#the final piece of my tinkerbell costume

[thisperfectmonsoon]

blonde ⭐️

[halliescomut]

Lucid MV discussion

So...1-spoilers (duh). You can watch the Lucid MV here, and I 10,000% recommend you do before reading the rest of this...and these are just ramblings about the theme and ideas that I feel about the MV. I haven't searched out any interviews or anything about the ideas behind it...I'm just going off what I see.

The vibe I got, and one that was echoed by others in a Discord... very much Peter Pan vibes. It's what I thought of right away. The overall story of the video, the visuals, it's all very much classical Peter Pan, with a bit of Faerie prince.

I guess we're going chronologically, because that's what makes sense to me, we start with wide shot of the room where Pornappan is sleeping (that is the actress's name, and it seems weird to just refer to her with no name at all, so we're going with real name, and I'll also just be calling Jeff Jeff).

And we see the open window, with curtains fluttering, which is a visual you will see in many retellings of the Peter Pan story. (This is not, as far as I can tell from a Peter Pan retelling, but it had the vibe, and this post is already gonna take me an hour +.)

The setting itself is also very western fairytale inspired, from the location and decor of the room, to the costumes. All of it has a traditional English countryside manner type of feel, and I do genuinely wonder when and where it was filmed, as it doesn't necessarily look like my own preconceived notions of Thailand visually.

The initial seeing of Jeff asleep on the floor, reminded me so much of the scene in Hook where Peter remembers seeing Moira for the first time that I had to rewatch it because I thought I might be misremembering.

I wasn't. It's not an exact match by any means, but it very much has the same emotional feeling I think.

Just the general awe of seeing a person so beautiful...which like...yeah.

As Jeff starts returning to visit Pornappan, the Peter Pan vibe really solidifies for me, he brings her the fruit and the flower and it's all very innocent and sweet, very reminiscent of the thimble-kiss.

She sort of patches up his injuries, which made me think of Wendy sewing Peter's shadow back on.

And as we go on we see that he stops coming, but we don't know why. In the sort of 'standard' story of Peter Pan, he does return year after year, but eventually Wendy grows up, and she can no longer go with him. What's a very lovely piece of storytelling is how the song's lyrics touch on replaying of memory, and we see that towards the end, Pornappan is remembering their times together as she worries why Jeff hasn't returned.

Then, it was is a bit of a twist, both on the lyrical content of the song, but also on the 'fairy-tale standard' Pornappan goes to look for him, venturing out and finding Jeff asleep amongst flowers and vines.

The final scene, or piece is Jeff beginning to open his eyes, and Pornappan opening her own, showing that it was all a dream, or at least that last bit was, which is just so bittersweet.

But what ended up being so interesting is that because I thought I remembered the similar scene in Hook with Peter and Moira, I rewatched the whole movie (it's available on Netflix, in the US at least) and our final scene with Tinkerbell when Peter returns from Never Land is this:

Which is very much the emotion and feeling being portrayed by both the song and the video. Now, I wouldn't put it past Jeff to have seen Hook, though it came out a few years before he was born. It is considered a classic for many reasons, and generally in the 1990's western media would take a couple of years to find it's way to the rest of the world, barring outrageously groundbreaking movies, which Hook is not. And since Jeff is bilingual, the chances of him encounter a foreign film like Hook are of course far more likely. So, I find the ideas presented in the MV, and they way they so closely mirror many of the moments of Hook specifically fascinating.

Switching gears for just a moment, I already analyzed the English lyrics of the song, as in the lyrics of the English version (you can read that and an analysis of all his English songs here), but as I was writing this and rewatching the video I notices that the translated lyrics are VERY different. Not so much in content, but more in perspective. Jeff is the speaker in both cases, but in the English lyrics he has been left behind, while in the translated lyrics he is the one who left. This matches up with the MV, where Jeff is a Peter Pan/Fae Prince who has been coming to visit Pornappan, but eventually leaves and doesn't return.

This is a screenshot of both sets of lyrics side by side:

In the translated lyrics Jeff is talking about knowing their time is brief, it only exists in the moonlight, and he states being afraid that she will forget him in time, that his memory will fade. And he's begging her to keep those dreams close to her heart, so that they won't fade.

But looking at both sets of lyrics it could almost be two sides of the same story. The English lyrics could almost be Pornappan's perspective of what is happening throughout the story of the MV.

Now there's a multitude of reason for the changes between each set of lyrics, the obvious one being that the pretty vast differences between Thai and English necessitate some pretty drastic changes to allow the lyrics to keep with the melody of the song. Totally makes sense. I would very much have to take a look at the difference in his other songs to see what those might reveal, and I honestly might, just because the very concept of bilingual songwriting is fascinating.

But I hope you enjoyed this little deep dive, it got far deeper than I anticipated. About 1100 words...that's 2.5k words on Jeffrey just today. I hope you enjoyed and you may enjoy this gif of some Jeffrey cake. (We don't get a lot of it, he honestly struggle a bit in the cake dept., but we adore him anyway.)

[zdux]

Thoughts on: Faerie Court Skin Line

Alright, no one asked, but I love character/skin design and I want to write my piece on these because they have me excited.

The first thing I noticed about the Faerie Court Skins, which I will be calling "FC" for short, was the colors. Each splash art and in game model has lots of colors. I am going to be mainly talking about the splash arts here, not the in game models. I've got a couple things I wanna say about each skin, as well as the skin line as a whole, and some complaints that I am gonna tack on here and there.

Starting with Ezreal,

I really like this! I think it embodies Ezreal's silly, charismatic personality quite well. It has charm, especially with that big grin on his face and the littler faeries all around him. Seeing him playing or exploring with the smaller faeries gives this sense of playfulness, like he's leading them on an adventure. Having him lean on the tree like that gives the feeling that he just landed, mid flight. It reminds me a lot of that feeling you get from Treasure Planet, or Tinkerbell, that childhood exploration of "going on an adventure!" with all the charm and silliness that is Ezreal.

The face markings/pieces are a really nice touch. I think Ezreal's standard blue marks are all too easily forgotten, especially because I don't think we actually *know* what they are? But with FC we have these elegant, larger pieces that take up more space on his cheekbones and forehead, really adding this magical charm that he *isn't* just a human in a faerie costume. Not that they wouldn't be hard to replicate, any good cosplayer could make them, but I do think they are a nice touch that helps solidify the gem on his chest as it's own, connected piece and something separate from the gauntlet. Having the,, jewelry (?) match with the center gem, where the gauntlet takes on the color of his wings comes across quite well to me. I think those choices do a good job at showcasing which parts of him are the most magical; those of course being the faerie wings and the mystical gauntlet.

Overall, I'm a big fan of FC Ezreal, I'd honestly give this skin a 9/10.

Moving onto Kallista!

I am ESTATIC that Kallista finally got a skin, it's been too long. And I REALLY like this as well! First of all, the color scheme. The warm colors of orange and red and pink with this fall forest really make her keep purples and elegant golds stand out without alienating them. I think the splash art itself is just beautiful to look at.

I do think it was a little unnecessary to give her shorts here, I think pants and no feathers would've sufficed, but it's not a huge complaint. Having her with pink on one side and purple on the other is a little bit messy, especially since it seems to swap sides only on her hip piece (sorry don't know the armor term here) and then go back to normal on the arms and legs, but that's again, not a huge complaint. My only real complains with this skin is small things, like "quality of life" kind of stuff.

However, my absolute FAVORITE thing about this skin, is the wings. Using the sharpness of these dragonfly-esque wings to replace the shape language that her spears construct is a GREAT choice. I think it's clean, it's well done, and with the glowing details on her shoulder, headpiece and spear, I think this is a really cool skin. I will touch more on the crystal weapons once I talk about more of them, that is coming up.

Once again, high rating here, she's getting an 8/10

Next we have: Seraphine!

Now I'll be honest, I always tend to have mixed feelings when Seraphine skins come out, because many of them simply go "she's a singer!" and don't tend to change her story very much. However, without knowing the lore, I'm going to give FC Seraphine the benefit of the doubt, because this splash art does not convey "musician" to me. She is sitting on her stage, surrounded by makeup. There is a vanity in front of her, as well as someone doing their own makeup in the back. This reads much more like a makeup artist, like a faerie I would see doing court makeup than a music artist. And honestly, I like that! If that's true, if they are actually going with that concept instead of "the court musician" then I'm ecstatic! This will be really the only skin of Seraphine's to make her anything other than a singer, and she was in desperate need of that.

I love the colors here, making her hair fade from that green to pink with her bangs just slightly turning into wings is a really pretty and clever trick, as well as turning her normal hair floof at the top of her head into a cute little butterfly hairpiece is a nice touch.

My only *real* complaint with this skin is one that has a catch. If this is skin *is* Seraphine; the faerie who loves makeup, rides around on her vanity seat using pixie dust and making people feel good about themselves through the power of art and song: I think they toned her own makeup down WAY too much. I'll talk about it when I address the induvial characters more, for Fiora and Katarina have such bold makeup, Fiora in particular, that if the royal makeup artist/the one who's supposed to be good at makeup and making herself look friendly, presentable, and a little over the top because after all she is a performer, only has a bit of pink and a butterfly painted on? Seems a little bit boring. But, that's really my only complaint here, other than maybe smoothing out the shape language of the stage a bit. I do say, this is a tentative complaint, because I doubt we're getting anything other than "Seraphine, the faerie who loves to sing and brings people together by her vocal fae magic!" which is cute but, unoriginal for Seraphine.

For my rating, I'd say she gets two. If it's "just another singer skin" Seraphine, I'm giving it 4/10. If it's something more creative, maybe using the makeup or pixie dust I mentioned, 7/10. I think this skin is going to rely HEAVILY on it's lore.

Next: Milio!

I'll be honest, I don't have a whole lot to say about this splash art. This is of course, Milio's debut skin, but I was struggling to find a good image of his original to compare it to.

Overall, I will note the things I like about this one. I think making his little companions have a little more form to them other than just blobs was a cute choice. I also like the new outfit, it's a little more form fitting and I think expresses the "court" part in faerie court. He looks like a little kid who got dressed up for a special occasion, his outfit is a little over the top because he didn't pick it, he's trying to look formal. The haircut I have mixed feelings on, I think it's cute and makes him look a little chubbier with how it frames his face (which by all means is a good thing, we have a lot of dainty itty bitty thin shapes in this line, having a character with a rounder face is a nice change of pace from your typical skinny white elves.) I think they tried to keep a bit of the boxy shape his other haircut gave him by using the headpiece, but it didn't quite work. My only real complaints is the strange shoulder light bulbs and the little crown that's somehow magically floating on his bangs.

I'll give Milio here a 6/10. I like the vibes, the playfulness, but it's got a few things it could tweak.

Next up, Fiora

This is where I slow down on singing the praises of the FC skins. Not that I don't like it, I very much like it, but I've noticed a reoccurring pattern with these skins and their splash poses looking very,,,, bland. I like some of them, but there is a lack of life to others, like Fiora's here.

Having her guard some sort of special butterfly/faerie area I like, I think this pose and the composition here is well done. But,,, it's just another Fiora splash art where she is showing off her sword. I think her design in this skin line is pretty, it's interesting! And this just covers up most of it with her sword. I want to see the details of her outfit, I want to see how it looks without her sword pointed at me. I think that this is a pretty skin, but leaning into the faerie armor that Kallista's skin brings to the table, this feels honorary, this feels like she was given permission to "bring her sword to the dinner table" because she still has her crown on. Hopefully the lore will make it a bit more interesting, but it's not doing a whole lot for me.

Note: Did realize while looking at this that there is people in the back like an audience, and that lead to the implication of like, a royal fighter in an arena, which could be cool but I do think that everything I said before still holds.

Sorry Fiora, but unless that lore drop really helps build this splash art, I can only give you a 3/10. Lovely splash, but it doesn't feel like it's bringing anything *new* to Fiora.

Up next, Karma!

I,,, still haven't made up my mind about this one yet. There's things I like and things I don't, so let's get into it.

For a few good things to start, I love the shape language here. I love the flow. Her shield feels natural here, it feels like she is truly a Faerie Queen, radiating her power, reaching out to the magic around her. I think the gold on the wings is a strong move, though could have been a bit stronger. Having inorganic pieces on one of the most organic parts of her, the wings, feels powerful, it feels like some kind of upgrade or augmentation.

However, I do have some issues with this skin. I think it's colors are a little all over the place, with her hair feeling incredibly light compared to the deep purples of her outfit and wings. The pink on her wings is very subtle, and I don't think it connects it enough. I also think they leaned REALLY hard into the butterfly theme with this entire skin line (cough elderwood rakan and xayah cough) but then kept the lotus COMPELTELY the same as usual. Her makeup seems a bit boring, and with how they gave Ezreal these fancy upgrades for his face markings, it feels unbalanced that the faerie QUEEN still just has her simple ones.

I like this skin, I think it's very pretty, but it really doesn't radiate "all powerful and elegant faerie queen" to me. 6/10

Last but not least, we have Katarina.

Since she has two, I'll sort of talk about them in tandem. My single biggest issue with these two skins is an issue Riot has a LOT: Same Face Syndrome. In this case, it applies less to the actual face, but more to the detailing in the splash art.

I'll give, normal FC Katarina doesn't do this has much as the prestige, but these two skins?

Are a bit,,, too similar for my liking. They are different, I'm not saying Diana and Kat are completely the same here, but you can't deny the similarities. White hair being held up in the air mysterious, blue color schemes with hints of lighter blue, grey, white, and maybe a little green, as well as a subtle metallic.

I like FC Katarina, but it does feel a little,,, bland, with winter blessed being so recent. However, putting that aside, there are some things I like about this skin.

For one, her expression. Kat is kind of a mischievous character, and many of her skins portray that with her expression, like Battle Queen or Battle Academia. Both of those skins give off a "ready to stab you when you aren't looking!" vibe that fits Kat, but with this? She looks somber, thinking, like she's done this fight a million times before and knows how it will play out reliably. And I like that, I like that sort of otherworldly reliance on her own magic and skills, it makes her feel confident but not arrogant. The eyes on the wings are gorgeous, and the wind moving as she spins and slices through it adds as a gracefulness that suits it very well.

Putting aside it's similarities to Winterblessed Diana, I'll give this skin an 8/10. I truly think it's beautiful, and I love the sort of "new" vibe it gives Kat.

Prestige... on the other hand...

*sigh*

Honestly, if you told me these were the same character, I would probably believe you.

Now, I will be honest and admit, I hadn't seen Prestige Star Guardian Syndra in a while and I did think it was more purple, however these two,,, they feel the exact same. They even have almost the same expression, Kat's mouth is just closed.

I've always thought that the artistic goal of prestige skins was to add to a character cosmetically in ways the original skin did not. To add details and an alternative outfit/aesthetic to their new form provided by the lore of the skin line... and this... isn't that.

I really don't know what Prestige FC Kat is supposed to convey other than the fact that Riot seems to think powerful women with cool color schemes sitting is sexy or something because I'm not getting a lot here. She's a pretty woman,, sitting,,, with her weapons. I would even give this a little more of a break if there was anything Unique here, but there isn't: The only character with an different title is Faerie Queen Karma. This skin feels much more like royalty with the big wings and the seat and everything, and I think that Karma deserved the prestige much more here. Making a "Lunar Moth Queen" Karma would've been a MILLION times better than,,, this. Sorry Kat mains, but I'm giving it a 2/10.

For my final sort of overview of all the skins, there's a couple things I need to mention. First off, the weapons. I think the "crystal weapons that match your wings" is really cool looking. I don't know how well it'll hold up lore wise when that time comes, but I like how they look at I'm curious at how that universe will talk about them. Secondly, the butterfly in the room: butterflies. I think this skin line can technically be boiled down to "upgraded elderwood rakan and xayah" but that's okay. I would've loved to see Rakan and Xayah get skins for this in sort of a "from the elderwood they have grown, and in the court of faeries they blossom" where it connects their elderwood stories with the fearie court and we get new skins for them, but that's a lot to ask right after they got new skins with Broken Covenant, like, today? I think the skinline would've been served better by having more variation than just "butterfly." My favorite skin in this would have to be Kallista, and a good part of that goes to her being unique, she's the only one who isn't completely butterfly. Overall, I think the skinline is pretty, I think it could tell a really fun fantasy story if done right, and I have my gripes with certain parts of it, but I do like it quite a bit. For the whole skin like: 7/10.

If you read this far, thank you, it really means a lot to me that you read through all this. I'm really passionate about character design/skin design and my views on it have absolutely been inspired and shaped by TBSkyen, so credit to him for inspiring me enough as a creator to feel confident enough to share these thoughts. If ya'll like this sort of thing, I would absolutely be willing to make more posts addressing skin lines and character design. Let me know in the notes! ^^

[golbrocklovely]

sam's halloween costumes 2013-2020

certain things that i planned to post fell through, but luckily for me an anon asked "I feel like you'd be the one capable of doing this. Can you make a compilation separately of Sam and Colbys costumes over the years?" and since it fits right in with what i've been posting, i figured i would post this instead of what i was planning to post because not everything works in my favor, apparently lol

so now i present to you, sam's halloween costumes thru the years

(i might have missed one or two, but i'm pretty sure this is all of them)

also... i'm gonna rate them for shits and gigs lol

starting with 2013, sam dressed up as a greek/roman person. it was a couples costume with his girlfriend at the time.

sam (as you will see) goes for couples costumes almost always. that's not really a problem, but i do have a sneaky suspicion that he doesn't really choose the costume and it's his gf that does it lol

rating: 2/5, kinda boring, not creative, but not the worst

2014 is the only year i couldn't find a single costume for him. if you know, feel free to let me know bc i couldn't find anything that told me what he dressed up as.

the next year, in 2015, sam and colby dressed up together, which is so cute and one of the few (if literally the only time) they were in a couples costume sksks

they were mario and luigi

i think it's fucking hilarious that the suspenders are just black tape on their shirt. also... mario and luigi don't have suspenders??? they wear overalls.

rating: 2/5, kinda dumb, but the black tape is funny enough to keep this from being a one lmao

in 2016, i couldn't really find an actual costume that he wore, but i did find this screenshot from some video wear he rewore the mario costume

i'm like 99% sure that he's wearing a red shirt turned inside out with black tape overtop again..

rating: 0/5, his face explains it all

for halloween in 2017, technically sam and colby weren't in the country (they were in egypt with elton on a tfil trip) but sam and kat were finally a couple so you know what that means.... sam doesn't have to decide what to wear lmao

they dressed up as nerds before halloween

the costumes are really cute, obviously just bits and pieces that they both owned and probably bought from party city and honestly, i sometimes like a simple costume.

rating: 3.5/5, adorable, and sam hasn't worn that hat in a long time

2018 was the first time that sam had two different costumes, both of which i thoroughly enjoyed. and again, i just have a feeling that sam didn't come up with neither one. but that doesn't matter.

peter pan and tinkerbell is adorable. personally i would have went with peter pan and wendy but nonetheless it was cute. and then barbie and ken is a cute idea, but you can tell it was a last minute costume since they aren't a specific barbie and ken. i also feel like they could have based their outfits more off of each other and did more makeup or hair. just something else that would have made it more special.

peter pan and tink rating: 4/5

barbie and ken rating: 3/5

2019 also had two costumes. and again, it's kinda the same deal as the previous year: one costume is more thought through while the other is a last minute one.

at least this year he had actual suspenders...

the corpse bride costume is fucking awesome, and it's only that good bc he's in a suit (bc every man looks hot in a suit) and the makeup !!! idk who did it, but props to whoever it was. the fireman costume... it's fine. not my fave tho.

corpse bride rating: 5/5

fireman/woman rating: 2/5

and then in 2020, they repeated themselves again: one great and one mediocre costume lol

the beauty and beast costume is so adorable, and sam dressing up as a prince is something i need more in my life. i kinda wish kat's dress was an actual dress, but beggers can't be choosers i guess.

and the second costume... is barely a costume. sam is wearing his regular clothes with the jacket from love for hire (rip). and kat's cheerleading costume is cute... kinda boring tho.

beauty and the beast: 4/5

cheerleader and jock: 1.5/5

overall, sam only succeeds at wearing the costumes his gf puts in front of him. i would love for him to have his own separate costume one year. he can still dress up with kat in a couple costume, but have a different one to just post in or go to a party in. also, while i get the lazier costumes are for parties... you can still be interest with a simple costume. the nerds one is proof. that one is interesting. the others are just either really generic or too simple that they look like clothes.

[anna-justice]

Lost or Found - 24

Summary: As Jay, Hailey, Kim, Adam and Kevin start their junior year in the wake of a tragic summer, the past year of their lives comes back to haunt them. If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, this is for you! *UPSTEAD/BURZEK High School AU

...

24 - Evermore  ...

“Your dad should have killed you when he had the chance…”

Hailey whimpered, her eyes clenched shut and beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

“So you want to play hero one more time?” 

She flinched in her sleep, her heart beating out of her chest, so fast that she thought it was going to explode. 

“That works for me.” 

Hailey shot up, screaming. The last thing she saw was the barrel of a gun. She clawed at her chest, trying to get a good breath. “Hailey?” Someone yelled, and then right after, her Aunt appeared in front of her. “Hailey, it’s okay.” Trudy reached out to grab her hand, but Hailey pulled it back, looking at her with scared eyes. 

It had been a month since she had heard those words muttered aloud, but they plagued her dreams frequently. 

The two weeks following that day, all five of them took turns rotating through the police station. Everyday there were new questions, more people to explain things to, more statements to clarify, it was never ending. Then, it just stopped. There was nothing else they could do, they had to wait for trial. And in the meantime, Erin was placed in a psychiatric hold facility, and her lawyers were defending her actions as a symptom as psychosis.

It bothered them all, that technically she was free, all because they could blame her attempted murder on a psychotic break. Especially when Kelly Severide was looking at time. A few days after, two detectives showed up at Hailey’s house, wanting a full recount of the last five months, and that included the night that she was attacked. When Severide was questioned, he had no alibi and he confessed to strangling Hailey. His excuse was that he was threatened the same way that the rest of them were, only in person. He claimed that he knew Erin was alive the whole time, but she threatened to kill his mom and sister if he didn’t cooperate. 

Unfortunately, the only way to corroborate the story for a jury is to prove Erin mentally competent, meaning she was capable of carrying out her threats. To all involved, even Kelly, it was clear that she knew what she was doing, she was a mastermind, but to everyone on the outside, they were just a bunch of teenagers wrapped up in a murder. 

The girl that everyone thought was Erin still hadn’t been identified, they had to dig up the casket for the second time. The only way they were able to ID it the first time was by the previous fracture and bracelet, but there are a lot of people in the Chicago area that have broken their left wrist. 

So, with no new information and the date for the trial to begin still months away, they all lived life normally. Well, as normal as it could be after everything they went through. And normal for Hailey meant waking up every night screaming. 

Trudy looked at her husband, who was standing in the doorway. They shared a look, a very familiar one. They repeated the same steps every night, like some cruel rehearsed dance. Trudy waited patiently for Hailey to calm down, just seated on the floor next to her. “Hailey, sweetie, you’re safe.” She repeated. 

Every night it was the same, Hailey would snap out of whatever daze she was in and apologize profusely. “I’m sorry, I got scared…” She started.

“Shhh,” Trudy said, placing a hand on her leg, “It’s okay.” 

Hailey nodded, swallowing hard. “I’m good, you all can go back to sleep.” She said, glancing at her uncle. 

Trudy just nodded, she learned many nights ago not to fight her on it, “Alright. Goodnight Hailey, we love you.” She said, squeezing her shoulder. 

“Love you too.” Hailey said, watching them retreat back to their room. They left the door open like they always did, Hailey sighed rolling over and grabbing her phone. She sent a quick text to her boyfriend. 

Hailey:      :(

It was a system that they started a few weeks ago. The first few nights Jay would stay up with her on the phone, or she would call him after Trudy and Randy finally left, but the lack of sleep began to play a part in their relationship. So, they decided that every time Hailey had a nightmare (or Jay, he wasn’t clean of them) they would text the other a frowny face, so that in the morning they would know what the other had gone through the night before without having to talk about it. It has proved to be useful.

Hailey laid down again, willing herself to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. Sleep was too vulnerable, so she laid there awake, just waiting for the sun to rise on (hopefully) a better day. 

…

“What do you mean you haven’t picked out a costume?” Kim asked, as Jay slammed his door shut. Like every morning, they were all crowded around his truck, waiting until the last minute to head to class. The gossip still hadn’t died down, they were still the topic of every conversation, so they avoided it as much as they could. 

Hailey shrugged. “I thought we weren’t dressing up.” She said, looking up at her boyfriend, who nodded in agreement. Halloween was tomorrow, and of course Kim had plans for all of them.

“No, I said we weren’t dressing up as the characters from scooby doo…” Kim said, giving Adam a pointed look. 

Adam held up his hands in surrender, “Like I said, I’m sorry, it’s too soon.” He said, stifling a laugh. 

Kevin rolled his eyes, “Yeah, you all know I’d have to be scooby. And I’m not dressing up like a dog.” He snapped. 

“But Kev,” Adam said, faking a frown. “I thought you were my dawg.” Kevin glared at him, faking a punch as Adam jumped back. 

“Anyway,” Kim started, looking back at Hailey and Jay, and ignoring the antics behind her. “I promised Stella we would all be at her party tomorrow night, you guys will be the only people without a costume.” 

Hailey sighed, “Kim, we will get costumes, I promise.” Kim opened her mouth, but the warning bell cut her off. Hailey smiled, grabbing Jay’s hand. “We’ll see you guys later.” She said, before pulling him away. 

“Please tell me you have costume ideas,” Jay said quietly. 

“Nope.” They rounded the corner, Jay leaning down and stealing a kiss before they entered their classroom. Criminal justice was a little harder to sit through than it was before, but somehow Jay had managed to get his grade up. 

They took their normal seats in the back of the class, waiting for the teacher to begin. “I have an idea,” Jay said, leaning on his hand. 

“Okay?” Hailey said cautiously. 

“I’ll be a firefighter, and you be a Dalmatian.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Hailey scoffed, “No.” 

“Okay. You be the firefighter and I’ll be the Dalmatian.” He said, smirking.

Hailey shook her head, “Try again.” Jay fake pouted, retreating back to his half of the shared desk. 

Finally, their teacher decided to start class, cutting their conversation off for the time being. After about 30 minutes of notes, he passed out an assignment, leaving them to work on their own. Jay turned to face her, smiling. “I’ve got another idea.” He said, Hailey gave him a pointed look. “Squints and the lifeguard from the sandlot.” 

“Why? So every time someone asks us who we are you get to lay on the ground and make me kiss you?” She questioned. 

“Exactly.” He deadpanned. 

“Jay-”

“Okay, okay.” He said, laughing. He loved it when she got all riled up. “Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, cause you’re so short-”

“Jay!” She said, smacking his bicep. 

He laughed harder, “Okay, in all seriousness...we can be Jack and Rose from the titanic…” He watched Hailey’s face slowly morph into slight agreeance, “And Kev could be the iceberg.” 

“I’m done with you.” Hailey said shortly, stifling her own laugh. 

Jay laughed at his own joke, watching his girlfriend pretend to be aggravated with him. “You love me, you know it.” 

“Unfortunately…” Hailey said under her breath. She took a deep breath, “What about Danny and Sandy from Grease?” 

Jay smirked, “You in leather pants? Perfect.” 

“You’re hopeless.” 

…

The next day, Hailey sat in Kim’s bedroom getting ready. They had about an hour before the boys were supposed to come pick them up. Kim and Adam were going as Romeo and Juliet, while Hailey and Jay had finally settled on Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Kevin had grouped up with some of the boys from his team, they were going as zombie football players, very original…

“Kim, you’re going to have to do this.” Hailey said, laughing in defeat. 

Kim smiled, taking over for her. She was waiting for her to ask for help, she’d been struggling to french braid her hair for almost twenty minutes. “I got it.” They sat there for a while in silence, Kim carefully laying pieces of blonde hair over the others, she glanced at Hailey in the mirror, noticing the blank look on her face. “How are you doing?”

Hailey’s head snapped up to meet her eyes, she caught her off guard. “Uh,” She shrugged, “I’m okay, I guess…” 

Kim scoffed, shaking her head. “I’ve said that word so many times recently that I’m not even sure it’s a word anymore.” 

“Yeah…” Hailey said, letting her thoughts wander. “I get that.” And she did, it was like she used the word as a shield. It was her response to everything, and she wasn’t okay, not that it was really a secret. None of them were okay, but saying it made it feel like they were. And deception was something worth clinging onto. 

“You know, we never talked about-” 

“We don’t need to.” Hailey said, cutting her off. 

Kim eyed her cautiously, “Okay.” She wanted to talk, but she didn’t feel like she had any right to push Hailey to. Not after what happened. “Done.” She said, a few minutes later, taking a step back to admire her work.

“Thanks,” Hailey said with a genuine smile, picking up the jar of flower clips they had bought that morning. “You think I should just put these everywhere?” 

Kim nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” She reached down, clicking shuffle on a playlist, a random Taylor Swift song playing. They were both done talking. 

An hour later, the two of them were sitting in Kim’s kitchen talking to her mom when Jay and Adam arrived. Adam just let himself in the front door, Jay choked on a laugh as he waltzed in like he owned the place. 

The boys appeared in the kitchen, “Honey, I’m home.” He said, passing Kim and hugging her mom. Kim rolled her eyes as they all laughed, Jay’s hand finding Hailey’s back like it always did. He was so happy, even though life was still crazy, he was ridiculously happy. Watching Hailey smile and Adam joke around like he used to (before they used it as a distraction) was so nice, and familiar and just so damn good. 

Hailey peered up at him, grinning as he pecked her lips. “Alright, let’s get a picture so you all can get out of here.” Claire said, ushering them together. Jay stood next to Adam, both of them holding their girlfriends securely against their waists. They all smiled brightly, relaxing after the click. 

They quickly bid their goodbyes, making their way out to Jay’s truck. Hailey slid easily into the passenger seat, despite her nude heels (that she was already regretting), while Adam and Kim got in the back. They pulled out of the driveway, and somehow Adam ended up with aux cord. Somewhere in between an old Maroon 5 song and the Weekend, Jay’s hand found hers on the center console. 

Hailey looked down at it and smiled. It was a simple thing that they did every single time they rode together, but it really symbolized how much things had changed. Hailey thought back to the day that he kept his eyes trained on the road, back when she cut him off when he tried to apologize. It was only two months ago, but they were different, everything was different, everything was better. 

 Jay followed her gaze to their conjoined hands, mimicking her smile. She didn’t have to say anything, he knew exactly what she was thinking. Part of him wishes he could go back and stay with her then, he felt like they had wasted so much time, but the other part of him knew that they were better for it. Neither of them were ready for what they have now, then. And what they have was worth the wait. 

Finally they reached their destination, Jay having the park pretty far away due to how many people were already there. They got out, Jay rounding the truck to help Hailey down, even though she hadn’t needed it in a long time. The four of them headed towards the decent sized house, they could hear the music thumping from outside. Hailey slipped her hand in Jay’s, gripping his forearm. 

Jay noticed the look of discomfort on her face, leaning down. “Hey, you okay?” He asked, eying her. 

Hailey nodded, holding on a little tighter. “Yeah, just don’t want to get lost in the crowd.” Jay nodded, believing her lie. She couldn’t really explain it, but she had a terrible feeling in her stomach and the thought of being lost in a sea of people made her want to throw up. Even though it was over, Hailey still found herself looking over her shoulder and watching out for her. And even though all of that meant she was nowhere near being in a party mood, she wasn’t going to bring everyone else down, they all needed a fun night. 

They made their way through the crowded makeshift dance floor, and found Kevin in a living area near the back of the house where he was sitting with Stella, Conner, Matt and Sylvie. “Hey guys,” He called, jumping up and clapping Adam’s back. 

Stella stood, hugging Kim tightly, “I’m glad you guys could make it.” 

Kim squeezed her, “Me too.”

Stella backed away, touching Hailey’s arm affectionately and giving her a kind smile that she returned. “I know it’s kind of crazy,” Stella laughed, “If you need something or just a break, the keys to the upstairs doors are hidden right under the doors, just inside the rooms.” She glanced at the obvious couples, winking. “I trust you guys.” 

They all nodded, Kim blushing, a chorus of “great” and “thanks” sounding. The group dispersed, the five of them huddling up. “Obviously Hailey and I are gonna stick together, if we get lost, meet back here at midnight and we’ll head out?” Jay suggested.

“Sounds good,” Kev said, nodding.

Adam agreed too. “That works for me.” 

That works for me…

Hailey flinched at those words, instinctively squeezing her eyes shut. Her breath caught in her throat. The image of a pulled gun flashing through her brain. She grimaced, trying to push the thoughts away. “Hailes…” She took another deep breath, doing everything in her power to keep her fear at bay. “Hailes.” Someone said, harsher, snapping her out of her daze. 

“Yeah?” She asked quickly. 

Kim eyed her cautiously, “I asked if you wanted a water…”

“Oh,” Hailey shook her head, “No, I’m good, thanks though.” She watched as Kim and Adam slowly disappeared into the crowd, her eyebrowed cinched together. 

Jay stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the rest of the room, “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, concern clear in his bright green eyes. 

Hailey nodded vigorously, “I’m good, I promise.” She said, his face didn’t change. He didn’t believe her. Hailey reached up, pulling him to her level and attaching their lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened it, pulling him even closer. Jay did his best not to get lost in the kiss, but with her it was so hard. She pulled away slowly, peering up at him. “Jay, I’m okay.” Kim was right, it didn’t sound like a word anymore. 

Jay sighed, admitting defeat. “Okay.” He laced their hands together, leaning down and kissing her slowly before guiding her to the dance floor. They stood near the edge, Jay’s hand sitting on her hips as they swayed in sync to the fast music. They danced for a while before some of Jay’s teammates interrupted them. 

Hailey stood securely at his side as they spoke, absently listening to the trashy rap music that was playing loudly throughout the room. “Fuck, shit, bitch…” The sound of a gun being cocked rang through the speakers and Hailey screamed. Suddenly the eyes of everyone around her staring at her. She was frozen in place, forcing the terrible memories away, but she couldn’t. 

“Hailey.” Jay said, but her feet had a mind of their own and she was running towards the staircase, her lungs burning, she couldn’t get in a good breath. “Hailey!” Jay called after her, not even bothering to say goodbye to his team before taking off. 

Hailey booked it up the stairs, dropping to the ground in front of the first door she saw, grasping aimlessly for the key. She slumped against the door, tears streaming down her face as she fought to breathe. Jay booked it towards her, crouching down and finding the key easily. He unlocked the door, then swept his hysterical girlfriend off the floor, carrying her into the room and setting her on the bed. She was still heaving in front of him, and Jay placed two hands on either side of her face. “Hailey, Hailey look at me.” He said, but her eyes stayed trained on his chest. “Baby, you’re safe, look at me, please.” She clenched her eyes shut, more tears falling down her face. When she opened them again, they met his and she launched herself into his arms. 

Jay held her to him, rocking them gently as she cried into his neck. “I-I thought-” She stuttered, sobs wracking her body. 

“I know, I know.” He said, trying to calm her. 

“I thought it was over…” She said, and Jay felt his heart clench in his chest. 

He ran his hand through her braided hair, no doubt destroying it. “It is, it’s all over, you’re safe. We’re safe.” For some reason that made her cry harder, maybe because she hadn’t for the past month, she had been bottling up her feelings to protect herself and everyone else. Because even though she was, she hadn’t felt safe in a long time. 

Hailey pulled away after a long time, utterly exhausted. Jay couldn’t take the look of defeat on her safe, she looked so tired, so broken, that it scared him. How could he not have known how much pain she was in? 

She couldn’t bear to look at him, so she kept her gaze fixed on her lap. He placed his hand on her thigh, and Hailey laid one on top of it. She sniffled, using her free hand to wipe the never ending tears from her eyes. “I’m okay.”

…

The following Monday, Hailey sat in the passenger seat of Jay’s truck. After the events of Saturday night, Jay had no choice but to loop in Trudy and Randall, he had to after he had failed to do so before. They spent the rest of the weekend convincing Hailey to see someone, to talk about everything they had been through. 

It was probably the trauma left over from her parents, but the stigma that therapy made you weak was ingrained in Hailey’s mind, and convincing her to make an appointment was no easy task. 

That’s how they ended up sitting in the parking lot of a private practice right after school, Hailey’s leg bouncing nervously up and down. Jay lifted their intertwined hands off the center console, kissing the back of hers. “I’m going to be here waiting, all I ask is that you go in there and try.” He said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. 

Hailey smiled softly, nodding. She leaned across the console and kissed him slowly, hoping that she was able to portray just how much love she had for him and trust she had in him through it. Jay pulled away, taking her in. “I love you, Hailey Upton.” 

“I love you, Jay Halstead.” She said. 

“Now, go kick some ass.” He said and she laughed, opening the truck door. She shut it, giving him one last look before walking inside the doors. 

She sat down in one of the waiting room chairs after signing in, a few minutes later an older man with big glasses popped his head out of the back. “Hailey?” 

She stood, “Yes sir.”

The man smiled, “Come with me.” He led her back to an office, gesturing for her to sit on the couch while he sat in the chair across from her. “I’m Dr. Charles, but you can call me Daniel or Dan, or really whatever makes you comfortable.” He explained. 

Hailey nodded, shifting nervously. “So, how does this work?” She asked.

“However you want it to, we can talk or not talk about anything you want.” He said, leaning back in his chair. 

“Okay,” Hailey glanced at the ground, “The-There’s a lot…” 

“That’s okay.” 

Hailey grimaced, finally looking at him. “Where do I start?” She asked.

Dr. Charles smiled. “How about the beginning?”

Hailey sighed, taking a few deep breaths, ready to start confronting all the demons that she had been fighting for so long. 

“Tell me everything.”

...

A/N: This is long but please, please, please read it!!

First, this is the end of this story, but it is not THE end! There will be a sequel and if you want to see a sneak peak, you can find it HERE. I am so so excited to continue exploring this version of these characters, and don’t worry, the next installment will be just as exciting as this one! 

Second, thank you so so so so much to everyone who has shown love to and supported this story. It really means the world to me, you have no idea. This has been such an amazing experience and I have learned so much from writing this, so thank you so much for reading. You guys are truly incredible, and writing has helped me through a tough time in my life. I’m going to say thank you a million time, but thank you, thank you, thank you <3

This story evolved so much lol: in the beginning I had no plan, and then it changed like five times, and we ended up here, so here’s a few things that didn’t make it in.

Nadia was supposed to die in chapter 19, but I decided against it…

I debated Kevin and Stella getting together, don’t hate me for this ahaha

I almost made Kim lose her hearing, but I wasn’t sure I could do the storyline justice with everything else going on

I debated killing Adam (I’M SORRY, i’m sorry…)

And finally (cause you don’t need to know all of my secrets) I ALMOST broke up Upstead at the end

Anyway, there’s some behind the scenes action if you’re interested. 

Back to the point: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING ME AND THIS STORY, I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, and i cannot wait to embark on this next journey together!!

So much love,

Anna

@lissethsrojas @puckluck28 @fuckyeahkillianemma @chilly7188 @thebigapocalypsewolf @karihighman @ruzek-halstead @anotheronechicagobog @snowwhite013 @tracysupton @angelsjedi @carissalizz​

[lyssismagical]

Okay so I don't have a prompt from, like, a list? But: either Peter or Harley taking their younger sister trick-or-treating and ending up getting scared by somebody? Idk it's not a great prompt but

I kinda took this prompt on a little adventure but here we are (late as always lmao)

This is also incredibly AU so oops ,,,

*

Harley’s incredibly reluctant when his mom shows him the costumes she picked out for them. He would do pretty much anything for his siblings, but this was a little over the top.

Apparently, Abbie had begged to do a group costume this year, and they’d decided on Winnie the Pooh.

Jonah, the second youngest of the Keener’s at three, got to be Winnie the Pooh, and Harley would be lying if he said he wasn’t the cutest little kid on the planet.

Dayton’s seven and he chose Tigger.

Piglet went to Aspen, the middle child at 10 years old.

Abbie claimed Eeyore before Harley could.

Leaving Harley as Kanga, and the baby of the family, Bentley, as Roo.

It’s embarrassing, walking around his hometown dressed as Kangaroo with his baby sister in his pouch, the train of Keener’s following along behind him.

The anxiety is a lot higher than the shame, though. With five children to look after singlehandedly, Harley feels like he’s going to lose his mind, counting them every few minutes to make sure they haven’t lose anybody.

Rose Hill’s generally a pretty safe town. It’s small enough that everyone knows everyone. If any of these people saw one of the Keeners in danger, they’d be sure to stop it. Harley trusts the people in the town.

But Rose Hill’s also a popular trick or treating spot. Everyone in neighboring towns come to theirs because nearly every house will have candy or chocolate available. They always go all out. So there’s a lot of strangers about.

“C’mon! It’s Tay’s house!” Aspen shouts, racing ahead, hand linked with Dayton’s. “She said she’d have special treats for us!”

“Aspen!” Harley chastises with no results. Abbie shakes her head, holding onto Jonah’s hand. The pair system generally works alright but leaving the two middle kids together doesn’t work out quite as well as Harley was hoping for. He tries to pick up the pace to catch up, but Bentley is proving to be a difficult addition to their team.

He loses sight of Aspen suddenly, lost to the groups of people on the streets. He grabs Jonah from Abbie. “Go catch up to the others and then wait at Tay’s until I get to you.”

Abbie jogs off, bag of candy tossed over her shoulder. Jonah whines pitifully at being left behind and Harley’s forced to lift him into his arms to soothe him.

Now saddled with two kids and three bags of candy, Harley struggles to keep his cool.

“Help!”

Harley turns, fear chilling him to his very bones. It could be one of his kids, voice high and scared.

But when he sees the source of the voice, it’s a girl he doesn’t recognize, probably eight or nine years old, eyes wide and a deep shade of brown.

“Everythin’ okay?” Harley asks, shifting Jonah’s weight to lean down to her height.

She shakes her head, mouth settling into a pout. “I can’t find my brother.”

“Alright, honey, I’ll help you out. Can I guess he’s dressed as Peter Pan?”

The girl nods. She’s dressed as Tinkerbell, a little green dress and wings and the iconic green shoes with white balls on the ends. “I got scared but I can’t find him anymore.”

“Okay, well, I’m Harley and this is Jonah and Bentley. What’s your name?”

“Morgan. And my brother is Peter.”

Bentley babbles wordlessly from Harley’s kangaroo pouch and Jonah’s fist curls into Harley’s hair.

“Where did you see him last?” Harley asks. He can’t help looking over his shoulder, still worried about Abbie, Aspen, and Dayton. “Do you remember?”

She nods. “I’m not allowed to tell you. It’s a secret.”

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s happening.”

She leans in closer, eyes so wide and earnest, voice dropping into a stage-whisper. “He’s Spider-Man. He saw someone who needed help and he told me to stay put but I got scared.”

“Spider-Man? I thought he was Peter Pan?”

“No, he’s Spider-Man, for real. My daddy is Iron Man.” Morgan rolls her eyes like Harley’s silly for thinking otherwise.

Instead of continuing to argue, Harley just accepts this and moves on. “Alright, well now that you’ve told me that, we can retrace your steps and find your brother, yeah?”

She nods, lighting up in a smile.

“First,” Harley says, unable to stop the constant waves of fear, “Let’s go grab my other siblings, yeah? And then you can lead the way.”

She grabs onto Harley’s tail, keeping herself attached as he leads the way, not having a hand available for her.

They get to Tay’s driveway, waving the three kids over.

“What’s up?” Abbie asks, frowning at Morgan. “I know there’s a lot of Keener kids to remember, but I think I would recognize this one.”

“She can’t find her brother, so we’re going to help out.”

Dayton frowns, shaking his bag of candy. “But there’s still a lot of houses to hit.”

“We can go later. First, we’re helping Morgan.”

He shifts Jonah again, weighed down by everything. Bentley babbles some more. Morgan looks like she might cry if Harley doesn’t find her brother soon. Dayton and Aspen look a few seconds away from throwing twin tantrums.

“Alright,” Harley says, taking a deep breath. “Abbie, keep Dayton and Aspen together and following. No running off this time. Morgan, you’re leading the way. You can all have one piece of candy before we go.”

He gets a lollipop for both kids and one for Morgan too, at least it’ll keep them occupied for a little bit. And then he makes sure everyone’s good before they start off again, following Morgan’s lead.

At the very least, she seems to know where she’s going, but she seems nervous, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure Harley’s still there.

Harley feels like he might cry, shoulders aching and back throbbing in pain as Jonah falls asleep against his shoulder and Bentley squirms against his stomach. And at one point, Dayton starts complaining about his feet hurting, so Harley passes off his bag of candy to Abbie, and lifts Dayton up onto his shoulders, making sure he doesn’t accidentally hurt Jonah.

“I was standing right here,” Morgan finally says, eyes sparkling. “Peter went down that road and left me here.”

Harley nods, looking around. “Did he say he’d come back to meet you here?”

She nods.

“Alright, I guess, let’s wait and see if he shows up. He’ll know you’re waiting here for him. In the meantime, Abbie…”

Abbie nods, already understanding what he’s asking of her. She puts the candy bags down. “I’ve got my phone on me and I’ll just check down this road. I’ll be twenty minutes max.”

“Be safe please. Mom would kill me if I lost you.”

She takes off and Aspen sits down against the brick wall with Morgan. Harley doesn’t want to wake up Jonah and he can’t get Dayton down without Abbie’s help so he just leans against the brick wall and hopes it won’t take long or else his shoulders will fall off.

And then, as though the universe is out to get him, Bentley starts crying.

He can’t hold Bentley, his only ability is to try to soothe her with words.

Morgan’s eyes go wide, like she might cry too. And Harley doesn’t think she could deal with that right now.

“Spider-Man’s not going to save you now.”

Harley turns quickly, pushing himself in front of Morgan. This is probably what scared her earlier. “Listen, man, we don’t want any trouble.”

He steps out of the shadows and Bentley cries harder. The man’s holding a gun, pointing it right at Harley.

“Spider-Man hurt my business. He ruined my life. I just want the girl.”

Harley quickly slides Jonah onto the ground, leaving him with Aspen, and with his hands free, he can pull Dayton onto the ground as well.

Abbie rounds the corner and she freezes, staring at them. “What- Harley?”

“Abbie, take Bentley,” Harley orders, keeping his hands lifted and eyes on the man. “We don’t want any trouble, okay?”

As soon as Bentley’s safe, Harley takes another step forward, putting as much space between the kids and the man as possible.

Behind him, not only is Bentley crying, but it sounds like Jonah, Morgan, and Aspen are as well.

“If you don’t move, I’ll kill you too.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you get at any of them. I can’t. Just put down the gun and we won’t have any problems, alright?”

The gunman flicks off the trigger and Abbie shouts wordlessly, sitting against the brick wall, holding all the kids with her.

Harley keeps his hands raised in surrender. “Please, don’t do this. They’re just kids.”

“Move or I shoot.”

Harley’s hands are shaking, fear running his blood cold. But he doesn’t move.

And then, swinging down from a nearby rooftop, is Peter Pan.

Peter Pan knocks the man to the side, hat barely staying on his head, and webs the gun to the bricks, too high for anyone to grab. The man doesn’t have much fight left to give, and Peter Pan webs him to the ground pretty quickly.

As soon as he does, he spins around, eyes darting until he sees Morgan.

“Oh thank fuck,” he breathes, racing over and lifting Morgan into a tight hug. “You’re okay. You were gone and I was thinking the worst. Christ, I was so scared. Don’t do that to me.”

Harley turns, falling to his knees and immediately checking to make sure everything’s alright.

“Is everyone okay? Nobody’s hurt?”

Abbie shakes her head. “We’re okay. Don’t fucking do that, though. You’re so stupid.”

Harley takes Bentley back, hugging her and pressing a kiss to her forehead in an attempt to soothe her. He gets out some more candy for Dayton and Aspen, hoping it’ll be enough to keep them calm.

“Hey, Morgan said you saved her.”

Harley looks up at Peter Pan. “I’ve got five younger siblings. I know what it’s like.”

“This is different. You could’ve let him take her to save yourself and your siblings, but you didn’t. You protected her.”

“It’s not a big deal. You saved me from getting shot, so we’re even.” Harley shrugs, offering a little smile. “Do you live around here?”

Morgan shakes her head. “We drove super long to get here.”

“Not super long, just a bit. We live nearby. Her parents needed to get out of the spotlight and this is what they came up with.”

“Come on then, I live just a few blocks from here-”

Aspen frowns, voice going high and whiny. “We’re not going to keep trick or treating?”

“You really want to-”

“Please!” All of them shout, even Morgan.

Harley sighs harshly, but Peter shrugs. “Yeah, alright, we could do a couple more houses, huh, Harley?”

Peter takes Dayton and Morgan, Abbie takes Aspen, and Harley’s left with Jonah and Bentley. Harley introduces Peter to all of them.

It’s so much easier to have another ‘adult’ with him to watch the kids, even if there’s an extra kid to account for. They trick or treat at another three blocks worth of houses before calling it a day and heading back to the Keener Household.

Harley puts Jonah, Bentley, and Dayton to bed. It’s late enough as is, before he sets Abbie, Morgan, and Aspen up to watch a movie.

And then, he takes Peter into the kitchen.

“You hungry? Thirsty? Anything I can do for you?”

Peter laughs, shaking his head. “Take off the Host Hat.”

Harley turns from the fridge and nods before getting distracted. It’s not his fault, really, it’s just that Peter’s wearing tights and a very definingly tight green shirt with a belt cinched around his small waist. He’s got little freckles drawn onto his cheeks and black eyeliner that makes his doe eyes look so pretty.

He probably looks so silly dressed as a kangaroo in comparison.

“I can’t thank you enough for everything you did today, Harley. If it weren’t for you…”

“It’s really not a big deal. We’re even.”

Peter smiles softly. “You’re a really good guy, Harley.”

“You’re a superhero, Peter. There’s no way I could beat that.”

“It’s not a competition.”

Harley takes a step closer. “You make a really good Peter Pan. It fits.”

“What fits? The role or the tights?”

“Both,” Harley smiles, close enough now to cup Peter’s cheek and lift his head up to meet his eyes. “The hat’s cute too.”

Peter grins. “The kangaroo look is adorable, it works for you, believe it or not.”

And then Harley’s kissing him, tugging his body flush to his, and hands tangling into his curls and knocking his hat askew.

It only lasts a few minutes before Abbie’s wolf-whistling from the doorway.

“God, Abbie, buzzkill, much?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Mom just left for her shift at the hospital. Morgan’s determined on having a sleepover with Aspen so I sent them both up to her room, and I’m heading up to get some homework done. Keep it down, alright?”

“Abbie!”

Peter laughs, hiding his face against Harley’s chest.

“Guess you’re staying the night, huh?” Harley asks as soon as Abbie’s gone. Peter laughs some more before kissing Harley again.

Taglist: @littlemissagrafina  @spidey-reids-2003  @romeoandjulietyouwish @c-artara @shadedrose01 @likeaphoenix13 @misskirkstark @you-get-killed-walk-it-off @kitkatwinchester  @emo-girl10  @hold-our-destiny @imalivebecauseirondad @spiderman-peterman @dykeragee @maryserrao @heeeyitskay @parknerandirondad @lilacsandlilies4 @loveliestdisappointment @joyful-soul-collector @genderfluid-and-confuzled @fallenstar07 @gyurolls @zanderljones {Let me know if you wanna be added or removed} 

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Little Tinkerbell ~ Yin Zhi x Reader

Little maiden, what are you doing? Should you really waste your time in the library, studying, when outside is sunny and you could be playing with the princes and princesses? 

Little maiden, what are you doing? Should you really be tinkering with weird widgets, when you could be learning how to apply make up?

Little maiden, what are you doing? Should you really be going riding through the forest, when you could be going shopping for fashionable clothes and accessories? 

He heard all the rumours, all the gossips, all the bad words...He saw all the judging eyes of all the close-minded and inapt people...He saw everything...And yet, Yin Zhi couldn't understand how come this little mockingjay would rather study and be by herself, despite all the reprimanding she gets, when she could solve it all by obeying, like all women do?

Why was she so stubborn? Why did she insist on doing literally everything that he was also interested in, and yet, he wasn't reprimanded, just because he was a man, and more, the Emperor's son? 

A man...Well, he's not a man yet, he's barely 12 years old, and yet, this girl keeps bugging his mind. 

It all started when he went to the library one day, and his way was through the garden, and there she was, a little maiden, her beautiful hair flying messily into the air, as she was hunched over a stone tabled, doing something, clearly focused enough to draw out anything outside of her area of work. She didn't even hear him approach, not even sitting in front of her, until he strategically stepped into her light, and she got too confused at the sudden darkness, until she looked up and realised who was eclipsing her.

"You...You are the 3rd Prince, aren't you? Yin Zhi, was it? What are you doing here?" she asked, her hands hanging awkwardly, still holding the delicate screws and gears from the machinery.  "Great, you know who I am. Should I be asking you the same now, for the sake of common courtesies? Or will you finally answer my question?" he asked impatiently, thinking he'd intimidate the girl...But she didn't sketch any of that. "A travelling merchant from the West came by recently, and I bought some musical boxes. They make beautiful music, and this rotating doll has interesting clothes. I wanted to take everything apart, learn how the engine works, how each and every little piece keeps the synergy going, and then attempt to recreate something similar, or maybe even better. Who knows." she shrugged, going back to her tinkering. "Don't tell me you actually understand what you're doing." he scoffed, and yet, leaned forward to pay attention to her dexterous fingers.  "I do...But, do you?" she smirked, provoking him. "Are you mocking me?!" the prince scoffed, shocked at her impertinence. "It's mocking only if you get offended. If not, you can shut up, listen, and understand." there was no malice or harshness in her words, and the prince realised that there was an unexpected maturity and wisdom about her, that seemed to calm him...Or tame him. "Fine, then. If you're so sure of yourself, then show me how you'd repair this music box to its original state." he challenged her, which oddly enough, made he grin brightly at him. "No problem!" she started humming a melody, which he guesses might be the one from the music box, and with an outstanding ingenuity, she played around with those tiny tools and even tinier gear pieces, using a magnifying glass to see better, and there it was, in its dull glory, a dancing doll and a pretty song. "Not bad...For someone like you. I must confess, I never expected a girl to be interested in machinery or studying like you are. I am...Impressed." he was just a child back then, still reckless and easily wearing his emotions on his sleeve, as he blushed...She quickly became his childhood crush, clearly. "Thank you, Yin Zhi! Nobody ever said anything nice about my...Out of the ordinary interests, so...Thank you." she gave him a sweet smile, before taking the music box, ready to leave. "It's getting late, I must go home and continue my studying. I hope to see you again soon, Prince." she gave him an innocent kiss on his cheek, waving goodbye, before leaving the place, her beautiful, flowy, pink dress flying behind her. 

  Since then, this little maiden was the only one that he accepted to study with, to learn with and to learn from, or listen to...And also, she was the only one who could get him to sneak out of the Palace to go on the top of the hill to watch the stars, identify constellations, to watch the fireflies, and she was the only one he enjoyed riding with.

She wasn't like all those princesses and ladies who'd rather waste her time doing needlework and baking cakes... Although he couldn't deny that her osmanthus cakes were amazing, the tea she was brewing was incredibly aromatic, and the costumes she was creating were making even the Western tailors jealous. 

However, he couldn't pin point whether she was she was really as great as she was making her out to be, or simply, that's how he was seeing her. That's weird, since he prides himself for being level-headed, rational and also, for seeing things exactly as they are, not veiled by the charms of emotions and...And that other forbidden word he canNOT allow himself to say, not out loud, nor to himself.

But years passed, and not even him, Yin Zhi, the 3rd Prince, was safe from the feminine charms, and Y/N was becoming more beautiful with each day passing.

As time went by, he always felt the need to invite her, under different pretexts, to hang out with him, mostly for the sole reason that he truly enjoys her company. She never speaks more than she has to, and when she does, her words are meaningful and leave a lingering feeling that tugs at his heartstrings, making him want to hear more of her voice.

Even his mother, Consort Qin, was feeling infinitely better whenever she would visit her, and it almost felt like a healing, bright aura, something incredibly refreshing, like the cold mint freeze, that was making her feel so great. She was a mother, clearly, she was well aware of her son’s feelings for this little maiden, and she was happy that her only child, that she loved so much, and in turn, cared so much for her, was able to find such a kind and brilliant woman to be by his side and match his wits and intellect just as he always dreamt of.

So one night, on one of the many occasions that they spent together, they found themselves riding through the forest, and arrived at a gorgeous waterfall, continued by a blue lagoon, surrounded by numerous flowers of variate, vibrant colours, tons of butterflies and choruses of birds singing like angels.

“I don’t know how we got here, but this looks like a true paradise. Wouldn’t it be so much more peaceful if we were to live closer to nature, and farther away from noisy people?” Y/N asked, yet her question wasn’t exactly addressed, as she took of her shoes and lifting up the hem of her long dress, she went to the shallow part of the lagoon, jumping on the stones to get closer to the waterfall. “I can’t deny that would be the ideal scenario...Although, I wouldn’t advise you to stay too long in the freezing water, or too close to the waterfall. You will get soaked and sick.” he shook his head, sitting on one of the big rocks guarding the lagoon. “Don’t tell me...Yin Zhi, have you never bathed into a lake? Or a spring? Or under a waterfall?” she giggled, teasing him, as she gracefully skipped next to him, taking off his hat, putting it on his horse, and then going behind him to braid his hair. “Did I give you permission to touch my hair? Do you want me to kill you that badly?” he let his head down so he could look at her, and despite his words, he bore no ill will. “If you kill me, who’s going to read with you, or help you with machinery?” she chuckled, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. “Besides, you know I can’t resist your hair. It’s the most beautiful and soft in the whole kingdom.” her smile was so playful and gentle that it seemed to relax him immediately. “I don’t need your help in repairing machinery, nor do I need the distraction you offer while reading. And, to reply to the other affirmation, I’m a Prince, after all. We get lucky since birth.” he smirked gracefully, making the girl hum, as she was pondering. “Well...Should I tell you a secret? Yeah, sure, I always tell you all the secret I know anyway. The only other princes with nice hair are Yin Zhen and the 14th prince, and not even they can compare with yours. I mean...Have you seen the Crown Prince? Or the 5th prince? It’s like they don’t care at all! It looks so...Course and greasy! I wouldn’t dare get my finger anywhere close to that!” she started laughing, faking a shudder, as she finished the braid. “Good, because if you did, I’d have cut your fingers off. Good luck touching my hair without fingers.” he grumbled, almost as if jealous. “Awww, but then, who’d braid your hair? You know you like it when I play with your hair, so don’t play the tough facade with me. Besides...I’m pretty sure you’re going to kill me regardless of what I do, so...” with a low giggle, she pushed herself into his back, sending both of them into the lagoon, shocking the poor prince who wasn’t expecting that. “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” he yelled at her, glaring, as soon as he resurfaced to get some air. “YES!” she laughed so carefree, all that hair playing as a curtain draped all over her face. “Oh, spare me.” he scoffed, putting his hand on her head and pushing her underwater, long enough to get his revenge, but not long enough that she might have discomfort.  “Okay, but you have to admit, it was pretty fun! It’s always nice trying out new things, isn’t it?” she laughed, struggling to throw away all that hair from her face. “You, dummy...Get here, I’ll help.” he couldn’t help but show a half smile at the girl since, despite all the silliness and complete lack of mannerism, she always managed to warm his heart more and more. “Thank you. Perhaps I should have braided my hair too before, but, oh well, guess now I can look like one of those vengeful ghosts from the stories our mums would tell us to keep us behaving.” she grinned, letting her hair down to allow the man behind her to braid her hair properly. “Speaking of stories...I once heard one from my mother, and I almost think she was talking about you, especially as I met you when we were young...And you were so small compared to me, even then.” he teased her, making her widen her eyes in intrigue. “Ohh, tell me, tell me!” she turned around, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees, waiting for the story patiently...Or not so, rather. “It’s not much to say...It’s about a little fairy who was struggling to find out what her defining talent. Some had the power to make flowers bloom in a matter of seconds, others could speak to animals, other could bend water, storms or light to their will...And yet, this little fairy that everyone found so odd, couldn’t find her defining talent among all the other girls she knew. Do you want to know why?” he never admitted that, no matter how many times the girl told him, but he had the gift of story-telling and keeping the listener gripped completely. “Yes, tell me!” his heart was melting seeing her almost childlike enthusiasm and fascination on her face that simply his words could create. “She was special, that’s why. Special, even among her peers. Because she was incredibly inventive and handy, so she was sent to the tinkers to create intricate machinery that would aid all the other fairies on their jobs of keeping nature balanced and properly taken care of. And because her dress resembled a bell flower, she was given the name of...Tinkerbell.” he explained the story, which made her jolt to her feet in a second, running to the bed of flowers. “So, you’re saying I’m Tinkerbell, aren’t you? Then, I have to create a proper outfit for my talent! What do you say which flower should I take inspiration from?” she crouched down in front of the flowers, only to hear a scoff from the man. “You won’t find the one there, silly woman...But here.” he leaned to snatch a pink lotus flower from the lagoon, making his way in front of her, and carefully putting in her hair. “Because a lotus is unique. It’s the true symbol of a woman’s noble and pure personality. It represents the ability to remain pure and become enlightened, even through hardships...And I believe that suits you best.” he muttered the end, feeling shy, yet not turning his head away. “You always know what to say, don’t you? You’re so smart and cool...I bet if you were a fairy, you’d have been the king of them all, for you’d have all the talents the others have.” she chuckled softly, leaning her head down just slightly, feeling bashful, her cheeks resembling just a tiny bit the shade of the flower she now so proudly represented. “And you’d be the queen of the empire.” the ghost of a smirk appeared on his face as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

But things can’t always remain as ethereal as they are all the time, and he wasn't blind to the Crown Prince trying woo her, or at least gain her as an ally, as he realised her worth, intellect and shrewdness, and nor was he ignorant to how those obnoxious 5th, 7th and 11th princes were constantly on her tail. They don't deserve to be in her presence! They never appreciated her when she was a child, why should they now? But he was ar least relieved with the fact that he knew she has always been a smart girl and wouldn't fall in their web of lies.

That is...Until he started seeing less and less of her around he library, and more of her around the Princes and the Empress...Mainly the Crown Prince. But he could see she was beginning to lose her light, her glamour, her spark...There was something wrong, and he was worrying about her.  

How pathetic of him. 

Why does he even feel like that? Is that normal? 

Sure, it can be normal for those mundane plebs, but not to him! He had to find a way to talk to her, since clearly, she was afraid of something. 

Could she be...Blackmailed...? 

One day, he found her in the tea house, so he stole the key and bribing the matron there, he prowled in and locked them inside, staring at her with his piercing eyes, watching her prepare a chrysanthemum tea.

"I've never seen you so happy to make tea for everyone who asked you." he pointed out in his usual, cold manner. "...! 3rd Prince, I didn't see you walking in!" she gasped, almost letting the teapot fall from her hands. "Of course you didn't see me. You were much too absorbed in your own mind to see me. I wonder what is troubling you so these days, Y/N." he crossed his arms, analysing her unusual spazzic behaviour. "Oh, u-uhm...Nothing too out of the ordinary. Now, please, if you'd excuse me, I must serve Her Majesty, the Empress, and the Crown Prince with tea." she sighed, hanging her head, hoping he wouldn't see her dejected expression. "You've never been the best at lying or concealing your emotions. Now, tell me the truth. I've known you for years, you can't deceive me." his voice was sharper now, hoping the extra pressure would crack her. 

And it did. "I hate them...I hate them so much...I want to run away, but they are threatening me, and I can't find a way out. The Empress and that...That...That brat of hers are trying to marry me off to one of those horrible and uneducated rats that call themselves Princes...And I don't know what to do!" she slammed the tea tray on the table, and it was clear that she didn't crack - She outright shattered, just like those cups and teapots she placed so gingerly, just a few seconds prior. "So, that's it? They are threatening to marry you if you don't obey, and instead of coming to me for help, you dig a hole and hide in it. I thought you were smarter than that." he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I couldn't possibly get you involved in this mess. You're already on hot waters for being the next best contestant to being an Emperor, along with Yin Zhen, and the Crown Prince hates you. The Emperor wants you to compete as well. If you get involved, it may throw your peaceful life into a complete chaos." she looked away, hanging her head in disappointment. "So you were trying to be considerate with me, I understand. Next time, I'd suggest the smarter approach, which would be communication. I can easily solve all your problems with just a two words." his voice softened, as he chuckled at her reaction. "Two words...? What do you mean...?" she looked up at him, confusion obviously plastered on her face. "Marry me." those words were so simple, so easy to say out loud, and yet, it brought complete turmoil and shock in both of them. "Wh-What ?! I-I- ...Y-You-...?! Wha-...?! B-But...?! Y-You have t-to l-love the person you're marrying, w-we can't just....S-So sudden..." she kept stuttering and rambling, her cheeks as red as his were long ago, when she kissed his cheek. "I see no problem, then." with a mischievous smirk on his face, he stepped forward, kissing her cheek, making her freeze on the spot. "...?! Y-You...You really...?! Since when? Why didn't you say anything sooner?!" her bottom lip quivered softly, frowning at him accusatory. "A long time ago. We were doing fine the way we were before, I didn't see why we should mess with perfection. But others stomped on it, and made you upset, so I have to solve this. And what better way to have you happy, by my side, then to be my bride? Nobody would dare come between us, that much, I can assure you." he explained with clear confidence, knowing very well that she melted, realising her feelings were reciprocated. "...I love you." she threw her arms around him without any warning, which he wasn't surprised by in the least, as she'd always surprise him with kisses, hugs, pinches and little gifts. "...And I love you, Tinkerbell." he muttered, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head. 

As soon as the 3rd Prince went to his father, while he was alone, for his blessings, he received what he wished for. The look of absolute dread and hatred on the faces of the Empress, the Crown prince, and the 5th, 7th and 11th princes, who realised they lost their potential bride and spy to the one everyone least expected to get married. 

The 3rd Prince was, by far, the one with the most tricks up his sleeves, and that will never change.

[carolunea-matea]

Steak and Potatoes

Chapter Three

“Mark! I’m so sorry about last night!” I gave him a hug as we walked up.

“Don’t apologize! We all heard! What a fucking creep! I guess these are your knights in shining armor? Thanks for keeping our Carebear safe! We would have all been devastated if something had happened to her!”

“This is them! Dean, Sam, this is Mark. The best bouncer ever! He’s been quite a hero himself, a few times! I have to go get changed. Sasha in the dressing room?”

“Yeah, she’s back there waiting for you.”

I gave Sam and Dean both a kiss on the cheek.

“Mark, make sure my boys get taken care of while I’m in back! See you guys soon!”

I ran to the back grabbing my outfit from the rack.

“Girl! What the FUCK happened last night? Cam and Trish both called here telling us that Brian had been arrested for attempted kidnapping and that they found a fucking Carebear SHRINE?”

“Grab me a drink while Sash makes me all Princessy and I’ll fill y’all in,” I gave Deb a hug after I threw my clothes off and put on a dressing robe.

“Captain and Coke?”

“Double. Love you forever!”

All the girls gathered around the make up chair while I told them what happened the night before.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Carebear,” Julia hugged me.

“We are all so glad you are ok,” Gloria said a little too kindly.

“Sure you are, Gloria.” The rest of us rolled our eyes.

“All done!” Sasha exclaimed turning me to the mirror as I finished my drink.

“Lady, you are a fucking magician!”

“Go get dressed, you have 10 minutes til they start really letting people in.

I walked into the dressing room and quickly pulled on my Tinkerbell costume. Walking through the back I made my way behind the bar. I spotted Sam and Dean sitting at my corner.

“Can I get you guys a drink?” I asked seductively.

They turned around and Dean’s mouth fell open. Sam smiled.

“Wow, Caroline. Just wow!” Dean was still staring.

“If you think I look good wait til you see the girls.” I handed them each a beer and nodded toward the stage.

“Show is about to start,” I handed them a stack of 50 singles each, “Go have fun boys.”

I grabbed my ear piece and tucked it into place. People started streaming into the bar. It was going to be a long night.

Three o’clock finally hit and I was wiping down the bar.

Sam and Dean walked over both with smiles.

“Thought you didn’t like strip clubs, Sammy?”

“That was an experience...”

“Yeah, still say you look damn good though.”

“Thanks Dean. Let me go get changed, then we can get going. I’m sure you boys are tired.”

Walking into the back was quiet. Most of the girls had already left and Mark was sitting at the bar talking to Sam and Dean.

I grabbed my clothes and went to walk into the dressing room whenI felt someone behind me. I spun around and saw Brian.

What the fuck? He was supposed to be in jail!

“You didn’t think I would go away so easily did you, Caroline? My family really wanted to meet you. But you had to go and get the Winchester’s involved. Do you know how pissed off they are now? The fucking Winchester’s? Now I’m just going to have to kill you.”

Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I screamed louder than I have ever screamed in my life. Brian was on top of me before I could even take a breath for my next scream. And boy was he pissed. He snarled and I could see his fangs. Fangs? What the fuck was going on? When did he get fucking FANGS? I screamed again and Dean came bounding into the dressing room.

“Fucking vampire! Sam! He’s a damn vampire!”

Vampire? I had to have fallen asleep watch Buffy. This shit couldn’t be real.

Someone grabbed my hand.

I looked up and Dean was in the middle of wrestling Brian. Sam had grabbed my hand.

“Sammy! Get her the out of here!”

“Caroline, let’s go!”

Sam and I ran to the Impala.

“Get down and do not move until we come out! Got it?” He passengers side door and helped me climb down to the floor, “We will be back. Just stay down.”

I heard the trunk open then slam shut and the sound of Sam running back into the club.

Vampires? Drink your blood, live forever, demons of sex appeal vampires? Well, Brian had definitely drawn the short straw on that last one. What else was real? 

The Impala door opened and I curled into a tighter ball screaming.

“Caroline. Caroline, shhh! It’s Dean. Look at me.”

I looked up and saw Dean crouching next to the door looking at me worried. I threw my arms around him and started to cry. He slowly stood up pulling me out of the car.

“Shhhh, it’s ok. We took care of him. Shh come on. Let’s get you home.” He sat in the passanger’s side and pulled me into his lap.

This was too much. My boss wanted to kidnap me and what? Turn me into a fucking vampire? What world was this??? Vampires aren’t supposed to be real.

Before I knew it we were back at my house. Dean was about to open the car door when Sam stopped him. He pointed to my roof.

WHAT THE FUCK?! There were six people standing on my fucking roof.

“Sam! Drive!”

“Where!?”

“I don’t know! Back to the bunker!”

Just like that, my life changed forever.

Tag List:

@idk-wtf-is-happening   @greengellybean   @read-the-reid  

@anjiep24   @wandering-rosebud   @xcarapherneliabearx

Chapter 2    Chapter 4

 Master List

[soulspideys]

hi!!! congrats on ur first hundred!!! if you don't mind can i have a peter drabble? My name's grace and my favorite ice cream flavor is mint choc chip! My favorite music is classic rock (and also broadway bc i'm trash). I dance and write and i love to read. I'm also a feminist and i'm super into politics! and AH the hard part... hmm... omg what about a school play with peter as the lead?

thanks love!! and you came to the right place for a theatergeek!peter ;)) i actually really enjoyed this, i hope you do too!

want a drabble?

“Peter Parker? What the hell are you doing here?”

Peter turned a bright pink as Flash pushed his way through the crowd of eager auditionees clustered around the cast list. 

“I, uh, I auditioned and wanted to see if I, you know–”

“No, absolutely not,” said Flash, shaking his head. “I refuse to believe that Penis Parker was given a part in this show.”

“Lay off of him, Flash.”

Peter’s head shot up as the very reason he had auditioned in the first place pushed her way to stand next to Flash, her hands on her hips.

“Oh, I get it now,” said Flash, his eyes cutting between Grace and Peter. 

“Get out of here, Flash,” Grace snapped.

Shooting Peter a glare, Flash pushed back through the crowd, but he was having a hard time getting back to the cast list. Grace smiled at Peter. “I’m glad you ended up auditioning. I hope we get to work together.”

“Yeah, uh, me too,” stuttered Peter.

“Have you seen the list yet?”

Students were starting to filter off, talking excitedly or looking downcast. Peter watched them go, suddenly feeling nervous about his chances of getting in. Then he turned his attention back to Grace and her question. “Uh, no. No, I haven’t. You?”

“Not yet.” She smiled at him. “Come on, let’s look together.”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the window where a piece of paper was taped. On it were the words Peter and Wendy Cast List. Flash was staring intently at the paper.

Grace scanned the paper, a smile breaking across her paper.

“Congrats on getting Wendy, Grace!” a girl walking by said.

“Thank you!” said Grace excitedly. She turned to look at Peter. “And Peter, this is awesome, you’re–”

“No. No, no, no.” Flash interrupted them, staring venomously at Peter. “There must be a mistake, he can’t be.”

Grace rolled her eyes, tugging Peter forward and pointing eagerly at the list. Peter stared, barely comprehending.

Peter Pan - Peter Parker

And then, a few names below:

Smee - Flash Thompson

Peter felt himself smiling. He glanced at Grace, the girl he had harbored a crush on for three years now. She was beaming, still holding his arm. “Oh, Pete!” she said. “This is so exciting! I can’t wait to work with you!”

Flash scoffed and turned on his heel, storming off.

As rehearsals began, Grace was increasingly impressed by Peter’s acting chops. She repeatedly asked him if he was sure he didn’t have an acting background, and he always insisted that he didn’t.

The week before the show rolled around. Everyone was to act in full costume and lights. The beginning of the play went by well, with no mishaps. Grace kissed Peter on the cheek before getting her hair “pulled” by Tinkerbell. They were granted a fifteen minute break before running the final act.

This was the part that made Grace nervous. Before returning home, Wendy was supposed to kiss Peter – actually kiss him, on the lips. She and Peter hadn’t done it yet, but they were supposed to this week. When the scene containing the kiss started, Grace felt her heart pounding.

“But Wendy lady, you can’t go!” one of the lost boys protested.

Grace looked at Peter sadly. “Don’t you see, Peter? I have to go back to mama and papa.”

Peter didn’t look at her. “I understand. Tinkerbell will show you the way home.”

“Look at me, Peter!”

“Goodbye, Wendy.”

“Peter….”

He lifted his head, pulling the thimble from his pocket. He held it out. “I expect you’ll be wanting your kiss back.”

“No. In fact, I think I might like to give you another one.”

Peter stood, putting the thimble back in his pocket. He held out his hand again. Her heart in her throat, Grace took his hand and stepped closer. Peter’s eyes widened, and his breathing was fast. She pressed her lips to his; it was a chaste, pure kiss, but it still caused her breath to hitch in her chest.

She pulled away, already preparing to hear the harsh line that followed.

“I do think I preferred the other kiss.”

Biting her lip, Grace turned away. “I’m ready to go home.”

The lost boys clamored in protest, but Peter just sat down. Tinkerbell led Wendy home, and they finished the play. The director let them take a break before giving notes, and Grace walked over to Peter.

“Hey, Pete,” she said softly.

“Hi,” he said with a thin smile.

She sat down next to him, feeling his shoulders tense. She rested her head on his shoulder, and after a moment, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“I’m really glad you auditioned,” she whispered.

Peter was silent. Then he breathed, “Me too.”

[thekimmiandjackieshow]

My Day on Main Street.

Main Street, U.S.A. It’s what many Disney fans think of when they think of visiting the parks. Whether guests visit the west coast or the east coast, they will definitely take a stroll down Main Street, one of the most magical streets on Earth. Just under the train tracks at Walt Disney World is the not-so-subtle scent of Disney’s famous popcorn. Guests on one side are rushing into City Hall to get their celebration buttons and park recommendations. Guests on the other side are rushing into the theater to meet Mickey Mouse or Tinkerbell. Right on the corner, where the Town Square ends and Main Street begins, sits the famous Emporium. On the other side sit a variety of shops from a classic confectionary to the famous ice cream parlor. The walk down Main Street turns very sweet as smells of freshly made caramel apples and fudge waft into the air. At the end of Main Street, to the left, sits Casey’s Corner. To the right, Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, one can smell hot salted fries and hot dogs, or perfect waffle cones. The street is bustling with guests and upbeat instrumentals throughout the entire day, greeting guests the way they’ve been greeted since Magic Kingdom first opened their gates. Of course, just beyond the quick service restaurant and ice cream parlor, is the hub grass, creating a perfect garden that sits in front of the magnificently tall Cinderella Castle. 

As the day rolls on, parade performers will dance down the street, characters will take to the stage right in front of the castle, the fireworks will signify the end of the night, and the final Kiss Goodnight will light up the castle and thank guests for another magical day.

It’s no wonder that so many Cast Members love working on Main Street. While it has its own challenges, working the shops of Main Street sounded like one of the most magical places a Cast Member could work. So obviously, I had to try it out for myself.

I had been hesitant about picking up a shift at the Emporium. Famous for being “the shop that had it all” and “the one stop shop for Disney merchandise”, it was arguably the busiest store on property, if not second only to World of Disney in Disney Springs. I had gotten so used to Animal Kingdom that I was worried I’d be overwhelmed by the Emporium. My roommate from the spring happened to work there though, and insisted it wasn’t that bad. Sure enough, a shift fell into my lap and I knew I had to take it. 

My shift was a midday shift, so parking at the Magic Cast lot was awful. I parked in a spot near a lake I had never seen before and walked towards costuming. The Emporium costume was easy to find - one of the perks of being such a large store with so many Cast Members. It also helped that I had been in Magic Kingdom costuming several times before for the other shifts I had picked up. The accessory bin in the middle of costuming held the clip on tie I needed, and I was soon on my way. This costume was one of my favorites. While most costumes went perfectly with the theme of the land, most of them were also uncomfortable and fairly unflattering. The Emporium costume is pretty cute for what it is though, looks good on almost everybody, and is comfortable. Though I bet people who have to stock in a skirt are less than thrilled about that. I went into the tunnels, changed into the costume, and took the straight shot beneath the castle to Main Street. 

Finding the doors to the Emporium made me a little nervous. It wasn't that it was difficult to find, but I was worried that I’d open a random door and find myself on stage. I found my way to two large swinging doors at the top of a staircase, but the sign on it said to be sure you were 100% stage ready before going in. I still hadn't found the lockers yet. I walked back down the stairs and a few signs led me to the Main Street breakroom. Lockers sat directly across from that - the type where you punch in your own code to lock it. A few Main Street Cast Members were standing there, throwing things in their locker and putting their name tags on, so I figured I was in the right place. Back to the double doors I went. I thought that even if I had ended up on stage in the middle of the Emporium, I could ask somebody for directions to CDS (where I was meant to clock in). It turned out that the double doors led only to a small stock room with a CDS computer and a shelf where coordinators were planning their day. The CDS corner had a few Cast Members awkwardly shifting their weight back and forth, all wearing skirts that fell at different lengths, who were nervously making conversation with each other. They were all EHH too. 

I imagine that a place as big as the Emporium always has EHH Cast Members awkwardly roaming around. Even our small DAK location had a few EHH come in each day. A small paper just above CDS told us to talk to a coordinator right after clocking in and before getting an assignment. There was so much to take in though, that our entire small group missed this memo and picked up an assignment. 

Cast Members go to CDS frequently throughout their shift to “get assignments”. What it means is that a computer software program has the preset information that determines what position needs to be filled at any given time. A coordinator can add or take away these presets to fill need on-demand. It’s also the system that gives cast their breaks or “bump outs” (for clocking out at the end of their shift). 

A stressed out coordinator turned around and told us we all should have waited. I guess it’s one of those things that seems obvious to the people that are there all the time, but we were all new and all taking everything in. To us, it was just another piece of paper amongst all the other notices surrounding CDS. He rearranged our assignments so that other Cast Members didn’t miss their breaks and assigned us all to a meeting with him. He printed out brochures welcoming us to the Emporium and had information we’d need throughout our shift. It included an actual map of the Emporium with a key stating what merchandise was where. That was the moment I started to feel overwhelmed. Then he assigned each of us a Cast Member to give us a tour of the shop and explain some of the things we’d definitely need to know. 

The Emporium, of course, had some themed language. This was one of my favorite parts about picking up shifts in other places. Animal Kingdom Strollers didn’t tend to have any themed language. Breaks were breaks, registers were just registers, stacking and prepping strollers was just stack/unstack, etc. Themed language made a huge difference for me. It was, to me, (at least in part) what set Disney apart from other places. It was what helped remind Cast Members that they were more than Merchandise Cast Members, they were part of a story. While some assignments in the Emporium were just assignments, going to the bathroom and going on break had code phrasing. Even things as small as that made the job more fun.

My shift started out in one of the large rooms, the one with high ceilings and tall windows. I couldn’t begin to tell you what zone that was, but there I was, ringing guests out left and right. It was mid afternoon, so the store was slow. A guest occasionally asked me where something was, but another Cast Member was always there to walk the guest directly to the item. I stood in one spot, behind the register, until my next assignment. 

It wasn’t long before Festival of Fantasy passed by our windows. The store emptied out to uplifting FOF music, and nearby Cast Members started to hum along as they cleaned up the store. Maleficent stretched her head high above the crowd to breathe fire, and I watched her amaze guests from the tall windows in the room. The Emporium was quickly becoming my favorite place to work.

After the parade, a small rush of people popped into the store. I rang a few guests out back to back, managing the line with another Cast Member on register next to me. A few guests bought an extraordinary amount of souvenirs, while other guests spilled out their pocket change for one last Mickey Mouse keychain for their fully decked out kid. The line dissipated quickly though, and I was once again in awe of Emporium’s efficiency. See, at Animal Kingdom Main Entrance, the person at registers is never JUST the person at registers. They are also the people wandering the store floor to make sure that everybody is finding everything they need. They are the ones tidying up the store to make sure things are in their proper place. They are the ones checking the back for a different sized shirt because the ONE stocker is either on break or is working the cart across the way. They are the ones manning the ENTIRE store. The store is small, but it does sometimes get filled with people, and when it does, there aren’t a lot of Cast Members to get things done. It often leaves the person at register running around the place quite a bit. This also happens at the actual strollers location towards the end of the night. One person is checking people out, collecting strollers/wheelchairs/ECV’s, refunding ECV deposits, collecting locker keys, maintaining the package pick up service, and trying to wish guests one last “wild night” before they leave Animal Kingdom. This might be manageable if guests all stood in one single-file line and waited for assistance, but the reality is that guests are approaching the garage area with their strollers and such while folks waiting to check out hang out by the registers. It’s doable with the right energy and attitude, but picking up a shift at the Emporium made me realize that other locations are well-staffed. Sure they’re busier for a larger percentage of the working day, but it means that each Cast Member is purely responsible for their one job. They trust that the other Cast Members will do their part, so they can do their’s. My assignment was to be on registers, whether a guest was there or not. I stood in one place the entire time. It felt unusual.

Throughout the day I was moved to various rooms. I worked in the princess area for a while and sorted charms. When I got my slip for my “tea” (my break), I was given a 30 minute break. I thought it was a mistake but apparently six and a half hour shifts warrant 30 minute breaks in Magic Kingdom. At Animal Kingdom, six hour shifts = 15 minute break. As I was hanging out in the Magic Kingdom break room, I ran into my old coordinator. He transferred to Magic Kingdom for parade audience control, but had been one of my favorite coordinators at DAK. We talked briefly before I went back upstairs. Shortly after that, I took another 15 minute tea. I felt like I hadn’t even worked at all but there I was, on another break. I spent it talking to a girl who worked outdoor food vending on Main Street before going back upstairs. 

The rest of my day was very casual. I worked at different registers in different rooms. I made acquaintances with the other Cast Members during the slow periods. I hummed along to the princess music in the princess room, up until a little guest pulled on my skirt to ask me if I was a princess. And then, before I knew it, my carriage had arrived and my day was over. Typically at DAK, Cast Members can receive a “bump out” 15 minutes or less before their shift is over. It’s meant to give the Cast Member time to wrap up what they’re doing with the guest they’re working with before walking back to the register to clock out. At Magic Kingdom though, Cast Members are allowed to clock out a few minutes early and still get paid as though they clocked out at the end of their shift to account for the time it takes to get back to their car. This means that bump outs happen even earlier than they usually would. 

I clocked out, but I felt surprised that the day was already over. Between the tour of the Emporium, the 30 minute break and the 15 minute break, and the early bump out, it felt as though I hadn’t even worked. Staying in one position and only being responsible for that one job was also far less exhausting to me. I looked at my phone to see how many steps I had taken during my shift. 

6,000. 

My norm for a 6.5 hour shift at Animal Kingdom was roughly 15-18,000. 

Now I’m not saying a job at the Emporium is easier than a job at DAK. I know it has drawbacks that I didn’t experience. But I was surprised to find that it was so well organized and so well staffed that I didn’t need to do a million things at once. All I had to do was focus on the guest in front of me, and that made for more memorable conversations and more magical moments. 

I walked through the tunnels and back to the shuttle. At that moment, I was so grateful to be a Cast Member. I imagined all the people that dreamed of the day they would get to watch Festival of Fantasy from the window of their workplace before clocking out and making the walk in the infamous tunnels beneath the castle. I thought about all the people who were on Main Street, getting ready to watch the fireworks and thinking about how they never wanted to leave Walt Disney World. I thought about all the people, still at home, applying over and over again to be part of the college program. The simple magic of the Emporium and the fantastic leaders there made me want to continue being a Cast Member for as long as I could. I wished that I felt that way more often as I boarded my bus back to my car.

As I stepped off the shuttle at the Cast parking lot, I realized I had parked in such a hurry that I didn’t really know where I had parked. All I had remembered was that it was by some body of water. I spent the next while trying to find it, and managed to catch some of Wishes as I searched. It made me miss home. It made me miss the days where I would walk back to the Cast parking lot at Disneyland after a shift in Downtown Disney during the fireworks. Although the fireworks at Disneyland are much closer to the cars, so all the car alarms would be blaring and all that could be heard was the sound of cars going haywire and booming fireworks. I did miss home, but I was happy to be where I was. The Emporium was a magical place, and I wish I got the chance to work there more.

[hazelandglasz]

Kink(o)s

(Too long for the ask box)

(I think I have found a prompt) So, I went to print Sunshunes’ Klaine calendar today, And there was this kind of hot looking guy who was the printer, and he uploads the pictures for the calendar on his computer. And for May, there’s this picture of Blaine in a Tinkerbell skirt with his butt poking from underneath it, and when that picture was being uploaded, the guy sent me this weird look and it ABSOLUTELY MORTIFYING and REALLY EMBARRASSING /)w(\ . Maybe you could write it for Klaine? (Like one of them want to print something, maybe a calendar with hot guys, like I did, and the other one is the hot printer? Idek, it sounded better in my head) *blushing, flies off into the sun*

- Cherry

I changed your prompt a little bit but I hope you’ll like it ! And so sorry it took me so long to write it !

It’s for a good cause.

Blaine straightens up, squares his shoulders and pushes the door of the printer’s shop.

He and his classmates did not make the calendar out of vanity but, for one, to relieve their female classmates of the sexism in the basic organization of a sexy NYU calendar, and for second, to gather funds for the LGBTQA club.

Good cause.

Yeah.

That’s why they all let the whole costume department have fun with them, with costumes and props, after all–even if in some cases, the prop was actually nothing at all.

Not even clothes.

Blaine gets in line with a shudder at the memory of opening the door for his own shoot and finding Professor Neve, of all people, in his birthday suit.

He pats his pocket to make sure he has the USB key–honestly, he doesn’t know if he’s actually relieved to feel it under his fingertips.

To be even more honest, none of the “models” got to see which picture was used in the final calendar–Tina was adamant about having total artistic control over it, and since feminism was the big starting point of the whole project, nobody dared ask for even a look at it before taking it to the printer.

Blaine took so many pictures, so he really wonders which one made the final cut.

“Next!”

Blaine looks up and for a split second, he forgets what he is doing here, because the guy behind the counter?

Rocks that navy blue shirt.

“How can I help you today, sir?”

Well, it’s not exactly navy, more like lavender, but it really makes the man’s eye pop …

“Sir?”

And look at that fit …

“Excuse me, sir?”

Blaine shakes his head like he just emerged from a deep pool. “Sorry, I was …” contemplating throwing the calendar in the Hudson and ask you to model for it, “lost in thoughts.”

The man smiles and gives a little shrug of understanding. It makes the tag on his chest glint, and Blaine wastes no time committing that name to memory.

Kurt.

“What can I do for you today, sir?”

Blaine picks the key and slides it on the counter. “There is file on this key, should be name NYU Cal,” he explains as Kurt plugs the key in–just one try, this guy is clearly made of magic–, “I need to see first how it looks printed on glossy and mat paper.”

“Alright,” Kurt says, eyes on the screen as he opens the PDF file. “Oh a calendar?”

“Most of the drama department decided to give back to the community,” Blaine replies, leaning over the counter to look at the pictures too.

The cover is innocent enough, in NYU bright purple. The next picture is Kevin, who works in sets, with a … well it is his usual attire, bare his shirt–a toolbelt around his waist, and several paint splotches on his shoulders. He doesn’t look bad, and it’s a pretty good start.

Blaine discretely sighs in relief.

Before choking on air as Mr. February, aka Cupid, aka Pr. Neve, fills up the screen.

“Um …,” Kurt says, side-eyeing Blaine with something that is either bewilderment or completely judgmental.

“Our Renaissance drama history teacher,” Blaine says, suddenly finding the nuances of the beige countertop fascinating. See, there is beige, and some spots of darker beige, and lines of lighter beige and–

“Is there–is there a picture of you?”

Blaine looks up like a prairie dog out of its hole, eyes wide as he processes the words.

“Ah? Hum, maybe, I–I’m not sure, I mean,” he pauses, awkwardly chuckling, “I did pose for some pictures, but I don’t–”

Kurt nods, a definite pinker hue to his cheeks as he very firmly keeps his eyes on the screen.

Even the tip of his ears turns red while he clicks through the pages.

With a sense of purpose, it appears.

Blaine looks at him, sparing a glance for the screen when a particular image captures his eyes–oh, look, Elliott–until Kurt stops clicking.

And lets out a small whimper-gasp.

Oh Lord.

Which one did she end up picking???

“That’s, um … an interesting calendar,” Kurt says, trying to discreetly tug on his collar.

Blaine has to lean a little bit more to look at the picture–oh, a not so small part of him feels proud that he can make Kurt literally a little bit hotter under his collar, and who knows, maybe he could take care of said collar later on–and Kurt finally turns the screen towards him.

Oh Lord indeed.

“It’s for a good cause,” he manages to croak out, more for himself than for Kurt’s sake if he’s being completely honest.

“I’m sure.”

Kurt’s ears are on fire now, it should not be as endearing as it is–and yet.

“The LGBT club always needs more funds.”

Kurt is straightening up, and the corner of his mouth twitches into a smile. “With that calendar, funds are guaranteed.”

“Oh?”

“Guaranteed.”

“Oh!” Blaine blushes but refuses to look away now. “Thank you.”

Kurt smiles at him and shakes his head. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I would never.”

“I can … appreciate the aesthetic.”

“Hence my gratitude.”

“Hm.”

Blaine takes a deep breath and decides to just take a little leap of faith. “I could be even more grateful,” he starts, and Kurt stops typing on his keyboard, the unmistakable purr of the printer launched behind him, “if I could–that is, if you’d like, go on a coffee break? Date? With me?”

Kurt’s eyes are wide and Blaine is about to forget about the whole thing, the calendar, the date, all of it.

He can avoid this part of the city for the rest of his life, right?

“I’d love that.”

Or maybe just leave the whole cit–what?

“You–you would?”

“I would.”

They smile at each other like two idiots until the older woman in line behind Blaine clears her throat.

Oh, she smiles at them a bit too knowingly, but the fact remains that he is holding the line.

“Here are your two copies, in mat and glossy,” Kurt says, voice higher than a moment before. “Call m–call us to let us know how many copies of which you will need.”

On top of the two calendars, Blaine finds a folded piece of paper and puts it in his breast pocket. “I will.”

“You can pay at the front desk,” Kurt adds, nodding towards the counter where a black woman is watching them with a beaming smile. “And don’t mind her.”

Blaine laughs, reaching for the calendars just as Kurt pushes them closer to him. Their hands brush, and for a moment, Blaine lets his fingers linger. “See you later, Kurt.”

“See you later, Blaine.”

Blaine starts walking towards the counter when Kurt calls his name. “Blaine!”

“Hm?”

“Save one calendar for me?”

“Of course.”

Two months later, when Blaine comes to Kurt’s place for dinner–minus the black woman, aka Kurt’s best friend–the calendar has a place of honor in the entrance.

Except that it’s several months in advance.

Blaine is too busy kissing his boyfriend to comment on it, though.

[surveysonfleek]

339.

1: Golden mornings or peachy sunsets? peachy sunsets for sure.

2: Sugar cones or waffle cones? fresh waffle cones.

3: Do you wear scarves often? do you have a favorite? i hardly wore scarves this winter sadly. i always forget about them.

4: How long do you lay in bed before you finally get up? not that long tbh.

5: Is there a food you’ve never had but always wanted to try? american carnival food. it’s probably so bad but so good.

6: What does your umbrella look like? just plain black.

7: Do you listen to ASMR? i did back when it was trending but it’s not for me.

8: Rain storms or a light drizzle? storms but only if i’m home.

9: What’s a little thing in life that you love? trying things for the first time.

10: Favorite color aesthetic? pastels. or any colour with black and white.

11: Wobbly lines or using a ruler? haven’t used a ruler in years.

12: Bright colorful living room or neutral cozy living room? ours is colourful lol.

13: Do you have any candles? what scents are they? yes, quite a few. the main one i’m using is watermelon scented.

14: Have you ever rode a horse? yes.

15: Do you have glasses? yes.

16: What’s a language you’d like to speak? anything tbh. as long as i’ll be using it everyday.

17: What’s your favorite season and favorite month in that season? autumn. it’s in march, april and may.

18: Do you have a favorite pair of socks? nope.

19: Favorite Ghibli and/or disney movie? aladdin. tbh idk what ghibli is lol.

20: Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar? disney.

21: What snacks do you usually get at the theater? i don’t usually get anything. if i do, it’s popcorn.

22: What’s an underrated video game/ movie/ show you love and think it needs more recognition? idk most of the ones i’ve played are pretty big names.

23: Would you fill your house with plants if you had a green thumb? yes, definitely! it looks nice.

24; All plants are great but do you have a favorite? idk flowers?

25: Do you have a favorite type of art style? (eg: soft looking, no to little color, sketches, crisp and clean, minimalist, pixel art etc.) nah i can appreciate all art.

26: What would you do if someone gave you flowers? be surprised but really appreciative.

27: Do you like nicknames? sometimes.

28: Do you still watch shows you watched when you were a kid? even from time to time? not really.

29: Do you still like old memes? (tell the truth) not that i’ve noticed.

30: Favorite Halloween costume you dressed up as? (if you don’t celebrate halloween have you ever cosplayed or would you like to? who did you cosplay as?) when i was a kid my mum made me a tinkerbell costume. it was hilarious.

31: Are you a fashionable person? not really haha.

32: Do you like watching holiday movies? nah.

33: Cookies or brownies? i’m hungryyyy. brownies i think.

34: Do you blow in the cold air just to see your breath? yeah sometimes.

35: Do you find the crickets chirping outside your window relaxing? nope.

36: Do you like cobblestone streets? sure.

37: How often do you doodle? not often enough.

38: When was the last time you blew bubbles? haha i don’t even remember.

39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room? i bought this pop art marilyn monroe wall piece for like $400 back when i was 15. it was the first ever ‘expensive’ thing i bought. it’s hung in my sister’s room now because it wouldn’t suit the decor in mine.

40: Do you bite your fingernails off or clip them more often? clip.

41: Any birthmarks? a small one on my side.

42: Thoughts on freckles? cute i guess.

43: First video game you ever played? alex the kid.

44: what type of bird do you hear most often outside your door? idk but they’re all so annoying in the morning.

45: Do you use gifs/ memes a lot when replying to people’s thing? not usually.

46: Thoughts on spring? it’s okaaay. i get hayfever.

47: Ideal temperature outside? warm in the sun, cool in the shade.

48: Cloudy, partly cloudy, or clear skies? partly cloudy.

49: How often do you hear airplanes outside? not that often tbh.

50: Do you enjoy windy days? not really. my hair goes everywhere.

[a-sapphicwrites]

Be my Girlfriend

It’s at times like these that I wish I didn’t give into peer pressure so easily. It’s also at times like these that make me regret on how much of a procrastinator that I am. I frantically ran around in the apartment in search of articles of clothing I can wear, anything. After not being able to find anything of use, I returned back to my room to search through my closet. I opened the door to my closet and shuffled through the various boxes of clothes and other miscellaneous stuff I’ve collected and shoved into the back of my closet over the years.

I could always dress up as a black cat like the previous Halloween. However, I wanted this Halloween to be different. I want to surprise my friends with something different. I could dress up as a vampire but the costume that I have for it is too suggestive for my taste. I furrowed my eyebrows and pinched the bridge of my nose. What should I wear?

A knock on the door was sounded. I told them that they could come in and they opened the door. It was my roommate and she crossed her arms over her stomach in a relaxed way before leaning in the doorway. She gave me a smirk.

“Whatcha doing, Tinkerbell?” she asked. When we first met, my hair at the time was a pixie cut and I dyed it blonde. She didn’t really catch my name at first and referred to me as Tinkerbell to her friends before finally learning my name. She often calls me that as sort of an inside joke between us.

I looked up at her and sighed. I returned my gaze to the mirror and held up the black cat costume in one hand before placing it on my lap.

“What should I be for Halloween?” I questioned.

“Wear whatever you want,” she suggested.

I scrunched up my eyebrows.

“I’m aware that I can dress up as however, I please but like that piece of advice isn’t exactly helpful right now,” I admitted.

“What about that vampire costume you wore two years ago? I think you looked pretty attractive in that.”

“No, when I wore that, I got a bunch of unsolicited comments from guys wanting to hook up with me and I don’t exactly want a repeat of that,” I replied back while standing up.

“How about be Tinkerbell?”

“NO! Come on Monet, give me some actual suggestions, this is serious,” I pleaded.

She looked at me for a few moments before a sly smirk appeared stretched across her lips. She saunters over and stood behind me. She wrapped her long arms around my neck and hugged me.

“My girlfriend,” she trailed the words off her tongue in an effortless way. I felt my cheeks heat up and my heart pounding against my chest. This has gotta be a joke. She doesn't actually mean that.

“Be serious,” I remarked before looking away from the mirror to avert my eyes away from her piercing gaze. She gently took hold of my chin to its original position.

“I’m serious. Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“How could I possibly accept a request with such a cheesy line,” I said.

“So...is that a yes?”

I closed my eyes and broke off the embrace by walking a few steps ahead of myself. I turned around and stood there for a few moments. I gave her a sly smirk

“I’ll be your girlfriend if you help me pick a costume.”

She silently cursed to herself. I couldn’t help but giggle in response.

“Well, you don't really have a lot of time to go out and buy a costume so I think your best bet is the cat costume, you can get a different costume at another time for another year,” Monet advised before picking the cat costume off the ground and giving it to me.

“Yeah, you're right,” I sighed before taking the costume from her. “On an unrelated note...is it okay if I call you babe?”

“Can I do the same for you as well?” Monet asked with a dorkish grin.

I nodded my head before wrapping my arms around her waist. I placed my head against her chest and stood there for a while. I knew that if I didn't get going soon, I was going to be late for the party but I didn’t care.

[perla-speedofsound-adventuring]

Wendy’s Visit

((Sort of a sequel to this: http://perla-speedofsound-adventuring.tumblr.com/post/142140395411/wendys-ever-after

I managed to have another weird Peter Pan related dream but I didn’t have the time to write it until now! I’m pretty sure it’s a sequel to the first because Wendy ended up looking how she did in my first dream so… Though it may seem a bit out there, remember I’m just writing my interpretation of what I saw in my dream  so of course it might not make too much sense. What shall we call this? Disney Princess Soul Wielder Wendy AU?))

Wendy was back in Neverland after not visiting for quite sometime. Peter had convinced her to come over since the Lost Boys and even Tinkerbell always seemed to wonder about her. She had of course agreed and was swiftly taken.

As they flew above the island, Wendy could only look down in wonder and amazement. “Oh Peter, nothing has changed!” She cried happily. Peter smiled but then gave an unsure look as he looked away from her. Wendy noticed this and tilted her head. “Peter? Is.. is something wrong?” She asked. Peter looked back at her then. “Well.. sure Neverland has stayed the same but.. there are some things that have changed,” he said. “What could you mean? Sure you’ve become physically stronger, that’s apparent. And I’m sure Tiger Lily has as well so I won’t be surprised if she’s grown to look more like myself in stature. If you’re referring to the Lost Boys, you shouldn’t be upset at the fact that they may be growing stronger too,” she said as she furrowed her brows. “No it’s not that! Of course I’m proud of my Boys for toughening up. It’s just.. I guess you’ll just have to see,” he said. Before Wendy could ask anything more, they had already arrived at the ever so familiar fort.

Wendy’s smile widened as she delicately landed in front of the fort. Peter gave a sad smile as he slumped his shoulders a moment before calling to the boys. “Lost Boys! Front and center!” He said managing to bring back the cheer in his voice as he cupped one hand to his mouth. After a short moment of silence, they began to hear rushing steps coming from inside until they all came tumbling out the door until they formed a horizontal line and saluted firmly. “Hey hey, at ease boys. We have a special guest with us today,” Peter said as he gestured to Wendy. The boys looked down to meet Wendy’s modest gaze. She giggled shortly before waving her hand. “Hello boys,” she said modestly.

“WENDY!” They all exclaimed as they began to rush over to her until Peter swiftly went to stand in front of her. “Stop!” He said firmly. The Lost Boys all halted and froze in place as they looked up at him. “She’s a lady. Pick yourselves up,” he said as he waved a dismissive hand. They all scrambled to stand up straight and put themselves in order as they all smiled eagerly to her. Wendy laughed shortly before spreading her arms out. “And the hug?” She said encouragingly. They all walked over to her and embraced her tightly. After a moment, Wendy opened her eyes and looked around shortly. Noticing that all the Lost Boys were there except for one. She looked over at Peter and noticed his half-hearted expression. “Where’s Tootles?” She asked awkwardly.

Peter looked up at her, his saddened expression unchanging. He then looked over at the fort. “Tootles?” He called towards the door. After a moment, they heard gradual steps come up until he revealed himself. Wendy’s eyes widened as she looked at him. He wasn’t the smallest youngest Lost Boy he used to be. He appeared to have actually… grown. He had grown to be about Peter’s age appearance wise, but his skunk costume was still his consistent theme. He had grown to be charming in appearance, his freckles adding to that curious look. Wendy moved the other Lost Boys aside and slowly walked up to him. “What… what happened?” She said as she placed her hand on his cheek. He moved to sadly put his hand over hers.

“Hook got to him. I wasn’t fast enough to get to him in time so he… managed to kidnap him for a few years before we finally got a chance to get him back to Neverland. But the effects of being on the outside for that long well… are irreversible,” Peter explained glumly. Wendy was shocked with what she was hearing. The youngest of the Lost Boys now being one of the eldest. Tootles took Wendy’s hand in his and gave a small smirk. It appeared that while different in appearance, he remained the same in the fact that he was mostly mute. He pulled her slightly closer to him as he gave a firm nod. Wendy tried to piece together what he was intending. “Do you.. want me to stay?” She asked unsurely. He nodded approvingly. “Hey hold on. You know she can’t. She has an important job to do back home. She can’t stay here and pretend to be ‘Mother’ again,” Peter said firmly. Tootles grew a frustrated look as he walked up to Peter. They were the same height so they stood face to face. Peter was sure to stand strong and proud in front of him.

Tootles then pulled out a small dagger and stood in a readied stance. “Hey! Are you challenging me?” Peter asked. Tootles gave a firm nod. “Oh alright. Whoever wins has it their way,” Peter said as he pulled out his own dagger and readied himself as well. “For Wendy!” He said before coming at Tootles with his first slash. Tootles swiftly dodged and began to fight back. Wendy brought her hands to her mouth in shock at the display before. They were actually fighting over her. “Hey come on Peter!” “Yeah Peter! Bring Wendy home!” The Lost Boys began to exclaim amongst the ruckus. They watched for a short while before Tootles managed to just barley place a small cut to Peter’s cheek. Wendy gasped and stormed up to the two fighting boys. “Enough!” She exclaimed as she stood between them. Peter rubbed his cheek shortly as he watched Wendy walk up to Tootles. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“I choose Peter,” she said with a firm nod. The other Lost Boys ooo’d as they glanced at Peter. His face beginning to flush. “Though you’ve in fact grown some, this simply does not mean you get your way in whatever you want. As a good and loyal Lost Boy, you must follow Peter to his every word,” she scorned as she wagged her finger at him. Tootles gave a saddened look as he looked away a moment. He then pouted and tilted his head apologetically. Wendy furrowed her brows but smiled. He was still a naive little boy at heart. He didn’t know any better. “Just don’t do anything so hasty ever again alright? You’re a good boy. And though there is nothing we can do about what happened with you and Hook, we can learn from it and only improve from here on.” He nodded eagerly before everyone exclaimed, “Right!” She then went to hug him and laughed shortly. Once she separated their hug, Peter went to hug her from the side. She moved her arm to hug him back as they smiled, watching the Lost Boys resume to play together.