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lvpislvzuli · 1 year

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I’m back with another lengthy ATWOW post, this time discussing Spider and Kiri!

Their budding relationship has captivated me so I thought I would list all the ways that the film sets them up to become a likely romantic pair in the sequels.

Before we begin, I want to point out that Spider and Kiri are not related through adoption in canon. That being said, I still respect anyone who is of that opinion.

Okay, here goes…

Evidence from ATWOW that a romance is likely developing between Spider and Kiri, and the reason why this is an inspired choice by James Cameron.

— First up, in every scene they share, Kiri and Spider exchange some form of physical contact. This ranges from casual, playful, and protective touches, to holding hands, to reassuring hugs. While most of these gestures are not exclusively romance-coded, they happen repeatedly, reinforcing the physically intimate bond between Kiri and Spider. Far more intimate than most. Here are a few examples among many:

she helps paint his body with blue stripes

he teasingly grabs her tail, which is a direct parallel to Jake and Neytiri flirting in the first film

she pulls him into a comforting hug in the science lab

this one makes me laugh—even the Recoms hold them captive as a pair, which is hilarious to me because there are like twelve Recoms to four kids, but for some reason they can only spare one for Kiri and Spider 😂

they stick close together throughout the Titanic scene, helping each other climb and holding onto one another

and the big one—Kiri places her hand over his heart after the final battle and Spider holds it there

— Kiri and Spider also have palpable chemistry. They share some very meaningful glances and sweet smiles. These moments are all protracted, which means that the camera lingers on them for longer than usual for maximum impact. They are also very playful with each other in the lighter moments of the film, which is basically the definition of flirting.

— They care for and defend one another to a profound degree. Kiri comforts Spider with reassuring words and physical touch (mirrored by the other romantic couple in the film, Lo’ak and Tsireya), while Spider rages against any threat to Kiri.

— Kiri calls Spider ‘Monkey Boy’. No one else calls him this. It is a term of endearment—her pet name for him. This differs from Tuktirey being called ‘Tuk’, which is just a nickname.

— A key moment in the film that develops their relationship is when Spider finds Kiri in the forest and wakes her up from her trance. This is an important scene for her character as it introduces the audience to her connection to Eywa and the environment of Pandora. Spider is the one who shares this scene with her. Speaking of meaningful glances and sweet smiles…this scene continues to establish their familiarity with each other.

— Another way the film sets up a future romance is by having their current relationship acknowledged by other characters. Jake, who was once human, knows that Kiri is very fond of Spider, who is human. He recognizes that she is depressed because they have been separated and she is missing him. It’s even likely that Jake has considered the possibility of there being feelings between the two of them, because he was once in that situation himself with Neytiri.

— A James Cameron callback: Spider and Kiri having their own Jack and Rose moment aboard the sinking RDA ship. They are paired up for the scene and have to fight to stay afloat. The stakes are extremely high, and they put all their effort into staying together. The angst was real 😭

Some reflective observations:

— Spider is intrinsically Na’vi in his beliefs and behavior, while Kiri has noticeable human features and heritage. These traits differentiate them from their own kind but allow them to fit very well together.

— They are a perfect example of the classic “society doesn’t approve of them together” trope. Similar to Jake and Neytiri in the first film, but even more so because Spider doesn’t have an avatar…yet. He is fully human. Not to mention the fact that Neytiri would absolutely not approve of Kiri wanting to be with Quaritch’s son. The potential for romantic drama is off the charts!

— And last but not least, the very existence of their relationship is poetic. Their parents hated each other and were on opposite sides of the war for Pandora. In spite of this, Kiri and Spider grew up together and are devoted to each other. It almost feels like fate intervened. A perfect scenario for a love story.

So, what makes all of this actual evidence of a romance developing between Kiri and Spider? The fact that cinema is a visual mode of storytelling. Everything on screen is put there intentionally and serves a purpose to the story. In this light, all of Spider and Kiri’s scenes were consciously written and directed by James Cameron, carefully performed by Sigourney Weaver and Jack Champion, and meticulously rendered by the VFX artists. They are not random, accidental moments. Time was spent planning and executing their dynamic in this film, which strongly hints at future romantic development. I went to see ATWOW with my sister. She is only a casual moviegoer, so I was impressed when the first thing she said about Spider after we saw the film was that he clearly liked Kiri. They may be subtle, but all the signs are there!

Also, I want to point out that unlikely/forbidden romances are immensely popular with audiences. James Cameron is very savvy to introduce the possibility of another one into the Avatar franchise after Jake and Neytiri in the first film. Unlike Lo’ak and Tsireya’s teen romance, which progresses swiftly and appears to be smooth sailing, Spider and Kiri are set up to mirror Jake and Neytiri with a romance that is far more complex and will take time and pain to blossom.

And I am very much looking forward to it!

💙

#avatar the way of water #kiri sully #spider socorro #kiri x spider #spider x kiri #avatar 2 #james cameron's avatar #kiri #miles spider socorro #character analysis #best friends to lovers #with a touch of forbidden romance #i adore them #they're so 🥰🥰🥰

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athousandbyeol · 8 months

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what are you laughing at, mew? i'm laughing at you. you're going off-key. are you saying i'm toned deaf? no. you're cute. why would i care if i'm toned deaf? i'm blinded by the love for you anyway. who would have thought a rich man could come up with this cheesy line?

#only friends #only friends series #only friends the series #ofts #only friends gifset #ofts gifset #topmew #topmew gifset #top tanin #mew only friends #force jiratchapong #book kasidet #forcebook #gifset #gifs #i have so many things to say about this scene #1) it's one of the cutest and wholesome scenes i've ever seen #2) the second-hand embarrassment in this is real because why are they dancing like grandpas? :')#3) the smiles they're wearing in this scene scream affection and love and they're just dorks in love atp #4) they're so adorable and happiness looks best on them :')#i honestly can't stress enough how i love this scene so much #it's safely nestled in my heart and i'll remember it for a long time #this scene makes me forget everything else that happened in ep 3 hahaha #so much love brewing between them #and the chemistry??? //side-eyeing everyone who said forcebook have no chemistry #i'm in love with the idea of them falling in love #uwu at its finest #na creates #for topmew

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prapais · 2 years

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actually, they’ve been married for 46 years

#lakornet #asianlgbtqdramas #asiandramanet #the eclipse #akkayan #firstkhao #khaotung thanawat #first kanaphan #mygifs #aside from the romantic relationship im hoping for i just adore when they're like this. give me best friends vibes!!! thank you!!!!#their back and forth is honestly the best thing to watch

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ywpd-translations · 6 months

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Ride 748: The sixth and seventh place

Pag 1

1: Keep it up, Rokudai!!

It's past 9pm!!

2: Three hours left....!!

Until we complete the 1000km... there are still

3: 60km!!

Yeah!!

Pag 2

1: 20km in an hour... if we can run 4 laps per hour, we can do it!!

We can reach 1000km!!

Pag 3

1: Yeah!!

4: We can do it!!

Yeah!!

5: Gooo!! Do your best!!

55km left!! Go!!

Will their bottles be enough....

6: Those two can do it

Will they really complete the 1000km? Kinaka and Rokudai

Even though they're first years!!

Pag 4

1: There was also a moment where he seemed to be having a tough time, but Kinaka encouraged him

They looked so fired up now, right!?

They got back up!!

The look in their eyes was terrific!!

2: Sugimoto ran with determination

3: But... this fight is...

He... Sugimoto knows all that well

He's fighting understanding that

4: Kuaaaa

5: Garuaaa

Pag 5

1: It was probably the same for Danchiku

2: Danchiku watched Sohoku running for two years

And Sugimoto for three years....!!

4: So they chose that race!!

Pag 6

1: They chose to fight!!

3: Are you an idiot... Sugimoto

4: If you ... wanted to run with me at our third and last Inter High, you could have stuck behind me, easily, and take the goal that way

5: and become... a member... the “sixth man”

Pag 7

1: You chose a harsh way

2: You were thinking about the team....

4: You were thinking about what you needed to do....

5: That's just like you....

6: You know, Imaizumi, I think, I think it's necessary

7: For our third Inter High members this year, we definitely....!!

Pag 8

2: It's 10pm!!

40km left!!

Pag 9

2: Yeah!!

4: We can do it, Rokudai!!

Yeah!

Let's go, Rokudai!!

Yeah!

5: I confirmed it earlier when we passed through the goal – it's good news, so be glad!!

Yeah!

6: Good news!? Teh!?

7: We have already surpassed the third year Sugimoto-san!!

Pag 10

1: Huh!?

Is he resting? Or is he preserving his strength? We don't know, but anyway it looks like right now Sugimoto-san isn't on the course!!

2: For now, we....

3: Are sixth and seventh place

The “sixth place”....

4: Will become one of the Inter High members!!

Pag 11

1: Mem....

Really!?

2: Wait, teh, I'm getting dizzy

That... wouldn't that be amazing, teh!?

3: It's an hypothesis but, even if Sugimoto-san wants to chase us from here on, there's a “surpassing ban board”, so if we keep running then he can't catch up to us!!

And we'll secure the “sixth place”!!

4: You're so smart, Kinaka-kun!!

5: Right?!

6: Waaaa

A member... it's almost within reach, teh.... that's incredible, teh...!!

Pag 12

1: I'm so glad, teh, Kinaka-kun!!

Yeah!!

No, it's too soon to cry!!

2: I'm so glad we kept on running

There are still 40km left!! Don't lose your pace!!

3: Tears are for after the finish line!!

4: Ahh, it's here, teh... a blan comment, it's been a while

Oi!! I cheer you up and yet you hit me!!

5: But now it touches my heart!!

It's thanks to your encouragement, Kinaka-kun, that I arrived here, teh!!

6: Uhm!!

Pag 13

1: Let's aim for the Inter High!!

Yeah!!

3: Go

4: Go, Rokudai

Pag 14

1: It's only 40km left.... you can do it on your own, Rokudai

2: It hurts-!!

3: I reached my limit for the pain

All the “let's go”, “let's do it” and the encouragement were to deceive you

4: I had to

I've been having leg cramps for a while

5: The “Inter High”

6: Even though it's right before my eyes

It's so frustrating

Pag 15

2: Wha- Rokudai

You moved back before I noticed...

3: If you're tired and need to slow down, tell me it, teh

I'll push you and help you!!

4: Don't underestimate the “helping ability” of a former manager, teh!!

Pag 16

1: Rokudai!!

5: Rokudaiii!!

6: You mean to say “let's still go”!?

7: Is it connecting possibilities? Rokudai's hand!!

Pag 17

1: Don't cry, Kinaka Tsugunao, crying is for after the finish line!!

2: Ah!!

3: Alright, the climb is over, I'll pull you on the downhill!!

4: Yeah, teh!!

Pag 18

1: Waa-teh!? Suddenly I can't keep my balance!!

2: Rokudai!?

3: A flat tire!!

4: Huh, a flat tire!?

Your tires are screaming for the 1000km

Ahh

Dammit!! Mechanical troubles in a time like this!!

5: The tools to repair a flat tire are only at the goal!!

But with a flat tire, on the downhill....!!

We have no choice but to push it slowly downhill!!

Pag 19

1: Hurry!!

2: Ugh-

3: If we go so slow, Sugimoto-san might come!!

4: Sugimoto-san is chasing us, teh!!

Pag 20

1: Sugimoto won't come

2: I've come to bring you a message from Sugimoto

#yowamushi pedal #yowapeda #yowamushi pedal translations #yowapeda manga #yowamushi pedal manga #yowamushi pedal spoilers #ride 748 #my babieeeeees theyre so sweet i love them so much ;A;#we all know that rokudai will be the sixth man in the end #as much as i would have wanted both him and kinaka on the team :')#but still this whole chapter was so so sweet ;A; my adorable lovely sweet first years besties #kinaka encouraging roku-chan the whole time to fire him up bc he knows he himself can't do it ;A;#and roku being like 'nope not on my watch! we can do it together!'#THEYRE BUDDIES! THEYRE BESTIES! THEY'RE EACH OTHER'S PRECIOUS AND RELIABLE BEST FRIEND!!#yowapeda has some of the best friendships in all the sport mangas ive read #im gonna cry for how much i love these kids :')#now imaizumi has arrived to help roku with the flat tires im assuming #since it looks like he's carrying something #kinda like junta with onoda during first years #also ima still thinking about sugimoto ;-;#sugimoto is literally the second person after onoda that imaizumi has openly shown affection to ;A;#imma cry ;A;#also naruko who keeps watching imaizumi because he knows :eyes emoji:#sorry nothing can distract my imanaru heart lmao

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lunastar92 · 7 months

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Ugh! They are true friendship goals!!!!! 😁😆🥰🥰

#happy birthday #ashley leggat #michael seater #that time we eloped... they're adorable best friends!#best friends #friendship goals #life with derek #vacation with derek #life with luca #derek x casey #casey x derek #dasey #derek venturi #casey mcdonald

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welcometogrouchland · 1 year

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[ID: a coloured and shaded digital sketch of Luz and Lilith from the owl house. They're depicted with their designs from For the Future. Luz is tackle-hugging Lilith, ugly crying and exclaiming "I missed you so much". Lilith braces for the hug and smiles with tears also in her eyes. The background is a pale yellow colour and previous versions of the sketch can be seen at low opacity behind the full drawing. End ID]

When you see your cool aunt (actually a loser but you love her) for the first time in months and she has a badass apocalypse makeover but still somehow looks like a librarian

#the owl house #toh #luz noceda #lilith clawthorne #I have a distinct feeling they won't reunite until the last episode (which I'm cool with #we're kinda busy rn)#but that won't stop me from imagining self-indulgent scenarios!! I love their relationship so much #luz really went from calling Lilith a bitch in the only way the disney channel would allow to being like. okay she's pathetic #in the first few episodes of season 2 and then by elsewhere and elsewhen when Lilith is visibly doing better luz is so supportive #of like. her new job and hobbies and stuff #and Lilith is still the same cringe fail slug woman we all know and love but she cares about Luz!#she wants to help her and share her interests with her!#they're so lame together and I adore them soooo much. adhd and autism best friends forever (real)#this was a quick doodle that i put way too mucn effort into colouring and posing wise to not post #I'm proud of the shading not bc it's especially intricate or pretty #but because the process was entirely me colour picking each individual colour and futzing with it until i got coherent shading #it's not something i do often but i love to practice it cause i feel like it improves my colour sense #and also allows me to micro manage the palette #like how Luz's azura outfit and the inside of her mouth and Lilith's skin are all the same shade of off-white #BUT i gave Lilith's a warmer shading tone (bc it's skin and has blood beneath it) while Luz's teeth has a yellow shading cast #(since that's the colour teeth turn w/o enamel and most ppls teeth is a yellowy off-white anyway) and then Luz's outfit has a teal cast!#bc i wanted white fabric to look different to pale white skin or teeth #that's such a niche thing to have fun doing and appreciate abt my own work but like. it's there!#I'm not a master of colour by any means it's just nice to be able to do that

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princelancey · 1 year

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I want what they have

#f1 #formula 1 #aston martin f1 #lance stroll #esteban ocon #They're so fruity together #Is it gay to tenderly cradle your best friend when he gets a podium?#Nevermind upon research that first pic is just them in Parc ferme #Neither got points #They're just like that™#They're story even just on paper is adorable #But when you SEE how tender they are with each other ahhhh #Like Lance is physical touch love language person that is clear as day #And just how close he is with esteban #Gah I love them #Sakhir podium you were the most beautiful thing

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valdomarx · 1 year

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reminding me of that short trip where the third doctor and delgado!master swap bodies

the doctor starts a fight in jail, breaks three people's noses, and ends up chained to a wall

while the master enjoys a nice stroll in the fresh air and fixes jo's love life for her

#something something violence as a reaction to untenable circumstances #and the way the doctor is a nasty little gremlin at heart at that's why they're so compelled by the master #when considered along with the torvic situation!!! makes me insane #the doctor was destined to be the violent outcast and only avoided that by throwing their best friend to death itself #anyway there's a whole lot to unpack in this #but also that short trip is delightful and the master just wants the best for jo and that's adorable #threegado #thoschei #doctor who

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exoexid · 3 months

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Veil by Ikumi Fukuda (Kotteri!).

#some of my favourite panels since they're living rent free in my head these days <3 #i adore them.... they're the best friends/situationship ever they're nothing and everything at the same time 💆💗#love it when the “big dude with a puppy like personality that everyone points out and he doesn't notice it” trope is done right hehe <:)#they're each other's tamagotchi it's beautiful to see!!!!#like the hands.... pride and prejudice (2005) they're coming for you!!!!!#veil kotteri #dara.t

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beanghostprincess · 6 months

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Got blessed with the stupidest modern!au idea for Sanuso I just had to share because I enjoy the idea so much. Sanji getting dragged to an indoor Zoo that houses reptiles, amphibians and insects by his friends and trying his damndest to not be absolutely horrified by the bugs and arachnids in front of the ladies, failing horribly because Luffy of course is just super hyped the entire time (“WHOOA SANJI LOOK ITS WINGS ARE SO HUGE!” “SANJI THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE A STICK! “SANJI THIS ONES POISON CAN STUN A GROWN MA-“ -“NOPE!”). This leads to him having a minor panic attack until someone gently touches his shoulder and goes “Hey, are you good?”. And that’s how Sanji meets local zookeeper and bugenthusiast Usopp, who not only manages to whisk him away to the staff room to steady his nerves with some coffee but also makes Sanji laugh and just hits it off with him immediately. Just in love with the idea of those two becoming fast friends and falling in love while Sanji also has to grit his teeth and face that the guy he’s falling for will also start infodumping about tarantulas the second he gets a chance and Usopp having to navigate about his crushes fear of insects by having to put a towel over all of his five terrarium’s he has at home because he’s considerate like that (and the fact that Sanji even wants to come up to his place with him, even tough Sanji is horrified at the thought of even being in the same room as a praying Mantis and that makes him feel all warm inside)

this is the sweetest most adorable thing in the whole world and i think i just died a little reading it /pos

imagine sanji trying to overcome his fear by letting usopp teach him about insects!!! he still feels unsafe around them, but the fact that someone as sweet as usopp likes them so so much makes him think a bit differently of them.

also, turns out he really likes usopp's apartment because despite being full of terrariums and insects, it's also full of plants and vegetation. and sanji loves both the aesthetic and the food he could make with them. like, i'm sure usopp has a private orchard somewhere (idk, say the roof of the building) and sanji would absolutely love to come over to his apartment only to make him different meals with the vegetables he cultivates.

and this is cliché af but i'm thinking about usopp having the keys to the zoo and bringing sanji with him at night. sanji isn't.... as excited as usopp ("the tarantulas are going to eat me and you won't even notice before it's too late!" "sanji, that's literally impossible." "IT'S DARK. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DO IN THE DARK!" "I LITERALLY DO KNOW. I STUDIED THEM, YOU IDIOT!"). but usopp takes him to a place that's dark and full of trees and sanji is 100% sure they shouldn't be there because it doesn't look like a place for visitors. there's no sign or animals around and it's just... it's just trees and kind of looks like a forest. turns out it's the back of the zoo, (let's pretend the zoo is like, in a mountain. close to the woods. i don't know how to describe it, but i once went to one like that and it was pretty) usopp tells him, and that people are never here because you can't get here without climbing and the only possible entrance is a little hallway that was accidentally created building the zoo's structure because they just forgot to cover it up. apparently, only usopp and zoro (he's the security guard, by the way) know about this.

so turns out the whole place is full of fireflies. which are not as scary as sanji thought they were. they're beautiful. and of course, usopp is so not looking at them, if you know what i mean. he's lost staring at sanji's eyes. i think that's when they both know they're meant to be together despite being so different.

-> a lil bit of zolu: luffy loves going to this zoo and often tries to talk to the animals and climb on stuff so zoro has to stop him all the time. not because he wants to stop him, it's just his job. tbh most of the time the guy is sleeping and finds the job boring, so somebody doing all this crazy shit around the zoo makes his life wayyy more interesting. if they fall in love or not that's up to you (they definitely do, though).

#this was not that fun to write btw i have arachnophobia and i fucking hate insects and bugs #i'm just like sanji fr but i would never date somebody with terrariums like those #my best friend LOVES insects tho he's just like usopp fr #i would rather play russian roulette with a mafia than go to that zoo btw #sanji is so brave and way better than me here bc i could never #they're adorable btw thank you anon for this <3 #usopp #black leg sanji #sanuso #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #zolu #one piece

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ninja-knox-ur-sox-off · 2 years

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APPARENTLY IT’S INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS DAY AND I JUST HAPPENED TO WRITE A LITTLE FICLET ABOUT MEI AND MK OFF OF AN IDEA I HAD ABOUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP there was more i kinda wanted to add cause it felt slightly off to me and I wasn’t going to post it, BUT HECK IT HAVE SOME BEST FRIENDS CONTENT HAPPY INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS DAY

Hype Man

Mei didn’t think all that highly of herself for a dragon.

Her parents had tried to instill some of that pride in her, a dragon descendant of oceans, she had a tall standing heritage to be proud of, but it mainly just resulted in her feeling inadequate. Like she could never quite reach as amazing as every other one of her ancestors, all dragons. Something about her felt different, felt wrong. Her family came from the ocean, but Mei felt like she was burning from the inside out some days.

She couldn’t seem to connect with her family the way her parents did, some sort of disconnect there that led her to seek connection elsewhere. She started a bit of a gaming channel, didn’t ever show her face, just mostly chatted, looking for some form of connection. She bought bikes, dismantled them, built new bikes with the parts, she stared at her creations and couldn’t bring herself to show her parents, instead keeping them hidden away, because something so important to her couldn’t possibly be important to the family.

They left her alone for the most part. They were more involved when she was younger, but once she became a legal adult, they did seem to withdraw a bit. She figured they just didn’t want to seem overbearing, but their absences just seemed to make things seem more impossible.

Mei would show them things, talk about her accomplishments quietly at dinner, voice getting meeker and milder once she said them out loud. A couple thousand followers compared to a couple thousand dedicated warriors didn’t seem like much. A few races won compared to hundreds of battles won didn’t feel worth sharing, so she mostly let them talk. If they asked she would just say she was filling her time. Sometimes it felt better to say nothing at all than to mention gaming or racing.

Compared to all of her family, sometimes Mei felt like nothing at all.

Then she met Mk.

He was… silly. A little odd at first. Nothing at all like the tall white and jade pillars of home, or the endless empty hallways. Mk was loud. He was animated. He was waving his hands about and filled every second like a firework, like he could like he didn’t have a moment left to lose.

It was a contagious sort of energy. Mei had always felt a little too energetic herself compared to her composed, poised parents, still and calm in their movements; hopping from foot to foot in place when she was excited compared to their subtle nods of their heads. But next to Mk it felt natural to bounce around a bit, talk loud, laugh louder.

He was a little jumpy at first. Something she wasn’t sure she wanted to look too far into considering what it might’ve been, but after an initial stiffness Mk relaxed into contact like a cat soaking up the warmth of the sun. Throwing an arm over his shoulder became almost as easily as breathing.

If Mei didn’t know any better, she’d say he was a little touch starved, leaning into every shoulder bump after he was more comfortable around her, seeking her out for a hug even when he wouldn’t outright hug her first until later.

She made sure to maybe hug a little more than she usually would, just because it seemed to make him smile and a little giddy, and soon that too felt just as natural, and she couldn’t help the breathless grin when he slammed into her to initiate a hug for the first time. And from then on, hugging him, holding his hand, bumping into him, felt natural.

As comfortable as she was around Mk, Mei still didn’t talk about herself all that much. After all, what was a new drifting turn trick in a race compared to turning into an actual dragon?

She did eventually let something slip.

“Wait, you're a gamer?��

Mei halted and stared at him like a deer in headlights.

Mk backtracked immediately. “I mean--I know you, like, game, like pshh, yeah obviously, we’re literally in the arcade right now. But I meant more like, gaming like, consols, VR, all that fancy stuff, and like, streaming it, you said you had a livestream--I mean you might not even be a gamer, that could have been a different kind of livestream, which in that case, this is kinda awkward and now I’m going to apologize for assuming--”

“No no,” she waved her hands a bit, then stopped and let them drop. “It’s… uh… yeah it’s a gaming channel.”

Then the enormously unexpected. “That’s so cool.”

It was?

Mei blinked. He knew she was a dragon and thought… gaming was still cool?

“How many followers do you have?” He was looking at her so excitedly, she couldn’t exactly not tell him, but it still felt weird to say it aloud.

“Uh, I dunno, like… 80k… I think? Last time I checked?”

Mk gaped at her.

“I mean it’s a big city,” she felt the need to add. She knew so many channels with millions of followers, her’s honestly wasn’t that big in comparison. “Lots of people watch streamers, so it’s not… like a super high number but--”

Then he was shaking her, hands on her shoulders and pulling her back and forth. “80k? Mei that’s so freaking cool, that’s so many followers--ohmegosh wait, what if I follow you already?”

“Cool?” Mei stammered out.

“Um yeah!” He said it like the most obvious thing in the world. He was pulling out his phone that had a Monkey King charm hanging from it and an art piece decorating the back of the case. “What’s your channel? I wanna see if I’ve watched you before.”

He had, as it turned out, been subscribed to her channel for around two years.

“Mei,” he whined, clinging to her arm.

“What,” she laughed for the twelfth time.

“Mei you don’t understand, you’re so good at video games. You’re so funny and clever, you’re so cool, how do I know such a cool person. How is this legal? How am I meant to survive?”

It made her laugh hard enough her face turned a little red.

“I’m not that cool,” she told him fondly as she got on her bike.

“YOU DRIVE A MOTORCYCLE?”

“Um…” she glanced down at her helmet, then back up at him. “Yes?”

He grabbed her face and bonked their foreheads together, squishing her cheeks. “Mei, I need you to be real with me for a second.”

“O-okay?” she managed to say, voice a little muffled by the way her face was being squished.

“I need you to tell me you didn’t build this.”

She blinked.

He stared directly into her eyes.

“Um…”

Then he was back to shaking her. “Mei. Mei you don’t understand, how are you this cool?”

“It’s just a bike--” she tried to say.

“Just the coolest looking bike I’ve ever seen,” Mk said, even louder.

“Okay, okay,” she laughed, pulling her face out of his hands. There was a heat to her cheeks and a warmth to core of her chest. She looked away. “Okay, so it’s kinda cool.”

“Extremely cool,” he corrected.

“Extremely cool,” Mei amended. “I actually did some repairs this morning after yesterday’s race--”

She stopped short at the look on his face.

“What?”

Mk put his hands together in a praying motion, pressed them against his mouth, crouched down next to her bike, one leg stretched out, leaning back on the other and looked up at her.

Mei leaned away from him a little, nervously laughing. “What?”

He inhaled.

“BOI--”

“So, let me see if I got this all right,” he said after the bike ride to Pigsy’s noodles. His hair was a mess after wearing her helmet all the way there, sticking up in every direction, some of it smooshed against his head in odd shapes, and his cheeks still flushed from whooping so loudly and screaming at sharp turns. Mei nodded along, stirring the ice in her soda bought from the vending machine down the street with her straw. “You’re a dragon.”

“Correct.”

“Like a literal descendant of the Dragon of the West, a direct descendant of the White Horse Dragon in Journey to the West…”

“Yup,” Mei said, ending the word with a pop and then leaning down a bit to sip from her soda.

“You have a million subscribers--”

“Not a million yet.”

“A million subscribers,” he said again, stressing the words and widening his eyes, as though daring her to argue, then sat back in his seat, waving his hand and gesturing to himself. “Of which, yours truly is proud to be one.” He slammed his hands down on the table. “Which is for good reason since you’re one of the best gamers out there--”

“I’m not even in the top hundred, Mk.”

“Only because every other streamer shows their face which adds to the experience of watching them game.” He aggressively slurped up some noodles before continuing.

“Not only that but you’re a freaking racer. You race a bike which you built yourself.”

Mei hummed around her straw, looking away tapping her fingers on her phone lightly, a heat to her face.

“And on top of all that you destroy arcade games like you’re going for a walk in the park.” He finally slumped back in his seat. “Did I get all that?”

Mei tapped her staw against the edge of her cup and slurped up the bits of soda from the bottom of the straw. “Yup.”

He went limp as a noodle and slumped all the way down, sliding until she could only see his hair, his knees bumping into hers.

“You’re so cool, Mei,” he whined. “Why are you so cool? I’m like… I deliver noodles.”

She laughed and lightly bumped her leg against his. “Hey, delivering noodles is cool.”

“You built yourself a motorcycle,” he hissed back.

She found herself grinning. “Okay, so it is… pretty cool.”

He popped back up just so he could slam his hands down on the table again. “Extremely cool.”

“Extremely cool,” she grinned wider.

And that… was kinda how things went.

Mei did a new trick on her bike? Mk was there across the street in the empty stands yelling about how cool it looked.

Mei beat own high score on an arcade game? He was right there jumping up and down.

When Mei hit a million subscribers she was racing to Mk’s apartment above the noodle shop in the middle of the night to tell him about it before she could even think about how a million subscribers was nothing next to a million subjects in a kingdom, and Mk opened the window with his Monkey King themed pajamas and was awake in seconds to squeal with her.

Her ancestry was still a massive thing to try and live up to, and something that was still immensely important to her. And although her accomplishments now seemed like nothing compared to their great feats… every dragon started somewhere. And right now, winning that race was a big feat, because it was her feat. Something she did.

Even if she wasn’t a full fledged dragon, Mk was right there next to her to remind her of just how amazing she was.

#KNOX WRITES (me)#jUST A LITTLE SILLY SOMETHING I HAD WHILE THINKING ABOUT HOW THEIR FRIENDSHIP WROKS #Monkie Kid #LEGO Monkie kid #Mei #Mk #I LOVE THEM A LOT OKAY #THEY'RE JUST #BEST FRIENDS AND LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH AND LIKE #WOW MK THINKS MEI IS SO COOL AND HYPES UP EVERUYTHIGN SHE DOES #AND MEI IS JUST ALWAYS THERE FOR MK WHEN HE NEEDS HER IN ALL THIS CRAZY MONKIE WORLD AND THEY TRUST EACH OTHER SO IMPLICITLY #WAILS #really if i knew it was international friends day this morning i might've tried to write something for the traffic light trio and how #red son becomes part of the group i'm |;A;/#i love them sm i swear #ANYWAY I GOT SOMEHWERE TO BE SO ENJOY THIS SILLY LI'LL THING WITH A BUNCHA MY HC'S CRAMMED IN I ADORE THIS SHOW #one of these days i'll finish my actual Mei fic #which is really freaking cool already #gosh kay i'm scatterbrained today so this fic is gonna have some holes ut i'm okay with that GOTTA SPEED CYA

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