#ITS SKY'S BIRTHDAY QUICK EVERYONE GO WISH HER <3

[taee]

cosy namkook (for @jung-koook ♡ | cr. namuspromised, dwellingsouls)

#btsgif #bangtan #bts #ipurpleunet #namjoon #jungkook #namkook #tq:cr #ITS SKY'S BIRTHDAY QUICK EVERYONE GO WISH HER <3

[shihalyfie]

Adventure, 02, and the “secret double life”

Adventure’s concept of “Chosen Children” prophesized save-the-world heroes is hardly unique to it, and given that it ostensibly follows so many fantasy tropes, it’s easy to see it as having a textbook pattern of the “secret identity”/”secret double life” tropes, in which adventure-faring kids keep everything from their parents and society under the idea that if people found out about their adventures, they’d be kept from action or be experimented on.

But as much as it’s easy to see it that way, in fact, Adventure and 02 had a somewhat different view of the matter. Although 02 in particular, with its concept of “wake up, go to school, save the world,” probably gives off the strongest “double life” aura, in actuality, Adventure and 02 both had an underlying sentiment that the concept of keeping Digimon from one’s parents -- and, eventually, the public -- was practically impossible.

(Unless otherwise stated, translations for Adventure/02/Kizuna are from Ryuu-Rogue/PositronCannon/L Subs, respectively.)

The Hikarigaoka incident

The aftermath of the Hikarigaoka incident in 1995 (or, in other words, the Greymon and Parrotmon incident depicted in the first movie) was depicted in Adventure episode 29, in which, as it turned out, was passed off as a “terrorist bombing incident” -- and that kids like Takeru who attempted to explain the situation to their parents were dismissed for imagining things.

The Adventure novels add a bit of extra addition that there might have been some external finagling to make sure things were cleaned up, but even then, things weren’t all that clean-cut. For one, the Hikarigaoka incident was a rather short one that was cleaned up in quick order -- there was a minimal amount of destruction compared to what later events would bring (only a single localized area in terms of collateral damage, especially since Parrotmon wasn’t there to cause wanton destruction), the full brunt of the incident may not have even spanned so much of an hour, and both Digimon involved vanished almost as quickly as they came. It really is just enough that you could sweep it under the normalcy filter of wanting to throw out any supernatural explanations, especially since the kids themselves eventually succumbed to the adults’ explanations.

And yet, even despite that, Takaishi Natsuko still found the Hikarigaoka incident a topic of interest to the point she started doing independent research on it -- especially when a certain incident four years later pushed things far beyond the range of plausible deniability. The novels make this pretty explicit:

Among her normal jobs, a side project that she was working on involved investigating the “Hikarigaoka terrorist bombing incident” four years ago. It was an incident that occured in the very place where they had lived. Not only did it capture her interest, but as she kept investigating it, she found many aspects about it that weren’t acceptable explanations to her. It still wasn’t enough information for her to put into an article or a book, but someone, somehow, had managed to find out that she was working on it and had contacted her wanting to talk. But when the time of their appointment came, the man she was supposed to meet didn’t appear. What was that man’s name? Oikawa? I think? Well, I’m never going to set up a meeting with him again. 

So in other words, the fact that she had spotted a rat was somewhat public enough for someone to figure out that she was on the case. Not to mention that said someone had also spotted a rat -- someone who was not possessed by any Digimon vampires at this point, and was merely just an enthusiast trying to reconnect with a mysterious phenomenon from his childhood and dealing with grief for his recently deceased friend. It probably would not have been long before the truth would have been fully spilled even by itself -- but later events that would confirm everyone’s suspicious pretty firmly were already on the horizon.

Menoa Bellucci and the advent of Chosen Children

In a bit of “hidden” Adventure lore, the number of Chosen Children thus started to double every year -- something cited by Two-and-a-Half Year Break (Koushirou’s track) and confirmed by directorial statement. (Kizuna’s To Sora is consistent with this principle, and the 02 epilogue being set in 2027-2028 also tracks with the global population being partnered to Digimon with that precise number.) Either way, Adventure episode 53 confirmed that the eight “Tokyo Chosen Children” from 1999 (or, in other words, the Adventure main cast and their partners) were hardly isolated singularities -- there was a group of Chosen Children before them that placed an incomplete seal on Apocalymon prior, and, according to the Adventure novels, four of their partners evolved over a long period of time to become the Holy Beasts. The fact that there had to be at least four gives only a very narrow period of time said Chosen could be from, most likely between 1997 (4 Chosen) to early 1999 (16 Chosen), with the very short real-world time in between likely correlating to enough time in the Digital World for their names to be lost to their history.

(Note that Oikawa Yukio doesn’t count here; although he and Hiroki made contact with the Digital World through video games in the 80s, there is no indication that Oikawa was fundamentally partnered to Pipimon at this time, in the same way that it was only after the Tokyo Chosen Children witnessed the Hikarigaoka incident that “the one who wishes for stability” -- Homeostasis -- came up with the idea for creating a system to tie Digimon evolution to human partners.)

Kizuna confirms it further by introducing Menoa Bellucci, who says that she met Morphomon (and, presumably, did become a Chosen Child) at the age of nine, meaning presumably 1997 -- making her one of the small handful of people who became Chosen Children before the Tokyo eight.

The little snippets we get of Menoa and Morphomon’s life are interesting, but also telling. For one, their life together is depicted through a bunch of photos with both of them there, through events such as birthdays and travel...and given that someone had to have taken all of those photos, this means that it is extremely likely Menoa’s parents were fully aware of Morphomon’s presence and existence as her partner. In other words, Morphomon was not a secret to them in the first place.

Another interesting thing here is that it’s never said that Menoa went on any incredible world-saving adventure during her time with Morphomon, so it’s ambiguous whether she did or not. It’s entirely possible that she did but doesn’t want to bring it up to Taichi and the others because of how much baggage would be associated with it compared to, well, the rest of her early childhood life with Morphomon; given the time dilation that was in play prior to 1999, it’s very likely any adventure she could have gone on would have been lost to Digital World history. (That said, given that Morphomon doesn’t seem to have any ties to Holy Beast lines, a group of 4+ Chosen distinct from her and the other Tokyo Chosen Children by necessity would have to be from 1998 or early 1999.) She does, at the very least, seem to have evolved Morphomon at least once, given that she cites “loss of the ability to evolve” as part of the process of partnership dissolution when explaining it to the others (and it’s implied very heavily she only has her own personal experience to work with). But if Menoa’s parents were sufficiently supportive, it’s possible they might have had no problem with Menoa having a large and very cute butterfly friend -- especially if Menoa didn’t go on some grand adventure and wasn’t even in danger anyway.

We also learn a bit more about the Yagami siblings in Adventure episode 21, which takes place on August 1, 1999, and that Hikari has been witnessing the increased Digimon contact with the human world (part of a long, ongoing process of the Digital World slowly coming into more concrete contact with the human world) for quite a while now, but because it isn’t very “clear” contact yet, she’s the only one who can see them. She’s been trying to tell people for a long time, but nobody believed her -- and that’s the only reason she kept quiet about it.

There’s also another interesting line in this episode, when Taichi considers never returning to the Digital World and staying home with Koromon -- it seems that he intends to be straightforward with Koromon’s presence and not hide him from his parents! At worst, he simply thinks his mom might think Koromon to be a nuisance -- but not something he has to entirely keep a secret, meaning he also trusts his parents to be open-minded about a weird pink talking creature.

The Odaiba fog incident

The “Odaiba fog” incident refers to the events of August 3, 1999, spanning Adventure episodes 35 to 54, when Vamdemon covered Odaiba in fog and launched a bunch of mass kidnappings in the search for the eighth Tokyo Chosen Child, put a large amount of adults to sleep, was defeated by the Chosen Children, and eventually was followed by a projection of the Digital World in the sky, resulting in the surrounding witnesses observing the eight Tokyo Chosen Children and their partners rising into the sky, returning to the Digital World, and defeating the Dark Masters and Apocalymon.

Unlike the Hikarigaoka incident, this was not something that could be easily ignored. People in Odaiba saw, in vivid daylight, a bunch of strange monsters kidnapping them and stuffing them in Tokyo Big Sight. The Digital World appearing in the sky, Digimon falling out of them, and freezing anything they touched happened all over the world. Ultimately, this was not the kind of thing you could just sweep under the rug!

Daisuke, Iori, and Michael recount their experiences with this in 02 episode 14, and Spring 2003 and the Adventure novels depict this as a formative experience for Daisuke wanting to become someone strong enough to protect others. The kids’ parents in Tokyo saw their kids fighting in the sky (in fact, it’s likely everyone did, but only the parents were aware of the actual identities of the kids up there, considering it wasn’t like the sky gives you much of a close-up view). And, of course, we had our “intrepid reporter” Ishida Hiroaki, who was insistent on covering these incidents in Adventure episode 35 before he even knew his sons were involved, and Takaishi Natsuko, who, as per 02 episode 38, ended up tacking this on her list of Digimon incidents to investigate.

So by the conclusion of this incident, it is pretty safe to say the populace knows that Digimon are a thing. Of course, they still haven’t made sense of all of it, and everyone (including Hiroaki and Natsuko themselves) is missing some key details, but the fact that these monsters are A Thing That Exist is hardly a secret. In fact, this is made pretty explicit in 02 episode 39:

The governments of every country most certainly did not just see that whole incident and decide “well, that’s nothing to worry about” -- they immediately went ahead and started doing military research on the Digimon! But Gennai and his fellow Agents figured out pretty quickly that very bad things would happen if the Digimon became public knowledge and government militaries started exploiting them, so they secretly wiped away data regarding Digimon in order to hide their existence.

Note that this does not mean they wiped everyone’s memories -- they’re not that all-powerful -- but merely made it so that anytime anyone tried to do organized research on Digimon, poof! -- the info would just magically vanish. Of course, that doesn’t stop pen-and-paper work, and, again, it also did not stop reporters like Takaishi Natsuko or Ishida Hiroaki from doing investigations into everything from a journalistic perspective, nor humanities scholars like Takenouchi Haruhiko or Kido Shuu from taking an interest in Digimon. And, of course, it’s not like you can just wipe human memory that saw all of that happening! But it sure does put a major slowdown on attempted organized research of Digimon to the extent of being easily able to do the kinds of things Gennai and the Agents feared, because it makes it significantly harder to exchange info or collect anything.

Which of course leads to...

The events of 02

The Tokyo Chosen Children got a “break” of sorts after the events of Adventure, and for the most part they didn’t have to think too hard about how to deal with their Digimon in regards to society, especially since they were separated from them. Then, in April 2002, Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori get their partners, and they, Takeru, and Hikari become lucky enough to be able to bring their partners back and forth between the real world and Digital World. With their partners small enough to be passed off as plushes, and no Digimon battles taking place in the real world at this time, the kids choose to keep their Digimon activities a secret from their parents.

At this point, it should be pointed out that this was not actually strictly necessary in terms of keeping the Digimon from society -- especially on the part of the Adventure kids, whose parents already know they exist and certainly have not forgotten! In fact, this is made into a prominent scene in 02 episode 18, when Koushirou’s mother is surprised Tentomon is not there (even though there’s no indication a conflict is going on at the time), in contrast to Koushirou having just been worried about opening a gate in her presence.

In fact, Kizuna adds an important detail by showing us a newspaper clip from around 2002 (when Menoa was accepted into university), indicating that apparently the concept of a “Digimon partner” was well-recognized enough that Morphomon was openly in the newspaper clipping, accompanied by a caption identifying her as Menoa’s Digimon partner. (Kizuna having so much attention to detail with background lore that it even complies with the doubling-every-year principle, it’s not something you can easily pass off as a writer mistake.) Doing the math, 16 Chosen Children in 1999 means around 128 by 2002 (which also tracks with the approximate amount we see around the world in 02 episodes 40-42 and 50). That’s still a drop in the pond in terms of how much the global population truly understands this, but considering that there were reporters like Takaishi Natsuko and Ishida Hiroaki already on the case, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that the press and informational publications would have an idea.

So why did the kids still try so hard to keep the Digimon from their parents and society? A lot of it has to do with the way the kids make their plan to infiltrate the Kaiser’s base in 02 episode 18.

Prior to this point in the series, their fight in the Digital World had been an after-school affair, one that they were capable of hiding instead of having the truth presented up-front to their parents, whether they liked it or not. Starting in April 2002, the kids voluntarily chose to enter a territory war after school. Think about how they’d have to explain this to their parents -- “oh yeah, by the way, I befriended a mysterious monster and will now be going to another world after school to fight a territory war with even bigger monsters on a near-weekly basis” -- of course, most parents would start being obstructive and immediately put an end to that, and there would be so much they’d have to explain to them. In fact, the way the kids parade their Digimon around and try to use the “plushes” excuse instead of really making any decent attempts to hide them indicates they’re not really trying that hard to maintain a facade, just enough to not get awkward questions and people intervening with their actions. After all, if even incidents like the ones in 02 episode 9 can be safely passed off as “being over late at a friend’s place,” why not use that excuse?

So when they first start a real trip into the Digital World that may span multiple days (with Miyako being visibly out of place with this, a sharp contrast to her seniors being used to the idea of being “trapped” there for days on end), Iori says very explicitly that he doesn’t want to worry his family, and the discussion immediately shifts to how they’ll keep this from their families. Interestingly, when Daisuke suggests just lying about it, Hikari scolds him for doing so -- implying that it’s not like she (or the others) is even comfortable with that kind of lie, hence why they ultimately resort to having the seniors stage a camping trip so that the lie can at least be a bit less far-fetched.

But the fact that they can do this in the first place ultimately ends up being a luxury, because they can get away with this as long as the conflict is still in the Digital World. Eventually, we arrive at...

The Christmas 2002 incident

A lot happened on Christmas 2002, especially given the timezone stretch and the number of episodes it spanned, but this effectively sparked the point of no return where Digimon incidents were unavoidable and staring everyone in the face -- especially since it spanned multiple days. Dark Towers started appearing all over the world, wandering Digimon started appearing everywhere, Chosen Children around the world mobilized to round them back into the Digital World, Demon and his army invaded Tokyo, Oikawa kidnapped a large number of children, and eventually the battle with BelialVamdemon on New Year’s Eve ended up bleeding into the real world, with Chosen Children appearing en masse to help them defeat him.

During the course of the international Chosen arc, we do see that quite a few other kids have been hiding their Digimon from their parents -- indeed, not everyone is like Menoa, and especially if they’ve been involved in dangerous incidents or are very small children! Even Mimi tries to hide her involvement from her parents in 02 episode 10, despite them already knowing about the Digimon from the Odaiba fog incident, because -- as they say in the episode -- moving to the US was partially motivated by them wanting to get away from all of this, so, naturally, they’d prefer Mimi have nothing to do with it. But Takeru is comfortable enough to call his grandfather in to help, presumably deciding that he was trustworthy enough about it.

And, indeed, the first major break we see in the facade with the core cast’s parents is with Takeru’s mother Natsuko, who correctly deduces that something is going on and confronts Takeru about it -- to which he immediately does not attempt to cover up or deny, and admits without hesitation. Natsuko, in turn, decides to accept it without grilling him too much, deciding that she’ll trust in Takeru to handle this (presumably, especially after seeing him handle quite a lot even at the young age of eight). At the end of 02 episode 45, Ken -- whose parents have seen so many horrors going on with him that the explanation of him engaging in dangerous monster battles would be more of a comfort to them, because at least they’d be aware of what’s going on -- ultimately chooses to confide in his parents, leading to them and the rest of the Adventure kids’ parents actively choosing to support their kids in their fight over the course of episodes 46-48. Naturally, as much as they’d probably rather their kids not get engaged in dangerous things, they understand what this is and that it’s important, and at the very least want to support them as much as they can -- Koushirou’s mother laments in 02 episode 48 that she wishes she could do more besides just bring food!

02 episode 46 has a moment where Oikawa and Archnemon watch a TV program with people trying (very badly) to blame the recent incidents on a mass delusion -- the TV show itself is portrayed as a sort of trash gossip kind of special -- and Oikawa provides an explanation for the impasse of acknowledgment where people seem to be increasingly aware of Digimon but also not quite aware: things are undeniably happening, but people still aren’t quite ready to accept an explanation that borders on the supernatural. The entire concept of Digimon is a massive shake to the status quo, after all, so while certain investigative and curious people like Natsuko or Haruhiko are naturally more open-minded, and many parents are likely to pay closer attention when kids are involved, only slightly over a hundred Chosen Children (many of whom are still erring on the side of keeping it a secret) and a few reporters aren’t enough to really help people understand...

...but all things considered, it seems to be enough that the Chosen are now functionally giving up on hiding it at all!

By the time of episode 50, the situation has now escalated to the point where any member of the families of the Tokyo Chosen Children who wasn’t already aware of what was going on is now definitely aware, as they await their children’s return from the Digital World. Considering that Jun was already witnessing the return of dangerous things as early as 02 episode 38, and Iori’s grandfather Chikara discovers Armadimon’s existence in episode 47, it becomes rather important to point out that Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori failed to hide their partners’ existence and involvement in Digimon battles for any longer than eight months (April to December 2002). That is how flimsy the facade was. Again, they weren’t even doing that spectacular a job keeping their partners under wraps, Chikara discovered Armadimon by sheer accident just from Armadimon being too big and being unable to control his hunger, and, ultimately, it really is pretty hard to conceal the existence of a living creature constantly accompanying you everywhere.

The aftermath of 02

Well, firstly, there were definitely other things that happened right after the events of 02 that would be pretty hard for people to deny. For instance:

The Internet being the Internet, the incident in Our War Game! could have potentially been passed off as some kind of graphics stunt. But the 2003 Diablomon/Armagemon incident? Nah. People saw that one, and even actively participated in that one! In real life!

With that, as much as Oikawa claims that people are too stubborn to accept changes to the status quo and thus accept Digimon, ultimately, Spring 2003 makes it clear that the Christmas 2002 incident made enough of a fuss that the involved parties all got put on the spot by the public and media. This got to the point where the kids had a risk of their privacy being invaded, and had to be covered by their parents.

My mother, who followed the Hikarigaoka incident as a non-fiction writer, along with Sora-san’s father, are known today as “Digimon critics.” Although the two weren’t sure whether they appreciated their new titles or not, they accepted it and went from investigators to people who were most sought after... ...Thanks to [Hiroaki], we were saved from publicity. It’s sort of like… we’d like to keep our identities and the Digimon a secret. I don’t mean forever, when I say that, but the relationship between us and our partner Digimon is unique and other people probably wouldn’t understand that. For example, we can’t have people thinking that Digimon are slightly strange pets. If they do, then they won’t take us seriously either, and of course, the Digimon wouldn’t like that perception themselves. That’s why, until we get the general public to acknowledge Digimon and the Digital World for what they really are, we’d like to lay low. But in order for that to happen, someone must go out there to explain about the Digimon to others. It was both my mother and Sora-san’s father who accepted that role wholeheartedly. We told the two everything we knew, and they spoke for us to the TV, newspapers, and magazines.

Being people directly connected to the children and understanding of their position, but also in media and publicity positions, Natsuko, Hiroaki, and Haruhiko took on the jobs of advocating for Digimon and explaining their part to the world, while also deliberately acting as go-betweens so that the kids could maintain their privacy. But nevertheless, at this point, the incident in 2002 was such a major thing that it basically was a turning point for people realizing that Digimon exist and are a major presence, and starting to grill informed parties about the details (and, technically, getting those details from the kids themselves, speaking through said media outlets). Hikari also starts working on a “surprisingly useful” informational video for new Chosen Children confused about having a partner -- encouraging them to contact them for help -- and it is also revealed that Shuu, Miyako’s sisters, and Jun had all just gotten partners, meaning that the issue was now starting to become significantly more relevant to their families.

Kizuna also drops an interesting detail about what happened right after 02, or, rather, right after 2002:

The articles describing Menoa’s Digimon research team have titles that indicate that this is one of the first major Digmon scientific research efforts in the world, indicating that, shortly after Menoa’s admission into university and establishing herself there, she began to open up the field of Digimon academic research (her declared major beforehand had been “biology”, presumably the closest she could get to studying Digimon when such a topic didn’t formally exist yet). This is significant because it means that Gennai and the Agents had finally dropped the embargo on Digimon organized research, since it presumably would have been bad for Menoa’s data to vanish without warning -- and, indeed, it makes sense that they would allow for Menoa’s research team to proceed, since Menoa is a Chosen Child herself who has a vested interest in studying Digimon for the greater good and advocating for them in the same way Haruhiko is.

It also provides potential context as to why Menoa may not have been involved much in Digimon fighting and battles in the past but was chosen as a Chosen Child anyway -- Koushirou describes the definition of a “Chosen Child” as such in Two-and-a-Half Year Break:

Having a partner Digimon isn’t really that special. Being a “Chosen Child” means… to cease the hostilities that break out and inconvenience the Digital World. In order to do so, that child gains a partner Digimon faster than another.

While it’s not necessarily in terms of aggressive fighting, a bright and intelligent child like Menoa being chosen to “fight” in the sense of using her intellect to study more about Digimon and help advocate for them seems like a fitting way to fulfill this role in her own way. But, alas, as Gennai and Homeostasis and the Holy Beasts couldn’t necessarily predict what happened to Ichijouji Ken and his fall into becoming the Kaiser, they didn’t seem to be able to predict Menoa’s unfortunate fate and downfall...

Kizuna and 2010

Again, To Sora citing the number of Digimon partners to be over 30,000 by 2010 correctly tracks with the “doubling every year” principle, so it’s probably prudent to assume it’s still been applying over the years. 30,000 is certainly a lot, but it’s not exactly a huge chunk of the global population -- especially since said 30,000 are spread out all over the world, and it’s hard to say how many of them would even live in Japan, let alone Tokyo. It’s a big enough number that Koushirou and Miyako now need to maintain a whole network of Chosen Children (Hikari’s video presumably helped with that), but there are still a lot of unknowns, like the still uncharted territory of the partnership dissolution phenomenon.

Nevertheless, what we see in Kizuna is what you’d probably expect from a society that has now had eight more years to properly digest the existence of Digimon and Digimon incidents. This is most starkly demonstrated in the opening, when a waitress comes by to berate Agumon and Gabumon for making too much noise -- and that’s it, with no weirdness or being taken aback by their presence or existence, just telling them to calm down. The characters in the movie carry around and parade their Digimon quite openly in almost all walks of life, and others interact with them in a very normal manner. One of the credits scenes even shows Daisuke’s higher-up at vocational school being more annoyed at Daisuke’s fight with V-mon than he is at the fact V-mon is there. A newspaper article from early in the movie also correctly identifies Parrotmon and Greymon as Digimon (even if not their specific species), and it is merely treated as an incident rather than paying any particular attention to the fact that Digimon exist. The drama CD also indicates that Daisuke and co. are at the point of sneaking their Digimon into a karaoke bar because said bar has enough awareness of Digimon to charge them admissions fees!

There’s another interesting minor detail in that Palmon, Tailmon, and Patamon are depicted on digital cameras without any static interference. In Adventure and 02, it was impossible to catch them on digital camera in the real world, because, as per Adventure episode 39 and 02 episode 33 (among others), trying to do so would cause nasty static interference and ruin the attempted photo/recording. (This is presumably why Menoa’s photos with Morphomon seem to be film photos.) But for a society where the presence of Digimon is becoming more and more expected, and digital cameras are naturally becoming more commonplace, it would be very bad if this continued to be a problem -- so it makes sense that, by 2010, technological research would have figured out a way around that.

Obviously, not everyone has a Digimon yet, and it’s not like everything in the world has accounted for the assumption people will be walking around with partners -- after all, Taichi’s thesis still involves having to help advocate for Digimon partners and the fact that many people are still skeptical about them. But nevertheless, people are not surprised or perturbed by them anymore, and when something does happen with them, they’re relatively accepting of them. Again, 30,000+ is not exactly a lot to the extent that the entire population has a partner, but with the doubling-every-year principle in play, it seems like society is already well on its way to adjusting to their increasing presence and the eventual point in 2027-2028 when everyone will be expected to have one.

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #digimon adventure last evolution kizuna #kizuna spoilers #shihameta

[immergladsss]

Moonacre Week 2021

Day 1: Zoom/Video Call

On AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31641653

“For next class, please read chapter 9 and be ready to discuss the social and political impact of the Norman Conquest on England—and don't forget, your essays are due this Friday. Have a wonderful day and stay safe!”

Maria watched, unblinking, as square after black square disappeared from the virtual ‘room’. Not even the professor had their camera on.

‘This meeting has been ended by the host.’

The zoom window finally closed.

Maria blinked.

4:56 pm read the time centered against the starlit wallpaper of her Mac book screen. She turned to look at her planner that was strewn over her bed.

No more classes for the day.

Maria fell back onto her bed with a groan. She rubbed her dry eyes, not caring one bit that she was smearing the little make-up she coaxed herself into putting on that morning.

“ 'Dress the part’ they said. ‘It'll make you feel normal’ they said,” Maria mumbled to herself.

She didn't feel normal, all she felt was drained. It was the start of her second year at university… and well over six months into a pandemic that showed no signs of stopping.

She raised her iphone. 4:57 pm. The locking screen was of her family. A picture taken the day of her nephew’s first birthday, December 2019. Georgie was centered in the picture, sitting between her uncle Benjamin and Loveday. Maria stood next to her uncle, leaning over his shoulder, while Ms. Heliotrope, their nanny, was by her side with an arm around her back. To Loveday’s other side was Loveday’s father, Mr. De Noir, and her brother, Robin.

Maria wiped her eyes with the hem of her t-shirt. It felt like an eternity since she last saw them. She missed them. Unlike her roommates, she didn’t move back home at the beginning of lockdown. She had just started an internship, one that was supposed to go well into the summer. Yet only 3 months later, she and the rest of the interns were dismissed, with promises to still receive full class credits.

With public transportation being the only way to get home, she didn’t want to risk her or her family’s safety. Yet day after day, her longing for home depressingly grew like the number of covid cases.

María turned on her side and clicked her laptop back on. She opened her FaceTime app and typed in Loveday’s name.

She propped herself on her elbow and began the call. As she waited, she grimaced at her disheveled appearance. Her red curls were in a messy bun, black mascara smeared around her eyes, her university-themed t-shirt was slipping over her shoulder. The very picture of a work-from-home student.

Lately, she and Loveday had begun a new game, ‘Fashion: Covid’. They would jokingly judge each other's "outfit”, as well as the rest of the family’s, as though they were judges on Project Runway or Next in Fashion. Maria smiled. She couldn't wait to see what Loveday would tease her about today.

“Maria!” A husky voice greeted, “It's been a while—”  

Her eyes flew open as she slammed her laptop shut.

She scrambled out of bed and ran to her bathroom, stumbling over her laptop’s charging cables. Maria washed her face with cold water and soap, doing nothing more than smearing her make-up.

“Oh bugger...” Maria pried open her mirror cabinet, spilling some products as she grabbed her make-up remover. ‘What was Robin doing at the Manor?’ Maria hastily squirted the remover onto the cotton ball, splashing some on her shirt and cursing under her breath. She scrubbed her eyes, ignoring the sting of the remover seeping in.

She rinsed off her face. Grabbing her hand towel, she rubbed her face dry, and ran back to her room, diving right into her bed.

She opened her laptop. 5:01 pm. ‘Crap’. she took longer than she intended. Maria redialed Loveday, hoping he would still be there.

“Maria, what happened?” Loveday answered the phone. Her blond curls were tucked into a fish-tail braid that draped over her shoulder. She was wearing her uncle’s faded brown jumper from his university days.

“Hi Loveday… sorry my internet went down for a bit. You know how it is.”

Loveday nodded with a frown. “Your face looks a bit red, are you running a fever?”

“No, I—”

“Fever?” She heard Ms. Heliotrope shriek from the back. Maria was startled as Loveday’s camera began to shake, before finally settling a bit too close to Ms. Heliotrope’s face.

“Oh, my goodness, Maria you’re red! I must go to you at once!”

“Ms. Heliotrope, I’m fine! I just washed my face.”

Ms. Heliotrope narrowed her eyes, bringing the phone so close to her face that Maria could only see her forehead.

“I don’t believe you. If I take a plane, I can be there by the end of the day.”

“Hang on! Look, I’ll prove it.” Maria climbed out of bed and pulled out the thermometer gun her family had sent in a care package. Sitting back down in front of the camera, she pointed the gun to her head.

Beep. 36 C.

“See, I’m healthy. Besides, it’s much too dangerous for you to travel.”

Ms. Heliotrope looked crestfallen, almost as though she wished she had a reason to be with Maria. “Hmm… Alright my dear. Make sure you check your temperature every day and report to us any symptoms. Please take care and let me know if you need anything! I love you and miss you dearly.”

“I will Ms. Heliotrope, I love and miss you too.” Maria waved goodbye as the phone was passed back to Loveday, but her uncle intercepted it, planting a quick kiss on Loveday’s head as he took the phone from her grasp.

“Maria,” came her uncle’s gruff voice. Even during a pandemic, he was dressed smartly with his hair neatly combed.  “How are you doing? Do you need anything?”

“Hello uncle, I'm alright, thank you though. The care package you sent is not yet half empty.”

“Good, good. Only say the word and I’ll go pick you up myself. We miss you.”

“I miss you too but it’s too risky.”

“It’s worth the risk if it's to have you back with us.”

Maria’s heart ached. “Thank you, uncle, I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

Finally, the phone was handed back to Loveday. “I’d ask how you were doing but it seems everyone’s done so already.” Loveday chatted away, telling Maria about how bored they’ve been.  How Marmaduke’s cooking expanded to include various intricate pastries and bread. She recounted with a laugh how only Wrolf and Georgie seemed to love their constant presence.  Though Maria laughed and nodded her head to Loveday’s words, her eyes kept darting to the background trying to see if she could spot him. Loveday grew quiet, she watched Maria with a raised brow and crooked smile, waiting to see how long until Maria noticed.

“Oh, er sorry Loveday, I don’t think I heard you. Were you waiting on my response?”

“Its alright, it seems you’re looking for someone else?”

“No, no…” Maria said sheepishly, “but earlier, Robin answered the phone. He’s back?”

“Yes love. He returned about a month ago but was quarantining at the castle. He’s now running errands and getting groceries for both of our families. I always offer to help, but he insists, and you know how he gets.”  Loveday bit her growing grin. “Do you want to talk to him? He’s playing with Georgie at the moment.”

“Sure, why not,” Maria tried to say nonchalantly. Though she never outright confessed to him, her childhood crush on Robin was no secret. But with four years her senior, Robin always brushed off any comments made about them, saying she was just his best friend. Once he compared her to a little sister. That one stung. Though Maria tried to grow out of it, even having a few boyfriends through her teens, that never stopped Loveday from trying to set them up.

The camera turned black momentarily before turning back on. They were in the parlor now. Robin was on the floor, playing with Georgie and his action figures. Maria’s heart warmed.

His hair was much longer and held up in a messy bun much like hers, though she hated to admit he looked better in it. He wore a black t-shirt with faded black ripped jeans. There were a couple of black and silver chain bracelets on his wrist.

“Oh Robiiin,” Loveday teasingly called. “Seems like someone misses and wants to talk to you.”

“Loveday stop playing!” Maria hissed under her breath, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

Robin jogged over to the phone with a merry grin on his face. Loveday flipped the camera back around, blew a kiss at Maria with a wink, and passed the phone to Robin.

“Hey,” Robin greeted. “Cleaned your face?”

“No!” Maria lied against the growing blush.

“It’s alright princess, not all of us can look as good as I did in smeared eyeliner.”

“Oh please, you mean that emo phase you went through?”

Robin stilled. The corners of his mouth turned up into a faint smile. He shut his eyes as he threw his head back and clutched Georgie’s toy like a microphone. “I got your picture! I'm coming with you! Dear Maria count me in!” Robin sang at the top of his voice.

“Oh god no! Not that song again! You were so annoying! I’ll hang up if you don’t stop right now!” Maria threatened through Robin’s laughter.

“It wasn’t a phase. It was a lifestyle! I’m thinking of bringing it back. Reckon I’ll look better with it now.”

“Ugh, your ego has grown along with your hair.”

“Wouldn’t yours too if you looked this good in a bun?”

“Please, I’ve seen better.”

“Oh yeah, name a few.”

“Chris Hemsworth, Ben Barnes, Jason Mamoa, Orlando Bloom, Timothée Chalamet—”

“Alright, alright, I get it. And please don’t get me started on that Chalemutwat. Such a sap, can’t believe that’s what girls are into nowadays.”

“You're just sore you don't fit the profile anymore. Face it Robin, the rock and leather days are long gone. It's all about k-pop and softbois now.”

“Softboys are just fuckboys with flowers in their hair,” Robin grumbled in disgust.

Maria snorted, thinking about the time he wore a flower crown for a May Day festival. “So, I heard you got back a month ago?”

Robin was walking out of the manor. She could see the setting blue sky and moving landscape in his background. “Yeah… The parks closed down. Figured it was time to come back home. I’m surprised you aren’t here.”

“Aww miss me?”

Robin shrugged his shoulders and looked away. “Want to see the gardens?” Robin flipped the camera, showing her around the manor grounds. As he walked her through, he talked of how covid affected his job. The craziness of people. How some thought escaping to the outdoors was the solution, only to end up trampling on preserved wildlife and littering about.

Maria had settled down, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand, she wore a wistful look across her face with a soft smile. Robin paused. His eyes focused on the screen, and he swallowed.

“Such a shame that happened to the park,” Maria said. “I’d be heartbroken if something like that happened to your forest.”

Robin cleared his throat, “Erm-yeah. Really annoying.” He forced his eyes back to the gardens as he continued on his way.

The camera stopped moving as he sat by a tree and flipped the camera back on him. 

“You got an earring?” Maria asked leaning closer to the screen.

“Yeah, was thinking about it for a while.”

“Ooh! Show it to me.”

He brought the phone close, it was a black stud, with a charm of a red feather.

“I like it.”

“Looks good on me, eh?”

“Bring that ego down a notch and then we’ll see. How’s your father, I’m guessing he had to stop with his falconry lessons?”

“Yes, we shut down the school temporarily. The castle feels lonely.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn.”

“Really? I’ll teach you when you get here.”

“Okay! Oh, I took up archery—Well before covid shut it down.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, I can teach you that!”

“Sounds like a deal,” Robin paused, “are you really not coming back soon?”

“Oh, I don’t know. What if lockdown ends?”

 “Don’t bet on it. Words going around it’ll be like this until the vaccine comes out. Give it another six months, maybe a year.”

“A year?”

“Yep.”

“Bloody hell.”

Robin frowned. “When did you start cursing?”

“I’ve learned a thing or two at uni. Even got drunk!” Maria said with a proud grin.

Robin’s face fell. “When was this? Who were you with?”

“Oh, lay off. You’ve gotten drunk plenty of times. Don’t forget about that time you broke your arm after trying to climb my tower.”

“That’s not the problem. You’re tiny. Were you with trusted people? Who took you home?”

“Relax birdboy, I was with friends. We went to a pub. I got tipsy, not black-out drunk. My roommates and I walked ourselves home. I didn’t even have a hangover. And I’m not tiny, I’m average.”

“Just barely,” Robin said with a snort though he seemed to relax back against the tree. “Never, ever, get drunk without someone you truly trust. And remember the pack rule. People are shifty.”

“I know, I know. I still remember your lesson before I left for school. Besides with this pandemic, doubt that’ll be happening anytime soon.” Maria told him about school. The weird things she’s seen on her classmate’s cameras. How everyone seemed to care less and less. She was over it all.  

“You should just come back to Moonacre. Study from here. Even my friends are back, they’ve been helping me fly the falcons.”

“The gangs back too? So not fair. I miss them,” Maria whined. “I want to, but it’s too dangerous. My uncle’s the only one working right now, and the upkeep of that old manor is so expensive. I can’t risk their health. If I could get home safely, I would be there in a heartbeat.”

Robin got pensive. “Alright. Well, hopefully I’ll see you soon.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “I just told you that’s not likely. I already feel bad enough as it is. Don’t rub it in.”  

Robin shrugged his shoulders, “Never say never. I should let you go now, it's late and Loveday’s phone is about to die.”

Maria pouted, surprised to see the clock in the corner of her screen read 8:47 pm. “Wow, we don’t speak for ages and you’re already wanting to hang up. I see how it is.”

Robin shook his head with a chuckle and a sad look across his eyes. “You know that’s not the case,” he said softly.

“I know. I’m only teasing. Good night Robin. I…I miss you.”

“Good night princess. I miss you too.”

The screen turned black. Instead of Robin’s face, she now sat staring at her own glum reflection.

8:49 pm.

She closed her laptop and stared at the photo collage above her desk. Pictures of her adventures with friends and family adorned the board. In the middle was one of her and Robin competing in a race at that May Day Festival. Still wearing the flower crown, Robin was giving her a piggyback ride. She was laughing.  They lost after Maria freaked out when a bee landed on a flower in front of her nose, causing Robin to trip. It was the last thing they did before her leaving to school.

Sitting back up, she opened up her essay and began to type. Wondering when she would see him and her family again.

…A few weeks later…

A resounding knock came from the door. Maria frowned. She hadn’t ordered dinner yet… It was probably some package getting delivered. Shrugging her shoulders, she went back to work, deciding to deal with it later... Until the knocking came again. Then her phone lit up. Maria glanced at the screen, wondering who could be calling: Robin.

#moonacreweek2021 #incorrect-quotes-of-moonacre #theres supposed to be a second part to this... but i havent finished it #oops #the secret of moonacre #robin x maria #modern au #covid-19 #pandemic #marias bored #all time low #dear maria #i totally think robin had an emo phase #and he works the man bun #this was fun #i wish i could participate more #the prompts are soooo good #the possibilities

[royalcordelia]

Fic Masterlist: JackSparrow589 Edition

There’s never a bad time for shirbert fic recommendations, so this time, I’d like to celebrate @js589​! You (definitely) might know her as JackSparrow589 on ao3, or better yet, one of your favorite fic authors! I wanted to recommend every one of her shirbert stories and give you my two-cents about why I think every single one is a must-read.

As you read, I encourage you to drop kudos if you haven’t read and leave a comment with your thoughts! (Oldest to newest, because we’re diggin’ tonight!)

A Bit of Reciprocal Courage:  Some first kiss goodness. Gilbert drinks his respect Anne juice AND his confidence juice. 

Awestruck: If you’re missing awae, this fills in some blanks with some sweet moments and insight.

Why Can't Life Ever Go Smoothly?: Because Doctor Gilbert is irresistable to both us and Anne. 

And All Around, the Snow Fell: In which Cole was so very wonderfully, beautifully right about crushes and feelings. I love the wintery themes in this one. Definitely a good read if you’re in the heat of summer. 

Girlish Fun: The sequel to the last one. Speaks for itself! <333 

New Possibilities: I’ll let the tags speak for themselves. “Fluff, Pointless fluff, Have I mentioned fluff yet?, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings” This is not false advertising, folks.

It Is Together That We Move Forward: A missing moment we did not know we needed. An important look into accepting comfort from people we love after a tough time. 

Sweet as Pie: I always love Jerry teasing Anne about Gilbert and this oneshot DELIVERS. 

As Constant and As Fickle as the Sky: I, too, wish I was caught in the rain with Gilbert Blythe. Alas, I’ll have to live vicariously through this fic. 

Grant That I May Not So Much Seek To Be Consoled As To Console: The title of this fic makes me tear up. Living up to its name, this fic makes me cry too. A really sweet post 3x03.

Dominoes of a Dance: In which everyone ships Shirbert and they finally get their acts together. 

When Trouble Comes Knocking: We love a Jerry and Anne sibling story!!! I’m a sucker for the sheer found family vibes in this. 

It's All So Quick and I Feel Sick: I’m right there with Anne feeling her “hope and warmth... and longing.” Post dance feels comin’ right up!

In Which Minnie May Spills the Tea: If Diana hadn’t ripped Gil a new one on the train, THIS is what I would’ve wanted. Perfection. 

Could This Be the Moment: This is one of those end of season 3 fics that made watching Gilbert be an idiot a bit more bearable. The ending is so satisfying, ahhhh. <3

The Subtle Distinction Between Jealousy and Envy: When I tell you I did not know the difference between jealousy and envy until this fic. Anne and Gil have a good conversation in this one. (Though Jack, if you wanted to add a second chapter, I would not object. The suspense!) 

A Bright and Shining Future: Deserves every kudos it has. Another interesting take on the Gil/Winnie/Anne situation. 

As the Seasons Pass: A sequel to the last one! Except hotter and heavier (Jack’s words, not mine). 

Down to the Wire: Marilla said #AnneRights! And then upon further reflection, realizes that shirbert rights are Anne rights. Very satisfying though bc there is some COMMUNICATION. 

A Shattering of Expectations: Another 3x09 fix it fic that saved my life after I watched Gilbert trample all over Anne’s note. 

Moments Unseen: I would’ve killed to see Anne and Winnie’s conversation, but thanks to this story, I don’t have to! Bonus Diana + Gilbert closure too.

Better Late Than Never: A surprise Miss Stacy comes in and plots away. I like the Miss Stacy and Bash vibes in this, something we didn’t get to see.

Words From the Heart: I know for a fact y’all like post season 3 fics, so this one is for you. Twenty chapters of wonderfulness. 

Now and Always: REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD. Thorough kisses and fluff, ahoy!

To Live a Life With No Regrets: In addition to cutting the Winnie drama early, this story sends some much deserved love to my girl Ka’kwet. Overall, just so sweet and wonderful. 

A Friendly Favor: I know we’re all about missing moments from the end of season 3, but the beginning is just as important. That’s what this story does! 

That'll Be a "Yes": A sweet look into shirbert talking about their future. Something good to read if you’re having a rough day and needs some good feels. 

Inflection Points: My personal favorite! When this was being updated I waited for it daily. 10 missing moments from Season 3 that you definitely wanted to see. 

Locked In: Think 7 Minutes in Heaven, late victorian edition. Yep, it’s just as wonderful as you expect. This is also the one Jack tried to show me just how fluffy and amazing she can be. I was thoroughly impressed, but not surprised in the slightest. 

In Which Feelings Start to Bloom: An Inflection Points Continuation: Exactly what it sounds like. *Insert hallelujah chorus*.

Moonlit, Starstruck: Rated E for married love makin. In my professional shirbert opinion, there isn’t enough of this type of intimacy in shirbert fic. Very romantic, 10/10.

In Which Gilbert Makes the Decision He Damn Well Should Have: In which all of our frustrations cease because Gilbert is just...decent and sweet in this one. Thank God!! 3x08 gilbert who??

Burning Like a Fire Gone Wild: THE DRAMA. We love a good hurt/comfort/happy ending story. I loved every word of this one especially. 

To Be Your Last Good Night and Your First Good Day: I’m not usually a modern AU type gal, but this one has me changin my mind. 

Nobody Loves Me Like You Love Me: Modern AU’s that made Tessa change her mind, part 2!!

We All Need Someone To Hold: Lovely sequel to the train accident fic (see two bullets up!) Read that one first for sure! Thank me later. 

The Wolves Came and Went and We're Still Standing: Modern AUs that made Tessa change her mind, Wedding Edition!! The gettin’ is good, fam! 

Like a Heartbeat Skip, Like an Open Page: Jack is a master at canon compliant moments and if you don’t believe me, look no further, just click the heckin’ link. 

Skating Lessons: Another fic to read if you’re unbearably hot this summer! A snowy, fluffy, shirbert dream of a fic!

Dressed Up/Dressed Down: Another E fic. I know most of y’all got a thing for shirbert in each other’s clothes so make sure you thank Jack personally for this one. 

A Most Unexpected Remedy: When Jack delivers, she REALLY delivers. Another fic diving into Anne and Winnie’s conversation. Her and I were both mad about Winnie’s characterization, and so Jack fixed it up real nice!

Over the Sky: This is the soiree reunion fic I wanted like NONE OTHER. 3.3k words of dreams come true! 

As the New Era Dawns: This story took my heart in its hands and squeezed it. Different than a lot of her other works, but so so so beautiful just the same. I have a soft spot for this one. 

In Which Diana Yells at Gilbert an Episode Early: AS SHE SHOULD!!!! In Jack’s words, “The title speaks for itself, folks.”

Somniferous: Smoochin’ and sleepin’ to the MAX, fam. A 5+1 fic that stole my heart away. 

The Relentless Persistence of Destiny: Lastly, the (currently) unfinished AU that peeks into what would’ve happened if Anne and Gilbert would’ve met in college. Gotta tell you, this story is refreshing for very clear reasons (mostly, it doesn’t make a reality show out of two very sweet, human people.) Bookmark this one so you have something happy to read when you’ve got the sads. 

To you, the reader, I hope you enjoy these works as much as I have. Again, if you do, be sure to let Jack know. 

To Jack, thank you for writing 46 stories that have gotten this fandom through such crazy times! Through Season 3, cancellation, and a pandemic, you always gifted us with such wonderful content, even though your own personal life bore its own challenges. It’s been such a privilege being your friend and enjoying your beautifully crafted stories. Happy birthday, my love <33

#anne of green gables #anne with an e #shirbert #please send js all the good vibes #thats not a request solider thats an order

[punkscowardschampions]

Dash & Lux

Dash: ☀️🧙🏽‍♀️🎶🥁🎸🪕🧚🏿‍♂️🌿🌼🧚🔮💃💫🔥🕺🏻🌳💗🍯🍻

Lux: That is almost exactly what the inside of my head looks like right now!!!

Lux: Is mind-reading a power that is bestowed upon you believers this eve?! 🤔😲

Dash: Right on

Dash: it’s one of many, trust

Lux: I’m ever sadder I can only be an observer now

Lux: Telepathy would be the most useful!

Dash: you gotta open your 👀 at least twice

Lux: I can 👀 at it, all of it in its splendour, just not participate

Dash: Bummer! What’s got you backing off? You don’t look like no wallflower chick to me

Lux: I got the dress code 🌻🌻🌻

Lux: Sunflowers are so strong-looking for flowers, don’t you think?

Lux: Not dainty and delicate

Lux: Well, I’m a Christian and technically this is a Pagan ritual so it’s a big 🚫🚫

Lux: I am finding it super interesting though

Dash: they don’t look strong, they are, babe 🌻🌻🌻 cleaned up Chernobyl, it’s far out what they can do

Dash: its roots, yeah, but we’re not all pagans here & we all still find something to celebrate, you could do St John the Baptist’s birthday as a christian, bonfires were big for that too

Lux: Whaaaaaaaaaat????! TELL ME MORE

Dash: about 🌻🌻🌻 or 🎂🔥🎇🎆?

Lux: 🌻🌻🌻 birthdays are contentious too

Dash: Helianthus annuus, from the Greek helios, meaning ☀️ they can remove poisonous chemicals & metals from the ground, water or air

Dash: they spread rapidly & can stabilize if not totally clear a field in 3 years, it’s 🤯

Lux: I wish I’d gone to school

Lux: Do you know any more fascinating things?

Lux: That sounds like magic

Dash: the world’s full of magic, but it wasn’t school that taught me to recognize it

Lux: Share the secret, kind sir

Dash: you’ve got the 🔑 & this here’s your kingdom, all you have to do is hang out & stay hip to what you 👀👂👃👅

Dash: 🧠➡️⬅️⬆️⬇️↗️↘️↙️↖️↪️↩️⤴️⤵️

Lux: I’ve 👅 so many wondrous tastes today

Lux: I feel full in so many senses of the word

Lux: How long have you been a member of the kingdom, stranger?

Dash: quest accepted to lay that feeling on you in every sense, then it’ll be a rad celebration

Dash: I’ve been here since I could walk, everywhere else is too big a drag to keep me

Lux: Oh, that’s so kind!

Lux: Everyone is so open and willing to teach me things

Lux: For instance, quick, when’s your birthday, wolf boy

Dash: it’s that kinda space 🦊

Dash: 20th of January 🎂 got me on the cusp ♑♒

Lux: Twins!

Lux: My birthday, which I’ve never celebrated before, is the 20th of March 😱

Lux: Someone, I’m not sure who, was just telling me about the Celtic tree signs

Lux: ‘If you were born in the month of the birch, you probably have a fresh and unusual outlook on life. People born under this Celtic tree astrology sign tend to be highly driven and are always full of zeal and ambition. They always want more and try to reach new horizons and expand their knowledge. Some of the characteristics attributed to the Birch sign are tolerance, toughness, and leadership. The Birch signs can brighten a room with their smile and quickly charm other people’

Lux: Yay or nay 🐺

Dash: you charmed so far or nah? [obviously smiling at her wherever she is as well like heyyy]

Lux: [definition of this emoji 🤭]

Dash: What’s your celtic tree sign?

Lux: ‘Those born under the Alder sign are natural pathfinders. They have the ability to move people and quickly gain followers to their cause. The Alders have a way with words, mingle easily and people love to be around them. They possess a mystic charisma, confidence and strong self-faith. Other character traits are: a good focus on goals and ideas, can’t tolerate fluff and waste.’

Lux: I am unsure but flattered 😊😊😊

Dash: I dig it

Dash: they let you know if we’re compatible? Your ♓♈ cusp makes you mad desirable to all signs

Lux: You need to see who here was born 15th April to 12th May or 2nd September to 29th September

Lux: But it says I’m compatible with you, so how does that work?! 😣

Lux: There’s so much I have to get my head ‘round

Dash: You’re gonna be 🥰💖 for me while I’m 🔍 for a 🐈 or 🐤 born on those dates?

Lux: Hey, that’s way less nice!

Lux: but I can also be looking for people born 13th May to 9th June AND 10th June to 7th July so 😋

Dash: those signs are full of it, trying to make me look uncool but don’t sweat it, I’d never cut you that low, like

Lux: If it’s not in the 💫s I can still say I’m pleased to meet you today as friends, Mowgli

Dash: Look up

Dash: if you don’t see a 🌠 I can show you a 🐺🌟 & 🦊🌟 chasing each other across the sky

Lux: [obviously literally does]

Lux: That’s very Disney 🏰✨

Dash: is that allowed?

Lux: I watched some at a friend’s house one time

Dash: & how was it?

Lux: 😭 but romantic

Dash: Anyone told you the oak king story yet?

Lux: Okay, thank Goodness

Lux: this lady with the dreads and the big back tattoo tried to tell me but I couldn’t understand her 🙊

Lux: Redeem your gentlemanly reputation and save both of us the embarrassment

Lux: Her accent was wild! 🤯

Dash: did her version start with Fadó, fadó?

Dash: wouldn’t be a wild guess

Lux: I won’t credit you with any telepathic skills this time, then

Lux: also I’d need to 👂 it again to confirm fully but yes, I think so

Dash: [send her an utterly unnecessary voice memo]

Lux: It sounds more intriguing when you say it

Dash: [obviously gotta tell her the full story in an irish voice memo purely for the #flex and the flirt cos you know damn well you’re gonna have to translate it, boy]

Lux: 🤩

Lux: Did you learn that here too?

Lux: I’ve lived so many different places and yet I only know the one language

Dash: My ma started it but when the establishment took over it was a bad scene & turned me off for time, last few years here it felt groovy again having that connection & I refound the 💚☘️

Lux: It’s really cool

Lux: it sounds old, or like elvish or something else not real

Dash: it’s a trip, you’ve gotta get someone to teach you while your fly by lasts

Lux: Oh, I live here 😊

Lux: I room with Nora, do you know her?

Dash: Beats me, what’s her deal?

Lux: Her and her brother Finley have been here for a while, but not forever like you

Lux: but there are a lot of people here so I’m not surprised you’re not sure 😅

Dash: not a clue but loads of people are too rattled to wanna get involved, could be her vibe

Dash: or she just ain’t outta sight like you

Lux: She’s totally involved, she secured like all of the sunflowers for today

Lux: well, me and Amber helped but she was definitely the most enthusiastic

Dash: 🌻👑! I do know her, but her in with Amber & instant karma means she’s not gonna mess around with me

Lux: Ooh, what did you do

Dash: jack, Amber’s hassling me cos I’m not trying to be her old man, she gets super rash & things get heavy with 0 slack

Lux: Hmm I shouldn’t have asked 🤐🙉

Dash: ask her why she’s making a move on my older bro now if not to try & lay a trip on me, babe’s lost it

Lux: Whaaaaaaa

Lux: You have a brother?!

Lux: Is he invisible?

Dash: I wish

Lux: Which one is he, point him out

Dash: [points in the direction of their house lol]

Lux: [a face of understanding like oh okay]

Lux: How does Amber know him then?

Dash: from stalking me

Lux: I don’t think she would do that

Lux: She must’ve just bumped into him or something

Dash: at my house, yeah

Lux: It’s cool, it’s not really my business

Dash: open 👀 like I said

Lux: 📖

Dash: that too 🧠💗🤲

Lux: I can agree with that sentiment

Dash: we’re groovy then

Lux: Of course 😊

Lux: enjoy your evening

Dash: back at you, golden girl ☀️🎇👸🏼

Lux: I like your outfit too

Lux: it’s very ☀️🧙🏽‍♀️🎶🥁🎸🪕🧚🏿‍♂️🌿🌼🧚🔮💃💫🔥🕺🏻🌳💗🍯🍻

Dash: [comes over and ties a chain of flowers around her wrist like it’s a friendship bracelet energy]

Lux: [clearly delighted with this]

Dash: [ask her if she wants to dance even though you know damn well she’s only observing because kind of boy you are]

Lux: [so rude lowkey when she’s struggling so hard with what she does and doesn’t believe now, we’re in enough of a dilemma without your help but there we go; thus we will go dance with you because we do want to and we can make arguments that that isn’t joining in with the rituals of it all]

Dash: [he’s lucky Amber is busy because she would fight him, but instead enjoy your dance you two]

Lux: [the audacity of your lies about her, we were so awkward like 😬 anyway, we will have a nice dance though]

Dash: [such a dickhead he can only be humbled by fire, full offense Nora because we’re ignoring you hen cos you’re clearly wise to his bs]

Lux: [there’s clearly a growing group of gals who are unimpressed by your nonsense and that will be interesting to navigate]

Dash: [Definitely, but yeah probably do slip away like a snek before any of those gals do kick your ass]

Lux: 🎃👠🐁🌠🕛

Dash: A 📘 for the 🔥

Lux: 🤔?

Dash: it’s a drag, all that heavy shit with her fam is a bummer, she gets to split but only til 🕛 that’s some 🌠

Lux: Yeah, it’s enough to get help though and then she gets saved

Dash: nah, to get shafted, she don’t get to dance with anyone else there, it’s a scam

Lux: 😅 who else does she need, she’s got the prince, silly!

Dash: someone who recognizes her next day?

Lux: Touche 😏

Lux: Being a 🤴 is a lot of work

Dash: What 🤴 told you that?

Lux: Where to begin

Lux: I’ve known several who would say as much and the 👸s would never disagree

Dash: Fadó, fadó, fadó a bhí ann…

Dash: but I’d shut it down from the beginning, they gotta be shining you on

Lux: I’m going to have to have translate open constantly, I see 😰

Lux: but very noble

Dash: I try, like you & your ☘️ it’s chill we’ve all got your back

Lux: It would be way worse if it was the only language any of you spoke

Lux: thank goodness 😅

Lux: there’s lots more that’s more pertinent for me to get a grip on

Dash: 🧝🧝🏻‍♀️🧝🏽🧝🏾‍♀️

Dash: we’ve got you on the rest too, like, goes without saying

Lux: Most everyone has been super welcoming

Dash: how long have you lived here?

Lux: Not long enough that that’s insulting 😋

Lux: but gosh, a couple of weeks? Must be

Dash: nah I meant cos I don't wanna explain to you what sorta place this is like you're fresh through the door if you've had loads of time to find your own way

Lux: Oh no, I’m a total n00b

Lux: Hazel got me here but I’ve kinda just been left to it since

Lux: Anything you wanna tell me would be appreciated

Dash: did Amber or Nora give you the tour?

Lux: Amber’s been super busy and Nora likes to stay in our room mostly

Dash: not super welcoming

Dash: but it’s no sweat, I’ll show you round, we’ll have a blast

Lux: they’ve both got their own stuff going on, I don’t expect them to drop it for me

Lux: but that would still be cool, thank you!

Dash: say when

Dash: it’ll be as electric under the ☀️ as the 🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌙

Lux: I can 👀 in the dark

Lux: You choose

Lux: find me when you’ve stopped having the MOST fun?

Dash: 🐺🐾🦊

Dash: Meet me in the orchard at midnight, ditching your shoes before

Dash: there’s an 🍏🌳🍎 you can 👀 the whole farm from the top of

Lux: And you’ll remember what I look like?

Dash: you look unreal

Dash: unforgettable

Lux: I got creative with the arts and crafts 🌟⚡️☀️

Lux: I’ve always made my own clothes

Lux: well, I made them for my sisters before

Lux: looking unforgettable was not the end goal there though

Lux: that was for secret

Dash: my nan would be hip to you, she used to make her own clothes, for her girl & her sister too when they wanted, it’s still a vibe for her

Lux: I will make her something then

Lux: what’s her style?

Dash: indescribable

Dash: I’ll show you pics

Lux: Awkward if your nan is cuter than you

Dash: at our age she totally was

Lux: Awh, you’re so sweet

Lux: I have nothing nice to say about my meemaw

Dash: keep it for mine when you meet her

Lux: You’re gonna introduce me to your nan? 😊

Dash: right on, she’ll wanna put whatever you make on for you to 👀 & it’s only a few fields over

Lux: 🏞 it’s a crazy beautiful spot to live, that’s for sure

Lux: so you live with her?

Dash: Yeah, my ma grew up there & when my parents called it quits she wanted to move back

Lux: You’re close-knit

Lux: that’s special

Dash: closer than I am to my da

Lux: Does that upset you?

Dash: I don’t let it upset my equilibrium, he’s uptight, that’s his problem not mine

Lux: I understand

Lux: I don’t agree with my dad on a lot of things

Lux: it’s still sad though

Dash: I got killer people round me, a 2nd family here accepting me for who I am, it ain’t cool he don’t, but they give me what I need

Lux: I’m happy for you

Lux: Seriously

Lux: again, that’s special, you should be really grateful

Dash: I am, believe me

Dash: you’re gonna scope out how special it is here now I’m in charge of showing you everything

Lux: I’d love to see your 🌍 how you see it

Lux: Kinda sounds like everything I need, honestly

Dash: you can, easily when we’re sharing a branch

Lux: 🧚‍♀️ you’re dainty, I trust you won’t let me fall

Dash: I’ll let you fall into something good though, new heights

Lux: Will it hurt?

Dash: no way

Lux: You aren’t pranking me, are you?

Dash: there’s no plastic on me, I’m being real with you

Lux: If you’re gonna try and jump me out in the orchard I’ll have to show you crazy and I really can’t afford to lose this place okay

Lux: so if I believe you right now and you were lying, it’ll be worse than it would’ve been, you feel me?

Dash: Hurting you isn’t my action, I’m about a gentler touch than that

Lux: and I’m not a bully, that’s not my vibe so that’s the warning out of the way

Dash: avenging 👼 I get it

Lux: My costume has you fooled, I think

Dash: Wait, so you’re pranking me?

Lux: No, I swear! 😅

Lux: I don’t feel like I’ve been anywhere near as nice to you as you have to me though

Dash: but you did dance with me & that was choice

Lux: I wanted to

Dash: me too, I wasn’t asking just to be nice

Lux: even though you’re very nice

Lux: I believe that

Dash: I think we’re getting somewhere

Lux: You understand why I’d find a boy like you being interested in me dubious at first, right

Dash: Nah, but I’m listening

Lux: Well it’s embarrassing to say

Dash: alright, listen, I think you’re the most

Dash: I’m embarrassed I’ve not met you before tonight

Lux: There are so many people to meet

Lux: and you’re like the 🤴 of this place, huh

Lux: you have to dance with all the ugly stepsisters too

Dash: if Amber said write that to bait me I’m shutting up

Lux: I think Amber left 🤔

Lux: And who’s calling her ugly, even if you guys have beef, like no way

Dash: & Nora’s gotta be back in your room cos that’s her bag, yeah?

Dash: so where are you?

Lux: I’m in the middle of [one hippie activity] and [another]

Dash: [go find her and dance with her again obvs, we can be bolder about if some of the haters are gone and it’s later so he’s clearly a bit more drunk/high by now too]

Lux: [the way you’re probably sober like how lmao, not saying you always are or will be ‘cos no but gotta have our wits about us ‘cos witchery is afoot; but yeah we all know it can shamelessly way more of a Thing™]

Dash: [at least Amber was too until her row with the bae even if she wasn’t the most present in other ways, so it wasn’t just you gal, but yeah, dispel any remaining fears she may have that you’re not into this please boy with this moment]

Lux: [we know you got your own going on, it’s good, this drama has to happen whether you like it or not babe sorryyyy, when you’re then even more into it because it’s like HELLO IS THIS ALLOWED, so new and fresh to get to remotely be this brazen]

Dash: [shouldn’t LOVE that for you but I do, we should probably let y’all go on your tour then because we’re both in a mood and there’s nobody to separate you]

Lux: [probably, but I will insist on making you wait ‘til midnight regardless]

Dash: [it is a fat mood and I did pick that time deliberately so yeah, dance the night away first hens]

Lux: [sure it’s probably near that time anyways]

Dash: [yeah absolutely]

Lux: [we can skip to the after in this if you like?]

Dash: [are we thinking am like did y’all fall asleep together or?]

Lux: [Hmm, do we go with the Cinderella and have her bounce or do we go against it and not, because then she would think he wasn’t a dick later]

Dash: [even though he’s a dick I still want all the cute I can grab with my smol hands]

Lux: [it’s not like you can’t be like I just fell asleep it’s nbd with it so yeah okay

Dash: [I also like the camber parallel of it all so]

Lux: [true true, we can do it, then you can just have breakfast as a group because duh, was it sunday or monday today?]

Dash: [I think it’s sunday aka Cosmo is having his 2nd date with Ruby tonight and then Camber breakfast dates start monday]

Lux: [okay then you will have to think of a creative way to ditch her then boy hohaha]

Dash: [at least he can just go home because Amber only stayed to angrily eat some fruit and Cosmo had a busy day ahead because I doubt the shower situation at this commune is thriving, water probably runs out always]

Lux: [what a poser lmaooo]

Dash: [and very rude not to invite her when she probably wants to shower or bathe too]

Lux: [we literally got gems stuck to our face but pop off]

Dash: [we know you’re not because your mother is there and sick of your behaviour but yes, it wouldn’t kill you to let her boy]

Lux: [no offence but run him over, anyway, some time later]

Lux: are you ⬇️🍄?

Dash: 🛹⚡️

Lux: aha, cool

Lux: good thing you didn’t invite me I’d end up 🤕 for sure

Dash: I didn’t stop you falling out of a tree last night to have you fall off a board later in the AM

Lux: Hey, you make it sound like I was 🤏 close! 😆

Dash: nah, your balance is sound

Lux: I don’t recall you stepping on my toes, either

Dash: don’t wanna have to start the day off doubting your 🍒 recall, that’d be a bad scene

Lux: I was totally sober thank you 😅

Dash: easy to claim the magic’s all you when I ain’t met you before but I’m a believer

Lux: Wait, was that a compliment or a diss?

Lux: Maybe I’m contact-wasted

Dash: contact with Nora would get you more sober, there’s a diss

Lux: Awh, don’t be mean!

Lux: She’s been really nice

Dash: chill out, I’m only playing

Lux: Hmm 😏

Lux: anyway, what are you doing later?

Dash: I said I’d hang with Yara

Lux: Oh cool, who’s that?

Dash: I’ll introduce you after

Lux: after what?

Dash: we’re done messing around

Lux: wow, alrighty then

Dash: you’ll like her, she’s a trip

Lux: I’m not totally sure she’d want you to 💬 that

Lux: or I’ll know what to 💬 now

Dash: it’s no biggie

Lux: idk, this is not the way I was raised

Lux: you say it’s not but idk, you know

Dash: you don’t have to meet her

Lux: Yeah

Dash: I think she’s rad but you gotta make up your own mind

Lux: It’s not about her

Dash: nah, you, I understand where you’re coming from, it’s a new world

Lux: Right, it seems really icky to me that you’d tell me any of this

Lux: it’s not about how rad she could be

Dash: Come on, Lux, I’m keeping this honest

Lux: I guess

Lux: Why do you need to tell me though, I don’t get it, for real?

Dash: I like you, I don’t want it to get twisted

Dash: 📖

Lux: Okay, I appreciate the sentiment then

Dash: I’ll come find you later, on my own

Lux: That’s okay

Lux: I’ve got lots of chores to catch up on

Dash: they’ll be done faster if I help you

Lux: I can’t stop you

Lux: the place is a mess after last night and the more people who pitch in the better

Dash: I don’t get why you’d wanna stop me

Lux: I don’t really wanna hang out now, not today anyway

Dash: I can’t believe you’re being like this

Lux: Being like what?

Dash: Amber

Lux: I’m not

Lux: you can’t hang out now, I can’t hang out later, how is it any different?

Dash: the way I’m travelling through today is a straight line, yours is all over the place

Lux: Good for you?

Lux: It doesn’t matter either way though

Dash: doing a u turn on me does matter

Lux: It does?

Lux: because last night you thought I was rad, so obviously this morning I wanted to hang out with you again, so I think it’s my turn to do the 180, if you think about it

Dash: I still think you are, last night was unreal & we can be again, I’m just asking you to take 5 cos I can’t split on Yara after making plans time ago

Lux: That’s fine, it’s not fine to be mad at me ‘cos I ask you to take 5 too

Lux: that makes it make no sense

Dash: I’m not mad at you, I’m trying to make sense of why you’re mad at me

Lux: I’m not mad at you, I’m upset

Lux: You only need to ask

Dash: idk I didn’t think this would go down how it is

Lux: Me either, I guess

Dash: you for real want space?

Lux: I don’t know

Lux: Can I get back to you on that?

Dash: yeah

Lux: I wanted to see you again

Lux: I thought you’d want to see me too

Dash: I do, you read me right last night, why are you gonna start disbelieving yourself today?

Lux: You want to see Yara more

Dash: I wanna see her too

Lux: Okay, have fun then

Dash: we cool?

Lux: I don’t know

Dash: idk what's turned you different, you were laying it on me like you got it, how I'm

like royalty & everyone wants a piece of my time

Lux: Oh my Gosh

Lux: I wasn’t being serious and I didn’t think you were

Lux: do you honestly think that, like what?

Dash: It's a touch plastic saying I'm like 👑 but still close to how it is

Lux: Um, you don’t even live here

Lux: you have a whole house and family

Dash: I'm here with my chosen family as much as I can be

Lux: Yeah, but what do you

actually do for this place, or anyone here?

Lux: The audacity to act like it’s your kingdom, that’s laughable and gross all at once

Dash: back off babe, I do whatever they need me to do

Lux: Babe-ing me right now isn’t a good look

Lux: manual labour at best makes you help, not visiting royalty

Lux: are you crazy, like, who do you think you are, seriously I’m so curious

Dash: Who are you? Thinking you can lay this trip on me about what I can & can't do

Lux: I’m not telling you you can or can’t do anything

Lux: I asked you not to call me babe, which is basic politeness

Dash: nah, you're telling me I don't belong to this place

Dash: questioning how I do like

it's up to you

Lux: I said you don’t live here, and you don’t

Lux: and I’ve never seen you contribute, maybe you were super busy before I got here, then I’ll apologize for that

Dash: you're doing a census, yeah? Hold up [everyone currently who doesn't live her like the petty prince he is]

Dash: I've got family here, they all keep me busy

Lux: Cool? Thanks for telling me who else is a tourist ???

Lux: You’re just being defensive, there’s no need if you’re secure in that and your place here

Dash: quit trying to rattle me

Lux: I’m truly not

Lux: but no, we’re not cool now

Dash: I made it known from the top where I live

Lux: Where you live isn’t the issue

Dash: what's your issue? I'm loved & welcomed here, that's all I said

Lux: That’s nice

Lux: I don’t really want to discuss my issue with you, with you, right now, if that’s okay

Dash: later then

Lux: See you around, Dash

Dash: I can't believe you think I'm a flake, this has me totally unglued, you know

Lux: I don’t feel great about it either

Dash: how can I make you feel less bummed out?

Dash: your tour was the most far out I've ever given

Lux: I don’t think you can, it’s done now

Lux: I just need some time to change what I thought this was, or was gonna be, in my head

Lux: but thanks, for offering

Dash: take your time to 👀 what we can be & how you wanna evolve

Lux: Maybe we can be friends later on

Dash: I’d dig it

Lux: I liked talking to you last night

Dash: I felt more connected to you than I usually do

Lux: I don’t think you’re an awful person, FYI

Lux: I just think you could’ve been clearer, and accept that you hurt me without getting way defensive, you know?

Lux: I can accept you didn’t mean to

Dash: I thought I was being clear

Lux: Yeah, I know

Lux: I’m from a very different background and place, it just didn’t translate well, clearly

Dash: yeah

Lux: but I thought I’d put that across well enough that you got that too

Dash: I do get you, but I can’t 180 myself to fit

Lux: No, I’m not asking you to fit my understanding, it’s fine you don’t

Dash: What are you asking?

Lux: Nothing, honestly, I’m trying to explain why I’m upset

Lux: Just like you can’t 180, I can’t change how I see and feel about it immediately, even if some of the ways I were raised are outdated or potentially bad, you know

Lux: You don’t need to do anything

Lux: From my perspective, it felt like a 180 and hurtful to tell me about hooking up with someone else the morning after

Lux: I know how you think and operate is totally different, but that’s it

Dash: but I wanna do something, to help you

Lux: You are nice…

Lux: I don’t know though, what would help?

Dash: I meant what I said last night about showing you this place, making it feel more like a home, how it is for me

Lux: Maybe you could come back and help with the chores

Lux: I shouldn’t have said you NEVER help out, I’ve not been here long enough to make that observation

Dash: maybe it looks like I don’t, cos with family you take liberties sometimes, that kid who’s naughty at home & don’t say shit at school, comfortable to play up

Lux: I have 8 brothers, I understand 😅

Dash: you can have that too, should

Lux: I did, as much as any of us did

Lux: I was a boy, remember

Dash: with 0 limits though, people trying to control & change what you do is for outside of here, I don’t have to think in my dad’s 🟥🟧🟨🟩🟦🟪⬛️⬜️🟫 way or do what my ma reckons is righteous

Lux: Sounds idyllic, Dash

Dash: it is

Lux: You have to understand my experience of people doing exactly what they want means someone is being exploited or abused for that person’s privilege

Lux: my parents had their utopia at the price of the things we wanted, needed

Dash: that’s why you need this new experience

Lux: Okay

Lux: I do want new experiences

Dash: the farm has the magic to grant you whatever you’re here for, no wish is the wrong size

Lux: You really seem to believe it so I will try too 😊

Dash: I’m about to 🛹⚡️ back if you wanna clean the opposite end or hide from me in the 🍏🌳🍎

Lux: That’s cool

Lux: but thanks for the warning 💗

Dash: don’t let how out of this world you look distract me then

Lux: I so don’t so that won’t be an issue 😌

Dash: It's an accident, huh? I feel you, it must be my fault I can’t look away

Lux: You’re way too smooth for your own good

Lux: but I wouldn’t say that’s a fault, necessarily 🤭

Dash: Hey, I didn’t manifest you into being, even if last night did feel like it had to be cosmically devined somehow

Lux: I felt it too

Lux: no one has ever

Lux: not like that anyway

Dash: you’re like a song I can’t get out of my head, I don’t want it to turn sad

Dash: I’m sorry I got you unglued too

Lux: It’s a lot more complicated than just you

Lux: it’s a whole thing

Dash: You’re gonna find people to share how heavy it is

Lux: 🤞

Dash: they’ll carry you through & even if it’s Amber I won’t let it bug me

Lux: I’m sure that’s a misunderstanding

Lux: I could talk to her? Subtly, of course

Dash: yeah, her misunderstanding me, you’ve got your reasons, she’s not new to any of this

Dash: her problem is she thinks she’s the most & everyone else should think she’s choice no matter what

Lux: Do you think she likes your brother?

Dash: no way, unless she’s got a football obsession now too

Lux: 🧲 maybe

Dash: idk

Lux: Me either

Lux: it just seems a bit crazy otherwise

Dash: he’s as uptight as my da, she’s never gonna get nowhere trying to mess around with him, whatever she’s doing it for

Lux: She won’t have any problem finding someone new

Lux: you said he’s older, right?

Dash: not loads, but he’s gonna be done with school in a sec

Lux: I see

Lux: so you’re the 👶

Dash: til my dad’s new lady puts her demands in

Dash: how many sisters you got to go with your 8 bros?

Lux: you don’t like her at all, huh

Lux: and 5, so they had a tough job being outnumbered

Dash: you heard of a WAG? That’s her whole deal

Dash: whoa, so you had a full time secret sewing job

Lux: yes, we lived in England for a while, that’s how I ended up here

Lux: like a Kardashian, I can see you not having a lot to bond over

Lux: exactly 😂

Dash: you gotta teach me, my nan would be jazzed

Lux: I’d love to!

Lux: there’s a surplus of old clothes to practice on

Dash: still a chore, we get to skip cleaning, yeah?

Lux: Mending isn’t as fun as creating but you’ve got to start somewhere so, I think so 😊

Dash: 😁

Dash: we’ll have a blast cos I gotta start somewhere on earning your forgiveness too

Lux: You’re sweet, Dash

Dash: I’m being for real

Lux: I know you are

Lux: I don’t know what to say though because I’m awkward 😳

Dash: it’s a hands on kinda task & you already know what you’re doing with it, it’ll be me feeling 😳

Lux: No flirting, only crafting

Dash: 🧷📏🧵✂️🧶📍✨

Lux: That’s a very impressive emoji selection

Dash: missing 😍💞🥰💓😘💘 but it’s chill

Lux: Idiot 😏

Dash: 💟 is the compromise

Lux: Okay, that’s adorable

Lux: allowed 🤭

Dash: [show up and take her hand to lead her off to sew, we know you weren’t far away bitch]

Lux: [the way you just melt when he shows, oh gal]

Dash: [I’m upset about it]

Lux: [we know you really like him, for better and worse rn]

Dash: [thank god he does actually like you and it’s not a straight up Drew and Ro situation happening]

Lux: [we can only do that ‘cos they both lowkey suck so we aren’t sad lmao]

Dash: [I like this gal too much to be that evil]

Lux: [it’s drama enough without it being entirely one-sided like no lol]

Dash: [I hope some sewing does take place amidst the blatant flirting because learn a useful skill for once in your life dickhead]

Lux: [we aren’t gonna just roll over immediately ‘cos actually did upset us so you will have to]

Dash: [yay]

Lux: [so that’s probably the vibe for today ‘cos yeah we absolutely won’t even though it’s clear we still like you like that too, so you’ll just have to hang out platonically]

Dash: [it’s gotta be the vibe for a while, sucks to suck boy, but obviously hang out until that girl comes to find you because you clearly do also wanna hang out with her platonically it’s not just like that vine where he breaks the skateboard]

Lux: [a quality vine]

Dash: [do we wanna leave this here?]

Lux: [I think we can]

[fictionalrambles]

Shadowhunters Fandom Story - Part Fifteen

Submitted by jwrites_

Five Favourite Fics:

1. What's It Gonna Be by @lemonoclefox

Why I love this fic: I'm a sucker for Pride & Prejudice. San was able to take that dynamic and put it all in a modern day telling of it. I can't count how many times I've read this. Sometimes I read it all the way through, other times I go and find my favorite parts just to get that rush of emotions it never fails to give. The enemies to lovers is done perfectly, the dialogue is great and flows seamlessly, the way she tied in the storyline between Simon, Isabelle, Valentine, and Alec together was genius. I truly love every word of this story.

Favorite scene: Awkward - love - confession - in -  the -  rain

Favorite quote(s):

(Yes. Love confessions are great but have you ever overheard someone say something rude about you and then have the opportunity later that same night to be able to casually call that person out for their comment?)

"Her friend is..." He trails off, as though searching for the word, and Magnus can imagine him gesturing in the meantime. "Interesting," Jace eventually settles on, pointedly.

"Who, that Bane guy?" Alec says, and as he does, Magnus is hit with a wave of intrigued surprise. Does Alec like men? Interesting. The assumption could be wrong, of course, but Jace's tone implies that that's why he's mentioning it. "He's a bit over the top, don't you think?"

He sounds almost disdainful as he says it, as though Jace's mere suggestion is laughable, and Magnus's intrigue immediately shifts to offended annoyance. He straightens a little where he stands, reluctantly affected by it.

--

"I mean, love songs are great," Magnus admits lightly. "But stringing a few pretty words together does seem a bit unoriginal when everyone does it."

Simon shoves him lightly in offense, and Magnus can't help but laugh.

"Then what do you suggest?" Magnus is taken completely by surprise when he realizes that it's Alec who's speaking, and he turns to him. The guy's expression is neutral, but seems genuinely curious.

"Oh, I don't know," Magnus says, swirling his drink around in his glass. He shrugs. "I suppose I'm more a fan of showing and not telling. I'd much prefer someone showing interest in what I like and who I am, than comparing my eyes to the night sky, and whatnot." He gestures airily, then hesitates. He suddenly can't seem to stop himself, the memory of the Lightwoods' overheard conversation bubbling to the surface. "I think most people can appreciate that. Even if some of us are a bit over the top."

--Okay...I'm gonna go ahead and throw in a love confession~

"Look, I don't expect anything from you," he says, as though the words are hard to say. "You've made your feelings pretty clear, and I respect that. But I heard you talked to my mom, and with the stuff you said to her... I guess it just kind of made me a bit hopeful, or something. A bit." He clears his throat, while Magnus just listens. He turns to watch Alec's profile as the young man struggles to find the words, eyes on the view in front of him. "Either way, I'll admit that how I feel hasn't really changed. Maybe it should have, but..."

Alec shakes his head, and Magnus feels his throat go dry. He wants to interrupt Alec, wants to say and show everything that's bursting out of his chest, but he waits. Alec takes a deep breath then, turns to him. He looks determined.

"If you want me to," he says steadily, "I'll go. I'll leave you alone, I promise. You won't hear from me again." He pauses, licks his lips. "But if you don't want me to, if something has changed since last time, somehow... I'd really like to know. Because that would be pretty great."

2. 42 North 71 West by @lecrit​

Why I love this fic: I was blessed with the opportunity to witness Lu working on this fic from its conception to its end. I was there and still I am blown away at the way she was able to work the time jumps. I remember thinking with every chapter I read, 'Wow. The way she is telling this story is amazing. She is amazing.' Lu has a way of presenting so much honesty in her characters. She writes them in a way that feels so real, that you can't help but understand their fears and hesitations even though it hurts. The story is a back and forth told through scenes set in the past and present. You get to see what they were and where they are. The story is beautifully heartbreaking. And she was able to make me enjoy a story that dealt with politics? What? Sorcery, I tell you. -- also, the bench.

Favorite scene: This was almost impossible to choose and I took way too long trying to pinpoint just one. But I'm going to go with one that I hold very dear. When Magnus goes to visit Alec on his birthday and he finds Alec playing the song he only plays when he's sad. That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil~

Favorite quote(s):

“Magnus,” Alec breathes out.

The name feels almost foreign, as if he hadn’t uttered it in too long and now his mind is troubling to catch up with his mouth. Still, it manages to make Alec’s heart stutter.

--

“We should’ve stayed on that bench in Boston,” he murmurs.

--

The good thing is, he knows where to go to find his way back. It is inked on his body, engraved into his soul, sealed into his heart.

3. Lead The Way by Clockworkswan

Why I love this fic: Because it takes the wonderful adventure of Doctor Who and packs it in with Malec. This is the ultimate fun and feel good but you will also cry at one point fic. I always go back to it if I want a wonderfully written Doctor Magnus and his adorable companion Alec. Seriously, even if you're not into Doctor Who, give this fic a shot. It's written in a way that you will get so caught up in the adventure that you won't even realize it's based on something else. And if you're a Doctor Who fan, you're in luck with all the little Easter Eggs Heather left throughout.

Favorite scene: I really don't want to spoil anything. The planet of Ablorix. This will mean nothing if you don't read the fic (so you should ;])

Favorite quote(s):

Magnus extends a hand. It’s just like before, when they were in the hallway a couple of weeks ago. It’s just as inviting as it was the first time.

“How about it, pretty boy? Name a star. Any one will do. Or a date,” Magnus says. The double meaning is evident when he winks. He pauses then, and his expression shifts, growing solemn.

A clear shift in his demeanour happens. Magnus turns from playful to sincere in the blink of an eye. Although, there was also a serious tone to it. Magnus looks at him, and understanding eyes meet Alec’s hesitant ones. “Alexander, you seem like a man in need of a break, and I am very much a man in need of a friend. Adventures are always a quick way in figuring out what you want. What do you say?”

What does he say?

He says yes.

Of course Alec does.

--

Before Magnus can think of a good retort, he tries to ignore the clenching ache his stomach gives at the sight of a confident, smirking Alec Lightwood watching him so openly. He settles for pointing in a random direction. “I have to go and see a dog about a man. Meet back here in five?”

“Uh, isn’t the expression, ‘see a man about a dog’?”

“Not when the dog ran off with the man’s wife. A rather big scandal, it seems. The president wants me to try and step in. Smooth things over, so to speak.”

At that, Alec just stares blankly.

Magnus holds up a finger. “Yes, this is normal for me. No, you may not come along. Go.”

4. Love & Other Drugs prequel of Our Love Is A Harsh Chord in the Semi-charmed Kind Life series by @la-muerta​

Why I love this fic: I'm kind of cheating here by listing two fics but they're a package deal. Love & Other Drugs was a smutty one-shot that left me wanting

more...

backstory. Let me tell you the pining and 'unrequited' love between those two demanded a story to be written. Which is why when la_muerta ran a poll on whether or not she should start it or another series first, I campaigned for this one like it was my job (I lost but I still got the series eventually so did I really lose?) The writing in this and with all of la_muerta's fics will hook you. The sadness over the back and forth between them is done so well. It's angst that will grip you and hold onto you until you eventually finish. Just go on the twitter hashtag of #OLIAHCfic and see my screaming.

Favorite scene: Probably the LSD scene.

Favorite quote(s):

Alec was still here, in bed with him.

How many times had Magnus wished that he could wake up with Alec in his arms? He didn't dare to move, wanting the dream to last a little longer, but Alec was already stirring.

--

he'll wonder if life would be a little easier if he wasn't hopelessly in love with Magnus, but it is a fact of who he is now: Alec Lightwood is 6'3, has dark hair, is gay, and is in love with Magnus Bane.

--

They are lying next to each other now, turned on their sides and face to face. The world is no longer warped and weird, but glowing and perfect. Magnus is tracing a path of lightning down Alec's body with his fingertips, and in a moment of clarity Alec understands that in Magnus' eyes he is as beautiful as he thinks Magnus is (it is the first thing Alec forgets when he wakes up sober later).

--

Words aren't enough to express how he feels, but they've always understood each other better when clumsy words don't get in the way.

5. The Lonely Hearts Hotline by @unrestrainedlyexcessive​

Why I love this fic: It's funny, it's endearing, it's heart wrenching, it's sexy, etc. The way Alec is written in this fic is one of my favorite characterizations. The way his situation can resonate with so many young adults today. That feeling when you're an adult and you feel like you should know what to do with your life and who you should be but the truth is, you're still just as lost as always. Being an adult sucks tbh and even when you're an adult, sometimes life doesn't quite feel like it. Alec's character and growth in this fic is beautiful. (I also really loved Jace in this fic)

Favorite scene: A tough choice. Probably the office party and follow up scene in Magnus' office.

Favorite quote(s):

The problem with being a new grad, in general, is that the world and job force demands you have experience, but you have to live a certain number of productive years on the planet to gain that experience.

Early adulthood is no man's land. You don’t have the experience to matter and no one wants to pay you to gain it, hence how he ended up in the precarious situation he’s in: dodgy sex work by night, an even dodgier roommate, and desperately hoping an internship eventually turns into an actual paying job.

--

Magnus runs his tongue down the knobs of Alec's spine. "You're so beautiful," he says, pausing.

"I'm really not," Alec insists, eyes fluttering closed.

"Why are you so kind to everyone except yourself?"

"I'm a work in progress."

"Aren't we all?"

#shadowhunters #shadowhunters fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfiction blog

[worldcakecakecake]

Feliciano and the King of Hearts

Chosen by the gods as the Queen of Hearts from the moment of birth, we follow Feliciano’s story as he grows into royal life, learns to rule, go against age old customs, and his relationship with his husband to be, the King of Hearts.

Chapter 1 I  Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6I Chapter 7 I Chapter 8 IChapter 9I Chapter 10I Chapter 11I Chapter 12 I Chapter 13 I Chapter 14 I Chapter 15 I Chapter 16 I Chapter 17 I Chapter 18 I Chapter 19I Chapter 20 I Chapter 21 I Chapter 22 I Chapter 23 I Chapter 24 I Chapter 25 I Chapter 26 I Chapter 27 I Chapter 28I Chapter 29 I Chapter 30 I Chapter 31 I Chapter 32 I Chapter 33 I Chapter 34 I Chapter 35 I Chapter 36 I Chapter 37I chapter 38 I Chapter 39 I Chapter 40 I Chapter 41 I Chapter 42 I Chapter 43 I Chapter 44 I Chapter 45 I Chapter 46I Chapter 47 I Chapter 48 I Chapter 49 I Chapter 50 I Chapter 51 I Chapter 52 I Chapter 53 I Chapter 54 I Chapter 55 I Chapter 56 I Chapter 57 I Chapter 58 I Chapter 59 I Chapter 60I Chapter 61 I Chapter 62 I Chapter 63 I Chapter 64  I Chapter 65 I Chapter 66 I Chapter 67 I Chapter 68  I Chapter 69 I Chapter 70

I am personally glad that I updated this sooner than I expected.

 Anyways, with all this quarantining and lockdowns, somehow you will expect that I would have infinite of time to write…but welp, I live with children and it actually means I have less time since they’re not in the kindergarten. So pretty much my writing pace is either the same or less.

 I apologize. If this was not the situation, then you could easily expect an update weekly. Ah, how I wish! But patience as always! Enjoy!

                                                   Chapter 71

Many weeks passed, with each passing day a new stroke of grey. A storm seemed ready to brew, stationed in the Hearts capital, only adding to an ever-present gloom that was evident through all these vacant streets. Louis had counted twenty-six people exact from what she could see in the heights of this balcony that morning. Surely they had gone picking for groceries or heading to scheduled appointments, trying hard to live their normal day to day lives in the wake of this new war. So many had gone to fight…and only a few days before had a messenger arrived, worn and desperate, dirty and ruined, calling for more soldiers to come, in his hurry not saying more, Louis only able to notice how he wouldn’t stop shaking, how he was terrified to speak other words than the ones he was meant to say. No one else came after him, no letter showed, no difference was made. The alignment had long passed, whatever power, was granted. If they had been successful…everyone…everyone would have been here by now. Flowers, sparks and celebrations would have decorated the streets…the sky would be blue and Ludwig and Feliciano would give each other the tightest embrace they had ever shared. Yet the past Queen was here, gazing to the entrance gates, lost well between the mountains, expecting that fanfare…but only the occasional carriage came, as melancholy as the city. She sighed, turning back to the halls of the castle…darker than she had ever remembered them, colder, no rushing of life and no sound. She hurriedly paced wanting to find some sort of presence, and gratefully it came with a loud laugh, a clap of hands…and even little stomps.

 “I still can’t believe it,” one maid graciously laughed, bringing light once again.

 “Oh, Antonio and Lovino would be so happy to see this,” another said.

 Louis followed that heat of life and met a wonderful corner.

 Augustino had turned one recently, a very lonely birthday made for him, only Aldrich, Louis and a handful of servants in charge of his care. Not even Feliciano had asked for his presence…he had been silent for days. A maid had mentioned that the shield was gone, but even as so, Feliciano remained in bed, not a turn, not a breath… many servants wondered if he was even alive. Many times they came to find the plates of food as full as they had brought them, items untouched and not a word uttered, no call, not even a reaction for his nephew’s birthday. He missed his first steps, testing yet brave on these castle hall floors, wondered by the glows of the few lights on, suddenly rushed at the entrance of the old Queen. Louis couldn’t help taking him in her arms, raising him and giving the brightest smile she could give him. It was unfair to leave him in the glooms of these dark days, they had to show him that there were still things to smile about. She didn’t want to think about why the shield was down, why Feliciano couldn’t stand up, how her city seemed empty, how she heard nothing of how her loved ones were doing and what it could mean for them later. The servants there were just as unsettled and so she gave them reassurance with whatever timid smile she could give them, enough for them to breathe again, to instead focus on this bountiful child that kept laughing, reaching and playing no matter.

 Echoed steps interrupted, one of the front guards tripping at his reach to them, breathless and stalling his words.

 “Quick, what is the matter?” Louis demanded still with her own command, coming forward to help the man to even stand properly.

 “They’re coming, many, a great amount of many!”

 “Who’s coming?”

 “Some Heartians that were fighting with Khaos, I couldn’t see who exactly, but they’re bringing with them thousands of Clubians. They told me they are refugees seeking to stay in the city.”

 “Refugees?” One maid perked.

 “Thousands?”

 “What on Earth has happened?”

 “I only saw and I am relying a message. I do not understand what’s going on either.”

 Louis didn’t wait, she hurried off, to the very front of the castle to welcome the crowds that were coming, slow and easy, not at all the energy she herself had, begging for any to be there already. For Augustino’s sake, she hoped for either Antonio or Lovino, but she also wanted her daughter, or her husband, Gilbert or…Ludwig…she desperately wished Ludwig would be the first to enter those gates.

 They came like a mist, undistinguished, it wasn’t until they were walking down the main castle road, now greyed, empty, without its usual gold and life, Louis noticed the colors. Spadian blue, Diamond yellow, Heartian red and many, many, many Clubian green. The first, the current lead to the castle, was Antonio, a flag in his hands as a lead to all who came behind him. He limped, his clothing was poor, he had bandages on his face and surely more under the layers, for he came with constant cringes upon his face. No matter, Augustino was unbeknown to all, he smiled, a shout to showcase it, hands open and dancing at his father’s welcome. It brought Antonio a much-needed grin, forcing a quicker pace if even the pain. He let the flag fall without a care at now the frontal castle courtyard, instead wanting to hold his son, completely enveloping him in his chest, nuzzling, kissing, taking in the scents he missed from him and his laughter.

 “I have missed you so much,” he told him, with every word a stronger grip.

 Renata then came, with her own flag leading the people that began to come in and continue to the entrance. Kandake then flew by at Pookie’s back, specifying where in the castle they could go. Emil walked by and Renata passed over her flag to him, so she could better focus on offering a hand and kiss to her grandson. Louis joined the hurdled, clearly shocked and questioning, only utters, trying to ask some sort of question they could give her.

 It seemed like whatever they would say, it would crumble them. Her breaths were already creating cracks ready to burst.

 “Whe-where-where…where’s everybody else?” They were too many to worry about.

 Where were her three kids? Where were her five grandkids? Where was anybody from her family? All through the crowds she could see but battered soldiers, some even being carried in beds, some covered completely as a form of respect. There were Clubians, citizens like any other as defeated, carrying carriages of items, some with crying children and elders who coughed on.

 “Roderich, Elizabeta and Lili are back in the city helping refugees locate. Alfred is still at the gates making sure everyone comes in,” Antonio at least told, turning with no other mentions, surely wanting the shade of the castle.

 “But, but-but…where’s my sons, my daughter? Where’s Gilbert, and where’s Vash? Whe-where’s, where’s Ludwig?”

 It was the only name that caused a startlement that stopped Renata and Antonio’s movements, shadowed more in this misery, not daring to look at the past Queen.

 “Your sons and Vash are stationed in Spades ready to act. Monika and Gilbert are still at the front lines fighting.”

 “Fighting? They’re still fighting?” Louis was desperate, standing in their way, not daring to let them pass until she knew everything. “I thought Ludwig was going to take care of everything, I thought he would have Khaos defeated by now, I thought-”

 “Ludwig is dead!” Antonio couldn’t take more…he just wanted to rest, he just wanted to be with his son…he didn’t want her to find out this way…but he wanted his sanity…he couldn’t continue to stand being in this sorrow. “…he’s gone…” Antonio was shivering now, keeping to Augustino as some sort of fire to keep him warm. “…he left us the very day of the alignment…he tried so hard…we saw him with unbelievable power face a monster…” he trembled more at the memories, his eyes reddening and watering. “…but nothing worked…nothing is still working…” sobs…and now not even Augustino was laughing, trying to understand what his father was showing, puzzled by these tears. “Cities are crumbling…people only continue to die…and no matter what we do…it’s not enough…nothing is enough…not against those two, not-”

 “…two? What do you mean two?” Louis raised her head, despite the sorrow, the tears that shed from her own eyes, she was determined to know exactly what was going on.

 Antonio was not going to tell her…he moved passed her without a word…it left Renata and Kandake with the straining tale to tell.

  Louis rushed the halls, leaving behind those that were meant to come with her. She took the shaft down, the circling hall, into the room, long free of magical shields. She huffed, her dress was in taters, her face marred in tears, breakage ready to combust. “Feliciano, Ludwig is-”

 “Dead…yes, I know…” Feliciano uttered in a quiet murmur, in his heap, yet refusing to face.

 “You knew…you knew…” she was too breathless to show if she was angered or saddened.

 “From the very moment…” Feliciano opened and closed his hands, perhaps their first movements in days, as if trying to come back to the room from whatever memories he placed himself in. “I felt it…I felt him leave as if he was dying right before me…as if I shared in his final pains…and it is awful…it’s awful to feel like this…he was ripped apart from my very being…and now all I feel is empty…I don’t feel him…I can’t really feel anything…I just…Aces, I can’t deal with this, I feel like nothing.” He released sobs yet again, the same of these weeks, daily, rocking his body in a compulsion. Louis ran forward, worried he was losing his breathing, far worse than whatever current fatigue she held.

 “He was everything…and he has been taken away… and I can’t-I can’t…I can’t even stand…I don’t want to face the world any longer without him.” Louis knew that there were no words, no comforting touch that could ail this crack fit to break the earth. How could she even comfort if she felt the same? She lost a dear grandson, cruelly and leaving behind so much disarray that was tearing apart their world. For once, she said nothing, she only stood and shared with him tears and shedding. They didn’t care for the new steps, for the new joins, to Feliciano nothing meant, he said what this inner void wanted, spreading to his speak and energy.

 “I want to die! I want to die if it means I can join him wherever he is. I can’t deal with this…I can’t with this pain!”

 The words shocked all the new who came, whatever news, plans or perseverance, washed away in the flood of tears that hanged. They knew then that now was not the time for their begs and insistence. There could only be but mourning, a powerful one, unbreakable. And so the group was defeated once again, bowing to this sorrow and letting it reign.

  Still, they could not leave him.

 The group took to refuge in the furthest they could get in this circular room. They prepared their own mats for rest if they felt like it, servants brought them all the meals of the day, they light up their area, dim to Feliciano and they circled themselves in their own conversations.

 “What cities have fallen?” Alfred asked, keeping a map with notes.

 “All of Yakutia is practically gone,” Lili announced, grave that she had to say it.

 “Khaos has made do with Noril’sk and Igarka.”

 “The other one has taken Ust’-Nera and Yagodnoye. Lukas and his men have offered to stay at Magadar and Sokol in order to keep that area. If the second one goes any further from there, it will start to enter Hungary,” Elizabeta trembled, her words yet managing a survive to tell.

 “They’ve only remained in the Club Kingdom?” Louis asked to be sure, the only one wrapped in a blanket, trying to hold down these continuous shivers, hoping desperately it was from the cold of being this bottom in the castle.

 “For now, yes,” Roderich answered.

 “How much longer?” She asked with such brokenness, ready to face a sure death only fated to come to them.

 They all hesitated. Some were confident in their armies, others thought the future bleak, and then they turned to Feliciano…still cradled, sleeping, no expectance.

 “Weeks, months?” Emil estimated.

 “We can’t really be sure.” Kandake kept statured gazes on Feliciano.

 “No matter, we must prepare Berlin for if either approach,” Renata had to insist, already concocting, ready to take from the papers and pens placed on the table.

 So much to do, so much catastrophe to expect, to continue to fight, to make last a barrier that they didn’t know could work fully.

 “How long are we permitted to stay?” Antonio asked with not a bit of his usual life, the only thing moving being the cradle he kept on Augustino’s back, sound asleep.

 “A messenger will come to tell us,” Alfred still kept his attention on the map, trying to figure something out.

 “And what do we do until then?” Emil asked, slightly frustrated and how he wasn’t doing his own aid, mostly not permitted because of his young age.

 “I believe calm and relax…this might be one of the only chances we get,” Elizabeta dreaded to think.

 “How can we do so with our people dying out there?” Antonio was indignant.

 “We still need it…we need to recuperate energy, think of new strategies and magic,” Roderich stood and began a pace.

 “…and talk to Feliciano,” Renata reminded, nothing of her usual charm on her.

 Chatter was dropped, the reminder a menace, a bomb ticking, sitting right behind them, comfortable at rest despite surely all the hidden turmoil.

 “…he is not well…and he won’t be for a while,” Lili wanted to make them realize, worried for the Queen’s wellbeing as the rest. “We can’t keep him in mind for whatever plans we have next.”

 “He’s exactly what we need to kill these things,” Emil pointed, trying to contain the anger, not wanting to awaken him.

 “He won’t this way,” Lili continued the discussion.

 “So we are to leave our world slowly get destroyed while he just lays in bed and does nothing.”

 “Emil, even if he were to awaken and decide to go fight, it won’t be enough,” Antonio came in.

 “He lost the alignment,” Lili managed her speech still.

 “Not just the power he was supposed to be granted, but he lost Ludwig, his husband and king. They were united in a tight bond with magic and spirit that is far from what you can understand,” Elizabeta spoke, from knowledge as Queen herself. She spared a glance to Roderich, dreading if something was to happen to either…and they had to suffer that abyss as well. “His current mental state is a sickness that is debilitating everything in his body, including his magic, no matter how powerful.”

 They all gazed together to the sleeping figure, only moving in breaths.

 “…it could be deadly to himself if we are not to watch,” Roderich reminded, trembling, fearful for Feliciano.

 Those words made all kept a heavier eye on the sleeping Queen, afraid that any miss would get him to slip away from their grasp.

 “As Lili said…we cannot depend on him for whatever happens next,” Elizabeta had to decree no matter how harsh.

 “But the prophecy,” Renata tried to defend, begging.

 “It’s useless,” Alfred joined.

 “We do everything ourselves then…” Emil dreaded.

 Silence settled, hoping for a new idea, hoping for a new chance to alight to them, but the room continued to be dark, continued to haunt. As a distraction…anything but to not look at her son’s sure crippling, even if he was asleep, Renata gazed about all the items in the room. The old candelabras, the weathered curtains, broken pillars, dented walls, the old paintings of past Queens who had birthed in this room. Her gaze settled the longest on one that was claimed to be Augusta with her own two sons, her own great grandparents. She looked so different here from what Feliciano had described when he saw her mural, nothing like a Valenti, nothing like family. She had to remind herself that this was but one of many depictions...long after the last war.

 “Augusta…when she lost Romulus was in the same misery…” Elizabeta told once again, seeing where Renata’s eyes lay.

 Alfred scoffed, “and it took her decades to get over it, all the while the war worsening around them.”

 They shivered if that were to be the repeat.

 “…but she did eventually go to fight,” Roderich reminded, “she did eventually defeat Khaos.”

 “I prefer we didn’t have to wait decades though,” Antonio said.

 “What was it that even pushed Augusta to fight in the end?” Alfred asked.

 “One of her sons decided to go and join the war himself. She wouldn’t stand losing another loved one,” Elizabeta said.

 The jewels of bearing were clearly visible from their sitting, a few vines growing more into his arms, but not a covering yet, the frontal jewel that was supposed to be on his forehead not present.

 They all sighed, it was fruitless.

  The days went on as this, the same pace, frustrations, topics, planning…and they could only come out with more defensive strategies and attacks that would be small and useless, they knew. Reports came in of the battle… Russia was crumbling, a specific message from Tulio mentioned that they had to send dispatches to the Amazonian region of Clubs as Khaos was making fast approach. They panicked to know that if the Amazon fell…it meant it could start going into the Spades Kingdom. They did not want to look at the death numbers, they trembled and cried at the insistence for new supplies, new weapons, new ideas. Abasi called for more Whiteans to come from hiding and join the battle, Tino wrote on the dwindling amount of flight boats they had, how he was losing men and plans to return to Hearts Kingdom to defend it…in the very likely case that Khaos or the other reached. Lovino was the only one who wrote still at the very front, his letters hurried and almost unintelligible at the sure speed or shake he kept. He begged for Feliciano. there was blood and tears on this parchment. He wrote on how they were sending back Vincenzo, as he had suffered an awful incineration that needed instant attention and away from the burnings of war.

 ‘He has marks that disfigure him all throughout, and I know no magic will never heal it’

 These words broke Renata, she succumbed to screams and kneeling, hitting the ground, cursing loud and deep for surely the whole castle to hear. She called for vengeance, that no matter her stature, they will find a way to make Khaos and the other pay.

 Destro, some wrote they were beginning to call him, and to have a name they took it, a mention in those rooms that brought darkness, desperation and acceptive defeat.

 Those in the Heartian castle went to-and-fro trying to find all kinds of answers for all these messages, yet no clear answer ever came, it was only a continuous block that kept them stuck in this repetition of actions that were already useless. Another message came calling most of them back to battle, others to come in their place. Only Kandake, Renata, Elizabeta and Lili were told to stay. They heavily disagreed, but they thought it best for Feliciano to be surrounded by people close to him, perhaps other Queens, to fight this very curse he found himself in. They held still to that piece of hope, one they thought could burn more brightly if they kindled it.

 That morning, while the others packed and did what they could to prepare, Kandake stayed with Feliciano, the both of them alone, of the rare moments Feliciano had gotten to be in silence. No other voices, no steps, no new stresses and turmoil of the world above. He could be numb, he could think of nothing and feel blank…only but the strokes Kandake gave on his arm, calming, soothing…but checking. She traced the new vines that grew, now some edge with a pure gold, never seen to her as bearing marks. She stayed longer on them admiring their beautiful shine. The jewels on his hands were perfectly formed, more protruding this time, but there was nothing else, a slow process, enough to say that perhaps these twins could be born much later than the expected. She suddenly moved his bangs to stare into his forehead. No jewel yet, only some hazed red vines at the very edges of the crown of his hair.

 “Your children are fine,” she told him, now beginning a caress between his soft curls. “It’s slow compared to most. You’ll probably be bearing for twelve months, but it’s nothing to worry about. Still can’t get a gender if you’re curious.”

 Feliciano responded in the nothing she had been used to the last days, only a late nod, slow, quickly back to the stillness of a painting.

 “You probably already heard, but, Antonio, Emil, Roderich and Alfred are heading back to battle…Aldrich is thinking of joining…Louis might follow right behind him.”

 Feliciano only showed a grip and a loosening of his hands. Kandake continued…trying…something…

 “They might go and join Gilbert and Monika. I know Antonio will replace Lovino at the front in the Amazon, Roderich will go with him. Emil will join my people…he figured if we combined our flight tactics, things could become sufficient. Alfred will go back to his own kingdom and prepare a defense…as well as for plans if they must evacuate…”

 Feliciano blinked, each flicker more saddened.

 “…Arthur will come here to Berlin…your brother, Kiku and Herakles too.” Kandake let the silence elongate, knowing no other words would bring a spell of life to him.

 “Why?” He suddenly pierced, his first word in days.

 “To be with you…”

 “…it won’t do anyone good…”

 “They are still coming…”

 Silence continued once again, Feliciano slowly accepting and responding more to her caresses, settling in her hands, a color slowly enveloping him.

 “…I know they’re coming to try and get me out of this…”

 “Feliciano, we understand that what you’re going through is hard, unimaginable and we have no right to demand anything from you right now. The rest of us are in our own mourning, weakened ourselves, but we want to believe in being together, in being there for one another.”

 He eased, there was a far echo of excitement, not strong enough to shine in its place on Feliciano, but Kandake felt like she could see it on a distance.

 “…we should all be out there…including myself.”

 “Then why not? Why not go out there?” Kandake was threading thin ice, but she was determined to test it.

 “…my power is not what it could be anymore…and I still feel so…empty and weak…it hurts to even breathe right now…” Internally he tried that constant reach again, nothing yet, Ludwig was gone, as he had been accustomed to discovering each time. “Even with all of you in the castle…even with all of you right here in this very room, I still feel so alone, so distant, unreachable to any of you…even right now you seem so far away…”

 Kandake halted, like coming to a realization that she had been caressing a ghost, transparent and disappearing. Yet, as she reached again, her fingers for sure met those curls, they scratched on his skull, she noticed every blink, every breath, every rise…he was there.

 “But I am here…I can assure you that, and I will be for as long as I can remain by your side…we all are.” She gazed up, as if with it she could call them all here to prove it. “Feliciano…we would never dare leave you alone, especially now. I would like for you to at least fight with that part of you that dare suggests such a thing. If you can’t see it, if you can’t feel it, we will do what we can to show it. That’s what were here for, to assure you of our loyalties, hopes and chances.” She almost wept at that desperation in the fragility of all. “Feliciano, we still wat to believe in the future, we want to believe in you, and no matter what it takes or how long, we will be here to help when it’s time to stand.”

 There were constant grips in his hands, reaching the ever closer to her, to truly feeling her there.

 “We have all grown vengeful…I also wish to be out there and do what I can in the honor of Pisa…and so many now want to on Ludwig’s name.”

 More breaths, more color came to him.

 “I want to be out there to regain the Kingdoms once again, to stop this time from an entire kingdom falling as mine had done…but my loyalty to you, my dreams of seeing a Valenti finish the menace as another had done, weights before all else. I want my own vengeance fulfill in your glory as it was promised…and I’m sure I’m not the only one.”

 The duty, the expectation… the fears of it all that had haunted, that had plagued…

 In the last instants before the battles started, he grew that courage to be in his place, to face and fight. He was giddy, confident, there was a time he was already celebrating…but now it was like meeting the challenge all over again, trembling and falling at its door. Once again, he doubted, he denied…he was never to be what any of the kingdoms ever expected from him.

 There was a time he would do it all for Ludwig, and only for him, but as his eyes caught the glimmer of red from his hand...

 “You have your children now,” Kandake reminded. “You still have the chance to give them a life without war. I know it’s what you want now above all…and it’s what Ludwig would have wanted as well.”

 And for once…it was almost like he could see him clearly, leaning beside him on the bed, joining Kandake’s caresses, smiling and telling him to be brave, that they could do this. Feliciano’s lips trembled in a slight grin, reaching and hoping he could touch him…but after all, it was just a memory, an image from his mind that could never come alive.

 “There has to be an answer…there has to be something…and I’m sure we can find it together. Despite everything, you are still the prophesied one that has to end it all.”

 Feliciano reverted back to his silence, like Kandake had not uttered such words…back to the beginning.

 “Miss…” a young servant came, bowing before both. Kandake answered with her own, but Feliciano continued ignoring any new presence. “They are about to leave and would like your presence for their farewell.”

 She nodded, “right away.”

 He hurriedly left, while Kandake sighed and prepared words to tell them.

 “I’ll be back,” she stood and although Feliciano shivered at her miss, he did nothing else, only Pookie, who had been nuzzling on his back, raised and gave a curious flight as to where she was going. He still returned, he still knew he had to stay with his master at this time. He cuddled back to the usual it had become.

 Prophecies, prophecies, prophecies…if they could have written everything…every step, every direction the outcomes will pave. A clear way that any chosen could follow, and everything could be fulfilled as it was wished by the heavens. Feliciano didn’t have this booklet, this book, this divine mapping in the sky…only but a little St. Mark currently cuddling into his back and whatever will he held. He sighed, wishing to know what to do, how to start…how to even stand from this bed. And when he did…what then? What strategy? What plan? What magic? They had used every new thing they learned from the books they brought, their most powerful weapons, spells…the other that could have done something to stop this…was killed.

 The harsh reminder that always had Feliciano turning back to the pillow or the blankets to shed his tears, grip and shake in the thunder of this pain again. But the thunder this time, refused to engulf the jewels, for they called louder, they made a proclamation that alighted Feliciano in a new sense.

 His children…the little ones…they would be all, they would be this world, this kingdom, Feliciano… and Ludwig.…Ludwig…he suddenly sat…as if he alighted that moment for him to run and embrace.

 The room was as empty as always, Pookie startled and looking about, wondering what could have caused Feliciano’s first raise in weeks.

 No…he was not there…but as he soothed his fingers on the jewels…he could finally feel…almost even see, these specks of magic…of life, of creation. Some were of his…with the potent of gods and a power that was Queen in the universe, and then the others…Ludwig. A line showed powerful even if not at the wealth of gods. It was of Kings, of ruling and leadership to bring forward all the kingdoms in one. Ludwig was there…Ludwig was involved in that growing magic that would one day bring their children. He will live through them, he would be alive in their magic, forever then in a new line that would be their own together.

 “Ludwig…” he whispered, as if meeting him again that instant.

 “Your children will be their own life, their own paths and power…” something rung, deep within him, yet releasing and surrounding him. “…but Ludwig is there…” She seemed to whisper. “He will always be with you…as will I.” Feliciano hummed in delight at his great grandmother’s embrace and kiss. “They will all be here…you are here. You have the ability to stand and act.” With whatever magic or even wind, she caressed his face. “Do not as I did, where I waited decades before I knew I could defeat Khaos. It is still the beginning, you still have a great chance to save many and be the hero I knew my lineage would bring. Avenge your beloved. For him, your family and your kingdom, bring glory…” her breaths were slowly dispersing, she was disintegrating, leaving away to his inner depths, but he reached out, refusing her farewell yet.

 “But how…how can I do this now?” He begged, yet so fragile and small.

 Augusta smiled, knowing that beneath it, there was a winged lion with a menacing roar. His very own, Pookie, seemed to stare right at her, curious, wondering, reaching ever closer to see if he could earn friendship from this vision.

 “I believe Pookie can help you.” Like a playful child, she chuckled, gone in that last grin.

 Silence reigned in the room again…nothing at all coming back as Feliciano desperately hoped, looking at every corner as if she could materialize through these places again.

 No…he was alone…with Pookie…who according to her word…could help.

 He stared with great suspicion at him, as if expecting him to speak and defend himself from his crime.

 “Have we…shared absolutely everything to one another?” He asked the little creature, with big question and innocence in his big eyes.

 Feliciano sighed, finding himself in hopelessness yet again.

 Something about that exchange brought a sudden reminder to the lion, a jump, a spin, a casting of magic that alighted his frontal jewel. Feliciano had payed no mind to it…until a sudden weight befell on his lap. He was surprised to see a book, adorned in the shine and silvers that were known from those of Khaos’s library.

 “Wha-what…what?” He kept repeating, taking it and rounding it in his hands, exploring every new crevice, every new corner, mend and art…new…and not of the first pile that they had introduced to the castle from when they had returned from the spheres of validity journey.

 “Pookie, did you…have you kept this ever since we were in Khaos’s castle?” He was incredulous, lost in what reaction he should show.

 There was a shake of his head, bashful and blamed, but Feliciano knew it was his admittance to what he asked.

 “Did you…forget to give this to us?"

 Another shake that meant that it was in fact.

 Feliciano groaned, angered with strong menace, but yet…he was merciful, for he knew Pookie, despite a gift from the Aces, was still an animal, with faults as…forgetting that he had one extra book that he had kept in the storage of his magic. He would have been angrier if the book’s tittle was clearly: ‘How to defeat Khaos, a step by step guide.’, but it wasn’t the case. In fact, the book’s title was: ‘The Soul and Spirit Interludes.’ What good will a book about the afterlife and the core of their spirits have? It was the kind of book that Feliciano knew, even if they had it in the first pile, they would have ignored and considered useless, but now, he could recall Augusta’s words… and perhaps…

 He stood, cringing at the sudden force he gave his legs. He had been in bed for weeks and so they cracked and threatened to tumble him to the ground again. He took his time to whale and grimace, forcing them to take their usual rhythm of steps, practiced as he kept a desperate hold to the bed. Once he saw the door, it looked distant, making him dread that he had to push forward, had to take his usual lineage of breaths, run, command, be Queen and face the war.

 He rolled his eyes, cursing whatever new desires for naps, pushing himself past the thresholds, free, controlling. His life was his again.

 He smiled, grandiose and beautiful, Pookie spinning and cuddling in flight with his elation.

 “Come…we have to find everybody.” And for what seemed for the first time in decades, he walked those halls once again, raising his arms and eyes to point at hope and chances.

#Feliciano and the King of Hearts #fatkoh #f&tkoh #gerita #gerita fanfiction #gerita fanfic #gerita fic

[drops-of-moonlights]

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: SEASON 3 (The Fugitive from Omega)

Or, in which I give the basics of what I’ve changed about the story for the AU. It was originally way more descriptive but if I kept it in that style I would have finished in 2039 and I ain’t got time for that. Let’s cover Season 3 at last!

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: SEASON 3

After a month or so of summer break, Stella calls everyone up for a meeting in Magix to start getting the stuff for her birthday party/princess ball going.

Aisha is a bit down, however - while she did inform her parents that she’s dating Musa now, they’re still going on about her arranged marriage and she wishes they would stop.

The girls then go to a few stores in Magix to buy a few things Stella didn’t get in Solaria - she’s making her ballgown for the event and she wants some extra decorations, as it’s the last time she’ll appear as the Heir of the Sun and the Moon and wants to honor both celestial objects.

After a bit of shopping they take a lunch break, and meet Chimera there. They fight over a pizza but neither gets it, falling into the floor after a tug-o-war.

The girls meet her again when getting a dress for Bloom, and the interaction is equally unpleasant.

They finally get everything and then Stella brings Bloom and Daphne to Solaria, so they can spend a week there before the main event, so they can sightsee a bit.

During this stay, Bloom confides to Stella and Daphne that she might be developing something for Diaspro, but she’s not sure if it’s a genuine emotion or just her being happy she saved her. The other two simply tell her to think about it more clearly, and that she’ll realize what the feeling is when it happens.

At around the same time, the capsule Stormy had been in during her stay at Omega suddenly malfunctions after some ice hits it hard, allowing her to free herself. She manages to free the other 2 and immediately makes Icy cast a spell so they don’t die from the cold.

They wander for a bit before getting chased by some ice wyrms, and find Valtor’s capsule.

They free him and immediately throw him to the wyrm so they can escape again, but to their surprise Valtor manages to kill it with ease. He formally introduces himself.

They find the portal to Antocea and manage to open it, taking a break on the settlement around it (mostly abandoned warehouses full with stuff they can survive on for a few weeks), and with Valtor’s Mark, they manage to control the mermaids around the place.

Valtor is still pretty weak from the trip however, and decides to take a trip to Solaria to drain a bit of power from the Lantern of the Sun, to revitalize himself a bit.

Stella and Riven show Daphne and Bloom around, and they also finally meet Radius.

He introduces Count Alessandro of Alba, and reveals to Stella that he will be marrying him in a few months. Everyone is surprised, most of all Stella since she didn’t even notice they were dating.

Alessandro also introduces his daughter Carmilla, who turns out to be Chimera’s real name. The two girls try to remain civil but it's proving harder and harder. Stella just doesn’t like Chimera that much, and Chimera’s paranoid this will just end like how her parent’s separation ended and does not want that happening again, ever.

Valtor arrives at Solaria Castle and sees Chimera, sees how easily manipulable she is at the moment and promises her that if she helps him get to the Lantern, he will give her some extra power to ensure she wins in the end.

Chimera agrees and lends him the Lantern for a few seconds, Valtor absorbs part of its power and then marks Chimera, giving her instructions on what to do.

Aisha finds out about the current mess on Andros due to the portal of Omega being open, causing havoc near their sister nations and decides to stay home to help, informing the girls in the meantime.

The day of the Ball has arrived, and everyone is happy for Stella and how the day is gonna go, even if they’re missing Aisha. Radius introduces her as the Heir of the Sun and the Moon and then announces his engagement to Alessandro.

They dance for a bit and Stella is about to announce whether she will turn into the Heir of the Sun or the Heir of the Moon, but she’s attacked out of nowhere, falling to the ground and finding herself unable to transform. An illusion spell is cast over the entire room by Chimera, who marks her dad and future step-dad as well in the confusion. It makes everyone believe Stella has turned into a monster and order her arrest, everyone forced to flee.

After an escape through the old aqueducts, they decide to leave for Alfea for answers, and Wizgiz informs her that her magic was sealed by a very powerful spell, and that it would take him months for him to break it even with the entire staff’s help. He instead points them to the Mirror of Purification, a magical spring deep in the mountains of Soraia that can remove any curse or spell placed on a person, no matter how strong.

They manage to get there after many mishaps, but the spring is hidden in caves and Stella’s just sick of everything at that point, her ball was ruined, she was more or less exiled from her own planet, and she feels useless without her magic especially now since the ring is still broken, tying it to her worth for a bit. She manages to find the spring and takes a dive in it, but she still can’t cast magic, and everyone arrives.

They manage to cheer her up and tell her how much she means to them even if she can’t believe it at the moment, and that does manage to lift her mood. She can finally cast magic again after this - the spring removed the curse the second she stepped on it, but her fairy magic wasn’t gonna come out until she could think positively again.

Stella spends the last week of break before classes with Bloom and Daphne in Daphne’s newly acquired apartment.

Classes finally start and the girls can meet with Aisha again, who catches them up on what’s going on at Andros. Daphne’s reaction to the name Valtor scares Bloom.

Stella reunites with her friend Nova, who had moved away a few years ago to another coastal city in Solaria and catches her up on what’s going on at her country.

Musa also meets the princess of Melodeus Galatea, and the princess gains an interest on Musa due to her style of music. They strike a quick friendship after that.

a few days pass and when news break that Valtor has captured Queen Ligea of Mareia, she can’t stand it anymore WE’RE GOING TO ANDROS TO SAVE MY AUNT RIGHT NOW.

So Stella teleports them to Andros to get a way to get there that doesn’t involve flying cuz they would die trying that are you insane. She stays behind to cover for them with the Pixies, Diaspro and Nova.

She gets busted almost immediately by Daphne though, who is in the middle of a panic attack.

On Andros, after a quick check-in with Aisha’s parents, the girls get one of the private smaller ships the royal house has to get to Mareia and rescue Ligea. They meet Roy then, captain of the ship and Aisha’s friend.

As they sail onwards they’re attacked by the Trix, and after a fight, Bloom’s knocked out into the seas, a small platform rising below her.

Valtor shows up and tries to talk to Bloom, finding her familiar somehow, but he’s attacked by the Winx and as a warning, makes Aisha blind.

While everyone’s trying to deal with this, Aisha’s cousin Tressa appears, telling them that there’s a chance right now of rescuing the queen since Valtor’s occupied elsewhere, back in the Omega portal.

Everyone agrees and after Aisha swaps to her mermaid form and casts a breathing spell to the rest, they delve into the sea.

After a few missteps they arrive at the underwater palace and rescue Ligea, and try to make a run for it when Valtor attacks them in person, alongside a kraken he marked.

The kraken quickly goes haywire and attacks everyone equally however, and manages to knock both Ligea and Valtor out.

Aisha wants to take this chance and defeat Valtor right then and there (she can sense everything and “see” underwater thanks to her source), but realizes getting Ligea to safety is more important and bails, leaving Valtor to escape.

As they’re nearing the surface however, the kraken strikes again trying to drag Ligea back down, but Aisha intercepts it getting almost killed in the process to save her aunt. Everyone else reaches the surface and are really worried for Aisha, until she rises from the seas in Enchantix, having earnt the form. Her eyesight is also restored now, earning the form removing any curse or spell placed on her. She uses her Essence Dust as well to heal Ligea.

They get back to Alfea and immediately get punished to organizing the recently restored archive after Bloom kinda destroyed it last year for their stunt in Andros, thought they congratulate the girl’s bravery in helping those in aid and does acknowledge that Aisha has a duty to her people.

Faragonda and Daphne then elaborate on who Valtor is (which you can read here), and why he’s so dangerous - he also has a Dragon Aura, and unlike Bloom, has mastered control over it.

A few weeks pass and the girls are done with that assignment, and Sky invites everyone to Eraklyon for the Days of Arturia festival.

Riven confides to Stella that he might be falling in love with Sky and she suggests just saying it outright after the party in private, taking advantage of the happy mood and that even if Sky says no at least he’s getting closer to overcoming what happened a few years ago.

Sky confides in Brandon and Nex that he’s starting to think he might be crushing on Riven and doesn’t know how to deal with it, and that it’s adding to the stress of planning the event.

Brandon simply suggests to ask him out after the party so he doesn’t focus on it much, and Nex does the same, also adding that the party is the most pressing matter at the moment and that he can work out his feelings later.

Everyone finally gets to the party and start interacting, with Sky soon to be holding a speech.

Diaspro leaves for a bit to get herself something to drink and is captured by Valtor, who had shown up to the party and wanted to absorb the magic of the Sword of Storms, a magic relic of Eraklyon. She’s forced to help him and ends up then thrown into a dungeon, Valtor then taking her form and going back to dance.

Valtor still needs someone under his control on Eraklyon, since thanks to Chimera he’s running Solaria from the shadows ensuring he doesn’t get caught if a King doesn’t consider him a threat. Disguised as Diaspro, he marks Sky, who then announces he’s gonna get married to Diaspro soon, apparently having been reunited.

He knows this is what most of the noble population was expecting of those two, and this will make them more compliant to obey Sky’s orders.

The Winx and the Specialists immediately see through the bullshit and go approach Sky and Diaspro what’s going on, Riven and Bloom sounding really hurt at this.

Sky orders for them to be arrested and everyone bails, Sky calling in the dragons to attack them. Erendor and Samara are also questioning what’s going on, but Valtor returns to his original form and also sends them to the dungeon so they don’t interfere amidst the chaos.

The dragons quickly go loose and start attacking everyone, and manages to knock Radius and Alessandro, who had been invited as well.

Chimera’s frozen in fear, being just a Charmix fairy who hadn’t seriously fought before, and Stella rushes in to save all of them.

She forces her sceptre to its limit to defend her family even if she’s unsure of what Chimera’s plans are, the staff breaking and her getting hit with the full force of the attack.

Stella earns her Enchantix thanks to this, her sceptre also reforming into a new form - the Staff of the Stars. She leaves immediately after this to escape the dragons, but is happy her dad still seems to be fine, and she caught the slightest glint of remorse in Chimera’s eyes.

Everyone rests in the ship for a bit before immediately turning back, wanting to know exactly what has happened. They saw the mark of Valtor on the neck of the dragons, so they know he has a part in this, and with Brandon’s help, they sneak into the castle the next day.

Valtor on his part goes back to check on Diaspro’s cell once everything started to settle down but realizes she’s escaped, and realizing that without the princess to mark, he’s trapped in the castle in order to keep with the plan.

As everyone else bursts into the castle unnoticed, Bloom starts to realize she might have genuine feelings for Diaspro after how hurt she felt at the announcement, even when she knew it was a farce.

They find Diaspro on the way to Sky’s chambers and while initially cautious, they realize she’s not marked and Bloom immediately hugs her, happy she’s safe.

Now all together, they barge into Sky’s chamber and see him with Valtor-as-Diaspro, who immediately decides to just cut his losses and leaves Eraklyon, Sky still under his control and ordered to attack him.

After a brief fight, Diaspro and Stella use their Essence Dust to remove the mark, and Sky falls seriously ill after this, having to remain in Eraklyon.

Brandon, Riven and Diaspro remain in Eraklyon to look after Sky, as well as help clear everything that’s happened.

A few more weeks past and Valtor has settled in his next targets - Alfea and Cloud Tower. He decides to go to Cloud Tower first, and with the help of the Trix and a clever ruse, manages to enter the building and trap Griffin in the same place she was trapped by the Trix years ago, Valtor taking power from the Eye of the Eagle in Griffin’s office. He then attacks Alfea with the entire marked school as an army.

They all get thrown into a fight and the Trix infiltrate the school as a shadow, trapping a random fairy (Galatea) and forcing them to help them reach the Archive, since according to Valtor that’s where Alfea’s treasure (The Wings of Alfea, a special shield that also helps form the barrier protecting the school) resides.

Musa, Flora and Bloom manage to track them down and defeat them, but the Trix still get the Wings and bail, Darcy casting a cursed fire over the room to delay them further.

Everything starts to be destroyed again and the Winx quickly evacuate Concorda and the other school Pixies as well as Galatea, but she trips with a piece of fallen wood from the bookcases.

She’s about to be crushed by the rest of the bookcases, but Musa rushes in and pushes her out of the way, getting her wings torn off and her leg hurt in the process.

She earns Enchantix thanks to this regardless, which reforms her wings immediately, but she still can’t fly properly due to the pain still being there.

Now with Essence Dust, she can undo the fire in the room, also restoring most of the books in the process.

Valtor and Faragonda had a hard fight during all of this, but Valtor manages to win and traps Faragonda in a tree.

The Winx then go look for Faragonda unaware of her fate, since most of the teachers need to help with the few possessed students they got to trap before Valtor called them back to CT, using their own powers to remove the marks and it’s gonna take a while.

After a brief but very rough adventure in Cloud Tower, the girls finally find Faragonda trapped in a tree, and after informing the staff about this they decide to send the girls to Lynphea, as the tears of the Black Willow can help them and Flora lives near that place.

Flora explains what the Black Willow is on the way there and when they arrive, they meet her sister Miele, a young Witch studying in Lynphea.

The Trix also go to Lynphea around the same time, trying to get the tears themselves as well since it would be useful for Valtor’s plans.

Flora and Miele then elaborate on what the tears are - it’s a special sap produced by the willow with incredible magical healing properties, and using it alongside some Essence Dust would manage to restore Faragonda completely, as Essence Dust alone runs the risk of Faragonda becoming part-tree forever, it’s not as strong with nature. It has mixed overtime with a natural spring around the tree, which has made it stronger but also more unstable.

They finally arrive to the place where the Willow is (a small lake and waterfall called the Water Stairway), and when getting to collect the water Miele warns everyone that the water’s so magically charged there’s no telling what it could do to them, so they have to be careful.

At around the same time the Trix arrive at the Willow, and a fight ensues, Miele showing off her Charmix form.

During the fight Miele is hit hard by Icy’s attack, knocking her out of the air, out of her transformation, and loses conscience, falling into the waters.

Flora immediately and viciously attacks and ensnares the Trix in some thorny vines before diving into the water to save her sister, and she does, managing to send her back to the surface but ends up too weak, her attack on the Trix having drained her, starting to drown.

Miele comes to on the surface and immediately screams for her sister, and Aisha is trying to control the water to bring her back. Flora then rises up on her own, having achieved Enchantix, and then uses her vines to drag the Trix into the waters herself, still pretty angry at them.

The Trix then come out of the water looking the same age as Miele and bail, taking some of the water in the hopes it’ll fix their issue as well. The Winx finally get the water as well and return to Alfea, at last freeing Faragonda.

A month or so passes with relative peace before news break out that the portal to Omega in Antocea has gone haywire, expelling insane amounts of magic due to Valtor and the Trix breaking it to pass through. Aisha once again leaves for Andros with the Winx, hoping she can meet with the still-living Sorcerer that helped make the portal all those years ago, Taboc.

After some battles with criminals that had escaped Omega, they reach the portal with Taboc (having picked him up along the way), but they find themselves unable to do anything, the Portal ejecting too much electrical magic and energy, and Taboc can’t control it, the spell to close it seemingly not working.

As Taboc, Bloom and Aisha consider other options, they realize Tecna’s not saying anything, and when they check, she’s already halfway into the portal.

Everyone else arrives and panics, asking her what does she think she’s doing. Tecna elaborates that since her Source is Electricity, she can maybe manage to disrupt and absorb the magic of the portal and close it once and for all, and asks them to say goodbye to Timmy for her, not believing she’s gonna come out of it alive.

This act earns Tecna her Enchantix, and with her new power and aided by her Dust, she starts casting the closing spell from the inside. A pillar of lightning rises from the center of the portal, and as fast as it came, it disappears, the portal fully closed, Tecna nowhere in sight.

Everyone thinks she might be dead, and in their sorrow and rage, everyone starts crying. Bloom and Musa then stand up, rage the only thing inside them, and decide to go back to Cloud Tower and face Valtor head on, blaming him for Tecna’s apparent death.

The others try to stop them but can’t, and defeated, Stella sends them to Cloud Tower while everyone else goes to Alfea in the hopes the other two will come to their senses.

Once in Cloud Tower, Bloom and Musa fight through the possessed students and fight Valtor head on, but are quickly defeated. He’s about to mark them both when Faragonda, Griffin, Saladin, Daphne and the Winx burst in, attacking Valtor head on and taking the defeated fairies out. Valtor recognizes Daphne and realizes that Bloom is the baby princess of Domino, his anger starting to rise as everyone leaves.

Bloom feels useless after the battle with Valtor, wanting to know how to get a better hold of her Dragon Aura. Daphne offers to help her, and Faragonda decides to send them both to Pyros to train under the Sorceress Maia, an old acquaintance of hers that also has a Dragon Aura.

The two princesses arrive and, after a few mishaps, meet Maia at last, and start training under her. With both Daphne and Maia’s guidance, she starts to get a better hold of her powers.

At the same time, Timmy manages to make contact with Tecna on Omega for a brief moment, and with the Winx’s help, they all go to Omega to fetch her. They end up being attacked by some of the criminals that escaped their capsules and are separated.

The Paladin Order raids Cloud Tower and finds it empty, Valtor having left the place and leaving all the marked Witches there as well. Life slowly returns to normal in the building.

Still on Pyros, Bloom and Daphne are near the end of their stay when they’re attacked by the Trix, sent by Valtor to steal a magic item, but decide to take a detour and try to take down Bloom once and for all.

A fight starts, and while they start winning, Icy starts to focus on Daphne to try and take her down as well, since she might be more dangerous than Bloom. She’s about to stab her but stabs Bloom instead, having jumped between them to protect her sister. This earns her Enchantix, and now with this power, and aided by a VERY angry Daphne, they manage to utterly defeat the Trix, sending them running.

After this event and with a new form, the two princess go back to Alfea, and learn of the fate of Tecna and the rest. At the same time, Sky and the others come back from Eraklyon, having finally recovered from Valtor’s spell. They all leave for Omega.

Once there they end up separated by the same criminals, with the guys on one side and the girls on the other. Bloom and Diaspro keep looking for Tecna until they get ambushed. Both transform and manage to make quick work of the attackers, but the struggle let a stalactite loose, coming for them.

Scared, Diaspro ends up confessing on the spot, and right before the ice hit them it got pulverized by another attack - it’s Tecna, who heard the commotion and wanted to check in.

They all hug, excited to see each other again, but then soon go back to business, trying to find the rest. They all end up falling through a crevice and find the other Winx, and after another happy hug, they all rise up again to the surface after fighting an ice wyrm.

They also finally manage to find the boys (who had all been captured), and after freeing them, they immediately book it out to the ship and back to Magix.

Back on Magix at last, Diaspro finally asks for Bloom’s answer on their feelings, and while Bloom is still not sure if she’s truly attracted to her, they do agree to try a date.

A few weeks have passed, the girls decide to go on a group outing again, as a late celebration for everyone being back together. 

They stop to have lunch, and while everyone else orders food, Aisha meets a guy named Ophir, who was asking directions at the start but ended up talking for a few minutes. He excuses himself once everyone else gets back with food, and says that he and Aisha might meet again.

Right as the girls finish eating, Valtor appears in the clouds as a projection, announcing his plans to steal the Eye of Myrari from the nearby museum.

The girls can tell something’s weird about this and go to the museum as well, and after some shenanigans and Ophir showing up in the nick of time (revealing he’s a Fairy in the process), Valtor manages to steal the real treasure he was after - Agador’s Box.

After this event, a few days go by, and Radius and Alessandro’s wedding day is approaching. Stella’s determined to free her dad from Valtor’s mark but has not been invited to the wedding (thanks to Chimera). She decides she’s done waiting around and starts to find a way to get to Solaria and fix this once and for all, and after some brainstorming and help from Nova, they decide on performing as bike stunt performers.

With tutoring from the Specialists, the girls manage to get a good handle on them enough to go to the event, and with Luna’s help from Solaria (who’s informed of all the happenings) they manage to sneak in.

At the same time, Chimera’s panicking - she knows most of the staff has picked up that both Radius and her dad are not acting right and her feelings are in overdrive, becoming more and more unhinged about the whole situation and cursing Stella. She carries out with the wedding regardless.

During the vows, with both Radius and Alessandro looking empty, Stella strikes and disrupts the wedding, calling out Chimera as an ally of Valtor and showing the mark on both of the affected. Chimera simply loses it and transforms on the spot, starting to attack the Winx.

The Winx do the same and Stella and Chimera go one on one, Stella swiftly defeating the manic noble. She simply shuts down completely and remains on the floor, broken.

Stella uses her Essence Dust alongside the others and finally breaks her father and Alessandro free of the curse, she and Radius hugging in joy.

Chimera comes back to her senses and simply says nothing, head hung. Alessandro simply sends her to the Roccaluce Rehabilitation Center, in hopes she can get better, elaborating on her actions - Chimera believes anything new coming into her life will be trouble, and after meeting Stella she convinced herself she would throw her out the second she got the chance to, entering a circle of paranoia and anxiety that overtook her.

Radius and Alessandro cancel the wedding and decide to have at another date, in hopes Chimera’s recovery is steady so they can all celebrate it fully. Stella also finally announces her new title - she’s the Heir of the Stars, and Fairy of the Cosmic Light, refusing both sun and moon and choosing her own path. She gets her Solarian mark as well.

Once back on Alfea, a few more days pass until Daphne comes to their dorm in the dead of night for a hidden mission, something she cannot share with Faragonda.

She has found out about the Liquid Aura Stars, ancient and terrible objects that could drain a magi’s Aura to almost extinguish it, and feels this might be the only thing they can use against Valtor. (Learn more about them here!)

After some calls and some clever excuses, Stella teleports them outside of Alfea and into a Red Fountain ship with the guys, who are helping them get in the area the Stars are supposedly hidden.

After another run-in with gryphons, they get there with more or less no issues, aside from Ophir also being there for some reason, claiming that he wanted to help.

They’re faced by a lot of beings on the way to the place, and Ophir shows off his powers, as well as befriending everyone on the way.

They arrive at a weird formation of gems and trees called the Crystal Labyrinth, where the Stars supposedly reside at the center of the maze. Everyone tries to enter together, but crystals suddenly cover the entrance, trapping Daphne, Aisha and Tecna on the other side and dividing them further, a voice echoing in the distance talking about some sort of trial.

The three girls advance regardless, and seemingly manage to reach the center, but there are two doors, the voice speaking again that to get to the Stars, they must pass this test.

Aisha is shown her parents finally breaking off the engagement, letting her be free at last, and on the other door, the Liquid Aura Stars reside. While she would love for her parents to finally accept her wishes, she knows she can get through them in her own, and goes for the Stars.

Tecna is shown all the knowledge in the world, all at her disposal, and on the other door, the Liquid Aura Stars reside. While part of her wants to just delve in into all that information, she knows her friends and the Stars are more important, and she can acquire all that information on her own, after all.

Daphne is shown Domino fully restored, her parents and her people okay and alive and happy, and on the other door, the Liquid Aura Stars reside. While Daphne would love nothing more than to restore her home immediately, she’s certain she will find the way on her own, and Domino, as much as it hurts her, can wait. She goes for the Stars.

They all arrive at the center and retrieve the stars in their casket, the maze disappearing around them and reuniting with the rest, going back to Alfea.

They somehow manage to get by without Faragonda or the rest of the staff knowing about what they just did (since taking the Stars is HIGHLY ILLEGAL), and decide to celebrate this as well as Stella freeing her kingdom by going out at night all together, with special permission from Faragonda.

During this trip, Sky and Riven decide to talk at last about what happened in Eraklyon, and how Riven helped Sky to get better. They both end up confessing to one another and start dating.

At the same time, Ophir shows up and reveals his true identity to Aisha - he’s Nabu, the man she’s supposed to marry. He wanted to meet her before the deal was done since he heard Aisha was already dating someone, and since he doesn’t want the marriage either they decide to arrange a meeting with their parents once and for all to annul the arrangement.

As they leave, Valtor appears in the sky as a projection again, challenging the headmasters of the schools to a match out of nowhere.

Everyone thinks this is suspicious but the headmasters take the challenge regardless, leaving their colleagues to protect the schools if something bad happens.

The battle starts but at no point Valtor fights in it, instead casting a powerful illusion spell to make it look like everyone is fighting Valtor despite actually fighting themselves.

He teleports to Alfea to look for whatever the Winx took recently - he knows they have something but doesn’t know what is.

The Winx intercept him, however, and a battle breaks. Valtor manages to defeat Aisha and Stella and almost marks them until Bloom barges in with the Stars, and starts draining Valtor of his magic.

She stops right before it would have gone to lethal levels, and almost detains him if it wasn’t for the Trix’s interference, who manage to drag him back to their hiding spot.

While Faragonda congratulates the girls on their plan, she also tells them they’re gonna have to go to court once Valtor is dealt with since they did violate some heavy laws getting the Stars.

Valtor, still weak, pulls one last power hidden in the Box (which he has been using to hold all the stolen powers so far), one he stole a long, long time ago and has been saving as a last ditch resort - the Spell of the Elements, one of the strongest powers ever created.

He casts different natural disasters to all the schools plus Magica City (an inferno to Alfea, tornadoes to Red Fountain, a flood using Lake Roccaluce’s water to Cloud Tower, and an earthquake to Magica), and demanding Bloom to face him once and for all, wanting revenge and nothing else.

Faced with the disaster, Bloom agrees, and the rest of the Winx plus Diaspro and Daphne go with her, Daphne wanting him to pay for what he did to the Lake, still holding a lot of memories for her.

Once they arrive they’re immediately dragged down to a makeshift cave made on the lakebed, the Trix arriving to fight the Winx plus Diaspro while Bloom and Daphne face Valtor head on.

As they fight, Valtor reveals what his plan was - to undo the curse on Domino, and free the country from the eternal winter. This leaves everyone confused, until he elaborates further that he himself cast the spell of eternal winter, but it has been tampered with and modified over the years, which made it impossible for him to undo.

He’s been stealing powers and getting people under his control from different realms so that once he frees Domino, he can finally take over it as its new king, aided by the people he has under his control to support him.

However, explaining his plan has made him careless, and after a good hit on him by Daphne, Bloom rushes to Agador’s Box. Valtor tries his hardest to stop her, but he’s in turn stopped by the rest of the Winx that have already defeated the Trix, and Bloom destroys the lock on the box, freeing all the magic Valtor has stolen from all the realms, leaving him powerless.

He decides to call back the elements with the last spell in his possession, and the waters of the lake start rushing back at a fast pace. Everyone starts to make a run for it but Valtor remains down there, still transformed somehow, frantically searching in case a spell still remains there. The waters come crashing down and the cave collapses with Valtor still there, and everyone else made it to the surface more or less safe. Valtor is never seen again, and is presumed dead.

The Paladin Order arrives as soon as all the other disasters stopped, and arrests both the Trix and the Winx on the spot for their crimes. A month of court meetings and cases ensue, held in trial for different things for both teams, with the Specialists, Helia and Nabu also held accountable.

After a month, a verdict is finally reached - while the heroes did break a very important law, it was done to protect the realms for an even bigger threat, and as such are charged with 2 months of community service, fixing all the damage Valtor’s spells have caused as well as just general helping around, and in the case of the magis, they’re cursed with a magic-restraining spell that will fade in a month, heavily limiting their magic usage.

As for the Trix, they cannot be sent to Omega as the prison is still a mess after the portal shenanigans, so they will be held in the Order of Mana’s dungeons until a more fitting place is found.

There are still 3 months of school left, and with the magic limiter it’s gonna be a pain, but the teachers are understanding at least so they’ll just have to work extra hard on finals. The worst has passed.

Daphne is called to Faragonda’s office and is given a book full of notes - it’s the one thing Valtor left behind untouched, found in a cave nearby. It details all the research he was doing on Domino’s curse, and she felt Daphne could use it.

Teredor and Niobe, alongside Nabu’s parents, show up to Alfea called by Aisha, and both she and Nabu finally face them and call them out, denying the arranged marriage. Teredor and Niobe finally agree to cancel the wedding as it’s clear neither of them wish to marry, and to strain their relationship with their daughter even further is unwise. Nabu’s parents also agree, but they seem more hesitant about it. The two young adults celebrate, and Nabu earns his Glamourix thanks to finally expressing his true feelings.

Sky and Riven also officially announce their relationship, as do Bloom and Diaspro. Everything seems to be going fine, and aside from having to pay for their technical crimes, everyone is happy the rest of the school year is going to be more calm...

#Winx Club #Winx Redux AU #Winx AU Detailing #Winx Redux AU: Summarized #y'all THIS TOOK SO LONG #I had to rewatch S3 entirely to properly do this and it was. so fucking boring and dragged on so much oh my god #I changed a lot of the finale because so much of it was unnecessary and also changed a lot which also didn't help #but I'm happy I finally got this done #Next to summarize will be the movie #which hopefully will take less since it's just and hour and 10 minutes rather than 13 or so hours #HOPEFULLY

[s-trawberryv-eins]

An Introduction

(NOT MY GIF)

AN INTRODUCTION TO CAROLINE STARK

A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading! So, after months of waffling about wanting to write, I finally sat down and did it. It’s pretty complicated, so it’s pretty important to read this one before you start with anything else. I’ve created an original character, who lives in a slightly alternative universe to the one we were left with after Endgame. I’d like to state that none of my personal changes are reflections of my opinions of what DID happen, but in order to build her as I wish, some things needed to be slightly different.

1)    Steve didn’t go back to Peggy after he returned the stones

2)    Hulk and Banner didn't become one, they’re still two separate beings

3)    Natasha was brought back by Steve as he was able to return the soul stone in return for her life

4)    The compound was rebuilt after the Battle of Earth. There is a memorial for Tony where he died.

A few other things to note:

1)    My first piece of writing will be a background that is applicable to all of the fics. However, many of them will be stand alone, unless I state otherwise. I’ll be creating a masterlist which will lay everything out very clearly, but please feel free to ask if you need to 😊

 Thanks for reading the boring stuff. Everything will be up soon!

 Summary: An introduction to the secret Stark sister. Who is she? Why was she kept a secret? And what happens when everybody finds out?

 Warnings: Abandonment, injury, PTSD, death, blood, but there's plenty of soft love too.

 Word count: 1921

 SUMMER 2004

MALIBU, CALIFORNIA

"Yes, yes, two seconds!" Tottering over to the front door of her bosses lavish Malibu home, Pepper Potts grumbled under her breath, annoyed by the fact that she was the one answering the incessant knocking. "I’m not your maid, Tony!” Sighing, she unlocked the door and prepared to shoo whichever reporter, play bunny, or cold caller had decided that 10 PM on a Tuesday evening was a good time to show up. However, she was greeted with something entirely unexpected.

“Oh! Hello! Are you lost? Where’s your Mom?" In front of Miss Potts stood a small girl, 7 years of age, a sparkly pink bag held tightly in her little hand. Pepper greeted the young girl with the cheeriest voice she could manage in her surprise. Sticking her head out of the door, she looked around, but with a furrowed brow she realised that they were alone. There wasn’t another figure or car in sight.

“Momma said I had to give you this." In her tiny outstretched hand was a thick envelope. "She said my Daddy lives here.” The look on her face told Pepper that she knew exactly what had happened. Even as young as she was, she had an obvious maturity that would break hearts. Her mother had abandoned her, and the girl understood that entirely.

With eyes so wide it hurt, Pepper took the envelope, peeking inside to find a passport, a letter, and a photograph of Mr Stark and a woman. The girls' mother, Pepper presumed. Shock was written into the PAs face, but she forced a smile all the same. After a quick look at the passport, she ushered the child inside.

"Come on in, Caroline. We’ll sort you out, okay?”

 LATE 2008

NEW YORK

A series of loud bangs on her bedroom door pulled Caroline from her daydream. Not even having a chance to respond, the door burst open and three young girls practically fell into her room.

“Turn the TV on!"

“As if you weren’t famous enough!"

“Did you know? You must've known?!"

Wide eyed and clueless as to what her friends were talking about, Caroline blinked back gormlessly as Amelie grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

“What channel?“

“Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" The 11-year-old spoke up, and all three heads turned to face her, humour in their eyes as they stated what was seemingly obvious.

“Your dad, Care.” Caroline knew her Father had been in some trouble. Happy had shown up outside the halls of residence, whisking her away immediately. The panic set in as her heart sped up violently. As the girls scrambled through the channels, they froze as a man in a suit appeared on the screen. Caroline's dad. Tony Stark. They watched in awe as he addressed his audience. As his daughter, she'd watched a few press conferences before. They were a bore, however, she couldn't lie.

The TV remote fell from Amelie’s hand as he spoke the four words that changed history.

“I am Iron Man.”

 MAY 2012

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Footage of the Chitauri destroying the very ground she stood on flashed through Caroline’s mind. Gripping Happy’s arm as she sobbed, the 14-year-old girl cried out desperately for her Father. Their relationship had been very rocky for a while. He’d rejected his new responsibility at first, leaving Pepper to parent the girl. He’d even shipped her off to boarding school, where he further pushed away his long-lost child. It wasn’t until Pepper dragged him by the sleeve to the young girl’s dorm room and forced him inside that he’d actually spoken to his daughter. From there, they established a solid relationship. Caroline, of course, fell head over heels for her Father. He could do no wrong in her eyes. That never changed, even as she grew.

Fear wracked her body at the thought of Tony not surviving the battle. Staring at the sky, she prayed and prayed that he return from that giant swirling hole of death that currently dominated New York. When she saw his body fall through the sky, her fear both vanished and increased ten-fold.

-

Later that evening, JARVIS informed her of her Fathers arrival at the beaten-up tower. Racing to find him, she threw her arms around his neck and cried. She cried and cried until she ran out, but she never let go of his hand.

 MAY 2015

NOVI GRAD, SOKOVIA

“Daddy?” Her voice came out a whimper. She felt weak and small.

“Hey baby girl, I’m uh…I’m guessing you’ve seen, right? Yeah, it’s bad, Care.”

“Dad, what’s going on?”

“Listen, baby, I’ve gotta end this. Me and Thor, uh, we think we’ve got a way. A lot of people will die if we don’t do this. You're the best thing, you know?" His voice was soft, even as he continued to fight off robots and save the world. The line grew staticky and Caroline couldn’t stop the tears that spilled from her eyes. "I'm so glad you showed up on my doorstep all those years ago. I’m sorry for taking so long."

“Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye? Daddy you're scaring me!” Her voice was a desperate whimper, and a pain in her chest bloomed violently.

“I love you, Caroline. Remember th-" Horror erupted over her features as the line went dead. Not knowing whether she'd ever see him again, she made her way to New York, her heart dragging painfully behind her.

 NEW YEARS EVE 2015

AVENGERS COMPOUND

UPSTATE NEW YORK

Caroline and her Father walked through one of the many laboratories of the new compound. On her 18th birthday the Stark girl was offered a position as a biomechanical engineer for the new era S.H.I.E.L.D. program, built following its collapse in 2014. Taking after her Dad, she had excelled in school, and to the amazement of her new bosses, had landed a glowing recommendation from Iron Man himself. The decision for her to live under a different last name to Tony was one he himself had requested in a bid to keep her safe for as long as he could. She had never really met the other Avengers, and only three other people knew of her existence; Pepper, Happy, and Natasha Romanoff. It was easy enough to hide her identity.

Caroline didn’t mind too much. She could still see her parents as much as she pleased, and it prevented any special treatment from schools and professors. Those around Caroline herself knew; her school friends knew, she didn't want to keep a secret from them, and besides, she didn't know any better when she told them at 8 years old.

“How’re you settling in? Are you sure this isn’t too soon? This is too soon. I’m taking you-“ midway through his rambling, Tony realised his daughter both lived and worked at the compound, rendering his threat useless. "I'll take you somewhere. Details, schmetails."  

“Dad! Calm down! You’re spiralling. I’m fine, I’m settling in just fine! Now come on, I need to meet everyone.” A proud smile graced the young girls features as she tried to rid her rather of any worry. With a sigh, he took his daughters hand in his own and led her to the Avengers quarters. Separating just before they entered the room, Caroline took a shaky breath.

“Folks gather round. This is our new Doc. With Banner MIA," his brows drew together as he spoke, and his gaze fell to the floor for a second before finding Caroline "she’s our go to! This is Caroline. Caroline Lockwood.”  A half smile appeared on his face, the bittersweet moment getting the best of him. After a few brief introductions, the girl bid them goodbye to get ready for one of Tony Starks famous New Year’s Eve parties.

 JUNE 2018

AVENGERS COMPOUND

UPSTATE NEW YORK

Pepper sat with her daughter, a blanket around the two of them as they hid. They sat in silence, unable to find the words. Trying to maintain hope when everything around them told them to give up was the hardest battle they'd fought yet. “Momma? We’ll be fine, right? We always win.” Her voice nothing but a whisper in the darkness, she felt her adoptive mothers’ fingers tighten around her own.

“We'll be fine, baby. Your Dad will do what he always does. He'll save us. He'll save everybody.” The sad smile on Caroline's face couldn’t be seen in the dark, but Pepper could tell the moment that it fell. She felt the energy in the air shift. Did they lose? “Baby? Baby what’s wrong?" Placing her soft hands either side of her daughter’s face, she gasped sharply as the blanket fell around them, no longer supported by two bodies. Instead, a dark ash took the place of the youngest Stark.

“I’m sorry, Momma" she choked out before disintegrating completely "I'm sorry.”

Pepper was left alone, covered in heartbreak, grief, and the ashes her child left behind.

OCTOBER 2023

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

"Hey, sweetie. Do you want Mom?" Morgan shook her head and stepped closer to her sister.

“Can you help me? You’re my sister.” With sad, glazed over eyes, Caroline nodded. It's not difficult to sympathise with the two girls. Morgan knew all about her big sister. Stories were told, and pictures were framed in every inch of the house. Morgan idolised her before she’d ever met her. And when, by some miracle, they did meet, it was a few days before their fathers’ funeral. Two days before that, Caroline had been dead.

Dead.

It'd been one hell of a week.

To say the oldest Stark sister walked on eggshells around the younger one would be an understatement. Allowing their relationship to be on Morgan’s terms was the least she could do. The thought that Morgan may reject her completely never left her mind, despite Peppers constant reassurance. “I can braid your hair, if you’d like. Momma taught me when I was a little girl."

-

"Where's Morgan?" Pepper's voice barely registered in Caroline’s brain. She could feel herself drifting further and further away every day. But she didn't have the strength to fight it.

“Happy took her for cheeseburgers.” A hint of smile traced her mouth, but it didn't stick. It never stuck. The bags under her eyes were heavy and dark, and the once rich brown of her eyes seemed to have dulled miserably. After receiving her own private recording from Stark, she felt as if she'd broken completely. Turning to face Pepper, she struggled to continue, her voice hoarse from crying and screaming in the night. "They should be back an-"

“MOMMY SISSY UNCLE HAPPY BOUGHT EXTRA.” Watching the tiny girl stumble through the door, a brown paper bag clutched tightly to her chest, Caroline just stared in awe. Of course, Morgan was too young to really understand what happened. She missed her Daddy, and she knew he wasn’t coming home, but she managed to smile. Her eyes shined bright as ever. The world hadn't tainted her hope, it hadn’t torn away her faith.

It would be so, so easy to just let go. To just give up and fall into the oblivion that called her name. But in doing so, she'd miss even more time with her sister. Watching her eat with a pensive look on her face, clutching on to Pepper and watching all the strangers around her, Caroline made a choice. She could do it for Morgan. She could hold on and keep going.

So, she did.

TAGS:

@bucky-castiel​

#marvel #mcu #tony stark #iron man #pepper potts #morgan stark #the avengers #fanfiction #ironman #captain america #the winter soldier #hawkeye #hulk #black widow #writing #angst #fluff #love #smut #series #original character #oc #Stark!OC #please read #oh god #my first one #requests are always open #please tell me what I do wrong #tumblr #art

[osakaso5]

IDOLiSH7 4th Anniversary Special Story: Best Wishes...

Chapter 1: A Job And An Idea

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Ryo Tsukumo: Happy anniversary!

Pop!

ŹOOĻ: .........

Toma Inumaru: ...That startled me...

Haruka Isumi: ...What anniversary..?

Minami Natsume: I wonder...

Torao Mido: The contents of his party cracker got in my hair...

Ryo Tsumugi: Come on! You're too lethargic! Do it over!

Toma Inumaru: And you're weirdly excited..?

Ryo Tsukumo: Happy anniversary! Yaaay..!

ŹOOĻ: Y-yaaay...

Ryo Tsukumo: WHOOO! Louder!

ŹOOĻ: Yaaay!

Ryo Tsukumo: Hey... Why are you so excited, when you don't even know what we're celebrating?

Ryo Tsukumo: If you get too carried away, you'll find yourselves buying magic beans before you know it. Are you sure you want that?

Torao Mido: Magic beans, eh. That sounds pretty interesting. So, what's this all about? Is it your birthday, Ryo-san?

Haruka Isumi: Ah, is it? How old are you now?

Ryo Tsukumo: 25 years old.

Minami Natsume: Lying about your age... Perhaps there is a human side to you, after all.

Toma Inumaru: Huh? But wouldn't he be saying "happy birthday", if it was his  birthday? What's this anniversary stuff  all about?

Ryo Tsukumo: You know that large shopping center, Sky Blue Mall, right?

Haruka Isumi: Yeah. The one they built in the city a few years back...

Ryo Tsukumo: That's the one. It was built in hopes of attracting people, but never boomed the way it was intended to.

Ryo Tsukumo: They're renovating the place just in time for its 4th anniversary.

Torao Mido: Renovating after only four years? That's a little early, don't you think?

Minami Natsume: It's most likely due to their poor performance. They're trying to reform their image with a quick makeover.

Ryo Tsukumo: Exactly. Their plan is to shamble from the dead with one last elixir, so they won't have to suffer a slow death.

Toma Inumaru: You didn't have to put it like that...

Ryo Tsukumo: It seems they're planning to put plenty of vigor and  budget into their 4th anniversary re-opening.

Ryo Tsukumo: They're advertising Sky Blue Mall quite a lot, whether rebuilding is going to help them or not.

Ryo Tsukumo: They were looking  for talents that could fit their four year theme, so I snatched this job for ŹOOĻ.

Haruka Isumi: But it's four years, right? We've only just debuted.

Ryo Tsukumo: It's not about your debut. This marks the fourth year since the four of you first met.

ŹOOĻ: Ah...

ŹOOĻ: .........

ŹOOĻ: Huh..?

Haruka Isumi: No, that doesn't add up at all.

Toma Inumaru: Four years ago? Literally none of us had met each other.

Ryo Tsukumo: What do you mean? Try to remember that time carefully. Torao, you were a high schooler four years ago, yes? What did you do back then?

Torao Mido: I was the student council president.

Toma, Haruka, & Minami: No way!

Torao Mido: It's true!

Toma Inumaru: Hey, stop playing along with Ryo-san's bullcrap. You're just digging your own grave.

Torao Mido: Maybe I should dig your grave. I was an honor student. Can't you tell?

Ryo Tsukumo: Alright, Torao was the student council president at a prestigious academy...

Torao Mido: What are you writing down?

Ryo Tsukumo: Nope, I'm not showing you. What about you, Haruka? What were you doing four years ago?

Haruka Isumi: Me? Four years ago, I sang in the choir of the neighborhood church...

Toma, Minami, & Torao: No way!

Torao Mido: You were such a good kid.

Minami Natsume: How adorable.

Toma Inumaru: I wanna see you in that choir uniform. You got pictures?

Haruka Isumi: No. It wasn't anything that special, really... A lot of kids from the neighborhood went there.

Ryo Tsukumo: Haruka sang in a church choir... What about you, Minami?

Minami Natsume: Four years ago, I would have been filming The Cursed Serpent's Mirror.

Toma Inumaru: Ah! That horror blockbuster..!!!

Torao Mido: I was too scared to go see that one...

Haruka Isumi: I had to close my eyes every time they showed commercials for it...

Minami Natsume: Here is a picture from back then.

Toma, Haruka, & Torao: Gyah..!

Toma Inumaru: Creepy..! That's you, Mina!? Is this special effects make up!?

Torao Mido: Normal humans can't make that kind of face...

Minami Natsume: Fufu. You flatter me. This movie is famous for its final scene. Would you like to see it?

Haruka Isumi: No!!! That's enough... I'm not gonna be able to go to the toilet tonight...

Ryo Tsukumo: I know what you mean. Horror makes even bathing scarier. You start imagining all kinds of stuff in the shower.

Ryo Tsukumo: Like deathly pale women in the mirror, or children's faces staring up at you from the floor, or dark shadows behind the frosted glass...

Haruka Isumi: Don't start describing things that'll make me more scared! You're horrible..!!!

Ryo Tsukumo: Oh? Haruka, behind you...

Haruka Isumi: Stop!!!

Ryo Tsukumo: Hehe. OK, OK. Minami was filming a movie. And you, Toma?

Toma Inumaru: I was still a part of NO_MAD. But I also went to school properly, so I was kinda like Haru is now.

Haruka Isumi: Ugh...

Toma Inumaru: Don't "ugh" me. Your school years are in important time, when you get to have lots of fun.

Ryo Tsukumo: Huh? And what about people who didn't have fun?

Toma Inumaru: That's... Well...

Torao Mido: I don't think there's anybody who didn't have fun. If you live normally, you'll get a girlfriend and excel in your club activities, doing something productive every day.

Haruka Isumi: Not everyone's a normie student council prez like you.

Minami Natsume: I didn't experience that, either. I could rarely go to school due to my work, so I have few proper memories to speak of.

Torao Mido: Really?

Minami Natsume: Yes. On the rare occasion that I went back to school, I'd have so many Valentine's Day chocolates piled up that I'd feel bad.

Haruka Isumi: You're just a normie, too!

Toma Inumaru: Haru, Haru! I got chocolates, too! Since I was an idol!

Haruka Isumi: Shut up! Even I've gotten chocolates before!

Toma, Torao, & Minami: From who?

Haruka Isumi: ........ It's a secret.

Toma, Torao, & Minami: Oh dear...

Ryo Tsukumo: Well then, next Valentine's Day, I'll have to use my own handmade chocolates to turn the holiday into a traumatic event for you all...

Toma Inumaru: Why are you always so quick to say creepy stuff...

Ryo Tsukumo: A student council president, a choirboy, an actor, and an idol. Despite living in completely different worlds, the four of you met by chance four years ago.

Ryo Tsukumo: Torao, do you remember your vice president?

Torao Mido: Vice president? There were two of them...

Ryo Tsukumo: The taller one.

Torao Mido: Yeah, I remember 'em.

Ryo Tsukumo: The park you took her out on a date once was actually being used as a filming location for The Cursed Serpent's Mirror at the time.

Torao Mido: Huh..?

Minami Natsume: Is that so? You were there at the same time as me?

Torao Mido: No, the vice prez was a guy. I wouldn't have taken him out on a date.

Ryo Tsukumo: Tsk...

Minami Natsume: Ryo-san... What are you trying to accomplish by fabricating stories?

Ryo Tsukumo: Wait, next. Haruka!

Ryo Tsukumo: As a choirboy who admired idols, you once went to a NO_MAD concert.

Toma Inumaru: Really!? You should've told me! I'm so happy to hear that!

Haruka Isumi: N-no, I never did that...

Toma Inumaru: Huh? W-what the hell. I got really excited there for a sec.

Toma Inumaru: Ryo-san, stop making shit up. None of us met four years ago.

Ryo Tsukumo: That's true.

Haruka Isumi: See!?

Minami Natsume: None of us thought otherwise.

Torao Mido: Oh. Too bad, it would've felt nice and fateful if we actually had met.

Minami Natsume: You're such a romantic, Mido-san.

Torao Mido: You don't believe in fate, despite being a fortune teller?

Minami Natsume: I do, but I have to wonder whether it applies to us.

Ryo Tsukumo: If not, then we have to make something up, since I accepted this 4th anniversary job.

Toma Inumaru: Don't make anything up! If we're caught lying, the people of Sky Bue Mall will be disappointed, too. It's their anniversary and everything.

Ryo Tsukumo: This world is full of fabrications. Edison didn't actually invent electricity, and Apollo 11 didn't actually land on the Moon.

Haruka Isumi: Really!?

Minami Natsume: Don't listen to him.

Ryo Tsukumo: If we turn the job down now, there'll be chaos. It's nicer if we  force some kind of connection between you guys. Don't you have any material?

Torao Mido: Even if you ask that...

Haruka Isumi: A student council president, a choirboy, an actor, and an idol...

Toma Inumaru: Hmm, how about this? You guys used to be my fans, and...

Haruka, Torao, & Minami: Objection.

Toma Inumaru: Why!? Isn't it nice and simple!?

Haruka Isumi: It's not fair if only you get to show off!

Minami Natsume: I don't want people to say that my music was influenced by NO_MAD. Their styles are completely different.

Torao Mido: How do you think I'll feel if all my future interviews will be   about how I used to be your fan?

Toma Inumaru: Hmm... Then what should we go with?

Haruka Isumi: What if we just met by chance? We could say we shared a table at a restaurant or something.

Toma Inumaru: That's a great idea! We ran into each other at a fast food joint!

Torao Mido: I don't go to fast food places.

Minami Natsume: I rarely visit them, as well.

Toma Inumaru: ........ Then, maybe we met at a trendy café...

Haruka Isumi: Cafés charge over 300 yen for a glass of juice! Do you really think a middle schooler's gonna go there?

Toma Inumaru: You've got a point... Now that we think about it, there's not many ways we could've ran into each other.

Haruka Isumi: I guess not...

Minami Natsume: I suppose...

Torao Mido: Right...

Ryo Tsukumo: That you met at all was a miracle... You should be grateful to the person who made it happen. That would be me.

Ryo Tsukumo: Hmm, I'm all out of good ideas. Let's just come up with something random. Like a school feud.

Torao Mido: A school feud!?

Ryo Tsukumo: Toma was a gang leader who challenged rival schools to duels.

Toma Inumaru: Isn't that something from over forty years ago, rather than four!?

Ryo Tsukumo: Haruka was the younger brother of Toma's girlfriend.

Haruka Isumi: Huh!? Don't just make up a sister for me!

Ryo Tsukumo: Torao was the student council president of a rival school. He was secretly a yanki gang leader.

Torao Mido: Sounds good. I can do that.

Ryo Tsukumo: Minami was a sukeban from a rival school. He called everyone "y'all" (1).

Minami Natsume: Ryo-san. What is a sukeban?

Ryo Tsukumo: Alright, it's decided!

Toma Inumaru: Seriously!? We're gonna go with that one!?

Haruka Isumi: I don't even have a sister!

Ryo Tsukumo: Sure, you do. I've met her.

Haruka Isumi: Huh..!?

Torao Mido: Stop lying to children.

Haruka Isumi: Oh, it was a lie. It was a lie, right?

Minami Natsume: Ryo-san. What do you mean by me referring to eveyone as y'all?

Ryo Tsukumo: Well then, now that we've got your origin story in order, I'm counting on you to do the job. 

To be continued...

Translator’s notes..? 

1) a sukeban is the leader of a (school)girl gang. also, ryo originally mentions minami using the first person pronoun “atai”, which is very informal and feminine, but since english only has one first person pronoun, i changed it up a bit to make more sense

#idolish7 #anniversary story 2019 #translation #i7 #trigger #re:vale #zool #other translations

[leviathan-open-ur-eyes]

Memory 001

Avery is five years old and she has just been left behind at a strange place. Her father walked her up to the door but didn't stay. He was crying. She doesn't know why. Her mother was in the car too busy applying the red lipstick she adored more than anything. She didn't even say goodbye. Her father kissed her head, hugged her and said good bye. Their car is gone now and there is no answer from the door. Avery knocks again like her father told her. Moments later a woman opens the door. She looks tired. She smiles down at Avery and says, "Ah, I've been expecting you child. Come in come in." And Avery does.

Memory 014

Avery now knows her parents are not returning for her. It's been eight months and she asks Oba constantly where they are. Oba doesn't say much about the topic. Oba is a good friend of her father's. He sees her as family and so does Avery. She is Auntie Oba. And she takes care of her. Avery is home schooled, she is taught many subjects by Oba but music and art are her favorite. Oba is a college professor and an online professor for foreign students. She teaches English, Literature, and a Creative writing course at the university. Avery attends those courses some nights and only one class catches her eye.... the one on one music class.

Memory 035

Avery is now 17 and Oba wants to introduce her to the music professor. Oba sees potential in Avery and she wants to show her colleague. The man is in his mid 40s now and he is a stern man. He watches Avery perform, eyes on her like a hawk. When she is done Oba asks what he thought of her. He scratches his beard and nods. A twinkle in Oba's eyes, he likes what he hears. Tells her and Oba that she has talent, with his teaching and guidance he can make her a star. They practice every Wednesday.

Oba had enrolled her in high school. Avery has many friends there. But something happened. She had gotten into a fight. And the pain felt good. It satisfied an urge she always had deep down inside her. An urge for punishment. She had obliviously been bad why else would her parents leave her. Never calling or writing. No birthday cards. No Christmas gifts. Only a check for Oba to help take care of her. And she does. Avery feels guilty for loving the pain. Her life isnt bad. But the need to be punished is greater than the happiness she feels in small amounts. Thinking about the things she has done to herself she knows deep down she would disappoint Oba and she cant do that. Not after everything she has done for her. She cant be selfish no she wouldn't be.

Memory 039

Avery has gotten into another fight. With the school's star quarterback. He was quick on his feet and offered to do detention with her by cleaning the bathrooms and gym. In return he would bring home the trophy the principal has always wanted. Smooth talker Liam was. He took avery down a dangerous road. One she would keep from her Oba and professor. Her parents no longer send money and Oba has been working less and less. She is sick some days and cannot get out of bed. Her trash is filled with bloodstained tissues. And Avery fears the worse. Liam says the club pays well for the winner. He won 200$ the other night. Avery cant pass it up. Tonight they meet at midnight.

Memory 042

Its been 3 weeks and Avery has a broken nose. She doesn't explain to Oba why and Oba hopes she isnt getting into fights at school. Avery assures her she isnt and its left at that. Some night Avery can hear Oba crying. She's scared. She prays to god to help her. To help her for the sake of Avery. Because Avery is troubled and is always in fights. She is lost and god is her guiding light. She hears her cry and tells god she isnt strong enough. With a broken heart Avery heads to fight club. Tonight she will win. She will pay for Oba to get better. And then... she'll never fight again.

Memory 045

Avery won. 12k is hers. She arrives home in the morning. When she opens the door Oba is there in the living room. She doesn't look mad or disappointed. She offers the couch to her. Avery sits. Her back hurts, her nose hasn't stopped bleeding, she has cuts and a bite mark somewhere. Oba's eyes are filled with tears. Avery doesn't know where to begin. Where should she start? She doesn't have to Oba opens a rag and lays it on the coffee table. Dread. Oba has found her box cutter and the bloodied rag it was wrapped in. She doesn't want to look at Oba. But oba opens her mouth, avery prepares for a scolding but instead Oba wraps her arms around her. Holds her tightly and whispers "it's ok baby I got you. I got you. Mama's here angel. She's here." And Avery breaks down and cries with Oba.

Memory 050

Oba is in the hospital. She has stage 3 lung cancer and there is nothing she can do to stop it. Time is racing and Avery is afraid of losing the only person who truly loved her. There are days she cant see Oba and it scares her. Her studies are lagging but her professor understands and offers to continue mentoring Avery when she graduates. He had offered her a scholarship. Full ride to the university. She accepts it. There's a month left before she does graduate. But shes scared she won't make it.

Graduation day and Avery looks to the crowd, a sea of faces she doesn't recognize. She feels alone. But her friends are with her. The ceremony goes on for what feels like forever and when it's over the caps are tossed into the air and the stadium is filled with joy and happiness. And then just like that avery's world had ended. Oba is no longer here.

Memory 055

It's been a year and Avery doesnt feel happy anymore. She doesnt feel much at all. She lives with Marceline, Elias, Toby, Dlyan, Cynder, and Sloth in a large home Marcelines father bought for them. She goes to and from college. Works at the 24 hr diner for night shifts. She has also brought home an opossum and everyone loves him. Shes named him clementine and he means the world to her. But lately music no longer means what it use to. But her professor takes her to the dance hall and tells her she will perform songs for the dancers to perform to. And she sees her... an angel on earth. If shes ever seen one. Her bouncy blue hair, green eyes and beautiful figure. Her name is Bonnie and she knows the gang. Avery is tongue tied when she speaks to her. After the class bonnie takes her to dinner. After that bonnie and Avery spend the night together. And once again Avery is happy.

Memory 057

Avery has dropped out of college. And her professor understands her reasoning. He gifts her his violin. He will always be around if she wishes to come back. She hugs him and they part ways. She was never going to perform for her mother. She could never.

It's been almost 5 months since bonnie and her started dating. Her diner job helps keep her busy. But the urge to go and fight comes back. The sign is there when Liam comes to her diner and they catch up. They've raised the money and steaks. It interests her and Liam knows it. He picks her up at midnight and shes back down the rabbit hole... only this time there is no wonderland.

Memory 059

Coming up in 2nd means she has lost. But she has gotten a lot of money. This time almost 15k. This can help with rent and such. When she gets home she showers and breaks down. She cries and feels so alone. And her skin itches. Begs for the blade. And she listens...

Her day off means doing nothing. But today something is different. She goes to the campus and meets bonnie. But someone's with her. A boy her age, shaggy black hair, tall, looks like a punk rocker. Bonnie introduces him to Avery, her girlfriend, avery sees something change in him but he shakes it off and says his name is ben.

Ben comes around when bonnie does. But when she spends time alone with Avery he leaves. But hes always there and avery doesnt like it. She takes bonnie to the diner and they talk. Bonnie agrees it's a bit obsessive but she waves it off saying hes awkward and he doesnt have many friends. Hes trying for the main role of the prince in swan lake. Bonnie will be the black swan. And Avery loves watching her practice. Swan lake is her favorite because bonnie is always the star no matter what she plays. But this year Avery cant take her eyes off Ben...

Memory 061

Ben has backed off. But only because Avery threatened him. They got into it once the ballet was done, after he kissed bonnie during the bows. The look on Bonnie's face. She was scared and nervous. Not only was the kiss unwelcomed what happened next was what really made Avery go insane. Ben pulled a ring out, got down on one knee and loudly asked in front of the theater for Bonnie's hand in marriage. Bonnie had ran away crying. And Avery snapped. Back stage in his dressing room she cornered him and told him to apologize and back the hell off. He only grinned and sneered at her. She didn't like that. But for his sake she didn't hit him. If she did he wouldn't be alive. She wouldnt be able to stop.

In the summer bonnie and her grew closer and ben stopped showing up. The incident behind them now they look forward to the future. Bonnie is moving to New York and Avery is coming with. They move this fall. And Avery has most of her stuff packed. They're laying in the backyard under the setting sky. Ben appears and says hes going to meet the group he can drive them. Avery knows something's wrong but bonnie has agreed already and they're now in the back of his car heading towards Mariah Falls.

Memory 062

It's all a blur. The walk, the gun, the fight.... bonnie.... where is bonnie? Oh right...bonnie is dead. And now she has ben. Injured, broken, lying on the forest floor under the trees and stars. She looms over him and smiles. Revenge is a best dish served now...

For weeks she tortures him. Makes him pay. But hes losing blood. But she cant go back. She'll get arrested he's already told her that. Promises she'll rot in jail. That is until she shows him what shes recorded. Him killing bonnie. They'll probably consider it as self defense because he also attacked her. If she goes back he isnt coming with.

Ben no longer talks, and she is starving. He is dead. And she does what she has to do to survive. She no longer knows the time or day or month. During a thunderstorm a fog rolls in... The fog is thick. She hears singing. Is it bonnie? She heads towards it. But all she sees is a campfire and woods. No bonnie. No ben. Just warmth... and a new start.

#dbd oc killer #dbd oc killer archives #little backstory for yall

[unavenged-robin]

Juxtaposition - 3

Part 1 + Part 2

Tim hadn’t meant anything by it, honestly. He just happened to stumble into the kid while having a camera in his hands, and that was all. It hadn’t been his fault if Damian was too busy drawing and didn't notice him: the brat was supposed to be a baby ninja, after all. Another thing he was not responsible for was Damian being... photogenic. He would never use the word cute, not even to save his own life.

Point is, the kid was sitting there, under a tree, surrounded by his pets - Titus' big head on his leg, Alfred the cat curled up by his feet - his head bent over an old sketchbook, and a look of total focus on his face, and Tim didn’t even think about it, he raised the camera to his eye and took the photo.

Click.

Damian lifted his head, looking annoyed but not surprised. So maybe he had known about Tim being there. Maybe he just hadn’t care enough.

“Taking photos of people without their explicit consent is a felony, Drake”, he said, narrowing his eyes at Tim. “I could report you and have you arrested.”

Tim snorted and plopped down on the grass in front of the kid.

It was such a beautiful day. The sun was warm over the skin and the wind was like a gentle caress on the face. Even the colors looked like they were happy to exist; they were so intense they seemed to vibrate under his stare: the blue was so blue the sky could’ve very well been the ocean, the green was so green the whole garden could’ve been just one, giant new leaf of a young tree.

And Damian, Damian was a spot of red and black in all that green, like a tiny ladybug resting in the grass, and his eyes were also the greenest green Tim had seen for a while. He had smiled at the kid with a contented heart.

“You happen to be a minor, brat”, he reminded him with a bit of teasing in his voice. “And I'm listed as one of your legal guardians. That means that, until you're eighteen, I can pretty much do whatever I want with you.”

Damian looked up from his sketchbook to squint at him. His cheeks were sun-kissed and his nose was getting too red under the warm light of the afternoon, and Tim remembers how in that moment he had the sudden, shattering realization that he felt a not insignificant amount of affection for his brother. And that had not been the only time he’s ever felt that way, but it had perhaps been the first one.

Damian had dismissed him without a second thought.

“You are not my legal guardian.”

“I am too.”

The words stayed there for a moment, lingering between them, then Damian had frowned at him, out of curiosity more than outrage, Tim thought, as he choose to believe him.

“Why?”, he asked.

Tim turned his eyes away, lifting his face to observe the branches of the tree above them swaying slowly in the wind. He didn’t want to ruin the quiet.

“Because this family is a mess and Bruce wants to be sure that, if he decides to go take another stroll in the past again, you won't be left on your own”, he explained anyway. It was both a surreal and a serious affair, and they both knew it.

Damian had considered it for a moment, gnawing pensively at the tip of his pencil.

“I won't be left with you anyway”, he decided with a shrug. “You would have to go through Grayson's body to get me.”

Tim remembers how he had laughed at that.

“Yeah, that's true”, he had said. “Neither of us need to worry about it.”

*

Tim stares at the ceiling of his own bedroom like he expects some kind of answer coming down from there, along with a few friendly spiders he’s never had the time to chase away.

That afternoon used to be a good memory, once upon a time. Now it comes at him at night, haunting him with its bitter taste of unforeseen omen, and Tim wonders if Damian ever thinks about it, if he remembers it as clearly as he does.

He hopes not. He hopes that, at least for the kid, it’s not ruined.

There’s still some good stuff attached to that memory, though. Damian had wanted that photo, marched down to this very apartment to get it. And Tim had developed the film just for him, showed him how to do it and pretended not to notice how invested Damian was. That had been nice too: teaching the kid something new, something harmless they both enjoyed. Damian had let Tim guide his hands through the various proceedings, he had even obeyed every instruction with a minimum amount of huffs and scoffs. That had been another good day.

Fast forward, Tim hadn’t been there for Damian’s eleventh birthday, but he had bought him a camera and asked Alfred to pack it up in the most childish, colourful wrapping paper he could find, and to give it to the brat when he looked less willingly to throw it away without even bothering to unwrap it. And of course he hadn’t expected much in return, but to his surprise Damian had actually texted him a short and very formal thank you. That meant the little gremlin had loved the gift. Tim had been happy about it.

Those memories still makes him smile, even if now they leave a bitter aftertaste on his lips. Nice moments like those had been a rare thing, little pearls lost in the sand of the constant fights, the misunderstandings, and the mutual disinterest.

And now the world was all chaos and fragile things, and none of them really know what to do. Not Damian, freshly deprived of the only two father figures he had ever known; not Tim, who had found himself responsible for him; and sure enough not Jason, who had just got himself trapped in the whole mess.

Tim sighs and gets out of bed. The clock radio on the nightstand marks four o'clock in the morning, but there's no way he’s going back to sleep tonight, he's sure of that. Better to make some tea and keep working on tomorrow’s case. At least that’s the plan when he gets into the kitchen.

He goes as far as to put some water on the heat, then the memories of that afternoon comes back to needle him. There must be a box somewhere, filled with the photos from the first film he had developed for Damian, the first photos the kid had ever took in his life, as far as Tim knows. And e hadn't told Damian this - of course he hadn’t - but he'd made copies for himself. At the time he hadn't even ask himself why: he had just wanted to do it, so he had gone and done it.

He finds the box tucked away on the highest shelf of his library, covered by a thin layer of dust. Housekeeping’s never been his strongest suit.

A faint gurgling from the kitchen reminds him of the tea he was making. Tim retrieves it, pushes some jasmine leaves into the hot cup, then goes and sits on the couch. He shoots a quick look at Damian's room, but the door is closed and no light seeps from under it, no noise comes from the other side. The boy should be asleep.

For some reason he can’t explain, Tim feels a pang of guilt as he opens the box.

Damian’s photos are all there and Tim picks them up with a smile. It's funny looking at his family through the kid's eyes: everyone looks a lot taller, everything seems bigger. It's a bit of a déjà-vu, because Tim remembers well enough how the world looks like on a child scale.

The first bunch of photos are reserved to Damian's pet, of course. Here’s Titus, sleeping on the library’s rug or sitting at Damian’s feet, and Alfred the cat curled up on the windowsill. There’s Batcow eating some grass in the back of their courtyard, Goliath with its wings spread out, getting ready to fly. Tim knows Damian misses them. He wish he could at least give them back to him but he has no space for pets in his apartment, and they can’t go home anyway.

He puts those photos aside, and the next one hits him like a fist in the stomach. Here, in front of him, there’s Dick. He's smiling down, his lips upturned, the affection so clear in his eyes. Tim tries to imagine whatever absurd excuse Damian had tried to made up to justify his wish to have a picture of him, and he can’t think of anything, but it’s pretty obvious that Dick had seen right through the kid.

Damian is the subject of the next photo. Even if it hadn't came up right after Dick's one, Tim would've known anyway that Dick was the one who took it. It's the expression on Damian's face to give it away, that little not-really-annoyed-but-pretending-to-be-anyway scowl that holds the same affection of Dick's smile. He can see that moment so clearly in his mind. How Dick would’ve said something like you can take a picture of me only if I can take a picture of you, and Damian would’ve rolled his eyes and then indulge the blackmail with a secret happiness.

He laughs heartily at the following four photos. They are a set of unfocused, very awkward selfies of Damian and Stephanie, with her being the head of the operation, since Damian's arms would be too short to even attempt it. Damian’s glaring in the first photo and openly laughing in the last one, and Stephanie had been quick, albeit a little imprecise, at capturing that moment. The result is a blurry picture with a very strange angle, but it’s still one of Tim’s favorite.

There are a lot of pictures of Bruce. At first they were taken from a distance, and they portray him from behind, or busy doing something else: bending over his desk to write a letter, sitting in the armchair reading a book, standing in the kitchen with Alfred sipping a tea. They all give the idea of stolen moments, even if Bruce had probably known what the kid was doing. Tim could see him playing along, waiting for Damian to decide what worked best for him.

And of course Damian had eventually decided to make Bruce a part of the new hobby. The other shots still have a formal setting, very different from the spontaneity of the photos of Dick and Stephanie, but Bruce smiles in almost all of them and there’s a complicity and a quiet happiness that makes Tim’s heart ache. He misses Bruce. And he can only imagine how much Damian’s missing him too, how all this time apart is affecting him, his memories, his relationship with Bruce.

Tim brushes a cold fingertip over the pictures and wishes he could fix, if not everything, at least some of it. They can’t have Dick back, but Bruce is still there, still alive, and breathing, and living a life that doesn’t include them anymore, and if anything, it hurts almost as much as believing him to be dead.

He takes a quick look at all the photos again and he wonders how it is possible that none of them ever realized how important those moments were, how much they would have missed them once they were gone. For all the unspoken things and the cruel past, for all the miscommunications and the fights and the bickering, the truth of what there used to be between them as a family it’s just there in his hands: it was love, love and nothing else.

He hopes that Damian can see it too.

He flips through the pictures one last time, and this time he’s forced to notice how there are no photos of himself, or of Jason, for that matter. It shouldn't have been unexpected, but it stings anyway, even if only a little bit.

Tim’s considering what to do with the photos, if put them in their box and hide it again, or leave everything here on the coffee table for Damian to find, when he hears soft footsteps behind his back and the decision is taken out of his hands.

“Hey”, he says when the kid circumnavigates the couch to come standing in front of him.

“Want some tea?”, Tim offers, lifting his own cup.

Damian shakes his head no and curls up next to Tim, tucking his bare feet under him. He looks still half asleep, which is kind of a blessing right now. Tim has a good feeling about how Damian will take the news of the existence of those illegitimate copies of his pictures, but you never know.

“Mine are still in my room back at home, I believe”, Damian whispers, as he reaches out for the box. Tim lets him have it, and watches him closely as the boy collects all the pictures in his hands.

“Alfred would never let anyone touch your room while you’re away”, he reassures him, and since Damian’s just got to the picture of Dick, he slings an arm around the boy’s shoulders and pulls him closer.

“We’re going to need an album for them”, he says gently. “Like one of those Alfred has back home. We can make a new family album or something. Show it to him once everything goes back to normal, you know?”

Damian nods as he leans against Tim’s chest. He’s still warm from the bed, and his hair is a mess, but also soft under Tim’s chin. He’s wearing one of Jason’s old shirt because for the second week in a row Tim forgot to do the laundry, and he smells like Dick’s aftershave because that’s what Jason’s using now.

Tim holds Damian a bit closer. They are all trying to pick up the pieces as best as they can. It’s not easy.

“We could go to the park tomorrow”, he adds, because why not. “Bring Jason with us. Take some new photos for your album. What do you say?”

Damian moves closer to him, eyes still transfixed on Dick’s face.

“Yes”, he answers softly. “I would like that.”

#tim drake #damian wayne #tim&damian #my fic #shari writes #Why does this have a third part? I don't know #I just like keep exploring the idea of Damian staying with Tim and Jason while Bruce was all amnesiac and Dick all gone #and look at us now with the current canon being Dick all amnesiac and Bruce all gone!! #dc what the shit

[lisetteaman]

Sonder

Monday, December 17, 2001

A woman is in labor. She is young and heavily influenced by her parents’ unfolding resentment over her stupidly throwing her life away for a boy and becoming pregnant. He stands guard in the waiting room while his parents stare apathetically at the pages of a Time magazine that is ruminating on the Twin Towers. They sit, indifferent towards the current situation of their son having knocked up a teenager. Her parents barge into the waiting room and start an intense discourse in which each parent is screaming at the other, but no one is listening. Each forcefully playing his own disconnected word as if in a game of Scrabble, borrowing bits of the others’ anecdotes, while trying to see who can increase his score. Amongst all the squabbling, the young woman gives birth to a son, Jack.

Across the hall is a second woman in labor of identical age but antithetical descent. Her parents were extremely loving and unconditionally forgiving, but now deceased, while his are globe trotters who never stopped to watch him grow up. With neither involvement nor surveillance of an upper-hand, they wander into a territory much too young for a couple to embark upon and wind up with a kid, whom they name Olive.

Monday, December 17, 2018 Jack

5:30am His alarm goes off, and he hops into the shower. It’s the only part of his morning routine that he actually enjoys. He takes his showers in complete darkness, the lights off to further exemplify how much his heart craves to slip into the morning air with the steam and melt into the black sky just behind his skylight above his shower head. He looks up and sees the vapor condense to the cold glass of the window-pane. He draws a dick in the fog and goes back to playing with himself. Don’t be fooled: he’s a good kid, even with an immature and slightly inappropriate brain. Don’t blame him; blame his biological sex organ. There’s a pounding in his head. Nope, it’s his father on the other side of the door hammering him to hurry up. Time is always official business in his household. His parents are strict and conservative, of the affluent, conceited type. Jack has no say in this life. It was as though his parents put him in a box once he was born and slapped a label on it, saying: “elite, sophisticated aristocrat” and put no room for failure in with him. They had to. They needed to organize their life somehow, as their parents were hounding them to get their shit together if they wanted some semblance of a successful life. But proof be known, Jack’s parents are now exactly what they wanted to be: rich and famous. It is only fitting that they teach Jack the exact same way to live—with your head up your ass and your ego two sizes too big.

It’s about the hundredth time his father has started this conversation with him. It’s always about the law firm, and how Jack needs to keep his grades above everyone else’s in the class if he wants to get into Yale, like his father, and become the next business partner in the firm. “The board only wants to see Ivy League graduates, Jack…” Jack tunes him out and starts drifting into thoughts that are too conceptual for an early morning without coffee, but that’s how Jack likes it. He likes his brain and all the corners it takes him to. It just never seems tangible enough for Jack to get out of this barricaded city and plan the contours of his life—to go explore the world’s abyss for all it offers in releasing the fantasies that remain dormant inside his head. He’s a hopeless romantic. He has never loved anyone, but his heart, as fragile and malformed as it is, is too gentle and graceful to share with others. He protects it and its sentimental value.

6:45am Although Jack is mostly undisturbed by his parents’ lineage of condescension and economical influence, he does assume the role of a private school boy with wispy, blonde hair and a sophisticated veneer. His driver, Stewart, is parked outside to take Jack to Bradley Preparatory Academy. The limo turns and drives past the Lexington Avenue street subway. Jack turns his head and stares out the window at all the passersby in the subway street car, and thinks of how they all ride around town with their newspapers and their sweaty palms stuck to the subway car poles and their gum shoved under the seats, living in such frustration and haste. He turns his attention back and buries his head in his book, The Catcher in the Rye.

Olive

6:53am She sits smushed between two obese men in overly large, black wool coats, who are clearly failing in their attempt to hide their stress-induced eating habits. She looks at the kid sitting across from her take his gum out and stick it under the seat. She’s sweating and reaches her palm out for the pole to get up and stand somewhere else—not worth the body odor and loss in blood circulation. She hates this route. The Lexington Avenue stop, with all the men who aren’t wealthy enough to drive to work, but just arrogant enough to make her upper lip curl as they eye her up and down before disembarking the subway car. Most people take quick glances at Olive but are too skeptical to trust in how stunningly beautiful she naturally is. She dyes her curly, long hair pink and wears an excessive amount of black eyeliner. She has a septum nose ring in the shape of a butterfly and a pretty bold tattoo of the letter A on the side of her neck below her ear—her mother’s first initial, but some look at it and think of The Scarlet Letter. She’s on her way to work. Her parents passed away last year, and now she lives with her aunt in a tiny apartment in Queens. Her aunt made her a promise that she didn’t have to go to school this year as long as she got a job. So naturally, Olive picked a coffee shop in Midtown. “It’s where all the assholes are, Aunt Grace. The meatheads, the hoodlums, the tourists—they all congregate at my coffee shop.” Aunt Grace is not the biggest fan of having her 17-year-old niece travel right into the raucous of Time Square. She sees through Olive’s chill veneer—her hurt and big brain masked behind makeup and a stellar performance of “I don’t give a shit.” Olive is quintessentially brilliant. She was tested at a young age for an IQ score and found out she was in the top 2 percent of the world at her age. She refuses to get tested again, not for fear that she will have fallen behind, but for just the opposite—for fear that her score will be even more impressive and “they” will sit her in a think tank or ship her off to do long division somewhere until all of her brain cells die. She has read just about everything that has a spine or a library code, and yet, she is rarely amused by any of it. If Olive had it her way, she’d be a starving artist—hitchhiking her way to some rural landscape, finding earthly materials to paint with, and blogging her experiences with people from different cultures around the world.

3:45pm Olive usually walks down to Central Park when she gets off of work. Sometimes she runs, but it’s a cold day out and kind of gloomy. She loves these days—the days when the people seem to be more capricious than normal and she can find a nook somewhere she can sit and watch the melancholy mood dissipate into the grey air. It always seems quieter on these days, more people with their headphones in and their caps on, blinding their focus from the inherit craziness singing in the background. She remembers it’s her birthday. It’s been a whole year since her parents died. She dials her mom’s phone number and listens for the voicemail message: “Hi, you’ve reached Abagail, sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, probably doing something fantastical with Olive right now. I’ll call you back when I get a chance. P.S. if this is Grace, you know where to find me.” Olive is not a crier. She rarely shows her emotions, especially to the people around her. But right now, she sits alone on a park bench, bawling her eyes out, wishing time and memory flowed backwards. What a perfect moment to start questioning everything around her—how time keeps getting faster, how babies are being born but others are dying. How the world seems to be constantly growing, and yet, this city has bolted her down and she can’t escape to see what’s out there and who’s living as vivid and complex a life as she is. She starts getting stuck inside her head, trapping her beautiful, yet damaged mind inside. She feels swallowed in a sea of thoughts and tumbling emotions that are rising like a maverick. She can’t contain it anymore. She erupts—she opens her big mouth and screams. Silence. No one is around her. The world has just stopped—frozen in time and place. She turns her head to see if she can move. Nothing happens, no sounds, just silence. Then, wham! A cab flips over and smashes into a tree.

Jack

4:13pm Jack usually gets picked up by Stewart after school, but he decides to ditch his driver and catch a ride in a cab downtown to Central Park. The clouds are hanging especially low, blanketing the city in its sorrows—these are the kind of days he likes. His driver slams on the breaks. However, the car beside goes flying through the intersection, but it doesn’t make it through the red light in time. The cab is hit by a fast moving semi, is vaulted into the air, and strikes a tree upside down. Jack tells his driver to go ahead and turn around to take him back home. The road would be closed soon, and if he stayed at the park, there would be too much traffic to ever get back home in time for dinner. Dinner’s always at a hard 6:00pm, after indoor lacrosse practice, but he skipped today…didn’t have the heart for it.

Jack’s birthday has always weighed on him, but this year has been especially heavy. His parents have pressured him more, his friends are mostly heroin addicts, and the girl he has been inconveniently crushing on for the past three years is stuck like glue to the hot glow-up from sophomore year. He turns his head out the window and watches as the people dance about the street, always rushing—places to be, people to meet, busy lives to attend to. For the rest of the cab ride home, Jack ponders the irrevocable power of freedom and silently cries in the back of the cab. He wonders if there is a person out there that will make him dance.

Olive

11:34pm Olive walks through the front door. Grace jumps up from the kitchen table and runs to her. “Where have you been? Don’t you do that to me again!” Grace has tears in her eyes. She grabs Olive and holds her in her arms. Olive explains that there was an accident near the park, so she walked for a couple miles before calling a cab the rest of the way home. “Hun. You have to be careful. It’s a zoo out there this time of the year and I HATE the idea of you being alone, especially today.” She plays with Olive’s hair. Olive looks into her eyes and starts sobbing again. She can’t hold it back anymore. It’s been a year since she cried—that’s how tough Olive’s cover-up has become, that’s how much time she has spent packaging all of her emotions into a tiny box and burying them deep into a pit in her soul. No longer, she has freedom from her pain at that exact moment. It’s fleeting though. Olive snaps back to reality and pushes Aunt Grace off of her. She wipes her tears and tells Grace that she isn’t hungry and just wants to be alone, again…a ploy to start hiding her true self from those who get too close to her.

She lies flat on her back on her bed and stares at the ceiling. Her mom was a fantastic artist and used to paint with Olive all the time. When her parents passed, she went digging under their bed for the boxes of old school supplies and random crafts until she found these paintings. She had stapled them to the ceiling. Aunt Grace was against Olive putting holes in the ceiling, but it didn’t bother Olive one bit. “What’s it like up there, mom? Is it colorful and just all that you hoped it would be?” Olive has the particular feeling that no matter what she does, everything will always go wrong. It’s like everyone around her is just living such a normal and simple life, but she has these powers to see the future and know that something—her passions, her love life, her job, her cares, her worries—will always go wrong. She’s coped this past year in her own silent, painful way. She wears threaded friendship bracelets and rubber bands over her wrists to hide the pain from the naked eye, but what the eye can’t see is that she is secretly scabulous. She is proud of her scars, of the character and the meaning behind where they are and how they got there. She plays with them like autographs on her body that she doesn’t share with the world. They remind her of her identity and how she got to this particular place of hell in her life. They speak of her brilliancy, of her broken mind and damaged heart. She gets out her phone and dials her mom’s number again. She can hear it ring in the box that she keeps it in, tucked away on the top shelf of her closet. It’s her namesake, and she must never let anyone take it away from her. Aunt Grace doesn’t know she has it for fear she would rip it away from her on a forced path of closure and acceptance. But, Aunt Grace, how the FUCK ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO ACCEPT THAT YOUR MOTHER WAS FUCKING KILLED?

Aunt Grace knocks on the door, and Olive lets her in. Grace apologizes, but Olive knows it’s not her fault. She pats the bed for Grace to come and lie down with her. They stare at the ceiling while Aunt Grace tells old stories of Abagail and the crazy, stupid adventures they would have as kids. How Abagail fell in love so young and then had Olive.  How Olive was such a tiny baby, born 3 months early, yet grew up to a be such a feisty, resilient, and brilliant young woman. The world seems to be spinning slower tonight with Aunt Grace sharing her memories about Olive’s mother. This whole year has seemed, to Olive, to be growing faster in time, as though the moon has been gravitating farther from this earth, and so she was spinning faster and faster until now. Now, it finally stops. The moon returns, and there is a brief moment of clarity for Olive. “Aunt Grace, do you ever feel like you’re stuck in one body, occupying just one space and it will never change? That people around you will continue to live freely but you will essentially never grow up to understand the world and what it has to offer? That you’re just a gawky kid from Queens who has lived the same day over and over again and nothing about it will ever change… “And that maybe you’re supposed to meet someone who will change your world? That there is somebody perfect out there, just for you and you’re supposed to spend eternity together, because he is the cosmic balance to your failures?” Aunt Grace doesn’t have an answer for her. So for the remainder of her 17th birthday, they lie together, with Olive’s head resting on her aunt’s shoulder. Olive feels safe for the first time in what seems like ages. She likes it and holds on to that feeling for as long as she can.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018 Jack

10:00am There’s a school trip to the Met to see the new exhibit on Art and Conspiracy, how everything is connected—public policy and the expression of artists who explored the hidden operations of power and the symbiotic suspicions between government and its citizens. However, Jack’s class is comprised of kids who spend their time vacationing in the Hampton’s and whose parents are politically powerful in the Republican party. Therefore, they aren’t interested in artists who unveil how the government is hidden in webs of deceit.

Olive

9:00am Aunt Grace wakes Olive. “Let’s go to the art museum today. C’mon girly, call off work this one time. We didn’t get to do anything for your birthday yesterday, and it’s the perfect day to go. It’s raining and you looove the Met. You can’t deny it.” Olive smiles and already knows the answer. All Aunt Grace had to do was say the word “Met” and Olive would be snapping on her shoes and out the door.

10:00am They arrive with a huge crowd of prep boys from the Academy down the street. Olive looks at them with disgust. “Look at them with their perfect hair and pocket squares in their suit jackets, so precise and perfect. Their lives so plain and planned—destined for wealth and authoritative power.”

Jack

10:38am Jack is drawn to the stunning expression of freed meaning and colorful revelations. He approaches an especially extraordinary depiction of Gerald Ford being pulled by a puppeteer behind the stock mark exchange. It’s exactly how he feels. Someone is pulling on him, his heart, and he can’t see who. He walks towards the art piece. There’s a tall white wall separating the room into two sides. He leans his right shoulder against the wall as he looks at the picture. He stops and feels the wall with his hand.

10:41am The hopeless romantic questions, “Is it her?” The woman who is tugging on his heart and pulling him along. The woman who has been dragging him around the city, pushing him to think that there is more of the world out there than what his school has taught him and his parent have preached to him. More than the uniform thought that people live such boring, regular lives, but that there are people who claim a dynamic life of excitement, complication, and vividness. These thoughts come flooding in; he can’t imagine anything else but that there is someone with just as beautiful a heart and complex a mind as him. A woman who will flip him upside down and change his world.

Olive

10:41am She stands with a white wall on her left side as she stares up at two black and white paintings. One is an alien, and she knows that’s exactly how she feels. An out of body experience occurs. She is lifted up out of her body. She feels pulled along, with increasing thoughts that there is more to this world, to this universe than this one place that she has stayed all her life. There is more out there, a reason her parents were killed by a drunk driver. A reason they left this earth and flew into the sky. There is a person who lives at this exact moment who is drawing her in, her heart, her mind. Then…

The Meantime

10:42am Nothing. A moment of tangency flees from the mind; the simple sample size of the original thought that the people of this world stand still and their lives are of no real meaning, just random commotion, comes back into focus. Jack turns to his left and walks away. Olive turns right and tells Aunt Grace she should leave.

10:43am A failed occhiolism: they never became aware of the smallness of their perspectives, in which they could never draw a meaningful conclusion about their worlds, and how they could have crossed paths and added to the complexities of the world’s great culture. A moment so innocuous, but with a chance for it marking the diversion in a new era of life. Like they just missed their cue. Two people who share a parallel story, harmonizing in what could have been a wilder experiment if she just turned the corner and crossed his path. But life is an unrepeatable anecdote. A universal flaw that the epiphanies of Jack and Olive were imperceptive and fleeting, until nothing was left but the echo of what might have been.

[kurokairin-angelx]

White [Jumin Fanfic]

⚠ Content Warning ⚠ Some Angst

Writing Type Prose

Character (Mystic Messenger, Cheritz) Jumin (Focus)

Word Count 1,885

Date 4 October 2018

Author's Notes Originally written for an Amino event for Jumin's Birthday (first posted on MM Amino, then on Otome Amino).

Tagging @juminweek because I realised it touches on a couple of the prompts too: Day 1 (Elizabeth the 3rd); Day 2 (Childhood & Friendship); Day 3 (Common Life); Day 5 (Emotions); Day 7 (Birthday & Family). O____O Did I just cheated by doing multiple-in-one?

"Child Jumin" is used as a theme, but is not the sole Jumin that appears. White, associated with the innocence and purity of "childhood", is used as a motif.

Timeline of major events in Jumin's life is made up. Fanfic begins under the cut.

White is the frills on his mother's dress.

Light footsteps echoed excitedly along the stairway as little Jumin cautiously climbed up the staircase leading to his mother's bedroom. He did not understand why his mother no longer stayed in the same bedroom as his father, and he did not think it important to understand the reason behind. After all, his mother was still with him — that was all that mattered.

"Mommy!" Once the four-year-old reached the upper floor of the mansion he lived in, Jumin dashed excitedly toward his mother's room, his bright red Man of Iron school bag slapping against his tiny back rhythmically with every stride he took.

It was Jumin's birthday and he just returned from the day care centre where he had a modest birthday celebration with the other children. Even though the simple gifts of balloons and birthday card pale in comparison to the extravagant items that his parents always give him, he was still eager to share about his special day with his mother.

"Mom-" Jumin was about to knock on the nicely polished wooden door when he realised his mother's bedroom door was ajar. His heart sank at what he saw through the gap; his mother was sitting on the single bed, tear stricken and gripping tightly onto torn pieces of what was once a beautiful white silk gown.

He did not understand why his mother cried over a torn white gown, and he did not think it important to understand the reason behind. After all, his mother was still with him — that was what he naively believed.

That night, he made his only birthday wish before going to bed.

"I wish mommy be happy."

White is the cream on his birthday cake.

He watched blankly as his shadow cast silently over the vanilla cream topping on the round cake, where a big unlit candle was placed precisely at the centre. The digital clock in the living room showed the date '5 October', and although the moon was already hanging high in the night sky, everything that had been laid out on the dining table since morning were still in their original, untouched conditions — including a note sitting conspicuously on top of a huge box wrapped in an limited edition Man of Iron gift paper.

The note, while pleasant to the touch, contained a cruelly brief message: "Happy birthday, my son."

Soon, the date on the clock changed. Jumin's lips trembled lightly as he closed his eyes and sighed. Then, he stood up from the chair and turned to instruct their housekeeper - the only other person who was with him in the kitchen the entire day - to clear the dining table. Already accustomed to this annual routine ever since Chairman Han divorced Jumin's mother, the housekeeper proceeded to do as told.

Putting his hands into his trouser pockets for warmth, Jumin made his way back to his bedroom in the empty mansion slowly. En route, he could not help stealing a few glances in the direction of the front door. He was unsure of what he was expecting — after all, his father never did come home until the late wee hours.

Closing the wooden door lightly behind him, he stood alone in the unlit bedroom. He recalled that the housekeeper mentioned his father had prepared the table with the birthday cake and presents early in the morning before rushing out to attend to matters at the company.

"Work?" The dark haired boy buried his face into the pillow as he climbed into bed, warm tears staining its cover. "What a lie."

White is the mask on his face.

"Hope you've enjoyed your birthday!" A group of teenage boys, still in their white school uniforms, spoke gleefully as they walked out of a karaoke bar together.

"Thank you," Jumin smiled and politely thanked his classmates for arranging a birthday celebration for him. This group of male friends were his high school classmates for the past three years. They had planned small birthday celebrations for Jumin every year, and each time Jumin thanked them, they would happily reply "It's our pleasure!"

"Man, I hope we can still sing a few more songs!" The boys continue to chat as they walked toward the pavement. "Haha! If we sing any more, we'll miss the last bus home!"

Amidst their boisterous laughter, a car honk was heard. A teal haired teenager in the group gently pat Jumin's broad shoulder and said, "Your driver is here."

Jumin glanced at the familiar white luxurious car parked by the roadside kerb before looking back at him and nodded. "Let's go."

As their classmates bid them good night, the duo walked side by side and made their way toward the car where Jumin's driver was waiting patiently.

"Mr. Jumin, Mr. Jihyun," the driver greeted professionally as the car door opened automatically on Jumin's approach, and the two teenagers occupied the passenger seats with swift, practised coordination. Once the pair of best friends buckled on their seat belts, the driver started the car engine and drove quietly away from the karaoke bar and in the direction of their destination.

As the white car continued to travel along the quiet streets under the blanket of stars, its interior was illuminated periodically as it passed by street lamps that were situated at regular intervals on the side pavement. That created a curious illusion of the passengers' white uniforms blinking.

"Jumin." The teal haired boy spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Are you happy?"

"..." A silent pause. "I don't know."

White is the coat on his cat.

Upon entering his penthouse, the young man placed the silver keys on the coffee table before heading straight to the bedroom where his beloved cat was waiting for him.

"Ah, my Elizabeth the 3rd," Jumin knelt down and gently combed through Elizabeth's beautiful soft white fur. "Apologies for returning home slightly late today."

Elizabeth purred as she let herself enjoy Jumin's affectionate touch.

"Let me prepare your dinner," Jumin spoke as he stood up, removing his black jacket and tie, and walked toward the small food counter in his bedroom. As he poured top-grade cat food into a red food bowl and then some red wine into a wine glass, he continued his one-sided conversation with Elizabeth, "How's your day been? Were you feeling bored?"

The white house cat sniffed at the food as Jumin laid the filled bowl in front of her on the floor. Then, she began to dig in.

"I've been rather busy today," Jumin took a sip of the red wine he poured as he pat Elizabeth's head. He then slowly recounted his day to her, just like he had done so every night ever since he received her from his best friend, Jihyun. "On my way to the office this morning, I received 68 birthday greetings from employees who saw me. I received a further 138 birthday wishes via e-mails. My father arranged a meal with me as usual at a grand hotel where we had a twelve-course lunch that lasted three hours."

Elizabeth continued to nibble on her cat food as she listened to Jumin's soothing deep voice.

"Guess what did my father give me as my birthday present this year?" Jumin smiled gently at Elizabeth, his eyes soft and loving as he looked at her. "He said he's pleased with how I'm handling the company as a Director. So, he's going to pull more investments into the cat project I proposed a while back."

Elizabeth's ears twitched instinctively when she heard the word "cat", and she briefly looked up at Jumin, her crystal blue eyes meeting his glistening grey eyes.

"Did you hear that, Elizabeth the 3rd?" He chuckled a little as he shyly covered his tearful eyes with his hand. It was not uncommon for Jumin to show his emotions in front of Elizabeth, but he still found it awkward and wrong to display his feelings openly, even if it was only in front of his beloved cat in private. "The cat project in your honour is now supported by my father too."

Done with her dinner, Elizabeth purred softly and rubbed herself against Jumin's legs, against his black trousers and socks.

"You're happy about it, aren't you?" Jumin took another sip of red wine from the wine glass as he let Elizabeth snuggle against his legs. In quiet amusement, he observed Elizabeth's white fur strands sticking to his trousers. "Thank you."

White is the frame on his Polaroid film.

"Alright, everyone! Look here and say cheese!" With a wave of his hand, Jihyun instructed everyone present to look in the direction of his camera. Within a few seconds of countdown, and with a quick flash of light, a group photograph of all six RFA members who had gathered to celebrate Jumin's birthday was taken.

"Let's cut the cake!" Yoosung clapped in excitement.

"Jumin should make his birthday wishes before blowing out the candles!" Seven took Yoosung aside before the latter could get near the plastic cake knife.

"Ah," Yoosung smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Come, Jumin," MC gently locked her arm around Jumin's. "You should make a wish."

Jumin gave MC's hand a light pat before closing his eyes and making his wish in silent thought.

"What do you think Jumin wished for?" Yoosung whispered, curiosity unconcealed in his tone.

"Hopefully something for the benefit of his employees," Jaehee sighed in response.

"Well, Trust Fund Kid already has everything," Zen shrugged. "I can't imagine what else he could wish for."

"Whatever he wished for," Jihyun looked at his best friend whom he had known since childhood. Even though Jumin had grown taller, his shoulders had grown broader, and his facial features had grown more masculine, he still wore the same untainted pair of eyes. Through his grey eyes, Jihyun could see the child in Jumin — the child who had the same tenacity as the Man of Iron. "I'm sure it'll be good."

Everyone cheered and clapped when Jumin opened his eyes after having made his wish and puffed the candle flame out. The day proceeded in hustle and bustle, and soon, it was time for everyone to go back home.

"Did you enjoy yourself today?" MC asked Jumin once the two of them entered their comfortable abode.

"Of course, my wife," Jumin planted a gentle kiss on MC's forehead. "Thank you for planning the party for me."

MC giggled while replying that he definitely deserved a decent birthday celebration. "Hmm," MC spoke as she picked up Elizabeth, who had sprang out of the master bedroom soon after she heard them entering the penthouse, and caressed her soft fur. "So, what did you wish for?"

A smile formed on Jumin's lips when he noticed how peacefully Elizabeth was snuggling in MC's arms. "You're curious?" He raised an eyebrow at MC as he combed through Elizabeth's white fur.

MC looked up at Jumin and nodded earnestly.

"Well," Jumin blushed as he first looked at his beloved wife and then at his beloved cat cradled in her arms. His voice dropped to a soft whisper when he articulated the wish that he had made earlier at his birthday party —

"I wish us to be happy."

White is the page on his new life chapter with you.

#juminweek #mystic messenger #mystic messenger jumin #mm jumin #mm amino #cheritz #my writing #prose

[brisfanfictions]

Enchanted [2011] - Shadley

There I was again tonight

Forcing laughter, faking smiles

Same old tired, lonely place

It's 7:30 PM in Station Square's mansions. A quiet & lonely night for a certain 17-year-old pink hedgehog. She was at her home, celebrating her older sister's birthday. She wasn't in a party mood much... She was too busy thinking about her ex-boyfriend, who dumped her this morning by via text message.

This young hedgehog's name is Ashley Rose. Everyone close/related to calls her Ash for short.

Walls of insincerity

Shifting eyes and vacancy

She was chatting with 4 other pink female hedgehogs, identical to her, & a tarnish-brown male hedgehog. Except one of the pink hedgehog had purple tips & a magenta-ish bangs. Their hedgehog names are Amy, Amelia, Rosalie, & Amanda Rose. The main difference was their eyes. Ashley has a ruby red colored eyes. Amelia has turquoise blue colored eyes. Amy has emerald green colored eyes. Rosalie has golden yellow eyes. Ramvelle has brown eyes. Amanda has amethyst violet eyes.

Vanished when I saw your face

All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

When Ashley looked up to see a black-'n'-red hedgehog walking over to her. His name is Shadow the Hedgehog. Amy looked up to see a blue hedgehog walking over to her. His name is Sonic the Hedgehog.

Your eyes whispered "Have we met?"

Across the room, your silhouette

Starts to make its way to me

Shadow & Sonic began talking to them. Shadow was flirting w/ Ashley. Telling her how much Ashley looked in her silky lavender dress. Sonic was talking to Amy. Chatting quite nicely to her.

Shadow lead Ashley outside into Amy's garden. Where the sky is filled w/ stars & the full moon shining bright on them.

Counter all your quick remarks

Like passing notes in secrecy

And it was enchanting to meet you

All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you

Beginning a conversation on how much they hated people calling them emo & talking about music. Ashley was telling Shadow about how her ex-boyfriend, Acwellen the Hedgehog, dumped her at 6AM. All the time, she was thinking how he was soo nice to her. How he makes eye-contact every time she speaks.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

Ashley was up at 2 in the morning the very next day. Thinking about Shadow. About how sweet & kind he was to her... Unlike the others who give her dirty looks. Besides Amy, Amanda, Amelia, Rosalie, & Ramvelle.

The lingering question kept me up

2 am, who do you love?

I wonder 'til I'm wide awake

Now I'm pacing back and forth

She kept pacing. It made Amy concerned... But, Ashley kept doing it... She kept wishing Shadow was at her door.

Wishing you were at my door

I'd open up and you would say "hey"

It was enchanting to meet you

All I know is I was enchanted to meet you

Ashley kept thinking about the amazing walk through the park w/ only her & Shadow. She loved being there to watch the fireflies to swarm around them. Blushing every time he complimented her.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

When she got home. She turned on romantic music, which she doesn't like much, & started dancing around her room.

This night is flawless, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

Ashley was hoping that this was the start of something new. She was hoping this was the very first page, not where the story line ends. She was thinking his name for a long time.

This is me praying that

This was the very first page

Not where the story line ends

My thoughts will echo your name

Ashley was hoping to see Shadow again. At the park where they went or at Amy's next party. Wherever it might be, she's hoping. She kept 3 simple words from him that night. Ashley thought the night let too quickly.

Until I see you again

These are the words I held back

As I was leaving too soon

I was enchanted to meet you

Her most dying wish is that he wasn't in love with another girl or had some girl waiting on him.

Please don't be in love with someone else

Please don't have somebody waiting on you (x2)

She thought last night was sparkling. Hoping he doesn't let it go. She's completely wonderstruck. She was blushing a bright red all the way home from the party. She thought last night was flawless. She'll spend forever wondering if Shadow knew. That Ashley was enchanted to meet him.

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

This night is flawless, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

Before she went to bed, she kept hoping he wasn't in love with someone else or had someone waiting on him.

Please don't be in love with someone else

Please don't have somebody waiting on you

Ashley finally fell asleep, dreaming of Shadow the Hedgehog. Dreaming that they'll get married & live a happily ever after.

#enchanted #taylor swift #shadow #shadow the hedgehog #shadow x oc #ashley #ashley rose

[nevillelongsbottom]

fred weasley’s house of horrors (?): a birthday fic for @charlotteweasley​ <3 happy birthday from your fave uncle! (i hope)

His head hurts; in fact, his everything hurts, from the throbbing ache in his head to the whining groan of the joints in his toes, and when he stretches out, it’s just brilliant: he can hear the popping that comes with the satisfied relief of movement, and though it doesn’t help his head or his growing backache, it’s something.

It takes Fred effort to peel his eyes open, but when he does, he’s rewarded: the room he’s in is historical and elegant, with a domed and painted ceiling and pillars and mahogany furniture; he himself is spread out on a dark green four-poster, wearing matching velvet pajamas that certainly aren’t his.

It’s a long time before he manages to convince and synchronise his body parts to get him to sit up, but he’s annoyingly stubborn and manages it in the end: just gas he does, he hears the slam of a front door and jangle of keys.

“Hello?” he croaks; it comes out like Lee’s prepubescent voice cracks, but with added scratchiness to force a few coughs. Someone walks up the stairs, tentatively, with careful pauses, as if they’re afraid; and the door creaks open, slowly.

“You’re awake?” Draco asks gently.

“I am now,” Fred coughs; Draco disappears for a moment, returning with a glass of water. “Thanks,” he chokes before downing it, too fast, coughing it up in a splutter of liquid. “Ah, crap, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Draco says, taking a seat on the end of Fred’s bed, looking uncomfortable.

“Okay,” Fred says slowly, trying to pace himself (which is quite an endeavour). “So, the question that’s on everyone’s lips: how did I get here? And where is here?”

“My family’s country house. You fell out of the sky, and I found you, so I took you here.”

Fred nods absently. “Huh. Sounds… about right.” He glances down at himself. “Do you still have my actual clothes?”

“The blood stains haven’t quite come out, but I do,” Draco replies; with an effortless snap of his fingers, a slightly unfriendly-looking house elf appears. “Bring Fred his clothes.”

The house-elf blinks. “Master Draco, I haven’t been able - shamefully - to remove the stains…”

“It doesn’t matter.” The house-elf nods, disapparating only to return a few moments later with a pile of Fred’s folded clothes: despite the darkening stains on his collar and sleeves, it’s probably the cleanest his casual clothes have been in a while. “I’ll give you your privacy; you’re also welcome to leave here at any time, considering your feelings about me.”

Fred quirks an eyebrow, possibly one of the few things that distinguishes him from George (a two-eyebrow-raising shmuck). “Don’t think I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon, mate.”

“You can leave when you can, then.” Draco gets up, crossing the room in too-quick strides and hastily shutting the door behind him; the house-elf leaves with him, emptying the room save for Fred.

It, as ever, takes him what feels like a small eternity through which a bird has chipped through a marble wall to change his top, and despite the visual clash, he leaves his own trousers folded on the floor to attempt to put on another time; he’s now wearing a Mr Happy T-shirt with his velvet pajama bottoms like he’s just been ejected from the decade prior, and he rubs his crusty eyes, pulling himself to his feet and trying his best not to collapse on his wobbly legs (which, of course, he does).

“Goddammit,” he mutters, wishing for George.

-

It takes him about a day to explore his room, shuffling like a penguin, and the next few to explore the rest of the country house: it’s, of course, terrifically grand, with an extensive library that spans several rooms and an elegant and well-stocked kitchen from which the house-elf Nacht (Fred nicknames him Nacho immediately) makes Fred’s hearty thrice-daily meals and twice-daily snacks, bringing them up to him before he’s well enough to make it to the kitchen and never showing any signs of anger when Fred’s body forcefully ejects some of the bigger meals.

“Hey, Nacho,” he says over lunch one day; he’s managed a bath and is wearing some clothes Draco brought on a brief and impersonal visit: a black T-shirt and black jeans that don’t quite match his sunny socks. “Why do the Malfoys have this house?”

“To store their library,” Nacht replies stiffly.

“Here in the countryside, they may read and study in peace - though they scarcely use it, save for Master Draco’s frequent visits.”

“I can see that. The dust bunnies are reproducing like real ones,” Fred cackles. “Do you think Draco would mind if I lightened it up a bit?”

“He very much would.”

And that settles it: as he recovers, Fred takes to dusting - he doesn’t like cleaning much, but he can hardly conduct his wonderful plans in a dump, and Nacht happily sets to work helping him, often providing more of the hard labour than Fred can. “I feel like a bloody nanny,” Fred laughs halfway up a cast-steady ladder, spelling out the bugs and spiders, reminded of gutting Grimmauld Place; he’s half-terrified dealing with the Boggarts, but just on the day when he’s ready to get it over and done with, Draco arrives.

“Why are you cleaning?” he asks dumbly.

“Because your house is dirty and I’m bored?” Fred shrugs. “By the way, does George know I’m alive?”

“He does. I sent him an anonymous owl, but nothing more since I figured that your family would just blame me for your injuries if I attached my name to them.” He sets a plastic bag down on the table by the door. “I brought more food for you, but I’m here to use the library, so leave it be.”

Fred grins. “Sure, Your Majesty.”

Draco snorts. “Glad to see you’re back to your usual self, Weasley. I was worried when I saw you cleaning.”

“Dead or alive,” Fred says, “I’ll be cracking jokes.”

-

The basement of the “Edgar Allan Poe summer house” quickly becomes Fred’s favourite part of it: it’s awash with treasures, from Draco’s kicking baby photos to a dusty old record player with twelve inches from Celestina Warbeck to Elvis Presley; he finds some of Narcissa and Lucius’s Hogwarts achievements in the form of congratulatory parchment and gifted textbooks, and passes them over to Nacht, who cleans them as if they’re first edition Bibles.

“Did Mr Weasley get any achievements in Hogwarts?” he asks, almost smug in the knowledge that Fred, who makes immature jokes out of the library’s Latin titles, most certainly has not.

“If leaving in style is an achievement, then with distinction,” he says proudly. Nacht says nothing to this, clearly deciding there’s nothing worth saying; Fred grins, sifting through the old box of records, past every single record The Beatles have ever released and suddenly into the dark chalk of Sonic Youth’s Confusion Is Sex. “Hey, Nacho; whose records are these?”

“Lady Andromeda Tonks used to stay here often with Lady Malfoy,” Nacht replies. “These must be her daughter’s.”

“Tonks? So these would be Dora Tonks’s? Wicked.”

The next time Draco comes around, Fred’s halfway to better: he’s in his Mr Happy T-shirt and black jeans and in the middle of baking himself chocolate cupcakes that he hopes will stay down (he’s been able to eat just fine, but if he goes a little over the usual, he brings it back up). He sucks some of the mix off his fingers and offers a spoon to Draco.

“Don’t the Muggles say something about getting ill from raw eggs?” he sniffs.

“Who gives a shit? It tastes great.”

Draco looks at it warily, but takes the spoon and carefully licks at the cake batter; instantly enamoured and hesistances forgotten, he devours the rest. “Hm; it is good. I take it your skills are from your mother?”

“Why?”

“She seems the type of person that would bake cupcakes.”

Fred laughs. “She is - and I’m not, that’s always been Charlie’s thing, really - but since she’s not here, I’m doing it. Give it something like twenty minutes and they’ll be ready.”

“Is the catch that you’ve either put or will put poison in them?”

“What do you take me for, a Slytherin?” Fred pulls a face of offence. “No, no. The prank here is that I’m going to buy some seventies wallpaper and funk this house up and rearrange your library so you can’t find anything. Don’t you guys have enough Gothic houses? Wasn’t living in a dungeon for seven years enough for you?”

“Absolutely not; I insist on spending the rest of my life in a basement,” Draco says dryly. “But fine. Get me a shopping list, and do what you want. I bloody hate this house, anyway.”

Fred grins. “Got a pen?”

Draco snorts. “Fucking as if.”

-

Most of Fred’s decorations end up coming amassed from flea markets and Camden (as do more clothes; he’s only just made it out of the ‘excessive sweating’ phase of feeling ill, and his tops still emit a horrible stench if he gets too close to the armpits); they come from the plain London signs to a taxidermy Kneazle being sold as a dog, and Draco manages to buy all sorts of cringe-worthy warm-coloured wallpapers for Fred to use, as well as a series of lamps from possibly as many decades as lamps have been invented.

“What is Mr Weasley’s plan for this?” Nacht asks strictly as Fred raises both his wand and hand to the wall, covering it in orange and brown blobs. “Ruining the perfectly good architecture of the house.”

“We’re wizards, Nacho; we can set it back if someone throws a hissy fit,” Fred shrugs. “But come on; how are you meant to be happy living in this dismal old place? I’m just trying to brighten it up. How’s anyone meant to recover from falling out of the sky when this place looks so sad?”

“You seem to have done just fine yourself,” Nacht points out. Fred shrugs.

“Yeah, cus of my bright temperament. Not everyone’s as happy and witty as me, ‘cept maybe Lee Jordan or a Hufflepuff.” He sets the record player on the table in the library with a satisfying thud!, pulling one of Draco’s more interesting Camden finds out of its sleeve and setting it on the turntable, pressing the needle to the record and letting loose the beginning of Weird Al Yankovic’s Ricky.

“Hey, Ricky, you’re so fine you blow my mind, hey Ricky…” He grabs a chunk of books from the shelf, glancing through them; all Latin, of course. “Merlin’s balls, Nacho, you know what I should do?”

The house-elf sighs. “I do not.”

“Arrange them in size order!” Fred says gleefully. “Because then, nobody can find what they’re looking for, because the order is pretty much nonsensical, right?”

“Whatever you say, Mr Weasley. As long as you enjoy yourself and recover, for Master Draco’s pleasure.”

Fred rubs his hands together. “His, or mine?”

-

Fred’s last day is mostly one of lighting up the house: he’s made an artistic arrangement of the lamps all in the second room of the library, hung up the framed Bowie portrait Draco brought back, found a home for the stuffed Kneazle on top of a room-length sloping bookcase, figured out a system to hang the record sleeves on the walls for whole-house browsing, and he just adds the last licks of yellow paint that snake round a burgundy pillar by hand with a brush.

“What does Draco actually do in here, Nacho?” he asks, flicking his wrist up to create a splatter effect that doesn’t quite work and ends up a little ungainly in the same way that Fred is so stocky that his body seems to confuse itself regularly and attempt to recalibrate, which just disorients him.

“He uses it to get away from his own home, in order to study and read,” Nacht says matter-of-factly before lowering his voice, “and to avoid seeing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named too often.”

“I’d avoid him, too,” Fred says in a surprisingly sober moment, his voice poignant before he bursts back into a thousand megawatts and quips, “it’s the nose, isn’t it? So creepy.”

“The nose?” Nacht frowns.

“Yeah, Harry says he’s got no nose, like a snake. Bloody Slytherins, isn’t it?” He steps down from the pillar, humming along to the record player and to Primal Scream’s Come Together, turning as he hears the familiar noise of the front door opening into what is now a time capsule slash matrix.

“Bloody hell, Weasley,” Draco whistles.

“It’s so ugly, I don’t even know where to begin.”

Fred beams. “I’ll tour you.”

Draco stutters. “Merlin, no. Please let me uncover its hidden atrocities in my own time. It will be… an experience.” He pauses. “So, this means you’re leaving, doesn’t it?”

“I’m flying the coop,” Fred shrugs. “Or, as it were: going home. George’ll start thinking I was just an elaborate hoax before long.”

“Do come back,” Draco implores; Fred pauses, startled.

“Only if I can annoy you and Nacho.”

Draco runs a hand through his hair. “Yes, well, your entire existence irritates me to my core; so please come back, I would be thrilled to have to deal with your eccentric company.” Pausing, he rummages through his pocket, producing a packaging Fred knows all too well: a Ton-Tongue Toffee. “Toffee, Weasley?”

“Maybe another time, Malfoy, thanks. And so long.”

Draco just about shits himself an hour later when the clock strikes and a hidden cuckoo clock bursts through the wall; but then he just has to laugh, because despite his illness, despite smashing into the ground and being detached from his unit, the whole house is still unmistakably his: Fred Weasley’s House of Horrors (or, to the open mind, Amusements).

#i write shit #hp #fred weasley #draco malfoy #not quite a ship in this but i guess i'll tag it that way #draco x fred #fred x draco #tonks loves sonic youth pass it on #charlotteweasley