#but. they’re doing karaoke. and i haven’t done karaoke in three years

[palms-upturned]

.

[estellamiraiauthor]

The Stars May Rise and Fall: The Annotated Re-read (Chapter 4)

Welcome back to my annotated re-read of The Stars May Rise and Fall. If you’ve missed the previous installments and want to get caught up: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

As always, SPOILERS ABOUND, possibly including spoilers for chapters beyond this one, so if you want to join in, care about spoilers, and haven’t read the book yet, get your copy here, or you can also order the paperback from your local indie bookstore!

Chapter 4 is going to be a fun one, folks… Chapter 4 has got a STORY!

In a welcome change from Chapter 3 (LOL), Chapter 4 is one of my favorite early chapters… this is where Teru sings for the band for the first time, and in the final published draft, it’s also the first time we get to “see” them play on-page at all. (A very early draft opened mid-concert, which is probably how I’d do that hypothetical anime, but wasn’t really needed for the book.) And so a lot of this chapter is a fun little nostalgia dive into visual kei.

I don’t know that I have much to say about the first third of the chapter, where they’re just in the sound check. It’s really just setting up how Teru feels and painting a little picture of how the venue looks. It’s fun for me to go back to, though, because those were fun times and I miss them!

The next part, though, when they actually have to play and the crowd is expecting to see Bara? That was largely inspired by something that actually happened.

I used to follow a little indie band called Replicant. When I first got into them, they had a little following… not enough to be filling venues on their own, but I think they were decently known and liked among people who were into indie visual kei. They had three members: a singer, a guitarist, and a bassist, and there was a drummer who wasn’t an official member but played with them. A month or so after I started following them, a different guy joined as their official drummer, and for like a week there were four of them. Then, one night, I went to see them play… and the singer just didn’t show. They actually just played the instrumental parts without the vocals that night, like karaoke tracks that no one sang along to. It was VERY awkward, and I felt VERY sorry for them, and it was really, really obvious that no one in the audience knew that the singer wasn’t going to show.

From other fans, I heard he just didn’t show up, and the other guys went to his house and couldn’t make contact with him. A couple of years later, a guy from another band said he “ran off with a girl,” but that doesn’t really explain playing one show, and then a week later, no-showing for another. A lot of these guys ends up quitting because they get married and want to get a real job, but they usually announce that they’re leaving and have a farewell show and everything. This guy just abandoned the band and disappeared. And I do think he was probably the most popular band member, so they lost a lot of fans after that happened.

The show AFTER that, I think the guitarist tried to sing while he played, and it didn’t go that well. They took a couple of weeks off after that, and when they came back they had kind of rebranded―the original guitarist sang, and played guitar solos on a few songs, and they had another guitarist join them as a guest to play the parts where he had to be singing at the same time. I liked the original guitarist/new singer… he was the band’s main songwriter, and I liked the songs he wrote. His voice was really different from the original singer’s, though, so they had to change their set lists up a lot, and the poor guy looked TERRIFIED during those first few shows. (Sound familiar?)

Ultimately, the band broke up, and the guitarist/singer/songwriter started a new band that played a lot of his old songs. When I learned about that, I went to see them… and this time HE just didn’t show up without notice. Why in the world would someone do such a shitty thing that had been done to them? I have no idea. It was a really bizarre story and I’m SURE I’m missing some key piece of it.

But, anyway, the whole “Um, hi? I guess I’m singing now?” bit was based on something that actually happened, and that I was in the audience for!

It’s also probably a good time to talk a little about the “oshi” culture here… no one called it “oshi” back then, but if you said that you liked a particular band, everyone would ask “Oh, who do you like?” or “Whose fan are you?” And you were expected to have a favorite band member―people would look at you like you were crazy if you said you just liked the music or liked the band as a whole! So if a popular member quit, a lot of the fans would follow them to their new band, rather than continuing to consider themselves fans of the original band. So Bara’s fans would’ve felt cheated, I think, to have come expecting to see him and them have him not show.

It’s a little bit of a fantasy, I think, for Teru to have won over a crowd who were mostly there to see someone else so easily… but what’s the fun of reading if it can’t take you away from reality for a bit?

So then we have the third part, when the show is over and they’re selling their demo tapes and photo sets in the lobby. Yes, bands were still selling cassette tapes into the 21st century here (even though we had texting before the rest of the world, I swear I double- and triple-checked the timing of all the technology and it’s accurate!). CDs were definitely the most popular way to buy music from major-label bands, but CD burners were still really expensive, so most indie bands still sold demo tapes. A lot of people had these little stereos that had a CD player, tape player, minidisc (MD) player and radio, and would buy CDs and tapes and then put the music on MDs to carry around.

The photo sets would just be photos of the band, sometimes taken in a professional studio but sometimes just in someone’s apartment with sheets thrown over the furniture. These days, I think a lot of bands and idol groups use Polaroid-type instant photos so that no two are alike, and they can sell a lot of photos to the same die-hard fans, but at the time they’d just print a bunch of the same photos and sell them either in sets of one of each band member and maybe one of all of them together, or individually.

And of course, also in this part, we meet Kiyomi. Looking at this as a Phantom retelling, Kiyomi is clearly the “Raoul.” She’s a childhood friend who is reunited with Teru here after they’ve both kind of grown, and I think she also sort of represents the class divide that was between Christine and Raoul in the original. I say “sort of,” because it’s complicated. There’s no nobility in modern-day Japan (although I guess there sort of unofficially is; I could have made her the daughter of an old landowning family or a politician?), but she’s sort of in an “upper” class just because she got a higher education (not a super elite one, based on her age and when she started her job she could only have gone to a two-year college, but it places her above Teru’s high school and WAY above Rei’s junior high in mainstream society’s eyes) and has a “normal” (i.e. salaried with benefits) job. She looks and dresses “mainstream” and while she probably doesn’t make a ton of money, she’d have a monthly salary that added up to more than what Teru made hourly, so while she’s not quite aristocracy, I think there is a kind of a class divide here as well―or at least the divide between subculture and mainstream.

And I think she also represents what Teru thinks he “should” be. He “should” like someone like her―why not? She’s pretty, she’s successful, she’s clearly interested in him.

But in the end, of course he rushes off to keep his promise to Rei instead of hanging around to talk to her.

In a lot of ways, of course, Kiyomi isn’t really Raoul at all―Raoul was trying to save Christine from a murderer, and since Rei isn’t a murderer in the first place, Teru doesn’t really need saving. And since Teru isn’t really attracted to her, as much as he thinks he SHOULD be, the final choice he has to make isn’t between Rei and Kiyomi at all, but between Rei and his career.

…but that’s maybe a discussion for a later chapter? ;)

[cheri-translates]

[CN] ASMR Transcripts (Kiro)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for ASMRs which have not been released in English servers! 🍒

This post contains transcripts of the following:

> night warmth - 黑夜温度

> dawn - 晨光

> visiting his workplace on the beach - 海岛探班

night warmth - 黑夜温度

[ MC and Helios are being chased by a police car. Heavy panting. ]

Here. Hurry.

Don’t make a sound.

We’re safe for now.

…have you hugged me enough.

You’re right. This place is very dark and cramped.

You’re afraid?

…I said it before. Stay away from me.

[ Sound of ruffling and Helios tapping on his phone ]

We have to stay here until we can be certain of our safety.

My phone still has battery. There’s enough for it to be used as a light source.

Hm? What’s wrong?

It’s just a bruise. It wouldn’t affect anything.

I don’t need this…

Wait.

[ Sound of bandages ]

Don’t touch…

…it doesn’t hurt.

You don’t have to be so careful.

I wouldn’t become paralysed from this level of injury.

Why are you looking at me like that?

…I already said that it doesn’t hurt. I don’t want to repeat myself again.

You shouldn’t need to understand these things, much less interfere in them.

You…

What’s wrong with your hand?

Don’t move.

Only now do you know what pain is?

Open your hand. Put it here.

…come nearer.

What are you hiding from? I haven’t even started.

Put your hand properly. Don’t tremble.

…does it hurt?

I got it. I’ll be gentler.

Since you’re so afraid of pain, you should remember this clearly. Don’t be a busybody, especially when it comes to me.

There is a reason for that.

Tell me… you know quite a lot.

However, being bold isn’t necessarily a good thing.

[ Sound of running ]

There’s movement.

[ Sound of running ]

…they’ve gone far away.

What’s wrong? Why are you so warm?

Shh…

Don’t make a sound.

…looks like you have a fever.

The wound may have an infection.

Hang in there. I’ll bring you out soon.

Shh, don’t make a sound.

What did think I was going to do…

Fever and chills.

Come closer to me.

Even closer.

Treat this as thanks for “saving” me again.

I wouldn’t care about you the next time.

I hope there wouldn’t be a next time.

What are you laughing at?

Like a disobedient child stuck in a small black house?

You still have the mood to joke around?

Looks like you’re still clear-headed

Very strong… nothing.

If you’re tired, you can lean on me and sleep for a while.

Hm? You don’t dare to sleep?

Aren’t you very bold?

They likely think we have already escaped.

So once it’s dark, we can leave.

This time, after we part, I hope I’ll never meet you again.

At least, not in such an embarrassment situation.

You’ve fallen asleep so quickly.

For now, have a good sleep.

dawn - 晨光

[ Kiro waking up. Cute grunts ]

Hm? Are you awake?

What time is it?

[ Kiro unlocks his phone to check the time ]

It’s still early.

[ Kiro taps on his phone, then locks it ]

Savin says he’ll pick me up at 9am.

I can still sleep for another two hours.

Hm? Didn’t you know that Savin moved house recently?

Coming here requires him to take the most congested route in all of Loveland City.

Besides, it’s the early morning peak period now.

Last night, I saw that he was still singing karaoke at 1am on Moments.

He won’t make it at 9am.

[ Rustling ]

And I haven't been busy lately.

I’ll be investing in two days.

[Note] He actually says “进组” (“jin zu”), but I don’t know what it means even after searching it up. The closest thing I could find is the phrase “带资进组” (“dai zi jin zu”), which refers to how actors bring in start-up capital to invest in the crew before filming officially begins.

I’ve already pushed away jobs that should be pushed away.

These two days will just be spent recording some things in the shack.

[ Rustling and Kiro sighs ]

If I were to head over at noon, I’ll be done in the afternoon.

Hm? Do you want to look for me later?

We can go for a meal together.

[ Random grunt. Kiro sighs again, followed by a long period of silence ]

Oh right!

The program you mentioned the other time.

How’s it going? Smoothly?

I was going to ask you about it on the plane yesterday.

But once we met, I forgot about it.

Savin mentioned that you even asked for his help to find a celebrity who’s good at variety shows.

Have you found one?

In your proposal this time, is there nothing I can help with?

[ Rustling ]

‘No’?

How could there be nothing?

Hmph. Don’t underestimate me.

Even though I have more experience on stage,

When it comes to staging lights and acoustics,

I’ve done my research too.

I wouldn’t be much worse than experienced staff.

Also, if I can’t be a guest on your program,

I could be a member of the staff.

And my rates are very cheap.

If you’re the one hiring me, I’ll give you a large discount.

Hm? Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?

I’m not thinking of anything bad.

I’m just thinking…

I don’t seem to be very busy in the later half of the year.

If you aren’t busy either, we can spend more time together.

If you’re very busy, I can accompany you to work.

It’s so rare for us to have time. I have to cherish it.

Having more things to look at, having more songs to write, and seeing you more frequently.

Don’t worry, I really have time.

[ Rustling ]

I’m not the lead in this show.

So I can finalise it in around a month.

Mm! Even though I’m not the lead, I really like this role.

And it’s the first time I’m acting as someone’s brother.

I don’t know if I can act it well.

What’s wrong?

Did it leave you in shock that I’m not the lead?

Do you also think I should only accept lead roles?

Actually, Savin and I have discussed this matter.

He’s the same as always, leaving the decision to me.

So I think…

They’re all fine. I’ll just look at the script.

And the director this time round specially explained his reason for not casting me as the lead.

It made me feel a little embarrassed.

He’s an incredibly experienced director,

But still had to consider these trivial things for me.

[ Kiro sighs ]

Maybe my schedule was too packed with work before.

So it caused people to misunderstand.

Which is why I want to tidy it up from now onwards.

And not stretch myself too thin,

And to give myself more time to digest the work on hand.

[ Kiro sighs. Long silence again where you can hear Kiro’s breathing. ]

Hm? Are you getting up now?

I’m not that tired either.

But I keep thinking it’s a loss to get up when the alarm hasn’t sounded yet.

You said you didn’t want to get up and yet can’t sleep.

What should we do then, Miss Chips?

[ Rustling ]

I’m not referring to playing games, or watching the television, or using the phone.

[ Rustling. It sounds like he’s FEELING HER UP. ]

Looks like my intelligent and adorable Miss Chips has finally guessed it.

Which is why you’re using the blanket to cover your head.

Hmm, you can’t do that.

Weren’t you the one who said that on account of how I’ve been working hard during this period, you’d reward me with food and drinks?

If you say things you don’t mean,

I’ll be very upset.

I’ll count to three.

If you don’t take more initiative, I’ll do it myself.

Although I never bully you, being a little mischievous occasionally should be okay, right?

Three.

[ Rustling ]

Are you sure you don’t want it?

[ Kiro laughs ]

Two.

[ Kiro sighs ]

Looks like Miss Chips really isn’t afraid.

One.

I’ll be gentle.

[ Rustling ]

I promise.

[ A lot of rustling. Kiro breathes heavily. ]

visiting his workplace on the beach - 海岛探班

[ sound of waves on the shore + footsteps ]

Miss Chips, you’re here…

Don’t worry, it’s just that today’s shoot started too early.

I’m not very tired.

…of course I’m not lying to you.

[sighs] Come, sit over here.

How is it? Isn’t it very comfortable here?

Mm, I like staying by the seaside too…

Just being under the sun and feeling the sea breeze makes me feel so happy.

[laughs] But… with Miss Chips visiting me at work, I’m even happier.

[ zipping sounds ]

Hm? This is a “visiting at work” gift for me?

Wow, it’s a coconut from here.

As expected of my Miss Chips, who knows me best in the entire world.

You actually knew that I happened to be thirsty right now.

…mm, I see the opening.

…mm, very fresh and sweet.

Come, you can try it too… mm?

Why do you need to insert another straw?

Don’t move. I’ll just hold the coconut and feed you… open your mouth.

How is it? Does it taste delicious?

Ahh I’m sorry, it spilt onto your clothes…

[ tissue wiping sounds ]

…all right, it’s just that the collar is still a little wet.

Want to loosen your collar slightly?

Maybe it’d dry a little faster.

…don’t look at me with that expression. I really didn’t do it on purpose.

[ tissue patting sounds ]

[laughs] But there’s some coconut juice at the corner of your mouth which hasn’t been wiped clean…

[ tissue wiping sounds ]

[kiss] All right, it’s clean now…

…but I realised something earlier.

And that is… coconut juice is really very sweet. It’s savoury, especially…

[kiss] Eh, why is your face suddenly so red?

I know, I know, it’s the sunlight’s fault for being so strong on the seaside…

Miss Chips’ reddish cheeks were under the sun, and it’s definitely not because she’s shy.

No, it has nothing to do with you…

I accidentally bumped into something this morning during the filming.

Mm. I’ve already applied medicine. It doesn’t hurt at all, don’t worry.

Also, the moment I see you, I immediately come back to life.

…as long as Miss Chips is by my side, it’s already the greatest show of support.

However, the most effective way of visiting me at work is actually…

Come a little closer and I’ll tell you.

[ ruffling sounds ]

[kiss] To me, this is the most effective way of visiting me at work.

[ many more kisses ]

On a contented afternoon, quietly sitting by the seaside,

Having Miss Chips beside me,

Along with her hugs and kisses…

[sighs] This kind of visits at work are what I’ve always longed for… very perfect.

[sighs] Promise me that in every film I shoot in the future,

You’ll try your best to visit the set once, okay?

Because I hope you can always participate in my life.

[laughs] …all right, I’ll take it that you’ve agreed.

Don’t worry… this place is very hidden, and no one will come…

[ellewords]

https://throttlee.tumblr.com/post/637059715775496192 I COULD HONESTLY SEE THIS FANART OF THE MSBY BOYS HAPPNING IN CANON but imagine it in the actor au and their actors are just casually napping like this while taking a break from filming (it sneakily gets posted on the official twitter by one of the other actors and goes viral and now everyone else is trying to post candid shots of each other like that)

i also love the idea of the actors going around filming little vlogs, whether it’s during breaks or while other actors are filming—kinda like the bts bombs or loona TV, and then these videos would be uploaded to the official youtube channel!! i bet the most-viewed ones are the most chaotic.......there’s a bts bomb from a few years ago where some of the boys are having a snowball fight outside and at one point one guy (i forget who, maybe it was jungkook or something? iirc jimin was filming but i haven’t seen it in a long time so my memory’s very fuzzy) starts running towards the others with a HUGE chunk of snow in his hands anyways this but it’s either the seijoh four or the captains LMAOOOOO — 🌸

aaaah pls the msby boys napping ??? peak devastation for me oh gosh ty for showing me that im so soft 🥺 i feel like ushi or maybe even kags was the one who took that photo and shared it on twt ; i also like to think that only filmed one (1) scene and they were just like “okay...nap time !! ” anyways tysm for this, hope you are having a wonderful day !! <3

also what i think the cast’s little vlogs would contain (bec i love that idea too) :

question and answer with the fans in their dressing rooms -> usually done by the karasuno first years ; there was a time yams had to put his hand over hinata’s mouth because he was very close to entering spoiler territory.

dramatic fanfiction readings -> for some reason the captains love doing this ?? and they’re very sweet about it too, compliments writing and characterization whenever they finish reading and you can tell they’re really sincere about it.

pranks on the cast and crew -> tendou, kuroo, atsumu and occasionally oikawa ; always harmless and fun, nothing too serious ; sometimes they’ll just randomly attack people with waterguns when they know they’re done with filming.

episode watch-along / reaction / commentary -> every single person on the cast has done this at least once, esp. if a particular episode is integral to their character’s development ; where cast / scene secrets / tea is usually spilled.

just generally a variety of things wherein the cast are put in certain situations (mostly as promo for the latest season) -> escape rooms, karaoke, obstacle courses ; the crew tries to mix it up when it comes to grouping the cast together, so while fans still get the usual gym three, aces, etc. they could also get something like daishou + shirabu + tsukki

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

from this ask | send me your hcs on a characters as cast / actor au !! <33

[harryandisla]

Have isla and harry done interviews together??? Or maybe even spill your guts or fill your guts...

as queen hayley williams said in dead horse, ”alright, it took me three days to send you this, but, uh, sorry, i was in a depression, but i'm trying to come out of it now” but instead it took me 38 days and i’m still in a depression :)

But yes!!! They’ve 100% done interviews together!! They did the press stuff for Dunkirk and the period drama netflix show i haven’t named yet, that was before they were dating but there was so much flirting, enough for there to be a few ‘Harry and isla flirting for 10 minutes’ videos on YouTube.

I think after they’ve established that they’re dating they talk about each other, not by name but more as ‘a friend of mine’, but the longer they get into the relationship they start with the partner / gf / bf / my love stuff. And obviously when they’re married the my husband / my wife stuff starts. When Harry hosted the late late show for James he did fill or spill with Isla instead of k*ndal and then after they’ve been married a few years they’d do it again, they’ve both crashed each other’s carpool karaoke a few times as well

I’d also like to think they were on talk shows or game shows together way before they ever worked together and that’s how they initially became friends? Like on a league of their own or never mind the buzzcocks? And they were on the same team together and they were being very witty and playful with each other the whole time? I think I’ve mentioned before that they were on late late show together and that’s where james corden told everyone about Harry’s very obvious crush on isla that she’s never let him live down

Sorry if this was a bit half-arsed, I’ve had quite a few things going on in my life and my mental health hasn’t been the best lately so I haven’t paid much attention to this account, thank you so so much for your ask though!!! It means the world that people are actually interested in this account in some way?

[girls-scenarios]

Lesser-Known Girl Groups You Should Check Out

1. GIRLKIND

First on the list is GIRLKIND! This is a four member girl group that all the admins really like. They come from a poor company, which unfortunately has made some people send them hate, but every single one of these girls is so talented and they do their best with what they have. They do a lot of dance covers, like their recent relay dance of girl group songs from 2010, as well as vocal and dance covers! They tend to reply to comments and interact with fans as well! Medic Jin has such an incredible voice and every single member can dance. It’s sad that they don’t have the funds to show their talent to the world, because they genuinely have so much potential. Their most recent comeback is “Future” and it’s one of my favorites by them, go check it out!

2. Saturday

Second on the list we have Saturday! Saturday is a (now) five member girl group under SD Entertainment. For this group, their songs definitely aren’t for everyone: they’re a mix of cute and silly, but it’s a sound that I personally love! My favorite song by them is “Wifi,” it’s just so catchy and it makes me smile every time I listen to it! They recently posted a dance cover of “Kissing You” with their lightstick that was so adorable, and Haneul, who is all around talented AF, posted a short NCT 127 “Kick It” dance Cover! You can learn more about them by watching them on Fact iN Star. Their last comeback was with “BByong” and it looks like we’ll be getting a comeback soon as some of the girls have changed their hair colors!

3. Nature

Third we have one of my current favorite groups, Nature! Nature is a nine member girl group under N.CH World. They’ve had a couple lineup changes and, most recently, added Sohee, who some of you might recognize from Produce 101! This group is known for their kind of weird, unique yet catchy songs, like “Some (You’ll Be Mine)” and my personal favorite, “I’m So Pretty.” This group has some dancing machines and they post a lot of dance covers, Haru in particular. She just recently posted a dance cover of MC Hammer’s “It’s All Good,” and a dance practice all my friends love is Saebom, Aurora, and Haru’s cover of “Chun-Li.” You can watch them on Weekly Idol, Fact iN Star, KBS’s Try Not To Sing Challenge, Pops In Seoul, Car Talk, and Idol League. They had a reality show with Mnet, but I cannot for the life of me find where to watch it. They upload a lot of short videos to their YouTube channel, some with subs and others without. They also had a pop cover project pre-debut that is incredible! Their latest Korean comeback was with “Oopsie! My Bad” and “Bing Bing,” a side track the promoted! They’re a really amazing group that I’ve totally fallen for!

4. Elris

This next group is an older group, as Elris debuted under Hunus Entertainment in 2017. They recently added two members, Chaejeong (who you might recognize from Produce 48) and EJ, making them a seven member girl group. They debuted with a rather cute concept that they changed up a bit with their last comeback. Sohee, the leader, is probably the most known member of the group. You might know her from her solo song “Hurry Up” with BOL4, she also did some solo things pre-debut. They post both dance and vocal covers on their YouTube channel, as well as vlogs from the members. You can learn more about them by watching Pops in Seoul, Fact iN Star, Broken Karaoke, After School Club, their Weekly Idol episode with Golden Child, and this actually helpful (un)helpful guide to Elris. They also recently appeared on dancing idol! Their most recent comeback was with “Jackpot” and it was really good, be sure to give them a listen! 

5. 3YE

Next is 3YE (pronounced third eye) and, even though I think they’re really gaining in popularity especially overseas, I still wanted to include them. 3YE is a three member girl group under GH Entertainment with a criminal concept! Their dances really make them stand out because of the cheer power, and their music would appeal to anyone who likes more hard-hitting music or a typical boy group sound. On their YouTube, you can find Q&A videos (subbed!) and lots of covers! Unfortunately they haven’t had the chance to be on many shows yet, but you can learn more about them through this interview, this (un)helpful guide to 3YE, and this Pop in Seoul video. They have three songs, the most recent being “Queen” as well as “OOMM (Out Of My Mind)” and “DMT (Do My Thing)”.

6. ANS

Next we have ANS, an eight member girl group under ANS Entertainment that debuted in 2019. It’s a bit of a joke in the fandom that they add members every comeback, because, well, it’s kind of true so far. They gained a lot of attention after their comeback “Say My Name” in January, although some people were accusing them of copying Everglow. Thankfully, most of the attention that came from this was positive. This is another group under a poor company trying their best, especially because a lot of the girls have tried to debut before, but I think they did amazing with their last comeback and I’m really hoping their career is able to take off. Also, their dance skills are GREAT. They have so many members who excel in dancing and even choreograph themselves, please watch Bian, Dalyn, and Raon’s “I Like It” choreo and be blessed. They also post vocal covers through their cover project and their dance practice in hanbok was ADORABLE. They went to Fact iN Star during their debut, so you can learn about the members other than J and Haena there. This (un)helpful guide to ANS is really great as well! These girls are incredibly talented, check out both “Boom Boom” and “Say My Name” live stages to see what I mean!

7. Cignature

Okay so Cignature has actually been getting quite a lot of attention since their debut this year, but I couldn’t help but to add them here. Cignature is a seven member girl group under J9 Entertainment. Five of the members were in the girl group Good Day and appeared on The Unit, so you might see some familiar faces! I feel like a broken record, but I’m serious when I once again say that the members are SO TALENTED. They sing live for every performance and even during some dance challenges! On their YouTube, they do a lot of dance covers and they have a lot of short videos called Cignature Piece that are, unfortunately, not subbed but are still fun to watch! You can learn more about them through After School Club, this complimenting challenge, this newsaid interview, this skylife series, Broken Karaoke, and Fact iN Star released a dance video, so they might be appearing there soon as well! They came back with a second debut single ASSA after Nun Nu Nan Na, which is about not caring if you’re an outsider and being yourself!

8. April

April is another group that falls into the area of known, but kind of underrated. They’re a six member girl group under DSP Entertainment that debuted in 2015, and although they had some lineup changes early on (KARD’s Somin used to be in the group) they’ve stayed six members for a while. You probably know Naeun, even if you don’t know that you know her: she’s acted in “A-Teen” and “Extraordinary You” as well as been MC for multiple music shows. The members have also done OST’s and have been in commercials. Somehow, though, Apink still manages to fall under the radar. Their last comeback, Oh! My Mistake was their most popular song (and their best mini album, in my opinion), but then they disappeared for a while. Their songs like April Story and The Blue Bird had more of a soft, dreamy concept and, in my opinion, should have gotten them some wins. Their reality show Here Goes April right after their debut (before Rachel and Chaekyung joined and Somin and Hyunjoo left) does have English subs, but unfortunately most of the short videos they upload now do not. You can learn more about April through their Celuv TV appearance, A Song For You, and their Pops in Seoul interview. Since they aren’t super popular overseas, it is hard to find English subs for them, but Chaewon does have her own YouTube where she posts covers and a few vlog-type videos, and Naeun has appeared on a lot of shows on her own! April will finally be making a comeback this month on the 22nd with their mini album Da Capo, so keep an eye out and please give them lots of support!

There are so many other groups that I love, like Favorite, PinkFantasy, PurpleBeck, ShaFLA, Sunny Hill, PLAYBACK, Sonamoo, NeonPunch, DreamNote, Ariaz, Limesoda, Laboum, Hashtag, and H.U.B! There also groups like gugudan, GWSN, and DIA who are known but need more recognition. If you guys find this helpful, I’d love to do another list to bring light to my girls! - Admin Kiwi

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

Chapter 18: The Royal Ball, Part 6 - Sweetie Belle’s Performance

While their much older friends and/or family are having their fun, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have had a table for themselves where they’ve been playing together and enjoying the performances that have shown up thus far themselves. Clapping for Trixie’s show, getting some good laughs from Autumn’s Puppet Show, and Sweetie Belle in particular enjoying Coloratura singing The Magic Inside again. 

They continue to have some banter between them, until they’re joined by a family member of Apple Bloom and former fellow cutie mark crusader, Babs Seed. Who eventually found her talent in being a barber in Manehattan and is currently under the tutelage under of one of the most famous hair stylists in Manehattan. While she was here, she thought she’d visit her cousin and her friends for a little bit

Babs Seed: Hey there, Apple Bloom! How’s my cuz, doin’?

Apple Bloom: Oh hey Babs! Nice t’ see ya! Ya’ll still having ah nice time at that barber shop ya work fo’?

Babs: Yeah! I get chosen whenever somepony wants a cool haircut, such as mohawks or the different kinds of punk-style haircuts

Scootaloo: Niicceeee! Maybe I should get one of your hairstyles sometime, Babs!

Babs: Haha, I’d love to have a hoof at styling your hair in cool ways some day, Scoots.

Sweetie: I may need your services sometime too, Babs. I’ve gotten into singing metal, could be useful for such performances.

Babs: Awww yeah! That would be pretty nice too, Sweetie. I have been wondering how you’ve all been. Been up to anything lately? Maybe tell me how you all were invited here?

Apple Bloom: Sure thing! Ah was mah sister’s first invite when she got t’ the farm, then ah would go t’ get inviting Zecora here as mah sister invited others in our family, as well as Rara and Autumn.

Babs: Yeah, thanks to ya sister we got some pretty awesome, and funny in the case of Autumn Blaze, performances tonight! Though I also kind of got to thank her for inviting Rara for another reason, as in turn she’d bring me. I was taking care of Photo Finish’s mane at the time Applejack was there in Manehattan so I couldn’t quite come across her. Anything else happen though, Apple Bloom?

Apple Bloom: Well.. all that’s left is sort o’ sad, Ah must warn ya. But what ah did next was try t’ see if Grand Pear was available t’ go, he didn’t end up goin’ but we’d find him visiting the graves o’ mah late parents…

Babs: Oh… yea… visiting the graves of dead beloved relatives is always a bummer… I hope this ball is making ya feel better though.

Apple Bloom: It is, yeah.

Babs: How about you, Scoots? Whatcha been up to?

Scootaloo: Hm, it has been a while since we last saw eachother hasn’t it?

Babs: Well, I was at the party ya held that ya girls held to try to convince ya parents to let you stay in Ponyville. But I suppose I haven’t been made too aware of what ya’ve done in a little more then 2 years.

Scootaloo: Is that so? Then I guess you’re not quite very are of… this!

Scootaloo shifts her body from the waist down into her seapony tail in front of Babs, and bends it in a way that would be impossible to bend hooves in to prove it’s a real fish-like tail. Scootaloo now sitting with her sea pony tail dangling down from the side of her chair.

Babs: WHOA! Ya can turn half-fish?! Just like the hippogriffs with their necklaces, but ya don’t have a necklace! How are ya doing it?

Scootaloo: A wish from Twilight, really. But there’s more to this then just that, I’ve been training myself to use this form and get even better at swimming. And just two weeks ago? I was able to convince Spitfire and the Wonderbolts to make a new branch called the Waterbolts! I can’t join yet despite helping start it, but they got decent number of good swimmers from Mount Aeris/Seaquestria to get it started. Along with some of the best fliers there too who will try to become proper Wonderbolts in the near future.

Babs: That’s awesome! Dang Scoots, ya’ve made history!

Scootaloo: Just wait till’ I’m all grown up and I’m the fastest swimmer on the planet! That will be the real kind of history I want to make!

Babs: Yeah! That’ll be a sight to see one day, ya could even do a show in the Manehattan Bay! See how fast it takes for ya to do 20 laps around The Statue of Friendship!

Scootaloo: Yeah! Exactly! It’s gonna be awesome!

Scootaloo transforms back to her pony form

Babs: Now how about you, Sweetie. You mentioned you found out you’re a bit of a metal singer. Mind explaining that?

Sweetie: Of course! After being invited by my sister, we would eventually get to Vinyl Scratch and Octavia’s house to invite them. I decided I’d stay with them a little bit as Rarity got her invitees. I decided to give their karaoke machine a try, and picked a few songs I wanted to sing for them. All of the ones I chose were some level of Metal/Hard Rock. And I guess I did great, as I left them impressed to the point that they actually want me to sing another song here at the ball just to show my voice.

Babs: No way, you’re going to be performing?! When?

Sweetie: Well either me or Cheese Sandwich is next. As soon as Octavia and Vinyl Scratch are called, I’m going to need to head over to see them to get ready.

Babs: So ya plan on rocking the palace in a little bit?

Sweetie: Weellllll the song I chose for the ball isn’t going to be a super intense song, it’s still made by a band that generally does metal, but it’ll be one of their softer ones. I decided I would try to make my first ever solo appearance in front of an audience with something intent on evoking emotions rather then a bang your head kind of tune.

Babs: Yeah, that’s probably respectable. What’s the song?

Sweetie: Mother’s Soul from Stalliondust

Babs: Oooooh, that is a good one. Can’t wait to hear your singing voice, Sweetie. Ya obviously have a talent in music going by your cutie mark, so this will be great to see!

Apple Bloom: Ooo! Ah think ah see the palace staffer walking t’ the stage t’ announce the next performance!

Indeed, as Apple Bloom noticed the palace staffer once again goes up to the stage as the audience once again quiets down to let him speak.

Palace Staffer: Thank you, thank you. Our next performance includes backing instruments from Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. Who will joined by a young rookie singer by the name of Sweetie Belle, showing off her singing talent for the first time solo in front of a big crowd!

This intrigued many in the audience who were aware of Vinyl Scratch and Octavia but have never met Sweetie. Though for those who do know Sweetie, loud cheers could be heard. Especially from her sister and her parents.

Sweetie: Oh my gosh! I’m next!. Seeya soon Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Babs! I need to get ready!

Scootaloo: Good luck, Sweetie!

Apple Bloom: Ya’ll do great! We know ya will!

((Story continues after the break))

Sweetie Belle quickly hops off her chair and rushes to wherever she can find Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. Eventually, she just manages to get to them before they were starting to walk behind the curtains on stage.

Sweetie: Hey! Vinyl! Octavia! I’m here!

Octavia: Hello, Sweetie Belle. Are you ready to debut your singing talent for the world to know?

Sweetie: Yes… I’m no longer shy about my singing. It’s time I finally put my front hoof forward.

Vinyl Scratch nods, and gives Sweetie an approving grin.

Octavia: That’s good to hear. By the way, you picked a great song. I know it’s not quite as intense as some of the ones you sang for us, but it may be a song that’s soft enough to endear your voice. And even if they’re surprised that you end up doing mostly more intense songs that aren’t to everypony’s taste, they can respect the range of your voice.

Sweetie: Thanks, Octavia

With that the 2 musicians, and the little aspiring singer all head backstage to take their places. Vinyl provides the machine that will play an instrumental of the song Sweetie sings, and Octavia provides a little extra symphonic metal elements into Sweetie’s choice of song. And of course, Sweetie on her own in the middle of the stage with a microphone. Soon, the curtain starts raising and the audience can see the three on stage. Claps are heard for the performance’s start.

Rarity: Good luck, Sweetie darling!

Sweetie smiles hearing the voice of her sister and takes a few heavy breaths. Before the song begins to play. Octavia already playing her instrument.

Mother’s Soul by Stalliondust ((To the tune of Angel’s Son by Sevendust))

Sweetie: Life is changing… annnnd…

I can’t… goooo on… withouuuut you…

Rearranging, annnnd… I will be strong!

I’ll stand byyyyyy you…

You were fighting… everyday…

Soooo hard to hide the pain…

I know you never said goodbye…

I had so much left to saaaaay…

(Sweetie puts her mouth closer to the mic to sing the first use of the chorus more quietly)

One last sooooong…

Given to a mother’s soooul…

As soon as you were gooone…

As soon as you were gooooone…

(Sweetie puts her mouth back from the mic, and starts to pick up the intensity as the song itself does)

I have a new life now…

I live through you!

What can I do?!

I feel so alone now…

I pray for you!

We still looove yooou!

You were fighting… everyday…

So hard to hide the pain…

I know you never said goodbye…

I had so much left to saaaaaaay…!

(The song picks up to it’s highest intensity)

One last soooong!

Given to a mother’s sooooooul!

As soon as you were goooone!

As soon as you were goooooone! Ooooh!

One last soooong! Ooooh!

I can’t believe, you’re gone!

Given to a mother’s sooooooul!

Iiiiii can’t beliiiieve!

As soon as you were gooone!

As soon as you were… gooone a ohhh a ohhh a

The song finishes, many of the audience’s mouth agape from Sweetie’s cover of the song. Soon claps are heard and they start spreading across the crowd until the entire crowd claps and starts cheering for the young singer. Not all were necessarily clapping, but that’s because instead they were emotionally moved by the lyrics for one reason or another. Many of the members of the M.I.L.F. club among them, being this is a song dedicated to a deceased mother, anyone in the audience who has a deceased parent, especially Applejack who took the lyrics to heart and is already wiping tears from her eyes. Starlight was still next to her, and is patting her on the back.

Applejack: *sniff* Such a-ah  b-b-beautiful s-so-song… *sob* W-w-well done, S-s-sweetie B-belle… *sniff*

Starlight herself also tears up a bit from the song since while it’s known this is for a deceased mother. The lyrics could still somewhat apply to a missing one, and she still can’t rule out the possibility that her mother is dead anyway.

Sweetie Belle walks off the stage and is immediately approached by her sister and her fellow crusaders.

Rarity: That was amazing, Sweetie! You really gave the crowd a show!

Apple Bloom: We knew ya’ll would ace this!

Scootaloo: Yeaaaah! You rocked it!

Suddenly, another pony comes to approach Sweetie Belle. It’s Coloratura herself quite impressed with Sweetie’s talent.

Rara: That was a top-notch performance, Sweetie. you have a voice that I think the whole world will want to hear. In fact, if you ever feel like you’re ready to start making record deal. My place can be open to you some day, and I’ll be your sort of manager.

Sweetie: Wait.. you… as my manager?!

Rara: Not immediately of course, I think you still have a little bit of your childhood to have before you do. But say when you think you’re ready to start selling records in your teenage years or older.

Scootaloo: Kinda like just how it will still be a few years until I’m ready to become a trainee for the Waterbolts!

Sweetie: My gosh, Coloratura… this is such an honor… even if this is still some years away… you have no idea how happy I am that you recognize my talent… Even if we’re kinda getting into different genres. You’re mainly a pop singer right?

Rara: That’s true, but because I’m a pop singer doesn’t mean I can’t manage other types of singers. I started self-managing ever since I kicked Sven Gallop out, and I felt as I got comfortable I’d eventually get to helping other singers find a footing. And I’ll be a nicer manager then Sven ever will be.

Sweetie: Well then, yes! Of course I’d love you to be my manager when I’m ready to start my music career in full!

Rara: On a side note, I know the stallion who wrote the song you sang. He unfortunately lost his mother to an illness, and that song was dedicated to her. And he would of loved to hear your cover of the song. Perhaps some day, you’ll get to perform your cover again while he’s in the audience.

Sweetie: Yeah… I figured the song was about a deceased mother. But nice of you to tell me the real story behind the song’s making. And that would be cool to have the actual band’s writer and lead singer listen to my cover! But if it’s ok, I think I’d like to return to my table with my friends, I still very much appreciate reserving a spot for me at your studios. So thank you, Coloratura.

Rara: No problem, Sweetie. I can’t wait to see what comes next for your music career.

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo return to the table they were sitting. Many tables they’re passing by with strangers waving to the young Sweetie, as it seems she’s made a decent amount of fans already. Babs Seed is still at the table and sees the group approach.

Babs: Great singing, Sweetie Belle! Ya did great up there.

Sweetie: Thank you very much, Babs!

Once they’re seated, they don’t get much time before another pony approaches. Though it’s a pony the Crusaders are very fond of: Cheerilee, their school teacher.

Cheerilee: Hello, Cutie Mark Crusaders!

Apple Bloom: Miss Cheerilee!

Scootaloo; Hiya!

Sweetie: I’m so happy to see you’re here!

Cheerilee: I’ve been having a pretty good time here, thanks for thinking of inviting me Sweetie. And also… you did a great job out there on stage. I’m very proud of you, Sweetie. I know one day you will make it big in the music industry.

Sweetie: Thank you!

Cheerilee: Also, I want to talk to Scootaloo a little bit

Scootaloo: Oh no.. am I in trouble for something?

Cheerilee: No, not at all. I just want to congratulate you on starting up the Waterbolts!

Scootaloo: Huh? How’d you find out about that? I don’t think I told you yet.

Cheerilee: Me and Spitfire are actually good friends! While talking to her, she told me all about what you did in Mount Aeris/Seaquestria

Scootaloo: Oh nice! I can’t join it myself yet, but you bet I’m going to continue to swim as much as I can until then!

Cheerilee: I’ve seen you swim sometimes in Saddle Lake, the School of Friendship’s moat, and the rivers in town! You are really fast in the water! You’ll no doubt be a star, once you’re old enough to get in the Waterbolts.

Scootaloo: Thank you, Miss Cheerilee!

Cheerilee: And now Apple Bloom, mind if I ask if you have any idea where your big brother is?

Apple Bloom: Big Mac? Ah think he’s on a table with his wife, Sugar Belle.

Cheerilee: Ah, of course. They are certainly a cute couple.

Sweetie: You’re not going to fight with Sugar Belle... Are you?

Cheerilee: What? Why would I fig- Oooooooh, do you still think I have romantic interest in Big Mac? We were just friends, granted, we were only acquaintances until your love potion shenanigans.

Sweetie: Well… you did still say one of the names you called him while under the effects of the potion, after you were cured.

Cheerilee: Oh hahahaha, me and Big Mac just decided to prank you girls at that moment.

Apple Bloom: Ah think only Sweetie really thought ya had feelings for him. Ah’d know if ya’ll were together after that Love Potion incident.

Scootaloo: Yeah, you fooled me with that prank at first, but over time it probably would of been more clear if you really did become special someponies for real at some point.

Cheerilee: Then I guess Sweetie Belle must be slightly holding on to a ship she once had for me. I remember when you were upset that I didn’t kiss Big Mac, and you popped out of the bush yelling “OH COME ON” *giggles*

Sweetie: Nuh uh… I tried to help Big Mac get with Sugar Belle too! Though… it is still a shame that you still don’t have a special somepony.

Cheerilee: Well, what if I told you why you never did that Hearts and Hooves Day so long ago? Besides the fact that love potions override everything in a pony’s mind order to hypnotize ponies into loving eachother and won’t necessarily make it likelier that the two ponies become special someponies after being cured.

Cheerilee moves on closer in order to whisper, and the 3 hold up their ears to hear.

Cheerilee: I’m not into stallions at all, I’m into mares. You had the wrong orientation the whole time!

Scootaloo: Oh! Oh! Oh! Just like my Aunts!

Apple Bloom: Lyra & Bon Bon too!

Sweetie: Oooooooooh, I see. Well… I’ll guess I’ll have to rearrange some things at home later then. Hehehehe…

Scootaloo: *rolls her eyes* Great, now she’s going to spend a whole night shuffling her shipping chart…

Cheerilee giggles

Cheerilee: Anyhow, I guess I won’t bother Big Mac just yet, if he’s on a little bit of a honeymoon with Sugar Belle. I can always see him later.

Apple Bloom: What did ya even want t’ see him fo’?

Cheerilee: Nothing all that special, just if I can ask him if he can reserve some Sweet Apple Acres apples sometime when we get back.

Apple Bloom: Ya’ll could o’ asked me that

Cheerilee: Yeah but I wanted a lot of apples, enough that it’d be hard for you to carry all by yourself

Scootaloo: Whatcha going to do with all those apples?

Cheerilee: Just stock back up many, many jars of applesauce back home. And maybe save some for slices and/or eating them normally.

Apple Bloom: Well, even if ya don’t get Big Mac at some point later. Me and Applejack can probably get ya what ya want.

Cheerilee: True, I suppose. I guess I’ll just get back to the table I was sitting at for now, who knows when that final performance is going to start after all.

Sweetie: All that’s left is Cheese Sandwich before the night finishes with some dancing. So yeah! What ever is left of the ball should be quite fun, though it almost certainly means this ball is nearly over.

Scootaloo: It’s been a pretty fun night! All parties come to an end eventually, but they saved some cool stuff for last with one of the best party ponies around, and then we’ll all get to dance!

Apple Bloom: Ah guess seeya, Miss Cheerilee! Thank ya’ll for being such ah great teacher fo’ us. Mind if we get ah hug from ya before ya go?

Cheerilee: Oh of course I will, anything for 3 of my favorite students!

Cheerilee lowers herself to the ground by sitting on the floor and hugs around the 3 fillies. And then head back to her table.

Meanwhile, back at the table of the M.I.L.F. club, Twilight’s had enough fun talking with the other mothers and getting Trixie’s mom to be a member too (Stellar Flare was chosen to make Dandy Lion recite the club’s oath)

Twilight: Well this was a lot of fun, all of you. But I think I’m going to head elsewhere now, if I don’t see any of you the rest of the night. Hope you had a wonderful time here

Windy: We absolutely have! And no problem, Princess!

Velvet: Of course, dear. You have a fantastic rest of the night!

Twilight walks off waving to all the other mothers and once Twilight’s far enough, they continue their family gossiping. Twilight herself ponders where to go next, and realizes she still hasn’t seen Celestia and Luna here. And she figured it was going to be important to inform Celestia of her plan with Spike and Malakhar to visit the spot where Spike’s birth mother died. She eventually finds the two Alicorn sisters on their own table and heads on over to where they’re sitting. Celestia sees Twilight approach and smiles.

Celestia: Hello, Princess Twilight. Thank you for inviting us, it’s been a fantastic time. And a decent amount of great performances.

Luna: I never knew Sweetie Belle had such a beautiful singing voice. That was wonderful to hear

Twilight: You’re welcome both of you, and yeah, Sweetie’s going to be a fantastic musician one day. Thee’s no doubt about that, after that performance. But I actually went to see you because I have something important to ask of you for tomorrow morning, Princess Celestia

Celestia: Oh? Do tell what it is.

Twilight: Remember when you told me the story about where you got Spike’s egg and where his birth mother died? I told the story to Spike 2 weeks ago, and he said at one point he wants to visit that cave the day after the ball. And I thought I’d ask you to be there since you could likely help show where it was. I guess it turns out Malakhar was also there at the time, and I may have him accompany us as well to give directions, but I still wanted to ask if you could still help us if we went to you in the morning to go see it.

Celestia: I’d be happy to lead you to the cave, and oh? Malakhar was there too? Interesting, he must of been the teenage colt that handed me the egg back then. He did look familiar when I saw him, but he’s certainly a lot bigger then he was then. Does Spike perhaps wish to have a moment of silence to mourn his birth mother?

Twilight: Well, probably not quite on the same level as others. But he does want to pay his respects, especially if everything in your dream came true, she’s very much responsible for the path our lives took. Even if we can’t speak to her, it’d at least feel respectful in that way

Celestia: Completely understandable, I along with Malakhar will take you and Spike to the cave in the morning. But first, how has your night gone? Any interesting things happen for you?

Twilight: Besides enjoying the performances, I guess the night started with me and my friends telling each other what happened in our individual inviting trips. Including myself telling most of what you told me about Spike’s egg and Sunset Shimmer to my friends. But after that, I met up with my Canterlot friends. And sometime during all that, the Prince of Saddle Arabia, Theandri the 2nd surprised Moondancer as we were talking. And absolutely swept her off her hooves, kinda literally. They’re currently still on their first date as of this very moment.

Celestia: Awwwww, that’s so adorable!

Twilight: Though that’s not even the only thing about this, at some point… Moondancer called me to head on over where they were… and weirdly enough in a plan the Prince told Moondancer to do… Moondancer confessed… that she had a crush on me as far back as when we were teens.

I didn’t even know she was Bisexual, I guess that was because she still mostly preferred looking for stallions. But I guess I became an exception, it somewhat makes me feel even more bad for not even saying goodbye before you sent me to Ponyville. I think Moondancer understands that saving the world, and freeing your sister was in the grand scheme of things more important then her party, but it nonetheless hurt her pretty bad since she had planned of finally gathering the courage to tell me. I likely only would of said I don’t feel the same way, but because I didn’t go at all. A part of her never really got an answer, so she had to know what I would of said, so she could completely move on.

Celestia: Wow… If only I had known that long ago, even if the result would have been the same… that you don’t have the same feelings for her… Moondancer was still one of the students at my school, I would of gladly personally given her the chance when there was time after Luna was freed. No pony’s heart should be left with an unanswered heart for a decade

Twilight: But at least she now has the Prince. I can already tell they’ll be a close couple, Theandri II risked giving up Moondancer if hypothetically I wanted a relationship with her now, and Moondancer felt like she preferred to satisfy her long-lasting feelings towards me. An act of kindness that no doubt Moondancer will never forget.

Celestia: Certainly something that’s somehow heartwarming, but also a little heartbreaking at the same time. Good to see both the Moondancer and the Prince happy. I’m sure the Sultan and the Sultana are also pleased they may possibly know who becomes Sultana when they step down.

Twilight: Haha, believe me I saw them celebrating from their balcony when their son and Moondancer’s date started.

Celestia giggles

Celestia: Good for them, but now… anything else Twilight?

Twilight: Well all that’s else that happened is I met and joined a club of other mothers of Equestria that was co-founded by my own mom, and includes many of my own friend’s mothers

Celestia: Ah… that does sound quite cute, thanks for sharing how your night’s been.

Twilight: It’s pretty close to the end isn’t it? Only one more performance, then a moment to dance and then either anyone here is brought back home or they stay in the palace rooms for the wedding in 3 days.

Celestia: Indeed, but everyone’s certainly got their slice of fun here.

Twilight: It was good to talk to you once again, Princess. I think I’m going to head back to the table I was at originally to be with my friends and Spike again for the rest of the night. But I’ll see you again soon tomorrow morning to go to that cave.

Celestia: Have yourself a good rest of the night, Twilight. And yes, I shall see you in the morning.

Twilight heads out to the table she started at during the night, as the royal ball etches closer to the end.

UP NEXT: Chapter 19: The Royal Ball, Part 7 - The Taste Of Fresh Dough On The Tray

[98prilla]

Birthday

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AO3

The next little part of my Darkside Logan series! Enjoy!

...

He wakes to a wild screech, glitter and party popper streamers raining from the ceiling, an incredibly loud noise maker going off, fireworks exploding against the ceiling, in pops of deep indigo and silver sparks. He raises an eyebrow as he sits up, stretching, lips twitching into a smile at Remus whooping and cartwheeling around his room, finally coming to a stop in front of him, clapping his hands and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

 “Good morning to you as well, Remus. That was quite an impressive show.” He says evenly, the last of the glitter settling on the ground around him. “I do hope you’ll clean that up later, otherwise it’ll get everywhere.” He yelps as Remus pulls him to his feet and into a waltz, disembodied music drifting through the room, laughing as Remus spins him quicker than his mind can process, dipping him low to the ground. Then Remus swears, and he feels the balance shift, and they’re both on the floor, Remus landing atop him in a tangle of limbs, both of them erupting into startled laughter.

 “Not that you need a reason, but this seems like extra effort, even for you. What’s the occasion?” He asks, once they both get their laughter under control, untangling from each other as Remus helps him back to his feet, grin wide and wild, practically vibrating with energy.

 “Cygie! You really don’t know!?” Remus exclaims, linking arms with Cygnus as they leave his room, slowly walking down the hall to their kitchen.

 “Hmm… nothing comes to mind?” Remus squeals, pulling him faster towards the dark commons, Cygnus’s breath leaving him in a rush as he takes in the state of the room.

 It’s decorated with indigo and silver streamers draped in intricate knots across the ceiling. There’s an archway made of black and blue balloons over the entry way to the kitchen, sparkling silver stars dotting the walls, glittering tape tracing constellations in them. And across the wall, above the couch, is a hand made, hand painted, beautifully caligrohpied sign.

 “Happy birthday, Cygnus.” Janus says, echoing the sign, emerging from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel, watching him appraisingly.

 He can’t seem to find his words.

“Cyg?” Remus asks softly, coming around his front, taking both of his hands, and he realizes his eyes are watering, on the verge of tears. “Oh shit, did we fuck up? I’m sorry, was it the glitter? Was it the penis I hid in the happy bday sign?”

 “WHAT?!” Janus squawks indignantly at that, and Logan lets out a laugh, shaking his head, because he loves these two, so much, and he’s trying to regain his composure enough to explain.

 “No, I… it’s wonderful. I just… I’ve never celebrated, my birthday before. I never… kept track, with them. I… it’s been a year, already?” He asks, looking between Remus and Janus, who are sharing slightly horrified and slightly concerned looks.

 “You never… they never did anything for you? Not even Patton?” Remus asks, his voice so high it’s nearly at a pitch only dolphins can hear. He shakes his head, looking away.

 “There were more important things to attend to. I didn’t want to distract everyone. No one… remembered, anyway, so I just… stopped, keeping track.” He explains, not protesting as Remus pulls him into a tight hug.

 “Well. Your happiness and self worth are very much more important than having a productive day. If Roman gets a full week of birthday shenanigans, the least they could have done was give you a day, sweetling.” Janus adds softly, joining the hug for a brief moment, before pulling back, wiping away Cygnus’s tears, a soft smile on his face. “you deserve it, Cygnus. You work so hard, darling. You deserve to be pampered and fawned over for at least a day.”

 “Every day must be my birthday then.” He answers, smiling at Janus’s soft laugh, who ruffles his hair as he passes by.

 “Oh, you haven’t seen nothin yet, my starry night! Today is going to be a nonstop orgy of Cygnus appreciation! To Breakfast!” Remus screeches, sprinting into the kitchen, from which loud crashing emerges a moment later, along with a muffled “I’m okay!” That has Janus shaking his head with an exasperated smile as he follows Remus into the kitchen, ready to manage whatever mess he’d made.

…

A year.

 It has been a year. One whole year. Three hundred and sixty five days. Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes. Thirty one million, five hundred thirty six thousand seconds.

 It hasn’t felt like that long. Or maybe it has felt longer, with all the changes taking place in the mindscape. He’s not really sure, but it sure is giving him a bit of a strange sense of vertigo, right now.

 It’s almost impossible, to compare where he is now to where he was a year ago, two years ago. He’s… happy. He’s so much happier than he’s ever been before, he feels appreciated, he feels loved, he feels listened to. He’s not working himself to near death every single day without giving himself any breaks. He’s not pretending to be a machine, not denying his emotions anymore. He’s smiling, he’s laughing, he’s crying, he’s… learning, how to express himself, to understand his emotions, and always, always, Remus and Janus were patient and considerate and there for him.

 His relationships with the others are also probably better than they have ever been before. He was right, when he told Patton so long ago that they would do better as friends than as family. That the distance would be good for them.

 Everyone is making progress, in leaps and bounds, in acknowledging their own faults, in realizing their own shortcomings, in accepting their flaws and reaching out for help. It helps, he supposes, that there are now two sides who can, in a way, sense lies. Neither him nor Janus will let the others get away with denying their needs or wants, not when it’s important, anyways, and slowly, everyone is getting into the habit of simply… not hiding.

 Patton is open, about his bad days. The days he calls ‘gray days’, where the world doesn’t seem to shine, where nothing feels right or good, and he can’t see a point to getting out of bed. He’s devised several signals, clear markers with everyone that show a day is gray, so he doesn’t have to say it, to speak it out loud, because even that is too hard, somedays, it’s easier to just leave a frowny face sticker on his door, and the first one to see it tells everyone else, who take turns spending time with him, coaxing him into activities, or at least out of bed, slowly driving the apathy away.

 Roman is still trying to find himself. To rebuild himself, from the crushing defeat and existential crisis of the wedding, and everything it resulted in. He still struggles to admit when he’s struggling, still finds it hard to portray anything other than the happy, peppy persona, but he doesn’t pull back, run, anymore, when someone calls him out. If someone asks how he’s feeling, how he’s doing, Roman won’t paste on a smile and chirp out an answer. He’ll let his mask fall, and answer honestly. It’s too hard, yet, to bring it up himself, so the others are learning to ask, making sure to ask, making sure to not simply brush Roman’s worries or frustrations aside. He’s happier, too, Cygnus knows, the time spent writing with Thomas has him happier than he’s been in years, and more and more days the answer to how he’s feeling is on the okay side of the scale.

 Virgil… has stayed much the same, outwardly. But he spends more time, now, with Remus and Janus, and… himself. They’ve talked, quite a lot, actually. He explained his history with the other two dark sides, why he acted how he had towards them, had explained too about his old, unhealthy, habits, how he still struggles, every once in a while, though he hasn’t given in and done it in years. He’d hugged Virgil then, it was maybe the bravest thing the anxious side had ever done, telling him that, telling him everything, apologizing for how he’d reacted, the first time he had appeared to all of them, as Ambition. He’d found it impossible, not to forgive him. Overall, he’d handled it the best out of any of them.

 And Thomas.

 He’s so proud of Thomas. He’s taken everything in stride. He’s making time for himself, making time to spend individually with every side.

 He’s writing with Roman, and also with Remus, working with him to express his horrifying ideas in darkly comedic ways, countering Roman’s fairy tale quests and happy endings.

 He’s watching movies with Virgil, or swapping music with him, listening to him spout off about his favorite bands, favorite lyrics. They’ve broken out the karaoke machine a couple times, singing at the top of their lungs, dancing like fools around the living room until they’re breathless from laughing. Virgil’s smile is becoming a more and more common sight.

 He’s crafting with Patton, the fatherly side teaching him how to knit and crochet, which Patton is an expert at, fawning over every one of Thomas’s haphazard attempts at a scarf or pot holder. While their hands are busy, they talk, about anything and everything. They’re even attempting to learn how to cook together, though that often ends with the smoke alarm going off. They’re not allowed to cook unsupervised anymore, usually Virgil or Janus keeping things from getting too out of hand from the living room couch.

 He’s playing video games with Janus, who loves to pick out the strange, indie games, the ones with ambiguous story lines, twist endings, choices that affect the game, affect the people in it. They discuss undertale for hours, Janus going on an hour long monolague of Flowey’s morality, his take on how much influence Asriel actually has on Flowy, when he’s soulless, surprised that Thomas pays attention the whole time, just as into the game as he is. They play A Way Out together, and Thomas actually throws the controller at the plot twist, shock on his face, as he’s forced to battle Janus, who is laughing the whole time at his indignant spluttering and shocked expression, Janus absolutely annihilating him.

 And himself. Thomas hadn’t been lying, when he said nothing changed, between the two of them, just because he is now Ambition. Thomas hasn’t shied away from him, hasn’t excluded him. He’s made time for him, as well. He’d bought a telescope, and set it up in the backyard. They go stargazing together, Cygnus pointing out the planets, when visible, the constellations, passing comets, relaying their history and myths, Thomas asking questions at every turn, until their conversation was somewhere else entirely, talking about anything and everything. They’d also started a bit of a book club, as Thomas called it, though it was really just the two of them. Each month they took turns giving the other a book to read, and then they’d discuss it. He usually sticks to the classics, the three muskateers, moby dick, the jungle book, and he was a bit surprised at how fast Thomas took to them, how much he enjoyed them, enjoyed discussing them. Thomas’s choices surprise him sometimes, too. It’s not always another adventure novel, sometimes it’s the original book of Wicked, or a nonfiction book about the history of cartoon animation, he varies more than Cygnus would have guessed, and he’s surprised at how… entertained, he is, by Thomas’s choices, the ones he would never have picked to read himself.

 But most importantly, most incredibly, were the others. Patton, Roman, Logan, Virgil. They had all, individually, apologized, for the way they had treated him, talked over him, ignored him, silenced him. And they were proving they meant it. Every day, they were proving they meant those apologies. They were listening to him. Listening to each other. Everyone has an equal voice, now, and everything feels… good.

 So why, does it having been a year, make him feel so… strange? It’s not sadness, not even nostalgia, really, it’s… something melancholy. Something a bit happy, something a bit sad, something a bit wistful.

 “Cygnus? Are you alright?” He blinks away his thoughts, realizing he’s been staring at his plate of pancakes for a solid five minutes without taking a bite. They look delicious, topped with sugared berries and warm syrup.

 “Just… lost in thought. These are from your garden, correct? Hopefully the non venomous section.” He answers, looking up at Remus, who’s shoveling pancakes topped with caramel and rainbow sprinkles into his mouth, who swallows hugely, nodding.

 “Yuppers! And I did pick the ones that won’t kill you, just for your b-day, cygie! At least, they should be mostly non toxic. Let me know if your tongue starts tingling.” Remus answers, and Cygnus chuckles, cutting into his pancakes.

 “I will take that into account.”

…

He doesn’t know what he’s doing, when he wanders up the stairs, towards the light side living room. He doesn’t even intend to go there, really, it’s just… where he’s drawn.

 “Ambition. We, uh, didn’t expect you, so early.” Roman says, peeking out of the living room, moving to lean against the doorframe, blocking his view of it before he could see anything.

 “Roman. You are acting… strange?”

 “Me? Wha? No, I’m being perfectly normal! Because you, Ambition, is here!” He sputters, saying the last sentence far too loud to be normal. He’s about to reply, when Patton’s head appears, shooing Roman out of the way.

 “You, go finish the… the project! Ok, Roman?” Roman nods, scurrying back into the living room, Patton taking his place blocking the doorway.

 “Is everything alright, Patton?” He asks, slightly amused, and only mildly concerned at a distant curse from Virgil.

 “Uh huh! Just finishing up something! What brings you here, Ambition? Not that it isn’t good to see you, and you’re of course welcome here all the time, but why on this particular day at this particular moment have you chosen to come visit?” Patton squeaks, his tone rising in pitch until it was nearly above human hearing.  

 “Are you alright, Patton?” He asks, trying to gauge what exactly has everyone so on edge.

 “Yup! Just waiting for the ok!”

 “The okay for what?”

 “We’re ready!” Roman calls, and Patton steps aside.

 “The ok for this.” Patton says softly, stepping aside and ushering him into the living room. For the second time this day, all the air escapes his lungs, and his hands cover his mouth to stifle whatever noise is trying to escape, he can’t tell if it’s a sob or a laugh or something in between.

 The room is decorated with glow in the dark stars, blue and white flowers climb the walls on deep green vines, blooming from the cracks in the plaster, filling the room with the sweet smell of summer. On the table sits a cake, carefully air blown a blue ombre, constellations carefully traced across it in silver gilding, it must have taken hours. He can feel the tears slipping down his face, knows everyone is trying to figure out what to do.

 “Ambition. Can I hug you?” Virgil asks, stepping into his field of view, and he nods, letting Virgil wrap his arms around him, surprising even himself as he hugs back, face buried in his shoulder. He feels Roman’s arms wrap around him from behind, Patton’s joining a moment later, surrounding him in warmth.  

 “you remembered. I… you’ve never…”

 “We know. I know, Amby. And we’re so sorry.” Roman murmurs, pulling back.

 “I know this doesn’t make up for that, for all those years… but we thought maybe, maybe this could be part of starting over. Of being better.” Patton adds, smiling through his own teary eyes as he pats Ambition’s shoulder, before pulling away as well, Ambition finally emerging from Virgil’s embrace, swiping at his eyes.

 “Yes. I would… like that.” He mumbles, still a bit awestruck.

 “Oh, let’s get Janus and Remus, for presents!” He frowns slightly at that, stepping back.

 “Did they put you up to this?” He asks, voice trembling, and he hears Janus’s soft laugh from the doorway.

 “No, sweetling. This was all them. We didn’t tell them a thing.” Janus murmurs, appearing with a swish of his cape, Remus thundering up the stairs behind him.

 “Nice digs! Not nearly as sweet as our decorations of course, but you tried!” Roman splutters indignantly at that, squaring off against his twin.

 “Please! I bet I could plan a party better than you, any day!”

 “Maybe if it was for babies. Can you even make a cocktail?”

 “Of course! I know how to mix drinks, Remus.” Remus grinned, eyes swirling.

 “I was thinking more of an entrée.”  He replies with a smirk and shoulder shimmy.

 “Remus.” Janus says, exasperated, glancing at Patton.

 “It’s alright. He’s just excited! I’m sure you’d throw very interesting parties, Remus. If… if you promise not to make it too scary, maybe you and Virgil could team up for a Halloween one.” Patton suggests, laughing as Remus squeals, launching himself into Virgil's arms, who catches him instinctually in a Scooby-Doo like hold, before dropping him like a hot potato.

 “What the heck, dude!?”

 “Can we? It’ll be like old times, you and me, creating horrors and monsters and creeping lurking things? Pleaaaaase?” Virgil snorts as Remus bats his eyelids at him, rolling his eyes.

 “Yeah, sure, whatever.” He mutters in agreement, trying to contain his own grin as Remus whoops, spinning him around in a circle, already babbling about ideas. It’s good, to see them laughing together.

 “I believe someone said something about presents?” Janus drawls, resting a hand on Cygnus’s back, gently leading him to sit down on the couch. Instantly, everyone else crowds around, clamoring over who gets to go first, and he’s crying again, because not only are they giving him attention, they’re fighting for his attention, and he supposes he should feel guilty about liking it, but Janus has rubbed off on him, a bit, so he just smiles, instead.

 Before anyone else can, Roman shoves a box into his hands, grinning at having gotten in ‘the first gift’, everyone settling as he stares at the shimmery blue wrapping paper. Tentatively, he peels back the paper, removing the cardboard top of the small box, eyes widening.

 It’s a large, blue star sapphire, embedded in a silver filigree, hanging from a silver chain. He lifts it, slightly awestruck, turning it over as his thumb feels grooves against the back, tilting his head to decipher the writing, discovering it’s his name, Ambition, in circular galifreyan.

 “Did I get the spelling right? I looked up several guides, but there’s a lot of rules and such.” Roman asks, no doubt nervous at his silence.

 “It’s… it’s perfect, Roman. Thank you.” He says softly, slipping the chain over his head, the pendant resting just above his heart. He looks up in time to see Roman’s blush, his expression so tenderly soft, looking at him, that he clears his throat and looks away.

 “Me next! Ours are a set!” Remus interrupts, shoving another box into his hands, slightly larger than the previous one, though much the same weight. “Ro had the idea, and we coordinated our results!” He chirps, as Cygnus pulls open the box, a soft grin already on his face.

 It’s a silver circlet, with a teardrop blue diamond that will sit in the center of his forehead, and engraved along the inside of the circlet is more galifreyan, this time that reads ‘cygnus’. The band is thin and light, but sturdy, and he knows the engraving must have taken a long time, to do by hand, requiring a lot of patience and focus.

 “It’s wonderful.” He murmurs, slipping it onto his head, finding the weight odd, but rather comforting. His past self would have scoffed, at these items, said he didn’t desire to play pretend, to play dress up, and what was the point of them? But he knows better, now, has more confidence in himself and expressing himself, now, and he knows he’ll rarely be seen without them on, he loves them already.

 “Wow, ok, well, way to make a side feel wholly inadequate. Um, here, I guess.” Virgil mumbles nervously, depositing a tissue paper wrapped item in his lap. “It’s not much, compared to, that, but-“ Virgil cuts himself off with a shrug, toeing the floor nervously as he unwraps the paper.

 It’s a photo. He’s in the kitchen, head thrown back, laughing. Remus is a blur of green movement in the background, chasing a blur of red, a pot is boiling over on the stove, Patton frantically stirring it, trying to scold the twins from over his shoulder, and somehow Janus is hissing from atop the fridge, clearly having climbed up there to escape the shenanigans below. He smiles, running his thumb over the frame, touched that Virgil had thought to capture that moment, one of the first moments of happiness since everything had happened, one of the first times they’d all been together, and all let themselves go.

 “I love it, Virg. I… thank you.” He murmurs, low and sincere, and a small smile creeps across Virgil’s face as he nods, tension leaking out of his shoulders.

 Janus is next, his simple, a book Cygnus has been meaning to read for ages, but he knows it’s really an invitation for a debate, or perhaps to set up a lecture in the mindscape theater, an open invitation for a day spent ranting and raving and arguing and debating, until they’re both too tired to continue, losing their thoughts mid sentence, trying to string together coherent points at three am. He sets it aside with a small nod and smile, all Janus needs, to know he’s understood, and appreciates it.

 Patton is last, but not least, not in the slightest, as he sits down on the couch beside him, nervously running his hand up and down the couch.

 “Mine’s a bit… a bit of a group project, I suppose.” He says, handing the package to Cygnus. It’s bigger than the others, with a bit more weight to it, as well, a card taped atop the paper wrapped package. The front has a rough drawing, of all of them together, holding hands. Inside it says ‘Ambition. You’ll always be a part of my heart. Happy birthday, kiddo. Love you.’ With doodles of butterflies and stars and planets.

 He's already smiling warmly at that, as he carefully sets it aside, opening the package to find a large book. On the cover is space for a photo to be inserted, and he recognizes it immediately, it’s a selfie Thomas took with all of them. The cover is patterned in silver constellations, the background a deep blue, and curiously, he flips it open, finding the cover is signed by Patton, Virgil, and Roman, who have all written short notes to him, expressing their support, their love, their pride, in who he is becoming, in his own self. His hand is shaky as he turns the page, finding it decorated with stickers and intricate doodles outlining the edges of the pages, the edges of the photographs, each of the three of them recounting what was going on in each picture, leaving their own commentary, witty and sarcastic and heartfelt, on each photo of him smiling, them as a group, him stargazing with Thomas, Him and Janus in the debate room, eyes flashing as they argue, him on stage, wearing safety goggles, Remus helping him with an experiment, him and Patton, decorating cookies, Roman dragging him through the imagination, to search for dragons, a thousand memories and moments and smiles, genuine smiles, all put in one place, all outlined with drawings, all filled in with their words and laughter and remembrances, and he’s shaking, again, a hand over his mouth as he puts the book aside, not wanting tears to stain the pictures, to smear the ink, he wants it to stay perfect and pristine forever, he hadn’t realized they were taking pictures, hadn’t realized they’d cared to memorialize his happiness, hadn’t realized that those moments meant just as much to them as they did to him. Hadn’t realized how much they meant it, when they said they truly, deeply, cared.

 “Oh, kiddo. Can I?” Patton asks, arms open, and he nods, letting Patton sweep him up into a hug, letting himself squeeze back, breath hitching. “I love you so much, Ambition, and I’m so… I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of all you’ve done, and how far you’ve come, and much you pushed all of us to be better, you’re so good, Amby, you’ve always been the best of us. And I’m just… I’m so glad, to see you so happy, kiddo. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, for any of you, is to be happy. You’re a part of this family, kiddo, and we love you, we all love you, so, so much.” Patton murmurs, as he feels others joining the hug, surrounding him in warmth and arms and soft assurances from all sides, overwhelming him, with their support, their love, their affection. It’s everything, this is everything he’d ever hoped for, been too afraid to ask for, been denied, as Logan.

 But this… they’d done this. All by themselves, they’d done this, they’d remembered, they’d gone out of their way, to do this for him, they’ve been doing it for the entire year, every day, and he realizes, suddenly, that he’s started trusting them again. That he wants this to truly be a new start, this, today, here, is the last bit of proof that he needed, to show him they mean it, they mean their words and promises about doing better, they mean their I love you’s and affection, they put weight behind their words, and followed through, and he thinks maybe it’s time he does the same.

 So despite himself, he pulls away from the hug, smiling at the mild cursing that comes with the twins trying to disentangle themselves from around him, taking a moment to wipe away the tears from his eyes, to take a deep breath, to compose himself. His heart is pounding, irrational fear biting at his heels, and he thinks Janus understands, the leap of faith he is about to take, can sense what he is about to do, and he slips his hand into his to steady him.  

 “I… have something, I would like to say.” He says, softly, voice a bit tremulous, but the others all give him encouraging nods, and once again, he’s shocked at the difference between now and then, everyone staying silent, giving him space to speak, willing to listen. “I know this hasn’t been easy. I know… I know it hurt, in a lot of different ways, everything… everything that’s happened. But instead of pulling further away, this pulled all of us closer together, and I’m… I’m proud, of everyone, for it. You’ve all grown, so much, and I just… just thank you. Thank you for meaning it, when you said you would work harder, listen more, be better. Thank you for doing it, for showing it, for giving me, for giving each other, the room to grow. The support that was necessary, for that growth to happen.” He pauses, taking in a deep breath, feeling everyone’s eyes on him.

 He realizes suddenly he’d never gotten a proper name reveal before. Before, when they all chose names, he just picked the easiest one to remember, he hadn’t seen a point, to personalizing it. And Patton had called him Logan in front of Thomas, thus accidentally stealing that moment from him, that choice, to share it or not. He’s never had to worry, about a reaction, about the weight of it, about the consequences. Then Janus squeezes his hand, and he exhales, looking up at each of them for a long moment, seeing the question, the hesitation, the dawning understanding where this is going, in Virgil’s eyes.

 “So I think… I think it’s time we start over, properly. No more hiding. No more secrets. No more… titles. My name… my name is Cygnus Ambition Sanders.” He’s barely finished the sentence, when Patton is barreling into him once again, wrapping him in a tight hug, tears falling though he’s grinning hugely as he pulls away, eyes shining behind his glasses.

 “Thank you. Cygnus, thank you.” Patton says softly, practically bouncing in excitement, the air radiating with his joy and delight and heart stopping love.

 “It suits you, teach.” Virgil says simply, though he wears one of his rare, open, lopsided grins, eyes warm and soft as he looks at him, somehow warming his heart more, because he knows Virgil understands, what it means, how much it means, that he’s shared his name. Virgil has been there, in much the same position he himself is now in, and he relaxes slightly at his approval.

 “Cygnus.” Roman murmurs, seemingly a bit dazed by the revelation, though the name sounds like music on his lips, making Cygnus’s ears burn red, as Roman sweeps him up, spinning and dipping him, a mirror of Remus this morning, god was it only this morning? And he remembers once more just how similar the twins are, though they’re both loathe to admit it. He laughs as Roman sets him upright once more, pressing close in a moment long hug, steady and firm and grounding. “thank you, Cygnus. You’re so brave, and we’re so, so lucky, to have you with us.” He murmurs, before stepping away. “See Remus! That’s how you do a dip!” He yells at his brother, who’s grinning ear to ear, laughing.

 “But it’s so much more fun to drop them!” Still, Remus sweeps him into a hug as well before skipping off, trying to steal frosting off the cake, if Virgil’s indignant screech and subsequent pounding of footsteps chasing is anything to go by.

 Janus pulls him close, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head before leaning forwards until their foreheads touch, resting against each other, his hand stroking back a stray piece of hair, lingering against his cheek in a pleasant warmth.

 “Proud of you, lovely. You’ve done so well, Cygnus, you really have.” He smiles, not pulling away.

 “You know this doesn’t change anything, correct? I’m not moving back. I’m not leaving you and Remus. I will never.” He murmurs back, a promise, ringing with truth, and he feels some of the tension washing out of Janus.

 “Of course. Now, let’s cut into that cake before Remus decides to shove the entire thing into his gaping maw.” He laughs, stepping back, letting Janus lead them back into the fray the party has become, smiling at the single candle atop the cake, Patton struggling with the lighter, before Virgil gently pries it away, lighting the candle in one go, despite muttering about it being a fire hazard and the whole house going up in flames, Janus wrangling the twins out of their chase to sing happy birthday, both of them trying to outdo each other with riffs, though they finally do actually finish the song together, harmonizing the last few lines.

 Staring at the lit candle, at the joyful, expectant faces around him, Cygnus realizes he only has one single wish, as he blows out the candle.

 That every day, could be this perfect.

[sylvanfreckles]

Turnabout Handicap

Just resurrecting my old works from ff.net. Presented in its entirety, including original author's notes, as published on February 17th, 2015: Turnabout Handicap!

Summary: Apollo finally bought the latest edition of Rock Mix, just in time to be stuck in the office with Trucy while Athena and Mr. Wright were off on another case without him. Of course, as bad luck would have it, this would be the day Klavier Gavin stops by.

...

Babysitting again.

Apollo glanced over at Trucy, thumbing through a magazine on the couch, and let out a slight sigh. He liked Trucy all right—she was like the little sister he never had—but why did he always get stuck here while Mr. Wright and Athena were in court? It just wasn't fair.

"Didja get it plugged in yet, Polly?"

"Just a second," he called back. There was a lot of dust behind Mr. Wright's TV and he could barely see the connections, but Apollo was finally able to plug in the adapter for his GameStar. He was a little surprised they still made adapters for sets as old as this one but since his own TV was just a little bigger than his microwave he wasn't going to complain.

Trucy gave a whoop as the GameStar whirred to life. "It's starting! What are we gonna play?"

Apollo backed out from behind the TV, trying to brush the dust off his suit. "I only brought one multiplayer game, Trucy," he replied, but she was already elbows-deep in the box of games he'd brought over with him. Technically he was donating it to the office...in reality he and Athena had agreed they were tired of cleaning the toilet when they didn't have clients, so something like this would help pass the time even if he didn't play much anymore.

"Rock Mix!" Trucy shouted and held a guitar-shaped controller over her head. "I've seen this on TV! Who knew you were so musical, Polly?"

"Be careful, I had to buy the controllers used and they're not in the best shape," Apollo rescued the controller from Trucy and connected the cable with his GameStar. "I lost the memory card a long time ago, just give me a second to set up a profile."

"Aw, don't do that now," Trucy complained. "Let's just play! You can do the boring stuff later."

Apollo sighed. He'd really liked the game's character customization when he first bought it...without that they'd be playing with the game's standard avatars based on well-known rock stars. Rock stars like...

"Look, Polly, it's Mr. Gavin!"

It wasn't. Well...it sort of was. The avatar's name was Kevin Gawain, but he looked an awful lot like the rock-star prosecutor.

"Ooh, and we can play one of his songs," Trucy said excitedly, flipping through the songlist on the game's menu. "I'm playing lead guitar, of course. Would you rather be rhythm or bass?"

Apollo felt a headache coming on. "Trucy, that's not exactly what I had in mind. They have a lot of classics in there, too."

But the girl was ignoring him. "Which one, Polly? 'Guilty Love' or 'Atroquinine'?"

"Trucy..."

She jumped up on the couch, controller in hands, posing like the avatar on the cover of the game. "Love, slow-acting and new," Trucy sang, miming strumming strings over the game's controller.

"Get down from there, you could fall."

"Oh, but you have a microphone, too," Trucy scrambled back down to the floor. "What do you think, Polly, should I be lead guitar or lead vocals?"

Apollo sighed and plugged in the second controller. "The karaoke part isn't as fun. I think you should stick to guitar."

"Aw, I wish I could be both," she let the microphone fall back into the box. "Then I'd really be like Mr. Gavin."

"Look, Trucy, I get enough of him in court, can't you pick a different avatar?"

Someone on the other side of the room cleared their throat. "Did I come at a bad time?"

Both Apollo and Trucy yelped and spun around. Klavier Gavin was standing behind them, folder tucked under one arm, smirking that damned smirk.

"W-what are you doing here?" Apollo stammered, quickly setting his controller down against the couch. How much had Gavin seen and heard? Had he said anything embarrassing?

"I'm here to drop off a file for Herr Wright," Gavin explained, holding out the folder. "His case is linked to one I prosecuted last year."

"Oh, right," Apollo took the folder, glanced at it for a moment, and added it to the pile next to the phone. "He's in court now, you know."

"Ja," Gavin nodded and hooked his thumbs in his belt. "He said I could leave it with you."

"Mr. Gavin!" Trucy hopped over the back of the couch, nearly knocking Apollo aside. "You should play with us, I bet you're really good at this game."

Gavin looked over at the screen. He didn't seem to know how to answer...sometimes Trucy's enthusiasm was like that.

"C'mon, Trucy. he doesn't have time to play Rock Mix with you," Apollo interjected, uncrossing his arms to rest his elbows on the back of the couch. "Besides, I doubt he'd want to."

"Rock...Mix?" Gavin leaned over the couch to study the controllers. "The video game?"

"It's only the best ever," Trucy explained, despite the fact that this was her first time playing it. "You get to be a rock star and play all kinds of hit songs for your adoring fans all over the world!"

Apollo covered his face with one hand. He was pretty sure Gavin had already done all of that. "Trucy..."

"Ah, well, Herr Forehead's right. I don't really have time to play games with you." He tweaked the brim of Trucy's hat down to cover her eyes. "Maybe next time I'll stick around for a few rounds with you kids."

"Kids?" Apollo's eyebrows shot up. "Hey, you're not that much older than me."

"Well, experience and genius speak for themselves," Gavin said, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"Funny, they've never helped you win a case against me."

The room went strangely silent. Apollo's eyes widened as he realized he'd actually said that out loud. "I, uh...that came out wrong. I just meant...I meant to say something else," he finished lamely.

"Really?" Gavin drawled, walking around the couch to pick up one of the controllers. "Maybe I haven't won a case against you, Herr Forehead...but maybe I don't need to. My ego can take a bruising, can yours?"

"Yes!" Trucy pumped one fist in the air. "Here, Polly, you can play bass, it's more fun that rhythm guitar."

"Huh?" Apollo found the second controller shoved into his hands. "Hey, wait, I thought you wanted to play, Trucy?"

"Ta-da!" Trucy pulled a microphone out of the game's box. "This is perfect, Polly, now I don't have to choose."

"We can't possibly lose now," Gavin commented, holding up one hand for a high-five from Trucy. "Ready, Herr Forehead?"

Apollo just gaped. How had...why had...why was he always getting in the middle of things like this?

"Polly," Trucy, hands on hips, glowered at him from her place in front of the TV. "Remember, you're representing the Wright Anything Agency with me."

Oh well. "Fine, but he has to have a handicap!"

...

"Tired?" Phoenix Wright asked the young woman walking next to him.

"Hngh...maybe a little," Athena admitted, stretching her arms up. "That last witness was really tough to get through to. I'm still not sure we got to the bottom of his emotional turmoil."

"There's always tomorrow. Gavin should have dropped off that folder by now, maybe there'll be some info in there to help you."

"I hope so," she said with a sigh. She turned the corner toward the agency but stopped as an unusual sound caught her attention. "Mr. Wright, do you hear that?"

"Sounds like Trucy's singing," he said. "Huh, that's an old one...'Mirror, Mirror', I haven't heard that since college."

"Mirror, mirror, tell me why...do I hide these tender eyes..."

Athena winced and covered her ears. "Is she singing karaoke? The guitar part's all right, but something's wrong with the bass track."

"I'd better tell her to turn it down," Phoenix commented, leading the way up the stairs to the office. "We don't want the neighbors to...oh."

Athena peered around her boss to see what had stopped him at the door. And stared.

Trucy, Apollo, and Klavier Gavin were gathered in front of the TV playing some kind of guitar-karaoke game. At least, that's what she assumed was happening. Trucy was singing her heart out, but Apollo seemed to be having trouble with his guitar. Gavin, on the other hand...

He was standing with his back to the TV, Apollo's necktie tied around his eyes, and a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves on his hands. And he was still hitting every note perfectly.

"Polly, come on! I can't believe you lost again!" Trucy complained. "Maybe we should pick something easier."

"It's not my fault he's a better player," Apollo replied, frustrated. "I think he needs another handicap, like tying one of his arms behind his back."

"Come, come, Herr Forehead," Gavin lifted the edge of his blindfold just enough to wink at Apollo. "You've already blindfolded me to see how I perform in a game of rhythm and dexterity, and now you want to tie me up? Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"I suppose we should rescue him," Mr. Wright murmured to Athena as Apollo blustered out an answer.

Athena grinned evilly. "Let me, boss," she whispered back. "Excuse me, are we interrupting?" she called.

The three players turned to face them: Trucy with a yell of greeting, Apollo with a face red enough to match his suit, and Gavin with an almost embarrassed smirk.

"Come on, Daddy," Trucy ran over to grab Mr. Wright by the arm. "You've got to take over bass for Polly, he's just terrible at it! Maybe you can beat Mr. Gavin."

"It's not my fault," Apollo protested again, relinquishing the control gladly.

"He was on expert and you were on beginner, Polly," Trucy retorted, trying to settle the guitar's strap over Mr. Wright's shoulders despite his protests. "I really don't see how we could have made it more fair."

Apollo gave a good-natured sort of grumble and stalked over to stand beside Athena. "He's got cotton in one ear, too," he muttered. "I can't believe he's just that much better than me."

Athena leaned back against the door frame and fiddled with her earring, studying the scene for a few moments as Trucy tried to convince her father to play. Something was prickling in her memory, something she really should have noticed right away. "Hey, Apollo?" she finally asked. "The gloves Mr. Gavin's wearing...aren't they the ones we use when we're cleaning the toilet?"

...

Original author's note:

Been stuck in my head for days now. What would happen if Klavier played Guitar Hero against Apollo? Yes, I understand it's different from playing a guitar, but it really does come down to a sense of rhythm, timing, and dexterity. Besides...I never said he hadn't played it before, did I?

Reminds me of my childhood. We had a winter Olympics game for the Atari, and I was so good at the bobsledding event my brothers used to stand in front of the TV to try to make me crash. I still won gold almost every time...mostly because they didn't think to cover the track map in the upper corner.

This story is not meant to be slash, but...come on, if you had the chance to tease Apollo Justice with a thinly-veiled innuendo wouldn't you take it? No matter your orientation? It's like when someone at work or school complains "I'm hot" and you say "Yeah, but you don't have to brag about it", it just has to be done.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Nico and Poppy from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, R. Uhhhm, not as a pairing, though

R is for respite

Nico wakes up to the sound of Taiga and some woman arguing in the doorway of her room.

Her first, bleary thought is, what’s Taiga doing in my room? Next, once she recognizes the woman’s voice, is, what’s Poppy doing in my room? And then, when the sleep begins to clear away from her eyes and she realizes that she’s been using one of her nursing textbooks as a pillow, am I not in my room?

She sits up, wincing at the ache in her neck, and Poppy cuts off in the middle of, “--just because you live on protein bars and energy drinks doesn’t mean she can--Nico! You’re awake!”

Nico nods with difficulty. She’s not in her room, she’s in Taiga’s little office at the clinic, and she’s face-down in a textbook because she was up until four in the morning studying for an exam. “What time is it?”

“Noon,” Taiga says shortly.

“Shit, I’m late for class--”

“On Sunday.”

“Oh.”

“You see, she doesn’t even know what day it is.” Poppy looks angry. Nico’s seen her look angry before, but it’s always sort of weird with her pink hair and cutesy outfit. “You’re her doctor, you’re supposed to notice when she’s running herself ragged.”

Taiga glances over at Nico, and she almost sticks her tongue out at him, but she doesn’t because of how visibly guilty and uncomfortable he looks. “I’m an oncologist, not a general practitioner.” He shrinks slightly under Poppy’s glare, and now Nico does giggle, it’s so rare to see him looking cowed. “But I should have noticed, yes. I’m sorry,” to Nico, “I should have made sure you were sleeping enough.”

“You don’t sleep enough either.” Nico gets up, wincing. “I’m your nurse, I should be getting on your case about that.” Poppy makes a worried noise, and Nico shrugs. “He has nightmares.”

Poppy nods, looking sad. “There’s a lot of that going around, isn’t there? I’d probably have them too if I slept.” And then she brightens. “But. For right now! You’re going to go put your books away and we’re going to have a girls day!”

Nico blinks. “We’re going to what?”

“You know, where we get our nails done and go shopping and get, um. Ice cream or something? And sometimes there’s karaoke?” Poppy frowns thoughtfully. “I’ve never actually had a girls day, but I’m pretty sure that’s how they’re supposed to work.”

Taiga puts a hand over his mouth, and Nico, at least, can tell that it’s because he’s trying very hard not to start laughing. She grins and starts gathering her books and papers. “I’ve never had one either, but I guess I can give it a shot. Can a Bugster get a manicure?”

“I don’t know, but that’s no reason not to try, right?”

--

As it turns out, Bugsters can’t get their nails trimmed, because their nails don’t grow, but they can get them painted. Poppy and Nico pick out a color together, an eye-searing shade of neon green that matches Nico’s shirt. While the technicians are working on Nico’s nails, Poppy says, “So how are nursing classes going?”

“They’re fine. It’s not too hard, I was a little surprised.”

“Yeah! It’s not a terribly difficult course if you’ve got a knack for it. Of course, I took an accelerated program because of my,” Poppy glances around, “special circumstances, you know, but I liked it!”

“Wait, you actually took a nursing course? I thought it was just a front.”

“Of course! I needed to at least know the basics to help out in the CR.”

“Did you study...here?”

“You mean as opposed to digitally? Oh, I did all in-person classes. You know, so it wouldn’t look funny.”

Nico frowns. “I guess that makes sense.”

--

Shopping turns out to be a bust, because Poppy can change her clothes whenever she feels like it and Nico’s never liked trying things on in public fitting rooms, but frozen yogurt definitely works. In fact, frozen yogurt’s incredibly fun, given how much time they spend trying to outdo each other with the extravagant toppings they pick out. Of course that means both their portions are very heavy by the time they’re done, and the bill comes out to nearly three thousand yen, but then the weather’s so they can sit down outside with their gummy bear and cereal-laden dishes. Nico takes a bite, makes a face--gummy bears don’t really make a great frozen yogurt topping--and then blinks. “Thank you for covering this, by the way.”

Poppy beams at her. “Sure! The Ministry of Health pays me pretty well, but I never know what to do with it, you know, since I don’t actually need to buy anything and I’ve got my cabinet to live in.”

“I guess that makes sense. I haven’t done a tournament in a while, so most of my money’s kinda tied up in investments. Like, I get a monthly payment from them, the guy at the bank helped me with it, but I should probably go kick some butt at Dead Or Alive or something sometime soon.” Nico takes another bite. “I kinda miss tournaments, anyway...wait, maybe this is super rude but how do you have a bank account?”

Poppy makes a delighted noise and produces her little pink wallet from...somewhere. “The Ministry of Health helped get my legal identity in order, they were really nice about it.” She opens the wallet. “I even have a driver’s license, see?”

“Wait, you can drive?”

“Yeah! Mostly I don’t, but I can.” The wallet goes away again. “Also apparently it was super super helpful that they did it for me because then they had all the procedures in place already, they had to do it again for some guy over in Tokyo a couple of years ago.”

“There’s another Bugster working for the Ministry of Health?”

“No, he was working with the police. And he wasn’t a Bugster, I think he was some kind of robot.”

“Wow, ok, that’s wild.” Nico takes a third bite. “This is actually...really bad, I’m never getting gummy bears on this again.”

Poppy frowns, takes a bite of her own--which is covered in fruit boba and coconut shreds and a different kind of cereal--and makes a face. “You’re pight. This was a perrible pidea.”

There’s a long moment, and then Nico breaks into hysterical giggles. “It’s kind of nice,” she gasps, “being worried about something normal for once, isn’t it?”

--

In the booth at the karaoke place, Poppy sings all the bounciest songs available, and then sits and stares in shock as Nico wails her way through the loudest metal track they’ve got. After two songs her throat is sore, and she sits down on the couch with a thump. “Ow.” Her voice comes out in a croak. “I haven’t done that in ages.”

“That was loud.”

“Yeah, if I’ve been practicing I can get even louder.” Nico grins and then drains a glass of water.

“Wanna do a song together?”

“...sure?”

They spend a few minutes flipping through the binder with the song listings, trying to find something they can agree on. Then, though, Poppy elbows Nico gently, a sly smile on her face. “So. Any boys in your life lately?”

Nico groans. “Nope. Too busy with school.”

“Not even Parad?”

Nico feels her face go hot. “I--what? Parad? No. Did he say something about me?”

“He said you’ve been playing Street Fighter with him a lot.”

“Just, just online, because I can’t sleep sometimes.” Nico curses internally as her ears warm up. “I beat him a couple of times the other night, that was pretty cool. I--what’s that look, don’t look at me like that.” She hides her face in her hands.

Poppy continues to give her the look. “You like him, don’t you.”

She sputters, scrambles for her phone, and sends a text to Taiga, [poppy is cyberbullying me], to which he responds with an entirely heartless series of emojis, and then, [good].

Poppy, looking over her shoulder, makes an indignant noise. “I’m not--I’m pight pere, pow pan I pe pyberbullying pou?”

“You’re a cyber person, all the bullying you do is cyberbullying.“

“Oh, you little--I am not--” Poppy frowns. “You know, though, that does make sense. Sort of. Ooh, I think I know this song, we could do this one.”

Nico squints at the page. “Sure, yeah, I know that one.”

--

They get out of the karaoke place in time to go get noodles for dinner, and near the end of the meal Nico pauses over the last of her meal and says, “This is. This has been. Really nice. Thanks, Poppy.”

Poppy beams at her. “You’re very welcome! Thank you! I don’t get to do normal things a lot, I’ve enjoyed spending time with you!”

Despite herself, Nico grins. “When do any of us ever get to do normal stuff?” She pauses. “I’m an only kid, but I think if I had a big sister it’d be nice if she was like you.”

Poppy turns bright pink and makes a delighted squealing noise. “I can be your sister if you like, I’d love to be someone’s sister.”

Nico holds out her fist across the table, and Poppy shyly bumps knuckles with her before making another delighted noise.

On their way back to the clinic, though, Nico stops on the sidewalk and says, “If we’re sisters you can’t ask me more weird stuff about Parad, though.”

Poppy giggles. “Actually I’m pretty sure sisters are supposed to do exactly that. I think maybe I have to ask you about boys you like.”

“He is not a boy I like. He’s, he’s weird, and he’s too tall, and he’s got his whole weird psychic connection with M or whatever, and--”

“And you like him.”

“I do not!”

[purplesurveys]

1216

1. Can you remember what you were doing at 8:15 this morning? I think I was just taking my morning shower.

2. In your phone’s contacts, who is the first person listed under the letter ‘R’? When did you last see that person? Berns, an orgmate of mine. Idk, we’re not close so the last time I saw was definitely before the pandemic. 

3. If someone is sticking their nose into your business where it isn’t wanted, how would you deal with that? Would you say something to them? I just wouldn’t share too much.

4. What did you have for lunch today? Or, if you haven’t had lunch yet, what do you think you will have? Surprisingly enough I had food this noon! Bea sent over a box of pizza...there was no occasion, so I really appreciated the gesture.

5. Is there someone you desperately want to see/speak to atm, but you can’t? Nah. I want to be alone right now, so that’s working out well for me.

6. Do you and your significant other have a special song? What is it? I don’t have a significant other.

7. If you HAD to sing something on karaoke, what song would you choose? It’s definitely not on most karaoke machines but I would for sure pick UGH! by BTS.

8. Can you remember the last time you felt ill? What was wrong with you? Maybe a month or so ago. I had daily headaches back when I had to work without glasses.

9. What time is it now? Are you tired? 8:19 PM. I’m pretty awake, but I’m emotionally exhausted. I went downstairs for dinner in an upbeat mood even though I was left tired from work, only to be greeted by really bitter and stressed vibes from my parents. I tried to be really cheery the whole time, but all their replies were just laced with annoyance or unenthusiasm. It was so fucking draining. I get that we have our off days, but I really wish people didn’t take out or spread their bad vibes to other people, much less their kids. Anyway, I feel less happy now and I feel that’s so unfair.

10. If you wear make-up, do you take it with you, to reapply throughout the day? Does your make-up stay for a long time after you first apply it, or do you find that you need to reapply often? Are you wearing any make-up atm? I never wear makeup :/ I put some on myself for the first time in YEARS last week for an important virtual event, and tbh I surprised myself with how decent my work on myself was since I didn’t know the first thing about makeup. I still don’t know how I pulled it off but at least I now know I could actually give it a shot and not have it turn out horribly.

11. What if you found the last person you kissed, in bed with the last person you texted? I would be very...confused? They’re worlds away from each other.

12. The last person you held hands with - have you ever kissed them? No.

13. Can you remember what your parents bought you for Christmas last year? My mom got me a foldable laptop stand that I could use in bed; my dad got me a pair of socks he knew I’d like.

14. Think about the person you fell hardest for. Why do you think your feelings for this person were so strong? How is he/she different compared to everyone else you’ve had feelings for? Because I felt like I could help her and save her.

30. Have you ever caught your friend cheating on their boyfriend/girlfriend? If you have, what did you do about it? If you haven’t, what do you think you would do? No, and I don’t think I would tolerate that shit either.

31. When your last relationship ended, how long was it before you felt ready to think about being with someone else? I’m still in the phase of not wanting to be with someone else. I was involved with the person for a really long time; and it feels genuinely nice to be by myself for now.

32. Has any of your friends ever had a boyfriend/girlfriend that you found attractive, and you would secretly have liked to have for yourself? I don’t think so, no.

33. How many guys do you know named Matthew? A couple.

34. Think about the last person that made you cry. Would that person be there for you if you needed help? I feel like she would if I reached out. But she would also probably just offer ‘help’ I didn’t need since her go-to advice for everything is to just pray.

35. Who was the last person you talked to before you went to sleep last night? Do you remember what you talked about? Angela and Reena in our little groupchat, I think. We were just talking about BTS since that’s the purpose of our chat anyway. 

36. Has someone of the opposite sex made you cry at any point during the last 24 hours? I cried over a boy band’s song like 10 minutes ago, does that count?

37. Is there anything you would like to say to your most recent ex? Mmh, not really.

38. If your friends are sexually active but you aren’t, does that bother you? Have you ever felt pressured to have sex before you were ready, because your friends had done it? No. Sex doesn’t really mean a lot to me.

39. In your opinion, what is the difference between having a crush and being in love? Have your own experiences helped you to realise that there is a difference? I feel like a crush for the most part just refers to physical attraction, like fantasizing about kissing or cuddling them or whatnot. Obviously being in love goes beyond that.

40. Did the last person you hugged have any of these letters in their name: T, R, K, P, J? She has three of these letters in her whole name, but none in her nickname.

41. What’s the most unhealthy thing you’ve eaten in the last 24 hours? Pizza.

42. What was the last compliment you received from someone of the opposite sex? I don’t even remember.

43. Who did you last say ‘I love you’ to? What colour are that person’s eyes? Andi, I think. Black/dark brown.

44. If you took away the first and third letters of your name, what would you then be called? Oyn.

45. Name 7 things that make you happy, and explain how it might affect you if you had to give them up. I’d be devastated if I had to give up any of these: my dogs and my friends.

Life would suck if I lost these but the world wouldn’t end: coffee, movies, writing, traveling, the internet.

46. Think about your Facebook profile photo. What kind of assumptions do you think a stranger might make about you, from seeing that photograph? Would any of these assumptions be correct? Someone who doesn’t know jackshit about lighting. Yes, they would be correct.

47. You buy a bar of chocolate, but you decide that you don’t want to eat it now, and put it in the fridge. When you go back later, half of it’s gone - someone else has started eating it! Who are you most likely to blame? My mom.

48. Choose 5 friends, and talk briefly about each person’s longest/most serious relationship. Who was the relationship with, and how long did it last? I wouldn’t talk about someone else’s personal life on here.

49. Do you think it’s wrong for someone to commit themselves to a long-term relationship at a young age? Explain. No? I don’t understand why it’s wrong. Life turns out that way for some people, and if it also turns out to last, then all the better for them.

50. Is there something happening in the near future, that you’re looking forward to? Erm...the weekend? Hahaha.

[justagirlinafandomworld]

19 Questions

I was tagged by the ever lovely @whitestarbucky​. If you’re not following her yet, you’re missing out on some wonderful content :) 

What do you prefer to be called name-wise?

Yvette. I have two/three nicknames but those are particular to the people who call me them. Got a nickname for me? Try it out, I may like it.

When is your birthday?

December 12

Where do you live?

Michigan

Three things you are doing right now?

providing warmth to an obviously overworked kitty, procrastinating, listening to music.

Four fandoms that have piqued your interest?

Supernatural, Marvel, Star Trek, & The Witcher (This 4th ones changes. It could have been Sherlock, Doctor Who, The Umbrella Academy, Les Mis, OMG I JUST SAW HAMILTON AND-I’m gonna stop right there.)

How has the pandemic been treating you?

I am very lucky to be working from home. But my husband still goes in to work. I just moved from South Texas last year, my whole support system is there. So the pandemic has me feeling isolated, lonely. But ya know, I’ve got cats, income, all you kind & horny people on tumblr, and I don’t have to wear bras anymore, so I can’t complain. :)

A song you can’t stop listening to right now?

Riley said What If by Kane Brown and I freaked because that was the song I spent the spring and summer jamming to. Pretty sure my neighbors know the lyrics from my singing it so often. I don’t have a current song, my mood is in a wild flex atm.

Recommend a movie.

A Bad Mom’s Christmas. i watched it the other night and it made me cry wtf

How old are you?

29 

School, university, occupation, etc

I took the long way around and snagged a secretary position last year. Who knows what next year will bring.

Do you prefer heat or cold?

Heat. It can be cold outside and I’d be snuggled up to the nearest heat source. It could be the hottest hour of the hottest day and I’d still want to go outside. I get goosebumps from a particularly warm sunbeam. What the hell am I doing in Michigan then? Well, it’s something I did for love.

Name one fact others may not know about you.

I like mixing my mustard with ketchup when eating fries. Yes, mustard is my preferred dunking sauce.

Are you shy?

As a kid, yes. As an adult...more guarded than shy. If you want to have a good time, I’ll grab a drink with ya and sing karaoke until the sun comes up (I’ve gotten pretty good at making bahama mammas). There you go, just gimme alcohol and we’ll talk.

Preferred pronouns

She/her.

Biggest pet peeves

People who don’t think of their pets as part of their family. “It’s an animal.” They say. The animal didn’t ask to be given as a gift, you asshole. They just want a home and to be loved. To live their life like any living being on this planet. ANYWAY. Chewing with your mouth open. Please don’t. Please. Don’t.

Rate your life from 1-10

8 seems solid. I’ve seen things. I’ve done things. I love and am loved. But I haven’t slept with anyone on my celebrity to-do list so.

What’s your main blog?

this one.

List your side blogs and what they’re used for

I used to have fandomkisses. It had reblogs of all my fandom delights from 2010 to 2019 when I deleted it. I’m not a two blog person...yet. Who knows, I could be someday.

Is there something people need to know about you before becoming friends?

I don’t talk a lot, I lean more toward the role of listener. This would be the guarded characteristic mentioned earlier coming into play. I will listen to your rants, I will cheer you on and be your sound board should you need one. But I’m like Dory. If you don’t get in my face and say I want to be your friend, or help me I’m looking for my son Nemo...I’ll keep swimming...was that a terrible analogy?

Anyway, I feel like I just spent an hour in therapy. Who’s next?

Tagging these lovelies: @gone-to-fight-the-fairies @wickedsingularity @donutloverxo and @negans-lucille-tblr. Also anyone who has some time to kill is welcome to fill this out. Say I tagged you :)

[gillian-greenwood]

Thank you to the lovely @somewherefictional for tagging me, it’s been a very long time since I’ve done one of these. Years.

Relationships: nothing serious no, I’ve been in love and that was unrequited. And that’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with. Especially because said person is still in my life. I don’t love them in that way anymore so I guess that’s progress. But I have a lot of resentment due to it. Can’t deal with those people who jump from relationship to relationship insistent it’s true love every time 😂

Break ups: Not romantically. Friendships I’ve lost and some were difficult but looking back, good riddance!

Kids: Nope. One day I hope.

Brothers and sisters: two younger brothers

Pets: Two cats currently. Jack and Brandi. I did have three until June when I lost Brandi’s sister Belle to the road. Heart breaking Cos she should have turned two this month. EDIT: past pets i had a ginger cat called Sox for 18 years, his mother Orca who ended up living with my nan, she died at 19 and outlived Sox, and also had a fluffy cat called Dylan who we also sadly lost to the road. Had hamsters too, fish. A rabbit called buffy when I was very young.

Surgeries: None thankfully.

Tattoos: Surprisngly no seeing I’m obsessed over them. One day.

Countries you’ve been to: France, Majorca, Zante. Do I count Wales? If it’s in the UK I don’t tend to. I haven’t done much travelling. When the world becomes a better place that’s changing.

Been in an airplane: yes

Been in an ambulance: no

Sing karaoke: haha nope. Cannot sing at all.

Ice skating: nope. Don’t fancy falling on my arse.

Been on a cruise: nope and I don’t know if I’d ever fancy it.

Driven a motorcycle: nope. Too loud and they’re death traps.

Ridden a horse: refer to ‘ice skating’

Stayed in hospital: no. Been very lucky.

Favourite fruit or berries: raspberries! I never understand why strawberries are superior. Do also love bananas.

Favourite colours: when I was younger it was definitely pink. I don’t know if I really have a favourite anymore. I am still fond of pink, and do like blue and purple too. Any colours really!

Last text: “yeah” 😂😂😂

Coffee or tea: TEA! Dash of milk. Two sugars. Perfect!

Favourite pizza: meat feast. The controversial ham and pineapple. And then a cheese and tomato pizza just covered in black olives!

Cat or dog: cats. Always.

Favourite time of the year: autumn. Can’t really complain about it being too hot or too cold. Pretty colours, I just tend to feel happiest at this time.

Met a star: One of the Weasley twins? Oliver Phelps. Frank Turner, had a very jealous friend. I once saw Julia Davis AKA Dawn from Gavin and Stacey in Boots on Oxford Street and had an internal fan girl moment, didn’t say hello. Been inches from Benedict Cumberbatch. I don’t really count local news readers and footballers in this.

Flown a helicopter: nope

Been on TV: been on the local news, well my back has. And I’ve spotted myself countless times on Match of the Day.

Broken my leg: Nope thankfully.

Seen a ghost: Not seen. But I’ve had a ghostly experience. In my old house, someone had hung themselves in the living room (before my time but it was my dad’s best mate’s dad.) and one time I felt like I wasn’t the only one in the room. Told him to F off by name and something came behind me and I almost felt forced onto the sofa. I used to live right near a crematorium so how I’ve not seen anything I don’t know.

Been sick in a taxi: nope haha.

Seen someone die: no and I intend to keep it that way for as long as I can.

Phew! All done. My life’s pretty boring. Tagging @lindsayelizabethdenton @sircolinmorgan and anyone else who feels like joining in.

[springday-aus]

Dog Walker!AU with Rocky [Minhyuk]

moodboard link

Group: ASTRO

Member: Rocky / Park Minhyuk

Genre: fluff, romance

part of the Odd Summer Jobs!AU ⤗ introduction to the Summer Boys

Type: Bulletpoint AU 

Word Count: 2k

first up, we got Rocky!

who’s the neighborhood dog walker

(and sitter)

but he’s only available during the summer now

hence the reason why he joined the Summer Boys

he needed to make some extra money over the summer when he comes home from college

during the school year, he teaches dance lessons

but it’s only during the school year

so every summer when he comes home

he cares for the neighborhood dogs

he used to do it during high school too

so he knows what the job is like and whose dogs he can walk

when he was first doing it, he thought it was fairly easy

and it kind of was

he would just take the dogs on a neighborhood stroll

or they would go to a park

yeah, he has to pick up poop, but like

he’s with a bunch of dogs and has little contact with working with people

so who is he to complain

but it did get a bit harder...

more people were calling for him and he would end up with a large group of dogs

the max he takes a time is like… ten?

so it depends if they’re all small dogs, big dogs, etc.

the big dogs are harder to maintain

thank god for those dancer muscles tho

the big dogs literally drag him

when he first started dog walking…

he had like three big dogs to start with

that was A Disaster

(Sanha and Chani have video AND photo evidence)

sometimes they come with him just to get some more disastrous blackmail

I mean photos for the Summer Boys website :)

anyways

the dog owners love him

he’s super responsible

(he answers his phone quickly)

and he’s reliable

and the dogs love him

then again, who wouldn’t like Rocky?

anyways

he also does dog sitting

he kind of likes it but he does prefer the dog walking

anyways

if it’s a dog sitting job, he needs like a 24 hour notice thing

but it all depends on how long the sitting job is

(one time this woman asked him to dog sit for an hour while she went to her doctor’s appointment, he literally just chilled in this lady’s house for an hour because the dog took a nap)

overall it’s a fun job and it’s pretty chill

he doesn’t charge much either

unless he has to buy supplies for the dog

but he doesn’t mind

and most of the time, he’s reimbursed through tips

so he mainly communicates through phone

those who call him are people he’s known for a while

or they’re people who know about him from other people

once the flyers came out tho

he’s been easier to contact

with the website up too, the photos are… very….. convincing

he’s been getting more business after officially joining the Summer Boys

and that means… more dogs!

how does this involve you?

this involves you when you crash land into a pillow of approx. 15 dogs

Rocky was taking the dogs out for their daily walk

he had about fifteen, maybe even sixteen dogs

the problem was

there were… at least eight big dogs…..

I’m talking like

Bernese mountain dog

a Black Russian Terrier

St. Bernard

shepherd dog

it’s…. Chaotic

he’s got a good hold on them.. at least he thinks so

anyways

on the other side of the park

you and your friends were there

the park is huge

like there’s a lake where people can paddle boat huge

so there’s a lot of space

there’s a playground for toddlers

and another for the elementary schoolers

picnic areas

barbeque areas

there’s tracks for walking

tracks for runners

and tracks for bike riders

which is why you and you were friends were there

so, despite being an adult

you don’t know how to ride a bike

so your friends dragged you here for you to learn

“it’ll be fun!!!! and it’s never too late to learn!!”

it has been kind of fun

(other than the fear of falling off the said bike)

and just when you thought you had a good grip on this whole riding a bike thing

an incident occurs

you know that thing parents do?

the whole “don’t let go” “I’m not gonna let you go”

this was all because of that “I’m not letting you go” shit

so you were riding on your bike

(with a helmet ofc)

your friends were pushing you

and you were going a good distance

but then they let go…. as you were going downhill…

you haven’t mastered the brakes or whatever they’re called on a bike

and just as you maintained the speed and stabilized yourself

you looked up and next thing you know, you saw a bunch of fluff

i.e. Rocky

you were screaming

he was screaming

all the dogs were coming all at once

so you tried to stop it because you didn’t wanna run into the dogs

and you ended swerving on the side

and Rocky panicked and tried to catch you

but then….

he… kind of sort of let go? of the leash……….

that was holding all of the dogs…..

so, you landed on the grass in Rocky’s arms

surrounded by a lot of fluffy dogs

Rocky: “are you okay?”

You: “tbh, this is kind of how I imagined my death”

Rocky: “falling off a bike?”

You: “no, surrounded by dogs”

Rocky: “I guess that’s one way of going”

Rocky: “are you okay now?”

You: “yeah, I think so now”

you both sat up and, luckily, the dogs all stayed near you two

primarily because they were all stuck with the same leash

You: “thank you for trying to catch me”

Rocky: “no problem, I hope your bike isn’t scratched”

You: “oh, it’s not my bike—my friends were trying to teach me how to ride it”

Rocky: “oh, did you not have like knee or elbow pads? I got a friend who has some that you could borrow”

You: “yeah, that would have been smart”

before you two could say anything else

your friends are running over

“sorry!! sorry!! we would have been here sooner but we didn’t realize how far you were”

“yeah and combine that with the fact that we realized that we should have been running”

they help you up and that’s when they spot Rocky

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“(Y/N), who is this???”

You: “I actually don’t know”

Rocky: “my name’s Minhyuk, but my friends call me Rocky”

You: interesting

You: “thanks again for the help, uh, Minhyuk”

Rocky: “oh, are you sure you don’t want the pads?”

You: “actually, yeah, you know that’s probably smart”

so you trade numbers

and you part ways

you forget about him for a bit

but then you and your friends are about to head to the park for another bike lesson

“we need to be consistent for you to learn”

“also you can finally text the cute boy with the dogs”

“but mainly for you to learn how to ride a bike”

You: ……. sure it is

so, you do text him….

and you two arrange to meet at the park first

you decided to wait at a nearby bench and about a couple of minutes

he comes

with another pack of dogs

this time there’s a little less of the big dogs and more of the fluffy baby ones

but they’re all cute nevertheless

he gives you the knee pads amidst the chaos the dogs are causing

you’ve never wished for more hands in your life

anyways

he spends a bit of time with you, while you’re waiting for your friends

and you spend a bit of time talking, getting to know each other

You: “I would love to walk these cuties all day”

Rocky: “well, you could always just come along with me next time”

You: “can I really”

your friends eventually come and he greets them, but eventually leaves to actually walk the dogs

your friends did not let that go the whole day

“oooooo cute boy came~”

“shuT iT fuckin—”

anyways

you two arrange a time for you to walk the dogs with him

it was super fun

like a bunch of dogs?? AND a cute boy???

who wouldn’t have fun

you wanted to try to walk the big dogs and he just…. let you

Sanha was right: this is super funny to watch

don’t worry, he gets you ice cream as an apology

and then it becomes a weekly thing

you come along when you have time

(and it IS summer come on lbr here)

now you’re just two friends

walking some dogs together

and then you have to return the dogs... 

naturally, you go with him 

bc he has like 10+ dogs and you weren’t about to make him go alone

you’re both kind of chill and still talking and getting to know one another 

it’s chill 

but then, something that happened 

you and Rocky had about five dogs with you 

and you were returning a lil pomeranian to this old couple 

the grandma who answers the door, she gets her dog and then... 

“so, you and Minhyuk are dating?”

You and Rocky: uhhhh

the grandpa (you assume her husband) comes out, poking is head through the door...

“this might just be a development in process, honey—don’t push them”

You: oh my god 

they thank you both and you both move on to the next house... rather slowly

Rocky: “I’m so sorry”

You: “I’ve dealt with weirder situations”

You: “besides it’s not like I would have minded” 

Rocky: “I wouldn’t have minded either.....” 

so you both finish returning the dogs

overall, it was fun 

anyways... 

you and Rocky may or not have figured things out by the time you were done 

and may have made some plans for dinner..... 

congrats for upgrading from dog walks

you get more dates!!!

anyways

you still go on the walks with him in the park

whether it’s with or without the dogs

(the owners started being more familiar with you too)

(at this point you should be getting paid)

it’s fine tho bc you get to spend some time with your cutie

and like 20 other lil cuties

it’s not just the dog walking thing

he’s even joined your friends to help you learn to ride a bike

Rocky: “bike date!!!”

y’all even have picnics 

it’s cute 

like he’ll make it and pack it in these fancy ass containers 

you try to make sure you aren’t in an are with seagulls tho 

one time he had those shrimp chips out 

..... yeah it was not a fun time 

but you learned 

anyways

some dates are in a studio where he dances

he still practices over the summer and you just watch from the side, cheering for him

it’s super cute

everyone at the dance studio knows you now too

sometimes when it’s just you two, he gives you a dance lesson

most times he would just put on music and you two would dance

even if you were bad at it

you two have named them as Summer Night Dance Parties

but there are some nights when he would just hold you into his arms and you two would sway to some relaxing music

sure, some of your dates might not be super romantic but he’s trying

oh, speaking of which

karaoke dates are def a thing

he may not be a singer

but it doesn’t mean he’s bad

(he’s def better than you)

sometimes you go with the other Summer Boys

who you met on many different occasions

the first official time tho………..

they did a whole dinner thing

(to celebrate???)

the energy…. it was chaotic

there was so much happening all at once

you were surprised they didn’t get kicked out

especially with the Chenle and Jisung duo

it was fun tho, especially conversing with Sanha and Chani

you have so much of their blackmail content on Rocky

and you haven’t seen him as talkative that night more than ever

he was so much louder too

again, the energy……… was chaotic

(sometimes they come to those picnics and it somehow manages to be even more chaotic than usual) 

you’ve grown close with them

it’s cute

you even help manage their instagram page

(which is just you taking 10000x photos of Rocky)

You: “Min, it’s for the instagram page”

You: “loooook at meeeeee”

You: “smile pretty pretty for the camera”

Rocky: “how many are you using”

You: “all of them”

it’s not like he minds you having your attention tbh

he likes taking photos of you with the other dogs too

honestly they’re more candid, but they’re still cute

you didn’t even know until you saw his phone wallpaper

You: “whEN dID yOU tAKe THAT”

Rocky: “you looked cute playing with the puppies in the grass, so I just to—dON’T DELETE IT”

it’s super cute

this is a cute relationship

[imnameim]

i was tagged by @kyunsies & @morkyun . (thank you mädch & Carly🥺💘)

Relationships: only like three ever 🙃

Breakups: 2

Kids: I want 2 kids 🥺

Brothers and Sisters: I have an older brother and an older sister 💕

Pets: i have two kittens, mochi & honey (@moongaera gave me the name❤️)

Surgeries: none :)

Tattoos: several! they're all sorta tiny but they hold a lot of meaning 🦋

Countries: i’ve been to the U.S, China, & Italy. (honorable mention that isn't a country but my favorite place is Hawaii to visit family ❤️)

Been in an airplane: yes, too many times for work and family 😒

Been in an ambulance: yup 🙃

Sang Karaoke: love it! I also go busking sometimes (I haven't done it in a while because uni and all but I would like to do it again soon)

Been Ice-Skating: yes but I suck. I'm the person who holds on to the rail or whatever it's called😂

Been on a Cruise: nope, I'm terrified of drowning 💀

Driven a Motorcycle: I want to 😂😭

Ridden a Horse: nope

Stayed in a Hospital: yes

Favorite Fruit or Berry: strawberries ❤️

Favorite Colors: purples and blues

Last Text: oooo I'm not saying 👀😌

Coffee or Tea: both (but coffee most times)

Favorite Pie: ew

Favorite Pizza: chicken & broccoli

Cats or Dogs: cats

Favorite Time of Year: fall and spring

Met a Star: I've been to lots of fansigns 🦋

Flown in a Helicopter: Sadly..

Been on TV: nope

Broken a Leg: no but I've broken some ribs🙃

Seen a Ghost: never

Been Sick in a Taxi: no thank God😒

I tag: @moongaera @skylarwarau @yoongismykink & @dillymx 💘

[memeingovermemes]

scary-oke -- gravity falls starters:

Feel free to edit pronouns\names\titles where appropriate!

❝  thirty long years and it's all led up to this .  ❞ ❝  i've come this far .  who could possibly catch me now ?  ❞ ❝  we haven't seen readings like this for 30 years .  ❞ ❝  please ,  please ,  boo harder .  ❞ ❝  your camera's a cinder block , ___ .  ❞ ❝  i just want to be a part of things .  ❞ ❝  i would never agree to that ever .  ❞  \  ❝  too late ,  i wrote your names on the list .  it's happening .  ❞ ❝  you know you don't have anything else going on in your lives .  ❞ ❝  it was so boring i couldn't even finish it .  ❞ ❝  you didn't see nothing .  ❞ ❝  wait ,  you're just gonna give it to me ?  just like that ?  ❞ ❝  what else do you want ?  a kiss on the cheek ?  ❞ ❝  i wouldn't mind a kiss on the cheek .  ❞  \  ❝  not gonna happen .  ❞ ❝  we've got to talk .  ❞ ❝  there's something huge going on right under our noses .  ❞ ❝  it's time we stop goofing around and get to the bottom of it .  ❞ ❝  there's nothing left to discover .  ❞ ❝  hey ,  ___ ,  what's that code word i'm supposed to yell when i see a government vehicle ?  ❞ ❝  everybody out !  i will not hesitate to use the hose on the elderly .  ❞ ❝  you got to be joking .  ❞  \  ❝  i assure you i am not .  i was born with a rare disorder that makes me physically incapable of experiencing humor .  ❞ ❝  i don't understand that sound you're making with your mouth . ❞ ❝  that information is classified .  ❞ ❝  we're just one small lead away from blowing the lid off this entire mystery .  ❞ ❝  if we work together ,  we could crack the case .  ❞ ❝  kid has an overactive imagination and ,  like ,  a sweating problem .  ❞ ❝  i'm confiscating this for evidence .  ❞  \  ❝  smart move .  ❞ ❝  and how's about you go be a normal kid ?  flirt with a girl ,  or steal a pie off a windowsill .  ❞ ❝  but , ___ ,  you don't understand .  ❞ ❝  that could have been my big break .  ❞ ❝  i'm not gonna raise the dead .  ❞ ❝  karaoke isn't about sounding good .  it's about sounding terrible ,  together .  ❞ ❝  check it out !  these black lights make my teeth look scary .  it's like a crime scene in my mouth .  ❞ ❝  man ,  i can't wait to smash these stanatas .  ❞ ❝  is that a boom box sweater ?  ❞ ❝  i'll do anything for your approval .  ❞ ❝  i promise i won't send it to anyone .  ❞ ❝  ew !  pretending i never saw that .  ❞ ❝  all i know is that your dumb obsession is gonna get us all in trouble one of these days .  ❞ ❝  now go enjoy the rest of the party ,  'cause when it's over ,  you're grounded .  ❞ ❝  what's the problem ,  officers ? did you catch my face going 90 smiles per hour ?  ❞ ❝  three words .  we want in .  ❞ ❝  i mean ,  ' leprecorn ' ?  i can't be the only one that thinks that it's not funny .  ❞ ❝  your uncle was right about that overactive imagination .  ❞ ❝  ha ,  a zombie !  a real actual zombie ,  see .  spooky journal ,  100% real .  ❞ ❝  it's just one zombie .  ❞ ❝  what have i done ?  ❞ ❝  we're all gonna die !  ❞ ❝  ___ ,  what's the one thing i asked you not to do tonight ?  ❞  \  ❝  raise the dead .  ❞ ❝  and what did you do ?  ❞  \  ❝  raise the dead .  ❞ ❝  you've got to admit this is pretty cool .  ❞ ❝  don't panic .  maybe they're just a really ugly flash mob .  ❞ ❝  with all the horror movies i've seen ,  i know literally everything there is to know about how to avoid zombies .  ❞ ❝  he's stubborn .  that's his problem .  sort of like me ,  i suppose .  ❞ ❝  i got too much on my mind to worry about those kids right now .  ❞ ❝  this thing's a surprisingly good weapon .  ❞ ❝  we need to board up all the windows .  ❞ ❝  by the way ,  i taught the zombies how to get to the fuse box .  among these dudes i'm like a genius .  ❞ ❝  i wanted answers so bad i put everyone in danger .  ❞ ❝  it's all my fault and no one can save us .  ❞ ❝  ___ ,  i'm sorry !  ❞ ❝  you two ,  attic ,  now!  ❞ ❝  i said now !  ❞ ❝  all right ,  you undead jerks ,  you ready to die twice ?  ❞ ❝  the only wrinkly monster who harasses my family is me .  ❞ ❝  well ,  at least ,  you can't deny magic exists anymore ,  right ?  ❞ ❝  i'm not an idiot ,  ___ .  ❞ ❝  i've been lying about it to try to keep you away from it ,  to try to protect you from it . it looks like i didn't lie well enough .  ❞ ❝  it's hopeless .  ❞ ❝  i have a naturally high pitched scream .  ❞ ❝  i never agreed to that name .  ❞ ❝  uh ,  ___ ,  our lives may not be worth this .  ❞ ❝  we roll into the party ,  the boys are looking our way !  ❞ ❝  we just keep dancing  -  we don't care what they say !  ❞ ❝  and all the boys are ganging up in my face !  ❞ ❝  guys ,  we have to sing together or it won't work .  ❞ ❝  boys are a bore - let's show 'em the door !  ❞ ❝  we're taking over the dance floor !  ❞ ❝  girls do what we like !  ❞ ❝  we're taking over tonight !  ❞ ❝  we're queens of the disco!  ❞ ❝  duck!  ❞ ❝  thank you !  we'll be here all night !  ❞ ❝  deal with it ,  zombie idiots !  ❞ ❝  pines !  pines !  pines !  pines !  ❞ ❝  i totally ruined everything .  ❞ ❝  i got to sing karaoke with my two favorite people in the world .  no party could ever top that .  ❞ ❝  kids ,  listen ,  this town is crazy ,  so you need to be careful .  ❞ ❝  i don't know what i'd do with myself if you got hurt on my watch .  ❞ ❝  as long as you promise me that you don't have any other bombshell secrets about this town .  ❞ ❝  promise .  ❞ ❝  brains !  brains !  ❞ ❝  that was insane .  i've never seen anything like it . ❞ ❝  but they'll never believe us .  ❞  \  ❝  then we'll make them believe us .  ❞ ❝  another zombie !  oh ,  okay ,  it's just... a very ugly man .  ❞