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augustvandyne · 3 months

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Angela x reader

In a relationship but not out to everyone yet and they get caught after a undercover mission making out

i hope this doesn’t suck too bad lol.

also i had writers block which explains why i haven’t posted in a few days.. anyway, send in some asks because i have one for andy and im out!!

going undercover

You weren’t even completely sure how you got roped into this undercover op.

All you knew this morning was that there was an op, a description of what was going on, and that Lucy wanted in. So that meant you were leaving yourself out of it.

At least you were, up until Nyla and Grey had specifically asked for you.

Something about you being open about liking girls, and that was needed in this op.

You tried to explain that you didn’t want it, that Lucy wanted it and that she could act way better than you could—but Nyla was not having any of it.

She wanted you on this, and that was final.

But she also wanted, surprise surprise, Angela on this as well.

You already knew of the case, because the LAPD has been following it for almost a year now, and still haven’t been able to arrest the gang of three.

They were traffickers. For all of it. Drugs, guns, and people.

So your guys’ job was to keep tabs and to eventually bust them.

Angela would work at a bar to keep tabs on a few members who hung around there, and you’d keep hidden. Try to blend in along with the gang.

Angela hated the idea of putting you in that kind of danger, but she couldn’t say anything to jeopardize your guys’ relationship.

Nyla and Grey said the operation would take at least a week, so the two of you tried to see it as a good thing.

You’d be alone for a week—and you wouldn’t have to hide.

The two of you were sent home to pack your duffel bags, and then you were off.

There was a small apartment set up above the bar the two of you would be hanging around at for the next two weeks, and that was where the two of you would be staying.

You and Angela had the rest of your night to yourselves until the real job started tomorrow, and so the two of you spent your time in bed together.

You took turns holding each other, not knowing how much time the two of you would be able to spend holding each other within the next week.

Angela lays with her arms wrapped around you, your hand resting on her cheek as you lay with your head on her chest.

“No matter what happens—“

“Don’t think like that,” Angela cuts you off, lifting your head so you were looking at her. “ever.”

“I’m sorry Ange,” You look down, only to have Angela force your stare back up to her. “I can’t lose you.”

“And you won’t,” Angela gives a smirk. “I won’t have it. Not under my watch.”

She leans down, leaving a small peck on your lips.

You take in a breath, all the anxiety hitting you at once.

“I’m scared,” You admit.

“I know,” Angela presses her lips together, her eyes casting over you in a scared and concerned manner. “I am too.”

“We’ll watch out for each other,” You nod.

“I know we will,” She kisses your forehead and the two of you fall asleep that way. You, wrapped in her arms, your hand on her cheek, and her lips pressed against your head.

You were beginning to hate this undercover operation all together.

Not only did you hate watching Angela be buttered up and flirted with all night, but you also hated being ogled yourself. You could feel Angela’s stare on you, and you were worried she might give the two of you away.

You played into whatever the men had needed and they bought every single one of your words.

They’d let you in on when trades would be going on, and where, but Nyla and Grey insisted you wouldn’t be able to bust them until they saw it in action. They may just be bluffing, they told you.

And so they wanted you to get in on a trade, but Angela hated that idea.

When you guys had checked in a few nights before, she’d fought them on it, all but shouting at them. Nostrils flared, teeth bared, jaw clenched.

She would have started screaming at them, had you not put your hand on her thigh to calm her.

“We’re just on edge,” You’d said in order to keep the two of yours relationship a secret. “She doesn’t want me to die, that’s all.”

“I sure hope not,” Grey chuckled.

And since then Angela had kept a close eye on you. Dreading the moment the men gave in and gave you their full trust.

Which was the main reason you’d seen her eyes on you every time you looked up.

“We could use another round,” Pierce said, finishing his glass of beer off.

“No problem,” You smiled, placing your hands on the table to you could push yourself up.

The men stare at your behind as you sway your hips over to the counter.

“Another round,” You requested to Angela.

“I don’t like this,” Angela says, taking her time to pour the several beers.

“So you’ve said,” You laughed nervously. “The last four times I’ve come up here.”

“I don’t like you drinking this much,” She starts on the second cup.

“I’m still on my second,” You assured her. “The others are drinking my round.”

She gives you an angry look.

“When this is all over..”

“I’m going to smack you,” Angela squints at you.

“No you won’t,” You say cockily.

“You’re right,” Angela sighs. “I worry.”

“Don’t,” You cut her off. “There’s a trade tonight. They’ll take me. I’m sure of it.”

“This will all be over tomorrow,” Angela blinks, trying not to show excitement on the outside.

“It will,” You nod.

You grab the four beers and place them on the table several feet away.

“Drink up princess,” The boss, Leon, demands in a low voice. “We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

“Us?” You tilt your head, your eyes locked on Angela’s as you down the rest of your beer.

“Us,” Keons right hand man, Noah, confirms, grabbing your hand from across the table.

It takes everything inside of you not to pull your hand away from him and hurl.

It also takes everything inside of Angela not to march over to the table you’re at and kick all three of the guys’ asses, but she is able to contain herself and help the next customer in line.

To Leon’s word, the three of them do bring you along to the trade, although you didn’t realize you’d be the thing they were trading for the human portion of the trade until you arrived.

Thankfully, they’d needed another round before heading out, and you’d given Angela the location and time.

When they pulled up to the destination, you prayed Angela, Nyla and a team were somewhere around the place to save you.

You’d played as nice as you could as the trade was going about. You smiled nicely, and did whatever Pierce, Leon, and Noah asked of you.

You were beginning to give up hope as they handed you off to the man who bought the big three, just as they were busted.

“LAPD!” Nyla stood behind the three of them, who got shot the second they reached for their own guns.

“Down!” You heard your girlfriend shout, and so you did. You dropped to the ground, the grip of the man behind you releasing as he’d been shot in the shoulder from above.

You looked up to see Angela above with her sniper.

“Clear!” Nyla shouted as the man behind you fell to the ground in pain.

Lucy and the rest of the gang came out from their hiding spots.

You launched off the ground into Lucy’s arms, needing the feeling safety.

“Where’s Angela?” You looked around frantically.

“I don’t know,” Lucy says, holding onto you tighter. “I’m just glad you’re okay. And I promise I’m not mad over you getting the part. I don’t know what I would have done in this position. And you did this on three beers? I would’ve been dead on my feet—“

“I love you, Lucy, but you’re breaking me,” You wheeze out.

“Oh, I’m sorry—“

“Officer Chen!”

“I’ll be back,” Lucy gives you one last squeeze before hurrying off in the direction of where her name was called.

You made sure no one was watching you as you all but sprinted in the direction of where you last saw Angela.

She caught you off guard as she grabbed you and pushed you against one of the many large shipping containers that are placed around the docking yard.

“I hate you,” Angela all but growls in your face.

“No you don’t,” You grab her head in your hands and pull her down to your face.

“You’re right,” Angela breathes out.

“I’m okay. I promise.”

“You better be,” Angela pulls her lips away from yours, looking over you for any scratches, just to be sure.

“I am,” You insist. “From now on, no more undercover. I need to make sure you’re okay too, I love you and I can’t lose you either.” You say, pulling her face closer to yours, everything around you drowning out.

“Oh-“ Grey turns away as Nyla comes to see what it is.

Angela pulls herself away from you as you put your hands up to your face.

“What-“ Lucy says with wide eyes.

“How long has this..” Nyla points between the two of you.

“Uh..” You make a face behind your hands.

“Hm.”

“How did you even hide this?” Tim shakes his head.

“We’re very good?” Angela scratches her head.

“My office,” Grey says looking between the two of you. “First thing tomorrow morning.”

“How—“ Lucy just shakes her head.

“Sir—“

“I have a feeling this will still be going on, and we’ll need to fill out paper work,” Grey nods, turning to walk away, everyone but Lucy turning to follow.

They were in disbelief, to say the least.

You lick your lips nervously, “No problem.”

Angela chuckles, turning back to you, taking one of your hands in her own. She lifts your knuckles to her lips and gives them a soft kiss.

“Let’s go home.”

“I just— how?!” Lucy says as the two of you leave the secluded space.

#the rookie #the rookie x reader #angela lopez #please ask me about miss angela #ask about her pleaseeeee #send asks #wlw post #angela lopez x reader #gorgeous #pretty please #i love you!!!#lucy chen #nyla harper #wade grey #lapd

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shiny-procrastinates · 3 years

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(re)Watching Magia Record S1 - part 12

part 11 here

Hello and welcome back everyone to this kinda watch-along of Magia Record s1. Last time, Mifuyu invited our girls to a lecture about the "salvation" her cult is preaching and took the opportunity to make a psychological attack on Yachiyo, who's now avoiding her team. Oh, and also Momoko was going to tell the truth to Rena. How will the girls react to learning the truth about magical girls? Why did Yachiyo suddenly start distancing herself from the others? We can only find that out by watching, so let's get on to this penultimate episode!

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story: Magia Record S1 episode 12

Yachiyo's seriously not having a good time since she saw Mifuyu. After talking briefly with what I guess are the illusions of old companions of hers and denying that the girls are her friends, Yachiyo decides to follow after Iroha and co. with the excuse of being unable to ignore other magical girls being fooled.

pft, what a callback, I can't believe she's still tracking Felicia. Yachiyo, please, you look like a stalker lol

Back at Memory Museum, Iroha's having a not very pleasant reunion with one of her best friends (also Felicia's growling at her haha). Iroha refuses to accept the reality that Touka's a Magius, since she thinks that the Touka she knows would never do that, but Touka really doesn't remember either her or Ui.

While Touka Mary Poppins around, Mifuyu steps in on their little argument, reminding Touka that she's supposed to be giving them a lecture, and Iroha also pulls herself together to do what she actually went there for.

Oh, that's a nice transition to the op, I forgot that happened. I forgot this ep had the opening at all.

Back at the bridge, Momoko's about to let Rena in on the truth about magical girls, when a certain person joins them.

Kaede! Long time no see. Normally, I'd be glad to see her back, but there's just something very ominous about her showing up now of all times, with a black umbrella and smiling, after what happened to her.

While that's going on, Iroha's team is getting a very handy educational slideshow on Magical Girls, courtesy of Touka. First, she proposes the scenario of a Soul Gem breaking, asking our girls what would happen in that case. After Sana and Tsuruno get it not wrong but not exactly right either, Touka gives them the answer: The Magical Girl dies.

Alas, that's a very Touka slideshow indeed, condescendingly giving a lot of synonyms for "death" just to make sure you get it. Thanks, Touka.

Back at the bridge, I wasn't imagining it, there really must be something weird going on with Kaede. Did popping a witch really break her this much? Rena hugs Kaede, who apologizes and promises they’ll be together forever now... in any other situation, I'd say that's really sweet, but right now it's really disturbing. Then, Kaede-

Kaede? KAEDE? Why and how do you know about that already?! Did Momoko tell you? Momoko's also acting suspicious. Just what the heck is going on here?

Thanks for this shot anime. Yes, Touka does very much sound like the white weasel here.

In Memory Museum, Touka explains what exactly a Soul Gem is, to the very understandable shock of Iroha and the others. After complaining about their inability to keep up, Touka urges them to move on to the next part of the lecture: "Magical Girl Theory: About Witches". Ohh man here we go.

Exactly what part of being a magical girl is exciting escapes my understanding. Maybe "scary" or "hopeless" would be a better descriptor. That aside, no wonder the rumor says you'd be affected by the memory you saw. Vicariously experiencing it is a whole 'nother deal...

Except that they don't. Unlike the game, they only get to watch the memories, not take part in them. One has to wonder why the script even bothered having Mifuyu say that if they weren't going to do it after all.

In Mifuyu's memory, just like Touka had described earlier, Yachiyo's group, who at the time was her, Mifuyu and one of the girls Yachiyo had hallucinated earlier, Kanae, are having a hard time against a powerful witch. When taking an attack from the witch head on, Kanae's Soul Gem ends up cracking and breaking so, although she managed to reflect the attack and kill the witch, she dies.

So that's how Yachiyo and Mifuyu learnt the truth about the Soul Gems, and now the Mikadzuki girls were proved that through their memories (though it's specifically Mifuyu's memory).

Back at the entrance, Yachiyo has finally caught up with the group (kinda). Touka tries to talk to her, maybe to buy some time, but Yachiyo gives absolutely zero cares and just slides down the rope like she's in some video game. Girl has no chill huh, didn't even wait to hear Touka's name, which means she has no idea that that’s one of the people Iroha was looking for.

Continuing the "practical part" of the lecture, Iroha's now seeing Mifuyu's memories from some time (years, I think) later. By this time, she and Yachiyo already had a new team with Tsuruno, Momoko and Mel, one of the other girls Yachiyo had seen the illusion of earlier, and Mikadzuki Villa was basically back to normal.

That day, when Tsuruno was busy, Yachiyo and team went to hunt a witch who had moved all the way from the east to their own ward. Like in the previous memory, the witch was powerful and her team was having a hard time, so Yachiyo told them to run away while she distracted it (remember Seance Shrine?). However, Yachiyo ends up in a pinch and Mel, the day's lucky girl, ignores Yachiyo's order and comes in to save her.

The result, too, is very much like Seance Shrine. Mel used up all her magic on saving Yachiyo and, before they can go find a Grief Seed to purify her Gem, Mel ends up witching out.

I have to say though, even though it's her own memories, Mifuyu's being pretty damn cold about this. Man, how can you watch this smiling? Are you alright? (from the point she's a magical girl, probably not.)

Rena, who probably just heard this very same story, is having the expected reaction.

Back then, Momoko was indignant to learn this truth, pressing Kyuubei for answers. The stupid cat-rabbit, however, gives the very same explanation he had given on the og about magical girls and saving the universe.

With this, Iroha's team has also learnt the truth behind Witches, whether they wanted to or not. I feel Kyuubei would like to complain about that statement saying that he's fooling someone, considering his stance is "no one asked".

That was the end to that part, but it seems there was still more to be learned here, since the lecture is not over and we continue seeing Mifuyu's memories from after that.

Mifuyu felt pretty damn miserable after what happened to Mel and couldn't get over it even after half a year had passed. Momoko tells her to just forget it already, but Mifuyu just can't. Momoko also says they shouldn't tell Tsuruno, which explains why she didn't know.

Unable to forget and unable to tell anyone about it, Mifuyu ends up witching out... or, that's what should happen normally, but instead of witching out for real Mifuyu releases her impurities to an outside form, just like Iroha, Kaede, the Amane twins and Alina all did throughout the series.

At this point, Touka cuts in to continue her lecture, now on exactly what is this event that we had been wondering the whole series about. Thanks, Touka.

According to Touka, these crystallizations of a magical girl's impurities is called a Doppel and she's the one that created the system that makes them possible. That, itself, is the proof of "salvation" that the Magius are preaching, and their goal is to reject Kyuubei's system, releasing all magical girls. Well... that's fine and all, but 1: how are you doing this; and 2: why do you need Rumors and witches for that? Still fishy.

Poor magical girls indeed.

Oh, oh no Kaede also entered the cult, she's now repeating the salvation spiel!

At the same time, Iroha and co. are also at their last stop.

I really, really like how this last scene fells like Mifuyu is inviting us, the viewers, to join the cult too. Almost makes you want to root for them... almost.

Because being meguka is suffering.

- x - (if you have been reading this as a hamster face, you're right)

Aaand that's it for episode 12! Finally, FINALLY I can call doppeling out by what it is without it being a spoiler, thank god... but now it doesn't matter because there's only one episode left, dammit >:v

So yeah, there's the explanation, kinda. It's not like they were breaking any rules (if we ignore the fact this universe shouldn't exist at all thanks to Madokami), but more that Kamihama is a special place. And yet we still have no idea of how exactly the cult's doing this, what is a Rumor, why exactly are they collecting emotional energy like Kyuubei would... actually there's one more thing that makes the cult not much better isn't it, Touka's saying they reject Kyuubei system and yet they're doing the exact same thing as them, that's super shady. Also there's no way there's no consequence to doppeling out when this series works on equivalent exchange, there's definitely gotta be some con to it. SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Talking about questions, I'm always curious about the exact timeline for this story. Whenever they talk about Mel's incident, they say it was "one year ago", and then half a year later Mifuyu's still not over it and it seems like she doppels out at this point, but in the game they say it takes another half year before that happens, I think(?). Which always left me the question of: When exactly did the Magius start acting then? It should've taken some time to get the organization as big as it is now, so one has to wonder how long ago did the incidents in Kamihama start, since by the time Iroha shows up the magical girls here already seem used to it. This always leaves me feeling like this “one year ago” is closer to “almost two years ago” rather than “a bit over a year ago”. At least by this time in the story, it should be.

Knowing exactly when did The Wings of the Magius start would also let us guess at how long Iroha herself has been a magical girl, since Touka was probably still hospitalized when she made her wish. If Iroha's really been a magical girl for over half a year, that'd explain why she was already used to it by the time she came to Kamihama, despite being weak. Rather, that'd mean she's done a great job surviving thus far considering how she's only been shown sucking at battles lol (I’ll probably never get the answer to this, tho)

By the way, we STILL have no clue as to what happened to Iroha's little sister... I don't think we're making any progress on this front this season anymore. Poor Ui, even the show forgot about her.

So yeah, that was ep 12. Next episode, hopefully, we'll get more on the reactions of our girls upon learning the truth, and see what Yachiyo plans to do, if she had a plan at all coming here... which I suspect she doesn't, she's in fact even too late to do anything about it. I told you she'd regret it! The next episode's also the last one for this season, so you can look forward to having some awesome thing to tie it off *wink*

This is it for this post, hope to see you again on the next one. Have a good morning/afternoon/evening and remember to stay hydrated!

#Magia Record #pmmm magia record #magireco #puella magi madoka magica

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panda-noosh · 6 years

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Sunshine {demigod!Keith x Reader}

Words: 6k

Summary: Keith Kogane was insufferable. An absolute nightmare to be around. So why are you getting visions of him kissing you?

Genre: angst – percyjackson!au

Warning: if pet names make you cringe, you might not wanna read this.

Notes: masterlist – “Tbh just imagine a demigod au. Where Keith is still son of ares and the reader is the daughter of Apollo and Keith calls her sunshine constantly... fuuuuuuuuuuudgee I want Keith to call me sunshine.” I got this lovely anon message a few hours back and I really, really loved it. I know I kind of strayed a little bit from the main concept, but I have a habit of getting carried away with these things and my black heart just had to throw the angst in lol. But I hope you all enjoy!!

---

He was stupid.

Stupid, and annoying, and quite honestly, not worth your precious time.

Keith Kogane had an attitude that just irked you. It got on your nerves, made you bristle with the firey need to put him in his place at all times. He could never just talk. He had to command. All because his dad was Ares, god of war, Keith thought he was some big shot demigod who deserved all of the attention and all of the fame and all of the credit for things that, honestly, he wouldn't have been able to do if it weren't for the Apollo cabin.

It was an Ares personality trait, you were well aware. They all did it. They all had this aura of superiority about them, and even though Keith seemed mild in comparison to his siblings, he still managed to be the one guy who caught your eye and annoyed you.

Even now, during the most quiet time of the day at Camp Half-Blood; training. Training was a necessary thing in Camp Half-Blood, and it was bad if you skipped it. Chiron often got angry at people for skipping it, and an angry Chiron was a Chiron you did not want to deal with, which was why you were currently leaning against the fence post, arms folded over your chest, trying to pretend like you weren't glaring over at Keith Kogane as he battled it out with one of his sisters.

“You know, you're not making yourself look very subtle,” Hunk, your half-brother, called over to you.

Your eyebrows twitched up as you turned to look at him, arms still folded over your chest so that your Sun Blade gently nicked against the fabric of your training gear. “Hm?”

“You. You've been staring over at the Ares cabin for the past ten minutes. Haven't moved a muscle. I thought you'd been paralysed for a moment.”

You flushed, tried to cover it by biting your lip and looking away. Hunk and you were of similar ages, but you didn't like to talk about that. The fact that your father had gone from your mother to Hunk's mother in less than a few months was a fact you both chose to ignore. It was easier that way, just letting the gods get on with their own things and hope they didn't interject in your business in the meantime.

“Do you think you two will ever stop fighting with one another?” Hunk asked whenever you didn't respond to his earlier comments. He was busy now swinging a rope of fire above his head, ready to let it loose whenever the time was right.

“Who?”

“Well who else?” he said, getting impatient with your fake obliviousness. “You and Keith! The sexual tension drives me up a wall, and I think everyone would be a bit happier if you two just finally decided to stop pretending you hate one another-”

“I'm gonna stop you there,” you said, before you clicked your fingers. A ball of fire erupted in your palms and you hastily threw it through the centre of the rope Hunk was still swinging around; the fireball sliced through it, and Hunk's magical rope of fire disappeared, ashes floating to the ground being the only evidence it had been there at all.

Hunk frowned and glared over at you, but you ignored him and turned your head back to where the Ares cabin were training; to hell with them all, you said. To hell with him. To hell with his fancy equipment and the fact that he could easily lift a sword with barely a grimace to describe the weight of it. To hell with his sly comments. To hell with his protruding muscles and black hair that was currently slicked back with a thin sheen of sweat that was dripping down his forehead and his nose and making him glisten golden in the sunlight-

Yeah. Yeah. To hell with him.

Everybody else thought they had it all figured out. Everybody commented on the sexual tension between you and Keith – so much so that you had gotten to the point where you had just stopped trying to defend yourself. In your head, it was utterly outrageous that anyone would sense sexual tension between you and the son of Ares – whenever you looked at Keith, the last thing on your mind was jumping his bones. Whenever you looked at Keith, the only thing you wanted to do to him was tell him to shut up and perhaps send a swift punch to the back of his neck.

But nobody else seemed to understand that. They all seemed to think you two were just dawdling. That you two were just playing your hand at this hard-to-get thing, and eventually you would come together and it would all fall into place and everybody would be able to say I told you so. You nearly scoffed, folding your arms back over your chest and going back to casually leaning against the fence post – they would all see. One day, you were going to fall in love with someone who wasn't a complete asshole, who wasn't a complete show off. Then they'll all laugh and talk about how stupid they had been to think you and Keith could be anything more than mortal enemies.

----

“Good morning, Sunshine.”

You cried out, eyes snapping open as soon as the words were whispered in your throbbing ear.

You jerked upright and immediately came face-to-face with the absolute last person you wanted to see in this moment.

“What the hell are you doing here?” you snarled, shoving Keith away from you. He laughed as he stumbled back, giving you just enough time to push yourself away from the tree you had been dozing against and stand up straight. You were well aware of the dribble that was staining the corner of your mouth, the hay currently weaving its way through your tousled hair. You didn't care. Not in the slightest. Not one bit.

You were hurriedly fixing your appearance for you and you only.

Keith was grinning from ear to ear when you looked back up at him, and it was only whenever you made eye contact with him that you realised he hadn't actually answered your question.

“Did you just call me Sunshine?” you asked, forgetting about your previous query. You could care less what he was doing here – he could do what he wanted, just as long as he left you out of it.

He grinned even deeper. “Did you like it? I came up with it myself whenever I was watching you fall asleep a minute ago.”

You flushed crimson, despite trying your hardest not to. “Watching people sleep is creepy.”

“Yeah, well, you kind of left me no choice when you decided to fall asleep whilst on watch. I've basically just saved your ass, Sunshine.”

You gritted your teeth against the nickname, gritted your teeth against the absolute physical reaction it set off within you. You cursed to yourself. Butterflies were stampeding through your stomach, and you hated everything about it.

“If Chiron were to have been the one walking through-”

“Yes, okay Keith, I get it. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. You don't need to go on about it.”

“Oh, but I do. And I think I will for a little while longer.” He chuckled as you ground your teeth together, fists clenching at your sides. You could feel your skin heating up with the anger coursing through you, and it took everything in you not to completely explode at him in this moment – he had some nerve!

“You can go now,” you said. “You did your job – I'm awake.”

“I thought I could give you some company. You still have another three hours of watch to complete, and I'm sure it gets lonely out here all on your lonesome.”

You rolled your eyes and slumped back against the tree. Though he was right, you didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing such a thing. “I'm good, thanks. I'll make do on my own.”

But Keith, forever being the stubborn Ares son that he was, did not listen. He barely even registered your words as he pulled his sword from his back, set it on the grass before he slumped down beside you.

It was as soon as his shoulder brushed yours that the world melted away and left nothing behind but the oddest sight you had ever seen.

You were familiar with this feeling, this sudden disassociation from the world; all of the Apollo kids were. Having a father who was the god of prophesies often left you no choice but to suddenly disconnect from everyone else so you could catch a glimpse into the future, but never before had you felt it this strongly.

The sight before you was strange; you were familiar with the surrounding area, but you were confused as to why you would be standing in the Ares cabin. But you were. You could see the tapestries hung up on the wall, the weaponry littering the floor, the unmade beds and the scraps of food laying around hopelessly.

The cabin was empty bar you and Keith.

Keith was standing close to you. Much too close for your liking, and his hand was on your hip and you were staring at him in a way you were fairly certain you had never looked at anyone else before in your entire life. Your jaw was clenched – as it usually was whenever you were in Kogane's presence – but you were making no move to shuffle away from his touch.

The scene was moving in slow motion. Keith moved forward a single step, and then your hands were slowly rising and knotting into his red shirt, pulling him closer as if the rope had finally snapped and you just needed him to be close to you.

Keith leaned in. He whispered something you couldn't hear, leaned in a little bit more. From the sidelines, it was almost as if you could feel his breath tickling the space just below your ear, could smell his deodrant, could feel his heartbeat through your-

“Y/N!”

Your eyes snapped open. You gasped. The heat that had once engulfed your body had grown ten fold, and it took everything in you not to cry out with the slight burst of pain that came with snapping out of a prophesy.

You scattered forward. You didn't want to be touching him. Not right now. Not whenever your powers were sensitive, and every bone in your body was vibrating with the overwhelming emotions you were feeling right now.

Keith was on his knees, having clearly just been trying to snap you out of your episode. He looked at you now, though, with wide, worried eyes, his hands gripping the leaves you had once been sat on as if trying to stabilise himself.

“I'm sorry,” you choked out, unsure as to what you were apologising for.

“What just happened?” he asked. “Gods, Y/N, you look like you're about to pass out. You need to-”

“I need to get back to the Apollo cabin,” you snapped. It came out harsher than you intended, but his recoil comforted you. It meant you weren't at risk of him touching you any time soon. “Can you – Can you take over my watch?”

Keith was stiff. You expected him to tell you to go to hell, to tell you to suck it up and carry on with your job, but he didn't. His head barely moved, but you knew he was nodding, and as soon as you got the green light, you fled as fast as you could into the darkness, refusing to turn back and look at him.

---

Surely he hadn't been about to kiss you?

He was Keith Kogane, for crying out loud. The eerie, annoying boy you had despised from the moment you had both said hello to each other on that cold winters day all them years ago – you had only been seven years old, had been stuck at Camp Half-Blood for a little over two years whenever innocent little Keith stumbled in through the gates and immediately tried to make every person his bitch – he thought he was superior even then. It must have been a shock to the system whenever he learned that every single person he was trying to outsmart had been through the exact same thing as him – he wasn't the only troubled kid with a god for a parent.

You soaked in the bath water and tried to think up any excuse you could as to why your brain had conjured up such an absurd image.

Your skin was still scolding; it hadn't cooled down from the moment you had scrambled from Keith's side. The bath water you had run had been cold, but was now lukewarm at the contact of your flesh against it. You rubbed the water up your arms, but nothing happened. You were still sweating, still shaking as if you had a fever.

It had given you such a physical response, and you couldn't quite figure out why. Perhaps it was because it had been cut off so abruptly – everybody knew that it was extremely dangerous to pull an Apollo kid out of one of their visions. It shocked the body too much, even had a slight risk of death if the shock got the better of them.

You were lucky that your vision had been one you wanted to be pulled out of as soon as possible.

“Y/N? Are you still in there?”

You flinched upright, wiping hair out of your face. “Hunk. Yeah. Sorry. I'll just be a minute.”

“Keith told me what happened to you. He seemed really worried.”

You froze, hands gripping the edge of the bath tightly. So tight that your knuckles paled. Your throat suddenly felt slick, and you closed your eyes against his words.

“You know we have to tell Dad whenever something like this happens, don't you? It's protocol.”

“Hunk, please don't.” You scrambled out of the water then, grabbing a towel and wrapping it tightly around your middle. You were comfortable enough with Hunk like this – sharing a cabin with him for as long as you had done meant that having a towel wrapped around you was hardly a shock to the system.

You opened the door to the washroom. Hunk was leaning against the door, messing idly with his bandanna which he had taken off for the night. He had a green face mask drenching his skin, and was dressed in his silken pyjamas with ducks on them.

He looked up at you through the gaps in his face mask.

“Dad has to know,” he said. “In fact, I don't doubt that he already knows. He sees everything, that guy, I swear to gods.”

You winced. “I don't want to talk to him. I don't even – Look, it wasn't that big of a deal. We all get visions every now and then-”

“And they're dangerous,” said Hunk, because they were. “There's a reason we're trained up to try and fight them off, Y/N. They cause trauma. They've killed some of us.”

You shivered. “I'm still alive.”

“But you're clearly shaken up.” Hunk sighed then and ran a hand through his brown hair. “Keith was worried, and that's what worried me. He said your skin started heating up really badly and then your eyes started glowing golden and then you just bolted from him. What did you even see?”

“Nothing,” you said immediately. “Nothing special. I don't even remember it that well.”

Hunk raised a brow, clearly not believing a single word you were saying. Oh well. You didn't need him to believe you – the prophesy was over, and it was obviously a mistake. What you had seen made no sense, and never would make sense, and you were better off just forgetting about it.

With this thought, your skin heated up even more. You gritted your teeth against the slight buzz of pain that came with such a thing, and Hunk took notice.

He shook his head. “Dad will want to see you. I wouldn't be surprised if he was here by tomorrow to talk to you.”

“Dad doesn't need to worry-”

“Dad isn't worried. He's doing what he needs to do to make sure his kids aren't prophetising some unknown war.” He sighed. “And by the looks of you now, what you saw disturbed you.”

---

Apollo made his appearance the very next day.

Just as you remembered him with his glowing, golden eyes and his tanned skin. He had on his usual pair of red tinted sunglasses, his fingers littered with an unnecessary amount of golden rings, golden necklaces looping around his neck. On his middle finger, he had tattooed a smiling sun.

He grinned brightly when he saw you. “Y/N!”

It was a surprise he even remembered you.

You smiled shyly as Chiron closed the door and gave you and your father some privacy – privacy that you didn't see as necessary, but refused to comment on right now. It would only make Apollo uncomfortable, and you didn't want to deal with an angry, uncomfortable god at the moment.

“I've been made aware that there's some stuff you and I need to discuss, hm?” he said. He pulled a chair out from beneath the large, mahogany desk and sat down, before he clicked his fingers and another one shot out towards you. You hesitantly took a seat beside him, idly messing with your fingers in your lap.

“You had a vision last night, didn't you, little one?”

You gritted your teeth. “I don't know what you're talking about.” It was easier to lie, even though you knew full well that your father was well aware of your deceptions.

He raised a brow, barely visible above his massive sunglasses. “So we're playing dumb today, hm? Did I not raise you to never tell lies? Did I not tell you that lying wasn't going to get you anywhere?”

“That might have been one of your other kids.”

Apollo frowned thoughtfully. “Might have been. I don't really remember.” He snapped back to reality then. “Tell me what it was you saw, Y/N. Exactly what you saw.”

And you were well aware that it was his powers making you do it, were well aware that your father was currently in your head, stifling through your troubled thoughts for that one memory, that one prophesy that had gotten you here in the first place. You were well aware that you wouldn't be able to lie even if you wanted to.

The sudden pull on your conscience was entirely him, and without your permission, the entire vision you had suffered through the night before was pouring from your lips in immense, over-dramatic detail.

Apollo sat back and listened as you unfolded for him. You winced when you heard yourself talking about how Keith had leaned in, how your hands had bunched up in his shirt, how you had been in the Ares cabin in the first place. That in itself was weird enough without the added dramatics of a potential kiss thrown into the mix.

After the tale was told, you gasped and felt a force pushing you back into the chair. You hadn't even realised you had been leaning forward. Sweat now lined your forehead, and you felt manipulated.

“Gods,” you whispered, wiping a trembling hand over your brow. “I don't know how things are in Olympus, father, but here on earth, what you just did is illegal.”

“False,” he said casually. “Your government do it all the time. Now, let's discuss what it is I've just seen – does my daughter have a little crush?”

You flushed bright red, hand freezing on your forehead. “What?”

“Well, why else would you be having prophesies about kissing Keith Kogane? A son of Ares, of all people! You could have gone for someone from the Hephaestus cabin – they're much calmer, I think. Although Hephaestus can cause a ruckus every now and-”

“I do not have a crush on Keith Kogane!” you shrilled.

Apollo flinched back. “Don't raise your voice like that.”

“Then don't make assumptions like that!”

“It wasn't an assumption, little one. I saw what I saw, and you saw it as well – it was a prophesy. A very brief glimpse into the future that will-”

“It was a mistake, is what it was,” you snarled. “Keith and I hate each other!”

“Not according to Hunk.”

Your face fell. “You spoke to Hunk?”

“I thought I'd catch up with him, yes.” He casually leaned back in the chair, draping his arm over the back of it. At first glimpse, you would have truly seen him as no older than his mid twenties. “He told me that the son of Ares was quite worried for you yesterday – flustering around, asking how you were and if he could see you. That doesn't sound like hate to me – not at all.”

“And what would you know?” you mumbled, folding your arms over your chest and sinking lower into your seat.

“You're acting like a brat now, Y/N,” Apollo said. “You were never like this when you were a youngster. You're meant to grow out of these fazes, not grow into them.”

You hollowed out your cheeks, resisting the urge to get up and leave. It was useless anyway. No doubt Apollo had put some magical, double bolted lock on the gods damned door and you would be trapped in here until his say so. But you had butterflies in your stomach, and your skin was prickling with a heat that had not come from the aftershocks of a vision – it was pure embarrassment, pure emotion that was making you want to open a window right now to let air wash over you.

“Personally, I'm relieved the vision wasn't something more,” continued Apollo. “It could have been disastrous, but it was nothing more than some romantic awakening. Quite anticlimactic, if I do say so.”

“Hmph.”

Apollo grinned then, a grin that was almost identical to your own. “Oh, do cheer up, little one. Perhaps Keith Kogane will be good at kissing. Do I need to give him the dad-to-boyfriend talk before I leave?”

“I think you can just leave.”

Apollo grinned even brighter, as if his daughter hadn't just totally banished him from her presence. “Very well then. I bid you good luck for the future and all that.” He stood up, stretched out his limbs dramatically. As he brought his arms back down from their sky-high stretch, he slapped his hands against your head in that way grandfathers often did for the sake of it. You winced, shying away from his touch.

“It was good seeing you again, little one,” he said. “And remember – there's no point in fighting off the inevitable. It'll just leech your energy.”

And without a reply to carry him back to Olympus, your father erupted into flames and disappeared.

---

“Oi! Sunshine! Oi! There you are!”

You quickened your pace. He was the last person you wanted to see. The absolute last person you wanted to-

He grabbed your wrist, tugged you back. As soon as his fingers wrapped around wrist, you gasped and flinched away, afraid of his touch triggering another vision. They were rare, but you didn't want to risk it happening again.

“What do you want?” you hissed, rubbing your wrist frantically, as if trying to banish your skin of the feel of him completely.

Keith's eyes widened. “Woah. What's wrong with you?”

“Can you just say what you want to say and let me leave? I don't exactly wanna speak to you right now.”

He seemed stunned. You weren't sure why. The both of you had ever gotten along – if he was shocked at your attitude now, you hastened to wonder just how soft you had been with him before.

“Well, if you're gonna be a bitch, I guess I'll just go,” he said. “Sorry for wanting to make sure you were okay after last night.”

You were angry. You were furious, and you weren't even sure why. Your skin felt warm, and his violet eyes were pouring into yours and you could feel your legs turning to jelly as you remembered the way you could genuinely feel his breath on your neck during your vision when he had leaned in so slowly, so teasingly-

And it made you mad. It made you mad that people had been right, that this prophesy was something you couldn't avoid. Apollo had made it out to be something so simple, and you supposed it was to him, but to you, it currently meant everything.

The fact that Keith didn't even know just made you angry.

“Don't pretend like you give a shit about what you saw yesterday,” you snarled. Keith's eyes widened even further. “Gods, you must have thought it was so amazing to see an Apollo kid actually have a fucking breakdown in real life – you've only heard of them in story books, haven't you?”

“Y/N-”

“But they're real, Keith, and they happen, and they suck. They hurt, and they destroy lives. So get a good look at the aftermath whilst you still can, because I don't want to see you again after this.” With that, you stepped forward, shoved him roughly for no other reason than you just wanted to feel his skin beneath your fingertips before you turned and fled.

This would be how you avoided the prophesy coming true. You just wouldn't talk to him. You would hurt him, say awful things to get him to stay away from you – then maybe the future would shift. It would change itself and you would never have to worry about making a complete and utter fool out of yourself ever again.

Keith didn't even bother to reach for you whenever you turned and walked away from him, making sure to stomp your feet and clench your fists, making sure to make yourself look extra angry – maybe the fury would repel him even further. Maybe he would see this side to you and realise he had been an absolute fool to mingle with you in the first place.

And weirdly, as soon as you entered the Apollo cabin and crashed down upon your bed, you had never felt emptier.

---

Weeks passed. Nearly an entire month.

Hunk had been keeping you sane throughout the whole thing. He had been there for you the morning after your outburst on Keith, had rubbed your back and said he understood. Of course, he had told you that he didn't think you should have run from your feelings in the way you had, but he hadn't forced the topic of rekindling things with the Ares boy either, which was a relief. You weren't sure how much of that you would have been able to take.

Keith had kept his distance, as well. For the first few days, you would hear the usual hollering of the word 'Sunshine' being thrown in your direction, but he eventually gave up. He had been repelled, making your life a hell of a lot easier. Now, you could easily brush past each other in camp and not even spare one another a single glance.

And honestly, it was destroying you.

You weren't sure why. For years you had been fairly certain that you had only seen Keith as attractive – his personality had never grabbed your attention. At least, you didn't think so. For years, you two had been at each others throats, and now that it was gone – that innocent back and forth – you weren't entirely sure what to do with yourself.

The days were longer. Events became more like business than fun, because Keith had always made them fun. Even though, in the moment, you would swear left and right that he was annoying the hell out of you as he poked you in the side and tried to distract you from the task at hand, now that you were missing his constant mumblings in your ear, you missed it.

But it was for the best, you reminded yourself. Always for the best.

It was a particularly warm day whenever Chiron ordered you to take on laundry duty for the first time in years.

Laundry duty was mostly taken on by people in the Hephaestus cabin, or the Aphrodite cabin. The kids in those cabins had a thing for perfection, and so they very rarely let others touch their clothing, which meant they took on the added task of doing everyone elses laundry, as well.

But the Hephaestus and Aphrodite kids were out training elsewhere today, meaning the baton had been handed down to the Apollo cabin.

“Just deliver these to the right cabins and that's it,” said Hunk, shoving a basket full of warm clothes into your hands.

You groaned, throwing your head back. “I didn't sign up for this.”

“Stop whining and get it over with,” he said.

And so you did, much to your own dismay. You were surprised to see just how many cabins you had never been in before – they were all so different, and you felt a different type of uncomfortable pull with every one, as if the gods were angry at you for trespassing.

You weren't really thinking of seeing him whenever you racked your knuckles against the door of the Ares cabin. At the end of the day, Keith was known to never be tied down to the indoors – he liked his freedom, liked walking around outside and showing off whatever cool new blade he had acquired. So the idea of him opening the door to greet you was the last thing on your mind.

Until it was him standing in front of you.

The both of you blanked. You felt your fingers slipping from the handles of the laundry basket, and you had to stumble to catch it upon your knee and haul it back into your proper grip.

It was such an easy mistake to make. It was such an easy situation to fall into, and you had never thought of it happening like this – you delivering laundry. How anticlimactic was that? Whenever you first had the vision, you thought the only way you would ever end up within the Ares cabin would be by force, perhaps a battle raging outside forcing you under the only cover you could find – the Ares cabin.

But nope. It was happening because you had been given laundry to hand out.

“Uh – clothes,” you said. “I have clothes.”

Keith nodded slowly, not once taking his eyes off of you.

“You can take them if you want,” you continued. “Actually, I'd prefer it if you took them. I need to get this basket back to Hunk, and-”

Keith's hand suddenly reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair out of your face.

You gasped, shocked at the sudden contact. Your fingers really did slip then, the basket tumbling out of your grip and landing in a pile right in the doorway.

The clothes spilled out, scattered themselves upon the wooden floor.

“Son of a bitch,” Keith grunted, bending down to clean up. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-”

“It's fine,” you said, kneeling down to help him.

Why you had done such a thing, you were quick to question, because you and him were suddenly very close together, and your body temperature was rising again, and this was it. This was the future happening, the future you had predicted. You knew what was going to happen, knew you should try and prevent it in some way, knew there was barely any point in avoiding the inevitable but wanting to do so anyway.

You gathered the bundle of clothes into your hand and placed them messily back into the basket – you didn't even care that the remaining cabins clothing had been mixed up, that you would have to go back to Hunk and other Apollo kids and ask them to sort through the items once again. You just wanted to drop his clothes off and leave.

You pushed past him, shoulders nudging as you made your way into the messy room. Keith gawked at you from the doorway, but you ignored him. You had to.

“You should thank Hunk for the washing,” you grumbled, trying to make innocent conversation. Talking was perhaps the only thing stopping you from buckling under his intense gaze right now. “He even added a special powder so all of your stupid, skin-tight shirts smell better. But I think he ended up-”

Your words died in your throat whenever you felt a warm hand on the small of your back – it wasn't anything suggestive. It was almost as if someone was easing you through a crowd, a gentle brush against the lower part of your back that had you whirling around to face Keith before you could think any better of it.

His eyes were searing into yours. You were the child of the god of the sun, but his gaze had to be more smouldering than what yours was. His violet eyes had turned dark, and he was biting on his lower lip.

“Sunshine,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “Where have you been?”

Your eyes closed instinctively. You weren't sure why. Where had the tough persona disappeared to? Why weren't you shoving him away, telling him to go to hell and take his stupid nickname elsewhere?

Maybe it had something to do with the burning desire suddenly coating your stomach, the sudden urge to wrap your fingers in his red jacket and tug him closer to you, feel him closer to you.

“Don't – Don't call me that,” you managed.

He chuckled breathily. You felt it tickle your skin.

“Where have you been, Y/N?” He whispered your real name as if it were some kind of secret, leaning impossibly closer to your ear as he spoke – this was just like an Ares kid to do, but it felt so different, so unexpected coming from Keith.

“I've been busy,” you replied. “Why do you care anyway? It's not like we ever liked each other.”

Keith scoffed. “We certainly didn't hate each other, though, did we? Even the other campers were able to pick up on that.”

You winced, recoiling at the mention of the things the other campers had been saying about the two of you for years now, the things you had both denied left, right and centre.

“You were avoiding me, weren't you?” he continued. “For whatever reason, that vision you had made you want to stay away from me. What did you see, Sunshine? What does your future hold?”

“Don't be creepy,” you said. You were trying to bring the mood back down, trying to bring back the banter you were so used to having with him, but his eyes were still hooded and dark, and he made no attempts to move away from you. On the other hand, you were making no attempts to move away from him, either.

“It was about me, wasn't it?”

“So many questions.”

And then his hand was on your hip all of a sudden. This was your moment. This was the time for you to pull away, to destroy the future you had been destined to have because you were too nervous to throw yourself into that kind of thing just yet – but you stayed rooted to the spot.

His fingertips burned. It was fire against fire, your scolding skin igniting under his grip.

“You know that old saying they have – it takes being away from someone to realise how much you need them?”

Your breath hitched. “Keith-”

“I believe it,” he gravelled. “I believe it now.”

You eased then, his confession making you feel weak. Your eyes closed again and then you were letting yourself go, saying fuck it to every single anxiety you had once had as your hands travelled up Keith's middle until you were bundling your hands in his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer.

He leaned in to whisper in your ear, just like you knew he would. “Neither of us can change the future, Sunshine. We might as well not try.”

He kissed you then. Slowly and precisely, as if he was afraid of hurting you somehow. His lips were chapped and bitten, but they were perfect all the same, left you craving more.

His other hand rose from his side and he cupped your jaw, moving your head only slightly but still giving you the freedom to do what you wanted – a characteristic you never expected from an Ares kid. He was going to allow you to pull away if you wanted to. For once, he didn't want to be in complete control.

You pulled him closer to you, crushing your bodies together until Keith was gasping against your mouth at the sudden harsh tug you gave to his shirt. You let go of the material, instead wound your hands in his hair and tugged. Keith panted against your mouth before pulling away completely. His eyes were closed, and for the first time, Keith Kogane looked vulnerable.

“Was that – Was that what you saw in your vision?” he asked hoarsely.

You nodded stiffly, still trying to catch your breath.

“And you never told me?”

“I was trying to avoid it.”

“Look how that turned out.”

“You just have to be right about everything, don't you?”

He opened his eyes then, grinned and pressed a short kiss to your lips. “Always, Sunshine.”

678 notes · View notes

unexpectedreylo · 5 years

Text

The Straight Dope On Galaxy’s Edge

I went to Disneyland Aug. 7-10 for my birthday because where else would I rather be than in the GFFA?

It’s amazing! It’s like a Ralph McQuarrie painting come to life. Even though it is “set” during the ST, it tries to have a little bit of something for every Star Wars fan. And maybe even for your friends and family who aren’t into it as much as you are.

Don’t believe the hype that it’s not doing well. Disneyland has had annual passholder blackout dates to keep attendance below crazy levels and while overall attendance is down 3% (probably due to fears of massive crowds as well as higher ticket prices), I can safely tell you that there was a great deal of interest in Galaxy’s Edge by attendees. On Thursday and Saturday, everyone made a beeline for it just as the park opened in the morning. I was doing the Griswold family dash to Wally World myself, power walking the best my middle aged/out-of-shape self could as kids and teenagers went past me. Requiring reservations for Oga’s Cantina and Savi’s Workshop (where you build the lightsabers) prevented hellacious hours-long lines for those attractions. Smuggler’s Run has had waits as long as three hours over the course of the summer. It reached its 1 millionth rider in mid-July. On Thursday, the longest I wait I saw was 80 or 90 minutes and that was on a weekday blackout date. The section of the park was busy both Thursday and Saturday mornings. For what it’s worth, it seemed like half the people at Disneyland overall had some kind of Star Wars t-shirt on. It was like a Celebration with rides.

Attendance isn’t the only metric. What really matters is whether people are spending money there and I can vouch that people were buying. The lightsabers are $200 a pop alone. There were merchandise I wanted to get but weren’t available, such as the japor snippet necklace and the Rey vest (sizes XS-L were sold out). White kyber crystals are still sold out. I saw signs everywhere limiting certain items to one per person. People were packing the cantina and all of them got drinks. Ronto’s Roasters did pretty steady business.

Just bear in mind that parks play the long game and it probably serves Disney’s long term interests to allow paying attendees and not just local APs the chance to experience Galaxy’s Edge. Hell crowds would just make people angry they spent all of that money and couldn’t see or do a thing.

Now, here’s where I’m going to dish some advice to those of you who are planning to go either to the one in Anaheim or at WDW. The WDW version is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so some of this won’t apply to the Mouse House East but I think a lot of it will.

Tip #1--Your best bet is on a weekday, first thing in the morning as the park opens. If it’s an AP blackout date, that’s even better. Remember, Disney is like con...you don’t come to sleep.

Tip #2--Stay at a Disney hotel to take advantage of Magic Hour. I know, I know, they’re $$$ while there are many cheaper alternatives but if you really want to beat the crowds this is the way to do it. Galaxy’s Edge will not be accessible during Magic Hour (at DL it’s just Fantasyland that’s open) but you can start lining up at the ropes in front of Frontierland and Adventureland. While GE at DL has three entrances, they will send you the looong way through New Orleans Square and Critter Country when the park fully opens. If you’re at WDW, stay at the Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, or Pop Century resorts...they’re the ones closest to Hollywood Studios though you’ll still have to take the Disney bus to get there. (The Swan and the Dolphin are on Disney property but are NOT Disney resort hotels, so no Magic Hour.)

Another perk to staying at a Disney hotel now is that as part of our travel package we all got free exclusive Galaxy’s Edge lanyards with a pin!

Tip #3--Ladies...I think with the exception of the First Order boutique and the cosplay items, I liked the a lot of t-shirts and stuff for kids more than the ones for adults! So if you are on the small side, you might be able to fit in the bigger kids’ wear. For instance I got a great Black Spire hoodie for $40 at Jewels of Bith...the adult hoodie was like 20 bucks more. My mom liked it so much she got one for herself and my niece. Note: the merch you buy inside GE don’t say “Galaxy’s Edge” or have Star Wars logos. If you want those, you’ll have to buy them in the regular Disney stores.

Tip #4--Oga’s Cantina. Reservations are required so as soon as you plan your trip, go on the DL/WDW app and reserve right away. I think now you can reserve up to 60 days in advance...if not, definitely 14 days in advance. You are NOT guaranteed a seat. You are given an area to hang out in (at the bar, at a table, or at a booth) and you are to remain there. You can’t run and grab a booth for instance if a party leaves. Your limit is 45 minutes and two drinks. I will say though that service is fast (I guess most drinks are pre-mixed) and in our case, we didn’t even need to stay the entire 45 minutes. I got the Cliff Dweller (I don’t drink) while my brother got whatever they call the beer and my dad got the teal-colored “white” wine. My older niece got the blue milk with the Bantha cookie. She gave rave reviews for both. The younger niece got the stuff that came from the creature tank. It sounds gross but she liked it. There are no restrooms inside the cantina btw.

Tip #5--Savi’s Workshop. Again, reservations are required and they should be made as soon as possible. The lightsabers are $199 and you pay when you check in. The day I went they were running behind, so while my reservation was at 3:00, I didn’t actually get in the building until like 3:30. The process takes about 20 minutes. You are ushered into a shop and there’s a whole narrative and everything. The “gatherers” have harvested scrap metal and kyber crystals and crafted lightsaber parts. Based on the “theme” you selected at check in (stuff like “power and control” or “peace and justice”) you are given trays with parts to choose from and a crystal (blue, green, purple, or red). Your guides are in character and sometimes it’s all earnest af, but then again so are the movies. I found it surprisingly easy to put these together. The “gatherers” put the blade in for you then you step forward, turn on the switch, and yay, you got a new lightsaber! You get to wave them in the air and stuff. On the way out you are given a free sheath bag to put it in. If you don’t want to lug your new lightsaber on a plane or have to check it in, you can have it shipped home for $17 at the First Order boutique (though I don’t know if other stores will do it for you too).

Tip #6--Smugglers’ Run. The best time to go on the ride, since to date there are no fastpasses, is right when the park opens. Thursday morning at 8:10 a.m. had the shortest wait, 15 minutes but I pretty much walked right onto the ride. The next best option is going single rider, which is what my brother and I did the second time we went on it. It was about half the regular wait time. Have your camera ready to get that chess table photo op because you will get called right away for your “boarding group” (assigned with a color). Two pilot, two shoot, two “engineer.” The light up buttons make it easy to figure out what you have to do but accuracy is tough. I piloted the first time, shot the second time. The good news is I did not crash either time. Which is miraculous.

Tip #7--Other food and drink. Unfortunately I didn’t get the opportunity to eat at Docking Bay 7 or Ronto Rosters. I’m told the breakfast wrap at Ronto Roasters is phenomenal. Don’t expect typical Disney fare in Galaxy’s Edge; the closest it comes is the Star Wars popcorn. No galactic churros or Mickey ice cream pops here. In fact an in-character cast member and Chewbacca were really curious about our churros when we went into Galaxy’s Edge on Saturday. My younger niece even tried to give Chewie a piece to try, LOL. What you can get is blue milk and green milk. We got one of each on Thursday to try. Both were better than the notoriously sweet butterbeers at Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Tasty and refreshing on a hot day. But I kinda think we all leaned more toward the blue milk. In fact the nieces insisted on another round of blue milk when we returned on Saturday. You can get the Aurebesh label soda and water at a variety of stands and at Docking Bay 7. (Maybe Ronto Roasters too.) They’re pricey but everything at Disney is 30-50% more expensive than they would be anywhere else. And the Aurebesh bottles make for low cost souvenirs.

Tip #8--Characters. Chewbacca and FO stormtroopers were around quite a bit. I saw Vi Moradi twice and Kylo a couple of times (Chewie and Kylo get treated like rock stars), but I totally missed Rey. My parents saw her though. Characters here do NOT sign autographs, something my nieces found out the hard way when they tried to get them from stormtroopers. LOL.

Tip #8--Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. This is where you buy your holocrons and loose kyber crystals (only with purchase of a holocron). They were still out of white crystals so I bought a red one. When you put a red crystal in your Jedi holocron, Yoda warns you about the dark side. Bonus: the kyber crystals you buy here can be put in your lightsaber from Savi’s Workshop. So if you buy both a holocron and a lightsaber, make sure you get a different color crystal for each so you can switch them around! Here you’ll find a lot of Jedi cosplay, Leia cosplay, and the headdress Padme used in AOTC as part of her peasant disguise, among other goodies. The stained glass portraits of Leia and Queen Amidala were stunning but they were kinda big and 95 bucks apiece. They had a set of ceramic busts of everyone’s favorite mother-daughter duo for $55 but I didn’t feel like lugging those around at the time. For older Star Wars fans, this is probably going to be your favorite store.

Tip #9--Other merchandise/shopping. The First Order boutique is located right next to Kylo’s parked shuttle and across from the “milk” stand. The Resistance has two carts at the entrance in front of the (unopened) Rise of the Resistance ride. I kinda like that the underground Resistance is on the “outskirts” of the outpost while the conquering FO is right there in the center of town. Makes sense for the narrative. Savi’s and the store where you can build a droid (no reservation necessary...this was a hit with kids) are next to each other. Everything else is in the marketplace in a series of smallish stalls. Keep an eye out because nobody has signs. (Note: layout might be slightly different at WDW.)

Tip #10--Wear a hat and sunscreen. The marketplace is the only area in GE with shade. The rest of it is out in the sun, so be prepared because in CA it’s easy to get a sunburn and in FL, it’s easier still. Bring a rain poncho if you’re at WDW because of those hit and run thunderstorms.

Tip #11-- You don’t have to be a passive tourist. Some cast members get into it more than others but you’ll get more out of Galaxy’s Edge if you play along. As Star Wars fans, you’ll get the lingo (for instance they do call kids “younglings” and talk about money as credits) so that’s no problem. When you’re inside of Galaxy’s Edge you can go on the DL/WDW app and activate your “datapad” and scan stuff at various locations. My brother did this with his phone while we were poking around and you can earn rankings and stuff within the different factions.

Overall I think what Galaxy’s Edge is now is just the beginning. Rise of the Resistance opens this winter at both parks and from what I’ve heard, more attractions and shows are in the works. Personally, I’d love a hair braiding station where you can get your hair done like Leia or Rey or Battle of Geonosis Padme since that’s probably her easiest style! I want a Reylo night time show! But it’s absolutely worth visiting as it is. You can easily spend half the day or longer there, depending on how much you want to do. Few Star Wars or Disney experiences will ever top entering Galaxy’s Edge, huffing and puffing from having to go up and down hills, hearing the music over the loudspeakers and the cast members and various characters coming out to wave hello to everyone. Even the stormtroopers. I felt like I’d just finished the Batuu 5K! And then seeing everyone gawk at the Millennium Falcon in front of Smuggler’s Run.

#galaxy's edge #star wars #disney #reylo #geekylife #geek travel

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