#please disney hear our prayers

[aetherdecember]

Encantober Day #27: Comfort

I need a Bruno squishmallow for comfort 🥺

[twistedtummies2]

Top 15 Disney Love Songs

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody! I sadly don’t have a story ready for the occasion, but I still wanted to do something in the holiday’s honor. At first, I considered making a countdown or list of some kind of my favorite fandom ships, but I think I need more time to figure out such a concept. Thankfully, I then remembered this is the Centennial of Disney itself! So...how about we look at something romantic related to Disney for the occasion? And when I think “Disney” and “Romance,” the first thing I think of are Disney Love Songs. Yes, for as often as we like to make fun of them and call them cheesy, sappy, and so on and so forth, some of the most famous love ballads in our universal musical roster have come from the Happiest Place on Earth. Whether they tell the tales of princes and princesses, talking animals, or something else entirely, you’d be hard-pressed to find a popular Disney movie that DOESN’T involve some romantic subplot, and a heartfelt, crooning piece of music to accompany it. So, since I’m not COMPLETELY opposed to l’amour, I have prepared this lovely list of lovely songs to put your iPods (or cell phones, or…whatever you prefer to listen to music with) into a romantic, starry-eyed mood. Now, keep in mind that I’m only counting ROMANTIC songs here, so tunes like “When She Loved Me” or “You’ll Be in My Heart,” while truly spectacular songs in their own right, will not be counted here. Also, keep in mind that there are TONS of these songs, and I can’t include all of them; one EXTREMELY popular song that you WON’T find on this list is “Love is an Open Door.” If your opinions differ from mine, I will neither be surprised nor upset, and I ask that you all extend the same courtesy with your own feelings; please don’t hate me for liking some songs more than others. Also, I will provide links to each song featured, so you can check them out yourselves. ;) With that said, I hope you’ve practiced your best waltz, because it’s time to take a peek at My Top 15 Favorite Disney Love Songs.

15. I’m Wishing/One Song, from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.

This was the original Disney Love Ballad...or, if you prefer, THESE WERE the original love BALLADS, since it’s technically two songs. But they basically come back to back and are connected to each other, so I really do count them as one sequence. The song begins with the fair Snow White singing into a wishing well, daydreaming about how nice it would be to fall in love with someone. Right on cue, the Prince - who hears her singing - interrupts the scene, and while Snow White is spooked and shy, the two - in typical fairy-tale fashion - fall in love at first sight. Yeah, the logic of the scene makes no sense, and “love at first sight” is a concept we often love to mock, but the moment is still a classic, in my mind.

14. Candle on the Water, from Pete’s Dragon.

One of the lesser-known Disney songs, and the only live-action film to make it on the list. “Candle on the Water” is performed by the film’s female lead, Nora (played by Helen Reddy), who has long been awaiting the return of her fiance, Paul. For some time now, Paul has been away overseas, and many believe he’s never coming back - lost to the ocean blue - but Nora believes it’s only a matter of time till he returns. Reminiscing about her beloved, she sings this song - a sort of cross between a prayer and a promise - as she stands on the balcony of the lighthouse where she and her father work. The song was actually quite popular in its day, and in fact, the song is entirely to blame for why Pete’s Dragon is the way it is: initially, the song was going to be the ONLY song in the movie, but it was received so well, they decided to make the film a musical. This was probably for the best, since just the one random song would have been particularly weird in an already VERY weird movie...but I digress.

13. Katrina, from The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad.

Okay, so, in a way, this song is not really a love song, but an ANTI-love song. This makes since, since the titular character of the tune, Katrina Van Tassel, is essentially an anti-Disney Princess, so to speak. For those unfamiliar with the tale of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Katrina Van Tassel is the daughter of the richest farmer in the county, Baltus Van Tassel, and is considered to be the most beautiful young lady in Sleepy Hollow. The problem is that she KNOWS that. Katrina, as the song points out, is a coquette; she loves to toy with men and play with their emotions, gaining suitors and then dropping them again every chance she gets. Why does she do this? Just for laughs. She, very frankly, is not a nice person. Extra frankly, NOBODY in the story of Sleepy Hollow is really a nice person, when you think about it, which is perhaps why Disney’s version is so admirable. It sticks VERY closely to the story, and doesn’t shy away from how freaking TERRIBLE these people are – from the money-grubbing Ichabod to the bullying Brom Bones – but I digress. The song here is short and sweet – a simple little character theme for Katrina – and it is instrumentally reprised several times throughout the Sleepy Hollow segment of this movie. I still find myself humming it from time to time, without even realizing it…but what really makes the song work is that it is performed by BING. FREAKING. CROSBY. Yeah; when The Crooner himself is at the helm, you really can’t go wrong!

12. Ma Belle Evangeline, from Princess & the Frog.

This is essentially a double love song, so to speak. The piece is performed by Ray the Firefly, as he sings of his love for “Evangeline”: the brightest star in the sky, whom he believes to be the most beautiful and elusive firefly in the world. But though he cannot touch her, the love he feels for his Evangeline is pure and neverending. The song is already touching and, as you’d imagine, a little funny…but what I think makes it work all the more is the presentation. You see, while Ray is singing this song, the two leading characters – Tiana and Naveen – are starting to fall in love as well. And, during the instrumental interlude in this tune, the pair dance together for the first time. This is why I call it a “double love song,” since we’re not only getting Ray’s heartfelt ballad of impossible love that remains steadfast, but also getting a peek into the blossoming relationship of our primary protagonists, and their own romantic explorations. It’s pretty clever, in my opinion, and definitely deserves a spot on this list.

11. Kiss the Girl, from The Little Mermaid.

Oh, how could I not include this song? It would be criminal of me not to! Having lost her voice in a deal with the Sea Witch, Ursula, Ariel – our titular character – has to get her beloved Prince Eric to give her the Kiss of True Love before three days end. One night, the two are out boating, and Eric tries to learn more about the mute Ariel. Since Ariel can’t speak, her friend Sebastian decides to take up the vocal reins, and sings a quiet, crooning calypso tune to apparently try and get Eric to subliminally prepare himself, in the hopes of secretly manipulating him into admitting his love for Ariel…and sealing it with a kiss. It is desperate, hypnotic, and beyond beautiful in every way. Many people have covered this song over the years, but no one – and I DO mean NO ONE – has been able to top the original. The sumptuous visuals may be part of it, of course…but in my opinion, it’s the singer in question, Samuel Wright, who gives it so much of its power and presence. Once you hear the original Sebastian sing it, you can never hear it the same way again.

10. Heaven’s Light, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Though very short, Quasimodo's soulful, prayer-like musings on his feelings for Esmeralda are still incredibly powerful, and the gently rising orchestrals leading up to the ringing of the bells for the midnight mass just make it all the more so. I actually really like the stage version, as sung by Michael Arden, too...almost more so, in fact, since the notes he sings rise with the music, going from a quiet, thoughtful piece to a strong, powerful belt. Whichever way your prefer it, though, it's still a very nice, simple, but sweet and touching song...it's only sin is that it is IMMEDIATELY followed by the contrasting number "Hellfire," infamously sung by Judge Claude Frollo. In a way, though, that's ALSO a strength; what better way to follow up a song of loving devotion than one of damnation and madness? Ultimately, the only reason this doesn’t get higher in the ranks simply IS that it’s quite short, and ultimately serves as a contrast and prelude to a much bigger song.

9. Dos Oruguitas, from Encanto.

The reason this song doesn’t get any higher is simply because it’s one that I think works best when you see it accompanied by the film’s visuals. Which is not to say this song is bad at all: FAR from it. It’s absolutely beautiful, and the sentiment describe in its Spanish lyrics are equally so. But without the accompanying visuals, I think the song loses some of its punch. On that note: this song plays in the background to a flashback sequence in a pivotal moment of the film. It’s the scene where we learn the backstory of how the Madrigal Family got their magic, and explains the motivations of the up-till-now slightly villainous matriarch of the family, Abuelita Alma. It’s also the moment where Alma and her granddaughter - the main protagonist, Mirabel - finally make amends, and thus are able to start working to help their family and community in a new way. The song itself - which lyrically tells a fairy-tale about two butterflies - is an analogy for both the love shared between Mirabel and her grandmother, and also the love shared between Alma and her long-gone husband. The tragic yet beautiful tale of their romance is the crux of this song’s storytelling. The song is lovely on its own, but once you see what goes along with it, it becomes truly breathtaking.

8. I See the Light, from Tangled.

I may not have “Frozen’s” big hit on here (…well…actually, aside from two songs no one even remembers, I think ALL of that film’s songs are big hits, in terms of popularity, but that’s beside the point), but that doesn’t mean THIS song won’t get a spot. At this point in the story, Rapunzel and her companion, Flynn Rider, have made it all the way from the depths of the forest back to the capital of the kingdom, in time for the Ceremony of the Floating Lights. During this time, hundreds of floating paper lanterns are released from the docks of the kingdom into the sky, in the hopes of the king and queen’s long-lost daughter seeing them and returning home. (Spoiler Alert: the long-lost daughter is Rapunzel…but she doesn’t know that yet.) All her life, Rapunzel has seen the lights from miles and miles away, from her lonely tower…but now, with Flynn’s help, she gets to see the ceremony up-close. Over the course of their journey, the two have also developed a love for each other, and as they marvel at the light show around them, they reflect on how each has changed the other’s life, and admit how much they care for one another. The result is arguably the best song in the movie. (pauses) Yes, even more than “Mother Knows Best;” coming from a villain-loving nutcase and mild cynic like yours truly, THAT is quite a compliment.

7. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from The Lion King.

I actually don’t want to go too into detail about this one, for personal reasons. Suffice to say, I actually have some very personal memories related to this particular song, and as a result, it holds a very special place in my heart. That’s really all it takes for it to get as high as it does. Whether you listen to the Elton John version, the one from the film, or even some rendition from the stage show, it’s hard to go wrong with this classic. ‘Nuff said.

6. Bella Notte, from Lady and the Tramp.

“Lady and the Tramp” is sort of an odd Disney film, in that it’s somehow both a classic and a VERY underrated picture at the same time. Which is to say, I don’t know anybody who dislikes this film, and it’s one I see referenced and spoken of quite a bit...but I don’t know ANYBODY who would call it one of their absolute favorite Disney films, myself included. However, I think we can all agree that this scene and this song are iconic and beloved for a reason. A classic, operetta-esque accordion tune sung by a pair of stereotypical Italian chefs while a pair of awkward pooches eat and accidentally kiss via overly long spaghetti noodle…doesn’t seem like the most romantic of songs at first glance, does it? I suppose it’s adorable and classical enough to worm its way through our heartstrings, though, since you’d be hard pressed to find a single person who doesn’t at least know about this song and this scene; it’s one of the most famous moments from any Disney film, and even people who have never seen the movie know about it. Much like “Heaven’s Light,” it’s not very long, but it’s solid gold. “Bella Notte’s” old-timey style and sheer iconography gain it more points than anything else, but that still means it gets a lot of points…just not QUITE enough to make it into the top five.

5. I Won’t Say I’m In Love, from Hercules.

If there’s one thing I like more than a love song, it’s a “resistance to love” song. You know the sort: songs by people who don’t want to fall in love with someone, for one reason or another, perhaps even several, but who just can’t bloody help themselves. This song – arguably the best from “Hercules” – is such a song. It’s sung by Megara (Meg for short), a snarky, smarmy lady who has had some bad fortune with men in the past; when the man she thought was her true love was dying, she sold her soul to Hades himself to save his life…only for said man to cheat on her and leave her for another woman. (It’s implied, though not openly stated, that Hades MIGHT have had a hand in this happening…the unspeakable cad. How I love him. But I digress!) As a result, she now serves Hades as a spy, using her good lucks and her wit to gain recruits for his evil army, and information on his enemies…particularly Hercules. In this song, as Meg falls harder and harder for the big lug who’s everyone’s hero – the man she’s supposed to be helping Hades destroy, no less – she tries to scold herself and stop herself, reminding herself of what happened the last time she felt for a man to help reinforce the point…but no matter what she tries, she can’t deny it. The Muses singing backup and taunting her, urging her Sebastian-style, probably don’t help, either. Bua ha ha.

4. A Whole New World, from Aladdin.

When people talk about the greatest Disney songs of all time, you can be darn sure that this song is going to be somewhere near the top of the list. I think that, in some ways, this is the song that helps define what makes Aladdin and Jasmine’s relationship so good; the song is great on its own, but, once again, the context makes it all the more stunning. Before the song, Aladdin has been trying to play the “stereotypical prince,” as he imagines them…and this does nothing but INFURIATE Jasmine, who is tired of people seeing her as a prize to be won, and has had quite enough of the pompous attitude her other suitors have presented. So, Aladdin finally gives in and decides to be himself…and, with this, realizes what Jasmine really wants: forget riches or fancy words, she just wants to see things she’s never seen before! So, he takes the princess on a ride upon his Magic Carpet, flying miles and miles above the Earth, roller-coasting through the clouds, past Egyptian pyramids, and through Chinese New Year festivals. (Perhaps they’ll get a chance to say hello to Mulan while there.) But all the while, as Aladdin tries to charm Jasmine, Jasmine – though taken in, undeniably – studies the young man she knows as “Prince Ali” closely, noting how certain gestures, words, and so forth seem to remind her of another young man she met in a marketplace. With stunning visuals, contextual subtext, and the power to just stand on its own as a truly beautiful, appropriately soaring and swelling song, I once again declare that no one – and I mean NO ONE – has been able to top the original version, for all these reasons AND for its singers, Lea Salonga as Jasmine and Brad Kane as Aladdin. But, to be fair, no matter who sings it, it’s hard to ruin a song like this.

3. Sally’s Song, from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Not all love songs are happy songs, even in the land of Disney. “Sally’s Song” is not your traditional love ballad in any way; most love songs are affirmative, so to speak. Whether you are convincing yourself you don’t need to love somebody, trying to persuade someone to do something with words of love, or just declaring to your partner and/or the world just how much in love you really are, there’s almost always a sense of going-forward with them, a sense of grandeur, and a sense of certainty or urgency. This song is completely the opposite; it is quiet, plaintive, decidedly uncertain, and downright heartbreaking. As Sally, the shy Frankenstein-Monster-esque ragdoll being who serves as the secondary protagonist of the film, watches her love – Jack Skellington – fly away, she goes somewhere private to sing and to worry. Throughout the film, Sally is a determined character, it must be noted; she’s a go-getter who isn’t afraid to risk life and limb to help people she cares about and take care of what she wants…except when it comes to directly confronting Jack. She can deal with her creator, Dr. Finklestein, and she has no problem with trying to save Santa Claus from the gruesome Oogie Boogie, but she just can’t bring up the courage to talk to Jack…and when she DOES find the courage, he’s far too enthused with Christmas to listen! The two manage to find a way to work things out by the end of the movie (singing a more upbeat reprise of this same song, no less, when they do)…but at this point, Sally – concerned for Jack’s well-being and wondering what she really means to him – can’t help but pine and sigh. It’s a touching and subtle song that truly goes into the mind of a character who will do anything to help the one she loves…but isn’t sure she’s getting the love she so craves and deserves in return. Eponine, eat your heart out.

2. Once Upon a Dream, from Sleeping Beauty.

Not only is this song popular, but it is also the song that changed Sleeping Beauty…or, at least, changed its soundtrack. You see, the sequence in which this song appears was one of the first scenes made for the film, and, at the time, the intention was to create wholly original tunes and songs in a style not unlike that of Snow White. HOWEVER, when Disney saw how this sequence was going, and heard the Tchaikovsky underscoring for this song, he decided to change things totally: from that point on, it was decided that the film would use the Tchaikovsky score as its soundtrack, with most of its songs based around pieces from the ballet composition. This was the only one of those early, original songs to remain, as a result, and it is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best and most well-known song from Sleeping Beauty. (Also, if there is ONE good thing that “Maleficent” gave us, it was the “creepy-style” cover of this that accompanied the movie and its trailers…but that’s another story. And a very bad one.) The lyrics are admittedly rather simple, some may even argue TOO simple, but in my opinion, that’s a big part of its charm. As far as old fashioned love duets go, this one is definitely among the greats.

1. Beauty and the Beast, from...well...Beauty and the Beast.

Oh, dear Lord. What can I say about this song that hasn’t been said before? This song is a love letter (no pun intended) to unlikely romance. It works in context, of course, essentially recapping what has happened leading up to Belle and the Beast’s magnificent, iconic ballroom dance. But even out of context, it’s the anthem so many lovers can sympathize with. Because, in a way, it tells the tale of love itself; a tale as old as time. Most cases of true love do start off rocky, in some way, shape, or form, and not all matches are made in heaven. Opposites can attract. As a result, this becomes perhaps not just A love song, but THE love song; it not only fits the story and characters of the film, but just about anybody who has been or is in love can relate to it. It is lush and grandiose, yet has a simple sort of element as well...and, once again, the original version SELLS it. Many fine actresses and singers have covered it, and between stage productions and the recent live-action remake, the imagery has been imitated...but the end result in both cases has never been duplicated. Angela Lansbury’s grandmotherly yet soaring voice and the glorious animation create a scene that, like the song itself, and the themes that it adheres to, is truly timeless. It is for all these reasons and more that I can shamelessly call “Beauty & the Beast” My Favorite Disney Love Song.

[yhwhrulz]

Today's Daily Encounter Monday, May 27, 2024

In Sync with Jesus

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.1

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.2

Out of all the modern technology that we have, literally, at our fingertips today, one of my favorite features is the use of Bluetooth which allows you to sync your device to another and mirror whatever you may be listening to or watching on your mobile device to a fixed device through wireless internet. For example, my daughter loves to listen to Disney songs wherever she goes; so to keep her entertained in the car we can find the music she wants on our phones and mirror, or sync it to the car stereo via Bluetooth.

Imagine if we could mirror Jesus so easily! Imagine if the time we spent in prayer could be mirrored via Bluetooth to our lives and interactions with others. And imagine if we could sync our prayers and worship directly to the Father! Spending time in God's Word does exactly that — God's Word is the Bluetooth that syncs us to the fixed foundation that is Jesus. Living in sync with Jesus means that we are daily walking in harmony, in one accord, and in alignment with God's purpose for our lives.

When we yield control of our actions, our devices, to the Father, His purpose becomes magnified in a big way. Just as a fixed device will magnify our mobile and make the music louder or the image bigger, God will create a more beautiful image out of you. So before you sync your music to your Bluetooth headphones in the morning, take a few minutes to sync your heart, soul and mind to the Holy Spirit. Allow God to speak to you through His Word and then let your life be the screen on which others will see Christ magnified today.

Suggested Prayer: Dear Lord, in a world where I'm surrounded by every new technology, let me go back to the Word that is tried and true. Fill me with the desire to plug into You first every day so that wherever I go, whatever I do, and in whatever I say, others will see and hear You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Colossians 3:2 (ESV).

Romans 12:2 (ESV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Veronica B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

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Copyright (c) 2016 by ACTS International.

When copying or forwarding include the following: "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2005-2023 ACTS International

[mina-van1104]

Highly stressed out this week, very emotional, very angry since last week someone from Sparks violated our civil rights & me & my family are close to very broke now, but praying to God & needing prayers for myself & my family. Also very happy my "Pray For Israel" Flag is here. 🙏😭Remember not to hate on the wrong people. ❤️Stop Xenophobia! End Racism!

Also, November 4th is my birthday in 2 weeks trying to relax & be happy through all the situation. I pray to God, Jesus Christ, Guan Yin, & Buddha, please help me & my family.🙏🩵In the name of the Father and of the son and of the holy spirit in Jesus' name, Amen 🙏.Family of Catholics & Buddhists even though Catholics believe in only one God I believe in all higher God. Also my family of mixed Asians & white people.

I love Robin Roberts from Good Morning America wish I could spread my story to the whole nation to end racism.🩵I watch all your inspiring prayers on Instagram. It makes me feel so much better. She taught me to never lose hope. Robin Roberts has always been so inspiring. I've been watching you literally on GMA since I was a little kid❤️I love everyone on GMA!🩷

My newer neighbors keep harassing us still today since 2017 and keep yelling at us to "Die Asian Misfits!" "You're the UGLIEST person in America!" "You're the ugliest person in Nevada!" "Die Asian Misfit!" "Jihad Misfit! "You're the ugliest cheerleader!" "Popular racist!" I'm obviously NOT racist & no one in my family are racist.

They drive by behind my backyard caught on my camera and yell these things on Sparks Blvd. Sometimes using their speaker phone device. Sometimes they verbally harass us drive by in front of my house & give us death threats caught on my camera. I want the community to be more aware & take hate crimes more seriously.

The things it says in front of my house & will always stand true!:

NEVADA BORN/RAISED!

REFUGEES & IMMIGRANTS

WELCOME HERE!

THIS IS AMERICA! PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN WITH Veterans!

MY FAMILY LIVING IN NEVADA

SINCE 1979 & SAME HOUSE

OWNED (NOT RENT) SINCE 1990

& COLLEGE GRADUATES &

NEVADA NATIVES!

HOME MEANS NEVADA

“Black Lives Matter!” “Blue Lives Matter!” “Stop Asian Hate!” “No Human Being is Illegal!” “Women’s Rights are Human Rights!” “Science is Real!” “Love is Love”“Kindness is Everything!”

End Racism!

1. Black Lives Matter Forever,

2. Stop Asian Hate,

3. Women’s Rights Are HUMAN Rights,

4. Blue Lives Matter,

5. All Lives Matter

6. Love is Love,

7. Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Everywhere,

8. God Is Real,

9. Science Is Real,

10. Adopt Or Buy A Pet,

11. End Abuse,

12. No Human Being Is illegal,

13. Healthcare Is Important,

14. Recycle,Don’t Litter,Pick Up Trash

15. Kindness is Everything,

16. World Peace,Equality,

17. Let Lovein,DoaGoodDeed,

18. Educate!End Racism!

19. Don’t be quick to judge,don’t be ignorant!knowledge is power!

20. AlwaysBeGrateful

ProudNurse,coach.FamilyLivingInNevadaFor44(forty-four)years.

And half of our family is Asian half our family is white. Even-though my parents look Asian we have some Chinese, Vietnamese, Native American, small portions of French, German descent, Ashkenazi Jewish descent(but Jewish is not my religion). My father & one of my aunts are also seniors very old & retired. They are very hard at hearing even with my dad's hearing aids. We are nice people -people who know us well. I love my family.🩷

Song played on Instagram is called "When You Believe" by Pentatonix. Love this song, sang this song along time ago. I know all the Hebrew words to the song in the original Disney song by Michelle Pfeiffer.

@mina_van1104 (my Instagram)

✞♡ # Selfie # Nurse # Coach # NativeNevadan # StopAsianHate # GoodMorningAmerica # GMA # RobinRoberts # JesusChrist 🦂 # Buddha # GuanYin # MotherMary # ProChoice (though, in politics) # Equality # Justice # Healthcare # Running 🏃🏻‍♀️ # PositiveVibes # LoveDrivesOutFear # NevadaBornAndRaised # NevadaNative # athletic # HomeMeansNevada # Nevada # UNRnevadaAlumnaMay2016

•2019:OlderSisterCatherineVan&Adam Schwartz’sWedding&TheirWebsiteOn: https://www.theknot.com/us/catherine-van-and-adam-schwartz-aug-2019•ReminiscingMoreThan200PeopleCame.

[bezlque]

if we don’t get a tandi friendship, I’m rioting folks😎

[kingkangyohan]

the one where Kang makes Ga On leave

I was reading this comic about subversive aspectations in a beast and beauty scenario, and because we all know that our man Moon thought about The Beauty and The Beast while writing The Devil Judge, my mind connected the two dots and here I am with An Alternative Take on the infamous breakup scene.

Please note, this is just rambling, not my necessarily philosophy behind that moment in the story nor what I think is necessarily in character.

In many beast and beauty kind of story (including Disney’s The Beauty and The Beast), we have the If you love them let them go trope. Sometimes followed by the If they come back, it’s true love situation.

What is interesting and gives kudos to Ga On is that, while heartbreaking, he does leave on his own. He sets his boundaries, packs his things, leave dinner for Yo Han and leaves with a prayer for the house and all its inhabitants (like a spell).

What if he didn’t?

What if Yo Han mentioned Su Hyeon intentionally, knowing he was about to trample on Ga On’s limit? what if he made him leave, by naming the one thing/person Yo Han knew still held the position of everything that is right and just in Ga On’s heart, after he too have seen how Ga On was about to loose himself?

When watching the scene, I was taken aback by Ga On’s reaction, and even more so by watching Yo Han mirroring my feelings. That wasn’t Ga On, that was something else.

Yo Han has always been over supporting of Ga On living his truth as part of seeking the truth, without any moral leash, but seeing him ravishing a dead body still warm - did he go too far?

And as soon as Su Hyeon enters the room, Ga On snaps back - she has that power in his life.

Later in the car, Yo Han knows how devastated Ga On is, still processing what happened, and he lands a comforting hand: I am going to take care of you or Get yourself together.

It's when K brings Ga On home, when Yo Han hears Ga On calling himself a monster, Kang knows he has to let him go, that he is transforming Ga On into something he hates, something that he isn’t. His presence is destroying everyone he loves, again.

So Kang starts a game he knows he will loose.

And he does by touching Ga On, leaning towards him, clenching his jacket, knowing Ga On is about to leave, knowing the right thing for Ga On is to leave, knowing he would never win over her. Kang lets Kim Ga On go, by asking him to choose.

It’s an almost pathetic performance, and it works.

Kim Ga On leaves, believing he is restoring his humanity.

He will return to the house completely shattered.

[somebodycall911onabc]

Some post-4x13 Buddie because ummmm no to everything that just went down and whatever the hell they're doing with that promo. Pre-relationship Eddie introspection, guest-starring sleepy Buck and Chris (how often can I have these two idiots—Buck and Eddie, not Chris—wake each other up too goddamn early in the morning; the answer is infinite).

Eddie wakes up.

The world is a quiet, washed-out hum of static and dim light. He listens to his breath, in and out, in and out, as the room comes into focus. The rhythmic beeping monitor. The rough sheets over his chest. The hollowed-out numb of his shoulder where—

fuck. Where he’d been shot.

Eddie blinks open his eyes and grimaces. He’s probably doped to hell but his shoulder aches like forest fire, like a pain that will consume him and the whole world too, if he lets it. His head feels like someone pumped it full of air right up until the point before it bursts. He grits his teeth and gathers saliva on his tongue, carefully distributes it so that when he swallows, it will feel less like he’s ingesting a quart of sand. He knows this song and dance. He wiggles his fingers and toes and notes that remarkably, everything’s in working order. He wonders how often you can cheat death before that karma comes to get you.

Although he thinks Buck would probably go to bat for him, even against death himself. The heart monitor spikes as Eddie remembers with a vicious and cruel clarity Buck’s eyes on his as Eddie shuddered and collapsed. Buck’s wide, deer-in-headlights eyes, all that Eddie could see, just two pinprick pupils until there was nothing else, just the black, blank darkness.

Eddie tips his head to the side and opens his eyes, unclenching his fists, and nearly reels back when he sees Ana. She’s crumpled in the seat beside him, her chin resting on her collarbone, her long, dark eyelashes twitching against her cheek as she sleeps.

He closes his eyes and turns his head away.

But Ana’s a light sleeper. She was already waking up when he looked at her, roused from the shallow depths of unconsciousness by the change in Eddie’s breathing pattern, or something. His eyes are still closed when she croaks out, “Eddie?”

He looks at her.

“Eddie!” She says, raising her hands to flutter them over his chest, his face, his un-wounded shoulder. “You’re awake! You’re alive! Thank God,” she says, fervent. Like a prayer.

“Guess I’m just… lucky,” Eddie wheezes out. She smiles at him, eyes watering, and he gave the PG-version of his Silver Star story in her classroom but there’s no hint of recognition in her eyes.

“Either the luckiest man alive, or the unluckiest,” she says. “I’m pretty sure a lucky man wouldn’t be shot at quite so much.” She presses a kiss to his temple and Eddie has the horrible impulse to bat her away from him like she’s an overbearing aunt.

God, he’s an idiot. And it would take getting shot for him to realize it.

“What… happened?” Eddie asks, relieved when she leans back and settles into her chair.

“I’m not sure… I heard there was a sniper on the scene. The police think he might be targeting first responders, because how could this year get any worse?” When she shakes her head, her curls bounce in a way Eddie found appealing, once. It feels like a million years ago.

“Chris?” He asks, heart racing once more. She glances at the monitor and then back to him, offering a reassuring smile that does little to soothe his nerves.

“He’s OK. Buck’s with him.” Those three words calm Eddie instantly, like someone turning off an electric kettle, the worry bubbling up inside him simmering to a still. Because it means Chris is OK, and so is Buck. “I’m really grateful to Buck,” Ana is saying, taking his hand in hers, drawing his attention back to her. “It means I get to be here, with you.” She smiles at him like he’s fragile.

Wrong.

Eddie looks at her and doesn’t know how to tell her. How to tell her that the right thing would be for her to be at Chris’s side. That Chris always came first. Chris was the first and only priority. Chris was Eddie’s heart, raw and exposed, just like Bobby had said.

He looks at her and thinks about Chris’s smile, how he lights up the minute Ana walks in the room. He thinks about Chris confessing to him, quiet and anxious, that he’d asked Santa to find Mommy. He thinks about his parents telling him that the proper thing to do was to marry the girl carrying his child, even if he wasn’t sure he loved her.

Chris has been and will always be the most important thing in Eddie’s life. But Eddie’s starting to realize that even with a Northstar as good and perfect as Chris, Eddie didn’t always make the best choices. For himself, for Chris, or for their family.

“Can you call Buck, for me?” Eddie asks, brushing his thumb over Ana’s delicate knuckles. “If it’s not too late. I want to see my boys.”

She hastily bends down to pick up her purse and fumble her phone out, tell him it was fine, Buck had wanted her to call him as soon as Eddie woke up, anyway. He catches a glimpse of a “5” as she unlocks the phone and opens her contact list.

In the early morning, hospital quiet, Eddie can hear the phone ring on the other end of the line. Once, twice. Click.

“Hello?’ Buck asks, voice scratchy with sleep.

“Let me talk to him,” Eddie says, before Ana can get a word in. She hesitates, opens her mouth, but he holds her gaze until she extends the phone to him. Eddie’s hand is steady when he takes it from her.

“Hey,” Eddie says. Buck’s bleary-eyed, curls smashed to one side of his head, half his face obscured by a dark shape.

“Eddie,” Buck says, a ragged, relieved sound. He shifts, and Eddie hears him say, “Chris, Chris wake up, it’s your dad, Chris, he’s OK!”

And then there’s another face, pressing too close to the camera, so that Eddie mostly sees a nostril and some chin.

“Daddy!” Chris whoops, and Eddie smiles, and Buck pulls Chris back from the phone screen so Eddie can see him.

“Hey there, buddy,” Eddie says, “sorry I scared you.”

“W-wasn’t scared,” Chris insists, blinking rapidly because without his glasses, the world was mostly a multi-colored smudge. “I had Buck.”

Buck—who settles Chris’s glasses over his face with heartbreaking tenderness. Buck—who wraps an arm around Chris and scoots them back against the headboard so they can both see Eddie. Buck—who had clearly been sleeping in Chris’s bed, keeping him safe while Eddie was getting several pints of blood pumped into his body and shrapnel extricated from his shoulder.

“That’s good,” Eddie says. “Really good.”

“We knew you’d be OK,” Buck says. “Right, Superman?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause of your lucky charm.”

Eddie has to close his eyes against that. Chris is still so young, still Disney-innocent and honey-sweet, and Buck knew exactly what to say to calm Chris down. He knew Chris’s favorite bedtime story and the playlist Eddie made for him to help Chris fall asleep.

“That’s right,” Eddie chokes out. “My St. Christopher medal.”

“No.” Eddie blinks at that, at the stubborn line of Chris’s mouth. “Me. And Buck.”

Buck looks just about as surprised as Eddie feels.

“What?” Eddie asks.

“What?” Buck asks.

“What?” Chris asks, confused at their confusion. He addresses Buck. “Daddy said that I was his good l-l-luck charm. Because he loves me. A-and he loves you, so you’re his good luck charm too.”

Eddie isn’t sure if his kid is perceptive or just putting together ideas in the way only kids can. But it doesn’t really matter, because he isn’t wrong.

“Got me there,” Eddie agrees. “I must be pretty lucky, since I’ve got the both of you watching my back.”

Buck’s smiling a pleased, sunshine grin. The room is too dark and the connection is too poor, but Eddie would bet money that Buck’s blushing.

Eddie very deliberately doesn’t look at Ana.

“We’ll come visit as soon as the hospital opens,” Buck promises. “It’s good you called, because we should probably get going.”

To his right, Chris gives a huge yawn.

“You sure? I’m not going anywhere.”

“You think we’re gonna be able to sleep now that you’re awake? No way.”

“No way!’ Chris agrees.

“We’ll be there in fifteen. Twenty. Ten?” Buck looks down at Chris.

“Five!” Chris shouts. “The f-firetruck could make it in five minutes!”

“But we only have Buck’s jeep,” Buck says, pouting at Chris. “Definitely not a firetruck.”

“Fifteen,” Chris amends.

“OK,” Eddie says with a laugh that barely hurts. “I’ll see you soon. Thanks, Buck.”

“For what?” Buck asks, ruffling Chris’s hair with the hand that had been draped over Chris’s shoulders. “Be there soon.”

The call disconnects with the finality of a book snapping shut. He squares his shoulders (as much as he can while lying in an inclined hospital bed with a bullet injury) and turns his head to face Ana.

Her eyes are narrowed and hard, like ice over a troubled stream.

“So,” she says, slow and calm, “Buck?”

“Yeah” Eddie says. It’s all he can say. He can’t tell her how to be what he needs, what Chris needs. He can’t tell her to put Chris first like a reflex, like an instinct.

He doesn’t blame her. He isn’t mad at her. He isn’t even disappointed. He’s as shocked as anyone that he met someone who understood, immediately and profoundly, that Chris was Eddie’s world. Eddie had never counted on someone like Buck. And it was time he stopped running from that and accepted it for the undeserved, unparallelled gift that it was.

“I’m sorry,” he adds.

“Me too.” Ana takes her phone back with a snap of her wrist and drops it in her purse. “I’m going to go home.”

“Yeah,” Eddie says, feeling a little guilty. He knows what it’s like to feel left behind, waking up with nothing but a note and the realization that you could never be good enough.

Ana gets to her feet and smooths the wrinkles of her blouse, and for a moment she reminds him so much of Shannon that he’s dizzy. The straight back, the self-posession, the tumble of curls swept over her shoulder.

He hopes Ana finds a love worthy of her, someone who will treasure her and believe her when she says, “sometimes our limitations let us know who we are.”

Because Eddie looked at the world like a challenge. He threw himself into it like the world might burn up tomorrow, but he would fight to the last breath anyway. He peeled away honorable discharge and may experience lifelong mobility dilemmas and we know what’s best for him and don’t you know how hard it is to be a single father like strips of old paint.

And Buck was the same way. Buck was I had to do it and didn’t you know Jim Abbot played baseball with only one hand and I’m in. You wanted us to bond, Cap. We might end up real close.

Eddie watches Ana leave, her heels clicking sharp against the tiled floor. At the door, she turns her head.

“I am glad you’re OK, Edmundo.”

“Thank you.”

And then she’s gone.

And then Eddie waits, anticipation mounting, for his boys to bring him home.

[gryfon-spanish-werewolf]

Update to Soft Cover: Of A Feather, a story about an ice church at the bottom of the world and some angels, one fallen, one demoted. Request by @snowmanmelting that I am very VERY late on, but hopefully that will all be forgiven after reading xD

Can also be read below

Anna breathes deeply in the freezing, near arctic air of the church around her. The chill settles in her lungs, pooling in swirls before the heat of her body changes her exhale into a foggy cloud. She repeats the action again, focusing on the divine energy in her veins, the radiance of her feathers, and the glow of the halo above her head.

Anything to distract her from how ungodly cold her butt is on this literal ice floor.

Distracted, a chill leaps up Anna’s spine. Goosebumps shiver down her arms and she sighs, opening her eyes. The deep blue of the ice encompasses her, a place of worship carved from the glacier itself. Marvelous and stunning, a true feat of engineering, sculpting, and faith. Remarkable, beautiful.

Cold.

As more shivers rack her celestial body, Anna’s teeth begin to chatter. Repositioning herself a little, Anna attempts to resume her solitary meditation and prayer, but with a glum pout, she recalls instead the warmth of summer air and rustle of leaves in trees full of life and vigor. So different from her current surroundings - where once she enjoyed a place of open space and sunlight against skin, now Anna trembles in the cold and dark, where the sun holds no warmth and blinds instead of caresses.

And it’s all her fault.

But it’s fine. A century or so of consistent devotion and guidance for humanity will put Anna right back where she was, enjoying the breeze under her wings and the sparkles of the stars over the water. Patience is a virtue, she reminds herself as she closes her eyes once more, one that she has in spades. Or she will if she simply asks - being an angel and all, it would be granted immediately. Anna reaches for the tether to her divinity, a golden Light in her mind’s eye, feeling herself settle back to recharging the church with holy presence and serenity.

Until the resounding clack of steel-toed boots echoes throughout the chamber, shattering her focus and winking out the Light like a candle.

Anna scrambles to her feet, heart in her throat. Quickly she checks her glamor (a hand at her head, wrist, and knee) and adjusts the hang of her clothes. Simple white cloth, pinned at her shoulder, cinched at her waist. Her feet are bare as they press against the ice floor. The echoes continue and a shadow moves down the hall where the main room becomes a long hallway leading to the outside. The church is hardly ever  closed and people come and go as they please in the days between services, but it is unusual that Anna would not sense them. Unusual also to not hear the heavy wooden doors groan open to admit the visitor.

Regardless, Anna concentrates on making herself presentable. Be they godly, then Anna is prepared; be they human they will find an empty hall for them to do what they need, unaware of the angel in the room, ready to assist.

The shadow proceeds across the wall, closer with every step. Anna tilts her head at a curious sound. Thick boots for crunching through ice and snow are typical this far beneath Earth’s equator, but these shoes don’t sound… right. They are loud for certain, but light, with a rhythmic one-two as opposed to the heavy clump of the whole boot. Perhaps a wanderer, Anna thinks, or a tourist.

But tourists typically gasp and “ooooh” and “aaaah” at the decor, walls, and sacred objects on display.

Not hopscotch back and forth on their toes while muttering curses.

Suddenly, Anna knows who this is. It’s really a shame she didn’t get around to asking for that Patience, because right now, she’s going to need every ounce that God has ever produced.

“Helloooooo!” Comes a cheery, high pitched voice. “Anyone home?”

A woman arrives around the corner. About average in height, slim in build, with pale skin, gleeful blue eyes, and long, unbound white hair. The strange footfall Anna had heard made perfect sense now as the woman steps further into the room, head turning this way and that, as her heels click and rebound in the icy chamber. She is certainly NOT dressed for the weather. No thick coat or furred gloves, no goggles or padded leggings - nothing at all remarkable - in fact she wears a similar outfit to Anna’s except in black. Simple cloth, pinned at her shoulder, cinched at her waist, baring her arms and calves.

No. Not a visitor at all.

A trespasser.

Anna folds her arms and scowls. With a mighty and decisive huff of air, she drags the Light from within her and fills the chamber with holy energy.

The woman notices immediately, yelping in surprise as though she’s been pinched.

“Unnecessary,” the woman grouses, her eyes tightening slightly in pain, “but I knew you’d be here. Hiding as usual.” She scans the room again, eyes roaming past Anna once, then twice, before a grin breaks out on the woman’s face. “Where are you, little angel?”

Anna will not play this game. This woman’s actions and appearance bely her nature, and her presence in this place is not only unwelcome but forbidden. Ire rises in Anna and she pushes it out, raising the temperature in the room and causing the interloper peering between the pews to wince.

Even a demoted angel does not allow a demon to wander into her home so casually.

The woman continues her search, even as the seconds tick by and the energy in the room gives the icy walls an ethereal inner glow. The floor becomes too hot for her tastes and she hops up on a pew, balancing herself, arms out to her sides as she continues wandering around the room, making smaller and smaller concentric circles. She gets closer, despite the angel’s best efforts. With one last shove, Anna manifests her wings, all seven feet of bright white glory nearly burning to the touch, fills the room with crackling energy - and this time the woman does stop. She loses her footing mid-step, dropping to one knee. Sweat beads on her brow and as Anna watches the trespasser struggles briefly to raise her eyes in Anna’s general direction.

“Ah, there you are,” she gasps, grunting as she rises and makes her way forward. Anna’s focus drops for a moment, surprised, and this is all the confirmation the woman needs. In hardly a moment, she is right before Anna, nearly eye to eye, though she looks right through the angel because of her glamor. Invisible. Unbreachable. Unflappable.

“Hello, angel,” the woman says, raising her hand and pressing her pointer finger smartly on the tip of Anna’s nose.

Not un-boopable, apparently.

In an instant Anna’s glamor falls away, the heat and energy she’d gathered flooding into the floors and walls.

“What’s with that face?” The woman smiles with good humored teasing.

Anna shakes her touch off and backs up a step. “How did you know where I was?”

The woman shrugs carelessly, “You were the angriest spot in the room. Pretty easy, all things considered.”

Anna bites her tongue, a boiling explicative at it’s tip. Swearing isn’t particularly Godly, and it would probably just make the woman laugh.

“I thought I would come and check up on you,” the demon continues, “because I haven’t seen you in some time. Not since the penguins had their chicks.” Anna looks down, pretending to find some interesting crack in the ice floor.

So she’d noticed Anna’s presence back then. Watching over a bouldered hill as the demon meandered around the flock like they were her own family and neighbors. Huh…

“Well it’s been nice seeing you,” Anna replies abruptly, “but you’d better leave.”

“So soon?” The woman blinks innocently. “But I just got here.”

“You’re not even allowed in here. Besides, I’m busy,” Anna scowls. She hopes her expression is enough to convince the demon to leave her, and this place, alone. Still waiting on that Patience virtue, and Anna’s personal reserves are already running on empty.

The woman tilts her head, and Anna has to remind herself that any compassion she might see in those eyes is a lie. “Still trying to summon enough power to charge this place? You’ve been trying for, let’s see, a few months now? With how low attendance has been lately, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Church is more than just a place, but one of it’s core requirements is members. People who come and go and frequent, creating a routine, a rhythm, a recognized space. A guardian angel assigned to a church takes over for generating that energy when the members are gone. The ice church had very few visitors to begin with, and tourists didn’t tend to devote time to energizing a place. So Anna often spent her days locked in meditation, channeling her divinity into the ice around her.

A grueling, thankless task.

“Well you should be done by now,” the woman muses aloud, taking stock of the room.

“I would be,” Anna growls, her hands balling into fists, “if someone didn’t keep interrupting me!”

“If you just looked--”

Anna sighs and draws her hand down her face. “Elsa…” Then she flinches. Between her fingers, Anna peeks at the woman in front of her.

Oh, if that was ever a Chesire grin.

“In honor of you using my name, I’ll stop beating around the snow mound,” Elsa beams, her ice blue eyes sparkling with merriment and cheer. She points to the ceiling, other hand cocked confidently on her hip. “See anything new up there, angel?”

Surely this demon has to be pulling her wing, but Anna complies and looks up, expecting the blank, dark surface of the thick oceanic ice.

Not so.

The ceiling is alive with Light, shimmering like the Aurora Australis. The ice seems lit from within by winking stars, the deep blue shot through with purples and greens and golds. The greatest Light of them all gathers in the center of the ceiling above their heads, bright and full. The sign of a fully charged house.

“When did…?” Anna murmurs.

“You always have trouble focusing,” Elsa says, turning Anna’s attention back to her. “Except for when you’re trying to kick me out.” The demon holds up her hands, “Rules are rules, I get it, but I thought, ‘Why not give her a little nudge and see if that helps.’” She looks up at the ceiling again, a soft expression on her face. “Seems like a resounding success.”

Anna doesn’t have an argument, so she stays quiet. Giving Elsa the satisfaction of thinking she played a part in divine dealings may be a mistake, one she doesn’t want to make.

“Now that you’re done,” Elsa turned and beckoned over her shoulder. “How about a break?”

“Angels don’t take breaks,” Anna says haughtily, crossing her arms. “Demons might: Disconnected and all that, aimless. But  we have more important things to do.”

Elsa pouts, her lower lip full and pitiful. “Trying to hurt my feelings, angel? Think I’ll try something if you step one foot out of here? You give me too much credit.”

“What would I even do ‘taking a break’? Walk around the ice until the frozen wind takes my wings?” Anna shakes her head. “No thank you. It might not always be warm in here, but it’s way better than out there.”

Elsa regards Anna over her shoulder before turning back. “You don’t like it here, that much is clear. And I know you’re trying to leave.” Anna darts her eyes away. “You hate it down here. Cold and dark, the sun only shining a few months out of the year. You’re lonely--”

“And it’s none of your business!” Anna snaps. This demon was edging dangerously close to a wound that was still fresh, even after all these years, all this time. A memory of warm sunlight dances in Anna’s mind and she wills herself to believe it’s just the wings on her back.

“Don’t lie,” Elsa says gently, “we can both feel it.”

Anna takes a deep breath in through her nose and exhales out her mouth. Steadily, she says, “Get out, demon.”

“Come with me, Anna.”

Her name echoes between them. Anger bubbles in Anna’s chest but dies just as quickly. She’s tired. Wary, but tired of always trying, always watching her best not being enough. But she has to push through, endure.

“I haven’t seen any other angel but you in one hundred years, Anna.” The demon turns her back and begins walking down the hall towards the entrance. “You don’t have to take up my offer, but know that I have no other motive than seeing you achieve your goal. I just want you to be able to enjoy it when that reward finally comes, and not be a burnt out pile of nerves and worry. I’ll be outside.”

Anna watches her go, heels clicking against the ice until they don’t. Silence descends again, absolute.

She should let her go, Anna thinks.

And she continues to think, even as her feet move and fingers trace the walls to check that the energy in the room won’t dissipate when she leaves. Not too much anyway. While the demon’s methods may annoy Anna to no end, she can’t ignore their effectiveness.

The wind howls outside, ripping at the fabric of Anna’s clothing in swift gusts. She slams the heavy door shut and shields her eyes with a hand, looking around for the demon who enticed her out here. Anna’s regret is immediate and grand. She’s stationed in the arctic, or practically anyway. Sunlight a few hours a day when they get it, or all day, never once setting, without the heat to match. Shadows rush in between bursts of snow, obscuring everything more than a few feet away.

“Demon!” Anna shouts, one eye shut as a snowflake flies in, stinging and cold. “Where are you?”

“Right here, angel.” A voice next to her says, appearing at her side almost instantly. “I must say, I knew you’d follow, but not this fast.”

“Tease me any more and you’ll enjoy this beautiful weather alone,” Anna gripes, unconsciously stepping into Elsa’s shadow. If Elsa had any opposition to Anna using her as a living snow shield, she didn’t say so. Even still, what little warmth Anna’s body had stored indoors was quickly being lost, and with the chill biting into her very bones, there was little hope of calling upon her divine power for relief.

In a last ditch effort, Anna’s wings puff up like a bird’s, thick and fluffed, blocking the majority of the wind and snow from hitting her torso. Anna didn’t bother looking at Elsa’s face. She could feel the humor in the very air itself.

“You got me out here de--.... Elsa. What now?”

“I thought perhaps a change of scenery would do you good,” Elsa shouts above the wind, close to Anna’s ear.

Guarded, Anna asks, “Where to?”

Elsa nudges Anna’s shoulder with her own, then walks a few steps out into the weather before facing the church entrance. “I was thinking up there,” Elsa points. Anna frowns, walking out to join her, realizing that Elsa had indicated a spot far above the gables and eaves of the church roof.

“You’re joking.”

“I am not,” Elsa responds flatly. “Have you ever been up there? Perhaps the view won’t be all that much right now, but I promise, it has it’s value, just out of sight.” Anna eyes her skeptically, but she supposed if Elsa did anything odd, she could alway just ask God to smite her. A few extra feet up may actually just make the shot easier.

Satisfied, Anna steps away from Elsa, fanning out her wings in preparation to jump. No more than a story or two, a leap as easy as breathing for someone used to soaring higher than clouds.

A quiet cough stops her short. “I’m happy that you’re eager, angel,” Elsa squints against the snow. It blows around her in circles, almost a bubble, unable to pass too close. A control Anna doesn’t have, or perhaps a tactic she would only resort to without her Light. “But if you want company, you’ll have to stoop low and assist the enemy.”

Behind her back something appears, like watercolor paint bleeding and blooming into shape, spreading out from her clothed shoulders to the ground. Feathers the color of oil, of moonless nights and obsidian shards. They weigh heavy against the demon, dragging beyond her feet, stuck marred and running with clumps of snow.

The chains of course, don’t make them any lighter.

Binding and unbreakable, the unearthly metal presses tightly against every shift the wings make, the occasional clink heard even over the gale. The limbs are lashed close to Elsa’s spine, tight and uncomfortable with no padlock to be seen, no reference to freedom or release, and Anna knows that there never will be.

Once fallen, always Bound.

“Dead weight,” Elsa says with a nonchalance that doesn’t quite meet her eyes. She flexes the muscles in her flightless wings, which rise an inch or two before dropping laboriously. “But their weight is only mine to bear. Carry me up, and I’ll show you what I meant earlier about there being more to this place than meets the eye. Heavenly or otherwise.”

Anna looks between their destination and her companion, then back again. “Alright,” she says at length, “but only this once. And it better be worth it.”

“Excellent!” Elsa drapes an arm suddenly around Anna’s shoulders and grips her tightly before kicking both feet off the ground. On reflex, Anna widens her stance and gets an arm under Elsa’s legs so she doesn’t get pulled down by Elsa’s gravity. She stumbles a bit under the weight of a body in her arms, relief washing through her that she’d managed to catch Elsa before they both fell… until she realizes  exactly  how Elsa desires to be carried, and dumps the demon unceremoniously to the ice cold ground.

“Ow!” Elsa gripes, rubbing her lower back. “What was that for?”

“No way,” Anna cuts her hands decisively through the air. “Absolutely no way am I carrying you like that.”

“Have a problem with bridal style, angel?” Elsa asks with a raised eyebrow, wiping snow from her black tunic. “Honestly, I thought it was just efficient.”

“Oh,” Anna’s mouth curls mischievously. “If it’s efficiency you’re looking for then how about this?” Without waiting for an answer, Anna hitches Elsa bodily over her shoulder, the demon’s legs kicking wildly in her face. As she grinds her feet into the ice, Anna thinks she hears a shout of protest but it is lost to the whistle of wind during take off.

Perhaps she should have taken heed, because Anna only gets about one floor up before Elsa’s heel smacks against the underside of her chin with force, snapping her head up and making her vision go even whiter than the blizzard outside. They crash into a snowdrift that had accumulated on the side of the church, dense, freezing, and muffled. Well, except for the grunting and digging to get back to the surface.

“What’s your problem!?” Anna bursts out, wiping snow out of her hair.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Elsa spits back, breathing heavily as she hauls herself out onto flat ground. Her shoulders slump with effort, and for the first time, Anna can see how much Elsa’s bound wings affect her. Like she can’t get enough air, or stand to her full height. How their presence smothers her, a weighted blanket with hundred pound plates, constricting her spine and dragging her down, down, down. Chained to the earth, shackled from the sky.

“I think break time is over,” Elsa says, adjusting her clothing back to rights, or as right as they could get for now. “I’ll let you get back to your study and meditation, since that seems to be what you’d prefer.”

“No I--, I’m sorry,” Anna stammers. Elsa seems surprised by her confession, and if Anna’s honest, so is she. “I want to see this view you speak so highly of. It must be… special.”

Elsa accepts her words with a nod. A beat passes before she asks, “So, how are we getting up there?”

“You’ll have to climb.” Anna smiles softly at Elsa’s weary expression. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you.”

The slope of the snow bank makes the first part fairly simple, and before too long, Elsa is scaling the side of the building as quickly, though carefully, as she can. Every handhold is slick with ice, but Anna melts and evaporates them in quick succession so Elsa doesn’t slip. Certainly slower than flying, but it’s a decent compromise.

And… it gives Anna some time to think.

Why does Elsa care that Anna succeeds? In her tasks, her goals. In leaving this place behind for good. Elsa is a demon, she should be trying to pull Anna further, demotion after demotion until there was nothing less but the permanent boot down to hell. A great achievement that would be, felling an angel. Perhaps Elsa is playing the long game, biding her time, but Anna was stuck in this lonely, frozen landscape anyway, shouldn’t that make Elsa’s job easier? To prey on the mortals that came here, less guarded if their protector angel was distracted?

Anna unfreezes and dries another foothold for Elsa, hovering just behind her in case she falls. Elsa flashes her a grateful smile before concentrating once more. Anna remembers that demons lie, are expert deceivers, and will tell you anything you want to get you to slip, to tempt and to taunt.

But… everything? Even the small things, the inconsequential? The silent ‘thank yous’ for doing a favor?

These thoughts swirl around Anna’s head until Elsa clears her throat, breaking through the fog. She sits atop the roof, safely ascended. “We’re here.”

There is a valley, a cubby really, made between three steeply slanted roofs. Were this the type of geographic location to have a rainy season, this would most certainly be the most uncomfortable place to be - slick with water and grime that washed off the tiles. But with densely packed snow and ice creating a buffer, it’s actually rather quaint. Elsa walks forward, the snow lifting up in glittering heaps of flakes. A space is carved before Anna’s eyes, just big enough for the two of them. “I used to come up here all the time,” Elsa says as the hovering snowflakes settle among the rest of the rooftop piles. “When it was first settled and built. I liked to hear people's voices from below, even if it was faint. The energy of their Light wasn’t small by any means, but it was human, and easier to bear. Of course, with the arrival of a certain someone, I wasn’t quite so cozy anymore, unless I wanted to feel like my clothing was burning off.” Elsa tosses a forgiving look behind her. “Don’t worry, I’d say the price of meeting you was well worth losing a little hang out spot.”

She motions for Anna to sit down. As she does, Anna feels the chill of the air seep into her bones again. Exhaustion has crept up on her; using her power to charge the church, then fly, then help Elsa climb, had been more taxing than she’d realized. She settles in the crux of the roofs, surprisingly snug and comfortable. And on any other day, it might have been.

But the below freezing temperatures send shivers down Anna’s spine and raise gooseflesh on her skin. She grits her teeth and closes her eyes, looking for that tether of Light, that candle of warmth within her. But it’s gone, or so low it hides. Even her wings barely glow anymore, their protection offered only in the fluff of celestial feathers. Cold wraps around her, its erratic touch scattering every attempt at concentrating.

Punishment. For taking pity on the enemy. For failing her duties. For falling from grace. That sunlight in Anna’s memory would stay there, forever.

Suddenly Elsa is beside her, blocking the wind with her body and more. Her wings, damaged and curtailed, stretch over their heads to the extent that they could, chains restricting more than the bare minimum of mobility. They take up the spaces that Anna’s wings cannot fill, a black and white barrier against the storm. Free from the brunt of the gale, warmth seeps back into Anna’s limbs and her breath begins to fog in the air.

“Better, angel?” Elsa asks without looking at her. Her expression is inscrutable, and it's all Anna can do to nod and try looking for her Light once more. The candle catches faintly in her chest, further heating the air around them. She lowers it gently as she hears Elsa’s breath hitch next to her, unwilling to harm the demon anymore.

The world outside shrinks away, the space inside quiet and content. Not perfect, but comfortable enough. “I can see why you’d like it up here,” Anna comments. “Like this it’s almost serene.”

“I thought you’d like it, too,” and Elsa’s tone of voice is knowing, back to light teasing. “Did you really think I’d drag you all the way up here for some scheme? As you could see, it would have hardly been worth the effort on my part.”

“Perhaps,” Anna replies, “but you never know with demons.”

"You never know with demons, but that’s a conversation for another day.” Elsa settles again, their sides touching. “Now I really do think break time is over. You should try meditating up here, perhaps it will be easier.”

Anna laughs. “Trying to find a partner for eternity, are we, Elsa?”

Elsa doesn’t respond to the jest, merely reiterating that Anna should try meditating again.

Anna tries...but she doesn’t succeed. Instead those thoughts from before return to her, about Elsa, about what the demon means to her. About what Elsa wants. What she, Anna,… wants.

To leave, right? Go back to favored, back to freedom and the Earth stretching beneath her wings. To the warmth and the sun.

Actually… now that she thinks about it, she’s pretty warm. The clouds part overhead and the sun’s light filters through their feathers, shining on her skin instead of being blocked by ten layers of ocean ice. She’s warm, and as Anna relishes that feeling she sinks further into her meditative posture until there’s nothing but soft, comfortable darkness.

--

Elsa feels Anna drift off under her wing. The angel’s breath ruffles the dead feathers, mimicking a flight long forgotten. Anna’s soft exhales flee into the surrounding winds but Elsa hears them in the cocoon on their own making. As Anna succumbs to sleep her head rests on Elsa’s shoulder.

“Even angels need to rest,” she says quietly, tucking Anna more securely against her. Sleep laps at her too, the climb taking more out of her than she’d bargained for. She’d hoped for… well, she wasn’t entirely sure. A conversation. A common moment. A shared space. Elsa supposes she has that last one, just not how she’d expected.

But she learned long ago that the world didn’t always work on expectations.

Before too much longer, Elsa is asleep as well, her head on top of Anna’s, feathers fluttering in the wind. Two detach and dance in a shared current. One black, one white. They disappear amongst the ice.

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

Disney but just the Queer Mood™ Songs, a full Spotify Playlist

Open to updates should anyone notice a song I missed!

Tracklist with specific lyrics that fuck us all up under the cut:

KEY: A general list of which songs resonate with people. The 🏳️‍🌈is for general songs; if you relate to a song but don’t see ur emoji beneath it, send me a message and I’ll add it!

🏳️‍🌈 General Queer Anthem  🌈 Gays specifically have related to this song  ❤️ Gay Men specifically have related to this song  🧡 Lesbians specifically have related to this song 💕 Bisexuals/Pansexuals specifically have related to this song  💜 Asexuals/Ace-spectrum people specifically have related to this song 💚 Aromatics/Aro-spectrum people specifically have related to this song 🤍 Trans people have specifically related to this song 🖤 Nonbinary/Genderqueer people have specifically related to this song  💗 Polyamorous people have specifically related to this song

Know Who You Are - Moana

🏳️‍🌈

They have stolen the heart from inside you But this does not define you  This is not who you are You know who you are...

I Wonder - Sleeping Beauty 

🌈🧡

I wonder, I wonder, I wonder why each little bird has a someone To sing to, sweet things to, A gay little love melody I wonder, I wonder, I wonder if my heart keeps singing, Will my song go winging To someone, who'll find me And bring back a love song to me...

Mother Knows Best - Tangled

🏳️‍🌈 honestly this is just... a general song for some of our shitty relationships to guardian figures...

It's a scary world out there Mother knows best One way or another Something will go wrong, I swear

Me, I'm just your mother, what do I know? I only bathed and changed and nursed you Go ahead and leave me, I deserve it Let me die alone here, be my guest When it's too late You'll see, just wait Mother knows best

Don't forget it You'll regret it...

Dangerous to Dream - Frozen Broadway Production

🏳️‍🌈

I can't be what you expect of me But I'm trying every day with all I do and do not say Here on the edge of the abyss Knowing everything in my whole life has lead to this And so I pull inside myself, close the walls, put up my guard I've practiced every single day for this So why is it so hard?

I can't dwell on what we've lost And our secrecy and silence comes at such a cost

I wish I could tell the truth Show you who's behind the door I wish you knew what all this pantomime And pageantry was for

It's dangerous to wish I could make choices of my own Dangerous to even have that thought I'm dangerous just standing here for everyone to see If I let go of rules who knows how dangerous I'd be?

Reflection - Mulan 

🏳️‍🌈🤍🖤- literally everyone requested this. everyone. so im just copy-pasting the entire lyrics sorry not sorry

Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride Or a perfect daughter Can it be I'm not meant to play this part? Now I see that if I were truly to be myself I would break my family's heart

Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Somehow I cannot hide who I am, though I’ve tried  When will my reflection show who I am inside?

How I pray that a time will come I can free myself From their expectations On that day, I'll discover someway to be myself And to make my family proud They want a docile lamb No one knows who I am Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide? Must I pretend that I'm Someone else for all time? When will my reflection show Who I am inside? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?

Everything I Ever Thought I Knew - Tangled: The Series

🏳️‍🌈 when u realize u might not be straight lol

I thought no one could love me And how could I have known? I was wrong, oh so wrong

Everything I ever thought I knew Where I've been, where I'm going Everything I counted on turned out to be untrue Could've guessed, should've known, now I do

If none of it was really me then who am I supposed to be?

I guess I'm someone else now I wonder who I am

God Help the Outcasts - Hunchback of Notre Dame

🏳️‍🌈...yeah. yeah

Yes, I know I'm just an outcast I shouldn't speak to You Still, I see Your face and wonder Were You once an outcast, too?

God help the outcasts, hungry from birth Show them the mercy they don't find on Earth God help my people, they look to You, still God help the outcasts or nobody will

I ask for nothing, I can get by But I know so many less lucky than I Please help my people, the poor and downtrod I thought we all were the children of God

Belle (Reprise) - Beauty and the Beast

🌈 when a cishet thinks ur interested smh

Madame Gaston! Can't you just see it? Madame Gaston! His little wife No, sir! Not me! I guarantee it I want much more than this provincial life!

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere I want it more than I can tell And for once it might be grand To have someone understand I want so much more than they've got planned...

Part of Your World - The Little Mermaid

🌈 SO many people requested this one guys it’s not even funny

Wandering free, wish I could be Part of that world

Betcha on land, they understand Bet they don't reprimand their daughters Bright young women, sick of swimming Ready to stand

When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love, Love to explore that shore up above?

One Jump Ahead (Reprise) - Aladdin

🏳️‍🌈

Riff-raff, street rat I don't buy that If only they'd look closer

Would they see a poor boy? No, siree They'd find out There's so much more to me...

Proud of Your Boy - Aladdin Broadway Production 

🏳️‍🌈❤️🤍

That I've been one rotten kid Some son, some pride and some joy But I'll get over these lousin' up Messin' up, screwin' up times...

Water flows under the bridge Let it pass, let it go There's no good reason that you should believe me Not yet, I know, but

Someday and soon I'll make you proud of your boy Though I can't make myself taller Or smarter or handsome or wise I'll do my best, what else can I do? Since I wasn't born perfect like Dad or you...

Someone’s Waiting for You - The Rescuers

🏳️‍🌈

Be brave, little one Make a wish for each sad little tear Hold your head up though no one is near Someone's waiting for you

Always keep a little prayer in your pocket And you're sure to see the light Soon there'll be joy and happiness And your little world will be bright

Have faith, little one Til your hopes and your wishes come true

Stick to the Status Quo - High School Musical 

🏳️‍🌈 🌈 YOU ALL KNOW EXACTLY WHY THIS IS HERE

No, no, no, stick to the stuff you know It is better by far to keep things as they are Don't mess with the flow, no no Stick to the status quo

Into the Unknown - Frozen 2

🏳️‍🌈

I can hear you, but I won't Some look for trouble while others don't There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day And ignore your whispers which I wish would go away

I've had my adventure, I don't need something new I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you

Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me? Who knows deep down I'm not where I'm meant to be? Every day's a little harder as I feel my power grow Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go

Where are you going? Don't leave me alone How do I follow you Into the unknown?

Go the Distance - Hercules 

🏳️‍🌈

I have often dreamed of a far off place Where a great, warm welcome will be waiting for me

And a voice keeps saying This is where I'm meant to be

I am on my way, I can go the distance I don't care how far, somehow I'll be strong I know every mile will be worth my while I would go most anywhere to find where I belong

Tomorrow - Annie

🏳️‍🌈 - betcha didnt know disney had an annie movie did u

The sun will come out tomorrow Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow There'll be sun

When I'm stuck in a day that's gray and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and say, oh, The sun’ll come out tomorrow So you gotta hang on til tomorrow, come what may...

Learn Me Right - Brave

🏳️‍🌈💜💚

Though I may speak some tongue of old Or even spit out some holy word I have no strength with which to speak When you sit me down and see I’m weak

We will run and scream you will dance with me We'll fulfill our dreams, and we'll be free We will be who we are, and they’ll heal our scars Sadness will be far away...

Strange Sight - Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast 

🏳️‍🌈

You stand in the light You're wrong, but you're right And my heart's beating wildly Strange how I'm scared but delighted Afraid, but excited too

I will understand you Strange how I'm drawn to the danger I reach out my hand to you

If you're caught in the shadows and turned all around Lost in the darkness, you will be found If you hear my voice, follow the sound Cause I'm here to guide you home... 

I Don’t Dance - High School Musical 2 

🌈 ❤️ 💕 okay so if you weren’t here for the high school musical tumblr revival you may be confused but listen... it’s about being mlm... 

Step up to the plate, start swinging

I wanna play ball Now that’s all, this is what I do It ain’t no dance that you can show me

I’ve got what it takes playin’ my game So you best skin that pitch you gonna throw me, yeah I’ll show you how I swing

I can prove it to you ‘til you know it’s true Cause I can swing it, I can bring it to the diamond too You’re talking a lot, show me what you got Stop, swing!

Kiss the Girl - cover of The Little Mermaid 

this version is sung by a girl so 🧡💕

There you see her, sitting there across the way She don't got a lot to say but there's something about her And you don't know why, but you're dying to try You wanna kiss the girl

Yes, you want her Look at her, you know you do It's possible she want you too There is one way to ask her...

Can You Feel the Love Tonight - The Lion King 

🏳️‍🌈

An enchanted moment And it sees me through It's enough for this restless warrior Just to be with you

There's a time for everyone if they only learn That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors When the heart of this star-crossed voyager Beats in time with yours

And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer That we got this far And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best

Beauty and the Beast - Beauty and the Beast 

🏳️‍🌈- a lot of queer people tend to empathize with “beastly” characters so we all latched the fuck onto this movie huh

Just a little change, small to say the least Both a little scared, neither one prepared

Ever just the same, ever a surprise Ever as before, ever just as sure As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time, tune as old as song Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change Learning you were wrong...

Healing Incantation - Tangled 

🏳️‍🌈🤍🖤

Heal what has been hurt Change the fates' design Save what has been lost Bring back what once was mine

So Close - Enchanted 

🏳️‍🌈🌈

A life goes by, romantic dreams will stop So I bid mine goodbye and never knew So close was waiting waiting here with you And now, forever, I know All that I wanted to hold you so close

Oh, how could I face the faceless days If I should lose you now?

So close to reaching that famous happy end Almost believing this one's not pretend Let’s go on dreaming though we know we are So close, so close, and still So far...

If Only - Descendants

🏳️‍🌈🌈

A million thoughts in my head Should I let my heart keep listening? Cause up 'til now, I've walked the line Nothing lost but something missing I can't decide what's wrong, what's right Which way should I go?

Every step, every word With every hour I'm feeling in To something new, something brave To someone I've never been

Will you still be with me When the magic's all run out?

If only I knew what my heart was telling me Don't know what I'm feeling Is this just a dream? If only I could read the signs in front of me I could find the way to who I'm meant to be

Wherever You Are - Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin 

🏳️‍🌈- out of context could be interpreted as romantic, esp since the credits version is a duet (🌈 💕) but the original context is friendship so honestly it’s very 💜💚

I'm out here in the dark, all alone and wide awake Come and find me I'm empty and I'm cold, and my heart's about to break Come and find me

I need you to come here and find me Cause without you, I'm totally lost I've hung a wish on every star It hasn't done much good so far I can only dream of you

But when the morning comes and the sun begins to rise, I will lose you Because it’s just a dream, when I open up my eyes, I will lose you

I used to believe in forever, But forever is too good to be true I've hung a wish on every star It hasn't done much good so far

I don't know what else to do Except to try to dream of you And wonder, if you're dreaming too Wherever you are

I Won’t Say (I��m In Love) - Hercules

🏳️‍🌈 🌈 💕

If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that

Who d'you think you're kiddin'? He's the earth and heaven to ya Try to keep it hidden Honey, we can see right through ya Girl, you can't conceal it We know how you feel And who you're thinking of

I thought my heart had learned its lesson It feels so good when you start out My head is screaming "Get a grip, girl!" Unless you're dying to cry your heart out

You keep on denying Who you are and how you're feeling Baby, we're not buying Hon, we saw you hit the ceiling

This scene won't play I won't say I'm in love

At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love

Endless Night - The Lion King Broadway Production 

🏳️‍🌈🤍 🖤 

Where has the starlight gone? Dark is the day How can I find my way home? Home is an empty dream, lost to the night Father, I feel so alone

When will the dawning break, oh, endless night Sleepless I dream of the day

I know that the night must end And that the sun will rise I know that the clouds must clear And that the sun will shine

Set Yourself Free - Tangled: The Series 

🏳️‍🌈🤍

There's much more inside of you than anyone can see And now the choice is yours Life waits beyond the doors So step on through, the time has come And only you can set yourself free!

No one else can tell you what to do Or who to be! No one gets to say if you will stay or go

Look inside your heart and find the key... And set yourself free!

Bound up by your worries Trapped by your mistakes Forced to play a role you never chose Why not test your limits? You've got what it takes Let it out and follow where it goes

No more letting someone else define you to a "T" You know that you are strong You've known it all along So seize the day, let down your hair You’ll find a way to set yourself free!

So look to the horizon Open up your wings! Fly away to find your destiny... And set yourself free!

Speechless - Aladdin 2019 Remake 

🏳️‍🌈 ALL OF US ALL OF US

Here comes a wave meant to wash me away A tide that is taking me under

Cause I'll breathe when they try to suffocate me! Don't you underestimate me! Cause I know that I won't go speechless!

Written in stone, every rule, every word Centuries old and unbending "Stay in your place, better seen and not heard," Well, now that story is ending

Try to lock me in this cage! I won't just lay me down and die! I will take these broken wings And watch me burn across the sky!

I’m Still Here (Jim’s Theme) - Treasure Planet

🏳️‍🌈❤️🤍

I am a question to the world Not an answer to be heard Or a moment that's held in your arms

You don't know me And I'll never be what you want me to be

And what do you think you'd understand I'm a boy - No, I'm a man You can't take me and throw me away And how can you learn what's never shown Yeah, you stand here on your own They don't know me, cause I’m not here 

And I want to tell you who I am Can you help me be a man They can't break me As long as I know who I am

They can't tell me who to be 'Cause I'm not what they see Yeah, the world is still sleepin' While I keep on dreaming for me And their words are just whispers and lies That I'll never believe!

Crossing the Line - cover of Tangled: the Series 

🏳️‍🌈 🧡 tfw when u are DONE with that fuckin closet 

This has to stop now This thing where you think that you've been my friend And don't even hear how you condescend The way you've always done

How I've tried to jump that great divide! But I've never got the chances you were given You don't know how much I've been denied Well, I'm not being patient anymore

I'm crossing the line! And I'm done holding back So look out, clear the track, it's my turn! I'm taking what's mine Every drop, every smidge If I'm burning a bridge, let it burn! But I'm crossing the line...

Let it Go - Frozen 

🏳️‍🌈 listen. i do not have to explain this one. you all know exactly why it’s here. we were all tiny gays in 2013 losing our shit in the theater for no discernable reason why. we know

Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried

Don't let them in, don't let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know Well, now they know!

Let it go! Let it go! Turn away and slam the door! I don't care what they're going to say!

It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all!

No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free!

I'm never going back, the past is in the past!

Let it go! Let it go! And I'll rise like the break of dawn Let it go! Let it go! That perfect girl is gone!

This is Me - Camp Rock 

🏳️‍🌈 🧡 💕 🤍

I've always been the kind of girl that hid my face So afraid to tell the world what I've got to say But I have this dream right inside of me I'm gonna let it show it's time To let you know It's to let you know

Do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark? To dream about a life where you're the shining star

This is real, this is me I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, now Gonna let the light shine on me Now I've found who I am there's no way to hold it in No more hiding who I wanna be...

Breaking Free - High School Musical 

🏳️‍🌈 🖤

You know the world can see us In a way that's different than who we are Creating space between us 'Till we're separate hearts But your faith it gives me strength Strength to believe

Soarin, flyin There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach If we’re trying, yeah we’re breaking free  We’re running, climbin  To get to the place, to be all that we can be  Now’s the time, so we’re breaking free

True To Your Heart - Mulan 

🏳️‍🌈 🌈

Baby, I knew at once that you were meant for me Deep in my soul, I know that I'm your destiny Though you're unsure Why fight the tide Don't think so much Let your heart decide

True to your heart You must be true to your heart That's when the heavens'll part And, baby, shower you with my love Open your eyes Your heart can tell you no lies And when you're true to your heart I know it's gonna lead you straight to me

Someone ya know is on your side can set you free I can do that for you if you believe in me Why second guess what feels so right Just trust your heart And you'll see the light

Never Knew I Needed - The Princess and the Frog 

🏳️‍🌈 🌈 💕

For the way you changed my plans For being the perfect distraction For the way you took the idea that I have Of everything that I wanted to have And made me see there was something missing...

My accidental happily ever after The way you smile and how you comfort me with your laughter I must admit you were not a part of my book But now if you open it up and take a look You're the beginning and the end of every chapter

You're the best thing I never knew I needed So when you were here I had no idea You'd be the best thing I never knew I needed So now it's so clear I need you here always

Colors of the Wind - Pocahontas 

🏳️‍🌈 - colors.... rainbows.... yea

How can there be so much that you don't know? You don't know...

You think the only people who are people Are the people who look and think like you But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew

How high will the sycamore grow If you cut it down, then you'll never know And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon For whether we are white or copper skinned We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains We need to paint with all the colors of the wind...

I See the Light - Tangled 

🏳️‍🌈 🌈 - you would not BELIEVE how many of y’all requested this one

Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight Now I'm here, suddenly I see Standing here, it's all so clear I'm where I'm meant to be

Now she's here shining in the starlight Now she's here, suddenly I know If she's here it's crystal clear I'm where I'm meant to go

And at last I see the light And it's like the fog has lifted And at last I see the light And it's like the sky is new And it's warm and real and bright And the world has somehow shifted

All at once, everything looks different Now that I see you

Strangers Like Me - Tarzan 

🏳️‍🌈 🤍 🖤- that moment when u find another queer person and ur like “holy shit”

I can see there's so much to learn It's all so close and yet so far I see myself as people see me Oh, I just know there's something bigger out there

Come with me now to see my world Where there's beauty beyond your dreams Can you feel the things I feel Right now, with you Take my hand There's a world I need to know...

Why Should I Worry? - Oliver & Company 

🏳️‍🌈- we’re queer, we’re here, get used to it 

Why should I worry? Why should I care? I may not have a dime But I got street savoir-faire Why should I worry? Why should I care? It's just be-bopulation And I got street savoir-faire

Why should I worry? Why should I care? And even when I crossed that line I got street savoir-faire

Welcome - Brother Bear 

🏳️‍🌈 pride parade amirite

Everyone's invited This is how we live We are here for each other, happy to give All we have we share And all of us we care

There's a bond between us nobody can explain It's a celebration of life We see our friends again I'll be there for you I know you'll be there for me, too So come on!

This has to be the most beautiful The most peaceful place I've ever been to It's nothing like I've never seen before When I think how far I've come I can't believe it And yet I see it In them I see family I see the way we used to be...

The Great Divide - Tinkerbell and the Secret of the Wings

🏳️‍🌈

I'm on your side Let's take this ride And together we're facing the world Doing things nobody's done before And the great divide doesn’t seem so wide anymore

With You by My Side - Tangled: the Series 

💗 - tangled the series was so close to being canon polyam istg

Now; now more than ever We must stick together united

If we're destined to head in our own different ways Let's make the most of these sweet final days Why not go out in a glorious blaze

There's nothing I couldn't do Not with you by my side What in the world would I do Without you by my side...

Love Will Find a Way - The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride

🏳️‍🌈 🌈

In a perfect world One we've never known We would never need to face the world alone They can have the world We'll create our own I may not be brave or strong or smart But somewhere in my secret heart

And if only they could feel it too The happiness I feel with you

Like dark turning into day Somehow we'll come through Now that I've found you Love will find a way I know love will find a way

Space Between - Descendants 2

🧡 never have i ever seen gays flock to a song faster

And you can find me in the space between Where two worlds come to meet I'll never be out of reach Cause you're a part of me so you can find me in the space between You'll never be alone No matter where you go We can meet in the space between

Even if we're worlds apart You're still in my heart It will always be you and me, yeah

If I Never Knew You - Pocahontas

🏳️‍🌈🌈

And if I never held you I would never have a clue How at last I'd find in you The missing part of me...

In this world so full of fear Full of rage and lies I can see the truth so clear In your eyes So dry your eyes

If I never knew you I'd be safe but half as real Never knowing I could feel A love so strong and true

I thought our love would be so beautiful  Somehow we'd make the whole world bright I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night But still my heart is saying we were right

I’d Give Anything - Tangled: the Series 

🧡 rapunzel’s sad breakup song

So if you find that you're in darkness or despair Though you won't turn to me please know I'll be right there Name any sacrifice, I'll pay the price that's due Cause I'd give anything for you Yes, I'd give anything to relive everything we knew...

Someday - Hunchback of Notre Dame 

🏳️‍🌈

I used to believe In the days I was naïve That I'd live to see A day of justice dawn And though I will die Long before that morning comes I'll die while believing still It will come when I am gone

Someday, when we are wiser When the world's older, when we have learned I pray someday we may yet live To live and let live

Someday, these dreams will all be real Till then we'll wish upon the moon Change will come, one day Someday soon... 

No One Is Alone - Into the Woods 

🏳️‍🌈

Mother cannot guide you, now your on your own. Only me beside you, still you're not alone. No one is alone. Truly, no one is alone…

People make mistakes Holding to their own  Thinking they’re alone 

Someone is on your side, someone else is not  While we’re seeing our side, maybe we forgot  They are not alone, no one is alone...

I Am Moana (Song of the Ancestors) - Moana

🏳️‍🌈 🤍 - it’s about the self-acceptance binch

Sometimes, the world seems against you The journey may leave a scar But scars can heal and reveal just Where you are

The people you love will change you The things you have learned will guide you And nothing on Earth can silence The quiet voice still inside you

I've delivered us to where we are I have journeyed farther I am everything I've learned and more Still it calls me

And the call isn't out there at all, it's inside me! It's like the tide, always falling and rising I will carry you here in my heart, you remind me That come what may I know the way

Show Yourself - Frozen 2 

🏳️‍🌈 - this one was claimed immediately by the queer community and we all have a stake in it but i do want to point out that i got this from a LOT of 🤍 🖤 💜 💚

I have always been a fortress Cold secrets deep inside You have secrets too But you don't have to hide

I've never felt so certain All my life, I've been torn But I'm here for a reason Could it be the reason I was born? I have always been so different Normal rules did not apply Is this the day? Are you the way I finally find out why?

Oh, show yourself Let me see who you are... Come to me now Open your door Don't make me wait One moment more!

(Come, my darling, homeward bound) I am found!

Transformation / Beauty and the Beast (Reprise) - Beauty and the Beast Broadway Production 

🏳️‍🌈

We are home, we are where we shall be forever  Trust in me, for you know I won’t run away from today This is all that I need, and all that I need to say  Don’t you know how you’ve changed me? Strange how I finally see  I found home, you’re my home, stay with me... 

Finale / Let it Go - Frozen Broadway Production 

🏳️‍🌈 this makes me bawl so it gets finale

There’s so much I longed to say Then say it all, beginning with today It’s like a dream I thought could never be  Elsa, you’re free 

Here we stand in the light of day Let the sun shine on 

I take this warmth within and send it up above Goodbye to dark and fear, let’s fill this world with light and love And here surrounded by a family at least  We’re never going back, the past is in the past 

Let our true love go  Let it go!

[lovelivingmydreams]

A story by heroes and vilains

Virgil Anker: Confrontation

Virgil hates confrontation. That is probably why it took him until now to talk to Janus. And even now it can’t be avoided any longer, he wants to.

When he saw Roman again the next day, he was momentarily speechless.

When he said he’d try out wearing his flag, Virgil hadn’t expected him to do this. The theatre kid entered the classroom with rainbow hair and a rainbow backpack slung over his shoulder, his red varsity jacket open, showing off his matching rainbow shirt. Roman locked eyes with him and strode over to his desk with an excited grin, sitting down on top of it. “You are extremely extra any chance you get aren’t you?” Virgil chuckled. Come to think of it, he really should have expected this. “I am,” Roman agreed, proud of it, as he took off his jacket. Virgil smiled as he saw the writing. Gay Disney Prince indeed. “Well it looks good on you,” he told him honestly. It did. It was like he was glowing. “Why thank you, mi caballero guapo.” Before Virgil could begin to decipher that, their homeroom teacher walked in and Roman took his seat. The second they were handed their schedules, Roman compared them with a growing smile. “We have almost every class together!” he exclaimed, sounding about as happy about it as Virgil felt. This year was looking better and better with every minute. “Aside from our electives that is. Why am I not surprised you’re taking drawing classes? Though you don’t really need the extra help. You are amazing as you are. Which reminds me. Did you think about sending in your designs?” Virgil didn’t really have the chance to react to anything Roman just said, and when he did, he wasn’t capable of it. Roman had been leaning over to read Virgil’s schedule and hadn’t moved away while ranting, and now he looked up and Virgil could feel his breath on his face. Roman quickly sat up with a sheepish grin. “Sorry. Got a bit ahead of myself there.” Virgil looked away to hide his emberasment. He played with the edges of his hoodie for a moment. He knew he was blushing and that his foundation wasn’t covering it up anymore. Why had he let Picani and the counselors convince him to slowly build off the amount he put on every morning? Sure it was part of letting others in and all that stuff. But he was still nervous about it. Blushes and freckles and heaven forbid any sort of tan hadn’t been seen by anyone other than his dads in ages. Even uncle Thomas hardly saw him without make up on. And J… Well, it’d been a while for him too. Start of last year come to think of it. The last time he’d stayed over at his place for a night. It was a thing that just happened sometimes, when they were too lazy to go home. They both had a bag of stuff in the other’s house for just such occasions. Those days of having so much fun that hanging out just evolved in staying over were something he’d missed a lot. And part of him still hoped they’d come back soon. That Janus had woken up and was back to his old self. “No problem…” he assured Roman, forcing himself not to dwell on those thoughts. Instead he thought about the answer to his question. “Well… I don’t know. You really think he’d want it?” he checked, looking up to read Roman’s face. “Are you kidding?” Roman exclaimed with a look as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. “If I were forced in that atrocious ‘crime against fashion’ as you adequately called it, I’d be wishing on every star for a new outfit. And what you have drawn up. It’s not just an answer to his every prayer, it’s the most awesome costume he could ever hope for.” Virgil felt a corner of his mouth lift and looked away again. “Alright… I’ll send it in… But with some adjustments and under an alias,” he insisted. He wasn’t sure how his dad would feel about him restyling the city’s newest hero. “How about Dante?” Roman offered. Virgil did his best not to show how happy that choice made him. He’d gotten the reference. He knew the book. Of course he did. He was a theatre nerd. He was bound to know the classics right? Virgil nodded. “Sounds good,” he agreed. When the door opened Virgil had actually been in the process of taking out his sketchbook to show Roman the finished design, but then the teacher spoke and he immediately found every nerve in his body on edge. Not a great reaction to have when hearing your life long best friend’s name. Virgil couldn’t make himself look at Janus. He’d promised himself over and over again that he’d face him head on when the time came. Principal Stokes had warned him that they were in the same homeroom. But once class started he’d foolishly hoped that they managed to move him in another group after all and had just forgotten to tell him. He should’ve realized he was just late.

Before he knew it, Janus was in front of the desk. “Move, that’s my seat,” he said through gritted teeth. What had him so agitated? He’d taken peace with Virgil sitting next to Roman last year right? Why was he back to being a jerk about it? Sure he’d never liked it, but hadn’t he learned his lesson about telling Virgil who he could and couldn’t sit with? “De ninguna manera,” Roman replied, leaning back in his chair with a confident smirk. Virgil wracked his brain. He’d just told Janus, “No way,” if he remembered correctly. Roman had never talked Spanish for no good reason before though. Was this because Virgil asked about it? Some kind of learning by exposition? “You want to sit with the coolest kid in school? Get here on time.” And then he has to go ahead and say that. Roman definitely did not know the power he held over Virgil’s mood. Hearing Roman say that, without a hint of doubt or insincerity, made Virgil a lot more confident about what he had to do today. Roman Castile had his back, and a lot of other people too. People liked him. He had to remember that. “Excuse me?” Virgil’s eyes widened as he saw that Janus raised his fist. He’d never seen him actually hit anyone. He’d threatened to do it a few times. But never in front of a teacher. Had he lost his mind? “Mr. Bullard! Seat! Now!”

Janus’ gaze moved from Roman to Virgil, waiting for him to say something. Too bad for him, Virgil wasn’t going to say what he wanted to hear.

“You heard the teacher Jan. Just go.” After a few moments of disbelieving silence Janus went to sit at the empty desk on Virgil’s other side. Luckily there was a bit of open space between them. “Good,” the teacher sighed as she continued her class. “As I was saying, I hope the rest of the year will go without any more incidents like yesterday. Mr. Anker, Mr. Castile, I speak for the whole school when I say that we are happy to see you two are back and unfazed by yesterday’s incident.” “Thank you Mrs. Foster,” Virgil muttered a little embarrassed by the attention. He just hoped some different type of gossip would grab everyone’s attention soon. And maybe it already had. Roman’s coming out might distract a little from what happened yesterday. “I wouldn’t dream of depriving you of my radiant presence for another day,” Roman jested, stealing the show effortlessly as usual. Virgil joined his classmates in their laughter, feeling himself relax. The bell rang and Roman and Virgil were among the first to leave the class. Janus, luckily, had to stay back to get his schedule.

Virgil was happy to find that Roman’s locker wasn’t that far from his. “Where are we headed next?” Roman asked while he was collecting his things. “Um…” Virgil muttered as he dug in his backpack. He was pretty sure he knew the schedule by heart already, but they had enough time to make sure. The second Virgil confirmed their destination, the paper was snatched out of his hand. “Hey!” he exclaimed turning around to find Janus studying his schedule. He looked very unhappy.

Virgil was angry enough not to worry about that. His attitude from earlier and now combined made him not feel sorry for the cold shower Janus was going to get once he learned the full truth. “How can we have no classes together? I thought we were going to take sociology?” And he just pissed him off even more. “No!” he snatched the paper back, surprising Janus. When their eyes met he could see surprise shift to hurt confusion. “You were. I tried to tell you that I wanted to do art, and you didn’t listen. Like usual.” And that was all he was going to say about it right now. He was so mad at himself for hoping today would go well after that stupid text. He always got him like that. But this back and forth was hurting him. Hurting others. He couldn’t let it continue. “We’re in building C. Let’s go,” he told Roman, who nodded, collected his last things and starting to follow him to class. Staying out of the argument, like Virgil had asked him last year. “Virge, come on!” Janus was blocking his path, looking at him pleadingly. Looking like the real Janus. No. It’s a trick. Or not a trick maybe. But it wasn’t… He couldn’t back down now. “You are mad, I get it, I’m sorry okay?” Virgil felt his heart clench. It had been a while since he’d said sorry like that. But saying sorry, while a good step, was only a start. He and Picani had made a list of things that needed to happen before Virgil could start letting Janus back into his life. If ever. “Can’t we talk about this? We always work things out,” he pleaded  and Virgil flinched. He wanted to. He really did. Not here and not now though. He had to do this. For both of them. They both needed some space. “My decision is final J. I’m done enabling your behavior. I thought I was helping you out, but I was making it worse. I can’t protect you anymore… You are right. Sometimes we have to do what’s best for us. And for me, that is not being around you anymore.” Please, please let it be now. Virgil wished. He didn’t, he was reaching out, and once more, Virgil found himself looking at Roman’s back. “He’s asking you to back off. Give him some space.” He sounded soothing. He wasn’t trying to taunt Janus. Just to diffuse the situation. Janus didn’t see it that way. With a loud bang, Roman was pushed against the lockers, making Virgil flinch. This wasn’t good. He could feel his self-control slipping. He couldn’t have an attack right now. He hated that he’d taken a pill yesterday. If he hadn’t then he might have allowed himself to take one today. Now he was going to lose it in the middle of the hallway and… “Stay out of it Chapero!” This was followed by another bang. Virgil looked up and was surprised to find Roman was now the one holding Janus against the lockers. He looked livid. “You better not know what you just called me,” he warned. Janus grinned at him, clearly feeling vindicated for some reason. “I don’t say anything I don’t mean. Payaso.” Virgil had to put a stop to this. He wouldn’t let Janus taunt Roman into getting in trouble. “Roman! What’s going on? Let him go. Let’s just go to class. Please,” he pleaded, wondering if it would help to lay a hand on his shoulder or make things worse. Roman looked back though and once their eyes met he seemed to calm down. “Sorry. You’re right. We’ll be late,” he sighed, letting go and letting Virgil lead him to their class “Get to class Jan!” Virgil called back. “This isn’t over!” Janus promised, but to Virgil’s relief, he didn’t follow them. Virgil waited until they left building A before he looked over to Roman. He looked really upset. After taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he carefully laid a hand on Roman’s shoulder. “You okay?” he asked. “I’ll be fine, just pissed off,” Roman assured him before looking at him concerned. “How about you? He was your friend for a long time right?” Virgil sighed sadly. “He lives in the house next to mine. We basically grew up together I guess.” Virgil wasn’t sure if he wanted to smile or cry as he thought back to the countless memories they shared. Janus and his parents had always been a part of his life almost as much as his dad was. “And I tried to protect him from bullies as best I could, you know because of,” he made a gesture to his face. Roman nodded. He understood. “I didn’t realize he isn’t that same kid anymore. I guilted myself into sticking with him. He was my friend, if I didn’t help him who would? He needed me. He stuck with me too. You get the picture,” Virgil shrugged dismissively. Though it was so much more complicated than that. He didn’t want to get into the nuances of his past and his decision now though. There was simply no time. “When he told me to take the same elective as him. I had enough. I told you about the summer camp I went to. What I didn’t mention was that it was a camp where they teach you to stand up for yourself. ‘your needs are important too’ and all that stuff. So when I got home I asked my dad to help me convince the principal to make sure I shared as little classes with him as possible. I felt shitty doing it.” It still felt like a betrayal on his part. “But at camp, I also learned that me tolerating Jan so long isn’t helping him. Mrs. Danvers was on the right path when she separated us last year. We both need to learn be us without the other. And maybe when we’ve figured that out, we can try again.” God he hoped they could try again. He missed his friend. But that might take some time. And the ball was entirely in Janus’ court. Speaking of. How badly had he just messed up with Roman to make him loose his composure like that. “What did he say?” he asked Roman. “Janus likes to brag that he is fluent in Spanish and French. I didn’t know he’d also learned slang.” “He learned slang alright,” Roman scoffed. “I’m pretty sure he was just trying to get a rise out of me, which succeeded.” Roman took a deep breath, calming down considerably. “You sure you want to know?” he asked, much more gentle. “Yes. If it upset you that much, I do,” Virgil said firmly. He wanted to know how mad he had to be with Janus when they inevitably talked later. “Alright. Payaso, means clown,” Roman told him. Clearly he was starting with the less offensive term. Virgil gave him an encouraging nod. “And… Chapero,” Roman’s face when he said the word filled Virgil with dread. It must be really bad. “It means- It refers to my…” Instead of finishing his sentence, he gestured to his coming out shirt. No… “Seriously!?” he growled as he turned, about to tell Janus that he’d have to work twice as hard to make Virgil trust him again now. Because this… This made him want to keep Janus away from his family. What if he’d said something insensitive in front of Logan or Patton? He would not allow it. Suddenly he felt a pull at the back of his hoodie. Stopping him in his tracks. “We can’t be late. Not for him,” Roman reminded Virgil. “You’re right.” There were priorities in his life other than Janus. He could not let him take up a leading role in it any longer if he wanted to heal. Man, he was started to sound like Picani. They arrived in their class and sat themselves at a desk fairly central. Virgil was secretly happy that Roman chose to sit next to him again.

“Well, what do you know? My two favorite boys at one desk. Must be my lucky day!” Virgil looked up. Stacey was sitting on Roman’s desk, subtly respecting Virgil’s personal space while still drawing his attention. He appreciated that. She was good at this flirting thing. “Good morning to you too Stacey.” Roman greeted with a smile. “Hi,” Virgil said casually. “Ro. Guess where we’re going for our date?” Stacey asked excitedly. “No clue,” Roman shrugged as Virgil tried to find a polite way to correct Stacey. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go on a real date with Stacey yet. It wouldn’t be fair to her to let her think he was. And even though Roman clearly wasn’t into him, he wanted him to know that it wasn’t a real date for some reason. “The art studio! We’re going to go nuts on a blank canvas together. Isn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?” she gushed. Virgil was kind of flattered that she was so enthusiastic. But still… “Well… It’s basically just hanging out,” he corrected her gently. To his relief Stacey seemed unbothered by that. “Yeah. What did you call it? Vibe check?” she verified. “Something like that,” he nodded to which Stacey started rambling again. “Basically we’re going to roll with it as friends and see if we click romantically while we are pouring our souls out on canvas. No click? No hard feelings.” Before anything else could be said the teacher arrived, sending Stacey to her own seat. After History he had art with Stacey. Connor Grant was everything he had imagined he would be. “Virgil Anker… You won the prize at last year’s exhibition. I see here you never took an art elective, did you follow classes somewhere else?” he wondered warmly. They were all sitting on the floor in the studio and getting to know one another. “Um, well I watched some tutorials and stuff online and took some inspiration from that,” he explained. “No formal training? Well such raw talent… It’ll be a privilege to help you find your way Virgil. Such a gift, deserves to be developed with proper guidance.” Virgil grew flustered at the praise and the cheers and claps he received. No one seemed envious. Grant was full of praise for everyone’s unique talents though, so that could have something to do with it.

After class he walked over to him. “Um, Mr. Grant. I kind of have two questions, if that’s okay?” he asked timidly. “Ask away,” the man smiled warmly.

“Thanks. Um… I kind of made a portfolio of sorts. Would you mind looking at it?” he asked shakily as he handed the binder over to him. “It would be my pleasure,” Mr. Grant assured him. Feeling empowered Virgil pressed forward. “Is… Are we allowed to use the studio after hours for private projects?” he wondered.

“Of course. The muse does not work on any arbitrary schedule set by us. You can always ask me for the key,” he said as he locked the room and handed the key over to him. “What… Really just like that?” “I have a spare should I need it. But I’ll need that one back after your date with Miss Stacey.” Virgil blushed and bit back his protest. It didn’t matter. He had the key, he could get on with his day.

He hurried to his locker, hoping to find Roman there so they could walk to Math together. Roman hadn’t arrived yet. Drama must be running late. Virgil packed his things humming to himself when he suddenly felt an hand grab his shoulder and turn him around roughly. “We need to talk, now,” Janus said, clearly in a hurry. Virgil frowned. He was right, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore.

“Are you going to apologize to Roman?” he bit. “What?” Janus asked baffled. “Or any of the people you’ve tormented over the past year, if not years?” he doubled down. “Because the only way, you and I are ever going to be on speaking terms again is if you stop acting like everything I despise in this world. Which, in case you are unaware, is a narrow minded, homophobic, bully.” Janus looked down, ashamed, and that gave Virgil hope he really shouldn’t be feeling now. “I already told you Janus. I’m done. When you start acting like my friend again, I’d like to have him back. I miss the Janus I’d stick by no matter what. But the guy I’ve seen the past year… I don’t know who that is. All I know is I want him nowhere near my family.” Janus looked up. “Listen, I messed up. I got mad and I just said the worst thing I could think of okay? I know that won’t excuse it. What with your dad and his boyfriend situation…”

Virgil stiffened. His protective instincts fully engaged. “What do you mean…” when did he learn about Patton? Why hadn’t his parents told him? “If you said something to upset Patton or Logan, I swear!” “NO! I didn’t… I promise. I just… Need you to hear me out, like now. I need to tell you something important. Let’s just go somewhere quiet for a bit. Okay? I swear I’ll leave you alone after… Just, please Virgil, I need you to know…” There was a part of Virgil that saw Janus’ desperation and wanted to answer. Wanted to lower his guard and follow him. Help him out. He shook his head. “I can’t Jan. I want to. Trust me, I really want to be friends again. But I know that if I go with you now, things will just go back to how they were and that… I was being suffocated by you. I didn’t feel like me with you anymore. Even when we were just us, I couldn’t fully be myself. I’m sorry. But I’ll listen, once you’ve proven you're over this whole,” he gestured to the general space between them. “Thing where you think you can control my life. It’s not good for me.” He was about to head to his class when he was pulled back and slammed against the locker, hard. He didn’t have time to protect himself. The impact hurt. But he kept his composure. “Damn it Virgil! Just stop being dramatic and come with me!” Virgil heard people gasp and shout around them. He just stared Janus down, to make sure he saw that there was no doubt in his mind when he replied. “No!” “Let him go Bullard!” Virgil looked up surprised. Roman had come. He was happy to see him. But he didn’t want their friendship to start off with Roman thinking he couldn’t take care of himself.

“I’ve got this Roman,” he told him. Roman looked at him, his gaze steady and calm. “I know. But you don’t have to do this alone.” Virgil took a moment to process that. Right. Roman knew he was capable of standing his ground. This? was different from when Janus would try to ‘protect him’. Roman was being supportive. Not controlling. He had not once decided in Virgil’s stead. The closest he’d gotten to that was that one time he’d been openly critical of his friendship with Janus, for which he’d been apologetic right away. Two of Roman’s friends flanked him, one, Kelly, whispering something to him. Roman nodded in acknowledgement. He raised his head, squared his shoulders and spoke clear and decisive. “I’ll ask one more time. Leave him alone.” Virgil barely registered Janus stepping away. He would’ve crashed to the floor if he hadn’t stabilized himself a little with his shield. He was glad that that power was a rather intuitive one, because he never seemed to have time to decide to use it. And catching himself was not an application he would have come up with on his own. He rubbed at his chest where Janus’ arm had pressed into him, speeding up the recovery. “Think you can take me Castile?” Virgil looked up at Janus, he was walking towards Roman arms lifted as if daring him to hit him. What was he doing? This was the opposite of helpful if he wanted… Didn’t he want them to be friends again? Roman wasn’t intimidated. “I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of getting me in trouble,” he replied once Janus came to a stop. “So you’re just talk then huh? Afraid to get your butt kicked in front of everyone? Trying to score easy points with Virgil? Hoping I’ll let you steal him from me that easily?” Was he trying to blame Roman for this? Virgil had worried something like that would happen. Janus clearly thought he had no agency of his own. But still… Had he completely lost his mind? “Trying to repay him in some small way for saving my life yesterday. But none of that is any of your business.” Virgil was in awe of how passionate Roman sounded. “Virgil’s decision to finally break free from you has nothing to do with me, and everything with how you’re treating him. I don’t understand what he saw in you that made him stick around this long. But you took it for granted and now it’s done. Leave him alone.”

Just then, Roman’s other friends, including André, arrived and immediately they all started to tell everyone in the audience to get to their classes. As the crowd disappeared Virgil saw the tension leave most of Janus frame. Though he could see him tap his left hand against his leg, a dead giveaway that he was growing more nervous.

“What’s wrong Castile? Don’t want an audience? I thought you lived for the cheers of a crowd?” Roman didn’t budge. “Or maybe this is an exclusive event? Just for your little fanclub and Virgil? Is he your newest devoted follower?”

Virgil winced at the sting of hurt and betrayal in J’s tone. “You guys should head to class,” was Roman’s response to that. His friends did not like that. “You’ll all get in trouble if you don’t get to class in time. Now go. Tell our teacher that Virgil and I will be there soon. I’m not feeling well and Virgil is looking out for me.” Janus scoffed. “Making your friends lie for you Castile? Some friend you are.” Roman quirked a brow, not impressed. “Or tell them the truth. Apparently Bullard wants detention on the first day.” Virgil could tell Janus realized he had made a mistake. Roman’s friends left and Janus doubled down on the false display of confidence. “Now we’re talking! A private show, just for you Virge,” Janus looked back at him, but Virgil didn’t want to reward his behavior with the slightest bit of attention.

He just kept soothing the imprint on his sternum and looked at Roman making sure he wasn’t in any kind of distress right now. “Virge? You okay?” Roman asked. “Yeah, fine,” he muttered. When he tried to walk past Janus though, he was stopped by a brisk hand gesture. He could’ve ignored it, but he could see Janus was seconds away from snapping. He didn’t want to set him off. Not so close to Roman. And besides that, he didn’t like seeing him in pain. “Just get to class. I can handle myself.” Virgil appreciated the thought, really he did. Roman was doing for him what he’d seen Virgil do for others plenty of times in the past. But Virgil had learned by now that that kind of behavior wasn’t very healthy of him either. “Stop mocking me!” Janus exclaimed. Virgil acted without thinking. He ran up to throw himself in between Janus and Roman and then he felt Janus’ fist connect with his stomach at full force. It hurt a lot, and likely would hurt for a while. He fell to his knees, groaning in pain. Roman was at his side in an instant. “V… I...” Virgil looked up and as he blinked away the tears that threatened to overtake his vision he could see Janus was horrified with what just had happened.

Roman was furious. “Messing with him emotionally and mentally isn’t enough for you? You have to resort to physical violence as well? What kind of friend are you?” Virgil flinched. Roman had really picked up on everything hadn’t he? He wanted to argue that Janus would never intentionally attack him, but the way his chest still ached, even though it was drastically overpowered by the pain in his abdomen, was proof that J could lose his temper with him. Janus didn’t respond. He looked down and walked away. Virgil could swear he’d seen tears in his eyes.

Once he was gone Roman turned his attention back to him. “You okay? Should we go to the nurse?” he suggested worriedly. Virgil felt is heart flutter a little at his concerned tone. Roman was making it really hard to get over his crush. But he knew that the nurse wasn’t an option. Besides, he was already healing. “No. Dad will lose it if he knows someone actually hit me. Let’s just go to class. I’ll be fine by the time we get there.” Roman looked uncertain. “Okay, if you are sure.” Clearly he wanted to argue, but he was respecting Virgil’s boundaries. “Thanks for catching that one, but you didn’t have to. I did some self-defense courses. I would’ve been able to get out of harm’s way without hurting him.” Oh? That was interesting. Maybe he could ask Roman for some lessons just in case. He’d watched some videos online on basic self-defense and parkour. The later he’d been practicing every time he went out. Just in case his cloak failed him next time the cops sent someone to figure out who was leaving them packages. You’d think they’d take the intel and not ask too many questions. But clearly that wasn’t the case. They even had heroes on the lookout for him in his regular spots. They must really want to catch him if they went through the footage to get hints on the location where he recorded some of the evidence. “I’ll remember that,” he grinned, trying not to show that most of his upper body was still in various degrees of pain. “Seriously though that’s the second time you’ve jumped to my rescue. Thank you,” Roman said as he helped him up. Virgil once again played off how it hurt with a grin. If not for his healing factor he would probably want to go to a doctor to be safe. And even now he was wondering if whatever he did to heal bruises was good enough to fix more serious injuries. Was it even a serious injury? Or did it just hurt a lot? He promised himself that if he was still in pain when they got to class he’d agree to go to the nurse’s office. It normally didn’t take him long to fix himself. “Guess DreamPrince inspired me to be heroic,” he joked. Because apparently, Dream Prince was now his codename for Roman whenever he was too scared to make his feelings for him obvious. “He does seem to inspire a lot in you. I’m almost envious of him.” Virgil’s heart skipped a beat at that. Did Roman mean…? “I’d love to be the one to inspire someone so much, artistically and the like I mean. Oh, that would be the dream. To be someone’s muse and have them be mine in return.” You already do, Virgil wanted to say. But he couldn’t. Not when he already agreed to give Stacey a shot. “That would be pretty cool I guess,” he said instead finally able to walk without wincing each step. “You sure we don’t need to have you checked out?” Roman was clearly not convinced. Virgil nodded firmly. It was not worth worrying his dad over. “I barely feel it anymore. He didn’t hit that hard,” he shrugged, feeling a little bad for that lie. But he wasn’t ready to tell Roman about his powers yet. Maybe he would be, one day. The rest of the day was hopefully a sample of how the rest of the year would go. Virgil sat next to or near Roman for every class they shared, and he’d allowed himself to sit next to him during lunch. Stacey got a kick out of the fact that Virgil had ‘charmed’ the key from the teacher. Virgil insisted that it was not that big of an accomplishment. They had fun. Stacey had a lot of energy and a curious and adventurous nature. He liked hanging out with her, and he thought she was very attractive. But when the cliché paint fight broke out and they came close enough to feel each other’s breath… Virgil knew that he could kiss her. He could see that she was okay with that. Hoping for it even. It would just take one question and a slight tilt forward… And he wouldn’t mind kissing her. He felt attraction that was for sure. He was even wondering if she’d be as energetic when being kissed as she’d been all night. But he didn’t feel a spark. He’d felt the spark a few times. The little jolt to his heart that told him that he didn’t just want to kiss a person. If that made sense. Not just with Roman, though that spark was still the strongest he’d ever felt. He knew that he liked Stacey, platonically. And he found her attractive, physically. But he wasn’t romantically interested in her. And while he didn’t see the harm in casually kissing... He didn’t want to do that with Stacey. For various reasons. He’d stepped away and Stacey pouted. But she’d agreed that she wasn’t interested in him long term.

She did offer to let him kiss her anyway. For practice. He’d laughed and politely declined to which she pretended to be dramatically disappointed.

When he got home and he told his dads that it was fun, but they were just going to stay friends, he didn’t miss the relief on Logan’s face. He bit back the comment about turning sixteen next October. His dad would have to come to terms with the fact that he was of the dating age sooner or later. But he wasn’t going to push it. He let himself fall onto his bed that night, thinking of Roman and how he definitely would have kissed him. About Janus, and what he’d needed to say. He let those thoughts go though. One day at a time. Today had been okay, all things considered. Maybe tomorrow would be fine too.

Masterlist

Better Together

@moonlightshow00​ @naturallyunstablegamer​ @alias290​ @meowthefluffy​ @frida0043​ @angelic-cali​ @selenechris​ @theblackveilinreverse​ @cirishere​ @hestianerd1​

[likesomekindofcheese]

Or the One where you pretend to be Engaged (Joe Mazzello x fem! reader oneshot)

Summary: You and Joe fake an engagement to get wedding cake samples

Word Count: 2895

Warnings: some mild swearing, I guess, but pretty mild. Cake and marriage. Kids are mentioned. Shenanigans.

A/N: Hello there @assembledherethevolunteers​! I am your Secret Santa! And this was written in your honor for @yourlocalmusicalprostitute​ Possessed by Love celebration! I hope you enjoy it! Also shout out to actual goddess @joeneslee​ for helping me with ideas when I got writers block!

“Are you ready?” he asks eagerly.

“I don’t know…” you reply, shaking your head.

Both of you sit in the car parked outside of the cake store. It is a small building, painted pastel pink building with a white roof. There is a wide glass window that reads “Let them eat Cake!” in a heart slathered on with white paint. It looks like a Hallmark Valentines Card, but were you ready to enter that place? With Joe?

Joe has always been your friend, and most especially your baseball buddy. The stadium was your safe place with him, not anything flowery or romantic. Both of you would discuss everything under the sun until pipe organs blared out chords when the teams ran on the field. You were used to the ballpark, the sun beating down over the rim of your cap. The taste of hot dogs right on your mouth and both of you eating ice cream cones at the last stretch as bats cracked the balls louder than anything on earth.

“Hmmmm” he would say in a Fake Commenter voice, thick with a nasal accent “numbuh forty-three hit that ball and ooooo he’s going!”

“Uph! He missed it! The ball rolling!” you would throw in, watching the action.

“Ooooo! Too baaad so saaaad!” Joe would continue with the voice.

But even at the stadium, you couldn’t even eat a regular meal with him. He would make silly faces, gulp stuff down, or shove his arms in his shirt as if he was a velociraptor. How on earth would you last through a wedding cake tasting?

“This is a lot for just wanting some desert,” you commented.

“Yes, but it’s free dessert. And how long until we have to pay for every good thing, Y/N?” He argued, smiling fearlessly at the place.

“But, what…it might be wrong…” you advise.

“Ok, what’s the worst that can happen?”

Thinking through, you throw your hands in the air in exasperation.

“Food poisoning,” you say.

“In this kind of store? I doubt it,” he shrugs.

With a deep breath, you go “okay…I’m ready…”

Both of you get out your boxes and place the rings on your left ring finger, but still in the car, where no one can catch you. You said a little prayer for a bit of normalcy. As much as you were hoping for.

The entire store is painted pastel pink and white with flowers on each counter and white cupids all over the walls. Cutesy love songs play on throughout the speaker. As soon as you walk in, a perky young woman with pale skin and a brown ponytail walks up and cheerfully greets in a Disney Princess voice, “Is this the future Mr. and Mrs. Mazzello?!”

“Yes it is!” you say with an equally cheesy smile.

Joe leans down and hugs you from the side as you lightly kiss his cheekbone. When your hand goes up to hold his, you make sure the ring sparkles in the employee’s direction.

“Yes, and we’re thrilled!” he adds.

You pop your hand forward to show and she squeals on cue.

“Wonderful! Let’s get started then! When will your wedding be?” she asks. She pulls up an Ipad from the counter and begins to tap enthusiastically on it.

Joe answers perfectly, “Next April.”

“So a Spring wedding! Are we thinking florals then?” she asks, glancing up.

You nodded “yes…”

As she turned around to take more notes, Joe whips his head to you and says in his smoothest, Streep voice “Florals in Spring?”

“Groundbreaking!” you finished with a repressed laugh.

“A floral cake would look beautiful! Let me get our expert and our baker ready with the flavors today!” she explained.

Zipping around, she leads you into the next room that looks like a small café with plenty of wooden tables and chairs. Already you can smell the chocolate baking in the next room. Sitting you down, she serves you some water from a crystal pitcher and Joe insists he pours your cup.

She keeps grilling you about everything under the sun where you both had to come up with stuff and wound up with the most cliché, cheesy wedding you could think of. Anything that would turn someone away. Not get too much attention.

The girl looks dreamy-eyed at the details of wedding planning. Thinking of one of her own in her daydreams, perhaps. But once the baker- a short, pudgy man with dark hair and glasses with an apron, your breath hitches. Especially since he is already holding a few plates of cake samples.

You feel Joe’s arms wrap around you as he sets the plates down. One plate has a cake with icing, and one has fondant.

“Fondant or Buttercream?” the baker asks.

“Buttercream! Please! Fondant is disgusting!” you insist.

“I need a cake as sweet as my sweetie pie is,” Joe says in a disgustingly saccharine tone. You can’t help but smile.

“What about the design? Simple or ornate?” he asks.

He folds his arms and eyes you over his glasses. You grit your teeth. Both of you begin to say the opposite thing, then Joe blinks, his face is red. Looking over, your eyes widen, and you nod furiously.

“Uh, simple! Simple is better! I’d like something my nieces and nephews can eat!” he requests.

The baker shrugs and confirms. He walks away saying he will get the buttercream samples.

Joe turns to you and rubs his hands together happily.

“This is it, Y/N! Here we go!” he cheers.

The young woman and the baker pop in from the back. Their arms and hands are filled with cake samples of every color and flavor you can think of. Each one is cut into perfectly square pieces as if done by machines. There is a chocolate cake, a vanilla cake, a lemon cake, and a carrot cake. The woman settled her plate down, her white blouse stained with the pink icing, and then hurried back.

The baker handed you several disposable white plastic forks from his apron and pointed to the trash can next to your table.

“Okay, are you ready to dig in?” he asks you.

When you look his eyes are soft, his hair is a little scruffy, and his smile makes your cheeks feel hot.

“I’m ready!” you declare

Joe’s phone goes wild with buzzing as you stab your fork into a vanilla piece.

“Sweetie!” you say, almost through gritted teeth, worriedly looking at his pocket.

Joe turns to his phone and looks at it. Numerous notifications are asking what he was doing and how it was going from…of all places…the band group chats.

“Oh my gosh, they’re all talking,” Joe sighs. The fork goes in and he gets a generous bite of the chocolate sample. But there is so much it gets on his right pointer finger.

He huffs like a kindergartener. He sets his fork down with a bit of a scowl, then his thumb presses the button on his phone, and it goes into Speaker mode.

“Guys, I am just at my fiancé’s cake eating, okay?” he speaks into Siri and sends in an instant.

As he takes a second bite, his brown eyes go wide.

“Oh, my go…. This is incredible!” he exclaims with a mouth full of cake.

The first bite of your lemon sample is moist and yet dense. Sweet enough to perfection. You love it. Right as you plunge your fork into it again you hear Joe’s phone continually buzzing. When he finishes it, he wipes the icing from his finger on the napkin and pulls it up.

“Oh…uh…” Joe spoke, he bit his tongue looking at the line of notifications scrolling down.

It won’t stop buzzing.  And the lights blinking you can’t help but notice as well. Peeking over his shoulder, the band is on fire asking about the engagement.

“Why don’t you turn it off, let’s be in the moment and enjoy this together!” you suggest, touching his forearm.

He nods promptly and turns it off, putting it in his pocket to deal with later. He then stuffs the vanilla whole inside his mouth. He chews, and nods, going “mmmmmmmm!” in approval

“Ohp! I got too much buttercream in mah mouth!” Joe cries. He sips his water, moving his jaw as if it was peanut butter.

“Need me to take care of it, sweetie?” you ask.

You heard the loud whirl of the mixer in the back and the bell right over the door ching with the entrance of another couple

“Anytime, babe.”

You lean over and kiss him, tasting the frosting. His lips are soft, and you can smell his shampoo too. He smiles and goes in for another one with more pressure, with a hand pressing your shoulder. You start giggling.

“Woah! Save some for the wedding night tiger!” you chirrup demurely, pushing him away.

“Anything for you, wifey,” he says, and the pink on his cheeks are impossible not to notice.

But when you look behind you in curiosity your heart picks up at the sight. Your college friend and her fiancée had just walked in.

“Y/N!” she half-screams, “oh my god, you’re engaged! Oh my god!”

She hurries over to you in a loud squuuuuueeeeee and tackles you into a hug. But you’re silent. Not sure what to do or how to react.

“Now we can BOTH have our big day! Ohmygod, I’m so happy for you! Let me see?” he begs.

She points a hand to your left hand and finds the old ring.

“Awwww, it’s beautiful!”

You and Joe share a look, unsure of what to do. His eyes go wide, and you could see a bit of frosting still on his face, getting whiter and whiter until it looked like the buttercream frosting on the plate.

“Ooooo, and who is hee?!” she asked, going over to inspect Joe.

Her fiancée is in the corner, hands in his pockets, and swaying on his toes. Waiting.

“Oh, this is Joe. We are just deciding and trying out wedding cakes.” You answer firmly.

“Oooo! When is the date! I have to go! I just have to see it! I’m gonna cry but it’s gonna be worth it! You deserve nothing but the best, honey! When did you get engaged? I saw nothing on Insta!” she queries, head tilting in light confusion.

Crap, crapcrapcrapcrap you think.

You looked a little to the left at Joe, shrugs with a wide jaw.

“He proposed…at a game. Yesterday.” You say. “But we…we just wanted to get some details right before anything gets public.”

Joe gets up to put an arm around you.

“And my little snuggle bug here is so modest and didn’t want to overshadow anyone on their big day. Wedding Season, you know!” he adds.

Looking up, you give him a small grin and he grins back.

“Ooooo, but it’s your big day too! You should feel special!” she comments,

“We just want to get everything planned….and besides, I’m a local fringe celebrity. And I…I don’t want to get the media too riled up,” Joe responds, moving his free hand for her to be quieter about it.

Her fiancé walks forward, he takes her under his arm, and they lean against each other in a half hug. But he keeps squinting at Joe.

“Wait…I swear I may have seen you before…weren’t you in…uh…” he mumbles, scratching the back of his head.

You turn Joe’s head to the cake samples, eyes darting down to them.

“Hey…I think we have more cakes to taste we need to make decisions, we can talk later!” you say, tugging on his sleeve.

“Yup. Decisions. Big ones.” Joe agrees. Both of you turn your backs to continue.

“Okay, buy Y/N!” your friend says, she gives you a sweet hug and a genuine smile before she goes over to discuss her wedding with the employee at the front desk.

But right as you begin to work on the third sample of rich chocolate, you look up and saw of all things, another friend of yours walking in the café area while tying an apron around his waist.

“Y/N! Oh my god! You’re engaged!” he gasps, letting go of all professional courtesy.

He runs up and hugged you.

“Uhhh, yeah. I am. Surprise!” you shrug.

“Wait, let me help you. I just started working here and I’ve been binging Great British Bake Off for a month, I am a cake expert!” he says.

He plops down uninvited on the chair across from you and Joe, looking at them.

“That one needs to be cream. Not white. Cream. Though adding a few red flowers would be nice. Blue might be pretty, but red is romantic and passionate!” he advises.

As Joe looks down, ready to eat a third sample of chocolate with blue icing he snatches it away.

“Hey!”

“No! Not chocolate!” your friend scowls.

“Oh, come on! Chocolate is the best!” Joe argues, he grabs the plate and pulls it back

“Chocolate gets dry! And this isn’t a birthday or kiddie party, this is a wedding! It needs to be mature and professional with some decoration!” he says. “It needs a refined flavor! I have one I made this morning, let me cut you both a bit!”

He dashes to the back, returning with two samples of a red velvet slice. Once you and Joe eye each other, taking a pensive bite both of you grimace. It tastes more like a stale piece of toast than an actual cake.

You chug down the rest of the water and give him a half-hearted thank you. But right before you can change the subject, he gets out a notepad in his pocket filled with cake designs.

“This one would fit a wedding too…and so would this one…and this one!” he lists, flipping yellow lined pages of tiered cakes full of flowers and swirls. You can feel Joe starting to tap his foot.

“And all in that flavor you just tried!”

Standing up, you smile and shake his hand in thanks.

“Wow! That’s a lot well-I gotta get back on the -uh-juice diet for the wedding dress fitting I’m going to next Friday.”

Joe gets up to hug you from behind. He kisses your cheek and you feel a genuine smile grow on you.

“Not that you need it, honey bear. You’re gorgeous no matter what. You could wear a paper bag on the aisle and I’d still be blown away,” he compliments

“Thank you.”

He pecks your lips, “anytime.”

His ginger head turns toward your friend, gathering leftover plates.

“We’ll consider the designs and if we decide it’s what we want, we’ll call you!” he says, slowly backing away to the door.

Both of you scuffle out without a word and got into the car. As soon as you drive away, far enough to where no one near the store could hear you, you both burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, Joe…we did it! We did that!” you laugh, catching your breath.

Joe nods, his hand crunching part of his hair as he leans back into the car seat. You both park near a coffee shop just to get out and release more laughter. Wiping away tears, he turns on his phone to face the music. It was dinging like mad from the Groupchat and he smiles, amused.

“You won’t believe this…the band’s all amazed and…they’re asking for proof!” he tells you.

“What kind of proof?” you ask, sighing as your breath was slowing to normal.

“Ben says he wants to see a ring and a kiss in one pic.”

“We can ignore him,” you dismiss.

“I dunno…now Gwil wants one…and Rami…and Lucy…and Allen…and everyone…”

Sighing, you say “mmmk, mmmk, just a quick one.”

Looking down, you realize that the ring was still on your finger. You position your phone in the right place, put it on selfie mode, and set a timer.

He’s gonna kiss me again, oh my god, he’s gonna kiss me again, you think almost retreating your head, like a turtle in its shell.

Keeping your outstretched left hand just below your face, you both lean forward. There is a nervous twitch in Joe’s eye, and you hold your breath in place. The camera’s screen flashed “2…1….”

Then you both dive in for the kiss. Your teeth awkwardly touch together with a slight “clang.” Your lips match top to bottom and you can still taste the chocolate cake on him. But your eyes are closed, and your breathing slows. You feel him exhale through his nose. Both of you stay there. You feel your heart go fast with excitement and nervousness, as if this was a fever dream and not what was happening right now.

But you look at each other in the eyes and let go. You realize that the photos had already been taken for a few seconds. The actual kiss was longer. He gives you a sheepish smile at yours. He never looked at you like that before. Not that you had seen. You look back at him.

Now you are sure. There is a tenderness in his expression, and he blushes until he is the color of his hair. He is too.

“Y/N…I…I always thought…”

You went in for another kiss. No photo required.

Taglist: @stardust-killer-queen​ @queenlover05​ @bens-jawline​

[chocolate-parfait]

"Paranormal night? I don't think so!" - Ikemen Vampire (Isaac)

TW ; vomit , mature language

@sciamchyafterdusk requested:

I saw your post with the halloween propts also i dont really know if im requesting this right i just got tumblr but Mc and isaac from ikemen vampire for 21 and 26 🥺🍁 I just think it would be really funny because I doubt isaac would believe in ghost probably just a prank from dazzi and arthur but, I think he’d deny it but secretly not so secretly be a scaredy-cat (also male reader but ik most people have female mcs so you dont have to write it if you dont feel comfortable with that!)

Sassy!Male!MC because I'm kinda tired of writing for beautiful perfect ladies that go STOP TEASING ME TEEHEE, blush over nothing and sing like disney princesses. (watch me do exactly that in the next piece I write)

+it's not a negative thing or anything as I'm the first one who likes to write for that type of trope but,, variety is very much needed every once in a while

21. “Oh my gaud, I think the crystal ball is working. The spirits are telling me you’re a dumbass.”

26. “I dare you to go down there.”

Isaac had no idea why he ever thought this could have been a good idea in the first place. Sitting by a candlelit round table, Dazai, Arthur, you and your lover were staring at a crystal ball placed in the middle of the wooden surface, hands ceremoniously joined together to form a circle.

The room was growing colder by the minute, as the local paranormal enthusiast decided that a fire would scare the spirits away. Despite the polar temperatures, you managed to keep your hand warm enough to try and offer some kind of support to your partner, Isaac, whose left hand was as cold as ice and even slightly trembling, though you kept any type of comment to yourself as you knew he wouldn't be pleased to have a third bully team up against him.

Unfortunately for both of you, the two writers' analyzing eyes were vigilant even in the darkness of the room, and they simultaneously decided to poke fun at the scientist as they waited for something to happen.

"Ai-chan, are you scared?" The Japanese teasingly inquired. "C'mon old Newt! Shouldn't you believe in numbers and science a little bit more? I'm sure your gravitational equation will come to save you if a ghost tries strangling you!~" The other man said, obviously aware of the hypocrisy of his statement. "Would you look at that..! You're shaking like a leaf and your expression is quite the amusing one..." Arthur added, slightly leaning forward to get a better look at his face. "C'mon, stop bullying him, you two." You whispered with a scolding tone.

You didn't exactly believe in these things, and yet the slight creepiness of the whole atmosphere couldn't quite let your heart remain completely unmoved. Just as you turned your eyes back on the transparent sphere, Arthur straightened like a board and with utmost earnestness exclaimed:"I can feel a presence... Dear Lord, look behind you Isaac!!"

"W-WHAT IS IT-?!" The fragile man half screamed, throwing himself to your side and squeezing your arm tightly, as if scared a supernatural entity would grab him from behind and drag him to Hell. The moment the exclamation left your lover's lips your eyes flew to the back of the room, noting with your own two pupils that there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary there.

"Haa... you really are an impossible one Arthur." You said with a sigh while pinching the bridge of your nose. "I'm utterly serious when it comes to these things!" Said the English man with a slight pout marking his features. Then, an idea came to your mind.

The blue haired flirt always found an excuse to either tease you or your man, and a payback was the least you could do.

"Wait! Look at the sphere- no way... that's impossible..." You mumbled with an incredulous tone, making the best shocked expression you could manage. Three other pair of eyes moved to the crystal ball, focusing with all their might to try and see what you were talking about. "Do you see something??" Arthur's voice came out in a whisper, hushed and grave.

"Oh my gaud, I think the crystal ball is working. The spirits are telling me you’re a dumbass!"

"O-of course you didn't see anything- ghosts don't exist anyways..." Isaac whispered to himself, finally letting go of your arm and huffing in relief.

"MC!!! Take this seriously!!" Seeing the playboy so offended pleased you, and you responded with a hearty laugh. "Yeah well, I'm not really the biggest believer of these type of things. I'm still shocked the author of Sherlock Holmes is a fan of the occult, though!"

"Don't you dare mention that piece of trash in front of me!" Ah, there was his weakness. Whenever someone mentioned the detective, he'd lose his temper in the blink of an eye, becoming vulnerable to every type of teasing remark thrown his way. This was a tactic you had started using quite often whenever you wanted to help Isaac with all the mocking gibberish thrown his way.

"Now, now, let us not fight!" Dazai cut off your thoughts with his signature smile. "If we make too much noise, the oni might hear us and come our way"

"A what? ...can't you guys just stop with all the demon talk?" Isaac complained. "They clearly don't exist." He concluded.

"And even if they found us, would they stand a chance against three vampires? You should be scared of yourselves, not some stinky heap of darkness and evil. You can probably snap their necks like a twig with your superhuman strength." You added, looking at the two people sitting in front of you with narrowed eyes.

"Your words bring me an unimaginable amount of disapproval, MC" Did Arthur always need to have the last word on everything? "So do you." You remarked, finally standing up to make your way to the door, clearly done with the conversation.

Barely seconds after you stepped out in the hallway, you heard the sound of a chair sliding against the floor, followed by the familiar sound of shoes you had learnt to recognize anywhere.

"There's no way I'm staying in that room with those two tortures." Isaac scoffed. "I-I'd rather spend my time with you." His tone was shy, but when reaching for your hand, his touch was bold and yet gentle. At this display of cuteness, you couldn't help but softly press a kiss to his cheek before squeezing his hand in yours. "Shall we head back to your room then?" And as your question was answered with a nod, you two started walking down the dark hallway, hand in hand.

Newton's room was quite far from the small lounge you had borrowed for your spooky night, and minutes passed as a comfortable silence hung between the two of you, steps muffled by the red carpet of the hallway filling resonating softly in the empty corridor.

Letting your mind wander freely during the small walk, you went over the events of the day and the evening in particular. The firm words of scepticism you had thrown at Arthur's way suddenly tumbled on you all at once.

What if... what if something were to happen now? Wouldn't it be funny? How ironic would it be! It was a thought that made your heart race; the possibility of witnessing something uncommon, out of this world and probably life-threatening was something that had always attracted the human heart, and you certainly weren't an exception despite your earlier contradicting statement. Sure, you weighed rationalism way more than matters from the supernatural sphere, and yet you had already been proved wrong once when you arrived to the mansion. So maybe nothing was impossible, right..?

You unconsciously slowed your pace, as if wanting to increase the chances of seeing some kind of paranormal activity, and fortunately enough your twisted prayers were met in the strangest of ways.

Passing by the access to the staircase that took downstairs to the cellar, you heard the most curious of sounds. It wasn't perfectly audible from your position, but you could make out incoherent mumbling and sounds that were human but not quite. Seeing how you had stopped walking, Isaac called out to you. "MC..?" After a few seconds of unresponsiveness, you turned to him, curiosity and a hint of mischief in your excited orbs. "Isaac, I dare you to go down there.” His eyes widened in surprise, and before he knew what what happening, you were pushing his back down the steps, adding in a reassuring whisper:"Don't worry. I'm right behind you." But the way you gripped his shoulder didn't go unnoticed, and it reminded him of when he had done the same thing to you minutes prior. Perhaps, those words of encouragement served to placate your quivering spirits, now slaves to your immense curiosity. The scientist certainly couldn't blame you when it came to that, so he gulped down his fear and, in an spur of bold courage, made his way down the dark, old staircase.

What was driving him was possibly either the wish to appear a bit cooler in your eyes or his innate spirit of in inquiry, maybe both. Meanwhile the weird murmurs and rustles got stronger as you approached the end of the stairs, and with a heart thundering wildly in both of your chests, you peeked into the cold basement. What you saw was...

"What in God's name aRE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Theo, slumped against the floor next to Vincent and a pool of...liquids. The angel was whispering words in his brother's ear while drawing soothing circles with his hand on the man's back. Just as you and your lover stepped into the room a pair of blue eyes flew to your figures in a surprised manner, and the blonde's soft voice found its way to your ears.

"Can you guys... help me out?" He said, slipping his arm under Theo's armpit to try and raise him up while offering you an apologetic smile. "We went to the pub to celebrate my newest painting but I'm afraid he exaggerated a bit... He... Theo is so drunk he fell down the stairs"

At this phrase you burst out laughing and Isaac stifled a giggle at the idea of the gruff man tumbling down like a sack of potatoes, then nodded and moved to help the eldest Van Gogh. The moment your lover got next to to the now half standing drunk vampire, Theo emitted a guttural noise and painted his usual grey vest in a terrifying yellow-ish color that would've looked breathtaking on Vincent's canvas. If it hadn't been... vomit, that is.

As you saw the pink haired vampire stiffen up in disgust, you started laughing even harder, calming down ever so slightly once you remembered how horrible your loudness must feel to someone so hungover. After recovering some much needed air, you went to help the two porters who were struggling to open the door as Theo's wobbly legs threatened to make them all fly down the steps, a smile on your face.

The whole situation took a turn you certainly had never expected, but it satisfied you nonetheless. In such a big house, no moment was to be left to boredom, and you had learned to appreciate and love all these grownup babies so it now felt completely natural to spend a night like this. (One of them had captured your whole heart in particular)

...though you figured someone wasn't going to be equally happy with all the cleaning the next day.

[kitsoa]

Dark Road Impressions and theories

I’m actually really excited for the World Building lore. That and the characterization. So! Let’s start from the beginning. 

Opening Scene:

This is pretty straight forward but knowing Xehanort is a ‘Destinate’ is still the coolest thing. He’s lived his life on the same sleepy island going to the same school and playing on the same island as Sora. He ‘lays like a starfish’ and dreams of something greater. That simile is minor but it’s indicative of his islander nature. Another small thing I focus in on is the mention of other surrounding islands. We know the name is plural and we know there’s a ‘main island’ but the one-off line does suggest that there’s some kind of island ecosystem which is comforting for anyone trying to develop a Destiny Islands culture. I would be crazy not to mention the inciting drive of Xehanort’s curiosity. His dreams of the Player and the desire to see his ‘friends from another life’. Well by golly that sounds a lot like reincarnation to me. That’s a very new concept to Kingdom Hearts, but not entirely far off. 

We await the fate of our Player in KHux but we can easily assume it’s an unfortunate one. But what would make the heart linger and the thought of reincarnation really does open a can of worms in terms of heart mythos. Though, it would fit rather well. Consider the Final World and the lingering, persisting hearts that land there after death. I’ve theorize that they are bound to the Final World by the hearts left behind as a sort of heart-ghost phenomenon. And then we ask what happens when hearts actually do pass on past that limbo. Hearts are a powerful thing with a lot of meaning. The idea of death concurring the heart is almost laughable, so a form of heart reincarnation would make perfect sense. Perhaps they pass on to form the ‘spark’ that a newborn heart blooms from-- since we know hearts are grown. And memories are deeply inlaid in the construction of a heart so Xehanort being haunted by these memories is very fitting. 

Scala Scenes:

So I’m guessing Xehanort lied to everyone about knowing where he came from. They simply know he is from the outside world but the fact that Eraqus floats the idea that he’s from the surrounding city to a negative means that Xehanort never confirmed or denied the theories about him. We know he’s not amnesiac bc the opening scene is a flashback. So he’s playing dumb-- why?-- probably out of curiosity after initial befuddlement. It plays into this very interesting dichotomy he’s got going on.  Think, he’s lived his life on this small world, afraid that his dreams were nothing more than that. Xehanort was hungry for something more and suddenly his prayers are answered. When he arrives at Scala-- it turns out that all of his peers are essentially the same as him. All they know is Scala. He’s the mysterious one. He’s their waypoint to a greater reality. It must be a thrilling scenario. It’s got to be fascinating, leaving little room for his own sense of awe. I might be compelled to leave my peers mystified once I gained my bearings.  That being said, a couple world building points. The surrounding spires of Scala are abandoned cities. That... is a very strange and questionable thing. It’s clearly important to the history of the world so we have to ask... why?? I’ve thought in the past that maybe they were different parallel versions of Scala but that started to hurt my brain to think of this world as a singularity but perhaps... they are ‘failed cities’? Like erected and abandoned after not working out. Ohh... what if Scala is a singularity. What if, when Brain created Scala as a final escape from the Data Worlds (and Keyblade War), there was only one scenario where he actually succeeded in carrying the Dandelions with him. What if those other cities really are different timeline’s Scala’s left abandon by the failure of those timeline’s Brain. Ohhh it worksssssssssss

Classroom Scene:

Ok when I heard there was a ‘Baldr’ I immediately though ‘oh dear Nomura grace me with that sweet sweet character design. And then story goes There are seven upperclassmen! And then I’m like GIVE ME COOL CHARACTERSSSS Okay but in all serious, I am pleased to hear that there are some grade levels in this here school. I am curious as to why the upperclassmen went missing and even more curious about the mission that Baldr was sent on. The parallels with the stray apprentice are not lost to me, but the explanation of Baldr’s sister being missing is very heart tugging for me. Ever since Lauriam became the first sibling in the KH series, I’ve been fascinated by there being blood relatives in the KH verse, only because lineage and relation has never been relevant before. You all know that familial bonds is a well of untapped potential and I can sense it coming.  It’s a rescue plot, which is very interesting. Yes, I wonder why a master would send younger students to go after the older ones but I’m gonna guess that Master’s are strapped. I am also encouraged that they make a distinction that they are in teams vs. going solo. Ehhh we’ll see. I like that they address there being multiple ways of travel and it looks like they are using the Lanes Between. With Keyblade Armorrrrrr. God, this stuff is cool. Everyone’s designs are bitchin and it is interesting that the No Heart design still has the Nobody insignia. Now....Release the keyblade vehicle designs Nomura. 

First World Visit:

Okay, this is where things get interesting. They address the conundrum of the Heartless. THANK YOU. But they address it as a mystery. Clearly the Emblem Heartless are like the projections from the BoP which is common knowledge, so we might be learning about that copy floating around. That’s our key to the mystery.  But let’s talk about world maturity!!!!!!! That’s what I’m gonna call it, cause it makes a ton of sense. Like really. I’m cackling. Because isn’t it contrived??? Worlds have this sort of newborn state where the set is there but the people aren’t? We know time moves differently but sometimes the clock doesn’t even start until a predetermined moment??? Time isn’t even flowing for the Disney Worlds until... you guessed it! Until Sora and co-visit or brush with it. Which means only ONE thing. They aren’t worlds at all. If they were Worlds, they’d be living out their backstory in some fashion relative to Xehanort, maybe not at the same pace but still to some degree. No, they exist and are frozen until it’s time for the Disney movie to start. The World isn’t a World. It’s a Story. A set narrative.  You know I talk about this is my Heart of Stories theory. Cause now we have to ask about the original worlds and what story they are playing. How equal they are to their Disney World Peers. Because they too are stories, which means the entire universe is just a story and Kingdom Hearts is literally the heart of that story. Enter the metaverse.---I’m breathing heavy. Keep the Dark Road content coming. 

[skippyv20]

Oh I am so reluctant to add to the prayer list. Maybe not a novena but one prayer from all? My super great nephew literally just closed on a new home in prep for getting married. He works for Disney and they just announced 28,000 layoffs. Don't know if his job is on that list. But a prayer please thank you.

Oh please...never worry about a prayer list...I’m so sorry to hear about your nephew.  What a scary time for young people now, that they work hard and just want to live their lives.  Especially just starting out.  Prayers on the way my friend.🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

We pray for our friend’s nephew.  We pray that his name isn’t on the list of layoffs.  We pray that he will retain his job.  We pray as he enters his new life as a married man, he will be employed.  We pray for him and his wife to start their lives worry free.  We pray for them to have a home filled with love and laughter.  We pray for them to stay strong in faith.  We pray if he does get laid off, he will find employment quickly.  We pray for acceptance of God’s will.  God Bless our friend’s nephew.  God Bless his wife to be.🙏🏻💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[whatarubberchicken]

Oh My God, They Were Quarantined

This was meant to be more, but some things happened and well.... Here’s some light-hearted shenanigans.

Warning: Adrinette with DJWifi on the side. There will be adult humor (some innuendos) and brief talk about the quarantine. If you are triggered by either of these things, please do not read.

That being said, hope you enjoy!

Oh My God, They Were Quarantined

Alya picked up the phone on the second ring.

“Hello, this is Al—”

“Alya, help….” Marinette’s pleading tone was music to her ears. Alya chuckled and adjusted the phone so she could continue painting her toenails while talking.

“No can do, M. Six feet away is where I’ll stay,” she sang, enjoying her bestie’s groan of despair. “As mandated by both federal and local guidelines.”

“Alya, please. Let me come stay with you—we can say we have the virus—”

“I am not faking the plague so you can get away from your crush, Marinette,” Alya laughed. “I’m quite enjoying having my boyfriend all to myself while we both ‘work from home,’ if you know what I mean.” She winked at her own reflection in the bedroom mirror and continued painting.

Marinette groaned. “Alya, I didn’t need to hear that….”

“Then you definitely don’t wanna third-wheel over here. I promise you, we’re not quiet.”

“Please tell me you’re using protection.”

“Of course, I’m not stupid,” she said, rolling her eyes and starting on her other foot. “Besides, if I remember correctly, you were the one who insisted you could be roommates with the love of your life—”

“Because I thought our schedules would never let us be here at the same time!”

“—and who has insisted for years that she can be just a friend—”

“Alya, I am begging you!” Marinette pleaded. “I can’t take it anymore! He keeps trying to help me!”

Alya burst out laughing. “That’s what has you freaking out?”

“You don’t understand,” Marinette hissed. “He tried to make me breakfast this morning!”

Alya gave a low whistle. “Nice.” Go, Agreste! Maybe there was hope for him after all.

“No! Not nice. I was in my warm-weather pjs!”

A laugh escaped her. “You can call it a negligee, M. I won’t judge,” Alya said, unable to hide her grin at the thought of Adrien walking into her bestie’s room with a breakfast tray and coming face-to-face with Marinette in nothing but skimpy silk.

Oh Lord. These two were her favorite sitcom.

“Lemme guess, he dropped the tray.”

“More like flung it across the room and ran away screaming that he didn’t see anything!”

Alya facepalmed, shaking in silent laughter. That boy. He had everything going for him: looks, money, charm… but his innocence was gonna make it so Adrien Agreste died a virgin.

“And what did you do?” she couldn’t help asking.

“What do you think?! I hid in my room until he tried to get the vacuum, and then I had to intervene! He broke it last time!”

Alya snorted in laughter. “And you forgot to get dressed first, didn’t you.”

On the other end of the phone, she could hear Marinette groan in despair. “You know me too well.”

Alya said a silent prayer for one Sunshine Prince, who had to witness a vision like Marinette vacuuming up his mess in a negligee. She wondered how he’d survived. If he’d survived.

“How’d loverboy react?” she had to ask.

“He ran into the shower. Said he’d gotten some of it on him.”

Uh huh. Sure, he did. That had probably been the coldest shower in all of Paris.

“Well, at least he didn’t come out in nothing but a towel,” Alya joked, examining her hands and deciding against another coat of nail polish. Her attention sharpened when Marinette made a sound between a squeak and a dying whale. She sat up straight.

“He didn’t!”

“He forgot his clothes!”

Yeah, suuuure he did! Now Alya offered up a prayer for one Sweet Princess. Adrien Agreste in a towel and—no doubt—still blushing at his roommate? “Girl….”

“And he apologized again when he saw me out there and then fled to his bedroom,” Marinette finished, sounding exhausted.

Yup, that sounded pretty much on point for these two oblivious idiots. Two pining, barely-adults in a two-bedroom apartment, both of them seething with sexual tension.

She loved them so much.

“Now, he’s out on the balcony, singing Frozen songs!”

“I’m sorry, what?” The complete 180 from the previous conversation was blowing Alya’s mind.

“Remember how I told you he wants to help me? He read a blog about how plants grow better if you talk to them,” Marinette explained. “In fact, as soon as we were both dressed, he wouldn’t shut up about it. How he’s determined to help around the apartment while we’re both home. So, now he’s out there, singing ‘Let It Grow,’ to my flowers and herbs.”

Alya snickered.

“I swear, M. You’re the only girl I know who wants to marry a legit Disney princess.”

“Will you please help me?” Marinette begged.

“Sure. Here’s what you do,” Alya said, finally putting away her nail polish, “tonight, after he’s gone to bed, I want you to march right up to his bedroom—”

“Alya, no!”

“—bust the door in—”

“ALYA!!”

“—and tell him you want to ride him like a champion racehorse and you’re a jockey with something to prove.”

“I’m hanging up on you,” Marinette grumbled.

“It’s either that or Candyland and Yahtzee all night, M,” Alya sang. Surely, one of them had to make a move soon, right? They couldn’t stay this way forever! They would die! She would die!!

“That’s not a bad idea….”

“WHAT? Oh, come on!” Alya moaned. “At least make it strip-Yahtzee—M?” Alya pulled the phone away from her cheek to pout at it. Marinette had actually hung up on her. And if she knew those two innocents, they really would be playing board games instead of trying to relieve some of the tension that had been brewing between them for years.

Darn it.

“Lahiffe!” she yelled into the living room. “Are you the one who suggested that Sunshine Boy go out into their living room in nothing but a towel?!”

“Yes!” her boyfriend called back. “Did he actually do it? He hasn’t called me back yet.”

“That’s because he’s too busy singing at flowers.”

Nino appeared in the doorway to their bedroom, pouting just as much as Alya was. “He was serious about that? I swear, that kid is such a hopeless romantic.”

“Does he really believe that Mari is gonna suddenly fall for him in the middle of a love song?”

Nino shrugged. “Knowing Mari, you gotta admit there’s a chance, Alya.”

“Ugh!” Alya flopped down on their bed. “It’s the middle of the day and my girl could be busy getting ravished by the love of her life!” She flung a hand to her forehead dramatically and then peeked out one eye. “That was a hint, by the way.”

“Yes, ma-am!”

[bezlque]

if marty doesn’t return in tomorrow’s episode,, we riot at dawn