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cbrownjc · 18 hours

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My Long Season 2 Prediction Post:

So this is a long post containing all my (more or less) final predictions for Season 2 of IWTV. Mostly so I can keep track of everything I've been predicting since Season 1 ended.

I'm breaking this all up between General Predictions and some specific Episode Predictions. And I'll put it all under a spoiler cut due to the length and just in case any of this is correct, which would mean massive spoilers. Because yes, many of these predictions are based on things found in many of the books in the VC, not just IWTV; as well as recent trailers and other press material.

General Predictions:

Louis will attempt to end his life like he did in the book Merrick by the end of the season, likely in EP08: This is something that I've been predicting since EP05 of Season 1 first aired. I think it is pretty much my oldest prediction wrt the show, and one I've never wavered from. Now it's time to see if this prediction is right or not.

Lestat is asleep in a coma somewhere in the Al Shafar Tower, and is the source of The Groan: I first made this prediction back before EP07 of S01 aired. I wasn't too confident about it being proven during Season 1, but I think now is the time. Maybe Lestat's in the penthouse. Maybe he's in the basement. Maybe he is on some floor in between, I don't know. But something like The Groan wasn't spoken about as just some throw-away line. There is a reason it was pointed out. And I think that is because Lestat is the source for the sound and makes it sometimes while he is in his post-Memnoch coma state. And what is going to finally wake him up will be Louis doing what I predicted above in my first prediction.

Armand and Daniel's relationship (ie their past romantic relationship) will be revealed in EP08: I've been predicting this more times than I can count during the hiatus. Simply because, as far as general/causal audiences go, revealing it in the finale always just seemed like the most impactful place to reveal it.

The missing pages of Claudia's diaries will reveal the information about her that we learned in the book Merrick, particularly regarding her feelings toward Louis: Via the link above I made a long meta post about that. I'll say more about it below, but in general, why Louis is going to do what he does by the end of EP08 will be because of what he reads/learns from Claudia's missing diary pages, just like as what happened with book!Louis in Merrick.

Louis will begin to awaken his Fire Gift abilities during the season: There is a quick shot in one of the preview trailers of what looks to be Louis setting one of his photographs on fire, but not with a match or candle or anything, but just by staring at it. I think when Louis first discovers he has the ability to light things on fire like that, he'll not be overly excited about it or anything, and only reluctantly test it out sometimes . . . until he unleashes it in full in the season finale against the theater coven.

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Episode Predictions (Spoilers):

Episode One (many people have already seen this episode at the premiere, but there is one thing I was already predicting about it before then that I want to say again):

-- Louis and Claudia will not arrive in Paris until either the end of the episode or the beginning of Episode Two.

-- This episode will be a set up to explain how revenants are created. That they are made if you try to turn a human but don't give them enough blood; OR if you don't scatter the ashes of a vampire that has been reduced to one. This will be done to set up both why Claudia's ashes had to be scattered AND the risks being made to bring Louis back either at the end of Season 2 or the beginning of Season 3.

---

Episode Two:

-- Not much to say really that most don't already know/suspect. Louis and Claudia arrive in Paris, and Armand and Louis first meet. Louis and Claudia meet the whole theater coven.

---

Episode Three:

-- Again, not much to say. Armand's full backstory will be told. This is also the main episode where we'll see Nicki and what his fate was. We will probably also get confirmation from Armand that the backstory that Lestat told Louis and Claudia about Magnus and how Lestat said he was turned was true.

credit: gif by @sheisraging

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Episode Four:

-- Louis and Armand have sex for the first time (with Dreamstat in Louis' head giving commentary 🤪).

credit: gif by @sheisraging

-- The "banquet" scene, where Armand puts the coven members to sleep and Louis and Santiago have a confrontation (Louis looking like he's going to cut Santiago's tongue out.)

-- We will see the rift between Claudia and Louis continue to grow, as well as Claudia's distrust/dislike of Armand.

credit: gif by @sophsun1

---

Episode Five:

-- "Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat." 😂

credit: gif by @loo-nuh-tik

Yeah. We'll see this moment above in Episode 5. And Louis and Armand will basically deliver all their break-up dialogue from the end of the first book HERE, in Louis' shitty apartment in San Francisco; after Louis has attacked and almost killed Daniel.

This means that yes, Louis will confirm to Armand that he knows what Armand did to Claudia here. (With only heavy illusions made about what her ultimate fate has been.) And then Armand will give his "I thought you'd get over it" monologue.

And while Louis and Armand won't fully go their separate ways as they did in the book after all of this (because Armand will still feel he needs to look after Louis), we will very much understand that these two are not a happy couple at this point in time, and are full-on toxic in their own unique way.

credit: gif by @loo-nuh-tik

-- Along with the FULL 1973 interview, The Chase between Armand and Daniel will be shown almost in full. We'll see a lot of things about The Chase, but we will probably not see fully when, or how, it ended.

---

Episode Six:

-- "I betrayed Louis once in my life and it wasn't in San Francisco." Armand says this to Daniel in Dubai in this episode.

-- Madeleine gets turned in this episode.

-- Louis says goodbye/breaks up with Armand.

credit: gif by @hermit-frog

-- "The Last Supper."

credit: gif by @nalyra-dreaming

-- The episode will end with Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine all being taken by the Theater coven to be put on trial. Armand gives Louis a "Judas kiss" and leaves the three alone at the dinner table right before they are taken.

credit: gif by @ofinkandust

---

Episode Seven:

-- Okay so, back when the Jones Cut trailer first aired, I said that this moment was Rockstar Lestat:

credit: gif by @virginiaisforvampires

Well, I was wrong about that. Why? Well take a look at this:

credit: gif by @sheisraging

Do you see it? Behind Santiago, in the upper left. That is the same key prop on the railing as in the shot with Lestat on the right on the railing. If you squint, you can also kind of make out the musical notes on the railing to the left of the Lestat image on the railing on the right in the Santiago one.

The shot of Lestat isn't Rockstar Lestat, as I first thought it was. It is the real Lestat's first entrance into Season 2. And it's going to be at the trial, in Episode Seven.

-- And because Lestat is making his first entrance in the way I talked about above? This is 100% from Armand's POV with some of Louis' misremembered POV with it. Because Lestat was not in any condition to make THIS kind of entrance on his own.

-- The revisit of Mardi Gras Murder Night from EP07 of Season 1 will happen here, during the trial. And it will be revealed that Claudia alone slit Lestat's throat while Louis stood by passively, while Lestat begged Louis to put him in his coffin. (Matching up to what Claudia wrote, in Lestat's blood, what his last words were.) Giving the full context to this moment we only saw in a flash in EP07 of Season 1:

Which will then lead into . . .

-- The revisit of the Louis-Lestat fight from EP05 of Season 1 will be shown in this episode as well. (And will give viewers, particularly non-book readers, their first hints of Amel.) And because of what happened in that fight, specifically why that fight started in the first place, will tie into . . .

-- Claudia's diaries, which will be read at the trial. Out loud. By Santiago. And more specifically the missing pages, which we see Louis and Armand talk about in this preview, will contain some damning evidence that will all lead to . . .

credit: gif by @mundaneandmagicalcreature

-- Claudia will reveal right there, on stage, to Louis himself, how much she hates him and blames him more for her situation than she does Lestat. Because "It's never been about me." Lestat made her for Louis. If Louis hadn't wanted her, she would never have been turned.

-- This episode will end with Claudia's death. Louis will be rescued from his coffin prison by Armand, and the episode will end with Louis breaking down over her loss -- both in the past and in the present in Dubai now that he remembers everything about Claudia's true feelings towards him right before she died.

---

Episode Eight:

-- Louis goes all Carrie/Firestarter on the Theater coven (after warning Armand to stay away first), unleashing his full Fire Gift powers on them all.

credit: gif by @sam-reid

-- Louis grieving in the park -- the same park where he first met Armand -- in the rain after destroying the theater coven, comforted by Dreamstat. And then Armand arrives . . . because Armand is whom Louis was actually waiting for. Why? Because, as Louis said about it in the book --

Where to go then, if not to die? It was strange how the answer came to me.

credit: gif by @hermit-frog

-- Louis and Armand (and Dreamstat) go to the "Louver" for that moment from the book; which in the show has been replaced with someplace else since, post WWII, the Louver was apparently still closed at that time. It will be revealed that Louis knows of Armand's hand in Claudia's fate, shown via Dreamstat's reaction to everything Armand says about what happened.

-- And this will all now tie everything together into what will be alluded to about Claudia -- and Louis knowing Armand had a hand in it whatever it was -- in Episode 5 . . . and this now reveals why Louis and Armand's relationship has not been a happy one at all over the years, as we will see in Episode 5. And this will all be summed up by Louis probably saying this from the book directly to Armand:

"Yes, that is the crowning evil, that we can even go so far as to love each other, you and I. And who else would show us a particle of love, a particle of compassion or mercy? Who else, knowing us as we know each other, could do anything but destroy us? Yet we can love each other."

-- And the "Louver" scene will be the last scene we see Dreamstat in, as it will be here that Armand will tell Louis that Lestat died in the destruction of the theater. And Louis will believe him.

-- Armand, in the present in Dubai, will reveal the head thing he did to Claudia before she died.

-- Armand will reveal how he threw Lestat off Magnus' tower, even after Lestat was badly burned by Louis setting fire to the theater (but survived).

-- we will find out WHY Louis stopped feeding on humans in the year 2000. And it's probably not something anyone expects.

-- At some point in here it will be revealed that Lestat and Louis do reunite after Paris -- for real -- for a time, in the recent past. As seen by this hug:

credit: gif by @nalyra-dreaming

However, something happened that made Lestat unavailable/incapacitated again (some Memnoch-type event is my guess.) So Lestat is now in a coma and Louis, rather than be alone, chooses to stay with Armand for the same reason he did after losing Claudia in Paris.

-- In Dubai, Louis will try to end his life via sunlight exposure, as he did in the book Merrick (as I noted above). Because, along with finally remembering the truth about how Claudia really felt about him, Louis will also be under the impression that Lestat will never wake from his coma again.

-- The bookcase collapsing around Daniel is a consequence of Lestat waking up from his coma after he stops hearing Louis' heart beating. (I.E. a visual representation of Lestat "shattering the realm" as it is apparently explained in the book Prince Lestat about this moment when he woke up in Merrick.)

-- Armand saves Daniel from getting crushed by the bookcase, which will also come tumbling down after the books and glass do.

-- Somewhere in all of that, Daniel will have a flashback that reveals he and Armand were actually lovers in the past. Daniel will be stunned by the memory. Armand will just be surprised that Daniel finally remembered it.

-- Armand and Daniel won't have time to talk about it though because Armand fears/will realize that Louis has done something that caused the commotion to happen (and likely because he also notices The Groan has stopped).

-- Armand and Daniel find Louis' body, burnt to coal ash. Lestat is either already there with Louis' body or arrives very soon after they do.

-- Whether we see Lestat revive Louis (as he was revived in Merrick) at the end of the episode (with Armand's help) or if we are left on a cliffhanger about it? IDK.

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The predictions above are all the ones I feel most confident about right now. There are some others I have, but I'm not very confident about them, so I'm not listing them. I might mention them in individual posts after certain episodes air or not.

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seancekitsch · 2 days

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Hello!!! Good (Time of reading :p), could i request a lucifer x reader fic/headcanons (whatever fits) where the reader is new to hell and is way too nice for a place like this? They are in the hotel trying to get redeemed and to be safe.

If you need more ideas: reader cooking dinner for a tired lucifer

its a shortie but its cute!

“Charlie, can you set me up with the new sinner? Lucifer had asked, “like on a date?”

He genuinely didn’t know what he was signing up for, certainly not a fully planned excursion through every sector of the ring.

But you had politely bodied every challenge, not only endearing him to you, but also the rest of hell.

You’d politely watched and cheered and clapped at the sex shows, you’d graciously accepted meals in cannibal town, avoided angering any turf wars on picnics and walks. It was like you were trying to score most popular in the Pride Ring. But Lucifer knew that wasn’t the case, he knew this was just you. Sweet you, polite you, undeserving of Hell you.

“Do you like onions?” you call from the kitchen, shaking him from his thoughts.

“Onions are fine!” He calls, getting up to join you. The smells from the hotel kitchen are divine, your third meal together today being a midnight snack. Lucifer leans over the counter, looking at where you mix diced onion and tomato in a bowl with ease, humming a light tune.

You turn towards him, a coy smile on your face as you wink at him, then jostle the bowl you’re stirring.

“What are you doing here?” Lucifer asks, his mouth moving faster than his mind. That’s a rude question to ask. Some Sinners are secretive, some are sensitive. The ones at his daughter’s hotel aren’t… but they’re also a little different.

“Making salsa from scratch,” you answer nonchalant, reaching past him to grab a spice off the rack, “Tastes better that way. I figured you could magic us up some chips?”

You quirk an eyebrow at him, and he can’t help the way he feels his cheeks heat up.

He chuckles, his hand rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before a bowl of chips appears on the other side of the counter.

“No I uh- I mean here, as in, you know,” he coughs, “Hell.”

You stir in chili flakes with a wooden spoon, but then stop when his words sink in.

Shit, he thinks, I’ve fucked this up.

“Well,” you clear your throat, “Thats a secret, Your Majesty.”

You’re toying with him.

“All I’ll say is that I have a good reason for being here.”

You usher him to try the salsa, and he gladly dips one of his chips into the bowl, scooping out a hefty portion. Lucifer lifts it to his lips, and the moment it reaches his tongue he’s reminded of Heaven. Not actual Heaven, not the feelings of hopelessness or frustration. The nostalgia of the joy he had when he was inventing, thousands of years ago. The experience of a product made with love. Maybe instead of an apple he should have tempted humanity with your salsa instead.

He’s a goner.

You don’t ask him why he’s here, not in Hell, not in the hotel, not still making this date last almost twelve whole hours later.

“Are you planning on a short stay?” He asks, silently praying for the first time in centuries to not get his hopes up.

“I’m trying to stay safe, at least until I decide,” there’s a secretive smile on your face, alluring and inviting. Lucifer wants to kiss you, wants to drop the first date gentleman act, wants to make a mess on the counter. But he won’t, and only because he doesn’t want to ruin your handiwork, and because he’s hungry.

“It’s a good thing I can guarantee that while you’re making up your mind!” he reassures you, inching closer until his chest bumps your shoulder.

You surprise him by leaning over, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

“I guess now if as good a time as any to tell you I’m notoriously indecisive then, hmm?”

Lucifer hopes you never make up your mind.

#lucifer x reader #lucifer morningstar x reader #hazbin hotel x reader

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bullet-prooflove · 1 day

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ATF!Series Part One: A Rabbit You Don't Want To Chase - David Hale x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @hatersaremymotivators @bennykk @kelpies-shed

Before you there was ATF Agent June Stahl.

David doesn’t know what he was thinking when he stuck his dick into that particular bag of crazy. The two of them had a mutual hate for the MC and for each other. She was there to get the job done and he utilised that. They ended up fucking on his desk barely a week after she landed, kept it up for over a month before things turned sour.

What he remembers the most from that time was that it was always filthy, always violent. He’d hurt for weeks in the aftermath, his uniform chafing the scratch marks she left on his back. At no point during that ‘relationship’ did he feel good about himself.

It's been a couple of years since then and he hasn’t thought about her once, not until she strides into his stationhouse with a couple of junior agents and a bundle of files tucked under her arm.

“A war is coming.” She tells him.

And that’s it, the devil is back in his life.

David sighs because there’s been a couple of months of peace since Clay Morrow’s ‘excommunication’ and the Sons seem to be turning their hand to more legit enterprises. Their assets have been tied up in porn since Suzie Quinn took over Luann’s business.

“Galen O’Shay, he’s one of the Irish Kings, leadership in the True IRA. The Sons are hunting him.” She tells him before she shows him a picture of a man he doesn’t recognise.

“What do they want with him?” He asks as he leans over the desk and studies the image. He can feel her eyes on him, sizing him up just like the first time and he shifts uncomfortably. She sets another picture down in front of him and this one he does recognise.

“Evelyn Shaw, unofficial matriarch.” She says leaning in close. He can feel the heat off her body rolling over his skin, the overripe sweetness of her perfume invading his nostrils. It’s suffocating being this close to her, it feels like she’s trying to claw her way underneath his flesh. “The club’s defence attorney and Chib’s fuck toy.”

David sighs because he knows Evelyn, he’s dealt with her in the past. She’s a nightmare in the courtroom, fiercely intelligent, tenacious but she’s also a good person. He’s lost count of the domestic violence cases she’s brought him. Each and every single one wrapped up neatly in a bow, ready for an arrest. He suspects it’s personal for her, that if he tracked back her history, there would be a report somewhere that detailed something terrible that had happened to her.

“I don’t understand how the two connect.” He tells Stahl as he shifts away from her. She follows him the same way she did back then, maintaining proximity, keeping him close.

“Intelligence suggests that Galen took her a couple of months back, hurt her and left her for Chibs to find inside a barn on the outskirts of town. They’ve been calling him the Mad Scot from here all the way up to Stockton because of the violence he’s left in his wake trying to find him.” She tells him, her hand coming to rest on his and it feels like his skin is crying to crawl right off his bones to escape her. He pull his hand away, tucking it into his pocket. “It only stopped when Chibs received confirmation that Galen had left the country.”

“And now he’s back.” David guesses as he replays back the past couple of his months in his head. It’s been a while since he’s heard from Evelyn, he doesn’t realise it until now.

He’d thought that the Sons had gone quiet but now he realises what’s really been happening, they’ve been circling their wagons. Someone hurting one of their women, they won’t let that slide, the same way he wouldn’t. He’d go to the ends of the earth anyone laid a hand on you.

“Sure is baby and so am I.” She says her hand gripping his tie and drawing him closer, her lips ghost in his ear as she whispers. “My pussy’s missed that mouth of yours, why don’t you get on your knees and give her a kiss.”

He tears himself away, his cheeks colouring.

“I’d rather eat glass.” He tells her, using his palm to smooth over his tie.

She raises a eyebrow, her hand coming to rest on her hip as her voice turns cold.

“What? Your little art student lets you come in her mouth and you’re suddenly in love?”

His head snaps up and he senses his mistake the instant he makes it. He’s given her an opening, an acknowledgement that there’s someone important in his life that she can fuck with.

“How does it feel sticking your dick in the same pussy that Teller’s blown his load in?” She asks him, that cruel smile pulling at the edges of her mouth. “Or is that part of the allure, you get off knowing that you have the one thing that he wants.”

David tries not to react, he tries to keep his face impassive but she must see a flicker of something in his features.

“Has she told you anything about her time with him?”

David crosses his arms over his chest, his teeth grinding together as his eyes bore right into hers.

“You’ve never asked her have you?”

No, he hasn’t and you’ve never volunteered. There’s a line in your relationship that neither of you will cross because if you tell him something, you know he will have to do something about it and it tangles you up with the Sons all over again.

“This is a rabbit you don’t want to chase.” He warns her, his voice full of vitriol.

“We’ll see.” She tells him with shit eating grin of hers. “We’ll see.”

Love David? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

#David hale #david hale x reader #soa #taylor sheridan #sons of anarchy #deputy chief hale #deputy hale

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thehollowwriter · 1 day

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Summary: Azul meets Finn's father, and he is very afraid.

Word count: 3872

(Pls reblog and leave a comment ❤️)

Mister Clearcove

"Papa wants to meet you." Said Finn, and Azul nearly choked on his tea.

"Pardon?"

"Papa wants to meet you." Finn repeated, munching on a biscuit. "He thinks you should come over during the holidays."

He was so casual about it, as if he were telling Azul it was going to be sunny tomorrow, and not that the possibly most terrifying man Azul had ever seen wanted to meet him.

Azul gazed at Finn wordlessly for a moment. Was this a joke? Was Finn trying to prank him?

"I...I see." Azul said slowly.

Finn did not say "just kidding" as he had hoped. Instead, he licked the crumbs from his lips and carried on sketching the possible menu designs he and Azul had brainstormed.

"You're sure he wants to meet me?" Azul blurted.

Finn put his pencil down and raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course. Papa doesn't ask to meet just anyone. Don't tell me you're scared now."

"Of course not!" Azul exclaimed, frowning. "I'm just... surprised. I didn't think he would be interested in meeting me at all."

Finn sent him a small smile. "You underestimate how interesting you are."

Azul flushed. "I suppose so. Shall we set up a date, then?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah. I'll ask Papa when he's available."

The two of them went back to what they were doing, and silence reigned once more.

Azul was awake long after curfew that night, staring at the incomplete nautilus shell earings he had spent days painstakingly crafting by hand.

He planned to give them to Finn sometime, but... should he? He didn't know.

If he were to end up in Silas Clearcove's bad books, it would make any attempts at a relationship or gaining a potential seafood supplier for the lounge quite difficult.

If they were to meet, Azul wanted to make the best impression he could. Naturally, making a good impression meant knowing the person you wanted to impress, and in order to know the person you wanted to impress, one needed to do research.

Unfortunately for Azul, Finn's father was an utter mystery. Most Atlantica residents did not like Silas and preferred to avoid him, fearful of him and his origins.

"The... the abyssal mer? I can't believe some people buy food from him, if you ask me."

"Silas? I had to move my daughter to a different elementary school because that monster's son was attending hers."

"Tainted blood, that's what he is."

Rumours, often wretched and gut-churning, did their rounds often.

Azul wasn't stupid enough to believe them, of course. Call him a sceptic, but he was quite sure Silas did not murder Finn and cause Finn to become a ghost.

Most of what Azul himself knew about Silas was through osmosis and from Finn. The basic facts were: he was a cookie cutter shark from the Abyss, he was a butcher, a single father, and was married to a powerful mage named Morrigan who died before Finn was born.

"He was a mage, too." Finn would say if asked about Morrigan. "He went to Night Raven. He was a Savanaclaw student, and then he became a teacher. He was quite talented."

The cause of Morrigan's death was something not even Finn knew, and most of the city pretended it didn't happen.

"Oh, you know, Morrigan was like, fifty when he died." Some would say. "Who knows what health complications he could've had."

Azul also attempted to ask his mother about it, but she became unusually cryptic.

"It was awful." She had said sadly, dabbing her eyes. "Simply awful. Oh, poor Silas, he was heartbroken..."

Azul made a mental note to steer clear of the topic of Morrigan in case it was a touchy subject.

Azul's own memories of Silas were few and far between. They were fuzzy, blurred by time, and unreliable. Finn swam to and from school by himself most of the time, so Azul didn't see Silas every day.

All Azul could really remember was vague parts of his appearance and a presence that made crowds part and parents whisper.

There was only one clear memory that stood out, but even that one had been tainted by age.

Azul remembered cowering behind his mother, taking a peek every now and then at the large, looming shark speaking to his mother in a low, gruff voice.

He was scarred and a bit odd looking, but what truly drew Azul's attention was the ribs of... something that decorated Silas' tail, and the twin sets of orca teeth necklaces around his neck. It was terrifying to see back then. Now, though, he was concerned his seashells would be an inadequate courting gift, considering Silas was apparently very traditional.

The lack of reliable memories left Azul to rely on individuals close to him for information, although it didn't turn up much. Silas was like his son. He kept to himself and wasn't prone to chatting .

"Old man Silas?" Floyd's expression turned thoughtful when Azul asked him about him. "Don't see him a lot. When he comes to Ma and Pa's parties, he just hangs out in the corner and stares at his glass till it's over. Then we never see him until the next one."

"He'll engage in conversation if we initiate it." Jade added. "But he doesn't say much. He's not a very talkative fellow."

Azul sighed. "Do you know anything else?"

"Well," Jade tapped his chin. "He's from the Abyss. But everybody knows that."

"He's got a legendary resting bitch face." Floyd chimed in, grinning. "It puts Finn's to shame. He looks like he'll snap your neck if you look at him wrong."

"I see."

He asked his mother about Silas next, during one of their biweekly phonecalls. She had more to say than the twins, and definitely more pleasant things too, but none of it was particularly helpful.

"Oh, Silas is a dear!" Azul's mother sounded delighted. "So helpful and hardworking, and so very polite. I keep saying he should come for dinner sometime, but he's always so busy."

"Do you know anything about his preferences?"

"Hmm. No. Sorry, dear."

"No no, it's alright. Thank you, Mama."

It seemed the only one who knew anything at all about Silas Clearcove was Finn, and Azul most certainly did not want to ask him and risk his intentions coming to light early.

Azul was frustrated that his research was inconclusive, and far more nervous than he was originally. When he finally returned home for the holidays, and the reality truly hit him, the nervousness became utter stress.

It seemed he wasn't doing as a good a job at hiding it as he hoped, since when Finn arrived to fetch him one early morning, he tilted his head to the side with a bemused smile.

"You don't need to be so nervous." Finn said as he began to lead Azul to their destination. "Papa won't bite."

***

The Clearcove property was far away from the city, starting at a sand bank and stretching on to the edge of a cliff. Only the faintest tendrils of sunlight reached down there, but it was promptly snuffed out by the towering kelp forest that stretched on for miles. The kelp swayed eerily in the ghostly quiet, lit up by only a few lanterns strung about.

It was a stark contrast to the sunlit streets and bustling noise of the city.

It gave Azul the creeps, and he suddenly understood why the rumours that spread were always so supernatural in nature. It was like they were swimming through a haunted patch of sea.

They followed a stone path through the maze of kelp and rocks and fish, keeping to the light of the lanterns. It was a long swim, and Azul wished he had better endurance.

Then, the faint scent of blood made Azul stop swimming, concerned.

Finn tugged him forward. "That's just the abattoir, don't worry."

The scent got stronger the further they went, and Azul had to clench his teeth to stop himself from darting away in terror until they got to it.

The abattoir did not look quite how Azul expected it to. Rather than a dark, dilapidated building, it was a large cave with an entrance marked by the gaping maw of a whale skull. Lanterns lit the area up brightly, making it look just a little less daunting.

Mers darted about the place, lugging in fresh kills, nets of crustaceans and molluscs, and large containers.

A few of them waved at Finn as he passed by and gave Azul a curious look, but other than that, they didn't pay their presence much mind.

Finn and Azul carried on for another half hour or so until finally, they came to a circular clearing, and the small stone path led towards a garden of coral, seagrass, and seasponge.

Nestled amongst the garden was what one could supposedly call a "house." Really, it was a large rock that had been carved into, its walls etched with little patterns that Azul was sure Finn was responsible for.

Finn swam forwards to unlock the purple coral door, then let Azul inside.

"Papa, we're here!" Finn called as they swam in. Well, Finn swam in. Azul squeezed himself in through the door, coiling his tentacles close so he didn't knock anything over. He was skinny, but the Clearcove home was undoubtedly cookie cutter shark sized.

The first thing he noticed was the smell of food. It didn't have quite as strong an aroma as food on land, but he could definitely smell it. The next thing he noticed was the cosy little lounge slash dining room he found himself in.

Pictures and paintings that were probably made by Finn when he was a child were hung up on the walls, and large clumps of sea sponge, coral, and bone formed couches and chairs.

Azul didn't have much time to take it in, as Silas then swam into the room and dusted his hands, crossing his arms, and Azul went still.

"Hello, Finn." He said. His voice was as soft as Finn's, but deeper and more gravelly. He nodded at Azul. "Ashengrotto."

"H...Hello, sir." Azul greeted, his voice coming out far more wobbly than he wanted it to.

Silas... didn't look quite how Azul remembered. From his child perspective, Silas was large, larger than life, even. Now, though, as a teenager, Azul could see Silas was not much larger than Finn. Azul himself was several times bigger than both of them.

When Azul was trying to research Silas, his mind filled in the blanks and created an image of an older looking Finn. Now, though, he could see how different they were.

Finn was chubby. Soft, pudgy, and round. His skin was absent of any marks aside from the scars on his shoulder, the freckles on his face, and the stretch marks on his stomach. His hair and body were a lively forest green that blended perfectly with his surroundings.

Silas, on the other hand, was very thin. His skin stretched just a little too taught in some places. His body was littered with scars of various degrees of severity. On his face, his abdomen, his tail, his arms, his neck... even his gills. The long, jagged scar that sliced across the gills on his neck made Azul's own gills itch.

His fins were riddled with holes and tears that hadn't healed properly. It looked painful, and it made Azul wince when he looked at them.

He was purple in hue, and his face, aged and weathered, housed the only thing he had in common with Finn appearance-wise. A pair of bright amthyst eyes that shone like gems in the light of the lanterns.

It was then that Azul knew he was looking at someone who had seen and done things he could not even begin to comprehend. Someone very dangerous and very powerful.

Azul's gaze eventually drifted to the necklaces that hung around Silas' neck. The teeth that were strung up on them were quite obviously orca teeth. Each necklace had a volute shell and a skeletal murex shell, respectively.

Courting gifts. One belonged to Silas, the other, his late husband.

Silas' necklaces were difficult to make. There was a risk involved, a certain amount of power and skill required to get the materials. Orca teeth were not small trophies.

Azul felt like Silas' gaze had frozen him in place with magic. Those eyes, so deep and knowing, made goosebumps ripple across his skin, and his heart jump into his throat.

His unique magic had a benefit that few knew about. It allowed him to sense others' magic and said magic's essence or power, and dear Seven could he sense Silas'.

It was dark and twisted, rolling off of Silas in waves of power that made something primal in Azul's mind begin to panic.

It was ancient. Pulsing. It bubbled just below the surface and promised a taste of the horrors found leagues down below.

Abyssal magic.

Silas' magic was far stronger than Azul's, far stronger than Finn's, far stronger than some of the professors at Night Raven, and it filled Azul's heart with a mix of awe and terror.

The familiar urge to take it for himself was strong, tugging at the back of his head. But he knew better. By the Sea Witch, did he know better.

Finn once told Azul that Silas never had any proper magical training of any kind. In fact, Finn was the first person on Silas' side of the family to attend school at all.

The fact that Silas still held this much power despite that... it was incredible and terrifying all at once.

The fear that filled Azul turned his veins to ice. The overwhelming knowledge that he did not have the advantage, that he did not have the most powerful magic, and that he was neither the smartest nor the strongest in the room made him feel like a guppy in the jaws of a great white.

"Azul, you look pale." Said Finn, though he was clearly more amused than worried, the bastard. "Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Azul said quickly. "Just tired from the trip here."

Silas hadn't said a word at all. He simply stared at Azul, and Azul stared back.

Then Silas hummed, a deep rumbling sound, and swam back into the kitchen. Azul let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and shot a glance at Finn.

Finn smiled. "Don't mind Papa." He said. "He's not big on conversations. It might not be obvious, but he's happy to have you over. He's even letting you eat with us today."

Azul looked towards the kitchen, then back at Finn questioningly.

"That's not something he usually does." Finn clarified. "Sharing food that he hasn't sold, that is. He always says it's safest to be selfish when it comes to meals."

Azul nodded slowly. "I... I see." He murmured, overcome with the dreadful realisation that he could not skip out on whatever would be served without looking like an ungrateful brat with no manners.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Silas returned with a number of plates and platters in tow, piled high with all kinds of food.

Finn perked up, finns fluttering. "Oh, he used the vents. We're lucky today."

The... vents?

The platters were gently placed down with magic, as well as three empty plates. Azul stared at the vast amount of food, trying to see if there was anything small with few calories he could eat.

Seaweed wraps, crab rolls, whole crabs, shrimp, lobsters, mussels, clams, scallops, abalone, tuna, hake, even sushi, and so much more was available to choose from.

Azul's mouth opened and closed in surpise, and for the first time since greeting them, Silas spoke.

"I was not too sure what food you preferred. Finn told me you're quite strict with what you eat. I hope this is suitable."

Azul looked at Silas and once again felt frozen in place by that stare. Floyd wasn't kidding about him looking like he would snap your neck at any moment...

"I-" Azul had to swallow so he could try to speak clearly. "It is. Thank you, sir. You're very kind."

"Alright, then. Sit down. Choose what you want."

Azul obeyed, wondering how on earth the twins managed to make Silas sound like a stone faced introvert when he seemed more like a retired soldier or something.

Silas and Finn seated themselves opposite him. Finn, ever the food lover, happily began piling up his plate. Silas simply watched Azul, silent once again.

Azul avoided his gaze and selected some Sushi (where did Silas get rice from?) and a few oysters.

He paused when he got to the lobster, which he was not going to eat due to the hugh cholesterol by the way, and stared at it. It... it wasn't raw. It was cooked..?

"Hypothermic vents." Said Silas, noticing Azul's confused expression. "They work like an oven or a place to boil food if you use them correctly."

Azul's eyes widened in surpise. "Really? That's... That's incredible. I would never have thought to use thermal vents to cook food. How do you not burn anything?"

"I use magic to alter the heat." Silas explained quietly, his lips quirking up a bit. "It's something my grandfathers taught me."

"So I assume you alter the heat to different temperatures to allow for different methods and cook times?" Azul asked curiously.

Silas nodded.

"Incredible. Have you not thought of selling this? You would intrigue a lot of people with something as rare as cooked food. I-" Azul hesitated, realising Finn was raising his eyebrows at him. "I-If you want to, of course."

Silas gazed at Azul for a moment, and Azul began to panic internally, cursing at himself and his inability to shut up about business.

"You are your mother's son," Silas finally rumbled, sounding more amused than angry. "I'll tell you what I've told your mother. I have no interest in monetizing this."

Blood rushed to Azul's cheeks, and his fear and panic turned into embarrassment.

"Idiot." He snapped at himself. "You ruined a nice conversation."

Silas didn't say anything further, so Azul went back to picking at his sushi, taking little bites every now and then.

The urge to say something, anything, to fill the awful silence was overwhelming, but neither Silas nor Finn were particularly talkative, and Azul didn't want to be the irritating chatterbox of the group.

Finn was currently tearing through his meal, absolutely delighted at the special use of the vents. He cracked open a scallop and popped the meat into his mouth with a happy sigh.

Silas hadn't eaten a single thing. Apart from the occasional glance at Finn, his eyes were completely trained on Azul.

His gaze was intense. Terrifying. It was as if he were mentally taking Azul apart, looking for flaws, for weakness. Azul wondered if this was how his fellow classmates felt when he made deals with them.

"Finn's told me a lot about you." Silas said suddenly, and Azul gulped.

"He... He has?"

"Yes. He quite likes you-"

"Papa!" Finn squeaked, flustered. "You didn't need to say that part."

"-and I hear you're starting a restaurant of your own at school?"

"Ah- yes." Azul nearly choked out, relieved. Now, this was something to talk about. "Mostro Lounge. An establishment for gentlemen, neutral ground between the dorms of Night Raven College where you can wind down after a long day."

Silas hummed. "What a clever idea. My husband attended Night Raven when he was your age. I remember he once told me he wished he didn't have to go all the way to town to eat something that wasn't served at the cafeteria."

Azul puffed up at the compliment, glad to finally feel like he had some semblance of control. "Why yes, it is a pain, especially if you don't have time for such trips. The comfort and satisfaction of my fellow students is my primary goal, and I hope to achieve that with Mostro Lounge."

Silas' lips quirked upwards again. "How kind of you," He said, and Azul was pretty sure he didn't entirely mean it. He sounded too... knowing. "I hope you're successful."

Azul couldn't hold back the smirk that crossed onto his face. "Believe me, sir, I will be."

Silas nodded but didn't answer, and Azul went back to eating.

"Finn," Silas said after a while, turning his head to his son, who had been quietly listening to the conversation while digging into a small lobster. "Could you please tell Timo to move his hunt to the fourth quadrant for me?"

Finn looked a little confused, but he nodded anyway. "Sure." He said, then sent a small smile Azul's way. "I'll be back in a bit."

He disappeared out the door, and Azul was suddenly very aware that he was alone with Silas Clearcove watching him like he wanted to take a bite out of him.

Azul put his hands on his lap to hide the fact that they were shaking and stared back at Silas like a deer in headlights.

"You've built quite a reputation for yourself around here over the years, Azul." Silas said. "With those little deals of yours. Your magic is quite impressive, I must say."

There was a long pause, and Silas tapped his long black claws against the table.

"I was concerned at first when Finn started telling me about you." He said. "You're quite a greedy young man. But... I trust Finn's judgement. I'm not going to sit here and threaten you or tell you not to hurt Finn. I know you won't. However,"

Silas' eyes narrowed. "I'm well aware that you like... collecting magic, shall we say. Abyssal magic seems to have piqued your interest recently. Listen to me carefully. Finn is not to make contracts with you, and you are not to try to convince him to do so. You're a smart boy, Azul. I'm sure you understand."

The unspoken implication hung in the air, and Azul understood it all too well. He's heard the rumours, and while he wasn't sure how true they were, he'd rather not risk having his magic sucked dry.

'He's like a magic parasite.'

'He'll suck you dry until you're nothing but a husk'

'If he can't take your magic, then he'll take your soul.'

The voices of Azul's old classmates echoed in his mind.

"I understand, sir." He said, feeling a little sick.

Finn returned shortly after, informing Silas that Timo had moved his hunt.

"I hope you didn't scare you too much." He whispered as he swam past Azul.

Azul just laughed.

***

After Silas gave Azul that little warning, the old mer was much more relaxed, though most of the conversation was still carried by Azul and Finn.

The day seemed to fly by now that the fear that had swallowed Azul whole began to ebb, and soon it was late afternoon and time for Azul to leave. He needed to be home before sundown.

"I'll come visit you." Finn said softly before Azul could exit through the door."

Azul smiled a bit. "Thank you, I suppose." He murmured, feeling his cheeks burn once again.

"Thank you for having me over, Mister Clearcove." He said to Silas, bowing his head. "I greatly appreciate your hospitality."

Silas hummed in acknowledgement. "I'm always happy to Finn's friends over. Get home safe, now, Azul, and..." His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "Be careful with those contracts of yours, alright?"

Azul blinked, confused.

"Of course, sir."

-End

...........................................

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the fear of god being put in Azul! I had a lot fun writing this.

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly

@jovieinramshackle @galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00

@krenenbaker @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @am0nline

@1dont-really-know @kazumify @minteasketches @ramshacklerumble @elysia-nsimp

@skrimpyskimpy @casp1an-sea @offorestsongs @the-banana-0verlord @skriblee-ksk

@poisoned-pearls @the-trinket-witch @tixdixl (lemme know if you'd rather not be tagged :))

@quartztwst if you're interested in Azul being scared shitless lmao

#azul ashengrotto #finn clearcove #octavinelle #silas clearcove #morrigan clearcove #jade leech #floyd leech #twisted wonderland #twst oc #oc x canon #writing

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nothingelsematterswrites · 13 hours

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logan IS NOT getting replaced at Imola (and not at Monza either), a CONFIRMED breakdown

that's right logan girlies (gn), Logan is SAFE. He's not going anywhere yet.

James was bailed up by Lawrence Barretto yesterday in the press pen, and was asked explicitly if Antonelli would be in the car at Imola. James straight up said that Antonelli will not be in the car at Imola, and that he is considering drivers for 25 and 26.

Here's the video:

youtube

James was also asked about it in the press conference, and Autosport did a write up of it which you can find here. Importantly:

“I know nothing about what's going on with the Mercedes tests right now,” said Vowles. “We are looking, as everyone else is, for where we want to be on driver line-up for next year. And we have our own young driver programme. “In the case of Kimi. I can't really adjudicate at the level he's at. In case of him coming into the car this year, I've always said from the beginning, it's a meritocracy. “Logan has to earn his seat and at the moment, he has some tough targets where he has to get much closer to Alex. But there is nothing on the radar at the moment for replacing him.”

That's the key point.

Now, the Autosport article also brought up another point. The FIA say they have received a superlicence request for Antonelli. They did not specify what type.

There are two types of superlicences. The one you hear about most commonly is a race superlicence. That's your standard one, need 40 points, etc.

But there is also a practice superlicence. This is what Logan had in 2022, enabling him to run FP1s for Williams while he tried to earn the points for his full superlicence.

It is actually entirely probable that Mercedes have put in this request for an exemption for a practice superlicence for Antonelli so that they can run him in FP1s.

Some of you may not trust James' word, and that's understandable! So, let's hear it from Toto Wolff himself, who was also asked about the rumours, and responded categorically:

"I don't know where this belief comes from that Mercedes was keen on pushing that forward. Kimi needs to concentrate on his F2 campaign and he knows that. "Everything else is just rumours, which continue to spin around and that are factually incorrect. He's an F2 driver for Prema, that is what he's doing, and this is what we're all concentrating on." Wolff stressed that Mercedes would remain careful not to burn Antonelli by promoting him too early, given his rapid rise through the junior series and his lack of experience. "Just 15 months ago, he was in an F4 car," he said. "We have great belief in Kimi, his abilities and also his future. "But there is a trajectory which we need to follow with diligence, rather than trying to dream about jumping from series to series in a way that is certainly not beneficial for him. "I think a champion is not going to be distracted by any of this. But certainly, at least it distracts me because everybody's asking me: 'What about Kimi and driving in Imola? "This is not going to happen. This is not something that Mercedes wants. These rumours have gotten their own spin. Let's do Formula 2. We as a team have lots of other issues to resolve."

So, to summarise: Toto doesn't want it. James doesn't want it. Neither of them are pushing for it. Logan has goals to meet and James is going to give him time and support to do it.

Now, James does say they're evaluating options for 2025, which I'm sure is not what some of you want to hear, but that's his job as the team boss. The market is busy right now, and if others are interested he is wise to listen. But Logan will be one of those options, if he hits the goals James has set him.

#f1blr #f1 #formula one #logan sargeant #kimi antonelli #james vowles #toto wolff #williams racing #mercedes f1 #keep calm and believe in logan #Youtube

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quitealotofsodapop · 2 days

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Know what? Maybe instead of venting to Sandy, Macaque ends up telling the hsi side of the story and why he chose to do the thing she did to Tang. In the actual canon there are only two people he really seemed to open up to when it came to his feelings regarding Wukong before his redemption, and that was MK which is understanable as he's Wukong's apprentice and soemone Macaque can see a bit of himself in, and for some godforsaken reason, Tang during the Lantern City Talent Show when he warns him about what happens to people who get too close to Wukong.

Absolutely anon, you're right.

In the case of Macaque having his own venting time - I could see it partly occuring during;

Briefly when He, Nezha, and Tang are locked up together in the East Sea Palace. Macaque gives Tang an idea of who Wukong had become during the war + what monster had escaped the Furnace, hence the reason they broke up just before the Journey. Nezha backs Macaque up on this - he saw/fought what had exited the Furnace that day.

With PIF. Despite her anger towards him, she'd be sympathetic to his reasoning for not wanting to but Wukong in danger. But she's able to explain more clearly to Mac why Wukong is so upset with him right now - i.e. he secretly feels that Mac sees him as weak/helpless/untrustworthy, and that Mac leaving to investigate LBD was proof of such opinions. Mac is mortified.

Properly gets to vent to Tang when the gang is in Lantern City, trying to find the last Ring (because who puts the *real* Ring of Light in some random Lantern hanging above the city?). HIm and Tang have some hotel cocktails (the lego sets had a cut Lotus Hotel area fro Lantern City that would have hosted the Ring) and bitch about their respective husbands. Here Macaque reveals his true fear of LBD/why she's more dangerous than the book says; spoilers it involved MK's egg and Wukong almost dying.

Macaque going to the moon and having some sibling talk with Chang'e. His big sis is very wise on matters of the heart and worrying about those you love. She might just sit both married monkeys down for some impromtu couple's counselling + mooncake binge.

Macaque also likely vents on accident to Yuebei and Luzhen as he's tending to them - something he genuinely missed in the months he'd been scouring heaven and hell. Only for the up-til-now-silent Luzhen to waddle up to Wukong and babble "bama sad. peas kiss."

#post jttw stone egged au #jttw stone egged au #sun wukong #six eared macaque #liu er mihou #shadowpeach #lmk tang #lmk pif #lmk princess iron fan #lmk chang'e #pregnancy mention tw #lmk #lego monkie kid

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zukosdualdao · 2 days

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a wound to close, the whole thing open

zutara month, day 2: journal/diary.

summary: when katara searches the attic of ember island, she comes across a journal, hidden away on an old bookshelf.

warnings: implied/referenced child abuse wrt ozai's treatment of zuko. what's referenced here is emotional abuse and i would say at show-canon levels.

other notes: title is from gracie abrams' "camden". also, this fic is very much 'picture taken moments before mild disaster', because i imagine after the end, katara still finds ozai's baby picture, thinking it's zuko, and her thought process is 'well that was sad but look at cute baby zuko!' oops!

Katara knows she’s wrong to snoop, but it’s just so hard to resist now they’re somewhere a young Zuko once lived for stolen weeks of golden summers at a time. For so long, she’d never wondered about him much at all—she’d had, after all, no reason to want to know the boy who chased them around the world in his pursuit of capturing Aang—but things are different now.

First, there had been the catacombs of Ba Sing Se, and she’d caught another glimpse of that boy, another side of him. Wearing Earth Kingdom robes two sizes too big for him, with grief and sympathy that matched hers shining in his eyes, saying strange things about destiny and curses and seeming so lost.

Katara had spent long weeks after the fact wondering whether any of it was true as she struggled to capture sleep on that stolen Fire Navy ship.

Of course, that was far from the only anxiety on her mind. Wondering when Aang would wake up, if he would at all… Sokka’s growing plans for the invasion, and what it could mean for all of them… being with her father for the first time in years, how half of her wanted to light up at the comfort of it but the other couldn’t dare because he went away and what if it happened again?

And Zuko…

She would turn to her other side, her chin resting on a flat hand, and wonder about him. He’d seemed so sincere, but Katara had wondered often how that could be the case when just moments later, he was catapulting rage and fire in her direction.

But then he’d come to them and begged for a chance to prove himself.

And even before she wanted to, far before she felt ready for it, she’d started to come to know things about him. How he would get up at dawn every morning—rising with the sun, she’d thought bitterly—to practice his own firebending forms before his lessons with Aang. How he’d sometimes frown when making the first batch of tea for them around a campfire and then make a second and always seemed to light up when their meals had a little extra spice to them.

How he would sometimes squirm just a little and hesitate a beat and sometimes even bristle before smiling shyly when the others teased him, as though it took a moment to steady his footing and catch up to the fact that it was only teasing.

She had started to know him, to really know him, before she’d wanted to, before she’d forgiven him, before she decided it was safe to let the distance between them shrink.

But now they’re friends. And with the comet looming in the coming days, with things a little tense and strange between everyone since that disaster of the play, and with the vestiges of Zuko’s childhood right here, it’s hard not to be curious.

And, as she reasons to herself while setting the cooking pot of solid silver atop the bookshelf, at least she has deniability.

The shelves are lined with old books, with gold thread traced through their spines, and old scrolls with white parchment coloring yellow, with shiny maps, and…

Katara’s brow scrunches as she catches sight of what seems to be an old journal, bound by leatherskins, poking out from behind one of the old tomes, clearly meant to be hidden away.

She reaches for it. It’s such a small, delicate thing, really, but it feels heavy in her hands.

When she flips to the first pages, she recognizes the symbols for Zuko’s name, written out in a long, intense, careful scrawl. She’s never seen his handwriting before, but it matches what she might’ve guessed it would look like, teetering between bold and delicate.

Katara flips past the first pages, which seem to mostly consist of Zuko practicing his letters, and comes across what seems to be a draft of a letter he’d written to Iroh, certain lines crossed out or words respelled after an ink-permanent error. He asks after when Iroh will return from the war—and she shudders to think that the kindly old man who'd helped them on more than one occasion had once been much different, the terrible Dragon of the West, laying siege to Ba Sing Se.

But in another line, Zuko writes to his uncle about a festival and paper dragons. Her heart swells to think he was once so young and even playful.

Atop the right corner of the page, there is a tiny, shaded-in sketch of a blooming fire lily. Katara smiles.

She flips through more pages, most of which are much the same as the first several, but then pauses. On this one, there are dark patches—the kind that she can tell came from water drying on the parchment, and it’s now wrinkled. Once, she might have been able to salvage the page with her bending, but the water has long-since dried up and left only deterioration in its wake.

It’s…

The page is tear-stained. He’d cried when writing this.

Gulping, Katara squints her eyes to read his small script, so much shakier than the previous pages had been. She can’t read most of it, for the smears and the wrinkling of the page, and she’s not sure she even wants to, anyway, because what she does manage to scan through makes her feel a little sick, her stomach clenching.

—don’t know what I can do, he had written, and it’s all too easy to imagine a much younger version of her friend with tears in his eyes, sobs wracking his shoulders, a lonely figure in a dark attic. — to better, to not so weak.

There's a series of words Katara can’t make out, but she does catch Father and love.

And then, one shining beacon of hope:

But Mom says—

The writing stops there. She will never know what his mother used to say.

She flips through the rest of the journal, but the pages are hauntingly blank. There are no more entries after that.

Katara places the journal back where it was tucked and has the vague sense that she’s back where she started.

A strange guilt gnaws at her. Somehow, she thinks she understands Zuko both better and worse than she did before.

#trigger: child abuse.#trigger: emotional abuse.#trigger: abuse.#zutaramonth2024 #zutara #atla #katara #zuko #my fic #a wound to close the whole thing open #day 2: journal/diary.#zutara month #one day i will write something more explicitly romantic for one of these prompts. maybe. anyway

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blairrwaldorfs · 3 days

Text

Written in the Stars

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You are a believer in fate but after getting your heart broken, you had stopped believing it. Until you met Joe. Suddenly, it got you questioning if fate is real or not.

Author's Note: I think I'll publish two chapters at a time as I try to re-edit these parts. :)

Wordcount: 5.1K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten - epilogue

AUTUMN 2022.

“Sara, I’m getting off work a bit early. I’m stopping for pizza. Let me know if you want some.” You left that voicemail on Sara’s phone for the second time now.

You were supposed to go out for drinks with your co-worker, Nicola, tonight but unfortunately, Nicola was out sick today due to a bad case of seasonal flu. So, there goes the Friday night plans that you two had. In all honesty, you were sort of glad that you weren’t able to go out tonight because the thought of having to go and change into a nice dress and fixing your hair and makeup was kind of making you feel exhausted. You stood in the middle of the busy and crowded subway car and checked your phone again.

No phone calls or messages back from Sara.

Seriously, what was that girl doing?

“Hey, I’m getting off the subway soon. I’ll just get you some dinner too, so I hope you haven’t had any yet. Also, please call me back. You’re starting to worry me now.” You left another voicemail for Sara before exiting the subway car once it arrived at your stop.

You passed by one of the pizza shops near your apartment building and decided to go inside and order some dinner for you and Sara. As you waited, you checked your phone to see that there were still no messages back from Sara. You knew she left her bookshop café an hour ago, and she didn’t mention anything to you about having some plans for tonight. You were starting to get worried because the both of you usually communicated well with these things in order to keep a clear and relaxed mind for the both of you. Letting out a sigh, you took the two boxes of pizza from the counter and headed to your apartment building.

You just hoped that Sara was taking a nap or something because it was just unusual for her to do this. Entering your apartment building, you stood inside the elevator, looking up at the ceiling, thinking how you were ready to get out of your work clothes and just sit and relax on the sofa, eat pizza, and watch your favorite show. Stepping inside your place, you saw how the lights were all dimmed, making you wonder why because you and Sara never dimmed your lights like this. Innocently thinking that maybe Sara just left it like this to try something new, you walked in your living room, and your eyes widened in shock. Immediately, you let out a scream from the scene that you just saw.

“Ohmygod!” You covered your eyes with your hand and looked away.

You did not just see a half naked man on your sofa. Sara immediately came from under him, also half naked, and yelled, “Ohmygod!”

Without even trying to say or do anything else, you quickly ran in your room, trying your best to look the other way and not see whatever was going on in your living room. You exhaled sharply, locking your door and setting the pizza boxes on your desk. You set your hand on top of your chest, breathing heavily.

What the fuck?!

Your heart was beating so fast as you tried to process everything that you just saw. This was not the Friday night that you expected it to be. Not a few seconds later, you heard a knock on your door, and you hesitated to even open it. You didn’t want to see what was on the other side of it. You heard a second knock and you took a deep breath, covering your eyes with your one hand and opened the door, letting Sara in before quickly closing the door behind you.

“I’m dressed.” Sara stated.

You took a peek from behind your hand before dropping your arm completely on your side. You let out a sigh and saw Sara was playing with her fingers nervously.

“I’m sorry I didn’t—” Sara shook her head, trying to find the right words. “I’m sorry I thought you were coming home late.”

“I—” You also tried to find the right words, still trying to erase the little show you saw in your living room from your mind. “Nicola was sick, so my plans got canceled— Is this why you haven’t answered your phone? Who is that guy?”

“We met at the bookshop like four months ago.” Sara bit her lower lip.

Your eyes widened in shock. You were just hearing and seeing news after news tonight. What did she mean she met him four months ago in the bookshop? Sara hasn’t mentioned anything about this nor have you seen that man in the bookshop at all.

“We have gone out on dates and well, we kinda talked everyday and flirted…” Sara cleared her throat. “And I didn’t tell you because I thought this was just some stupid thing that wasn’t going anywhere, but now…”

You raised your brow at her. “...And now?”

“Now, we kind of made it official, and I wanted to bring him to meet you.” Sara explained.

“Oh, okay. So, you decided that it was a good idea for me to meet him butt naked in our apartment?”

“No!” Sara scratched her forehead. “I didn’t think you would be home early tonight. I was going to let you meet him tomorrow… with clothes on.”

You let out a soft chuckle as you shook your head and stared at your best friend for a moment, who was giving you her puppy dog eyes to forgive her.

“Well, the image of his bare ass is still glued into my brain.” You teased her.

“I know. I’m sorry! I didn’t—ugh!” Sara buried her face on the palm of her hands and shook her head in embarrassment, making you laugh softly.

“Hey,” You laughed, taking her hands away from her face as Sara looked at you with flushed cheeks. “I’m kidding—Well, not really because it is technically still glued in my brain, but still. It’s okay. I understand.”

“Really?” She kept her pout on her face.

“Really.” You laughed, “I have one question though… Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” You grinned, pulling her into an embrace. “Then, I’m really happy for you, and I hope he is treating you right. Don’t be like me.”

Sara chuckled softly. “He is. Um… We’ll move into my room.”

You shook your head and said, “You know what, do whatever you want. I’m gonna stay in my room for the rest of the night, eat my pizza and watch Friends.”

Sara’s jaw dropped on the floor, “You’re going to watch Friends without me?”

You gave her an evil smile as you shrugged, unlocking your door and opening it for her.

“That’s so unfair. Just because I got caught.” Sara mumbled under her breath, walking out of your room.

“Oh, here take this.” You laughed as you handed her the other box of pizza. “You do whatever you want with that.” You teased her as Sara’s jaw dropped on the floor again, stunned by your joke before you closed the door behind you.

You shook your head at the situation and went to freshen up before sliding yourself under your bed covers. Turning your TV on, you watched Friends and ate the pizza you bought for dinner. It had been a long day, and you surely didn’t expect what greeted you in your apartment when you arrived home.

Though Sara finally has someone that makes her happy, you couldn’t help but smile and be overjoyed for your best friend. She always had put everyone else first, and she deserved someone that would care for her too. You just hoped that this man wasn’t like your ex. That he wasn’t going to break Sara’s heart because you knew how that felt. Losing your whole self after the breakup was not what you wanted for her. Even though you knew she was tougher than you, you still hoped that she wouldn’t know the same pain you felt before.

Spending the rest of the night on your bed and watching reruns of Friends, you eventually fell asleep and when the morning came, the sun was shining brightly through your big glass windows. The city was already busy outside as you got up from your bed, took your throw blanket, wrapped it around your body and tiptoed towards the kitchen. You could hear some clattering noise going on and realize maybe Sara was already awake. When you entered the kitchen, you saw the man that Sara brought back last night, making some tea.

“Oh.” You paused in your tracks, pulling the blanket closer to you.

The man turned to face you and smiled. His blond hair all disarray, and he was holding one of your mugs in his hand. The both of you stood there for a moment and just stared at each other, thinking about the little encounter you two had last night.

“Good morning.” His English accent slipped through his voice.

British.

“Good morning.” You muttered, still frozen in your place.

“I’m sorry. Sara told me I could make some tea here in the morning.” He looked down at the mug that he was holding. “I want to apologize about last night.”

You finally were able to move as you walked towards him and opened the cupboard, taking a mug out. “Hm… You mean when I saw you butt naked on my sofa?” You teased him.

You watched as his cheeks flushed, scratching the back of his head, “I’m really sorry about that.”

You laughed softly, pouring yourself a cup of coffee. “It’s fine. I know.”

“I’m Wesley, by the way. Wes.” He held out his hand to you.

You introduced yourself and shook his hand, chuckling softly. You watched as Wes’ eyes caught the Friends poster on your living room and nodded his head towards that direction.

“You and Sara both love Friends, huh?” He asked.

Technically, that poster was yours, and you had that in your dorm room back in college. It was the show that you and Sara first bonded over when you first met and ever since you moved in together, you had hung it up there as a reminder how your friendship started.

“Yeah, we’re obsessed with that show.” You grinned.

“That’s quite funny because my best friend loves that show too.” Wes commented before the both of you were interrupted by Sara.

“Joe?” She smiled, coming out of her bedroom in her fuzzy robe.

Wes leaned down to kiss Sara on the cheek, making her smile. You couldn’t help but look away, feeling like you were interrupting a moment between them. Though, you also couldn’t help but smile about the fact that they were really sweet together.

“Yes, Joe. I was just telling her how Joe loves the show Friends like the two of you.” Wes explained.

“Which by the way, you will be watching with me too.” Sara stated, making Wes roll his eyes. “But speaking of Joe, I feel like the two of you would get along very well.” Sara turned her attention to you.

You saw the smile on both of their faces, and you knew exactly what Sara was doing. She had been encouraging you for a few months now to go out there and date again, but you had refused many times. It was not like you didn’t want to go out there again. You did. But it was hard after Carter. You felt like you couldn’t trust anyone so easily anymore. So, you just raised your brow at Sara, who was grinning at you before she changed the subject and turned her attention to Wes.

“I have to go to the bookshop for a few hours because two of my employees are running late today.” Sara said.

“Okay, I actually have to head home, but I’ll pop by later on. I’ll bring Joe if he’s not busy today.”

“I’ll come with you. I need to find a book anyway and finish my work.” You said, drinking the rest of your coffee. “And maybe I could help you out serve coffee.”

Sara nodded her head, “Sounds good.”

Leaving the couple in the kitchen, you made your way to the bathroom to freshen up to get yourself ready for the day. Sara’s bookshop café was only two blocks away from your apartment building, and she opened it up the year after you both graduated. It was something she had been wanting her whole life. The bookshop only started off small but once everyone had started coming in, Sara was able to expand it and add a little coffee shop inside for everyone to hang out and feel comfortable. It was Sara’s little baby, and she was always protective and picky with people to hire because she wanted to have someone that she trusted whenever she wasn’t at the bookshop.

“I know what you’re doing, you know.” You told Sara later that morning as the both of you walked down the street.

Sara was looking down at her feet, stepping on each crunchy leaf and laughed at what you said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She replied, side eyeing you.

“Please. I’m not dumb. I saw that expression on your face when you mentioned John.”

“It’s Joe.” Sara corrected.

You rolled your eyes, “Whatever his name is.”

“You need to go out there again. I’m not kidding, Joe really is nice. I really do feel like you two will get along really well.”

“Well, maybe I like what I have right now.” You argued back.

Sara gave you a look as you both arrived at the bookshop café, knowing full well that you were lying through your teeth. You purse your lips as Sara chuckled and unlocked the bookshop doors.

You always loved Sara’s bookshop. The tall shelves and walls were made of dark wood that made the place look warm and cozy, especially during autumn and winter. It was two stories. The little coffee shop was at the back of the store and there was a little lounge area right by it. Upstairs, you could look down and see the first floor of the bookshop. Sara had also made a little lounge area at the back with string lights hanging on the ceiling and little bean bags set on the fuzzy carpet. Though, other than that, most of the upstairs were just a series of tall bookshelves.

Looking around, you smiled as you adored the bookshop. You couldn’t get used to how beautiful and cozy it was. It has been a few weeks since you came over to the shop due to the fact that your work has been keeping you busy, and you would work late all the time. As you walked with Sara towards the back, you set your stuff in the lounge area and opened your laptop before following Sara behind the coffee counter and helped her set up the coffees.

Back in the earlier days when it just opened, you and Sara used to be so busy just bumping into each other and making coffees for everyone. Now, Sara has hired two people to help her but lately, you have been trying to convince her that she should hire another extra pair of hands.

After setting up everything, you made your way upstairs to find the books that you needed and for a while, you sat at the table and focused your attention on your laptop in front of you until you saw Sara struggling behind the counter. You were quick to get up from where you were sitting, put on an apron and helped her ring up some customers.

“Don’t you miss working with me?” You teased Sara later that day as you steamed the milk for the latte.

“Yeah, remember when the counter was small and we would just bump into each other and spill coffee all over.” Sara chuckled.

“Sara, you really need to hire one more person. I think you need two more extra hands around here.” You suggested as you watched the crowd of people finally started to go down.

Sara let out a sigh, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “I know. You know how picky I am.” You watched as she opened the fridge underneath the counter. “I’m gonna go to the back and get some more milk. I can handle it from here. Go back to your work, I know you still have some stuff to do.”

“Okay.”

Wiping down the countertops and putting everything back to its place, you kinda missed the rush that it gave you. Sure, you were busy at work but you were always behind a desk now. Though, at the same time, you couldn’t picture yourself being like this everyday. It would stress you out. You honestly didn’t know how Sara was doing it.

“Hello, may I get a small cappuccino?”

Your thoughts were interrupted as you finished wiping down the countertops. “Yes, give me one second, sir—”

As soon as you glanced up, you froze in your place and saw him. It had probably been a year already, but you knew that face. You remembered that face. You could tell he remembered you too because he had the same expression as you. His eyes widened in shock and suddenly, a small smile tugged on his face.

“Hi!” He greeted you.

“Hi.” You smiled, nervously wiping your hands with the towel that you were holding.

Why did you keep bumping into this man? Manhattan was big enough for the two of you to not be constantly running into each other.

“I didn’t know you work here.”

“Oh, I don’t. I was just helping—”

“These crates are heavy!” Sara interrupted, coming back carrying a crate full of milk. You quickly dropped the towel you were holding and helped her carry it over and set it on the counter.

“Joe!” Sara exclaimed as soon as she saw him. “It looks like you two finally met!”

Wait, Joe?

Was this the Joe they were talking about this morning? Was this the Joe who is Wes’ best friend? Your eyes widened at Sara, and you slowly turned to Joe who was smiling at your best friend like they have known each other for a while.

“You’re Joe?” You asked, stunned.

Joe nodded his head, giving you a warm smile as he held out his hand and introduced himself. As you shook his hand and also introduced yourself, you couldn’t help but wonder how many times you two kept running into each other and you just now were learning his name.

Joe.

“Where’s Wes?” Sara asked as she started making Joe’s drink.

“Oh, he’s in the restroom.”

Not a few seconds after, Wes came up behind Joe with a big grin on his face and said, “Oh! You two finally met!”

Wes squeezed Joe’s shoulder, while you and Joe stared at each other for a moment. You could see how Joe was holding in his smile, while you looked down and bit your lower lip. Sara and Wes could feel the different vibe that was radiating from the both of you when you gazed up and saw them exchanging looks.

“Okay, what is with the weird vibe?” Wes asked.

Joe cleared his throat as you let out a soft chuckle and said, “We met before.”

“When?” Sara and Wes exclaimed in unison as both of their eyes widened in shock.

You turned to Sara and said, “The night that Carter broke up with me.”

Joe did the same to Wes and said, “When I proposed to Rue.”

“He’s the handkerchief guy?”

“She’s the handkerchief girl?”

Both Sara and Wes said it at the same time again as they stood there and stared at both of you with wide eyes. You felt the blood rushed to your cheeks as soon as Sara mentioned the little nickname you two had for Joe. You told Sara about that night. The night how Joe had given you his handkerchief because he found you crying, and you thought it was weird how both of you had the opposite situations that night. You also had mentioned that you ran into him at the mall the next day. Letting your eyes study both men in front of you, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about the little nickname. Then again, Wes and Joe also called you the same thing. So, what were you so embarrassed for?

Turning to Sara, you could see the playful smile that was slowly curving on her face, and you shook your head, knowing exactly what she was thinking. You were just glad that you were saved by Sara’s two employees walking in the shop because the conversation immediately ended as soon as they entered. Hoping you could avoid this conversation to continue, you untied the apron from your waist.

“I know what you’re thinking.” You whispered at Sara as you passed by her before hanging the apron on the wall. You let her employees take over as you slipped yourself away from behind the counter.

Walking back at your little table where you had set your things earlier, you sat down and went back to work on your laptop. Joe didn’t take his eyes off of you as he waited for Sara to finish making his cappuccino. Letting Wes and Sara have their own space, Joe grabbed the drink from Sara and paid for it before walking towards where you were sitting at the lounge area. He could see you were focused on whatever you were doing in your laptop, and he couldn’t help but think how you looked beautiful.

“We meet again.” Joe said as he stood in front of you with a smile on his face.

You gazed up from your laptop and said, “It seems like it.”

“How are you?”

You bit your lower lip and said, “Better. How’s everything with you? Are you finally engaged?”

Joe sat across from you and let out a scoff, shaking his head. “Um… no. We broke up two weeks after that night.”

You furrowed your brows as you completely stopped what you were doing and gave Joe your full attention this time. “Oh? I thought you said you were working things out.”

You watched as Joe took a sip of his drink and said, “Well, you can’t really work things out when one of you is cheating on the other.”

You raised both your brows and shook your head. You didn’t know the woman but this was probably the third time that you had judged her in your head. Pushing the thoughts away, you focused your attention back to your laptop.

“Idiot.” You mumbled under your breath, low enough hoping Joe wouldn’t hear it, but he did anyway.

Joe smiled to himself as he heard your little comment. Sipping the rest of his cappuccino, he watched you work for a moment. His eyes lingered towards your long hair and the way you typed on your laptop. Then, his eyes fell to your long lashes fluttering, and your sparkling eyes that were focused on the screen. He never noticed it then because his mind was too busy with Rue but watching you sit there in front of him, he couldn’t help but think how stunning you were.

“How about you? Have you yelled at anyone lately?” Joe teased you, knowing that he would be able to see your smile.

He was right. Because not only did he receive a genuine smile from you, a soft laughter also escaped from your lips. It was the first time he saw you smile and the sound of your laughter was music to his ears. The last two times he had run into you, you were upset, and he couldn’t blame you, honestly. He still remembered that night. He remembered how much of a dick your ex was.

You glanced up from your screen and saw the playful smile that tugged on Joe’s face. You could tell he was teasing you as his chocolate button eyes sparkled.

“No, I don’t yell at people.” You said. “That’s just for you.” You added, teasing him back.

You watched Joe laugh at your joke and thought about Sara’s little comment this morning. Maybe she was right. You were able to get along with Joe easily. Interrupting your little conversation, Sara and Wes walked over towards the two of you. Wes’ arm was around Sara’s shoulders as they smiled at the both of you, knowing full well that they were right. You both were getting along quickly.

“I’m quite peckish. Do you want to get some pizza down the street?” Wes asked.

“Sure.” You and Joe said in unison as you closed your laptop and packed your things.

The walk to the pizza shop was only two minutes. You and Joe walked right behind Wes and Sara, and you tried your best to keep your focus on your feet and let them step on the crunchy leaves on the pavement.

Left, right, left right.

It wasn’t like it was awkward between you two. You just didn’t really know what to say or talk about with him. After all, you two just officially met. Joe was quiet too. He tried to find something to talk about with you but nothing really came to mind. As the four of you entered the little pizza shop, you settled yourself at a corner booth. Wes was the most talkative out of everyone, and you could tell how happy he was. His happiness was radiating out of him. You couldn’t help but laugh and smile at his little jokes and glanced at Sara from time to time.

She’s happy.

“You know what? I’m still absolutely shocked over the fact that you and Joe have met before.” Wes said, his attention turned towards you. “What are the odds that I’d meet Sara too?”

Joe chuckled, sipping on his soda. “Wes was completely down on his knees the moment he met Sara.”

As you sat there, you realized one thing. You now just found out about Wes and Sara, but everyone else knew about all of this except for you.

Even Joe.

You turned your attention to Sara and asked, “You know you haven’t told me exactly how this happened.”

Sara gave you a smile and turned to Wes and Joe. Both men exchanged looks before Wes said, “So, we were walking down the street after a long day. Joe just finished filming a movie, and I was there visiting him on set, and it started pouring hard outside. We found Sara’s bookshop café and since Joe was already crying that he wanted some coffee because it was cold, we decided to enter.”

“And there was Sara behind the counter making drinks, and Wes just stood there frozen in line and drooling over her. Ever since then, he started coming in almost everyday.” Joe laughed.

“It’s so funny because I started noticing him, and he would come and talk to me. He started ordering a different drink everyday.” Sara added.

The four of you laughed as you saw how Wes’ cheeks flushed. “Hey! I was coming in everyday. I might as well try all the beverages.”

“Well, that took you four months, and you were finally able to let her say yes, did you, mate?” Joe teased, nudging Wes on the side.

“That’s so cute. I’m so happy for you.” You murmured to Sara, who was sitting next to you. “And you said you’re an actor?” You turned to Joe.

“Oh, yeah!” Sara replied to your question.

“You know, she works at a production company.” Wes added, pointing at you.

You furrowed your brows, wondering how Wes knew that and figured maybe Sara had mentioned it to him. It wasn’t really something you like to brag about because it was just some normal office work in your opinion.

“I work at the office. I just do paperwork and… other things.” You shrugged.

“Do you ever want to work on set or be in front of the camera?” Joe asked.

“No, not really. I mean that would be great, but I don’t think I’m good at that part of the business.”

Joe nodded his head in understanding as the four of you continued to eat pizza and have little small conversations. You learned that Wes was too afraid to actually ask Sara out at the beginning and that was why he didn’t do anything about it, which made Sara think that it wasn’t gonna go anywhere. Joe, however, was able to finally convince Wes to ask Sara out on a date and just two days ago, they finally made it official.

You thought that story was actually really cute, and you couldn’t be more happier for Sara. Looking at Wes, it seemed like he was also very genuine towards her. When the four of you walked out of the pizza shop that day, Joe and Wes had to go their separate ways since they both had plans, while you and Sara decided that you would spend time together and shop.

“So, I guess I’ll see you around.” Joe said to you.

Wes and Sara were saying their goodbyes a few feet away from the both of you, and you thought this time, there would be an actual chance you would see Joe again. Not run into each other in surprise but actually see him because you knew he would be tagging along with Wes from time to time.

“Yeah, I guess so. It was really nice to finally meet you officially.”

Joe chuckled, “Yeah, it was nice to finally meet you two… officially.”

“Bye.” You smiled at him before locking arms with Sara and walked in the opposite direction.

“So?” Sara raised her brow at you.

“So… I like Wes.” You replied to the question you already knew she was asking. “He’s really nice and funny.”

“Really?” Sara’s eyes widened in happiness. Her whole face glowed the moment she heard you say those words.

“Really.” You laughed, nudging her lightly. “Even though our first encounter was a little… traumatizing.”

You both laughed together at your little joke. Sara knew you would never let that subject go now.

“And Joe?” Sara asked.

“He’s… nice.” You smiled.

Sara didn’t say or ask anything else as she lightly nudged you on the side, making you stumble a little. As the autumn leaves fell from the trees, both of your laughter filled the streets as you both continued down the sidewalk.

********

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