#otp: our shared dream

[writing-for-life]

Lupē

Finally, finally I manage a Calliope/Morpheus fic (the Sandman Rarepair Fest had to come along to kick me into gear). It’s just a short vignette, but I hope I did them justice because they will always be the OTP to me. The prompt is Hurt/Comfort.

You can read on Ao3 or here. And no matter where you read, your kudos, comments, shares and reblogs are so appreciated and help writers to get their stuff discovered 🖤

Lupē (616 words) by Writing-for-Life Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Calliope/Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Calliope/Dream of the Endless, Calliope & Dream of the Endless | Morpheus Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Reconciliation, Past Relationship(s), Rare Pairings, Canon Compliant, During Canon, Canon Related, Canon Rewrite Summary:

Calliope had wept for him so many times, and she felt the tight grip of grief resurfacing. She had mourned the laughter that would never echo through these halls again, the stories of his father he would never pass on to children of his own, the promise of a future shattered. […] And she was tired of mourning, of a grief that felt like it was hers alone to bear.

Lupē

The moon hung low in the sky, casting a silvery glow upon the twisted spires of the castle. She had not returned here since that fateful day.

The Gatekeepers stood before her, eyes like onyx reflecting the aeons they had witnessed. Last time, they had been impassive, their voices cold as they denied her entry.

But tonight, something had changed: They recognised her.

"Calliope," the wyvern’s voice echoed through the mist. "You seek the Lord of Dreams."

She nodded, and her throat felt so tight she could barely swallow. "I come to speak to him."

Calliope's fingers trembled. She remembered the bitter words they had exchanged—the accusations, the tears. Later, Oneiros had been unyielding, her attempts to speak to him ignored. She was not even sure what would have happened had he acted differently then; the thought of bringing forth an apology entered her mind and was as quickly dismissed. She felt her hands ball into fists, bitterness resurfacing.

No, this is not the time.

The guardians exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. "Why are you here, muse?" the hippogriff asked.

She hesitated. "Our son's absence binds us, even in sorrow."

There was no more talk, no further interrogation. The gates just creaked open.

Calliope stepped across the threshold, and her footsteps echoed on the stairs and the marble corridors. With every step, her heart picked up pace until it was racing so fast she could hardly catch a breath.

The door was as she remembered—unchanged, the wood dark and polished, etched with symbols whose meaning she understood and yet didn’t.

Just like him.

But that wasn’t true. He had been changed when last they met. Familiar yet different, faint echoes of what once she loved—and hated.

Calliope pushed the door open, and the air itself seemed to hold its breath. For a moment, she wondered what she had expected to find. How she had expected him to greet her. And then she knew that this was exactly it:

His back turned on her, no sign of movement, frozen in space.

She crossed the room, her breath catching in her throat, unable to speak.

She didn’t have to.

"Calliope," he whispered, still not turning. There was a rawness to his voice, even in that whisper, that caught her unaware.

She reached for him, without any hesitation, and while it surprised her, it felt right. As her hand touched his shoulder, he flinched subtly, but he didn't pull away.

When he finally turned, his eyes held galaxies, and their shared history was etched on his face—the pain, the longing—it was all there, laid bare.

And it was hard not to see Orpheus in him. Hard not to remember how he had told him stories, his voice like a melody spun from darkness and light, stardust and moonbeams, while the boy’s laughter would echo through the halls of the castle, and his cries for more brought a moment of happiness to everyone who heard it.

And then it was gone.

Calliope had wept for him so many times, and she felt the tight grip of grief resurfacing. She had mourned the laughter that would never echo through these halls again, the stories of his father he would never pass on to children of his own, the promise of a future shattered.

She had sung dirges and sought solace in memories, but they only deepened the pain.

And she was tired of mourning, of a grief that felt like it was hers alone to bear.

In that moment, his eyes searched hers. “You came.” And perhaps, they were seeking answers and forgiveness.

“You called.”

And perhaps, they were also holding the faint glimmer of hope…

[castryn-k]

I might be slow on the uptake here and that's totally okay with me, but for anyone who may have missed it the first time it went around, Smallbus Animations shared the newest Watching and Dreaming poster

and in a reply underneath it shared what is believed to be the elusive Raeda playlist they sent Dana that lead to this comic of her's:

Let it be known on the Eve before our final goodbyes, we got a little bit of Raeda juice to pass the final hours. (Unless you've seen it already, then I guess here's just a friendly reminder that this exists I guess? )

[gvenevera]

Kuroshitsuji Musical ~ 寄宿学校の秘密 (Secrets of the Boarding School) 2024 ~ VERA’S REVIEW!

Yes you read that right! I’ve had the most fateful chance to watch the very first performance of the newest Kuromyu in Hyogo last Saturday, so I figured I’ll eternalize some of my best memories here.

Before we begin: the LIVE STREAMING is available for the LAST PERFORMANCE, September 29th 2024, HERE! For only 3800 yen, you’ll get to watch it live at home, or watch it later for up to 1 week (October 6th)! Apparently you need a Japanese VPN though, if anyone knows how to navigate the site, please do share.

A few disclaimers from me:

*Anti-shippers DNI. This post barely has any shipping content at all but I don’t like people who harass others over fictional preferences. I’m a shipper, I can’t help being biased for my OTPs.

**Since photos were prohibited in the venue, I’ve included stage pictures featured in official news websites or accounts.

***This is by no means a critical review but merely a fangirl’s ramblings, and I often drew comparisons to the original stage play Kuroshitsuji Musical: Secrets of the Boarding School (2021). For reference, I suggest you watch it first! I intentionally avoided rewatching the 2021 version close to the airing date though, so my memories may not be accurate. Also my Japanese is mediocre so I apologize if there were important dialogues I didn’t catch.

Introduction

I know, sorry for the dilly-dally intro. But I’d like to first stress that ever since I started following Kuroshitsuji in my first year of university (like 9 years ago now lmao), I’ve ALWAYS dreamed to watch the stage musical live in person. When 2024’s performance was announced immediately after the last episode of the anime, I was overjoyed to see that our old cast was coming back.

And it was fate that gave me the opportunity - my scheduled work program this year was set to be in Kyoto AND during September! Needless to say, I had the Kuromyu ticket bought and reserved first, before my confirmation with the Kyoto office or my visa and plane ticket. Priorities, right?

Quick remark on the ticket process: I hit a snag right in the beginning because the ticket reservation website Eplus required a Japanese phone number to sign up. I contacted multiple people (middle school friend whose brother used to work in Japan, another who was quarter-Japanese, several dealer websites with high rate exchanges), until I settled on my roommate’s friend from high school who was currently working there. Many thanks to her and my roommate for the help!

She took care of registration for me - even so the advance sales was a LOTTERY ticket! We fortunately got the lucky draw - I saw many Japanese fans on X who were not so lucky, while others bought in bulk to sell later. Then, I used the online barcode to exchange for a paper ticket when I arrived in Japan on September 1st. That’s when I get to know my seat number - 3rd floor, 2nd row B. A very far position from the stage, but it’s alright because we’re here for the atmosphere anyway!

The performances for the first 2 days were set in Hyogo Performing Arts Center, KOBELCO grand hall. I’ve honestly never been to any kind of music performance (or even concerts) in my life, so I was blown away by the sheer size of the venue.

By 10 AM, the audience was trickling in. I was in awe of the fact that you can tell who was coming in to watch kuromyu - beautiful women dressed in black-and-white tones, many even sporting gothic lolita bows and dresses to keep up with the Victorian England theme. In fact, it felt like the whole of Ikebukuro were gathered here in this very building!

We were ushered into the hall entrance at 11 AM and let me tell you, the crowd was suffocating! In front of the theater, there was a goods section for Kuromyu merch. I’m so glad I took the time to queue up because it seems some of the merch were starting to sell out by the second day. The booth clerk looked perplex to see a non-Japanese customer here though. Here’s how the line looked like, and this was still early before most of the audiences got in:

(We’re not supposed to take any photos but I saw the warning signs too late…Here’s a view from where I was sitting on the third floor.)

I realized then as we were settling in that some ladies around me had binoculars!! Well how was I supposed to know you could bring those here, instead of trying to find those fancy opera glasses!?! Ah well, I was lucky that I’d recently had my prescription glasses updated and the seat to my left was vacant, so I could lean in to see the center better.

The Performance

While it is true that you can barely see the actors’ faces from the balcony seats, it was the grandness of the performance itself that blew me away. For the first time I could see the stage in all its entirety, all the actors dancing in synchronization, and the special effects…oh it had improved A LOT from 3 years prior!

The stage sets for Weston may look a tad “crowded” in the still photo, as compared to the original where they used white backgrounds but in reality, it blended in so prettily with the flashing stage lights. The middle section was a rotating floor and one of my memorable scenes was where Ciel and Sebastian were discussing their plans while crossing the rotating stage, to give the illusion of “strolling across the school grounds.” Sounds like a simple trick but if looked amazing from above.

On to the story itself - the execution actually barely changed from the 2021 rendition, which for me, was a relief! Now I know, some would argue a rerun should add in different elements, because who would want to see the same thing twice right? From past experiences with Kuromyu, the reruns tend to be hit or miss - different actors, different song remixes, voice changes, and so on. For this performance, I could barely tell that the cast (apart from Ciel, Sebastian and Undertaker) were all new members. Everyone got into character flawlessly!

The story of course followed the entirety of the Public School Arc. The script and choreography was almost identical to the 2021 stage musical version. If you would remember, this Kuroshitsuji arc was the first to be portrayed on stage before the anime adaptation - same as previously, they seemed to take inspiration from the manga only rather than the anime.

Some key moments from the play:

The opening sequence was again a recap of the previous arcs - Jack the Ripper (Lycoris that Blazed the Earth), Book of Circus (Noah’s Ark Circus), Book of the Atlantic (Tango on the Campania). I’ve always loved this part because you could tell they slipped in iconic themes from the past musicals.

Perfect Black: the main theme, and my favorite from this stage! I’m so happy to have heard it live! *swoons* Thank god they didn’t do anything weird to remix it. The whole cast dancing together was beautiful! However I thought 2021 did it better with the dramatic light focus on Sebastian during the chorus drop.

Ciel’s Earl of Phantomhive outfit was changed from the glittery blue suit to a blue-green checkered coat this year. (I’d have bought his Earl photoshoot set if I knew it beforehand) Yana-sensei later tweeted that she was the one to re-design it, to better match Eito. Then Eito Konishi himself replied, saying he was honored to play as Ciel Phantomhive, to which Yana-sensei praised his singing and called him “Eito-bocchan” …boy was he fanboying hard over that. He’s one of us!!

Arrival at Weston: I don’t have a comment on the P4 in particular, they were all straightforward from the manga. I think I like Redmond’s character the most here, he looked very pretty with the side-ponytail and while he was a show-off still, he wasn’t as annoying or arrogant as I somehow expected.

A notable interaction: Violet forcing Greenhill to pose for him at the swan gazebo. Greenhill’s actor really looked strained trying to keep an upside down bridge pose (Edward was supporting his back, but kept getting distracted). When he broke the pose and got up, Violet hit him over the head with his sketchbook so hard that the thump echoed through the hall.

As for the Prefect’s Fags: Edward and Cheslock were giving off some suspiciously gay rivals-to-lovers vibes over here. Which I kinda vibed with, I hope they kept the energy into the Blue Cult Arc!

One important thing: they kept the ALL the Fag lines! Which in Japanese accent also kinda sounded like them repeatedly calling each other “Fućk”. Oh how I wish the anime had kept those!

Soma Asman Kadar: now this guy deserves an ovation just for himself. Not only did he kill the role, he was also the funniest! Soma’s song was greatly improved and lengthened with catchier music and dancing - when his troupe “arrived” at Weston, he even dragged Ciel and Clayton to join in. I can’t do it justice, you have GOT to see those two English gentlemen crack the Indian dance moves! His pestering of Maurice Cole was hilarious and he kept exasperating Ciel out of his character, their chemistry was wonderful. I really didn’t expect to get hooked by Soma in this arc out of all people! Too bad Agni wasn’t here.

Maurice Cole’s miniarc - Flawless. Sometimes I wonder if he was an easy character to play just because his character trait is so extremely over-the-top lol.

The library kabedon scene and sebaciel burning Purple House scene didn’t exist. Another scene cut off from the last musical was where Clayton and the Blue House kids were congratulating Ciel on his fag duties and Sebastian took the chance to blend in with them. Sadly that was one of my favorite adlibs.

Ciel’s dream sequence: this was originally in the 2021 musical. After a talk with Macmillain made him revisit his past trauma, Ciel “dreamed” of the cultists, and Sebastian’s close call with Undertaker in BotA. I actually forgot about this part when I watched it in theater - the highlight was sebaciel reenacting the scene in BotA where they reached for each other, the enactment surprisingly gave me the impression of Ciel’s “worry” over Sebastian’s “vulnerability” here. Unlike the 2021 version though, Undertaker didn’t pull Ciel into a bridal carry or referenced the R!Ciel wake-up scene as clearly.

The second half after the break was the long-awaited Cricket Match. Like the previous version, there was no scene of Ciel jumping into Master Michaelis’ arms, but I think they just couldn’t fit that one into the sequence. The cricket songs were mostly the same as the original - with an improvement being them cutting out Red House’s random beauty pageant contest. It actually felt like the cricket match went by faster this time, which was a win in my book. I’ve heard people complain of Kuromyu 2021 being a “Prince of Cricket” musical, hence the bad reviews back then.

The laxative meat pie scene was hilarious. From Sebastian faking it as a student complete with Red House’s uniform, to the team’s diarrhea horrors. Redmond stole the show again, as he was going to help Harcourt in the middle of the field, but tragedy struck which made him deadpan: “Oh. Someone get Harcourt.” Then immediately left the stage lol. The Blue House kids lifted Harcourt out.

The Green vs Purple house battle was the same as last time. I always felt bad to see Cheslock being the only Purple kid doing his best because without any support member cast while Violet was sitting in the grass. But this time, he gave Cheslock a tree sculpture of his bust as a good-job reward! Good for them.

Lastly Green vs Blue. They incorporated the rotating stage again in the last batting when Greenhill accidentally hit Ciel. The end of the match cut straight to the Thames Boat Ride, then they did the Blue House cheering scene after. Sebastian finally got to do his signature bridal carry, awww.

Midnight tea party: the setting was even more beautiful than last time. Undertaker letting his hair fall from his hat was iconic as usual. I was impressed with Master Agares’ fight scenes because his actor looked quite older than his 2021 predecessor. I always liked how they did Derrick Arden’s death in the musical, it felt more anguished from the P4 POV while in the anime, it just felt like a gruesome horror scene.

Final musical number was Ciel-Sebastian-Undertaker chorus during their fight in the garden. Music and choreography seemed to be similar, EXCEPT they somehow changed the iconic “Your life is my priority” scene!!! 2021’s version had me hold my breath as Sebastian had his arm possessively hooked around Ciel and took off his glove with his teeth (seriously, you have to see it yourself). This time they had Sebastian and Ciel reenact the scene on the highest stage instead of front and center, and I didn’t feel as much suspense nor was there any glove-removal from what I could see. It was also a weird placement because they were so far away, and Undertaker should’ve been the one on the top as he did his goodbye pose holding the moon.

We end the story with Sebastian recapping the aftermath with Weston’s students, and finally sebaciel’s conversation back at the manor. Again, Ciel reiterates that Sebastian is the only one who could never lie nor betray his trust. Perfect Black came on as an outro, and I got chills when Sebastian ended the last verse on a raised note!

The curtain call was the experience I’d waited for. Somehow I only realized just then that the actors would do the full call during their finale performance, which was what we got to see in the recordings! That day, after the cast bowed twice, the exit announcement immediately came on but guess what? The audience, including myself, kept clapping all the way through the announcement, it went for so long that the cast actually came out to take another bow! As they returned on stage, most of us also stood up for a standing ovation - according to twitter this doesn’t seem to be a regular occurrence outside of the finale. It felt like a truly wholesome “welcome back” for the troupe and for Kuromyu, especially after the rather harsh criticisms from the previous stage (due to major cast and style changes, even I took a while to bring myself to watch it) and the long break due to the COVID years.

Overall summary

Kuroshitsuji Musical 2024 was a faithful rerun of its predecessor. They succeeded with the musical numbers, new cast, overall adaptation of the story. The settings, props and special effects were wonderfully upgraded. The original cast carried the show: Eito Konishi’s singing felt greatly improved and I thought he carried himself as more mature than his last performance as Ciel. Sebastian’s Toshiki Tateishi had a mesmerizing voice the more I listened to him, he never went out of breath even while dancing or fighting - truly vocals fit for the troupe leader. Kandai Ueda did well as his own Undertaker too, even with Undertaker’s peculiar accent.

My few complaints: I felt like the P4 cast (bar Redmond) could do to have more distinction in their tones and movements. It felt hard to distinguish who was talking at times. The performance seemed to have a faster pacing this time around, and you get less absorbed in certain conversations between the characters, so I wished they’d added in slow scenes here and there. And of course I miss the signature sebaciel moments that I’ve mentioned - granted, this manga arc had always been my least favored because of the lack of sebaciel interactions anyway! So I’d say they did the best with the source material.

While I enjoyed seeing my favorite production performed live with the music blasting through my eardrums, it was the atmosphere that truly made the experience for me. Sitting in the 4-storeys grand hall full of some 2000 Kuroshitsuji fans really pulled me back in time, especially during the standing ovation. I’m so happy to see my favorite series so loved after all these years. I’m sure Yana-sensei could feel it too.

I wish a successful performance for the cast going forward to Tokyo, and hopeful for many more musicals to come!

[iamnmbr3]

For the ask game, Oliver Wood!

How I feel about this character

Who wouldn't love his utter fanatical devotion to winning school sports games that ultimately don't actually affect that much? They only thing Harry ever got that enthusiastic about was Draco Malfoy. If Harry had been that into Horcrux hunting the main plot of book 7 would've been over by chapter 5 and the rest could've been devoted to the 8th year drarry fic of our dreams. Remember the time Harry almost died in a Quidditch game and Oliver tried to drown himself in the showers...because they lost?

Or remember this moment:

Hilarious and iconic. I feel like this video captures him perfectly lolol.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I...don't really. In my head Oliver's true love is Quidditch lol. Although I would be deeply entertained by a fake dating AU in which he seduces Marcus Flint to try to learn about the Slytherin team's strategy for the Quidditch season and then it's left ambiguous in the end whether they've actually caught feelings for each other or have expanded their Qudditch rivalry to new levels... (25 years into their marriage all their friends and acquaintances are still not sure and also are not entirely convinced they aren't actually doing a Bit but are too afraid to ask).

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I just think it would be so funny to know more about the absolute chaos that must have ensued from him sharing a dormitory with Percy. Just imagine Percy insisting on total peace and quiet while he studies vs Wood up at all hours making Quidditch models. I feel like they'd either get along really well by terrifying everyone else into giving them the space to themselves to work on their respective Very Important Projects TM or else they'd constantly be fighting. Or maybe they alternated. Either way. Peak content potential.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don't think I have any. Comment your spiciest Oliver Wood takes lol.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Can you imagine if we got to see Wood's reaction to Luna's Quidditch commentary?

[orangeindivdual]

Orange shares a rare pair they like, crazy huh

TWILIGHT ZONE!!!!! I love this ship so much, smashing their face together like dolls. My otp + Shrimpo design + headcannons for them

Shrimpo:

My guy physically can't say he likes anything. He has likes, but he can't physical show he likes them. It's only hate. It truly a tragedy

He allergic to lavender (which is Astro's favorite scent)

Cargo shorts and tank-tops are his only wardrobe. The spiked collar is a sometimes thing

He only lucid dreams, which is why Astro was spooked when he noticed he was there as that had never happen to him while dream-hopping before

One of the shortest adult toons, only being taller than Dandy

His love language is physical touch since he can't show it through his speech

I believe he's just misunderstood as a person and he can be a truly sweet person if you get to know him

Ironically, he's the last person you'll catch swearing

Astro:

Astro has an incredibly energetic side to him that only comes out if he's with people he trusts (Dandy, Vee, Dazzle, Brightney plus Shrimpo after he gets to know him)

Astro is very desperate to prove to himself that he's not a bad person after helping Dandy with the ichor experiments and getting Gardenview shut down (no one knows it was him, not even Dandy, and he's determined to keep it that way)

He lived in the walls for a time and often ended up eavesdropping on toons so he knows a lot more than he lets on

I head cannon that the higher the floor, the more the toons resolve breaks (which lowers their stats, making the game harder), Astro can last roughly 30 floors before slowing down

In-show Astro is a alien-demigod ish. He lived on the moon watching over people's dreams till he was hit by an meteor and crashed to earth (the show's pilot basically was Astro and Dandy meeting) He is later shown to have family that consists of our solar system in an episode I call "Family Matters" in which the main cast talks about their families

He has a massive sugar addiction and often sneaks into the kitchen to snatch fresh baked goods from underneath Cosmo and Sprout's noses. No matter how long Sprout takes guard, there'll always be a few missing treats in the morning

Yeah, I don't usually share ships here, but I'm sharing this because I really want to spread the Twilight Zone propaganda and share some head cannons for these two goofers

[doks-aux]

God, I love BellHands. This ship does not exist. Sam is not in this show. He will probably never be in this show. If he is, he probably won’t look like Jemaine Clement or Matt Berry or Rahul Kohli or any of our fanart. He almost definitely won’t be Izzy’s long-lost husband or newfound love or childhood friend or old rival. There is absolutely no basis for any of this. There are novel-length fanfics. There are common tropes and shared fanon. There are three pages on AO3. That’s more than there are for Izzy with some canon characters. This ship does not exist. This is a shared fever dream. This is our OTP.

[yukidragon]

Sunny Day Jack - Villainess AU Headcanons

I’ve been on a real fantasy kick lately, and that’s not stopping with post. This is a plot bunny that’s been hopping around in my mind for a while, and it snatched up my Dragon Jack AU headcanons from the previous posts, along with the tragic short story of Alice remembering how she died in her past life as Mary to become a bigger bunny. This is the long overdue and previously teased Villainess AU!

Content warnings before we begin: this post touches on topics of infidelity, betrayal, yandere obsession, attempted mind control, death, chronic illness, trauma, and a bit of spice to lighten it up. This shouldn’t get too dark or smutty, but who knows where indulging in my OTP will take me?

On that note, I might wind up using some art from the game/teasers/merch/etc. in this post, so I’m going to go ahead and give a shout out to SnaccPop Studios’ patreon. Consider joining to see some exclusive stuff! Credit to them for this game that has given me plot bunnies that are constantly multiplying.

Anyway, the villainess genre, for those unaware, is a subgenre of the transmigrator genre, which in turn is a subgenre of isekai stories. Typically it takes an otome - a dating sim game aimed at women with a female protagonist - and has the world within that story be real. The main character, a fan of the dating sim, is reborn in the world of this dating sim, not as the protagonist, but as the evil villainess rival who gets in the protagonist’s way and inevitably meets a terrible end regardless of the route taken, often going through much humiliation in the process. The main character then has to avoid her horrible fate and overturns the original story, oftentimes becoming the one the love interests are drawn to instead of the original female protagonist.

Naturally, there are stories that tweak the formula around and subvert expectations, but that’s the basic gist of the genre.

Now Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack is a dating sim, but there’s a distinct lack of a villainess character involved in the plot, which makes sense since Jack fills the antagonist role in every route pretty well. This means that a villainess AU would have the world of the in-universe game be different from the game that we can actually play in our world over on steam and itch. If you’d like to see my ideas on an isekai that takes place in the game as we know it, check it out in this previous post over here.

So let’s start with the AU’s in-universe game itself, and what classic otome roles our favorite male leads might take. While I could cast Ian in the prince role once again like I did with the dragon AU and the fantasy incubus Jack AU, I think we all know who the real ruler of SDJ is.

Thus Jack gets the role of the crown prince. Now, we could have this be a standard fantasy kingdom, but I feel inclined to give it a SunnyTime Town AU twist. Much like in the Aphrodisia crossover Mafia AU, our favorite clown family is a powerful ruling family, only with magic and clown gimmicks instead of guns. Shaun, Nick, and Ian aren’t their typical selves in this universe, but they too get a nice colorful makeover and some spiffy titles, as shown in these limited edition trading cards. Thanks to Crispy for sharing pictures of the cards, and credit to Sauce for creating the amazing artwork in the first place.

Since we’re talking about the cards, how about we shake things up and leave the star of the show for last so we can show off the clown counterparts of the other three male leads.

Ian Duff has the title of Sir Sweet Dreams, and is a knight in this AU, part of the illustrious order of the Night-Knights. His hair is a shade of violet-blue, with face paint that gives him some blue splotches and stars. The Duffs are a noble family, and Ian struggles with the weight of obligation as the firstborn son. He’s not suited for combat, being a pacifist at heart. The otome’s main character (who I will call OMC for simplicity) would help Ian choose his heart over his duty when going down his route, and fight for the future that he wants instead of what his family expects.

Shaun Durand-Cofer is a member of the mage tower, with white and gray face paint and glowing golden eyes, given the nickname of Glad-Pire due to his cheerful personality and his specialization in studying the secrets of dark magic. He’s still our favorite goth butterball, even as a magical clown, and he has MoonPie as his familiar. In the original otome game, OMC would help him deal with the doubts that he’s been having about studying dark magic. He’s been a great benefit to the kingdom, but many are suspicious of his motives, not trusting dark magic in any form, and his relatives are ashamed of him despite the good he’s done.

Nick Herrera’s clown identity with his white and blue face paint is an interesting one, with the title of Sous Chef Sweetly, his job in the trading cards is very different from his employment in the game. Now, typically fantasy otome games don’t have our OMC romancing a chef, but they do have love interests who are wonderful at cooking. Regardless if he is a sous chef or a dom in this universe, Nick is a member of the nobility, and is quite popular with people. He has countless suitors wanting his hand, and he’s known as a ladies’ (and more) man. However, despite his reputation and charming personality, in reality he’s just a shy dork who struggles to make a genuine human connection. In the otome game, OMC sees past his status and reputation that others have placed on him, and sees him for the awkward guy he is deep down inside.

Finally, let’s talk about Jack, or rather him and the rest of the Blouin family. King Marceau and Queen Lucy rule together over this colorful country, and are known to be just and fair. Jack, their second born child, is crown prince and heir to the throne. Their eldest child, Jane, would have been next in line if she didn’t make it very clear from an early age that she did not want the role. She would rather travel the world as a free spirit, not weighed down by the weight of the crown, so she left it to her little brother to take care of in her place.

Fortunately, Jack has accepted his role with dignity and grace. He’s known to always be smiling, a prince everyone admires and desires. Deep down though, he has insecurities about everyone only seeing him for the title of king that he will one day inherit. They see the prince first and Jack second. He always had the option to pass on the role to his younger sibling, but young Jo is a sensitive soul, and Jack couldn’t force them to carry such a heavy burden. He accepted the role of heir from Jane gladly, and he was always sure he could handle it, but doubts creep in that OMC helps him work through as they see Jack for who he is and not for the crown he must one day wear.

Now, the role of the villainess in these games is to act as a romantic rival, the person who stands in the way of OMC getting together with one of the love interests. There can be one that gets in OMC’s way no matter who they pursue, or each love interest could have a “villainess” who gets together with them should the OMC fail their route. Typically, if there’s at least one villainess, she’s engaged to one of the love interests in an arranged marriage set up by their parents. She’s also obsessed with power, and typically the crown prince. This is why she’s usually the prince’s fiancee, who is clearly unfit to be queen.

But why not make things a bit spicier? The villainess in this otome game is an arranged marriage to Ian, but she wants to marry Prince Jack instead to become queen. In Ian’s route, she abuses him similarly to his mother, making him feel like he’s not good enough for her. However, when OMC gets closer to Ian in his route, they get on the villainess’ nerves and she gives them a hard time despite not actually caring for Ian. It’d be like seeing someone steal your toy away when you weren’t ready to discard it. The general vibe is, “I don’t want him, but no one else is allowed to have what’s mine!”

For Shaun’s route, the villainess would be tricking him, using his knowledge of black magic for selfish ends without him realizing it. In the bad end, he would be arrested and executed for treason, as the villainess used him to help her make a love potion that she used on Prince Jack. She, of course, also is executed, because the villainess doesn’t win regardless of the route. The OMC would have to find out about the villainess’ schemes to clear Shaun’s name and prevent the potion from being used.

In Nick’s route, the villainess is jealous of his popularity. He’s also probably a stepping stone in her plots to bewitch and seduce the prince. She’s less of a central antagonist in this route for the OMC, but still an annoyance that gets a bad end regardless of how Nick’s route ends, because the villainess having countless bad ends is kind of the punchline.

Then of course there’s Jack’s route. Naturally, being the one the villainess is lusting after and wants to bewitch, the conflict with the OMC is more pronounced in this route for obvious reasons. OMC must stop the villainess’ countless bullying tactics and schemes in order to have a happy ending.

Basically, it’s the classic otome game setup, with a touch of colorful clown face paint for flare.

Now, the actual MC, the character we’d be playing as in this AU, would be a fan of the otome game. Perhaps playing it is their guilty pleasure. They’re familiar with all the routes. Then, one day, they wake up in the body of the villainess in classic transmigrator isekai fashion.

Although the role of villainess is typically for cis females, MC is whatever gender we decide they should be. There’s a lot of possibilities to explore how an AMAB MC might react to suddenly having an AFAB body, or perhaps whatever force of the universe that made them take the role changed it so that the “villainess” is whatever gender MC was in their previous life, or whatever gender that is true to them.

MC would then be left with the choice of how to handle living in this world and the role they were expected to play. The obvious solution would be to avoid anything having to do with the OMC or seducing Jack, but typically it’s not that easy for the MC to avoid the other characters in a villainess story, especially if they’re engaged to Ian. This is especially true if they start feeling attracted to Jack despite knowing the many bad ends that might await them down that path.

There’s a lot of variables with a general MC and how that would affect the villainess character, as well as what they made of that character. That’s why this ramble took a while to make. I got too caught up on the broader picture, and kept waffling back and forth on things.

So let’s narrow our focus, shall we?

Alice takes the role of villainess in this story. In the original game, the character Alice is spoiled, greedy, vain, gluttonous, and just an overall unpleasant rival that is meant to be the clear-cut bad guy that the player should take great pleasure in seeing get a most unpleasant and humiliating end. You know, the typical chubby antagonist whose weight is the reason why they are deemed repulsive and the butt of the universe’s jokes.

In a way, Alice is forced to take up an unpleasant role like her acting teacher warned her she would be pigeonholed into in the main universe. Only, in this case, she’s expected to live the part.

Of course, unlike a lot of stories in this genre where the villainess starts off chubby and goes through a story arc where they quickly lose weight, Alice is going to stay chubby in this AU, because as long as one is healthy, their size and shape doesn’t matter. It won’t stop people from making fun of her for her size, but it also won’t stop her from being beautiful and worthy of love.

Since this is a reincarnation story, naturally Alice’s previous incarnation was Mary. Since otome games weren’t really a thing in the USA in the early 80’s, the world would instead be based off of a storybook, or a series of stories. It could even be a tween romance series where the main character romances a different guy in the same setting, something super self-indulgent where the protagonist may as well be a build-it-yourself OC with how little detail they have. In this AU, it was a series that was a guilty pleasure when Mary was young that she probably cringed at when looking at it again later in life.

It would also provide a huge tonal whiplash to suddenly find herself in the role of such a series’ villainess after dying such a sad and lonely death in the hospital. Instead of waking up in the comforting arms of her lover in the next life, she wakes up in a lavish mansion with memories of the character she was reborn to play blending in with her sad former life.

It would be interesting if, as a kid, Mary envied the OMC for all the adventures and love she got, only to go back to the series as an adult and see all the awful messages. Many protagonists in the genre wind up empathizing with the villainess, seeing where the story painted them in an unfair light, and things about Alice in the story wound up striking too close to home now that she saw them as an adult, and the OMC is a lot more childish and self-centered than she remembered.

It’d still be strange for anyone to wake up in the role of an antagonist they sympathized with, especially when their last memory was filled with so much grief, pain, and trauma.

While I am tempted that Alice just wakes up one day with Mary’s memories, I think it would be more fitting that they were triggered. In the original story, the first time Alice saw the crown prince at a party, she fell obsessively in love with him. However, in this case, his familiar face reminded her instantly of Joseph, and struck her with a painful nostalgia that rocked her to her core, awakening her memories of her previous life and how she died.

Alice collapses from the shock on the spot. All the memories of pain and love colliding and blending in with this new reality hit her all at once, overwhelming her completely. To onlookers, she’s a noble lady who merely fainted, possibly swooning at the sight of the crown prince, or because of some sudden illness.

It, understandably, takes Alice a while to reconcile the two sets of memories… especially when she realizes that she’s been reborn in the world of a story with many possible endings… as the hated villainess who is going to meet one of many awful ends.

Alice grieves for Joseph and everything she lost as Mary all over again. Prince Jack is so painfully similar to Joseph… especially if the SunnyTime Crew Show existed in her previous life. It’d be so shockingly coincidental, too coincidental, and it’d be hard for her to know what to make of it. Even if the show and the character of Sunny Day Jack didn’t exist, she would still wonder if maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t the only one reborn.

At the same time, Alice knows the original story. The Alice in the story was obsessed over Jack. What if she goes down the same path, leading to the doom of not only herself, but possibly even her family who enabled the villainess’ rampage in the series?

Since Alice would regain her memories the first time she saw Jack, it would most likely be a point in time before the stories were supposed to begin, perhaps even when she is still a child before she gains that villainess reputation in the first place. It might be fitting too, since the first time she and Joseph met was as children. In a way, it’s like they had their first meeting all over again, only she’s the one who needed to be taken away for medical assistance.

This leaves Alice in a difficult place. Should she find out if Jack really is Joseph? What if he doesn’t remember their past lives? What if she’s wrong and the universe is playing yet another cruel joke on the villainess Alice?

What if this is why the character Alice was so dangerously obsessed over Jack? The story was primarily focused on the OMC, not really touching on the reasons why Alice was so desperate to be with Jack beyond an apparent desire for power. The stories never really talked about her family, which Mary is surprised is so loving, even to the point of spoiling Alice. She wished for a family who loved her this much, and now she has it. She’s not alone anymore.

 The original story has so many paths that lead to her doom. Mary Phoenix is dead, and she is now Alice of house Rose. There was nothing left for her in the life she left, and in this new life she doesn’t hurt like she used to. She has so much more in this life, everything she dreamed of during those long and lonely nights she spent sick in her room.

The only thing missing is her starlight, but… if he would be happier without her… she’ll leave Jack be. The prince in the stories was always disgusted by the villainess and adored the OMC no matter what route the OMC took. Mary helped Joseph get the job of Sunny Day Jack that led to his death. If Prince Jack really is Joseph reborn like she suspects, he’s loved by all. She knows from the stories and what she has heard that he has a loving family, and the love of an entire kingdom.

Perhaps the best thing for Alice to do is to be content with the life she has now. She has a loving family, wealth enough to do practically anything she wants, status, and, well, Ian was a sweet character. They’re not engaged yet at this time, but maybe an arranged marriage with him wouldn’t be so bad? She had met him before regaining her memories as Mary, and he seemed quite nice. Also, as a reader she did think that the villainess Alice would’ve been happier if she just was satisfied with her fiance Ian.

It doesn’t change the fact that Alice still misses Joseph. She still loves him more than anything. The pain of his death is fresh in her mind. Would it really be so selfish just to see if perhaps Jack really is her starlight reborn? Would she still be a villainess wanting to have some sort of relationship with him? She’s not the character Alice. She won’t be so cruel, and certainly wouldn’t use mind altering potions on anybody.

Alice is left torn on what the right thing to do is. The story ends miserably for her in so many ways, but this isn’t a story, this is her reality now. Love taken too far can become obsession. What if she projects her memories of Joseph onto Jack? That wouldn’t be fair to him. He might never remember… or he might be someone else entirely. He might just look like her starlight, with the name of the character he played when he died, the same character she came up with as the show’s writer. The same role that led to his death. It would be so cruel if he wasn’t Joseph, but then again, this world is very cruel to its villainess.

It’s this sort of internal war that keeps Alice secluded from the world and society for a while. She needs time to sort through these memories and thoughts. She needs to grieve and remember the story to figure out what the right path forward is. This seclusion and sudden drastic change in her mood worries her family. They don’t know what’s wrong with her, and she won’t open up to them, as there’s no way to explain without sounding like a lunatic.

Eventually, Alice would come to the conclusion that she should keep a respectable distance between her and Jack. If he is Joseph and remembers her… it’s all she could ask for. But she won’t go down the path of forcing it. She won’t force him to have a relationship, to love her, and she certainly won’t force him to be what she wants. She will accept that Joseph is dead and that she must move on and somehow find a happy ending despite the role she has been given. Whatever relationship she might have with Jack in the future, she won’t forcefully bind him to her just because of a past that was now dead.

Jack, however, has different plans.

Come on, you can’t expect me to let things end like that for my OTP. I’m a sucker for happy endings after all. Besides, we’ve still got to add some yandere spice to the mix even if Alice is refusing to play the part like the villainess character did.

Despite Alice’s fears, Jack is indeed Joseph reborn. He has a passing familiarity with the story, since he knew that it was Mary’s favorite series as a child. He took interest in the things she liked, even if they didn’t resonate with him the way it did with her. However, the original story doesn’t matter to him. The instant he saw his sunshine’s face for the first time, he knew, he just knew that he couldn’t let her go.

Just like Alice has trauma from her death, Jack does as well. Whatever supernatural curse bound Joseph to the tape led to the pair being reborn in this world. Perhaps he figured out a way to escape his hell, or change its form, leading to the creation of this world while also bringing Mary’s soul into this new world he created. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Mary was the one who came up with the concept of the SunnyTime Crew show in the first place and was one of the writers. Perhaps the wish she made at the end of her life changed both their fates, and she was the one responsible for this world’s existence. Perhaps it was a mixture of all these things, or something else entirely that led to this situation. For all we know, a trickster god decided to meddle with things to give them a new life where they might have a second chance.

Perhaps a trickster dragon god who wants to see her OTP live a new life in a different world where they can be happy together and is a fan of the villainess transmigration genre. ;3

Whatever the case, Jack won’t let anyone take his sunshine away. He isn’t Joseph anymore. They can have a fresh start, a new life without the sins of Joseph Cullman to weigh him down. He can create the life for the two of them that he always wished to make. He can be whatever he wants to be, including a prince charming that will give his sunshine whatever her heart desires.

The time Jack spent in hell left him with nightmares of cold nights, lost and alone even before consciously remembering his past life. He clung to his family more because of it, being somewhat of a spoiled baby, but their love helped him not feel so alone. Even still, something was missing, a hole in his heart that ached to be filled.

Being a prince, Jack sees countless faces. He has to remember so many people in order to be a good king one day. He often goes to parties to greet countless nobles, but none of them caught his attention like Alice.

Initially, Jack didn’t see Alice in the crowd, staring at him with wide eyes. It was the commotion that caught his attention. He heard one of the young ladies had fainted. The knights were on alert, worried about foul play. They ushered the prince to safety, but Jack dragged his feet, he kept looking back.

Then Jack caught a glimpse of her, the girl being carried off by a servant or a worried parent. Her sickly pale face was so familiar… he couldn’t place it. He struggled a little harder, wanting a better look at her, but the knights were stronger and urged him away. Something inside him screamed to go back. He had to see her properly, look in her eyes, which were twisted tightly closed.

For some reason he was certain that her eyes were a distinct shade of blue.

Jack couldn’t get Alice out of his mind. He found out her name after things calmed down. She had gotten sick. What was wrong? Oh, the family couldn’t say for sure. That wasn’t good enough of an answer for Jack. He needed to know what happened, if she was okay. He had to see her.

The glimpse of Alice was like a crack in the wall that separated Jack from his memories of Joseph. He had painful flashes, nightmares of a life filled with regrets that only had a few shining moments of happiness.

The brightest light in that darkened life was the one with eyes the color of the sky at dawn.

Jack kept petitioning to visit Alice, under the excuse that he wanted to wish her well, see if she was alright in person, but the Rose family politely declined each time. His concern was appreciated, but she was too unwell for visitors.

It drove Jack crazy, and it brought back memories of a hospital, of a woman whose life hung by a thread. More than once Joseph had to take Mary to the hospital even before her final days there. Being unable to see her also made him feel lonely in a way that he hadn’t felt in so, so long. He felt so very, very cold.

At some point Jack remembered names. He remembered Mary, Joseph, and the tragic way his life and career ended with exposed sins and gunfire. He also remembered what came after, the cold emptiness and pain that tore away at him, his desperation for someone, anyone to save him, to remember that he was still there.

Jack struggled with reconciling these memories. He wanted to escape from them, but at the same time he couldn’t let go of Mary, the girl who looked so much like Alice. The memories of the story that made up the world he lived in were vague, something he remembered far later, but for now he just had to meet Alice, if only to settle the dissonance that had overtaken his mind.

The change in Jack was noticed, of course, and his family were concerned about him. He quickly remembered how to hide how he felt behind a smile. The more he remembered of the actor known as [Redacted], the better he could play the part of the cheerful, smiling prince. Being a prince really wasn’t that much different than being a kids TV show host and teacher after all. He just needed to put on a good show for everyone.

When Alice had recovered enough to leave her bedroom and try to live her new life, she was shocked to learn that the prince wanted to see her, and was surprisingly insistent about it. Although her family said that she didn’t have to see him if she was still unwell, she couldn’t turn him down. She had to see him, talk to him at least once. Then maybe, just maybe, she could figure out what she should do.

The moment they met, Alice tried to act like a proper lady, to not let on how seeing Jack face to face made her heart ache so much. She curtsied and greeted him as she was polite instead of giving in to the part of her that just wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry.

Those eyes of hers were just as bright and blue as Jack knew they would be. He knew that he was right. Alice was Mary, his sunshine. She acted as if she didn’t recognize him, but maybe it was better that way. They could start over as Jack and Alice. They could forget all the mistakes, all the pain.

This time, Jack would do everything right.

Jack was charming during their meeting. He expressed concern about Alice fainting at the party, offering her a gift that left her confused and a bit flustered by the attention. His behavior was so kind and princely… but he didn’t recognize her. She couldn’t be sure this was Joseph or just someone with his face. Spending time with him was both wonderful and made her heart ache with longing. If she was to keep herself from becoming obsessed with him, she knew by the end of the night that she would have to keep her distance.

Of course, Jack would never allow that. He started sending Alice letters, visited her often, and invited her to the palace. Despite the painful nostalgia of their past, the time they spent together was a joy to both of them. Alice laughed at his dumb jokes for the first time in what felt like forever. It was so hard not to simply fall in love with him all over again in spite of herself.

Though they were getting closer, Jack couldn’t risk anything getting between them. By this point, he remembered some elements of the story, just the broadest strokes, but they were enough for him to remember the roles they were supposed to play… and how the “villainess” would inevitably meet a tragic fate.

In many storybook isekai stories, the protagonist writes down everything they can about the original story so they don’t forget it. I, like many readers, wonder what would happen if someone else was to come across these notes, but that plot point never comes up again.

So what if Jack, when visiting Alice one day, snoops through her things, and finds her notes about the original story? It could be what makes him remember the original series in the first place. It was so long ago since he read it, and he wasn’t a fan of it after all. His memories would be far more faint than Alice’s would be.

So many routes lead to awful deaths for Alice in this series. It’s sadistic to its villainess - banishment, imprisonment, beheading, assassination, poisoning, turning into a monster, and many other countless awful ends. There are some notes she added of potential counter-measures to escape these awful fates… including a note that she can’t let herself fall in love with Prince Jack.

Well now… Jack isn’t about to allow their story to meet a tragic end in any respect. Never again.

Jack is going to change the story, and the first change is to make sure that Alice gets engaged to him instead of Ian. Oh, his parents are surprised when he brings it up. They were going to let him choose who he wanted to marry when he was older, rather than force a choice, but Jack was adamant that he wanted to marry Alice. Arranging a marriage isn’t uncommon for nobility, and in fact talks had been going on between the Rose family and the Duff family for a while now, but those are swiftly ended.

Needless to say, Alice is shocked by the change in the narrative. She was already surprised that Jack liked her and went out of his way to spend time with her instead of avoiding her like in the books, but an engagement? Should she be happy or worried? He reminds her of Joseph, but he is different now. Is he really her starlight?

When meeting Jack next, Alice tries sounding him out. She tries to subtly bring up things about their past that only Mary and Joseph would know. Jack doesn’t acknowledge these things, redirecting conversations and distracting Alice so she doesn’t try again. If she tries being more forceful, it causes Jack to be shaken up, not wanting to be Joseph anymore, and she immediately backs off at seeing his distress. Even if she wants answers, she can’t stand the idea of hurting Jack.

The question never gets neatly resolved for Alice about whether Jack is really Joseph, but it’s hard for her not to be swept up by him. He always had a way of charming her, and they have so much fun together. Even if they are new people now, they fit so neatly together, like two puzzle pieces. Despite her resolve not to fall in love, he keeps finding ways of making her heart flutter in spite of herself.

There’s also the looming fear of the OMC and Jack falling in love with her like he did in the story, but Alice is all too aware that the story has changed. Hell, her awareness changes it in and of itself. Plus the original story was a series of stories with different routes, with no true timeline. She has no idea how the OMC is going to change things whenever she finally appears.

Alice and Jack grow up together like they did in their previous lives, only this time nothing is forcing them apart. In their own ways, they make alterations to the original story without letting the other know in order to make sure Alice won’t face a tragic end. Jack at times takes a bit more direct action against those who would hurt his sunshine.

Suffice to say, Alice falls in love with Jack in spite of herself, and eventually the truth that Jack remembers will be revealed. It’ll hurt Alice that he hid it all this time, especially since it would have reassured her so much that he remembered too. There’s going to be some drama, but in the end they love each other and want to be together. Even if the reveal might hurt after lying for so long, Alice will forgive Jack. In the end, she’ll always forgive her starlight.

In the end, Alice and Jack have their happily ever after. The memories might have left scars on their hearts, the past might have had such pain and darkness, but they can move forward. They can heal, find love and so many new connections in this life. Most of all, they’ll always find their way back to each other. Their love will bind them together forever.

As for the OMC… perhaps they get together with Ian in the end. I mean, Ian does cheat on MC in the original SDJ game, and he plays the role of the love interest who cheats with the protagonist despite being engaged in the in-universe otome game. It’d be narratively fitting.

Plus it would be kind of funny if, regardless of Jack remembering or any other connection like with Alice/Mary, MC tried to avoid their bad end by staying faithful to their fiance Ian and accept the arranged marriage… only to be cheated on when the OMC comes along, similar to the Ian route in the original story.

Man, wouldn’t it hurt even worse if MC sincerely fell in love with Ian, vowing not to cheat like the villainess did, only to wind up being the one cheated on in the end. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the teeth?

That’s pretty much all the ideas I have for the villainess AU I have for now, but it feels weird to leave it on a sour note, so here’s one last bit of fluffy OTP self-indulgence.

Jack isn’t going to wait for the wedding night to seduce Alice, though he is going to be eager to have their wedding as soon as possible. Also, in a bit of narrative irony, he’s going to be the one to get the mage’s tower to make a potion for him, but not a love potion. He would never force his sunshine to do anything she doesn’t want to do. It’s more of a potion made for loving if you catch my drift.

After all, what’s a fantasy AU with a horny male lead without some magical aphrodisiacs? Nothing to influence the will or remove consent, but it does make the skin and other places very sensitive. It’s just a little added spice after they become intimate to make Alice respond so strongly to his every touch and burn for Jack all the more.

Jack could take some as well, though he doesn't need an aphrodisiac for Alice to drive him crazy. Every time she touches him, he burns so badly for her, so desperate and needy. It took everything he could to hold himself back until she finally gave in to her feelings and loved him despite fears of the original story and their pasts. Suggesting they have a little fun with aphrodisiacs just makes things a little more fair by giving Jack a chance to drive Alice with crazy with desire for a change~

I hope it wasn’t too meandering of a ramble, hahaha. Maybe I’ll come back to this plot bunny again sometime. I hope you enjoyed it!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

[qwertycake]

cute squishy platonic otp prompts :) very fluffy and good smiley face

FOUND THESE ABANDONED IN MY NOTES FROM 2021! Some of these are very specific so feel free to alter them to suit your situation/tastes. Some of these are more targeted towards the mundane “imagine this” scenarios which aren’t great for writing an extended piece about but they can still get your creative juices flowing. These are all geared towards platonic and squishy, but I suppose they could be used in other contexts too. Enjoy!

“You’re very good at that instrument, Person A, but please put it away it’s two in the fucking morning” AU

“We went out to stargaze but you keep saying that every cluster of stars is Orion’s belt and I’m starting to think you’re trying to impress me with the astrology knowledge that you don’t have” AU

“You walked into our house/apartment/whatever sopping wet from the rain because you forgot your umbrella, here’s a towel and I’m making hot chocolate by the way let’s watch movies” AU

“That’s a cute bouquet and all but why are the neighbours’ gardens barren” AU

“We’re playing smash bros together on the couch and I’m teaching you to play and you kick my ass and the worst part is that I wasn’t letting you win” AU

“The party’s over and we now have a ton of helium filled balloons hey what if we drank the helium and prank called people come on you know you want to” AU

“We went to a rocky beach and now have a rucksack full of cool rocks that we’re never gonna use” AU

“Look I know it’s two in the morning— hey stop asking how I got in your room that’s not important— I need you to make a Hot Wheels track with me” AU

“We both keep dream journals and are sharing our weird dreams” AU

“We’re performers waiting outside the venue because we’re tired of the loud noise and need a breather, also hey is your group also going to the McDonalds afterwards? I’ll see you there” AU

“We’re camping and a random dog/cat just waltzed up to our tent and we don’t know where their owner is so we have to take care of it in a really small space oh my god” AU

“We’re both isakaied away into another world but you became a cool mage and I’m just Some Dude” AU

“We’ve been trying to get this goddamn plushy from a grabbing machine for literal hours to the point where we broke it and the poor worker, person C, just walked up and unlocked the chamber and gave us the plushy out of pity” AU

“We’re at a library and I’m intimidated because everyone looks super stoic and serious but then you waltz up to me with a kids encyclopaedia of dinosaurs and ask me which one’s my favourite” AU

“We’re having a snowball fight but we both can use insanely powerful magic and end up wrecking havoc on the whole area” AU

“Oh your winter clothes got wet, here have my hat and gloves I don’t feel cold— in fact you know what let me warm your hands for you, give em here” AU

“I’m driving us home from the airport/ferry port/whatever and its late and we end up falling asleep in the car park of a service station. You wake up before me and buy me service station food for a three in the morning breakfast and it’s really sweet until we realise that we still have an hour to go before we’re home ugh” AU

“Can you catch the bus with me I’ve never caught it before and I need to get used to it” AU

“We’re astronauts and we’re going into space together and it’s really scary but you’re pissing me off already and we’ve barely gotten ready for launch fuck” AU

“We both crash landed from a plane into a woodland and are staying in an abandoned shack and chatting over a can of warming beans” AU

“We’re in control of making the new universe and we can’t agree on anything stop putting cat ears on the humans and take this seriously goddammit” AU

“I work at a drycleaners and you’ve been bringing your bodypillow/ahaego hoodie/whatever here for the past three days and I just want to know why please you’re killing me” AU

“There’s only one bed but we actually get gradually more pissed off at one another as the night goes on because you kicked me and I took the blanket and whatever until I cave and sleep on the couch, but you make me breakfast in the morning so all is forgiven” AU

“You look depressed here have a bathbomb go have a bath I insist do you want wine” AU

“You’ve never made a pizza from scratch before? Here let me show you how” AU

“You’ve never played hop scotch before? Here let me show you in public” AU

“You’ve never built a death ray before? Here let me show you— hey hold on stop screaming it’s pointed away from you it’s pointed away” AU

“Mario Maker: Endless Easy” AU

“Whenever we go out to eat you always tell the staff that it’s my birthday when it isn’t and I always get happy birthday sung to me and I hate you now pass me that slice of cake goddammit” AU

[stylespresleyhearted]

CCG — THE PRESS RUN

Notes: It’s been a long time, baby. Life has been kicking my ass but I still think of this universe constantly. Adore you @blainesebastian <3

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enews Elvis star Austin Butler had his leading lady on his arm at Cannes Film Festival. The couple looked stunning and more in love than ever with Butler encouraging her to pose for some solo shots. More pics of the two of them in the link in our bio

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butlerbot SHE’S SO PRETTY IM JEALOUS

austinnb have you guys seen the video that dropped 😭 he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she posed !!!

y/naustin she was so shy and he still had her take some on her own jsgsh

sheilableu Everything I see about this couple I enjoy. Very in love and genuine I see them lasting.

liked by jillian.mua and 62953 others

tmz The best girlfriend award goes to? Austin Butler’s lady has been sure to show her support for Butler through the release of the Elvis film. She as well as his sister accompanied the Elvis star to his debut interview with Jimmy Fallon. Fans were chanting her name as she entered. Pics and videos at the link in our bio

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paparazzi1 when the fans of heart throbs like you, you’re in it for the long run. was lucky enough to meet them and they were so kind and graceful

ccgfan her style is TO DIE FOR

butlerrr She looks like the star and Austin is the supportive boyfriend lmao

liked by rileykeuogh and 936910 others

hollywoodreporter A cute moment on the Golden Globes red carpet shared between Elvis star Austin Butler and his longtime girlfriend 💕 Butler spent a few seconds frantically looking around for his beautiful date but when he spotted her posing on the carpet he couldn’t help but erupt in joy and rush to plant a sweet kiss on her. Video on our TikTok and at the link in our bio 

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louisemarie they called me single and said im gonna die alone i can’t handle their cuteness

butlerrr HE IS SO IN LOVE WITH HER 😭

butlerbot siri play ‘can’t keep my eyes off you’

presleyfan her little giggle 🥰 austin is so baby

rileykeuogh This is so real. One of the first things I noticed meeting them is how in love he is. 💗

liked by ashleybee and 1539761 others

coffeegirl I’m so proud of you, babe. I witnessed you pour your heart and soul into this role and there’s no one more deserving. Love you so.

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ashleytisdale THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!!!

catherinemartindesigns All that coffee must have helped, darling 😉

bazluhrmann No words to express the pride I feel in this guy and the work he did. Unreal.

oliviadejonge 🌹🙌🏼

liked by jillian.mua and 72641 others

ccgupdates Reaction during Austin’s BAFTA winning speech. “… to my girlfriend, the best partner, my best friend, I thank my lucky stars every day I have you by my side. If it wasn’t for your constant love and support, for all the coffee, most of which I only ordered to see you on long set days*laughs* for the oreos and ginger ale — you’re the best part of my dreams coming true. I love you, baby.”

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presleyfam They both got teary eyed and he choked up I can’t -

butlerbot HE LOVES HER SO MUCH LIKE HE IS SO IN LOVE ❤️❤️😭😭💗💗💗

mccall OTP. CRYING.

austinelvis Ok did anyone else also spot Brendan crying during Austin’s speech too? Austin had everyone teary eyed, he’s so genuine

ashleybee ❤️

liked by ashleytisdale and 96210 others

austinbnews Austin and his girlfriend leaving the Oscars before heading to the Variety after party.

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butlerbot It’s so good to see him smiling 😭 I know it’s because he has her with him thats why I love her she makes him so happy

austinfan the Oscars were rigged but I’m happy he has her!!!

sharonbleu True love ❤️

ccgupdates They are each other’s favorite win, as long as they have each other they will always be happy and smiling and in love.

[patbworship]

Mod Introduction #1 (Welcome to the Blog! Narf!)

Hellooooooooo Tumblr!!! If you are seeing this, you have stumbled across the newest Pinky and The Brain exclusive blog (as hinted by the title of course!) that will be dedicated to celebrating the legacy, brilliance, and gayness of the PaTB franchise! I am Mod Pinky (my other half will be making an intro very soon) and many of you may know me from my main blog @theonethatyaks93 where I post Animaniacs and PaTB content for a living. I am really glad to share this fun new project with my bestest partner and we are both excited to be sharing our love for the mice with all of you! Now I am aware that the fandom is not as active as it once was, and many blogs like this one have been abandoned. Still, we are excited to be keeping the fandom alive and we are looking forward to helping cement this show into public conscious for a while longer. But enough about that; we'll be making another post to describe the blog in more depth at a later time. Let's get to the fun, actual introduction part of the post:

Name: Please call me Pinky or Mod Pinky if you'd like

Pronouns: She/They

Basic Interests: Writing, Singing, Acting, Animation, Drawing,

Dream Job(s): Voice Actor, Author, Writer on a PaTB Reboot

OTP: Brinky

My History in the Fandom: Surprisingly, I've been involved in the Animaniacs fandom since 2020 and the PaTB fandom since 2021. I got into the show thanks to the trailer for the Animaniacs reboot and I instantly fell in love. I was actually more into the Warner Siblings when I first watched the original series and I spend the first months in the fandom obsessing over them. However in 2021, I got really, REALLY into Pinky and The Brain. I believe it was because I saw people talking about them everywhere. And I started shipping Brinky as well. The mice just appealed to me specifically, and as I was going through the worst time in my life, they were there to help me out. Since then, nearly three years later, I've become an expert in all things PaTB. Pinky and The Brain has actually gotten me interested in other things shockingly, including neurological science and even rodent care, believe it or not. These mice have a death grip on my life and I am looking forward to growing my love for the series even more.

Favorite Episodes of PaTB (All episodes that I've seen so far) (In no particular order):

A Pinky and The Brain Christmas

This Old Mouse

A Pinky and The Brain Halloween

Broadway Malady

Brinky

Brain's Way

Talladega Mice

Narf Over Troubled Water

Of Mouse and Man

That Smarts

Megalomaniacs Anonymous

Snowball

Welcome to the Jungle

Future Brain

How The Brain Thieved Christmas

Groundmouse Day

Pinky Suavo (Yeessssss)

Plight of Hand

Brainie the Poo

Brain's Night Off

Happy Narfday

Mouse Madness

Royal Flush

Mouse Congeniality

How To: Brain Takes Over the World

Spell-Bound

Yes, Always

Brain Meets Brawn

Bubba Bo Bob Brain

Inherit the Wheeze

Where Rodents Dare

Pinky POV

Favorite Moments from PaTB: You guys are going to have to wait for the blog. I wanna make posts about them and talk about why I love them so much. But one of my favorite moments, of course, is the ending of the Christmas episode because it makes me sob every time I watch it

Most Underrated Episodes (Again, in no particular order):

Brain's Song

Pinky's Dream House

Anything from the Animaniacs Reboot

Melancholy Brain

The Pinky and The Brain Reunion Special

But That's Not All Folks!

Dangerous Brains

Beach Blanket Brain

Pinky at the Bat

You Said a Mouseful

Brain Drained

Hoop Schemes

Napoleon Brainaparte

Battle for the Planet

Win Big

When Mice Ruled the Earth

Favorite Songs:

Just Say Narf!

Brainstem

Pinky's Memories

Cheese Roll Call

The Really Great Dictator

A Meticulous Analysis of History

I Ate a Rock

Pinky's Dream House (Song)

Brain Doggie Mambo

International Mouse of Mystery (For the vocal performance alone)

Most Interesting Opinions on the Show:

I really like Snowball. He's my favorite side character from any iteration

Julia (from the reboot) is AMAZING in her second and third appearances. Not in her first

I prefer the fan versions of Billie to her canon character

I do not like Phar Fignewton very much. She isn't a very interesting character

I think Pinky and The Brain thrived in the late 90's while Animaniacs faltered a bit. Seasons 3-5 of Animaniacs had some good episodes but quite a few duds while PaTB had an incredible third and fourth season

To me Brinky is canonized in the reboot. Not in the traditional sense but it's pretty obvious

The reboot PaTB episodes are really good

I am not a big fan of the episode Brainania. It's not bad but I find it a bit slow in the pacing department

Mousechurian Candidate (from the reboot) is the worst episode of PaTB ever made

Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain is not as bad as people think and there are some good jokes. But it is nowhere near the quality of the rest of the franchise

Pinky is the best character ever created (not biased)

My favorite episodes of the show are usually the ones that focus more on character dynamics and emotion

The animation of the show is very inconsistent. My favorite studios are TMS and Rough Draft since I think they capture how they characters look the best. Wang could be pretty good too but in other episodes they made the mice look strange. Akom did some weird lighting techniques but they did great on the episode Snowball, and the less said about Startoons the better.

I like Pinky and Brain's reboot designs a lot. And I think there are some improvements (i.e. Brain's more expressive face, the details in the designs, Pinky's more angular body, Pinky's tail, their cute little fangs). But I like them in the original series for the softer edges and more classic feel

What am I Going to Do on this Blog: One of my biggest ideas (along with getting to share my love of the mice with everyone and my partner-in-crime) is maybe to do a weekly thing, where I analyze an episode or moment from the show. I also want to review fanfictions and post random funny mouse things. Maybe I can show you guys the comics I have or my ever-growing merchandise collection. I will be opening the ask-box to suggestions at some point so if you want me or my partner to look at a specific moment, feel free to ask. I might even make some Tumblr-exclusive fanfics to post on here too. This is mainly just a fun place for us to express our love for Pinky and The Brain so it might seem random at times. But I can assure you all that I want to do some fun stuff to build up excitement. These are all things I wanted to do on my main blog but I think it will be better to do it here.

Once again, I would like to say that I am really excited for all that we have planned! This is a project I have been secretly wanting to do for a long time, and now I have someone to do it with. My Brain is perfect and I know that we're going to do so many amazing things with this blog! She's the greatest. Stay tuned for another intro coming soon and be prepared for more regular posts to come out in the following days.

The Revolution for Gay Mice Supremacy begins!

Mod Pinky over and out! Narf!

(this is not an elaborate plan to take over the world I promise you)

[usamamoweek]

UsaMamo Week 2023 will be the week of July 23 - July 29! We’re posting these prompts early to help you prepare, and also realize by the time of the challenge that the Cosmos parts I and II will be streaming. We reserve the right to modify any prompts that may be “too soon” with Cosmos knowing the trauma about to befall our OTP. 

See below for the daily prompts. Every day has two to pick from–you are not required to use both. You can utilize as many or as few of the daily prompts as you are inspired to do. We would love to see any form of creative works – stories, drabbles, poetry, drawings, digital art, webtoons, moodboards, photography, cosplay… whatever medium speaks to you!

Rules

Usa/Mamo must be the central pairing

Any rating is OK as long as you flag / label correctly

All types of fanwork are accepted

You can do one prompt or more; there’s no minimum

Tag a Tumblr post with #usamamoweek2023 and/or @usamamoweek2023 to be reblogged by this account

Add to the collection on AO3 and tag #usamamoweek2023

If requested, we will share AO3 works on Tumblr

Have fun!

Daily Prompt List for July 23 - 29

Day 1: Year of the Rabbit / Kiss Game*

Day 2: Royalty / Sword

Day 3: Love Letters / Poetry

Day 4: Beach / There was only one …

Day 5: Free day

Day 6: Crystal / Wings

Day 7: Midnight / Fireworks

*Examples of kiss games are the pocky challenge, spin the bottle, lady-and-the-tramp-style noodle eating that results in kissing, or something similar your characters have dreamed up!

[lexsssu]

OTP (Monkey King | Sun Wukong)

Flufftober Day 2

TAGS: Wukong/F!reader

“Pinch me, Mei. I think I’m dreaming if I’m finally seeing this and not just in my fanart.”

“Either we’re sharing the same dream, or our OTP finally came true.”

“Shhhhh! Don’t be too loud or they’ll hear us and ruin the moment!”

“...You’re the loudest one here, Tang.”

“After 3 seasons of pining, we’re finally here…I have to take pictures for my scrapbook!”

As the five plus a cat huddled together and argued behind a bush, not too far from them were the objects of their interest.

There you sat upon a blanket laid down on the grass, reading a book as the famed Monkey King himself idly snoozed with his head on your lap. His seemingly sentient tail having hooked itself around your waist as if afraid you’d suddenly disappear while he slept. The hand that wasn’t holding your book ran through the fur at the top of his head, scratching and caressing him absent-mindedly.

“They do know that we can hear them clearly, right?”

Without missing a beat, Sun Wukong slowly opened an eye before he yawned in agreement. “Let them have their fun. S’not like we’re hiding anything from them,” sitting up from his current position, the simian’s equally powerful tail that had lovingly been clutching your waist lifted you up in the air only to deposit you on his lap.

“Be sure to take a good picture and send a copy to me right after, ‘kay?”

The excited squeals of your audience only made you huff and bury your face in your lover’s strong chest, ears reddening as your friends’ jeering and squealing got louder.

[autistichalsin]

I am eternally grateful that I could share "we learned Halsin's surname is Silverbough and also we got all of our Daddy Halsin dreams fulfilled and then some" day with all of you!!!!!!

Today was an insane day and I probably would have had a mental breakdown from grad school stress if it wasn't for you guys being here for me to scream with. I LOVE ALL OF YOU and i look forward to continuing to post my insane overanalytical essays about Oak Daddy, along with some fics- like, I had an idea for Kiaran (my Durge) and Halsin that I worried was a bit OOC/wish fulfillment that now the epilogue confirms is PERFECTLY in character, and of course, the ideas I had before for Halsin's life in the commune have only GROWN! Not only do I need Halsin as a midwife and performing weddings for the adults while he takes care of all the kids, but I need him getting lovingly tackled by a hoard of them, I need him teaching them all about nature and bringing them on nature walks, I need him taking care of babies while the parents are away...

And I need him getting wistful that even though all these children call him Daddy, they still aren't "his". The first time one of them gets adopted, he is a mess- he's happy, of course he has to be happy but he's almost devastated and he doesn't know how to sort through his emotions!

And I also really want the kids, who of course are way more perceptive than even Halsin realizes, to discover that Halsin gets Scared of things. He doesn't like the dark, doesn't like when Thaniel and Oliver in particular get hurt, doesn't like certain noises. And eventually he's forced to give them an explanation disguised as a bedtime story. I need to write all of these things!

Plus I also need to write my OTP, Furioso, too.

I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE SO MANY FIC ADVENTURES WITH YOU ALL!!! I LOVE YOU ALL SFM I HAVEN'T HAD THIS MUCH FUN IN A FANDOM IN SO LONG. You guys helped me get my confidence in my writing back and so much more!!!

[dragon-of-timeless-blue]

Free!cember Day 9: Crossover

With the permission of showing the art of my dear little sis @underfan26 I present to you a crossover idea that made both of us smile:

AAAAAAAAAAHHH

A crossover of Free! and undertale has always seemed quite interesting to me, there are so many interesting dynamics that could be explored!! However, one part that excites me more than anything about this concept is Rin and Undyne, not only because imagining them training together, sharing a bonding moment about having pointy teeth and talking about how their father figures are the reason they found an initial dream to following and pursue, sound like incredible and beautiful settings BUT BECAUSE both Rin and Undyne are comfort characters of each one respectively and imagining them together is something incredibly cool and endearing <3

So yeah, there it is, note the small nod to our respective OTPs (rinharu and alphyne) kskdldkkdkx,

[dragonagehumor]

Since I've seen many posts about people missing how common asks used to be, I have been trying to send to more asks to engage more. I really don't want to bother anyone though so I'd love to know if you enjoy receiving asks and if so what kind of asks. Detailed? Vague? Work? Fandom? Movies? Books? Childhood? Gardening? Thoughts? OTPs? OCs? I'm sure there are way more categories, I'm not limiting you to these listed options. Perhaps if it's an easier question what types of asks do you not like?

I don't get many asks, but I have enjoyed the ones I've gotten so far. Usually they're focused on fandom-specific stuff, OCs, OTPs, or just funny questions. Behind it all though, we're also people who have our own stories, passions, hopes, troubles, and dreams outside our fandoms, so I think it's both great and human to be curious beyond a fandom as well.

Honestly, I'd be open to most types of asks as long as it wasn't anything personally inappropriate. And maybe not too vague, because that could be difficult to respond to. ;)

I support and encourage anyone to send along asks -- not just to me, but to anyone you follow. It's great to know that someone is interested in your thoughts, whether it be fandom or not. I might just be here to share humor, but I appreciate y'all for being here with me!

[fang-and-feather]

Ikemen Vampire - Napoleon/Reader - Family fic

Prompt: Sunshine from Year of the OTP May by @yearoftheotpevent

I almost forgot this. Not like I have written much this month at all and I still feel like my writing is a little rusty...

AO3 Version / IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist

Napoleon was definitely the dream husband type. The kind who helped you with housework without being prompted to, was usually good with it and, when he wasn’t, was willing a quick to learn.

When you had left to go shopping, you weren’t expecting for him to finish any work you had left, while also looking after your daughter.

Speaking of them, as you set the shopping bags in the kitchen, you noticed how quiet the house was. It was unusual at this time of the day.

You found them laying on a makeshift bed of blankets and pillows, in a sunny spot in the garden behind the house. Napoleon was lying on his back with the little girl on his chest, one of his arms supporting her. It was such a warm and peaceful scene you could simply stand there and watch them.

And not only there. Watching your husband and daughter bonding was always a heartwarming sight that brought a smile to your face. They were always the sunshine that brought warmth and light into your life.

Kneeling by them, you leaned over to kiss your daughter’s forehead, then give Napoleon a chaste kiss. Your lips pressed to his were actually what muffled a squeal when a hand wrapped around your waist, pulling you into the bedding with them. When you pulled back, Napoleon was smiling at you with half-lidded eyes.

“Welcome home, Nunuche.” He chuckled, kissing you again.

“Since when do you wake up this easily?”

“And who told you I was sleeping yet?”

“So you admit you were planning to sleep?”

“The weather is nice, our princesse is finally asleep, and you were taking a while to come back.”

You accommodated yourself better by his side. His hand moved from your back to caress your hair.

“So you will join us?”

“You were the one who pulled me in.”

You two laugh. Maybe a little too loud because it causes your daughter to stir in her father’s arms.

“Mama?” she called in a whimper.

“I’m here, little princess.” You reach over to hold her little hand, rubbing your thumb over the back until she relaxed and fell back asleep. You and Napoleon shared a silent laugh.

“You look so happy right now.” This time, he kissed your forehead.

“How could I not be with such a wonderful family? I love you two so much.”

“Then that must be why I am so happy, too.”

In the past, the idea of such a sunny family had sounded like a fantasy. Now it was your everyday life. Even when you had your dark cloud days, your love only shone brighter afterward.

You two kissed again, sharing your warmth and happiness, silently vowing to never stop shining on each other’s life and being the sunshine of your daughter’s life.

IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist