#i have not been this obsessed with eric and ariel for a long time if ever tbh

[cerealbishh]

Back near the shore, back to before

You took my hand

[lilacs-stars]

moon + tides

this is part 1, read part 2 here! pairing: james hook x fem!reader (requested) SUMMARY: you, ariel's daughter, find yourself in a strange relationship with the one and only infamous pirate captain, who's absolutely obsessed with you GENRE: yandere, a bit of angst, some comforting fluff here and there, especially at the end CW: a few mentions of violence, someone walking a plank, mentions of drowning, some suggestive material, nothing too graphic though WC: 4.2k

A/N: this req was really fun to write! I might have gotten a bit carried away, heh...this part includes the backstory of how you two got together and the first part of the req, and the second part will include the rest of it. hope you guys enjoy reading this cause I definitely put some hard work into it lol. also please give me feedback and suggestions, I'd really like to know your thoughts!

If you could go back, would you change what happened?

This is something that you often ask yourself. 

You think about that fateful day frequently. It was the summer before your first year at Merlin Academy. You had finally convinced your parents, the famed mermaid Ariel and her Prince Eric, to let you go for a swim unsupervised. Being half-mermaid, half-human allowed you to transform back and forth at will. And although life on land was pretty good, your heart always ached to go back to the sea, to feel the cold, salty water as it engulfs you. To race along the reefs, tail swishing back and forth, allowing you to reach speeds far past what your human form can do. To leisurely swim amongst the many species of fish and plants that created the world of the ocean. To go back home.

Your parents had already gone over the rules with you hundreds of time, to the point where you could recite each one of them word for word: “Don’t go past the boundaries,” “Don’t approach any animals you don’t know,” “Don’t go so deep where you can’t see any light,” “Come out at the first sign of bad weather,” and, most importantly, “Do not, under any circumstances, interact with any humans.”

Your mother may be renowned for rescuing a stranger from the unrelenting grasps of the sea—if she hadn’t, you wouldn’t even be here right now—but that was a very rare case. Far more often than not, mermaid interactions with humans out on the waters ended up in the mermaid being tortured, held hostage, or even killed.

You knew the rules by heart, and yet, maybe it was because of your young age, you still broke them. You weren’t really aware of your actions in the moment; one second, you were swimming alongside a pod of dolphins, racing against the currents. The next, you heard loud voices and realized that almost directly above you, yet still a good few dozen meters away, was some sort of ship.

You had ducked down next to a big sponge, peering up apprehensively. It was at that moment you realized that you were far outside of the boundaries set for you by your parents. You should have turned back, should have swam back home, but there was something about the ship, something that intrigued you so much it forced you to stay in place.

A few moments passed, and seeing as there was no commotion, you let your curiosity get the better of you. After all, that ship shouldn’t even have been out there. Slowly, you crept closer and closer to the surface, making sure to remain in the shadows. The noises were becoming clearer; you could make out people’s voices now. But they still weren’t sharp enough for you to understand what they were saying.

Finally, you took the risk and poked your head out of the water near the rear of the ship. The sight before you elicited a sharp gasp, and made you wish you had just gone back when you still had the chance. 

Extended from the side of the ship was a long, wooden plank. Standing on one side of it (the safe end), was a man, gagged, blindfolded, and bound. He looked to be no older than forty, with a scraggly beard and ripped clothes.

A pirate.

Another figure emerged, walking to the edge of the deck. Your reflexes caused you to duck down quickly, so only your eyes were barely above the water. This figure was much younger, with dark brown hair parted neatly and angular features twisted into a wicked smile. He donned a maroon blazer that covered a white shirt with an upturned collar. Something in his left hand shined brilliantly under the sun’s bright rays.

The younger figure laughed, but not in the way one would laugh at a funny joke. He unsheathed a cutlass from his side, using it to poke the back of the man on the plank. 

“You see, Mr. Jones? This is what happens when you cross the most feared pirate captain in all the lands!” the young figure roared as he yanked off the older man’s blindfold, revealing to him his fate. The fear and panic that spread across the man’s face has been forever etched into your mind, even to this day.

You heard the man beg and plea for mercy, watched as every move he made caused the plank to sway even more violently. The pirate captain simply laughed, his crew along with him. Finally, when you suppose he tired of hearing the man grovel, you watched in terror as the captain gave the man a good kick in the back, finally sending him over the edge.

Suddenly, it was like the world was spinning in slow motion. The man plummeting off the wooden platform, falling, falling, falling. His screams muffled by the cloth around his mouth. Then, all too soon, he made contact with the water with a loud splash. 

He sank quickly, devoured by the ocean’s waters within the blink of an eye. Your young, distraught face watched as a few bubbles rose to the surface. Then nothing. All that remained of the man’s existence, all there was to give proof that he had ever even been there, were a few ripples in the water.

That was it.

You were frozen in shock. How–what–why? Your brain could barely string together a comprehensive sentence. All you were sure of was the feeling inside you. You couldn’t quite put it into words, could barely even understand it. But it made your tail ache to move, made you feel as if you simply couldn’t stay in one place any longer.

You dove beneath the surface, frantically swimming towards the direction where you saw the man go under. You kept looking around, searching, but to no avail. You decided to dive deeper, swimming lower and lower until the water around you was near pitch-black. You were growing more and more panicked by the second, because every second you wasted was another second the man grew closer to death.

Finally, you caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of your eye. Hope flaring, you darted towards it, the figure becoming clearer the closer you got.

It was him.

You reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt to prevent him from sinking farther. His eyes were shut and he wasn’t breathing, but you could still hear a heartbeat. There was still time left.

Wrapping your arms around him, you started the difficult journey back to land. Thankfully, you knew of a small island not too far from here. Swimming with the added weight of a fully grown man was incredibly difficult, especially for a young mermaid, but you persisted. After all, this was his life on the line.

You swam as hard as fast as you could, and thankfully, by some blessing from the heavens, found a warm water current going the direction you were. You let it carry you, the rushing stream multiplying your efforts. Finally, after what seemed like hours but must have only been a couple of minutes, you reached the island.

Letting the wave wash you up on shore, you settled the man down on the soft sand the first chance you got. You rolled him to his front, which was quite the endeavor itself. His heartbeat had grown more shallow, but it was still there. There was still hope.

Using the skills your mother had taught you, you started to nurse the man back to health using your melodic voice. Ever since you were young, she had explained to you the gift bestowed upon mermaids, the power of healing through song. She taught you to sing before you could walk, and it was the one thing that you were sure you could do right.

As you sang your strange and melodious tune, it finally occurred to you that you were breaking the most sacred of rules. Not only were you interacting with a stranger, you were coaxing him back to life. Like mother, like daughter, you thought. I suppose healing strangers who were drowning at sea runs in my blood.

The only caveat to your healing powers is that it takes quite some time to have its full effects. You don’t know how long you sat on the beach, but it had been quite some time. You probably would have been there for much longer had it not been for the boom voice that sounded behind you, waking you from your trance of song.

“Well, I’ll be. If it isn’t a mermaid.”

You practically jumped out of your fins as you turned around, startled beyond words. There, towering above you, was the evil pirate captain you saw earlier. He was even younger than you had previously thought. In fact, he couldn’t be much older than you. You wondered for a fleeting moment how a kid like that could command an entire ship full of grown—and scary-looking—men, but decided you have bigger matters at hand to worry about.

A few members of his crew lurked behind the captain, and you could see a small lifeboat docked to the ground near the coastline. Further beyond that, his ship swayed in the ocean waves, dark against the bright horizon.

You followed the pirate’s gaze down to your tail, which was still out. You silently cursed yourself for forgetting to transform back into your human form, being too distracted by saving the man to pay attention to your own safety.

You wanted to yell at the cruel pirate for trying to kill this man. No matter who he was, what he had done, he didn’t deserve to die. At least not like that. But the words got caught in your throat, so while a war raged inside your mind, you were completely quiet on the outside, simply staring up at the man with wide doe eyes.

“You have a lovely voice,” the man said, with a tone that you wouldn’t quite imagine a killer using. He must have overheard me sing earlier, you thought to yourself. “Tell me, little mermaid, who taught you to sing?”

“M-my mother,” you replied weakly, your voice far more meager and small than you wanted it to be. You were still staring up at him, afraid of what he’d do to you.

“Your mother? Well, that’s quite interesting.” The captain raised his left hand to scratch at his chin, which is when you realized that it wasn’t a hand at all. Instead of a hand was a curved metal hook, with a sharp point gleaming at the end. So that must be the shiny thing I saw earlier, you thought.

“Oh, where are my manners?” laughed the pirate abruptly. “My name is Captain James Hook, leader of the Jolly Roger. And you are?”

You blinked, almost forgetting your own name. If it were a less tense moment than this, you would have laughed at the fact that his name is rather befitting for him. “Y/N,” you respond.

“Y/N…Now, where have I heard that name before?” He tapped his chin with his hook again.

“Sir, that’s the name of Princess Ariel’s daughter,” one of the big, meaty pirates behind him answered in a gruff voice.

“That’s right!” Hook exclaimed. “You’re the mermaid’s daughter. You know, rumor has it you’ll be joining me at Merlin’s Academy in the fall, is that right?”

For some reason, your voice seemed to not work anymore, so you settled for nodding. Join him? you pondered. You didn’t know that he was also a student at the school you were planning to attend.

Hook started pacing along the beach, arms crossed with his hooked hand extended, deep in thought. You watched him, fear growing by the second. A sly smirk spread across his face, which only served to fuel the flames of your worry. 

“You know, you directly defied my command by saving that man,” he started. Slowly. Deliberately. Choosing every word precisely and carefully, like a shark circling its prey. “Do you even know why I made him walk the plank?” You shook your head no, the panic in you reaching record heights.

“That man”—he vaguely gestures towards the unconscious body laying on the beach with his hook—“stole an entire week’s worth of rations from my ship. An entire week’s worth of food and rum for an entire crew. Had he gotten away with it, we likely would have starved to death out at sea. Does he seem so innocent now, little mermaid? So worth saving?”

Again, you shook your head no. Although you agreed he definitely wasn’t an innocent man, you still didn’t see making him walk the plank a justifiable punishment. Despite your thoughts, you kept your mouth shut. Angering the captain further was not going to do you any good.

“Now, if anyone else had done something like this, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut their head right off,” Hook said menacingly, and with a swish, unsheathed his sword once again. You flinched—hard—and scrambled to back away from him. 

Hook took note of this, and, sheathing his sword, crouched down to get on the same level as you. “But don’t worry, little mermaid. I won’t hurt you. You see, you’ve piqued my interest. Plus, it would do me no favors to have a little girl’s blood on my hands.”

You let out a breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding. So he’s not going to kill me, right?

“But, alas, you can’t leave unpunished, now, can you?” he added. Your eyes grew impossibly wider, your entire body shaking in fear. This was it. He was going to kill you, or do something equally worse.

“I demand”—you already felt a tear slip down your cheek—“that you write to me for the remainder of the summer.”

Wait, what?

“W-write?” you asked in disbelief. “As in…”

“Letters,” Hook finished for you. “Write me letters. I’ll give you the mailing address of the Jolly Roger. Write me everyday, and I’ll promise I’ll write you back whenever we dock. How does that sound?”

“O-okay,” you reply, still taken aback by the peculiar, and far more lenient than you’d expected, request. That was all you had to do? Write letters? As punishment for saving the life of someone he’d ordered to die? You must be dreaming.

“Oh, and,” Hook said, voice lowered as he leaned in close to you, until he was just a hair’s breadth away from your ear. You could feel his warm breath on your skin, his alluring scent of salty winds and something richer, deeper, filling your lungs. “I look forward to seeing you in the fall. Don’t forget me, my little mermaid.”

With that, he stood up, smoothing out the lines on his pants. “You wouldn’t happen to need a ride back home, would you, love?”

You shook your head no, too terrified of him changing his mind to spend another moment in his presence. You glanced back at the man lying behind you, still unconscious. “W-what about him? What will you do with him?” you managed to choke out, somehow finding your voice again.

Hook pondered this for a long minute, before finally answering, “He can live.” You let out a shaky breath. “But only because of you, little mermaid. And only this time. You go against my wishes again, and trust me, your punishment will be far more severe.”

And with that, he went back to his ship and sailed away.

You still muse about that day, thinking how different things would have been if you had changed just one little thing.

You kept your promise of writing him letters, too afraid to know what would happen when you had to inevitably face him in the fall to break it. At first, they started out simple. Ordinary recounts of your day, your favorite things, what you liked to do. As the weeks passed, you started writing more personal letters. How you felt about certain things or certain people, including your parents. You never spoke a word of that fateful day to them, knowing that you’d be grounded for life and forbidden from swimming ever again if they caught even a whiff of the danger you had put yourself in. 

Hook kept his promise, too. He wrote you back, although it was far less frequent than your letters. Even though he kept his responses short and concise, you always ended up hearing his voice in your head as you read his notes. You soon found yourself checking your mailbox daily, even getting to know the mailman rather well. The rush of dopamine you got every time you opened it to find a letter awaiting you was unmatched; you would always run upstairs to your room, lock the door, and pour over the note. Reading every line, every word over and over again, committing them to memory. 

You don’t know why you enjoyed these little letters so much. Maybe it was the thrill of having a secret that no one else knew of, or the absence of your usual loneliness every time you were reminded that somewhere out there, across the seas, was someone awaiting your letters, reading them, and writing back to you. Whatever it was, your heart started to form an emotional attachment to him without you even realizing it. 

Unbeknownst to you, that had been his exact plan all along.

It’s safe to say that once you started school at Merlin Academy, Hook’s—or James’s, as he insisted on you calling him—grip on you only grew. Things started out pretty normal: light conversations in class and stolen looks exchanged across the hall, mostly initiated by him. After the first few weeks passed, things between you two only grew. Secret meetings during lunch hours, rendezvous after school, and small gifts exchanged between the two of you. From there, it became brushing your hands together whenever you passed by each other, soft pecks on the cheek or forehead where there were prying eyes, and more passionate kisses when the two of you finally found time to be alone.

Truth be told, you don’t really know what you two are now. Normally, you would consider two people that partake in such actions to be courting, and you kind of assume you are. But James has never said anything about a relationship to you, and in all honesty, you’re too afraid to ask him. You feel terribly confused at his intentions towards you; on the one hand, he approaches you every day without fail, even if you try to ignore him or when your schedules don’t match up. Somehow, he always finds a way. On the other hand, he never asked you to be his lover, never even vaguely mentioned anything of the sorts. So, you decided, with a heavy heart, to not be too confident and consider yourself his partner. And unfortunately, that meant that he wasn’t yours, either.

Really, you never meant to grow so involved with the bastard pirate that threatened to kill you on the beach that day. But for some strange reason, instead of treating you coldly like he did everyone else, especially the other hero kids, he was softer with you. Considerate, even. You had half-expected him to want nothing to do with you after your first few interactions, but he kept seeking you out. You often opened your locker to a note inside, or entered your dorm to find a letter slipped beneath the door.

Today was one of those days. You had gotten a note telling you to wait for him in your usual place in the evening, after classes. So here you are, waiting, staring at the water fountain in the courtyard. You’ve always been transfixed by the way the water spurts out the center and splashes all around. It seems that whenever you’re alone with your thoughts, they always end up back to that fateful day you met James, and everything that’s happened since.

“Wait for me long, my little mermaid?” a deep voice whispers in your ear from behind. You jump only a little, far more used to James sneaking up on you now than you used to be. For some reason, it seems he loves to startle you by wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in close from behind, or speaking softly in your ear.

You twirl around, a delighted expression on your face, although you try to mask it with a feigned annoyance. “And if I say I did?”

“Well then, I’d have to find a way to make it up to you then, wouldn’t I, darling?” he purrs, using his hook to spin you around in his arms so you’re face-to-face. His lips make his way to yours, pulling you in for a slow, sensual kiss. You wrap your arms around his neck, bringing his head closer to yours, not able to get enough of his touch. 

The feeling of his skin against yours ignites something in you, and you find your mouth opening to give him more access as a soft whimper escapes your lips. One hand reaches into his hair, tugging at it gently from the base of his head, while the other one trails down the front of his shirt.

James leans into you even further, your bodies flush against each other now, as he deepens the kiss. You find yourself leaning against the edge of the water fountain, the cool sprinkles providing a welcomed contrast to your heating-up bodies.

Once you’ve completely lost your breath, you pull away just slightly, a love-drunk smile on your face. “You had a request for me?” you whisper, panting, eyes full of adoration for the man you were interlocked with. 

James breaks into a grin. A genuine one, not one of the smirks he flashes to uphold his patented suave demeanor. “Ah, yes, how could I forget, my love?”

He pulls further away to give you two enough room to breathe, yet keeping his good hand on the small of your back. “I was reminded today that it's been quite some time since I’ve heard your voice, my little mermaid.”

You give a little smile, deciding to mess with him a bit. “Whatever do you mean? You hear my voice every day. I mean, you’re even hearing it right now.”

James cocks his head to the side and raises a single eyebrow, clearly aware of your antics. “Your other voice, love.”

You giggle. “Fine, all right. Only for you,” you say, giving him a peck on the nose. 

You sit down on the ledge of the fountain, turning back to stare at the water again. Although it has been a long time since you stretched your tail and went for a swim, simply seeing the rushing water soothes you. It isn’t quite like being immersed in it, but it still gives you some semblance of comfort. 

You reach into the pool at the bottom, letting the cool water rush along your fingertips as you inhale a deep breath. Through your mermaid abilities, your voice twists into an otherworldly song, filling the space with a mellifluous sound. 

James takes a place on the ledge next to you, reaching into the water to hold your submerged hand. You don’t really feel it, too transfixed on the rushing waves. You don’t see the way James gazes at you, like you’re his entire world. The softness, the tenderness in his eyes, which he reserves for you only. He looks at you not as if you’re his sun, something too bright to ever stare directly at, something violent and explosive and harmful, but as if you’re his moon. 

As if you’re the figure he watches every night before he closes his eyes, and the one he wishes to see again when he wakes up. As if you’re the only thing he notices every time the darkness envelops him, your presence never falling off the pedestal he places it on in his mind. Never losing its worth. He looks at you, your soft glow and mesmerizing shimmer, as if you’re the only thing filling up the night sky. The stars and constellations pale in comparison to you, especially on your best nights, when you shine so magnificently. 

You are the moon, and he is the tide of the ocean, constantly being pulled in by you. Never being able to escape the grasp you have on him, the grasp you are so blissfully unaware of. He stares at you in awe and wonder, bathing in your gorgeous light, so close yet always so far away. Sitting all alone against the dark backdrop of the evening sky, waiting for him to come back to you. And without reason, you always disappear. Always leaving him wanting more, waiting till the moment he can bathe in your presence again. 

As you sing, the tide gets pulled in by the gravity of the moon. Your lyrical voice bounces off the stone walls, surrounding you both, just as the moonlight surrounds the waves on that mystical night. 

But the moonlight is only a reflection of the sun’s glow, is it not? When daylight comes, the moon will pull away from the waves, its absence in the sky all but forgotten in the sun’s presence. And as dawn breaks, so too will the pull between the moon and ocean. 

on to part 2! ->

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[shadyb00ts]

The Little Mermaid (2023) - Review

As a longtime fan of Chloe x Halle, I knew from the moment that Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel that she was the perfect choice. Of course the racists were (and still are) whining and throwing tantrums about Ariel being black, because they never believe any person of color can truly earn a role with sheer talent, but for a long time I was sure that even if this movie ended up being an absolute dumpster fire, Halle would be the saving grace of that dumpster fire. She would be the best part, hands down.

Well, I wasn't surprised to see that I was right. About her being the best part, at least, but I don't think the movie itself is a dumpster fire at all. I actually really enjoyed it, and I've been very cynical of the Disney live action remakes for a long time like most people are. I had no confidence in this film but I had the utmost confidence in Halle to shine no matter what. However, there were things about this movie that pleasantly surprised me. Some disappointments though, I'll admit.

This is gonna be a long review, as my reviews always are. Spoilers ahead. I'd recommend you read this if you've seen the movie, but if you haven't and don't care about spoilers, read on.

So for starters, I was never really a Little Mermaid stan. Of course I loved the movie as a kid because I was obsessed with mermaids in general, and the songs were undisputed classics, but I wasn't exactly a fan of the movie as I grew older. I don't dislike it, it's just... fine. It's very of its time. So because of that, I knew they were going to update and expand certain things in the remake. For better or worse.

I've already stated how much I thought Halle nailed this film. Maybe you could say that I'm biased since I was already a fan of hers anyway, but hey, this is just my honest opinion. She captured Ariel's essence so beautifully; her innocence and naivete, her curiosity and inquisitiveness, her yearning and wonder. And while yes, the CGI during the underwater scenes could be a little janky some of the time, I was mostly mesmerized by the way she moved, the way her hair moved and the iridescence of her tail. She just looked so gorgeous and adorable and got Ariel down to a science.

As for when she gets legs and goes to the surface, that's where she shines even more, because she has to act without saying a word. It was all in her expressions and mannerisms and I thought she absolutely delivered. I haven't mentioned the new songs they added yet, but they did add a new Ariel song for when she goes to the surface called "For the First Time" and I have to say that it's my favorite new addition. It's soooo delightfully musical theater and I think it has the most Little Mermaid-esque vibe to it. It fit the movie perfectly.

Back to the actors, I also thought Melissa McCarthy was the biggest surprise. I had zero confidence that she would do the role justice, but I thought she actually did a great job. She was definitely channeling Pat Carroll and some of her lines elicited chuckles out of me. And I thought her rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls was pretty good, even though it's unfortunately missing the iconic "body language" lyric. She's not a strong vocalist but I think she did the best she could, and she was one of the highlights. Also she did the Ursula Shoulder Shimmy which I appreciated.

Jonah Hauer King as Prince Eric also did a good job I think. The remake added much-needed depth and character to Eric that was missing in the original. Another thing I appreciated was how they tried to show more parallels between Eric and Ariel. There's a scene in the movie where Ariel finds Eric's library/study, and it's shot in a way that makes it reminiscent to Ariel's grotto. They tried to give the two more things in common, and I think they succeeded in that. Plus the chemistry between Jonah and Halle was just off the charts. I rarely find straight couples adorable, but I thought they were so adorable any time they were sharing a scene.

My one minor gripe with his casting is that he's not exactly the strongest vocalist. One of the new musical numbers is an Eric song called Wild Uncharted Waters, and.... I didn't really like it. His voice kind of sounded like the lead singer of an angsty rock band from the 2000s. As soon as it started it gave me war flashbacks to Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast, where they had to use very noticeable autotune on her voice. Granted that was much, MUCH worse, but still. I don't wanna be reminded of that travesty. The song itself is okay I think, but it could be much better if they had a stronger vocalist or a Broadway darling to play the role, to really do the song justice. But like I said, this is just a minor gripe because Eric really only gets one song, and Jonah overall did a good job.

A change that I really appreciated was, instead of Ariel getting invited to dinner at the castle, she and Eric go to a market instead. The kingdom in the remake is inspired by the Caribbean and I loved the tropical, colorful vibe of the locale. The market visit allowed Ariel to wander around and marvel at everything she doesn't understand, and it's a much cuter, more laid back way for her and Eric to spend time together. Some people were upset about the crazy chef who tries to kill Sebastian being removed, but honestly, I never thought that sequence added anything to the original. I loved what they did here.

Daveed Diggs as Sebastian... Sigh. Look, I love Daveed but I feel like he was so miscast for this. Anytime he spoke or sang, you could tell the Jamaican accent was very put on. Sure, the original actor who voiced Sebastian--Samuel E. Wright, RIP--also was putting on a Jamaican accent, but somehow it just felt more natural when he did it. His voice work as Sebastian was so iconic, and Daveed just missed the mark on this role. It just wasn't the right role for him. His version of Under the Sea was also quite underwhelming, and he did a lot of talk-singing during it. I liked the Under the Sea sequence visually, but not quite sonically.

As for Kiss the Girl, people were making such an uproar about the lyric changes but the changes were so minor. They literally only changed like, a couple of lines, and the song is still the same thematically. It's still just the animal sidekicks trying to influence Eric to kiss the girl in kiiind of a date-r*pey-ish way. They wanted to make it seem more consensual, but nothing's really changed. But yeah, I do think the original version of the song is still better regardless. Similar issue I felt about Under the Sea, it just... doesn't quite hit the mark.

Awkwafina as Scuttle was... alright. She had some funny moments, but I mean, she's just doing her regular voice. It's literally just Awkwafina as a bird. But what I really hated was.. Scuttlebutt.

Oh god, Scuttlebutt. I honestly have no idea what Lin Manuel Miranda was thinking when he wrote this? I don't know if he was smoking something really strong, cause like... Mama, this is garbage. Like, I can't even explain to you how painful to hear this song was. It's absolutely the worst and most unnecessary addition to the soundtrack. Nobody wants to hear Awkwafina, the queen of putting on blaccents, rapping. That's the last thing any of us wanna hear. It was just. So. Horrible. I've seen the movie twice in theaters now and each time I was just begging for that song to be over.

Anyway, that's the most negative thing I can say about this movie, was that damn song. Lin deserved jailtime for that one.

For the more minor characters, Javier Bardem as Triton was okay. Some people think he was horrible but I don't think he was that bad, it was fine. I still would've preferred Idris Elba as Triton but that's just my personal fancast.

Flounder was... Flounder. Yeah, I don't like his hyper-realistic design, but he was still pretty cute and 12-year-old Jacob Tremblay was just trying his best to emulate the original actor and I think he did a fine job.

Ariel's sisters were barely in it, like in the original. They did give them each unique, cute designs, but we all know that it's just to sell dolls. They appear in the beginning of the movie in a pretty awkward scene that's supposed to replace the concert from the original film. Apparently Triton and his daughters meet every time there's something called the Coral Moon? It seems to just be a family meeting of some sort. They left it so vague, they didn't even bother to explain what the Coral Moon was. I wish they had just kept the concert.

But yeah, the sisters are all named and apparently I heard each of them are supposed to have special powers? Well those powers weren't showcased in the movie at all, so we know it was just a marketing tactic. I'm sure there'll be tons of fanfics of all the sisters having adventures and whatnot. They might even make an animated series. It'd be called Ariel and Her Sisters, or Daughters of Triton.

I do think the dolls are very slay though. I'd buy the whole 7 pack.

Oh my god, I forgot to talk about Vanessa. Girl... Jessica Alexander bodied this role. Even though she was only in it for a handful of minutes, she ate up every bit of those minutes. I also really liked Vanessa's Trick from the soundtrack and thought it sounded beautiful. Do I wish it still had lyrics instead of "la-di-da's"? Sure I guess, but I honestly don't mind all that much. It's very haunting and Halle's voice is ethereal on it.

I think that's all I have to say on the movie. It's a fun time and it's bolstered by some stellar performances (particularly from Halle) and welcome changes/additions. But it's also kinda bogged down by not-always-great CGI, some clunky musical choices, and certain things cut from the original film that I thought shouldn't have been cut.

Still, I very much enjoyed this movie more than any of the other Disney remakes so far. I do agree with people's sentiments of it being the best of the bunch, but well... the bar isn't exactly high in that regard. Maybe because the previous remakes were so bad, this one just is the best because it's the only one that doesn't suck.

Whatever the case, I had enough of a great time that I went and saw it twice. I recommend you see it too before it leaves theaters.

[rottentiger-art]

Tell me friend, what was your favorite part of the new little mermaid movie? (Was it when she found a way to tell him her name because that was my favorite part) 👀

sadly, I didn't see it yet, tecnically. Bc of my job I don't have time to go out atm, so I had to pirate it, but it was clearly incomplete, missing a lot of parts and in terrible quality, so I can't really say what's my favorite part yet, until I watch it for real next week.

But I can tell you what I loved from what I saw:

Halle was PERRRFECT for Ariel, as far as I can tell, I don't think watching the whole movie will change my opinion on that, she captured her amazingly, her innocence, curiosity, bravery, determination, everything. And I believe I like this Ariel more too, since she seems to have more motivation besides love to want to stay above (not saying OG Ariel didn't have other motivations, I mean that it's clearer here), I can't understand people that say other characters stole the spot, when she owned the whole movie, (I really doubt I 'll change my mind about this when I watch it ful with the missing parts)

ERIC!! Omg if I was in love with his animated version, I am OBSESSED with this Eric. Like with Ariel, they made a better job at expanding the character and giving him depth. But like, way more noticeable than with Ariel, since OG Eric wasn't really explored besides being a good person and a perfect prince (again, I still love the OG, but this version is superior, I normally let nostalgia get in the way of a fair judgement, but I can't deny it this time, the live action won)

their relationship and love story was so sweet and soft, more that the OG, and it honestly surprised me. OG Eriel were so cute and amazing together, and I always loved them and always will, but Live Action Eriel made me feel these two were truly soulmates. After Kiss the Girl, I was so fucking obsessed and couldn't wait for them to be together, they made a great show in showing they fell in love for real, honest true love.

"my little mermaid" AHHHHHH

shirtless, soaking wet Eric was put on this movie specifically for me, thank you disney.

I died everytime Eric looked at her, I fucking melted, that boy was so gone for her omfg

The fact that this Eriel is the "Girl fell first, Boy fell harder" a favorite of mine, just, ugh I love this movie so much

OG Ariel cameo made me want to cry

I believe anyone that says the girl who played Vanessa should have been Ariel undermine the work she put into that character, she was the perfect Vanessa, I couldn't imagine her in any other role in the movie, fr, wasn't expecting much of her since I didn't know her and never particularly cared about her character, since it was a facade of Ursula.

I NEED A SEQUEL ASAP, I NEED TO SEE BABY MELODY PLEASE

I hadn't have time to open wattpad or AO3 in so long, but when I do I know I will consume any and all 2023 Eriel fic available.

TL;DR: Eriel were my favorite part of the movie, the live action is simply superior, topping Cinderella and Maleficent in list

[littlebookmermaid]

i saw The Little Mermaid on Friday (after all these years...) and it's taken me a while to process it. I've been waiting for this movie for so many years, like even before it was announced it would happen. And especially after 2015 when Cinderella came out. So being the obsessed mermaid fan that i am here are my thoughts. If you would like to discuss it with me please do! I want to talk abut this movie with everyone. SPOILERS BELOW!

The feeling of seeing your favorite movie on the big screen but in a brand new way was very emotional and i cried and laughed and then i cried again. I loved it though, so much and i have so much to write so here we go. I only had three things that i didn't like too much. Three kinda big things but still it doesn't matter too much because overall i did love it so much. It was fun, sweet and Halle really was the star (fish) of this!

I obviously loved Halle. She was amazing, she is amazing. Long before Halle was announced as Ariel I had this slight fear over who they would cast. I was worried that they would only see "mermaid" and age Ariel up and make her a mermaid al a Pirates (this fear only grew when weirdly enough, it would be directed by the same guy). I really didn't want them to make Ariel this gorgeous super model siren just because she was a mermaid. Instead they, thankfully, left her young, curious, beautiful in a very cute way and Halle really embraced the character perfectly.

Ariel and Eric were so adorable together! What a rom com this turned out to be. Ever since i was a kid i always wanted the "Tour of the kingdom" scene to be longer and this movie really delivered! I loved their date to the market place (with the Jodi cameo!) and the boat ride was so soft and lovely. I hope we get a sequel to this movie cause i need waaaay more of Halle and Jonah as Ariel and Eric together.

Speaking of! I adored how they connected them even more by giving Eric a collection too! What a fun idea. And the shot of his room mirrored the shot in Ariel's grotto. Also, having Ariel showing him a bunch of oceanic stuff was so fun and Eric was so patient and observant while she expressed her emotions without her voice and it was the most romantic thing i've seen in a long time (maybe ever).

I liked how fun Sebastian was in this and especially his banter with Scuttle.

I thought Awkwafina was fun as Scuttle, no complaints.

Flounder my love i'm sorry they didn't give you much to do. I really thought they would give him the deleted scene from the original where he stopped the shark again but no. At least he swam to get Triton so that was something.

The mermaid lore! I wish we could have gotten more of that but i love what we got.

i loved Eric's new song and I liked Ariel's new one. I do think Beyond my wildest dreams from the broadway show did it better.

i loved how beautiful the tail looked underwater.

Okay i need to get on to the three things i didn't like so someone can argue with me and change my mind.

I didn't love how they did Ariel and Triton's relationship in this one. I think it missed the point from the original. In my opinion, their relationship in the original is the main thing. Ariel and Eric are actually like second place (if this make sense). Because in the original it is clear that they have a very loving and strong bond, they share traits which is one of the reasons why they had trouble understanding each other. Ariel is rebellious, Triton is protective and they're both very stubborn. It's also why I always liked how in the original there's this scene where Ariel wishes him good morning (with the flower) right before under the sea and the destruction which shows them being close to each other. It's just one tiny scene but it makes a lot of difference cause otherwise he would just be yelling at her the entire movie- which is what he did in this one. Only because they didn't include a scene where they were just talking kindly to each other. The guilty look Triton gives after destroying the grotto also shows how he already regrets it but in this one he was all "Never leave again," while she's crying and i'm so confused. It also took Triton waaay to long to come around like the anti climax i felt when he came back to life and still ordered her away from the surface was so weird lmao However, i do understand that this is a new take and a new movie with new mermaid lore so... it is what it is but i wish we could have gotten a bit more of a glimpse of the sweet father/daughter relationship from the movie ( and the tv series... honestly they did it the best).

Gods this is long okay. Kudos if you've read this far. Anyway... second thing was the fact that Ariel steered the boat into Ursula. I understand why they did it and I'm not mad about it. But it does change part of the point of the movie. Like, I'm all for women in movies taking charge, please do more of that. However... i have always loved the balance and parallel between Ariel and Eric. Ariel rescues Eric at the beginning of the movie and Eric rescues Ariel at the end of the movie. It also takes away the whole idea that Eric saves Ariel which is why Triton understands that he really does love her and that all humans can't be bad cause this man saved his daughter and almost died doing it. And in this movie Ariel's all "Eric was there too." And i just thought, doing what exactly?? haha But seeing Ariel crawl on a ship in a storm to steer it was really cool and she deserved to be the one to to do it cause this was obviously very personal (I mean her father had just died because of Ursula). So i'm obviously fine with it but maybe they could have given Eric something else to do besides... throwing a harpoon?

There was not enough dresses. Where was my sparkly "i just turned into a human"- dress??? Why did that last scene not show her walking out of the ocean in a blue, sea foam dress??? Why was she back in the blue one?? Disney... i want more dresses!

Okay one more thing. Under The Sea deserves a choir.

I think i'm done for now.

Overall i did love it so so much! I can't wait to see it over and over and over again. I'm so happy that The little mermaid got a deserving remake. It also opened with my favorite quote from the original story by H.C. Andersen so good job Disney.

[joons]

more little mermaid (2023) hot takes

i didn't like "wild, uncharted waters" much. i don't know why he sounded so much like bastille? lol. it wasn't an improvement on "her voice" from the musical. it served a fine purpose, but it was my least favorite new song because it was just there. if it had been given more of a broadway treatment, i would have enjoyed it more, i think. the production of it was just odd. "her voice" also emphasizes the mad, obsessive aspect in the music, with minor key resolutions and repetitive, WAVELIKE instrumentation.

"for the first time" was pretty cute and a definite improvement on "beyond my wildest dreams," which is probably one of my least favorite glenn slater songs (!!!). i like the caribbean flavor, i like ariel expressing doubt and embarrassment and frustration mixed with clear excitement. it does a lot more with "look at this new stuff!" than "beyond my wildest dreams," which is just glenn slater listing things, constantly, forever.

"the scuttlebutt," i am sorry to say, slaps. i don't want to explain how much i've been listening to it, lmao. for that matter, awkwafina as scuttle slapped. scuttle was the best adapted character with an incredible design and a fun update of being a diving bird. but i'm a scuttle girl. i'm a "positoovity" stan. i'm insane.

hated that sebastian wasn't a composer in this. i always liked how sebastian is a snob who kind of only gets involved in ariel's life because she ruined his day and he couldn't keep his mouth shut. it's ALMOST as an equal that triton asks him to keep an eye on ariel. obviously he's a subject and does have to take orders from the king, but it's not like actually his job description to advise the king. that's what makes it funny when he's constantly advising the king, unasked for, and then ends up having to put his money where his mouth is and prove that ariel can be controlled. making him the official adviser is so boring.

i am still trying to get my head around some of the changes to ursula's deal. i feel like they have a huge impact, but the movie doesn't necessarily realize that. something about the way mermaids and humans are seen as genuinely conflicting species in this, the way ursula just assumes that without a sweet, mermaid voice, ariel has no chance of captivating eric... it becomes more of an interspecies conflict instead of a gender war, you know? ursula still has a very low view of men, so i almost feel like taking out the "holds her tongue" verse was a missed opportunity to give her mistaken views more relevance. like she's just scuttling her way into telling ariel how love on the surface works. and that should feed into the "our species have misunderstood each other for so long" thing. that it prevents meaningful relationships between species, between genders, between fathers and daughters. and i feel like that theme could have been enhanced by making ursula a bullshitter who delights in SOWING DISCORD and creating these pressure points of misunderstandings. i got the definite vibe, though it was never directly stated, that ursula is the reason ariel's mom died in this version, that she created all the conflicts in the film. so rejecting her worldview is part of the generational healing process. so the more we can dwell on that worldview and knock it down, the better!

i also missed my ditzy sisters! they were too competent!

[deadmomjokes]

So my toddler’s latest movie obsession is The Little Mermaid, and in watching it 3 times over the last week, I've discovered something.

So Ariel has lived under the rule that contact with the surface-- and especially humans-- is forbidden, ever since she can remember. Yet note that when Eric is on the ship at the beginning, the sailors mention Triton by name. Not just "The Merpeople King" or "King of the Sea," they say King Triton, and they're fully aware that his mood and magic can control the weather at sea. This means that at some point, there had to have been significant contact with and awareness from the surface world.

But also note that Eric doesn't recognize the name, or the concept of mer-people in general.Now, Eric *must* be around Ariel's age because we never see or hear of a King or Queen, not even at Eric's wedding(s), yet he is still called Prince. And Grimsby seems awfully invested in marrying him off. This leads to the conclusion that he must be underage (under 18 potentially, or at least under 21). He can't be crowned King until he either marries or comes of age.

So Eric is around Ariel's age, and has never heard of Triton or seen a mer-person. Which means that whatever caused the change in policy had to have happened somewhere early in Ariel's and Eric's lives.

So what could have happened?

(You probably get where I'm going with this, but stay with me.)

Remember, Triton has a serious hatred and fear of humans, and obsesses over their murderous, fish-killing ways. He's also particularly doting toward and protective over Ariel, his youngest daughter.

Now, a question: Who do we never see in the film, who would most likely be the one talking to Ariel about boys and dating, because Triton is having a difficult time dealing with it appropriately?Her mother.

So I ask again, what could have happened in Ariel's lifetime, early enough that neither she nor Eric would have any memory of a world in which humans and mer-people coexist openly, that would cause Triton to drastically re-evaluate his opinion of humans to one of utter disgust, hatred, and fear, with an obsession over humans' murderous nature, resulting in a drastic 180 to total secrecy and complete no-contact with the surface, while also causing him to favor Ariel over his other daughters and be especially concerned with her safety?Humans killed Ariel's mother soon after she was born.

Now, for a bit more of a stretch, I also posit that in either purposeful retribution or a grief-stricken emotional outburst, Triton caused a storm that drowned Eric's parents at sea. Hence why Eric, crown prince of a heavily sea-faring coastal nation, has never gone to sea before. If he had, he'd have heard from the sailors about King Triton long before the beginning of the movie. (He probably would also have been more help to the crew than 'play flute' and 'tie rope that sailor has to redo immediately'. Come on, son, your kingdom is RIGHT THERE on the ocean, you need to know this stuff!)It also explains why Grimsby, theoretically his Regent, would insist on going with him to the potential matchmaking visit with the Princess of Glourhaven (from which they are returning at the start).

See, it's quite possible that Triton has been routinely sinking human ships that cross the area, either purposefully or inadvertently-- the treasures Ariel is finding in the wrecks are neither corroded nor old beyond the technological level we see during her visit to the surface. The fork she finds has no rust or barnacle growth, and the pipe hasn't even started collecting salt deposits on the wood. It was a recent wreck, and if the sailors' talk of mood affecting weather holds (which, based on what happens with Ursula at the end, it seems to), it implies he is routinely angry at them, and his anger sinks ships.

So it would be very dangerous to be sending the Crown Prince and the Regent both on the same vessel across an area known for deadly and potentially supernatural ship-wrecking storms. Yet old, seasickness-prone Grim goes with him anyway, instead of waiting for the news that Eric has (hopefully) accepted the Princess. Why? He's scared of losing Eric, too, just like the King and/or Queen.

But all that is speculation which is somewhat beside the point: Humans murdered Ariel's mom and ruined seafaring for everyone in the area.

(Is it possible Ursula engineered or contributed to this incident as one of her schemes to get back into the Palace? Is this why she was kicked out in the first place? Who knows. That's another theory for another few re-watches.)

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, you may now go about your lives a little more horrified by a children's movie.

[brelione]

Marvel Movies (Rafe,Topper,Kelce X Reader)

This takes place about a month after this.

Mentions of choking,fighting,Captain America Spoilers,Kelce being a Disney Hoe

Series Masterlist

You could hear the sound of “Lost In The Woods” from frozen two along with the sound of a car door shutting.You grinned,looking outside your window to see Kelce walking up to your front door.He had been obsessed with the sound track since you,Rafe,Topper and him had watched it last weekend.He swung open your door,pointing at you. “DONT YOU KNOW THERES PART OF ME THAT LONGS TO GO INTO THE UNKNOWN!”He sang,swinging his arms to the tune of the song that was now playing from his earbuds.

You smiled,taking out your phone to record him. “Kel,what are you singing?”You giggled,zooming in on his face. “Bitch,you already know!!!”He said it to the same tune,making you bite your lip to hold back a snort as you saved the video to your snap chat memories.He sat down nexto to you on the couch,pulling out his earbuds. “Rafe and Top are late?”He asked.You shrugged,checking the groupchat to check what time Rafe had left his house. “Kind of but like its fine.Its my night anyways.”You reminded him.Kelce nodded,pulling his legs onto the couch and resting them across your lap. “What are we watching?”He asked,looking up to see nickelodeon on the TV.

You smiled,telling him it was a surprise before throwing his legs off you and going into the kitchen to snack prep.He followed you,not wanting to watch nickelodeon. “Hey,do you remember those brownies we ate when we were little?Like the ones with the colorful chocolate things?”You asked,opening a bag of doritos and pouring the chips into a large bowl.His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about it,grabbing a capri sun from your fridge. “Debby Ryan brownies?”He asked.You turned to look at him,the empty chip bag in your hand. “Do you know who Debby Ryan is?”You asked,laughing at him.

The realization hit him,making him laugh too. “The girl from tik tok!The meme one!”He answered.You nodded,throwing the empty red bag away.You grabbed the bag of sharable m and m’s,pouring the colorful candies into a bowl as well before bringing them both into the living room and setting them down on the table.He somehow ended up laying down half on top of you,the back of his head resting on your stomach.You didnt even hear Rafe pull up,the door opening with him standing with a paper bag in his hand.You missed the way his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Kelce laying on you,he quickly covered it with a smile.

Topper was right behind him,you turned your head to look at the blonde.You immediately burst into laughter upon seeing the pink,purple,yellow and green striped shirt he was wearing. “That’s gotta be the ugliest shirt ive ever seen.”You grinned,running your hand over Kelce’s curly hair.He rolled his eyes,sitting on the floor while Rafe put the paper bag down on the table next to the M and M’s,pulling out the contents.Sour gummy worms,dark chocolate chips,werthers caramels and a can of your favorite soda.He held the can,sitting at the end of the couch by your head so you could rest your head on his lap.He held the cool can to your forehead,knowing that you liked the feeling of the coolness.

You removed your hand from Kelce’s hair,putting on Disney Plus. “OOH-are we watching Winnie the Pooh?”Topper asked.You laughed,shaking your head as you went down to the row of Marvel Movies.Rafe had only ever seen Iron Man 2 so he wasnt very familiar with the films.Kelce preferred DC and Topper just sucked.You eventually came to The First Avenger,pressing on it.You squealed as the movie started,excited to annoy your friends.

 “I have a husband in this one too.”You smiled,remembering your huge Bucky phase in sixth grade that Rafe couldnt quite understand.He had only seen your Winter Soldier hoodie so he didnt really have a good idea of who Bucky actually was besides the fact that you loved 

him.During the scene where Steve received the Serum Topper had sat up,glancing between Steve and Rafe. “Am I the only one that sees a resemblance?”He asked.You sat up slightly,Kelce moving off of you so you could turn and look at Rafe properly.

He blushed,turning his head and looking away so you had to cup his face and get him to look at you.He bit his lip slightly,looking down at you.Topper rolled his eyes,regretting bringing it up in the first place. “Steve is more handsome.”You grinned,returning to your place on his lap.Kelce broke into laughter along with Topper,Rafe just a red mess as you continued watching the TV. “Isnt Spencer your husband?And 10K?”Kelce asked.You nodded,still watching the movie. “I thought Spencer was the love of your life?”He waited for your answer.You rolled your eyes. “I can have multiple loves of my life.”You answered,still watching the movie. “Can you pause this?”Topper asked,looking up at you from the floor.

You paused it,a bit annoyed. “What?”You asked.He opened a bag of sour gummy worms,popping one in his mouth. “How many husbands do you have?”He asked.You bit the inside of your cheek,thinking about it.Spencer Reid,Newt,Draco,Percy Jackson,Jack Frost,Peter Pan,Zuko,Prince Eric,Kristoff,Aladdin,T’Challa,Killmonger,Dallas Winston. “Uh...16.”You answered.Rafe laughed,fingers brushing against his chin as Kelce just looked up at you with wide eyes. “Who?”He asked.You blushed,counting off on your fingers. “Spencer,Newt-”Topper interrupted you. “Who is Newt?”He asked.You glared at him. “Do you not pay attention on Movie Nights?Eight months ago we watched The Maze Runner,the handsome blonde boy with the british accent.”You explained.He tried not to laugh at your passion for the topic.

 “Draco Malfoy,Percy Jackson,Jack Frost-”You were interrupted again,this time by Kelce. “The animated dude?The albino one?”He asked.You sighed,nodding.Rafe’s eyebrows knit together,frowning down at you. “You have a crush on an animated albino?”He asked.You sat up,looking between the boys. “You’re gonna tell me hes not cute as hell?Dont even act like you’re not a simp for Meg,Rafe.You too,Kelce,I saw the way you looked at Elsa when she let her hair down!”You reminded the boy.Topper laughed,forgetting that you knew all his secrets. “Dude,you were in love with Ariel when you were 10!”You exclaimed,making the boy shut up. “Who else?”Rafe asked,still curious. “Um...Peter Pan,Zuko-”You were cut off once again. 

“Birth mark dude from Avatar?”Rafe asked.You huffed loudly,stealing the bag of gummies from Topper and eating one. “ITS A BURN!”You nearly shouted. “You have such terrible taste in men.”Topper rolled his eyes.You glared at him,biting hard on your lip. “Get out.”You told him.He bit back a smile,looking up at you. “What?”He laughed.You pouted. “Go stand in the rain for two minutes.”You told him.He shook his head until you got off the couch,grabbing his hand and dragging him to the door. “You’re being mean so you have to stand in the rain.”You told him,opening the door.

He blushed,stepping outside and into the rain.He would never do this for anyone else but the smile on your face was worth it.Rafe looked outside the window,recording Topper standing in a T pose as water drenched his ugly shirt and hair.Once the two minutes was up you opened the door again,letting the wet boy come inside.He smirked before hugging you tightly,getting you completely wet. “TOPPER!”You shouted,pulling off your wet t shirt. “Dammit.”You huffed,pulling off your wet shorts and leaving yourself in just your bra and underwear. Dancing in bikinis multiple times so it wasn't that big of a deal but you didn't notice their wandering eyes. You turned to walk upstairs to change into new into new pants while top or just stood a blushing mess. 

At this point you'd forgotten about the movie and you were more focused on annoying your friends.Topper  knew better than to sit on your couch in wet clothes but unfortunately he hadn't brought a new pair to change into. So when you return downstairs in a tank top and pajama bottoms you saw topper in just his boxers sitting on your couch watching the movie.You went to sit on the couch,being pulled into Topper’s lap.When the scene of Bucky falling off the train came along Kelce had become attached,standing up to shout at the tv while you started crying a bit,Topper kissing your forehead lightly. “WHERES THE NEXT ONE?”Kelce asked.You grinned,grabbing the remote and moving on to Winter Soldier. 

“Theres like a ton of movies between these two but like we can watch those eventually.”You shrugged,ending up wedged between Rafe and Topper,Rafe’s fingers twisting your hair and tracing figure eights along the back of your neck. “On your left!”You spoke at the same time as Sam,grinning.Kelce grinned. “So thats why you always say that!”He put the puzzle pieces together.When Nat pulled up you saw the way Topper’s jaw dropped,you smiled. “I know,right?Shes like really fucking pretty.”You grinned,head against Rafe’s chest.Topper had began to doze off when Bucky came on with his metal arm,waking up fully again when he heard you whisper “He could literally choke me with his metal arm.”under your breath.He burst out laughing for a reason that Rafe nor Kelce could understand,plotting to use it against you in the future.

Somehow Topper had managed to fall asleep against your leg while Rafe had gotten you onto his lap,your head in the crook of his neck as you watched Steve get the living shit beat out of him.Kelce was on the edge of his seat,completely invested in the story. “Can we watch the next one?”He asked.You smiled,pleased with his excitement. “Tomorrow morning,okay?”You asked.He huffed but nodded,grabbing the blanket he usually used.Rafe pulled a blanket over the two of you,allowing you to sleep on top of him.The four of you must’ve slept in pretty late,waking up to your 1 P.M alarm that told you to take your daily vitamins.You groaned,attempting to move but being held by Rafe.

You yawned,seeing Topper in his deep,drooling double-chin sleep.You flicked Rafe across the head so he’d wake up,the brunette waking with a grumble. “Rafe,you gotta let go.”You smiled,kissing his nose tiredly.He grinned,letting you off his lap.You shook Kelce’s shoulder as you walked by,your shorts riding up.Kelce got up with a groan,the blanket rolling around his body like a burrito as he stumbled into the kitchen.You got yourself a glass of water,putting your four vitamin pills into your palm.He watched as you took them,grinning at you. “Good girl.You want breakfast?”He asked.You shrugged,still tired.Topper walked into the kitchen,wiping his face of drool and carrying the bowl of m and ms.

 “Hey,do you still have those frozen strawberries?”He asked.You nodded,watching as he grabbed the bag of fruit from your freezer along with almond milk,whipper cream,hot fudge and banana. “Where’s Rafe?”Kelce asked,his question being answered by the universe when the Steve Rogers look alike walked in,turning on the keurig.Kelce put some bread in the toaster,taking out the eggs and a frying pan and starting to make some scrambled for Rafe,some fried for you and an m and m omlet for Topper.Speaking of the blonde,he was pouring frozen strawberries,fudge,banana slices and almond milk into the blender,switching it on and dancing to the sounds of the strawberries being crushed.As the eggs began to cook Kelce quickly handed Rafe his mug before grabbing a glass,putting a layer of m and ms and whipped cream at the bottom,adding two spoon fulls of sugar,some milk and mixing it all together until it was a colorful slop,pouring ice in the cup before brewing some italian coffee to top it off.

As it brewed he rushed to flip the eggs,cursing when he realised the edges were burnt.He tossed it onto a plate,sprinkling some italian seasoning on it and taking the toast out of the toaster for you.He grabbed a jar of your favorite jelly,spreading a thin layer on both slices,reaching over Rafe’s head to hand you the plate.You thanked him,ripping the slice of toast in half.Topper turned off the blender,pouring its contents into a glass and making a huge mountain of whipped cream before sitting across from you.You smirked,reaching your fork over to get some whipped cream.He gasped,jaw dropping as he stared at you. “So you’re gonna put me in the rain for two minutes and now youre taking away my whipped cream?Do you wanna fight?”He asked,leaning forward.

You used your fork,knocking over the mountain of whipped cream before getting up and running down the hall.He ran after you,grabbing you by your wrist and pinning you against the wall of the guest room,panting.You two stared at eachother for a while,his bare chest pressed against you.His eyes flicked between your eyes and your lips,leaning down so his forehead was pressed against yours.So much was happening at once,you couldnt even comprehend it.But then from the kitchen you heard an argument starting,Topper letting go of your wrists as they two of you went back to the kitchen. “The third one is the best!” “FUCK YOU IN THE ASS,BITCH!”You walked in,looking between the two boys. 

“What is going on?”You asked.Kelce looked over at you,spatula in hand. “Which Descendants film is better?Two or Three?”He asked.You shook your head,sitting back down to eat your toast. “Fuck-dammit,Topper!You made my toast untoast!”You exclaimed,waving the uncrunchy bread.Kelce frowned,eyes softening. “Do you want me to make you more?”He asked.You shook your head. “No,its fine,Kelce.”You grinned,taking a sip of your coffee.It was sweet and creamy and pretty good,somehow Kelce always made the best coffee no matter what he put in it.Rafe looked between you and Topper,sensing that something had happened in the room.He hoped that Topper wouldnt intentionally hurt him like that,hoping Kelce wouldnt either.A plate of scrambled eggs was put in front of Rafe along with a bottle of barbecue sauce,making you stare at him in disgust. “I cant believe you put barbecue sauce on your eggs.”You shook your head,taking a bite of the toast and getting excited when you heard a crunch. “Oh-hey,dont worry!It didnt untoast”You grinned,enjoying it.

@sexytholland​ @28cnn​  @popcrone818​ @fttayla​ @cherryobx​ @n1ghtsh4d3-67​ @drewstarkeyobx​ @poguestyleskye​ @judayyyw​ @jjtheangel​  @outerbongs​  @copper-boom​ 

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[let-it-raines]

your wonder under summer skies (9/?)

Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

rating: mature

ao3: beginning | current

tumblr:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 

-/-

“Do you have on sunscreen?”

“I basically took a bath in it, Marg.”

“You’re looking a little red.”

Emma sighs and looks down at her chest before turning to her shoulders. She’s the slightest bit pink, and she sighs. Dammit. She sprayed herself down twice before she got here, and it’s only been an hour since she’s been outside.

“Do you want to finish the rest of these inside then?”

“We’ve only got a few left, but you need to make sure to reapply before we go out to the festival.”

Emma nods and keeps stuffing bags with water bottles and snacks. They’ve got to get these to Ashley and Aurora before lunchtime and then need to get to the dining rooms to check on their members. Mary Margaret can leave after that since the club is mostly shutting down early to encourage everyone to support local businesses and the festival, but Emma’s got to meet with two brides before she can go. She doesn’t know why the hell they picked her to coordinate over Mary Margaret, and if she got paid by commission, she’d really appreciate that. Since she doesn’t, though, and really only wants to get a tan and eat funnel cake, she’s not too interested in having to talk weddings for a few hours.

“So,” Mary Margaret hums, “have you met the new Sheriff?”

“Nope. David likes him, doesn’t he?”

“David loves him! Oh, Emma, he’s just great! David says he’s organized and always on time, and he’s great at building morale. We had him over for dinner last night, and he was the sweetest thing. Very handsome, too.”

Emma’s hand falters on the bag of animal crackers she’s holding before she drops them in the bag and glances over at Mary Margaret, who is doing her best to avoid looking Emma in the eye.

Smooth, Marg. Real smooth.

“No.”

“No? I didn’t even say anything!”

“You are about as subtle as a gun, Mary Margaret Noland. You’re trying to set me up with the new Sheriff, and I’m not interested. I mean, I just broke up with Neal.”

“A month a half a go!”

“After five years, a month and a half doesn’t seem like that long, does it?”

Mary Margaret finally has the courage to look at her, and Emma wants to be annoyed. She really does. She just can’t seem to find it in her today to do that.

Good intentions, she reminds herself. Mary Margaret and David nearly always have good intentions.

Doesn’t mean she has to like them.

“I’m not ready to date someone, and I don’t think the new Sheriff is rebound material for me.”

“Well, why not?”

“Because you like him, and David works with him. Do you really want for things to be awkward when I inevitably break up with him?”

Mary Margaret’s sigh can probably be heard in Australia. “How do you know you’re going to break up with him?”

“Because I’m not ready to date! I just said that. I’m not too interested in getting hurt again.”

“Oh, Emma, those walls of yours may keep out pain, but they also may keep out love.”

She’s going to crush these poor kids’ animal crackers if her fist doesn’t loosen soon.

Good intentions.

Good intentions.

Good fucking intentions.

“Marg,” she whispers, “I had my trust ruined by a man I thought I could have been with forever. That doesn’t just go away, okay? You’ve been with David for your entire life. You guys have only been apart for two days in fifteen years. I’m sorry, but you can’t possibly understand what I’m going through right now or how damn hard it is to know that Neal is still in this town walking around with Tamara without a care in the world. I loved him, and that wasn’t enough yet again. So maybe just let me have some time, okay? Let me be able to see Neal walking down the street and not have a meltdown. I’m not ready to seriously date someone else.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean – ”

“It’s fine,” Emma lies as she inhales and tries to get some much-needed air into her lungs. “Let’s just finish up here. The sooner we’re done, the sooner I can get to my funnel cakes.”

“You and those funnel cakes.”

“They’re the best part of the holiday.”

“Not the fireworks?”

“Nah, it’s the funnel cakes.”

Mary Margaret drops the conversation, and she miraculously doesn’t bring up anything having to do with relationships for the rest of their day. It’s all updates on the bathroom renovation in the house and David’s new obsession with homemade lasagna, which Granny is definitely going to be pissed about. Then she moves onto Elsa and Liam’s wedding, which does verge a little into the relationship territory but is also their job, so she lets it slide.

Mary Margaret was very much meant to help others plan their wedding days. The sparkle in her eyes alone shows that.

After they check in with the two luncheons that are happening, Mary Margaret takes her leave and goes home, promising to meet Emma at Eric’s restaurant later tonight. Emma’s brides are both early, both far too overenthusiastic, but they keep under their hour-long appointments, and by four, Emma is in her car and on her way home to change and get ready for tonight.

The funnel cakes are still calling her name.

As soon as she gets home, she takes her shoes off at the door, heads back to her room and changes into a bikini before pulling on a pair of jean shorts and an old flannel shirt. It’s too big on her, and when she looks down at it, she realizes it’s Killian’s. For a moment, she considers changing, but it’s comfortable and will be warm for after the sun sets.

Plus, his cologne is still lingering, and he wears some damn good cologne.

It’ll also annoy the hell out of him if she doesn’t give his shirt back, so the benefits of keeping it on continue rolling in.

Getting to the boardwalk is nearly impossible with the roads blocked off for some of the rides and booths that have been brought in, so Emma ends up turning around and driving on the outskirts of downtown before finding parking outside of Killian’s place.

Skipper greets her through the window of a back office, and Emma taps on the window before looping around and heading through the back door so she doesn’t set off that damn alarm.

“Hey, boy,” she greets, “hey, you working hard, my friend? Giving yourself a case for employee of the month?”

“I am employee of the month, always.”

Emma jumps and backs up against the wall to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths to calm her heartbeat.

“Where did you come from?”

“So, my mum and dad, somehow, had sex, and then – ”

“Somehow? Do you think parents don’t have sex? That’s how we all get here.”

“My parents hated each other for most of my life. I can’t imagine them ever liking each other enough to want to sleep together.”

“Hate sex is a thing.”

“I will pay you to stop talking.”

“Really? How much?”

Killian steps up to her and dips his head until his lips brush across the shell of her ear. “Whatever your heart desires.”

A shiver works itself down her spine and up over her arms as gooseflesh appears, and Emma’s breath stutters. “I’ll stop talking if you buy me a funnel cake.”

“I’ll buy you two.” His teeth tug down on her ear before his lips brush against her cheek, and then he’s pulling back and putting some space between them. “Give me twenty minutes to set up the answering machine, and then we’ll walk to Ariel’s together. Can you feed Skipper for me?”

“Is he not coming with us?”

“No, I didn’t want to have to keep up with him tonight, and the fireworks scare him.”

“Do they scare you, buddy?” she says to the dog as she scratches his ears. “They scare you, and your dad is going to make you stay here all by yourself? That’s not very nice.”

“I’ll leave the TV on for him, Swan. He won’t hear a thing.”

“You love Killian so you can’t see his flaws, but a good owner would never leave you.”

Emma snickers as Killian groans behind her. “If you want to walk him for the next several hours, feel free.”

“Nah, I’m good. Is the food upstairs?”

“In the kitchen.”

Emma nods and starts walking up the stairs, whistling so Skipper will follow her up, and when she gets to the kitchen, she finds the bag of food, pours it in the bowl, and then refreshes his water bowl while he eats. A bit of water accidentally splashes on the counter, and Emma picks up the mail that got wet to try to keep it from getting even more wet.

“Going through my mail then?”

“Good God,” Emma breathes out, “do the two of you insist on scaring the shit out of me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Emma sighs, turning around to see Liam. “Your brother just scared me when I walked in the office downstairs. I swear the two of you don’t have footsteps sometimes.”

Liam shrugs. “Is he downstairs?”

“Yeah, he’s making sure everything’s all set for you two to take the night off. Elsa told me you found tuxes you like. You know, if you have enough groomsmen, they might give you a discount on rentals or on yours if you want to buy it. I know you haven’t decided on everyone, but it’s something to think about.”

Liam’s lips press into a forced smile. “I will keep that in mind.”

Silence falls between them, and Emma awkwardly shuffles the mail in her hand before dropping it back to the counter. She doesn’t remember the last time she was in a room alone with just Liam, and really, she should be better at coming up with small talk since she has to do it all day every day.

Or, maybe, she can’t do it now because she’s just so damn tired of doing it and can’t put in the effort.

“So, would you happen to know who my brother is seeing?”

Emma nearly chokes on air. “What?”

“Do you know who Killian is seeing?” Liam repeats, stepping closer as the floor creaks below him. “You two are close, and, I don’t know, he’s keeping who he’s seeing from me, which he’s never done before. I figured you…I guess I was curious and wanted to know.”

Oh God.

No. Just no.

She is not having this conversation, especially when this conversation is about her.

Not that Liam knows that.

Hopefully.

Wait. Is it her? Or is he seeing someone else? He could definitely be seeing someone else at this point. She thought he would have told her, though. That was the agreement.

He definitely would have told her. Killian is a man of his word. Of that, she is sure.

“Is he seeing someone?”

Liam clicks his tongue, and damn, that is such a Jones thing to do. “I assume. He doesn’t come home some nights, occasionally takes a longer lunch than usual, and I swear he’s been sneaking someone in and out.”

Oh shit.

How many times has Liam almost caught them? That’s not good at all. At least she hasn’t had to jump out the window again. That was a pain in the ass. Literally.

“Look,” she sighs as she straightens her back, “even if did know who he was seeing, it wouldn’t be my place to tell you his secrets. If he’s not telling you, I’m sure he has his reasons.”

Liam’s eyes narrow as he crosses his arms over his chest, and if she got a dollar for every time he did that, she’d be rich. “So, he is seeing someone?”

“I don’t know. Let him tell you whatever he wants to tell you. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

“Doesn’t hurt to have someone else helping him out.”

“It does if that someone can be overbearing.”

“Are you referring to me?”

“I really feel like I don’t have to say who I’m referring to.”

“Hey, you ready to go? Ariel texted and – oh, hey, Liam.”

Liam blinks, slowly, before turning from Emma to look at Killian. “What did Ariel say?”

“Just that she’s got the big table on the deck saved for all of us. Do you want to walk with us or are you waiting for Elsa?”

“I can walk with the two of you. Elsa is working in a booth, remember?”

“Of course. We’ll have to stop by and get some ice cream after we get Emma her funnel cakes.”

“Funnel cakes, ice cream, and dinner at Eric’s? That’s quite the spread, lass.”

Emma pats her stomach and smirks at Liam. She guesses their conversation from earlier is done. “What can I say? I like food, and the fair only comes to town once a year.”

“I thought the club put on a fair in August.”

“That’s for kids, and we don’t have funnel cakes. Come on, Joneses, I’m ready to go.”

Killian and Liam spend the entire walk talking about a baseball game from last night, and as much as Emma enjoys it, she really only enjoys watching it, not debating about it when the game is over and done with. She knows she’ll have to debate it when she and Killian go to New York next month, but for now, she drowns them out and looks around the boardwalk. String lights are hung above them, criss-crossing between buildings and stalls, and she can’t wait for the sun to set so they can be turned on. There’s something weirdly magical about fairy and bulb lights when they come on, and really, she’s looking forward to that more than the fireworks.

Obviously, she’s got high-standards for things that she enjoys.

Kids keep running in front of them, not looking where they’re going, and Emma almost trips at least twice before Killian tugs her back so she’s not walking slightly ahead of the two of them.

She would have loved being able to do things like this as a kid. It would have made her life just to be able to waste all of her money on these rigged games trying to win a stuffed animal, but she was never given the opportunity. Now, she knows better than to waste money on something she has no need for.

Except for the funnel cakes, which she can now smell.

“KJ, you owe me two funnel cakes. I’m cashing in on one now.”

He turns his head and raises his brow. “Now? We’re about to get dinner?”

Emma points to the stand a few feet ahead of her. “I can smell it. I need it.”

“There’s quite a line at that booth.”

Emma stops walking and tugs on Killian’s t-shirt while batting her eyelashes. She knows it doesn’t work, but it’s all she’s got. “C’mon. The table will still be waiting for us.”

“You two go,” Liam says. “I think I’m going to see if Elsa needs help. She said she her summer staff working, but I’m sure she might like the company.”

“You could also go let those teenagers enjoy the carnival.”

“That was my plan, little brother.”

“Younger.”

Liam winks and smiles. “It’s the same.”

“No, it’s bloody well not,” Killian shouts as Liam walks away, waving as he goes.

“You two have a very weird relationship.”

“You have no idea,” he sighs, wrapping his arm around Emma’s shoulder and pulling her closer until his lips and lightly brushing against her temple, and she swears that he breathes her in. That would be ridiculous, though. “Let’s get you funnel cake one.”

“I would riot if you didn’t.”

The funnel cake is as delicious as she thought it would be, and she doesn’t even care that her lips and her fingers are undoubtedly covered in sugar now. She can look like a clown to everyone as long as she keeps getting to eat this pure, sweet sugar.

Even if Eric is a little agitated with her when they get to the restaurant.

“Are you bringing in outside food to my restaurant?”

“Yep.” She pops another piece in her mouth and makes sure to exaggerate her chewing. “And unless you made onion rings today, this is going to be the best thing here.”

“You do know I am an excellent chef, right? And I can make food other than junk food.”

“She has the palette of a child.” Killian gently tugs on a piece of her hair and pulls her in closer. “Don’t try forcing anything else. It’s not worth it. I, however, will take all of the good food you’ve got.”

“And that is why you’re my favorite.”

“Hey,” Ariel grumbles.

“Besides you, obviously.” Eric shakes his head and smiles. “You two go sit down. I have to get back to the kitchen.”

“It’s never going to be as good as this funnel cake.”

“Shut up.”

Emma sticks her tongue out at Eric because she is the height of maturity. Obviously.

She maneuvers out of Killian’s hold and walks to the table, pulling out the chair across from Ruby while Killian sits down next to her.

“Why are you two so late? Did you finally decide to fuck each other?”

The funnel cake she was chewing gets stuck in her throat, and Emma starts coughing, doing anything to try to get air while her cheeks have got to be turning the color of tomatoes.

“Ruby,” Mary Margaret hisses, “there are children around. Don’t use that word.”

“Why? That’s how they got here.”

“Funny, I feel like I’ve already had this conversation today.”

“So, you were fu – sleeping together then? I knew it!”

“We,” Emma breathes out as she still hits her chest, “are not sleeping together. Why is your mind always in the gutter?”

Ruby scoffs and picks up her wine. “My mind is not in the gutter. I’m just saying that you two are both very hot, and you’ve got this whole sexual tension thing going on. We’re all waiting for it to happen. One day you’re just going to show up and tell us that you’re secretly in love.”

Emma rolls her eyes as Killian’s hand falls against her thigh underneath the table. “We are not secretly in love. And we are not sleeping together.”

His fingers inch further up her thigh, and a shiver runs down her spine.

Asshole.

Killian is the better liar than Emma, so, really, he should be the one lying to all of their friends right now. It’s not really a conversation she thought would ever come up, but it’s Ruby: nothing is safe.

“I’ve always thought you two would be a nice couple,” Mary Margaret sighs. “I mean, you were always with Neal, so I never said anything but – ”

“Never said anything? You talk about it all the time, honey.”

“David, that is not true.”

“It is. You love meddling in other people’s business, and since Ruby is, well, Ruby, the only two you really like to plot about are Emma and Killian.”

“Excuse me? Plot?” Killian raises his brow before winking at Emma. “You’ve been plotting about us?”

Mary Margaret’s face is as red as Emma’s was earlier, and if the woman wasn’t at least showing some remorse, Emma would be agitated.

Maybe she still should be, but she’s obviously on some kind of funnel cake high where nothing can piss her off, even having her personal life examined for the second time in one day.

“I have not,” Mary Margaret protests, flustered. “All I want is for you two to be happy! I thought Emma was all settled, and I really wanted someone for Killian. Now, though, you’re both single, so you know…”

Killian’s fingers tickle along her thigh before he squeezes. She really hopes Ariel cannot see underneath the table.

“And Eric says I’m the meddler,” Ariel sighs.

“You are all meddlers,” Emma finally says. “Each and every one of you. You all need hobbies like painting or reading or, hell, crocheting. Anything to keep you occupied so that Killian and I can keep living our lives.”

“Yeah, living your lives totally wrong.” Ruby swishes her wine glass and tilts it toward Emma. “I’m just saying – when, and I do mean when, you two get together, I want a personalized gift and the ability to say ‘I told you so’ as much as I want without reproach.”

“What kind of personalized gift?” Killian asks. “Just so I can prepare for when Emma finally falls for my charms and kisses me.”

Emma laughs and turns to the side, gently pushing Killian’s arm.

Asshole.

Cocky, annoying asshole.

“Please,” she scoffs, “you couldn’t handle it.”

Killian leans in, eyes slanted and lips curled up to the right while his tongue flickers across his teeth. Emma gulps, but she doesn’t blink, even when Killian’s finger hooks inside the hem of her shorts.

“Perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it.”

Glass rattles as someone smacks the table. “See,” Ruby groans, “just look at all of that untapped chemistry. I feel frustrated just looking at the two of you.”

“Okay,” David squawks, his voice breaking, “please change the subject. There’s only so much of this I can take. It’s like hearing about my little sister’s sex life.”

“See, maybe if you weren’t so overprotective of Emma, it wouldn’t be like that.”

“She’s our friend. I can’t help it if I am. And you’re one to talk, Mary Margaret.”

“What does that mean?”

“We just talked about what it means.”

Killian laughs at their friends bickering before leaning into Emma’s space even more. He never really moved out of it, but she didn’t notice.

“For the record,” he whispers as his nail traces along her skin, “we both know that I can handle it.”

Emma swallows the lump in her throat, and she can suddenly feel her heart beating, faster and faster and faster until she feels it between her ears while she blinks at Killian and tries to form some kind of coherent response.

Where the hell did all of her words go?

“Do you think Eric would hate us if we ordered the pizza?” Ruby asks.

“He just yelled at Emma for bringing in a funnel cake and wanting onion rings, so I think that’s a possibility.”

Killian winks once more and then turns from her so that all she can see is his jawline. “You guys do know this is a seafood restaurant, right? With damn good seafood. He only sells the other things for the tourists. We are not tourists.”

“It’s the fourth of July carnival. We’re all tourists for the night.”

They end up getting the pizza.

Eric is beyond pissed off at it, but absolutely no one cares, especially when Will and Belle walk in and order another one because the first two were completely obliterated. Robin stops by with Roland for five minutes to get food, but then Robin is being dragged off because Roland wants to do go on the spinning tea cups that are set up in city hall’s parking lot.

Emma has eaten so much tonight that she definitely can’t imagine being on anything that spins around.

Especially when Killian still owes her another funnel cake. It’s too bad they don’t keep well in the fridge.

“I have to go make some rounds,” David announces as he stands from the table. “Do we have any other plans for tonight?”

“I have to go back to work,” Ruby says.

“Yeah, me too,” Ariel adds in.

“Belle and I are free.”

“As are Emma and I,” Killian says. “Mary Margaret, what about you?”

“I think I might walk around with David, but do you all want to meet back at your place for the fireworks at ten? I think the roof will be the best place to view them.”

“Sounds perfect, lass. We’ll see you then.”

Belle suggests watching around to work off dinner and see if there’s anything new this year, so they start with the booths on the side of the boardwalk no one has been down yet. It’s emptier because it’s away from all of the rides, but there are plenty of food stalls, a few games, and several booths from small businesses around town. Belle immediately finds a stall selling books for a dollar a piece, and she ends up getting two tote bags that Will grumbles about carrying. Killian buys the one book Belle didn’t snatch up, folds it, and sticks it in the back pocket of his jeans.

Emma swears that Belle nearly has an aneurism over that.

“Hey, look, love.” Killian points over to a booth with balloons pinned to the wall.

“What exactly am I looking at?” He grabs her hand and pulls it in front of them to point back to the booth. “Still not getting it, KJ.”

“The prizes. I think there’s one you might like.”

Emma steps a little closer and then sees it at the very top of the shelf. It’s a giant white swan stuffed animal.

Oh.

Well, yeah, that is kind of cute and very apt for her name, but it’s pointless to look at it. She has no need for a stuffed animal, even if she was thinking about it earlier, and she definitely isn’t about to waste money on it. But it was a nice thought.

“Cute,” Emma laughs as she keeps walking only for Killian to tug on her arm and pull her back. “What? What are you doing?”

His lips curl up. “I’m going to win you that damn swan, Swan.”

She rolls her eyes.

He’s an idiot.

Just…a big idiot, but there’s this feeling in her gut, this dumb one that she hates, that wants him to win her the damn swan. She wants to have that experience she so craved as a child, even if she does still think that games like this are still pointless.

She wants.

In the back of her mind, she thinks back to Neal never even offering to walk around the carnival with her. He always said it was stupid and that he would not be showing up. It was never so much that he wouldn’t come here, but it was more that he was like that with everything that was important to Emma.

How could she be so stupid?

And how could she still feel like she loves him?

Loved him? Definitely loved.

There are no feelings of affection left, not even in memories. She’s just so fucking pissed sometimes.

“Killian, you don’t have to – ”

But he’s not listening to her. Instead, he’s already standing in front of the booth, cash on the table, and darts in his hand.

He pops a balloon on the first try.

“Woah, were did that aim come from?”

“I’d say the Navy, but I think it might be natural talent.”

The guy in the booth rolls his eyes, but Emma doesn’t care. He’s probably dulled the darts and gotten some kind of indestructible balloons to make sure no one wins anything, but as Emma keeps watching, Killian keeps popping the balloons. It takes him several tries and far too much money, especially when Will rejoins them and starts heckling him, but eventually he gets the stuffed Swan from the top of the rack and hands it to Emma.

It’s so dumb.

(But it’s not.)

(Things like this never are.)

Emma holds onto the swan as they keep walking around until she stops and gets something to drink. Then she hands it to Killian, who holds it in his hand that’s draped over Emma’s shoulder so that the damn beak keeps hitting against her cheek as they walk.

“You’re being obnoxious,” Emma laughs as Killian keeps poking the beak against her cheek. “You’re an actual child, Jones.”

“I’ve never said I was mature. It might also be all of the sugar I’ve had today.”

“Having one bite of a funnel cake does not count as having a lot of sugar.”

He pokes the beak in her face one more time before she turns on him so she can see the frankly obnoxious grin he’s sporting.

Maybe that little bit of funnel cake was a lot of sugar for him.

“You know, Swan, I used to think you were kind to me, but that thought is disappearing.”

“Is it now?”

“Mhm.” He wraps the swan around her neck before placing his hands on her hips. Emma glances around, searching for Will and Belle, but they’re nowhere to be seen. When did they run off? “And apparently all of our friends think we have some kind of sexual tension going on, that we’re compatible, and that’s just not true.”

His fingers inch toward her ass, and Emma cranes her neck to try and figure out how long it would take to get to Killian’s place. That’s where they’re supposed to be headed anyway.

“Oh, no, it’s definitely not true. We don’t get along at all. You’re getting a little brave touching my ass right now. I don’t think we can, you know, on the middle of the boardwalk.”

“Well, we could, but then David would arrest us.”

Emma grabs onto his hand and moves it off her ass. “Then let’s not do that. Let’s – ”

Her words die on the tip of her tongue as her gaze falls upon the last person she ever expected to see here.

Neal.

-/-

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[terrainofheartfelt]

Who do you think each Gossip Girl character has as a Disney character counterpart?

Okay I've been thinking on this for a couple days and I think I have answers that I am happy with. So, in a completely unscientific order from my notes app, here goes:

gonna go ahead and put this all under a cut bc I have a feeling I'll be long-winded.

Dan: Belle - bookworm, idealist, romantic, a little sheltered, a loving if ditzy father, has a big, stupid bleeding heart for people who are less than Nice. And, if I may add, there's a little bit of Milo Thatch in there, too: book smart, not street smart, thoughtful but eager to please, wants to do something Meaningful with his life but has his worldviews challenged when he steps outside of his comfort zone. (and yes. I am aware of the name coincidence.)

Nate: Prince Eric - sailor, himbo, amateur piner, serial monogamist drinks that Respects Women juice. Nate is absolutely the type to hear a voice/meet a girl one (1) time and be like, "yeah, that's the one." and Oh! fun fact: the actress who plays his republican gf Bree Buckley was Ariel on Once Upon a Time! I'd also say there's some Kristoff in there, too: blonde himbo that also Respects Women, doesn't know what's happening exactly, but will absolutely give you a ride to get there.

Vanessa: Megara - self-possessed, boss-ass bitch, moronsexual + Tiana - self-starter, kind, has no time for your romantic notions because she's got a five year plan and a job to do.

***these are all animated (I think), but I am editing to add that Vanessa also has Lily Moskovitz from The Princess Diaries energy. She'd so have a public access talk show called "Shut Up and Listen."

Blair: Charlotte La Bouff (from Princess and the Frog) - privileged (borderline spoiled), romantic, obsessed with stories & fashion and living out her own fairytale, but has a good heart, and cares for her friends. & Lady - lives a sheltered privileged life and is perfectly content that way until she meets those who shake her worldview (I think this is the only animal one I could come up with? idk y'all it's been a while since I've indulged in the Disney. unless you count the Princess Diaries.)

Eric: Anna - kind, clever, loyal, would go the ends of the earth for the big sister, grows up feeling lonely, Is Baby

Serena: Merida - extroverted, free spirit, a little bit wild, amazing hair, wants to break out of the mold society & her mother have set out for her (bc Lily is so Merida's mom, Elinor)

Jenny: Elsa - platinum blonde, isolates herself/lashes out at people when things go badly, extremely talented with amazing fashion sense, dad whose biggest life lesson is "conceal don't feel," lesbian.

and, because I said this in tags earlier today: Georgina is Yzma: here for no other reason than to look fabulous and cause problems on purpose. Her trophy husband Philip is Kronk - homemaker, henchman but is terrible at it, just wants to make spinach puffs and take care of the baby.

chip wiskers is Frollo from Hunchback of Notre Dame

[nothingeverlost]

Donut (Penny for Your Thoughts verse, Rumbelle)

@halfwayinlight I thought I would have this up for Christmas.  Sorry it’s a tad late.

It’s a quarantine Christmas vacation

II

“I’ll see you after the new year.”  David gave her a hug before he left the office, catching the elevator with Graham and Emma.  They were all headed for his house, where Emma would pick up her son.

“Give Mary Margaret and Neal my love, and tell her that when she gets tired of you there’s always an empty room above our garage,” she teased.  Though it was a joke she would miss him.  They’d been sharing Archie’s apartment for months now, and though they both longed for their families it had been an interesting bonding experience, bringing them even closer.

Belle only lingered a few minutes extra in the office, leaving a few surprises in Ariel’s desk for her to find.  While the rest of the team was taking the month of December off, to spend time with their quarantined families, Ariel had volunteered to liaise with the team temporarily taking their place.  Belle was pretty certain the decision had been at least influenced by the agent in charge of the team, Eric del Mar.  The first time they’d met in the cafeteria Ariel had been so flustered she’d accidentally stolen a fork.  She still kept it in her desk, jokingly calling it her lucky dinglehopper.

With one last look around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything - a month was a long time to be away from work - Belle headed for the elevator and punched the button to take her up to the lobby.  Her bags were in the back of the car; it was the first time since September she’d been home.  Not being there for Thanksgiving had been hard, but knowing she would get the whole month for Christmas had made up for it.

Archie’s car was in the carport, leaving her spot in the garage free.  Belle hoped he’d only moved out of her space recently; it was silly not to use it when she was gone, not that Archie would be driving much.  The sound of the garage door meant she couldn’t hope to surprise anyone, but it didn’t matter when the door opened and Claire raced out to greet her.

“Mommy.”  She was barely out of the car when her daughter jumped the last few feet, certain that she would be caught.  Belle scooped her up, hugging her tight.  She needed a million hours of cuddles to make up for missed time.  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, baby.”  

“You can’t go in the kitchen ‘cause it’s a surprise, but papa said that if you’re hungry I should show you the cuter board in the living room.  Uncle Archie let me help with the crackers and the grapes but not with the cheese ‘cause the knife is sharp.”  When she put Claire down her daughter still stayed close.

“I think papa probably said it was a charcuterie board, but I like yours better.”  She had to guess that it was Archie’s influence more than Gabe’s, unless he had somehow discovered pinterest and been way more bored then he let on.  “Where is your papa sweetheart?”

“He had to take Donut outside so she could go potty.”

“I don’t think I understand.”  She tried to puzzle out what Claire might mean about taking a donut outside.  None of her toys, to Belle’s knowledge, were named donut.

“You will.”  Bay chuckled as he came out of the kitchen, a towel tucked into his pants.  He probably hadn’t grown at all in the past couple of months, she just wasn’t used to thinking of him as being that tall.  When he hugged her her head fit neatly under his chin.  “Welcome home.”

“I’m so glad to see you sweetheart.  Thank you for all the videos, they brighten my day.”  Bay had introduced the whole family to Tiktok, setting everyone up with private accounts.  The rest of the team now had accounts, and shared videos, but Bay and Henry were responsible for most of the sharing.  She was grateful for the multiple one minute videos she saw each day, and often rewatched, though Claire’s fascination with the fireplace had given her more than one moment of concern.

“Of course the damn dog would decide it needed to go out the moment you arrive home.”  The back door slammed, letting in a cold breeze, her husband, and a dog.  It was an odd looking thing that could only be classified as a mutt, with a reddish brown head that looked vaguely like a retriever and a body in gray and white that looked like it should belong to another dog entirely.

“Donut?” she guessed.  Her attention only lingered on the dog for a moment.  She was much more interested in the man crossing the room towards her.  Almost three month since she’d been able to touch Gabe was almost criminal in her opinion.  Someone should be arrested

“I can think of some names that would be more appropriate for the mutt but your daughter insisted.”  She couldn’t answer, not with Gabe’s lips on hers and his hands at her waist.  God she’d missed the taste of him.  And the feel.  And the smell.

“They’re kissing already,” she could hear Claire whisper loudly.  “Do they have to take a really big breath like when you some swimming under water?”

“Something like that,” she could hear Bay reply with a chuckle.

“Hugs are better,” her daughter declared.  Belle had to laugh at that, when the kiss ended.  

“I like hugs too, sweetheart.”  Gabe was wearing one of the sweaters they had picked up on their trip to Ireland last year, and the wool was soft against her skin.  She wouldn’t mind standing just where she was for a while.

“Especially when less clothing is involved,” Gabe whispered in her ear.  Bell elbowed him lightly in the ribs.  That wasn’t fair; it would be hours before they could have that kind of alone time.  

“So is anyone going to tell me about this new addition to the family?”  No one had mentioned a dog on any of their calls, which were at least once a day.

“She was sleeping in Claire’s playhouse a few weeks ago.  We made calls but no one seemed to be looking for her.  The vet gave her a clean bill of health and a little snip snip so it looks like we are pet owners now.”  Gabe groused, but couldn’t hide a smile when he looked down at his daughter gently petting the dog and whispering confidences in her ear.  “She certainly is more comfortable sleeping on Claire’s bed.”

“I thought we should call her Goldilocks since she was in someone else’s house.  Archie voted on Snow White for the same reason.  But the short one had the final say so she’s Donut.”  Bay shrugged.  “I’m going to go check on things.”

“Things?” Belle asked as he headed for the kitchen, where she wasn’t allowed to go according to Claire.  She assumed that he was helping with dinner; Archie had mentioned something about cooking lessons with Bay which was good, since Archie knew more about cooking than Gabe by quite a bit.

“Dinner, obviously, but I promised not to spoil the surprise by sharing the menu.”  He tugged her towards the sofas, where the ‘cuter’ board was laid out on the coffee table along with an open bottle of Bordeaux.  Belle sat on the sofa next to him but turned so her legs were across his lap.

“So you decided that a six year old, a college sophomore, and a full time roommate with his six computers wasn’t interesting enough, you added a dog to the mix?”  She and Gabe were both relieved that Bay’s college was still doing online classes, and Archie being around made sense both for Archie not being alone and for help around the house, but it was a full house especially when both kids were home schooling, Archie was working from home and Gabe was working on a new book.  

“It was snowing.”  Gabe was full of bluster, but Belle knew that he’d been thinking about getting a dog anyway.  In fact she was a little surprised it had taken so long, except that they had talked about waiting until Claire was old enough to have some of the responsibility.  Gabe loved on every dog they saw at a crime scene.  “She’s gentle with Claire.”

“You’re a marshmallow, Gabe Gold.”  She kissed him on the cheek.  “I am confused by the name, though.”

“It’s your fault, actually.  You know how she loves stories about when you were pregnant, and how much you loved eclairs.”

“I always love eclairs, I just loved them a little more then.”  And Gabe, bless him, had indulged her with early morning drives to the bakery, late night drives to the grocery store, and at least a few times special flavors overnighted from out of state bakeries.

“Most people would call it an obsession, sweetheart.”  There were no eclairs on the charcuterie board, of course, but he did hand her a cracker topped with brie and raspberry habanero jelly.  “You know how she likes to say that she is mommy’s favorite eclair.”

“She is my favorite.”  It had been a joke at first, calling her baby a little eclair.  She and Gabe had spent months debating baby names; sadly between the two of them there were many names that reminded them of cases they had worked and people they did not want sharing a name with their baby.  It was a nurse who had misheard eclair and thought she was saying Claire, and the name had worked.  She and Gabe both loved it.

“Claire reasoned that her favorite treat from the bakery is jelly donuts.  Like mother, like daughter.”

“You can’t fault her logic.”  Belle laughed, even more amused now that she understood the name.  “I’ve heard worse names for a dog.”

“Bay says dinner in five.”  Claire appeared a moment later, dog at her side.  Belle scooped her up, holding her on her lap.  It didn’t get much better than holding her little girl while cuddling with her husband.  

“Good, because I’m very hungry.”

“I’m very hungry too, and Uncle Archie made…”  Belle quickly put a finger to her daughter’s lips.

“Let’s let Bay and Archie have their secret for a little longer.  They wanted dinner to be a surprise, remember?”  

“I forgotted.  I won’t say anything, okay?  Papa says secrets are good sometimes like when Bay says something is a secret or when there’s presents under the tree.  But sometimes secrets make you feel bad in your tummy and then you have to tell mommy or papa.”  Claire nodded her head wisely, explaining back what had been explained to her.

“Papa’s right, sweetheart.  You should always tell mommy of papa if someone wants you to keep a bad secret.”  She hated thinking about anyone like that near her daughter, but she and Gabe knew too much about the kind of people that manipulated children.  They’d talked a lot about how to keep their kids safe.  “But this is a very good secret. Bay and Archie are making yummy food.  And we know it must be yummy because they’re not letting your papa in the kitchen at all.”

“Hey, I can cook,” Gabe protested, though not with much vigor.

“You cook more than you did when I first met you, though that’s not saying a lot considering I think you spent at least five years using nothing more than the microwave and coffee pot.”  While no one would call him a gourmet he could pull together a meal.  Spaghetti was still his most often made dinner.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup were a close second.

“That might be true but you could still spend tonight on the sofa if you don’t watch yourself.”

“That anxious to spend the night alone again?”  She raised an eyebrow, teasing him back.

“Never again, if I had my way.”  They kissed again, over their daughter’s head, only stopping when Archie coughed politely.

“Dinner’s ready.”  Claire wiggled down first. Belle was slower, but when she stood she gave Archie a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  

“We have so much to catch up on, Arch.  We’re going to eat so much popcorn.”  

“My tivo is full of things to marathon.”  Their online marathon dates hadn’t been the same, and David had no appreciation for corny sci fi.  “It’s been killing me not to watch Star Trek Lower Decks until you got here.”  

“I can’t wait.”  She followed Archie to the dining room, Claire holding her hand and Gabe right behind her.  Bay was waiting next to the table which had been laid out in all the best china.  In the center of the table was a platter of turkey meat.  There was cranberry sauce and corn souffle and mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls, candied yams and green beans.  It was a full Thanksgiving feast.  “Oh!”

“We didn’t want you to miss Thanksgiving.  Facetime Thanksgiving isn’t really the same.”  Bay’s apron was covered in a million questionable stains, but Belle didn’t give a thought to her clothes before hugging him.

“I didn’t tell, Bay.  Not even a little bit,” Claire proudly exclaimed.  Bay picked her up.  

“Of course you didn’t, Plum.”  Bay set her on her chair.  Next to her on the ground was a dog bed and a large bone.  “Before eating remember that this is only possible because Archie taught me so if anything’s wrong it’s his fault.”

“It’s going to be perfect.”  Belle say down between Gabe and Claire, holding both of their hands.  “I am so thankful for all of you.  My family.”

[imagines-dreams]

Being the Daughter of Ariel - Descendants Headcanons

aka I dont have time to write full-length multi-chaptered fics, so I do this

Being one of the three kids of Ariel and Eric had its perks. Belle united the kingdoms of those above the shores in Auradon, including your parents’ kingdom, your aunt insisted that you and your siblings spend time in Atlantica as well.

Melody and your younger brother decided to stay in Atlantica for most of the year, attend school there, and learn more about being under the sea

You, however, spent most of your time on the shore, or more accurately, in Auradon High with your best friends, Ben and Audrey.

Audrey was more of the protector of your trio. She was blunt and stubborn, and if either you or Ben was being bullied, she wouldn’t hesitate to throw that fact that she was the “beloved princess among the fairies.” 

After all, Audrey may not wield magic, but her godmothers did, and they didn’t care about Fairy Godmother’s rules if Audrey was involved in it

Ben was the sweetheart of the group. He was waaaay too nice, to everyone and everything. He was the type of person who uses “please” and “thank you” to his phone/computer. 

He was also obsessed with being the perfect king, always studying and always trying to find ways to help people. 

His obsession with being the perfect king and Audrey’s obsession with living up to her grandmother’s standards was what got them engaged in the first place. 

When their parents told them of their plans, Audrey couldn’t say no, not to her grandmother, and Ben couldn’t say no either. 

You, however, were the fun one. You were the perfect balance between the two. Kind and sweet but stubborn and loud

You always pulled your two best friends out of the rut or out of work or out of practice or literally anything that was draining them. You took them out to the beach when Ben’s princely duties were too much, or you took them to the spa when Audrey’s grandma was being too much

You found out they were engaged verrrrryyyy late

You knew their parents were going to do it, but you didn’t think it was official

It wasn’t until you were all thirteen, three years after they were officially betrothed, when you found out

“I just don’t get it,” you groaned. “Melody got to explore the ocean when she was thirteen, so why can’t I go to one party?”

Ben hummed. “Well, our parents are trying to not repeat mistakes, you know? I’m sure they’re just looking out for you.”

“As if!” Audrey closed her book and sat up. “Our parents made great decisions at our age. Why do you think they betrothed us at ten?”

You blinked. “Wait, what?”

“What do  you mean, ‘Wait, what?’?” Audrey asked.

You shook your head and rubbed your eyes. “I thought everyone was joking when they said you were going to get married. I didn’t know it was official!”

Ben smiled. “Sorry. I guess it just never came up.”

“I have the practice tiara and everything.” She pointed at her future husband. “Benny Boo gave it to me.”

He laughed. “We’re not there yet, Audrey.”

“Well, we have to be soon.” She sighed. “(Y/n), didn’t your mom get married at sixteen?”

“No. Misconception. She went back to my dad at sixteen, got engaged when they were eighteen, and they got married when she was, like, twenty-five or something.” 

She tilted her head. “Well, either way, Benny and I are engaged to be engaged to be engaged.”

Ben blinked. “To be engaged.”

Audrey narrowed her eyes. “No, it’s three only.”

“It’s four engaged’s.”

“No, it’s three.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s four.”

“Alright!” You laughed. “Ok, ok, we get it, you two are getting married.” You clicked your tongue. “So, is it weird to think you’ll get married one day.”

“(Y/n),” Ben whined.

“What, Benny Boo?” Audrey giggled. “Am I that disgusting?” She gasped and pretended to faint. “I’m nothing! No more! How can my Benny Boo not love me? The pain! The pain!”

You laughed, while Ben went to Audrey and kissed her forehead. “I won’t mind being engaged to be engaged to be engaged with you.”

Audrey beamed. “You used three.”

“Yep.”

You shook your head. “Alright, future lovebirds, come on. We got homework. I’m not becoming a third wheel yet!”

And so that was how it went. It was just expected the Ben and Audrey would marry. And though you knew the two weren’t in love, they were good friends, and the marriage would help strengthen the kingdom’s morale. 

High school came, and the three of you were excited. Mostly the same classes, just different extracurriculars. Ben and you shared sword-fighting. Audrey and you shared singing lessons. Ben and Audrey had prince/princess/royal rulers classes. 

Your two best friends were both obsessed with the school much more than you were, though. You just participated in singing and sword-fighting. 

The only other thing that took up your time were visits to Atlantica, but that was during vacation.

Ben was in student government and tourney, and he went even more beyond by taking more classes than he needed. (Seriously, who needed to learn how to tie rope when you were a king?)

Audrey tried out for cheerleading, and was named head cheerleader by her second year. She did dancing, singing, and even joined etiquette classes, even though she already passed the required etiquette classes with flying colors.

“I have to keep up on my lessons. A queen can’t forget her manners.”

On top of that, her fairy godmothers took her out of school at the most random times. (Fairies didn’t really care for timing when their goddaughter’s mental health was on the line)

As time went on, Audrey fell in love with the idea of a wedding. An entire, kingdom-wide celebration for her and one of her best friends. What wasn’t there to be excited about?

She dragged the two of you to window shop for her impending wedding

But… Ben started showing up less and less

Audrey was too caught up in her wedding/engagement/kingdom/queen plans to really notice, but you did.

“Ben, what’s your deal?”

“W-What do you, no, you need to leave. I don’t have time to-”

“Yes, you do. Why are you avoiding Audrey?”

He was silent. “You’ll hate me. She’ll hate me.”

“No, we won’t.” You sighed and hugged him. “Ben, you’re our oldest friend. We could never hate you.”

Ben gulped. He paced the room, and you waited patiently.

“I don’t want to marry Audrey.”

You blinked. “Oh.”

“I love Audrey. I do. She’s an amazing friend, and she’d make an amazing queen, but I just… I can’t… I can’t get married to someone I don’t love love.”

Oh gods, that was big. For years, they were expected to be engaged, and suddenly this? No wonder Ben was distancing himself. He wanted true love, like what everyone’s parents had. 

“Ben,” you whispered. “Ben, how are you going to-”

“I’m not.”

You blinked. “Not what?”

“Cancelling it.”

“Ben!” You scoffed. “Ben, if you don’t want to marry Audrey, you have to cancel it as soon as possible.”

“No. I’m going to be king, and marrying her will solidify Auradon and its shaky foundation. Marrying Audrey will help Auradon, and as their prince, I must do what’s best for my kingdom.”

You sighed. “But, Ben, it’s at your own expense. At the price of your happiness. Are you willing to pay that?”

He was silent for a few moments. Then, he smiled sadly. “I have to.”

The two of you never spoke about it again.

Still, Ben made an effort. After your talk, he joined you and Audrey on your window shopping trips. He sometimes needed a break, and you would distract her long enough for him to catch his breath.

If Audrey noticed it, she never said anything.

(Audrey wasn’t dumb. She knew something was off, but she also knew that you would tell her if something was wrong, and since you didn’t say anything, she just thought Ben was stressed over being prince or something.)

Audrey started including herself more during study sessions and even offered to help Ben with his princely duties.

“I have an idea,” Audrey said once while Ben was working on student government things and you were practicing some sword-fighting stances. Once she had your attention, she continued, “Student government should have more people on it. You need a co-president, Benny.”

Ben stared at her. “I mean, I like the idea, but I don’t know who would take the job, and you have so much on your plate, Audrey.”

She shrugged. “You’re not wrong. Head cheerleader, dance leader, additional princess classes, not to mention my godmothers always take me out for something or other at the most inopportune times, so you’re right, I’m busy.” She tilted her head back and forth. “Maybe someone who isn’t going to be queen?” Audrey looked at you.

“Audrey!” Ben exclaimed.

“What? I’m right.” She sighed and looked to you. “Sorry about that, but you always said you wanted to get more involved. This would be a good way of doing it. Plus, you’ll spend more time with my Benny Boo, and both of you can keep me updated on official Auradon High news.” She smiled. “So, what do you say, princess of Atlantica?”

You bit your lip. It would help Ben out. He was always so stressed, and being a co-president would take a bit of the load off his back. But it would also mean making time for it. Between classes, scheduled visits to Atlantica, and your lessons in singing and sword-fighting alike, you didn’t have much time.

You smiled. “I’ll do it.”

(Y/n), princess of Atlantica and student body co-president

When Ben had come of age to be king, he told you and Audrey about what he thought his first declaration would be.

“I wanna bring kids of villains to Auradon High.”

The room was silent. 

“What!?” Audrey screeched. “Ben, they have magic. Not to mention who their parents are, who raised them.” She whispered, “I would’ve been on board with this years ago, when Auradon was first established, but now? They’re our age, and they can cause some real chaos.”

You sighed. “She’s right, Ben.”

Your best friend shook his head. “But, they are our age. They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That we know of!” Audrey argued. ‘There aren’t any rules there, Ben. We don’t know who are murderers and who isn’t.”

“Guys-”

“They can learn to do better here. I’m not saying to bring the villains over-”

“Guys, please-”

“On top of that, they could be thieves or sorcerers of-”

“Guys!” You groaned. “Both of you are right.” You took a deep breath and explained, “Ben, you’re too nice. Audrey’s right. Bringing in all the kids from the Isle is reckless.”

“Exactly.” Audrey crossed her arms. 

You turned to her. “But, Ben has some excellent points. Those kids never deserved to be there, and it’s our duty as the next generation of king and queens to right that.”

Ben shrugged. “So what’s our compromise?”

Audrey hummed. “Bring over only a few.”

“Yes!” You nodded. “And put them under care, under Fairy Godmother. After one school year, we bring more.”

“And,” Audrey added, “if they break a serious rule, mugging, manipulation, murder, they go back.”

You agreed, “Just like their parents.”

Ben beamed. “I like it!”

And so the VK program was born

Ben was super nervous. A few months before his sixteenth birthday, the three of you were already writing up the legal documents needed to establish the Vk program

“We need to choose four people,” Ben said. 

You gulped. “They’ll need to be the ones who need our help the most. The worst villains, the worst parents, the worst influence.”

“Cruella!” Audrey shouted. She turned over on the bed to stare at the two of you sitting on the ground. “Who wants to kill puppies?”

“You’re right,” you said.

Ben looked through the paperwork. “One son, Carlos.”

You wrote it down. “I suggest the Evil Queen. Vain, murderous, and influenced by dark magic.”

“One daughter,” Ben said, “Evie.”

“So, Cruella, Evil Queen,” Audrey recited. “What about Mother Gothel? Does she have kids?” 

Ben looked through the papers again. “Nope, no kids.”

You sighed. “Thank the gods for that. I wouldn’t be able to forgive ourselves.” You gasped. “Frollo? Any kids?”

More paper rustling. “No, no kids.”

You sighed. “Ok, ok, guys, two more.”

Audrey hummed. “Well, if we’re going for dark magic, I say Jafar. Manipulative, sorcerer, almost commited murder.”

“Yep, he has one son, Jay.”

You stared at the names. Carlos, son of Cruella; Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen; and Jay, son of Jafar.

You and Ben stared at each other. You both knew who else needed to be on that list. Ben scrambled to see if she had a kid. No need to bring it up if she didn’t have a kid.

But nope. She did. Mal, daughter of Maleficent.

Ben nodded at you. You do it.

You narrowed your eyes and pointed at your left ring finger. You’re the one that’s engaged with her. You do it!

Ben and you got locked in a staring contest. 

You lost. 

You sighed and said, “Hey, Audrey, I think I know the other one villain kid.”

“Oh yeah? Who else is super evil? Because I was thinking-”

“Maleficent,” you blurted out.

At the name, Audrey paled. She licked her lips and was at a sudden loss of words. You blinked a few times, all avoiding her two best friends’ gazes.

“Audrey?” Ben asked. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine!” She giggled and adjusted her hair. “I’m perfectly fine. It’s not like it was suggested that you bring the daughter of the evil fairy who cursed my mother and forced my grandparents to never be able to raise her. I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and shook her head.

You reached out to hold her hand. Ben did, too. 

She smiled at both of you. “Sorry.” She squeezed your hands. “You’re right. Maleficent is evil, and her kid would need help.”

“Are you sure?” Ben asked. “Because if you aren’t-”

“No, I’m sure.” Audrey nodded. “As future queen, I should be open to these kinds of things.” She smiled. “What’s her name?”

Ben looked at the papers. “Mal.”

And so, Ben was king at sixteen, and the VK program was enacted.

You were there with Audrey and Ben to greet the VKs

You saw how Ben looked at Mal, and Audrey did, too. 

Audrey, ever so stubborn, got between the two and started talking about Maleficent and about her relationship with Ben.

And honestly, you couldn’t really blame her

When Ben was alone, you caught him. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

You crossed your arms. “I’ve known you for ten years, Ben. I know that look. You had that look when you saw my sister for the first time.”

“Hey, we don’t bring that up.”

“Ben.” You grabbed his hand. When his eyes met yours, you said earnestly, “Audrey, you love her, and she deserves better than this.”

Ben sighed. “She did snap.”

“She’s not stupid, Ben.” You smiled and rubbed circles into his cheeks. “I love you, and I know that this is hard, but you need to be honest with yourself and with Audrey. What are you willing to sacrifice?”

Ben laughed. “I wish I could have both. True love and a good king.”

You shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.” You sighed. “After all, you could fall in love with Audrey, or the kingdom could fall in love with Mal. Either way, I support you.”

Ben nodded and kissed your forehead. “Thank you.”

So, for the next few days, Ben contemplated his options. You and Audrey were left in the dark.

“Mal is using magic,” Audrey told you.

Your eyes widened. “Magic isn’t allowed on school grounds.” You laughed. “If it was, I would be living in the lake with a tail.” You blinked. “Wait, what magic is she doing?”

“Hair,” Audrey said. “For other girls.”

You pursed your lips. “We should let her off with a warning. It’s small magic. And I don’t see any evil intentions.”

“Gateway magic, (Y/n)!” Audrey stabbed her food. “First, it’s the hair, then the face, then what? Suddenly, there’s an old hag wandering around, giving poison apples to unsuspecting students.” She shook her head. “Needs more than a warning.” She let out a deep breath and tilted her head up to prevent her tears from falling. “I told Ben, and he didn’t even care.”

You observed your best friend. She chomped on her food, and her usually manicured nails were hidden in her fist. 

She wasn’t happy with Mal. After all, she was Maleficent’s daughter and Ben and she had a connection

You held her hand. “I’ll talk to him.”

She smiled at you. “Thank you.”

After a moment, she laughed and wiped her eyes. “I shouldn’t be too worried, huh?” She fanned herself. “After all, I’m going to have to be queen. I have to act like one.”

“Hey.” You grabbed her hand again. “Even queens take off their crowns.”

Audrey pursed her lips and nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

You tried to catch Ben before the Tourney game, but you just couldn’t. Downside to having the most popular guy as a best friend, you couldn’t always get to him on time.

Then, they won.

And Ben turned into the biggest jerk you’ve ever seen.

You knew he and Mal had a connection, but you had told him! You told him to respect Audrey, to respect the friendship they had, to respect the love she had for him and the love he had for her, but no!

No, he had to just serenade Mal in front of the entire school, embarrassing Audrey and himself.

A king should never act like that.

You were too shocked to really do anything

But Audrey wasn’t. She was filled with rage. So, she went to Chad, a prince who always had a little crush on her, and publicly announced that she was going with him, not Ben.

After the game, you rushed to Audrey’s side. “Hey, hey, slow down-”

“Slow down!?” Audrey grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you into an empty classroom. “Are you kidding me? Why would Ben…” She collapsed into a chair and sobbed. “We didn’t love love each other, but he promised me, (Y/n).” She sniffed. “He promised me.”

You hugged her until she cried herself out and spent the day with her. 

When night fell, you stomped over to Ben’s room. Just as you were about to knock, he opened the door. “(Y/n)-”

You shoved him inside and closed the door. “You’re a horrible person, Benjamin.”

“Wait, let me-”

“No, you listen!” You growled, “You embarrassed our best friend in front of the entire school. You’re lucky she’s as influential as she is, cause if she wasn’t, gods know who this school would treat her.”

“I know.”

“You know?! Do you, Ben, because you seem obsessed with Mal over there! You didn’t-”

“I was spelled!”

You froze. Spelled? As in… magic used on him? Your eyes widened. “Oh my god, Ben.”

“(Y/n)-”

You stomped over to the door. “I’m going to give that dragon a piece of my-”

“No!” He blocked the door. “I can’t let you do that.”

You scoffed. “Are you still spelled? Ben-”

“I’m not spelled!” He gulped. “Anymore, at least.”

“Anymore? Ben, do you realize what you did when you were spelled?”

“I know. I was going to apologize.”

“And what about Mal?” You crossed your arms. “You wrote it down yourself. “Mugging, manipulation, murder. These three things will get you kicked out of Auradon and onto the Isle.”

“She doesn’t know how to make the first move, (Y/n). Spells are the only way-”

“I don’t care, Ben! She manipulated you. She made you tear down our best friend, publicly by the way, and I’m betting she did it with evil intent.”

“I love her!” Ben sighed and stared at the ground. “I can’t send the girl I love back to the Isle.”

You shook your head. “You’re stupid, Benjamin.” Your moves were limited. You were the princess of Atlantica, so the only power you had in Auradon was of study body president. And Ben was the prince, almost king. You couldn’t go against his authority. 

So, you roughly grabbed his arm and stalked through the halls.

“Wh-What are you-”

“If you’re not going to punish Mal, you’re at least going to apologize to Audrey. Oh, and good luck explaining this to her.” Because you may be fine letting Ben make his own mistakes, but Audrey wouldn’t be. If she found out, Mal and her friends, innocent or not, would be back in the Isle by morning

Ben resigned and followed you.

Ben apologized to Audrey. He got down on his knees, broke up with her, and promised he’d do anything to make it up to her. He left out what Mal did, intentionally.

“Get out,” was her only response. 

So, you stayed by her side as she cried. You tried to pry Chad off her arm, but neither of them would budge.

You contemplated telling her what mal actually did, but you couldn’t. She’d do something horrible. She wouldn’t care about the consequences.

So, you said nothing.

When Family Day came, you were trying to ignore the awkwardness between Ben, Audrey, and you and enjoy being with your family. Family Day was one of the few days you got to see your entire family.

All your six aunts, all of your cousins, and your siblings

“(Y/n)!”

You beamed. “Melody! Adrien!” You hugged both of your siblings just as Adrien stumbled. You caught him and laughed. “Still getting used to legs, huh?”

He laughed. “Let’s bring this to the ocean, and we’ll see who gets caught up in the tides.”

“So,” your older sister drawled, “any news here? You haven’t updated us in months.”

“Oh, well, Ben’s VK proclamation passed.”

“It did?” Adrien looked at the crowd. “Where?”

“No staring,” you scolded. You sighed. “With Ben, actually. Children of Maleficent, Jafar, Evil Queen, and Cruella.”

Melody cringed. “Cruellest of the cruel. How have they been?”

You inhaled. “There’s mixed opinions.”

“And your opinion?” Adrien asked. 

Your eye twitched. “No harm to the school overall, but to my friends, not so much.”

The three of you conversed, and your siblings tried to distract. The three of you sang your old favorite songs. Your mother and a few of your aunts and cousins joined, and soon you had a bit of a crowd surrounding you.

It has happened before. After all, your family was known for its music.

Then, Audrey’s grandmother, Leah, saw Mal, and, well, Audrey was still mad.

When Evie brought out a perfume bottle, you couldn’t help it. You sang a few bars. “A-a-ah!”

The water-based perfume obeyed you and dropped before it could reach Chad. 

Thank the gods for your siblings. They realized what you were about to do and stood in front of you so no one could see that you used magic on school grounds. 

When the picnic came, you plopped down at the VKs table and smiled. “Hello.” 

The four of them stared at you, not amused or happy with your sudden interest in them. 

You stared at Evie first. “Magic isn’t allowed on school grounds. This includes potions. I suggest you get rid of that perfume.”

Her only response was her pursed lips and her silence.

Then, you turned to Mal. “That goes for you, too. You’re lucky Ben loves you, because if he didn’t, I would be in charge of dealing out punishments for love spells, and I wouldn’t be so forgiving.”

You left them with that. 

“Was that wise?” Adrien asked, looking back on the villain kids. “They are villain kids.”

“And if they do anything else, I’ll bring them to the Isle myself,” you said. “Plus, apparently, still not bad at our signature aquakinesis.” 

“Yes! Exactly,” Melody said. “Let’s focus on the positives. Plus, coronation’s soon. We should prepare for that.”

You scrunched up your nose. Coronation? The thing you’ve been helping to plan all while dealing with VK’s and your best friends? Nope. “Or,” you suggested, “we could go for a swim?”

“(Y/n), no,” Meloday laughed.

“Hell yeah!” you screamed. The three of you rushed back to grab your usual mermaid necessities, your lockets, your brush, and a bag. 

When at the beach, two taps of the locket, and you and your siblings were merfolk once more. The rest of the day was spent exploring, practicing aquakinesis, and just enjoying a day under the sea.

When coronation came, you were in a beautiful gown and you sat with Audrey and Melody. Adrien was up in the balcony with the choir.

When Mal had the wand, you were skeptical. Your father had his hand on his sword already, and the rest of your mer-family was ready to sing and manipulate any source of water nearby. 

But, then, Maleficent froze all of you, and you had to watch as she teased your best friend.

A part of you was thankful that your family had never crossed Maleficent’s path. She kept on mocking the people of Auradon, and with the power she had, it terrified you just seeing her get too close to Ben and too close to Audrey.

Then, Mal spelled her, somehow, and Maleficent was just a little lizard, for some reason

… you were really just confused. 

Then, the impossible happened

Mal apologized. First, to Audrey, then to you

“I know I screwed up a lot while I was here.”

You crossed your arms and waited.

Mal continued, “I love Ben, and I love who I am when I’m with him. I’m not proud of the way it started. It was wrong to do that.” She shrugged. “But I hope that with time, you can forgive me.”

She did seem genuine. At least there was that. And she did admit that she was wrong.“Well, seeing as you did just save Auradon from Maleficent, I think that can be arranged. Thank you.” You held out your hand. “Truce?”

“Truce.” Mal laughed.

There was a big celebration afterward, for Ben’s coronation and for Mal’s defeat of Maleficent. You spent it dancing with your family and with your fellow classmates. You even got to dance with Ben for a little while. 

“I’m so sorry for snapping at you.”

“You should be.” You laughed. “I guess, something exciting was going to happen one way or another, son of Beauty and the Beast.”

“It’s a good thing it’s for the better, daughter of the Little Mermaid.” He spun you around and asked, “Are we ok?”

“We will be. With time.” You giggled. “Now, go dance!” You pushed right into Audrey, and you watched from afar as the two had a heart to heart. You didn’t hear what they said, but maybe, you’d all be ok.

After the party had died down and you had said goodbye to your family, Audrey came up to you. 

“I need a break from Auradon.”

Your eyes widened. “Did Ben-”

“Ben didn’t do anything else. Actually, he’s trying to make it better.” Your best friend smiled sadly and explained, “After the tourney game, everyone’s looking at me different, and I just… I need some time. And sweet, blondie Ben is going to talk to the school, make sure I can continue my studies elsewhere.” She shrugged. “A queen shouldn’t be around those who gossip and whisper, anyway.”

You nodded. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Aw, I’m gonna miss you, too.” She pulled you into a hug and squeezed you as hard she could. “Keep Benny in line for me.”

“Of course.” You sniffed and pulled away from her. “Write to me.”

“Always. Make sure Benny doesn’t collapse under pressure?”

“Of course.”

Audrey let out a breath. “Ok, I’m off. I’ll catch you later, sweetheart!”

And so, high school continued without Audrey.

It was so weird at first. Even though you still had Audrey through the letters you wrote each other, you didn’t have your spunky best friend to make sure you did your homework or that you kept up with your schedule.

Still, you adjusted and adapted

You hung out with Ben a lot more, the two of you going over student council things, funding, dances, and the such. 

Soon, Mal started to join you. She was going to be queen after all, so you taught her what you knew.

Things were still a bit strained, but you two worked well together.

Either way, the two of you were two of the most important girls in Ben’s life, and soon, Mal and you were able to hang out and talk without any malice towards each other

Because of that, you got to hang out a lot more with the other VKs

You saw Carlos as a little brother. You helped him deal and come to terms with his feelings for Jane. 

“I’m just so scared of her.” Carlos paced the floor. “But also I want to be scared. If that makes sense? Which it doesnt, but I just don’t know how else to explain. I mean, she’s not like scary or anything, not like how my mom was scary, but like a weird scary. Like I want to make sure I do everything right in front of her.”

You bit your lips to hide your smile. “Carlos, are you scared because you think she’ll hurt you, or because you’re worried she won’t think of you as perfect?”

“… Not the first one. Jane’s too nice to do that. No, I think it’s the other thing you said.” He shrugged. “I’m stumped. I don’t know.” He plopped down on his bed and groaned. “Maybe I should just avoid her. Ignore all of this.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope.” You sat down next to him. “I think, that you have feelings for her. As in romantically?”

Carlos blinked. 

Then, his eyes widened.

Then, his cheeks turned red.

“Oh gods.”

With Evie, you became an honorary member of her test audience. While Mal was her go to, you were her go to for the Auradon opinion. 

“Is it too much?”

You tilted your head. “I mean, no. But I do think you’d need to release a line without leather. We do have citizens who were cursed to be animals, so…”

“Good point. A leather-less line! I’ll need to look into more fabric, see what could still have the same effect. Thanks.”

“No problem!”

With Jay, it was a slow process to friendship. He didn’t think he had much in common with you

That is until he saw you practicing some sword-fighting stances

“If you keep that stance, your center of balance will be off.”

You stared at your feet before adjusting it. “What about this?”

“Still a bit too high. Lower your body to the ground, keep yourself centered.”

You shifted back and forth. “This?”

“Better.”

Since then, Jay invited you to training sessions with Lonnie and him. While you weren’t as good as they were, you enjoyed your time with them

Then, the next year came, and too many things happened in a short amount of time.

Ok, please tell me if you guys want me to continue this. I posted a few months ago for people to suggest things, but as most writing things go, no suggestions came up. So, I decided to post what I had, and if people want it, another part will be posted! Please tell me who you want reader paired with please i cant decide 

Part 2 is here!!

[kitzatara]

A little mermaid essay. Because I’m tired of y’all hating her.

A tad long so. Thanks for reading if you do.

So a lot of people call her shallow and dumb to risk everything just so she can get prince Eric’s dick. Haha yeah super funny. However, Ariel is shown to have always had a fascination with the human world and humanity in a kingdom where such knowledge is forbidden. Particularly by her own father.

She frequently finds wonderment in everyday items and is desperate to learn and study more about them. That’s always been the case. Not one person isn’t guilty of having a passion, or mild obsession. And I know s e v e r a l people who actively pursue and are more attracted to forbidden knowledge.

When she meets Eric he’s sailing. What initially attracts her to his ship is fireworks. As in one of the things she doesn’t understand, sang about and is curious about. She see’s Eric. A human who is handsome, has an animal companion (pet), is obviously fond of exploring and adventuring and also struggles against pressures from his kingdom. While listening to him ariel easily see’s kinship with him. He’s like her. Someone so different and from the workd she adores is like her.

So jumping ahead, she wasn’t initially going to ditch everything just for Eric. At first all she wants is to see him again. She doesn’t even consider leaving home. While daydreaming and crushing on the statue her father discovers the her grotto. He destroys everything she’s ever found. He destroys the statue of a human who represents all ariel loves about humanity. He firmly draws the line in the sand and makes it clear that her feelings and passions will never belong or be understood by her society of her family. (this is feeling most queer people relate too, me specifically, so do with that as you will. Hans Christian Andersen was definitely attracted to men and women soooo).

This to Ariel is a very clear rejection. She and her father’s miscommunication is what allows her to even consider Ursula. To Ariel it seems that she literally has nothing to lose. To her Triton is the villain. This allows Ursula to manipulate her as a way of extorting triton. Ursula seduces ariel by convincing her they’re both outcasts, bonded by the same rejection and that Ursula helps outcasts and misfits. Ursula is able to get Ariel to give up her voice because Ariel believes she has nothing left. No family or friends or kingdom. Her only hope lies on land where she believes she’ll be understood.

Yes Ariel is naive to believe Ursula has her best interests at heart but this doesn’t mean Ariel has made the wrong choice. Or that she’s willy nilly throwing away her family for a man she just met. Eric was always a bonus. Her humanity made real. She’d have been perfectly content to live as a himan even if he’d rejected her. But it’s Utsula who put the time limit and focus on winning his affection. Of course it’s all very natural considering he is what she wants but Ariel only agreed because she was desperate, upset, and alone.

But even distegarding allll of that. Eric and Ariel have a good love story. (YES ITS THREE DAYS LONG BUT PISS OFF ITS AN HOUR AND A HALF. WE DONT HAVE TIME TO SHOW A BIG PASSAGE OF TIME ESPECIALLY WITH A VILLAINOUS SEA WITCH ORCHESTRATING THE WHOLE THING!!!! AND ITS ABOUT MERMAIDS SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF !JEEZ MAN!)

Eric fell in love with Ariel’s voice and her action of saving him (How many princesses can claim to have saved their Prince Charming? Oh and btw Ariel and Eric tie. They save each other twice each. It’s equality). He finds her voice beautiful but can’t see her that well cuz the sun is shining behind her like the angel she is. He searches everywhere for the mystery girl and instead finds Ariel. WHO HE ALSO FALLS IN LOVE WITH. HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HER TWICE WITHOUT REALIZING IT.

While she’s staying at his castle he falls in love with her personality. Her excitement and wonderment. Her adventuressness and boldness and literally decides to GIVE UP THE MYSTERY GIRL BY CHUCKING THE FLUTE INTO THE SEA SO HE CAN DATE HER. It’s a very powerful and symbolic gesture. Eric sacrifices his fantasy for the real Ariel. It’s nowhere near as big of a sacrifice but it counts nonetheless. How many princes have sacrificed to be wity their princess? This sacrifice is only ruined by Ursula using Ariel’s voice to bewitch him. (Ever notice that “Vanessa” looks suspiciously like ariel in the sunlight? I’m c o n v i n c e d. That she’s using a glamour or spell to appear as the features he saw. Darker hair, different shape because it was wet. He just couldn’t tell it was Ariel).

So then once Ariel is reunited with her coice Eric realizes that the girl he’s fallen in love with and the mystery voice that infatuated him are one and the same. And he risks his life to fight the sea witch to save her. Ariel saves him a second time and then Eric impales Ursula, saving her for the second time. They just can’t stop protecting one another which is very sweet snd endearing.

Ariel is a bad ass and Eric loves her just as much as she does. If after all this you still hate her fine. But oversimplifying her story to “dumb mermaid wants dick lol so stupid and sexist” is a disservice to the character and this unique twist on the story. Again thanks for reading this essay rant.

[writinginstardust]

Pining For A Prince | Part 1

Pairing: Keith x Lance 

Warnings: little bit of language

A/N: So I saw this adorable Disneyland AU by @caelestee a couple of weeks ago and was obsessed with the idea of this AU so I decided I needed to write it. It’s the first Klance thing I’ve ever written but it’s also one of my favourite things I’ve ever written so 🤷‍♀️ It’s primarily Klance but there’s some background Romellura, Hunay and Adashi too. I don’t know how long this is going to end up being and how long it’s going to take to update every time but it will be finished eventually so I hope you stick with it if you enjoy it!

Word Count: 2663

*

Keith wiped the excess sweat from his brow as the little girl and her family walked away. He was boiling alive in the early-afternoon Californian sun but seeing the smiles he put on the faces of the little kids who came up to him made it all worth it. Contrary to popular belief, Keith actually wasn't as shy or brooding as most people assumed, he just naturally gave off a loner vibe in everyday life. He was great with kids and he loved being able to make others smile, his job at disneyland was a dream.

A soft gasp met his ears and he turned towards the sound, finding a young girl with bright red hair tugging on her mother's arm not far away.

“Mummy! Mummy! It's Prince Eric, I have to meet him!”

“Okay darling, go ahead.” The girl squealed with delight and ran towards him as her mother followed at a more leisurely pace.

“Ariel! Could it be? I've been looking everywhere for you!” Keith expertly feigned his character's surprise and joy at seeing ‘his princess’, his reaction making her giggle, the sound purer than anything he'd ever heard.

“Noo-o-ooo-oo,” her laughter broke up the drawn-out sound into more syllables than it should have been as she shook her head, “I'm not Ariel, she's my favourite princess though!” Keith gave her a thoughtful look as he crouched down to her level.

“Are you sure? You look just like her!” The girl giggled and blushed some more. “If you're really not Ariel then what's your name little princess?”

“Esme, but I'm not a princess, Prince Eric.”

“Esme, huh? Well that's kind of a pretty name. Princess Esme, it's an honour to meet you.” He stood and gave her a little bow before crouching down to talk to her again. After a few minutes she was ready to move on.

“Can I get picture please?” She asked before leaving.

“Of course princess!”

The girl's mother took out her phone and Keith posed with the girl for a couple of photos before also signing her autograph book. He promised to tell Ariel all about her before she met her later and the girl walked away with a grin wide enough to split her own face in two.

“Well who knew Mr brooding could be so charming? I may just swoon.” The teasing voice of Matt, or as he was known to park guests - Peter Pan, came from right behind him and he almost jumped out of his skin. He looked around quickly, seeing that the immediate area was mostly clear.

“Jesus, Matt! Warn a guy next time.”

“I'd say sorry if I was.”

“I appreciate that. And obviously I can be charming, I had to be to get the job. It remains a mystery how a menace like you managed to get cast though.” He smirked at his friend who just shrugged and grinned back as they both headed towards a cast member-only area for a break.

“Why do you think I got Peter Pan?”

“How's it going with your sister as your new Tink?”

“She's doing good so far, definitely has the mischievous persona down, and she's warming up to all the meeting and greeting.”

“That's good to hear. Honestly I was surprised when she told us the news, I always thought she hated kids.”

“She doesn't really, she's not a fan of the idea of having them but she's pretty good with them when she tries.” Matt shrugged and grabbed a bottle of water, downing the whole thing before reaching for another as Keith did the same. He almost choked on it a second later as a voice he'd recognise anywhere reached him.

“Keith! Matt! What's up guys?” Lance. Neither he nor Matt could reply immediately, Keith too busy choking and Matt laughing at him. “You okay buddy?” Lance came over to him and clapped a hand between his shoulders in an attempt to help.

“Yeah...I'm good.” He managed to splutter out and Matt finally managed to stop laughing.

“Great. Well, I've gotta get back out there, Allura's waiting on me. I'll see you both before the parade!” Lance disappeared almost as quickly as he'd arrived and Keith was left staring at the space he'd occupied just moments ago. His brain struggled to catch up with the swiftness of the interaction as it continued to fixate on where Lance's hand had rested on his back.

“If you don't stop with the dewy-eyed schoolgirl look in the next five seconds I'm telling everyone about your crush on Lance.” Matt threatened after spending a good 30 seconds waiting for Keith to snap out of it. The threat had the desired effect and Keith whipped his head round with a glare so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash.

“I will kill you if you even think about it, Holt.”

“I'd like to see you try.” It was an empty challenge, they both knew Keith would easily beat Matt in a fight but they also knew Keith would never hurt a friend. “But seriously, you should ask him out anyway.”

“Not unless you stop making heart eyes at the girl from the gift shop and actually talk to her.”

“Hey! I'll make a move eventually.”

“We all know that's not true, Matt.” A new voice joined their conversation.

“Shut up Shiro, you don't get to judge when it took you 3 years to ask Adam on a date.”

“Touché. You're still hopeless though.” He grinned as Matt scowled and Keith gave him a high five, glad to have someone on his side.

“Not as hopeless as your brother - the Prince of pining.”

“True, it must run in the family.” Keith shot his brother a betrayed look.

“Et tu, Brute?”

“Keith, you've had this crush on Lance since your sophomore year and you barely ever even talk to the guy, you brought the teasing on yourself.”

“Don't you have work to be doing?” Keith's voice was almost a growl, siblings really were the worst sometimes.

“Nope, I'm on a break. I've got a full 20 minutes to irritate my little brother.” He grinned the kind of grin which strikes pure fear into the heart of a younger sibling for it promises the kind of mischief and evil only an older sibling has the power to rain down on them. Keith, all too aware of the depths to which he and Shiro would go, wisely decided to make a swift exit at the sight of it. Yeah, he still had about 10 minutes of his break left but he decided just to take some extra time before the parade. No way was he going to suffer through Shiro's teasing if there was another choice.

“Well in that case I'm going back out. See you later guys.”

“Later Keith!” Matt called after him as he practically jogged away.

“You can't escape this forever Keith! I'm going to tease the shit out of you back home!” Shiro's not-quite-farewell earned him the middle finger from Keith and his answering laugh seemed to follow Keith even after he was well out of earshot. Brothers really were hell.

*

An hour after his brief encounter with Keith, Lance's hand was still tingling as if some of Keith's very essence still clung to it and the constant reminder was only prolonging his internal freak out. He spun Allura with practiced grace as they performed together for a small crowd in New Orleans Square but even the feeling of her hand in his couldn't rid him of the memory of how it had felt to touch Keith.

Finally their dance came to an end and Lance spent a few minutes talking to the kids and taking photos alongside Allura before they headed off to get ready for the afternoon parade. He couldn't keep the grin off his face or the spring from his step as they walked over to where the rest of the cast members gathered, so excited to get to see Keith again. However briefly that may be. The boy was beautiful, Lance was unafraid the admit that, especially in his Prince get-up, and even just a glimpse of his smile could make Lance's heartbeat go wild.

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly when he'd started developing a crush, certainly it was back in high school sometime. Back when Keith had been little more than a brooding shadow at the back of his classes, an enigma that Lance had spent far too much time trying to figure out instead of focusing on his studies. Knowing it was hopeless though, he'd buried that crush deep down for a long time and moved on, that was, until they'd both gotten cast as princes at Disneyland and Lance had found himself falling all over again.

It had been a shock, if he was honest, that not only had Keith auditioned (Keith! brooding, slightly menacing Keith wanted a job at Disneyland!), but he'd actually got the job. Knowing what the job entailed meant re-evaluating everything he'd thought he knew about Keith and, with this new perspective on the guy, Lance knew he was screwed. And that was before he'd seen him in costume!

“Someone's excited to see his Prince Charming it seems.” Allura's smirk was clear in her voice and Lance didn't even bother to turn his head to see it.

“He's Prince Eric, not Prince Charming. Wrong movie Allura.” He replied without thinking and it took a few seconds for him to realise his mistake. “Shit.”

He could feel the triumph radiating from the girl beside him and wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow him up right there. Allura loved nothing more than to tease him and he'd just handed her all the ammunition she needed to make his life hell for at least a couple of months.

“Oh my god! You finally admitted it Lance! I finally got you!” She bounced along beside him and clapped gleefully. “Oh this is perfect!”

“Allura, I swear if you breathe a word to anyone else I will stop helping you with Romelle.” He didn't particularly like having to use that threat, he wanted Allura and Romelle to get together as much as anyone, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She pouted at that but agreed.

“Fine, I won't say anything but nothing you can do is going to stop the teasing. And I am sooo helping you get him, it's now my mission in life.”

“You're a nightmare.” He rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation but his voice was fond.

“Yep, but that's why you love me...almost as much as you love Keith.” She grinned and ran ahead to join the rest of their friends before Lance had a chance to retaliate and he sighed once again before walking over at a more leisurely pace.

“Lance!” Matt and Pidge yelled in sync, identical mischievous smiles on both their faces as they waved him over. He didn't trust those smiles one bit.

“Hey guys, how's it going?” He asked, somehow managing to keep his suspicion out of his voice and off his face.

“Oh same as ever, just now with the added entertainment from my darling sister.” Matt pulled said sister into a side hug which looked to be crushing the smaller girl.

“Fuck off Matt.”

“Language Pidgey! This is Disney, no swearing allowed!” Lance gave her the disappointed parent look and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“You can fuck off as well.” The two boys just sighed.

“You really are a delight to be around you know?”

“I try.” Her smile was falsely sweet as she batted her eyelashes before something behind Lance caught her eye. He watched with growing dread as that smile turned downright wicked and spun around to see what caused it. His stomach dropped as he saw Keith and Ezor a few feet away, deep in conversation, whatever Pidge had in mind was not going to end well for him.

“Keith! Dude come over here!” Keith looked over at the shout and Lance saw his face twisting with some sort of emotion he couldn't decipher as he saw the three of them. Ezor, however, looked knowingly between them and smirked before dragging over a reluctant Keith.

“Fancy seeing you here,” She said by way of greeting, still with that oddly knowing look.

“Considering it's their job as well as ours, that shouldn't be so surprising.” Keith helpfully pointed out.

“You're no fun.”

“Leave him alone, it's not his fault he's intrinsically grumpy.” Pidge finally managed to extract herself from Matt's hug in time to properly tease Keith.

“I hate all of you.”

“Liar.”

“Pidge, if you called me over just to be mean then I'm going. Maybe the princesses will be better company.” Lance felt himself wilt slightly at the prospect of Keith going, the break before the parade was one of the few times in the day he had a chance to have a proper conversation with him. Even when he could hardly manage to say a word, he could at least be in his presence and sometimes that was enough.

“Y'know, I expect they would be. YO ALLURA!” The heads of all the girls whipped around at the yell. “Bring your princess troupe over here, these guys are boring.”

“Coming!” She, Nadia, Romelle, Shay, and Nyma came to join them though the rest of the princesses elected not to, they'd never really gotten comfortable in this particular group of friends.

“What's up?” Nadia greeted them and Lance zoned out the conversation for a bit. Keith had shuffled closer to him to make room for the girls and he became uncomfortably aware of the heat radiating from him even through the heat of the day. He spent most of the next 10 minutes sneaking glances at Keith whenever there was no attention on him. He couldn't help it, whenever he was around him his gaze was drawn to the boy like a magnet and he was long passed trying to resist the pull.

“Alright, 5 minutes to show time, everyone in place!” Coran interrupted both Lance’s thoughts and the group’s conversation, all of them heading off to their respective floats. He chanced one last glance at Keith, only to find him already looking at him. Cheeks heating alarmingly, Lance whipped his head back round and boarded his float where Allura was waiting, a falsely innocent smile on her face as she pointedly didn’t look at him. It was a deliberate tactic to irritate him into talking to her and letting her tease him. He knew this but he still asked anyway.

“What’s that smile for.”

“Oh nothing, just planning you and Keith’s wedding, it’s going to be beautiful, a private beach ceremony at sunset, fireworks later, fairy lights everywhere, you two sneaking off to dance and kiss on the beach and under the stars during the reception. Shiro will be Keith’s best man, Hunk yours, your niece will be the cutest flower girl ever and Pidge, Romelle, Veronica and I can be your bridesmaids. You can do the bouquet throw and we'll all let Shay catch it and Hunk will be all flustered as it gives him the courage to finally propose to her. Everyone will be happy crying and we'll all eat too much and drink too much and we'll have the biggest party ever. No one will ever want it to end. It will be even better than Shiro and Adam’s.”

“Shiro hasn’t even proposed yet.”

“I know, but I have their wedding planned already as well. Yours will be better though.”

“I’m not marrying Keith, Allura, it’s just a crush. An unrequited one at that.”

“Sure it-” before she could finish their float started moving and they had to quickly get into character. It was hard for Lance to concentrate with Allura’s teases circling around his brain. He had to admit, she had planned his perfect wedding. Right down to his perfect groom.

[hereticalheraldry]

Disney Princesses’ trauma types

IE, definitely the darkest take on Disney I have ever done!

(see this post on trauma types)

Lots of Disney characters have had Adverse Childhood Experiences (death of mothers, to start with!) and exhibit signs of traumatic stress. Below are my guesses as to their chosen coping mechanism.

What 4F trauma type is each Disney character below (Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn)

Snow White (dead mother, dead father, abusive and neglectful stepmother, stepmother literally tried to have her killed): It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, but I’d say it’s Fawn-Flight. She is unerringly sweet. Her immediate reaction when in any form of danger (with a strange man, the huntsman, or the dwarves) is to try to appease, appeal, and make friends. She also has a ton of energy (flight), which she channels into obsessive cleaning, though she doesn’t seem to edge far enough into that to call it OCD. She also literally ran away in a segment that makes obvious how her fear drives her to flight.

Cinderella (dead father, abusive and neglectful stepfamily treats her as a slave): another Fawn-Flight. Unfailingly kind and sweet. So desperate for friends that she befriends the MICE. Also an incredibly hard worker (though tbf, her stepfamily forces that on her). When traumatized by stepsisters yanking to pieces her clothing (both a destruction of her hard work and a physical assault) she literally runs away into the garden to cry. She also runs away from the ball at midnight rather than turning back right there and explaining to the prince that she only got to go to the ball through magic because her family is abusive and probably stole her inheritance. Cinderella gets the wish that many with CPTSD have: that somebody would swoop in and rescue them! She gets rescued twice: by her fairy godmother AND by the prince.

Peter Pan (abandoned in Kensington Gardens and brought up by fairies, who are not the most emotionally stable beings out there): Flight. Classic ADHD: response: runs all over the island fighting, flying, and crowing. (Also literally flies.)

Ariel (dead mother, controlling and abusive father): Freeze-Flight. Instead of trying to please her excessively harsh father, like her hard-working singing sisters, Ariel ditches not only practices but CONCERTS in order to get away from her father and lose herself in her collecting hobby. She has a secret place where she hides in order to fantasize about having a different life in an entirely different place, away from her family. Her friends attempt to persuade her that life on land is impracticable for her. But when her father destroys her hidey-hole, she is retraumatized and resorts to flight to someone she thinks can fix her problems for her by making her human and sending her to the surface: she therefore literally runs away, and tries to get both Ursula and Eric to save her and get her away from her father.

Prince Eric: Surprisingly non-traumatized! I mean, as far as I remember.

Belle: non-traumatized? (at least to start with. I mean, we can always suggest Stockholm Syndrome later...) DOES seem to think she’s entirely different from everyone else around her (a common CPTSD symptom). Maybe traumatized by mother’s death? Bullying from the neighbors? Becoming a parentified child to take care of her absent-minded (though affectionate) father? Unaccustomed poverty? In any case, except for the trauma of her father’s near death and her own imprisonment, she is unusually competent and calm. If she edges toward anything, it’s probably Freeze-Flight: she has a pronounced capacity to become absorbed in fiction and ignore everything around her. When irritated by Gaston’s insulting and bullying proposal, she physically retreats entirely from the village in order to sing about how she wants to leave her poor provincial town for the great wide somewhere. She is fixated on escape, either mentally or physically.

Beast (dead parents, raised by servants who deferred to him rather than parenting him): Fight-Freeze. Hides in his castle; when encounters people is an ASSHOLE. Interestingly, Fight-Freeze types are notoriously hard to treat. Belle might have a future in psychotherapy if she can build better boundaries.

Aladdin (dead parents, has to eat to live, has to steal to eat, ostracized by his community, frequently threatened with death or maiming for theft): feels entirely different from the rest of the world. Flight. frequently in a state of frenetic energy, though a lot of that is because he’s stealing food and escaping the cops. His idea of a great date is to get Jasmine away from the palace: to escape and help her to do the same. intense feelings of shame and inferiority (despite his insistence that there’s so much more to him). He tries to hide from Jasmine the truth of his low-rank identity, though he does eventually recognize the need to tell her the truth.

Jasmine: surprisingly untraumatized (mostly just a healthy assertive), considering what she’s been through (dead mother, parentified child of a nice but absent-minded father who, judging from his looks, is closely related to Maurice; isolated from peers and almost everyone but her pet. I mean, there MUST be servants in the palace, but all you ever see are the guards...) She recognizes when people are treating her unfairly and says so, which makes her unusual among Disney heroes and heroines!

Simba (father died, was told it was his fault, was forced to leave home, almost died in the wilderness, subsequently raised by a couple of irresponsible weirdos): Flight. Literally runs away from his problems instead of facing them. Keeps himself busy with Timon and Pumbaa in order to occupy his mind.

Pocahontas: Non-traumatized! (Dead mother, but strong emotional connection with father and strong emotional support system in her community. Not to mention a maternal figure in the shape of a talking tree in whom she can confide.) DOES feel different from everyone else in her community, though. (Are you sensing a theme?)

John Smith (father died when Smith was 16, he left home, went to sea, served as a mercenary, engaged in piracy, fought the Ottomans): Flight. Constantly on the move: seeing new places, meeting new people, and killing them. Overachiever. Can’t sit still in England. However, he does have some healthy assertive skills and is able to stand up to people in power.

Quasimodo (holy emotional abuse, Batman!): Freeze. Taught that the outside world is cruel and wicked and that he can only be safe inside the cathedral. Daydreams to the point where he almost believes the gargoyles come alive and talk to him. Manages to overcome his Freeze instincts to save Esmerelda.

Esmerelda: Not traumatized, despite apparent lack of living parents and her position as an oppressed social minority. Probably the result of loving parenting while they were alive and strong community support from the rest of the Roma of Paris. Another heroine with healthy assertive traits!

Phoebus: Not apparently currently suffering from traumatic stress (though may have had periods of it in the past: he’s a crusader, after all). Surprisingly well-adjusted.

Hercules (kidnapped at a very young age and taken away from a one life to be placed in another, ENTIRELY different life. Despite strong emotional support from adoptive parents, has been rejected and bullied by his community. Feels he is entirely different from everybody else [I mean, he kind of is]): Flight. Yes, that’s right, flight, not fight. Hercules may be a “fighter” but he is a SUPER non-aggressive guy. Gentleness embodied. Feels he has to achieve something huge in order to be worthy of love and affection from the world (and especially from his divine father, who has literally told him that he has to earn his way back to Olypus by becoming a True Hero). Tendency toward despair when the people whose love and affection he thought he had (Phil and Megara) abandon and betray him. Eventually earns everybody’s love and affection--which is not the greatest lesson ever. Shouldn’t Disney be teaching us that we deserve love even if we never become heroes?

Megara (super traumatic history): Fawn-Fight. Puts the good of the people she loves WAY before her own, to an unhealthy level (sacrifices her own soul in order to save a man, who then abandons her). Seems sarcastic and rough, but heart of gold underneath. Acts like she’s superior, but actually feels enormous guilt and shame, with low self-esteem. Won’t say she’s in love.

Mulan (inconsistent expectations from her family and community. Sometimes her family supports who she is, defends her, and puts up with her unusual behavior; at other times they join with her community in criticizing her [lightly if frequently]. They apparently did not teach her society’s gender roles but then expects her to abide by them in public): she feels entirely different from everybody else and that she has to prove herself. Doesn’t know who she is inside. CANNOT behave the way she has been taught she should; is clearly triggered by a criticism from her father. Flight. Seems almost hyperactive, can’t keep silent when her society tells her she should. Driven to act and to succeed in order to prove her worth and bring honor to her family. Again, EARNS everybody’s love and respect in the end.

Shang: Possible inferiority issues from his relationship with her father. Not enough data.

Mushu (constant criticism; scapegoated by the ancestors): Flight. Has channeled this coping mechanism into ADHD (and humor). Feels the need to prove he is worthy of his spot (I mean, the ancestors TOLD him he did...)

Tarzan (storm and fire killed everyone around him in his infancy; parents had to resettle entirely alone in an alien land; parents were brutally killed right in front of him; he was nearly killed and eaten twice by a leopard; adopted by nonhuman animals; rejected by father figure and much of his nonhuman community): Realistically, I WOULD say that Tarzan should not be able to learn to SPEAK, since he doesn’t appear to have acquired language until his mid to late twenties. However, the film makes clear that the gorillas have a complex spoken language that can convey complicated thoughts like, “Jane will stay with Tarzan”. Feels entirely different from the rest of his community (he is). Scapegoated and constantly criticized for being different. I genuinely don’t know what his style is. lol

The elephant in tarzan: It’s been too long since I’ve seen this film, somebody do this one lol

Cuzco (dead parents, running an empire in his early twenties, nobody has apparently ever taught him limits, appears to have a very emotionally isolated life): Fawn-Fight. Extremely narcissistic, though his character development reveals that he does have a conscience underneath there somewhere. Charming but highly self-centered. Good with words and fast-talking, so may be Flight or gifted. Behavior improves quickly and immensely when provided with the emotional support (and healthy boundaries) of an ersatz family.

Lilo (loss of both parents; being parented by a highly stressed and very young adult who is struggling with poverty and her own trauma): Flight. Gifted, imaginative, ADHD, constantly into everything, constantly in trouble. Sometimes slides into Fight with defiant behavior.

Nani (loss of parents, pressure of having to parent her little sister and provide income for both of them at a very young age): Fight. Her temper gets the better of her when she’s upset, but she’s really trying.

Marlin (loss of his wife and all his children but one): Freeze. Constantly hiding from the perceived dangers of the world and trying to teach his son to do the same. Very nurturing of his child, despite his difficulty overcoming his own trauma. Considering he is a Freeze type, going on a big journey to save his son demonstrates ENORMOUS bravery.

Dori (???): Flight-Freeze. ADHD, constantly on the move, can’t sit still, just keeps swimming, just keeps swimming, swimming, swimming. I include Freeze because her difficulties with her memories may be a dissociative effect of trauma, and dissociation falls under Freeze.

Tiana (loss of beloved father, poverty, traumatizing lifelong experience of systemic racism, somewhat ameliorated by loving and supportive mother): Flight. The classic driven, achievement-obsessed workaholic. Always seems to only be halfway there. Fate helps her overcome these tendencies by forcing her to fail in her quest to become human again (and therefore to open her restaurant), though she actually does succeed soon after anyway. Actually, DID she overcome these tendencies? Like, she toned it down enough to maintain an apparently lasting romantic relationship, but she might still be a workaholic...

Naveen (highly critical parents): Flight. Constantly traveling care-for-nothing that can’t seem to stick to anything. Deep down has low self-esteem about his lack of achievement and how he can’t seem to please his parents. Demonstrates some symptoms of ADD or ADHD. Tiana and Naveen demonstrate how “Flight” behaviors can results in two very different character types!

Rapunzel (holy shit: kidnapped in infancy and raised by a woman who is demonstrably emotionally abusive and negligent and literally is only keeping her alive for her hair. Imprisoned in a tower almost entirely without company her ENTIRE LIFE. Demonstrates painful mood swings between delight and horrific guilt when she finally escapes for the first time. I seriously wonder how long her mental recovery took after Mother Gothel’s death...): Flight-Fawn. Overachiever, constantly doing EVERYTHING, EXTREMELY QUICKLY (cleans the entire place top-to-bottom between 7:00 and 7:15 AM). Literally runs away. Makes friends immediately with almost everybody she meets, including a gang of hardened, violent criminals. Wants desperately to be loved, but believes very quickly that Eugene doesn’t like her after all and has abandoned her. Note that it is not Rapunzel that kills Mother Gothel but Pascal. Rapunzel is so emotionally traumatized that she probably could never bring herself to “betray” Gothel in any real way.

Eugene Fitzherbert (orphaned; raised in an institutional setting, which is notoriously traumatizing. Poverty, social rejection): Flight. Channels his immense energy into complicated and daring heists. Adrenaline junkie. He thinks he wants to rest on a deserted island with an enormous pile of money, but I can guarantee that he would get antsy after a week (at most) and go back to his life of crime in order to distract himself from his pain.

Merida (was in a life-endangering encounter with a bear as a young child; her father was maimed. Has emotional support from her father, but her mother--primary caregiver, especially of a daughter--is highly critical): Flight. Tons of energy, adrenaline junkie, climbs a frickin WATERFALL, overachiever in her chosen hobbies. Greatly dislikes quiet pursuits like embroidery, possibly because they leave too much time for contemplation, and she needs more distraction.

Elsa (almost killed her beloved younger sister by accident, treated by her parents as dangerous and frightening, almost entirely isolated for most of her life): Freeze (HAHA) and Flight. Has been taught to retreat alone from a world that will reject her. Experiences enormous shame and guilt for herself, her gifts, and how dangerous she can be. Classic perfectionist. Attempts to protect herself and others by shutting down all emotions. When she fails, she literally runs away to live entirely alone forever to escape the storm of the rest of the world, because the cold of isolation “never bothered her anyway” (an obvious lie she has taught herself). “Let It Go” sounds like an anthem of freedom, but Elsa is actually literally running from her problems and from any human connection.

Anna (almost died as a small child, which she doesn’t directly remember, but may still cause her traumatic reactions. her beloved older sister SUDDENLY refused even to SEE her, and her parents wouldn’t talk about it, so she probably felt in some obscure way that there was something wrong with HER,  that it was all her fault. Then isolated almost entirely in the palace, and certainly isolated from other children, followed by the death of her parents and the CONTINUED isolation from her sister and anybody other than servants): flight-fawn. she seems possibly a little ADD, a little hyperactive (rides her bike around the halls), impulsive. VERY friendly and sweet to almost everybody she meets, desperate to make friends. Dreams of being rescued through marriage to a prince that she loves at first sight. Desperate to be loved.

Moana: probably NOT traumatized, for the most part. She DOES feel entirely different from everybody else (”what is wrong with me?”) because her instinctive love of the ocean has been criticized and squelched by her father and her society. However, despite her father’s clear struggle with his own trauma from the survivor’s guilt of his best friend’s drowning, this is one of the healthier families/societies we see in Disney! The silence around the death of Chief Tui’s best friend is meant to be kind, but I think Tui probably needs to talk it out more, and while I understand why they didn’t tell Moana about it as a young child, I feel like she SHOULD have been told before her father’s reactions to her hurt her own self-image: he’s actually just projecting his own guilt onto the daughter who is so much like him. She is less traumatized than she might otherwise be because she has both her mother, and especially her grandmother, to confide in. If Moana has a trauma style, I would say it’s Flight: she’s an overachiever who is constantly rushing from one task, one way to help, to another. In a deleted song, she also talks about walking around the island so much that she knows exactly how many steps it is to the ocean. She always wants to get away. All of this is classic Flight. Chief Tui is Fight. he’s not aggressive, but he IS controlling.

Maui (Most of the trauma in this film comes from Maui. he was abandoned as a baby, and probably almost died. grew up with the knowledge that he was not wanted by his parents. grew up away from human society): Flight-Fawn. Has spent the rest of his life trying to earn acceptance, love, and gratitude from humans. Constantly does crazy and death-defying tasks to try to win them over., but It never brings him true fulfillment. He clearly DESPERATELY wants to be recognized, celebrated, and loved for his achievements and his gifts, which makes him into a brash show-off.

[worryinglyinnocent]

The Real Housewives of Storybrooke

A ficlet series based on this premise here, following the lives of Storybrooke’s elite wives, with all the scandal, bitching and backstabbing that goes on behind the scenes of high society…

This verse is open for prompts!

====

Previously on the Real Housewives of Storybrooke: Zelena gatecrashed Ariel’s birthday party, and Ariel decided to nope on out of Storybrooke with Eric.

[Part One][Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Part Five] [Part Six] [Part Seven] [AO3]

====

REGINA

Naturally, Storybrooke being what it was, all exciting news, gossip and potential scandal travelled fast, and Zelena’s unwanted appearance at Ariel’s party was all anyone in the Storybrooke social media sphere could talk about. 

Regina put her phone down with a sigh, deciding that a break from Twitter and Facebook was probably a good idea for a while. Ariel and Eric had had the right idea with opting out altogether and taking the boat south for a while. Too much drama made life hell, although Regina enjoyed her share of it in small doses.

 Right now, she had to focus her energy on Victoria Belfrey, who seemed determined to remodel the entirety of Storybrooke on a large scale and turn it into some kind of Stepfordian Belfreyville. Regina had gone through pretty much every inch of the town charter and all the local by-laws, but it seemed that Victoria and Fiona were always one step ahead of her, and she was now at the stage of hoping for a miracle to prevent this new development from going ahead.

There was a knock at the front door and Regina peered out of her study window to check for green sports cars in the drive. She had not spoken to Zelena since Ariel’s party; she’d ignored her calls and was refusing to respond to her texts. Considering how much her sister had embarrassed her that evening, she’d thought that Zelena would have taken the hint, but no.

The drive was empty, and since Zelena never walked anywhere if she could take the opportunity to flaunt her latest vehicular acquisition, Regina thought that she was safe to open the door. It seemed ridiculous, hiding from her sister like this, but Regina simply didn’t have the energy for a confrontation on top of everything that was happening at work.

Robyn was standing on the doorstep, her huge hiking backpack slung over her shoulders and her cheeks red and stained with recent tears.

“Can I stay with you and Dad for a while, Aunt Gina? Please?”

“Of course, honey. Whatever’s the matter?”

Robyn dropped her backpack in the hall and accepted Regina’s hug.

“Mom,” she grumbled. “We had another fight. God, she’s so embarrassing.”

“You’re telling me. Come on, I’ll make you some cocoa.”

“It’s the middle of summer, Aunt Gina.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t need cocoa to make everything better. Besides, it’s overcast today.”

Robyn gave a weak laugh and followed Regina through to the kitchen, where all the paperwork for the Belfrey development was spread out on the table. Robyn looked at it with interest.

“That’s not even the half of it,” Regina said. “Most of it is out in my office but I ran out of room and I had to overspill.”

“This is terrible. They can’t build on the old playground site. I know it’s not safe as a play area anymore, but it’s so overgrown with wildflowers and plants; it’s gone back to nature. I’ve seen baby deer there, and rabbits by the dozen.”

“I know. I’m doing my best to block it but I’m running out of options.”

“Tilly and I could help when she comes up next week,” Robyn said. “We’re not doing much else this summer. Apart from college applications,” she added hastily on seeing Regina’s pointed look. “And if you think about it, this would look really good on my application. Organising a petition and protests against a new development, trying to protect a site of natural beauty.”

“All right, I’ll give you that.” Regina cleared the papers to one end of the table and brought the cocoa over. “So, what’s my sister done now?”

“Ugh, all this business with Ariel’s party.” Robyn sighed. “It’s all she’s been able to talk about for the last two days and I just got so sick of it, so I said that maybe if she was nicer to Ariel and her friends in the first place, then she’d actually get invited to these things of her own accord. I mean, no-one’s going to invite you to a party when you spend half your time insulting the other guests. I know how close Ariel and Belle are, and Mom’s never been kind to Belle. Anyway, I said that no-one owes her respect and invitations, and everything just escalated from there until I couldn’t stand to be in the same house as her.” She took a huge gulp of cocoa and nearly choked on it. “Has she always been like this?”

Regina nodded. “I think it comes in part from our childhood. She’d always been an only child until she got a younger stepsister in the form of yours truly. Neither of us were great at sharing. Coming to think of it, we were both pretty bratty whilst her father was still alive and married to my mother. But anyway, she was obsessed with fairness and making sure that she and I were treated exactly the same. I think maybe that’s carried over into adulthood. She just wants whatever I have, for the simple reason that I have it and she doesn’t.”

“Must have made life difficult when you and Dad got together.”

“Yeah.” Regina had never intended to end up marrying the man that her stepsister had previously had a daughter with, but life was strange and apparently her family was even stranger.

Robyn returned her attention to the Belfrey plans with renewed interest. Regina had to admit that she did have a point; maybe it was time to start looking to the local community for help in this affair. Hopefully Belle would be able to help on that score.

X

MARY MARGARET

“It’s been nearly a week. Can’t people find anything else to talk about?”

Mary Margaret sighed as she wheeled Neal’s stroller into the Mother and Baby group. It was always the place to come for gossip among the Storybrooke elite, but today the only gossip was Ariel’s party. Ashley Herman was at the centre of it all, which was to be expected. Ashley knew so much about everyone else’s lives that Mary Margaret wondered if she’d installed spy cameras in her neighbours’ houses. It was a shame that she’d become so catty of recent years; hers was a true Cinderella story and it would have been very romantic had Ashley not decided that she needed to retain her place in society by throwing as many of the fellow women under the bus as possible.

Mary Margaret unstrapped Neal from the stroller and carried him over to the gaggle of wives to accept a much-needed cup of tea, and she tried to change the subject to the Belfrey development.

Ashley sniffed emphatically. “I heard that Cameron Gold is trying to stop it because he buried his first wife under the play area and he’s afraid that she’ll be discovered if it’s dug up for new building.”

Mary Margaret immediately regretted changing the subject.

“The first Mrs Gold lives in Los Angeles with her new partner,” she said, as patiently as she could possibly muster. “Bae spends Thanksgiving and spring break with her. She is not buried anywhere.”

Ashley looked rather put out by this correction and steered conversation back to Ariel. Mary Margaret took a sip of tea to fortify herself and looked around the room. There were a couple of new faces since the last time she’d come to the group, two ladies with a chubby little one in a stroller, standing to one side in a corner of the room looking rather lost. No-one was making any effort to include them in the conversation groups going on, and Mary Margaret knew exactly why. A little smile crept over her face. Time to give everyone something else to talk about.

“Who are the new arrivals?” she asked, cutting Ashley off mid-flow.

“Aurora and Mulan Briar, and I believe that the child is called Philip. They were here last week, too.”

“And we’re not talking to them because…”

“I would have thought that was obvious.” Ashley sniffed again, and Mary Margaret almost asked her if she was coming down with a cold.

“Oh, so you’re not talking to them because they’re lesbians? Good to know.” Mary Margaret grinned. “Do excuse me, ladies.”

If there was one thing that Mary Margaret had to her advantage among all the Storybrooke housewives at the Mother and Baby group, one privilege that she could definitely use to the benefit of those deemed to be outsiders, it was money. She was easily worth more than anyone else in the room, and her wealth garnered more respect because it was hers alone and not gained through her husband. In this place, money talked. Ashley might be the head of the group and the gossip Queen Bee, but it was Mary Margaret who set the tone. No-one wanted to lose association with that kind of money.

She went over to Aurora and Mulan.

“Hello, ladies. I don’t think we’ve met before. Mary Margaret Nolan, and this is Neal. Who’s this gorgeous little one?”

The transformation on Aurora’s face was immediate and wonderful, breaking out into a genuine smile as she unstrapped her baby from the stroller and brought him over to meet Mary Margaret.

“This is Philip. I’m Rory, by the way, and this is my wife Mulan.”

“Pleased to meet you both. Have you been in Storybrooke long?”

“No, just a few months. We moved just before Philip was born; we were in Boston before. We didn’t want him to grow up in a big city, you know.”

“Not that Storybrooke seems too different in terms of social niceties,” Mulan muttered. She was holding Rory’s hand tightly, almost defiantly.

“There are bitches wherever you go,” Mary Margaret agreed. Maybe before she’d become a mother and she’d still been young and idealistic about the world, she would never have dreamed of maligning her fellow women in such a way, but the more she saw of the society she inhabited, the more she began to despair.

The next half an hour was taken up with discussing the babies and culminated with Mary Margaret inviting the two new mothers over to her place for coffee later in the week. She gave the gobsmacked Ashley a cheery wave across the room. She was not normally a spiteful person and she did try to see the good in everyone, but there was a limit even to her pleasantries, and Ashley’s expression would remain with her and cause a smile for a long time to come.

“Thanks for rescuing us in there,” Mulan said as they left the group and began to make their way towards their respective homes. “I was beginning to regret going. I mean, it would have been ok if Rory had gone on her own. No-one would have cared then.”

“I wanted you to be there,” Rory said firmly. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m not married to a woman just to be accepted into society. And you’re every inch as much Philip’s mother as I am. I just happened to be the one who gave birth to him.”

Mary Margaret was certain that she was going to end up very good friends with Mulan and Aurora Briar.