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riphobisbraces · 8 months

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The Lucky Seven | BTS ot7 x reader

Hybrid/Royal AU

~ Chapter 1 ~

[ word count 3400+ ]

❀ genre: dark royal core, hybrid au, royalty au, hybrids/knights!ot7 x human/ princess!reader, afab (she/her) reader, polyamory (mostly ot7 x reader), strangers to lovers, daddy dom, smut and sexual sometimes. tiny bits of horror

❀ warnings: smut, swearing, murder, death (not the reader or ot7 though, I'm not evil), mentions of inbreeding (not between reader or ot7) some unsettling horror depictions, it won't be every chapter though or the whole story, just little bits here and there. (I'm willing to re write chapters for you to read if you can't do horror but still wanna follow along, just ask!🖤)

——— summary ———

In a world of hybrids and humans, following each other closely to extinction, you are one of the last full humans, Princess y/l/n of the emerald nation. humans are essential for the survival of hybrids so why are assailants hunting you and your family down? because of this, the court has decided it’d be best for you to be guarded at all times by the nations strongest knights, you’ve only ever heard of them but have never seen their faces. What will happen once you come face to face with the infamous “lucky seven”?

[ chapter 1 ]

“you will not go.”

Your father states lowly but firmly. The voice sharp enough to slice the chatter amongst the servants into silence. you were having lunch with your mother and father when you made the fatal mistake of bringing up the possibility of you attending tonight’s annual masquerade ball and thereby making your debut to the kingdom.

Ever since you were a little girl you had been sheltered your entire life. You’re told it’s for your own protection, for your people. you have to stay safe and alive to be able to nourish your nation.

being one of the last full blooded humans, you are a target. No one knows what you look like and you don’t know what anyone else looks like as well. Aside from your staff and servants, no one has ever seen your face. The kingdom and nation knows of your existence of course and they love you nonetheless but because of the scarcity of humans, your father has hidden you away in fear of you being kidnapped or worse.

Your father sees you as a priceless pearl, something he has the strong urge to protect. You were his treasure and he himself had a dark past he never got into as to why he was so overprotective. “but father… I’m 22 years old..” you say but as soon as it leaves your mouth, you wish you could take it back.

“Daughter, I know your age. And to question me is to disobey me, please leave your mother and I at once and make your way into your chamber” your father ends the conversation with that, wiping his mouth with his hanker-chief. He’s always been strict and what he says is always final. As you sat across from your mother, you stood up, placing your hands on the cold grey marble table.

You give her a look, furrowing your eyebrows as to say “please say something” but to your dismay she does the same as your father, wiping her mouth then clearing her throat before looking down to finish her meal. You sigh before you give in with a feeble “yes father”. standing up, you make your way out of dining room, feeling sympathetic glances from the staff as you leave the room.

Walking to your chamber you notice the marbled white floor feels a bit chilly today. you walk through the corridor, onto the white stairway, feeling the relief of warm velvet carpet beneath your chilly feet. Walking up the stairs, one by one, you reach the halfway mark.

The sun from the large glass windows on top of the staircase beams through, tickling your eyes. you squint and use your hand to shade your eyes before looking up. You see two birds fly by, disappearing as quickly as they appeared, almost looking like as if they flew into the clouds.

You feel your heart fall heavy, filled with desperation to be like one of those birds, even just for a second. how lucky they were, to be able to go anywhere, anytime they want. no responsibilities.

It’s a little cliche but people are right when they say they wish they were birds you think to yourself. You’ve read hundreds of books and definitely have come across some descriptions of people wanting to be birds. Never understanding though as a child, you would think to yourself “why on earth would one want feathers? And to have a beak? How bizarre” But as an adult, you understood why now. It was about the freedom.

“Your highness, are you alright? Is your heart okay?” No it isn’t. You snap out of your thoughts before you realize you were still standing halfway up the staircase, clutching your chest all the while an old male servant by the name of Lloyd, looked at you with a face of concern. How long did you space out for, you thought.

“Oh yes, thank you. I guess I just got lost in thought” you give a half smile to your servant. His face of concern turned to relief before quickly turning sour again. while waiting for his response you realize he was one of the servants that was in the dining room when that whole theatrical happened with your father.

“Your highness, please forgive me if I’m speaking out of turn but I do feel sorry for you and your predicament. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to lessen your grievances.” He tries to smile before dismissing himself with a bow and turning away. this of course isn’t unusual, your servants do seem to pity you a lot, which you find ridiculous and kind of ironic, that your “sheltering” has gotten to the point where servants pity a princess!

you’re grumbling as you think and make your way through the upstairs corridor, before eventually finally reaching your room. the oh so familiar two large and tall, white doors stand in front of you. you’ve seen these doors more often than you’ve seen your own face you thought to yourself.

reaching for the diamond knobs you turn them before pushing your way in. The breeze of the outside immediately hits your nose. It’s so fresh and delightful.

Your maids know how stuffy it gets in your chamber and how much you love fresh air so they leave your window open whenever you’re away from your chamber. Your room is cream coloured and filled to the brim with gold accents. High ceilings and lots of books.

Walking towards your desk by the window, you feel your mood start to shift. you feel a bit better despite the little argument you had with father this afternoon. you take a seat in your chair, it’s plush seating immediately coaxing your back into comfort and relaxation.

Inhale… exhale… you look up to your painting above the desk. it’s of two women, dancing in glee at some sort of outdoors festival. you always loved this painting, the happiness they seem to exude, the freedom and love.

They look like they don’t care about the past nor future, they are just focused on the present and what’s in front of each other. Oh how you longed to be that free and content. you feel the familiar heaviness sinking into you chest once again.

you have to feel that freedom, you have to have that happiness at least for one night, dear god, please, just for one night. The desperation in your chest starts to grow more and more. The desperation turns into fear and anxiety.

You feel your palms sweat and your face get hot just at the very thought. Your hands start to shake once you come to the very obvious conclusion. you HAVE to sneak out to the ball tonight.

—

“But Lloyd, you said you would do anything” you whine with a pout to your servant. “Your highness I-I might’ve of offered but I didn’t think you would need this! And your father- ohhh no, your father is a very scary man and I don’t think if I-“ you shush Lloyd, the same old male servant from before from the stairway. “shhhh. Keep it down! you aren’t doing anything you aren’t supposed to be doing, just play along. Just- Please.. “ You reply with hopelessness at this point, looking down.

you had hatched the perfect plan. You made it as though you were sleeping in your bed, forming your pillows to the shape of your body underneath the comforter. You were all dressed and had your mask on but even so, you would just have to avoid your personal staff and your parents, no one knew you were the princess and what you looked like.

Your father had luckily assigned Lloyd to sit outside your chamber with the guards. The routine is usually a servant will come in and out, checking on you from time to time making sure you are okay before letting the guards know. they would sit there all night which you had gotten used to over the course of your life.

You were always being watched and protected. a sigh interrupts your thoughts “if you’re caught, I knew nothing.” he says in defeat. your eyes widen with a bright glow and you feel your heart skip a beat before jumping into his arms “thank you, thank you, thank you” you whisper. he knows he shouldn’t be doing this but he can’t help but feel for you and your situation.

But the way you lit up and how fast he heard your heart go at his answer, he didn’t regret agreeing. Suddenly he pulled away from the embrace to face you, “Okay princess but you have to promise me not to leave the castle! please stay within the ball and please don’t get recognized. If you’re in danger please just run back to your chamber and reveal yourself to the servants so we can help you. And-“ the old man was about to continue before you cut him off “I promise I’ll be safe. just leave it all to me” you smiled at him.

He sighed out before he looked down at you and tried to return the smile but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. “Okay your highness” He replied. You give him one last smile before you let go and he dismisses himself.

Hearing your chamber door closed, you slowly walked up to your mirror, taking one last look. you were adorned with a long black dress, thin short sleeves resting on your shoulders, décolletage exposed wearing a pearl necklace with a dark green emerald laid in between your collarbones. your bangs were slightly pinned back just enough to show off your black lace mask.

Wearing your silk black gloves, you pulled up your mask to your face. this was the night. Tonight would be the night of your life. you feel yourself start to shake, before you suddenly feel the urge to throw up from all the adrenaline already.

you swallow it back holding your stomach. You thought this would be easy, thinking of it so many times before but now that you’re actually doing it, you are very frightened. You’ve never been by yourself, you’ve never been in public and mostly, you’ve never disobeyed your father.

You start to rethink your decisions. It’s not too late to undress and head to bed your good conscience says. father would never know. no. something snaps in you saying “it’s now or never”.

you shake your hands breathing in and out walking back and forth from your window before looking out to check for the outside night guards. You planned on jumping out your window and making your way to the ball since you’re only up on the second floor. There was also a small tool-shed in front of your window so you decided that you could easily make that jump to on top of it.

Once you’ve noticed that the guards finished their round near your window and were out of sight, you decide you have to just do it, or else you never will. without thinking, you opened your window ever so slightly before making the jump to the top of that very shed you’ve thought about jumping onto for years.

—

breathing in and out while looking up at the stars, you just lay there, on top of the tool shed. “I did it” you thought. You start to quietly giggle to yourself.

Even if you didn’t make it to the ball, this was enough. this was the furthest you’ve ever been outside the castle by yourself and it was simply outside your window. you catch eye of the Big Dipper, noting how prettier it looks outside.

You’ve seen the Big Dipper many times before from your window but to be apart of it outside, feels different. there are no walls surrounding you, just miles and miles of horizon. you feel like you’re in space.

“wow..” you say. You’re enjoying being in this new space before you’re brought back to reality with the sound of a snap of a twig. you quickly sat up and gasped.

you looked around into the darkness, squinting in hopes that would somehow improve your night vision. you quickly climb off once you decide that the coast is clear, making your way into the night. you can’t shake the feeling that someone or something is watching you though so you pick up your pace to the entrance.

Turns out your feeling was right. someone was watching you, not a threat though. the hybrid watched in the dark with curiosity as you made your way to the front of the palace. “Hmm” a low voice grumbles from the dark as you’re already long gone.

—

“woah…” you say in amazement at the crowd. You made your way to the front entrance where every hybrid of all ages were laughing and chattering. everyone looks beautiful and exquisite, definitely fit for a Royal ball.

You can’t help but smile like you never smiled before in your life. in awe of the different faces and smells, you find yourself all of a sudden getting pushed inside as everyone makes their way in. the crowd forming a moving wave toward the entrance with you in it so you decide to just go with the flow hoping you won’t trip.

As the crowd moves towards inside, it doesn’t take long before everyone starts to disperse into a large and grand ballroom. You gasp in astonishment, why haven’t you ever seen the ballroom when it was decorated like this?

Yes you’ve passed by it many times but the room was always empty and plain. It always felt spacious and dark, a lonely room. but tonight was different, the room had come alive with warmth and gold.

It was as if what was missing were people, smiles and laughter. It felt like an another dimension, the layout was your home but you were somewhere completely different. You made your way to the side of the room, leaning against the wall and just taking in the scene before you.

The sound of trumpets startle you from your bewilderment, panicking and immediately ducking down because you know that could only mean your father is going to make his entrance. “Woahh there miss, it’s just the horns for the king” a deep voice makes you turn your head.

A tall man standing in front of you makes your stomach drop. Looking him up and down real quick you realize, he’s a knight. you’ve never been this close to anyone but your servants, let alone having to speak to them. “o-oh yeah. I know” you quickly say before trying to hide again.

You look at the grand staircase in the middle of the room where it looks like your father will be entering from. Feeling your heart beat faster you turn back to get another look at the man’s face beside you before realizing he hadn’t broken his eye contact on you since he’s spoked. he was wearing a black eye mask but you could tell that he was handsome.

His heart shaped lips and angular jawline. He had dark hair and dark eyes to match, you could feel your palms getting hot and a weird fluttering feeling go off in your stomach just by looking at him. “is there a reason why you don’t smell of hybrid miss?” he broke your thought whilst smirking.

Wait what, smell? “what do you mean?” you question. He continues “well it’s just that, every hybrid has a certain scent that others can decipher as hybrid but it seems that…” he leans closer to smell you as you shiver from the sudden close contact “you don’t have a scent. Not a hybrid scent anyway, and as a hybrid, I shouldn’t even be having to explain this to you as you should know this… right?” He smiles. Shit, you are screwed.

You didn’t know that. otherwise you would’ve stayed in your chamber. Humans and hybrids have differentiating scents? your father never really told you these things as he thought you wouldn’t need to know them.

God damn it, father, you thought to yourself. “I just-“ you were about to continue when you were saved by the bell, or at least you thought you were. It was your father speaking. “Welcome to the 34th annual masquerade ball! please help yourself to refreshments and dance to your heart's content! please enjoy!” He finishes with a bow.

Everyone begins clapping as you find yourself sneaking away to get back to your chamber. Making your way out, you suddenly feel your wrist being grabbed, you gasped before your turned to face the same man you were talking to before. “I know you’re the princess, and I know you shouldn’t be here” he admits with a soft voice.

You feel your knees turn into noodles as you’re caught. “Please oh please don’t tell my Father, I was just about to go back into my chamber-“ you’re cut off when something quickly partially covers your sight. the room went quiet from the sudden fast flying object. you look above the thing partially covering your sight before you realize what it was.

An arrow. in between yours and the man’s face. You gasp, breath hitching, trembling as you look at the man in front of you who also has wide eyes. he suddenly covers you and picks you up bridal style without a thought and yells “THE PRINCESS IS BEING ATTACKED” everyone starts to scream and duck once everyone registers what’s going on.

“the princess?” “What is she doing here” screams and confused chatter quickly spread amongst the ball all the while, your father is standing on top of the stairs frozen in bewilderment.

What were you doing here? Who was attacking? Who’s going after his little girl? Why can’t he move? He can’t do anything but watch everything unfold in shock, still like a statue.

The voices of servants and knights trying to get orders from him, just registering as ringing in his ears. His mouth slightly agape, amongst the chaos, one of his best knights pulls him by the shoulders. “MY LORD” suddenly a loud voice abruptly brought him back from his frozen shock.

He looks up before realizing it’s one of the lucky seven. Ironically, he feels lucky because of this. “get my daughter out of here” is all the king could muster before the knight gave him a stern nod.

Running down the stairs, the knight yells out to his pack member carrying the princess “HOBI, GET HER TO NAMJOON” hobi nods while running to the front to where the said knight named Namjoon resided. The aforementioned knight running down the stairs then took out his sword and quickly looked for his other pack members to take down the asalients.

—

you’re frozen. You can’t do anything but watch the horror unfold. This is all your fault, it had to be. People were pushing each other, screaming and crying.

Everyone was running for their lives all the while you were being carried by this unknown knight. You could feel the regret and fear in your stomach churning together to create this whole new awful feeling. You just wanted to go home, you regretted ever coming out.

Your train of thought is broken when the two of you finally made it outside. An even taller and buff looking man ran up to you guys. “Hobi, what’s going on?” he asks concerned while looking back at you both and everyone running past you guys. Who you guess is Hobi, puts you down and replies “this is the princess, she’s being attacked. We need to hide her until the others calm everything down, king’s orders”

Namjoon looks at you in shock “the princess?” before quickly shaking his head, snapping himself out of his own shock before saying “alright, I’ll take her from here”. The buff looking man quickly shape-shifts into his animal form, a large dark grey wolf.

Hobi quickly puts you on top of his back before saying “hang on tight your highness” you do as your told and hold onto the wolf around its shoulders, not being able to wrap your arms fully around because of how truly large he was. Letting your hands sink into his fur, you grab on before he suddenly starts running.

You turn around as the palace behind you becomes smaller and smaller and the screams become quieter and quieter. You turn back to face forward before letting yourself succumb to your adrenaline, now feeling safe. This fur is warm you think to yourself before drifting to sleep, all the while you somehow held onto the hybrid tight the whole ride, too scared to let go or be alone even whilst asleep.

a/n; okay so I know I said I would start writing chapter one tomorrow but I couldn’t wait, I wanted to get the story rolling before I started writing tomorrow again. anyway what did you think? why didn’t Lloyd tell y/n about humans and hybrids having different scents? who was watching her while she was on top of the tool shed? and how did hobi know y/n was the princess 🤔 also who was the knight that broke the king out of his thoughts? So many questions unanswered but continue reading to see what happens! we will be meeting the boys properly next chapter :)

Next chapter:

#bts #K-pop #fanfic #fanfiction #bts fanfiction #bts x reader #bts hybrid x reader #bts hybrid au #bts hybrid fic #hybrid au #hybrid #ot7 x reader #Royal au #bts Royal au #bangtan boys #bts ot7 x reader #Spotify

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comradekatara · 11 days

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might be bit of a stupid question, and you may have even discussed it before. if so, sorry for asking again.

but: do you think aang forgives ozai, or does he just show mercy? aang seems to have a clear stance on the importance of forgiveness, however, the final moments of his battle with ozai are visually paralleled with katara's attack on her mother's killer - and katara is clear on the fact the she has not (and will not) forgive him. she just shows him mercy, i suppose.

do you think this sentiment is paralleled in these two scenes? do you think aang manages to actually forgive ozai, or is he just showing mercy in order to protect the values of his culture?

to be perfectly honest, the thought of whether or not aang’s decision to spare ozai is one of forgiveness never actually crossed my mind. you’re right that the issue of mercy is tied to forgiveness in “the southern raiders,” but i always read that issue of forgiveness as far less straightforward than a question of whether or not katara will forgive yon rha, and more so whether katara can forgive herself (and by extension zuko). as aang says, “revenge is a two headed rat viper,” and the reason he’s advocating that katara find room for forgiveness within herself is not because he gives a shit whether the man who murdered her mother will die or not (he doesn’t care if others kill as long as he doesn’t have blood on his hands, as evidenced by his relationship to sokka and toph), but whether katara will be able to live with herself after the fact. and he knows her, so he knows that she won’t.

by sparing yon rha, katara forgives herself for her own guilt in having to carry the burden of knowing her mother sacrificed herself to save her, lets herself rest and simply be a human person instead of dedicating herself to the pursuit of vengeance, to revenge kya’s foul and most unnatural murder. because of course katara has that instinct, and of course katara feels her mother’s death more personally than sokka does, and of course she feels a responsibility to right the wrongs that she (however inadvertently) caused in whatever way she possibly can.

she finally has the skillset and the intel that allows her to carry out her revenge, but in that final moment before she strikes the final blow, she hesitates and drops her weapon, her artform that she has dedicated herself to honing in a way no one alive has ever needed to (with the exception of hama, and even then). it’s a uniquely powerful moment in a show filled with powerful moments (many of them involving katara) because she is choosing herself over yon rha, over zuko, over the memory of her mother.

she lets the illusion that she is the hero of an adventure tale wherein good triumphs over evil fade away and she embraces her own humanity though acknowledging the humanity of her enemies. yon rha isn’t a uniquely evil cackling villain (unlike someone like zhao or ozai), he’s a person, an awful person, but nonetheless a human being. a soldier who acted as the arm of a vast and complex, terrifying machine. and by looking into his face once more, the face that haunted her nightmares, katara is able to see herself reflected in the face of the other, and finally fully realizes a tapestry of the world that can not be so neatly woven.

that is what it means to forgive. when she forgives zuko, it is not because zuko has done anything to earn her forgiveness: unlike with “the boiling rock,” where he genuinely risks his life to selflessly help sokka at his lowest point, he is the instigator of katara’s entire journey, and even though he is attempting to do her a favor because he understands her intrinsic desire for revenge born of guilt and rage and shame, it is not a selfless act (that comes later). but through forgiving herself, allowing herself to relax her rigid worldview of right and wrong, good and evil, she recognizes that even if zuko did do genuinely reprehensible, awful things, it isn’t in her best interest to hold onto that anger, and by allowing herself to feel less personal responsibility and shame over her misplaced trust in zuko leading to aang’s death, she is able to forgive zuko, but only because she had already forgiven herself.

when aang shows ozai mercy, however, the issue of forgiveness isn’t even really the right term for it. he’s not forgiving ozai nor himself, here, but rather powerfully asserting that mercy is not a weakness, but a deliberate choice, and one that is born of incredible strength of character, at that. he’s forgiving his people for “not fighting back,” he’s forgiving his culture for adhering to these pacifist values, and yes, he’s forgiving himself for not being the avatar that everyone expects him to be. he’s prioritizing his people and his humanity and his grief over what the entire human world wanted from him.

and crucially, before the lion turtle showed him his truest path, aang was going to kill ozai. he was resigned to this being his destiny. unlike katara, who fully planned on killing yon rha and only decided to spare him once she saw his face, aang didn’t want to kill ozai from the very beginning, and had to be forced into killing him, rather than being talked down. sokka tells katara not to kill yon rha as gently as he possibly can (and nonetheless immediately gets shut down for it), but then he almost bullies aang for not wanting to kill. sokka considers killing a tool that should be exercised with logical intent, katara considers killing an act that makes a statement, and aang considers killing a taboo that should never be violated. of course, aang’s stance on killing is a very culturally-specific one, which yangchen also adheres to as best she can, but also understands its limits when in the position of avatar. but aang cannot afford to simply be the avatar, because he must bear the burden of his entire people’s legacy.

so at no point does forgiveness for ozai come into play, because aang has no reason to consider forgiving ozai. his decision to take down the firelord is a tactical one, rather than born purely out of a desire for revenge. but he does mirror katara’s decision to spare yon rha in sparing ozai’s life simply because, in both cases, they prioritize themselves and the preservation of their own humanity over submitting to the logic of the men who have destroyed their lives.

#the-avatars-fury #asks #i love them so much wtf….#analysis #aang #katara #aang&katara #katara&zuko #yon rha #ozai #idk who else to tag #sokka #i guess

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silentmoths · 1 year

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Some HSR Thirsts

Because I've been fucking star-railed this last week and also I promised @dustofthedailylife that I would write a svarog thirst if she finally pulled welt. so since this exists, you can guess what happened!

Svarog/Yaoshi/Kafka x Reader

NSFW, nothing explicit perse but all very heavily implied, Robot/monsterfucking, does fucking a god cound as monsterfucking?, Svarog is a giant vibrator, Yaoshi and their many hands, also Yaoshi having an aphrodesiac venom in their scorpion tail, maybe a little implied dubcon in kafkas case? I dont...think it is but its there as a warning in case.

Ok but Svarog, who definitely knows what sex is, of course he does, he has an entire database to access, and lets face it, this man has probably already accessed it when looking up ‘how to parent’ information because at one point or another he’s going to have to give clara ‘the talk’

(no, we wont talk about how his version of the talk is going to be the most embarrassingly clinical talk ever to exist. rest in peace clara.)

But he does not, for the love of anything, understand why you want to have sex…with him.

Nonetheless, he does not stop your hands roaming his chest plates, he doesn’t really stop you from doing… anything really, because… whatever this is makes you happy, and that’s all he wants.

He’s confused when you ask him to touch you, but he does it anyway, all while sifting through his databanks to figure out both why and where.

This is also the day you discover that Svarog has an… interesting vibration function in his hands that he claims was once for easing stiff muscles of his old human commanders before he was abandoned.

Yeah it’ll sure ease you alright.

Admittedly…he does like watching you squirm…it does… something to his servos.

Though, he thinks he may have created a monster, because now every day, without fail…you’re asking him for a hand.

Perhaps one day, when he has done enough research…he might just reveal that one…extra modification that had been made to him before everything went to shit.

One day he will allow you to delve below his trousers and maybe one day he will use that…modification, to finally give you what you want, since it seems you’re unwilling to find another mortal to fornicate with.

Besides

perhaps …clara could do with a mother figure around.

----------

Some say the Aeon Yaoshi, of the Abundance, is a cruel and evil creature.

This does not stop you from seeking Their favour.

However when they finally do appear before you, you get so much more.

Six hands, long and delicate, trailing your skin as they pull you close, unearthly voice whispering in your ear, telling you they’ve heard every prayer, every plead and call for them; how they’ve been watching you all this time, and now they have come to bestow the blessing you’ve been seeking.

But only if you can endure one last trial.

In some depictions you had found, Yaoshi is endowed with a scorpion's tail, so it isn’t a shock when the appendage curls around your body, the tip pricking into your thigh. You feel the warmth of the poison spread through your body and you moan for it. Yaoshi only hums their praise

Their venom makes you feel warm and fuzzy, it makes their touch intense and vivid, most of all…

it makes you want to give yourself over entirely

You feel hands touch places that have never been touched by another, you feel their teeth and their tongue. You hear their praises.

And then you wake, in your bed.

At first, you think it was a dream, but then you sit up.

You were naked, your muscles ached, but it was a sweet ache, soft around the edges, and there on your thigh, where they had stung you with their venom…

the symbol of abundance

----------

Soft hands, and an even softer voice, leave you weak in the knees.

“Ready to talk yet?” Kafka muses quietly as she presses a single finger to your collarbone, and you immediately fall back against the table, your arms still bound behind your back.

You should be struggling. You should be fighting back.

But you’d be lying if you said you weren’t incredibly turned on by the stellaron hunter who had kidnapped you, and was now apparently intent on interrogating you.

“You’ll….have to try harder than that.” you rasp, trying to sound intimidating.

By the way Kafka’s smile widens ever so slightly, it’s failed completely, and you’re once again left reeling as she approaches, leaning over you like a cat who’s just caught their mouse.

“Will I?” her voice is so soft, and yet so very dangerous as her ruby eyes narrow in on your face “My…are we a little smitten? Your face is all red.”

Goddamn it.

“I’d never-”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” She interjects as she perches on the edge of the table beside where you lay, she shoots you a look…an expression you can’t quite discern for a moment, until you realise her own eyes are raking down your body.

hungrily.

You watch her bring her hand to her mouth, teeth closing around the finger of her glove before pulling the offending article off; your heart is jackrabbiting in your chest.

“I think…” she hums as she leans back over you, magenta hair falling between you both like a waterfall. This was dangerous, so very dangerous.

But the moment her hand presses against your belly, and slowly begins its slow gaze downward, pressing shamelessly beneath the waistband of your bottoms? You’re a goner.

“I think I have other ways to make you sing that we’ll both enjoy…don't you think?”

Taglist: @stygianoir @meimeimeirin @ainescribe @dustofthedailylife @rjssierjrie @crystalflygeo @angel-of-requiem @asoulsreverie @zomzomb1e Want to be added to the list? shoot me an ask~

I will be starting a Starrail specific taglist shortly so if you want in on that let me know!

#silentmothwrites #Moth got star railed #Svarog Star rail #Yaoshi Star rail #Kafka Star rail #Svarog x reader #Yaoshi x reader #Kafka x reader #Svarog smut #yaoshi smut #kafka smut

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sapphicrow · 18 days

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The choices for the side enemies in each section of resident evil was very deliberate, and shows off both what Mother Miranda thought the lords deserved and what suits their characters. This may have been for difficulty purposes for each area, but still. I think it is a nice tidbit of flavor to our characters even if it’s indirect. Also I have brain rot.

Moreau doesn’t have any mobs. His reservoir is uniquely isolated. It’s evident from the way the other lords treat him that this is how they feel towards him as well. He isn’t a popular fella. As such, Mother Miranda granted him no special protection or privileges. Besides, I’m sure his bile would repel any creature, even a zombie or moroaica.

Lady Dimitrescu has many creatures within her castle because she interacts with more people on the regular. It’s canon that she had a whole service of female servants who were regularly harvested and experimented on. These subjects are later turned into one of two things: moroaica (the on ground creepy crawlies), or samca (the harpy looking things on the roof). Though we know Alcina isn’t Miranda’s favorite, she’s still pretty high up there. She had to make these critters herself still. Plus, her castle is huge and it only makes sense to have scattered security. I’d say Alcina’s daughters count as a high honor and another reflection of the characterization of Castle Dimitrescu.

As for Lady Beneviento, her situation is an interesting one. Angie doesn’t quite count as a mob, since she is technically an extension of Donna’s consciousness. This is obviously part of her as a person. Disregarding Angie, Donna has no major creatures. I say this because I don’t believe her dolls count as beasts bestowed upon her by Miranda. They’re handmade. She had to harness the skills of cadou experimentation, combined with the craftsmanship of doll making. This reflects Donna because she is isolated, but skillful enough to combat it unlike Moreau. She’s delusional, but evidently not to the same degree as Sal. She copes in her own fucked up, crafty way.

Last but not least, Heisenberg. Now, Heisenberg is Mother Miranda’s established favorite. The golden child. The sun of her sons. It’s also established that Mother’s fondness is by no means requited. Heisenberg loathes her. But nonetheless, even with his absolutely meh loyalty, he has a fair deal of power bestowed upon him. Disregarding his cadou abilities, he has the entirety of the lycan pack. That is no small force. Miranda practically trusts the most dangerous lord with an army. I’d like to believe she isn’t stupid enough not to realize his faulty loyalty, but I feel as if she treats him like a second true child. He’s the son that could’ve been Eva’s big brother should everything have worked out. Love is blind, and Miranda’s too busy to question cutie Karl. Karl also has the Soldats that he’s made himself. This is an intriguing view of him in my opinion. Karl lets Ethan slaughter Miranda’s creation because the entire time he’s been using the powers she gave him to oppose her. Silly guy moment.

Mother Miranda herself has no side mob which is very purposeful as well. She works alone. Her sidekick is the cadou, which we see in the form of all those root looking appendages bursting forth from the ground later in the game. Unlike Moreau who’s isolated due to his insufferable and odorous nature, Miranda is alone by choice. By grief, more accurately. Why bother with companions when Eva isn’t back yet? For her shattered mindset, I’m sure the thought of her daughter is companionship enough. Even with the mold making an appearance, Ethan only has to engage in combat with her herself. This is because even with the mold present, she’s still the vessel. It’s illogical and unnecessary for the megamycete to risk itself when Miranda is right there and so willing to take the blunt of the force.

The megamycete’s side mob is every single thing infected with the mold.

Thank you for reading :) hope it was coherent

#resident evil village #lady dimitrescu #mother miranda #re8 #donna beneviento #dimitrescu sisters #karl heisenberg #salvatore moreau #yapping #moroaica #samca #I know this was really long and perhaps irrelevant but whatever #thoughts

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lost-between-letters · 1 year

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Pet Names

Pairing: Wednesday Addams x vampire!Reader (she/her)

Requested by: @animealways

Warnings: canon typical levels of violent threats/insults

Word Count: 743

Summary: Wednesday was on a call with her family when her girlfriend decided to crash the conversation with her bubbly personality

A/N: that was so much fun to write! Requests for all our favourite Wednesday characters are still very much open :)

"Larissa is still as strict about your free time outside of Nevermore as the last time we visited I trust?" Morticia inquired with a wave of her hand.

Wednesday rolled her eyes at the memory of Prinicpal Weems' pathetic attempts at limiting her in her decision making. It was getting quite repetitive to have those conversations - for thinking of herself that highly, Principal Weems wasn't acting as much as the evil mastermind Wednesday had longed to meet.

"She told me to stay on the grounds for the foreseeable future and should I be caught, I'd be 'facing consequences you won't like Miss Addams'."

There wasn't a need to put up the gesture or air quotations as her voice dropped into the sickly sweet tone Wednesday only ever used when she was forced to talk about her principal.

"Ah my darling!" Gomez exclaimed delighted and clapped his hands, "getting threatened by a teacher? We told you, you'd love the school!"

"It has become-" Wednesday whipped her head around. Someone was in the room with her.

And not one of her summoned spirits.

The mirror on Enid's side reflected an empty room but Wednesday felt the cold presence nonetheless.

"I got you the pig's blood for the ceremony, my sweet angel of death!"

A moment later, Y/N was leaning over Wednesday's desk chair and planted a kiss on her cheek for good measure.

"I told you not to call me that." Wednesday turned and fixed her with her most terrifying glare.

But Y/N just grinned wide enough to show off her pointed teeth and held up the bags of blood. Nothing quite romantic as the idle threat of being mauled to death by your girlfriend. Wednesday knew why she chose her. "And I keep ignoring it."

"You're a menace, bloodsucker."

"Now now, what was that about pet names, ma fleur du mort?"

Someone cleared their throat behind them.

Both of their eyes shot back to the crystal ball where Gomez was clutching Morticia's hand, there faces filled with confusion and - happiness? Ugh.

Pugsley was doing his best to suppress the shit eating grin. "'My sweet angel of death' Wednesday? Really?"

"Make fun of Y/N and I will use your spinal chord as my new bow for my cello."

Y/N damn near choked on her own spit next to her. Not that Wednesday cared particularly - right now, she needed her family to stop being normal about her relationship.

Of course, she still reached for Y/N's hand and hooked her fingers around her wrist to drag her down next to her.

"Pig's blood for a ritual with her girlfriend? Cara mia, our little girl is growing up so fast!" Gomez clutched Morticia's hand between his and pressed it to his chest.

Her mother tilted her head just so and studied Y/N intently. Wednesday resorted to glaring at her in return. She could feel Y/N tense up under Morticia's gaze so Wednesday took the metaphorical bullet and spoke up.

"I am. In fact, we have to leave now or the moon will be too high in the sky for us."

"Very well my dear," her mother had stopped the x-ray stare and was smiling down at their interlocked hands. Then her eyes wandered up to meet Y/N's. "I hope you two are having fun."

"At least as much as your mother and I had when we were your age," Gomez added with a wink.

"We need to go now," Wednesday emphasised again and threw the black fabric across the crystal ball.

The connection cut off almost instantly. Though not fast enough not to hear Gomez delighted chuckling and Morticia's agreeable humming.

"Your parents are quite something else," Y/N remarked as she caught up to her girlfriend who was already halfway across the room to the window.

Wednesday merely opened a panel and looked at her unimpressed. "We really need to get going."

Y/N slipped out and wrapped her arm around Wednesday's shoulders to pull her into her side and brushed a kiss to her temple. The effect was instant - Wednesday ever so lightly relaxed and her lips quirked up just a little bit.

"And you really are a menace," she added but wound her own arm around Y/N's waist.

Unsurprisingly, Y/N wasn’t affected by the accusation in the slightest. Instead she laughed. "You wouldn't want it any other way."

Wednesday sighed. "Let's light those candles already, bloodsucker."

"Whatever you wish ma fleur du mort."

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#wednesday x reader #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday x you #wednesday x y/n #wednesday addams #wednesday addams fanfic

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headfullofpresley · 6 months

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𝒀𝒐𝒖 & 𝑴𝒆, 𝑲𝒊𝒅; 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅

❝𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓. 𝑾𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒆. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓.❞

𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕... 𝑬𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒚

[ 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁. ]

[ 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭. ] Underneath the grey hue of moonlight on a cold January night, the second and last Presley son was born to a witch mother and human father many centuries ago. The stories you may have heard as a child about monsters thirsting for power and blood are all true, and the legends all stem from the Presley's.

Wanting to protect her sons against the cruelty that was their abusive father and the harsh reality of the world they lived in, Gladys Presley created the immortality spell. Never had she expected both of them to turn into creatures that craved and needed blood in order to survive- overnight, they had become the evil she wanted to protect them from.

Elvis struggled with this newfound thirst for human blood and his predatory instincts that he just couldn't fight or ignore. Not able to stay in their village, or any other place for too long as they would simply murder everyone in sight eventually, Elvis followed his brother everywhere. He was older, even if it was only by a few minutes, and Elvis looked up to him. When his brother found out he could create more creatures like them with the help of their blood, they started turning people left and right, thus creating the Original bloodline. But just like no one was around to teach them anything about what they had become, the brothers swiftly moved along. And Elvis started to slowly accept the monster he became, though not to the same extent as his brother. With that intense thirst for blood and the need to kill came the intense emotions- guilt, sorrow, grief. He pushed himself through it nonetheless but as he learned he could turn it all off, he abused that ability plenty of times.

Around 1821, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel and eternal life on earth didn't seem so miserable anymore. That light went by the name of Giselle Dubois, a blue eyed beauty with golden locks that stole his heart the second he laid eyes on her. For a while, the woman he loved deeply and the Presley brothers were like the three musketeers... but Giselle was starting to slip through Elvis' fingers. His brother had his sights set on her and Elvis knew in the back of his mind that this was the beginning of the end. Letting love break apart their insanely close bond, the Presley siblings were slowly but surely growing into what felt like enemies. When Giselle made her choice, the older vampire wasn't too happy when he had to watch the woman he loved run off with Elvis. And when Elvis was promised an eternity of misery, he ran and never looked back.

Elvis never did get to have his happy ending with Giselle, his own brother made sure of that.

[ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭. ] While not ideal for a vampire, Elvis has created quite a name for himself, not only in America but around the world. This is something he enjoyed back at the beginning of his career, but now he absolutely despises anything to do with show business. He wants out and while he could be careless and disappear, he doesn't. Part because he doesn't know how to without anyone finding him and part because he'd feel guilty toward his fans. And then there's also the fact that these fans create an easy snack whenever he feels like it. After losing Giselle, Elvis' exterior hardened. He built a wall around his heart and with females throwing themselves at him left and right, he takes advantage of it. He uses them for their company and their blood, but he never lets anyone linger around long enough to actually feel something. To have them touch his heart. He can't, he won't. He's not the, what he calls it "weak little vampire that followed his brother along like a dog", anymore. He has grown into his vampirism over the years and he enjoys it- well, sometimes. His humanity stays on nowadays and the guilt and all the feelings are still there when he does take an innocent life, but he accepts it. He lets himself feel these things and then he shoves them deep inside, because he knows things will never change, anyways. He's damned and he always will be.

He considers himself the better brother, although he'd never say that out loud and it's a simple lie he tells himself to justify leaving his brother behind. Deep down inside he still loves his brother despite what he did, but Elvis doesn't want to face him again. He keeps running. He will run as far as he can, but with the persona he created in the public eye, he's not hard to find.

While a predatory species, Elvis is not truly evil. He can be, but only to the people who deserve it. The people he surrounds himself with and he has allowed to come into his personal space, the ones he calls "friends", know he's generous and underneath that hard exterior, kind. He's protective, sometimes too much. He can be fun, out going and wild at times, but then there's also the brooding side of him that overthinks things. The lonely side. He craves love- true, genuine, epic and raw love. He hates having to live forever, but he doesn't want to die either. Especially not by the hands of his brother.

So, Elvis keeps running. It's the only thing he knows how to do.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭... 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐛𝐨𝐢𝐬

[ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆. ]

[ 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭. ] Born to a hard working mother and father that belonged to the middle class of society, Penelope had a happy childhood. Being the only child, she got all the attention and love a young girl could want and she was a bubbly child that was full of life. Until she wasn't anymore.

At the age of 10 when she was at a slumber party at a friend's house, her parents were brutally murdered in the same house she had so many fond memories of. Unable to find any evidence or suspects, the police put a halt to the case after a month. Meanwhile, Penelope was left without parents, having to deal with her intense grief alone as she had to move in with her alcoholic aunt who wasn't much of a support system. Once a happy spirited girl, Penelope became quiet and kept people at an arm's length- after school, she locked herself in her room and cried herself to exhaustion.

Naturally, she never got over the death of her parents and the not knowing of how they had passed. Everyone assumed it was a home invasion and not knowing what else to make of it either, she was starting to believe that too.

As Penelope got older, she forced herself through high school, wanting to get her diploma so she could get the hell out of dodge. She'd been planning her escape from her aunt's hell house the moment she moved in and at the age of 18, she did. She left without a word in the middle of the night and went from job to job, sleeping at whatever friend offered her a place to stay. She didn't have money to go to college, not anymore. Her aunt had taken all of it when she was younger and spent it on booze and whatnot. She wasn't interested in the details anymore, wanting to start a new life for herself and never look back.

That determination got her wandering around a lot, even being homeless for a few months until she found a steady job and a place to stay. But the universe didn't seem to be on her side and once more, Penelope was on the streets after getting fired from her job due to overcapacity. This time, Penelope took a Greyhound bus and bought a ticket to Las Vegas on a whim. It wasn't the place she saw herself settling down in, but she figured the job she got offered as a cigarette girl at the International Hotel that paid enough to get herself a small apartment was better than to sleep on the streets.

[ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭. ] Working as a cigarette girl at one of Vegas' newest skyrise luxury hotels is not exactly what Penelope would consider a dream job. She doesn't know what her dream job is, still very much figuring that out. But this one pays the bills and it's really not that bad. She gets to see amazing people perform for free in the showroom, so she is most certainly not complaining.

Fourteen years since her parents were ripped away from her and Penelope never got closure. The Dubois case was never re-opened by the police. She doesn't know what happened to her parents and she doesn't know if she'll ever find out, but there's still so many questions weighing on her mind but has no idea who to ask. And even if she did know, she probably wouldn't get any straight answers. Sure, a home invasion was possible, but there was an eerie feeling that would creep up her spine every time she thought there was something more to it. Not knowing what it is, she often tries to push that thought away.

Penelope is very slowly growing back into her bubbly and fun personality, but the world has made her hard. Being out on the streets made her a tough cookie and although she may look like a typical nice girl, she's the type that isn't afraid to speak up for herself. Defend herself. She's a woman in a man's world, of this she is very aware, and she has to keep her head held high in order to survive. Never show fear, never show weakness. But then there's the side of her that does show vulnerability and most of the time, to the wrong kind of people. Being a hopeless romantic at heart, she craves love. And when she loves, she loves hard. Sometimes overwhelmingly so. It has gotten her heart broken plenty of times, but she can't help herself. She's been alone for too long and she simply wants companionship. She wants a family to fill the void that was left in her soul when the one she had was ripped away from her. And she's determined to get what she wants, even if it means giving up her mortality.

𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕... 𝑨𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒚

[ 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗰. ]

[ 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭. ] On that same freezing January night, Ambrose Presley was born twelve minutes before his younger brother. He embodied the role of older brother well, protecting Elvis from the loose hands of their father and the dangers of the world around them. This didn't change when he and his brother were turned into blood craving monsters through the immortality spell created by their mother.

But unlike Elvis, Ambrose didn't have much issues with his newfound abilities. Sure, the heightened emotions and so on took a little bit of getting used to, but he loved feeling like he was above the mortal human. He loved seeing the fear in someone's eyes when he'd show his true face. Perhaps, he was, and still is, more like his father than he cares to admit- just don't tell him that, because he absolutely hates hearing it. The blood shed, the hunting, the pure chaos he would create when wiping out entire villages... he loved it all. He reveled in it. Being the big brother wasn't his main role anymore- being a vampire was.

Ambrose still protected his little brother from everything and everyone. It was him who was there to pick up the pieces when Elvis seemed to be eaten away by his guilt. It was him who had no issues ripping someone's heart out for just looking at his little brother wrong. The love he had for his brother was intense, sometimes suffocatingly overwhelming, and he never dared dream that would change.

Until Giselle Dubois came into the picture. Elvis wasn't the only one affected by her beauty and angelic personality. Ambrose fell and he fell head first, unable to stop it. He knew that the three couldn't continue this strange friendship with unspoken feelings and he gave Giselle an ultimatum. To choose one of them. Ambrose was willing to share a lot with his brother, but not his women. Not her. Giselle made her choice, not only ripping his heart out in the process but also taking Elvis along with her.

Hatred toward his brother started to root in his bones. Not only because he lost the first woman he truly loved, but because his lost his brother. Elvis left him. With an ego too big to admit that he was hurt, Ambrose turned to violence. He wanted to hurt Elvis the way he had hurt him and the only way he knew how, was to rip Giselle away from him.

And he did. In the most possible cruel way. Elvis kept running and Ambrose promised him an eternity of misery. Cruel as he is, Ambrose is a man of his word and he will get what he wants. You can count on that.

[ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭. ] Over the years, Ambrose has created an army to surround himself with. Like Elvis, he needs people around him but unlike Elvis, he has no problems with using these people. He doesn't consider them his friends, aside from some. They work for him and do whatever he wants them to do. He expects complete loyalty and if he doesn't get it, he'll get rid off them. Put them in the ground. Burn them to ashes.

He's a business man. Several nightclubs throughout the country that cater to both the supernatural and mere mortals belong to him. He's that typical cocky vampire that has too much money to his name to know what to do with it. So, he buys more businesses. More houses. More material things. It's to fill a void, to feel something, but he'd rather die than admit this. He has no problems with flaunting his riches and while a well known name in mostly the underground and somewhat the business world, he hates that he gets mistaken for Elvis Presley on numerous occasions. The solution for that? A little torture. The solution for someone bad mouthing his little brother? Murder. If someone is going to drag Elvis' name through the mud, it's him. No one else.

When someone calls him a monster or any other name in the book he's heard a thousand times before, he takes it as a compliment. It strokes his ego. He has little to no remorse when it comes to taking innocent, mortal lives. But despite it all, his humanity is still very much in tact. He shut it off once but never again- gets him all disoriented when he turns it back on. But deep down inside, there's that little part of him that's broken. Hurt. Betrayed. Lonely.

He lashes out and it all comes from one place.

One person who caused it.

Elvis.

And his little brother can run and hide all he wants... but Ambrose is always one step ahead.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 • @notstefaniepresley @powerofelvis @breadsquash @generoustreemystic @ab4eva @marriedtopresley @steph-speaks @ellie-24 @dollksj @re3kin @wivette @eliseinmemphis @ccab @whatstruthgottodowithit @dkayfixates @lettersfromvenus @elvisalltheway101 @that-hotdog @robinismywife @jaqueline19997 @raginginkedslut @joshuntildawn13 @claire-elvisgirl

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exouniverse · 6 months

Text

(My) Home

Pairing: kyungsoo x gn reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship, non-idol au, chef!kyungsoo au

Warnings: although it is very fluffy, there are small conversations regarding some sensible topics such as the mention of a dead parent, and tough moments during enlistment; however, they’re touched from a healing perspective and not explicitly detailed.

Summary: since the moment Kyungsoo met you, he has felt that being by your side is just like finding solace in the warmth of home. With this realization, he has meticulously arranged a surprise to propose the transformation of that comforting sense of home into a tangible reality.

Word count: 8.7K+

A/N: it’s finally here! My heart needed this fluffy fic so I indulged, the characters took me in ways I didn’t see coming so it took me a little bit longer to post (this was supposed to be the first fic I posted here, but inspiration hit with the birthday fics lol.) I didn’t want any angst but still, some happy tears are shared between them.

MOODBOARD

Some vocabulary insights I think I didn’t get to explain:

Bujubangjang - 부주방장: sous-chef | Dulce de leche: caramelized milk spread, also named arequipe, manjar, or cajeta | Gyeran-mari - 계란말이: rolled omelette | Seoleim - 설레임: Korean ice cream brand | Yeobo - 여보: honey, darling, sweetheart (commonly used between married or engaged couples) | Yeobobangjang: word play term from yeobo (여보) and bujubangjang (부주방장), created for the story’s purpose | Yukgaejang - 육개장: it is a spicy shredded beef soup.

The memories imprinted on the photo albums never failed to bring a genuine smile to his face and make him reminisce; not even the dust that tickled his nose could ruin these types of moments. He flipped through the well-worn pages, letting memories wash over him. He knows he has changed a lot through the years, but his essence is still palpable somehow; nonetheless, he doesn’t feel the need to alter anything about his personality. He’s loved by the people around him and, for once, he is comfortable and happy with the person—he has come to admit—he has surrendered his heart to.

He smiled, wondering how it would have been if they had met as toddlers, maybe at kindergarten or at school, and gone on beach trips with friends during the summer. His smile would have brightened even more just by seeing you posing beside him, poking his dimples as you are already so used to doing. Kyungsoo just knows deep in his heart that you would love what he’s been planning; he can’t let that little evil voice of doubt and insecurity win this one. You are clueless so far about his plans, but hints from you have also been received and thought through, so that’s what moved him to plan his proposal for moving in together.

“Kyungsoo, son.” He heard his mother’s voice calling from the kitchen, snapping him out of his daydream.

He followed the sound of her voice, appearing quicker than she had expected, causing her to jump in surprise. “Sorry, mom!” he exclaimed, letting out a chuckle as he approached, eager to taste the Yukgaejang, whose enticing aroma had already made his stomach growl.

“Hands off!” his mother scolded him. “I can’t let you get creative with Yukgaejang; your father likes it this way.”

He only continued to chuckle at his mother’s expression as he remembered the last time he tried and failed, earning him a week of an indescribable, odd-tasting soup. Teenager Kyungsoo would have likely tricked you into tasting it as a prank, just to have an excuse to be together in the nurse’s office, but he would have completely regretted his antics the moment he came to realize he liked you.

“Do Kyungsoo, did you hear what I said?”

“Oh, sorry, mom, need any help? Sorry, what did you say?”

Because of his giggles and daydreaming, he could have been doomed at that moment had his mom not been aware of the reason why he was behaving that way, so she only continued to give him the banchan she had served for him to set on the table.

“Have you decided which photos to take with you already?” his mom wondered, noticing the albums on the sofa before she sat down to eat with her youngest son, who was visiting for the day with a peculiar excuse.

“There are a lot. You can tell me which ones you want to keep, and I’ll choose from the rest.”

“It’s okay, you can take as many as you want.” She paused to think. “But do leave me the one from kindergarten where you have that big smile of yours; I don’t get to see it often.”

“Mom, I do smile!” Kyungsoo protested, perplexed at his mother’s bluntness but still amused.

“I know, I know,” she giggled. “It’s only directed to a specific someone nowadays.” And just like that, she delivered her last joke, playfully teasing her son just a bit more.

“Mom!”

The way his eyes widened in surprise amused her so much that she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “I love Y/N! I truly do, but you don’t visit us as frequently as you used to,” she revealed, honestly.

Kyungsoo put a piece of haemul-pajeon on his mother’s rice at the same time that he offered her the smile she missed. “Ok, I’ll try visiting you more.”

Content with her son’s actions, she continued to eat the seafood pancake with a smile on her face. “Bring Y/N with you too; I miss our drama marathons,” she encouraged.

“I’ll sure do, mom.”

“Oh, they’re here!” You glanced toward the front door, leaving the cookie dough unattended as you rushed to the entrance to let your little guests in.

Kyungsoo chuckled as he witnessed your surprising speed. He went to check on the dough to see if he could help you in any way; he is the one that’s mostly in the kitchen, whether it’s yours or his, but you specifically told him not to do anything since you wanted to share this new recipe with him.

“Uncle Kyungsoo!” your older niece shouted out as soon as she saw him. He waved at her and she ran to embraced him. “Are you making cookies? Can you make them blue like you did last time?”

The shower of questions gave him away, so he tried to plead innocence by giving you an honest smile, which only grew bigger as he saw your two adorable twin nephews next to you. They both happily ran to hug Kyungsoo’s legs.

“I swear I didn’t change or touch anything.”

His ears could have burned to the touch, even when he was telling half the truth, because he indeed didn’t do anything—only thought about it, and got very close to tasting the cookie dough.

“I know those eyes, what are you hiding?” You squinted at him.

“Is it safe to leave my kids with you two?” your sister joked as she closed the door at a dramatically slow pace.

“Ari, he’s hiding something, right?” you kept teasing.

“I’m not.” Kyungsoo couldn’t stop his laugh. It could have given him away, but you know the nuances in his expressions too well. Also, it’s a given that he wouldn’t have had enough time to change anything.

“I’ll give you one chance; you can add one ingredient that you think could make it better.” His smile was like a reward. “He’s been pretending to keep himself busy while I’m making cookies,” you explained the context of the situation before you.

“Kyungsoo-ssi, you’re a chef, and isn’t today your free day?” your sister asked.

He only giggled and proceeded to taste the dough as everyone in the room expected his feedback; even your twin nephews paid attention, probably expecting a taste too.

He surprised himself; it was hard to tell, but there was some kind of ingredient that his palate was enjoying but couldn’t quite figure out because of the sweetness of the sugar and the distinctiveness of the vanilla extract present in the mixture.

“Are these chocolate chips?” he asked once he realized where the new flavor came from. There was a sweet flavor there that just didn’t taste quite like chocolate.

“Nope, they are dulce de leche chips; Ari’s friend makes them.”

Kyungsoo was incredulous but mostly confused. “Uncle, you don’t know what dulce de leche is?” your niece asked even more incredulously than him, making everyone laugh.

At that moment, your nephews started to build up energy and tried to climb up to Kyungsoo’s arms to see what he was eating. It had taken a long time for them to turn hyperactive, but they had been too entertained with his bunny slippers before. Kyungsoo managed to lift both of them to help them grab some chips from the bag that your niece pointed at and let her grab a bunch first.

“Remember the Latin American Festival we went to a couple of weeks ago? We tried dulce de leche with those small crumbly cookies.”

“Oh oh oh, yeah, I remember now. Mhmm, this is good, so good. I’m not doing anything; you even added sea salt, right?”

“Yeah, of course I did!”

“Well, I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but I must leave now,” your sister announced.

“Come kiddos, say goodbye to your mom!” Kyungsoo took them to their mom, but the older one started crying, realizing his mom was leaving. He jumped on his mother as soon as he was close, and it wasn’t long before the little one started crying too.

Your niece approached to try to calm her brothers, but you remembered you had just the thing to distract them so your sister could leave.

“Let’s go play in the camping tent; there are tons of balls to play with,” you told your niece so she could help you convince her brothers since they follow her lead all the time.

“Yes! And can we have ice cream?” She got all of the adults to laugh yet another time, but at least she managed to lessen the crying and desperation so your sister could talk to them and remind them that she needed to go for a while and that she was coming to get them later.

“I’ll go get the ice cream,” Kyungsoo offered. “I can accompany you downstairs.”

“Thank you, Kyungsoo-ssi. You’re so kind.” Your sister accepted his help as she put your nephew on the floor so you could take them to the camping tent you set for them to play in.

Kyungsoo led your sister outside after he took his wallet to go buy ice cream for everyone staying in your apartment.

In the elevator, silence fell, but for the generic music coming from the speakers. Kyungsoo spoke first, "thank you in advance. This means a lot to me."

“You’re so sweet; nobody has ever done anything like this. Y/N loves you like crazy, I can assure you of that, it would totally be the best surprise.” She searched in her bag for an envelope and handed it to him. “This should help with your plans.”

“In exchange, I will take good care of your kids, I promise,” he assured her as he held the envelope and handled it with so much care.

“Of course, you two are a great team. You always do a great job!”

While Kyungsoo went for ice cream, you were doing your best to distract the kids. The twins were like the moon and the sun, so the easier task was to leave your niece to play with the youngest in the tent while you tried to control the middle one, who was throwing the balls and even the toys at your sofa. The space in your living room where you placed the tent expanded to the whole house in about two minutes; all of the toys and balls were all over the place.

Luckily, you had finished the dough and were able to refrigerate it before the baking process, ensuring the mixture remained untouched by the Poké Balls flying about. This allowed you to attend to the children on your own until your boyfriend returned from the store.

You didn’t even need to get your camera to recollect the evidence for your sister because she knew her kids. However, you still took some pictures with your phone to send them to her, as you caught the kids’ enjoyment when they started playing together.

As you were writing to her, your phone rang with a video call from Kyungsoo, and as soon as the kids heard his voice, they all came running to say hi to him. He let out a quick giggle while his cheeks turned red. He hadn’t expected to have so much noise coming from his phone at the convenience store; he even bowed at some people behind the camera, apologizing.

“You can turn it to just a voice call if you feel more comfortable that way,” you suggested once the kids went quiet, expecting to see what their uncle was going to show.

“It’s okay; it’s quick. Just wanted to show these two options I had in mind for the kids.”

“They love the cookies and cream Seoleim—“

“Oh, but I want the banana one,” your niece expressed, creating a double echo from the little ones.

“Uncle, banana,” said the youngest, making Kyungsoo giggle.

“I can bring both, and do you want some vanilla ice cream to eat with the cookies?”

“You’re a genius!” you smiled. “Thank you, jagi.”

Kyungsoo mirrored your smile and waved goodbye. “See ya all soon!”

It didn’t take long for him to come back, so he got to see the chaos you got caught in again when he arrived. He ran to the kitchen before he was trapped by the kids at the entrance, and he gave them their ice cream fast enough for them to run back to you. Kyungsoo quickly hid the envelope in his jacket and put the vanilla ice cream in the fridge to eat later with the cookies. Since it was relay time, it was easier for him to hide the surprise with his belongings when you came to the kitchen to finally start to bake.

Taking care of your niece and nephews was challenging; Kyungsoo couldn’t even lie to himself that it wasn’t, but they were quite adorable and funny. You’ve been doing this for longer than he has, so it seemed to be so easy for you when he first saw you interact with the kids. However, he has worked on it and gotten to improve fast. Such as when your nephew started a tantrum because he wanted to go out to play but Kyungsoo saw it was about to rain. You came into the room to help, but he waved off your help, determined to handle it himself.

With them, he had learned to let loose and have fun, even if he had to act cute or like a clown. Who would have thought he could pull out some moves? Singing was easier, and karaoke rooms were witnesses to that, but he learned to accept that dancing was also fun, and he really wasn’t bad at it. It could be that or the opposite, but your nephew’s laugh was a reward either way.

For you, it was not just the little one’s laugh but Kyungsoo’s enjoyment. His face shone so much when he smiled, and his big eyes turned into little half-moons of joy. You instinctively grabbed your camera and caught as many of those moments as you could. The peace and comfort that he transmitted were priceless. You were happy that it didn’t take too long for you to finish setting the cookie dough to bake because you got to join them just in time, joyful to be able to catch more of Kyungsoo’s dancing and silliness with the kids.

At the end of the day, once you bid farewell to your sister and her children, reality hit you in every cell of your body. The exhaustion from playing all day, cleaning ice cream from the floor and carpet, cooking, and feeding left your muscles aching. You knew you now had to clean up your apartment, but leaving it all for the next day seemed more appealing than tiring yourself more by tidying it up.

While you were going back up to your apartment, Kyungsoo was picking up the toys that the kids left unorganized. Your sister had tried to get them to pick up everything they played with before they left, but you let them go easily since they seemed to be about to fall asleep in seconds.

You contemplated him once you entered your apartment; he was only bringing up smiles from you lately. “I can clean up tomorrow. I’m too exhausted now, aren’t you too?” you asked.

“I am,” he giggled, but he kept picking toys up from the ground. “I wanted to help.”

“You work tomorrow; rest up,” you said gently as you approached him, until you wrapped your arms around him from behind and rested part of your weight on him.

He stopped, feeling your energy drop. “I’m okay; I’m used to being tired from running the restaurant all day.”

“It was your free day today, though. I made you work too much. Kids and food are not the same.”

“Yeah, they’re not,” he recognized and looked back at you from his shoulder.

You smiled at him and managed to grab his hand. “See, just come with me. Let’s just chill for now. Let’s watch some variety shows and rest,” you suggested as you guided him to the couch and then grabbed the remote to turn the TV on.

You found a traveling variety show you hadn’t seen before, and it got you interested. The hosts were indulging in many unfamiliar and mouthwatering dishes, catching Kyungsoo’s attention. It didn’t take long for you both to get lost in the scenery and seemingly delicious food they showcased, and your exhaustion finally kicked in as you started to feel your eyelids getting heavy.

“Come closer; you can rest your head on my shoulder,” Kyungsoo whispered, and you followed his instructions. He was too content and expectant already. His smile, if only you could see it, might have given something away. His eyes, illuminated by the light of the TV, were incredibly expressive. “You did well today; I enjoyed every single minute,” he continued whispering, gently stroking your hair. All the while, he purposefully concealed that smile and look from you.

“I did too.” You gently grabbed his hand, and he squeezed lightly.

“You can sleep,” he giggled softly. “I can feel you drifting away.”

“No, I’m okay. Got to be here with you until you have to go.”

Kyungsoo knew you were tired, but he was sure something in the tone of your voice sounded different, and he couldn’t ignore the sense of urgency it conveyed. Although he had already planned to stay to surprise you, the change in the way you talked made him more determined to be there for you.

“I can stay; take the day off tomorrow and stay with you,” he offered, without giving much away.

“You’re leaving the kitchen unsupervised?”

It seemed you were still trying to keep your humor up and that nostalgia or melancholy unnoticed, so Kyungsoo tried to keep it up too, saying, “yeah, I can. I’m the chef.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He giggled, seemingly more amused than he is used to, and planted a gentle kiss on the top of your head. “Believe me now?” he asked, his voice filled with playful affection.

“Don’t buy me with your sweetness!”

Like a defiant toddler, he didn’t listen and instead shifted his body to cuddle and have you wrapped in his arms. “I just want to cheer you up,” he murmured tenderly.

There was a pause in your reaction, and suddenly, you held onto his hand again. “How…” you began, your voice barely audible as it caught in your throat. The word trembled on your lips, reflecting a mix of curiosity, surprise, and perhaps even a touch of vulnerability.

“You don’t have to say it if you are not ready.”

“Soo—“

“Rest. I’ll get you to your room and leave if you fall asleep.”

That smell was familiar—the pungent, savory scent of kimchi fried rice—paradoxically evoking only good memories with the people you love. You even smiled before you could open your eyes, but curiosity quickly appeared when you realized you were supposed to be alone in your house at this hour in the morning. Your sister couldn’t have possibly come today after the news she got yesterday. It was the low humming accompanying the sizzling sound of the kimchi rice that made you jump out of bed. The bedsheets fell on the ground, almost making you fall, and the door made such a sound when it hit the wall that it made Kyungsoo jump. The mixture of emotions was a tiny bit overwhelming, but your smile gave away the happiness you felt by seeing him in your kitchen making breakfast.

“You’re awake.”

“You’re here!”

His shoulders slightly went up and down as he silently laughed, connecting his gaze with yours in a way only he could. Your feet were smarter than you, taking you to him to yet again hug him from the back, but this time sharing your happy morning energy with him.

“Careful, you can burn your hand,” he cautioned, moving you both away from the heat.

You pressed your head against his back, inhaling the lingering scent of his perfume on his shirt. “I have you here, so I don’t mind.”

“How can you not mind?” He was surprised by your reply. “It’s painful, and I don’t want you to get hurt. You might even get me to burn the rice, so move, please," he insisted.

You looked at him, squinting, because of his unbelievable-expected, hot and cold reply. His teasing was cruel sometimes, but it really only added to his adorableness. He also said please, so he is forgiven.

“So is this the kitchen you’ll run today?” You had your wits too, and you used them wisely.

“My yeobobangjang, help me out, please?”

“Yeobo?” you chuckled. You were amused by his accidental play with the words bujubangjang and yeobo. He can’t just deny his cuteness, and you couldn't help but be charmed by his playful antics.

"Yeah yeah... I did say that," he giggled, realizing that he had let it slip without much thought. He rarely calls you jagi or jagiya, but yeobo is a whole different level of endearment that you still didn’t expect to hear.

With your help, breakfast was ready a lot faster, allowing you both to sit down and eat together peacefully. It was not a special occasion to celebrate anything in particular, but simply having him there in front of you was enough to make you feel grateful and happy. You also knew that he needed an explanation about yesterday. He wouldn’t ask unless you took too long to say anything, but he would subtly check in to see if you were ready to let him know.

"Thank you, Soo," you said, offering a warm smile and a piece of gyeran-mari. "About last night—"

"Y/N, I don't want you to feel pressured into saying anything," he interrupted gently, his voice filled with understanding. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Just… just know that I'm here for you."

You shook your head slightly, trying to show him that you still wanted to share. That’s all you wanted to do last night when you went back to your apartment and saw him. “I’m okay. I was feeling just a bit… I don’t know, sad? Nostalgic, perhaps?” you explained, and you noticed how his eyes were focused on you and whatever you needed to say.

"When we were getting the kids into the car, Ari received a call. Jongseung's mom is sick and was taken to the hospital," you explained, pausing briefly. "I wanted to go with her, but she asked me not to. I felt so powerless in that moment. I think..." you trailed off. Sensing your pain, Kyungsoo reached for your hand across the table, offering as much comfort and support as he could.

"I was sad because it reminded me of mom. I hadn't even thought about her in so long," you confessed, as the emotions were building up inside you. "And then, I also thought about how much Ari took care of me after mom died. I always feel like I should repay her for all that she's done. So, I wanted to comfort her and go with her, or at least help her with the kids... but she just told me to go back home. She said she would update me when necessary."

Kyungsoo jumped off his seat to take the one next to you. He brought his bowl and chopsticks and placed them next to yours. As he settled down, he gently turned you to face him, taking hold of both of your hands. With a small smile and caring eyes, he said, “you do more than enough for your sister; she knows that. You are incredible, Y/N. I bet your mom would be so proud of the person you have grown into.”

The light in his eyes—you swear, it could warm you up for days with just one look. Being loved by him feels like peace and comfort; it’s exciting, and there’s fire and playfulness all at the same time. His kindness fills your heart with so much joy. The tears coming out were not just because of sadness but happiness because of having the best boyfriend in the world. You couldn’t even feel the cheesiness of that statement in that very moment, not when he was holding your every sorrow in the warmest embrace.

“Do you want to do anything today?” he whispered once you seemed calmer. “We can stay in, but if you want to go out, I will be more than happy to take you anywhere.”

“Did you really take the day off?”

Your curious question made him giggle. “Why so surprised? I’ve done it before,” he reminded you in his best attempt to hide his nervousness. Not that he is a workaholic or anything, but it was more due to the whole plan for the day and that he already wanted to tell you all about it.

You slowly let go of each other, and you just smiled at him, knowing how much he has done to schedule both of your lives so you can spend the most time together and never miss anything. It has also taken a lot of effort from you because both of your jobs have always been complicated with free time. “Let’s maybe go for something to eat for lunch; we can just cuddle until then,” you suggested while you held his cheeks and poked his dimples.

“What an adventurer, my love,” he joked at the same time that he carefully dried a couple of tears from your cheek, but he was the only one laughing when you playfully punched his arm. “I love it, I love it, I love you.”

“I love you, dumpling,” you exclaimed as you poked the dimple forming on his face.

“What?” His laugh echoed all over your apartment. “I haven’t heard you say that to me in so long!”

“What? Love you? Yeah… it’s been so long!” you said cheekily, but his antics still moved you, and you fought a smile by pouting.

“You dumb head!”

Your eyes widened at the audacity. “What did you just say?”

“You dumpling!” He also poked at your cheek.

“You didn’t sa—“ He cut you off with a kiss. You relaxed into it even when you wanted to just laugh out loud, but that translated into a smile, one that he mirrored while kissing you.

“We were eating,” he casually whispered while taking a small breath.

“We should probably keep doing so,” you whispered back, stopping him from getting any closer.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Well, then you can do the dishes when we finish.”

“Yah! Do Kyungsoo!” You crossed your arms, pretending to be mad. “I’m only laughing because you are too. I love seeing you laugh. Also, thank you for cleaning yesterday’s mess, how’d you like to be rewarded?” you asked, teasingly moving closer, noticing your apartment being clean and all in order.

“Ahh stop,” he blushed, holding a giggle. You noticed him clearing his throat. “Let’s finish our breakfast.”

You often find yourself yearning for more mornings like this, with Kyungsoo playfully teasing you and your laughter filling the room. The idea of living together with him has crossed your mind from time to time, but you’re too hesitant sometimes, thinking too much if you’re in the right moment to take that step. You’re also guilty of letting other people own a place in your mind that tells you that it might be too soon, that you should possibly think about marriage first, and that settling down could mean risking your job and whatnot. Those voices really need to be quiet because you don’t see anything wrong with what you two have. Your job couldn’t possibly be jeopardized; two years of relationship is enough for you, and you’ve known him for almost five years already, so you might as well dive right in there and then.

It’s even funny how Kyungsoo is not worried about what to wear to go outside since he has at least five outfits in your apartment, even for someone who is quite simple when it comes to clothing. He even has one of his chef jackets and an apron for his uniform.

All of the getting ready went so smoothly that you could easily picture it all far ahead, but you were easily brought back to the present when you connected the dots of Kyungsoo wearing his faux leather jacket and gloves. You were seconds away from grabbing your camera from your bag and capturing that moment forever. It made sense in a way since you ended up cuddling and doing nothing for so long that you two ended up deciding to go on a picnic in the afternoon, so the jacket would serve well for the cold night, but the combination was surely making your heart flutter.

“What?” He turned around with a smirk on his face after grabbing his helmet. “Got yours too,” he said handing you the other helmet that was next to his.

“For a second, I don’t know why, I forgot you own a bike—a motorcycle type of bike.”

“You make no sense.”

“Never mind, let’s go.” Your thoughts were better kept inside your head, so you just put your helmet on and hopped on the bike. You felt the chuckle in his belly while you were trying to hold on tight. You always enjoy how comfortable he gets, but at the same time, he has made you blush way too much in just one day.

The change from summer to autumn felt more present in the past few days. The ride on the motorcycle exposed you even more to the change, as the weather was feeling nicer and you were not feeling like your head could burn from the heat inside the helmet. You held on even tighter and closer to Kyungsoo as you felt more comfortable along the ride. Somehow, you suddenly had flashbacks to the very first time you hopped on his motorcycle. You were just friends then, but now that you realize it, the feelings were catching up to you, and that was one of the first times that you thought about him differently.

You reached the first stop, which was his house, so he could leave his motorcycle parked. You had nothing really planned for the picnic, but you decided you were having it at Yeouido Hangang Park, so you would take the bus instead of worrying about parking. Kyungsoo had suggested the picnic and going to the Yeouido Bamdokkaebi Night Market, which surprised you a little, but it sounded great since you two hadn’t really had a cute romantic date in a while.

“Could you go pick up Meokmul and Hoochoo at the daycare?” Kyungsoo asked once he took his helmet off. You got lost in his eyes for a second, but then you noticed the ends of his hair were slightly damp and his nose was a little bit sweaty. He looked like his dogs, so you giggled.

“Y/N?”

“Oh, sure! Yeah, I’ll go.”

He shook his hair, hypnotizing you once more. You were completely lost and hadn’t even thought of fixing your own hair, but his hand found the rebellious lock on your left side and patted it back down. The proximity made you shiver, which made him giggle.

“Wait for me there; I’ll just go for my bus card and some stuff for the picnic.”

He dared to approach and give you a kiss on your forehead. Kyungsoo might have suspected it, but there was no denying that he had you eating from his palm from the moment you realized he had gone all bad-boy-look with his outfit today, just to match his motorcycle, just to tease you, just because—you wouldn’t know, but you’re more than grateful for the blessed view.

Haeun was at the reception today, so she waved at you with a wide smile on her face.

“Hey, Y/N! How have you been? Are you here to pick Hoochoo and Meokmul?”

You nodded happily, and when you reached the reception desk, you gave her your ID. “Haeun! It’s so nice to see you again. We’re taking them for a walk.”

Haeun’s eyes widened. She really was like a puppy taking care of a lot of other puppies. “Oh, they’ll be so happy! Come with me,” she invited, handing you your ID back after processing the discharge and calling a coworker in to take her place at the reception while you two went to get the dogs.

You trailed behind her as she led you down the hallway to the seating room, where the dogs' belongings were securely stored. "Hoochoo has been asleep for about twenty minutes now," she informed you, searching for the dogs' leashes. "Meokmul has been playing with Toben and Vivi," she added, providing you with an update on the dogs' activities.

“Oh, they’re here too?”

“Yes, she was lucky to have them here to play with. They’re really the best of friends.”

“Did Hoochoo have fun too?”

“Yeah, she played for a while but got sleepy after eating,” she giggled and pointed towards the playroom to let you know she was going in.

It was nice to hear that they were having the greatest time while you kept their dad away for a while. When you met them, there was an instant connection between the three of you. It had only taken a few seconds, and Meokmul was the first one to like you. Hoochoo was initially shy, requiring Kyungsoo’s gentle intervention to help the little puppy open up.

Funny enough, Haeun was the one who had introduced you to Kyungsoo when you coincidentally arrived at the same time to pick up your dogs. The three of them were harmoniously playing since they had already been friends for weeks. It just so happened that the owners hadn’t met yet. The bond that you all created was so strong that the loss of your dog two years ago was truly felt by them, but that only brought you closer to Kyungsoo and his dogs.

Meokmul had possibly smelled you or heard you because the barks in the distance were definitely too familiar. The little one ran towards you, making Haeun struggle a little with the leash, and the special treat you had taken from their bag didn’t help either. You showed it, and she ate it before you picked her up.

“I’ll go get Hoochoo with the carrier in case she’s still asleep.”

“Yes, thank you, Haeun!”

“Meokmul-ie, how are you? Hello, little sunshine!” You heard a chuckle behind you after cutely talking to the hyperactive dog on your lap. It was Kyungsoo, showing his most joyful smile. He was holding a little picnic basket, which made you wonder just how impromptu it would actually end up being. Knowing him, it probably didn’t even reach one percent.

“She woke up; she’s energized now, so—“ Haeun entered and stopped when she caught sight of Kyungsoo. “Oh, Kyungsoo-ssi! The two parents coming for their little girls; how cute!”

The both of you giggled and smiled at each other before bowing your heads to Haeun. “Thank you, Haeun-ah,” you said as you grabbed the double carrier and Kyungsoo took Hoochoo’s leash. “Let’s have a coffee together soon, yeah?”

“Welcome! We definitely should, just text me when you’re free. Have a nice day!”

“Enjoy your day, Haeun-ah!” Kyungsoo waved goodbye before he held your hand and led you outside.

The afternoon skyline was gorgeous, looking like the sunset was beginning soon enough. You contemplated it and squeezed Kyungsoo’s hand, to which he reacted with a chuckle. The reason was not important; just hearing that low, sweet chuckle of his was enough to make you feel all cozy and calm. You strolled along the sidewalk with your two beautiful dogs until you reached the bus stop, where you had to get the pups in the double carrier.

Kyungsoo scratched Meokmul behind her ear as she looked a little anxious. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Promise it won’t be long, little one.” He talked soothingly to calm her down.

He kept scratching her ear on the bus ride so she wouldn’t start barking nervously, and you gave her some treats to entertain her. Hoochoo received some too, but she was at ease in the carrier, all warmed up and happy with the company of Meokmul. The ride was indeed short, but Meokmul calmed down easily thanks to both of your calming attentiveness.

Once at Yeouido Park, you got both of them out of the carrier so they could walk along with you. Kyungsoo smiled at them and then at you. The picnic basket was on the floor next to the carrier, so the two little dogs couldn’t help but inspect it with their noses. “Ready for our date, little ones?” he chuckled.

Meokmul and Hoochoo barked as if they were answering him, waving their tails expectantly. You managed to take a picture of the three of them right in that moment, and when Kyungsoo looked back up, realizing you just took a candid photo, you said, “they know something’s up. What have you got planned, Soo?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Ah, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. For now, let’s walk; we’ve got some food to gather for our picnic.”

“So there’s nothing in the basket,” you commented suspiciously.

Kyungsoo only laughed, shaking his head as he took the dogs strollers in one hand while the other searched for yours. He squeezed once he held it gently, looking for something in your eyes that made him smile so brightly. You were curious now, but you decided it would be even more entertaining if you waited for whatever he planned for the night.

You set off down the busy lane with one pup each, Kyungsoo not letting go of the picnic basket, and you holding the carrier. The street food market bustled with delicious aromas and a lively atmosphere filled with people’s laughter and small chatter.

You stopped at a tteokbokki stand once the scent translated into flavor in your mind. The draw was so strong thanks to the warm feeling it gave you just thinking about the taste of the soft rice cakes in your mouth. You asked the vendor for a medium serving to take away, and Kyungsoo put it inside the picnic basket. It was hard not to peek, but he was too fast at closing the cover, nervously giggling.

A dumpling stand caught Kyungsoo’s attention; he approached and looked back at you, smiling knowingly. You immediately poked his cheek. “What do you think about these dumplings, Chef Do?”

“They look delicious, right?”

You marveled at his expression, reminiscing on your requested class all those years ago to your newfound friend, who looked at you amused at your concentration with his cheek full of dumpling flour. Kyungsoo’s weakness was food. “I do see one delicious dumpling,” you teased, holding his gaze with fire in your eyes.

The words caught up in his throat, so he swallowed thickly before his voice could come out shaky. His ears heated up, and he tried to look anywhere else. He still giggled, knowing you were taking your chance at teasing him, just like he did earlier when he knew you were staring at him with those dreamy eyes because of his choice of clothing.

Luckily, the woman serving the dumplings caught his wandering gaze and asked for his order; otherwise, he would have melted in front of you. After ordering two servings of dumplings, one steamed and the other fried, he managed to pull off a playful smile at your teasing words once his heart settled. He found your gaze still lingering, your eyes glowing with glee and something deeper; he could only hope it wasn’t just his longing playing tricks on him. All of the surrounding noise drifted away, and he found himself present with only you there in that moment.

He wished to reach for you and confess everything he had planned for the night, but his question still weighed with uncertainty and insecurities, so he needed a moment of complete confidence and the setting he had already pictured. The crowd would make him nervous even when no one paid the minimum attention to them. There were still some more steps to take to reach that longed-for destination.

Kyungsoo was more than reassured when he felt your hand on his arm. You didn’t have to say a word; the slight scrunch of your nose when you smiled and the warmth of your gaze calmed his anxieties. With you, he felt not only seen but understood—a comfort that had been hard to find all those years before you came into his life.

Too soon, the order was ready. With a kind smile and a bow to the sellers, he thanked them and packed away the dumplings. Hand in hand, you continued your wandering stroll along the market, picking whatever snack you desired. Since you found some fried chicken and already had tteokbokki, you two decided to pass by the convenience store and buy some ramyeon for the perfect food setting.

It didn’t take too long to reach the camping and picnic area once you had all of your food. Kyungsoo found a great spot near a tree, where you managed to settle before the last bits of light from the sun touched the sky. He had come prepared, as you had expected.

“Let me rearrange everything; close your eyes,” he asked you as you finished getting the little ones in their carrier since both of them were tired from playing all day and walking along the market with you two.

You were surprised to hear that since you two had already set the blankets on the grass, and he had taken out his wooden house-shaped lamp and put it next to the picnic basket. You still carried on, hopeful for his surprise.

After setting the folding table and carefully displaying the indulgently selected feast with flickering candle lanterns and fresh strawberries he had brought from home, he asked you to open your eyes again.

You swiftly opened your eyes, and they mirrored the light coming out of Kyungsoo’s as you traced over all of the little details and felt your heart warming up. “Soo, jagi, it’s beautiful,” you breathed. “It looks even more appealing now.”

Hoochoo’s head popped out of the carrier, hearing the both of you laugh together. She now looked hungry, so before you started on with your meal, you gave her some of hers. Meokmul was fast asleep, it seemed, but halfway through your dinner, she woke up asking for food.

With full bellies and hearts lighter, conversation turned reminiscent, noticing how many moments you had referenced from your friends to lovers relationship beginnings. Although short and recent, you managed to get enough closeness that led you to develop such strong feelings for one another. Kyungsoo knew it was time now that the momentum was clear with your talk being about you two.

The sweet and careful touch of his hand over your cheek soothed you into a pleasant mood, interrupting your giggles with his gesture. Whatever he needed to say or was thinking about, you lovingly gave him all of your attention.

“Y/N,” he started. “I have a surprise for you,” he smiled.

“Another one?” you genuinely asked, immediately interested in all of the possibilities.

He nodded. “You could say so, yeah.” His hand lingered on your cheek, but with a light stroke on your cheekbone, he shifted towards the picnic basket.

From an outside bottom compartment, Kyungsoo reached for a gift box, carefully handing it to you. He looked expectant as you grabbed it, the corners of his lips forming a slowly growing, hopeful smile. His features were divine, lighted up by the candle lanterns, and you couldn’t wait long to see what he was gifting you.

You looked at the photo on the cover; you captured that moment just a few weeks ago at Kyungsoo’s house. It had been such an ordinary day, but you had matched sweaters on, completely unintentional. Meokmul was on his lap, and you were holding Hoochoo, who licked Kyungsoo’s chin and made you laugh. The view of such a lighthearted moment, as well as your guess at what could be inside the book, brought happy tears to your eyes almost immediately. As you looked back at him, you caught a watery shine in his.

“Why am I crying? This is just the first look at your gift,” you sniffled.

Kyungsoo chuckled, amused at your reaction, but he embraced you to try and soothe your crying. “It’s okay if you cry; just promise it is out of happiness. My intentions were never to make you hurt.”

“It’s happiness; I’m excited to know what’s inside.”

Kyungsoo was already beaming at seeing you so moved by just the cover alone. He dried your tears and planted two kisses on your forehead. “Open it,” he urged softly. “I hope you like it. I tried to do the most I could within my creative possibilities.”

You giggled softly. “You are creative, mostly in the kitchen. You’re a genius chef, and I’m so lucky to have befriended you,” you advocated for him, honestly.

“Befriended,” he simply repeated and chuckled.

You continued to open the photo album, still wrapped in his arms. He wasn’t stopping his surprises, it seemed. The first two pages of the book had photos of both of you as kids; you could see why he chose those pictures, and the caption soothed you and filled you with so much gratitude and love for him.

Were we destined to find each other? Our connection seemed to exist earlier than we could imagine, no matter where we were.

His sweet smile was timeless. You could see yourself meeting Kyungsoo as a kid at that beach, running around and playing on the shore where small waves washed over your feet. It wasn’t the same one, but something in the pictures looked as if they were taken at the same place, day, and time.

“I saw that picture at Ari’s house a couple of months ago. Undeniably so, I knew I had seen something similar before. I had my picture at home, so when I returned that day and searched for it, I could only think about how many more could show such similarities,” Kyungsoo explained, talking near your ear.

You lifted your hand to caress his cheek. “You’ve been crafting this since then?” you asked.

“Not right then, but I had been looking for pictures, and then the idea came. Mom and Ari helped quite a lot,” he chuckled. “Just yesterday, I finally got your childhood pictures so I could add them.”

You kissed his cheek and continued to flip through the pages. Pictures of you two at different schools but with similar smiles, different cities but the same colors in the sky, different dogs but the same pose. Your lives seemed somehow planned and destined to blend; your eyes kept pouring down tears of joy when you reached the page where your early encounters started to appear—all those pictures you took.

A picture of you two at the first New Year’s party with his parents specially moved you. You were still just friends then, but he invited you over since he was also carrying out the first celebration at his new apartment.

You told me about your mom two days before, and I wished with you that she was there with us. But you must be her mirror; I can see her in you from the little details you’ve shared with me.

Kyungsoo held you tighter. He hadn’t anticipated in the planning and crafting of this gift that you could be sensitive about your mom on this day, so he consciously kept you wrapped in his arms. He felt how you squeezed back, embracing the reassurance he was trying to give you.

“Thank you, Soo,” you managed to say, but while it’d be easy for you to find words to express your feelings, this time there were not enough.

“Turn the page,” he said, his voice cracking. You moved to face him, and he smiled through the tears. “I have something to say,” he managed to speak calmly, in spite of his rushing emotions.

You followed through and flipped the page. A carefully crafted collage portrayed the photos you sent him—while you took care of Hoochoo and Meokmul, or just a nice picture of a sunset you saw—along with letters while he was enlisted and some of the ones you took on his day offs.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, and you carefully held his hand. “I…” he started but stopped when he felt his tears coming down; you cleared them carefully and softly smiled. “That time of my life was hard to get through. I don’t think I thanked you enough for being there and all that you did for me.” He finally found the right words as he brushed his thumb over your hand.

“All those letters, all those pictures, all those moments you shared with me—you gave me the hope I lacked. I told you many times that I had fallen for you slowly and carefully, but it was on my mind every day,” he smiled tenderly. “You have no idea how much I love you. I learned to say whatever is on my mind because of you; if I hadn’t said those words to you, I probably would have lost you.”

You slowly shook your head. “No, I was too head over heels for you already. I wouldn’t have let you lose me.”

He giggled and kissed you softly, taking his time to marvel at this moment with you and trying to release the last of his nerves. “Could you take a look at the last page?” he asked, breaking away for a moment.

Eager to know what that last page offered you, you turned it over and smiled. The last picture, a copy of one of your photography class projects where you captured the concept of “home,” greeted you; it was Kyungsoo’s side profile while cooking in his restaurant’s kitchen. Next to it was a photo he had taken of the two of you when you visited his friends in Busan.

You looked up at him, wondering, searching for the answers in his joyful gaze. Kyungsoo held your hand at the same time that the two little pups woke up. Both of you couldn’t help but giggle, thinking they must have wanted to be a part of your moment, so you grabbed Meokmul, and he put Hoochoo on his lap.

Clearing his throat, he began, “Y/N, I’ve been thinking about this for awhile. Whenever I’m with you, no matter where we are, I feel at home. You are my home and safe place, and I want to have you as close as I can… would you like to start living together?”

He was a mind reader; you couldn’t help but reach to lovingly cup his face. Meokmul wanted her space with the two of you, so she started licking your hands and Kyungsoo’s cheek in the process. The both of you laughed while Hoochoo wagged her tail. “Of course, Soo!” you exclaimed between giggles.

When you could breathe easily and the pups calmed down a bit, you ran your fingers through his hair. “You’re also my home. You’ve loved every part of me, just as I have loved every part of you. Would you believe me if I told you I have also been thinking about it?”

His eyes widened, and a silly laugh escaped him. “I would actually believe it, but how are we so in sync?”

“I don’t want an answer; I just want us to keep working this way,” you admitted.

“You’re so wise,” he kissed your cheek. “Thank you; you’ve made all of my dreams come true just by being you. I can’t wait to wake up each day and see your beautiful eyes and fall asleep staring at them too.”

You pulled him close, softly brushing your lips against his; he placed his hand on your neck, his thumb slightly brushing your earlobe. Your lips met softly and slowly, making you feel at ease, like coming home—him—your home. “Thank you for loving me; it’s the greatest gift I’ve ever known.”

#kyungsoo #kyungsoo x reader #kyungsoo fluff #kyungsoo fanfic #d.o. kyungsoo #do kyung soo #chef Kyungsoo #exo #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #exouniverse

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miraculouscriticismshub · 9 months

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Why Andre is a horrible father and badly written character - Season 5 Spoilers ahead

You might know Andre Bourgeois as the corrupt mayor of Paris or Chloe’s spineless father who can’t stand up to her. He never bothered me too much in S1-4 but Season 5 - his character felt ruined. This post will explain why Andre is an awful father and badly written character.

Part 1 - His relationship with Chloe

Despite not being an evil character - he is still a rubbish father. First thing he does is adopt Zoe and seemingly disown Chloe in Collusion judging by the deleted section of the leaked script.

He knows Audrey is a terrible mother but still lets her take Chloe nonetheless - hoping they’ll have fun. Andre also favors Zoe and wants to keep her by how he willingly adopts her and when he allows Audrey to take Chloe to NYC despite knowing she will abuse her . Hell he even says " I like her best". This disgusts me because Andre is willing to play favorites and only wants to love and take care of Zoe - who in his eyes is the easier daughter to raise.

This is proven in Revolution when he seemingly takes Chloe away angrily and leaves her with Audrey - judging by the plane scene. This angers me because Andre seemingly abandons his daughter and doesn’t take any responsibility for what happened. Chloe isn’t 100% to blame for how she turned out . Andre should take ownership of how Chloe acted and should’ve tried to discipline her . If he was a Good father he would’ve sent Chloe to Juvie or to live with a strict , non-wealthy relative and financially cut her off. I’m not saying Chloe is innocent - she had a choice to become mayor and should definitely be punished - but sending her with Audrey will make the situation worse. I'm not against him adopting Zoe but the fact he didn't take any responsibility for Chloe's behaviour and tosses her aside proves that he only cares about Zoe not Chloe. Therefore he is a horrid father because he pretty much abandoned Chloe knowing her mum will mistreat her but doesn’t feel guilty because he replaced her with Zoe - the better daughter. No wonder Chloe is the way she is.

Part 2 - badly written

Andre - as well as being an awful dad , is also a badly written character. The writers portray him as an amazing father by how he saved Zoe from Audreys wrath by adopting her and how he put his foot down in revolution when taking Chloe away. However - he is terribly written because the writers want to show him as a good father but write him to be a coward. He is a bad father by how he replaces Chloe with Zoe because she is the better behaved daughter. He adopts Zoe and takes responsibility for her because she is the easier daughter to raise and Andre wants to feel like he is a good person. He never took responsibility for Chloe and seemingly blames Chloe and Audrey for what happened. The writers present him as a hero and honorable father when in reality - he is a spineless, pathetic man for not raising Chloe properly and abandoning her.

What makes him even more despicable is that he knew Gabriel and Tomoe used his daughter as a puppet and manipulated her - but he never called them out.

He let his daughter be presented as a scapegoat and received all the blame when he knew Gabriel was the real villain behind the robots. Well to play devil's advocate , lot's of the shows characters are dumb , but that still isn't an excuse. I'm not suprised he wasn't able to piece two and two together. He never was a Good father to Chloe and was too pathetic to take some of the blame for what she did. His character honestly is worse than Audrey because the writers at least write her decently. She is written to be horrible and is presented as horrible. Andre is the better person while Audrey is the better Character. However Andre is written to be a benevolent person when in reality he is a mouse and a disgusting person.

If you love Chloe or you hate her - you cannot deny that it isn’t entirely her fault on why she turned out to be such a spoiled brat. Andre is just as to blame as Audrey on why Chloe is a bad person. He never disciplined her , seemingly replaces Chloe with Zoe because she is his favorite, didn’t take responsibility for what Chloe did , leaves her with Audrey ( who he’ll know will abuse Chloe) and lets his daughter be slandered by Paris for the fiasco when he knew Gabriel and Tomoe were behind all of that. But what makes him the most terrible character is that he is obviously an irresponsible father but the writers present him as a loving one who is innocent and has done nothing wrong. Chloe is no angel , but she isn’t pure evil . She wasn’t born bratty , someone raised her to be like that . I wished the fandom recognised how atrocious Andre is as a father and I find it disgusting how the writers think he is a good person . But these are just my opinions. However if you like what they did with his character , that is perfectly fine . I’m not saying you are not allowed to like Andre. Please stay respectful.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #mlb salt #andre salt #chloe bourgeois #chloe deserves better #bad parent get rewarded #victims are punished #chloe is also bad #miraculous season 5 finale #miraculous season 5 #mlb season 5 spoilers #mlb season five leaks #mlb writers salt #astruc salt #astruc

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lolotheparagon · 3 months

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Top 10 Sofia the First Songs

Fuck it, I know most of you dont give a shit about Sofia the First but this show has been a sheer delight for me so y'all gonna sit down, shut up and appreciate some good music. The music in this show is much like the music in Friendship is Magic. They both went way too hard than they needed to.

Here's the top 10 best songs in Sofia the First

10. King Cedric the Great

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Villain songs are always fun and its even better when the villain singing it is about as dangerous as a rubber duck. Cedric is the true example of how to write a sympathetic villain. He's a hapless sorceror who's actually really good at magic but his anxiety combined with everyone (except Sofia and his niece Calista) viewing him as some kind of loser are the reason why he wants to take over the kingdom cos he thinks that's the only way he can get respect. As this song illustrates how he wants Sofia's amulet so he can use its powers, but as the episode goes on, he finds out he doesnt really have it in him to be truly evil for reasons I won't go into, cos the episode this song's from is SO good. Its called Cedric's Apprentice if anyone wants to look it up.

As for the song itself, its a homage to classic Disney villain songs but Cedric's plan is so childishly over the top its hard to take him seriously, which is the song's intention. Its a great juxtaposition. Jess Harnell's singing is just the ham on top of these cheese sandwich.

He really has a knack for playing characters that are totally wacko

9. Wendell's Way

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Speaking of sorcerors, here's another villain: a kid named Wendell. A spoilt brat who stole all the flying horses of Enchancia for his birthday. He's like if Horrid Henry went to that terf wizard school. The song itself has a very boisterious energy, amplified by the hard rock drums and the lute/guitar solo?? which makes it all the more satisfying when Sofia, Amber and James get the upper hand in the end and Wendell's mother comes out of nowhere to ground him, its fucking great. Its nice to see a bully character actually stay a bully and not get force-redeemed by the writers so they can pull the 'everyone deserves a second chance' message , when in actuality, no, some people really are that mean and you're not obligated to give a shit about a bully. Wendell is, in retrospect, a breath of fresh air as the song doesnt pull some sad backstory out of the aether to make you feel sorry for this kid. No, he's just that selfish.

Also the lyric: 'That is a promise, but also a threat' is fucking great.

Its a simple song but a bop nonetheless.

8. Make Some Noise

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Sometimes a song is good when its just plain fun. And this song definitely applies. In the episode this is from, Sofia befriends a bunch of trolls living under the castle that everyone warns her are dangerous and violent and here... theyre actually super chill. The fact that Sofia instantly gets into the groove is delightful and again showcases how compassionate she is.

The song itself has a fun, jazzy melody with the trolls using thier equivalents of piano, trumpets and of course their clubs. It's such a feel good song, almost like the voice actors just got up from the chairs and just danced like they dont give a shit and the directors just hit record. It really feels like a song you would hear at a party. Even the repeated animation doesnt bother me.

7. A Princess True

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One of this show's biggest weakness is portraying people from different cultures cos its clear the show is made by mostly white people who have a limited understanding of non-white cultures and can easily fall into racist stereotypes without realising it. Its not by any means racist as the show features plenty of non white side characters (Khaled, Kashmir, Jun, Jin and Kari) that the main cast are on friendly terms with. But here, this song is relatively tame as this song is all about Sofia, a white girl, believing in Lani, a Hawaiian girl, as her actions throughout the episode are proof she's the real deal.

In the episode, Princess Leilani lost her family heirloom the Emerald Key into the sea after fighting an evil witch, where it gets washed up in Enchancia so Leilani goes to the castle to get the key back, cos its a key to help her parents find their way home from the sea. However, the witch Mamanu disguises herself as Leilani as well so she can trick the Enchancian royal family into giving her the Key. So Roland puts both Lanis to the test but the test involves the Lanis to act like THEIR cultural view of royalty. Sofia notices one of the Lanis aces it and the other competely fails at it and does something different instead. So Sofia thinks the latter is the real princess and this song is her showing her full support and belief that Lani is the true princess.

Its a very sweet song to a very meaty episode which is why I had to explain in full detail. Its not perfect but the song really encapsulates Sofia's and the show's earnestness towards non-white characters and I appreciate that. It helps the creator is Jewish and went on to make a show all about Latina culture and did actual research on it. So this song, and the episode itself is a good, albeit rocky start.

Even if they fucked it up with giving Lani powers in the next episode she appeared in, goddammnit why the magical native stereotype we were so close!!!!!

6. Me and My Mom

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Creator Craig Gerber has stated many times that one of Sofia the First's core themes is teaching kids about blended families and how to adapt after getting new parents and step siblings in your life (since he was a child of divorce himself and had to adapt to having a new father and siblings). This song is about Sofia's struggles to adapt now that she has to share her mother with Amber and James. You really feel sorry for Sofia cos she's so used to having her mother being the only family she has and of course, is easily attached to her.

Its a very soft, heartfelt song that resonates with a lot of kids that are in Sofia's position. I bet they felt very seen by this episode.

5. Improvise

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In the episode, Amber wants to join in Sofia's girl scout group but in typical Amber fashion, she brought nothing but dresses and jewellry to an outdoor trip and forgot to pack a tent. So Sofia and her friends teach her how to improvise via musical number. A cute lesson about being resourceful and a great example of Amber becoming a more versatile character as she grows to love the outdoors.

There's a very jovial, motivational energy to the song that really makes it stand out from the usual pep-talk songs in this show. What else can I say? Its a highlight of Amber's character development and a fun little song to boot. Whats not to love?

4. Two By Two

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Amber's relationship with her sister Sofia is always expanded upon in the show but her relationship with brother James is a lot less so since Amber and James sparsely interact beyond typical sibling teasing. So its nice this episode, and this song helps establish how much Amber actually cares about her twin brother.

In the episode, Amber accidentally turns James into a toddler thanks to a botched magic spell cos Amber didnt want to share her birthday but as her and Sofia run around trying to find baby James. Sofia suggests to Amber to sing the twin song that James and Amber used to sing all the time when they were little. (which is just adorable)

I love how Amber starts the song in a very deadpan, almost annoyed tone until the second verse hits and slowly her singing becomes more melancholy and emotional, like the fact that her twin being lost is just now hitting her. Especially since she spent the whole episode wishing to have a birthday to herself for once, not realising that she's taking away James' birthday and thus losing him too. That small bit of her looking at the pocket watch with her and James' portrait it, finally finding baby James behind the throne, picking him up and hugging him and them finishing the song together

STOP, MY FUCKING HEART CANT TAKE THE AMOUNT OF CUTE

Its so nice to see a sibling relationship that's actually wholesome.

3. Dare to Risk It All

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One of Amber's biggest flaws is her envy and her getting over being an jealous bitch to her little sister is a lesson that Amber has always had to learn in the show's earlier seasons. And while she has made some development, this is the episode where Amber makes the most change. And this song is emblematic of that.

Dare To Risk It All has Rapunzel appear to teach Amber that you have to put other's needs before your own to earn forgiveness, to prove you can change, which is a lesson not a lot of kids shows teach nowadays cos most shows like Steven Universe and even MLP put the pressure on the victim to forgive their bullies or let them off easy (especially if they're family) but in this episode, Sofia is rightfully angry at Amber for stealing her amulet and isnt afraid to snap at her for it the whole episode so Amber throughout this song (and the episode) realising how much Sofia means to her and it puts the pressure on Amber to be a better person and a better sister.

Its one of the few good Disney Princess songs the show has. The Disney Princess aspect of the show is honestly its biggest crutch cos Sofia always has a good role model with her mother and her dad to some extent and the princesses havent exactly had the best trakc record for teaching good lessons to Sofia since they either state the obvious or gaslight her. So its nice to see the princesses teach someone else for a change. And its Rapunzel, the best Disney princess.

Also bonus points for having a good song about earning forgiveness whilst flying dragons.

2. Princess Things

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Sofia wants to do flying horse-racing even though mostly boys at her school do that sport and both Amber and Sofia's rival Prince Hugo are discouraging her from trying out the sport. Its your typical girl empowerment message. While the pilot episode established the whole premise, this episode (Just One of the Princes) and this song establishes Sofia's character: a pro-active princess who doesnt fall for anyone's bullshit, which is perfect for a moral center protagonist.

I love how Sofia's expression throughout the song goes from confused to smiling like she's internally screaming. And her verses are basically 'screw you guys i do whatever the fuck i want.' So not only did everyone waste their time singing to convince Sofia but in fact made her even MORE CONVINCED to try out the flying horse derby. Good job, guys.

Aside from that, the song itself is a bop. The repeated chorus really emphasises the peer pressure Sofia is going through. Second episode of the series and they're already making a hit.

1. All You Need

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In the episode, Sofia meets Vivian, a princess who's a great artist and musician but is painfully shy and thus everyone is spreading rumours around her. Even Sofia was a bit apprehensive but she pushes through it to meet Vivian at her house whilst they work on their school project and this delightful song just pops up.

I love how it starts with Vivian nervously playing her lute and Sofia starts singing, whilst helping her IN SONG start brainstorming their ideas for a dream castle. Then after Sofia's verse is done: ending with the lyric, Ill paint all the towers blue, now the rest is up to you, Vivian immediately jumps and enthusiastically suggest her own ideas. The music even matches the tone of the characters. When it starts, its only Vivian's lute and a backing track but as soon as the bridge comes, the music swells when Sofia's singing motivates Vivian and its just chef kiss.

This song, as well as the episode this was from, made me really like Vivian as a side character and I always loved her interactions with Sofia whenever she made an appearance. I like how she retained her newfound confidence into later seasons, where she becomes just as pro-active as Sofia.

This song, to me, is what Sofia the First is all about. A girl who's just the sunniest child, befriending the shy kid in her class and having the most adorable musical number. Are there songs with better lyrics and theming? Absolutely. But the sheer serotonin levels this song has, as well as encapsulating the main character's compassion for others, is why this is the best song of the show

Thank you for coming to my TED talk about a bluebell princess

#Youtube #sofia the first

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