#i need to float down a river for a while man lol

[simplyghosting]

Me: Oh boy, I finally have some time and energy to work on my own projects.

My dad walking in about to give me a 3hr lecture on planning for the future and careers:

[smoosnoom]

hello moonie :] i listened to the songs u gave me and !

i really really luved 'how soon is now?' by the smiths and i definitely need to listen to them more !!! im so obsessed w how he sings certain lyrics it sounds So nice (literally listneing to the song rn as i type lol)

u were right abt me enjoying 'crybaby' by destroy boys a lot as i already know that song and its one of the 2 or 3 songs i know from them lol . its really really good

i Immediately added 'saturnine' to my main playlist once it was over !! the chorus is So nice to listen to i really luved it !

i had forgotten u said u were going for the vibe of floating in the ocean and when listening to 'andromeda' i literally thought 'this song feels like floating down a river or something' . the way she sings 'let me in if i break / and be quiet if i shatter' was So. gah . its good.

as for my recommendations:

summertime - my chemical romance

heaven, iowa - fall out boy

unpunishable - ethel cain (the chorus of this song is Everything)

so far so fake - pierce the veil (1:30-on, but especially 2:25-~3:00 is Beautiful. i . luv guitars .)

and bonus song because its all that stuck in my head currently : bury me in black (demo) - my chemical romance . very different from the other ones lol .

ok that is all i think :> i hope your week is good and not stressful and that any writing block u may have is broken <33 also do not worry about answering this quickly i am So ok w patiently waiting until ur able to answer please do not feel bad if it takes a while ok byebye ily

yes omg ok i am such a fan of the smiths . which is probably my biggest red flag LOL but i cant help it !!!! theyre so good !!!!! and i think half of it is just how morrisey sings some certain words . he is such an asshole but Damn it if he doesnt make his songs unique .

i think u already knowing and liking the song is so crazy but also . i am kind of proud of myself for guessing right on ur taste :D

im honored !!!! and yes i have a whole playlist about just . songs that feel like floating around on some mystical beach, its based on this freaky dream i had but . if u ever want it ...

ohhh i should say . i am in fact an mcr and fob fan LOL . i have already listened to both those songs, summertime is sososoooo good but so is the entire album, and ive been loving the new fob album :D i think my personal favorite is maybe . well ok i have three LOL "love from the other side", "heartbreak feels so good", and "i am my own muse" ofc . i feel like i picked the most popular ones 😭 theyll probably change ! also . completely unrelated omg but ive been . kind of . crushing on a specific white man ok and specifically ethan hawke and then imagine my surprise when i see him on the album ??:W?? what the hell was that . what the he lll . anyway .

ok i listened to unpunishable and i love love loveeeeed the section after 3:30-ish . like it was soo like . metallic sounding with her vocals and the ringing guitar and it was just so everything . it made me want to write something crazy so badly, it was amazing !!! ive only heard a few songs by her but this one is definitely top three for me i think . wow

i did have . a pierce the veil phase for like fiveseconds in middle school LOL but i enjoyed this one !!! i got flashbacks to 2018 but i really did enjoy it :D i think ill always like their sound, its always so . indulgent . i did really like the bit at 2:25-3:00, i didnt even realize u commented on it LOL i was like Wow . wow . it was so so good

oh i loveee bury me in black . that entire era will b so close to my heart forever i think and its just so . good . oh my god . the brash guitar and drums are soooo . i need them permanently playing forever and ever

ok sorry for giving u a whole essay 😭 i just had a lot to say i think LOL

but here are mine !!!!

if u liked how he sings certain lyrics then u would loveeee "a rush and push and the land is ours" by the smiths . the way he sings rush and push . oh boy

are u a fan of p!atd ? i think u would like them even tho i am brendon urie's biggest hater . but ryan ross ... loml . anyway . "new perspective" is so underrated and one of my favorites, very reminiscent of the 2000s pop punk scene !

also a more like . "weird" sounding song but its so so good . "girls & boys" by blur ! its one of their more popular songs but it holds up so so well

and . in honor of me purchasing a radiohead poster . i think u would love radiohead . i recommend . "just" . a popular song but i think u would absolutely enjoy it and My Bad if u have already heard it before . if u have i would not be surprised !!! i think it trended on tiktok for a second ? idk

anyway . thank u so much for being so so patient, it means everything to me :) i adore the songs u recommend me and i was kind of itching to answer this to get some more recs LOL . ok byebye ilyt !!!!!!

[virtuissimo]

Fox Curio's Floating Bookshop: Ch. 12

Previously on:

Roost is a-buzz with gossip about the events from the Tent of Living Stories. Rabbit bookseller Espuma is forced to endure a bad sales pitch (lol). Nikki came in and revealed her intentions to leave Roost for good and move somewhere in the middle course. Mr. Down explained Roost's lack of academic excellence. Espuma spent all their hard-earned money at Roost's shops. Basically, a lot of small things.

DAY TWO OF BUSK: Hearing from old friends

Weather: J, K (Hail all day)

The day came up dreary, odd for so late in Bloom. The days are getting longer and warmer, so a little cloud cover once in a while isn't too bad. The white sky and hail do mean, however, that the customer base was rather thin.

I took advantage of the quiet to make myself tea, have a seat and think. I reflected on what happened that night by the River with my cloaked figure and the child. In the flurry of activity, I heard many rumors of the tale, mainly from people who hadn't even been present. Most thought he was to blame, and more than one person attributed the child's rescue solely to Rex.

Clearly the cloaked animal saved the kid. But it still left me with questions. How did he discover the child? Why were the children being called to the water? Why did the cloaked animal need the book on the Deluge?

My first customer of the day was very happy and seemed almost excited about the change in the weather.

"Do you think Brimming is coming?" he asked earnestly. "I don't like it on the River after all... This is my first year here and I'm ready for it to be over!"

"Well, it sure isn't for everyone. I'm just getting my footing myself," I smiled. "I gotta say, though... There's still a whole month left before Brimming comes. It's only just about to be Burn." He laughed at that, and asked for his book of poetry. I recommended a great collection I first heard about in Rueberry.

A small badger woman (small for a badger anyway) came in later, looking for a book on art and design. She told me she was a weaver and in particular made rugs with beautiful designs. She gained inspiration by looking at art from other creators and artisans. She was very charming and I asked if I could buy a rug from her someday.

I began to oil the till and the clockwork, both to keep busy and because I hadn't done it in a while. A young couple came in, giggling and in love. One was a frog and the other a toad, both women. They whispered to each other and ducked into an aisle to conspire. I could tell instantly, though, it may not have been obvious, that they were in love. I became wistful, remembering my past romances. People from back home, and the handful on the River.

It was easy for me to jump into intimate relationships, but much less so for me to truly build a connection, to let myself be carried away by emotion. I became lonesome and resolved to write to some of the people of other villages.

The turtle salesman came back in.

"Oh, why, hello! How are you today, little lady?"

"I'm still not a lady."

"Oh, that's right! Well, I'm Vinny the Man, and I've got a deal for you!"

I sighed.

"Right here, if you'll look at this invention from the top engineers in Thistle Down university, an automatic tomato-slicer!"

"Autom-"

"Yes! As you can see, any salad you make will be instantly elevated by completely uniform tomato slices, and what's more, it takes no time at all! If you will just lend me a tomato, I can demonstrate for you."

"I don't have any tomatoes."

As with the time before, my gentle refusal seemed to take all the wind out of his sails. He tried to keep going for a minute before resigning and leaving once more.

Other than these few, It was mostly empty. A few people stuck their heads in, a few made purchases, but it was by no means a full day.

Ava Bird came later in the evening, and I was surprised to see her since she'd told me riverstriders tended to travel most of the year round.

"I'm assigned with Roost-duty during the end of Bloom!" she answered. "Since this town has no post office, I deliver letters and packages and then wait a few days for them to send outgoing mail. It gives me a break, too."

"Well, what brings you here to the shop?"

"You've got a letter from Rueberry!"

It was from Goz, the teen echidna at the music night on my last day in Rueberry!

"Dear Mx. Espuma,

I wanted to write to you because we only got to meet a few times when you came to town. I didn't really get to tell you everything I felt, so I put it here. My family is pretty big and they are busy with everyone else. I'm the oldest and my best friend frowned in the River last Brimming, so I've had a lot going on in my head lately. The music night made me remember that other people are alive and looking for peace in their hearts. Please write me back, because you are my hero for bringing this to my life. I'm going to put on music nights of my own, although it won't be as good without you.

-Goz"

I was touched to hear from them and to learn about their struggles. I decided to write back and I put some cheesy parsnips to cook to have with Ava between writing my letter. While they baked, I wrote to Goz, thanking them for their letter and encouraging them in their music journey. I recommended they ask Jamie for help, since he helped me so much with the first one.

This was also my first time making a proper meal on the River. I had all the ingredients, and the flavor seemed to be good, but cosmetically my cheesy parsnips definitely left a lot to be desired.

Ava was pleased to wait, since she typically was in quite a hurry.

We were eating and chatting when the topic came back around to Ava's family back in Thistle Down. Her daughter, Pluma, was 6 years old, and Ava always struggled with motherhood.

"My wife is Cindy Diver," she told me, "and we met when I was starting my career in Port Imes. She's from Thistle Down originally, but I'm a portie. Anyways, she loved our nomadic lifestyle for the longest time, until she wanted kids. Well, I was head over heels for her, I mean, just twitterpated. So I agreed to settle down in Thistle Down. Could not be farther from Port Imes, but I'm a riverstrider, so what's distance to me?

"I was off work and she was fishing for a while, but sedentary life was killing me, so I started work again when Pluma was three." Ava sighed. "You know, I wanted a family with Cindy. I was a wife more than I am a mother. But Cindy is a mother more than a wife. So I feel like I'm letting her down, and Pluma at the same time."

I decided to tell her about my parents. They split up when I was young. Both of them were more husband-wife than they were father-mother. So when they split up, it was like the family had simply dissolved. They tried to go back to their lives before each other, except now suddenly I existed. And so I went to live with my grandmother.

Ava teared up a little and said Pluma means so much to her, and she's putting all her spare energy into being a good mother for her.

It was an invigorating chat! I asked her to stick around, and I wrote another letter to Ebenezer, to maintain contact with someone.

I wrote:

"Hello, Ebenezer! I'm writing from Roost, just one town over. Things are busy here, though the cliques and secretiveness is definitely in full force." I described what happened with the child in the River. "How are things for you, dear friend? Tell me about your life, your friends, your work. I hope we meet again soon." I thanked Ava for her patience, and she thanked me for the meal, and she flew off into the rain with two letters in tow.

Inventory: 449 Till: 278 Customers: 44

[dollycas]

Sunday Salon / Sunday Post – A Week in the Life of Dollycas – Weekly Rewind – New Arrivals

The Sunday Salon is a Facebook group that has become an informal week-in-review gathering place for bloggers. It is also a place to share our thoughts about things of a bookish nature. You can also link up weekly on Readerbuzz. The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE! Last Saturday Daughter #1 and her family, Son #2 and his family, Natalie and her mom, Mr. Dollycas, and I set off for a weekend of family fun. We formed a convoy and headed to Green Bay. There was rain in the forecast so we had to switch our plan up a bit. Our first stop was Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Some of us had been there before but for others, it was the first time. After Mr. Dollycas and I got our free scooters, the 13 of us embarked on a stadium tour which included visiting the premium sky boxes, the roof, the tunnel the players run from out to the field and out on the field itself all while learning the history of the Packer organization and the stadium. We had 2 tour guides, 1 leading the tour and one with the stragglers, like me. My scooter driving left a lot to be desired but the man had the patience of a saint. After our tour, we visited the Packer Hall of Fame. It is filled with displays and interactive things for kids young and old. After the Hall of Fame, we checked into our hotel, had a quick lunch, and hit the hotel's water park. The kids had fun and so did Mr. D. and I. They had a chair lift to get me in and out of the pool and I loved getting in there to play with them all. They also floated around the lazy river and flew down the slides. Before we left we hit the hot tub and my old bones and muscles loved it. Our day wasn't done though, we changed and headed to a nearby park that was having a festival with food trucks, live music, booths selling everything from crafts, produce, and windows, and a hot air balloon glow. While we were parking the air balloons were up but by the time we reached where they were, they were taking them down due to another storm moving in.  We stayed and listened to the music while the children used up some of their never-ending energy. On the way home we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for supper. It was the first time Mr. D. and I had been to a Texas Roadhouse which the kids didn't believe. We live such sheltered lives. LOL Sunday we went to our original destination, Bay Beach Amusement Park. It is a park full of carnival rides and food. Each ticket is just 25 cents and each ride needs 1 to 6 tickets. We overbought and ended up gifting several to other people in the park. The Ferris wheel behind us in the picture is handicapped accessible so Son #2 and I were able to enjoy the ride. Some of the others were in the gondola right behind us. The views of the bay from the top were amazing! None of us were ready to head home but it was time. I live for days/weekends like this. After my accident in 2001, I had a prognosis of 5 years. There was a cyst on my spinal cord and if it ruptured the doctors thought that would be the end. I was told to live every day like it was my last. Here I am 23 years later. I have faced some stuff over the years that should have broken me. Some days are harder than others and I am ready to throw in the towel. Then there are weekends like last weekend that bring me so much joy. It's true - “Tomorrow is not promised, and the past cannot be changed therefore, live each day to the fullest and know that every new day is a blessing.” — Nishan Panwar How was your week? Weekly Rewind - August 19 - 24, 2024 Monday - My Reading Itinerary Monday! – Week #34 – 2024 Tuesday - A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor (A Food and Spirits Mystery) by Darci Hannah #Review / #ARCGiveaway @authordarcihannah @KensingtonBooks Wednesday - Cozy Wednesday featuring Keeled Over at the Cliffside: A Delicious Seaside Cozy Mystery by Nancy Stewart #Review / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour Thursday - Phoning in a Murder (Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series) by Elaine L. Orr #Spotlight / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @elaine.orr1 @ElaineOrr55 Plus - Book Blast – A Corpse at the Witching Hour: A Food Blogger Mystery by Debra Sennefelder Friday - Death and the Visitors (A Mary Shelley Mystery) by Heather Redmond #Spotlight / #ARCGiveaway @KensingtonBooks Saturday - Cayman Conundrum: A Liz Adams Mystery by Stacy Wilder #Spotlight / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour @authorstacywilder @wilderstacy I hope you have a fabulous week! Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent Read the full article

[pendragon1400]

Long post. Really nothing important just a theater script I made for creative writing class, than put in my university's art journal. Wanted to put it on here just for fun.

The Eternity of Hades

THE CHARACTERS

The Delivery Man Hades

Cerberus Zeus

Thanatos Aphrodite 

Alexander Oracle of Delphi

Hermes Persephone

Scene One

In a dark cavern-like location, a man stands nervously in front of a black archway surrounded by jagged rocks. The man is carrying a large bag and peers around the edges of the archway.

Hades jumps out from around the corner of the archway, dressed in ancient Greek robes.

Hades: Ah! There you are! A bit late, I must say. Did you lose your way? I told Hermes that we needed signs along the river.

The Deliverer: No, it’s literally too hell to gone. Here’s your pizza.

Hades smiled: Much obliged, do you take cash? Or would drachmas be preferred?

The Deliverer: Cash is fine.

Hades pulled money out of a pocket and handed it to the Deliverer.

Hades: Thank you!

The Deliverer holds the cash in hand, as he walks back towards the rocky pathway.

Hades enters an area that resembles a form of Grecian temple, with a large dark red velvet sofa in the corner, where a dog is sleeping.

Hades: Cerberus, down! Just because mommy is not home does not mean you get to ruin her sofa.

A long deep tolling bell sounds through the room. Hades retrieves his mobile device while balancing the pizza with one hand.

Zeus (Through text): Bit of an update, Miranda is heading your way. Hera found out about “certain” activities LOL. Anyway, could U send Thanatos after Ares? He has been a constant irritation lately, as usual. U coming to the party Tues?

Hades places the cell phone down with a long stare of suffering only known by those who are kin to Zeus.

Hades: Why did I not block his number?

Hades sits beside Cerberus taking a slice of olive pizza. A dark figure with black wings floats into the room and grabs a slice of the pizza.

Hades: (With a scoff) Thanatos, you could have asked.

Thanatos: When is Persephone returning?

Hades: Two weeks. (He sighed) 

Thanatos nods before he heads out of the room and back through the black archway.

Aphrodite: Hades! Hades!

Hades chokes on his pizza, as he stares off at the archway. Reluctantly he places the pizza down.

Aphrodite stood before the arch; she was wearing a new tight pink sports outfit.

Hades: Aphrodite, what can I-

Aphrodite holds up one hand with a sour expression. 

Aphrodite: I want you to return what you stole from me.

Hades: (Frowning slightly) I don’t have anything that belongs to you, I rarely go up to Olympus, for a reason.

Aphrodite: Oh, please!  I want Alexander back.

Hades hesitates before he retrieves his phone from the table. 

Aphrodite: What are you doing?

Hades: Talking to Thanatos, he is the person you should be speaking with as well. I do not take in the dead.

Aphrodite: (Waved her hand in dismissal, her bracelet jingling in the process) Alexander died, and I want him back.

Hades: No, I’m sorry.

Aphrodite: What do you mean no?!

Hades: Ever since Orpheus and Eurydice, I swore off returning the dead.

Aphrodite: (Crossing her arms, with pursed lips) “What if it was against his destiny to die?”

Hades: Well Destiny is shapeable Aphrodite. It can be changed by a single act. I will release him if you can find evidence he was taken too soon. 

Aphrodite: (Smiling with a smug look) I will. I get what I want.

Hades: What did I get myself into?

Scene Two

Hades is seen walking around a room, in a robe with a bowl of ice cream in his hand. Cerberus is laying on the sofa, while a mirror is displaying the image of talking people, who appear to be in distress.

Aphrodite: “Hades!” 

Hades turns the mirror off, then walks towards the door, he stops as Aphrodite comes inside, dragging a woman wearing a white dress behind her.

Aphrodite: This is the Oracle of Delphi; she will tell you Alexander’s fate.

Hades: Yes, I am aware who this is... How did you convince Apollo to let you-

Aphrodite releases the Oracle, shoving her forward a few steps.

Aphrodite: Tell him!

Oracle: Alexander’s fate, was to become the favored of Aphrodite before he gained eternal comfort and peace by her hand.

Aphrodite: See? He is supposed to be with me and in the comfort of Olympus.

The Oracle furtively slinks out through the archway.

Hades: No, I do not exactly see your point. He was destined to die. What did you do anyway? Please tell me it was not another Troy situation.

Aphrodite: What do you mean? Comfort? Peace? That is your idea of death.

Hades: Yes. I don’t exactly rip out peoples’ livers you know! I make sure that everyone who comes to my kingdom is as welcome as I can. Except for Pirithous.

Aphrodite: Life is so desolate then?

Hades: No, it’s not Aphrodite.

Aphrodite flounces off stage, while Hades sits down with his phone. A cell phone buzzes as a text message from Hermes is displayed.

Hermes (Through text): Update, we just got a new plant for the natural world courtesy of Apollo!

Hades paused as the phone buzzed again,

Persephone (Through text): See you in a few days <3.

Hades: (Smiling as he reads his texts) Life is not desolate at all.

End.

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Ok let's go!

First off, the difference between the swedish cover of the movie vs the english cover is kinda hilarious to me

Anyway, the plot:

Tommy and Annika, Pippi's best friends and her biggest fans, have been hanging out at her house until 23:00, making their parents very upset when they return home. They tell them that they're not allowed to go to Pippi if they can't come home in time.

Annika thinks their parents are unfair, while Tommy is into this book about running away. Annika is like "maybe we should run away so that our parents stop nagging at us"

Next day at breakfast, Pippi comes over and asks what Tommy and Annika are up to today. Their mom answers for them: "They need to pick weeds from the strawberry field". Tommy and Annika do NOT like this because it's such a nice weather, and Annika throws a tantrum over how unfair this is.

She then notices Tommy's book about running away and is like "That's it! I'm running away!" Their mom does not really believe it, so Annika is like "ok bet" and runs off. Tommy runs after, literally shouting "BYE, MOM!! WE'RE RUNNING AWAY!!!"

Their parents are left with Pippi and look at her like "... you don't think they were serious?" and Pippi is like "I think they were lol. Maybe I should run away with them", and their mom exclaims "OH PLEASE PIPPI DO!!! I KNOW YOU TAKE CARE OF THEM SO WELL!!!"

This is not the first time Pippi is put on babysitting duty. The last time they left Tommy and Annika in her house for 3 weeks, causing the three of them to travel to the south seas to rescue Pippi's dad from pirates.

I also want to add that Pippi is 9 years old.

Anyway the three are now on the run! And they sing a song called "Mors lilla lathund" ("Mother's little lazy dog"). It's not about a literal dog, but about someone's child who does not want to do the work today, "I'll do it another day". I personally think it's a bop.

Especially the "tycker du som jag, tycker som jag så gör jag det en annan dag"

They reach a pond to rest a little, and here we get to one of the most MEMEABLE moments in swedish cinema. "Tommy laughs"

You don't understand how much people meme this. It became a SPARTA REMIX and everything.

Anyway, it starts raining and thus they find an abandoned house. Except, nope, it's not abandoned, and a vagabond lives in there!

His name is Konrad and he's chill. He sells glue called "Konrad's party glue" and apparently it can stick to anything. So Pippi tries it on her shoes and starts to dance upside down on the ceiling.

She does this for a while until Tommy and Annika go "but Pippi! You can't dance on the ceiling!" and Pippi answers "That's right, it's impossible!" and immediately stops doing it.

It's a running theme with Pippi in this film that she keeps doing magical and impossible things and then Tommy and Annika go "but wait you can't do that" and she immediately stops.

Anyway they continue on their runaway adventure. I don't recall the details rn as I'm just going from memories, they find a barrel and Pippi tells a story about how she's ridden in one before. Annika is like "nah you're making it up" and Pippi says "Don't believe me? Ok I'm gonna climb inside this barrel and you're gonna roll me down to the water". So they do that. And Pippi floats away in the river.

Tommy and Annika get super worried and are like "oh no she's dead I'm sure :(" Pippi meanwhile is like "oh look a waterfall nearby! Neat!"

Pippi gets up from the river and finds a bike without wheels, and decides to ride it around. She's just vibing.

Then she finds Tommy and Annika again! Happy reunion! Sadly they don't have any money, so they decide to go around singing to the locals. But, one of the locals is an angry man who doesn't like noise... so they glue his shoes to the ground with Konrad's party glue that they took from Konrad earlier.

Then the kids jump on the roof of a train to travel faster. Here they start singing "the summer song" which we literally sometimes sing on the last day of summer holidays in Sweden. That, and "Ida's summer song" from Emil.

I've always kinda giggled when Annika is like "And I have brown legs, just like it should be" (referring that she's gotten tanned in the sun) and Tommy replies "And that's why I wanna sing that brown legs are good"

After a while however, they notice a man with a wagon of hay passing by, and decide to jump off the train and down in the hay.

They come to his farm, and he's like "hey hitchhikers! Leave!" - but he's kind enough to let them sleep in the barn for the night.

I don't recall if it's before or after they sleep in the barn, but Pippi battles with a bull on the farm. That happens. Anyway.

Anyway the farmer's kids come into the barn to chat with them in the evening, and they start to share swear words they know. Annika apparently knows the WORST swear word... which is... *drum rolls*... "SHIT BULLOCK"

Pippi screams shit bullock into the night and the farmer, who had taken in the animals for the night, turns around like "tf was that sound"

The next day Pippi decides to fix up a broken car so that it can work again. She pours Konrad's glue into the gas tank, thinking this'll surely help. The three then head off in the car, with the farmer screaming after them that THEY CAN'T DRIVE!!! THEY'RE KIDS!!! and Pippi is like "yeah sure but I'm Pippi Longstocking and I can drive with my feet"

The car starts to FLY IN THE SKY because Konrad's glue just was magical or something. So they fly around for a bit before they crash in the water.

They take this opportunity to swim around a bit... BUT, a cow comes and eats Tommy and Annika's clothes. And Pippi is like "you should have swam with your clothes on like me"

Anyway now they have to wear sacks as they try to get money for new clothes. They sing for locals again, to no success. So Pippi gets an idea to dance on a rope in town. Tommy and Annika go around telling people if they wanna watch they need to pay one crown - everyone who doesn't pay has to close their eyes.

As Pippi is doing her acrobatics, a cop shows up and is like "it's illegal to do these circus tricks without permission..." so they have to stop. But it's ok, because they got enough money to buy some new clothes!

However, the police catches them. He says he needs to know where their parents are. He gives them some juice and then tells them that sadly he needs to lock them in for the night before he finds out where they're coming from and where they might go.

Pippi however, the second he leaves is like "yeah sadly we can't stay" and breaks out of prison with Tommy and Annika.

They meet up with Konrad again! He's not doing much, he's just chilling as per usual. Also their horse, who had ran away earlier. Now with their horse back, they decide to head home.

Tommy and Annika's parents are super happy to have them back, and the funniest part is that their mother, out of everything that happened to them on the runaway trip, was the most shocked that a cow ate their clothes.

In the middle of the night, Pippi wakes Tommy and Annika up. She is outside of their window, and has started flying around with a broom. She found the broom in an earlier scene and it didn't lead to a payoff until now.

Tommy and Annika a final time go "Pippi! You can't do that! That's impossible!"

And Pippi almost is about to give up. But, then she goes "Can't? I can! I can every-every-EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!" as she flies around on her broom.

That's where the movie ends.

Now some Astrid Lindgren movies are more unhinged than others, but this one truly was at another level.

Does anyone want to hear me yap about why Pippi on the run is the most unhinged Astrid Lindgren movie

[kiwi-backup]

Sellsword | Viktor x Reader | SFW Pt. 1

Premise: You and Viktor grew up together and became each other’s rock. You lost touch after being forced to leave and find your brother who went missing. After years of getting by as a skilled sellsword, you arrive in Piltover for a new job, and to catch up with the man you always vowed to protect. 

Warnings: This part is SFW, but the next part will be NSFW. Just fluff and reminiscing in this one. Mentions of physical disability & light teasing about it (from kids), fair warning. 

(This is long, buckle up lol)

Viktor had never known another friend like you. Comrades had always been a rare thing for him, especially as a child. 

He thought about you often, even as the years went on without another sight of you. Each day that passed, Viktor kept you in his memory—in those longing thoughts for what used to be.

Viktor pondered one specific day in particular. You were floating in the river, carefree as usual with your face to the warm summer sky. Viktor stood there hesitantly on the bank, leaning into his cane, dressed in his own tattered swim trunks.

He couldn’t help but take in how easily you relaxed and found wonder in the small things, despite coming from the undercity like he did. Viktor seemed to bear the weight of that reality much more than you did, as you never let it deter you for even a moment. 

“Are you coming in this time, Vik?” You had called from in the water, glancing his way. 

Viktor swallowed hard and adjusted the cane beneath him, as if that were an answer in and of itself. He gave you a weak smile that vanished faster than it appeared. 

“Come on, Viktor, it’s hot out today. It’ll help you cool off,” You returned, rolling back into a crouched position in the water. You waded there despite it being more shallow, eyes on Viktor sympathetically. 

“I don’t know...” Viktor said quietly, casting his eyes down. 

Viktor wanted to swim with you like he always wanted to, but his leg made it an intimidating feat. He was afraid of the short distance he would need to move in order to climb in. He didn’t trust his legs to get him there without embarrassment. 

“You shouldn’t have to watch me have all the fun. I can help if you’d like.”

Viktor felt a slight wave of guilt at that. He didn’t want to need help. He wished he could run in with you and not have to worry about his body giving out on him. It made things much harder for him. 

Viktor took a deep breath and slowly made his way closer to the edge, leaning against the cane all the while. He toed the edge and looked down at the water as it ran by and glistened beneath the sun. 

He wanted nothing more than to feel the cool sensation against his skin, and to be there with you. His one friend willing to stick by his side through it all. Viktor was always afraid of letting you down, no matter how often you stayed anyway. 

“Looks like the cripple is attempting to swim today.”

Viktor noticed how quickly your head turned at the voice of a young boy stood across the river on an elevated rock face, on the border that lead to topside. Several other kids stood around him and snickered, all eyeing Viktor maliciously. 

“Not when he slips and falls first!” Another sneered in his direction. 

Viktor’s heart shattered immediately, and the shame washed over him. His eyes fell to his feet and he cursed that setback of his. 

“Shut up!” You had shouted at them, standing at your full height in the river. 

Viktor lifted his head at the sound of your voice, and he wanted to tell you not to defend him. To not get yourself on their bad sides too. 

But you were different from the other kids. Born with a natural skill when it came to defending yourself and others, they didn’t mess with you. The damage your fist could make was known among the children of Piltover. 

You reached for the river rocks below and chucked them in their direction, narrowly missing as a warning. 

“Shut your mouths or I’ll bury you!” You screamed at them, teeth grit all the while. 

The kids scattered at once with their squeals, afraid of what you were capable of. Truthfully, you were just as much of an outcast as Viktor, since most of them feared you and your fiercely protective nature when it came to the boy. 

Viktor swallowed hard while he watched them run as fast as they could, and the last rock clunked against the ground. He heard as the water was disturbed, and he noticed you were half a step away from him, hand extended. 

“Don’t listen to them, Viktor. They’re a bunch of snot-nosed brats,” you growled, visibly trying to shake the anger. “I’ll help you in, just trust me okay?” 

Extra weary from their taunts, Viktor found it hard to do just that. His wide eyes met yours, and in that moment, he felt as those fears were quelled just enough for him to put a hand in your palm. 

You arranged yourself accordingly to help Viktor find a more comfortable position, dropping his cane. Carefully, you guided him into the water, completely unfazed by the assistance. 

It never bothered you, in fact. It was a quality about you that Viktor was eternally grateful for. 

Viktor sucked a breath in at the water’s cool sensation until his skin had the chance to get used to it. Even so, Viktor took those steps into the river with your help, moving into the deeper area so he could float more comfortably. 

When Viktor was submerged enough to float and wade in the water, relieving the weight from his legs, a wide smile spread across his face. He shared that giddy look with you. 

“See? It’s not so bad, is it?” 

Viktor shook his head with a small bubble of a laugh, slowly moving away from you as his confidence grew, releasing your hand to his dismay. 

Your laugh in return warmed his heart immensely, and Viktor made sure to commit that sound to memory. 

“You’re a natural, Viktor!” You giggled, watching as the boy lifted himself to float in the water. 

Viktor was overjoyed by the small victory, so much so that he even closed his eyes to soak up the sun’s warmth. He didn’t usually bother with swimming, thus he missed out on many fun summer days doing exactly that. 

The two of you splashed around for a time, pushing against the small current all the while. You were sent further down the river little by little by its natural push, and neither of you paid much attention to it. 

However, the current seemed to grow stronger after a while, and it wasn’t until Viktor slipped on a rock and was swept away that you realized just how far out you were. 

Viktor panicked all the while he tried to reach for something to grab, only to come up short. His heart pounded and the fear got the better of him. 

“Viktor!” You shouted at him, quick to swim through the rapidly moving current. 

You were always a strong swimmer, but you were afraid of the speed he gained from losing his resistance. He thrashed in the water, calling out to you with raw fear in his tone. 

The drop-off was nearing and Viktor knew it. His heart clenched and he closed his eyes the moment he felt the edge. He hoped it would be painless, at the very least. 

But your hand clamped around his wrist and suspended Viktor in the air, moments away from falling into the river below. It was scarily high, and both of you froze. 

Viktor watched as you tried to hold both of you above the small waterfall, fighting against the current at the same time. With your feet wedged in between the rocks below, you just managed it despite all odds. 

Even with your strength, there was no way you could pull him up again. Viktor was too afraid to try and climb, so it was ultimately up to you. 

Slipping little by little, you knew there was no choice. 

“Viktor, we have to jump. But only when I say. Make sure you hold your breath!” The genuine concern reflected in your eyes, along with that sure conviction. “I’ll find you again, don’t worry.” 

Viktor’s heart pounded all the while, but he had no other option. He nodded, trying to push back the fear. 

Your determined eyes were the last thing Viktor saw before you yelled ‘now!’ and kicked yourself off the ledge, consequently throwing him farther away, hopefully sparing him from any rocks below. 

Viktor resurfaced with a gasping breath in much deeper water than the stream. He coughed up the water he couldn’t help from taking in, thrashing around for dear life.  

“Y/n!” Viktor screamed in between gasps, and he tried to catch a glimpse of you.

Viktor was afraid you hadn’t thrown yourself far enough, and were unconscious in the water somewhere. Helpless within the depths. That thought nearly killed him. 

But the hand around his arm forced him to stop his flailing. Viktor was pulled into you while you panted, sure to keep him close. You paddled over to the bank and helped Viktor climb up.

“I’m so sorry, Viktor,” you murmured to him, and pulled yourself out of the water, completely drenched. You sat on the edge and met Viktor’s eye. “I should’ve been more careful. I shouldn’t have pushed you into doing it.” 

After Viktor regained his bearings from his place in the grass, he only felt the rush of adrenaline he so rarely knew. Since you were both safe when it was all said and done, all he could do was laugh. 

Viktor easily recalled the startled look on your face at his own strange reaction. The amusement bubbled up inside of him until you had no choice but to laugh in return. 

The two of you laughed as if the most hilarious thing had happened, like you weren’t in the most dangerous situation either of you had ever encountered. 

Eventually, Viktor laid back in his spot, to which you followed suit and found a place next to him. The hot sun beat down and worked to dry you off. 

“Don’t be sorry, it was fun,” Viktor giggled, staring up at what little amount of blue sky was let in through the outskirts of the city. The rare sight of normalcy that wasn’t found further inside the undercity. 

“That’s a way to put it,” You returned with a humoured lift in your voice. 

Viktor never forgot the way you brought so much light and joy into his life, where he often found an absence of it. It was always an easy thing for you, and Viktor held that quality about you close to his heart. 

But that solid, trustworthy friendship was taken from him before he could truly understand why you were the most important person in his life. Viktor’s heart broke the day you confided in him about your brother’s disappearance. 

It was known he was involved with some gritty people—people you tried to stay away from despite being a zaunite. But Viktor never thought you would be dragged into it too. 

You left to find him. To make your mark in the undercity before you were even a proper teenager. Even if you had to take down each criminal just to do it, you were going to find your brother and bring him home. 

You promised Viktor you would return for him, and he committed that promise to his memory and heart. But by the time he was recruited for the academy in topside, there had been no sight of you. You were like a ghost lost in the belly of the city, too far from his grasp. 

He felt the ache of his loss every day since then, and the longing he felt to be with you again never ceased.

But as you stand below in the city square, Viktor can’t believe his eyes. There you are, after all those years, alive and in the flesh. From inside the lab, he can’t help but ogle, wide eyed and heart racing. 

If he could run, he would. But Viktor only leans into his crutch and tries to get a grip of himself. 

You’ve arrived in Piltover, with business unbeknownst to him as you shake hands with Heimerdinger and a few higher-up enforcers. He needs to know what has changed, and where you’ve been, for what little he understands about the situation from his place is agonizing. 

After some time of waiting, Viktor’s world is turned upside down the moment the lab door opens, and a wave of familiarity fills the space. He turns to see who it is, only to freeze in his place. 

A chill runs up his spine at the sight of you, followed by a rush of warmth in his face. He has waited years for this moment and Viktor can’t fathom it. 

“Y/n...” Viktor murmurs just above a whisper, eyes growing large with each emotion that circulates inside him. It’s almost too much to handle, and he doesn’t know how to digest it all. 

Jayce smiles at Viktor’s immediate recognition, and he gestures to you, just as overcome with all the feelings you two once shared. 

“Y/n was telling me she knew you growing up, and I thought it was time you two caught up,” Jayce says, lingering by the door. He points toward the hall. “I’ll leave you to it then.” 

Viktor doesn’t have the capacity to hear Jayce’s words or say anything in return, for he’s so engrossed in the sight of you that nothing else matters. 

While the traces of your child-like appearance remain in small fragments, you’re grown up, just like he is. Your face is more carefully contoured and primed with age, your body is that of a woman—one seasoned by rigorous activity and strength. 

You’re beautiful, and Viktor’s mind short-circuits at the realization. 

“Viktor,” you return softly, offering him a gentle smile as you approach him, arms already extended to embrace him. 

Viktor jolts at the sudden impact of your body against his, arms wrapping around his midsection, but he quickly eases into it, fighting back the tears that gather in his waterline. He secures his arms around your shoulders and allows himself to lean into the embrace. 

The warmth of you is agonizingly sweet against his chest, and Viktor can hardly recall the last time anyone has hugged him or shown him any sort of affection. His world had been colder without you, and the rewards of having you near are immediate. 

“You’re taller now,” you chuckle into his chest with one last squeeze before you pull back and gaze up at him. “I guess we both are.” 

Viktor manages a lopsided grin despite the strong pull of emotions within his chest, and he sucks in a rigid breath. “A decade changes many things.” 

Verbalizing how long is has been since Viktor last laid eyes on you seems to hurt even more, and he can’t help but notice how the swell of sadness comes through your features. 

“I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do,” you say, mournful of all the lost time. 

Viktor leans against one of the tables and invites you to do the same, in which you remain close to his side. “Before you get into the rest of it, what are you doing here in Piltover?” 

He gazes down at you, taking in each and every fleeting emotion that runs across your face. It has been so long since he’s had the chance to look at you, and Viktor refuses to let that opportunity slip through his fingers. 

“I signed on as an instructor at the academy. I’ll be mostly training the enforcer scouts.”

Viktor’s heart pulls at what that means, and he swallows hard. He can feel as his body sings with hope. “So you will be staying in the city then? You’ll be here?” 

Viktor nearly melts at the sight of your genuine smile, and the sensation of your hand in his palm. He has to double-take, for even the slightest signs of affection shake him down to his core. 

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll be here in topside for the foreseeable future,” you hum, clearly just as relieved by the news. 

Viktor can hardly take it. The sight of you and the face he so dearly missed, finally returned to him at last. The dearest friend he ever had, back in his life. He does his best to hold back the tears that threaten to spill. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear that,” Viktor croaks, barely able to form the words. 

“I’ll be here for you now like I used to be before,” you manage, pressed against his shoulder to offer him what comfort you can. “But hopefully with better critical thinking skills.”

Viktor chuckles at the sentiment and discreetly wipes at his eyes. “What happened, y/n? Why were you gone for so long?” 

“When my brother vanished, I caught wind of who had taken him. I had to jump through hoops, exhausting every lead I had until I got him back from the gang he got caught up in,” you begin, preparing for the long-winded explanation you know Viktor deserves. “He was with me for a few months before he was claimed by Shimmer. It turns out, he was dealing it. When he found himself in a tough spot and unable to pay his debts, he returned to it, and it killed him.” 

Viktor’s face softens and his hand gently squeezes your own. “I’m terribly sorry that happened, y/n.” 

With a deep breath, you continue. “Of course, the moment he wasn’t alive to pay the debt anymore, the gang expected me to. So, I did what I do best, and I became a sellsword. If a terrible man needed to be taken out and I was promised a payment, I did it. I’ve taken more lives than I can count, but at least it helped clean the streets of some of the worst criminals in the undercity. With cash in my pocket, I paid the gang little by little until I struck a deal under the table with an enforcer. If I took out as many of the grunts as I could, allowing the boss to be arrested, I would be untouchable by the law. I would be let off, and I wouldn’t have to pay the debt back. So, I did exactly that.” 

Many thoughts and emotions ebb and flow through Viktor all the while he listens, struck by how extreme it all sounds. He never knew what became of you, and to hear it, Viktor doesn’t know exactly how to feel. 

“You became a mercenary?” Viktor presses, as if he didn’t believe it the first time. 

You nod, visibly afraid of what Viktor thinks of you. “Yes. I’m not entirely proud of it, but I did what I had to. There was nothing left for me to do when my life was on the line. I only ever wanted to save my brother and make the undercity a better place, even if it meant killing those who deserved it. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry this happened, Viktor.” 

Viktor’s chest clenches the moment he hears the regret in your voice, shattered by the weight of it all. Instinctively, he puts an arm around you and keeps you close, paranoid that you might be swept away from him again. “Don’t be sorry, y/n. I understand why you did it. What matters is that you’re out of it now and life can be different for you. For us.” 

“You were always the sweet one out of us, Viktor,” you say, much to his surprise. Leaning into his contact, you continue. “I missed you every day I was gone. After my brother died, I wanted nothing more than to come back home and see you again, to make sure you were alright. But I couldn’t risk pulling you down with me, not when things were so dark. I couldn’t do that to you.” 

“I know, y/n. Please don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re here now and that’s what matters,” Viktor returns kindly, heart more at ease with the explanation. 

While it wasn’t the life he hoped you would have, Viktor can’t be angry with you, or resentful of your past work. He knows all too well the dangers of the undercity, and what it takes to survive. 

You stand up fully and embrace Viktor once again, keeping him tight in your arms. Viktor is less surprised this time, and he gladly holds you since he wasn’t able to for all those years. 

“I won’t leave you again, Viktor. You hear me? No matter what happens, I’ll always be here to protect you. To make sure you’re safe and content.” 

A small chuckle comes from Viktor at the muffled reply, and his hand caresses your back absently. Those heavy yet explosive feelings inside him come alive at your declaration. 

“Having you near again has done exactly that. But I’m afraid not much danger occurs in the lab.” 

Pulling back just enough to gaze up at Viktor, you cock a brow. “Does anything ever blow up? Or catch fire?” 

Viktor makes a conflicted sound. “Ehh, occasionally, I suppose.” 

“Perfect. Then I’ll be here to make sure you don’t blow the place up. How’s that?” You muse, dropping your arms from the embrace, much to Viktor’s dismay. 

He longs for the warmth of you once more, yet Viktor watches how you turn on your heel and gaze around the lab, arms folding behind your back. “So how did my dear Viktor end up in a place like this?” 

Viktor’s heart races at your interest, but his usual bashfulness returns with his shrug. “It’s kind of a long story.” 

You give him a smile from over your shoulder with your enticing response. “I have more than enough time. I want to know everything, and don’t spare the details.” 

A hopeful sensation simmers within Viktor’s whole body, and he swallows back his reservations. It doesn’t take him long to realize his adoration for you has swelled tenfold, and those feelings are even deeper than he initially thought. 

Viktor is overjoyed to have you back, yet he can’t help but feel like he’s in over his head.

He is completely and utterly in love with you. 

[starcrossedkaiju]

Kingslayer AU: Chapter 14

This took a bit longer than I thought it would 😀 life kinda said lol to me for a while.

“Augh!” Scott cried out. He breathed in desperately, but his mouth filled with water.

Sitting up and rolling to his side, he coughed out a stream of water. Groaning when he finished. Scott sat up wearily, blocking the sun from his face.

It was warmer than usual. He was sitting in a waist high pool of water, around his shoulders as he was sitting down, which was a warm brown color. Behind him he could hear the roar of the river he had floated in from.

Scott rubbed his eyes and gauged the pain in his bruising shoulder. He felt like something was missing when he noticed.

“Tango?” He called out. A twinge of frantic concern escaped in his voice. Scott turned in every direction, scanning the surroundings for any sign of his friend.

What if they’d been separated in the river? What if his friend had drowned?

His anxiety was at its peak when another person sat up from under the water. Sputtering and flailing about, Tango had been hidden under the murky pond.

Scott fell backwards in surprise, his shock eased when he saw his friend, who looked alright enough. Tango seemed satisfied with the amount of water he discarded, looking up he met Scott’s eyes.

Tango’s eyes widened with relief, he laughed, it looked slightly painful, but he pulled the other into a tight embrace.

“Are you alright?” he pulled back, looking Scott over for any sign of harm.

“I’m fine, uh, except for the shoulder,” Scott replied.

“Oh, yeah,” Tango got to his feet. He held a hand out for the other to take.

Once they had waded to the mucky shore, Tango ordered Scott to enter the trees while he ran to the other side of the pond. Tango hastily did so, looking up and around the area. Scott could see a triumphant expression make it’s way onto his face.

“Come here,” Tango motioned when he got back to Scott, “look,” he pointed skywards.

Scott followed his line of sight up into the sky. Right above the trees, a line of grey smoke floated into the sky.

“What is it?” he asked.

Tango smiled, “The Crastle,” he exclaimed.

After a while of enduring wet socks through a lightly wooded area. The Crastle came into view. It was nearly sundown now, and Scott recognized where they were. Almost dead in front of the castle and it’s moat, the drawbridge was still down. For the sun was not gone yet.

Tango crouched in the last bit of trees, surveying the barren, icy field that housed the humble fort. Deciding they had to go at some point, he told Scott to come. They jogged low through the tall stretches of grass, then hastily across the drawbridge.

Kneeling behind a small decorative wall, Tango went to the door while Scott stayed in place. He knocked on the door politely, but hard enough to provoke any inhabitants to answer.

A few moments passed and a small circle of wood slid out of the door. A peephole, and an eye appeared in it. Tango leaned down to make his identity known, which may have been a stupid thing to do in hindsight. What if a member of Dogwarts had been visiting?

The door swung open. Cleo’s already wide eyes were impossibly wider. Although her face could not go pale, one could imagine that it did.

Quickly, all three rushed inside. The doors and windows were slammed shut and locked.

Without even a hello, Cleo whipped around to face the two fugitives. Hands poised on her hips.

“What on Earth are you two doing here?” she seethed. Her eyes were angry, her teeth gritted.

“We need help,” Tango replied. Putting his hands up in mock surrender.

Scott had never been aquatinted with the girl before. Cleo and her friend Bdubs lived a relatively secluded life in the Crastle together. They did not have to ask to be left alone, both were a force to be reckoned with when under threat.

Soldiers by nature, Cleo and Bdubs defended their small claim to a normal life with everything they could. Scott understood their seclusion. Had he not been doing the same?

“Yeah you do,” Cleo nearly laughed. Tango didn’t look very amused.

“Not funny, Cleo, we both almost died,” he said with a tired frown.

She dropped the mirthful expression. Nodding, “You shouldn’t have come here,” she looked away.

“Cleo. Please,” Tango reached for her thin hand, which was worn and frail looking from accumulating years of war and hardship.

Cleo’s eyes met his in a silent response. Not to his plea, she would never have said no to him.

“A week,” she bargained.

Scott felt like an outsider to their relationship. He knew they had been close for a long time. Then he knew of Cleo’s heartbroken anger towards the man for betraying their alliance. Even if he was pretending. Tango hid his truer feelings under various layers of hostility and irony. Now that they were all in the room together, it was obvious, at least in part, what had been eating away at his friend for the past months.

Back in the cow farm Scott always wondered why Tango made such an effort to help him through his guilt of lying to Jimmy. To Scott, there was no way anyone could understand what he was going through. Now though, he knew Tango was feeling the same way about the Crastle Folk.

“Thank you Cleo,” brightness returned to Tango’s eyes. He shook her hand gratefully.

A smile found its way onto the girl’s face as well. She pat him on the shoulders in place of a hug. They turned back to Scott, who was sat on a chest holding his shoulder.

“We should fix that,” Cleo pointed out the obvious.

After a bit of shuffling around in cabinets and chests, Cleo had started wrapping Scott’s arm in a strap of bandages. She talked about healing it up in no time, a healing potion once a day. Good as new. As long as he kept it in the cast.

She wrapped a piece of fabric around his neck to carry his Arm in, then gave him his first healing potion.

It was silent for a while. The three of them doing random tasks to pass the time, sweeping up the invisible dirt on the floor, examining the titles of a small collection of books on the countertop, and using one had to clean a wound.

A knock at the door halted the peaceful atmosphere. Tango and Scott instinctively found their ways to each others’ side. Suddenly aware of every curtained window.

Cleo quietly approached the door. She slid the peephole open slightly, squinting through. Turning around quickly, she whispered.

“It’s Impulse,” her expression was fearful.

Tango didn’t share her concern. At all. He smiled, going to the door.

“Alone?” he asked.

Cleo nodded.

“Let him in,” he said. Cleo looked at him like he had three heads.

He repeated himself and she hesitated, but she opened the door. Only slightly, so Impulse would only see her. They exchanged unintelligible words before Impulse was granted access to the Crastle.

He looked around. Scott and Tango both waved at him a bit awkwardly. Both of them immediately conscious of how haggard they must look.

Impulse sighed with relief. He put his sword down against the wall and went to meet his friends, pulling the both of the into a hug.

“Are you okay?” he studied each of their faces for any signs of being hurt, save for the now patched wound on Scott’s forehead and his broken shoulder.

“Somehow some way,” Scott muttered, retreating from the embrace.

This was the first time he was clearly able to see the other since their squabble at the desert battle. Impulse looked tired before anything else. Before relief or concern, he was clearly exhausted.

Scott looked away, a knowing part of him said “your fault,” which he made no effort to ignore.

“Impulse, I’m so sorry,” he admitted.

“It isn’t your fault. I’m the one who messed up, super bad. I understand how upset you are,” Scott worried with a strand of hair near the base of his head.

Impulse looked like he was forcing various thoughts off of his tongue, he simply said, “I’m glad you’re okay,” patting Scott on the shoulder.

He shifted his attention back to Tango. Scott backed away from the encounter, sitting on the staircase.

“What do we do now?” Impulse asked him.

Tango made a thoughtful face. His duty returned to him as he contemplated a new plan of action.

“Me and him will leave once it’s safe,” Tango gestured to himself and Scott, “we’ll hightail it to the Northern corner, in the border mountains. It will be safer there. Especially if we go underground,” he said.

Impulse nodded along, he asked, “when are we leaving?”

Tango hesitated, “you aren’t,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Impulse replied as if he’d been slapped.

“We’re going. We’ve been exposed, if I haven’t been as spy then I have as a traitor. Neither of us can stay here; but you can,” Tango said.

“You may have defied the Army at the trial today but you haven’t compromised yourself. Go back there and forget about the damn mission. Take care of him,” he ordered, hands coming to the other’s shoulders.

Impulse frowned deeply; but he nodded.

The moment was over seconds later. Impulse asked if he could stay for a while longer, just in case the Red Army showed up looking for them.

“Where should we stay while we’re here?” Scott asked Cleo.

She looked left in thought, then led them over to a double chest in the corner. It was full of many miscellaneous items. Broken pagers, cups, wood, and coal. Cleo lifted the bottom of the container up. All the contents came with it. They were glued to the surface.

Under the chest was a hole with a ladder. It went down some seven feet into what looked like a dark tunnel.

“Secret Tunnel!” Tango pumped his fist in the air, clearly amused.

Cleo and Impulse laughed along with him, clearly over a joke Scott didn’t understand.

Once everyone had clambered to the bottom of the pit, it became apparent what the “secret tunnel” truly was. There were rows of shelves lining the walls, each was stocked with various canned foods and bags of grain.

“Cleo! Have you been hoarding all the non-perishables on the entire map?” Scott exclaimed once he entered the cellar.

He picked up a can of corn, “How much of this do you have?”

Cleo stifled a laugh, “There’s still plenty being made in the village. It’s not my fault I actually take advantage of their generosity,” she said.

She plucked a can of carrots in gravy from one of the shelves, shaking it in his face. Scott grimaced at the prospect of eating carrots in gravy, but Cleo insisted they were fine heated up.

“So, this is home base, I’m assuming,” Tango said. He probably knew about the cellar already, having lived in the Crastle for a short time.

“Yes. For now. We could have given you the attic, but I wasn’t so sure you’d like to share it with the barn owls,” Cleo joked.

It was comforting that despite the circumstances, the small family-like clique could still be humorous with each other. The smiles of his servermates eased Scott’s racing mind. He leaned against a bare wall and slid to the dusty floor, near a furnace.

“It’s getting late, I need to leave,” Impulse piped up after an engaging back and forth about whether or not barn owls were actually in the attic, and if Tango was actually brave enough to go check.

The weight of a “goodbye” soured the mood immediately. Neither Scott, Tango, or Impulse knew how long it would be until they saw one another again. Nor did they know what unfortunate circumstances may arise while separated.

Tango shook Impulse’s hand, pulling it towards him and smiling reassuringly. Although it looked more like a grimace. Neither said goodbye, only good luck and be safe.

Scott’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach, but when Impulse turned to him, he hung his head and hugged him; and they just stayed like that for a bit. Impulse ruffed up the other’s hair before pulling away. He shook Scott’s hand as well.

“I’ll be seeing you,” Scott said. Speaking it into existence.

“Soon”, is all Impulse replied before ascending the ladder. Cleo followed him to bid farewell.

The door upstairs shut and locked.

It was going to be a long winter.

[lamortexiii]

The HellBilly Pulpit: Music: infused in my DNA

A little more of an upbeat subject this month and one of my favorite topics in general.

Music.

As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of me. From those times in my earliest memories when it was country music of the late ’70s (I am in Appalachia after all) on the radio that was always on, or my dad belting out his favorite songs to sing at his band practices or the last black metal album I got into last week. I’ve loved it all.

It’s a family rite of passage. My grandfather was a fiddler, mandolin, and guitar player - and he brought up my dad in much the same way. Music.

Me, I’m a drummer and used to be an aspiring singer, but not so much these days. Age, time, and opportunity have not gotten along very well to be able to be active for a while now.

But even though I’m not playing, there is always, ALWAYS, a soundtrack in my head. I carry earbuds with me everywhere and I have extra pairs stashed in multiple areas. I need it. I breathe it.

My tastes have certainly changed since those early days. I went from the country-western background to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and everything in between. I didn’t even know there were other types of music until my parent’s split up and I moved down off the mountain, lol. But there it was. Rock radio on the bus to and from school in the mornings and my mind was blown.

Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Tears for Fears, George Michael - on and on and on. Anyone who was anyone in the mid to late 80’s that you can think of. I was like a sponge absorbing it all.

I didn’t have a particular genre that really pulled me in. Until, (lol) of all things, ZZ Top. Man what a ride that was. It was ZZ and then Aerosmith and with that came all of the hair metal, Motley Crue, Gn’R, Skid Row, man it was electric! Then.. Nirvana happened and it was the turn of another page.

I could literally go on and on and on about the different influences that sprang out of those early days. But, I want to bring it to my adult years and where I realized just how important music really is to me.

I’m a metalhead. First and foremost. I love a lot of genres but metal is my soul.

A soundtrack to many moonlit nights, bonfires, and adventures. I turned face-first into the goth aesthetic.

Candelabras, crushed red velvet, incense, an entire wardrobe of black. I let the outside match the inside. Black metal, pentagrams, and corpse paint. They all lifted my spirits better than any drug I've ever tried.

I had three defining bands, one was The Misfits, the second GWAR, and then Cradle of Filth.

Those guitars and double bass riffs made me imagine that I was floating in a river of sound waves that would wash over me and take me wherever they wanted to.

I'm sure you know that feeling. When you know, you know. That riff, that chorus, that solo of that song that grafts itself to your brain. Your tastes may change, but you'll always be able to come back to that moment every time that song plays.

Now, there is also the use of music in rituals. Adding just the right soundtrack before, during after your practice, your prayers, your offerings.

This to me is as much a part of the magick as your wand, your cards, or candles. Music helps set the mood and your mindset to be open and receptive and to offer a hospitable place for your deities and ancestors to have a tranquil and receptive gathering place as you go through your rites.

There’s something about finding just the right soundtrack and how it can transport you to another time and another place. You feel it in your soul, it helps transcend you to another level of connection to your deeper self.

I have always used some kind of ambient, instrumental music, as described from videos as “Pagan” or “Norse” or “Celtic” and that has always set the tone just fine.

One night I discovered a deeper connection to my spirituality and music like I had never known before. It anchored itself to my core. (I hope everyone gets to have a true experience like I had and can make it their own). I was enjoying a playlist from YouTube that was in this category of “pagan” music as I had mentioned and relaxingly fell asleep. But, I woke up in the middle of the night and was completely and totally transfixed by what I was witnessing. It spoke to me in a way that no other group or artists in this genre had ever come close to hitting. A group named Heilung. Absolutely amazing. That’s when I felt that pull on my soul from the inside and understood that I was missing an element in my spiritual life. When you know something that connects to you from the past deep inside you, don’t let it go. Embrace it, let it speak to your subconscious letting it take you further into your spells and ceremonies than you ever thought possible.

No matter your religion or practice be it Pagan, Christian, Satanic, or anything in between. There's a soundtrack out there that will add just that extra element to your setting and your practice.

A poesy for the music ingrained into us that gives us our motivation and soundtracks to memories.

Spilling into your mind

Like a dam that broke away

Sonic envelopment

Rhythmic understanding

Lifting you higher and higher

When you didn’t know you were down

There’s nothing as moving as music

When your soul is so hard to be found

Ava Satanis HBVV

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

[ressyfaerie]

Old men Tyka at their fifth anniversary please!

YES! I LOVE old men Tyka! So I’ve read some of your OC’s and things you’ve written and I love them! But I haven’t read everything, and don’t know the characters as well as you do, so if there’s anything ‘off’ I apologize! But here we go!! Update: I just finished writing it and- I got carried away LOL, if I made it too much let me know lmaoooo.

“Hey, sleepyhead- wake up.” After five years Kai should have known it was nearly impossible to wake Takao early on his days off. 

Kai planned to make today special. After five years with the man he loved and multiple decades on this planet, he was ashamed to admit, he still had a hard time expressing himself. So today, he wanted to try harder, today was special after all-

Today was their five-year anniversary- of being together. 

Not officially married, but he felt Takao was his husband nonetheless. 

Now, he needed to somehow, get his five-ton husband out of bed. 

He rested his hand on his cheek, and rubbed his thumb along his chin. 

“HmmMM!” Takao groaned, pushing away his flirtations.

Kai kissed his forehead and stroked his arm. 

“If you don’t get up, I’m going to have to take drastic measures.” 

Takao mumbled, “try me, Hiwatari.” 

Kai chuckled, he loved the challenge. He grabbed the blankets and ripped them off in a fast motion. 

“AH!” Takao complained, with his eyes still closed, he reached to try to pull them back up, but nothing was there. 

Kai laughed, he pulled him into a tight hug, “are you hungry?” 

Takao opened his eyes wide, suddenly wide awake, “no, don’t tell me you tried to cook?” 

“My cooking isn’t that bad-”

Takao stared at him and squinted his eyes. 

“Okay fine, it’s not that great. But I made your favourite-” 

“Pancakes?!” Takao asked excitedly. 

“Yes, Kai kissed his forehead again. 

Downstairs, Takao was excited to see Kai had prepared breakfast and organized the kitchen, preparing it in such a romantic way. There was even a small white vase with a few spindly flowers on the center of the table. 

“Aw, Kai where did you get the flowers?” 

“Just the garden, I hope you don’t mind.” 

Kai sat, watching Takao chow down. He smiled watching him, he was genuinely happy here, more than anywhere else. The sun streamed through the window blinds into the kitchen. Kai took a deep breath in, happy. 

Kai had thought for a long time how to make this day special. He thought about taking Takao to some of his favourite places, but that just felt like an ordinary date, today had to be better. 

He wondered if Takao remembered it was their anniversary. He didn’t seem any different. 

Kai’s phone dinged to show a notification, he checked it, it was a message from his son:

‘Happy fifth-anniversary guys! Love you.’

Kai smiled, sending him a quick message back to thank him. 

“Daniel just texted me to wish us a happy anniversary.” Kai looked to Takao. 

Tyson grinned, “what a nice kid, tell him thanks for me would you?” 

Kai nodded, Takao didn’t seem surprised when he mentioned their anniversary-

“You seriously didn’t think I would forget our anniversary?!” Takao had known him for decades, he was pretty good at reading his mind now. 

Kai tried to hide a smile, “you are pretty forgetful…” 

“I wouldn’t forget something this important, I’ve had it on my calendar for a year!” 

So, Takao was planning something.

Kai knew he would love anything he did for him, but he was pretty confident he couldn’t top what he had planned for him tonight. 

“Hey, Kai?”

“Hm?” 

“I want to take you to your favourite restaurant for dinner, you know- the one by the river?” 

“I’d love that.” Kai wore a soft expression, “after, I have something to show you.” 

They spent the day walking along the beach and going to the museum. They talked and had a great time, just basking in each other's presence. 

During dinner, Takao had gifted Kai a very expensive watch, he scolded him for getting something so pricey, but wore it anyway. He kept staring at his wrist throughout dinner, admiring the shimmer of the silver watch, but also checking the time. 

After paying they stumbled into Kai’s car, drunk on happiness. 

“Where are you taking me?” Takao asked while clicking the passenger seatbelt into place. 

“It’s a surprise.” 

Kai drove down the highway with one hand on the wheel. The radio played low. The sun has almost disappeared over the horizon of the ocean. The orange sunset made shadows of the light posts fall over Kai in rhythmic patterns. 

“Kai?” 

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” 

“We’re almost there Takao, but- I love you too.”

 Kai parked in an abandoned dirt parking lot in the middle of dense trees. 

Nervously, Takao decided to voice his fears, “Uh, Kai where are we?”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” 

“I feel like I’m going to get murdered-”

“I’m not going to murder you-”

“Sounds like something a murderer would say.” 

Takao joked, they both laughed. Kai opened his door and got out, Takao followed. 

Kai opened his trunk and pulled out a large blanket.

“What are we doing? It might be too public to do it here…” 

“Ha!” Kai never understood how Takao’s mind went to these places, “it’s not that, I promise.” 

Kai walked down a dark path with the blanket wrapped in his arms, Takao hesitated. 

“Come on Takao, my murder den is this way.” 

“You!-” Takao grinned, following without question. 

Once their eyes got readjusted, the path wasn’t that hard to walk along. Takao hung on to the edge of Kai’s shirt. 

The trees opened up into a clearing. 

The clearing was the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The stars blinked in the sky. The green grass felt soft under their shoes, a slight breeze rustled the grass, but overall it was quite calm. 

“Wow…” Takao was in awe.

Kai grinned, he had no idea what was coming. 

Kai aired out the blanket and let it fall on the ground gently. He sat down and patted the blanket, gesturing to Takao to sit beside him. 

He did, he hung on to Kai’s arm and leaned his head on his shoulder. 

“Thanks for taking me here Kai, it’s beautiful.” 

Kai stared at his wrist, “this is the right time right?” 

“Should be, I changed it to my phone time, why?” 

“No reason.” 

To the left in the distance, the arm of the mainland jutted out. It was darker over there, with a few houses lighting up the shore. 

Suddenly, lights started to appear from the area. They rose in the air and danced. 

“Kai, what are those?” 

Kai leaned his head on Tyson’s, “there’s a lantern festival happening over there.

“Woah! So cool!” Takao’s mouth hung open. “It was a great idea for you to bring me here…” 

“Yeah, it was.” 

The lanterns rose higher in the sky and floated away from them. 

Kai looked down at his watch, “the lanterns are nice, and I did bring you here for them but…” 

He kept his attention on his watch before staring at the sky in front of them. 

“This is all me.” 

There was a small black boat on the water in the distance, the lights in it’s cabin went out. Immediately after, three small sparks appeared from the ship, then a loud squealing. 

“Fireworks!?” Takao yelled right before the loud shock exploded in the sky. 

Takao jumped at the sudden noise. 

“Kai!?” Takao asked excitedly before hopping on to his feet and getting closer to the edge. 

Kai jumped up after, and reached around his stomach, “don’t get too close to the edge stupid!-”

More loud bangs echoed in the sky, fireworks of all colours, but mostly blue and red, filled the sky. Takao felt his eyes water. 

Kai knew he had always wanted to see fireworks. 

Kai kept his arms wrapped around his abdomen. He looked at his back, then propped his chin over his shoulder. Takao held his hands against his stomach, Kai gently kissed his neck. 

“I love you Takao.” 

Takao didn’t want to turn away from the show, he wanted to kiss him so bad- but Kai had more to say. 

“I love you so much, even if I can’t say it all the time- or show it very well. I hope you understand.” 

Takao nodded, unable to vocalize his thoughts. 

“If you want to, we can get married, we can do whatever you want-”

“Are you proposing to me?!” Takao could die of embarrassment right there and then. 

Kai chuckled, “no- I’m just saying- if you want to, I love you enough for that.”

“Kai…” 

The fireworks had started to die down, Takao turned himself around to face him. 

He let his arms slide around Kai’s neck, the fireworks lit up his silver hair in all different colours. He pulled himself closer to him, kissing him passionately. 

Slowly, they pulled apart, not wanting to leave the embrace. 

Kai wore a smile from ear to ear. It was a good look for him. 

“Happy anniversary, Takao.”

[silverechosandblankmasks]

Decided to talk about my headcanons for Relations on the DSMP! With included family tree at the bottom :D Note, Mumza isn't canon here, Philza is a single father. Im personally uncomfortable with including irl people and backstories into the lore of the SMP and other stuff, even if we have permission. This means Drista and Tubbo's sister and any others arnt in my headcanons and lore. Philza has three sons, all adopted-Wilbur, Techno, and Tommy. He found Techno first and has been with him the longest, but Wilbur is older. (Wilbur still considers Techno the oldest.) He found Techno in the Nether (thrown out of the piglin horde for being a hybrid), Wilbur at a village (orphan crime boy tried to lift his money off him), and Tommy was dragged home by Wilbur (Phil still has no clue how they met) and Philza and Techno got attached when he lowkey refused to leave XD

Tommy met Tubbo at roughly age 13 or so when Tubbo was a street kid and brought him home. He's not considered Philza son nor Wilbur and Techno's brother (by his own choice mind you)(so basically he's not the SBI's family but he's Tommy's if that makes sense). He's lived with them a few times but Tubbo goes through periods where he straight up disappears for a few months and just wanders his own way.

Wilbur met 'Sally' when he was 18, and I mean newly baby adult Wilbur (he's been traveling for while but hasn't permanently left the world the sbi lives in yet like Techno has. Tommy is kinda doing the same but stays home more often). He found a injured and women floating in a river he stopped by and saved her, stitching her up and helping her. She said she didn't have a name he could understand so he nicknamed her Sally, for her Salmon red hair. Turns out Sally was a nature spirit and gave him a 'gift' for her thanks. That gift was Fundy becuase 'humans love babies!'. Wilbur is unaware that Sally used some of his blood to make Fundy, and thus is technically is Fundy’s bio-dad.

Fundy was raised by a couple who where friends of Philza and didn't mind the fact he was a hybrid fox who aged oddly. (I cant work out the specs but he ages fast for a few years, before gradually slowing down) They died when he was around 16 and he's been traveling ever since, electing not to go and find Wilbur until he ran into him on accident later. (he could of gone to Philza but he only met the man a few times and by then most of Philza's kids have left so he's ended up going to a new world) Niki is Eret's half sibling. Niki was raised by her mom and her stepdad. She always knew she might of had siblings but her family had no luck in trying track them or her birth dad down. She met Eret on the DSMP.

Eret is Niki's sibling. They are half siblings through their dad and didn't know they where related until they met on the DSMP. Both knew they potentially had a sibling/siblings out there. He is the oldest sibling as far as they know. Eret adopts Fundy after Wilbur died, wanting to make up for many things and genuinely wanting to see Fundy be happy. Eret adopts Ranboo, who is an orphan and their other half brother, and becomes his legal guardian. 

Ranboo is Niki and Eret's half sibling as well, the youngest and only other sibling as far as they can tell. They managed to track him down using some connections and found him in an Orphanage and brought him to Dream smp. He doesn't know his exact birthdate, but he knows its between 16 and 17 probably. He doesn't actually know if he's older then Tommy but he decided just to say so and ran with it lol. He's an endermen Hybrid and is officially adopted by Eret. 

Note- Their father was human as far as they know but Eret's eyes and some other small things didn't come from their mothers sides of the families so its assumed he had some sort of magic or something in his bloodline. Dream is an pretty much an orphan. He left home at a super young age, being a restless soul from birth, and hasn't tried to returned back once. His dad died before he left and he has a mom and maybe siblings but has no desire to ever seek them out. He considers his best friends his family and that's all that matters. He might be related to Tubbo, either through adopting a lil brother or though his parent(s) but who knows. (I only included him becuase I sometimes make him related to Tubbo lol) Bonus Tubbo Fam! (He basically adopted people rather then the other way around lol)

Captain Sparklez is Tubbos adoptive Dad. He was Tubbo's hero growing up and when Tubbo found out he was in MCC at the same time as Jorden, he sought him out before the event to talk to him. The Captain found he liked Tubbo a lot and they started running into each other outside of MCC as well. Soon Tubbo was visiting and following him around worlds for fun and Sparklez decided he was really attached to him. It wasn't until after the first Among Us Game was held (A kinda simulation meets mafia game where people have to pretend to be a murderer and the others need to figure it out) and they played together, did he really realize Tubbo was kinda like a son to him. An accident later (Tubbo nearly died, Jorden had a heart attack, it was fun) that Jorden asked to adopt Tubbo.

Note, Tubbo is like Dream in the sense he has a restlessness to him. He's always out and exploring and going to new places and worlds, but in a different way. He always feels like he's waiting and searching for something and he follows his heart and instincts when the mood strikes. Its how he found Tommy, its how he found the SMP, its how he found dad and kinda brother.

5up (or 5cup) is Tubbo's kinda adopted brother. Tubbo had been invited to a more high end Among Us actual Tournament after getting quite good at it, and met 5up who was like... why is there a Teenager? Oh he's quite good, omg why is he alone stop being assholes to him please, hey he's funny. 5up invited him to come play with them sometimes and they hit it off. (The nickname is becuase Tubbo is dyslexic and at their first game read 5's nametag wrong and it made 5up laugh so hard he let Tubbo keep doing it.) Tubbo started jokingly calling him brother and 5up started doing it back. 5up's kinda inwardly horrified at how nonchalant Tubbo is about his life and the war and his friends. He about had a heart attack when Tubbo told him was president now and might be facing another war. Jorden is no help becuase his definition of bad is also skewed, he's been though...a lot. But he doesn't like all the pain and drama he's been going though, Tubbo's his son and he knows the teen can handle himself but... he doesn't know what to do sometimes, ya know?

Captain Sparklez and 5up only know of each other for now, but Family of Family is still family. Please don't attack or come at me becuase you don't agree with my headcanons, this was just for fun XD

[j0ne-jjk]

The Universe has Moved for Us

우주가 우릴 위해 움직였어 The universe has moved for us 조금의 어긋남조차 없었어 There wasn’t anything even slightly out of place 너와 내 행복은 예정됐던 걸 Our happiness has been destined

- lyrics from Serendipity, BTS, sung by Jimin

Couple: MiniMoni Characters: Namjoon, Jimin Genre: Fluff (very slight angst) Rating: PG

Tags: Namjoon, Jimin, MiniMoni, NamJi, FLUFF, so dang fluffy, tiny bit of angst, nothing too serious, more just worry, hand-holding, date-night picnic, kissing, hugging, I said it was fluffy!, canon compliant, established relationship, long-term relationship, characters are engaged, sorry if that’s a spoiler?, nothing dirty or even bad language lol, I don’t think there’s anything else.

Glossary of Korean words:

Hyung used for one male to address an older male

Aein “sweetheart”

Jagi / Jagiya “honey” or “darling

Aegiya cute way to say “baby”

Nae sarang “my love”

Naekkeo “mine” (said with aegyo- cuteness)

Kamsahamnida thank you

Halmeoni grandma

Harabeoji grandpa

Orin wangjanim “my little prince”

-ssi honorific meaning “sir”

Yeoboseyo “hello” over the phone

        Seoul was always busy. Even after 7:30 PM on a weeknight. The traffic in the downtown part of the city moved as if it were one, fluid unit. Everyone was always in a hurry; always rushing to get somewhere important. As with any metropolitan city, there was little space in Seoul to stop and take a breath. To attempt to recover from the grinding pace of daily life- especially Idol life. 

        The company car moved in harmony with the evening traffic, steadily passing people on sidewalks and businesses turning on their lights for the night. Namjoon released a sigh as he looked out the deeply tinted windows. A slight, reassuring squeeze came from the petite hand that was linked with his larger one. He returned the squeeze as he shifted to look down at his boyfriend seated beside him, soft, dark eyes looking deep into his own. “The workday is over, naekko, you don’t have to keep thinking so hard. Just relax for me, okay, Joonie-hyung?” Jimin smiled encouragingly, gently leaning his small shoulder into Namjoon’s upper arm. Namjoon’s ears redden slightly at the overly cute nickname and moves their clasped hands to Jimin’s knee, sighing again, “You’re right, jagiya. And I will. You know it just takes me a little while to unravel from the day.” The smaller man nods, content with the answer he received, and rests his head against his boyfriend’s strong shoulder. Both men sit and breathe in the familiar closeness of an evening drive through the city. The sky outside continues to darken as the private car drives on toward Ttukseom Park and leaves the company building further and further in the distance. 

        “Kamsahamnida. Can you come back to pick us up at 9:00 pm, please?” Namjoon waves to the company driver. When he turns, Jimin is standing under the glow of a streetlamp, holding their kimbap take-away, a sweet smile on his angelic face. The smile grows as Namjoon closes the distance between them, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Jimin’s forehead. “Let’s walk down and find a place by the river to sit and eat our dinner,” Namjoon suggests, taking the bag of food in one hand, Jimin’s tiny hand in the other, and leading the way down the walking path toward Cheongdam Daegyo Bridge. The pair finds a slightly secluded picnic table with a view of the bridge and the city skyline across the river, perfect for a late evening dinner. Being the more domestic of the couple, Jimin busies himself with wiping the table, passing out napkins, and giving each of them a squirt of hand sanitizer. He then opens the expertly-made kimbap, all of which the two usually share. 

        Neither can recall how it started, but it’s weekly tradition that Thursday nights are date night for take-away from their favorite kimbap place. The shop was owned by an elderly couple that had grown very fond of all seven of the boys. “Halmeoni said she missed us the last two weeks, aegiya. She insisted on giving us an extra cheese kimbap. She said she and harabeoji watched us on TV,” Jimin paused to smile up at his boyfriend as he divided the gifted kimbap between them. Across the table, Namjoon returns the smile, dimples appearing on his cheeks, “So generous. Bangtan might not have survived if halmeoni hadn’t given us so much free ramyeon.” He pops another piece of his cheese kimbap into his mouth, looking over the river, distant memories seeming to float by with the current. Jimin waits another moment and then clears his throat timidly, “Halmeoni also asked how you were doing,” he pauses, giving his boyfriend an intentional look, “she wanted to remind you to sleep well and take care of yourself.” The tips of Namjoon’s ears were tinged slightly pink and he shifts on his side of the table, “well, halmeoni is wise. I guess I need to catch up on my sleep in case she checks in on me next week,” he teases, chuckling lightly, avoiding his boyfriend’s eyes. 

        Namjoon stands from the table, collecting the trash and placing in a nearby bin. Jimin joins him and the two head toward the nature trail, hand in hand, walking at a leisurely pace. The pair strolls in comfortable silence for a while, admiring the river and the local flora in the waning evening light. A little ways ahead, they follow a slight fork in the path, arriving at one of Namjoon’s favorite places in the city- a stone bench, slightly secluded by bunches of rivergrass and cattails, and setback right from the riverbank. The couple takes a seat, Namjoon wrapping his strong arm around Jimin’s slim shoulders, the two fitting like a custom-made set. They take in the distant, twinkling lights of the skyline across the river and exchange a few quiet words of conversation before Jimin straightens a little and clears his throat. “You know, jagi, halmeoni isn’t the only one who wants you to take care of yourself. She isn’t the only one who worries,” he begins, voice small, eyes focused on the city skyline across the river. He breathes in deep and continues, “I worry about you, aein. I want you to take care of yourself,” at this, Jimin pulls himself from under his boyfriend’s arm and turns toward the taller man, eyes wide and beseeching,“I know you’re busy, Joonie-hyung. I know our schedule is packed, but you have to rest too, jagiya. Let me be there for you- please.” He suddenly places his tiny hands on Namjoon’s knee, words tumbling out like autumn leaves over a waterfall. Namjoon’s eyebrows are knitted together in concern, but his eyes are soft and filled with adoration. “You don’t have to work yourself to the bone for everything to be done and done well, Joonie-hyung. I care about you so much, aegiya. I love you with my whole heart,” Jimin’s pretty face is flushed slightly pink, his dark eyes wide and shining in the subtle glow from nearby streetlamps. He took a deep breath and waited for Namjoon’s response. 

        Seoul was always busy. Even nearing 8:45 pm on a Thursday night. But here, on this slightly secluded stone bench in Ttukseom Hangang Park, time seemed frozen. The genuine affection shared between the couple seated on this bench was almost palpable. Love surrounded them like a hazy, pink cloud of perfume that invaded their senses, creating lasting, core memories. Namjoon finally blinks, coming back down to earth and allowing his eyes to refocus. Without a word, he reaches out and wraps Jimin in a hug, pulling him close. They stay wrapped in each other's arms for a moment, reveling in the closeness, the tenderness; breathing in each other’s scent. Namjoon pulls back first, keeping one arm around Jimin’s and letting the other fall to rest his slim knee. He peers deeply into Jimin’s dark eyes, pressing a light kiss to one soft cheek and then the other, before saying, “I love you too, jagiya. And I know you love me. I can see your love in how you smile when our eyes meet from across the stage or you find me in a crowded room. And I can feel your love in the way you hug me like all your worries have melted away.” He smiles reassuringly, running long fingers through Jimin’s silky, black hair, “I know I need to take a step back, aein. Maybe a few steps. Starting tomorrow, I will. You’re right, jagi, I know everything will get done, especially since I have the six of you to support me. I don’t have to work myself to death.” Namjoon chuckles at his dark joke, but his face falls when he feels Jimin shudder under his arm at his final word. “Oh jagiya-” Namjoon begins, hand moving down to rub soothingly along his boyfriend’s narrow back. Jimin interrupts, placing both small hands comfortingly on Namjoon’s chest over his heart, “that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid, aegiya,” his voice tinged with a hint of heartache floating just under the surface. He continues, eyes glistening, voice hushed, “I couldn’t b-bear to lose you, nae sarang.” His voice wavers as he leans forward, curling into the broad chest before him, Namjoon’s strong arms wrapping securely around him again. 

        The river below seemed to sparkle from the enchanting mixture of streetlamps, city lights, and car headlights from the bridge. The moon and stars added their ethereal glow which painted a heavenly highlight across Jimin’s cheeks. This subtle radiance made Namjoon’s breath catch in his chest as Jimin lifted his head to look up at his boyfriend. Namjoon smiles reassuringly and runs his thumb over his boyfriend’s cheek, “Orin wangjanim, I promise I’m not going anywhere. You know that.” Orin wangjanim- my little prince. Jimin’s eyes light up at his favorite term of endearment, used by Namjoon only on the most special occasions. Golden memories rapidly flood his mind with the moments he’s heard that nickname; before their first kiss, when they first said “I love you”, when Namjoon proposed. Jimin lifts his tiny hand, gazing at the simple, gold engagement ring there as he speaks, “You’re right, aegiya. We’re in this until the end. Please let me help you bear your burdens. Like we say, teamwork makes the dream work,” he finishes with an awkward ‘finger-gun’ and clicks his tongue. Both men burst out in laughter, basking in the lightness of the mood. As their laughter fades and the moment turns tender again, the moon and stars reflecting in their love-struck eyes. Jimin reaches up and cradles Namjoon’s face as their lips meet in a kiss, moving in a familiar, comfortable dance. For just a moment, the stars from the sky above seem to come down to suspend around them. 

*Ding* The 9:00 pm alarm on Namjoon’s phone chimes, rousing the couple reluctantly from their kisses. The shorter of the two stands abruptly, putting on a mock-serious face and planting his tiny fists on his hips. “Come now, Namjoon-ssi. We must not delay our departure any longer,” he commands in a silly, deep voice (what he calls his ‘grown-up voice’). His boyfriend’s eyes crinkle in amusement as he stands, swinging his long arms toward the path, and arranging his face in a similar way. “Quite right, you are. Let us away, then,” he says in English, attempting a British accent. Always easily amused, Jimin can’t hold a straight face any longer and bursts into a fit of laughter, doubling over and crumpling to the ground. Also laughing (but not quite as hysterically), Namjoon crouches in front of his boyfriend until he recovers, “you good, jagiya? Come on, let’s head to the exit and find the car.” Jimin nods and smiles, brushes dust off of his jeans, and links his fingers with Namjoon’s. 

        As the couple nears Ttukseom Park’s exit, Namjoon’s phone vibrates with a call from Yoongi. “Yeoboseyo hyung. Ah yeah. Okay we will. Thanks, later,” he ends the call, pocketing his phone and looking at his boyfriend, “That was Yoongi-hyung, reminding us we should post on Bangtan’s Twitter to thank ARMY for keeping Butter at number one on the Billboard charts for a fourth week. Maybe we could take a selca when we get in the car?” he suggests, shrugging his wide shoulders. Jimin skips along in excitement, smiling wide, “oh what a good idea, naekkeo!” Once the car is headed toward Namjoon’s apartment, Jimin eagerly pulls out his phone, “ready, jagiya? Big, cute, smile!” They lean their heads together and smile contentedly. *click* The shutter sound indicates the picture is ready. Jimin reviews the photo and quickly posts it to the group’s Twitter, miniature thumbs flying over his phone’s keyboard. “ARMY will love this, don’t you think? We look so-” as he turns, soft, full lips meet his own, kissing him deeply. Jimin melts into the kiss, sighing. “Yeah, I think a MiniMoni selca will be pretty popular,” Namjoon smirks, eyes twinkling, as he pulls the smaller man close by his side. He kisses the top of his head, then turns to look out the window at the passing city. Jimin knows his cheeks are pink as he switches off his phone and settles back into the warm chest behind him. 

        Seoul was always busy. Even after 9:14 PM on a Thursday night. The traffic moved in a single fluid unit, like the water in the Han River, that passed continuously by the secluded stone bench. Everyone was always in a hurry; but there were some ways to slow down. Some pockets of solace even in a bustling metropolis. Evening picnics of kimbap take-away, walking hand-in-hand through Ttukseom Hangang Park, meaningful moments on a riverbank bench illuminated by the moonlight, selcas in the backseat of a company car, and affectionate kisses all caused time to slow down and even stop. The warm, intimate feeling of love surrounded the couple in the backseat, hanging in the air like a nebulous cloud of the sweetest perfume. The promise of a shared future and acknowledgment of mutual support making it all the more precious. As the private car continued down the city streets, the couple continued forward into a future full of endless possibilities as vast as the stars in the night sky. 

[pinkykitten]

Forest pt. 1

 Castlevania 

Alucard Tepes x female! reader

Warning: cursing, violence, gore, mentions of blood

Specifics: chapter fic, romance, angst, fluff, not requested, action, adventure, race neutral reader, human reader

People: alucard tepes, monster thingy from the show

Words: 3,338

Summary: Since Alucard lives in the forest now in Dracula’s castle he meets the reader in the forest and in that moment he starts to have a liking towards her and is very bashful, blushy and romantic towards her and she is a goofball and is very silly and lighthearted. From the moment that they met all Alucard wants to do is protect the reader no matter what is takes. 

Authors Note: god alucard is so sexy and so beautiful like god dang! lol sorry im a bit of a horny nerd. anywho its rlly late where im at andddddd i cant go to sleep cuz i slept the whole day so ayyyee. anywho i was inspired idk where but i was inspired to write this bc i think alucard deserves love and someone who adores him like i do. i loved writing this tho and rlly want to write for castlevania more but this is going to be chapters idk how many yet lets just see where the wind takes us i hate planning anyways. IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS THO I AINT EVEN MAD ABOUT IT!!!!! LIKE YASSSSSSSSSS

“Alright so its been almost a month and I haven’t died. That must mean I’m doing something right.” You used a piece of wood you made into a cane to help you get up the steep hills. You were voyaging alone in the forest. You had a family that were settled more outside the town that you lived near. You were a large family and your siblings came down with a sickness. You were determined to find a cure and determined to find medicine for them. As scary as it may have seemed you needed to put on a brave face for the dangers that lay out ahead. You knew those monsters walked around and as much as that terrified you, your siblings came first. At a young age, adventure excited you and you always wanted to prove to yourself and family that you were more than capable of doing things alone. 

You saw a river down below. The water rushing past rocks made you relaxed and with a glint in your eyes you smiled. “Aha!” You looked left and right, seeing if anyone was present. “Alone with just the woods and me. I knew mother was wrong. I can very much so take care of myself.” You threw your satchel on the floor alongside with your clothes. “I smell like a pig.” You chuckled at your joke. The cool, clear water was down below as you ran to it, looking forward to the coldness and the feeling of being clean. You jumped in not knowing someone was near. 

You dunked your face laughing. “And there’s fish!” You swam behind a light blue fish. Being at awe when you saw the way the fins shone from the sun. You picked it up skillfully and carefully you set it free. Your body delicately floated. “This is the life.” Birds chirped, the wind blew like a whisper against your cheek. 

But suddenly, the rustle of the trees alarmed you. You heard the snapping of a twig. Your head snapped to the noise. Fear bubbled inside you as you thought of all the possibilities. What if it was a bear? What if it were those monsters? Your heart sped fast as you backed out of the river. Your breathing was faster. You needed to get out of here. As you got out your back hit against fur. You quickly turned around as saw a huge demon, monster, you didn’t even know what but you knew it was from Dracula’s army. Its teeth were sharp and its eyes were bright and red. It was your worst nightmare. You erupted a scream as you sprinted around it, climbing the hill to where your satchel laid. 

“Oh my God! Oh my God! I’m gonna die!” You didn’t care about your nudeness, all that mattered to you was surviving. You tried to go as fast as possible but the creature landed in front of you, stopping you from escaping. It cornered you against a huge boulder and tree. With everything you had you lifted your cane high in the air and hit the monster. It didn’t even flinch. 

“What?” Your eyes widened in horror. The creature picked you up as if you weighed nothing and threw you against a tree. You cried out in pain as your back burned and ached to an extreme level. You then noticed that a tree branch stabbed right through your shoulder. The blood dripped down your arm onto your naked skin. You felt queasy and weak. Thoughts and last words echoed through your mind. The monster was about to devour you but a flash of blonde hair came into your vision and you saw, him.

This young man was nothing you’ve ever seen before. He was stronger than the average person, throwing the monster back and forth. He punched it high in the air and then threw it against the boulder. He was incredible. Full of power. Your eyes were starting to close and your vision grew blurry as the last thing you saw were the fangs that the man displayed. 

“Mother I had this terrible dream!” Your whole body shot up. That was a terrible decision as you winced in pain. “It was not a dream.” You breathed hard as you took in your surroundings. The fire was lit making the room comfortable as you were once shivering from being wet. It looked as if you were in the kitchen of somebody's house. “Hello?” Your throat was dry. You were in a stranger’s house. You were in a stranger’s house! “Oh dear.”  You were put high onto a table. You jumped off but were still too weak. You landed hard on your knees but caught yourself with your arms. Your shoulder pounding in pain. You became dizzy. You heard footsteps nearing. “Who are you?” You tried to stand up again but slipped into the arms of a man. 

“Hold on. You are still not well.” His voice came out almost like a whisper. He picked you up and sat you back on the table. “Also, I’m the man who saved your life.”

“That was you? That was, um, pretty amazing.” You curled into yourself. You were nervous around this man. He intimidated you and made you feel shy. He was very handsome and charming. “You kicked that things as* real good.”

The man chuckled, “thank you.”

You quickly looked at your nightgown. It was too big for you as the sleeves ate your arms and the collar was off the shoulders. Your eyes shot open. You were bashful. “Did you, um, see anything?”

He looked away, “I kinda had to. Sorry. You were naked when I saved you.”

“Great. That’s great,” you inhaled clapping your hands. Suddenly you sensed a throbbing pain on your shoulder and you looked to see a blood stain on the nightgown. “Um excuse me sir. Is that supposed to happen?”

The man looked worried as he laid you back down and pulled the nightgown down enough to see your shoulder. “It does not look good. It seems with that jump you reopened the stitches.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. God, this really hurts.”

He got to work on doing your stitches again as he got his items. “Bite down on this.” He opened his mouth to show the action and you saw his teeth. 

“Agh please don’t eat me! You’re a vampire aren’t you?” You flinched away. 

The man rolled his eyes as he shoved the cloth in your mouth but before he got started on you he said, “You are right. I am a vampire.”

You spat the cloth out, “I knew it. I also would like to know your name as this may be my last moment and I would like to remember who will either save me or take my life. My name is y/n l/n.”

“The names Alucard Tepes and this is going to sting a little.” With that Alucard poured some alcohol on your wounds. (im sorry i dont know how helping ppl w medical stuff works :( 

You shifted and tried pouncing up, fighting the urge to let out a blood curdling scream. But Alucard pushed you down with his hands, shushing you gently. “I know, this hurts.” You could almost sense some love and actual concern in his voice. His brows knitted, “I promise, you are almost finished.” 

You looked deep into Alucard’s eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes you have ever seen. This man or vampire looked unreal. He looked made up, something from stories you read as a child, like a prince. You felt something go off within you. Not knowing if it was lust or something else but a fire erupted inside your soul as Alucard’s face inched closer to yours to get to work on your shoulder. His smell was intoxicating. Almost like a musk but yet something floral, fresh, mixed in. Your heart thumped faster at the contact. 

His plump lips quivered as they looked at your state. No way did he want this innocent soul as beautiful as you looked dying on his table. He already had to deal with a lot recently. He didn’t know why or understand but he had this inclination, this feeling, that he needed to keep you alive. He just had to. 

Unable to keep the scream at bay no more you let it out. Your veins protruding from your neck as you became dizzy and once again passed out.

Your eyes opened. Your body was aching. It felt like it went through war. You inhaled as you looked around again, but this time you were hoping things were not a dream as then Alucard would be fake. Remembering his name your head whipped to the side to see Alucard holding a wash cloth stained with blood. He was sound asleep. His head resting against his arm against the table. All the medical stuff was out and about as if he were still working on you. His back was arched at a odd position. 

“He must of fallen asleep while working on me,” you whispered to yourself. His hair sprayed out on his shoulders and table. Without a second thought you touched his hair lightly and you were shocked. It felt like silk upon your fingers! His golden eye lashes kissed his cheek as he snoozed so peacefully. You felt bad leaving him to worry for you and to be sleeping in an uncomfortable place. You felt you weren’t that deserving of such treatment.

You kicked your feet out and hopped off the table. Your feet pattered against the hard floor as you walked to Alucard. You snatched him a blanket you saw nearby and draped it over his tall, lean body. You smiled seeing how elegant and graceful he looked sleeping. 

You yawned, scratching your head as you looked upon the window and noticed it was raining. Surprisingly in this vampire but also a stranger’s house the rain seemed cozy and it made you feel at peace. It was dark in his house. The trees shook from the tiny wind and rain. 

“I must leave but I should thank Alucard for helping me with my wound last night. I probably wouldn’t have last without him.” Your mind wondered back to what happened at the river. Yes, Dracula was gone according to what the towns people said but why was his army still about, his monsters? It didn’t make sense to you. But what did you know? You were just a weak human living in a mysterious world you didn’t want any part of. 

You pulled out a chair and got to writing a thank you letter to Alucard, pulling out a pen, ink and a piece of paper.

“Dear Alucard. No, too direct. How about, to a savior? Too high and mighty.” Finally you had written your letter but it sounded very awkward and you were too much of a p*ssy to give it to Alucard. “Ugh this is hopeless.” You crumpled up the paper, throwing it on the floor by the garbage. 

You thought and thought and thought until an idea popped in your mind. “I know,” you snapped. “I’ll make him breakfast. My mother always says a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” You crossed your fingers, “lets just hope this man likes human food instead of hearts and blood.” You gulped. 

You rolled your sleeves up, washed your hands and brought out the pots and pans and butter. “I’m going to make toast, eggs, bacon, beans and mushrooms.”

You spiced up the food and placed them in a skillet. The sizzle satisfying your ears. The sun started to peak through the clouds as the aroma wafted through the house. You grinned, loving to cook and make a person happy with your hard work. “I hope he likes this.” You were almost finished when Alucard coughed behind you. 

You jumped, being in the zone. “Oh hi there,” you waved awkwardly. “My apologies if I woke you.”

“Uh, no I woke myself up,” his rough voice made your knees weak as it was still laced with sleep. He stretched, cracking some knuckles, yawning as well. “What I would like to know is what are you doing?”

“Well,” you started setting up the table cutely. “I wanted to say thanks for helping me back there. I was kind of a p*ssy to be honest and like a wuss so this is just a little thanks for all the help.”

Alucard didn’t know what to say so instead he just smiled. 

“Please, sit, sit, sit,” you pointed to the seats. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

Alucard awkwardly sat. Not ever having this type of service. He looked at you as you were preparing the finishing steps of your dish. The sun cascaded around you and you were illuminated like a goddess. You were breathtaking. Alucard blushed madly. You put everything on the table. Seeing Alucard’s expression you laughed, “are you alright?”

Alucard coughed, “yes, thank you for all of this. You really didn’t need to. It all looks beautiful.” He looked at the presentation. 

You took the seat beside Alucard. You could of sat anywhere else but you sat beside him. He almost couldn’t hear what you were about to say in that moment from how hard his heart was beating.  

“No need to thank me. I think we’ve done enough thanking and now its time to dig in.” You patted his hand. 

Alucard just looked at the food and he almost felt tears at his eyes. Nobody ever cared for him like this. 

“Is it okay? If its not to your liking I totally get it. You don’t have to eat it. I don’t even know if you like this stuff. I mean who knows maybe you only eat flowers and here I am serving you bacon and eggs.” You became flustered. 

“No, no, no this is lovely its just,” he choked back a cry. “Nobody has ever done anything like this for me, ever.”

You clutched onto his hand and gave him a beautiful smile. “Then that just means you have to eat double. As much and maybe more than what your stomach can hold.” You giggled.

Alucard blushed again as he started to eat quickly. Enjoying every moment of your company and food. “The beans are delicious.”

“Well I’m glad you liked them. Its my mum’s recipe, she always makes them like this.” You then recalled why you came on this journey in the first place. “My satchel!”

“Don’t worry, its safe.”

You raised your brow, “did you take a look?”

Alucard paused, “no, I would never.” He took a bite out of his bread. Chewing on the piece silently. “Maybe just a tiny peek.”

You pouted, “Nosy. I should of locked it.”

“Why do you have all those books in your bag anyways?” Alucard crossed his legs as he took a sip of his coffee. His light orbs staring intently at you. 

Seeing the rain start to become tiny droplets of rain you thought about your family and how you missed them. This was all for them. “My siblings you see are very ill,” your hand shook with anxiety. “My village is very poor and we are limited in resources, especially medicine. We’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work. They just seem to be getting worse. I’ve been researching and trying to find an answer and supposedly, I read that there is a certain flower that only grows in a specific area that may cure the illness. In the books there is a map and that’s why I was led to that river well more like I wanted to take a bath and that’s what led me to the river. But I’ve been on this trail for a while. I’m just, scared because it all depends on me. If I can’t find this flower, if I can’t find a cure and my family dies it will be my fault. I would have killed them.” You didn’t even realize it but you were crying. 

Alucard saw you were distressed and held onto your hand. He comforted you through your anxiety. Your teary eyes looked into his and he gave you a toothy smile, “I’ll help you find it.”

“What?” You rubbed your eyes.

“I know the place you need to go. I can guide you there. Besides the outside world is very dangerous for a beautiful girl such as yourself. I can see that this means a lot to you and I want to help.”

You dropped your fork and got out of your chair. “You mean it? You aren’t joking?”

Alucard chuckled, “I promise I am speaking truth.” Alucard flung his hand out to you. 

You quickly shook on it and shouted with enthusiasm, “deal!” You jumped up and down laughing as you hugged Alucard. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Can we please leave immediately then?”

“We can leave today.”

You danced, “yes. I’ll go change and get my things.” You brought the empty dishes to clean them as Alucard stood up with a smile on his face. 

You were something else, something different. A breath of fresh air in his depressing life. Maybe you were meant to be here. Maybe you were a sign. Either way Alucard thought that these couple of days were to be very exciting. Alucard was about to get ready when a piece of paper in the corner caught his eyes. It was crumbled. “Hmmm, what is this?” He bent down to pick it up and read the words. With just the first word to the letter his smile grew bigger and bigger. 

Alucard coughed as he raised the letter you wrote to him earlier but discarded high in the air, “Dear Alucard, to my savior. I would love for you to know that I am extremely appreciative for what you have done for me in saving my life-”

Your eyes almost popped out of your head. That letter was not supposed to be read by him especially. It was embarrassing. You dropped a plate in the sink and felt your whole world collapse. You wanted to crawl in a hole and die. 

“When I first saw you I thought you were a prince-” Alucard kept going until you couldn’t take it any longer. 

You sprinted and tried grabbing the letter out of his hand. “Alucard, give that to me. Now.”

“Oh you want this letter?” Alucard smirked. “You do sound like an obnoxious romantic whore.”

You gasped, “I do not! That was supposed to be my thank you letter and I didn’t like it and you weren’t supposed to read it. So give it back!” You jumped for it but Alucard raised it high in the air. “Alucard, give it to me.”

Alucard’s face came closer to yours as he pinned you against the table. “Why don’t you come and get it?”

You practically climbed him, snatching the letter out of his hand. “Aha!” But Alucard’s footing was off and he and you fell with a thud. 

The birds chirped lightly as Alucard laid under you and you fell on top of him, your arm bracing for the impact. Alucard held in his breath with a red blush as he looked at you so extremely close. You both held that position for what felt like forever. You eyes were wide in horror at the compromising position. 

You quickly stood up and were flustered. Forgetting where everything was. “Um, um, um. I’m going to go put my trip on so we can get ready for the clothes.” You quickly ran away. 

Alucard breathed quickly as he brushed back his long hair whispering the words. “My savior.” He noticed you were in such a panic mode that you forgot about your letter. It was left and Alucard was not going to leave or throw away evidence that someone saw him in such a good light. He loved that letter because it was from you. 

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[teatitty]

Okay now for the “Robin meets Little John” part of the “How Robin Became an Outlaw” tale! You’ll notice that there’s a trend of people being quick to anger but trust me that’s just how the english are we’re very hot blooded lol

Robin wakes up one day and is like super bored because him and his men haven’t had any sport for a while so he decides to go out and see if he can find anything fun to do. He tells them to listen out for his horn, which he will sound three times if he needs their aid

He walks through the forest for a long while, meeting and greeting various people on the way (usually by tipping his hat at them), but no adventure is found. Eventually, after many hours, he comes across a pebbly stream spanned by a narrow bridge. A tall stranger on the other side is also walking towards it and they both simultaneously pick up their pace, racing to be the first one to cross it

They argue over who is the better man for a little while (”best man crosses first” basically) and Robin eventually threatens to hit the stranger between the ribs with a clothyard shaft (arrow) to which the stranger calls him a coward, because while Robin has a yew bow and arrows the stranger only has a blackthorn staff to defend himself with

Robin takes some exception to being called a coward and agrees to lay down his bow if the stranger will give him time to “go and cut a cudgel to test thy manhood with” (not kidding that’s the direct quote) and the stranger agrees, leaning upon his staff as he joyfully watches Robin (yes really)

Robin goes off to cut a staff of ground oak “straight, without flaw, and six feet in length, and came back trimming away the tender stems from it” all the while the stranger waits for him, whistling idly as he gazes about. Robin takes this time to measure him from head to toe, noting that he had “never seen a lustier or a stouter man. Tall was Robin, but taller was the stranger by a head and a neck, for he was seven feet in height. Broad was Robin in the shoulders, but broader was the stranger by twice the breadth of a palm, while he (Robin) measured at least an ell about the waist.” 

(An ell was a measurement from the tip of your middle finger to your elbow, so Robin is basically saying that this stranger could wrap his entire forearm around his waist)

They decide that the loser will be whoever ends up knocked into the stream and come to blows. The direct line here is “Never did the Knights of Arthur’s Round Table meet in a stouter fight than these two.” The fight goes on for about an hour, each one receiving and giving blows in equal measure, till they were both sore all the way down to their bones, yet neither of them cried “enough” because they’re both prideful and stubborn

Robin eventually gets a good blow in on the strangers ribs that nearly knocks him off the bridge, and in return the stranger cracks him atop his crown. Robin strikes back, misses, and gets cracked on the crown again, tumbling head over heels into the river. Robin takes his defeat in good stride actually, laughing at his own plight with the stranger and joking about how he’s “in the flood and floating down with the tide.” 

He compliments the strangers strength and looks (not kidding), noting that no other man between here and Canterbury Town could do to him what the stranger had done (amazing) and then blows on his horn three times, calling forth his Merry Men. The Merry Men burst from the bushes all clad in lincoln green and this is when we meet Will Stutely, our first named Merry Man, who immediately notes that Robin (whom he calls “good master”) is soaked down to the skin. Robin explains how he lost the fight, to which Will immediately yells that the stranger will get a good drubbing himself, and then orders the men to attack him

They all leap onto him but the stranger was ready for them, and they only manage to hold him down through sheer numbers. Robin stops them, again praising the stranger, and then asks if he’ll join the merry band, giving a list of reasons why he should that include “having three sets of lincoln green clothes, eating sweet venison and drinking the stoutest ale, sharing in whatever goods that befall them” and becoming Robin’s right hand man (geez dude who only just met the guy but okay live your bi dreams)

The stranger says he wont join someone he can beat so easily in a fight but if Robin proves to be the better archer then he’ll change his mind. Robin wins beacuse although the stranger hit the bullseye deadon, Robin’s own arrow splits his one into splinters lol

The stranger is super excited about this, saying that not even Adam Bell (a north country bowmen whose name has been celebrated in many ballads over the years) could shoot so well as Robin. We find out the stranger’s name is John Little to which Will Stutely, who cannot help a good jest, jokes that he is “little indeed, and of small of bone and sinew, therefore thou shalt be christened Little John and I shall be thy godfather.” John gets riled up about this at first but Robin laughs aloud and calms him down, agreeing to the name, and then they all go home together

Here we find out that they all live in huts of bark and tree branches, and have made couches of sweet rushes spread over the skins of fallow deer. There’s a great oak tree with broadly spreading branches and beneath it was a seat of green moss, where Robin himself sat during feasts and merry making. They all sit down to feast together, with Robin placing Little John at his right hand side, “for he was henceforth to be the second in the band.”

After the feast, Will Stutely stands up and says it’s about time they christened their new bonny babe. Little John protests, but he’s outvoted very quickly, and one the men stands up to play pretend at being the priest leading to this hysterical scene

“Now who bringeth this babe?” asked he right soberly. “That do I,” replied Will Stutely. “And what do thou callest him?” “Little John call I him.” “Now Little John,” quoth the mock priest, “thou hast not lived heretofore, but only got thee through the world, but henceforth thou wilt live indeed. When thou livedst not thou was called John Little, but now that thou dost live indeed, Little John shalt thou be called, so christen I thee.” And at these last words he emptied the pot of ale upon Little John’s head

They all have a good laugh, Little John included, and then Robin “took this sweet, pretty babe, clothed him all anew from top to toe in lincoln green, and gave him a good stou bow, and made him a member of the Merry Band.”

And that’s how Robin met Little John and made him his right-hand man! The next story I will tell will include the Sheriff himself!

[doofbox-hero]

Long Snippet from A Possibly Abandoned WIP

My first fic I was planning on writing and posting was a cooking competition similar to the The Great British Bake Off with inspiration from a few other shows as well. It was full of OCs and I had big plans but it has since fallen far into the back seat. I like sharing snippets a lot so here is a long snippet though the last paragraph is more notes for me lol. |----| CW Food (Of course) In the lobby of the Black Spire Hotel a very tired looking Remus sits with a cellphone in hand staring at the screen with eyebrows knitted close together in both concentration and slight frustration. The frustration comes from getting far too many messages from friends, family, and people he barely considers acquaintances linking the same promo video he has been avoiding for the past few days since the official Ultimate Kitchen Witch website made it public.

While he is happy the promotion for the show has been an obvious success he absolutely hates seeing any media with his face in it at any point in time. The attention is anxiety inducing in a way that feels almost constricting and leaves him confused on how he of all people ended up here.

But the longer he sits staring at the link the more curious he is what clips they used and which of the other contestants have been featured in the promo. Sirius of course and probably Ignotus if they’re using Sirius. He taps his foot nervously as he presses the link and waits for the video to load.

The video opens with the famous Ultimate Kitchen Witch logo transitioning into existence with some white sparkles against a black background as soft violins begin to play a tune that could only be described as jaunty. This fades from top to bottom to reveal “Mad-Eye” Moody and Nymphadora Tonks standing by a tree in a beautiful field looking wistfully out towards a tent set up in the middle of the space.

“It’s almost time you know.” Moody says with a soft smile as he gives the woman next to him a quick glance.

“Time for what?” Tonks asks with a slight crook in her neck, eyes still trained on the tent.

As he turns towards Tonk his face drops losing any amusement it once held as he raises a hand to punctuate his words as he speaks. “Tonk, did you really just ask that?” She turns towards him looking confused and shrugs her shoulders.

“Yeah I guess, I did.”

“It’s less than two weeks before the Ultimate Kitchen Witch begins, a show that you and I are hosting, and you’re really just asking, ‘time for what?’”

“Hold on. Hold on. What’s happening in less than two weeks? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Moody’s eye seems to almost pop out of his head as he looks at Tonk in utter shock and then shifts to angrily glaring at her in an almost comedic way. “Tonks, you agreed to co-host the show with me. Do you even know what the Ultimate Kitchen Witch is?”

“No I don’t think I do.” Tonk says as she rubs a hand against her forehead feigning an almost obvious fake embarrassment. The man looking down at her rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh before patting her back and gently turning her towards the tent again.

“Come on. Let me run you through the basics.” With a fade from left to right the two are now walking inside of the large tent down the middle of two rows of small, wooden workstations equipped with some basic cooking utensils in polka dotted holders and a cooktop on one end. Moody and Tonks turn to step behind one of the workstations and stop once they’re both standing in a spot where they can both comfortably rest their elbows on the countertop and rest their heads in their hands looking at the camera now zooming in on their faces.

“So what is the Ultimate Kitchen Witch, Moody? Is it magical?” She asks looking his way without turning her head.

“I would say very magical, but not in the wands and shape shifting ways you’re probably thinking.” As he continues on clips from past seasons show in a montage of many memorable moments. “The Ultimate Kitchen Witch is a competitive cooking show where we put 12 up and coming chefs to the test to show us the magic they can do in the kitchen. Each week they are given a different theme and a catch they must keep in mind as they prepare for the three challenges.”

All of a sudden it cuts to Tonk and Moody by a river side and she is reeling in a big, fake carp with a neon pink fishing rod. Tonks looks up at him with an inquisitive look on her face as she asks. “What’s the catch?” He rolls his eyes at her and lightly knocks the rod out of her hand with a displeased look on his face but she just shrugs.

Remus quietly laughs and shakes his head a little at the antics which have always been pretty slapstick on the show but he had a feeling it was only going to get worse with Tonks involved.

The video cuts back to the tent where Moody is leaning against the front of a workstation now mixing what seems to be cookie dough in a bowl while Tonks watches with wide eyes following the spoon. “The catch is mostly what it sounds like. Our chefs must make dishes that fit the theme as best as possible while keeping whatever factor has been chosen in mind as the catch. My favorite example from the past was the week the theme was cookies but chefs had to make everything gluten free. Themes can vary from an ingredient, to an aesthetic, or honestly some of the most random bull I’ve ever heard.”

“So what are these challenges you spoke of earlier?” As she asks she reaches her hand slowly towards the bowl which Moody catches and taps her hand with the spoon causing her to stop. He shakes his head as he goes back to mixing the dough and before he goes on he notices Tonks lick the back of her hand then looks back to the camera with an eye roll.

“There are three challenges. The first challenge is called ‘The Personal Charm Dish’ and it gives the chefs a chance to work on recipes that really show the judges who they are as a person and chef. Winner of this challenge is usually based on who best executed the concept within the theme while still making a spellbound dish. The second challenge is the Zippy Skill Exercise which is where the competitors are given a surprise recipe missing some key details they have to use their experience and knowledge to successfully complete in a very short amount of time.

Of course the winner of this round is mostly based on whoever can actually make the damn recipe correctly but on a rare occasion someone wows the judges with something less accurate yet spectacular. Now the third and final challenge…”

When he looks over at Tonk she’s now eating chocolate chips out of a bag while nodding along in a way that makes it seem she’s only half listening. He grabs the bag out of her hands and dumps half of the chocolate chips in his bowl before putting the bag down on the counter on the opposite side of where she is standing. As he continues to stir he side-eyes her with his non-eye-patched eye and purses his lips before asking. “Were you even listening to a word I just said?”

Tonks rolls her eyes and reaches behind him to grab the bag of chocolate chips. “Yes. Yes I was. Personal Charm Dish, Zippy Skill Challenge, and the third and final challenge is?”

With a face devoid of amusement he turns his eyes back to the camera and continues. “The Truly Magical Challenge. This is where chefs have to show the judges something that ‘makes them believe in magic.’” While he says the end of the sentence a sparkle effect floats in from the left side of the screen to the right passing over his head. “The winner is based on who does the best job of amazing all of the judges with something special. Over the course of 10 weeks the judges take into consideration things like amount of wins, consistency in performance, a real wow factor, and growth over the competition in order to pick an Ultimate Kitchen Witch.”

Now the video cuts to the two looking into an open oven as Moody slides a tray of cookie dough balls in. “But Moody who are the judges?” She turns her head to look at him as she asks and he gives her a glance before looking back at the camera with a cheeky smile.

Another montage of clips play including a very no nonsense Rowena Ravenclaw cutting up an onion while she tells someone off camera why they need to immediately leave her kitchen, Helga Hufflepuff precariously carrying a tray full of dozens of different cookies looking wide eyed and scared of the possible tumble, Godric Gryffindor laughing and handling a large blow torch in way that seems very unsafe, Salazar Slytherin just looking into the camera with a pointed unpleasant look before he grabs a plate from the table in front of him and throws it across the room against a wall, and then varying black silhouettes against a pastel blue background as the words ‘Surprise Guest Judges Announced Every Monday’ roll in front of the figures.

Once the video cuts back to Moody and Tonks she is softly bouncing with a cookie in hand while he just admires the tray holding the rest. “This is so great, I’m gonna get so fat on amazing food and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop me.” The two laugh a little before a look of realization appears on her and holds up a finger to single she has something to add. “What do the chefs get if they win?”

(Moody explains[I still need to figure that out] and then prompts a montage of the contestants this season. Each one has a few clips from various sources shown before they play a short clip of them against a pastel blue background with words with their name and occupation displayed beside them. Remus is annoyed with the clips they used for him, shocked by the clips of Sirius they used, and clicks off after a few more including Sable, Edmund, Ignotus, and Hudson).

[ffamranxii]

Okay folks, I am all caught up with Tokyo Mew Mew Au Lait chapters 1-3 and Tokyo Mew Mew 2020 Re-Turn chapters 1 and 2 so I am Doing A Thing! Buckle up, bitches!

MASSIVE SPOILERS IF YOU’RE WAITING FOR THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH RELEASES (whenever the hell those will be). Thanks to @berrychanx​, @hikayagami​, and @ribbonstrawberrysurprise​ for the scans, English translation, and hard work putting the translation onto the manga so neatly.

LEADERS

MOMOMIYA ICHIGO AND SHIBUYA AOI

Honestly this is the biggest difference between the 2020 Re-Turn reboot/original series and the magical boy tribute. Aoi is in no way like Ichigo once you get past that they’ve both been injected with Iriomote cat DNA. Whereas Ichigo is cheery and bubbly and cute, Aoi is withdrawn, suffers from low self confidence, and sort of breaks the fourth wall during nearly every fight, freaking out at how catchphrases and such just seem to burst forth from him after he transforms. (It’s honestly a funny highlight.) Their respective crushes are also treated differently, with Aoi falling hard for Anzu (though of course saying nothing) almost immediately, almost a love at first sight sort of deal, and Ichigo already having this crush on this boy when we start vanilla TMM and already deeply committed to him in the reboot. In civilian form, (using vanilla Ichigo here, it’s not fair to compare Aoi to 2020 “been a magical girl for years” Ichigo), Aoi is a lot more unsure of himself, and seems almost to be in this Mew Mew thing for Anzu, whereas Ichigo immediately had a “I’ll do my best” acceptance mindset from the start. (Both freak out over their cat ears appearing at random moments, even Ichigo in the 2020 reboot, and I think I can finally give poor Aoi a point over Ichigo here. It makes him uncomfortable but he just wears a hoodie and hopes no one notices. It makes Ichigo freak out more lol.)

THE LOVE INTEREST / DUNGEON NAVI / SECONDARY PROTAGONIST

AOYAMA MASAYA, HINATA ANZU, SHIROGANE RYOU

Anzu is a precious peach and she occupies such a weird role here that I almost couldn’t make her a neat little graphic. She doesn’t fit neatly into a “oh, they’re a genderbent so and so” like nearly everyone else, and it’s fascinating. On the one hand, several panels in the first chapter of Au Lait make it clear that the writers are setting her up to be Aoi’s love interest. Every magical girl anime has a love interest, so why wouldn’t a magical boy manga? But that’s where she diverges. Unlike Masaya, who is a very clear tribute to Sailor Moon’s Tuxedo Mask (with the exception that he’s a cute bean as a civilian, he’s nearly the same person. No past, gets kidnapped, magical form to protect the magical girl, evil form to fight the magical girl [this happened in PGSM, and he’s been brainwashed several times]), who has always been a secondary character, Anzu actually starts the Au Lait manga. She wasn’t even featured on the promo images, so when I opened the first chapter in a zip file I thought I’d downloaded the wrong one. My rudimentary Japanese confirmed I hadn’t, but I was like “well who tf is this chick?” I waited for an English translation to be sure and yup - Anzu is being treated almost like a secondary protagonist. Well that’s new. It’s as if the Au Lait writers smashed together the characters of Ryou and Masaya and named their love child Hinata Anzu. She’s intelligent, she knows more about this project than she should, and, like Ryou in vanilla, she’s out and about and helping the boys, not just as a civilian, but in every battle. She doesn’t have powers (that we know of), but her smarts and knowledge of animals have served them well time and again. Au Lait seems more like, as one reader put it, Anzu And The Dork Squad than Aoi’s team. 

Masaya in 2020 Re-Turn is adorable. He is at odds with Quiche over Ichigo (or more like, he dislikes just how much Quiche likes Ichigo), and in a moment of panic he uses his leftover remnants of Deep Blue’s power to... change his clothes. I’m not sure what actually happened there. (Note: Thanks ribbonstrawberrysurprise: Deep Blue manifested to float the chimera anima/train and its passengers to safety.) But I love that he was so concerned for Ichigo, who at that moment desperately needed help, that the being who created his body and didn’t like Ichigo wanted to protect her. Ryou was his standoffish self, but even he seemed to have a hint of a lingering crush. He organized a party for the Mews and then took over in cafe duties so Ichigo could meet her man at the airport, unable to quiiiiite meet her eye while saying so. I always did like Ryou/Ichigo.

THE SASSY RICH BITCH

AIZAWA MINTO AND YOYOGI SHIZUKA

First of all: SAILOR JUPITER TAUGHT ME THAT PINK EQUALS FLOWER HURRICANES AND CAN I JUST SAY THAT I AM DISAPPOINTED AS FUCK THAT SHIZUKA ISN’T PLANT BASED AND CAN’T DO FLOWER HURRICANES THAT IS ALL.

Admit it. When we saw the promo image, we assumed certain things. One of those things turned out to be true: Aoi would be the Iriomote cat, because of course he would be Ichigo’s counterpart. Shizuka is wearing glasses, and his costume had the little tail, which meant he must have been a fish or a marine mammal and therefore Retasu’s counterpart, right? RIGHT. But also very, very wrong, my friends. Shizuka is indeed water based like Retasu - he’s an Amazon river dolphin (the pink ones!) - and that’s where all his similarities to our gentle green girl end. Instead of making everyone exactly the same but gender flipped, Au Lait is going in a slightly different direction, and I really like it. Shizuka is actually the most similar to our resident princess Minto! They both attend prestigious elite schools and generally act better than everyone else, but the real gem here is their interactions with their leaders. Shizuka has some truly snappy one-liners - such as discovering Ryuusei (”that’s the power of an idiot”) - and his reactions to Aoi are gold. He considers himself a genius, and indeed he’s very intelligent according to Natsume (and his school seems to be for smart people, it’s not prestigious for music or anything like that), and he makes little quips at Aoi all the time about how Aoi isn’t. I could totally see him spending an entire shift reading a book at Cafe Mew Mew while Aoi does all the work, only for him to stand up and someone to scream “HOLY CRAP, SHIZUKA’S UP, SHIT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN.” 

Minto is also full of snappy quips at Ichigo in the reboot, mostly about how Ichigo should handle the biggest, strongest enemies since she’s the leader, and can’t Ichigo even keep them in place so Minto can shoot them down? (And yeah, someone totally said the above comment ^ when Minto stood up at Cafe Mew Mew.) Minto was always one of my favorite characters, and I love that we saw a lot of close ups of her in the reboot, and that she seemed to be second in command.

THE CHILD

FONG PURIN AND KANDA RYUUSEI

Oh my god these two. I refuse to believe they aren’t related. I know Purin is Chinese but you cannot take this headcanon from me. 

Purin is my favorite character in OG Mew Mew and Ryuusei claimed my heart the second I saw the Au Lait promo. NEITHER OF THEM DISAPPOINTED ME, I AM SO IN LOVE.

While I WILL say that I in no way care for Mew Pudding’s redesign (I hate literally everything about it. I miss her jumpsuit. I hate the little pigtails at the top of her head. I hate the ribbon. At least she still has her fingerless gloves), I love that she got an entire panel of just her being badass. She stood in the middle of some train tracks, facing a runaway speeding train chimera anima, with that ^ fucking look on her face, and was like “where you going, na no da?” Purin from like, ten years ago wouldn’t have done that. She has matured so much, but she’s still the young, goofy little acrobat monkey who provides for her tea-themed siblings (who criminally do not make an appearance) and I just love her so fucking much, you guys.

RYUUSEI. Guys. He’s an idiot. Oh my god. He’s a cute lovable idiot. “What’s a gomodo dragon? What’s a kodomo dragon? What’s a condo dragon and why does it need a house?” Anzu was in love with him for like five seconds until she learned he’s a dumbass, and Aoi was jealous as fuck, and no one ever told him what his damn animal was, and I laughed my ass off through his entire last couple pages. He also had his jacket hand embroidered with the kanji for dragon, BUT IT’S MISSPELLED. It’s missing a stroke! XD 

Ryuusei is the KOMODO dragon (which is Anzu’s favorite animal), and komodos are badass. He also either always had weird animal powers, or just never noticed that he suddenly got super smell. Komodo dragons, by the way, can track their prey for literally MILES by smell alone, for DAYS. It’s absolutely terrifying (thank you for the nightmares, Wild Thornberries), and Au Lait made it fucking comical. I can’t even. HE CAN SMELL THE RED DATA ANIMAL ON PEOPLE. I love it. He’s super strong and super cute, apparently lives with his grandparents, and is Purin’s counterpart in every single way, except I think SHE might be more mature than him. I love him. He is my baby. 

Yellow is my favorite color and yellow never disappoints. 

THE FAMOUS

FUJIWARA ZAKURO AND ROPPONGI AYATO

Zakuro had next to no presence in the reboot. She occasionally made some panels look pretty. She twice had a half page to herself, one per chapter. I am sad. I love my wolf lesbian. In semi-related news, I feel I have solved the mystery of Zakuro’s red data animal, something that has plagued the TMM community for years. The grey wolf is not endangered at all, yet Zakuro is injected with one, right? I read somewhere (either in a TMM blog or a conservation blog) that there is a subspecies of grey wolf that IS critically endangered. I believe it’s the Mexican grey wolf? I headcanon she was injected with DNA specifically from a Mexican grey wolf. 

Moving on. In Chapter 3 (which was a DELIGHT), we met Ayato. Chapter 3 was the most frustrating chapter because let me tell you, Au Lait marks the first time I have ever read a manga chapter by chapter as it was being released in Japan. So I’m waiting Nakayoshi to publish the chapter, then I’m waiting for someone to scan Nakayoshi, then I’m waiting for someone to translate it, over and over and over, and omg I can’t believe this is what people DO. I’ve waited for full volumes before, but CHAPTERS? This is torture. Ayato, I haven’t had enough TIME with you!

Ayato seems to be an actor (in a really... really weird stage play), and has very few lines in his first appearance. I’m not sure what I make of him. He says about six sentences, which is actually a lot for a character introduced on a cliffhanger, but... I can’t decide if he’s said them in a mysterious Sailors Neptune and Uranus way or a flamboyant Sohma Ayame way. I ALSO DON’T KNOW WHAT ANIMAL HE IS AND I AM VERY ANGRY. BB Ryuusei said he smells like yakitori (a type of grilled chicken), which confirms he’s a bird. But. WHICH BIRD, DAMNIT? 

CHAPTER FOUR WHERE ARE YOU?

THE FUNDING

AKASAKA KEIICHIRO, HINATA NATSUME, SHIROGANE RYOU

Hello again, Ryou! The boys here were wallpaper (though cute wallpaper) in the reboot. Natsume is 100% a troll. I love her. She admits in chapter 3 she literally just injected hot boys for her Mew Mew project. Even Ryou wasn’t that blunt. I mean, if you gotta save Earth and stare at people while you do it, they better be cute, right?

IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL THE FANDOM

MIDORIKAWA RETASU, SHIRAYUKI BERII, AKAI RINGO

Aside from her two half panels as a Mew Mew per chapter, this is the only good cap of Retasu as a civilian in the reboot. D: I believe Hiroo Taichi will be her counterpart in Au Lait.

I never liked Berii. There, I said it. She got TWO animals. She was some random newbie and she got to be leader just like that? And she was clueless and dumb and the writing in A La Mode wasn’t great. But I really like 2020 Berii. She’s cute, she seems more rabbit than cat, and she seems more intelligent and less of a blonde Ichigo clone. I don’t know if she’ll have an Au Lait counterpart.

WHERE IS RINGO? THE REBOOT WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO PUT HER IN THE STORY FOR REAL AND SHE JUST... WASN’T THERE?! THIS IS BLASPHEMY. RINGO IS THE BEST MEW MEW. BEST GIRL. JUSTICE FOR RINGO.

THE RELATIONSHIPS

MASAYA & ICHIGO VS AOI & ANZU

ZAKURO & MINTO VS AYATO & RYUUSEI

Nearly all of 2020 chapter 1 focused on Ichigo seeing Masaya again. I’m guessing this took place after he left for London. Ichigo left with him after A La Mode, and some time between then and Re-Turn came back to Japan, and now Masaya is back. They are still as lovey as ever, but not as sickeningly cute as Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru or anything. Phew! Their counterpart in Au Lait seems to Aoi and Anzu. (Look at that height difference! Poor Anzu, her poor neck.) Aoi already has a massive crush on her, but Anzu, bless her, is oblivious.

AND NOW FOR THE GAYS.

I think Zakuro and Minto is probably one of the most popular TMM ships and holy lesbians, Batman, they were well fed with this GORGEOUS panel at the end of chapter 2. Look at it. Zakuro had literally no panels, save for her two intros, to herself, and barely any panels at all in the reboot, and then BA-BAM, this beautiful ending shot. I swear Ikumi did it on purpose. Speaking of gays - is Ayato/Ryuusei the new Zakuro/Minto? Ayato seems to be at least bisexual (he also hit on Anzu), but this was literally his second panel. He is in a (terrible, TERRIBLE) play, and the actors are walking in the audience looking for the villain. Ayato walks into the audience and HITS ON RYUUSEI. His first goddamn words are “Do you want me to keep you, my cute little puppy?” to Ryuusei. He says fuck this acting shit, I see a SNACK. I think I ship it. I think I ship it hard.

THE STORY

*Au Lait is just getting started, so typical magical girl boy anime manga: Let’s find the others! Shenanigans! Some fillers! It’s cute, I love it, go read it.

*2020 Re-Turn is actually REALLY GOOD and chapter 2 reminds me of just how unique Tokyo Mew Mew was and still is among not just magical girl series, but animanga as a whole. Quick, what was the last environmental series you remember? Mine was Captain Planet - in the 90s. Preachy, in your face, after school special about things like pollution and endangered species and littering and honestly it was really cool, but very much a product of its time. Even now, magical girl animanga is still focused on bad guys, but bad guys are generic and represent something created for the series. Here, the bad guys are US, other human beings, who traffic animals, who endanger them, who wreck our planet enough that animals are barely clinging to life. There’s a very poignant scene featuring the adorable snow leopard up there (who’s the secondary protagonist of the reboot) ^, showing his mother being shot and himself being snatched by poachers, and he’s terrified, and has no idea what’s going on or where he is, and Ichigo is terrified for him. We need more series like this - not just of the magical girl genre, but of ALL genres. To make it accessible in this way, for people of all ages, something enjoyable, that people can fangirl over and love and its creators clearly put a lot of love and thought into. We need another Captain Planet, but less preachy, less after school special-y. We don’t want to be like the aliens (who remember, are descendants of humans who fucked up Earth so badly they had to leave it). 

Behind all the cute of this manga and its reboot, and its new spinoff, Tokyo Mew Mew has a powerful message that we should all be following. It’s not even subtle. Get yo shit together, peeps.