#horse tries to steal the spotlight yet again

[jatp-thoughts]

Bobby/ Trevor Wilson Analysis

tldr; Bobby/Trevor from Sunset Curve experienced the trauma of all of his friends dying at 17, when they were hours away from their biggest gig yet. He did his best to still achieve that dream, which he had already lost once before, while also avoiding being constantly asked about his best friends dying and reliving that trauma. He probably had his justifications of why he stole Sunset Curve’s/ Luke’s songs. He’s not a bad guy. Please stop saying he played a role in the boys’ death so he could steal the spotlight, and just imagine what he went through. Thank you. :) 

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Bobby/ Trevor is a good person, and yeah he made a mistake and hurt Alex, Luke, and Reggie, but that doesn’t make him the villain of the show. In this essay I will- 

Let’s start at the end of Episode 7, when Luke, Alex, and Reggie are talking about their original Orpheum show, and how long it took them to book that show. Alex says “It took us years”, so obviously the band had to be together for years. Therefore the Sunset Curve boys were best friends for years, and with the amount of time they had to spend together to be as good as they were, the boys became each other’s second family. All four of them shared a common dream: to be famous musicians. To be as good as they were, and for them to be playing together for as long as they did, famous musicians is probably the only career path these boys saw themselves doing. For example, Luke gave up EVERYTHING in order to pursue that dream; see Unsaid Emily. 

In Sunset Curve, I’m assuming all of the boys helped during the song writing process, but Luke liked to have control over the process (in ep. 7 Luke says “I know I’m not the easiest person to work with” to Julie). I’m sure that all the boys pitched in while Luke was writing songs, as Alex was slightly upset/hurt that Luke and Reggie wrote music without him. (in ep. 3 “Luke and I wrote a killer melody to one of her lyrics” “Without your drummer. Cool.” - Reggie/Alex). And Reggie obviously wrote Home Is Where My Horse Is. I’m sure Bobby made some suggestions and tried writing music, and Luke either vetoed the song or helped him with it. So the point is that the Sunset Curve boys wrote music together, but Luke was the most experienced and liked to control the process. 

Anyway, after years of playing and writing together, the Sunset Curve boys finally got to record a demo AND make merch. Then, they booked their biggest gig yet, their Orpheum Showcase. This was the moment they worked so hard for. Their dreams were so close. They played “the tightest they’ve ever played” during the soundcheck. Then bobby, being a normal 17 year old, goes to flirt with the pretty girl, Rose, and tries to impress her. So he passes on getting food with the boys, especially because he’ll have PLENTY of opportunities to get food with them. 

Then, shortly after the sound check and only TWO hours before their biggest show yet, Bobby finds out that, not just one, but ALL THREE of his BANDMATES DIED!!!! Just think of how ABSOLUTELY TRAUMATIC that had to be for Bobby! He was just playing with them and talking to them maybe what, an hour or two prior? and now they’re dead? Bobby’s BEST FRIENDS, his SECOND FAMILY, is just Suddenly DEAD?! Can you imagine losing ALL of your friends at ONCE? Can you imagine losing all of your friends at once when you’re only 17 years old? You don’t expect any of your friends to die at 17, and bobby lost three friends at 17 at the same time. 

Moving on to Bobby’s Trauma. Losing all of his friends at once is a traumatic experience in itself. Now let’s add in a dash of survivor’s guilt, as he chose to flirt with Rose rather than going with the boys (in ep. 1 “Bobby where you goin’ - Luke *Bobby waves hime away while walking over to Rose*... and Bobby says “Don’t you guys have to go get hot dogs” when trying to get the to leave him alone with Rose). We’ll also add a dash of having to relive that trauma a lot. in episode 1, the Sunset Curve article that Julie pulls up says “There was a surviving member, Bobby, but no one has been able to track him down to talk to him about his friends dying that fateful night.” Imagine losing all of your friends dying at THE SAME TIME, and then interviewers trying to track you down to talk to you about it. Bobby obviously did not want to talk about that night, at all. And finally, let’s add the trauma of having his lifelong dream of being a famous musician WITH his best friends being snatched away from him when it was within reach. 

After the boys death, Bobby obviously struggled with it. He had to have started going to therapy. Not to mention, therapy was still taboo in the 90s, and had a negative stigma associated with it but that’s beside the point. So to avoid being asked about that name, Bobby changed his identity. If no one knew he was Bobby from Sunset Curve, then no one would ask or bring up Luke, Alex, and Reggie. I mean, his BEST FRIENDS DIED. He doesn’t want to talk about it. He also probably struggled getting back into music after they died, because it was a painful memory; similar to Julie’s experience. 

But what was Bobby/Trevor going to do with the rest of his life?? He’s got his whole life in front of him, and the only thing that he identified himself as was a musician. It was his dream, and it still is. Bobby didn’t have any other interests. All he knew was music. He knew how to play his guitar, had some experience writing music, but wasn’t that great. But he also still had the unrecorded Sunset Curve songs that he knew would make him famous, as they were going to make Sunset Curve famous. So he released Sunset Curve’s/Luke’s songs as his own. 

Obviously, this was wrong, but let’s put ourselves in Bobby’s/Trevor’s shoes for a minute. He still wanted to be a famous musician, as that was a big part of his identity; his sense of self was rooted in being a famous musician. With Luke’s/Sunset Curve’s songs, Bobby/Trevor had the means to do it. 1.) Bobby/Trevor could’ve kept the songs for himself, but he wasn’t as good at writing songs as Luke was, so he wouldn’t have gotten noticed or far as a musician. 2.) Bobby/Trevor could’ve released the songs and given Luke, Reggie, and Alex writing credits, but then people would put 2 and 2 together and figure out that Trevor Wilson = Bobby from Sunset Curve, and then interviews would solely consist of him being asked about the boys, if he missed them, why he changed his name, if he felt bad or guilty becoming a famous musician without them, etc. and then cue him having to relive that trauma. 3.) Bobby/Trevor could’ve mentioned “3 special friends” similar to what Julie did during Stand Tall, but once again, people could look into his age and where he’s from and put 2 and 2 together and then Sunset Curve and the boys would be brought up. 4.) So Bobby/Trevor probably thought that he could just release them on his own and justified it by  A. there wouldn’t be any direct repercussions since his friends were dead and it’s not like they were coming back B. He would be honoring them in a way by releasing their songs; Luke’s music would still be famous and C. He would still be able to protect himself from people bringing up that trauma. So he released Sunset Curve’s/Luke’s songs, and achieved his dream, and in a way Sunset Curve’s dream. 

25 years later, Trevor is obviously still in therapy, and goes enough to the point where his therapist is on retainer. (In ep. 4 after the boys haunt him and write “hello bobby” in the steamed mirror, he runs out and says “no no no Trevor, nothing that Dr. Crystal can’t handle.” and then tells Carrie “ I’m gonna see my therapist, okay? Okay.”) Like, no appointment. He was just going to go see his therapist. And seeing his old name that he probably hasn’t been called in 25 years shook him to the core. The only people in his life now that knew his old name were his parents, Rose, Dr. Crystal, and any siblings he might have had. So seeing his old name being written on a steamed mirror when no one else was in the bathroom freaked him out because the only people who knew that was his name were his parents/siblings, his therapist, or DEAD. 

So, in summary, Bobby/Trevor did not poison the street dogs, or have any role in their death. He was a 17 year old boy about to achieve his dreams with his best Friends and wanted to flirt with the pretty girl when ALL of his friends died. He didn’t know what else to do with his life than be a musician so he released Luke’s songs, but didn’t credit them as he didn’t want anyone to know that he was Bobby from Sunset Curve to avoid reliving that trauma because people and interviewers would ask bobby/Trevor about them constantly. Bobby/ Trevor experienced a trauma, probably justified his releasing the Sunset Curve songs without mentioning them, and is still going to therapy 25 years later. 

Also, this is a side note, but I think Rose and Bobby became close friends, and Rose helped Bobby get back into music after the boys died, just like the boys helped Julie get back into music when Rose died. 

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 20: You Really Do Hate Cats!

(CONTENT WARNING: This blog post contains discussion of phobias, child abuse, and people doing the worst thing to intensify those problems. Those things are in the show, I didn’t just bring them up out of nowhere.)

Well, it’s that time again. Time to grab a balloon and tell my friends what I think of an episode of Ranma 1/2. We’re starting the first arc of season two with this episode, though oddly enough I feel like I mostly remember what stuff is going to happen in it. But maybe I don’t remember right? I’d love it if that is the case. Though...speaking of that...there is a certain character I have dreaded appearing in this series, and I’d hoped he wouldn’t appear for a while, but I checked and he appears this season. I...I thought I had more time. Oh well, let’s do this episode and I’ll worry about him when he gets here.

Okay, well, for the most part, this episode is actually a lot better than I remember it being. As it turns out, some of the details mutated in my head in the decade since I last saw it, and I actually thought things were worse than they were.

The episode starts in the Kuno manor, where our favorite swordsman is practicing to once again fight Ranma Saotome. But he’s not alone, because for the first time we meet Kuno’s henchman, Sasuke. He’s a ninja, and he’ll do whatever Kuno tells him to do, but he probably won’t do it very well.

From there, we see Ranma’s dad is training him in stupid ways again, and they get back to the house to find Shampoo has mailed Ranma something from China: a pink cat. That’s a problem, because Ranma has a severe cat phobia. It’s not random, either, Genma directly created it. See, when Ranma was 6, Genma thought he should teach his son Cat Fu, which he heard about from an ancient martial arts manuscript. The way to teach it is to cover the disciple in fish sausage and through them into a room with starving cats.

Obviously, that just ended up traumatizing Ranma, and the very next page of the book would have told Genma that training someone that way is very stupid. Kasumi, drawing on the common misunderstandings people have about exposure therapy, thinks that just inviting a ton of cats to be around will help, but of course it doesn’t, it makes Ranma even more distressed. Sasuke is hiding under the floorboards though, and he runs off to tell Kuno about Ranma’s weakness.

At first, Kuno says something about how he could never cowardly use an opponent’s weakness to unfairly win, but then he still makes Sasuke tell him about it, because he can still use it to win in an honorable way. The plan they go for is pretty ridiculous: they leave a note in Ranma’s locker that Akane’s been kidnapped, and he has to go to the gym to save her. But Akane is standing next to Ranma as he reads the note, so he knows that’s not true.

He goes anyway out of curiosity, only to find Sasuke there dressed up as Akane. With the wrong color wig. Even though the trap keeps failing, Ranma walks into it anyway because he has nothing better to do, until he realizes what is going on: cats. But Ranma manages to fight the fear and pretend he’s okay, hoping to just take Akane out of there, but then it becomes clear Sasuke took the extra step of also bringing an enormous tiger.

That’s when we cut back to Genma and Kasumi, and the old man explains that he tried curing Ranma of his phobia, but his way of doing so was to just keep throwing him at hungry cats, only changing the type of food attached to his body. All of it just made the problem worse, but it also actually led to Ranma developing Cat Fu. When Ranma gets scared enough, his mind just let’s go and he mentally becomes a cat.

That happens in the basement of the school, making it easy for him to beat the tiger and escape, just in time to kick Kuno’s butt without even trying. But he doesn’t stop there, and starts running around the school still acting like a cat. Akane follows him just as the dads show up. Genma says the only way to break Ranma out of it when he was a kid was with the help of a kindly old lady, but she’s dead. So, Genma tries dressing up and doing it himself. That fails, so they try catnip, forgetting that Ranma just thinks he’s a cat, so the stuff doesn’t really affect him.

The situation does kind of solve itself, as Ranma doesn’t attack Akane, as she’s afraid of, but instead curls up in her lap to purr. The whole school is watching, so that’s embarrassing for her, but then he kisses her and she freezes for a second before throwing Ranma into the school pool. Oh, and the pink cat is watching and didn’t like that. The curse activating returns his brain to normal, and Ranma has no clue why he was thrown in a pool. Akane walks home, cursing Ranma for doing that, but sounding conflicted.

So, the big thing I misremembered about this episode was I thought Genma did all the cat stuff with 0 thoughts about how it would affect Ranma and not giving a crap how it affected his son. That is actually not the case, he’s clearly really torn up about the phobia, though he still says some bad stuff about Ranma being ‘unmanly’ for having a phobia. He even tried to cure Ranma, a few times. It’s just that, well, his actions still traumatized Ranma. Sufficient ignorance is indistinguishable from malice, as they say. Genma is still, on the whole, abusive to Ranma in my opinion, but he’s not as bad as he could have been, I have to admit.

This was also just a funny episode. The comedy largely worked, even if some of the jokes didn’t quite land. Kuno and Sasuke were especially good, and I found Ranma fighting his fear both humorous and kind of inspiring. The man has a hell of a willpower. Not going to lie, the Cat-Ranma just immediately going for Akane’s lap and then kissing her was cute, I really liked that. Of course, I’m a sucker for anything with them, so I’m an easy mark there.

It’s also interesting how this works as the first part of a large arc, because if you didn’t know that was the case I can imagine thinking this was just a standalone episode. The pink cat was the impetus for the plot, but it’s what will drive the coming episodes forward.

One thing I found annoying was how different the dub and sub were this time around, in terms of script. The dub had a lot more bashing of Ranma for being scared of cats, including from Akane. That isn’t in the subtitled version at all, and I thought the episode worked a lot better there. I’m always a fan of taking liberties with a localization in order to make the story work better in the new country, but I don’t think we needed Akane insulting Ranma for his trauma.

Hey, a Character Spotlight again! Haven’t had one of these in a bit, and this one is for Sasuke Sarugakure. Let’s start with his voice actors. In the English dub, he’s voiced by Robert O. Smith. Does that name sound familiar? It should, I talked about him recently, since he’s the one who voiced Genma Saotome in the dub as well. His voice for Sasuke is extremely comedic, going for an over-the-top pathetic voice. He makes Sasuke just sound like comic relief, which he is. What’s interesting is what the other actor does with him.

In Japanese, he’s played by Shigeru Chiba, another voice actor from this show in Japan who is just known for a billion things. Standouts include Buggy the Clown in One Piece, Emperor Pilaf and Raditz in the Dragon Ball franchise, and dubbing over John de Lancie as Discord in the Japanese dub of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I was completely shocked to hear him play Sasuke with more gravitas, using a very serious voice that one would expect from a ninja, which clashed perfectly with the situations and his character design to make the comedy far better than in the dub. One of those rare times I’m actually preferring the Japanese version!

As a character, Sasuke is interesting because he’s not in the manga at all. For reasons none seem to know, the creative team for the anime decided to delay introducing minor character Hikaru Gosenkugi, and replaced him with Sasuke. We’ll get to Hikaru when he appears, but I don’t really mind Sasuke’s addition to the show. Giving Kuno a henchman just makes his dynamic even better, and there’s something I just really like to Sasuke’s almost naive way of trying to plot and scheme. I don’t actually have any deep analysis, at least not as of yet, just wanted to give him a moment in the Spotlight for being something interesting.

I didn’t expect to like this episode so much! It wasn’t great, there were parts I didn’t care for, but on the whole I’m happy to see my expectations overcome. I’m putting this episode in the middle of the pack, at the #10 slot. It was fun, but it has a lot of better episodes when it comes to making me smile. (Or cry.)

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’  

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 15: Enter Shampoo, the Gung-Ho Girl! I Put My Life in Your Hands

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 19: Clash of the Delivery Girls! The Martial Arts Takeout Race

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 17: I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye

Episode 20: You Really Do Hate Cats!

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Episode 14: Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan

Episode 18: I Am a Man! Ranma's Going Back to China!?

Next time we’ll continue this tale with "This Ol' Gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!" which, as you might guess from the title, will introduce a new character. This one’s actually from the manga! See you then, y’all.

[zerefserigala]

Every Hum and Echo and Crash Paints My Cave - Ch. 1

Relationship: Fairy Tail Guild & Gray Fullbuster, Gray Fullbuster & Juvia Lockser, Gray Fullbuster & Team Natsu, Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia Characters: Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Mirajane Strauss, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel, Jet (Fairy Tail), Droy (Fairy Tail), Gajeel Redfox, Elfman Strauss Other: Asexuality, Aromantic, Toxic Behaviour, Discussion of Toxic Behaviour, TW: Panic Attacks Link to AO3: Here For: @ft-wwtdp​

THIS IS NOT GRUVIA

“Gray-samaaa!”

A barely smothered flinch was the only second Gray had before too familiar arms wrapped themselves around him. His skin crawled as he fought to speak around the discomfort.

“Juvia…” He acknowledged, not comprehending how she could have so much energy at 8 in the morning.

“Gray-sama! Did you wake up early just to see Juvia?” Her wide eyes bore into his, like they were trying to uncover all the secrets he kept far, far down, trying to force him into a spotlight where he had no place.

“No.” Gray replied shortly, finally managing to push her away from him. Side-stepping her, he sped over to the bar, drawing in a breath of relief when she kept a respectable distance from him.

“Then what is Gray-sama doing at the guild so early?” Juvia muttered, and Gray could practically hear the cogs turn in her head, and when a gasp fled out of her, all he could do was sit back and watch as their exchange played out like clockwork. “Could it be Gray-sama is here to go on a date with Love Rival?! Gray-samaaa! How could you?”

Already, all he wanted to do was to escape the walls of the guild, and frankly, even Mira’s coffee was starting to sound less appealing than avoiding this topic all together.

“No.” Was all he could say, shooting Mira a grateful look when she slid his drink over. “Thanks, see you later.”

“Good luck on your mission.” The barmaid smiled warmly.

But it wouldn’t be that easy, would it? Of course not! That would be the universe giving him a break from this craziness!

“Oi, Ice Boy! Why can’t you just give her a chance?” Droy called out, the words barely coherent around his grilled cheese.

“Yeah, it would make the guild a lot quieter, besides, then she’d stop harassing you!” Would she though?

His shoulders rose higher as he stalked out of the hall without so much as a glance, the cup shaking in his tightening grip.

It wasn’t that easy!

“Morning, Gray!” Lucy smiled, waving from her place next to Erza, the redhead mumbling excitedly about how she was finally getting through to ‘one of them’. Gray didn’t have the heart to tell her that this was less about being on time and more about not being stifled. Still, he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, as he used the guise of her rambling to calm down whilst they waited for their tardy teammates to finally show up.

By the time Natsu finally showed up, Gray was feeling calm enough to actually tease him. Erza’s punishment whilst Happy squeaked and tried to hide behind Lucy was amusing and as they stepped onto the train, Gray felt himself unwind.

At the same time… it broke his heart to realise that Magnolia was starting to feel more and more like a prison.

The train journey was punctuated by a normalcy that he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of, as the mission briefing was started, interrupted only by Natsu’s lovely croaks, and concluded. They lapsed into silence when Natsu finally fell unconscious, with Lucy falling asleep shortly after and Erza and Happy entertaining themselves with their preferred meals.

At some point in the journey, the train banked a little too hard and Gray graciously swooped in to stop Lucy from being rudely awoken by the floor. She slumped over in her sleep and her head came to rest on his shoulder. The blond smiled at whatever dreams she was having and Gray returned the smile, fondly, as he contently resigned himself to being a pillow for her. This was where he felt most at home, surrounded by his smiling team (save for Natsu), where he didn’t have to meet any expectations and he could just be Gray.

From the first time they had all travelled and worked together, Gray had known that this was why he had been born. To be with his team. To travel and see the world. To just exist alongside his family.

If only it could last…

“Gray-sama! Juvia is so glad you made it back safely!” Juvia squealed in delight, reaching out to hug him again. Disinterest ran through him as he side-stepped the assault and let his gaze drop to the floor. Why did he have to be here to give the mission statement?

“Thanks.” He muttered with as little sincerity as he could muster. It felt like every time he spoke to her, he was stepping onto a minefield, never knowing what could set her off into the mindset that ‘she was getting closer to winning over her darling Gray-sama’ or into tears when he shot down her attempts again and again.

“Oh, please! Ice Block barely did anything, I was awesome!” Natsu jeered.

“You don’t get to say anything! We would’ve had our full reward if you hadn’t gone and set fire to that rose bush! At least Gray didn’t lose us our pay!” Lucy snapped grumpily, glaring over at him.

And that was that, Gray supposed, grimacing as he watched Juvia straighten up to her full height.

“Love Rival only says that because she’s jealous! Well, Juvia always believed in Gray, so-”

He couldn’t do this anymore. Spinning on his heel, he moved to walk out, praying to any God that would have mercy on him to let him get away.

“And where are you going?” Erza called across the hall.

“Home.” He replied, not looking back, tension radiating across his body.

“Is Gray-sama tired? Juvia can come and walk him home and cook him some dinner, and-”

“No, Juvia, just… no.” He ground out, but of course it wasn’t that fucking easy.

“Oi! Don’t just dismiss Juvia like that!” Gajeel barked, his voice echoing around the room, and suddenly all eyes were on him and now there was no hope of escape.

“Don’t yell at Gray-sama, Gajeel-san! Juvia is sure he’s just tired from the mission!” Juvia tried to defend and God, couldn’t she just shut UP?

The hall fell into a hush of gasps and softly spoken curses, and it took a moment to realise that he had said that aloud. Turning back around, his heart clenched at the broken way Juvia was retreating, looking at him, so utterly betrayed.

“You’re being more callous than usual, be a man and face her!” Elfman called.

“I have-”

“Ignoring her and making her feel like shit isn’t facing her.” Jet growled.

“I-”

“Why should we have expected any less from him? All he ever cares about is himself! Heartless bastard!” Gajeel snarled, he was up and moving, as if to threaten Gray and force him into accepting. As the enraged eyes bore into his skull, he felt the tension suddenly give way and there was nothing he could do but watch as his mouth finally opened, as the words finally came out, and tremors broke out across his body as he felt his home potentially being ripped away. Again.

“WHY?”

Gajeel stopped short as blazing cobalt eyes matched his anger, beat for beat.

“Was last time not good enough?” Gray yelled, hands curling into fist whilst frost crept out around him, keeping everyone back. “I have faced her, I told her ‘no’ at the fucking Grand Magic Games! I told her no, but she didn’t listen. None of you did!”

“So why should I face her if my ‘no’ doesn’t mean shit? And why shouldn’t she have taken my ‘no’? It doesn’t mean anything! As far as anyone here is concerned, what she wants is a perfectly good reason to ignore what I want. I’ve been telling her no from the get-go,” He whirled around to look Juvia in the eyes. “I’m not interested.”

“But that doesn’t matter. Of course not! Because it’s perfectly reasonable to say that her happiness can come at the cost of mine. And why shouldn’t she think that? None of you have ever told her no, either. None of you have told her that making a shrine of me in her apartment is creepy as hell, that stalking me and guilt tripping me and harassing any one I so much as look at is unacceptable. Erza, Cana, Elfman, Gajeel, Jet, Droy, you’ve all told me to give her an answer, and I have but because it isn’t ‘yes’ it doesn’t hold any weight.”

Everyone was frozen. Everyone was watching him, horrified and surprised, some even look betrayed, and each and every one of them cut through him until it felt like he was bleeding. Here it was. He had known it would only be a matter of time before he screwed up with this family, too. He was the end of his time as a Fairy Tail mage but Gray couldn’t make himself look away, like some sick need to watch his own self-destruction from beginning to end.

“So tell me…” His voice shook and cracked, but it was the only evidence of his inner turmoil. He still stood strong, fists clenched, eyes blazing, muscles taut. “What else can I do to get it through to you all that I’m not interested in relationships, full stop, nevermind her?”

He could feel the tears.

They were coming and there was nothing he could do to stop them.

All he could do was postpone them as he waited for their answer.

“Gray-” Lucy started. He swallowed thickly at the way her eyes were watering, but still, he held up a finger.

“Stop.” He whispered, almost pleading. “I don’t want an apology until you know what you’re apologising for.”

She fell silent, her hands twitching and Gray knew she wanted to give him a hug. He didn’t allow it.

An apology was on his lips, as the little boy inside him wanted to steal all the words back out of the air before he lost yet another family, and he could feel the trembling growing more and more violent. Why was he still stood there?!

“Goodnight.” He whispered, turning to walk out for real this time.

“Gray, wait-”

“No, Erza,” He sighed, deflating a little. “I’ll be back tomorrow, you can decide what you want from me then.”

Stepping into the night felt like swallowing knives, and God, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t believe he just spilled out his heart to the guild. He couldn’t believe that he had really gone and told them. He couldn’t believe that they really thought he was just being a dick this whole time.

He couldn’t breathe.

And he didn’t know where he was going.

He didn’t stop walking until he couldn’t see the glow of Magnolia on the horizon, anymore.

He collapsed in a cave near the base of Mt. Hakobe and he let the tears fall.

[ohshcscenerios]

The Case for Takashi x Haruhi P.4

Welcome back to the Case for Takashi x Haruhi, the series that travels through the manga and makes a case for why they should have been together. If you haven’t read Part One, Part Two, or Part Three they will be linked for your convenience. I would advise catching up before moving forward with Part Four. Because there is so much to unpack from Volume 5 it will be split between Part Four and Part Five (due to the length of the post being too long).

Please Note:

This post will contain examples from the manga so if you haven’t read the manga yet be prepared for “spoilers”.

This is all in the name of fun. I am by no means insulting or discrediting other pairings. I am just a person trying to spread more MorixHaru love into the world. 

Please feel free to agree or disagree. 

Shall we begin? 

We begin Volume 5 with Haruhi first learning about her inadequate test scores, landing her the third rank in her class. The Host Club is surprised considering how intelligent she is and they offer her their condolences. The anime doesn’t include this episode but the live action does. 

I’ve mentioned before how in the anime Takashi isn’t shown to comfort Haruhi in any way. He is either standing off to the side or appears disinterested altogether. Even during the beach episode when the hosts had a serious conversation with Haruhi the anime showed Takashi completely separated from the conversation; peacefully eating his crab without a care. However in the manga this is obviously not the case because Takashi is actively listening and involved in the conversation, even patting her head when she agrees to apologize. 

So it’s safe to say that outside the manga Takashi is not as supportive and comforting as he truly is. The live action does a better job at displaying his sensitive personality but the anime almost portrays him as a robot compared to his manga self. 

With that being said, we see another example of Takashi comforting and supporting Haruhi in a way the anime (for some reason) chose not to express. The twins give her a noogie but Takashi also offers a pat on the head. 

Why is this important? Takashi actively cares for Haruhi. He’s not in the background silently watching as he does in the anime. Takashi wants an active role in Haruhi’s life, not just a by-stander who happens to know her (as we sort of see in the anime). He wants to be called her friend rather than an acquaintance and to me that is very important. 

Anime Takashi isn’t as involved with Haruhi as Manga Takashi. Not only does the difference create an injustice for the pairing but also for the character. Takashi is more layered in the manga but in the anime he’s barely a two-dimensional character with absolutely no background history. In fact, the anime doesn’t even introduce us to Satoshi, his younger brother yet we meet Yasuchika, Mitsukuni’s younger brother. If I’m not mistaken, the episode in which Yasuchika declares Mitsukuni an “alien” and agrees to duel with him - that is the same episode we’re introduced to Satoshi however he doesn’t make an appearance in the anime. Takashi’s life is swept under the rug once again, giving him the short end of the stick. Takashi’s character isn’t recognized which pushes him further into the background. 

In the manga Takashi has more facial expressions and is shown behaving like his sensitive caring self. This is important because most of his “acts of comfort” are directed on Haruhi. 

The hosts ask her to choose which host will be her private tutor for the make up exam. Although it’s not made clear which subject Haruhi flopped in, each host offer their expertise. There’s a tiny little detail in this frame that I found quite interesting. 

Takashi offers to help her in history. Why is that interesting? Haruhi’s favorite subject is history. Now, this doesn’t mean she’d need help in history. I find this detail interesting because it further proves why they are compatible. 

We are going to fast forward into the next episode when the Host Club joins Haruhi in Karuizawa. This is also when the Refreshing Battle takes place, which we will dive deep into. 

The first little detail I’d like to discuss is their respective jobs. Tamaki and Mitsukuni are busy fixing a fence while the Hitachiin twins are escorting guests to their rooms. Kyoya isn’t actively participating which we see later on. So where is Takashi?

I’d like to point out that Takashi isn’t with Mitsukuni during this Refreshing Battle, like we’d expect. Normally Takashi is always by Mitsukuni’s side and chooses to participate in whichever task he’s doing. Usually the pair chooses to stick together like the Hitachiin twins. However this isn’t the case here. Mysteriously, Mitsukuni is keeping Tamaki company outside while Takashi is inside... with Haruhi. 

Now this may not seem like a big deal but let’s continue, shall we?

Takashi is inside meddling with the tables when Misuzu asks Takashi to fix a table’s chair legs. He responds with, “Certainly.” 

Notice how he didn’t respond with his usual “sure” or silent nod. Takashi is trying to act refreshing. Takashi is actively trying to win the Refreshing Battle. 

I would also like note that Mitsukuni isn’t taking this battle seriously. He’s a smart individual. He knows how to flaunt his cuteness. He’s strong enough to perform physical labor. Yet he chooses to goof off and watch Tamaki fix a fence. He isn’t even helping with the fence but simply keeping a conversation with Tamaki. Mitsukuni isn’t trying to win the Refreshing Battle, he’s just trying to have fun with his friends. 

So if Takashi knows that Mitsukuni isn’t trying to win the one free room wouldn’t that encourage him to also not win? If Takashi was simply going to follow Mitsukuni wherever he went it wouldn’t be fair to the other hosts to potentially win without really intending on staying in the room. 

Kyoya also reveals how the hosts plan on staying in Karuizawa; at Mitsukuni’s vacation home because it’s the closest. Kyoya even had Tachibana deliver his luggage there. So Mitsukuni never planned on staying in Misuzu’s pension because he could look forward to having a sleepover with his friends. 

So why is Takashi trying so hard to appear refreshing? He wants to win the room! He actually wants to stay in Misuzu’s pension. He wants to win this opportunity to experience a “bed and breakfast” with Haruhi. 

There isn’t any reason for Takashi to be chopping firewood but he is. Why? I have a theory that goes beyond trying to win the Refreshing Battle and it ties with the hosts’ confrontation with the Zuka Club. 

Takashi wants to appear strong and masculine around Haruhi. Yes his stoic personality naturally makes him appear strong and masculine but he doesn’t boast about it. I feel Takashi is taking this opportunity to “show off” his strong masculinity... for Haruhi. Doesn’t it seem a little odd that when she’s inside he’s also inside casually picking up tables like they’re paper weights and when she’s outside he’s also outside casually chopping firewood while shirtless? I honestly cannot believe this was all coincidence. I truly believe Takashi was trying to inadvertently attract Haruhi’s attention. This is Takashi’s equivalent to flexing his muscles for her. 

Kyoya asks Haruhi if she’d like to bet on the winner and though she declines he begins ruling out potential winners. He quickly rules out Mitsukuni and Tamaki, keeping the twins as a large possibility. However he makes sure to address the “dark horse” raising in ranks; Takashi.

Kyoya theorizes that if Mitsukuni drops out then Takashi is sure to follow. This is where I strongly disagree with him. Yes, I think Kyoya is wrong. I believe if Kyoya didn’t interfere with the Refreshing Battle then Takashi would have won. If Tamaki never found the piano the Hitachiin twins wouldn’t have felt threatened enough to devise a sneaky plan. Takashi would have quietly won. Misuzu continually gave Takashi refreshing points while the other hosts were slowly losing points. I believe if Kyoya didn’t interfere then Takashi would have won the room and he would have stayed in the room. 

Still not sure if Takashi really wanted to win? Let’s take a look at this frame. While most of the hosts seem horrified that they’ve been “shown up” by Takashi the only host who seems happy is Mitsukuni. Why is that? Why would Mitsukuni seem excited that Takashi is doing well for himself in winning refreshing points? 

Mitsukuni knows Takashi wants to win and he’s silently rooting for his victory. This would explain why Mitsukuni ws comfortable staying with Tamaki instead of helping Takashi with menial tasks. Mitsukuni knew Takashi wanted to steal this opportunity just like Tamaki and the Hitachiin twins. 

I also believe Mitsukuni knew Takashi wanted to “show off” to Haruhi which is also why he chose to leave him to do as he pleased alone. Mitsukuni probably knew that if he hung around Takashi he wouldn’t have made as big of an impression. In a way, it was as if Mitsukuni gave Takashi his blessing. 

Overall; Takashi tried to hit two birds with one stone by attempting to gain Haruhi’s attention and win the Refreshing Battle.

One final small detail I’d like to point out before we end this post; when Kaoru saves Haruhi from a fallen window notice where the hosts choose to stand. Mitsukuni is with Misuzu while Takashi is with Haruhi. 

Why would this seem important? 

I believe this is when Takashi is beginning to think about pursing Haruhi. It might seem like a stretch (and it probably is) but think about it; Takashi made sure to check on Haruhi before seeing where Mitsukuni was. Usually Takashi stays near Mitsukuni but in this episode Takashi ventured out on his own. Takashi created his own spotlight, in a sense, by choosing to be alone. Mitsukuni was obviously alright with that, as mentioned earlier, and here we see Takashi is still standing in his own spotlight. When the Refreshing Battle neared its end Takashi didn’t return to Mitsukuni’s side... he went to Haruhi’s. 

That concludes Part Four of the Case for Takashi and Haruhi. Thank you for reading and look forward to Part Five coming soon! 

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 155

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 07 - “The Best Friend Nuts Appears!” Date watched: 13 October 2019 Original air date: 18 March 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/KfxGTUV Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

feel free to use this for whatever

All five Precures have gathered so it’s time for the final character introduction of the show (for a while), a little elaboration on backstory, and establishing our base of operations. So let’s dive in!

The Plot

Coco decides he needs a new place to stay after a close encounter with Nozomi’s mom, and at school the girls have trouble finding time to talk about Precure business without being pulled away by classmates. They still need to open the Dream Collet and awaken Coco’s sleeping friend, so they sneak into the Student Council room and do that. They bring their Pinkie Catches together and the Collet opens, and out comes a brown and tan squirrel fairy with an orange tuft of hair named Nuts!

Nuts initially doesn’t trust the girls and is upset at Coco’s lack of discretion, and he remains cold and belligerent throughout the episode. On the walk home, the girls discuss their need for a new place to gather, and Karen brings up that her family has a lot of unused storage units and warehouses, so they go to check one out. They finally settle on a modestly sized house that they begin to clean up. They horse around a little, and Nuts is still moping, but he tells Nozomi how to transfer a Pinky from her Pinky Catch to the Dream Collet for safe keeping.... just in time for Girinma to show up and steal both the Dream Collet and Nuts, who has a death grip on it.

The girls chase him, and he lures them to a warehouse where he turns a pile of teddy bears into a giant teddy bear kowaina. After some banter, he realizes that Nuts is the fairy who opened the gates to the Palmier Kingdom and let Nightmare in, after he had disguised himself as an injured Pinky. Nuts manages to escape and Cure Dream insists that he didn’t do anything wrong, that Nightmare are the bad guys for preying on his kindness. The five girls all reiterate that their dream is to restore Palmier Kingdom for him, and he finally warms up to them. The cures knock out Girinma and defeat the Kowaina in a fantastic combo, and the villain retreats.

The next day, the girls visit the house again, only to find it has been completely redecorated inside and out, with signs calling it NattsHouse and filled with fashion accessories for sale. A tan-skinned blonde man approaches them, and Rin, Komachi, and Karen all crush on him a little before Coco reveals that this is Nuts’s human form. Nuts offers Coco a place to stay in the house and we end on a lovely still frame of the seven of them.

The Analysis

The need for a gathering spot is pretty mundane but it’s yet another thing that will become a trend in the franchise. You could argue that the restaurants in the FW shows served this purpose, but they would just as often meet at each other’s houses, or a park, or school, because it was easier with just the two of them. With five girls all being involved in different activities, it’s inevitable that they’re going to get pulled away from time to time when they’re at school. I appreciate that they spend an episode actually hashing this out rather than just landing on a place. There’s still some hand-waving involved, like how the heck did Nuts get all the products he’s selling in the store, how did he make custom signs overnight, things of that nature, but at least they didn’t just land in a magic library that they forget about halfway through the show.

There’s also some fun comedy involved in finding the hangout. Karen, being the rich one, brings them to a spacious warehouse, with the implication that her family owns all of the ones in the complex. All the girls agree that this is too large, which is when she brings them to the “small” storehouse that will become NattsHouse. Karen comments that it’s awfully small, which has everybody looking at her kinda shocked, and Rin points out that it’s bigger than her own house. Later, when they’re cleaning the place up, Komachi discovers a lizard and shows it to her best friend, freaking Karen out big time.

Komachi insists that it’s so adorable, and the whole gag is ripped straight out of FWPC17:

It’s a fun joke and I don’t mind them reusing it, but it’s funny since I observed previously that both Komachi and Karen have attributes of Honoka. Also it’s fun to see Karen coming out of her shell and losing her composure. It makes her seem more relatable to know that she’s so easily fussed.

On the serious side, it’s a great introduction to Nuts. He’s been built up as Coco’s best friend so you’d expect him to be kind and approachable like Coco but the first thing he does is slap Coco with his tail and berate him. Nuts is upset at Coco and doesn’t like the girls at first, even chastising Nozomi for taking her Pinky Catch off for a minute to wash her hands, but the girls are sympathetic and so is the audience after learning his backstory. When Girinma reveals that Nightmare took advantage of his kindness to to take over the Palmier Kingdom, Nozomi is righteously mad and she protects Nuts while delivering a fantastic speech about how awful it was that they’d prey on someone’s good nature like that. Nozomi standing up for him and defending him, explaining that it wasn’t his fault, and then promising to revive the Palmier Kingdom with Coco and the other girls is a great bonding moment, and that’s when he turns around and yells at Girinma that he believes in Precure. He’s a more cynical character than the optimistic Coco, which balances them out, but it’s not the last time it will cause some strife.

I didn’t really have space to bring it up in the summary, but we get to see how two-faced Bunbee is in this episode. He’s standing around the office trying to figure out how he should report his failures to the higher-ups, and he probably isn’t even going to say anything, but then one of the masked people at the table stands up and reveals himself to be Kawarino, Bunbee’s superior. (etymology: Kawaru means “change”, like how he disguised himself) Bunbee’s arrogance turns to stammering as he’s clearly unsettled by Kawarino’s presence and thinly-veiled threats to his competency.

As soon as Kawarino leaves, Girinma climbs out of the trap door pit and Girinma blames him for being chewed out, then sets him to work.

Speaking of the villains, I just want to say that Girinma’s attack at the soon-to-be NattsHouse was pretty intense. He appeared out of nowhere, knocked Coco back, and nabbed the Dream Collet in no time. His only mistake was in taunting the girls to try to get it back from him, rather than just disappearing back to Nightmare to hand it to Bunbee.

Other notable scenes: in the beginning, Coco tries to wake up Nozomi so they can get the others and revive Nuts. He takes his human form to do this, and Nozomi’s mother walks in to see a strange man standing over her daughter.

yes, they did just go there

She closes the door, does a double take, and opens it back up, trying to get an answer from Nozomi, who takes a minute to realize what has happened, but she convinces her mom she was just seeing things. Also, Nozomi’s sleepy face is absolutely adorable, and in general she looks good with her hair down.

In this episode, Nozomi is formally elected as the leader of the team, after they all, even Karen, agree that they wouldn’t have become Precures without her. We also see her transfer a Pinky from the Pinky Catch to the Dream Collet in great detail, no doubt highlighting the interactive features of the two toys. However, it’s done pretty fluidly, and the design and functionality of the Dream Collet are less obtuse than some other toys we’ve seen. It slides open to reveal a screen inside, and there’s a stylus you can use to play some simple games. Not as fancy as the actual computer from Splash Star.

And my last little note: here is NattsHouse before and after renovation:

In conclusion, this episode wraps up the character introductions tidily, and seamlessly transitions us into the body of the show. It gives Nuts his own arc to join the team in a similar way that the other girls got in their spotlight episodes, as well as establishing some more conventions. Once again we see Nozomi’s inspiring leadership move the other characters, and this time she is formally recognized as the leader of the team. It’s a strong start to the series, and it only gets better from here.

Next time, however, there’s some dissension in the ranks..... look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 2 “Kettei!”

[jinterlude]

Fight for Me (Ch.5)

↳Story Header © @softjeon (do not steal this header!)

➵ Pairing: Kim Seokjin x Female OC (feat. Kwon Ji Yong)

➵ Genre(s): Historic!AU, Medieval!AU , Royalty!AU, Knight!AU, Romance, SMUT, Humor, & Angst

➵ SMUT Warning(s):  Foreplay & Penetration

➵ Words: 5.5K

➵ Summary: Once upon a time, there was a not-so-traditional kingdom. In that kingdom, the royal family had the freedom of marrying whoever his or her royal highness deems worthy. Now, of course, having that special privilege came with some interesting challenges, but that doesn’t stop a certain head-strong princess from doing whatever her heart’s desire, especially when she has her heart set on marrying her personal bodyguard. Unfortunately, her beliefs might face some hardships when a certain king sets his eye on her. Will her bodyguard continue to fight for her or is it finally her turn?

※ Previously: ch.1 | ch.2 | ch.3 | ch.4

※ Next Time: ch.6 | final chapter

Chapter 5: A Knight vs. A King

Previously

Seokjin rubbed his nose against her cheek sweetly and said no.

           “Then do not tease me, my dear knight!” Sumin poked his cheek as the two neared the entrance of the dining room.

Seokjin simply laughed in response, “I would never, my sweet princess.” He then untwined their fingers. “Now, enjoy supper. If you are good princess and tell your father about our decision, then I might visit your chambers this evening.” He whispered the last part in her ear.

Sumin felt a rush of pleasure as soon as he whispered that.

           “Maybe if you are good knight and behave while King Ji Yong is doing his best to antagonize you, then I might let you.” She teased back, smiling alluring at the knight as she walked away.

Seokjin could have sworn he felt his crotch area tightened. The thought of them being alone and intimate in her chambers sent his hormones into a wild frenzy.

Unfortunately, for them, someone else was listening in on their conversation.

           “A midnight rendezvous? We shall see about that, my dear princess.”

With eyes glued onto the silver plates, an awkward tension filled the dining hall. Nothing but the sounds of the royal string quartet, playing a light yet soothing melody, and the fire emitted a couple of crackles as Sumin pushed around her roasted vegetables with her fork.

Not only she felt the predatory gaze from King Ji Yong, but also a pressured stare from her knight. Honestly, it would have been better if she had not fallen in love. Her father never made a rule against a member of the royal ruling the kingdom by him or herself.

Why not Sumin? Her father had told her stories of her great great-aunt ruling the kingdom by herself, and it turned out for the better―granted…that the kingdom experienced a few months of despair and utter sadness, but that was the beside the point.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sumin’s father noticed a solemn expression painted on her face. He briefly made eye-contact with his wife, and she too noticed the odd expression on their daughter’s face. The royal couple gazed upon each other as if they read each other’s mind on what they should do or even say. Then, after a couple more moments of silence, the king spoke.

           “Daughter, is there something wrong with your dinner?” He paused, beckoning for one of the servants to come to him. “Would you like the cook to fix you up something even yummier?” He asked as he took a tiny sip of the sweet wine.

Sumin lifted her head, shaking it as she quickly denied that something was wrong with her food.

           “I guess I am simply not hungry, father.” She added, smiling warmly at him.

Sumin’s father raised a brow, finding it odd that his daughter did not have an appetite.

           “My daughter not hungry? I find that quite amusing. Tell me, what is on your mind that caused a sudden loss of hunger?” He asked, hating the fact that his daughter distracted and seemed a bit distant.

A short sigh exited her lips as Sumin glanced at Seokjin, establishing eye-contact briefly, before directing her attention back to her father.

           “Father, I am sure that you have grown tired of my indecisiveness, but I swear to you on the Holy Father that this will be my sudden change of heart.” She began; her chest heaved slightly as the nerves settled in the pit of her stomach.

Both her father and morning leaned in their seats, unsure where the direction of the conversation headed.

Sumin’s mother gestured for her to continue and so she did.

           “I know Seokjin and I have changed our decision countless of times, but this time we are completely serious. We are ready to become betrothed to one another and proceed with the next steps.” She announced, feeling a tiny weight lifted off her shoulders.

Sumin’s father eyed his daughter as he tapped his chin. Was his daughter playing tricks on him yet again? Had she and her knight finally made up their minds and hearts? Was he going to live to see his only daughter—his pride and joy―wed? Thank, the Lord.

With his index and middle fingers, the king gestured for Seokjin to come hither.

Seokjin bowed his head and walked up to the dining table, secretly feeling triumphant as he secured Sumin’s heart and their future together.

Ji Yong on the other hand did not see that as a loss. If anything, he merely saw it as humongous obstacle and now? It was time for drastic measures.

His ears tuned into the happy discussion, but his mind and heart drifted somewhere else. His evil mind began plotting a plan that would result with Sumin has his wife. His heart focused on how beautiful Sumin looked; her appearance enhanced even more as the fire dimmed in the room. It was because of that Ji Yong started to imagine what she would look like in complete darkness. With the moon illuminating their chambers, he could picture her magnificent breasts as her face contorted in pleasure. The pleasure that he so happily gave her.

God…just that mere thought got him excited. It also did not help that his lips still tingled from their passionate kiss in the library. He had tiny taste of her, and he desired more. He wanted to feel her precious lips all over his body. He even wanted to see them wrapped around his hardened length as she bobbed her head slowly; the pleasure that only crescendos.  

The more he indulged in his naughty thoughts, the more he failed to realize that Sumin and Seokjin had excused themselves.

Finally—he pulled himself out of them.

           “Excuse me. I need to fetch myself some fresh air.” Ji Yong announced, pushing his chair back. He bowed his head before walking out of the hall. Sumin’s parents watched Ji Yong until he disappeared from their sight. A long sigh escaped both their lips as they could not help but worry for their daughter’s happiness.

Even with them discussing future wedding plans, Ji Yong did not seem bothered by it. If anything, he simply ignored it.

Something about the arrogant king did not settle with them whatsoever. Sumin’s father had recalled what the other kings had gossiped about King Ji Yong countless of times, and they always said that he would stop at nothing to obtain what his heart desires. He would even declare war if deemed necessary.

Sumin’s father was not sure if his body could handle an all-out war with another kingdom at his age. He was not frail, but he was not young either. Time, like everything else, always had interesting plans for the living—so he silently prayed that time would show him mercy.

As the waves crashed against the cliff , and the slight breeze that danced across the courtyard, Sumin and Seokjin walked leisurely towards their favorite spot—the garden. Oh, the garden held many wonderful memories for them. It was the place where they shared their first mud war. Sumin won most of them. It was the place where they confessed their romantic feelings for one another. They also indulged in their first kiss—and their second kiss. Now, the garden would soon hold another fond memory—the day the two of them would wed.

With the full Summer moon as their spotlight, and the sounds of laughter that emitted from them, the two lovers began reminiscing of the day their first met.

           “Are you sure, my beloved? I for one remember that day quite differently.” Sumin said as her thoughts drifted back to the day when she was only a little girl. Her father had presented her a horse for her sixth birthday—along with a certain newly appointed stable boy.

Dawning a hunter green dress, Sumin bunched the skirt up enough to stop tripping over it when she tried to keep up with her father. She was short, and her father was a giant in comparison. She had to run after him if she wanted to stay by his side.

           “Father! Where are we going? I thought mother said I was not allowed to see my presents until after tonight’s ball?” Sumin asked as she continued to rush after her father.

A short chuckle escaped his mouth as Sumin’s father made a sudden halt near the garden entryway. He did an about face and crouched down, pushing his cape out of the way. He held out his arms and waited for the arrival of his daughter.

Seeing his arms wide open, a bright smile graced her face as Sumin ran full force into his chest, loving the warmth and love he radiated.

Sumin’s father stood up with his daughter secured against his side and entered the garden.

           “I know that your mother wanted you to wait until after your birthday ball, but I could not.” Sumin’s father replied as the two ventured deeper inside the garden.

Sumin tilted her head slightly and just as she opened her mouth to ask another question, the sounds of horses neighing captured her attention.

Her eyes lit up instantly as her eyes caught sight of two beautiful horses. One was brown and the other white.

           “Father, are those horses for me?” She asked, wanting to make sure she had been tasked to giving them away to another royal family as a gift.

Her father chuckled once again as he graciously placed her down.

           “Yes, my child. Those horses belong to you and…” He paused, whistling for his most trusted stable worker to come forth. “This newly appointed stable boy will now work underneath you. He will be taking care of your horses just like his father takes care of mine.” He finished as the stable worker and his son come into full view.

Sumin turned around; her eyes trailed the boy up and down. A faint blush appeared upon her cheeks as she found the stable boy quite handsome. His lips were plump. His eyes dripped with eagerness and charisma. In short, her ideal man.

           “Princess Sumin, may I introduce my son, Kim Seokjin, to you.” The stable worker then pushed his son towards her; the child’s nose almost bumped into hers.

Sumin held out her hand for the boy to kiss, but instead she got…

           “Father, I thought you said that I would find the princess quite beautiful? She looks like a boy.” Seokjin blurted out, unknowingly insulting the princess in the process.

Seokjin’s father’s jaw dropped just a bit. He could not believe that his son chose now to be a smart mouth.

Sumin’s father, on the other hand, found the boy quite hilarious. He definitely made a perfect fit for his daughter. Someone needed to keep her head placed firmly on her shoulders. Oh…he could not wait until they expressed romantic interests in one another.

           “My deepest apologies, your highness. My son apparently lost his mind.” Seokjin’s father quickly said, bowing his head apologetically.

Sumin clenched her jaw as her eyes became slits. She took back what she said about Seokjin. He was rude and no way on this Earth would she ever fall in love with him.

           “Sumin, what do you say when someone apologizes?” She heard her father ask, pulling her out her never-ending rants.

Sumin peered up at her father, “I say that he or she is forgiven, and no offense was taken…” She muttered.

Sumin’s father nodded, “Good. Now, tell Seokjin that.”

Sumin let out a long whine as she kicked the stone pathway. She then looked up to her father, who—in return—gave her a stern expression and gestured her towards Seokjin.

She directed her attention towards the stable boy, and just as she opened her mouth to accept the apology—a devious idea planted in her mind.

She mustered the sweetest smile ever and held out hand, waiting for him to shake it.

Seokjin eyed her hand oddly, sensing this questionable aura around the princess, but ignored it since his father would whoop him if he offended the princess yet again.

He slowly extended out his hand, closing the gap an inch at a time, and just as their fingertips touched, Seokjin felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm.

A loud shout came out of his mouth as Sumin forcibly bent his fingers back. She then hooked her leg around his and managed to trip him. She climbed on top of him, and the two children began to wrestle in the grass.

The two fathers watched their offspring with such amusement as they found it funny that the two children just met and already playing as if they had been friends since birth.

           “You still look like a boy!” Seokjin taunted as he struggled to fend off the high-tempered princess.

           “So? I rather look like a boy and hit like one instead of looking like and hitting like a girl!” Sumin retorted as she managed to pin the poor boy down—in mud.

Seokjin growled and used up all his strength to turn the tides. Sadly, that had been proven futile. Sumin inherited her incredible stubbornness from her mother. Allowing the enemy to have the upper hand was not in Sumin’s book.

Before the two of them could be completely covered in muck, the fathers finally intervened, easily pulling them off of each other.

           “Well, I had to have to say that this has been quite an eventful first meeting, don’t you agree, Master Kim?” Sumin’s father asked, holding his daughter tightly against his legs.

Master Kim laughed, “I agree, your majesty. I think my son has finally found his match.”

Sumin’s father laughed as well, nodding in his head, while Sumin and Seokjin merely stuck their tongues at each other.

           “Maybe we can invite Seokjin to your birthday gala as a special guest? What do you say, my precious jewel?” Her father asked Sumin, causing the young girl to stop with the taunts.

Sumin gawked, “I rather invite a humpback whale.”

           “Why? You are already there, princess…” Seokjin said, smirking smugly.

           “Why I ought to!” She shouted as she escaped her father’s clutches and tackled Seokjin back to the ground.

           “I wonder how their friendship will play out if they are already this close to one another?”

           “Forget the friendship, their romantic bond shall be one interesting event to witness.”

His body ached at that not-so-fond memory. Seokjin had yet to wrap his head around the fact that Sumin managed to pin him down like it was nothing.

Sumin, on the other, smiled proudly to herself. Not only did she prove her handsome knight wrong, but she had the opportunity to remember the day she won her first match with the boy.

Seokjin rested his hand on top of hers as he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek.

           “I still cannot believe that this garden always had mud laying around.” He said; his eyes scanned the garden, taking note of the many tiny mud piles.

Sumin giggled softly, “Maybe the palace gardeners knew that you and I liked to play in the mud when we were only mere children.”

Seokjin shook his head softly before resting his chin on his princess’s shoulder.

           “We shared many firsts here, and would you like to know what is my favorite?” He asked, placing a soft kiss on her weak spot—the base of her neck.

A soft sigh left her lips as Sumin turned to face her beloved.

           “What?” She asked softly, practically a whisper.            

           “This.” He whispered as he cupped her cheek sweetly and captured her lips.

Sumin closed her eyes and placed her free hand on the back of his neck. She pulled him closer as the kiss slowly intensified. It was if their minds synchronized with each other.

Seokjin’s tongue lightly brushed against her bottom, causing the young princess to emit a tiny moan.

Just that tiny moan alone excited him. He placed his hands on her lower back and pulled her closer, as if that was even possible. His fingers played with the strings of her dress, wanting nothing more to undo them. However, he stopped himself. The back of his mind telling him that there was someone watching. A certain someone that kissed his princess earlier. That someone being the king that failed in obtaining Sumin’s hand in marriage. King Ji Yong.

Not wanting to give the scheming king another second of their romantic moment, Seokjin pulled away.

           “I think it is time for the princess to retire to her chambers for the night.” He then leaned close to her ear, his lips practically pressed against it. “I also think, it is time for a certain knight to pay said princess a visit.” He whispered alluringly; his hot breath sent shivers up her spine.

Not being able to form words let alone a full sentence, Sumin simply nodded with a dreamy like smile written on her face.

Seokjin could not help but find Sumin absolutely adorable. He did not think he would cause her to become this mindless, lovesick person but then again, she had that effect on him. She just did not know it yet.

Taking her hand gently into his as he stood up, Seokjin bowed his head and asked permission if he could escort her back to her chambers. Of course, Sumin gave him permission but smacked him lightly on the shoulder for being rather embarrassing.

Seokjin placed his free hand over his heart and feigned being insulted.

           “Well, I guess the princess can find her way back to her chambers by herself.” He said firmly, untangling their fingers from one another.

Sumin cocked up her brow and gave him a look before shrugging and walking away.

Seokjin’s mouth became agape as he watched the love of his life retreat. He quickly snapped back into his senses and chased after the woman.

He easily caught up with her and grabbed her waist, causing the girl to laugh.

           “Who gave you permission to leave me?” He asked; his tone tinted with slight darkness.

Sumin only smirked in response before removing his hands from her body. Then, she walked away from him, halting underneath the archway of the garden entrance. She peered over her shoulder and with an alluring smile painted on her face, she said,

           “Why not follow me to my chambers, and I shall tell you the answer?”

Seokjin felt his hormones awaken. His lover knew how to rile him up to the point of him wanting to pin her against the wall and devour her lips as his hands traced every curvature on her body―her naked body.

Not even a second later, he pursued after her, loving their little game they played whenever they felt the need to spice up their romance. God, Seokjin could only imagine what actual sex with Sumin would be like. Maybe tonight was the night. The night two hearts become one.

As Seokjin disappeared off into the night, trailing after the owner of his heart, a certain king finally emerges from his hiding spot. His blood boiled after having to endure such a disgusting sight.

Ji Yong clenched his fists as his mind became plagued with the scene of Seokjin and Sumin kissing one another. His lowly hands embracing the temple that was her body. His sweet whispers that invaded her ears. Everything about this night sickened him. Ji Yong felt incredibly jealous and possessive over Sumin, and to witness her loving someone pathetic knight pissed him off.

A loud growl emitted from his mouth as Ji Yong suddenly unsheathed his sword and swung violently. His sword managed to cut a few branches from a nearby bush.

Ji Yong eyed the fallen branch; his furious mind pretended that it was Seokjin’s head. Then―as if something possessed him—Ji Yong calmly sheathed his sword, inhaled then exhaled nice and slow, and stared off into the distance as the nightly sea-breeze fanned his face.

           “I am going to miss this kingdom…” He thought evilly to himself as his brain concocted the most devious plan that would ensure Sumin’s hand in marriage. Too bad that Seokjin would not be in attendance. Don’t you love war?

Currently brushing out the knots in her hair, Sumin hummed a little tune to herself as the night breeze entered her room. The soft blow brushed past her curtains and flowed right by her, causing the hairs on her arm to stand up.

The sounds of a fire crackling filled her body with nothing but relaxation. She did not understand why something so little as the sound of fire crackling put her mind at ease, but it did. That was until a light knock on her door interrupted it. Just that tiny knock caused butterflies to flutter in the pit of her belly.

She muttered a quick enter before undoing the first bow of her nightgown. She pulled it apart just a smidge, enough to show a bit of cleavage as her eyes stared at the door in anticipation.

Slowly, a familiar face appeared in her sight. Then, his entire body came into full view.

Her eyes widened and her mouth agape once she saw his appearance. Instead of his usual knightly attire, which consisted mainly of metal covering his entire torso, he now wore a light cotton shirt, black pants, a belt that was lazily tied around his waist, and riding boots. His hair was even messy.

Something about his unprofessional appearance aroused Sumin to the point that she captured his lips and untucked his shirt.

Seokjin sighed into the kiss as his arms wrapped around her waist. He then carried her bridal-style and walked over to the bed.

He broke the kiss, for only a second; his eyes bore into hers.

The emotion in his eyes were purely lust and love. Nothing else mattered to him except one thing—giving her his virginity and taking hers in return.

Without saying a word, he undid the belt and dropped it onto the floor, creating a loud clink. He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his well-toned chest, and tossed it aside.

Sumin continued to eye him innocently, though, her core told a different story. Her clit ached—begged to be touched by him. She closed her thighs together, hoping the tightness would distract her aching core, but it only made it worse.

His brow raised just a smidge as Seokjin heard a few tiny moans come from his princess. Her innocent eyes remained on his as he quickly kicked off his boots, not wanting to keep his woman waiting any longer. He undid the buttons of his pants, though, not taking them off.

A tiny whine left her lips as Sumin hoped to see what lied underneath. She hadn’t seen his friend since the night of her party. It had been too long.

           “Are you teasing me, my knight?” She asked with an alluring smile.

Seokjin merely smirked as he walked over to her fireplace and threw water on it; the sound of sizzles entered the room.

Nothing but the moonlight illuminated her chambers as Sumin’s breathing grew heavy from anticipation. Then, she felt a shift in her bed.

Before she could say a word, her cheeks were cupped followed by an innocent kiss on her lips.

Seokjin pulled away; his lips still hovered over hers.

           “I know waiting for our wedding night is the proper action to take, but I simply cannot. I need you, Sumin.” He lightly rubbed her lips with his, “Please, tell me that you feel the same way.” He whispered softly as his heart pounded against his chest.

Sumin stared at him for a moment. Then, instead of speaking, she passionately kissed him. She poured every ounce of love and want she had for the man. She too wanted him in every possible way.

She quickly undid the rest of the strings and slid the nightgown of her shoulders. She pushed the sleeves down until her arms were free.

With her breasts in full view, something in Seokjin snapped. He devoured her lips again as he gently pushed her onto the mattress.

A soft moan escaped her lips as Seokjin’s hands trailed up and down her thighs, igniting a tiny trail of fire with each passing.

Sumin didn’t know what possessed her, but she lifted up her leg and hooked it around his waist.

Her core pressed into his crotch, creating this friction that only left an intense desire.

           “I need you, Seokjin…” She begged softly as he directed his lips away from her lips and onto her neck.

Seokjin smirked against her skin, pausing in his little assault. He lifted his head; his lust filled gaze met hers.

           “Did I just hear the princess beg for me?” He teased as his fingers teased her entrance.

Sumin whined, feeling his thumb graze over her clit, “Y-yes…”

Seokjin pushed one finger into her, loving how wet she had become just by his kisses alone. He added another one before slowly pumping his index and middle fingers in and out.

Sumin gasped in pleasure as she tilted her head and arched her back, giving Seokjin a full view of her hardened nipples.

           “Damn…” He mentally cursed as he licked his lips.

Tiny moans left one by one as Sumin felt something in the pit of her stomach. A feeling she hadn’t experienced since their one night alone in the abandoned room.

Feeling her walls constrict against his fingers, Seokjin quickened his pace as his lips attached to hers, swallowing her moans as they grown louder.

His fingers pumped in and out of her. His thumb vigorously rubbed her clit.

God, feeling her like this made him want to pleasure himself—and so he did. Seokjin reached inside his pants and wrapped his free hand around his aching member. He matched the pace of his fingers as the urge to release soon came over him.

He pumped her and himself one last time before small strips of white landed on the inside of his pants. Her juices coated his fingers as both Seokjin and Sumin breathed heavily.

Sumin sat up and showered his bare shoulder with tiny pecks as she watched him suck the juices off his finger.

           “I shall never forget the taste of my princess for as long as I live.” Seokjin announced, smirking.

Sumin shook her head before kissing his plump lips slowly yet teasingly.

           “I wish I could have tasted you, Seokjin…” She pouted cutely as her hands played with his pants, wanting nothing more to take them off. She messed with the waistband as her fingers slowly disappeared inside, but not reaching his cock quite yet.

A soft chuckle left his lips as he couldn’t help but shake his head. His princess always loved hinting rather than telling.

Finally taking the hint, Seokjin pushed down his pants and kicked them off the bed. He then removed the nightgown completely from her body. He bunched the light clothing material and tossed it over his shoulder.

Sumin couldn’t help but giggle at his childish act; however, it was short lived. Her body was pinned underneath him; her wrists were positioned above her head.

Her breasts pressed against his chest as his knee settled in between her thighs.

A blanket silence covered the room as the two lovers remained still, staring into each other’s souls. This moment of intimacy had officially become intense. Lying in silence as with their naked bodies in complete view was honestly special to them.

Sure, they shared acts of intimacy as they had touched each other’s bodies as lovers, but right now? It was different. Neither one of them could explain it, but their hearts knew what this was. Their minds knew what this was. No words were needed.

Slowly, Seokjin lowered himself down as he used his free hand to pump his member.

In a matter of seconds, he was erect again. He then checked to see if Sumin was ready to receive him, and she was.

           “My deepest apologies, my princess, but this might hurt you for a bit or at least feel uncomfortable. I will not act any further without your consent, okay?” He said softly and sweetly as he teased her entrance with his tip.

Sumin smiled warmly at him and nodded her head. Again, no words were needed. Not anymore.

Seokjin released his hold on her wrists as he cupped her chin, tilting her head up slightly. He kissed her lips sweetly; his tongue entered her mouth, as slowly pushed himself inside her.

Sumin’s face slowly contorted in discomfort. She felt her walls stretch the more he entered her. His size wasn’t helping either. It wasn’t like he was humongous, but he wasn’t tiny.

She breathed heavily through her nostrils as Seokjin pulled out and then entered once more. He repeated that action even though she didn’t give him permission to do so.

Eventually, the feeling of discomfort vanished. Then, only a ping of pleasure was left. That tiny ping had been enough for Sumin to give him permission to move faster, which he did.

His thrusts sped up as both the warmth and wetness riled his sex drive to the point that he just had to take her. His mind went into a frenzy as he thought of nothing else but to make Sumin moan and come undone again.

Her moans increased in volume as the sounds bounced off the stone walls of her room. In her state of mind, she didn’t care if someone heard, especially that stupid King Ji Yong. Little did she know… she would regret that feeling since he found himself wandering around near her room when he heard the sounds of passionate lovemaking.

Curiosity got the best of him as he peeped through the keyhole and saw that lowly knight having sex with his future-wife. Yup…seeing them like that solidified his plan. Now, it was time to execute it.

Ji Yong stepped away from the door just as he heard Seokjin manage to tell Sumin that he loved her.

           “I l-love you too…Seokjin…” Sumin managed to say through her endless moans and pants.

Seokjin smiled as he lifted her leg and rested it on his wide shoulder. He then leaned forward, loving the new angle that they were in as he continued his thrusting.

It was thanks to this angle that Sumin began to see stars. His cock managed to hit her g-spot here and there, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. She craved more. She needed more.

           “Hit that s-spot again, my beloved.” She moaned out as she fisted the sheets.

Seokjin simply nodded and did as he was told. He tried his hardest to hit that special spot repeatedly; however, if he couldn’t, the he resorted in rubbing her clit. Now, that spot got her a moaning mess—and he loved every second of it.

Sounds of moaning and skin-on-skin contact continued to fill the room as it seemed like hours had gone by since they first began. Honestly, they didn’t care how long it had been since their hearts were telling them that this might be the last time they would be this intimate. At the same, they paid little to no attention to what their hearts were saying because lust had taken control. What mattered was that they were together now.

The pleasure became too much as one more thrust would make Sumin see white, and Seokjin felt the same.

           “R-ready to cum for me, princess?” He grunted as his thrusts slowly became sloppy.

Sumin only nodded as her intellect disappeared hours ago.

With one last thrust, Seokjin released inside of her while Sumin released all over him; their juices mixed with one another. His thrusts had become incredibly sloppy as he emptied himself before collapsing on top of Sumin.

Sumin panted heavily as she absentmindedly played with Seokjin’s sweaty hair.

Seokjin sighed in content before mustering the remaining strength he had left to pull out of her. The moment he did that, he instantly missed her warmth.

He then lazily rolled over to the right side of the bed and pulled her tainted sheets over them.

           “It occurred to me that we need to explain to your nurse about your sheets.” Seokjin mumbled as he draped his arm over Sumin’s bare waist.

Sumin gave him look, though he couldn’t see it.

           “What do you ‘we need to explain’? I am more than likely going to explain it to her myself while you magically disappear.” She stated as Seokjin leaned down to lightly bite her nose.

           “How about this…you explain to the nurse and I will ask your parents for an audience to discuss wedding plans.” He suggested; his fingers lightly caressed her skin.

Sumin closed her eyes as they had grown to heavy too keep open and simply hummed in response.

           “I love you, my one and only princess. The keeper of my heart. My everything.” He whispered sweetly before drifting off towards dreamland, where his mind could finally rest and think about nothing else, but a married life with Sumin.

Except… there was something wrong with that plan…

           Who said that it would be his married life with Sumin?

A/N: Okay for the life of me, I could not figured out how to label the last smut warning. I mean, I settled for “penetration” because that’s what Sumin & Seokjin did. Let’s be real here! LOL I’ll change it, if you guys feel that it is not correct. Maybe I’ll just change it to “sex scene” though... I think that’s what “SMUT” entails. Agh... this is frustrating me. Anyway, I hope you guys like it! We are nearing the end of this series, and that means that the release of the sequel is fast approaching! Hope you guys are ready. I think by the time this is release, I should have the second chapter done! As of 7/12/2018, I had finished the first chapter! Go me!

Don’t forget to leave a like/reblog/comment/send in an ask on your thoughts! I love hearing them! :)

- Kim

[littlemissnellie]

Day Eight: Cinderella

Rags to riches didn’t get any more literal than this. One day Ella was cooped up at home, sweeping floors and dusting mantles, the next her cheeks were being dusted with gold and she was being swept of her feet and right into the arms into the arms of her handsome prince. She had nothing, then suddenly she was given everything she could ever want in life and more. Clearly that fairy godmother her mother had always promised would be watching over her had finally worked her magic, and just when Ella had needed it most. No more dusting rags, no more soot-smudged cheeks and no more cruel jibes from her stepmother or stepsisters. She was free, swathed in powder blue chiffon and sparkling silver with a smile that never left her face. And why should it now that she had found her happily ever after? 

But as the kingdom rejoiced for their new princess, three faces couldn’t shift their frowns, no matter how much confetti was thrown in the streets or how many flowers were laid on the palace steps. Ella’s stepmother had never cared for her. She had pretended when her father was alive, yes. But the second his eyelids fell shut and the tears fell onto her stepdaughter’s cheeks, the warmth in her embrace disappeared and Ella was left in the care of nothing but a cold, hard pair of g. Love became a distant memory for her. Instead her days were filled with mopping (stains from the floors and tears from her eyes), scrubbing (creases from her stepsisters dresses and grime from her forehead) and sewing (mending tears in expensive blouses or her patchwork clothes, or even just trying to piece her life back together). But no matter how much dirt worked its way under her fingernails or matted its way into her hair, Ella’s heart stayed as pure as gold and the prince saw her for nothing less. 

Two hearts, purple and sore like fresh bruises, trampled through wild flowers in their step-sister’s elegant footsteps, eager to stumble upon the happy newlyweds and tear them back to reality. Anastasia’s coppery hair was a mess, wispy strands fell in front of her face whilst others were plastered to her face with sweat. Makeup was caked across her cheeks, but her blemishes still managed to peek through. Her mother always told her to relax more, but her permanent frustration bubbled beneath every facial she smeared over her complexion and pushed up spots just as angry as she was. Still, no zit was going to get in her way tonight, not when there were so many eligible rich boys at this wedding reception. Shocking fuchsia and spangly hoop earrings were bound to get her all the attention she wanted and more...so why had every guy she’d approached practically run for the hills? Luckily for her ego, her sister hadn’t had much more luck with these sons of millionaires.

Drizella, with her charcoal hair tumbling from its updo and charcoal eye makeup tumbling from her eyes in streaking tears, snivelled as she struggled to keep up. Tonight had been a nightmare, only worse for the poor girl. If her own reflection didn’t remind her of it enough, Anastasia’s bitter digs at how the dress she’d forced her to squeeze into created lumps she didn’t even know she had and made her look like the jolly green whale left her running for the door every time the opportunity arose. But alas, Anastasia was determined to hook both her and her sister up with two guys that had a bank account balance as handsome as their face. So she had been her sister’s rag doll to drag around by the arm all night. Blundering through the wood after her sister had hauled her away from the one conversation she’d actually enjoyed all evening, Drizella couldn’t contain her tears anymore. They poured from her eyes as her shoulders shook and ugly sobs wrenched from her throat.

“What is it now, Driz?!” Anastasia snapped. She had a crazed look in her tired eyes, like something behind them was on the brink of cracking. 

“I-”

“Oh god, pull yourself together!” she screamed as she turned to see her sister’s miserable, melted appearance. “We’re- we’re supposed to be getting engaged tonight, remember?! We’re getting our happy endings like Ella! If Ella can find love and be happy then so can we! We’re going to find love, Driz! We have to! We just-”

“Shut up! Just shut up, oh my god!” Drizella cried, hiding her face in her hands. She couldn’t bare to see her sister like this. She looked like a glorified monster, wild and desperate. 

“I am not having you ruin tonight for me,” Anastasia growled. Her voice trembled just as much as her sister did.

“Why not? You’ve already ruined it for me!” 

“I have done nothing but help you tonight! I have tried to get you with so many guys-”

“I don’t want your help! I can do things on my own! The one time you actually left me alone I met this really nice girl-”

“We were there to meet nice, rich boys, Driz-”

“Well, newsflash: all the boys there were assholes. So it doesn’t surprise me that you were so eager to throw yourself at every one who set foot in the-”

“At least I made an effort to talk to them.”

“I was perfectly happy talking to Natalie until you-”

“Stepped in and saved you?”

“I didn’t need or want saving! She was sweet and-”

“We are not talking about this now.”

“Yes we are! Natalie is the only person I’ve ever spoken to who has made me feel beautiful in my own skin. She saw me as someone I’ve never dared to think I am and oh my god did it feel good. You’ve done nothing but make me feel like shit for my weight and how I act and who I love, but I’m not putting up with it anymore, Ana. Not when I’ve seen how decent people can be. You’ve forced me to talk to airhead guys all night, you’ve forced me into this ridiculous dress to make you feel better about yourself and now you’ve dragged me through these woods for what? So that you can try to steal Ella’s spotlight like you’ve always stolen mine? I’m tired, my feet hurt and I want to go home. You can come with me or not, but don’t go thinking that an apology and a hug is going to make all this go away. Whether you come back with me or not, in the morning you’re no longer my sister. I’m done with this, with your crazy schemes, with you making me feel as ugly as your personality is. Don’t bother talking to me until you’ve sorted out your priorities. Maybe by then your heart will stop making you look like such a beast.”

And with that, Drizella turned and hobbled back along the path of trodden flowers, leaving a horrified Anastasia fighting back angry tears in her wake. She’d forced her sister into that dress, she’d forced her sister to go to that reception party and now she’d forced Drizella away, perhaps forever. Not only that, but she’d forced herself and her sister into pairs of Ella’s godforsaken, pearly heels. Crimson blood streaked their legs and soaked into the satin. Her feet throbbed; she hadn’t cared to look at the sizes, she just grabbed the last two pairs and wedged their feet in as their ride had pulled into the driveway. Drizella had protested, but once again she’d pushed her nonetheless because she was too focused on her own aim. And besides, what were a few blisters going to matter when they were whisked off by two handsome men? But that simply wasn’t the case and Anastasia had pushed her sister one step too far. Her wrinkled dress, sweaty face and burning feet suddenly all became too much for her to bear. She had left herself with no sisters, no boy to love and an appearance that was nothing like she had dreamed for herself when she was a little girl, gazing longingly at princesses in horse-drawn carriages or tall, winding towers. Both her sisters were off finding their happy endings, Ella playfully adored her new husband in every way she knew possible and Drizella was carving her own path through life to find true love for herself, yet here she was, with a heart so distraught it couldn’t even comprehend love if it tried. Happy endings just aren’t meant for everyone, it seems...

Drizella was right, she’d never felt more ugly in her life. 

cas challenge by @smallcowplant

[doctorriddle]

“Lost Memories” Chapter Three

Yuugi was lost.

He seemed to forget how to get back to Atem’s room. He hoped Atem would come looking for him, seeing as Yuugi left the room and had yet to make it back to the room.

Atem was worried. When he entered his room, Yuugi was nowhere to be found. He’s searched the entire room, Yuugi simply isn’t there anymore. He didn’t know what to do or to think. What if Aibou was just taking a walk through the gardens? If he was, wouldn’t he leave a note? Atem didn’t see a note anywhere. What if Yuugi was kidnapped, or perhaps, he was just lost within the Palace.

Atem set out to look for Yuugi.

Yuugi was scared. He had no idea where he was. He stopped and leaned up against the wall before sliding down and pulling his knees up to his chest.

He didn’t know what to do, should he call out for help, or sit here like a fool and wait for someone to find him. He should have never left the comfort of Atem’s room.

Yuugi closed his eyes and rested his head against his arms, beginning to drift off into a light sleep.

Yuugi could not see. Yet he could feel the sand beneath his feet. A spotlight suddenly shone on the Pharaoh. His blood was the color of gold. It runs from the cut in his bottom lip. It dripped to the soft sand of Egypt, His breath uneven. He fell to his knees, giving in to the pressure.

Yuugi gasped at the scene, but can’t move. He’s rooted to the spot. He doesn’t know what’s happening. Though, he can tell Atem is being overtaken by darkness. The wind starts to pick up, making the sand fly into Yuugi’s vision. After cleaning the sand from his eyes, he finds himself in another scene.

Under the golden sun rays, the Pharaoh urges his horse to go faster. Atem and Yuugi are racing against the clock it seems. They’re headed back to Palace. The rhythm of pounding feet lulls Yuugi to sleep and he wonders what is going to happen next.

“Yuugi! Yuugi wake up! Aibou!” Atem had finally found Yuugi.

Upon seeing Yuugi, however, he grew worried. Yuugi’s breathing was uneven and he looked to be covered in a thin layer of sweat. Atem didn’t know how long Yuugi’s been here, but he quickly gathered Yuugi into his arms and set off to find a nurse.

Yuugi groaned. He felt like he was buried six feet under some sand.

“Aibou?” He heard someone from his left say. He slowly opened his amethyst eyes, looking for the one who spoke.

“A-Atem?” Yuugi’s voice cracked, feeling dry and thirsty.  

“Yuugi...thank the Gods you are okay,” Atem replied, relieved.

“What happened...to me?” Yuugi shifted so he could see Atem more clearly. Atem looked exhausted. He seemed dirty as if he had been running a marathon.

“I found you slumped against the wall in front of an old library. You were covered in a thin layer of sweat and your breathing was uneven. The nurse said you are fine. Just to drink lots of water and rest.” Atem leaned forward and placed a kiss on Yuugi’s forehead.

Atem mumbled against his forehead “Don’t scare me like that again, okay Aibou?”

Yuugi nodded and his eyes slipped closed once more.

----

A week later, Yuugi was back on his feet. He doesn’t remember much of what happened, so he tries not to dwell on it so much. Right now, he’s on his way to the old Library Atem had mentioned a little while ago. He hasn’t read in quite some time, at least of the time he can remember that is.

Yuugi entered the Library and gasped in surprise. The room was filled with all kinds of things. So many scrolls and comfy looking chairs. Yuugi suppressed a giggle and walked around the room, taking in the view.

He didn’t know where to start, he wants to read anything and everything he can. As he struggles to think of what to do, the door bangs open and a small black cat runs past him. Then someone ran past Yuugi and apparently after the cat. Yuugi watches the stranger and feels at ease for some reason.

The stranger gathered the small cat in their arms and turned around. They noticed that someone had been standing there all this time. “Uh..hello.”

Yuugi blinked and looked closely at the person. They were an average height and had pale skin and white fluffy hair.

“Hi,” Yuugi replies in a small voice.

Ryou, the stranger, smiles. “The name’s Ryou. Sorry if I startled you, I was chasing after my cat.” He lifts the cat up slightly to show it to Yuugi.

Yuugi smiles and takes a small step closer. “Can...can I pet it?”

Ryou nods and steps closer to Yuugi and holds the cat out to him.

“He’s harmless, so he won't bite or scratch you. He’ll just want to cuddle with you and steal all of your attention.” Ryou says with a soft laugh.

Yuugi smiles as he pets the small cat, he wanders to a chair and curls up in it. Yuugi snuggles up with the cat and then looks at Ryou. “What do you do around here?”

Ryou sits across from Yuugi and rubs his hands together. “Well, I work in the gardens, tend to the plants and make medicine from them. It’s really fun once you know all about the plants.”

His hands move a little as he speaks, he seems excited to be talking about something that he enjoys doing.

“I work alongside the nurses from time to time, I could show you around the gardens some day if you’d like.” Ryou smiled.

“I’d love to do that. I haven’t done much exploring since I can remember. It’d be nice to go somewhere with a friend.” Yuugi said, still petting the cat.

He could feel the purr against his thighs and it somewhat tickled. “Making medicine from the plants sound really cool, I want to see how it's done now.” Yuugi chuckled softly.

The two of them spent the whole day together before Yuugi had to head back to the Pharaoh’s room. He didn’t want to go, but he knew he had to because he was sure Atem would panic again and think that he was lost again. Ryou let him keep the cat for the night, which he was grateful for.

The Pharaoh wasn’t in his room when Yuugi entered, so he crawled into bed, placing the cat beside him and watching it curl up obediently. He was exhausted from spending the day with Ryou in the Library.

After some time Yuugi fell asleep.

[boarsnsmores-blog]

The good folk over at @sqsupernova are doing a spotlight this week on my disasterpiece and asked for some of my thoughts on it, so here they are. There are spoilers so read at your own peril.

I planned exactly one line:

And so Regina, who did not want to die but could no more bear the thought of Rocinante dying, chose the middle path. Cold and hungry were surely better things to be than dead.

Which proceeded to sit in my ideas file for half a year before I rummaged it out for this shindig

It is inspired by “Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf” because Ivan is consistently useless and I felt for the poor wolf who had to save Ivan at literally every juncture

I am sure Ivan represents some kind of Russian folk hero, but I sort of probably mangled that when I wrote Regina as Ivan. Sorry.

I really thought this was going to be a straight retelling of the Firebird until I got to the Emma in a tower scene, at which point I realized:

Emma as the princess would be a disservice to her as a character

Emma in canon was technically some kind of abberation to the reality and had no Heroes & Villains alterego

???

Panic???

Emma’s Aladdin, basically, but follows the plot of this firebird variant

Sometime between chapter iii/iv, I spent a night looking for one of my favorite childhood fairy tales instead of writing because I couldn’t remember it and that irritaed me

You haven’t lived until you’ve tried to google a fairy tale with word vomit like “Jinn spear throw cave”

It was “The Magic Carpet” in the Reader’s Digest - The World’s Best Fairy Tales, if you were curious

I needed a sword and the Jabberwocky from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland conveniently had one available

All the angst was a nice bonus too

At around the 25k mark (of what was supposed to be a, at most, 15k fic), we had not yet overthrown the monarchy

I seriously considered writing an entirely different fic because when the hell was this story going to end

But @heartofamethyst-studios had signed up for a fairy tale rendering, not a weird Tattooist-Florist/Soulmates/Hipster AU that no one would ever ask for

Three days later we finally overthrew the monarchy and I could have wept

My friend spent those three days offended because she thought I wanted to overthrow Queen Elizabeth

For the record, I do not

I didn’t know how to come back from Emma dying like I did not think this through at all

so I made large parts of it up

If you were wondering when I knew who the Jinn was and what Rumpel’s scheme was

literally when I started the chapter

If you were wondering when I thought up of anything, the answer is most likely ‘literally when I started the chapter’

Anyway, if you thought this was a well-planned and calculated fic, well, it’s not. I’m sorry to ruin the illusion but behind the curtain there is no machine, only me, panicking while reading the manual to a completely unrelated machine.

For posterity, so that we can all laugh at my naivety, here is the outline I wrote apparently sometime while I was writing the Emma in a tower scene:

gtfo

no regina we are not jumping

okay i guess we are jumping

that is a wolf

why is it sniffing at me stop that

do not eat me stop it

no i do not taste like magic what does that even mean how is this wolf talking

regina: k lily we’re off

emma: yes lily that is me

regina: …that is not you

emma: no no it’s not

red: wow you’re really useless aren’t you

regina: shut up if you’re not lily then who the fuck is lily

dragon in the distance

ah

well this is unfortunate

procure lily, bring her back to maleficient

great, dragon lady here’s your dragon spawn give us the horse

wtf do you mean you can’t ride bareback

wtf do you mean you can’t ride this horse without its bridle

fk we gotta go steal the bridle now gdi

shenaniganssssss

k got the horse we gotta go get the firebird now

wtf do you mean you want to keep the horse

just give the fucking horse up regina

no cruella is going to eat it or something you’ve seen her coat that shit ain’t fake fur that’s for sure

(this is at a tavern) red: hello friends

red wtf we thought you were a wolf

no guys i’m a guardiant that means i’m a shapeshifter

emma: guys I have a brilliant idea

red: wow this is a dumb idea

emma: no no it’ll totally work don’t worry

get chased by a lot of angry dalmatians

return to the path

red: bye friends i am gone the forest has fulfilled its part of the bargain; you’ve come back regina

regina: :(

shenanigansssss

what do you mean we have to overthrow the monarchy

I am but a simple thief

You are but a shitty bandit

meet Granny

yes go overthrow the monarchy

so when you say ‘overthrow’ do you mean ‘peacefully take the crown’ or…?

murder i mean murder

oh okay just making sure

dramatic showdown between regina and snow

can’t do it

emma: well that’s okay we can just go back to being a thief and a bandit

emma: hey I have an idea let’s go steal shit with other people too

Merry Women!

All things considered, 10/10, would cry and do again. Thanks for reading and remember to thank our organizers, friends.

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

I can’t believe it, 2020 is finally over. Or at least, it will be on the day this goes up. From where I’m writing it, we’re nearing the finish line, but haven’t yet reached it. Part of me wishes I could have finished season 1 in the same year I started this blog, but I’m getting close to there anyway, so I shouldn’t despair. This episode...yeah, looking at the episode title, I cannot remember for the life of me what the Shiatsu Technique is. By next paragraph, I’ll have rewatched the episodes, and I’ll know. See you in a second!

That was an...interesting direction for Shampoo’s introductory arc? I mean, it’s her second episode, and she’s barely in it. I think I’ll have quite a bit to talk about, but I will say once again I’m holding off on doing a Shampoo Character Spotlight just yet, just because I want to have more material to discuss.

So, anyway, the episode starts with the Tendo’s asking Akane to wake up Ranma, and it’s made clear once again just how angry and jealous she is over the whole Shampoo situation. That doesn’t get any better when she relents but finds that Shampoo is snuggling in Ranma’s bed with him, without him knowing. She dumps water on them, activating the curse, Shampoo tries to kill Ranma, he turns back, she wants to kiss him, it’s a bunch of hijinks.

As Ranma and Akane walk to school, they bicker a little more fiercely than usual, now that the spectre of Shampoo’s affections have come into the picture. Ryoga is chilling on a nearby rooftop, and he’s actually ready to leave. He’s being very angsty, upset that Akane only likes him as P-chan, and knows that if Akane ever admits to loving Ranma, it would break his heart. He tries to head back on the road, only for him to get hit by random water throwing lady’s water, at which point Shampoo finds the piglet in the road.

Next scene, the amazon breaks down the wall of Ranma’s classroom to give him lunch, which as it turns out is Ryoga, though he hasn’t been killed or ever really cooked. Still, Akane and even Ranma are concerned, even if Ryoga doesn’t really appreciate the latter. Angry at Akane ruining her plans for Ranma several times now, Shampoo gives Akane the Kiss of Death, but Akane doesn’t back down, and is ready for a match, despite the fact that Ranma seems absolutely sure that Akane has no way of winning.

By the time Ranma gets to the place they are fighting at, the match is already over. Shampoo is gone, and Akane is unconscious on the ground. When she wakes up, she feels rather refreshed, but is more than anything confused: Akane has no clue who Ranma is. It isn’t regular amnesia, either. She still remembers her classmates, Ryoga, even Ranma’s dad.

After a lot of Ranma trying over and over again to remind Akane who he is, which even fails when Ranma activates his curse, they eventually go to Dr. Tofu. As it turns out, he knows what did this: the titular Shiatsu Technique. It actually has a much longer name, but I will stick with that. Anyway, Ranma’s dad was passing by and saw the whole thing. The move is actually just washing and styling the person’s hair, but using specific herbs and massaging scalpel pressure points to specifically remove memories of a single person.

The only way Dr. Tofu can imagine curing it would be with more Chinese herbs, so Ranma takes Akane out on the city to try and find Shampoo and get what they need. Only thing is, Shampoo shows up at the clinic right afterwards, because it turns out she’s been living there, working with Dr. Tofu.

So, that’s the episode. I’m going to start with some things I didn’t like as much, before getting into what I thought actually worked. The entire premise is just a bit...odd? Like, I have to admit I’m kind of down on amnesia plots in general, just as a matter of personal preference, but even if I wasn’t I feel like using one in the middle of a main character’s introduction arc is a tad bit strange.

I talked a bit last week about how I find that shows using jealousy as a way to show much a person cared about another is kinda sucky, so I won’t go over it again, except to say I’m still not a fan. I’m even less a fan of the fact that Akane is still being looked over as a fighter. First she never really got to fight Kodachi, and now that Shampoo is here they get...a fight we don’t see that only lasts a few seconds.

Shampoo is an amazon warrior, I get that. But I just find it annoying that they completely sideline that conflict for the amnesia one, when giving Akane an opponent to fight who is better than her would be a great way to make her grow. Even if we got a real fight and she lost, it could be something to build on later, a way to see where Akane is as a martial artist. Sadly, this series doesn’t really take Akane seriously as a martial artist, so that wasn’t ever going to happen.

Only other small thing to cover in the negatives column is that I didn’t really like the whole comedy bit of, “Uh oh, Ranma shows Akane his curse, but she thinks he’s a cross-dressing pervert!” It’s just...yeah, I don’t have the mental energy to dive into that topic, let’s just say it left a very bad taste in my mouth.

So, what did I like about the episode, then? Well, quite a lot. As much as I dislike the general idea of doing an amnesia plot here, I liked some of the specifics of it. The fact that not only had Akane forgotten Ranma, and only Ranma, but that it seemed as though she couldn’t even form new memories of him, no matter how much he or others tried to make her understand, definitely added urgency. In a good way.

I also found myself liking the technique itself, strangely enough. The fact it’s just washing the person’s hair, but with special martial arts stuff, is just kind of amazing, ridiculous in that exact Ranma 1/2 kind of way. The fact that all of the characters treat it dead seriously, none of them laughing at the idea, also helps make it even funnier.

Speaking of funny, the slapstick was pretty on-point this episode. It wasn’t quite as funny as some other episodes, but I definitely was at least smiling for a good portion of it. The whole scene of their class trying to help Akane remember Ranma was pretty funny too, in English and Japanese.

For something more heartfelt, I love that after half an episode of Ranma teasing Akane, of so many episodes of Ranma kind of being a jerk, his immediate response to her forgetting him is to do everything he can to fix it. It goes uncommented on so far, but he clearly hates the idea of Akane never knowing who he is. It could just as easily have been done with Ranma not caring in the slightest, being an aloof jerk, but this shows that Ranma does genuinely care about Akane, even if he often has a bad way of showing it.

Ooh, also, on the characters front! Ryoga! My boy! I haven’t really talked about it in a while, but I’ve been kind of unhappy with how Ryoga is being portrayed for a while now. Ever since his arc, he’s just been chilling as P-chan, only turning back to try and take Akane from Ranma in some way. He’s been very scheming and underhanded, which doesn’t fit what I remembered of his character at all.

This episode was much more like it. Ryoga fits so much better as the brooding boy, stuck in the moral dilemma of what to do about his position with Akane, scared of how she might really feel. More of this, please, and less of him making schemes to steal her.

So then, how does this episode shake out, on the whole? Well, I don’t think it’s a surprise that I wouldn’t say it’s as good as last week’s. In fact, it’s dropped quite a few places. Just barely in the top half of episodes I’ve seen thus far, I’m putting this episode just above the Ranma vs Ryoga fight and one spot below the big fight that ended Kodachi’s arc. So, here is the new ranking.

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 15: Enter Shampoo, the Gung-Ho Girl! I Put My Life in Your Hands

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Episode 14: Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan

Next week, I think we’re finishing this arc? I’m not completely sure? We’ll have to see? All I know is, the penultimate episode of the season is titled “I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye”. Sadly, unlike Ranma, I do have to say goodbye, but only until next week. See you all then!

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 17: I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye

Howdy dowdy, everyone! We are getting so close! So close to finishing the first season of Ranma 1/2! Last episode ended with Akane still having no clue who Ranma is, so this time they’ll resolve that? I think? I am fairly sure she remembered him throughout the rest of the series. I guess I’ll see how after I rewatch the episode, which for you will be with the next paragraph.

There we have it! The end to Shampoo’s introductory arc! How did I feel about it?

That’ll be more clear later on, let’s start by going over what happens in it. Ranma and Akane head back to her house, with her still unaware of who he is. Her family is only now starting to understand that this is actually happening, that Akane has somehow actually forgotten Ranma.

Shampoo shows up, when she glomps onto Ranma out of pure instinct Akane attacks him. Realizing that there is some part of her memory left unaffected, Shampoo goes to do the attack again, but Ranma intercepts it and steals the shampoo. He immediately tries using it on Akane, but it just knocks her out, it doesn’t regain the lost memories. Dr. Tofu shows up and reveals that’s because the formula he stole only takes memories, it can’t give them back.

Luckily, he has a book that has the recipe they need. Unluckily, Kasumi shows up and in his lovestruck silliness he rips the book into tiny pieces without realizing it. With no other choice, Ranma decides to head to China, since they’ll have the shampoo formula needed there. Everyone asks for personal souvenirs (though I don’t know how he’d buy any Ranma is usually broke) and Akane wonders why this stranger is doing so much for her.

Speaking of that very question, Ranma quickly runs into Shampoo, who wants to know why Ranma is trying to get Akane’s memories back so much. All he says to that is that he doesn’t like the idea of being forgotten by someone. Clearly, that is all it is, there is no other context to the situation.

She messes with Ranma a bunch, faking him out with a bunch of other kinds of shampoo, but eventually after a lot of hijinks Ranma is able to strike a deal with her: all it will take to get the memory-restoring shampoo is killing the ‘girl Ranma’. Well, half-kill, Ranma could at least negotiate to that.

And if you need someone to half-kill Ranma, of course there’s no one else to go see except Ryoga Hibiki. Only problem is, for once he doesn’t want to beat Ranma up, no matter how nicely Ranma asks. After all, if Akane’s memory is never restored, it gives him a chance to be with Akane instead. Still, Ryoga does have a temper, and Ranma eventually goads him into a fight...that Ranma quickly wins, unscathed.

Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome step up for the job, but Akane sees them attacking this poor defenseless (and as she sees it, weak) teenage boy and tries to stop them. That annoys Ranma, since he’s going through all this pain for her, but when he insults her in annoyance, she reacts to it. So, Ranma insults her a bunch and her memory comes back.

The only problem there is, now that Akane remembers Ranma, Shampoo is back to wanting to kill her for being an obstacle to getting with Ranma. This leaves Ranma with what he feels like is no choice, and he shows Shampoo that he’s both the man she loves and the person she was trying to kill. (Without mentioning the curse, mind you, instead telling her that he has just been ‘pretending to be a guy’) As he seemed to expect, she jumps to wanting to kill him, but it quickly becomes clear she’s crying, and she runs away, telling Ranma they’ll never see each other again. Then there is a short scene of Ranma and Akane having a spat. The end.

I think this time I'm going to start with the stuff I liked. I appreciate the structure of the narrative here, as Ranma tries one thing after another, any way he can, to solve the problem. It moved fairly quickly and was a good fodder for some jokes.

The bigger reason I liked the episode, of course, just comes from how far Ranma is willing to go to help Akane. He plans to swim to China, by himself, if it means getting her memories back. He can say whatever he wants, but I do feel like this episode was great at showing just how much he really does care about her.

It also made fairly good use of Ryoga, though it’s something they’ve done with him a few times now. By this point, it seems his love for Akane and how he sees Ranma as the thorn in his side have become his primary character traits, rather than his original driving hatred. That’s not necessarily bad, but I’m glad that, as far as I remember, it won’t be his main focus forever.

That last scene with Shampoo is also fairly strong, though I’ll get more into my thoughts on her in a second. All of the things I liked aside, there was definitely one part of this episode I really didn’t care for.

It probably sounds dumb, but I just really didn’t like the solution to the memory loss. To put it more specifically, I like the idea that they’re able to break through what’s been done to her through her connection to Ranma. I just don’t like that it involved Ranma insulting her over and over again. Like, I get it, he’s a dick to her sometimes, that reminds her of him more than all the nice things he’s been doing.

But it’s also just rough to watch, at least for me? I didn’t find it funny. In a way, the whole thing casts a strange shadow on the entire Ranma/Akane dynamic. Arguing a lot is one thing, but the sheer level to which Ranma was insulting her felt closer to negging then anything else. Especially because it’s all focused on how Akane looks, things that are clearly a big insecurity for her.

Enough worrying about those two, let’s talk about who this arc was more properly about, Shampoo (no last name)! This is our first Character Spotlight in a while, so let’s make sure it’s done well!

Let’s talk about her voice actresses, shall we? Her original Japanese voice was provided by Rei Sakuma, who was also the cat Jiji in Kiki’s Delivery Service (which is kind of funny considering something happening to Shampoo next season). Like some of the other voice actresses we’ve talked about thus far, she was in the idol group DoCo. For English, she’s portrayed by Cathy Weseluck. Some of her more well-known roles are as Near in Death Note and Spike in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. (Both of which are not roles I’d expect from Shampoo’s voice actress.)

They both play Shampoo very similarly, I’d say. Shampoo has a very high-pitched voice, and at least so far her vocabulary in ‘Japanese’ isn’t very large, so half the time she sticks with Chinese instead. This gives her an almost baby-like quality to her voice, which is contrasted by how cold it is when she starts talking about how Ranma or Akane have to die. What I would say as a point of delineation, at least so far, is that Sakuma’s performance feels more genuine, while Weseluck makes it seem like the childishness is just a front, it doesn’t sound sincere.

That kind of voice, genuine or not, is pretty emblematic of what we’ve seen of Shampoo thus far. Namely, that she’s fairly simple. Shampoo is chasing after Ranma, to kill or to marry, because of ancient traditions of her people, not because of what she really wants. Yet she pursues him relentlessly anyway. She’s eager to fight, eager to love, and absolutely willing to use underhanded methods to remove anyone from the picture if they get in her way.

I will say that, in terms of fighting ability, it’s pretty vague thus far how good Shampoo is. Ranma is capable of beating her with no problem over and over again, but she never gets to really fight Akane, all she does is give her hair the works.

Speaking of Akane, I will say that Shampoo’s presence does highlight certain aspects of her character. They’re both rather jealous, and prone to violence over it. But where Akane and Ranma are still trying to work through their baggage, Shampoo is down to cuddle from second one. Shampoo is also the first other fiance of Ranma’s, though that’s less something planned out for him and more something he made happen by accident.

I guess it’s time to talk about it, no use putting it off any longer. Shampoo has never really been a character I liked in the franchise, and part of the fun of this Rewatch is seeing how my thoughts have grown on her. I used to just kind of find her annoying, but now there’s more there too. Namely, racism. Yeah, the broken English/Japanese she speaks, combined with how she’s written in general, give Shampoo a kind of ‘dumb’ quality that never sat well with me, especially now that I know that it’s emblematic of the kind of stereotypes Japanese people tend to have about people from China. I still hope to have my opinion changed on Shampoo, but it hasn’t really happened yet.

It hasn’t been made clear yet, so I will say now that I do like this episode. It has some good comedy, I enjoy the hints of Ranma’s burgeoning devotion to Akane, and it closes out Shampoo’s initial storyline pretty well. But I’m also mixed on it, mostly just because of that insulting scene. It’s strange, having a story that I liked about 80% of, because it’s difficult knowing how to weigh that 20% that I didn’t care for. (Also, can I just say I hate that the title feels like a lie?) In the end, I’m placing this just one spot above the last episode, which means the current standing is thus:

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 15: Enter Shampoo, the Gung-Ho Girl! I Put My Life in Your Hands

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 17: I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Episode 14: Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan

Next time, we are closing out the season! It’s kind of strange to consider that, I’m actually almost done with the first season of the series, known here in the States as “Digital Dojo” and in Japan as the only season of Ranma 1/2. (The next season to the end was all Ranma 1/2 Nettōhen) Will I like I Am a Man! Ranma's Going Back to China!? That’s the big question, and I’m eager to see. Ta ta for now!