter floats through the air.

While she had been preparing to ask Theo what he wanted for dinner, her hand had wandered down to his socked foot, pulling at his toes without even realizing.

Jenna repeats the action and smiles fondly when Theo tries to curl up, calling out through giggles, “Jenna!”

She stops when the boy tries to scramble off the couch, moving her hand to his shoulder in a calming effort to ensure that he stays comfortable. She can’t help but coo, the flush on Theo’s cheeks worsening in response. “That’s adorable.”

Liam was confused as to what had happened, his back to Theo, until Jenna had rounded the couch and leaned over to whisper in Theo’s ear, “don’t worry, Liam’s ticklish too.”

Now both Liam and Theo were blushing, Liam because his mother had revealed his secret, and Theo because Jenna’s words could confirm Liam’s suspicions of his own sensitivity. When she pulls away, she ruffles Theo’s hair. “What do you want for dinner, honey?”

Theo stammered for a moment, his brain a cloud of embarrassment and anticipation, “could we have pasta?”

“Of course, babydoll.” Jenna walks back into the kitchen, Liam sure that she would make bowtie pasta since it seemed to be Theo’s favourite, even though Liam preferred rigatoni.

As much as Theo would like to test out Liam’s ticklishness, his tired brain doesn’t even think of it until Liam is pinning him to the couch, his game abandoned completely as Brett and Alec’s voices sound out through his headset.

Theo had a nervous smile on his face, his tiredness still unceasing. Liam was grinning like he had just discovered Atlantis. “You’re ticklish? Mom’s right, that is adorable.”

Theo couldn’t prevent the blush that grew to line his cheeks. He shook his head, his voice breathy in anticipation, “I mean, not r-really?”

“‘Not really’ as in you’re not ticklish?” Liam pinched Theo’s ribs, the older boy writhing beneath him, “or ‘not really’ as in you’re not adorable? ‘Cus they both seem to be true according to my information.”

Theo had gripped Liam’s wrists and was attempting to push them further away without trying to push Liam off altogether, failing horribly. Liam had always been stronger, though the chimera was usually faster, not only on his feet but with his mind as well.

Theo groaned, a look in his eyes that Liam couldn’t quite place, a look that would’ve signaled that Theo was frustrated had he been with anybody else but Liam. “If you’re going to insist on doing this, can we just get it over with? I’m exhausted Li.”

“Sorry babe, I’m about to make it worse.”

Theo didn’t even have the time to respond to the abnormal nickname before he was trying his very best to stay silent. As good as he had always been at handling interrogation methods, the dread doctors never did teach him how to handle this. He was trying to make his brain think quicker, but his thoughts were starting to fog up. He tried to decide between masking his chemosignals and masking his heartbeat, but his heart had quickly betrayed him in its pace.

He had always found it so easy to mask his heartbeat and chemosignals, it had always come so easy to him, but trying to hold in his laughter while hiding his chemosignals felt like he was running a marathon. He thought that he was doing a pretty good job until he saw the wicked smile on Liam’s face.

He wondered what kind of chemosignals he was sending out, because the only thing that he felt was panic. Liam’s fingers poked over his toned tummy, wiggling and twitching against Theo’s skin. He couldn’t let his laughter escape him, he needed to have at least one thing under control, but he was quickly losing it beneath the younger boy.

Theo almost bucked Liam off entirely when his fingers moved to his ribs, absolute terror running through his mind. He didn’t even realize he was shaking his head until Liam’s own beautiful laugh cut through the air.

“No, Theo? No what? What is it that you don’t want me to do?”

Theo frantically reached around, managing to grab both of Liam’s wrists and pushing them away ever so slightly, forcing Liam to stop. Liam just looked amused, a hint of glee in his eyes and a soft, pleased smile on his lips with his head quirked to the side.

Theo wanted to grimace, but instead he couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his own face, breathy giggles escaping as he tried to reason. “Liam. Li. Just leave me alone. If you keep touching me then I swear I’ll make you regret it. I will break your nose in more ways than you could even count. I will-”

Liam stretched his fingers and wiggled, the corner of his lips further quirking when Theo let out a soft giggle when Liam’s fingers barely even brushed Theo’s skin. Liam’s fingers were just barely close enough for Liam to do anything but brush Theo with the very tips of his nails, yet there were enough to get the chimera on edge. “I swehehear I will- Holy shihit Liam don’t!”

Jenna was swift with her scorn, a quick call of ‘Theodore Karl Raeken’, reminding Theo to watch his language. In a swift movement Liam had gathered both of Theo’s wrists into one of his hands and pinned them above his head. It was enough to catch Theo off guard, giving Liam time to surprise him with his newly planned attack.

Theo’s eyes crinkled at the corners, and he started to giggle despite himself. Liam was also hit with a wall of scent as Theo unknowingly lost control of his chemosignals. Liam felt something warm simmer in his chest, and he let it bloom until he found himself momentarily releasing Theo’s wrist and reaching for his phone. He opened his phone to his desired application and tasered Theo, snapping a quick photo as the chimera squeaked, his nose scrunching up in a way that made Liam’s heart skip. When the distinct snapping resounded from Liam’s phone, he was hit by the distinct scent of embarrassment from Theo.

“Delete it!”

“I really don’t think you’re in a position to be making any demands, T.”

Liam’s fingers resumed their scritchy scratching over Theo’s ribs: stuttered, carefree giggles softly flowing from the older boy.

Theo’s laughter adopted a panicked tone the higher that Liam’s fingers rose. A spot between two of his top ribs had him snorting softly, words completely dying in his throat. When Liam’s hands slipped under Theo’s arms, his eyes, which had been just barely open, shot wide, giving Liam a look similar to his own infamous puppy-dog eyes.

“Fuck, Liam stahap!” Theo’s laughter had risen an octave, and Liam was satisfied that he had been able to force the older boy to lose control. Liam hadn’t realized until now how satisfying it would be to see Theo as anything other than completely calm and collected.

Theo had gone limp for a moment when Liam had been tickling his ribs, but now his fight was back in full force. Theo had managed to pull his wrists down from Liam’s hold and was now desperately flailing his arms in defense as Liam poked and tickled wherever he could reach.

“Aww, someone’s a giggly mess.” red hot embarrassment scented through the open air once again as the colour of Theo’s cheeks began to rival that of tomatoes.

Theo had his head thrown back, his eyes shut as he blindly tried to defend himself. Could Deucalion train him on this? Liam took a moment to quickly film a video on snapchat, making a mental note to send it to Mason as proof that Theo, the big, bad chimera of death, does in fact giggle, and he looks pretty fucking cute while he’s doing it.

Liam had admittedly gotten a little carried away with tickling Theo silly, not even detecting another heartbeat near him until there was nimble, knowing fingers poking him in the tummy from behind.

“H-hey!” Liam fell backwards onto his back on the couch, bringing his knees up in an attempt to curl up while his mother hovered over him, rapidly poking him in one of his most sensitive areas.

“I think it’s time that you let Theo get his nap, don’t you think?” Jenna threw a wink Theo’s way that he just barely caught as he curled in on himself, still giggling softly.

Liam nodded frantically as a cacophony of sounds spilled from his lips: snorts, squeals, and cackles. To Theo, he resembled a turtle stuck on its back, desperately trying to flip over, as Liam flailed his arms in an attempt to protect himself. “Okahahay, mom! I’ll leave Theo alone!”

“That’s more like it!” Jenna exclaimed, blowing a raspberry to Liam’s neck before backing away. “Dinner will be ready soon boys, hope you’re hungry.”

Jenna walked back into the kitchen while Liam recovered, scratching and swatting at himself as if he could still feel his mother’s fingers. When he finally sat up, a small smile breached his face. Theo was curled up in a ball, facing the inside of the couch, fast asleep.

His breathing was slow, and his expression was soft and worry-free. Liam could once again feel the familiar flutter in his chest as he reached for the throw blanket folded on the arm of the couch, softly placing it over Theo as the boy softly snored.

A year ago, Theo barely felt safe sleeping in Beacon Hills at all, but now, Liam was glad that he finally had a place to call home, and that he finally had people he could call family.

[butterflyinthewell]

This past year has been traumatic to me because of things constantly throwing the household and routines to the wind, and irl I’m kinda surrounded by people who minimize my feelings and make me feel like nothing that bothers me is important enough to warrant attention. My mom is so overburdened* with taking care of dad that I feel like an intruder if I need anything from her.

My dad is a massive, massive, massive trigger, unfortunately. I tried to get him to understand what’s going on with me and how he has contributed to the condition I’m in, and he blew me off and minimized my feelings in the exact way that triggers me. I can’t talk to him like I need to because he does that, and does not grasp the effect it has on me. He turns it around into how he feels scared when I come around because he doesn’t know what will make me angry, and gee whizz that’s how I felt around him growing up.

To be honest, I think he sees himself in me, he doesn’t like it, he gets uncomfortable and expects me to swallow it to spare him. But my fear and need to do that has extended to everyone and everything. So the only outlets I have are uncontrollable outbursts of anger or massive, painful autistic meltdowns. And that just pisses everybody off around me. I’m like a cornered feral cat that’s spitting and hissing and scratching because I’m scared, and people are throwing rocks at me instead of trying to talk me down or backing off until I’m calmer.

I need physical affection, and I’m terrified to ask for something so simple because I’m afraid it’s selfish to ask anything for myself that doesn’t somehow serve someone else too. My dad’s physical needs (due to Parkinson’s and a broken hip) eclipse everything so heavily that I feel crowded out of my own life.

At least I know now that there’s a reason I feel so hyper alert and worried all the time. I’ve got some self care tricks to break the spirals when I fall into them, but my self care gets interrupted by dad all the time, so I feel like I’m not even allowed that.

I’m trying to work on myself and I feel like even that is going to get undermined because “it’s selfish to pay any attention to yourself, you have to serve others nonstop all the time or you’re useless and a bad person.”

And the person who caused a lot of this doesn’t think he did anything to result in this. I’m triggered as hell right now, so I’m going to write the intrusive thought and maybe it will go the hell away:

That made me feel ripped apart and all my personhood and goodness are wiped out. I’m just a thing to be used as hands and feet.

💔💔💔💔

* My dad is not a burden because he’s disabled. He’s burdensome because he chooses to make life extremely difficult and acts all hurt when someone confronts him about it. He’s so good at this that anyone outside looking in just sees me or mom getting impatient at a sick old man, but it’s more than that.

My dad was emotionally and psychologically abusive to me all my life before he became disabled. Disability makes it more complicated because I’m one of his caregivers and we have no help, nor can we afford it. It’s just me, mom, sometimes my sister (who is dad’s flying monkey), a nurse who visits once or twice a week and a physical therapist. Mom bears the brunt of his needs because she’s so selfless and loving and will give until she’s got nothing left to give.

It’s complicated, and covid-19 always looming adds yet another layer of mess to it. So mom and I are really stressed out, tired and at our wit’s end, and people who don’t live with dad 24/7/365 think we’re the ones who are overreacting and never believe that he is the fulcrum on which all our stress comes from.

[jimlingss]

The President’s Son [3]

Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

➜ Words: 3.5k

➜ Genres: 100% Fluff, Slice of Life, Bodyguard!AU

➜ Summary: Kim Taehyung is the President’s son, mischievous and playful, and infamous for being a troublemaker. When everyone’s given up, they call for you to be his personal guard. There’s no other choice when your dad’s assigned you to it and surprisingly Taehyung doesn’t mind either. Maybe because you happened to grow up with that brat.

➜ Warnings: Slowburn.....

Taehyung’s pouting. Again.   He’s staring at the way you peel back the plastic cover of your small cheese and crackers snack and he licks his lips before huffing again, shoulders slumping in their spot. He looks down to his chip bag, gets up from his spot and comes tottling over. “Hey.”   Silence. You continue watching the television and try to follow along with the story — it’s hard when you’re not used to watching. But Taehyung is unimpressed with you ignoring him again and he plops down in front of you, forcing you to look at him.    “Hey, I said!” He’s loud. “Pay attention to me! I was asking if you wanted to trade snacks!”   The seven year old haughtily shoves his bag of chips into your shoulder. “You can have these. If I get those cheese crackers of yours. I like them….”    You stare at Taehyung before looking down to the blue rectangular bag held in his tiny fists. Then your eyes stray to your cheese and crackers, the one snack you chose with your allowance.   He sighs. “Please. Pretty please?! Can I have them or not?!”   You hand them over.   He snatches your cheese and crackers with a triumphant smile, grinning from ear to ear as laughter fills the air. Taehyung drops his bag of chips into your lap as he leaps over the table and runs down the hall, his bedroom door slamming shut a second later. You’re alone in the living room. And as you peek into the chip bag he gave you…..   There’s nothing inside. Empty.   He already ate them all.

[Present Day]   Bam!   The man comes at you with a forefist, knuckles prepared to come into contact with your mouth, but on muscle memory alone, your body ducks. Your back turns slightly, your leg comes out at an angle and it’s brought back in a fluid spinning hook kick. Your foot collides with the side of his helmet and he’s too caught off guard to catch balance.   Seokjin allows himself to fall back onto the mats.    He laughs breathlessly, not in shame but because he’s impressed. “You’re still good, aren’t you, chickpea?”   Your arm extends, helping him get onto his feet again. A small smile decorates your lips. “You didn’t have to let me win. You know my feelings won’t get hurt.”   Seokjin shakes his head, running a hand through his hair and moving the sweaty strands away from his face. “I’m not letting you win, chickpea. You crushed me. Gave me a run for my money. Are you sure you’ve gotten out of shape? Or did you just use that excuse to demolish me?”   He grins and another smile, more genuine, tickles up your visage. “We should call it even then since you always won back when we were in the same class together.”   “Okay.” He drops a hand on top of your head, making you jolt from the sudden affection, but his arm returns to his side too soon before you can get used to it. “We’re even then. But I want a rematch, Miss Y/N. I’m not letting myself be beat by a black belt when I’m a black belt too. I have a name to live up to around here, y’know.”   The memory is fresh in your mind — every time Jin was able to kick you, hit you, pin you on the mat in front of other kids. While the tables have turned and you’re now able to beat him, the achievement isn’t pleasant.    Rather, you remember how humiliating it was. Not because Seokjin always claimed victories, but because of your father’s clear disappointed expression that came each time you fell, because you would’ve rather been wearing a dress and making chocolates to give to Jin, not trying to hit and kick him and beat him in a match. You wanted to be pretty, not sweaty and gross...and—   “That was so cool!”   There’s a shrill voice that interrupts your thoughts, coming from across the gymnasium.   Kim Taehyung is standing there with his eyes wide, baby blue bike rolled along by his side.   “Can you teach me?!” He leans his bike against the wall, throws his bag to the ground and comes running over, a grin spreading through his face. “How’d you do that?!”   Seokjin bows his head. “Mr. Kim.”   But Taehyung completely ignores him. His eyes are plastered on your face.    Before he can open his mouth and say something else, someone else comes running in, out of breath, blonde hair in disarray, sweat clinging to his forehead.   “Taehyung!” His eyes are full of fear, brows knitted together — you recognize him as Park Jimin, having read his file considering you were essentially taking his job.   The poor boy can barely keep up with Taehyung.   “I-I told you not to go without me!”   “If you can’t keep up with me on my bike then too bad.”   “I-uh…” Jimin glances at Seokjin who’s watching and then at you and then back at Taehyung.   The latter continues, “Plus, I just really wanted to see my new bodyguard. As soon as possible.” He smiles at you and your expression remains blank.   “You’ve gotten sloppy,” a familiar voice sounds near the main doors and you turn to find your dad. “You’re using too much force when you don’t need to. You’re wasting your own efforts.”   You nod. “I’ll work on it.”   Your father hums a low note and looks away from you. “Seokjin, come with me.”   “Yes, sir.” The dark-haired man flashes you a discreet smile as goodbye and he walks off the mats to grab his belongings.   “And you, go with Jimin. He’ll show you the ropes. You begin your assignment tomorrow.”   “Yes, sir.”   He walks out with Seokjin in tow and when they’re completely gone from sight, Taehyung lets out the breath he was holding. “Your dad’s still scary, huh?”   “Dad…?” Jimin’s eyes are comically large as he gawks at you. “You’re Chief’s daughter?”   You pick up your bag, walking past the two of them. “Didn’t you have things to show me?”   Taehyung grins, quickening his pace as he follows you out, practically with a skip in his step. Jimin, on the other hand, is more unprepared and is delayed, struggling to keep up as he runs.   “I don’t live at the Blue House,” Taehyung tells as all three of you cut through the grounds. “I have a place near here, but I visit a lot since this place is actually pretty nice….minus the actual people. Like my step-mom. She’s alright, but I’m not a fan. Personally.”   He’s gazing at your profile with a smile that fails to be repressed, eyes all too intense and endeared like a hyperactive child meeting his hero in the flesh. In the meanwhile, Jimin is still jogging to keep up.   “W-wait, can you guys slow down?”   “It’s not our fault that you’re slow, Chimothy. You gotta keep up! We don’t wait for anyone.”   You stop, feet halting on the grass. Finally, you look at Taehyung. “What time does your classes start tomorrow?”   “Nine a.m.” He grins. “But I like waking up earlier to grab breakfast, so you should be there hmmm….at least seven? Since I can’t go out by myself.”   “What?” Jimin’s inhaling and exhaling, finally caught up. “You don’t get out of bed until at least ten—”   “Chimothy, maybe you should just go. I got this.”   “W-what?”   Taehyung pats Jimin aggressively on the back, enough to leave him coughing and spluttering. “I can show Y/N around. Wouldn’t want to hold you up when I’m sure you have better things to do. I can handle it. Trust me.”   “B-but Chief told me to show Y/N around.”   “Don’t worry about it, okay? I won’t tell, you won’t tell, Y/N won’t either. It’s a secret between us, alright? I know you’re tired. Didn’t you say you haven’t been sleeping well?”   “Y-yeah…?”   “Well now’s a perfect opportunity. South wing, down the hall, take a left and then a right, there’s a secret spare bedroom and a mattress that has your name on it. Go for it!”   Jimin looks at Taehyung and then at you. He reads your blank expression as a sign of confirmation when in reality, you know that no matter what you say or do, there’s no going against Taehyung’s will.    After a beat, Jimin gives in, nods and slowly begins to walk backwards before turning around and walking towards the house. Through telepathy, he wishes you a tearful good luck, saluting you as a comrade about to go into battle.   You’re left alone with Taehyung.   “Now where was I? Right. Breakfast. So you better be there by seven in the morning. And I don’t go to bed until midnight. So I hope you’re prepared to spend at least seventeen hours with me every single day. And also—”   If there’s one thing that’s different from the Taehyung from years ago, it’s that he’s evolved. He doesn’t demand your attention or for you to say anything back. He doesn’t need you to speak at all.   //   Taehyung’s school is large, with different faces constantly leaving and entering campus. But rather than being impressed with the fancy institution, you’re staying alert with the potential threats that could come at any angle at any time.   “Usually I have class in those theatres. Just a heads up, it’s super boring. Like super. Won’t blame you if you fell asleep.”   “I’m taking political science cause dad wants me to go into government — it’s a good job or whatever with decent pension. But it makes me want to blow my brains out. I rather draw. Anyways, that building over there is—”   “You liked to colour.” You stop, interrupting but finally speaking for the first time since he began showing you the campus despite you already having memorized the map.   “Yeah.” His smile becomes sheepish, maybe even happy that you remembered the small detail. “But I don’t just colour.”   You nod before glancing at your watch. “Don’t you have Public Policy Analysis in Hall C in five minutes?”   “H-how did you know that?”   “I have your schedule.”   “Oh. Well it’s fine, I skip anyway. C’mon, let me show you where the dining hall is. They have the best hot chocolate and a buy one get one half off deal…”   But your feet stay rooted in the ground. “I insist that we go. It’s one of my responsibilities to make sure you attend all classes.”   Taehyung’s mouth opens and closes, brows furrowing and his lips pouting when he’s obviously not getting his way with you. “You’re worse than Chimothy. Listen, I don’t need to go. I’m doing fine without attending the stupid lecture—”   “Then I’d like to go.”   Your feet turn, walking away. His sigh is audibly heard, exhaling for the dramatics as his shoulders slump, exactly like a petulant child being dragged off to do chores.   “You’re going the wrong way. That’s the Social Sciences building.” With the new information, you do a hundred eighty turn, going towards the other building. A grin pulls on Taehyung’s mouth and he picks up the pace to join your side. “Not so good at memorizing maps, are you?”   You don’t respond.   Taehyung ends up sitting at the back of the class, the row he’s at and the one before it is completely empty. Maybe other students are aware that he’s the President’s son and they’ve steered clear, especially after witnessing a horde of bodyguards chasing him. Maybe it’s because he just has an overwhelming personality that’s difficult to handle. Or maybe it could be in the way you’re in a suit, hands clasped on the table, intense stare darted straight ahead at the projector screen that’s made everyone steer clear of Taehyung.   Either way, you make it perfectly clear that you’re his bodyguard and anyone who dares to attack him will meet your hands.   On the other hand, Taehyung doesn’t seem particularly disheartened that a class of three hundred have avoided him like the plague. Rather, he appears bored out of his mind as the professor drones on and on. His arm is propped on the table, chin in his hand, leaning over, and his head is turned to stare at you as if your face are the handles of the clock and he’s waiting for time to pass.   “Hey, Y/N…”   Silence.   Taehyung doesn’t force you to talk. Instead, he continues, “Think you can teach me how to kick and punch like that? It was...really hot. If you don’t want to teach me, maybe you can do it to me. What do you say? Hmm? Wanna kick my ass and step all over me? I welcome it completely.”   Silence.   He pokes your shoulder. “Y/N.”   More silence.   He does it again. “Y/N.”   Except this time, Taehyung is loud enough that the students two rows away turn around, frowning at the disturbance. In order to not draw any unnecessary attention, your neck cranes towards him. He smiles at how you’ve given in.   “No.”   Taehyung pouts. “You’re no fun. Still a goody-goody, huh?”   “Pay attention.”   “But this is so boring. I’d rather pay attention to you. At least you’re prettier than the professor.”   There’s no more comments made from you. Nothing is said and as usual, you let him do whatever he wants — he’ll get bored of you anyways. But you underestimate Taehyung.   For the entire hour, he stares at you with an infuriating smile. And when class is over, he’s still staring as the pair of you march across campus together. “You look good in a suit. But aren’t you hot in that?”   “No.”   “Well, you stick out like a sore thumb, Y/N. I wanted someone discreet, and not like I’m with an extra from James Bond or the Matrix.”   “This is the official uniform,” you tell him shortly.   He smiles to himself, glad that you’re saying more than one word to him. “Yeah, I know. By the way, are we actually going to another class of mine? Can we just stop for a second? Maybe you can teach me how to do that kick or throw that punch? I think that’s a much better way to spend our time.”   You stop, feet halting on the grass. Knowing him, he won’t let it go...ever. The easier way to deal with Taehyung is to appease him. So you bend your knees, halfheartedly, arms lifting to lightly punch the air. “There. Like that.”   An enormous grin spreads across his face. “Wait, wait. I have to bend my knees, okay. Elbows in….like this?” He tries it, but then quickly slumps in his spot, lips downturning.    “Not bad.”   He shakes his head. “You don’t have to compliment me. I know I’m not doing it right. It doesn’t feel right. How about you punch me.” Taehyung turns, patting his chest before you can say a hard ‘no’. “Do it. I only learn through real demonstration. You have my full consent. My full permission. Hit me. Pound me, Y/N. Please.”   You stare at him. He stares at you.   Your sigh is held in, released only internally and you prepare your stance, knees bent, arms up. As light as possible, you come at the middle of his chest with a forefist, knuckles smacking into the middle of the target. And Taehyung’s left to inhale a sharp breath, stumbling back on impact and wheezing.   You didn’t even hit that hard.    “G-Goddamn. Holy hell…..” He clutches his wound, bending over as he coughs a storm. The chance to apologize never comes. “That was so fucking hot!”   Taehyung is smitten. You’re disgusted.   “Can you do that again?! Please, Y/N?! I’m begging yo— hey! Where are you going? Don’t just walk away from me! Don’t you know that’s rude?”   You continue walking, quickening your pace. Taehyung’s teasing you and while you don’t particularly appreciate it, it’s especially hard to say anything when he’s so happy about it. Not a lot has changed since when you were both young.   “You know, you became pretty cool, Y/N. You’re not much of a cute twerp anymore. You have this whole cold, hardcore image going on. It’s mysterious. I admire that. Reminds me of your dad. Is that where you got your inspiration from?”   “You’re late for class.”   “I’m always late.” He shrugs. “Dumbo, maybe I should upgrade your name to bulldozer. You seem to just bulldoze ahead in life without stopping. Nothing affects you. Like a wall. I can appreciate that.” Taehyung’s arm moves to sling around your shoulder and you immediately jolt, not used to physical affection. It makes you hyper aware of his presence, but he notices and instantly drops his arm from you. “You alright?”   “I’m fine.”   “You’re cool, Y/N,” Taehyung says again, but more passingly, perhaps geared towards himself than praise meant to be heard.   You remind, “We’re late.”   “I know. But everyone’s always late. It’s fine, trust me.” Taehyung brushes it off. “Didn’t you ever go to university or college?”   “No. I went to the academy.”   “Academy?”   “Police academy.”    You went for six months before working as an officer for three years. While you’re relatively content with your decisions, you’re slightly curious about the university lifestyle you could never afford and what it would’ve been like had you went anyway. Although things so far don’t seem particularly impressive.   “Really?” Taehyung’s surprised, eyes wide on the news. “Did you fight crime or track down serial killers?”   “No.”   “Then what did you do?”   “Police stuff.”   “Like?”   “Patrolling the streets. Responding to calls.”   The man stares at you for an extended moment before smiling and nodding. “That’s so cool.” But there’s another curious question poking at the back of his brain. “Why’d you quit?”   “Is that the engineering building?” You point off, pace quickening once more. In the meanwhile, he continues to yap about how you always leave him behind, always ignore him when he’s speaking.   The next class of Taehyung’s is even more boring than the last one. In this one, he actually dozes off and when you nudge him awake, he whines. He tries to rest his head on your shoulder, but you move backwards, not allowing him to get close and he’s left to shake himself awake.   You try to pay attention too, to set a good example, but even you have to admit it’s rather dull.   The cycle repeats one more time before he’s done for the day and ready to head home. The simple idea of being able to leave has his eyes being brought back to life. Taehyung happily bounces his way to the bike rack outside the dining hall, grabbing his infamous, baby blue bike and jumping on without a helmet.    The metal rear seat is open and he waits for you to get on it.   “I won’t leave you behind,” he promises with a mischievous grin, telling you to hop on.   But your hand plops on the handles instead. “I’ll steer.”   “What?”   “You don’t have a helmet. It’s dangerous. And I can’t react if someone attacks us.”   Taehyung is left sputtering, absolutely baffled. “No one’s going to attack us—”   “Last I checked you almost got into an accident last time.”   He remembers the special encounter, when neither of you knew of each other and were merely passing strangers. A sly smile moves across Taehyung’s face. “But you saved me.”   “Your safety is my priority.” Your head moves, signalling for him to get to the back seat. You give in and appease him on a lot of matters, but this is the hill you choose to die on.   The pair of you stare down at each other.   It lasts thirty seconds.   Then Taehyung huffs out and gets off his precious bike seat, sitting on the back. Maybe he relented as an excuse to wrap his arms around your abdomen. The college boy ends up gripping you tight, leaning his head on your back and it’s uncomfortable, but bearable.   “How are you going to ride a bike in a suit?”   To answer his question, you start pedalling and it works, even in spite of being in restrictive attire.   “You should wear normal clothes,” he tells you in a murmur and above the warm breeze, you hear him perfectly well. “It’s not like I don’t like you in a suit, how can I when you look so hot, but I want you to blend in with me. I just….want us to be normal. Can’t you wear a cute skirt or dress or something?”   “Cute things don’t match me.”   “That’s not true,” Taehyung says. “You’ve always been cute. Even now.”   Nothing is spoken out of your mouth. Instead, you focus on pedalling across campus as he holds onto you. It might be a comical sight, but you don’t care. You remain cold, distant, professional. Awake and always alert.   This is your job now.

[its-sad-boy-hours]

A Story For Adora Pt2

Adora has never been told a bedtime story, so she goes to Glimmer to help fix that.

Part 1 (x)

Rating: G

Category: F/F

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Relationship: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)

Characters: Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora (She-Ra), Bow (Mentioned)

When Glimmer woke up the next morning, she honestly expected Adora to be gone, already awake and training out in the courtyard like she always did nearly every morning since coming to live in Bright Moon. But, instead, the first thing she saw was the other girl sleeping soundly beside her, still curled up with her knees pressed against her chest, but nonetheless, at her side instead of at her feet. It was an odd sight, but it was nice seeing the girl who couldn’t stand not moving around lay still for once, seeming rather peaceful instead of constantly on high alert.

Besides, this calm moment gave Glimmer a moment to appreciate just how special (and beautiful) her friend was. Never in her life would she have considered developing feelings for a former Horde soldier, let alone a girl, but… whatever it was she felt for Adora, she knew it was real and hoped that Adora felt something too.

But, like always, there was a part of Glimmer that doubted everything. She knew that it was unlikely Adora returned her affections, in fact, she wasn’t even sure if the other girl was aware of what crushes and romance was. But given her bond with Catra, Glimmer wasn’t sure if Adora would be willing to allow herself to get that close to anyone anytime soon.

With a small content yawn, Glimmer rubbed her eyes, squinting at the harsh morning light that flowed into her room. She doubted that sleeping in late was allowed in the Horde, one of the many luxuries Adora was now able to partake in, but even princesses and legendary warrior ladies weren’t allowed to sleep all day

“Hey, Adora…” Glimmer whispered softly, shaking the blonde by the shoulder, “Come on… time to wake up, we’re supposed to meet with Bow later, remember?”.

The taller girl stirred and jumped slightly at the sudden movement. “Wha-? I’m awake… I’m awake!” Adora grumbled as she sat up, blinking a few times before she focused on the princess, “Glimmer? What time is it,”.

“Morning… almost time for breakfast, I think. I haven’t heard any of the kitchen staff or my mom call us yet, so I think we have some time to relax before heading out,”.

Adora nodded slightly, still half asleep as she yawned, stretching out her stiff muscles from having slept in a tight ball all night. “Cool… I might have some time to squeeze in a bit of exercise before we go eat,”.

It took nearly everything she had not to stare, but Glimmer couldn’t help but find her face growing warm as she watched her friend stretch, hair all frizzy and a small trail of dribble running from the edge of her mouth. She wasn’t sure if she was jealous or impressed by the fact that Adora always looked amazing, whether it be after waking up, or after a long fight. Maybe it was both...

“You don’t want to eat first?” the princess asked, rubbing the back of her neck as she averted her eyes with a nervous smile, “I think the kitchen is making pancakes today, I don’t think Bow and I have shown you what those are, have we?”.

“I don’t think so,” Adora replied, “But it can wait, I always train before breakfast,”.

“You don’t have to, you know that right?”.

She blinked and nodded, “I- I know, I just… *sigh* I’m used to it, I guess. Training has been the first thing I do every morning for as long as I can remember, it’s honestly kinda hard to imagine myself not training every morning. Old habits die hard, huh?”.

“Yeah… but if training is something you enjoy, you don’t have to stop doing it. It’s part of your routine, but you don’t have to keep doing if it reminds you too much about… you know. The Horde?”.

“I know but…”.

Adora hesitated for a moment, seeming nervous all of a sudden.

“I’m not in the Horde anymore… it… it doesn’t feel right carrying on with their methods. Does, does that make sense, or am I just crazy?”.

“You’re not crazy, Adora,” Glimmer reassured, finding herself scooting closer to the other girl “That’s normal, it’s going to be a while for you to be fully used to living here, and… you might not lose some of the habits you grew up with, but that’s okay,”.

“Is it?”.

She nodded, “You’re not part of the Horde anymore, okay? You’re with us now… with me, that’s all that matters. So just… try and focus on that for now… sound good?”.

Adora simply nodded and sighed softly if not contently, gently leaning into the hug Glimmer offered,  “Okay...”.

“Good, now come on, let’s go get something to eat… or, maybe I could join you while you trained?” the princess asked after pulling away, having never actually witnessed Adora train since Glimmer herself had requested (demanded more like) a training area be built on the grounds for her friend a few weeks ago, “What do you usually do?”.

“Punch things mostly… practice with my sword, hope to the gods I’ll somehow figure out how to master my healing ability in the event one of you gets hurt,”.

“You’ll get it eventually, Adora, no one is expecting you to perfect all your powers so soon,”.

“I know,” Adora muttered again, “but that doesn’t stop me from worrying that I won't be able to help,”.

“You are helping, Adora. And hopefully you won’t need your healing powers anytime soon, besides, the Horde hasn’t attacked us in weeks, so I think we can let our guard down, at least for a little bit,”.

She nodded again, smiling softly as she took hold of the princess's hand, ready for her to teleport them down form the hanging bed, “If you say so, Glimmer. I’ll… try to relax a little,”.

“Good,” Glimmer said once both girls reappeared on the floor, “Now go get your sword and I’ll meet you outside,”.

“Alright,” Adora said as she began to walk out of the room, only to pause right in front of the door, “Oh, and Glimmer?”.

“Yeah?”.

“Um, thanks for telling me that story last night… it was... really nice, cute too”.

“N- no problem, Adora,” the princess muttered, finding herself blushing slightly, “It was..uh, fun… making up a story, I’m really glad you enjoyed it. You fell asleep pretty fast,”

“… Being next to someone always kinda helps me sleep, it… it’s why I come in here so often,”.

Glimmer couldn’t help but smile stupidly at that. For Adora, the girl who was still struggling to adjust to life outside the Horde, to admit that she felt safe enough to sleep next to someone she considered the enemy less than a month ago, as music to her ears. Whatever it meant, she hoped that it meant gaining a little bit more trust from Adora… maybe even her affection.

“I’m glad I can help. It’s kinda weird having you sleep beside me instead of at my feet, though”.

An awkward smile coats Adora’s lips as she turns away, “Oh. Um, sorry about that… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything”.

“You didn’t, Adora,” she stammered quickly, realizing how that must have sounded, “It wasn’t a bad kind of weird… it was just a bit surprising is all. And kinda nice… you’re um, cute when you sleep,”.

Adora's face almost immediately grew red the second those words left the smaller girl’s mouth, and for a moment, she almost regretted it, but the confused look of awe on her face made her wait for a reaction.

“I… I um… heh, you, you look cute too, Glimmer,”.

The long, harsh moment of silence between them was almost deafening, and Glimmer could almost hear Bow screaming for her to just fess up and admit her feelings, but, before she could do or say anything, the moment passed and ended with both girls chuckling nervously.

Glimmer was still at a loss for words while all Adora could do was respond with was a small smile as she turned back to the door, “Uh *ahem* we should probably get out there soon, the guards give me weird looks if I linger around one place for too long,”.

The princess nodded a little and watched as the blonde quietly left her room, equally as flustered as she was.

“What the hell just happened,” she muttered to herself, trying to wrap her head around what just went down.

Was that flirting?

Just friends complementing each other?

Glimmer could never really tell with stuff like that, so, for the time being, she tried to ignore her odd exchange with Adora and focused on gathered her shoes and cape, now nervous about meeting her friend out in the courtyard.

Now she was glad they’d decided to wait on having breakfast.

X

By the time Glimmer made it to the small training area, Adora was already there, hitting a punching bag so hard it looked like it could go flying at any moment. Sometimes she forgot just how strong and well trained her friend was, it was scary and incredible at the same time.

“There you are,” Adora said when the smaller girl came into view, “I was starting to think you decided not to come,”.

“No… just took my time with the walk, and I needed a bit to find something”.

“You didn’t teleport over here?”.

Honestly, Glimmer had been so flustered, that she may or may not have forgotten she had powers, despite using them moments before.

“I need to recharge first, now that we can do after breakfast,”.

Adora gave her a strange look before returning to her exercises, “Okay… what did you need to find that took so long anyway?”.

“A book,” she replied.

“One of the storybooks you were telling me about?”.

Glimmer couldn’t help but chuckle at how visibly excited Adora got at the mention of new stories, “No…I’ll go look for those later. This is a book about healing, like, with herbs and stuff? I never thought I’d need but... I think that it might help us in the future,”.

The other girl nodded and continued her assault on the punching bag while Glimmer settled herself on the grass a few feet away and began to read through the old leather-bound book. But, and no surprise to the princess, it was nearly impossible to stop her eyes from drifting back up to Adora. There was just something graceful about the way she moved, how her whole body was in sync and in complete focus, and for a while, it seemed like Adora was genuinely calm, almost lost in her own little world.

Everything about her was just… perfect in Glimmer’s eyes.

All she wanted was… for her to notice her.

“What were their names?” Adora said suddenly.

“Huh?” Glimmer said, jumping slightly when she realized that she’d zoned out simply by just watching Adora

“The Princess and Soldier, from the story you told me last night… what were their names?” she continued, not seeming to have noticed the other girl staring at her.

“Oh uh… I don’t know. I was just kinda playing on the thought that so much time had passed that they forgot,” she said, hoping that Adora hadn’t caught on to what the story really was about, but then again, her friend was smart and cunning so she wouldn’t put it past Adora catching on.

Adora simply hummed slightly, continuing to punch the training dummy with a thoughtful look stuck on her face before abruptly stopping a few moments later.

“Do you wanna train with me?” she asked.

Glimmer blinked, “What?”.

“Train… like, warm-up exercises? I’m… I’m kinda used to having a sparring partner to train with but… not anymore,”.

“Oh… um, yeah, I’ll practice with you, or at least I’ll try. Why didn’t you ask me sooner?”.

Adora just shrugged and looked away, almost embarrassed, “I don’t know… but um, do, do you know how to fight?”.

“I have powers, Adora,” Glimmer teased softly, “of course I know how to fight, you’ve seen me fight”.

“I- I meant without your powers, like, hand to hand combat?”.

“Oh… then no, not really, but I’ll be fine, Adora, like I said, I’ve got my powers to protect me. You don’t need to worry,”.

“But I do worry!” Adora exclaimed suddenly, seeming nervous and flustered again. “Ever since the whole thing with your powers glitching, I’ve been scared that it might happen again, and you’d be left defenseless without your powers and-”.

“Okay, I wouldn’t say defenseless, but-”.

“Glimmer,” Adora said, softer this time, reaching over and placing her hands on the princesses shoulder, “You getting hurt? That was my fault, and I swear it won’t happen again. Can… would you let me show you some moves at least? So I’d know you’ll be able to protect yourself if something bad happens and me and Bow can’t be there to help?”.

She blinked, both startled and moved by the other girl's words.

She knew what was going on.

“First of all,” Glimmer said, taking Adora’s hands off her shoulders and holding them in her own, “What happened in the Fright Zone that time wasn’t your fault, okay? No one is blaming you for that. Secondly, of course, you can show me some moves, I’ll probably suck at it, but you can teach me. But I don’t want you to worry about those things… I’ll be okay, I’ve got you don’t I?”.

“You do, always, Glimmer, you’ll always have me, but… what if I’m… what if I’m not there? What if I fail, and the rebellion falls because of me and-”.

“Adora, why are you so worried about this stuff, nothing’s going to happen, everyone is fine and the rebellion is strong. Why are you getting yourself all worked up over this?”.

Adora didn’t respond at first, just slowly shifted away from the princess. “You, Bow… the other princesses? You’re all the closest thing I have to a family, you guys are my family,” she said, her voice wavering ever so slightly “I need to protect you,”.

“Adora…”.

“And I can barely do that right,”.

With a small gruff, Glimmer sighed and rolled her eyes, “Okay, that’s it,”.

“What’s it? Glimmer, what are you-”

Adora hardly had time to finish her sentence, Glimmer having thrown her arms around the taller girl, holding her is a tight embrace. “I’m not going to let go until you’re nice to yourself, okay? No more of this self-deprecating talk,” she said, giving her friend a light squeeze.

“Wha- I’m not being self-deprecating, I’m being logical,” Adora tried to defend, the slightest hint of amusement at Glimmer’s actions raising in her voice.

“Nope, you’re being paranoid, and I’m going to hug you until you know everything is okay,”.

“... are you serious?”.

The princess nodded, “I can stand here all day, just watch,”.

A small giggle escaped Adora’s lips, “Well then, it would be an awful shame if, I don’t know, gravity suddenly started increasing on me,”.

“No, it’s not,” she said, grunting slightly when Adora allowed herself to go limp, letting all her weight fall on the smaller girl who was still holding her.

“Is too, same thing happened yesterday,”.

Now Glimmer herself was laughing. “God, for someone so skinny, how can you weigh so much?” she said, now struggling to keep Adora from falling on top of her.

“I’ve got no clue what you’re talking about… it’s the gravity,” Adora continued, chuckling until the princess could no longer hold her up and both girls flopped to the ground a giggling mess.

“You’re such a dork,” Glimmer said, finally releasing her grip on the taller girl, allowing her to get up off of her, except, Adora didn’t. She stayed on the grassy ground with Glimmer, picking herself up just enough that she was now hovering over the smaller girl, their faces a few inches apart, the biggest most idiotic smile the princess had ever seen covering her face.

“Yeah, but I’m your dork,” she said, nonchalant as ever.

All Glimmer could do was hold her breath, unsure if she should even move. Adora was practically sitting on top of her for the First One’s sake, and in kissing range at that… she could barely think of anything else.

“Are… you okay? Your face is all red, I didn’t hurt you did I?” Adora said, the smile suddenly replaced with an alarmed expression as she began to clamber off the other girl, “I’m sorry,”.

But Glimmer wasn’t going to miss this golden opportunity, just like she’d missed all the other ones. “No,” she said, grabbing Adora by the collar of her jacket before she was too far away, “Adora wait…”.

The other girl froze, looking back at the princess below her with both confusion and concern, “Yeah… what’s- ?!”

Of course, Glimmer cut her off mid-sentence with the kiss, a small peck on the lips, one that lasted less than a few seconds, but enough to get the message through. Surprisingly, Adora didn’t fight it or pull away from the gesture Glimmer was pretty sure she didn’t understand, she seemed bewildered and excited more than anything.

When Glimmer pulled away, the wide-eyed look on her friend’s face was enough to get her to chuckle again.

“Are you okay?”.

Adora nodded vigorously, a smile pulling up the edges of her lips.

“What was that?” she asked.

“A kiss,”.

“A kiss,” she repeated, blinking a few times as she finally moving herself off of the princess, her fingers immediately pressed against her lips in amazement, “Can… can we do that again?”.

Glimmer wasn’t sure if her smile could get any bigger. “Sure, but… can we talk first?” she said, sitting up beside Adora once more.

The other girl nodded, clearly still reeling from the gesture.

“Do… do you know what it means when people kiss?”.

“I mean… I’ve seen Sea Hawk and Mermista do that sometimes, and I know they like each other a lot so… you… like me?”.

She nodded, “Yeah, I- I like you, a lot”.

“And I’m guessing this is a different kind of like that being friends?”.

Glimmer nodded again, “Yeah…”.

Adora blinked a few times and smiled, “S- so the story you told me?”.

“Yeah. It was uh, kinda about us… wasn’t that subtle, was it?”.

The other girl shrugged, “I thought I was just making something out of nothing but… you. You actually like me?”.

“Of course! What’s not to like… you’re perfect,”.

She smiled again, a small blush creeping up on her cheeks, “Y- you’re perfect too, Glimmer. And… really beautiful, I always thought so… I just didn’t want you to think I was weird or anything,”.

“You’re not weird,” Glimmer reassured, “I’m… I’m glad you feel the same way,”.

“Me too, I- I really like you Glimmer”.

The princess smiled, reaching over and taking Adora’s hand in her own again.

“Adora?”.

“Glimmer?”.

“... can I kiss you again?”.

Adora’s smile only grew, “As you wish, My Princess”.

[thotyssey]

On Point With: Queen Robert

Hilarious, oddball antics and high-meets-low-meets-intergalactic fashions do away with the need for some funny-punny drag name for this performer. Whether she’s interjecting with a slaying quip while screening a classic film, or giving you the whole Big Ang Experience in a high stakes lip sync battle, or just being funny and fierce, this queen is giving you life. God Save Queen Robert!

Thotyssey: Greetings, Queen! How is Pride Week treating you so far?

Queen Robert: Hello! Thank you! I've been looking forward to gabbing with you. Pride has been good to me so far! It's been chaotic, but extremely gratifying, and we're only half way through! I also started bartending at the Rosemont this month, so even when I'm not out in drag I'm still out on the scene. It's an exhausting month for anyone working in nightlife.

Wow, that is a lot of nightlife. You must never see the sun!

I actually sat out at the Christopher Pier a couple of days ago while on my way back from a costume fitting. I looked like a vampire amongst all those honey-glazed hunks. I definitely prefer the light of the moon.

It's much more flattering, for sure. So speaking of the Rosemont, you just guest performed for Lucy Ball's show there last week.

I adore Lucy. She's a total weirdo. Her transformations set her apart from anyone working in Brooklyn. Did you see her Lambchop and Cryptkeeper? Incredible. Patti Spliff, another genius, was also performing that night. The three of us each have monthly Tuesday parties at The Rosemont, so it was fun to get together for a show. I did Donna Summer, farted on a cake and then pressed my face into it....because...drag.

You should do kids' parties! 

So, how did this all begin... where's your hometown, and what were you into growing up?

I'm from a small town not worth mentioning, in south central New Jersey. New York was always just on the horizon, like the Emerald City in Oz. I often wonder how this all began myself. There's a few memories that come right to the surface: my first wig, a green one from Universal Studios Orlando at age 5; my first two concerts at 7, Cher and Bette Midler; religiously renting The Rocky Horror Picture Show on VHS from blockbuster at 9; my mom playing Queen's Greatest Hits in the kitchen and telling me that Freddie Mercury was the coolest man who ever lived.

I always went big for Halloween--really big, I'm talking prosthetics by third grade and gender play by sixth. Then I got into theater, film, and eventually ended up in Manhattan for college, where I was able to release all of my passions without the constraints of small town life. 

Growing up, I was into everything spooky and queer that defied the norm. It wasn't a conscious rejection of heteronormativity, it was simply who I was from the very beginning. Anyone who thinks I'm new to this type of lifestyle and culture is in denial of my entire existence.

So movies were always there! Besides Rocky Horror, what are some other favorites?

Creature features will always have a special place in my heart. I find them to be a metaphor for anyone who has ever felt they had something to hide about themselves. American Werewolf in London, The Fly, Carrie, Gremlins, anything from the minds of Stephen King, John Carpenter, and John Waters. Oh, and the Chucky franchise has always been a favorite of mine. I have all the dolls.

Did you see that Carrie remake, like, 5 years ago? It was dumb. Well, there are two remakes: an early 2000's TV movie, the 2013 Julianne Moore remake, and a 90's sequel to the original. All have their charm, but the best part of each incarnation is surely the role of Margaret White, Carrie's psycho momma. Gays really seem to relate to that film, and the character Carrie. I know I did. She's the ultimate outcast who gets the greatest revenge on her abusers. My first drag performance in Brooklyn was actually a parody of Carrie, where I played both mother and daughter, appropriately set to the music of Madonna and Britney. Metropolitan [Bar] wasn't thrilled with the blood, though.

Was drag just the best venue for you to explore these aesthetics and interests, or was there something else about it that strongly appealed to you?

I moved to NYC to pursue a career in film, and while on that journey came to desperately miss performing. So, yes, drag was the best way to jump back in the performance ring while combining politics, pop culture, and aesthetics. It was hard at first to build an audience for my film work before drag. Now I'm in this creative community where anything is possible, and I can get back behind the camera and generate content that has an audience. Drag is a powerful platform, and I'm excited to see what other avenues it may lead me down.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with! Why don’t you have a wackier drag name than “Queen Robert?” I mean, it is kind of funny in a minimalist sorta way.

I get that all the time! I have a whole list of wacky drag names, and I'd love to utilize them for some more character driven work / alter egos (Gaggatha Christie is my evil twin; I keep her locked up, though).

My drag, isn't necessarily female impersonation, I have a beard, I don't wear a bra, I'm never out here trying to be "fish." I'm a camp queen, so my personality is wacky enough. I never liked my name Robert, until one day I threw "Queen" in front of it and I was like, "oh yeah, that's better!” I'm a butch queen; I embrace my femininity and masculinity. Robert is a very masculine name... but honey, I'm a damn queen! Drag for me hasn't been about inventing a new personality and a new name; it's about being my ultimate creative self.

Also, there's so many repeat names in the drag business, it's annoying to constantly have to clarify which artist you're talking about depending on first or last name. I'm the only Queen Robert: unless you wanna try to compare my name to Bob the Drag Queen--but that would be silly, her real name is Caldwell!

So, how did you begin hosting “Screen Queen” at the Rosemont?

Troy at the Rosemont took interest in my pop culture numbers and said he had a monthly slot available. Being a film buff, I naturally turned the night into a celebration of local queer filmmakers and popular movies in the LGBT community.

What’s your personal strategy of “screen queening,” particularly with the classics? Do you share anecdotes during the movie, do you wait til it’s over, or do you just let it speak for itself?

It's a fun night! I show the film early, chime in from time to time with fun anecdotes or conversation with the audience about their experiences with the film. Then we jump into shows inspired by the film. This month was Pink Flamingos, and this got filthy! Lee VaLone was licking shoes. Pepto Dismal shit eggs on a hot plate. Misty Menthol puked on Coma White. People were actually gagging. Divine would have been proud. Next month is the much more family friendly Mamma Mia.

Yikes, I can’t wait for you to do Showgirls! What have been some of the films that affected you as far as those made by local filmmakers that you’ve screened?

Joe Sulsenti's Fishy was a highlight. It's an animation starring Amanda Lepore. There's so many talented artists that I've been able to screen, I love them all. Sweaty Eddie, Chris of Hur, Amber Alert, Marcel Saleta, Miwa Sakulrat, Chris Crompton. Everybody has such a unique voice and style. It's wonderful hearing their process.

Werk! So I was in the house for the last session of the Lady Liberty drag competition at the Ace Hotel a few months ago. It was a “Snatch Game” celebrity impersonation edition, and you appeared as a clean-shaven Big Ang with ginormous bazooms! It was a hilarious and affectionate portrayal, and it got you in the top two. What made you decide to enter that completion as her? My lesbian bestie Daniella in New Jersey and I would religiously watch Mob Wives and Big Ang together. I regret so deeply I didn't go to her bar in Staten Island, The Drunken Monkey, to meet her before she passed. She's one of my spirit animals (her and Kathy Bates). Everyone said I shouldn't do her for “Snatch Game” because of Pearl's portrayal on Drag Race. But, I have been impersonating her in some sense for years, so I felt it was necessary. And I know her family saw my portrayal and they said she would have loved it. Party everyday, because you never know when you're gonna go!

Lady Liberty returns for a Pride edition this Friday to the Ace Hotel, and you’re gonna be back there too! How do you think it’s gonna go!? I think that they are expecting to get another "Big Ang" moment, and that's simply not what I have cooking. They'll be getting something uniquely me. I hope it goes well!

I bet it will! 

And looking a little bit ahead, you'll be at Bizarre on post-Pride Tuesday for a special edition of Lee Valone's BEEF, with a bunch of cool people like The Brides of Burlesque, Pierretta Viktori, Devo Monique and Viktor Devonne. Have you turned it on that stage before?

I love performing at Bizarre! They really have a proper stage, which does help heighten numbers. BEEF Show is a damn riot, always diverse, always entertaining, and I'm thrilled to join this month's cast.

June 28th, you'll be throwing your wig into the June installment of the Mx Mont Rose comedy queen pageant at the Rosemont! That's gonna be quite a lineup. No spoilers, but did you know what you wanted to do immediately for that one?

Comedy is hard. There's a fine line to walk. People are very sensitive. One safe bet is to make fun of yourself. I'm hoping to give you something like the result of Joan Rivers topping Robin Williams after a drunken night at The Rosemont.

That’s all any of us want! Good luck! Anything else coming up to mention?

There's always something. Tuesday, July 3rd at The Rosemont, Screen Queen: MAMMA MIA featuring my sisters Chutney Spears, Tiffany Jones Sterling, Flower Tortilla, and Jessica Rose. [And I’m doing] FAILURE, July 5th at Bizarre.

But what's really exciting is the music video I'm directing for Crystal Mesh this summer. I'll give you a hint... there's gonna be lots of chlorine and cum.

Gag! One last question: what advice do you have for new NYC Pride-goers this week?

More glitter. Less clothes. Stay hydrated. Tip your performers AND bartenders! Have fun and be safe! Oh... and be sure your Pride merch benefits the community or a cause, and not some capitalist corporation that doesn't truly support the LGBT community!

The Queen has spoken! Thank you!

Queen Robert hosts “Screen Queen” every first Thursday at the Rosemont (10pm). Check Thotyssey’s calendar for all her scheduled gigs, and follow the Queen on Facebook and Instagram.

On Point Archives

[recentanimenews]

Catarina Is Changing up the Relationship Chart in My Next Life as a Villainess Episode 2 Recap

  Welcome back to another recap post of the wonderful My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! series. Let's refresh on what happened before the new episode airs tomorrow! In the last episode, Catarina discovered who she really was and the world she now has to survive in the place of the villainess of her favorite otome game, "Fortune Lover."

Doom flags are everywhere and Catarina has to do her best to avoid all of them so she can live a longer life this time around! Unfortunately for her, she's already engaged to Geordo and Keith arrived right on schedule, which follows the game's story. But it's no biggie. All she has to do is make sure things don't go sour with either relationship to avoid getting killed or exiled. Easy peasy, right? ... Right? Hmm ...

**SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 2 AHEAD**

    It's been several months since Catarina's memories from her past life came back to her, and ... she's still doing that garden thing to increase her Earth magic, huh? I'm 99 percent sure that method won't pan out for you, girl! Tragically, some of the veggies aren't growing. Geordo and Keith offer some assistance ...

  Oh my, it seems like they're both quite attached to Catarina! What does Catarina think of all this and how could their rivalry affect her as it intensifies?

    That's not it at all, Catarina! Open your EYES! How oblivious can you be?

    Being oblivious isn't the only glaring problem Catarina has. Her table manners are a total mess! She's been invited to a tea party ... how do you expect that she'll behave? I think she's just gonna gobble up all the food, after all, free food is best food, right?! Not to worry, dear reader, for Keith will be sent alongside Catarina so she doesn't misbehave. It's not a problem anymore! But wait, isn't she the older sister? What example are you setting here, Catarina?

    First impressions are important, right? Catarina managed to properly introduce herself to the folks responsible for the party. And without Keith's help, at that! We're so proud of you, Catarina! So far, so good. We also get a first glimpse of someone closer to Catarina's age.

    Mary is pretty shy compared to her sisters, who are way more outgoing. If you ask me, Mary's the cutest of them all!

    Catarina is the belle of the ball at the party. People just won't leave her alone! Between wanting to introduce themselves, trying to befriend her, and talking endlessly ... Catarina is quickly reaching her limit.

    I get it. Totally relatable!

    What's this? Everyone's too busy chatting it up and no one's eating that wonderful spread of sweets on the table. A true CRIME! I don't blame Catarina at all. I too would be hitting up all those delicious cakes on display! Hm, but wait, is this how a dignified daughter of the Claes family should act?

    Before Catarina is able to stow away the sweets to take home and gobble up later, Keith appears right on cue to remind her of her standing. She is the older sister, right? I'm beginning to wonder.

    The galaxy brain solution to this predicament? EAT ALL THE SWEETS NOW. If only Catarina's mother was here to see all of this unfold right before her very eyes!

  Of course, this comes back to bite Catarina (get it? bite?), because her stomach ain't having none of that! She makes a strategic retreat to "powder her nose." Brilliant!

    Phew, Catarina managed to save her dignity. (In more ways than one!) On her way back from ... uh ... freshening up, she encounters a gorgeous garden she hadn't seen before. Look at those beautiful flowers! The amazing fountain, too! And at the center of that garden is ...

    ... The shy and cute Mary! Why isn't she also gabbing it up like her sisters with all the other guests? Turns out events like parties with a big crowd aren't exactly her kind of thing. I'm sure many of us totally get where Mary is coming from here. 

  Of course, our Catarina thinks it's because of her villainous and evil face that Mary won't show up to the party. (That's not it at all!) She turns the conversation to the elegant garden and how skilled the gardener is to grow such beautiful flowers, only to discover it's Mary herself who tends to the garden. Amazing! 

    Catarina?! Down, girl! But she has to get the gardening deets from Mary, so she can level up her own gardening skills. She must do anything and everything to avoid those doom flags! Unfortunately for her, Mary doesn't have experience with growing veggies—but that's not enough to stop Catarina! If Mary could see the fields herself, maybe she can impart some of her gardening wisdom and tackle this problem together. Teamwork! (What's in it for Mary, though?!)

    Turns out Catarina wasn't giving her vegetable garden the right amount of nutrients to grow. They replant the veggies elsewhere to see how they do with this new insight. Thanks to Mary's help, the garden is looking healthier. Take that, doom flags!

    Catarina leaves Mary with the one line that changes her life forever, making Mary completely affectionate toward Catarina. Turns out what Mary gained was a new friend! According to Keith, Mary hasn't been having a good home life, since Mary's mom was Marquess Hunt's second wife, which the family wasn't exactly too pleased with. This caused Mary's older sisters to treat her like she's a thorn in their side (heh, thorn), verbally abusing her for most of her life. Geez, no wonder she didn't feel like hanging at the party! But thanks to Catarina, Mary now feels like she's not alone anymore. Yeah, friendship!!

  Keith also mentions that her engagement to Prince Alan is set to happen soon.

  Wait. Her engagement to Alan??

    ALERT! ALERT! A NEW DOOM FLAG HAS ARRIVED!

  Is it wise to befriend the girl who's going to marry the guy who is one of the conquerable routes in the game? Isn't that like saying "yes, I would like to have this doom flag, please"?! 

  In Alan's route, he has a huge inferiority complex toward Geordo. But when the heroine of the game appears, he softens and his relationship with his brother improves. A lovely story! Catarina barely appears in this story, so it should be okay, right? The rival for this route is Mary. So, does that mean she could either get exiled or die?

    Nope, only Catarina. What kind of cruel joke is this?! Well, Mary is a nice girl, after all. And in the game, Catarina constantly bullies the heroine. There's gotta be a way to turn this around. Let's think more on the way Alan's route is supposed to go ... Hey, wait a minute!

    Isn't this EXACTLY what Catarina said to Mary? She said Alan's line first before he even had the chance to?! How will this affect the outcome? Will Mary even fall in love with Alan now? We'll have to wait and see how this pans out.

  Things seem to be going smoothly. Does it even matter if Alan was able to comment on Mary's gardening skills?

    Mary reveals that Catarina told her she's special for her green thumb. Of course, he couldn't dare say the same thing now, could he? This couldn't cause a problem for their future relationship, could it?

    Of course, it would. Alan waltzes into the manor, demands to see Catarina and tells her to stop SEDUCING his fiancee! Apparently most of the time when he invites Mary over, she declines because she's at Catarina's place. And when Mary accepts his invitations, all she talks about is Catarina! Wow, she's totally smitten by Catarina.

    Instead of calmly talking and working things out, Catarina tells Alan he's full of it. Oh, and he's boring and has zero appeal. Real mature, Catarina! Alan takes this as a challenge and dares Catarina to a duel of her choosing! But ... what's Catarina good at again?

    Oh right, climbing trees. How could I forget? Look at her go! It's like someone pressed the Turbo button on a controller. Alan can't possibly win. He's unable to regain his dignity. And so he constantly visits Catarina to challenge her endlessly in tree climbing—and always loses. He doesn't want to give up though. He'll win no matter what!

    Of course, this had to stop at some point. Alan comes by on a day when Geordo is also there and the situation gets really tense. To ease things, Catarina offers a different challenge: a piano duel! It's probably best that way since her mother is bound to find out about the tree climbing sooner or later.

    To everyone's amazement, Catarina can hold her own in piano playing, but Alan is on a whole other level. He's exceptionally gifted at it, having everyone who's listening swooning over his beautiful music. But Alan won't take the positive attention lightly. His inferiority complex comes out in full display when Geordo compliments him. He feels as if Geordo is secretly mocking him. 

    Catarina, being the great pal that she is, chases after Alan to talk things out. Everyone has something they're good at and something they're lousy in—it's part of being human! Even the seemingly perfect Geordo has a weakness of his own.

    Snakes! Now that Catarina knows Geordo can't handle snakes she has something she can use to her advantage when things get hairy. What precious knowledge!

    But that would only work as long as Geordo thought it was a real snake and not one made out of paper. Whoops! 

    This situation is too hilarious for Alan to continue to be upset. Look at that smile! I'm sure in her own way Catarina is helping Alan come to terms with his inferiority complex.

  It seems like another doom flag was avoided, but when will the next one pop up? We'll find out tomorrow when the next episode of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! airs! See ya next time!

What's been your favorite part of the show so far? Isn't Catarina totally relatable? Let us know in the comments!

  Catch My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! every Saturday at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST on Crunchyroll!

  ----

Nicole is a frequent wordsmith for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[candy-corps]

Mother and Son

CE belongs to @those-crazy-eyes

prompt: send me a »♥« to receive a hug from my muse.

She couldn’t help herself. They were out, both carrying a bag by now, when Dave just looked like hat - a little lost. Mom mode activated, Belle stepped up and wrapped her arms and wings around him in a tight hold.

Suddenly becoming held onto in a hug caught him off guard a bit. He looked back at Belle a bit startled. Couldn’t help but blush a bit, feeling a bit of warmth and comfort in her hold. “Uh…thank you..”

“Are you alright?” She was still alerted. Maybe when she’d purr, he’d be alright. She tried that.

“Huh? I’m fine…” He assured her. She did seem worried over him. He gently rubbed on one of her wings. Both wondering how they felt and to offer some comfort in return. It was oddly nice to be within embrace. But did he hear her purring? He blushed even more. “It’s…Okay..thank you.”

Was he sure? Belle let the purring sound trail off andnuzzled him shortly. She did relax as he put his hand on her wing; seeing it as a ‘there there, it’s okay’.

“You looked so huggable for a moment” she explained leaning back - yet still keeping her wings around him. She wanted him to feel safe.

He blinked at her. Watching her nuzzle against him. “I did?” Well he get use to this sudden affection from someone as sweet as Belle was. He smiled a bit. And tried to hug her in return.  “Well I could use some every once in awhile.”

She was getting a hug too out of this. It made her purr again; this time out of happiness, though. “Same.”

He felt more of Belle’s purring against him and filled him with loving warmth. It was nice to hug for a while but after a long period of time still where they were at, it’s time to let go. He slowly lifted Belle’s arms off and held her hands. “Okay that’s enough for me.” He chuckled. “We should head home already. People will stare.”

“I don’t mind. We go live in another dimension” she chuckled. A world where her babys were without hugs simply was no world for her.

“Oh..is it that easy?” He couldn’t help but laugh. Still holding her hands and playfully swinging them side to side.

“Yeah.” Truth be spoken? “We can go where I’m from. From there, everywhere else.” She needed to visit Mars anyway. How she missed her babys.  

“Oh wow…Would you bring me along so i’d know how it all works?” He asked her. He felt like he could use some more knowledge about the concept. It did turn his life around and helped him meet Belle.

“Of course. When you’d like to? You could meet your siblings.” She’d like that!

“Well…whenever is fine I guess…m-my siblings?” He wasn’t quite sure what she meant. She was quick to assume he had any. But he didn’t. “I’m pretty sure I was an only child actually.”  

Only child? But he knew about Reese. Wait, wait. He didn’t know. Belle looked aside with a smile, a little too embarassed to tell. “My other children. Mars, Madeleine … “ She did miss her little girl, now that she thought of her, too.

“Oh are they in other the other erm…dimensions?” He asked. “W-why aren’t you all just… together? is it not a hassle…constantly…having to keep tabs..” He wondered. Maybe it was easier since Reese was around but still.

“No. You see, I’m not the only one parenting them. We raise them together. It’s just safer and more fun for the kids. It’s not good to have them travel, too.” Eros told her it took a toll on Reese already, after all.

“Oh…that makes sense- and what does this have to do we me having si-” Suddenly coming to the realization, he looked at Belle. “Y-you think I’m…You want me as your-.” Well gee, no one told him. He assumed the woman was just awfully kind and enjoyed offering the hospitality. “You’re not kidding?” He asked giving an awkward chuckle.

Belle muttered a purr. No, she wasn’t joking. She shifted her wing to have it brush Dave’s back. She had a lot of children, yes, but she wanted this one, too.

He cocked his head at her. Was that a no? Well he wasn’t sure if could do anything about so. He didn’t plan to anyways. “You still not ready to leave?” He asked, trying to gently change the subject.

Belle shook her head. She didn’t know what exactly he meant, but when it was about quitting the hugging, it was a strict no.  second after and she clung on him again. No she wasn’t ready to let go. Why did children have to grow up that quickly.

The man gave a soft huff. “Well, we can’t stand here forever.” He said, starting to walk them both away from their spot and back to home, where they could get some more rest. He didn’t mind her clinging on to him and as he didn’t let go much either.  

Well true that. They should bring their groceries home. Belle kept her wing around Dave as they walked as if e’d just walk of the second she stopped to.

They couldn’t just drop the topic like that, and neither have it hang n the air like that, too. “I was adopted when I was little” Belle said, seemingly out of nowhere. She grabbed her bag again, seeing how Dave meant to move forward.  

“Really?” That was interesting to know. Seeing that she cooperated with him was good too. “That’s…nice.” Was the only comment he could give to her. Family wasn’t his favorite thing to discuss with others.

“Yeah.” He didn’t seem too talkative. “I’d love to have you. Maybe just keep it in mind.” She shouldn’t have pressured him with it since he didn’t know her for so long. It was good as it was, really.  

“Have me? As your son?” He asked. It seemed a bit much considering they just met. And he was far of age to really need a parent. But maybe it wasn’t for his sake…He gave Belle a look. “I’v never had a mother before…Did you know that?” He asked. “But i’ve wondered what it was like. Often. When I was young. But why would anyone want me as their son now?”

For one thing - “You do help me with groceries. Believe me, a lot of moms do like that.” Amusing that he didn’t see what she could in him. And … so she wasn’t taking anyones place. On a more serious note… “And I don’t know. I saw you and …” Just had to mother him. It was hard to explain but it was what it was.

He listened but still wasn’t exactly sure what she meant and just blinked. And gave a sigh. “It’s Alright…really..” He promised. It was all better then being homeless. PLaying family wouldn’t be so bad though. So far it’s proved it hasn’t, and he’s learned to really like Belle. And being taken in someone else’s care…was a surreal experience to him that he has secretly loved.

Was? Well, what a relief. She honestly didn’t mean to be pushy. She wanted to be one of these cool moms. Maybe …

“Would you like to meet my brother first?” Yeah. When he was introduced to the others little by little, it may just be less overwhelming.

“You have a brother?” He asked a bit surprised.  “Um…I don’t know. Maybe?” He mumbled. Now feeling shy about it. He wasn’t that happy about meeting new people. Didn’t know what would come of meeting one of her family.

“Dae is my nephew” Belle clarified, her nose wrinling  a little as she smiled. Of course she has a brother. “I got two actually. But since we live in Bruce’ place you’re sure to meet him soon or late. He’s nice!” No need to worry. He was so tiny, too.

“Oh right. Well I hope he is.” He told her. She seemd to be happy with this. He wondered what dae’s father would possibly be like now. “What is your brother like. Is he like you?”

“Mmmmh he’s a little taller” Belle explained, taking one hand off Dave just to show him the height. “And grey. He’s very caring, down to earth … and … a hero.” She huffed. Being caring and being a hero may just go hand in hand.

They were home though. Time go get the groceries up and then stored. She got something that would soon go to waste when it won’t be cooled soon.