#i feel like angel dust has probably never gotten any flowers before

[iarrelm]

happy valentine’s day!!

these two have such a hold on me rn I’m obsessed with them. i’m gonna try and color this later but here’s a sketch for now!! I’ve also done a bunch of other sketches so i’ll definitely post more of them soon lmao

#huskerdust #angelhusk #hazbin hotel #angel dust #hazbin husk #my art #valentines day #i feel like angel dust has probably never gotten any flowers before #and I thought it would be cute if husk gave him a single rose for valentines day #and that’s how this sketch was born #I think angel probably gets really flustered at acts of genuine romance and affection #I also think husk is the type of person to do cheesy romantic shit like this too lmao

[skzsauce01]

A Good Man

Anniversary Request Special

Description: Seungmin loves you so much so that he wished he was the one left behind in the plane crash, not your late husband.

Warning: guilt, plane crash, death

Word Count: 2k

Pairing: fem!reader x Seungmin

Chan was a good man— loyal, loving, reliable. Seungmin is a good man too, but Seungmin is not Chan, and he knows it. He knows it well.

He approaches you, bouquet in hand. You turn and smile when you hear him.

“Hi, Seungmin.”

“Hello, Y/N. Where’s Miyeon?”

“I left her with her grandma. She isn’t quite old enough to sit still for stuff like this yet.”

“I see.” He set the flowers by the picture of his late leader. “I should leave the two of you alone then.”

“No, wait, Seungmin,” you stop him. “Would you like to have dinner with us this evening?” 

You’re inviting him to dinner? His eyes slide to Chan’s framed smiling face. No, he mustn’t get his hopes up. There probably isn’t something more to this invitation. You probably just don’t want to be alone on your late husband’s fifth death anniversary. “Sure. Where? I’ll see if any of the boys are free too.”

“No, I meant just the three of us at my place,” you clarify. “I… I have something to say.” 

Seungmin can’t stop his heart from accelerating even though he knows it’ll hurt more later. “O-okay.”

You nod and turn back to the memorial. Seungmin watches as you whisper something into the single white carnation in your hand and set it on the altar before he himself turns to give you room.

He finds it ironic that he was actually the reason why you and Chan were together. You were his classmate whom he reunited with when Stray Kids did a reality show at a site you worked. He was even the best man at your wedding. He remembers that day clearly— that day when he saw you walking down the aisle dressed in white. He’d never felt so sick as he did then when realization and regret hit him all at once. He loves you. Since when, and for how long, he didn’t and doesn’t know, but it was and is too late. 

He finds it even more ironic, however, that he is the reason you two are now torn apart.

He raises his finger and presses the bell. Within seconds, the door is thrown open wide and a bubbly five year old greets him. “Hello, Uncle Seungmin!”

He automatically bends down and scoops the child up. “Hi there, Miyeon. Have you been a good girl today?”

“Uh-huh! You can ask Mommy!”

As if on cue, you pop out from the kitchen. “Yes, she’s been a well-behaved angel. Welcome in, Seungmin.” 

You take the melon he’d brought while he takes off his shoes. Seungmin’s a bit surprised to see three lit candles on the dining table when he walks in, but says nothing of it. He does, however, raise an eyebrow when you off-handedly mention you baked his favourite chocolate cake. He knows the recipe calls for red wine, and for a single mother such as you, anything that does not involve your child usually does not fit into your schedule, let alone cross your mind. 

After dinner, you take your daughter to her playroom upstairs with a large plate of cookies that are obviously meant to keep her distracted for a while.

Seungmin watches as you scurry back downstairs afterwards. You’re wearing a skirt. He doesn’t remember you wearing a skirt since you gave birth. He thinks you’re gorgeous in anything, but the effort you put into looking nice makes him blush a shade darker.

“Shall we?” you dramatize, pulling out the dessert.

Seungmin helps lay out two plates while you serve a slice onto each.

“You mentioned you have something to say?” he asks as you both tuck your chairs in.

Are you blushing, or is it just the heat from these candles?

“I, uh… Let’s eat first.” You smile sheepishly. “I haven’t had this in so long.”

Despite having his favourite dessert, Seungmin cannot concentrate on its taste at all. He watches as you cut through the moist cake with your fork. He can tell you’re nervous by the way your joints are turning white by your grip on the utensil. He’s used to being the anxious one, so this is new. What could have gotten you so on edge?

At last, you’ve scraped every last drop of cream you can procrastinate with into your mouth. Seungmin takes the plates and sets them into the sink before sitting back down in front of you, waiting patiently.

“What I want to say is,” you begin carefully. 

He nods once and leans forward, letting you know you have his attention.

“We’ve known each other for a while now, haven’t we?”

“Yes, why?” Goodness, this sounds like a line from every other friends-to-lover romcom skit. Not that he would mind. As long as you tell him you feel the same way he does, he wouldn’t care if you quoted “Twilight” verbatim. Oh, to be in a lighthearted romcom with you, Seungmin dreams of nothing more. Then again, he reminds himself, these are just dreams.

“Ever since… ever since Chan passed, we grew closer, and I depended on you a lot. You’ve been my cornerstone, and I wanted to say ‘thank you.’”

He nods again, but doesn’t say anything. He knows you enough by now to recognize you have more on your mind.

Indeed, you continue. “And over these past five years, my heart has—”

“Mommy!” A sudden cry sends you both to your feet. 

“I’ll tell you later,” you toss over your shoulder to Seungmin who’s running right on your heels towards the cry.

“Miyeon!” you gasp, seeing the state of your daughter. Somehow, she has managed to squeeze through the gaps between the railing of the stairs and is hanging from the second floor. Below her, her stuffed monkey lays sprawled out on ground level.

“I’ll pull her up,” you decide, but Seungmin stops you.

“It’ll be hard to fit her back through those rails, and she’s crying too much to cooperate.” He stands under your daughter and extends his arms upwards. “Miyeon? Miyeon, let go. Uncle Seungmin will catch you. You’re going to be alright.”

The little girl stops wailing for a moment and looks down only to cry again from the intimidating height.

“Sweetie, it’s okay. You can do it. We won’t let you fall,” you add in. “You trust us, don’t you? You trust Mommy and Uncle Seungmin?”

She quiets down again and sniffles as she looks at you and Seungmin now instead of the floor. Her tiny arms are shaking, and you brace yourself, knowing she’s going to fall soon whether she wants to or not.

Miyeon whimpers once more and closes her eyes. She then finally releases her grip and lands squarely into Seungmin’s awaiting arms.

“Oof. There we go. Safe and sound,” he assures her. 

Once she’s set on the floor, Miyeon again begins to bawl from shock. “Mr— Mr. Bananas wanted to climb. Mr. Bananas wanted to climb!” she sobs, gripping the stuffed animal you’ve returned back to her arms.

“Okay, okay, we understand. Still, no more climbing for you or Mr. Bananas, alright?” hushes Seungmin.

You pick up your daughter and bounce her on your shoulder. “I think she’s learned her lesson. I didn’t think we still needed baby rails, but I guess you can never be safe enough.”

Seungmin reaches for Miyeon. “Let’s put her to bed. She must be exhausted after all that.”

You nod and let him carry the five year old up the stairs once more. You have him wait downstairs though as you change the child, so he heads back down and makes himself comfortable on the couch. On the lamp table beside him, there’s a photo of you and Chan excitedly holding up an ultrasound. It is the only picture of the three of you together.

He runs this thumb over the other man’s face, wiping it free of any dust. “I’m sorry…” he whispers. “I know it’s not worth much, but I’ll keep Y/N and Miyeon safe and happy. I promise.” 

He quickly sets down the picture and stands when he hears you closing the bedroom door. 

“Is she alright?” Seungmin asks when he sees your head appear from around the corner.

You nod, descending the steps quietly. “She’s sleeping now. She’ll forget all about it by tomorrow morning.”

“I wish I could say the same when I get hurt. I can’t even sit in certain positions anymore,” he jokes.

You laugh lightly. “I’m glad you were here, Seungmin. Things could have been a lot different if it were just me.”

“I’m always happy to help. I should get going now though. You must be tired too.”

“Wait.” Your voice stops him at the front door. “The accident… I’m thankful you were here, and I realized it had to be you. You had to be the one to do it.”

His stupid hope is rising again. He can feel it in his chest. “Y/N, what are you saying?”

“Miyeon, she wouldn’t have trusted anyone except you. She needs you, and I… I need you too.” 

Is he hearing incorrectly? His silence and bewilderment prompts you to explain. “The thing is, ever since Chan passed five years ago, you were the only one who’s been by my side, supporting and caring for me, and slowly, I’ve fallen for that. Seungmin, I know I come with a lot of baggage, but would you be willing to give us a try?”

He wants to jump, he wants to cheer, he wants to accept your confession, but none of this makes sense to logical Seungmin, so he restrains himself.

“Y/N, do you realize what you’re saying?”

You nod. “I-I know it’s sudden, but I like you, Kim Seungmin.”

“But you love Chan.”

You hesitate but nod in agreement anyway. “I’m not going to put you second. I—”

“Y/N, I killed Chan. Don’t you see? You should hate me instead. If it weren’t for me, you’d still have your husband, and Miyeon would still have a dad. If I hadn’t stood under that propeller after the plane crash, Chan wouldn’t have had to push me and get crushed in the head. I killed Chan, and no matter what I do— no matter how much I love you too— I can never stand in his place.”

You take a moment to stare at him, trying to read his body language after that confession of insecurity. After a while, you straighten your back and look him right in the eyes.

“You’re right.” He’s startled by your sudden firm tone. “You can never be Chan. You’re not a music-producing insomniac. You’re not Australian. You’re not born with curly hair.”

He swallows and hangs his head.

“But,” you continue. “I’m not looking for another Chan. I’m not looking to replace him; I’m looking for you.”

“Y/N…”

You soften your voice. “When I found out how he passed saving you, I knew I was going to be okay. I knew Chan wouldn’t leave me and his unborn child to fend for ourselves. He saved you because he knew he could count on you, and it’s why I trusted you from the beginning and why I let myself fall in love again.”

You walk up to him and take his hands. “Let me ask this again. Will you, Kim Seungmin, stand by my side, not as Chan, but as someone who loves and is loved?”

His heart pounds in his head, yet he cannot take his eyes off of yours. His throat is tied into knots, yet he cannot stop the words from tumbling out.

“Nothing would make me happier,” he breathes. 

You smile and wrap him in a hug, which he finally returns. Just then, footsteps thump down the stairs and a five year old child waddles into view.

“Mommy?” she calls. She then takes a moment to look around before her eyes land on Seungmin. “Daddy?”

#kim seungmin #seungmin #stray kids #seungmin fic #seungmin imagine #stray kids fic #stray kids imagine #seungmin angst #seungmin fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids fluff #fem reader #anniversary special #20210820

[saphirered]

would you mind doing a little scene maybe of caduceusxreader or maybe calebxreader where their s/o ends up hit with pollen during battle that gets them super high alla knott and the floor fruit style please?

Little turned into a bit more of a scenes instead 😅. A little disclaimer; I do not condone the abuse of substances especially not illegal ones. Listen to your auntie Saph, kids! Stay in school and be responsible! 😘

Content Warning: Use of mind altering substances.

It’s the middle of a fight in the jungle. You’re under attack by a large lizard walking on its hind legs, with some rather useless short arms but huge sharp teeth that have munched on Fjord one too many times leaving the half-orc in a bleeding and moody state without much of a chance to get out and not get hit again.

The battlefield is not in your favour considering this oversized lizard is about to turn your friend into its next meal but you still have a healing potion left and really, this is the time to use it but you can’t really get to Fjord without getting close to the lizard thing and even then you doubt you’d be able to get into arms reach of the man. Well it’s now or never and better than the alternative. You rush forward dodging below the toothy maw of the creature.

“Fjord! Catch!” With that you get as close as you can, tossing the healing potion. Fjord just barely catches it, thanking you but that quickly falls silent.

“Look out!” Caleb shouts as he releases a firebolt to strike the lizard. It does not stop the creature from swiping with its tail sending you flying with a brute force knocking the air out of you. Luckily your landing is softened by a comfy bed of flowers, moss and some mushrooms. You land a cloud of spores and pollen dusting around you and entering your lungs as the first breath you’re able to take. It leaves you coughing and sneezing but you shake it off. This is not the right time for allergies to be kicking in. You got a lizard to kill.

Together you fight off the lizard. Still taking quite some good hits you deliver some as well and in the end manage to kill the thing. Some of you worse for wear you unanimously decided taking a breather is probably a good idea. You find a comfy patch of moss that does not release a dust cloud the moment you touch it and let yourself fall into its soft embrace, eyes closed.

“I’m just going to lie down over here. Let me know when we’re moving again.” An odd sense of nausea kicks in so you turn to your side and just curl up in an attempt to get a little more comfortable on the jungle floor.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Caleb asks looking you over. Physically you're a bit worse for wear but not terribly so. A moment of rest should have you back on your feet. You phase out a bit letting yourself be dragged off in a moment of rest.

Not but five minutes later your moment of peace is disturbed by a warm, really warm but comfortable hand being placed on your arm and shaking you lightly. You curl up a little tighter before rolling on your back and meeting the bright blue eyes of Caleb. You don’t recall them being that bright, maybe more like a muted or pale blue but now they’re vibrant. Odd you hadn’t noticed before. Same goes for his hair, red is more fiery orange and you swear you can pick apart every single strand on his head as well as the light stubble he’s sporting.

"Hey." You smile at the wizard lovingly. You'll never tire of waking up to Caleb no matter of how much you might want to continue sleeping. Caleb's a handsome man but right now he looks absolutely angelic with the bleeding light creating a halo around him.

Maybe it’s just because of the faded green background behind Caleb that throws off the contrast? Besides, you might have fallen asleep in your five minutes of rest, your vision usually goes a bit blurry until things come into focus but that doesn’t really explain why Caleb is so high focus now… Odd but you dismiss it as exhaustion and the vast jungle getting to you. No, you definitely hit your head when that lizard tail swiped you. Maybe you have a concussion. Should ask the clerics to check that out later once they’ve gotten their rest. Now's not the time to bother them.

“Hey. Time to get up. We’re ready to move before nightfall comes around.” Ugh. Even his voice sounds angelic now? Caleb offers you a hand and helps you up from the comforts of your moss-bed. Somewhat reluctant you get up. The nausea gets worse and you put a hand over your mouth suppressing the urge to vomit.

“Are you alright?” Caleb stabilises you as you stumble a little, dizziness not making your nausea any better. Sweet gods those warm hands just make you want to curl up into their warmth forever but you repress the urge well aware Caleb isn’t exactly the fondest of pda and keep it more surface levels with the others around.

“Yeah. Totally fine just a bit ugh but I’ll be fine. Some more sleep will probably do me good.” You see the rest of the Nein is packed up and ready to continue. Weren’t they just unpacking when you closed your eyes five minutes ago? Okay so maybe those five minutes were closer to an hour or so? What kind of exhaustion fuelled time warp did you get stuck in? This exhaustion is really getting to you. You need a vacation; one with Caleb. Maybe with an ocean view? That sounds nice. You're getting side tracked. Time to travel.

------------

The journey continues deeper into the jungle towards your destination and your limbs get heavier and heavier. Did Jester paint you some lead shoes and replace yours while you were asleep? Did she do your clothes too? Because your whole body feels so heavy.

You bump into Caleb’s side. A hand finds its way to the small of your back and the warmth returns. You didn’t realise you’re feeling so cold, freezing almost so you allow yourself to lean just a bit more into Caleb’s side to bask in the warmth provided by your flaming hot wizard.

“You don’t happen to be able to make someone do the floaty glide thingy Essek can do, can’t you?” Caleb is confused by your sudden question and the unfiltered sentencing. You usually formulate your words more carefully than this but it seems as if the word ‘gravity’ has escaped your vocabulary. Caleb blames it on exhaustion seeing your somewhat unfocused state and feeling the weight of your body leaning on him for support. You’ve been walking for hours, running for a few and fought a giant lizard of a forgotten era after all. You have every right to be tired and he'll support you in any way he can.

“Ah, I’m afraid not. But, we will be setting down for the night once we reach a clear spot.” Didn’t you catch that conversation? You were there for it providing nods and noises of agreement while keeping an eye out for anything approaching. This is a bit odd for you so Caleb decides to keep an eye on you.

You hear birds chirping around you, their song drowning out Caleb’s words but not voice as he talks to you but the song is just too beautiful, it brings a smile to your face. Looking around you can see them sometimes. Colourful feathers popping against the green and the muted flashes of a sun lowering. If the sun’s going to sleep, you want to go soon too. It’s not really fair if you have to keep walking when it gets to lie down.

The colours and patterns through the leaves are very pretty though and the rays bleeding through are to die for. The world should look like this forever. It’s so beautiful, pulsing with every breath you take. No, you’re breathing with the nature around you. You get a newfound respect for Caduceus and Fjord’s Wildmom. She’s pretty cool if she’s responsible for all this. Is she responsible for all this? She gets your credit anyway.

You’re pulled to a sudden stop, or at least it feels sudden. Caleb is suddenly in front of you pulling your focus towards him and away from the chirping birds and the setting sun and the Wildmom. You’d ask Caleb to leave you alone but his gentle smile alone and warm hands on your shoulders pushing you down to sit on a tree stump call for your undivided attention in turn pulling it away from the gently blowing breeze and kaleidoscope of colours.

“You’re exhausted. Sit down and rest while we set up.” Caleb suggests and you find yourself nodding the words not entirely registering. Warm fingers press against your cheek before they pull away all too soon. The warmth leaves your body as Caleb leaves your side and the freezing cold returns. You wrap your coat tighter around yourself in an effort to preserve the heat but nothing seems to work.

You try to focus on your surroundings to distract from the icy cold, the humid jungle temperatures doing nothing to keep you warm. The crickets provide a beautiful symphony with the rustling leaves, the last of the song birds going to sleep and the awakening of the nocturnal creatures. It helps and you find yourself swaying lightly from side to side with the melody. It brings you a sense of happiness and content as well as a connection to everything around you.

You feel yourself beginning to drift when something warm and soft and a little heavy is draped across your shoulders. The warmth is similar to Caleb but not entirely the same, though you’re met with an intense smell of molasses, old books and whatever remains after a fire has turned to embers. Your eyes fall upon the dark purple material of Caleb’s coat; most of all the geometric patterns of the lining. They are enchanting and you feel like you could get lost in them.

“You’re shivering. Come. We’re all set up.” You once again allow Caleb to guide you back to your feet and pull you along to where the Nein had set up. Sitting down with you Caleb takes out his spellbook and a small crystal bead. You've always loved watching Caleb cast spells, something alluring to the practiced words and patterns. He begins to weave his hands through the air in front of him, the light sparks of magic following his fingertips as he speaks the words, what you didn’t expect to see is the trails left by the motions. You’ve never seen those before. That’s new. They’re very pretty though; a warm orange trail of embers just like him. Enamoured you stare, making no effort to hide or avert your gaze. You catch Caleb's eyes and he offers you a half smile which you dopily return continuing to watch the patterns.

You’re rudely pulled out of your trance by Caduceus offering you a bowl of food. Usually you would have jumped at the promise of food, the firbolg’s cooking is unrivalled but now the nausea comes back and your stomach twists at the smell alone. You turn to the side fighting the urge vomit and as politely as possible and decline the delicious food much to your dismay.

Caleb does accept the food he’s offered as Veth happily accepts your serving as seconds. Caleb sniffs the food expecting it to smell off somehow because of your reaction but it doesn’t. It’s as perfect as ever and you’re not one to refuse food when offered. As he begins eating you excuse yourself finding a spot where you don’t have to look at your friends consuming their food both, because of the strong smell and the look of it. While delicious the thought of the texture sends your brain in overdrive where you get an overwhelming phantom taste which only intensifies the nausea.

Finding a spot still within the dome but far enough to be comfortable you just watch the geometric patterns in the lining of Caleb’s coat. Not only do you focus on the patterns but you’re pretty sure you can count the individual threats of the fabric. The colours and contrast intense pull you in almost pervasively so.

A hand shakes your shoulder turning you to face them. It’s Caleb and he looks rather worried. The expression alone carries over to you. What’s he worried about? It’s not bad is it? Is it because of you? Oh, no maybe it is you… You’re set into a train of emotions and anxiety and when Caleb notices his expression softens but the worry does not leave.

“Hey, hey. I need you to breathe, okay? Just keep breathing.” You follow his instructions taking deep breathes and the anxiety mutes replaced by a hyper fixation on Caleb. Literally, everything around the wizard fades into the distance when he steps into your vision but you manage to force yourself to be aware of your surroundings with a lot of effort.

“Very good. Now, you want to tell me what’s going on?” From over Caleb’s shoulder you see Veth stuff her mouth with the food you refused and that alone is enough to make you gag. Caleb notices and shifts to break your line of sight. Oh no, you can smell it again. You cover your mouth and nose and lean forward letting your forehead fall against his clavicle taking deep breaths of the comfy molasses, old pages and smouldering fire scent.

“I don’t know but one more sniff of food and I’ll vomit so please take mercy on me and save me from the savoury deliciousness until this nausea passes.” Caleb wraps his arms around you, one hand rubbing circles into your back while the other lightly plays with the hairs on the back of your neck to alleviate your suffering. Of course he’s trying to piece together what’s happened because you’re behaviour added up is not entirely like you. Right now his priority is making sure you're comfortable.

He keeps this going as one by one the Nein goes to sleep, Caleb and by default you taking the first watch. You don’t yet feel comfortable removing yourself from Caleb’s arms but do find a more comfortable position for the both of you to spare you the numbness of limbs.

The longer you sit around your mind starts to feel less hazy, the hyper focus lessens and your stomach calls for sustenance, the nausea fading. Luckily Caduceus had saved you some leftovers which you happily nibble on. The spices and herbs providing extra flavours are intense but no longer unwelcome or nauseating. Regardless of what caused this all, you didn’t think Caduceus’ food could taste any better but damn does it taste beyond divine. You’ve rediscovered your appetite and finish the leftovers.

While sitting in Caleb’s embrace, head on his stomach holding the book you’re both reading Caleb’s coat long since returned to him you’re feeling mentally exhausted, but your mind is at ease, as if all stress and pressure of the world around you has faded for just a moment. You’re at peace in the arms of the man you love and surrounded by your friends.

The realisation that despite all the bad you’ve gone through together it’s all been worth it a thousand times over and you wouldn’t change a thing. A yawn escapes as you turn the page, knowing Caleb will have read it several times at this point.

“Tired?”

“Exhausted.”

“You’d think with all the breaks and rest you’ve already gotten today you’d have trouble sleeping again.” Caleb recalls the times where you’ve taken breaks before and spent half of the night up getting rid of the energy just to get a moment of sleep in the more stressful days where sleep does not come easily; days like the past few have been.

“I would have but none of those times did I actually catch a break. I was nauseas for hours, everything felt and looked intense, could only focus on one thing at the time visually even though for some reason I was hyper aware of my senses.” You turn the page again as Caleb pulls you a little closer, about to press a kiss to your shoulder. He stops, retreats and instead brushes his fingers over it.

“Maybe I was just on an exhaustion or anxiety high running on my last bit of energy and now we get a moment to relax and breathe, that’s what gotten me back to earth.” Caleb doesn’t respond and when you look up at him from over your shoulder you see Caleb closely inspecting the fingers he brushed over your shoulder.

“You know, I’m beginning doubt this change of mood was induced by exhaustion.” He runs his fingers together and you see the light dust pulverise. Confused you signal for Caleb to elaborate on his train of thought because you’re still feeling a little slow.

“Remember the tumble you took into the patch of flowers and mushrooms?”

“You mean when I got my ask kicked by an oversized lizard? Yeah, hard to forget.” You grasp at your ribs as if to relief a still lasting ache from the hit of the creature’s tail. You turn around, putting the book down and sit on your knees between Caleb’s legs as things begin to fall into place for the both of you. Your landing... Oh no...

“I don’t think that dust cloud upon impact was just dust or pollen.” You throw your head back and groan. Unbelievable. Through the lasting peace and calm you feel the embarrassment peak through as well as annoyance at the whole situation.

“So you’re telling me I’ve been tripping balls for the past six or so hours?”

“That is exactly what I’m saying.” Caleb states deadpanned before he breaks and laughs at you. You deserve it really. Stubbornness to admit something’s wrong is what got you so far. Should have told someone you weren’t feeling right and it definitely wasn’t exhaustion but no and it was already too late when the ‘beauty of the world’ took hold of your mind.

“Well then, take comfort that it’s not just the spores leave me completely enamoured with you.” You peck Caleb’s nose and poke his stomach to get him to quit laughing before he wakes up the others. You won’t hear the end of this that’s for damn sure so best to keep this incident between the two of you. Let the other’s believe you’re just over-exhausted.

#critical role #critical role x reader #critrole x reader #mighty nein x reader #mighty nein #caleb x reader #caleb widogast x reader

[obae-me]

Could I request Luke with a shy and quiet fem s/o Maybe shes mc’s little sister that she brought over, completely forgetting that Could I request Luke with a shy and quiet fem s/o Maybe shes mc’s little sister that she brought over, completely forgetting that devildom is filled with Demons. I thought that this would be a cute hc! Love your work so far 💕

This could be cute! It was fun to write! I didn’t feel like coming up with a real name to keep the headcanon/fic open, but I thought a nickname would be cute. I hope this has enough of what you want! Thank you for your request and being so nice 💜

Little Guardian Angel

“Do you want to explain how this happened again, MC?” Lucifer glared at them, his arms folded tightly against his chest, some of his other brothers standing behind him in the entrance hall. In front of him was the MC they had all gotten to know pretty well, and Lucifer had typically very little reason to get mad at them, but now...

MC gestured enthusiastically to their side, where a smaller, but similar looking human stood. “This is Sissy! It’s not her real name, but it’s what I’ve called her ever since we were little, erm, littler. She’s my little sister!” The small human, aka Sissy, looked down at the ground, clamping down on the lower fabric of their shirt with their hands. This is where a typical introduction would come in, but Sissy didn’t say anything. 

Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose, a vein in his forehead sticking out more than usual. “I remember that part clearly, MC, but do you mind telling me why she’s here?!” His aura of power slowly creeping out from his large and intimidating frame. MC’s little sister made a faint gasp and hid behind their elder sibling. Lucifer took a deep breath and calmed down again, the last thing he wanted to do was scare a child. 

“Well, I think she slipped through the por-I mean door Diavolo made when I came back from my trip back home,” they explained, giving Sissy a pat on the head to assure her she was okay. “So until he can send her back home I thought she could stay here.” 

The Demon of Pride shook his head. “D-did you forget that this house is filled with D-”

“Dust!” MC blurted, taking Lucifer aback. He glared them down, they interrupted him and called his pristine home dusty? MC quickly rushed to his side, signaling him with a hand to listen. They whispered into his ear. “Sissy is really quiet and sensitive, it’s probably best that she doesn’t know that this is land of demons!” 

Lucifer stood up straight, feeling a few centuries fall off of his life span. He cleared his throat. “Dust.” He said sharply. “This house is filled with particularly dangerous and annoying dust.” He shot a side glance to four of his brothers. To further prove his point there was a distant shatter that echoed through the house. Two of the brothers missing from the hall were Mammon and Belphie fighting over something he didn’t have the patience to recall. “Perhaps it’s better if our guest stays over at Purgatory Hall.” 

A deep booming sound caused MC to agree.

*  *   *

“And so that’s why she’s here!” MC exclaimed, Sissy already looked much more comfortable in this place. Purgatory hall was more brightly decorated with bright flowers and colors, and the people had friendlier looking faces. This time MC had already taken the time before coming in to notify Luke, Solomon, and Simeon of the situation. 

“I see, well you can be sure that while she is here, she will be well looked after.” Simeon smiled. He looked down at Luke who had been acting strange since both MC and Sissy had arrived. “And I’m sure Luke would love to make a new friend.”

“I-” Luke’s face turned red and he puffed out his little chest. “I’m not a child, I don’t need to make friends, but if MC wants us to look after their sister, I’ll do what I can.” He straightened his bright white uniform, free from any blemishes or wrinkles. 

“That’s great to hear! Right Sissy?” MC clasped their hands together and waited for her to nod. “It’ll just be for a few days and you’ll be home before you know it.” Despite their words Sissy still looked downtrodden.

“H-hey, why don’t I show you to our kitchen? I was just in the middle of making some pastries.” He led Sissy away, his cheeks still pink. Sissy waved shyly to their sibling, listening to Luke already talk about the importance of sticking to the recipe when baking. 

“Yes, I think this will be good for Luke,” Simeon smiled. “I’m excited to see what the days bring us.”

*  *  * 

“And he showed me how to make cookies!” Sissy grinned, sounding more enthusiastic than MC had heard her in a long time. They had come over to pick her up to head home, but hadn’t even had the time to tell her. She had been giggling and talking about all the time she had spent with Luke ever since they arrived. It had been nonstop praise, the way he would stand up against Simeon and Solomon’s teasing. The way he gave her his nightlight so she wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. And when she scraped her knee, he took care of it and gave it a kiss, and it stopped hurting immediately. 

“That’s great, Sissy!” 

“And he told me to tell you not to call me Sissy anymore! He says I’m not a sissy!” The typically quiet and shy sibling puffed out her chest in a way all too familiar. MC chuckled, retaliating by tossing a throw pillow at them. “Hey!”

“I call you Sissy because you’re my sister, not cus you’re a sissy, dummy.” 

“I’m not a dummy either!” 

“I know, I know.” MC’s smiled faded a bit. “But Sissy I came over to tell you that it’s time to go home. Diavolo is outside right now ready to take you through the-uh-” 

“You can just call it a portal, I’m not stupid.” Sissy muttered while letting their legs dangle back and forth off the end of their chair. 

“How did you...?”

“You really thought I wouldn’t be able to tell I’m in a magical place when the sun hasn’t come up for days?! That and I saw Solomon do some cool trick when he was alone in his room, it was pretty cool.” MC sighed, they should’ve of figured it would be hard to try to pass this place as normal. Sissy had a sweet grin on her face, but it went sour pretty quickly. “I really have to go home?” 

“It’s not safe here, Sissy, like, at all. You might be okay in Purgatory Hall but you can’t stay here forever. You’ll go crazy. It’s time to go, Diavolo’s waiting.” Sissy got up, tears threatening to roll down her cheek. 

“Wait!”

The two humans whirled around to see the three usual residents of Purgatory Hall approach them, Solomon shaking his head. “I’m disappointed you were ready to leave without us seeing you off.”

“Agreed,” the tall angel nodded. “Seeing as how she was our guest, it would be bad manners to not say goodbye. God be with you, Sissy, it was lovely having you here...Luke...do you have something to say?” 

MC had never seen the little angel cry before. He’d been bullied by demons, constantly called a Chihuahua, but even none of those had broken him down. But seeing Sissy ready to leave, even if they had only known each other for a few days, had his eyes glistening with tears. 

“B-be safe. Don’t talk to any sketchy people. Always be kind!” Luke struggled with his words. Neither of them said anything for a while, then Sissy ran over to pull him into a hug, causing him to squeak and turn red. 

“Goodbye, Luke. You’ll watch out for me, right?” They pulled apart, and Luke had regained his proud angelic expression. 

“Of course! I...I’m your Guardian Angel, which means I’ll watch over you no matter what! Always. No human or demon will stop me!” The adults smiled proudly, trying to keep from laughing at the scene in front of them. Only Luke could be so cute. 

Sissy smiled softly, blushing just a touch before placing an innocent kiss on his cheek. His body literally gave off a faint glow. He pulled his hat down to cover his face, looking away while Sissy ran out the door.

MC ruffled Luke’s hair. “You better keep that promise to my sister, Little Guardian Angel.”

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me luke

[hollywoods-golden-age-imagines]

Meeting and Dating Bert

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(Oh I’m so compelled to write “Bert having a crush on you” headcanons)

- You and Bert met during one of his performances. You were walking through the park when the sound of music started up in the distance. Deciding to follow it, you came across his usual crowd of onlookers gathered round him as he played.

- You stayed a little behind everyone as you watched but that didn’t seem to matter to Bert as his gaze locked right onto you, his eyes lighting up as he took you in. He moved closer, asking your name and coming up with a lovely rhyme for you. The smile you gave him took his breath away and he knew right away that he needed to get to know you.

- Once the crowd had cleared away you went up to him and complimented his work. He thanked you, asking you a few questions about yourself in return, saying that he’d remember a smile like yours if he’d seen it before.

- The two of you talked for a little while longer, he offered to walk you home and you happily accepted, ignoring the clashing noises he made as he walked. You really enjoyed the time you spent with him so much so that you were almost upset once you got to your doorstep and had to part ways.

- Just as you were about to say goodbye he quickly blurted out that he was a chimney sweep. He took a moment to chuckle shyly before continuing, telling you that he noticed you had a chimney and that he could come back with his tools to clean it for you. You laughed but accepted and made plans for him to come back in an hour.

- He did in fact come back and clean your chimney, refusing any attempt of yours to pay him once he was finished. The only thing he’d accept was a cup of tea with you on your front step and a date the next day. You happily agreed to the invitation and enjoyed your time with him.

- For your first date, the two of you went to the park and had a picnic by the lake. It was like you’d known him for years, there was no awkwardness or discomfort just genuine smiles and laughter. You were sure that you’d found the perfect man and him the perfect woman.

- Your first kiss happened a few days later. The two of you had scarcely left each other’s sides since your first meeting and were quite sure that you wouldn’t be parting any time soon. You’d invited him over for lunch, noticing quite quickly that he seemed troubled. Before you could ask what was wrong he blurted out a question.

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” He asked a bit nervously as he glanced up at you.

“Right now?” You questioned.

“I suppose nows as good a time as any.” He joked.

“Then no, not at all.” You smiled.

- He smiled right back as he leaned over the table, cupping your cheek in his hand and gently pressing his lips to yours. Ever since then, you’d had the lovely chimney sweep all to yourself.

- He’s quite fond of pda but its usually very innocent in nature. He loves being able to show off that you’re his girl but he’s also committed to treating you like a proper lady should be treated.

- He always acts like the perfect gentleman when he’s around you even though he has a temperament which more closely resembles a circus performer.

- You always feel as though you’re the most important thing in his life. He always seems so proud to have you by his side and so amazed that you’re actually his.

- You have so many pet names and terms of endearment. Darling, sweetheart, angel, honey, love; believe me, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

- He really enjoys walking you home. He likes knowing that you’ve gotten home safely and, of course, getting a kiss goodbye.

- Having tea together.

- Dancing with him.

- Soft but passionate kisses.

- Handholding.

- You’ll probably never see it but everytime you’re not paying attention to him he watches you with the most loving expression a man could ever muster. It’s like you’re the most beautiful thing in the galaxy to him.

- He’s hardly afraid of looking foolish so you always have the time of your life when you’re with him.

- It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you’re around such a bucket of sunshine.

- Blowing kisses to one another.

- Hand kisses.

- Cheek kisses.

- Getting little songs written for/about you.

- Listening to him sing. Whenever he catches you watching him, he’ll take you into his arms and sing directly to you. He’d love it if you joined along.

- He never allows you to feel insecure when he’s around, he’ll always reassure you that you are beautiful inside and out.

- Constant flattery, the man knows how to make a girl flustered.

- He might know how to give a compliment but the man turns bright red the minute you give him one back.

- Wiping chimney dust from his face with a giggle.

- He tends to remember nearly everything you tell him. He could write an essay on the different things you like to say.

- He loves having you read to him, he’ll lay his head in your lap and sneak loving glances at you whenever you do.

- Watching on fondly whenever he interacts with children. You can’t help but find him adorable as he comforts and makes them laugh.

- Getting sweets and other food from street vendors.

- He likes surprising you with flowers that he’s picked for you. They’re some of the most beautiful bouquets you’ve ever been gifted.

- He has a habit of staying close behind you whenever you’re standing together. He likes to lean over and whisper things into your ear as the two of you watch whatever it is you’re looking at. You usually have to stifle a laugh at his quiet comments.

- Going to his street performances.

- Beautiful scenic dates.

- Picnics in the park.

- Boat rides on the lake.

- Taking strolls through the park with your arm in his.

- Becoming friends with Mary and the children.

- Going on adventures with him both big and small.

- Finding little drawings of his around your house or being gifted them at random. He’s really quite the talented artist.

- He loves being able to cheer you on whenever he can.

- He picks you up into his arms and spins you around whenever he gets really excited, laughing giddily as he presses kisses all over your face.

- He’s always willing to lend an ear and try his very best to help you, whether that be by giving advice, comforting you or just listening.

- You always feel safe when you’re with him, like nothing in the world could ever hurt you.

- Whenever you cuddle, he likes to hold you close, his arms wrapped around you and your head resting on his chest. He’d trace patterns onto your skin and tell you little stories...when he doesn’t doze off before you, that is.

- He doesn’t get jealous very often. He trusts you and knows that you’d never do anything to hurt him. On the off chance that he does get jealous, he’d try his best to act as though nothings wrong but you’d certainly notice that he wasn’t his usual chipper self. All he needs is a little explanation and reassurance to bring back his good mood.

- The two of you have never really fight with each other, there’s never been a reason to; you get along perfectly.

- He’s always happy to tell you he loves you and adores when you tell him the same.

- He genuinely can’t wait to marry you and have a little family of his own. You’re the most wonderful woman he’s ever met and he wants to keep you by his side for the rest of time.

#60s movies #60s movie imagine #60s movie headcanons #60s movie headcanon #disney headcanons #disney headcanon #disney imagine #mary poppins imagine #mary poppins headcanons #mary poppins headcanon #bert imagine #bert mary poppins #bert headcanons #bert headcanon

[juminsmysticmc]

Here is my request idea! It's for MC x Jihuyn: Jihyun has just gotten back after being away for 2 years, but he was away for so long that MC had no idea when, or even if, he was going to return. After being back, MC has a developed a sort of separation anxiety.  She's scared that whenever he leaves for an extended period of time(like maybe more than a few hours) that he's not going to come back and she'll be alone all over again. ---- If you have any questions you know where to find me!

Jihyun x MC who has developed separation anxiety

Minutes, hours, days and months passed until the mint haired boy finally arrived one day.As soon as your eyes recognized the smiling man in front of you, your legs moved on their own and your arms ended up hugging his body tightly.The best feeling which then could fall upon you was the feeling of his hands on your back and his laugh in your ears.,,That’s what it must mean to listen to angels!’’ you told yourself as he told you how much he missed you.But you couldn’t say anything to the man you fell in love with.Instead, your tears started to flow, wettening his shirt and making him chuckle as he heard you hiccuping.,,It’s okay…’’ he laughed. His mood seemed so different from back then.You finally let go of him and looked into his eyes.  As if you would lose yourself in his big eyes, you stared into them, not believing that Jihyun was really back again.Softly, your hands touched his cheeks and went through his hair before you heard Zen’s voice.,,Finally, she’s smiling again!’’

Afterwards, the leader of the RFA hugged everyone and began to tell them the story which occured for the two years.This wasn’t all. After all, he still had a surprise for them….

,,Home sweet home…’’ he laughed as he looked at the house he left in your care.You had tidied up his place daily and lived there while he was gone. You watered the flowers he had there, you filled up the fridge, hoping he would come home so that you could cook for him.You washed the towels so that when he would have returned home, he could have showered instantly.You cleaned and took care of the dust. The bed was always fresh and… so empty.The couch was always cozy but so lonely… the chairs around the table were always in their places. Not because you put them there, but because no one ever sat in them.Suddenly, tears left your eyes as you and Jihyun looked around.,,Mc…?’’ he whispered and took your face between his hands, making you look into his face.He sadly looked at you as you kept sobbing.Suddenly you grabbed his shirt.,,Please,’’ you whispered ,,don’t leave me again…’’ you begged before your lips crushed together and ended up in a passionate play between the both of you.

,,Mhhh….’’ you mumbled in the early morning as the sunshine warmed up your face. You chuckled in your sleep as you slowly tried to open your eyes and tapped on the space next to you which finally wasn’t empty anymore.Or so you thought.Your hand moved up and down on the bed sheets.,,JIHYUN!’’ you yelled and jumped up, your eyes open widely as you saw that he wasn’t there anymore.You felt your heart getting tighter. You tried to calmly breath as you got up and put on some clothes.,,Jihyun?’’ you called him again as you walked through the house.Empty. No one.,,J-Jihyun…!’’ you suddenly sobbed and felt as if the world was moving around you. Your eyes fell on the entrance. Panic was growing in your heart as you searched for his shoes.However, they weren’t there anymore. Did he leave you again? Did he run after Rika this time?

,,Oh, you’re up?’’ he asked you as he closed the door behind himself and took off the shoes you were searching for a moment ago.In disbelief, you looked at the mint haired man who smiled at you and showed you that he just bought breakfast.,,Oh my god!’’ you hissed and hugged him.You were so strong that you almost made him trip.,,Mc…?’’ he asked you and patted your back with the free hand he had.What was wrong with you, he thought.,,I thought you left me again…’’ you finally spilled and looked up.

Days went on and the both of you were slowly adjusting to living together.You had a good balance between the free time between couples, work, and private time.However, from time to time you noticed that you got scared whenever Jihyun wasn’t able to be found.You noticed that you got scared when he left for work and that the feeling got only better as soon as he returned home.You noticed that you panicked whenever he didn’t reply immediately.And the more you tried to get better, the worse you got and the more memories you got.The letters he wrote you, the painful time while he was gone…,,Get your shit together,’’ you hissed to yourself and tried to work.,,Jihyun, I’m home!’’ you called as you entered and placed your shoes on the spot they always were.However, his shoes were nowhere to be found.It didn’t take ten minutes until you asked Saeyoung to track him down, sobbing into the phone that he probably left.However, you later found out that he was at Jumin’s residence.Of course, your faithful friend told Jihyun about your panic attack, which made him return home.,,Why are you scared, Mc. I will stay here,’’ he tried to make you feel better.However, his words triggered you.,,Are you kidding me?’’ you asked him ,,I trusted you back then and you went to Rika. You ended up getting stabbed. Everything turned out fine, but later on you disappeared, Jihyun, and left me for two years. Do you think that sending letters apologizes for your actions? No, they don’t.You could have told me your intentions. Jihyun, Saeyoung almost killed himself. I sat here day and night waiting for you and asking myself why, why did you leave everything in my care?I thought, maybe he pitied me. I thought that maybe you trusted me, but Jihyun, I never got a response. Years later you return and… whenever I can’t find you… I get scared.I trust you, but I have the feeling that you will never trust me! Did you change or did you only rehabilitate Saeran? Did you learn how to lean on others? I know the answer myself, Jihyun,’’ you stopped and breathed in.,,You didn’t. Because if you would have changed, you would have informed us. We are here, Jihyun, we are here. We always were. We always trusted you and supported you. Jihyun, why can’t you do the same?! WHY?!’’ you asked him.

Your face was red and you were out of breath.Your mouth felt dry from talking so long.However, you just had to tell him.Suddenly, he began to smile and kneeled down in front of you, pulling out a big ring in front of you.,,I get it, Mc,’’ he began.,,I would be scared too,’’ he laughed.,,Will this make you feel better? This is our sign and our infinity. Our love, Mc. I will stay here forever and cherish you. I swear. Do you want to marry me, Mc?’’ he asked you.You suddenly felt bad since you scolded him a few seconds ago, but then you smiled again and the tears you shed became happy tears.And finally, with a nod, the both of you were officially engaged.  

#jumin han #zen hyun ryu #hyun ryu #yoosung kim #jaehee kang #saeyoung choi #saeran choi #jihyun kim #mystic messenger jihyun #v jihyun kim #jihyun x mc #jihyun x reader #fanfiction #fanfic #mm fanfic #mm fanfiction #Headcanon #Mm headcanons #mystic messenger headcanon

[luna-almighty-god]

Guardian Angel N°17 [The burden that oppresses us, the future that hurts us]

This is chapter seventeen ! Soon the final climax!

This story is obviously not canonical, please do not refer to it if you are looking for canonical information.

Have a good read!

===

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

===

Etsuko's strength seemed to have increased tenfold, no doubt due to the rage that now animated the slightest of his movements. This rage, this burning fire kindled by Yumerai, this inferno of terror and resentment that he only wanted to pour out. And what better targets than his four opponents to let go, to let off steam?

He smiled sadistically, pulled out his appendages and shot them at Yumerai, but the bloody archer dodged far too well, too quickly and nimbly for the corrupt painter.

Realizing that he would come to nothing, he weighed down and made a blaster appear, firing blindly at his enemies, taking great care to have part of the city in the background. If he couldn't hit his opponents, he was at least going to destroy Underlust as he had done in his timeline!

Unaware of his thoughts, Yumerai teleported himself away from the blaster, as did Ink, Error, and Nightmare ... until the Creator froze.

“He's targeting Snowdine!” he cried as he understood the attitude of his double, the double ready to sacrifice innocent monsters!

It's too late for that. Having no time to prepare a shield, our four protagonists watched helplessly as the ray headed towards the city... ...only to crash into a massive sword, which seemed like a flash of magic to come between the beam and the city.

Etsuko and Yumerai's eyes opened wide, and if the corrupt being felt a new reason to be angry, the archer couldn't help but hiccup feverishly.

As Ink, Error, and Nightmare watched in amazement, a hooded figure teleported into the heavens, and landed with ease on the handle of the sword.

Etsuko screamed in rage, before the ink at his feet formed a circle and revealed a portal, into which he hurriedly rushed.

Yumerai yelped, and clumsily regained his wits to put his enemy under yoke. But Etsuko vanished just before the arrow stabbed him, causing the guard to swear as he tightened his grip on his bow.

Behind him, the figure jumped to the ground and retrieved the sword to hang it on his back.

Thus Nightmare, Ink and Error witnessed the most unlikely scene they had ever seen: Yumerai violently kicked a snowdrift into a snowdrift while screaming:

“I'm gonna get him!”

What the figure sighed as it approached him:

“And at what cost? How long are you going to continue with this behavior?”

  The guard turned around and looked at the other one:

“I didn't ask you, Cross! And what are you doing here?!”

The swordsman looked up to the sky, took off the hood that had protected him from the dust and snow, and revealed his jaded face, where his characteristic red scar could be seen... and another scar in one of his eyes. Still, he was in every way similar to the Cross that Nightmare, Ink or Error knew, and everyone understood that they were dealing with a different version of the future.

Yumerai got even angrier, but instead of accusing Cross again, he took his head in his hands, almost scratching himself with his knuckles as he cowered, shouting. A scream of hatred, of despair, which seemed to make everything around him tremble, which accompanied the tears of guilt that came to drown the poor archer's face:

“DAMN! I could have fixed everything ! I would have killed him and all this would have been over !!

- Dream ... began the swordsman.

- NOT DREAM ! YUMERAI! YU-ME-RAI!

- Yumerai, even if you kill Ink - something I know you can't do - you'll never achieve anything. Nightmare is also here.”

The guard hiccupped, as hurt by the truth as by Cross' attitude, who seemed to really take him for a stupid kid. This only pushed him further into his entrenchment, and finally he collapsed to his knees, managing miserably to control his sobs.

Nightmare flinched. Surely this Dream wasn't HIS Dream. But that didn't change the fact that he was a version of his twin, the twin he loved so much and had been trying to catch up with for some time ... so seeing his dear brother in such a miserable state made him seethe with anger. He clenched his fists, his magic began to crackle, but before he could tell how he thought about this Cross, Ink interrupted him:

“Nightmare... Let's not get carried away. Those two saved us and Underlust...”

True, but this Cross was still unbearable to see. Besides, where did he get such a powerful sword from? Last I heard, their own Cross didn't have such a weapon! Nightmare sighed, finally grumbling and giving up on the idea of a monochromatic soapbox.

Instead, he approached Yumerai cautiously, which was easy since the archer wasn't paying any attention to him. However, the master of misfortune tensed up a little more with each step: why didn't he feel the positive aura of this Dream?

“Hey, D... Yumerai.”

  The Dream Keeper finally leapt to raise his tearful gaze to him, making Nightmare tremble as he nearly retreated. Yumerai sniffed softly and ran a hand across his face, clumsily wiping away the slowly drying tears.

“...oh... it's you...” he replied weakly.

Nightmare raised an archway:

“... Yeah, that's... me.”

The archer stood up feverishly to face him, as if he had never had such a tearful fit the moment before, despite the salty traces clearly visible on his cheeks. Cross, for his part, did not make the slightest comment and looked at both of them impassively.

“I'm sorry about all this... Yumerai apologized - both to Nightmare and the other two. In view of the situation, I think you understand what's going on ...

- That an Ink from the future has come back to the past to kill us? Yeah, we know about that,”Error retorted, approaching in turn.

The sight of the Destroyer froze the archer, who quickly looked away, suddenly very uncomfortable:

“... Y-Yes, indeed, but not only. Cross and I come from the future, and unfortunately ... The Bad Sans of our time have also visited your timeline. I've come to stop them...”

He went on to give Cross a black look:

“...and you are going back to our house.

- I'm not going back.

- You have no business there! How could you leave Lux alone?!”

The swordsman raised his eyes to heaven for the second time:

“Are you really asking me to go back to our collapsing timeline that may cost us our lives?

- I am asking you to go and look after our daughter!

- But she's fine, I took her with me! What do you think?”

Yumerai petrified, becoming livid with terror:

“You took her... with you? What the hell has gotten into you?! She is the ideal prey for our enemies!!

  - Would you have preferred to leave her alone with us?

- NO! That's why I wanted you to stay with her !!!

- By staying with her, I risked condemning us both.”

Yumerai opened his mouth, finally giving up the idea of retorting and dryly protesting. Cross always had the last word anyway.

Ink raised an eyebrow:

“Oh done... I'd just like to establish two things... the first... Nightmare, why did you call my future self 'Estuko'?

- Mm... I figured a nickname would prevent misunderstandings.

- Okay. (chuckles) Might as well do the same with the other future travelers, then! Dream is Yumerai, Nightmare is Oshoku and Cross is Shiroken!”

The group observed the painter with scepticism, and it was Error who decided to break the silence:

“... And our opinion in all this? Then how did you come up with nicknames so quickly?

- Own, you underestimate me Ruru! I've been thinking about it since my double arrived, I'll tell you! And, uh... It was the flowers that gave me those names!”

Nightmare nearly choked:

“The flowers?”

Ink pouffa before nodding his head:

“Didn't you know Nighty? The Creators can communicate with us through the flower echoes. They usually never do... except on rare occasions. And today, one of them gave me nicknames for your you and the Cross of the Future!”

Cross from the future who seemed to have plunged into deep reflection, before finally having a very slight smile:

“Shiroken... I approve. I like it.”

This made Yumerai look up at the sky, annoyed. Cross always made him think that changing his name was ridiculous, and today he accepted to be named Shiroken without the slightest hesitation? He blew, holding back the comment that was tickling his puck, and came to look away ... to get tense when his eyes met those of Error.

He swallowed but found himself unable to look away. Why was the Destroyer staring at him like that? What was he thinking? Why was it so hard to guess his thoughts when Yumerai felt like an open book? There had always been this strange power relationship between them. The archer, although he could feel the emotions, struggled to understand the Glitch. And conversely, Error - who couldn't feel the emotions - managed to read him with a simple glance!

A cold sweat ran down the guard's throat. Even though it was easy to read him... Error couldn't guess it all, could he? He couldn't guess how he felt about him, could he? Because besides making him deeply uncomfortable, it could also make his past self look childish!

Feeling himself on the verge of cracking up again, the archer turned his attention to Ink:

“You were talking about a second thing to establish, right?”

Ink nodded his head, regaining his serious air, but above all terribly worried:

“Yumerai... You know Nyx, don't you?”

The guard petrified, as did Shiroken, who suddenly seemed much more interested, before suddenly grabbing the painter by the shoulders:

“Nyx?! Is he alive?! Where is he, how is he?!”

The swordsman came to pull him gently back:

"Dr... Yume, calm down.

- I can't, all right?! Stop trying to temper me!

- T...

- I know there's no point in overreacting! I know there's no point in yelling, crying, brooding! But damn it, it feels good, you know? Blowing up, going crazy, I got a right to do that once in a while!

- That's...

- It's useless, isn't it? Stupid? Laughable? What am I to you, a kid? I'm probably overreacting, but you've closed yourself off beyond reason! It won't kill you to cry once, if only to mourn Epic once and for all!”

The silence fell back abruptly, heavy with meaning and sudden guilt. Yumerai's guilt when he felt the hand on his arm tensing up, Shiroken's face lost a second of its impassivity to hint at a shock and a suffering that had been mastered with difficulty.

Finally the swordsman gently released him, regaining his composure despite his slightly weaker voice:

“... I just wanted to say... that Ink couldn't answer us if you were asking him too many questions...”

New silence, even heavier than the previous one. The palpable uneasiness failed to shake the three skeletons of the past, and while Yumerai tried to apologize, the words failed to come out and he shamefully lowered his gaze, nervously triturating his phalanges, while Shiroken turned away his eyes in his turn.

“... Hmm... Ink resumed after clearing his throat. Actually, about Nyx... He's alive. But he's not well..”

The duo from the future looked up at him lividly.

*** ***

For the umpteenth time, silence hung over the group. Our protagonists were back in Dreamtale, at the castle, with the Bad Sans, Insomnia, PaperJam and Plum. Everyone had taken their seats in the living room and had been waiting for a while. They were waiting for Yumerai to examine Nyx, who had been put in his room.

Nobody dared to speak up. And even if someone had the courage, what could he have said? What was there to say? They all had so many questions... and none of them had any answers.

None of them... except...

“Shiroken?” Cross called out timidly, leaning against the table.

His version of the future uttered a slight "Mm... ..." without giving him a glance, as he sat in an armchair, busy cleaning the blade of his sword. A sword that intrigued his double from the past:

“... Where did you get such a weapon? I have no such weapon.

- ... No, you don't. At this time, you possess a sword a little less impressive.”

Shiroken raised his head to take a melancholy look at his counterpart's weapon:

“...I remember when I had such a sword... I had escaped Chara's control, but I had managed to keep control of his abilities.”

He went back to cleaning his blade, before ceasing his movement to observe its reflection, caught in a visibly difficult reflection in view of its arcade pucker. He sighed:

“... You have to know how to make concessions. Freedom is not always the best solution.”

What petrified Cross:

“... What do you mean? What's happening to you... what's going to happen to me?

- Nothing will happen to you. The timeline has been changed, you won't take the same route as me. So don't worry about anything and just try not to have any regrets. Like... don't wait until you lose the ones you love to admit how you feel about them.”

Under normal circumstances, Cross would probably have blushed. But at that moment, the warning frightened him to take a step towards his double, while his soul was beating a little faster:

“... Is Epic going to get killed?”

And the trembling of his voice had not escaped anyone's notice, let alone Nightmare's, who felt the growing fear of his subordinate.

Shiroken seemed to hesitate, raised his head, perceived the curious and apprehensive looks of others. He sighed again:

“... Ignore my timeline. I told you, it has nothing to do with yours. Nyx has completely changed the course of things.

- But if he hadn't, what would have happened?” Killer intervened, gently squeezing Insomnia against him.

The one from the future began tapping frantically against his sword, a sign of an anxiety he was losing control of:

“... At home ... Nightmare and Ink had an affair. It came out by accident, and some people didn't accept it. Already the inhabitants of the AUS, who blamed Ink, their protector, for making a pact with the public enemy.”

To his words, the painter reached out without interrupting the story:

“... of course, Error and Killer did not accept it either. Error's attacks became more violent and frequent ... As for Killer, he closed himself off. Life in the castle became more oppressive, and this outpouring of bad feelings made Nightmare unstable.”

Dust was surprised:

“What? But the boss gets his power from negativity!

- That's true, he agreed. But the wrong amount of power has consequences. If Shiroken is right, my doppelganger must have received a monstrous dose of negativity, too much power in one go.

- ... ...and it drove him to insanity...”Killer whispered.

A nod from Nightmare, who gently embraced his lover's waist with one of his appendages while questioning Shiroken:

“But what was Yumerai doing? He's the keeper of positivity. It's his role to ensure balance and set me limits, just like I do with my Dream.”

The swordsman frankly froze this time, as if this question had just burned him, that Nightmare should never have asked it.

“... Yumerai did the best he could. He never ceased to do his best, even to this day. Whether it was to right the wrongs of others or his own, he always surpassed himself, always went beyond his limits. And today, he is the one who is on the verge of dementia and despair.”

He came to shoot Nightmare with a glance, sliding his hand on the handle of his sword while the threat was obvious:

“... If anyone comes to accuse him of anything...”

He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to. Well, fortunately, Nightmare was the last person who would blame his twin for such a thing. After all, hadn't he himself failed in his duty as guardian many times?

Finally, Shiroken went back to cleaning up after himself:

“...the birth of Nyx was the last straw. The breaking point. I understand that Error and Ink had had a violent argument, which ended when Ink's vials were broken.”

Words that made both the Creator and the Destroyer shudder, and Shiroken didn't help by continuing:

“...as for Killer, he vanished overnight. Finally, 'disappeared' ... he simply went to Color, as he had threatened him so many times. You can imagine how angry Nightmare was at that moment.”

Oh, 'anger' was an understatement. Nightmare had gone into a terrible, shattering rage that had driven him to destroy several AUs in just a few days, generating even more negativity in the entire multiverse.

Horror, who had stood back until then, suddenly raised his voice:

“Why didn't they have an abortion?”

Time seemed to stand still.

“...what? Shiroken wondered.

- ... Ink and Nightmare. I don't know which one carried the child, I guess it was Ink, but... why didn't they just abort?”

Ink became a little paler, suddenly terribly feverish, and probably would have wavered if Error hadn't held him back:

“Inky, what's going on? inquired the Destroyer worriedly.

- ... I... I know why Etsuko didn't have an abortion...”

His comrades looked at him. He stuttered:

“Never... never... never would I allow the destruction of a being I had created... No matter how small ... no matter how 'failed' or 'unwanted' it may be ... when I create something, I cannot destroy it, that's all ...

- ... Yet your version of the future didn't hesitate to attack you and Underlust,” Plum intervened, staring at him, bitter that his universe had been attacked. Underlust may not have been the most incredible place on the multiverse, but it was still his home.

Ink passed a hand over his face, had to sit on the couch to come to his senses:

“I know... I know... I'm sorry, it's... Shiroken, you said his vials were broken?

- Yes, I did.

- ... ...it's because of my connection with Ruru that I can now feel without my vials. But as for Etsuko... if he didn't benefit from this bond, he must have ended up like a rag doll, devoid of all emotion.

- ... and from what I saw he must have been corrupted by a black apple, Nightmare said. Etsuko is therefore no longer a vulgar rag doll... but an evil doll made only of negativity.”

Shiroken slowly nodded his head, agreeing to say it, and the silence fell back to give everyone time to assimilate the information.

At least until footsteps resounded from across the hall, to reach the living room and let out an exhausted Yumerai.

Ink got up immediately:

“What's up? How is Nyx?”

Shiroken stood up in his turn, but to leave his place to the archer who came to slump in the armchair with great pleasure, before answering with a sigh:

“He's asleep.

- ... He's asleep ...?” Ink repeated confusedly.

- Yes. Several years ago ... well ... more years in our timeline... my brother put a spell on Nyx. A spell that prevented him from sleeping. The kind of spell that drives anyone crazy after not even a few days, and I don't understand how Nyx could last for years... Fuck, he probably cracked countless times without me knowing about it...”

Words that freeze the others before Nightmare gets carried away :

“And now what, why is Nyx sleeping now? My doppelganger removed the spell?

- ... it seems... Yumerai replied feverishly. And of course, Nyx's body and mind couldn't stand it... being deprived of sleep, only to have it suddenly come back... And again, it's a miracle he didn't die instantly. The spell must have worn off before my brother pulled it off, but...”

He closed his eyes, trying to stay calm:

“...in short...he's making up for all the years he didn't sleep.”

Nightmare petrified, as did his classmates, who understood the gravity of the situation.

“So Nyx has gone to sleep for many years?!” exclaimed Horror.

Yumerai nervously tweaked his knuckles, before finally giving the dreaded answer: he nodded slowly, as if by fate.

The shock was hard for everyone. As they assembled the complete puzzle, they slowly became aware of everything they had ignored until then. Nyx who had appeared mysterious, but nevertheless smiling and quiet, like a support, a friend, someone they could count on ... and who suffered in silence from the beginning. Who withstood the hardships without gnashing his teeth.

And as everyone felt their souls getting weighed down by these revelations, a voice of unshakeable gentleness came out of nowhere:

“Is it really wrong?”

They were startled, and Yumerai suddenly stood up and looked around him:

“Wha... Lux, is that you?!”

And Shiroken, in turn, stood up and gave his companion a jaded look:

“I told you she came with me...

- Don't start! She didn't show up, I thought ...

- That I had lied to you?”

A sigh was heard:

“Fathers, can you please stop this useless arguing?”

The light from the ceiling light sizzled suddenly, once again surprising the assembly, before the emitted light came to illuminate the centre of the room, to give a glimpse of a silhouette that emerged from the luminosity, revealing a young female skeleton, whose cracked skull let out a mauve magic that created a short hair, and whose frank fell on one of her eyes. The other one, however, showed a purple pupil that moved from one corner of the room to the other, before stopping on Yumerai:

“Dad, the fact that Nyny's asleep seems to be a foregone conclusion. But isn't it better in reality?”

The archer was confused:

“What do you mean... ?

- We know him. Nyx was exhausted, his sleepless nights drove him crazy. The less he slept, the more he lost his lucidity about his actions. How many times did he fail to return to his parents to 'please' them? How many times did he almost betray us, convincing himself that it was the best choice? You know better than I do, Dad: someone who doesn't sleep becomes fragile. All the more so when that same person is forced to eat black apples every day.”

Nightmare petrified, before shattering the table on which he smashed one of his appendages:

“WHAT?!”

Obviously the others yelped and the fear caused a tearful fit in Insomnia, which Killer hastened to rock awkwardly.

Paperjam, him, came to take refuge against his parents trembling:

“... Y-Yes ... Nyx eats black apples ...

- Did you know that?! Ink exclaimed.

- ... I- He... when we slept together... he panicked... he needed to eat one...”

Shiroken growled:

“... He had a withdrawal seizure.”

And little PJ became livid:

“... And so... He needs those apples to live? Does he really need them? If he doesn't eat them, he'll have a fit again?

- Yes, he will.

- M...But the evil Nightmare said he has more apples!”

Shiroken and Yumerai looked at him in terror, while Lux flinched for the first time despite his seemingly impassive look.

“He... has no more apples?” repeated the archer.

Paperjam nodded his head as tears came to his eyes:

“S-so if he sleeps, but he's out of it... What happens?

- ... I just... stuttered Yumerai. I don't know, I just... There are too many possibilities. Either sleep will prevent him from having a seizure, or no... Or lack of apple might keep him from waking up, or he might... he might...”

The fallen goalkeeper's breath began to quicken as he curled up again, his body shaking more and more. Shiroken knelt down beside him in panic, to clumsily take him in his arms and comfort him as best he could, but Yumerai didn't even catch his gentle attentions.

Lux bit her tongue, then turned to the Ink and the Nightmare of the past:

“Well, I'm taking command of our next operation.”

The master of misfortune is outraged:

“Are you kidding? I-

- Do you want to help Nyx or not?”

The guard swallowed his reply, which Lux took as an affirmation:

“Look, we don't have hundreds of solutions... And I'm like you: not sure what the best choice is. I just want Nyny to be okay, I want my parents to be okay ... and that won't be possible as long as the bad guys on our timeline want to destroy us.

- ... Fighting them will be complicated, Shiroken intervened. We've faced them before, they know our moves. And they also know their doubles from the past. We can't take them by surprise.

- ... Yes, we can. Maybe we can... by using the ones they don't know.”

The young teenager turned her head towards Paperjam and Insomnia. Immediately, Error and Killer stepped in:

“But are you sick?! cried the Glitch. Leave our sons out of this! The other nutcase from the future has already tried to kill them!”

Lux began to fiddle with the bottom of her white dress, annoyed:

“So what? Are we going to attack them knowing that we won't be surprised, or are we just going to wait cowardly for them to attack us first?”

But Yumerai's voice interrupted his daughter:

“...or we send them back to our timeline... and we close the portal...”

Lux turned to him:

“... "Daddy... this doesn't solve our problem...

- ... If... But yes, that's it... !”

The archer rose abruptly, his arches gathered:

“That's how we're going to do it!

- ... C-Come like this? I don't understand Dad, how... ?

- We'll do all three. We'll act first using the ones they don't know... and wait for them to attack us.”

And as the archer began to explain further, the rest of the group held its breath.

[They'd only get one chance]

===

Next Chapter

You can support me on Utip by watching ads! ;)

===

Credits =

Dreamtale -> Joku

Error -> Lover The Piggies

Ink -> Comyet / Myebi

Cross and Lux ->  Jakei

Dust -> Ask DustTale

Killer -> Rahafwabas

Color -> Superyoumma

Sugar Plum -> undertale Community (formerly NSFWShamecave ?)

Paperjam -> 7GoodAngel

Insomnia -> EnaPouyou

#Guardian Angel #nyx #dream #dreamtale #nightmare #ink #undertale #bad sanses #fanfiction #cross #dust #error #killer #insomnia #errink #nightkiller #inkmare #shipchild #adventure #romance #lux

[kylendooleydesigns]

Hazbin Hotel and My Thoughts on Feminism

This review is in no way aimed at any one specific group or ideology. These are mere opinions that people can choose to agree or not agree with. I am no way trying to sway the minds of anyone who chooses to read this review, people have their own opinions and have the right to express them. Thank you.

First, let me begin with my thoughts on the "modern feminist", I'll get to what I mean by that in a moment. For now, let's start with what the definition of feminism is; Merriam-Webster defines feminism as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes and the organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.

Now, with that said, I'd for everyone to pay attention to the word "equality". Feminism's roots can be traced all the way back to Plato and his classic Republic, where he advocated that women had the "natural capacities" that were equal to that of men for governing and defending Ancient Greece. (Olson, John, History.com) Ever since Plato's advocation for women's equal standing to men, women have been protesting and fighting for their rights to stand at the same political and economic point as their male counterparts. It wasn't until the late 18th and early 19th centuries when women were finally given their right to vote, New Zealand being the first sovereign state to give these rights to their women. After this revolutionary change, women joined in the war efforts of WWII, the Civil Rights movements, and began the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which still continues to this day.

Now, while I admit that the idea that the Equal Pay Act was created in 1963 and we are still dealing with the unfair distribution of pay between men and women, I'd like to bring up a personal point. My mother, who was born in 1963 mind you, has been working since her teenage years. She joined the military, got married, had a kid, divorced, remarried, and had another kid after her time in the military had come to an end, she fighting in the Gulf War before then. With only a military background and no college degree, my mom continued and still continues to work for the government through checking military helicopters for cracks to keep them from falling apart from atmospheric pressure. She's worked like this for over thirty years, seeing people come and go, men getting laid off or getting paid more than her fellow female co-workers. With that said, my mom actually gets paid more than most the men she works with, not only because she's the only one at her workplace who has the qualifications to do her line of work, but because she rarely ever takes time off. In fact, while she was pregnant with me, my mom refused to take maternity leave and went on working in this hazardous workplace despite the many objections of her male co-workers all the way up to my birth, my dad having to travel back and forth to see both my mom and me while he got our current house ready, meaning he wasn't always there to take care of her.

Years later, a female co-worker of hers got pregnant, took her maternity leave and when she got back, she found out a male co-worker had gotten paid more than her since her time away. She of course went off on her supervisor, but here's the thing: because she had taken her maternity leave and was unable to work, her male co-worker had to basically take on a double-shift and do the work she was in charge of, thus receiving pay for doing so.

Growing up in an environment with a mother who was a strong, independent woman after her divorce with a daughter and having to fight in an actual war that may or may not have lead to her sleep apnea and a dad who supported my mom from a different state while she was pregnant, I never saw there being that big an issue with the equality of men and women.

Now, I will say the unequal pay issue does get under my skin; however, the thing about equal pay and equal rights, is that women have to put in as much work and as much effort in their workplace as their male co-workers. Like I said, my mom worked while she was pregnant, thus getting the pay she deserved for the work she put in and her female co-worker who took  her maternity leave and got mad for the work she didn't do went to her male co-worker. I can only imagine how she'd feel about it if the co-worker was a fellow woman.

This brings up my issue with the modern day feminist. Back in the day during the early growth of feminism, the issue was about equality. Now a days, it seems that "equality" is being replaced by "superiority". Here's an example of what I mean, I have more guy friends than girl friends, and most my guy friends are huge gentlemen, always wanting to support and keep us women's spirits up, meaning they enjoy paying for their food and opening doors for them. One such friend was sweet enough to open a door for a complete stranger who happened to be an older woman. Instead of thanking him for his kindness, with no real care that she was a woman, she went off on him and told him that just because she was a woman didn't mean he had the right to treat her like some delicate flower. He was, rightfully so, very confused and a tad hurt. I, Original Fox, a woman, upon hearing this story, called her a "bitch". Here's the thing ladies, people who are nice and do things out of the kindness of their hearts do it because their cool people, they're not doing it to make fun of our physical differences.

With that said, my conclusion to the feminist movement is that I believe in equality, equality meaning we are all treated, act, and do things as equal beings, not one being above the other. I don't care who you are, what you identify by, what your background is, how you handle a situation as a person, or what issues you're dealing with, if you put in the time, effort, strengths, and fight to do what you think you deserve without blaming a certain group: men, women, religion, politics, whatever, I'm rooting for you. Don't listen to the racists, sexists, and closed minded people who want to bring your personal views down and prove to them without putting yourself at the top of the advocate pillar and saying you deserve better without even proving it.

Now, on with the review of Hazbin Hotel.

For those who don't know, Hazbin Hotel is a pilot two years in the making created by YouTube Animator Vivziepop or Vivienne Medrano, who is best known for her Die Young music video by Kesha using her Zoophobia werewolf character Jay Jay. The story centers around Charlie Magne, the princess of Hell, and her hopes to open a hotel for rehabilitating demons and sinners. This plan contrasts with that of the yearly "cleansing" where non-angelic looking angels come and slaughter the inhabitants of Hell to make room for more sinners. Wanting to find a less violent way of hindering this overpopulation, Charlie, along with her manager/girlfriend, Vaggie, and their first client, porn star, Angel Dust, must prove their cause will work in order to keep the Happy Hotel running.

When I heard of this, I was excited and had high hopes. I had been a fan of Vivziepop's work for a long while, enjoying her animations and loving her now on hiatus, Zoophobia webcomic, and when I heard a project she had a huge passion for was going to air a pilot with the help a whole production team, voice actors, and some genuine talent, I was at the edge of my seat and had anticipated the pilot being aired. Does it live up to all the hype? Let's find out!

Well, off the bat, I wasn't all too crazy about the opening. I had been, admittedly, overly excited for the pilot and was expecting something... Different. The opening is your basic musical opening where the main character sings while images of what the world is like moves about around them, which wouldn't be so bad, if the musical number was original. The opening song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" was written by Joseph McCarthy and was first performed by Dolly Sisters in the musical Oh, Look! When I found this out, I was a little disappointed. I was probably expecting way too much from this pilot, but at the very least, I was expecting a more original musical number written by the team Vivziepop worked with in bringing this pilot to life. But that's probably just a nit-pick on my part, like I said, I was expecting a little too much from these people.

After the opening, we're immediately introduced to everyone's favorite, slutty spider, Angel Dust and his sassy attitude toward people who want to slut shame him. What follows is what I can only describe as being a story on crack. Everything is shown to us super fast with little time to breathe and explore the setting we are in, which I can understand with Sir Pentious and maybe Cherri Bomb, but with just getting out of the musical number of Charlie singing about how her world isn't the way she wants it to be and being introduced to Angel through a "don't slut shame, because it's their body and no one else's", it just seems like everything happens way to fast and everything is thrown at us without really letting us appreciate what we're looking at, the news scene being no better as they zip through the report of the fight going on and the introduction of Charlie and her "passion project". Again, that may be a little nit-picky as I did have higher expectations.

It's here that I also would have liked to know what the two little demons that help Charlie with her second musical number were and what role they play in her life. I mean, they must be either her mom or dad's henchmen or "help" wherever Charlie's used to live, but I would have preferred they played a bigger role than just singing and playing their instruments.

The third issue I have at this point is the use of sound effects. Again, a little nit-picky, BUT, I feel the use of sound effects with every movement and moment a character is on screen is a little too much. It doesn't help that the soundtrack never shuts up. Music or a sound is always playing, never allowing for us to take in what the character is saying on a more complex or understanding level. The only parts that are quiet are the limo scene and the Charlie calling her mom scene, which are honestly two of my three favorite parts because we get to see and meet these characters, understanding them and their personalities, as well the relationships they have with each other. Except maybe Charlie and Vaggie's, but I'll get to that later.

I enjoy the relationship Charlie does have with Katie Killjoy (in fact I enjoy Katie's relationship with Tom as well), the only critique I have here is Katie's "I don't touch the gays. I have standards." This just seems to be an add-on to make us despise Katie as a character, because of her views on the gay community, basically saying homophobia is a bad trait of a person and makes a character more of a villain, which I've known homophobes. They're not evil, they've just been raised in an environment where being gay isn't the norm and, in a strict background, "the gays" is a mental illness that can be easily taken care of through the proper therapy. As for Katie's "standards", again, this doesn't mean she's a terrible character. In fact, look at it like this, it's an adult cartoon and the jokes are meant to make you laugh, not judge a certain group in a cold and harsh way.

However, Charlie's relationship with the people of Hell as their princess and heir to the throne, I find a little off pudding. I'm sure there's some kind of hidden meaning to how the royal family is treated as celebrities over that of rulers of a certain area, but for now, I'm just gonna nit-pick a little more. My opinion on princesses in the media is at a bit of an all time low. Ever since the birth of the Disney Princess Trope, the views of a princess in any form in the media has been to hate being a princess, sing about how much it sucks to be a princess, remain princess when it's obvious they're no longer a princess and should take the title of Queen. Charlie is sadly part of this trope, the only good part of this being that no one but her girlfriend takes pity on her. What I mean by this is that Charlie shows signs that her father has high expectations of her becoming the heir to Hell and taking rule in his place as the future queen, making her status something to sing about how much that sucks, of course her dreams contrast with that of her father's expectations, like most Disney Princesses. That being said, I'm not exactly sure I see the purpose of her being the princess of Hell when no one treats her as one nor do they seem to care that Lucifer is her father, other than to make her relationship with her father strained, which isn't bad don't get me wrong, but there are other ways to work that subplot in without adding the title of princess to her name.

After the whole fight scene, we get the scene where Vaggie goes off on Angel for making the hotel look like a joke. This coincides with my issue with the whole feminist aspect and her and Charlie's relationship, so I'll get to that later. But I like this part because of the quiet moment we get, so there we go for whatever that was.

When the trio gets home, I do like how we see a subtle hint to the fact that Angel does want to reform and go to Heaven and escape his abusive sugar daddy by how he makes a crack at the lack of food to feed all of the non-existent souls and immediately feels bad. Of course, you can't force change on someone in the blink of an eye, so I give him a pat on the shoulder for not knowing how to apologize for his assholiness.

This then leads us to the calling mom scene where we see Charlie struggling to prove her father wrong and asking her mom for advice for feeling this way. From what I can assume either her folks are divorced, her father is dead and Lilith is in charge of Hell, or Lucifer left that part of his family to marry Narissa from Zoophobia and had Damian. I mean in the opening we see a shadow of Lucifer taking the shape of Zoophobia's version of the Devil, so that's my fan theory and I'm sticking to it! And before people say that's impossible, if that's the case, then Charlies is no longer the heir to the throne, but here's my response to that: Charlie was born first and is the daughter of Lilith, who I'm not gonna get into, because this isn't part of the review, therefore making her take the throne before Damian by political standards. Anyway, this scene was fine, I wish there was more info on exactly what her relationship is with both her parents, seeing as they never make a real appearance in the pilot to show their personalities, but I'd also like it if there was a main character whose relationship with their parents isn't severed because of the character's dreams, a strict family, or dead.

And then HE comes into the picture. THE one character I lost my mind over. Alastor, the Radio Demon!!! I LOVE this character! While I'm sure most fans find Angel to be their favorite character and don't get me wrong Angel is awesome, Alastor is what has me hooked to the show. To compare him to Charlie, Vaggie, or Angel, Alastor, in my opinion, is an optimistic pessimist, something I find myself as being on a daily basis as I too find good entertainment in the destruction of others as they fall into the fiery pits of failure. Not only that, but each moment he's on screen there's this mysterious vibe about him with his permanent smile and his end goal in helping Charlie, something I find rather attractive of my demon... I mean... Men. His interactions with the other characters is fun, he's got a classy excitement to him, wanting to provide and receive entertainment in the most morbid and old times of places. His version of "Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow" is a hilarious change to Charlie's cheery, uplifting view of her people, his version being a look at the souls in Hell as lost causes, their punishments being eternal, there being no escape except for the life they've lived before and the agony they have to face now is bliss. His take down of Sir Pentious was like a huge "bitch please" which was absolutely wonderful, from his power to his facial expression in the end.

With that said, is this pilot flawless...? No, absolutely not, far from it. There's some things, like the soundtrack, the opening song, and the sound effects I'd think about doubling down on and allow us to take in the world we're being introduced in to. If someone came into this show completely blind, they'd probably be a tad confused as to what's happening and why. Fans already know Charlie is an overly optimistic demon spawn, Vaggie is a pessimistic feminist with no care for men, Angel Dust is a cross-dressing spider who enjoys being the "bad boy", and Alastor is a deer with a need for endless entertainment. People who don't know VivziePop and her work, won't know/care much about these characters going straight in and will most likely like to explore the world and its why.

And now, the coup-de-gras: my one issue with this pilot and what it seems to be shoving down pessimistic people like me's throat. Women rule and straight men suck. Do NOT quote me on this. I do not know Vivienne or the people she worked with to make this pilot. This is MY opinion after having watching the pilot, listening, reading, and following the creation of this show from the beginning. They can correct me on this in future episodes or deeper dives in to characters and development.

So, off the bat, we're introduced to a male gay character who dresses like a woman and is slut shamed by everyone except his friends who have similar views as he does. In my opinion, this doesn't work for me. I get wanting to "represent the minority"; however, the depiction of straight, heterosexual characters slut shaming or having sexual encounter/feelings toward said character with cruel intentions to bring someone down isn't something I see as a good representation. Granted, there are several people out there who will make a person feel like shit for having views that do not conform to what society deems as normal, but in today's world, where media and the children of today are exposed to these views, the "minority" becomes the majority. I get it, life sucks, oh darn, well then fight for equality, don't fight to make straight cisgender community seen as the closed minded community that doesn't give a damn. There are plenty of cisgender heterosexuals who support the LGBTQ+ community and have no problem with anyone who doesn't fit the old views of the world. It just seems, from what I've experienced, that if you're a straight, cisgender human being that has no real tie to the Pride Movement, you're a homophobic monster who takes the side of all the haters. That's not true, we just aren't playing for the same teams nor do we believe we were born in the wrong body.

Next is Charlie and Vaggie's relationship. Don't get me wrong, having a gay lead is no skin off my nose, if anything, I don't give a damn what their attracted to. If their a good character and have good development and don't let their sexual identity get in the way of their goals, I'm good. But when it comes to Vaggie and Charlie, there's just something I personally find "off". For one, VivziePop actually brought this up in a Tumblr post in response to another about how they didn't like the idea of Charlie and Vaggie being a canon couple because it'd just be another way of representing the gay community through the media's abuse of showing how open minded they are, to this VivziePop revealed that Vaggie and Charlie are indeed a couple, but she'd rather not focus on their relationship and instead focus on the story. But upon the pilot's release, their relationship is already put a slight focus on from Katie's "I don't touch the gays" afterwards touching Charlie who Vivzie revealed may be a Bisexual characters having dating a male character in the past and to the overly cutesy peppy girl and her overly protective, pessimistic girlfriend. I honestly don't care about whatever relationship these two have, so long as it doesn't effect the plot in a negative way, one example being that they fight, break up, and get back together through some TV show bullshit that has little to do with the rest of the show's running. This show is about getting demons into Heaven, it's not an after school soap opera.

This brings me to Vaggie's character as a whole and to her views affecting that of the central tone of the show itself. Vaggie is clearly a feminist, this being brought up when Angel reminds her that she doesn't seem to trust any man, any men... Men. She punches a guy who calls her girl a bitch, gets angry at Angel only when Charlie screwed up too by both singing and getting in a fight with Katie when Vaggie specifically told her not to sing as what they were doing was serious, refuses to trust Alastor without allowing him a second chance, something she is helping Charlie to achieve and support despite Charlie herself being open to helping Alastor understand where she's coming from, and calls the hotel a "man cave" just because Husk gets a bar in order to keep him working at the hotel. I get it, alcohol is somehow a sin to the hotel, most likely because it can lead to drunkenness or sloth and gluttony, but that doesn't make it a brothel or a man cave. In fact, she doesn't seem to argue having Nifty, a female character as part of the staff as she just zips around cleaning, but here's the thing about Nifty: it's clear she's straight and how they portray how straight she is contrasts with the other female main characters. Nifty is boy crazy and a clean freak, being confused as to why the hotel is such a dump when everyone living there is ladies, not knowing Angel on a personal level yet and wonders where all the men are. This to me, is a stereotypical straight cisgender female: wanting to clean, make new friends, and meet some men. Being a cisgender, straight, female myself, I can tell you, that's not who I and I hope some other girls are. I've never been much of a clean freak or boy crazy, in fact I'm a bit of a slob and don't really give two shits about men; I've honestly got more important things to concern myself with than over getting a boyfriend. Nifty is a fun character and I enjoy her place in the show, but I would have liked it if Vaggie immediately wanted her out of the hotel as she did with Husk and Alastor, showing some God damned equality as a feminist and if Nifty was a little less concerned about gender roles and having men around. Depicting feminism is fine in media, but don't go overboard with it. Make some straight, cisgender males actually great people who support the ideals of women and don't want to see them fail, show the equality we as women fought so hard to achieve, by making the roles of men and women equal, not one gender being better than the other morally. Alastor is a great character, but he did slap Vaggie's ass, which was unneeded, but I'll admit I found that hilarious. I can only hope Alastor is only fucking with Vaggie and her views on men and turns to a pretty awesome guy who, while not believing in her cause, supports Charlie anyway he can.

All in all, I loved this pilot and see great things coming its way, I just think things could be tweaked and lessened down to be less of a huge middle finger to certain groups of people and less of an Ed, Edd, and Eddy soundtrack of unnecessary sound effects. I'd recommend this pilot to anyone with a passion for animation and wanting to put something you've worked years for to give them that jolt of ambition. If you're bothered by too many loud moments, less quiet moments, too many jabs at the heterosexual cisgender community, and lots and lots of sex jokes, this probably isn't for you. Check it out on YouTube and give it a try.

P.S. to those of the religious community, me being part of it, if the version of this Hell is off pudding and isn't how it should be depicted in comparison to that of the biblical version and it offends you, I suggest either ignoring the pilot completely and its growth, or you can see the horrifying reality behind it... It's... An... Adult... Cartoon!!! *collective gasps* for more information please check Family Guy, South Park, and, I know I'm dating myself here, but literally every episode of the Simpsons ever.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with this rant/review. These are just my personal views and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Eat chocolate.

Imma take a nap!

#hazbin hotel #feminism #vivziepop #vivienne medrano #alastor #hazbin alastor #personal rant #rant #sorry for the rant #review #hazbin review #dont take this the wrong way #grainofsalt

[whereisvanderwood]

Interleave

At last, this is my full contribution for @saeranzine I had the honor in taking part in this year. The project had equal parts challenges and achievements, and the fun shared with every other writer, artist and mod during this time is an experience I’ll never forget as my first zine being part of. Thank you everyone who supported us!

Please enjoy the piece :) Happy holidays, everyone!

☆☆☆☆☆

You’d gotten the good ending, the normal one, too. All that was left was to break his heart five times for that one-hundred percent completion of his love story. It was a bittersweet feeling upon realizing that your journey was on the home-stretch. The more you thought about it, however, you couldn’t bring yourself to break his heart like that after all the brokenness he’d been subjected to before. Especially since you knew what the bad endings for the RFA members were -- Ray’s could only be tenfold more devastating. You wouldn’t do it. You couldn’t do it.

The familiar ping of the messenger popped your bubble of thought and enticed you to pick up your phone as it sat on the marble-finish coffee table. It was the 10:23am chatroom of Day Six. You knew what it meant for you if you opened it -- the kinds of answers you would have to choose to get a new outcome. You refused to play along, tapping onto Ray’s contact to give him a call instead.

One ring… Two rings… Three rings… No answer.

You rose from the table and carried yourself to the lancet windows. The morning was young and the garden flickered with quartz-like raindrops under the dawning of the day’s first light. You knew he wouldn’t pick up at this time on the sixth day, but your thumb wouldn’t desist in tapping his name again and again as though you were in a stupor.

A shrill of static noise ripped through the air, causing you to block your ears and drop your phone. As you frantically inspected the device for cracks, you noticed the screen displaying that you were in a phone call. You held the phone to your ear and timidly spoke.

“Ray...?”

“MC! Did something happen? I got worried something happened to you.”

“Oh, uh… no, I’m okay. Were you, um, working?”

“Saviour said I can’t speak with you until I finish improvements. I’m sorry I didn’t pick up the first time… Are you mad?”

“N-No, of course not! I just… I was wondering if you wanted to maybe… go out?”

“Go out? As in... leave?”

“Yeah! I mean, not like that, but with you!”

“I… I can’t, MC. Saviour would be upset if I did. There’s so much to be done.”

“We’ll come back by the end of the day -- just for a few hours. It’ll be good for you, too!”

He exhaled, the sound of his breath dragging past his lips. “MC, you don’t have to do this for me. I don’t deserve it. I’m weak, and an airhead--”

“You’re not to me. I want to spend time with you.”

“But what if something bad happens to you because of me? I… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“Ray, I swear nothing will happen to you, or me. I just want to… see you smile.”

He sighed a second time. “Meet me in the garden. Hide next to the geraniums where security won’t see you. I’ll be there in a few minutes... Please, don’t go anywhere.”

Once the call ended, you sat on the bed with a hand on your chest, your heart pounding with adrenaline every passing second. He’d answered the call when you could’ve sworn he wasn’t meant to, and that wasn’t an ordinary conversation. It was too ordinary to be ‘normal’ by the route’s standards.

You snuck out from your suite to meet him, going with the flow of the unexpected turn.

…

You gazed silently outside the moving car’s window as distance grew between you and Mint Eye. Maple leaves dusted the asphalt with their fiery hues of red and orange, adding colour to the seemingly grey road. Nothing could beat the beauty of mother nature and her sky-scraping pine trees high up in the mountains.

“We’re almost there…” Ray spoke quietly as he gripped the steering wheel.

“Thank you for lending me a Believer’s uniform.”

“I didn’t want you to get cold.. A-and I had to make sure we wouldn’t be seen leaving. I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“I know… I think it’s really brave of you to come out with me like this.”

It wasn’t long before the familiar bustling of people came into view around the last corner.  Ray parked the car a good distance away to avoid being spotted by the security cameras. It seemed much more vast than you’d last remembered. For a place that you could only enjoy in the prologue for a scarce moment, you wished you were granted more time for exploration.

Together, you walked along the brick road of the metropolis, the splashes of colours from cafes and clothing boutiques catching your eye wherever you looked. Finally free from your beautified prison after a number of repeated weeks, you couldn’t help but feel giddy.

Before long, you found yourself standing in front of the same cafe you were first picked up from. You felt your stomach grumble.

“I heard they have really good ice-cream here… Should we get some?”

“I-If you’d like,” Ray smiled.

Many people had queued in line to enjoy the mouth-watering delight on the cloudless morning. How long had it been since he’d taken gladness from this secret pleasure of his? It must’ve been an awful number of months.

“My treat,” you insisted as you pulled out a coin purse from the cloak’s pocket.

“Oh no, MC, I really don’t think--”

“You deserve it, Ray. I won’t let you think otherwise.” Without another word, you approached the counter, Ray following you closely behind.

With icy scoops of the sweet dessert in hand, you both ambled down the promenade and admired the sights of the gaily store fronts. Distant echoes of buskers danced to your ears and you found yourself swaying with the melodies in your steps. A few times you looked over to Ray, who looked like a kid in a candy store with his obvious intrigue.

Scattered flower-beds along the stone pavement caught his attention with their vibrant petals and he felt tantalized enough to brush his finger along the the petals of a white daisy. Mint Eye’s garden succeeded in elegance ten-fold when compared to this place, and yet they seemed much prettier here.

His eyes sparkled with wonder and curiosity the further you strolled, but he only really glowed when beyond all of the outlets was a wide open field, devoid of any other soul. It was just you and him -- the perfect scenario.

Florae of many kinds scattered across the green blades of grass like splashes of paint on a canvas. Entranced by their beauty, you took him by the hand and led him through the field, finding a perfect patch to sit in and bathe in sunlight surrounded by colours of grace. You felt content, the back-burner-nagging of your conscience telling you “you can’t do this” finally silenced. It didn’t matter what was to become of this -- what truly mattered to you was that you were able to do this for Ray outside of the game’s limitations.

After all, you’d probably never get to do this again.

“Hey…” you mumbled, “have you ever made a flower crown?”

“A crown? From flowers? I don’t think I have.”

You sprang at the opportunity as you swiftly picked as many flowers around you as you could. “I’ll show you! They’re really easy, just watch what I do.”

He observed from over your shoulder as you intertwined the delicate stems of each flower into one another. There was a moment of peaceful silence as you both created your flower circlets, until he broke the quiet.

“MC… why did you want to do this for me?”

“Do what?”

“Take me out. Eating ice-cream with me, making crowns from flowers, just doing nice things for me. I haven’t done anything that deserves your praise.”

“Not everything has to be a prize, Ray. Most things should be done for someone out of love, not as a reward for good behaviour.” You saw his weaving slow, knowing your words were reaching him. “You know what I’m talking about… right?”

“If it wasn’t for Saviour, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

You paused. “I’m sorry if I shouldn’t be saying this, but… is who you are right now really who you want to be?”

He turned his head and gazed deeply into your eyes. The wind swayed your hair across your face, making you appear even more so as an angel sent for him with your words of wisdom and love. His face showed an expression that couldn’t be put so easily into words. You reciprocated as you felt the same way, but made yourself busy again.

“Here, this is for you,” you smiled as you gently placed your finished work onto his head. It was a treasure shaped from orchids and gypsophila, together meaning ‘beauty, strength and undying love’.

Tenderly, he placed his own crown of ‘lily of the valley’ on your head, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “I shouldn’t be in love with you,” he muttered closely to your ear.

Every hair on your limbs were raised with anticipation as you felt his breath on your neck. He was so close, right there in front of you, alas he felt so far away no matter what you could say. The sweet, earthy perfume of the flowers surrounding you both filled your nostrils, bringing a new calmness to ease both your nerves.

His face hadn’t retreated from yours yet, and your heart was beating harder the more he lingered. Was this true affection? Or had the game somehow reprogrammed his character to act this way to compensate for the new turn of events? You eyed the shrinking space between your lips.

“Is this real?” the whispered words escaped your mouth.

At last, the gap was closed with a gentle kiss. His lips were chapped, but you didn’t mind. His cold hand found the side of your neck, soon cupping your cheek as you both grew passionate. All the uncertainty melted away with intimacy -- this was the realest thing you’d experienced with him, with any of them, and you didn’t want the moment to end.

…

Tip-toeing through the lantern-lit hallways, Ray led the way as he guided you back to your room while attempting to remain unseen. Once the door to your room was finally reached, he hurried you inside when he could hear footsteps approaching from a distance.

“You should go before someone sees you,” you urged him.

“I will… I’ll see you again soon, my Princess.” He smiled before swiftly planting one last kiss on your forehead, then closing the door.

You sighed in bliss, letting yourself twirl a few times before flopping onto your soft mattress. You knew that nothing could top what you had managed to do for Ray today, and the reward of euphoria from both parties was more than enough to satiate your desire to be with him. Having lost track of the time of day, you checked your phone for the first time in a number of hours.

Nothing could’ve made you sick to the stomach faster than what your screen displayed — a seemingly endless list of notifications full of missed texts, calls and chatrooms from the RFA. You quickly opened the app and saw the day had already reached the route’s first bridge. You didn’t need a mirror to know that your face had drained its colour. You covered your mouth.

“Crap… the participation target...”

You tried to be hopeful that the previous day’s progress would be enough to get you over, but you doubted it. You wished you could’ve said goodbye to Ray properly if you’d known this was going to happen. The guilt you’d worked to avoid came rushing back. Your throat closed up and your hands became clammy with anxiety. There was nothing more you could do. The damage was done.

You looked away from the screen as you unlocked the story mode, waiting for what was about to happen. Normally, you would leave your room and meet Mint Eye’s leader outside your door; the plot progressing forward.

So when a Believer entered your room unannounced, demanding your audience with the Saviour, you knew it was over.

☆

#saeranzine #mystic messenger #saeran choi #saeran x mc #mm ray #ray route

[moonnfairie]

defying gravity | ch 2

defying gravity, chapter 2

genre: angel!jimin, soulmate au

pairing: reader x jimin

word count: 6,011

warnings: slightly aggressive drunken behavior

summary: Your life had been a series of events that you had to face alone, leaving you to lead an independent yet lonely life. Come the day of your birthday, things take an unexpected turn given a twist of fate and an encounter with your saving grace, someone who just happens to be your angel in disguise.

ch 1 / ch 2 / ch 3

He’s staring at you with wide eyes for a few seconds, as if he’s discovered something the world has yet to find, then shortly after, his eyes shrink into crescent moons and displays a perfectly beautiful smile with his plump lips. You’re practically breathless at the sight, frozen like a deer in headlights. Thank god you closed your register or else people behind him would be yelling at your face to come back to Earth by now.

With a quick deep breath, Jimin’s expression changes yet again into something so gentle, so sweet, as he gets closer to where you stand and says

“These must belong to you then.”

“I’m sorry?”

Did you hear that correctly?

You step back aghast, turning the other way to hide the heat that crawls up your face. Is this insanely ethereal man, let alone insanely ethereal stranger, just messing with you?

Noticing he might’ve been too forward, Jimin nervously giggles while running a hand through his hair. “No, I’m sorry, miss-” he squints to read your name tag “-Y/N. I guess I have a thing or two to learn about appropriate pick up lines.”

He leans down and tilts his head in attempts to make eye contact with you, frowning at the still flustered expression on your face. “I promise I’m not a stalker or anything of the sort. I just” he pauses and takes a deep breath “think you’re very beautiful.”

You must be dreaming, right? To have Mr. Gorgeous walk into your grocery store, on your birthday, and even call you beautiful at first sight? Thank god you decided to get your eyebrows done yesterday, it has really made all the difference in your luck.

You stutter in response, “Well, I certainly appreciate it, and I didn’t find you to be a stalker or anything, at least from what my instincts tell me.” At this, you crack a smile, and Jimin’s eye smile returns, relieved.

“But before we get into anything,” you continue “I should probably ring these flowers up for you so you can really give them to whoever it belongs to.”

“I was in every way serious when I said they were for you, Y/N.”

Despite how wildly your heart is beating at this strange encounter, it’s as if his voice soothes your soul, calming your worries away. Did he really come here for your sake to give you flowers that just so happen to be your favorite color?

“I, uh, well” you close your eyes and heavily sigh. You really have to get yourself together. “Thank you so much…” your voice trails off as you look to him quizzically, realizing you don’t even know this man’s name.

“Jimin” he finishes, as if sensing just what you needed to hear.

“Right, thank you Jimin” you say with a bright smile that sends a rush of warmth all throughout his body. He hasn’t quite seen a smile as radiant as yours, and he revels in the fact that he gets to stare at yours in his remaining time on Earth.

After what seems like an eternity of staring into each other’s souls, you remember to pick up the bouquet, scan the barcode, watch Jimin’s delicately deft fingers reach into his wallet and slide his card through the machine, and hand the flowers back to him.

“I can’t be handed merchandise from behind the counter, so…” you meet Jimin at the end of the conveyor belt, as he gently places the purple roses back into your hands, making sure not to hurt you with any thorns.

Abruptly, Jimin speaks out, “I’m just going to go out on a limb here but… I’d love to see you again. Maybe I could take you out to dinner tonight? Or rather, any time that you were free, of course.”

You started giggling to yourself, noticing how flustered Jimin was also getting in return of your interactions.

Jimin knows he has one job, one that doesn’t require taking his soulmate on dinner dates, but there is a compelling force to you that’s driving his heart insane. It’s as if he wants to do more for you, as much as he can for you, just so you can be genuinely and wholeheartedly happy.

You nearly blurted out a big fat “Yes,” but your mind defogged at the mere thought of your best friend, Taehyung. As much as you’d love to be swept off of your feet by the mysterious yet intriguing godsend that is Jimin, you can’t even imagine leaving your one and only friend in the dust when he had made plans in honor of you.

“Jimin, I sincerely appreciate just how kind you’re being to me right now, and I’m insanely flattered, but I actually have birthday plans with my best friend tonight. Would you maybe like to do Friday night instead?”

Three whole days? You weren’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse to wait so long, but you didn’t want to come off too needy, so that would do. On the other hand, it would hinder Jimin’s trial to have to wait three days for you, but maybe he could make it work.

“Sounds good to me, Y/N. I’ll be seeing you then.” Jimin takes your free hand to kiss the back of it, and smiles ever so sweetly at you, your heart exploding with fireworks in your chest. All you could do was stare as he walked past you and outside the automatic sliding doors. You blink a couple times and clear your throat in attempts to gain your bearings, screeching as you turn around to immediately find Namjoon stood in front of you instead, grinning.

“What was that about? I’ve never seen you so expressive before” he says while chuckling loudly, drawing attention by your coworkers nearby.

“Oh, what, that? Nothing, it was nothing. Just a random guy, giving me flowers, on my birthday, no big deal.”

Namjoon raises his eyebrow at you accusingly. “A random guy doesn’t just give you flowers coincidentally, Y/N. Do you even know him?”

You gulp, and Namjoon notices the apprehensive look on your face. “Hey hey, I’m not here to lecture you or anything, but that’s pretty cool, I guess. Seemed like he really had a thing for you.”

“Did he? Really? Maybe, I don’t know…”

Namjoon grins at you again, reaching to pat you on the back before turning and walking back to the offices. “From the looks of things, I’d say you’re done for the day. Feel free to head out and enjoy the rest of your special day, bud.”

You can only nod and word a breathless “thank you” back at him before running to the break room and gathering your things so you can head home to get ready for tonight.

Despite how gloomy it had gotten outside while you were working, you still had quite the spring in your step and the feeling of joy radiating off of you as if you were the sun itself. Before entering your complex, you receive a series of text messages:

Tae

[4:47 PM] hey you

[4:48 PM] called you earlier but i guess you were still workin

[4:48 PM] just letting you know!!! that you’re NOT bailing on me tonight

[4:49 PM] and that i’m getting you DRUNK and we’re gonna go apeshit

[4:50 PM] also we’re going to have so much fun uwu

[4:51 PM] look like a bad bitch tho you never know who we’ll see ;)

[4:52 PM] ok n e ways see you soon love you bitch

You’re wheezing by the time you reach your door, turning your keys in the lock to find yourself in your empty apartment once again. Yet, for some reason, it doesn’t feel as empty today. At least you get to be out of here for the night. You slip your shoes off and walk through your spacious living room to plop onto your bouncy mattress in your bedroom, turning on your back and holding your phone up to the ceiling to respond to your best friend.

Me

[4:59 PM] yeah, yeah shut up, i already know

[5:00 PM] best believe i’m lookin mighty fine tonight

[5:00 PM] i’m just gonna hop in the shower and all that jazz and i’ll see you tonight

You smile from ear to ear, remembering just how thankful you are to have one solid friend in your life to care about you as much as Taehyung does to be with you today and every day.

Me

[5:02 PM] thank you again, taehyung

Tae

[5:04 PM] what, youre getting sappy on me now?

[5:05 PM] save it for when we’re drunk dude!

[5:05 PM] … but youre welcome. you already know i love you.

Me

[5:07 PM] hey, save it for when we’re drunk!

[5:07 PM] … but i love you too

[5:08 PM] lol

At this, you plug your phone in to charge as you walk to your bathroom and take a much needed hot shower.

It’s been a while since you’ve felt this lighthearted. It could be all the interaction you’ve had today, considering when you normally go to work you try to cut all socializing to an insanely low minimum, but for once in your life you feel special, important, and wanted. You know, aside from the days Taehyung declares his undying love and affection for you and bugs you every time you deny a movie night at his place all because his roommate that can’t seem to stop ogling at you every time you’re there, but to know that some mysteriously handsome guy apparently has eyes for you too, has your stomach turning in excitement.

You keep thinking back to the moment you met eyes with him earlier, how sweet and warm his voice sounded when he told you that you were beautiful to him, and how his gaze seemed to draw you into him so effortlessly, almost tantalizingly over all the emotions that rushed to you in that exact moment. You want to dwell on the feeling, revel in the butterflies that float around in your stomach for hours thinking about seeing him on friday, but something switches on inside your brain as you realize one thing:

How were you supposed to meet again with no means of contacting him?

Before much thought could be put into creating a game plan of seeing Jimin again, your phone vibrates in spurts, signaling that Taehyung must be outside. You run to your mirror one last time to brush through your hair and smile at the reflection in front of you. You’re genuinely so excited and ready to spend your birthday with the one you love.

Walking to the designated pickup area of your complex, you see Taehyung leaning against a familiar grey civic, laughing at the confused expression that now colors your face all over.

“Ah, you didn’t tell me Jungkook was tagging along” you try to say cheerfully, but Taehyung sees right through you and pats your back rather aggressively to stop you from saying anything further.

“Indeed I didn’t, because he’s not! He was so kind to come along and drop us off. An act of kindness for your dear birthday, Y/N.” At this statement, you smile softly, crouching over to make eye contact with Jungkook in the driver’s seat. He meets your eyes quickly, grinning wildly and waving his hand frantically. You were honestly incredibly thankful for the gesture, but knew his intentions were always filled with something more, as he has always been into you from the moment you first set foot in Taehyung’s shared apartment.

Pushing these thoughts aside, however, you decide to just live in the moment and accept all the kindness you’ve gotten in one year’s worth on this very day alone. “After you, princess” Taehyung boldly declares while opening the passenger door for you, your face scrunching at his obnoxiously loud volume, and hand reaching up to pinch his cheek “You are so annoying and dumb but sweet. Thank you.”

Despite looking down into your seat while buckling up, you can’t help but feel Jungkook’s needy eyes roam your full figure, a notion you’d normally feel insulted by, but you realize he means no harm. He’s never seen you dressed up like this: tight fitting clothes, exposed collar bones, and heels, and even you seem to blush under his gaze.

“Alright Gguk, as much as you want to be staring at Y/N’s tits all night, we don’t have time for that. Let’s hit the road.” You turn around in your seat and slap Taehyung’s leg aggressively, causing him to laugh loudly in response and Jungkook to clear his throat while turning on the engine.

“Oh, don’t be such a dick Tae, and you” you sit turn to sit forward again, burning right through to Jungkook’s soul with your glare, “don’t stare at my tits and please drive safely. Thanks.”

Taehyung’s laughter is still dying down as Jungkook nods to turn on the stereo, but the air is still light knowing that’s the dynamic between you all. You’re pretty used to it by now considering most if not all of the people you interact with are men with their brains deep in the gutter.

Your favorite bar is in the heart of downtown, meaning it’s a little ways from where you live, but you really only go there on special occasions, and on nights like these, the boys really don’t mind. Through and through, you were a city girl, and if it weren’t for the insanely high price of living, you’d find yourself living in the apartment of your dreams overlooking the tall skyscrapers in the day and losing yourself in the city lights at night. To most people in your city, it was the same thing, different day, every day, but that wasn’t the case for you. You’ve managed to paint most of the town red, but there are still nooks and crannies that you have yet to uncover, and places you haven’t even hit just yet. It was like there was something about this side of the town that called to you. Something that had you longing for more, and you were absolutely determined to find out just what that was.

Pulling up to the curb, you groan at the sight of a short line at the entrance. “It’s literally a Tuesday evening, what are people doing at a bar?”

Taehyung sits forward, placing a big but gentle hand on your shoulder “literally the same exact thing we are.”

“Wow, you really got me there!” you shrug and state sarcastically, Jungkook giggling at your banter.

“Have fun tonight you guys, and happy birthday again Y/N!” You smile at him tentatively, feeling a little sad that he’s come all this way not to come with you. “Thank you, but are you sure you don’t want to grab just one drink?”

Before he could answer, Taehyung interjects “Nah, the dude has plans to play some tournament with some friends when he gets back. They’ll have their own fun.” Your gaze turns to Jungkook for confirmation, and he simply flashes a cute little bunny smile and nods.

You unbuckle your seatbelt and give Jungkook a quick hug, not noticing the way his face flushes pink before waving him goodbye and getting out of the car. Taehyung pats his shoulder next, thanking him then jumping out to meet you at the end of the line.

As much as you’d normally be impatient to wait in such a line, Taehyung passes the time by telling you about his artwork. At his university, two of his pieces have been chosen to be displayed at an exhibit of high prestige that buyers have the option to bid on. There is an amount of proceeds that go to the artists upon selling, but that was just a perk in the line of his work. He made pieces for the sole reason of creating art that spoke to him and those who got to see it. You even managed to snag a piece that he held onto dearly but ended up caving in and giving it to you at how much you loved it.

It reminded you of your mother.

It was an airy piece, but one still full of matter. It was light, it was delicate, and it was sweet. It made you feel calm, and it made you feel warm. It now sits above her recliner in your living room.

You finally make it to the front and are pleasantly surprised when the guard at the front even greets you a happy birthday. You smile and nod your thank you as you and Taehyung link arms and walk inside.

The bar is spacious yet relatively crowded for a Tuesday night, causing the temperature to rise from all the body heat, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. The ceilings are high, decorated with modern sconces that illuminate a dim, warm light. The scene is a perfectly balanced mix of a traditionally modern bar scene, split on the bottom floor with a lounge area and the actual bar itself, and the top floor for reserved parties and table service.

You were about to make your way to your usual spot near the back walls before Taehyung pulled you back to look at the staircase over to your right. “Hey, come on, you’re getting that special treatment tonight” he says with a wink, and you try to hold back all urges to gag.

“Excuse me, what? Tae we can’t just sneak up there, they have a list-”

Your bickering comes to a halt as Taehyung speaks to the server who stands at the bottom of the steps. “Uh yeah, we have a reservation under Kim.”

The server eyes Taehyung from head to toe in an almost doubtful way, then scans the two paged list within his hands. You’re almost about to apologize for Taehyung’s behavior, but the server speaks up “Ah, Mr. Kim I presume?”

The way in which you glare at Taehyung has his boxy smile shine thru, and you can only loosen up and squeeze his broad shoulder in return.

“Right this way.”

The two of you carefully climb the spiral stairway, giggling at the awfully nice treatment you are getting. The server walks all the way towards the end, missing the booths for two completely into a booth that could fit at least a few more guests.

“The waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy your evening.”

With only a quick bow, the server turns on his feet to find his way at the bottom of the stairway once again. You blink a few times in disbelief, before turning to face Taehyung who is seated across the table from you.

“Tae,” you start with a pout, and he tilts his head and smiles “you really didn’t have to do this. I already know how much this costs and I know you’ve been selling many pieces lately but-”

“Oh shut up, Y/N. It’s your birthday! You deserve it, and you already know I’ve been saving up to do something, anything, with you, so ta-da!”

How in the world have you gotten so lucky?

You scoot over in the wide booth to sit closely by Taehyung’s side, leaning your head on his shoulder and happily sighing. Closing your eyes, you tune in to the music from the live band that is playing downstairs, tapping your foot to the downbeat of the rhythm the drummer is playing before a beautiful toned saxophone breaks through the air and plays a hypnotizing improv.

“Okay,” you say with your eyes still closed “but it must’ve costed you even more to get a full booth like this. What’s up with that?”

“Actually-” Taehyung’s voice is cut off with the sound of dress shoes clacking on the hardwood in front of you, causing you to open your eyes and sit up with shock at the sight that beholds you.

“Seokjin!”

Seokjin. The Kim Seokjin, that you made a complete and utter fool of yourself in front of the last time you were with him, oddly enough, at this very bar as well. Taehyung met Seokjin at a film festival held at his university last year, thanks to Jungkook. Seokjin, an alumna of the school, had become an incredibly popular actor and well desired by many, but always knew to remain humble and stay true to his roots by participating in judging the at the annual festival, granting Jungkook’s indie film his first top three prize.

You knew of his existence, and have seen him in trailers and movie posters alike, but never bothered to give into any of the media craze, as you thought of him as only an actor of what the market has built him to be. The night that Taehyung had set the two of you up, you drank one too many shots and revealed your true emotions for him, or at least, your perceived thoughts on who he was, and though Seokjin was kind enough (or most likely drunk enough) to let it slide, you made matters worse by insulting one of the earlier movies he starred in, The Deserted, claiming the plot was “lame” and the actors were “dry,” when Seokjin had a big part in the production, and the story had elements true to his life.

And here he was now, standing before you like one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen in this world with your two eyes. His dark hair was perfectly swept and styled, his lips were so perfectly pink and so perfectly plump, and he was dressed simply in a black dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes to match.

You don’t notice how you slightly topple over in the absence of Taehyung’s torso when he gets up to greet Seokjin, and you look to the side, rubbing your arm in embarrassment.

“Hey guys, I’m sorry it took a while, the driver had to take me to the back to avoid being seen in the front, you know, all that.”

“Damn, dude, didn’t realize you were getting that huge already!” Taehyung teases while playfully pushing Seokjin’s arm.

“Yeah, no, not really. The workers didn’t even know why I had to come through the back, but it was just for safety purposes.”

As if sensing your sudden alienation, Taehyung turns to slap your arm and get your attention, and you try not to squint too hard his way before turning to Seokjin and smiling as best you can, without letting the embarrassment eat you alive.

“Happy Birthday, Y/N! You look stunning tonight.”

“Ah, don’t flatter her” Taehyung jests, and you get up to slap his arm back and hug Seokjin in thanks.

You feel so small engulfed in his broad frame, but so warm in his embrace. His arms rest perfectly in the small of your back, making you feel as if you don’t want to let go. You haven’t had as much affection as a whole embrace in ages, considering Taehyung doesn’t even bother to hug you like this, and almost as if Seokjin agrees, he lets go when you do, but keeps holding you by the waist.

You don’t dare move.

“Thank you, Seokjin. I’m glad you were able to make it tonight.”

He laughs even more boisterously than Taehyung does, a sight to behold that makes your heart melt. “Well of course I was able to make it, I’m the one who booked the reservation!”

You gasp at the unexpected information, raising your brow at Taehyung who lifts his hands in surrender at your gaze.

“Hey, hey. I wasn’t lying when I said I was saving up. I’m at least paying for some of the drinks tonight, but Jin was so kind as to offer setting this all up.”

Seokjin did this all for you? What even is this luck with men suddenly being so kind to you?

You only tell Seokjin millions of thank yous after that, but you’re quickly ushered to sit inside the booth while Seokjin starts going down the menu and ordering round after round of drunks, eyeing Taehyung to see just how much he’d be willing to pay, and to your pleasure, he was willing to spend big just for you.

The menu that table service guests receive have names of drinks you haven’t seen before despite how many times you’ve been here, and Jin definitely isn’t shy to introducing you all to them.

What makes you really happy about tonight is that on most nights, you come here to ease your stress and forget the worries that life has thrown at you for just a couple of hours, but instead, you’re here with your best friend and potential man friend(?) who are paying for you to get happily drunk and enjoy your special day. Eventually you all get to the point of intoxication where your eyes are starting to droop, your limbs feel light, and your vision is only slightly wobbly, and that’s when you have to put your foot down.

You open your mouth to speak and don’t even realize how slow and slurred your speech is, “Listen... I appreciate you both so much right now, but you guys need to stop shoving liquids in me because I am this,” you hold your hand up lazily and with your fingers, try to create as small a gap as you can “this close to being completely and utterly shitfaced, and last time I was like this, I made a horrible fool out of myself in front of Seokjin”

Taehyung doesn’t seem to catch that as he’s asking the waiter for water, but Seokjin closes the gap between where you’re seated completely and places a hand on your thigh.

“Hey, I’m not even worried about that anymore. If I was, I wouldn’t even be here” he chuckles heavily, moving his hand up a tad more “don’t even sweat it.”

Oh, on the contrary, you’re sweating as if you’ve just ran a race while sitting under his gaze, but you’ve been trying to hide it as best as you can by dabbing your forehead with the readily available napkins when the drunken mess of men in front of you weren’t looking.

When your water finally arrives and you all take a minute to chug it down, Taehyung offers to go downstairs and dance, as the live band has been replaced with an open dance floor and loud beats that echo throughout the bar.

You hesitate only for a moment, wishing to stay under Seokjin’s lingering touches, but Taehyung grabs your wrist and drags you out of the booth to waddle downstairs, the both of you holding on for dear life in order to not topple down altogether.

The small floor is almost packed, but you manage to squeeze through behind Taehyung, Seokjin shortly following. You’ve always managed to dance playfully with Taehyung on nights like these, but now that Seokjin is here, you’re not quite sure what to do. After only one song, Taehyung pulls you close and speaks in your ear “Hey, I see some chick eyeing me from across the floor, you go have fun with Jin, kay?”

“Wh-what? Tae wait!” you manage to garble out without processing much of what he said, but before you can linger on it, you feel strong hands pull you by the waist as you crash into Seokjin’s firm body. It takes a while to get used to the sensation of dancing with him, but a song comes on that you recognize, and you throw all caution to the wind and just start having fun.

On this dance floor, you’ve seen many of the people around you start to get rather sleazy, dancing on their partners like this was their bedroom, but for the most part, Seokjin didn’t seem like the type to try and advance with you. Sure, his grip on your waist would get tighter every now and then the more you felt yourself in the songs that played, but it seemed as if the both of you were genuinely having fun. Holding onto each other tightly. With thanks to your heels, practically face to face mind the few inches up that you still had to look at him.

You could feel how intense his stare his gotten, his expression that looked just like what it did earlier when he had his hand on your thigh.

You were going to risk it all right then and there.

And by risk it all truly you just wanted to kiss him because god knows how long it’s been since you’ve kissed a man, especially a man with such plump lips, but before anything could be done, you hear someone calling for you from the side.

“Hey! Y/N! Listen...” he starts, eyeing up you and Seokjin holding onto each other tightly and shortly chuckles after, causing you to apologetically look up at Seokjin and peel yourself off of him.

“Oh this better be good Taehyung”

“Uh huh, yeah, I see what I’ve walked into and I was about to apologize, but it turns out my situation here could be for the better. Apparently Jungkook lost his key or whatever and left his spare inside. I gotta head back to let the dude in.”

You smile, knowing Taehyung would have probably gotten lucky tonight as well, but he cared about Jungkook too much, and for that you really admired him.

“Hey, if that’s the case, I’m going back with you-”

“Oh no no no no!” he yells above the music loud enough for the people dancing around you to look in your direction.

“You, missy, are going to have fun tonight,” he winks, and you punch his arm. “Jin definitely has means to get you back home safely so don’t even worry. Just text me from time to time, kay?”

He reaches forward to hug you tight, another first of the night, and you reach to embrace him back, yelling to him to text you when he’s home as he makes his way through the crowd.

Seokjin grabs you by the waist again, leaning down to talk into your ear “Oh, is he heading back already?”

You nod and speak loudly back since you can’t necessarily reach his ear. “Yeah, Jungkook got locked out and he’s being the hero.”

“I see” Seokjin says calmly, reaching down to whisper into your ear now, and you shiver at his breath against your lobe. “How about get out of here too, to just talk one on one?”

Your heart starts to race faster in your chest, somewhat managing to sober you up right then and there. As much as you’d love to see where the night takes you, you don’t necessarily feel comfortable in the idea right now, especially since your head is starting to pound mercilessly along with the loud music the dj keeps spinning.

“I, uh, actually should head home as well. It’s getting late and I’m actually thinking of picking up a shift tomorrow.”

You weren’t, but you figured you should say anything just to convince him, as it seems that his expression has barely lightened up, before he sighed and smiled softly before guiding you out of the crowd and outside to wait by the curb.

“I’ll call one of my drivers and he’ll take you home, alright?”

You nod frantically “Oh, no, Seokjin, you don’t have to do that, I can just call a taxi.”

He notices you shivering, and puts an arm over your shoulder to bring you closer as you both lean on a nearby wall.

“Just call me Jin, sweetheart, and” he pauses, typing fast with one hand and looking down at you right after “I already called him. He’ll be here shortly.”

“Oh, okay, thank you Jin.” you try to say politely behind chattering teeth.

It’s quiet for the next few moments, but now that you’re outside, you can definitely feel the alcohol still running through your system, as when you turn your head to watch the passing cars, you still manage to get slightly lightheaded.

“Are you alright?” he asks with a low, almost guttural voice. You turn to look up at him and lazily nod. He then proceeds to stand in front of you, pushing you up against the wall, maybe to hold you up, but from the way his body is reacting, probably for ulterior motives.

“Yeah, Jin, I’m fine, really” you smile back placidly, as he brushes a piece of loose hair behind your ear. You must be a complete mess once again in front of him, yet he’s still looking so intently at you.

“The offer still stands, you can come crash at my place, I can help you feel better.” The hand that moved your hair finds its way to your cheeks, caresses your jawline, and ever so lightly feathers over your neck.

The comfort he brought you before with his touch is now replaced with a feeling of fight or flight, your heart starting to pound in your chest, as you weakly try to push him off.

“N-no thank you, I think at this rate I just really need to sleep at home, really-”

“There’s no harm in letting me take care of you Y/N, I swear I won’t do anything you won’t like.”

“Jin please I said no-”

“Get off her!” a familiar voice rumbles not too far in front of you, and you can see Seokjin’s expression of concentration falter as he turns in the direction of the shout.

You prop yourself up weakly against the wall and squint your eyes to see a figure backlit by oncoming cars approaching you, almost as if to save you.

“Jimin…?”

Jimin rushes to your side as you practically fall into his arms, almost falling back himself but holding you steady into his welcoming embrace.

“Hey man, when someone says no, just let it go.” the way in which Jimin is speaking is a complete contrast to when you met him only hours ago, but you’re thankful as it seems to set Seokjin straight.

“Ah, I seem to have crossed the line.” he states somberly, his driver pulling up to the curb beside him. “I’m sorry, Y/N. Have a good evening.”

You say nothing more and wait until his car disappears from your line of view before sighing and sinking even further into Jimin’s arms, leaving him to giggle softly as grunts to pick you up bridal style, catching you completely off guard.

“Oh my god, please you literally don’t have to carry me like this, I can walk, I swear” he only shakes his head in protest, laughing even more.

“With the way you drank tonight? I don’t think so. It won’t be for long, I don’t live far so just enjoy the ride.”

You smile for the first time after what happened between you and Seokjin, and you thought to yourself that maybe you can relax in the arms of yet another stranger, until you start feeling light drops of water hit your face.

“You’re kidding” you state crossly, and Jimin starts to walk faster, almost jogging now with you still in his arms.

“I can’t cover your face or I’ll drop you, but protect that pretty face of yours, it’s just around the corner!”

You can feel how fast his heart is beating as your head rests against your chest, and at such endearing words, yours starts to race just as fast.

You both manage to make it into his lobby only moderately wet, Jimin’s hair sticking to his forehead and white shirt soaked through. You try your best now to stare at his chest while he lowers you onto your feet.

“Thank you so much, really, for all of that just now. I don’t even know how but you really just saved me.”

Jimin shakes his head aggressively before running a hand through his wet hair, eyes closed, exposing his forehead, looking like a man straight from a magazine spread. His shirt clings onto his torso as if for dear life, outlining his abdomen and… is that a v line? His denim is sticking onto his thick thighs like glue and you can’t help but feel yourself slightly drooling. Thankfully when he calls out to you, you wipe it off your face along with the water that drips down your cheeks and play it off like normal.

“My place is this way, only if you would like to come up. I can get you some dry clothes.”

Having been invited from one man’s place to another, you gladly accept Jimin’s invitation and find yourself anticipating what is bound to happen next.

a/n: ahhh this has been highly anticipated on my own behalf and I am so happy to have finally posted it! I have such a strong connection and good feeling about this story already, and hope you can enjoy even further down the road! much love always <3

#bts #bts angel au #jimin angel au #jimin x reader #jimin/reader #angel!bts #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bangtan fanfiction #jimin fanfiction #jimin fanfic #soulmate au #jimin soulmate au #bts soulmate au #softmochijm #defying gravity #dg2

[trubbull]

La Vie En Camaieu // Chapters 1 & 2

[[Read on Archive Of Our Own]]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Category: F/M Fandoms: Game Grumps, TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band), Starbomb, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom Relationships: Dan Avidan/Original Character(s), Dan Avidan & Original Character(s), Suzy Berhow/Arin Hanson, Brian Wecht/Rachel Bitney Wecht Characters: Original Female Character(s), Original Character, Dan Avidan, Arin Hanson, Suzy Berhow, Brian Wecht, Commander Meouch, Doctor Sung, Havve Hogan, Lord Phobos Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Colorblindness, Rating May Change

Summary: It seems like all of Dan's friends can see the world in all its colorful beauty. He's nearly 40 and he still views in the world in shades of grey.

At a fateful NSP/TWRP/Starbomb concert, everything changes.

**Inspired by iamavacado's egobang story 'Love Is Any Color' and its one-shot 'Even Rainy Days Have Color.' This has been posted with their permission.**

Chapter 1:  Leigh "Blue" Daniel Avidan

Dan could hear his name being said, distantly, but it wasn’t quite loud enough to penetrate his concentration.

He was seated in the living room of his small house, in the heart of Los Angeles, listening intently to some raw audio from the last recording session he and Brian had done for Ninja Sex Party. He would close his eyes to listen, allowing himself to become lost in the notes. When he closed his eyes and listened, he could escape to a different place. A place where gravity wasn’t quite as strong, and walls weren’t quite as limiting or hard. A place that was colorful and beautiful.

“Dan! Daniel! I’ve been calling you! I want to show you something.”

Dan’s eyes shot open and he quickly pulled his headset off, whipping his head around to look at his best friend, Arin. He had completely forgotten Arin was visiting. Arin laughed warmly at the bewildered expression on Dan’s face, “Dude, if you had turned your head any faster, you would have died.”

“Sorry, man, I was…” He realized mid-sentence that it was obvious what he had been doing, so he shook his head and opted to instead ask, “What did you wanna show me?”

Arin grinned, and motioned toward the kitchen with his hand, nodding his head in that direction as well. Dan untangled himself from the laptop cords and throw blanket he had been wrapped up in, and stood up, taking a moment to stretch. He stood on the balls of his feet, curling his toes into the soft, gray carpet underfoot, and extended his bony arms over his head, eliciting pops from his back and the joints in his arms. Once the satisfying feeling began to ripple through his body, he followed Arin into the small kitchen, his bare feet softly patting against the tile floor.

Dan’s place was always clean. It almost looked vacant, as dust was a much more frequent occupant than he was. He was always busy with Ninja Sex Party, or with Arin at the office. In fact, he probably spent more nights sleeping on the couch at the office, or in the guest bedroom at Arin’s or Brian’s, than he did in his own bed at home. The kitchen looked especially untouched, as Dan rarely cooked. The kitchen really only got use whenever he had a friend over, and he was almost never the one actually utilizing the space.

When Dan entered the kitchen, Arin was standing in the center, by the island-counter, where a couple of items were placed, which Dan knew hadn’t been there before. A large box of chocolates, and a card that Dan barely registered, instead distracted by the third item; A small, ceramic vase, filled with flowers that looked soft and inviting.

They were a gradient of black and white, to Dan at least. Dan couldn’t see color, at least not yet. As was the case for anyone in the world that had not yet found their soulmate.

“Suzy’s been feeling shitty, so I got her these. I wasn’t sure if it was quite as, I don’t know, romantic or anything as I thought it might be. What do you think, too cheesy?” Arin looked over at his friend, smiling brightly, until he saw the look in Dan’s eyes, causing him to falter. He knew in an instant that he’d made a mistake, but it was too late to reel Dan in.

Dan stared at the flowers with a very distant expression, a faintly sad smile on his lips. He reached out to the flowers, honing in on a petal that was hanging precariously from its place. It was soft as velvet, as soft as fleeting kisses. He rubbed the petal between the rough pads of his fingers, causing it to rip and wrinkle. He let it fall to the counter top when it was just shreds, watching it settle before he spoke,

“What color are they, Ar’?” Dan asked, his voice quiet and dejected.

“Dan, I’m sorry, I—“ Arin began, starting to reach out to Dan, but he was stopped short.

“No, dude, it’s okay… I just want to know…” Dan stepped closer to the counter, and lowered his head so he could smell the flowers. As he did so, his hair fell down like a veil, and Arin could no longer see his face.

“Well… They’re red, different shades of red. Some of ‘em are closer to pink.” Arin said, slowly. As he continued to speak, he took a half-step closer to Dan, placing a hand on the back of his best friend’s shoulder. “Red is like… Angry, it’s a violent color. But it’s also a color for love. It’s a, passionate, color. It’s a very human color. Blood is red. The star on your Danny Sexbang costumes are red.”

“Red.” Dan said, as he leaned back away from the flowers, looking at the shades of gray and black before him. “I bet Suz’ will love ‘em, then.”

“Yeah, I hope she will.” Arin said, glancing back at the flowers, then back to his friend. He exhaled from his nose slowly, before hesitantly offering, “The vase is blue.”

Dan’s sad expression pulled away from the black and gray flowers, and instead settled on the glossy vase they were contained in. It was nearly white, to him, and around its thinnest point was a ribbon that was slightly darker. He brought his fingertips to touch the cool surface of the ceramic vase.

Blue had been described to Dan more times than any other color. Dan enjoyed hearing the color be described. It was his favorite color. He hoped that when the day came, it would be as beautiful of a color as he imagined it being. He felt as if he could touch something, and know it was blue just by touching it.

“Blue is calm and loose. Water is blue. Well, I mean, bodies of water are blue, water alone doesn’t really have a color. The sky is the purest blue in the world, but only during the day, when the sun is shining. Your costumes are all blue. The shirt you’re wearing right now is blue.” Arin gave Dan an encouraging smile, rubbing a circle between his friend’s shoulder blades with the heel of his hand. “Blue is your color, Dan. Happy and free.”

“But I thought blue was a sad color… Isn’t it?” Dan didn’t want his friend to see the glint in his eyes, so he kept his gaze trained on the bouquet, trying to discern the differences in tint among the individual flowers. Red was a very dark color, apparently.

“Sometimes. Some people see it as a sad color, but… Knowing you, Dan, I can’t ever see blue as a sad color. I associate it with too many happy things, because of you.” Arin smiled even wider, trying his best to redirect from the feeling Dan was slowly sinking into.

Dan smiled slightly, and sighed. “Thanks, big cat.” He turned to Arin, but looked beyond his friend’s concerned face, to the illuminated clock on the microwave. 6:32. “You should probably get going, it’s after six-thirty.”

“Oh, shit, yeah… I told Suz’ I’d take care of dinner… Are you gonna be okay, dude? Why don’t you join—“

“Nah, man, I’ll be fine.” Dan straightened himself up, and forced energy into his voice, putting on the best smile he could manage, for Arin.

Over the years they had known each other, Arin had seen this guise before. But, while he knew Dan had depressed spells like this, he would be fine. He was always fine. Dan knew when he needed to accept help, and when he just needed time alone.

“Alright, if you’re sure. If you change your mind, you can just call me, alright? If you’d rather go see Brian, I’m sure—“

“Arin, go home.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll see you tomorrow at 2 for more Dark Souls, right?” He gave Dan a reassuring pat.

Dan nodded, his hair bouncing with the movement. “Yeah, I’ll be there, don’t worry about me, honest. Get home to your sick wife, dude, you’ve been with me all day. She’s gonna start thinking we’re planning to elope.”

“Oh, if only, Dan.” Arin grinned, which made Dan grin in turn, and they gave each other a friendly hug, patting the other on the back, before Arin departed, toting along the gifts he had gotten for Suzy.

Once Dan had locked the door behind his friend, the house was once again quiet. Dan leaned back against the door, which was located in the kitchen. From his position, he could see the discarded and damaged petal still sitting on his countertop, and it caused him to sigh.

Red. The color of anger, but also of love. A color he felt he knew intimately, but at the same time felt like a stranger to. He couldn’t touch something and experience red, like he could blue. Perhaps the only reason he knew blue so well, was because he was blue. Not so much in the sense that Arin had described—happy, free, and loose—but in the sense that Arin had tried so hard to redirect from.

Sad. Blue was a sad color, and Dan knew it well.

He sunk down onto his heels, still leaning his backside against the door. He was mentally beating himself up, now. He always tried so hard not to get like this in front of Arin. Not because he was afraid of expressing his feelings, or some other hyper-masculine bullshit, but because he didn’t want his best friend to feel guilty. Arin didn’t deserve that. All he did was have Suzy, his perfect match. They had been together for more than half of Arin’s life. In fact, they had met each other at an incredibly young age, which was a marvel in itself. If anything, Dan was beating himself up for not being as happy for Arin as he should be. But, in retrospect, he was allowed to be a little bitter.

Dan was nearly 40 now. He’d read somewhere that 90% of people found their matches by now. People were often shocked when they found out Dan still could not see colors. He didn’t outright tell people he couldn’t, as he wasn’t looking for pity, and he hated when people felt sorry for him. Like he didn’t already know what he was missing out on.

There were those that went Without. Those who, even when they felt with all their being that they had found their match, would always see the world in a muted filter. At one time, Dan had felt this way about someone. About a girl. But she ended up finding her soulmate at one of his performances. That had been back when he was still with the Northern Hues, and a large part of the reason he left the band.

And then there were those that were called One-Sided; those that would find their supposed soulmate, and color would filter into the world, but their person of their affections would still see nothing but hues of gray. They would either fall in love, and remain together despite the odds, or the One-Sider would watch idly by as their supposed soulmate would see color for the first time with someone else. It was rare, but not unheard of.

It pained Dan to think about. He had been approached by fans in the past, who claimed that they saw color for the first time when they saw him. It would excite him, until he would meet them in person, and nothing would change. The world was still colorless. It had happened so many times that he wasn’t even sure if they had all been telling the truth. There wasn’t really a way to determine if one was lying or not. But, whether they had been lying or not, whether it had been a ploy to get close to their idol, or a real, genuine instance of One-Sidedness, it always broke their heart when Dan would tell them he couldn’t see anything. Knowing that he was responsible for so many instances of heartbreak made his own chest weigh so much heavier.

Dan hoped against hope that he was not Without. Seeing colors wasn’t something he had been concerned about when he was much younger, but he found that the older he became, the more significance it held to him. He even found himself wishing he was one-sided. He could bear it, as long as he could someday see the world for all the beauty it had to offer. Arin could see it, Brian could see it, and they were two of the happiest people that Dan had ever known. Ironically, they would both describe Dan the same way.

If only they knew.

Chapter 2: Sad Eyes

Notes: This chapter is 2.5x longer than the last one. I'm so sorry.

She has beautiful, blue eyes. Or, so she has been told. She wouldn’t know, as she can’t tell the difference between them or the color of her lips when she looks in the mirror. Throughout her childhood, she received compliments from adults, particularly the elderly, on her unique combination of traits. Her red hair, her blue eyes, her lovely pale and fair skin. She would smile and thank them, but she never really felt right in thanking them. It felt like she was being awarded for something she didn’t compete for; She couldn’t appreciate what she was being complimented on, and it felt like she was being cheated, or cheating someone else.

They say that it’s impossible for anyone to see colors before they turn 20, but there’s been stories that say otherwise. Kids in high school would claim to be able to see colors, but, there isn’t really a way to test for such a thing. ‘Oh, you can see colors? Well, what color is that wall?’ They could say anything and as far as you knew, they would be right.

Being able to see colors wasn’t something that she bothered herself with while growing up. She had peers that seemed to care about nothing else but colors, but she never understood why. While it was a fantastical thing to imagine, it was kind of pointless to be concerned about it at such a young age. You only saw colors when you set your eyes on the person who you were meant to be with forever, and there was always the chance that it was a fluke; Some people were flawed, and they would colors for people who wouldn’t see colors for them. It was a big deal. It was a big, stressful deal.

So, she did her best to not attract attention. She kept to herself, kept her head down, avoided the possibility. She just wanted to survive the stress of school without having to worry about balancing the life of another person, to whom she was tied by the fabric of existence.

Thankfully, she made it out of high school without experiencing colors. She never met anyone during her childhood that she would have wanted to see colors for, anyway. She had friends that dated, but never saw the point in it. Why waste time and bother hurting someone by stringing them along, when you both knew that somewhere out there, your true partner was waiting for you to come find them?

So, she didn’t date. In fact, she avoided concerning herself with colors or finding her partner entirely. She just wanted to play video games, draw, and watch YouTube.

There was no way she could have expected that those hobbies would lead her to seeing colors.

She had discovered Markiplier’s videos during her senior year of high school. Admittedly, she was a little late to the party. Her sister, who was still in middle school at the time, had been watching him for much longer. Before then, she had never understood the appeal of watching someone on YouTube play a video game. She finally did when she sat down and watched Mark play a game. It wasn’t about the game, but about the person playing it. Mark became a source of joy in her life when she realized she had very little joy at all.

Living in a world of gray, depression was rampant, especially in people her age. Doctors encouraged her, and others like her, to date and mingle even if they didn’t see colors, because caging themselves in their rooms behind luminescent screens would not make it easier to ever see colors. While she knew this was true, it didn’t make her any more eager to leave the safety of her room and seek companionship.

She had niche interests, she rationalized. She wasn’t going to meet people who shared those interests at a bar, or at a club. She was better off remaining in her room.

Years passed like this.

The day she first saw colors was on a lazy Tuesday in the middle of the summer, a year after graduating from high school. She wasn’t taking any summer courses, and she was gratefully unemployed, so she remained at home with her family, enjoying the heat. Well, as much as she could. She had always been prone to sunburn, with her freckled and fair skin. As such, she much preferred sitting inside with a cool fan and loud music.

Mark had uploaded a new video. His regular intro didn’t play, instead the camera was full-screen and he was smiling as always, which made her smile. She noticed his hair was a different tint of gray now, indicating he must have dyed it again. What color, she had no idea.

“Hey guys, I’m Markiplier, and welcome to this extra-long episode of Prop Hunt. Before we get to the episode, however, I wanted to tell you guys that I was in a music video with my good friends, the Game Grumps! Dan Avidan, or Not-so-Grump to all of you Lovelies out there, is in a band that I’ve mentioned on the show before, called Ninja Sex Party, and he asked me to be in one of his music videos! So, take a minute, click this link, and go watch it!” Mark pointed around the screen and a link bounced about within the confines of the video box, tempting viewers to click it.

Normally, she wouldn’t have. To this day, she’s not sure what possessed her to click it. Perhaps it was the fact that she had never heard Mark mention this band before, despite his testimony that he often mentioned them. Maybe she wasn’t paying as close enough attention as she thought. Maybe it was the absolutely ridiculous name of the band that attracted her attention.

Or maybe it was fate.

She clicked the link, and was taken to another YouTube channel, a new tab opening, a new video beginning to play. A deep voice was speaking, as pictures of the galaxy flashed across the screen.

A grin creeped across her face. The title of the video was 6969, and with a name like Ninja Sex Party, she could only imagine how adolescent and stupid this was going to be. After making the video full-screen, she buckled herself in, ready for the ride.

“Somewhere, deep in the slow eternal dance of the heavens, drifts a planet called simply, ‘Earth.’ And, among the otherwise unremarkable population of this planet are two incredible heroes, destined to save the future from itself!”

Already, she was grinning with childish glee. What a cliché and self-serving concept, naming themselves heroes of earth and not even twenty seconds into the video. She noticed, then, that this song was ten minutes along. She almost clicked away at that, but she was already too invested.

It's strange to think how a simple click would change her life forever.

This was taking place in her bedroom. It was messy, the floor practically covered from view by discarded belongings. She was seated on her plushy bed, with her back pressed against the dull, gray wall. She was wearing shorts, which would have barely passed for boxers, and a spaghetti-strap top that left little to the imagination. It was a sweltering summer, the temperature well above 100 degrees out, and she was in her own house, so who cared about decency?

After the deep voice that had opened the video subsided, the tempo of the song picked up. It all happened so fast, that she couldn’t have been prepared, even if she had known what was about to happen.

“Hey! Ninja Brian!”

She heard the words, and saw who said them—a shaggy-headed, goggled man in a white labcoat who popped up from the bottom of the screen--but she also witnessed a ripple of reality that radiated outwards from the screen of the laptop, and it slowly bled into her surroundings.

She suddenly felt nauseated, and was so shocked by what was happening, that she slammed the laptop closed, as her head began spinning. It had taken barely a second for it all to happen.

The colors that appeared in her room made her feel like she was being throttled, assaulting her eyes to the point that it felt like she was going to go deaf. As if she had been suddenly transported into the middle of the loudest metal concert in the world. She squeezed her eyes shut and kept them shut tightly to the point that the muscles in her face cramped as she waited for the seasick feeling to subside, her hands covering her ears. Her legs were drawn up against her chest as she took deep, rapid breaths.

After a few moments, she moved her hands over her eyes, and opened them under her palms. Blackness, still. She hesitantly parted her palms in the middle, just slightly, to let a sliver of light into her vision. The outlines of her hands were hot, they were bright and the color was painful, but only for a few seconds. She kept her hands here, as her eyes adjusted to this new sensation, this concept of seeing colors. She was so preoccupied with this, that it hadn’t even occurred to her why she was seeing them at all. Her mind decided to file that away, and to worry about it later.

She pulled her hands further away from her face. The walls in her room were cold, and made her feel like she had just brushed her teeth. She didn’t know the names of these colors, but they gave her different sensations, and that was all she had to go on for the time being.

The laptop was still black, and it was jarring to look at. It had never occurred to her that black was a color itself. Her brain briefly thought that maybe the colors were glitching, and weren’t touching everything that they should have been. There were other things in the room that remained black, such as her leather jacket, and her sneakers.

Her heart was racing, but thankfully the sickness in her gut had subsided. She slowly inched off of the bed, and walked towards the bedroom door. The bathroom was just across the hall, and there was a mirror there.

She was going to look at herself for the first time.

She closed her eyes and made her way to the bathroom sink based only on muscle memory. She turned on the light and closed the door softly. Taking a deep breath and leaning on the counter for support, she finally opened her eyes. She saw for the first time why everyone had always praised her as she grew up.

When all she could see was black and white, she hated looking in the mirror. Seeing everything in monochrome made it so much easier to pick out the flaws. Her face, as well as the rest of her body, was chubby and round. Her upper lip protruded upwards like the snout of a pig, her front teeth always exposed. Her chin would disappear into the round of her neck when she turned her head in certain directions. For this, she often took to wearing scarves and bandanas to hide the parts she hated about herself.

But now she could see why she had been complimented her whole life. It wasn’t an act of obligatory kindness. There was so much beauty behind the glass. Despite the things that she still didn’t like about herself, seeing them in color made it easier to love.

The color of her lips wasn’t too dark or too faint. The dusting of freckles across her face were so much more interesting now that they had a color value to them. The striking, alarming color of her hair was shocking. It had always looked so dull before.

But even then, as she peered closer and closer into the mirror, her eyes looked the same as they always had. They remained grey. She recalled being told her whole life that they were blue, but they looked no different than they had before. Perhaps, this was what ‘blue’ looked like?

No… No, the sky was blue. Glancing out the window, she could tell what ‘blue’ was, and her eyes were definitely not blue. Perhaps it was just a mistake. Perhaps they had just been trying to be nice.

She stared long and hard into the mirror, soaking in the image of herself in full color. The walls surrounding her reminded her of the beach on the lake. Thinking of the lake reminded her of all the times that her mom and step-dad had taken her and her siblings out on the boat, how they would listen to the music their mom played over the speakers, which neither she or her sister liked all that much, but they would sing along anyway. That was just their way. Music made her sing, whether it was a good song or not, she had a tune in her heart and lyrics in her veins.

Music.

She had been listening to music when the colors happened.

She snapped her neck back toward the bathroom door so quickly that it actually popped, and she hissed through her teeth unwittingly, as her mind was now racing again, too distracted to even register the pain or sound her neck had made. She raced back to her room and threw herself onto the bed, placing her hands on the laptop.

She had seen her perfect partner. That’s why she was seeing colors now. How had she not thought about this earlier?

Was it the guy who had been singing? She couldn’t remember seeing anyone else on screen at the time. It had all happened so fast, she hadn’t had time to register it. She didn’t even remember what the guy looked like, now. However, she could still hear the words, and they played perfectly in her head, even after only hearing them once.

“Hey! Ninja Brian!”

The sound of the voice made her chest swell and tighten at the same time. It had to be him.

She had to psych herself up to open the laptop and look one more time, but she hesitated. She began to evaluate the situation.

She had heard stories from relatives about how they met their matches. They would be at a party, or a bar, or some other public place. They would be in the same vicinity as that person. Within touching distance.

She was looking at a YouTube video beyond a plastic screen, on a laptop, in her bedroom.

Her chest tightened moreso. What if this meant she was one-sided? That had to be it, right? Who on earth found their perfect match this way? YouTube celebrities had tons of fans, and she was well aware of people that would do anything in their power to snag Mark, for one. She admitted that she felt he was attractive, but he hadn’t made her see colors. Mark had addressed before that people contacted him, and approached him at conventions, claiming that he had made them see colors, but he just didn’t feel the same. Thankfully, all of that had stopped when he finally met his girlfriend, Amy, and he publicly announced that they had both seen colors together.

But what if this guy—her match--had gotten just as many offers? She couldn’t remember if he was cute or not, she hadn’t really had long enough to decide. But, even if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter, because he had brought color into her world. He was her match, and whether or not she was his was irrelevant. She was forever tied to him now.

Hot tears cascaded down her cheeks as she realized this. While seeing colors had never been a priority for her, she did like to imagine that it would be romantic when she did. That her perfect match would make eye contact with her, that they would run to each other and touch the other’s face, that it would be perfect and beautiful and they would look up at the sky together in awe.

That was never going to happen, now, it seemed.

She dabbed at the tears on her face, and breathed deeply. There was no use in crying about it. This was her destiny, apparently. Might as well embrace it.

She finally opened the laptop again. The video had automatically paused earlier, freeze framing on the face that had caused all of this.

Poofy-haired, with goggles atop his head, big brown eyes and a goofy smile, aimed slightly off-camera. She felt her heart thudding in her throat. It was undoubtedly him, because he was easily the most beautiful man she had ever seen in my life. Funny, because he wasn’t quite what she had expected her soulmate would look like. If she was being completely honest, she was expecting a female soulmate, but she wasn’t complaining. That’s what made it real, wasn’t it? That your perfect match was just that; perfect, with no complaints to be had.

She reached out and touched the screen, and a pang of pain resonated through her ribcage. She didn’t even know his name, she knew nothing about him.

She supposed she should finish watching the video.

She pressed play, and continued to watch, with her knees drawn up to her chest. She didn’t even bother with the fresh tears now rolling slowly down her cheeks.

There was an overwhelming use of the color blue. A deep, rich hue of blue that made her feel warm all throughout her body. She had always heard red be described as warm, but this was practically the opposite of red.

His voice was beautiful, it was energetic and made her want to move around, made her want to dance, even though at one point in her life she would have listed ‘dancing’ as the last thing she ever wanted to do. She didn’t even know his name and he had already turned her life on its head.

He was so bouncy, like gravity just didn’t have a grip on him. He moved elegantly through space and yet he was still awkward enough when he moved that it made her giggle and hiccup with little sobs. He was gangly and silly when he wasn’t dancing or bopping about, which was rare. It was as if he was an unrelenting source of cosmic energy that had to remain moving at all times, expelling contagious joy from the very ends of his extremities.

As the video neared its halfway point, the adventure had taken a turn, and the two heroes were seeking a girl that the hero would have to have sex with in order to save the world.

“Ninja Brian! Look at that girl, with the sad eyes and the beautiful blonde hair, I’m immediately in love!”

While it was a music video, and this was undoubtedly scripted, this turn of events struck her. What if he could already see colors? He knew what blonde hair looked like, out of all the muted colors of hair that existed in the world. He also seemed to know what his type was when it came to women. My heart sank into my stomach.

The girl in the video was elegant, thin, and pretty. She had big doe-eyes and pouty lips, with long blonde hair that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back like some breathtaking waterfall. Her waist was small enough that he could probably put both hands around her (but she realized he seemed to have abnormally large hands to begin with). The girl in the video was the polar opposite of her own body.

Soon, the video was over, and when the music had ended, she felt an emptiness grow in her chest. She immediately clicked to the next video, already seeking out his voice to fill the silent void. Apparently, the band had quite a long line of music videos and several albums already. All this time they had existed, all this time she could have seen colors before now, and yet it took her this long to finally find them.

When the next song played, she recognized the melody as belonging to a song that she had heard many times before. She knew they were not the original artist, meaning it was a cover. Take on Me, by A-ha. She leaned back against her bed and listened, with the laptop at her feet, at an angle where she could just make out the video. It wasn’t as theatrical as the last one had been, and not nearly as long, but there was still an overwhelming use of that same color as before.

She still didn’t know his name. She would probably have to look him up.

A Wikipedia article for a Leigh Daniel Avidan came up. As she read through it, she felt so strange. She felt like a stalker of some sort, but she knew that wasn’t true. However, the more she thought about it, the worse she felt.

This was her life now. This man had brought colors into her world in the most flamboyant manner, and he didn’t even know she existed. He may never know how he changed her life. How would she even tell him? What was she supposed to do?

She didn’t even know if she could tell anyone. What would people say? Would they tell her to try for it, to reach out and try to grasp at him, or to give up on it and remain one-sided for the rest of her life? The longer she read the article, the harder it was for her to imagine living her life one-sided. But, the rational side of her mind knew that it was impossible that she could ever even speak to him.

She closed her laptop, then, and laid in her bed, feeling nothing and everything all at the same time, feeling numb, as if in an emotional limbo. She laid like that for the rest of the day. It had been the day her life changed forever.

Over time, she decided that there was no point in beating herself up over things she couldn’t help. She decided that her life was forever tied to this man, to Danny, and while he may never know that, there was no reason to limit her own exposure to him. She began watching the Game Grumps, which was how Mark knew them to begin with. They were a funny channel, and she adored watching Dan and his gaming partner Arin play games. They were particularly known for their fits of rage, and she came to adore the sound of Dan’s laugh, despite the legions of people who found it grating. There was no sweeter sound to her than the sound of his voice.

She bought all of NSP’s CDs. She loved the songs that they were featured in on other artist’s albums, and even bought some of them, too. On bad days, she popped in an NSP CD and it made all of her problems go away.

The albums always started with a half-minute long introduction, with Dan speaking directly to the listener. These were her favorites, despite the fact they weren’t songs and were often cringe-worthy for their vulgarity. But, it was the closest she thought she would ever get to hearing him speak directly to her.

She learned as much as she could about him, from all that he ever talked about on the show. He spent a period of time living in France, he used to smoke pot but he quit when he realized how sad it made his mom. He owned a dog named Princess Tinkles. Small, unimportant bits of information, but they meant everything to her. It really helped hammer home that he was a real, living and breathing person.

Her life went on like this for two years, until one fateful afternoon. After a particularly long day of autumn college courses, she tuned into the show as she always did. Today’s episode didn’t start with its usual intro, instead starting with Danny, addressing the audience alone. The Game Grumps rarely got on camera, unlike Mark who was on camera in every episode, so it was always a treat to see Danny’s face.

“Hey lovelies.”

He said this, and he was wearing that same smile he always did, the one that made her chest swell and tighten at the same time, made her heart flutter like a bird. He was wearing his Danny Sexbang costume, his super hero alter-ego from Ninja Sex Party. There was always a distinct difference in personality between the two. Dan Avidan was a goofy, kind-hearted and free-flowing guy, whereas Danny Sexbang was overly charismatic to the point of obnoxiousness, and so incredibly and overtly sexual that any sane person would regard him as a pervert. She adored him anyways, whether he was in-costume or not.

“I’m just taking a second to inform you guys that me, Arin, Brian—“ when Dan mentioned his masked friend, the ninja in question appeared in the background, flipping the bird to the camera, silently and undetected by Dan, “—and Tupperware Remix Party—“ another band that Dan and Brian worked frequently with to do tours and more complicated music, “—are going on tour! These are the locations and dates—“ as Dan spoke, he gestured to the side, and a list of locations and dates began to scan across the screen.

“Tickets for all of the events are going on sale this Sunday, and they’re gonna go fast, so make sure you snag them quickly, or Brian here is going to stab a puppy.”

She started the video over immediately, and paid closer attention to the list of dates and locations. Her heart stopped momentarily when she saw that Dallas, Texas, was listed for a show two months from now.

A live Ninja Sex Party-Starbomb-Tupperware Remix Party concert. She never thought she would have this chance. The Game Grumps did live shows, and Ninja Sex Party had done tours before, but the closest they came was Austin or Houston, and it was always poorly timed and she just couldn’t make it. But now that they were doing a show in Dallas, it was guaranteed that she could go.

She tried not to get her hopes up, but was kidding herself if she believed that she was only going as a fan, and not hoping against hope that she would get the chance to speak to Dan. Her soulmate.

The following Sunday, she bought her ticket. She had woken up at 7:30 that morning and waited with baited breath as the clock ticked closer and closer to 8am, when the tickets would go on sale. As hard as she tried, she wasn't able to snag a front-row seat. She was a little surprised; he really hadn't been kidding when he said they would go fast.

It was still August, so she had a while to wait. Part of her ached, because the wait was so long, but another part of her felt like she didn't have long enough to prepare. She felt many confusing emotions about the event.

But all she could do for now was wait.

#trubbull post #trubbull fics #game grumps fanfiction #this is mindlessly self-indulgent #ba-dum-tss #i caved in and published it hope y'all enjoy it #working on the next chapter as i publish this