#Alice changes her hair weekly I decided

[tawnyevergreen]

Bones are a lie peddled by Big Milk

#Alice changes her hair weekly I decided #sam is wearing a button down because he’s still trying to dress professionally #also that’s Colin in the background #comic #kinda #tmagp #tma #tmagp fanart #tma fanart #the magnus archives #the magnus protocol #fanart #rusty quill #the Magnus archives spoilers #the Magnus protocol spoilers #alice dyer #samama khalid #colin becher #johnathan sims #martin blackwood #jmart #lgbt

[adenei]

Ch. 3 - How to Win a Witch in 10 Days

Thursday - Pt. 3

Just when she thinks her life can’t get any stranger, James Potter walks back into it. How was she just sitting at the bar, scouting out potential men to dupe, when a blast from the past shows up at her side and asks her to dinner? Of all the nights and all the bars, they run into each other tonight.

Lily’s completely shaken on the inside but forces herself to remain calm, cool and collected. James Potter is the one that got away. The one who fancied her at Hogwarts, had asked her on countless dates—which she turned down—and by the time Lily finally realized she had feelings for him, he’d moved on. It hurt more than she expected it to, so when he walked up to her just minutes ago, Lily wasn’t sure how to react.

She intends to say no when he asks her to dinner, but something stops her. It takes a lot to admit to herself that she’s missed him over the past few years. After all, they were friends before he started dating Bridgette, and they had to work together as Head Boy and Head Girl. The lack of James’s presence left a gaping hole in her post-Hogwarts life that she never expected, and it’s only now that he’s here with her that she realizes just how badly she misses him.

“C’mon, Evans, it’s just dinner. Catching up can’t hurt, can it? I’ve missed you.”

Missed me? Seriously? Does he even realize that he was the one who changed everything? Years of incessant invitations to go on dates, and he finally wears her down only to yank the rug from underneath her by choosing someone else.

Part of her wants to slap him for being such an arsehole, but not if he doesn’t know he played with her heart three years ago. Not to mention that a physical altercation would certainly ruin her chances of picking up another guy. The more sensible thing is to tell him it was nice seeing him, but she’s meeting someone else, but what happens if he stays and realizes that it’s a lie? No, that wouldn’t do, either. Then, an idea pops into her mind. It’s certifiably insane, but if she plays her cards right, it could be the perfect opportunity for revenge.

There’s something so devilishly captivating about James Potter, and Lily decides she does want to get dinner with him. In fact, her mind is set on spending the next ten days with him. This could be Lily’s chance to prove to herself—and James—that they were never meant to be.

She glances up at him to see that he’s waiting for an answer, although he’s not pushy. He knows better than to press for a response. It’s funny how easy a single moment can bring her right back to the Great Hall or the Gryffindor common room. Her traitorous heart begins to beat in her chest as she tries to avoid the piercing hazel eyes that are begging her to let him in.

Well, you know what, Potter? Maybe I will let you in. I’ll let you in long enough to play with your heart like you played with mine, and we’ll see how you like it.

The plan continues to build in her mind, and then some. Luring James Potter into a relationship only to drive him away seems easy enough. After the debacle in school, Lily knows they’re better off apart, and maybe she’ll even gain the closure she didn’t think she needed. Plus, she supposed a snog or two in the process wouldn’t hurt anything if it came to that.

Lily visualizes the checklist sitting on her desk at work and mentally adjusts some of her ideas to make the game she’s playing more believable. Once all is said and done, James will realize it was a mistake to ever have approached her tonight, and Lily can have a bit of fun toying with James in the process. So, the hardened look she forced herself to give earlier now softens, and Lily even chances a smile. She sets her almost empty glass on the bar and glances around to see if she can find Alice and Marlene. They’re mingling on the other side of the room.

Well, they know I’m out to snag a man, so if they see I’m gone, they’ll know why. Lily shrugs as she turns back to James.

“Well, Potter, how can I resist when you put it like that? Lead the way.”

He holds out his arm, and Lily takes it. A smirk plays at her lips as she looks back in the direction of her friends one more time. She catches Alice’s eye and gives her a wink before turning back toward the door.

Let the games begin.

“I have to say, I’m impressed,” Lily admits as she tucks into her basket of fish and chips.

James has taken her into muggle London to grab a bite to eat, and Lily’s quite shocked by his choice. It’s a small hole in the wall shop that serves the greasiest food, but it��s delicious. The walls are laden with modern art murals and the wooden tables are covered in carved names. It’s a place Lily is sure University students go for a late-night snack or on their way home from a pub crawl. Aside from Lily and James’s semi-formal attire, they fit in well with the crowd.

“Why? Am I still as irresistible as I was at Hogwarts?” James still possesses the same air of confidence as Lily rolls her eyes.

Still as cocky as ever, it seems.

“No, I meant that I’m impressed that you know your way around muggle London.”

“Sirius and I discovered this place on one of our nights out a while back. I come here at least once a week.”

Lily smiles at the mention of another old friend. “How are Sirius and Remus anyway?’

“Brilliant! We were all living together until recently. Finally decided it was time to get our own places.”

“The Marauders have finally split?” Lily feigns shock.

“Nah, not entirely. We still work together.”

“Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?”

James laughs. “We work for Alastor’s Ads. I work mostly with clients from magical games and food, but I’m looking to branch out a bit more.”

“Fascinating. I always did think you could talk your way out of a paper bag,” Lily recalls.

“Come again?” James’s eyebrows crease and one side of his face scrunches in confusion.

“It’s a muggle saying.”

“Ah. What are you up to these days?”

“I write for Witch Weekly,” Lily keeps her explanation short. If he doesn’t know, then there’s no harm in keeping the How To column from him completely.

“Lily Evans, Head Girl, so much promise to do some good in the world, writes for Witch Weekly?” James says.

“It was a job. Now that I’ve got my foot in the door with a company and I’m gaining some credibility, I’ll be able to branch out and actually write what I want to write soon.”

“Soon? How long might that be?”

How does James always see right through her? It’s been three years, but he’s still as frustrating as ever.

“As long as it takes to find an opening in a position I want. I’m not looking to make a lateral move just to keep writing pieces I’m not passionate about.”

“And what are you passionate about?”

Lily fights the urge to answer him right away. She needs to keep the mystery there if she’s going to succeed in her endeavors.

“I could ask you the same question. Do you really want to be selling pitches to restaurateurs or quidditch teams for the rest of your career?”

“That’s a fair question.”

“And your answer is?”

“It depends. I’m working on branching out to different companies right now. I’ve submitted a proposal for Zabini’s Jewels and am hopeful I’ll get the pitch. Should know within the next week or so.”

“Interesting,” Lily responds.

“So, are you going to answer my question now?”

Of course, James doesn’t forget that she dodged his question, but that doesn’t stop her from feigning forgetfulness.

“What question?”

“What you’re passionate about,” James smirks at her, indicating he sees right through this act.

Lily sighs and figures she should answer him. “I want to write articles that can truly make a difference in someone’s life. I’m over the superficial bullshit.”

James leans back in his chair and smiles at Lily.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing. It’s just been nice spending time with you again.”

She returns his smile. “You know, as much as I might regret saying this later, you’re right. I got so wrapped up in finding a job and navigating life in the magical world that I wasn’t very good about keeping in touch with my friends.”

“I suppose I can forgive you for that.”

“Ah, I can die happy now, knowing you’ve forgiven me,” Lily winks at him.

“I aim to please,” James finishes their banter as they gather their things and get up from the table to head for the door.

They walk in silence for a while, and Lily basks in the enjoyment of James's company again. She wonders what he’s thinking about and whether their night should continue or if she should wait until tomorrow. Their feet lead them down a deserted alleyway in preparation to apparate out of muggle view. James pauses behind a dumpster and Lily follows suit.

“Do you want to come over?” James blurts, taking Lily by surprise.

Internally, she’s screaming yes, but it’s late on a Thursday and she still has to work tomorrow. She bites her bottom lip as James ruffles his hair with his hand.

“I’d like that, but I’m not sure if it's a good idea with work tomorrow.”

James lets out a gruff laugh. “Right, yeah, sorry—I just thought—”

“I had a good time tonight,” Lily reassures him. “Enough that I’d like to see you again if you’re interested?” She knows it’s ballsy to make the first move like that, but time is of the essence.

James’s eyes widen at her boldness. “Really?”

“I know, shocking, right?” she keeps her voice light and airy, while adrenaline is shooting through her body.

“Well, I’ve got tickets to the quidditch playoffs tomorrow—Arrows versus Magpies at seven. Perks of signing Appleby as a client,” James shrugs, trying to play it cool. “Just as friends, you know? I don’t want you to think it’s anything—”

“I’d love to!” Lily cuts him off.

She’s surprised that he’s backpedaling so much. He was never like that in Hogwarts. Then again, he probably figured he’d have a million more chances to wear her down. If he only knew….

“Really? Brilliant!” James’s tone sounds pleased, and Lily can sense a hint of relief in his voice. “There’s a Portkey leaving from the Leaky at six if you want to meet me there?”

“Sounds great.”

They both stand there awkwardly. Lily’s wondering if maybe she should have accepted his invitation to join him at his flat. She doesn’t want to kiss him on the first night, but after his invitation to the quidditch playoffs as friends, she knows she needs to do something to show him she’s interested in something more than that.

“So, I guess I’ll see you to—”

Lily realizes she’s out of time, and needs to do something so James is aware of her intentions. This is an act, and she has to play the clingy woman that moves before the time is right. Before she can talk herself out of it, Lily’s lunging toward James, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his with purpose. Her eyes close, so she doesn’t have to be disappointed if his reaction is anything less than eager.

She always imagined that the first kiss she’d share with James Potter would be soft and slow and sweet, with him instigating, and this is anything but. Thankfully it’s not forced, but it is awkward as she feels James freeze at the contact.

Shit. Maybe he really is over me. I must have read the signs wrong.

Lily pulls away and turns her head to the side in an attempt to avoid his gaze as mortification begins to set in. She’s about to berate herself more for making a terrible decision and losing a whole day for her article when she sees a flash of black hair out of the corner of her eye as he leans in to regain the previous closeness.

His lips are on hers again, and his hands are splayed against her back. Lily’s hands find their way back to their previous position as the kiss takes her breath away.

James Potter is kissing her back, and it’s everything Lily’s dreamt about since her seventh year of Hogwarts. His breath is hot against her as his tongue grazes her lip before tentatively slipping into her mouth. She parts her lips enough to invite him in as her tongue meets his. Lily presses herself against his body as James groans in response.

Suddenly, it’s as if a switch flips in Lily’s mind, and she remembers why she kissed him in the first place. Reluctantly, she pulls away. James looks just as awestruck as Lily feels, his chest heaving up and down much like her own. Lily forces the thoughts of being back in his arms from her mind despite how much she misses the contact. Once she’s gained enough composure, she chances a glance toward James. He looks as windswept as she feels.

“So, I’ll, er, see you tomorrow?” James’s tone is more cautious than she remembers from their time at Hogwarts.

He looks completely thrown off balance. Good, Lily thinks, knowing she needs to keep him on his toes.

She shoots him a coy smile. “Absolutely. As more than friends, I hope?”

It can’t hurt to solidify her intentions.

“Y-yeah,” James stutters.

Lily doesn’t think she’s ever seen him rendered speechless before and feels rather smug that she can accomplish the feat.

“Brilliant. See you tomorrow,” she winks at him before focusing on her flat and apparating away.

#jily fic #jily fanfiction #jily au #james x lily #inspired by how to lose a guy in 10 days #james potter #lily evans

[cheeseburgersstuff]

Life As We Know It

Ransom Drysdale x Reader

Warnings: language, mistakes, shitty writing...(2.7k words shit)

A/N: this is for the nacho-baby weekly challenge @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho @captainchrisbaby​. Go check it out and support these loveliess!! <3

This is completely based on the movie:)

Master-list

“I can’t believe you are doing this” Ransom scoffed sitting on the couch watching his best friend fixing his tie. Peter turned towards him and a frown. “What do you mean by that” 

“I mean look at you, we used to have so much fun but then you suddenly decided to get married,” Ransom said, making peter roll his eyes. 

“You are saying this because you have never experienced love but one day ransom you will be standing there trying to fix this damn thing and I’ll not help you” Peter spat, still struggling with the tie. 

Ransom stood up and helped his friend. “You know that’s not gonna happen. I don’t do this love shit.” 

“Yeah, I know. You are an asshole. I mean you even didn’t take y/n out that day ``Peter sighed remembering, setting him up with her to- be- wife’s best friend. 

“Oh god. Stop it, Peter, she was such a bitch to me, I was just an hour late and she insulted me in front of all those people.” 

Peter didn’t say anything, knowing Ransom wouldn’t accept his mistake…

-----

“Omg, Alice you look so beautiful.” y/n said, her eyes filled with tears to see her best friend getting married. 

“I’m so nervous, it’s time, right,” Alice said pacing around the room. y/n nodded and led her outside where everyone was waiting for them. 

There she saw ransom standing beside Peter as his best man and suddenly her mood was spoiled because of his face. She knew he was going to be there but she wanted to avoid him.

The ceremony started and when the priest announced them as husband and wife, ransom made a gagging noise, which to her surprise everyone laughed at. 

y/n shook her head in annoyance. He was such an asshole. 

The whole evening went without any hitch, ransom got busy with some chick and y/n was enjoying her time with her friends. 

And finally, it was time for speeches. Everyone made their speeches, even Ransom. y/n waited for everyone to finish, for her emotional speech. 

But when it was finally her turn suddenly a tipsy ransom started the music and danced interrupting her in the middle. She felt so mad and was ready to hit him when Alice pulled her into a hug.  It wasn’t the first time ransom was being an asshole to her, they had always been like this especially after the date, Peter and Alice set up for them.

 Everyone knew about the rivalry so they ignored the rude intrusion of Ransom.

 ~

The next time the two saw each other was on Sophie’s 1st birthday. Ransom didn’t want to go but for the sake of his friend, he went there and because he was the co-god parent as well.

On the other hand, y/n was excited and was preparing the birthday cake for Sophie’s birthday. Ransom and Peter entered the kitchen. Ransom was picking up Sophie and brought her near the cake. 

Sophie giggled seeing the bright colors on the cake. “You like it, baby. You like your cake” y/n cooed at her but suddenly barfed and started to cry. 

Fortunately, the cake wasn’t ruined but ransom was laughing loudly. Alice stood up and took the baby in her hands.

 “Omg this is hilarious,” ransom said, teasing y/n only to receive a deadly glare from her. 

“Oh you two, don’t start now. She must have overfed” peter jabbed in before they could start to fight. 

Everyone gathered in the living room for the cake cutting. Alice put Sophie in y/n’s hand and mentioned her to cut the cake. y/n looked at her in confusion but did it anyway. Peter also pushed ransom in their direction.

 “Go on, you both are the Godparents” And with that, they both grabbed Sophie’s hand and cut the cake. Everyone cheered, making the baby giggle. “Say cheese,” 

Alice said and clicked a picture of them. Everything was perfect, all of them were living happily. Sophie with her parents, ransom his bachelor life and y/n focusing on her career.

 But suddenly everything was shattered when both y/n and ransom received a call of the accident. y/n was in the hospital when ransom came and saw her. Her eyes were swollen because of crying. Ransom looked at her in questioning but she shook her head. 

The doctor came out and declared their friend’s death. y/n couldn’t control herself and began to sob.Ransom reluctantly, pulled her into his arms. 

They both were worried about Sophie, she was too small for all of this.

`------

The next day they were called by Peter’s and Alice’s lawyer to their house. They both were sitting awkwardly next to each other, waiting for the lawyer to explain things. 

And the things they had been told about blew their minds. “What?” they both declared. 

The man in front of them just nodded. 

“They made you both the joint guardians of her,” he told them again. 

“What does that mean,” ransom said. 

“How could we do anything. How are we both gonna take care of her?” y/n cut him off. 

“Well, it’s all up to you. But whatever you guys decide, just remember if you couldn’t take good care of her they’ll put her for adoption.” 

“They, who they?” ransom asked incredulously.

“Child protection services. They gonna observe you both for few months before you guys officially become her parents” 

“Parents? We are not even married” Ransom yelled. But he just shrugged in response and stood up to leave. 

y/n kept sitting in her seat, without moving. She was too shocked to understand anything. One second she was celebrating with her friends and the other, she was a mother? 

But Ransom’s condition was even worse than her. He was worried about his life, he never wanted to be a father, he never wanted to settle down. But it wasn’t an issue right. The CPS wouldn’t be satisfied with them both and… Sophie would go to some orphanage and then some family would adopt her. 

He didn’t know why but thinking about that made him feel worse than before. Sophie wasn’t an orphan, his friends made them her godparents. 

He looked towards y/n who was still sitting there. “What are we gonna do?” he asked, for the first time like a normal person. 

“I think… we should try this. For Sophie, for them” …

----

It was a tough decision, they both knew. But somehow they both started to tolerate each other. They still fight but not as usual.

And surprisingly ransom was enjoying this life, with Sophie. He was preparing the milk bottle for her because y/n was taking too long in the shower. 

Sophie was crying in front of the TV which ransom thought to switch on to distract her. “Shh... it’s okay baby, here I come” 

Ransom ran towards her with the bottle and took her in his arms. Sophie started to feed, with her eyes now glued to the tv screen. And suddenly it was peaceful.

y/n came downstairs after some time, her hair was still wet, and saw ransom sleeping in an awkward position with Sophie comfortable on his chest. 

It had barely three weeks since they were living together and y/n’s opinion about ransom was starting to change. He still was an asshole but he could be responsible too. 

He had helped her so much, always volunteered to take Sophie out whenever y/n would be working from home, he sometimes helped in changing her diaper as well. 

She walked towards them silently and bent to take Sophie from his grip. Her face was too close to ransom and her wet hair touched his cheek making him open his eyes. 

y/n’s breath got stuck in her throat when he opened his eyes. Ransom on the other hand didn’t understand anything that moment but then he looked down, their hands were touching as they both were grabbing the little girl. 

Ransom gave her to y/n and sat up. y/n turned towards Sophie’s room to put her in the crib. 

When she came back ransom was still there. 

“Have you eaten anything?” y/n asked as she was warming her food in the oven. Ransom shook his head, so she served him too. 

They both kept eating in silence. And for the first time, y/n thought maybe they could handle this whole guardian thing but god she was so wrong. 

The very next day they fought. 

It was evening when she was ransom getting ready to go out. 

“Oh, you are going somewhere?” ransom hummed without looking at her. “Well, take Sophie too then cuz I’ll be going soon too. I’ll have to meet a client” she said. 

“At this time?” he asked incredulously. y/n nodded and tried to give Sophie to him. 

“No, I’m going on a date okay. I can’t take her” he stepped back. 

“God ransom! Date?? I have a meeting to attend, can't you go tomorrow?” she asked but he just shrugged. 

“No, I gotta go, you change your plans this time” and before she could reply ransom went out of the house.

y/n let out a frustrated sigh and called her Eva, her colleague to ask her to keep Sophie for a few hours. 

But the time she dropped Sophie to her house and went to the meeting she was twenty minutes late. 

“I’m so sorry for being late Mr. James.” she apologized but the man just shook his head complaining how long he was waiting for her. 

Aside from that, the meeting went well and she came back home with Sophie. She was still pissed at Ransom. 

Couldn’t he wait for one day to bang a chick? She wanted to yell at him but he didn’t come home and eventually she fell asleep. 

It was past midnight when ransom came and saw her sleeping on the couch. He ignored her and went towards his bedroom locking it from inside.  He knew there was a war coming tomorrow. But now he was too tired to think anything so he just went to his bed…

------

The next morning ransom went to the kitsch where y/n was making her breakfast. “Can I have some too?” he asked, his voice hoarse from sleeping. 

“Go ask the chick you banged last night.” her reply made him annoyed. 

“Oh C’mon y/n, it’s too early for your shit” he scoffed which made her angrier. 

“My shit Ransom? I was humiliated last night because of you,” she yelled but before he could reply the doorbell rang. 

He turned away from her and walked to open the door. A woman dressed up professionally was standing there. 

“Hello, you must be Mr. Drysdale,” she said. 

“Ransom” he replied grumpily. 

“I’m Jenny, your CPS caseworker,” she said and walked inside. She looked all over the house, and ransom was internally panicking. 

y/n came outside and saw the woman. “Hello,” Jenny greeted and explained her reason to come. y/n and ransom sat in front of her, as if were in some interview. 

“Where is the baby?” she asked them. y/n got up with a smile and brought a sleepy sophie downstairs. 

Sophie looked comfortable with y/n as if she was with her own mother. Their behavior with Sophie satisfied Jenny but she felt them a bit rude with each other. 

Their answers were not the same about Sophie's routine. 

“Well, you don’t know that cuz I took her for check up last week.” y/n whispered angrily to ransom. 

“Oh so now you're gonna act as if I don’t do anything for her? I was the one cleaning her shit when you were too busy with your work but look I didn’t complain like you” 

But before y/n could reply back Jenny cleared her throat awkwardly making them look in her way. 

“Well, look, you guys are really good with sophie. Trust me I've seen so many worst cases but what I’m worried about is you two. If you couldn’t adjust with each other how you gonna keep Sophie as a family. So it’s better you decide to patch up or we could look for a new family” jenny declared and stood up to leave. 

“Two more weeks, before that, decide whatever you want."

y/n and ransom watched her go and sighed. y/n sat on the couch. 

“We can’t do this.” she whispered to herself. “We can’t be them, they were perfect, they never fought. And look at us.” she chuckled. 

Ransom frowned at her but agreed. “You are right. This was never going to work out. I’m even surprised I made up this far.” he scoffed. 

That day no one talked to each other. Even Sophie could feel something was wrong. She looked up at ransom and cooed gaining his attention. Ransom looked down and smiled at her. 

“D..da..d” she made, grabby hands towards him. His breath stuck in his throat hearing those words. Who knew someone would call ransom drysdale a dad? and he would even like it?!!

And that moment ransom knew there was no way he would let anyone take the single chance to live a happy life… 

-----

y/n was in her room packing her things. She thought she would be happy but she wasn’t. Living with ransom and Sophie became normal, just like they were a family. 

But they weren’t perfect, as a family should be. 

y/n was looking under the bed to find her things when she saw a box. She pulled it out and saw dvd’s and albums inside it. 

It was all Peter and Alice, the moments they captured. The wedding, honeymoon and when Alice got pregnant. 

“No Peter not blue” Alice yelled behind the camera. They were painting the baby’s room. 

“But she will love blue sweetheart. Not all girls are the same” peter argued. 

And then the video ended with their silly arguments, just like her and ransom. Wait, did she just compare her and ransom with them?

“So they weren’t perfect either” ransom voice came from behind. She turned to look at him, expecting him to wear a smug smile but he wasn’t. 

There was a weird sadness in his eyes. y/n shrugged. 

‘Does it matter. They are gone and now we will be too,” she wanted to cry for sophie. 

Ransom walked towards her and kneel down. “Last try? And this time not just for Sophie or them…. But for each other too?” his eyes were filled with hope. 

“This time, i won’t be late. I promise”  y/n chuckled, the tears spilling from her eyes. “You better not be” 

Ransom smiled and kissed her hand. 

------

Two years passed and the small arguments between Random and y/n were still there. But what’s the fun without arguments? These little things are what makes a perfect family.

“C'mon sophie come to me” y/n said. It was Sophie's second birthday and yes, y/n made the cake this time as well. 

Ransom chuckled seeing Sophie ignoring y/n and continued doing her thing. 

“Hey, princess come to me, it’s time to cut the yummy cake” hearing his voice, Sophie giggled and took small steps towards ransom. 

Y/n watched them with a wide open mouth which only made ransom smirk. 

“You know she loves me more, she even called dad first.” saying that ransom ran away before y/n could burst out on him. 

Everyone was present there, their friends, family, celebrating her birthday. It was the best time for ransom. So after eating the cake he walked towards y/n who was laughing with her friend. 

He tapped her shoulder making her turn. Ransom knelt on his knees and took out a hand. Everyone gasped seeing this. 

“Never in my life I thought I would do this, but y/n… you made me do this, you made me experience what love is. And now I want the same thing Peter did.” 

Sophie came from behind with a small black box and gave it to ransom. “So y/n y/l/n, Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" ” 

Y/n jumped out of excitement and nodded her head. Ransom placed the ring on her finger and stood up to kiss her. 

Everyone cheered at the couple. 

She looked at her parents smiling at each other, a picture of them smiling was hanging on the wall from Sophie's first birthday.

And that moment both, ransom and y/n thanked their friends to choose them as the guardians...

.

@donutloverxo​ 

#ransom drysdale x reader #ransom thrombey x reader #ransom drysdale #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #chris evans #chris evans x reader #weekly challenge

[allicekitty13]

Glitter On The Floor

Feeling guilty about not getting Alice anything for Christmas, Jasper comprises a plan to make it up to his girlfriend. (Part 4 of the Jalice through the holidays series.)

Read on Ao3

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They'd been at the mall for two hours when Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie walked into yet another store. Jasper was beginning to tire from the walking and seemingly endless number of shops targeted toward teenage girls. He honestly wondered just how many variations of the same concept needed to be produced and just why his sister seemed to need so damn many. However, the teen did keep his mouth shut, very much aware of the hypocrisy of his thoughts. If Jasper had taken this trip with Alice he wouldn't have taken a single issue in watching as the girl skipped throughout the shopping center delighting in the wide variety of clothing, makeup, and accessories available to customers. Rosalie knew this was the case, and he preferred not to have that fact audibly pointed out by his twin. 

Rosalie had been planning the trip for a few days now, being the type of girl who changed interests weekly their parents had long ago decided it was better for all parties to gift her cash as Christmas and birthday gifts. Her brother's inclusion, however, had been a last-minute decision. While Jasper very much enjoyed his new video games, three days straight of playing was a little much even for him. 

Most of his friends were otherwise occupied that day. Peter and Riley working as their respective places of employment were taking advantage of the winter break. Edward had whisked Bella away for what he surely believed was a romantic outing- only time would tell if his long-suffering girlfriend would agree. Alice, who was sharing regular updates on the group Snapchat, was spending a few days in Seattle with her father and step-mother.

Apparently, after their run-in with Edgar on Black Friday, the man had started treating his daughter much better... at least, in public. Alice, however, felt the attention was insincere and hollow. More for show than anything else. The majority of her messages consisted of the girl lamenting about how she couldn't wait to return to Forks at the end of the week. 

So, with no other options available and desperately needing to socialize, Jasper had agreed to accompany Emmett and Rosalie on their trip to blow through the latter's Christmas cash. 

Currently, the trio were in Rue 21. Emmett was modeling an array of hats strutting up and down the aisle like a runway, likely providing some much-needed amusement to the unfortunate retail worker's suffering through a shift in the busy weeks post Christmas. Rosalie was pretending to find the antics bothersome, making an off-handed comment about her boyfriend's maturity level. Yet, even from across the shop, Jasper could see the smile she was trying to hide. 

As he turned away from his friend's shenanigans, a thin silver headband with faux gems adorning the surface caught Jasper's eye. The jewels glittered lightly under the harsh fluorescent lighting as he approached, almost as if in a trance. The hair accessory was the epitome of Alice, almost like it had been made exclusively for the girl. Jasper knew, nearly instinctually, that she needed to own this. So, he plucked the item from its place and eagerly made his way to the checkout counter. 

While he knew, logically, Alice had been sincere when she'd told him it was okay that he hadn't gotten her a physical gift for Christmas. That his willingness to partake in an activity she loved despite it being something that bored him had been gift enough. Logic, however, hadn't stopped him from feeling guilty for the past week. Jasper genuinely cared for the girl. He wasn't quite there yet, but he did know he was falling in love with her fast. Someone as special to him as Alice deserved better than a boyfriend who couldn't even get her a Christmas present. That being said, at this point, wrapping the headband and just handing it over to her didn't feel like enough. He needed a bigger gesture.

As the three friends left the store, Rosalie parted ways with the boys. She'd made an appointment at the mall salon to do something about her hair. The girl's locks were still stained silver from a dye mishap on Halloween. She'd gone along with the look for a while, leaning hard into the aesthetic. Her roots were beginning to grow out though, and the girl had made it clear she was ready to do something about it. Her brother was curious about her plans, and the way she dodged his questions had him mildly concerned. Rosalie loved theatrics. That being said, he wasn't invested enough in the saga of Rosalie's hair to put much effort into the mystery, accepting that her plans would be made clear in due time. So he and Emmett headed down to the food court to get some lunch while they waited for the girl.

"So," Emmett asked through a mouthful of fries as they sat down with their respective orders at one of the few empty tables in the food court. "What's in the bag?"

"I finally found a Christmas present for Alice," Jasper replied as he set down the soda he'd been sipping on the table in between the two friends. He handed the shopping bag to Emmett, who pulled out the slips of paper sprayed with perfume the cashier had placed inside the plastic sack. The boy sniffed them before making a comment about how they weren't really Jasper's scent as he tossed them into a nearby trash can. 

Finally, Emmett pulled the headband out of the bag; he turned it over in his hands examining it closely before placing it on his head, careful not to stretch it out. He leaned forward on one hand as he blinked at his friend in a flirty manner. "Whatcha' think, Jas? Does it match my eyes?" 

Jasper rolled his eyes in response as both boys laughed. "In all seriousness though," Emmet spoke, taking off the accessory and handing it back to his friend. "It's perfect for Alice. She's going to love it."

"I really hope your right..."

"Dude, I'm always right." The other boy laughed and threw a french fry at this friend. "So, when are you going to give it to her?"

One of the things Jasper liked about having Emmett as a friend was just how observant the guy was. Most of their classmates never really looked past the surface of his fun-loving, class clown persona. But the teen was also smart, caring, and a genuinely good friend to have on your side. So, as Jasper told the boy about his worries, guilt, and half-formed plans for a grand gesture, Emmett was more than happy to join in on the brainstorming. After all, even though his idea for Halloween hadn't gone quite as planned, it had still worked out in Jasper's favor. By the time Rosalie returned, they'd formed what Jasper thought was a pretty solid plan.

---

Rosalie had a yearly tradition of throwing a New Year's Eve party. What had started as a sleepover back when the twins were in middle school was now a huge bash the students of Forks High looked forward to every winter. Currently, the girl was standing in the foyer greeting her guests and basking in their compliments on her hair freshly dyed a light denim shade of blue. In the living room, Bella and Emmett were chatting with an overly tense Jasper. He sat on the new setee his parents bought during Black Friday, jumping slightly every time the doorbell rang in anticipation of his girlfriend's arrival.

When the doorbell chimed, indicating yet another guest had arrived, Jasper startled once again prompting Emmett to chide him good-naturedly. His heart began to race as Alice's voice carried into the room from the foyer. He could hear her excitedly awing over Rosalie's hair, rapidly detailing all the outfits that would compliment the look. As she excused herself by telling the blue-haired teen that they just had to go shopping soon, but she needed to find Jasper, the man in question figured he must have looked as though he'd seen a ghost judging by the way Bella looked at him in sympathy as she reassured that it was going to be Okay.

"Hey, you guys," Alice beamed as she entered the room. The teen gracefully took a seat next to Jasper on the couch, lifting one of his arms to drape around her shoulders. "Sorry I'm so late. Mom got called into the hospital last minute again. I actually wasn't going to come, but Esme insisted on watching Cynthia so I could be here."

"Well, we're sure glad you could make it," Emmett smirked, turning to look at his very pale friend. "Aren't we, Jasper." Afraid that were he to speak, he may throw up, the teen simply nodded in response as he gently squeezed his girlfriend's shoulder.

Alice looked between the two with a raised eyebrow, clearly suspicious of the pair. The hardest part of surprising the girl was just how intuitive she was, seeming to know everything before it happened. Jasper could practically see the gears turning in her head as Alice glanced back and forth between the boys. She had eventually either given up or settled on a conclusion as she settled into Jasper's side and picked up a conversation with Bella about She-Ra on Netflix.

Jasper tried to focus on his conversation with Emmett and now Peter, who joined their group in the living room. With Alice snuggled into his side, however, it was difficult to focus. His eyes kept drifting over to the old clock hanging on the wall watching as the hands moved slowly but surely, ticking closer and closer to midnight. A weight settled in his stomach as he began to overthink his plan. What if Alice thought it was too much. What if she didn't feel the same way about him? It was entirely possible his profound feelings weren't reciprocated.

By the time Charlotte peeked her head into the room, giving all the gathered teenagers a ten-minute warning that it was nearly time for the countdown, Jasper was absolutely second-guessing himself. Frozen in place, staring at the clock still ticking closer to the new year, he was vaguely aware of his friends standing up and heading over to the other side of the room where the TV where they gathered around the screen in anticipation. Emmett, on his way over to join the crowd, nudged him in the shoulder causing Jasper to look up. His friend gave him an expressive reassuring look, communicating that everything was going to be alright. 

With a deep breath, Jasper rose from his seat holding out a hand to Alice in feigned confidence as he asked the girl if she would care to join him on the patio. The concerned look she'd been giving him quickly morphed into one of curiosity as she gladly intertwined her fingers with his allowing him to lead her outside. 

 The patio had been decorated with fairy lights, and sitting on a white iron outdoor table sat the headband wrapped neatly in a slightly shimmery deep blue paper that sparkled subtly in the moonlight. The package had been decorated with a ribbon of the same shade tied into a bow. Jasper silently thanked his sister for her handiwork in wrapping the gift, fully aware he wouldn't have been able to make it look anywhere near as perfect. 

Jasper strode over to the table picking up the package and handing it to Alice as he spoke. "So, I uh... I saw this the other day when I was shopping with Rose. And, I thought of you and how much you'd love it. And you know... I feel like an asshole for not getting you anything for Christmas and..."

"Jas," She cut off his rambling speech, "Stop beating yourself up. I mean what I said on Christmas Eve."

"Just open it, Alice."

The girl shook her head as she proceeded to slide the bow off the package, placing it neatly onto the table next to her, doing the same with the paper. When she pulled the lid off of the cardboard box Rosalie had placed the accessory in, Alice gasped as she gazed down at the headband. "It's beautiful." She commented, prying her eyes away from the gift to stare at her boyfriend.

Jasper, feeling reassured by her reaction, stepped into her space, taking the accessory from her hands, and placed it gently on her head. "A queen deserves to wear a crown."

"How do I look?" She asked, staring up at him.

"Perfect." He looked back down at the girl, not backing away as he gazed into her blue eyes, trying to wordlessly communicate just how much he truly cared for the girl standing before him. 

From inside the house, the couple could hear their friends shouting as they began to count down from ten to one. Jasper had timed this out perfectly as everything was lining up according to plan. The count down reached five and he leaned down, asking her if this was okay. The action elicited a nervous smile from Alice, something he'd rarely ever seen on the confident girl. At two, she responded with a clear yes, and as their friends cheered out the number one from the living room, their lips met for the first time. 

Inside, their friends were excitedly ringing in the new year, but for the two outside time seemed to stop stuck in that split second between one year ending and another beginning. 

#Jasper Hale #alice cullen #Jalice #Twilight #twilight fic

[flossy2003]

@legendary-defender-of-fandoms this is for you, based on the post you made about Gothel and baby Cass!

Gothel had never wanted children, she despised them with every inch of her being, however she adored the attention she received from men, in particular, about her pregnancy.

Everyone rushed around her, offering to help her in any way they could, offering her money, food, remedies to soothe the pain of morning sickness (little did they know about the flower), and even toys and knitted blankets, for when the little pest arrived. She was only a poor, helpless, single woman, who’s husband had abandoned her, after all.

The attention only grew, when the little brat was finally born.

Gothel placed the child, Cassandra, in the pink and white pram, decorated with frilly laces and ribbons she'd received as a gift, and drew a floral blanket over her, to keep her warm.

She then strolled over to her vanity and grabbed her favourite, long, black cloak from the set of hangers and draped it around her form.

The baby whined, wiggling impatiently inside the buggy.

Gothel sighed, as she opened the cottage door and reversed the pram out, into the front garden.

Cassandra looked up at the deep, blue sky in awe, and reached a hand up, as if she was trying to touch it.

As Gothel pushed the stroller through the forest, Cassandra’s curiosity only grew.

She kept waving her hands at every treetop, every bird and every cloud, whilst screaming: “Dat!”, which was some stupid baby talk, Gothel couldn’t be bothered to even try and understand.

When they finally arrived in town, Gothel wheeled Cassandra towards a market stall, which sold fresh produce, such as fruit and vegetables.

“Good morning, Gothel,” the man, at the stall, beamed, “how are you?”

“Fine, thank you, Travis. And yourself?”

“I’m great!” Travis replied, before his eyes travelled to the pram, “oh, this must be your new arrival!”

Gothel jumped, at those words, almost forgetting that Cassandra was there.

“O-oh, yes, this is Cassandra,” she replied.

Travis peered into the baby carriage and waved.

“Hello, little one! Don’t you look just like your mother?!”

Gothel held in a scoff. Cassandra was cute, she had to admit, with, her huge eyes, pale skin, that rivalled Snow White’s, that stupid fairytale character she had read about growing up, an adorable, little button nose, and tufts of dark-brown, wavy hair that were just beginning to sprout, but she doubted she would grow up to look as breathtaking as her, and if she did, then, stabbing her would only take a second and watching her bleed out would be satisfying.

“It must be hard,” Travis said, dragging Gothel from her thoughts, “caring for her on your own.”

Gothel quickly nodded, ready to seek attention.

“Oh it is!” She whinged, dramatically, “all the crying, the nappy changing, the lack of sleep, the feeding, the burping, on top of everything else I need to do! It’s absolutely exhausting!”

“I bet it is,” Travis replied, “listen, if you ever need my help, I’m always here for you.”

Gothel smiled and gushed about how thankful she was to him, before bidding him a “good day,” and striding off.

“Good morning, Gothel, dear!”

Alice, the flower seller, practically ran up to her, with a wide smile.

“Good morning, Alice,” Gothel said, behind gritted teeth. How she hated just how cheerful the woman was.

Alice gasped when she saw Cassandra and instantly began baby talking, which made the infant giggle and coo.

“What a sweetie! What’s her name?”

“Cassandra.”

“Oh that’s such a beautiful name!” Alice squealed, “you must be so proud of her, but I’d imagine it’s hard, all on your own.”

Gothel, once again put on the act of the lonely, single woman, who was going above and beyond for her baby. It worked every time.

Many months went by, and it became part of Gothel’s weekly routine to bring her baby daughter into town, and act as the poor, lonely woman, everyone saw her as, to gain sympathy, however, she was starting to notice how the attention was shifting from her, to Cassandra.

“Isn’t she gorgeous?” One woman mused.

“What a poppet!” Another cooed.

Other woman and even men fussed over her, showering her with complements like “adorable!” And “darling!”

It made Gothel sick. Why was the disgusting little brat getting all the attention? She didn’t deserve it!

This was why, after a while, she decided to keep her daughter locked away in the cottage, and trained her up to be nothing more than a slave.

By the age of four, the girl grew into a thin, bony little thing, who was far from looking anything even relating to cute, in Gothel’s eyes, anyway.

But once she reached the age of twenty-two, she was a beautiful young lady, with short, ebony hair, dark-pink lips and a good figure, yet, unlike her mother, she didn’t care about her appearance, she cared about what was on the inside.

#tangledtheseries #cassandra #gothel

[nothingeverlost]

On the Wings of an Owl (2/?)

In which Sirius finds his way home and Remus starts a new journey.

  II    

Prologue

II

Chapter One -  A Journey Begins with a Single Step

II   

The sun was shining when Sirius left the Department of Ministry. It was the first time he’d seen the sun in twelve days and it seemed a sacrilege that it was bright and not hidden behind clouds.  The whole world should be weeping for Lily and James.

“Oh thank Merlin.”   Monty was waiting for him in the ally, in a set of robes of dark gray.   His hair seemed whiter than it had been a few months ago, no signs left of the strawberry blond it had been once.  His skin was fragile like those dusty old tomes Remus liked to read.

He couldn’t think about Remus, not right now.  His head was already throbbing with too many thoughts.

“You didn’t need to come,” he told the man who had been a father to him for almost a decade.  He should have known one of the Potters would be waiting for him, but it seemed too much to ask of them.

“I wasn’t sure you’d feel up to apparating just yet, my boy, so I hired a car to take us home.”  Monty’s step faltered a little as he turned.  Sirius automatically grabbed his elbow, steadying him.  Monty looked at him for a moment before taking another step.  When he spoke it was in a voice that was soft, and more to himself.  “That’s just right, lad.  We’ll prop each other up.”

It took a little less than an hour to reach the house, the last five minutes down a private lane that the driver wouldn’t be able to find later even if he had a reason to drive out to Weybridge again to look.  The house had changed little since Sirius first saw it at the age of twelve, the summer before Second year when he stayed for a week.  It looked like James should come running out the door at any moment to greet him, like he had a thousand times before.

James would never greet him again.

The sprawling manor house had been in Monty’s family for generations, probably as long as Grimmauld Place had belonged to his own family line.  Where Grimmauld was weighed down with the past, however, the Potter home was alive, treasured antiques from the Potter’s English roots entwined with the warm colors and scents of Euphemia’s Indian heritage. A suit of armor in the hall had a dent on one arm where he’d knocked it against a wall after James had used it to scare him once.  Opposite the armor was a bronze elephant decorated in jewels, the trunk raised in a show of prosperity.  Harry was using the elephant to pull himself up, focusing on standing until the door opened and he noticed the new arrival.

“Pa-foo,” he said clearly, looking up at Sirius with eyes the same vivid green as Lily’s, his hair sticking up at odd angles just like James.  For the first time in a week Sirius broke down in tears, collapsing onto the floor.  Harry lost interest in the elephant and fell backward, landing on his well-padded butt and rolling over to crawl over to the object of his attention.  His small fingers found the holes in the jeans Sirius wore and he used them to pull himself up until he was almost in his godfather’s lap.  Sirius pulled himself together enough to support the lad, holding him close to his chest.   The warmth he felt against his skin was alien after weeks of only feeling cold, or more often feeling nothing at all.  Harry reached out one chubby hand to touch Sirius’ cheek.  “Pad-foo wet.”

“He’s been waiting for you. I told him you were coming today.”  Euphemia stood in the hall, ignoring the single tear falling down her cheek.  She was dressed in robes of pure white without adornment, her feet bare despite the chilly November day. The white was for mourning he knew. She had told him once that bare feet made her feel more connected to her home and her magic.   “Welcome home, Sirius.”

Sirius could only look at her for a moment before bowing his head.  

II

The weeks after the war were a strange time.  First came the celebrations, of course, the great silence of the last years ending in cheers and fireworks.  The pubs were crowded as friends and strangers alike toasted to the downfall of He Who Must Not Be Named and his followers.  Infants who had been born into war woke up for the first time in peace, and children who had been afraid to play were finally able to run in the streets in bright colors and with raised voices.  Wizards were no different than any other human and needed their victory, but after the first few days reality set in.

For the first time, they had the leisure to mourn the dead after years of having to push away grief to focus on the next mission, the next battle.  For months memorial services happened on a weekly basis, some for a single person, sometimes for an entire family.  Two months after the war ended Christmas came, a celebration that highlighted the many empty chairs at Christmas dinner.

In Diagon Alley a memorial was built, a single arm raised with a wand outstretched, behind it a field of stars,  Every minute the name hovering above the wand changed, each of the fallen listed in turn.  

Marlene McKinnon Dorcas Meadows Fabian Prewitt Gideon Prewitt Edgar Bones Benjy Fenwick

It took more than an hour to see every name.  After Lily Potter’s name faded away the series began again.  There were names that were missing. One day Regulus Black would be added, when his deeds were learned, but that wouldn’t be for years.  It would take another month before the death of Arabella Figg was discovered, as she had little communication with wizards and it took time before anyone checked on her.  Frank and Alice Longbottom, stuck between life and death, weren’t on the list.

Peter Pettigrew’s name was quietly removed from the list the day after it was discovered that he was still alive.

It was a rare family that wasn’t touched in some way by death.  Remus Lupin, half an orphan before the war started, was completely alone after.  His father had started fading the moment his mother died; he had chosen recklessness as his way to join her.  There had been whispers of werewolves going after muggle families.  It was a member of Greywolf’s pack that killed him, though Remus fortunately never knew that fact.  He only knew that his father died and he was alone.

In the weeks after the war Remus fled to Wales.  For the first time in his adult life he didn’t have anything to do.  No mission from Dumbledore, no job, and certainly no friends to meet at the pub.  He mourned in his own way, drawing his grief tight around himself.  Grief for the friends lost and the relationships that had fallen apart.  He tried to look back at everything and figure out when Peter had become a betrayer and where he’d missed the signs.  He did not want to think about Sirius, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the much more obvious signs of how badly that friendship had gone wrong.  Losing James and Lily was like an amputation, a part of himself that was there one moment and gone the next, leaving phantom pains.  Losing Sirius was a festering wound that would probably never heal.  He mourned the losses of his friends, all of them.

The Daily Profit announced on the front page when Sirius Black was released, and it was a dull sort of comfort knowing that at least he was free and innocent, or at least as innocent as any of them could be after fighting a war.  The picture they used was an old one, from Jame and Lily’s wedding, and it hurt to see it.  Though it was only Sirius in the frame, mugging for the camera, Rumus knew that his own younger self had been cropped away.  They had all been so happy that day.  Sirius had even dragged him out to the dance floor after a few drinks, and it was just a lark for him but Remus could still remember how it had felt to dance with his friend and secret love.  He tossed the paper in the bin.

Transforming on his own was always harder, leaving him exhausted.  He needed another day of rest, he decided, but then it was time for a change.  There was no reason to stay in England. Sentiments against werewolves were even worse after the war; some had been responsible for vicious attacks, and the best that could be said was that some had chosen to remain neutral. He had his parents’ house, but without an income there would be no way to feed himself.  There was only one thing he could do that would be of use to anyone; he was going to find Peter.  Tomorrow he would start tracking down a rat.

II

Sirius could not sleep.  The bed was too soft and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept in a real bed. The last month was a blur of cells and leaning in doorways and curling up in alleys as a dog.  After living in the city and fighting a war the sounds of the country were too quiet and strange.  Mostly, though, he couldn’t sleep because it felt as if James being dead had changed the whole equilibrium of the world and he couldn’t find his footing.

His bedroom faced the back garden, his view partially obscured by a tree that had been a handy way of coming and going when he was a boy.  Many a time he and James had climbed down the tree to go for a midnight swim or smuggle in things to drink.  More than once he’d climbed in on his own, the window never locked as if the house itself knew that he sometimes needed a place to run to when his own house was too much.  The summer before Fifth year he’d shown up at one in the morning on an August day, climbed inside and collapsed in the bed, sleeping until James had pounced on him and demanded to know why he hadn’t woken him up.  Sixth year, when he’d left his family or good, he’d used the front door.

Sometime in the last couple of years Euphemia and Monty had changed their bedroom to the downstairs suite.   It meant that of the five upstairs bedrooms the only other one occupied was the one to his left, a guest suite that now held a crib.  To his right was James’s room, separated from his own by a bath they had shared.  The door to the room that now belonged to Harry was open, and Sirius found himself standing in the doorway more than he tried lying on his bed.  The window shade was up and the almost full moon illuminated the crib enough to see the bandage on Harry’s forehead.  Magic wounds were hard to heal, and no one knew how long a curse from such a powerful wizard would take before it stopped bleeding.

“James should be the one standing here,” he whispered to the boy as he stood at the edge of the crib.  His friend had been so excited about being a father.  So proud.  So worried about his ability to protect his son and wife.   Sirius had sworn that nothing would happen to any of them.  He had lied.

“Mmm.”  Harry shifted in his sleep, as restless as James had always been.  He was such a small thing; Sirius had panicked the first time Lily had handed the baby to him, certain that he would drop the kid and nine months of work would be ruined.  James could forgive him just about anything, but probably not a dent in his kid.

“I’ll fuck this up, Prongs, but I swear I will do my best.”  The first time James had asked him to be godfather it had seemed a joke.  It was a good laugh, him responsible for anyone’s child.  Merlin, there were days when he shouldn’t be responsible for himself, let alone another human.  As the war had progressed the promise was one that James had reminded him of on occasion.  Every time he had panicked and told James that he and Lily were the ones most likely to survive.  Even after the prophecy they had a plan.  James would be safe.  Godfather would be an honorary title that just meant he got to spoil the kid with the things his parents wouldn’t buy for him.  And then he’d made the stupidest argument in his life and had convinced James that Peter would be a better secret keeper.  James and Lily paid for his mistake with their lives.  Harry would pay for the rest of his life, his parents stolen from him.

Thank Merlin for Euphemia and Monty.  He couldn’t raise Harry on his own.  Without them he wouldn’t know what to do.  Without them he’d probably be in a cell in Azkaban.

It was another hour before he slept.  He only settled because Harry woke up and needed rocking; they both fell asleep in the chair that had been Lily’s, Harry on his chest, the rocking charm he’d put on the chair long since worn off.  Euphemia found them in the early hours of the morning and covered them carefully with a blanket.

#wolfstar fic #wolfstar #remus lupin #remus lupin x sirius black #sirius x lupin #remus x sirius #sirius black #siriius black x remus lupin #harry potter #my fic #harry potter fic #MPPW

[sourcedartonline]

Can you give us your opinion on the anime adaptation of Alicization thus far?

A mixed bag. It started really strong but finished really weak.

I really enjoy the animation style, it’s kind of hard to go back to the earlier seasons without it being incredibly jarring. The animation itself however is all over the place. You can really tell when they decide to cut corners for cost saving.

I really wish several of the light novel plot lines actually made it into the anime. Such as Eugeo’s family, Eugeo’s natural talent, Eugeo’s feelings about Kirito being from another world, Eugeo’s guilt. Pretty much a lot of Eugeo centric things. The Zink fight not being in the anime ended up being pretty important. Pretty much everything that built him up to being Kirito’s equal or stronger.

Pretty much all of Volume 14 was just a plot point to plot point rush. Nothing got enough time to breathe to produce any real weight. The fight between Eugeo and Kirito didn’t feel like a destined fight that we didn’t want. We didn’t get to see Alice absolutely wreck Chudelkin’s shit before the fire Genie. We didn’t get the true feeling of despair most of the fight with Quinella was supposed to invoke. A conversation that she and Kirito even have that didn’t make it in. They didn’t bother make Alice appear damaged so there’s no real reason for her to pass out. Quinella has magic hair powers out of nowhere. Just so much wrong with the last 3-4 episodes.

Not ending with “whose voice was that I wonder?” should have gotten someone fired.

Things I did like:

No Fanservice. I figured if nothing else the change in directors would do this some real good. After the disaster that was the second season’s ass shots it’s nice to know plot was never sacrificed for titillation.

The goblin fight and the Fanatio fight. Aside from some shoddy animation in the later I really liked these fights in the anime. In fact most of the Integrity knight fights prior to volume 14 were executed really well. Eugeo’s Release Recollection was even handled better than I hoped.

The music is as always great. My personal favorite new theme is the Enhance Armament theme. Both OP and ED themes were really good.

Eugeo’s Synthesis and Death scenes were handled really well. Especially the latter. It didn’t save the last 3rd of the show or episode 24 for me, but it definitely hurt. Stay Cool.

The GGO scene. Good way to both add some filler of the whole gang before we went into the underworld and to introduce PoH and Gabriel a little earlier. Also anime only watchers can stop talking about how OP kirito’s lightsaber usage is now.

It was just good to have SAO back weekly. Can’t wait til October and hopefully a better paced second half.

#sword art online #sao #alicization #season 3 #I know some people just loved it #but it had issues #nekonotabi

[freshlyjuicedbeetles]

Drakken/Shego ficlet

I started writing this a few days ago. Not sure if I’m happy about it. What do you guys think? If you all like it, I want to add a scene with Commodore Puddles and Mama Lipsky. Still kinda rough, so don’t hate me too much.

Janice Sanderson considered herself a good neighbor. She baked cookies for the neighborhood, her hubby Hank kept the yards clean and tidy and noise levels low. Janice never allowed her boys to shoot off fireworks unless it was the Fourth of July between the hours of 7 and 8:30. She was mindful of their German Shepard, Moe and didn’t let him roam free throughout the neighborhood.

Janice took pride in her home and her boys (which included Hank). She was a stay at home mom to five boys who ranged in age from six to fifteen and homeschooled them all. Between that and biweekly church services, she was a busy momma, but she still had time to keep her eye on things.

One Saturday morning, a moving van followed by a black town car, a grey SUV and one last town car pulled into the neighborhood as she made her morning coffee. Well, her day just filled up, between Isiah coming down with the measles and her essential oils party that night, now this, she’d be up to her eyeballs in things she needed to do! The moving van pulled up to the side of the grey three-story craftsmen at the end of the street (she always thought that house was ugly. No wonder it took so long to sell). The SUV pulled into the driveway, one town car pulled up behind the moving van but left a gap between them for driveway access. The second town car drove around the cul-de-sac and parked at the end of the street, opposite side. No one got out of the town cars, almost like they were protecting the new homeowners.

Was the President moving in down the street?! Wouldn’t that just be a treat?!

Her phone rang. That was Mary-Alice calling for their weekly gab sessions. Janice didn’t want to stop watching the scene going on down the street, but Mary-Alice’s daughter started listening to this unholy band fronted by a man dressed as a cardinal with mismatching eyes that totally and completely appropriated religious iconography in the name of Satan! She had to be saved before it was too late!

Around noon and one ticket to a ‘boarding school’ later, Janice checked on the house down the street. The moving truck was half empty and the town cars still in there respectively places, engines running. Janice didn’t think of what she was doing as snooping, rather just being a vigilant American looking for any unsavory types. She decided it was time to introduce herself and baked a fresh batch of cookies and homemade lemon aide. She’d save a whole family introduction when the new neighbors had settled and Isiah was better.

Luckily, the husband was unloading the SUV when she came up, making him easy to distinguish from the movers.

“Hello there!” Janice chirped happily, trying to get his attention. He pulled himself from deep in the car, trying to reach the other side without actually walking all that way.

She was able to get a good look at her new neighbor for the first time. She was surprised to see that he was blue, blue all over. Well, stranger things were happening; there was a teenage girl fighting crime in the next city over! The scar under his eye and long black hair pulled into a ponytail were unsightly in her eyes, but he was dressed nice enough, had a nice car and bought this (ugly) house in her neighborhood so he couldn’t be that bad.

“I’m Janice Sanderson from down the street, house 3782,”

“Oh, uh, hello. I’m Dr. Drew Lipsky.” He replied, cordially. He preferred his ‘alter ego’ Dr. Drakken, who for the last twenty years sought to take over the world. Nowadays, he was more interested in getting his wife Shego to stop teasing him and building things.

Ever since the Lowardian incident, Global Justice secured Drakken and Shego with a cushy job with the government defense contract. Drakken could build anything he wanted, experiment on anything he wanted as long as the government could use it. Did he wake up one morning and decide he wanted to make a new nerve agent worse than novichok then the next day build a truth discerning AI that could fit in the palm of your hand, then the day after that build his own working lightsaber? He totally could. Shego? Well, she still got paid to punch people, so she was happy.

“Oh, a doctor, bet you’ll come in handy around the neighborhood.”

Drakken waved his hand dismissively, “I’m not that kind of doctor.”

Janice watched as a young, very pale, almost green tinted woman bounded with energy from the house and back into the van to grab more things. She had to restrain herself from gawking at the woman, at how immodestly she was dressed! She was dressed in a green tank top, frayed, black denim shorts that did not come to her knees, but mid-thigh and dirty black converse. Her thick, raven colored hair was pulled into a tight and high ponytail. Well, she certainly would not her boys around her unsupervised!

“Is that your…daughter?”

Drakken spurted. Shego was only ten years his junior! Was this old bat blind? Did he look that old?

“I’m his wife,” She corrected, walking gracefully down the ramp with heavy looking side table in her hands that she carried with ease.

“That’s my wife, Stephanie,” Drakken added.

Eager to change the subject, Janice asked, “So what do you do for a living?”

“I’m uh,” Drakken stumbled for a moment. How did he describe what he did without blowing his cover? “a government contractor.” It had a grain of truth, so it was easy to remember but vague enough to keep any secrets just that, secret.

“That’s fascinating! Stephanie, what about you?”

She draped herself over her husband, “I’m his…secretary.” She gave a small laugh as though only herself and Drakken were in on the joke. Truthfully, she was head of security. Had been for years, now it was only official.

“Oh, well, that’s nice. Welcome to the neighborhood! I’ll let you get back to work!” Janice bid a hasty a goodbye and handed them their treats.

That couple went too against the grain for her taste. Why can’t everyone just be normal?

#Kim Possible #drakken #shego #drakgo

[justanoutlawfic]

Crash: Chapt. 2 [5 Years Later]

Story Summary: Regina Mills is finally allowing herself to be happy after 5 years of sobriety. When she finds love for the first time since her divorce, she's over the moon...until her past comes back to haunt her.

Chapter Summary: 5 years sober and with her ex moving on, Regina decides to make a change.

Also on AO3

5 years sober.

 As Regina held the chip in her hand, it felt heavy. The first year had been hell, the second had been a breeze but she had nearly slipped up in the third. The following two had been what she would consider her new normal. She went to work every day, had her son for most of the month and when she went out with friends, she was the one that said to the waiter “I’ll stick with water, thanks.”

 She had graduated from therapy and only went if she felt like there was something she needed to talk about, but A.A meetings were still a weekly occurrence. She no longer just had a sponsor, but was one herself. Regina was so proud of Killian Jones. He had kicked the habit and had been able to get his daughter back from the system.

“To sobriety,” Killian said, lifting his water glass.

Regina smiled. “To sobriety.” She clinked hers with his. “One year. How does it feel?”

“Pretty damn good. The social worker will only be checking up on me for 6 more months.”

“I get how that is. Just remember, it’s not just for Alice. It’s for you too.”

“I know.” Killian smiled. “I appreciate you doing all of this for me, Regina. I know you’re busy.”

“When I started A.A, Mal was by my side day and night. Of course I’m going to do the same for you.”

 Killian had started drinking heavily after the death of a very close friend of his. He had a number of drunken one night stands that gave him Alice. He tried to clean up his act for her, but when she nearly drowned because he had spent the night drinking, she had been removed from his care. When Killian entered A.A, it had been court ordered but a year later, he knew it was for the best. He reminded Regina a lot of herself. Killian now had a job again, along with a place to live. Alice was more than happy to be reunited with her papa. She was so young, she’d most likely never remember the year they were forced to spend apart.

 “I’m having a BBQ this weekend, to celebrate,” he said. “I’m inviting some people from A.A, along with some of my old friends-the good ones. You should bring Henry.”

“I’d love to. Daniel’s dropping him off tonight, so we’ll be all set. I’m sure he’ll love to see Alice.”

“Still begging you for a baby sister of his own?”

Regina gently rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I’m leaving that to his dad for the moment.”

 After their lunch, Regina headed back home. She had sold the mansion she once shared with Daniel on Mifflin Street, it just didn’t feel the same anymore. Now she resided in a cozy three bedroom, with a nice backyard for Henry and garden for her. She had planted an apple tree her first night of A.A and she loved watching it grow along side of her. According to the books, she still had another year before it’d bear any fruit, but she was patient.

 A few hours later, the doorbell rang and Regina found Daniel and Henry on the other side. Her son had grown up so quickly, already standing tall at 11-years-old. He threw his arms around her and she squeezed him back just as tight.

 “Hey honey.” Regina kissed the top of his head. “How was your week with your dad?”

“Awesome. We went to so many museums and Dad got me a ton of new books.”

“Did you read all of them in one sitting?”

“I still had a few left.”

Regina laughed. “Say goodbye and then wash up for dinner.”

Henry quickly hugged his father. “Bye Dad. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Daniel nodded, kissing his cheek. “Alright, bud. Be good for your mom.”

 Henry dashed into the kitchen, leaving the two exes lingering in the doorway. 5 years ago, there would’ve been a lot of awkward tension, but Regina found it easy to smile around Daniel again. He had been true to his word. The morning after her accident, he had packed up then 6-year-old Henry and moved in with his mother. The divorce papers came a few months later and Daniel got full custody for the first year and a half, while Regina agreed that every other weekend visits would work best while she fought for her sobriety. Two years in, Daniel had agreed to 50/50 custody and things had worked out well. Not long after that, however, he got a job in Boston that would mean more money and better opportunity. After much discussion, it was decided that Henry would stay with his mother and have bi-weekend visitation with his father, switching holidays around. It had been a hard adjustment for all of them, but now it was second nature.

 Regina would be lying if she said she didn’t miss Daniel. She had thought that maybe if she showed she was getting sober that he’d stop the divorce, but the truth was, their marriage had been over long before the accident. After the first terrible incident, they had both pushed each other away. They’d always love each other, they’d always be each other’s firsts, but they simply weren’t meant to be. A part of recovery was acceptance and they had both reached that over the years.

 “So, I can meet you halfway next time?” Regina offered.

“Actually, I’ll be coming into town on Thursday to visit with my mom, so that’s not necessary.” He hesitated off Regina’s nod. “And I’ll um, I’ll be bringing Ariel with me.”

“Ariel?”

“We’ve been seeing each other for a while. I think it’s time for her to meet Henry.”

“Oh.”

“Regina…”

“No, Daniel, it’s only right. It’s been 5 years. I’m honestly surprised this is the first girl you’ve seriously dated since me.”

“Well, you’re a tough act to follow.”

Regina softly smiled. “Back at you.”

“Maybe it’s time you start seeing someone too. That guy you’ve been sponsoring?”

Regina couldn’t help but laugh. “Killian? Yeah, no. But…you may be right about moving on.”

“You deserve to be happy. No matter what happened, you know that now, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Tell me what time you want me to meet up with you and Ariel next weekend, okay? Have a safe trip back.”

 She shut the door once he walked off to his car and leaned against it, reflecting on his words. It had taken her a long time to accept what she had done. She hadn’t allowed herself to be happy for a long time, but maybe it was time. Regina had done her best to make up for her past, now it was time to do something for herself.

Robin stood back, watching Roland run around with the other kids. He hadn’t spent too much time at Killian’s house in the past year, but it was comforting to be back there. A part of him would always feel guilty for not spotting the problems that Killian was facing, but his friend had assured him that it wasn’t his fault. Between grieving Marian’s death and becoming a sudden single father to a then 2-year-old, it didn’t allow him to see much else outside his son. He always knew that Killian enjoyed drinking, but he hadn’t seen the big problem until Alice had been taken away by social services. He wished there had been more he could do for his friend, but in the end, all he could do was be supportive through his recovery.

 Now, things were better, for all of them. It had been 5 years since the accident and Robin had found his new normal. He was able to fall asleep at night, whether it be on his side of the bed or the one that Marian once slept on. He could say her name and not break down into tears. Robin could actually look into his son’s eyes and not want to sob because all he saw was Marian. He’d never forget her, but life had gotten easier. As his therapist had told him, that was what moving on was all about.

 A lot of their friends hadn’t stuck by Killian’s side after he had Alice taken away, so Robin found himself not knowing a lot of people at the BBQ. Most of them he figured were from his A.A meetings and there were a few neighbors there as well. He wasn’t used to being the odd man out and he knew he should socialize, but it was easier to just lean back sometimes.

 “Robin!” He looked up and saw Killian standing by the grill. “I’ve got to change Alice real quick, can you watch the burgers?”

“Of course.”

 Robin headed over and took his spot, spatula in hand. He watched the meat, flipping it every so often, watching it slowly turn from pink to brown.

 “Man, you trying to kill the cow all together?”

 He found himself eye to eye with a petite woman. She had raven black hair and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a gray dress with white polka dots, with a pair of bright red flats which added some color the ensemble. She had one eyebrow raised in almost mock teasing.

 “I’d just rather not eat beef tartar,” he shot back.

She rolled her eyes. “There’s a difference between raw and ruining a perfectly good hamburger.”

“You think you can do much better?”

“I happen to know I can. My dad owned a restaurant, I spent a lot of time in kitchens when I was younger.”

“Then you know people have different tastes.”

“Stupid tastes.”

Robin couldn’t help but chuckle. “You often pick fight with strangers?”

“Only when they ruin perfectly good slabs of meat.”

Even when the laughter stopped, a smile remained on his lips. “I’m Robin.” He held out his free hand.

The woman shook it, her own lips tugging upwards into a grin. “Regina. Killian’s sponsor.”

“Oh, you’re the one he’s always talking about.”

“Always?”

“You helped save his life.”

“I just helped him work the program.” Regina waved him off. “He mentioned you quite a bit, though.”

“Oh?”

“In A.A we talk about two groups of friends: friends to avoid if you should stay sober and ones to surround yourself with to do the same. The ironic part is, a lot of the latter are ones you probably chased off with your drinking.”

“Well, I would never imagine walking away from Killian. He went through a hard time, we all did.”

“You were friends with Marian too?”

“A bit more than that. She was my wife.”

 Robin watched the smile drain from her face and a familiar look took its place. Whether it were people he knew before the crash or those that he met after. All of them got that same look, the one any widow could place. Big frown, creased forehead. He waited for the words that almost always followed, but they didn’t come.

 “I can’t imagine.”

Robin nodded, a bit shocked and happy that an apology hadn’t followed. “I was so wrapped up in myself for a long time, I didn’t see what Killian was going through.”

“You can’t blame yourself. My ex-husband witnessed it but there wasn’t much he could do. It’s up to the person to get sober.”

 Robin found his smile coming back and it seemed to make Regina’s appear again as well. They stood there for a moment, until the screen door slammed behind them. Nearly both jumped and found Killian standing there with his daughter on his hip. He smiled, looking between the two of them.

 “Oh, you two met.”

“We did.” Regina wiped her palms on her dress. “Your friend here ruins burgers.’

Robin rolled his eyes. “Yours clearly wants to die of mad cow disease.”

Killian shook his head. “I should’ve known. I’ll take over here.”

 Robin and Regina walked over to the drinks table. He watched as Roland chased around an older boy and he nearly went to stop him, but he noticed the kid didn’t seem to mind. He showed Roland how his NERF gun worked and let him have a few shots with it.

 “Henry always wanted a little sibling,” Regina mused.

“Oh, he’s yours?”

She nodded. “Yup. I’m assuming the little one belongs to you?”

“Roland.”

“He’s adorable, has your dimples.”

Robin smiled, unintentionally showing them off. “Thank you.”

“You know, if the boys are playing so well…maybe they’d like to have a playdate.”

“A playdate? You think your pre-teen would have one with my 7-year-old?”

“He’d love it. And we can have a playdate of our own.” She made a face. “Not in a dirty way, but ya know…”

Robin shook his head, the smile not leaving his face. “I’ll bring the snacks.”

#crash verse #outlaw queen #oq #outlaw queen au #oq au

[anonymouswriter2311]

Prompt: Little Robin decides to start dressing more like her older self and shows up to Granny’s one day wearing the exact same outfit as Big Robin, which is hilarious and adorable. Alice and Zelena have a good laugh about it, much to the chagrin of both Robins.

This was a fun one to write! Thanks for the prompt!

Little Robin’s Adventures, Chapter 6: Who Wore it Best?

From the moment Big Robin and Pretty Alice arrived in town Little Robin’s life had changed. Instead of spending her time after school alone, reading about her Father’s adventures, she spent time having tea parties with Pretty Alice and learning how to track animals with her older self. It had been weird at first, hearing her Mom call someone else Robin with the same recognition as when she was talking to her. Having Pretty Alice comment on the adventures that were coming up and Big Robin insisting that she was never like her. But after a while, Little Robin got used to life with another Robin in town, in fact, she even started to enjoy a look into her future. The relationships she was going to have, what she was going to look like, dress like. Every shirt, jumper, jacket…Little Robin loved it all. Robin always looked so cool and Little Robin wanted to look just the same.

“Mom! Can I get this one?” Little Robin bounced excitedly over to her Mother and Aunt, who were looking at the women’s section of the clothing shop they had found them in.

“What do you have there little monkey!” Zelena asked as the little brunette held up a green and black checked shirt that she had found in the boy’s section.

“Isn’t it cool!” The child practically shoved the small shirt into her Mother’s hands.

“Are you should you wouldn’t like a nice new dress instead?” Zelena smiled while sending her sister a knowing glance, having seen this shirt before, on the older and more tomboyish version of her daughter.

“No Mom! I want this!” The little girl whined pouting at her Mother.

“As long as you are sure monkey…” Zelena shook her head, as she attacked by little arms around her waist.

“Thanks, Mom! Now I need to find some new jeans!” Little Robin exclaimed before running off again.

“Do you think she realizes what she’s doing?” Regina laughed as she plucked the shirt out of her sister’s hands.

“Not sure…but I guess I knew that this day would come eventually.” Zelena smiled sadly as she put back the dress she had picked out for her daughter.

“Hey it’s not so bad…she could have chosen Emma as her fashion icon. One red leather jacket is enough for this Kingdom.” Regina joked with the redhead as Little Robin came running over to them with her hands full of a new pair of jeans, a few more checked shirts and a pair of red Doc Martens.

“I found more stuff I like!” The little brunette proclaimed proudly.

***

The little brunette had sprinted up the stairs as soon as they got home from shopping, excitedly she threw on her newest addition to her wardrobe. A green and black checked shirt accompanied by black jeans and her new red Doc Martens. After pulling and fidgeting with her shirt, getting it to sit just right, just as she saw Robin’s weeks ago, Little Robin made quick work of her hair, putting it into a messy ponytail.

“Perfect…” The little brunette whispered as she gave herself a quick once over in the mirror.

“What do you think Mom?” Little Robin asked as she skipped down the stairs, to her Mother who was still unloading the shopping.

“Well, I think you look quite adorable monkey!” Zelena coed at the 6-year-old, as she struggled to sit on the breakfast bar stool.

“Mom! I’m not adorable…I’m cool.” The child whined as she straightened her collar out.

“Cool?” Zelena had to suppress the urge to giggle at the young girl’s comment.

“Yeah…just like Robin! Don’t you think I look cool?” The little girl mumbled, feeling extremely self-conscious.

“Of course, you do! The coolest!” Zelena was quick to respond, as she heard a hint of hurt in daughter’s voice.

“Can we go the Granny’s for dinner? I want to show everyone my new outfit!” The young perked up and began to jump excitedly on the bar stool.

“Anything for you monkey.” Zelena winked, as she grabbed her handbag.

***

“So then, I raised my bow up to his head and said, either you drop that dragon egg, or you’ll have one less eye in that brainless head of yours.” Robin boasted as she told the tale of her and Alice’s latest adventure to Alice’s Father. The pair had been sent on a recovery mission in another part of the United Realms Kingdom but had made sure that they made it back in time for their weekly dinner at Granny’s with Hook.

“And he was so distracted by the thought of losing his eye, I was able to creep up behind him and tie his shoelaces together,” Alice added as she reached over to pinch a few of Robin’s fries.

“You two really do go on the craziest of adventures…but I’m glad that you are both back in one piece.” Hook laughed into his coffee, as Alice and Robin fought playfully for the last of the fries.

“Papa, we didn’t even get to the best part yet!” Alice bounced excitedly in the booth, before reaching out to take her Papa’s hand, something that she still couldn’t believe she could do after all that time apart.

“Oh yeah, pardon my interruption.” Hook smiled lovingly at the two girls.

“You’ll have to tell this part without me love…I need to visit the little archer’s room.” Robin excused herself, leaving the two Jones’ alone.

“So, he figured that Robin was only bluffing and he tried to run….” The blonde continued.

“But he tripped over his shoelaces…” Hook smirked, as his daughter’s eyes widened in surprise that he had somehow managed to guess what had happened.

“Yes! And the dragon egg flew up into the sky and then boom!” Alice shouted, making everyone in the diner jump at the sudden burst of noise.

“Boom?” Hook asked in a hushed tone, as he sent apologetic glances around the room.

“Boom, it hatched!” Alice explained, before draining the last of her chocolate milkshake.

“Pretty Alice! You’re back!” Little Robin screamed as she ran over to the booth, climbing up onto the seat, the little brunette quickly wrapped her arms around her blonde best friend.

“Oh, hello little one! You just missed the tale of our latest adventure…wait a tick…” Alice paused as she took in the girl’s outfit, she could have sworn she had seen it before…only when she saw it, it was heading to the bathroom and in a larger size.

“Do you like my new outfit? I picked it all myself.” Little Robin announced as she stood up on the seat to give Alice a better look. It was the exact same as her love’s outfit for the day, right down to the red Doc Martens and the messy ponytail.

“Isn’t Rob-” Hook started, only to be cut off by his daughter.

“Yep…”

“Hey Zelena, where’s the Kid?” Robin beelined for the redhead as soon as she exited the bathroom.

“Over with your other…oh my…” Zelena’s eyes widened as she took in the older version of her daughter.

“What?” The archer asked in confusion before she had the wind knocked out of her when a small pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around her.

“Robin!” Little Robin cheered.

“Hey, Kid! We were going to stop by later, I got some cool arrowheads I wanted to show you…and we may have gotten you a little present to show off at school.” Robin responded, lifting the little brunette into her arms for a cuddle. Failing to notice that the girl was dressed in the exact same outfit as her.

“Thanks, Robin! You’re the best.” The small brunette hugged her older self tightly before she was set down. Looking over at her family, Robin couldn’t understand why all three of them were finding it hard to keep a straight face.

“What? What are you three giggling at?” The older Robin asked as she draped her arm around her younger self.

“Nothing…it’s just…you really don’t see it?” Alice asked, trying to contain herself as she gestured to Little Robin.

“See what…oh!” The penny finally dropped as Robin looked down at her younger and identically dressed self.

“Do you like it?” Little Robin asked hopefully.

“I think she liked it so much she decided to wear it herself…” Zelena mumbled to Hook and Alice, making them all let out a silent giggle.

“I picked it myself…I wanted to look cool like you!” Little Robin bounced excitedly as she waited for her older self to answer.

“Well…you certainly are the coolest 6-year-old I know….but umm, maybe a little heads up on the outfit choice next time Kid.” Robin winked at the small child, before pulling her in for another hug, still shocked that she had managed to pick the exact same outfit as her.

“I don’t know which one of them wore it best.” Zelena joked, earning a glare from both her daughters.

“My vote goes to the little one,” Hook added with a hearty laugh.

“I couldn’t possibly choose, I love both of my Robin’s in that outfit.” Alice coed as she pulled her phone out to take pictures of them.

“Will you three cut it out.” The two Robin’s said in unison, causing the group to laugh even more.

“Oh, hello everyone…Robin looks like you’ve got yourself a proper little mini-me now…only she is more adorable.” Emma laughed as she entered the diner.

“Yep…the shirt is coming off. You win Kid.” Robin muttered as she began to unbutton her shirt, leaving her in just a white tank top and jeans.

“Looks better on me anyway.” Little Robin smiled brightly as she dashed to sit beside Alice before Robin had a chance to.

“Sure does,” Alice whispered to the young girl, as she cuddled into her side, content in having out-cooled her older self.

More Little Robin’s Adventure to come on Tuesday! If you have a Little Robin prompt, send me it!  

AO3

#Little Robin #Robin Mills #Little Robin’s Adventures #mad archer #curious archer #curiousarcher #curious archer ff #curiousarcherff #zelena mills #Nook #alice jones #alice x robin #send me prompts #one-shot #prompt #once upon a time #once upon a time ff

[zeltricstudio]

'LUNCH TIME SPECIAL'

HAPPYVILE

MARCH 2014

Happyvile High has been without a chef for an awfully long time but finally managed to hire someone. Abraham Cook, despite his family’s reputation he was a competent cook and could actually make some decent meals for the students. It was around this time that students started to go missing. At first it was 1 student a month, then a couple before eventually the school looked into it. Of course, the teachers and police did nothing to investigate the matter, instead just saying “they ran away” or “ditched school”. Sarah, however was not happy with how poorly this was being dealt with. Many students would simply shrug their shoulders, but not her. “The special for today is lasagna” Sarah scoffs. “How can they just go on and not give a damn that students are disappearing almost on a weekly basis?” Sarah asked, feeling angry.

“I’m sure the police are doing everything they can” Sarah’s best friend, Jessica, replied, not paying much attention except for the food in front of her.

“You should eat, all this pointless wondering is going to make you hungry” Jessica moved her food towards Sarah

“Hell no. For all I know, they probably put their disgusting, unwashed hand in that food before they served it” Sarah replied, pushing the food back to Jessica.

“As long as it tastes good, I don’t mind”

“Your standards are very low”

“Eh” Jessica said and continued digging into her food.

“Fuck it. If the teachers and police are not going to do anything, then I will” Sarah said with extreme confidence

“What are you going to do?” Jessica asked, not seriously

“I… I don’t know” Sarah replied, slinking back into her seat.

“Again, just let it go. I’m sure they will all turn up eventually, probably” Jessica replied with a mouthful.

That night, Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about the missing people. Sarah had read all papers and news reports about the disappearances, but they were all the same, ‘this student was staying late and never returned home. Parents didn’t find out till the next morning and no one saw a thing’. Personally, Sarah didn’t much care for the students as all of them were the absolute worst but the latest victim Kate was a close classmate she really liked and was baffled at how little her own teachers cared about a Grade-A kid. Sarah began documenting all the missing kids, but she couldn’t find a pattern due to how little the police cared. Some kids were not even reported missing until weeks later. Feeling defeated for the night, Sarah went to bed.

The next morning, during their lunch break, Sarah decided to buy a drink. It wasn’t until now that Sarah got an up-close look at Abraham. Like most of the males, he was very tall and noticeably huge. Not fat, but very built. He had an untrimmed beard that had little strands sticking upright, his eyes had bags underneath bags underneath bags and his skin was covered in bruises and scars all around. Despite his bodily appearance, he was surprisingly clean. His apron, clothes and even body odor were insanely neat and smelt like he dumped a load of perfume onto himself. After Sarah bought her drink, she went and sat down next to Jessica.

“I’ve noticed something” Sarah immediately said as he sat down.

“Aaaaaaand her comes the conspiracy theories” Jessica said, not even phased.

“Abraham is insanely clean”

“Well yeah. I know Happyvile isn’t the cleanest place, but we gotta have SOME standards”

“No, I mean like he is overly clean. Like not even a dirt or smudge anywhere, his clothes are pure white”

“Maybe he is a clean freak? Oddly, the dirtiest people are the cleanest”

“Perhaps. I just have an off feeling about him”

“You have an off feeling about everyone”

“That’s not true” Sarah points to Jessica

“Fair point. How’s your investigation coming along?” Jessica pondered, not really caring

“I got nowhere. This town’s not-giving-a-shit makes it almost impossible to even find out when they went missing”

“Uh-huh”

“What are you eating?”

“Spaghetti. It’s the new Lunch special” Jessica said, with added fake enthusiasm

“I still don’t know how you can eat that. It doesn’t even look like spaghetti”

“Maybe it’s a family recipe. Do I care? Nope” Jessica said and continued eating.

As the two continued chatting, they were approached by a classmate of theirs

“Have any of you two seen Adrian?” Sally asked

“Uh no, he was absent from first and second period” Sarah replied

“I haven’t heard from him since yesterday. If you do see him, please let me know” Sally said and walked off to a nearby table and asking them.

“Here we go” Jessica said, knowing what was about to come

“Another person to the list” Sarah replied, sounding smug.

Later that night, Sarah did a lot more studying and came across a status post a student had made. “It has been 2 months and my friend Alice is still missing! The police aren’t doing shit! Please if anyone knows anything, message me!”. Sarah finally had something to go on. Even though Sarah wasn’t close with most people, she at least knew of Alice who was one of the very first people to go missing. Sarah was able to begin a timeline. As Sarah began writing names, she had a curious thought.

The next day, early in the morning Sarah caught up to Principal Hayford.

“Principal Hayford” Sarah said, to get his attention

“Oh, hello Sarah” Hayford replied, looking slightly annoyed

“May I ask you a question?”

“That depends, is it about the missing kids?” Hayford said with a slight irritation in his voice

“No. I was wondering when you hired Abraham, the new cook?”

“Oh, about a couple months back” Hayford’s tone immediately changed

“Do you know the exact date?”

“Not right now, but I can look it up and e-mail you it. Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious. So far he is already the best cook we’ve gotten for this school”

“I agree. And he was cheap too. I feel like I got a good deal” Hayford chuckled

“Well thanks, I got to go now” and Sarah ran off before Hayford could trap her in a conversation.

“The day Abraham was hired, Alice went missing the same week!” Sarah said as she said down next to Jessica

“Good morning to you too” Jessica replied, preparing herself for another one of Sarah’s rants.

“Think about it. We’ve had cooks come and go with no problems and then when we got Abraham BOOM 16 students and counting have gone missing”

“That is pretty damning evidence, but you ever consider it could be the Happyvile Slasher behind this?”

“No, The Happyvile Slasher has been gone for a year now. And if it was him, we would definitely know”

“Yeah, I guess”

“How can you just sit there, eating and not give a single fuck?” “What can I do? I’m not the police. I don’t have any skills to do anything. I mean it sucks, but what can you do?”

“I guess” Sarah replied, feeling tired she wasn’t getting anywhere. “What is the lunch special for today?”

“Homemade pizza, with cheese, pepperoni and shredded meat” Jessica said as she took a huge bite

“Looks appetizing” Sarah said, with extreme sarcasm.

Throughout the day, her suspicions of Abraham continued to pursue her, and Sarah knew if she wanted to do something, she was going to have to act. She pretended to stay back at the library, studying and as everyone began leaving except the librarian, Sarah put her plan into motion. Because the school was empty, Sarah could easily slip into the cafeteria and hop the counter. Much like Abraham’s appearance, the kitchen too was spotless. Everything was neatly put away, no dishes in the rack and the floor was clean. Sarah continued looking but aside from basic kitchen items, nothing stood out, until she saw a cardboard box in underneath a table. Inside the box were a few random items and trinkets. Keyrings, badges, pins, hair ties, just a random assortment of items and then Sarah saw it, Kate’s bracelet. She knew it was Kate’s because it had pink nail polish striped onto it, which Sarah had done as a joke. Sarah then heard some heavy footsteps and she immediately put the box back and hopped the counter, pretending to look around. Abraham entered the café and noticed Sarah.

“What are you doing here, child?” Abraham asked, extremely suspiciously.

His voice was a lot deeper when he was angry.

“Oh, I uh dropped something and came back to look for it, but I… uh” Sarah tried to make excuses, but she was bad at it.

“Hold on, I got a box around here”

“A box?”

“Whenever I find stuff students have left, I collect them and hand it to the office’s lost-and-found”

Abraham entered the kitchen area and immediately noticed dirt prints on the floor. He kept this discovery to himself and got the box, all the while eyeing Sarah suspiciously.

“Are any of these yours?”

“Oh there it is, the bracelet. Where did you find this?”

“Over by the back table”

Sarah knew he was lying, Kate would never take off her bracelet unless she had to.

“Thank you” Sarah said and walked off, with fear consuming her.

Abraham watched her walk away and cleaned the kitchen, before closing and heading home. Sarah couldn’t shake the gut feeling she had of Abraham, but she knew he was responsible for this.

“I found Kate’s bracelet in the kitchen! He claims he found it on a table” Sarah exclaimed over the phone to Jessica

“So you broke into a kitchen and found a bracelet in a box”

“I didn’t break in, it was open”

“Sarah, that is a lazy connection and you know it”

“I’m telling you, he is responsible for Kate and maybe the others. I know it!”

“I’m hanging up, call me back when you’ve calmed down”

“Fucking asshole” Sarah muttered and dropped her phone onto her bed. Sarah knew Jessica was right, this evidence was barely anything, and even if it was enough, the cops wouldn’t give enough of a shit to do anything. Sarah knew if she wanted to make a change, she would have to get picture proof.

The next day seemed to drag on as Sarah waited for the end of the day. Knowing Jessica didn’t care, Sarah dropped the conversation and didn’t let Jessica in on her plan. She didn’t need the negativity to pull her down she reasoned. Finally the glorious day came and it was the end of the day. Sarah pretended to be studying and once Abraham was ready to leave, Sarah began tailing him on her bike. The drive lead them out of Happyvile and deep into the country side of things, before eventually into the forest. Abraham stopped his car at an incredibly old looking farmhouse, before getting out and entering a small house near the main house. Sarah noticed she had no signal and planned on a quick in-and-out job. She took pictures of the house and waited. After roughly 20 minutes, Abraham exited the house and drove off, leaving the door unlocked. Sarah took this opportunity and entered.

In a stark contrast to the kitchen, this house was messy. The walls were peeling, the carpet was covered in fur and junk, clothes and items strewn about and an awful stench immediately hit her. As Sarah began probing and poking around, she noticed a downstairs area. Sarah took a quick look outside to make sure he wasn’t back and entered. Any normal person would have immediately left by now, but Sarah was far too invested to give up. The closer she got to the basement, the stronger the smell became. It was very putrid and nearly made her gag. Sarah used her pocket flashlight to illuminate the area and she got a good look at her surroundings. The floors, walls and ceilings were covered in ceramic tiles, with drain holes every 5 feet. Trails of blood were flowing into them. Sarah also noticed there were lots of white, rolled up bags with blood splotches on them. As Sarah continued moving, she heard a light grunt and noticed a person on a table. Sarah rushed over and saw Adrian, except her was naked and had a hook impaled in him.

“Oh fuck” Sarah said, in surprise.

“H-help me” Adrian begged as he raised his hand, which had the index and thumb missing and a giant hole in the palm. Sarah stumbles backwards away from his hand as it drops to the side and hits the tables legs, making a heavy ding sound before passing out. Sarah was too stunned to move, her legs locked in place. After what feels like an eternity, Sarah was able to compose herself and began walking away, planning on calling the cops as soon as she leaves. Before she can reach the stairs, she hears the door lock and footsteps retreating down. Sarah immediately begins running further into the basement as the foot steps get louder. Sarah hides in a side room, surrounded by rolled-up bags. Sarah notices the figure to be Abraham as he makes his way to Adrian. Abraham picks up a hatchet and drives it into Adrian’s face. The impact makes a fleshy noise, as Adrian’s gasps are quickly stifled. Sarah has to bite her hand to stifle her screams, as she watches Abraham continue hacking the body, before putting the hatchet down and wheeling the table to another room. With Abraham gone, Sarah rushes to the stairs, but when she turns the knob, she is terrified to find it is locked.

“I was concerned” Abraham says, his voice echoing around the room. “How was I going to take care of you. Getting the others wasn’t easy, you know. They struggled, they screamed, they put up a fight, but you, you came here”

Sarah immediately ran away from the door, hugging the walls and moving around in the dark as Abraham’s voice came from multiple directions

“I promise you, if you give up I will make it quick” Abraham said, as calm as possible.

“Fuck you!” Sarah screamed in fear. Sarah made her way to the area Adrian was in and picked up the hatchet, arming herself.

“I am warning you” Abraham said, this time more sternly.

Sarah was beyond terrified now. Not only was she locked in a basement with a serial killer, but no one knew where she was.

“You’re not the first person, you know. There were others who came looking, but couldn’t leave well enough alone. I will do whatever it takes to protect my family” Abraham said, this time it sounded much closer.

Sarah jumped backwards and swung, but hit nothing. “Let me go, you fucker!” Sarah screamed, now absolutely petrified and shaking.

“Sorry, but I can’t. You know too much. This is your last warning” Abraham said, now getting angry.

As Sarah began looking around, hatchet ready to swing, she suddenly heard silence. As she began walking, looking for Abraham she felt a sudden pain in her shoulder. Abraham drove a meat hook into her right shoulder, causing her to drop the hatchet. Sarah tried running away, but Abraham drove another hook into her leg, causing her to trip. Sarah fell to the floor, her shoulder and leg in pain, with blood rushing down her back. Sarah continued crawling, before Abraham drove a final hook into the back of her neck, paralyzing her. Sarah wasn’t able to move anymore as Abraham grabbed her foot and dragged her further into the basement, past several rooms until she was in a smaller room. Abraham turned on the light and she noticed it was a make-shift bathroom, with only a tub and several hooks hanging above it.

“I’m sorry it has come to this, but don’t worry, your meat won’t be wasted” Abraham said, trying to calm her.

“Fuck, you!” Sarah screamed, in painful breaths as she couldn’t lift her head. It wasn’t until Abraham began putting on his apron and sharpening his knives, did his words kick in. “What, what are you doing?” Her anger suddenly turned to fear as she looked at Abraham out the corner of her eye.

“My family, my son to be exact, is very particular in he eats. He loves humans, craves it and I love my son, so I get him what he likes. But doesn’t like all parts of them. And I am not a wasteful man” Abraham says, grinding his knives as they make scratching noises.

“Before I begin, any final words?”

“Please, don’t” Sarah begged.

Abraham effortlessly picked up Sarah, before impaling her on a hook. Sarah began screaming, but it was gurgled by the hook. After a grueling 5 seconds, she was finally dead and Abraham got to work.

The next day, Jessica was sitting down, waiting for Sarah to join her like they always do, but she never showed. Jessica texted her and as she waited, she noticed the new Lunch special: this time it was a beef sandwich.

#TheHorrorsofSunshine #THoS #ZeltricStudios #HorrorStories

[sadlittlenerdking]

Twenty Five

The Magicians

Quentin/Eliot

Word Count: 6k

Summary: Good god, I hope you like angst.

Also on ao3

Jane looks up as Henry enters the office. She attempts a smile, though it doesn’t quite reach as he makes his way around the desk and sits down. They sit in silence for a moment, Jane watching Henry, Henry staring down at his desk, a glare faint in his gaze.

“They’re going to fail again,” he finally says, eyes darting up to hers. “Three of them are dead already.”

Jane nods solemnly, “I know.” But she leans forward, crossing one leg over the other. “But, I think I know the problem.” Henry raises an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. “It’s Quentin.”

“We already know that,” Henry mutters, “And you have to realize we’re at the point where we know no matter what we do, Quentin Coldwater will return. Magic or no magic. Brakebills or no. He always comes back. We can’t get rid of him. Killing him almost killed you.”

“I wasn’t suggesting we get rid of him or kill him.” She shuffles back in her chair and sets her hands on her knee. “His problem is his inexperience. No matter how early we get him to Brakebills, he doesn’t learn fast enough. We need to... accelerate his learning.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

“We reset further back. When he’s a toddler. Magicians you trust will kidnap him. Raise him as a magician, so when it’s time to come to Brakebills, to fight the beast? He’ll be far more than ready.”

Henry nods slowly, “It’s certainly not your worst idea.”

“And if it doesn’t work, we’ll just reset again. Maybe with Julia or Alice or Margo not at Brakebills.”

He looks down at the desk thoughtfully, before nodding again and looking up at her, “Do it.”

She grins up at him and stands up, hands swiping at the lap of her dress as she does so. “This is going to be a long one.”

“Then we’d best get started.”

**

When Quentin Coldwater is six years old, a couple approach him with matching kind smiles that he doesn’t recognize. The woman with long blonde hair holds a hand out to him, and for a moment he’s confused. But the man waves oddly at him, and Quentin remembers, oh. These are his parents.

He looks over his shoulder at the benches behind him, but turns back around unsure of what he was looking for and takes his mother’s hand.

“Ready to go home, love?”

He nods up at her, as his father takes his free hand.

When Quentin Coldwater is six years old, he ceases to be Quentin Coldwater. He walks out of the park a Watson, unaware of the change.

From then on, his name always feels clunky and wrong when it falls from his mouth. But it’s his name, so he doesn’t question it.

**

When he’s ten, a woman named Jane visits and offers him a book. His parents tell him it’s okay, she’s a family friend, and he takes the book.

Before he knows it, he’s asking for the second, and then the third.

Fillory and Further become a part of his life as if it’d been a part of him that was missing.

**

At fifteen he masters a spell nobody his age should even know about. His parents send him to school during the day, and when he comes home he practices spells until his arms go numb from the movement. His mother makes him biscuits and treats to help him through the studying, and his father teaches him the spells. Each spell is taught movement by movement, and before Quentin knows it, he can cast it perfectly.

His mother hugs him every time he perfects a spell, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

One day, they’re sitting in the study. Quentin’s reading through one of the spell books his father brought from the library, when his father looks up from his own book, and says, thoughtfully, like he’s been mulling it over for a while: “How would you like to learn battle magic?”

Quentin’s head pops up so fast he’s sure he gets whiplash, “Really?”

His father chuckles. “Yes, son, really.”

Quentin looks towards the door, lowering his voice, “Would mom be okay... with that?”

“It was her idea.”

“Wow. Okay. Uhm, yeah. I’d really like that. Is that even allowed?”

He shrugs, “you’re our son. We get to decide what you learn. And we want you to learn battle magic, so you can protect yourself. You’re old enough now.”

Quentin grins, “Okay. Cool. Battle magic. This is. It’s. Really cool?”

Chuckling, his father turns back to his book, “Don’t get too excited, kid. It’s a lot of work.”

“I can handle it.”

“I know.” And if there’s something sad in his tone when he says it, Quentin misses it in his excitement.

**

At age 18, Quentin’s applying to college with his mother, when she looks at him suddenly, and says, “Whatever you do, Q, don’t go to Brakebills.”

He frowns, furrowing his eyebrows, “Mom, that’s not even on the list. Whatever that is.”

She purses her lips and nods, reaching forward to grab his forearm gently, “I know. But one day you’ll hear that name, and I’m asking you. Don’t do it. Only bad things come from Brakebills for you.”

“Mom...”

“Please.”

He sighs, nodding and reaching up with his free hand to place it over hers. “Whatever you want.”

“That’s my boy.” She pulls away and nods back down to the applications, “Now. Which one had the best view of New York?”

**

He gets into Yale and his parents nearly crush him to death with their excitement. They offer to have a party to celebrate, but he doesn’t have any friends, and they’re so proud of him he doesn’t want that to shift to disappointment. So he says he’d rather have a quiet dinner in with his favorite two people.

His mother nearly cries, and his father rolls his eyes.

Quentin doesn’t miss the awkward look they shoot each other before they head into the kitchen, but he waves it off as readying themselves for him leaving for college.

That night, just as he gets out of the shower, the doorbell rings. He frowns, because it’s nearly two am, and walks towards the railing just in time to see his father open the front door downstairs. A man enters, and his father directs him towards his den.

The first, and last, thing he hears before the den door closes is, “Is he ready?”

And that strikes him as odd. But it’s two am, he’s tired, and needs to prepare for college, so he turns around and heads to bed.

**

He’s twenty two when he finally discovers what Brakebills is. He’s on his way to lunch with his mother, a weekly occurrence, when the street he’s walking down disappears and he stumbles onto a fresh field of grass, ahead of him, he sees a collegiate building in the distance, glimmering in the sun. Which is also new, because it’s just been winter.

He sighs. Magic really enjoys fucking with him sometimes. He shakes his head and walks towards the building, because what other choice does he have at this point? As he gets a closer, a figure sitting atop the school sign comes into view.

He stops in front of the man, squinting up at him as the large, stone sign reading Brakebills glare down on him. He ignores that, and the sound of his mother telling him not to go to Brakebills, in favor of staring up at the mysterious man with curly hair that’s disheveled in just the right way.

The man smirks and jumps down from the sign, “So. You’re the legacy, huh?” He asks with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“Legacy?”

“Parents are Brakebills alum? You’ve got a unique grasp on magic? Etc, etc?” He raises an eyebrow again, “Any of this ringing a bell?”

“You know about magic?”

The man makes a face. “Oh honey,” he says, “Do I.” He looks down at his watch, “We’d better get going. You don’t want to be late.”

“Late?”

“Yes. You know, the thing when you’re not on time.”

“What am I going to be late for?”

“Nothing if you get moving. Come on, legacy.”

“It’s Quentin.”

There’s amusement in his voice when he replies, “I know.” He reaches into a pocket and holds up a small white card, “Quentin Watson, legacy.” He smirks and turns his back on Quentin to start walking, “Come on, Quentin Watson, legacy.”

His mother’s words ring in his head, but there’s something about the man that has Quentin moving forward without thinking.

**

He passes the test.

The man is waiting outside the door when he finishes, and grins at him as he exits the room. “How’d you do?” Quentin shrugs, but the mans smirk widens. “Well, then. That’s good.”

“It is?”

“If you did well that means you’ll be around for a while.”

Quentin nods, “Yeah.” He looks up at the man, furrowing his brow, “What’s your name?”

The man shrugs one shoulder with a smug grin. “I’m Eliot.”

**

His mother freaks out when he tells her he’s going to Brakebills. He’s never seen her lose her cool before, but the moment he says Brakebills she rushes across the room and grabs him by the shoulders and tells him she forbids it. Tears burn at her eyes, and her voice shakes as she tells him she won’t allow it.

It takes his father pulling her away for her to calm down. But even he stares down at Quentin like he’s never been more disappointed.

Quentin pretends he hasn’t expected to disappoint his father eventually, and packs his things.

**

Eliot appears with a short brunette when Quentin gets back on campus, and grins mischievously.

The brunette examines Quentin for a moment before rolling her eyes. “He’s not that cute,” she says, but she turns to pat Eliot on the shoulder, and the way her eyes rake over Quentin as she turns, says she thinks differently.

“Uh...”

“Eloquent as ever, legacy,” Eliot murmurs, “Come. We’ve got a short amount of time, and a big campus.”

They take him on a tour of the campus, explaining each of the disciplines as they go. Eliot stops, though, after explaining Psychic, “You probably know all of this, don’t you?”

Quentin shakes his head, “No. My parents didn’t want me to come here, so they never... told me anything about it.”

Eliot tilts his head, “So why did you? Come here?”

Quentin just shrugs and looks down.

They both know why.

**

Alice Quinn tries to bring her brother back.

Instead, a beast crashes through the wards and slaughters fifteen students.  Quentin is frozen in place outside the room when it happens, spelled to his spot. He hears their screams, and then he hears nothing but a pair of shoes scraping against he hardwood floor. And then, an eeeily quiet hiss from the other side of the door;

“Quentin... Coldwater...”

And then he wakes up in the clinic.

**

When he opens his eyes, Eliot and Margo are standing beside his bed with matching looks of concern. When they see his eyes are open, they quickly morph into looks of disinterest as Eliot looks down at him and says, “Hey. There’s our favorite idiot.”

“What happened?”

Margo and Eliot share a look before turning back to him. “We thought you’d know.”

“What?”

“Fifteen kids are dead. I mean, they signed the ‘whoops magic might kill me’ waiver but that doesn’t include some invisible thing somehow breaking through the wards and slaughtering them in class.”

“I. I don’t think it was invisible.”

“What?”

Quentin shrugs, but a pain shoots ip his back and he groans, “Fuck. No. It, Uh. I could hear footsteps. And it said my name. But also, not?”

Margo sits down on the side of the bed. “What the fuck does that even mean, Q?”

“He said Quentin Coldwater? Is there another Quentin on campus?”

Both of them shrug, and Dean Fogg appears with a few other teachers, and the subject is dropped.

**

Quentin doesn’t have a discipline. It’s funny; he knows more magic than most people in the school, has an extensive knowledge of battle magic which is apparently illegal at Brakebills, and he doesn’t have a discipline. But they need to move him out of his dorm and into a house.

Eliot says there’s extra room in the physical kids cottage, so Quentin moves in.

His first night, Eliot hosts a party to welcome him.

He wakes up the next morning, hungover with a warmth pressed against his side. When he opens his eyes, he finds Eliot curled up beside him. They’re both still wearing the clothes from the night before, but Quentin reaches up and brushes the hair out of Eliots face and thinks this is something he could get used to.

Maybe with less clothing.

**

Over the next few weeks, people start to forget about the beast. And Quentin grows closer to Eliot and Margo— And even manages to make friends with a traveler, Penny, and another student he sees secretly practicing battle magic, Kady. And Julia, a smart, quick witted woman he bonds with almost as quickly as he did Margo and Eliot.

They don’t get along with Margo and Eliot, but somehow he manages to create a little group of friends.

He’s never had friends before.

His heart warms up every time he walks into the living room and sees them all sitting there studying or talking or drinking.

Having friends is a lot of things.

But it’s mostly nice.

Just, really nice.

**

Alice Quinn joins their little group. She’s odd, but that’s what makes her a perfect fit. She and Quentin study together in the library for hours on end, both endlessly entranced by the knowledge they’ve yet to learn. Pretty much everyone takes a shine to her almost immediately.

The only one who doesn’t seem to like her is Eliot.

Quentin ignores it most of the time, until they come back from the library late one night and Eliot snaps at her. It’s not the irritation that pisses Quentin off, it’s the fact that Alice feels the need to leave because she’s unwelcome.

He pulls Eliot aside and demands an explanation.

If he’d known being brazen and angry would result in a kiss, he’d have done it a lot sooner.

He’s mid sentence, or yell depending on who asks, when Eliot groans and leans down to press his lips to Quentins. They’re chap, and taste of whiskey, but Quentin can’t help but pull to himself closer.

Whiskey, it turns out, is his favorite flavor.

And jealousy is apparently Eliots.

**

The beast doesn’t come back, and Quentin and Eliot grow closer. Eliot kisses him at the kitchen counter in the morning, minty fresh, and again at night when he pulls him into bed. Quentin forgets the last time he slept in his own bed, but then remembers the comfort of Eliot holding him, and doesn’t care.

There are days that feel right. When Eliot smiles at him from behind a biting joke, or when Margo rolls her eyes at their, “lame relationship grossness.” When Penny says he can hear Eliots thoughts when he’s distracted by Quentin. Or Julia and Kady emerge from their room and sit next to them on the couch, defending their PDA with their own.

But then there are times when Eliot is distant. Like now.

He smiles and jokes and laughs and drinks. He kisses, but they don’t feel like his kisses. There are days that Eliot doesn’t feel like Eliot. And there are moments, just quick flashes that Eliot wipes away with a laugh and. Drink, where he seems to be lost. Like he doesn’t know what just happened. A quirk of the brow, a flash behind his eyes, a curl of his lips, questions that don’t make sense.

But nobody else sees it, so Quentin just smiles and laughs and drinks along, and pretends that everything’s fine.

The chill down his back when Eliot looks at him is easily ignored.

If he tries really hard.

**

Moths start appearing in the cottage. They think it’s an infestation, but no spell they use is able to get rid of them.

Over time, they start to ignore the moths, and it becomes habit to just spell them away when they get to be too annoying.

Over time the weirdness fades, and Eliot is just Eliot.

**

Quentin learns, through no fault of his own, that Fillory is real. And that it’s in danger. The same beast that killed his classmates is killing the world that he’d spent nights of his childhood imagining going to.

And somehow, he thinks, he and his friends are expected to save it.

**

Quentin has a panic attack. Eliot’s with him, holding him through it, shhing him, and pressing soft kisses to the top of his hair. He’s not even sure what brought it on, but when he calms down, all he can do is be thankful he has Eliot.

Even if Eliot seems distant afterwards.

**

They decide to practice battle magic. Kady steals a book from Dean Foggs Office, and she and Quentin become secret faux instructors. Alice and Penny have trouble controlling their emotions, so Kady reluctantly brings up emotion bottles.

They decide it best for everyone to use the bottles, even Kady and Quentin, to explore the strengths behind them.

As they let go of their emotions, Quentin looks across the room at Eliot. For the first time since they got together and he started drowning himself in his feelings, he can see the state he’s in. His eyes are sunken in, and he’s so much skinnier than he was when they first met.

“I’m worried about you,” he says. For once he doesn’t worry about what might come after. He just says what he’s thinking.

Eliots eyes fall on him. “Did you forget to use your bottle?”

“No. I’m worried about you.”

Margo takes a step forward, “You can discuss this later. We have more pressing matters at hand.”

Quentin nods, “You’re right.”

And they all head outside, the conversation forgotten in the cottage.  

**

Three hours come and go too quickly. Penny signals the end of their time, and they all swallow down their emotions.

It all comes rushing back in. He falls to his knees in the center of the clearing, the weight of everything he usually ignores bearing down on him. He can vaguely hear Alice sobbing behind him, and Margo choking on something in front of him. Eliot stumbles beside him, and Penny completely vanishes. Kady kneels on the ground on his other side, putting her head between her legs.

He knows he doesn’t have the healthiest brain or mental situation, but this is so far from what he’d expected the rush of emotions coming back would feel like.

The only thing that keeps him from collapsing in on himself is the one good feeling, there at the center of his chest, blossoming through the pain.

He squeezes his eyes shut and reaches out for Eliot.

Eliot latches onto his hand as tight as he can.

**

He recognizes her almost immediately.

She’s walking out of Dean Foggs Office with his mother. Just as he’s about to approach her and ask what they’re doing there, his mother says something that doesn’t make any sense.

“He is my son, Jane. He is.”

Jane rubs a hand over her back, “I know it feels that way, love. But you knew what you were both getting into when you agreed to help.”

“No. We didn’t know we’d love him. Or that we’d be sending him to die.”

Jane clicks her tongue defiantly. “He won’t die.”

Quentin’s mother shakes her head and pulls away. “We thought we were protecting him. You just wanted him to be a weapon.”

“If you truly thought that you wouldn’t have done everything we asked.”

The statement is followed by a hollow sob, and they start walking again.

Quentin emerges from his place in the hallway, watching after them as they disappear around a turn. His eyes dart towards Dean Foggs door, and without thinking, he casts a spell to unlock it and storms in, chest heaving as the confusion clouds his head.

Dean Fogg looks up and sighs. “Already?” He asks, motioning towards the chair across from him. “Have a seat, Quentin.” Quentin’s chin trembles, but he moves around to sit in the chair. “If your appearance is anything to go by you’ve discovered something you shouldn’t have.”

He stares up at him for a moment, before asking, quiet and not at all sure it’s the right question, “Who’s Quentin Coldwater?”

If the dean is shocked by the question, he doesn’t show it. “Isn’t that the name the beast said before it sent you to the infirmary?” Quentin nods once, short. “And what makes you think I know who Quentin Coldwater is?”

Quentin clenches his jaw and leans forward. “Who’s. Quentin. Coldwater?”

Dean Fogg tilts his head. “Tell me,” he says, “What is your earliest memory?”

“What does that—“

“Humor me.”

He thinks back. The furthest he can remember is that day at the park, when he was . . . “I was six? Maybe seven. We were at the park.”

“Who’s we?”

“My— mom and dad said it was time to leave early.”

The dean nods, “And you don’t remember getting to the park.” It’s not a question, but still, Quentin shakes his head. “Interesting.”

They’re both silent for a long beat.

Finally, Quentin heaves a breath, and says so quiet, he’s not even sure anyone but him can hear it, “They’re not my parents. Are they?”

But Dean Fogg must, because he replies. “No, Quentin. They’re not.”

**

Quentin Coldwater.

The walk back to the cottage is numb. The name plays back and forth in his head. He’d never felt like he belonged, but he thought that was on him and the stupid shit his brain does. Not in the fact that his parents aren’t his parents.

He’d never in a million years have guessed that.

He wants to hide in his room, ignore everyone and everything. But when he gets back to the cottage, it’s just Eliot, and he’s standing at the foot of the stairs with a mischevious smile on his face like he’s got something planned.

So Quentin puts on as much of a smile as he can and asks, “What are you up to?”

Eliot shrugs and motions towards the kitchen, “Follow the yellow brick road and you’ll see, Toto.”

Quentin leans forward, “I don’t see a yellow brick road.”

Eliot rolls his eyes and pulls Quentin in by his belt loops, pressing a kiss to his temple. “You’re supposed to use your imagination. Like normal people do.”

“Am I normal?”

Eliot frowns against Quentin’s temple and pulls away to stare down at him. “What’s wrong?” Just as Quentin opens his mouth to reply, Eliot shakes his head, “If you say nothing I’ll probably turn you into a toad. And I don’t know how to reverse that.”

“Yes you do.”

“I can make myself forget.”

Quentin sighs, “It’s. I really don’t want to think about it right now.”

Eliot watches him for a moment before sighing, “Fine. We’ll do the big romantic thing I have planned, and then you’re going to tell me what’s wrong. And then I’ll make you feel better.” He raises an eyebrow with a smirk, “Deal?”

“Deal.”

Eliot holds his hand out for him, and Quentin takes it after a moments hesitation. His heart pumps against his chest as he’s dragged through the living room and into the kitchen.

He almost forgets his entire life is a lie when he sees the candle lit dinner on the table and the vase of orchids at the center of it all.

“Oh.”

“I know I’ve been acting strange lately, Q. So I thought I could do something romantic.”

“Who knew you were capable.”

Eliot swipes at him jokingly and pulls one of the chairs out. “In all honesty I had a little help from Julia and Kady. But I’ve prepared the meal, so. I did all the heavy lifting and they don’t matter.” He looks up at him, stopping in his tracks, “Why are you crying?”

He hasn’t even realized he’s crying. He reaches up and swipes at the tears and shrugs, “I just—I’m—“

Eliot moves back around to kneel in front of him, hands overtop his knees. “Q. You need to talk to me about whatever this is.”

It’s a weird rare glimpse into his serious side.

“I—“ he stops, chin trembling. “It’s all a lie.”

“What is?”

“My life. My— they’re not my—I was—I don’t even know what I was. Adopted? Kidnapped? I don’t. I don’t have any information. I just.”

Eliot makes a face, but nods. “Alright. My Quentin translator is broken. So I’m going to need you to repeat that in normal person speak.”

Quentin nods, swallowing thickly as he slides down the wall to sit on the floor. “My parents aren’t—they. My name isn’t actually Quentin Watson. I mean. I always knew it sounded weird? I just assumed it was because—because I never fit in. Apparently there’s a reason for that, too.” He looks down at his lap, pulling at the hem of his shirt. “That day the beast attacked. He, Uh. The name he said.” He looks up from beneath his eyelashes.

“Quentin Coldwater.” Eliot face is remarkably blank when he says it. Like it isn’t the most crushing thing he’s ever heard.

Which is ridiculous because Quentin’s entire world is imploding.

“Yeah.”

Eliot maneuvers them both around until he can pull Quentin into a hug. He brushes his fingers through Quentin’s hair, “I’m sorry, Q,” he breathes.

“Thanks.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Neither do I.”

**

Two nights later, they decide to practice battle magic again. Quentin’s still shaken up over the big reveal, unable to convince himself to talk to his—to the people that raised him, so he has no choice but to use the bottle. He’s not focused enough to go without it. Alice, Penny and Kady all go without it.

Julia, Margo and Eliot join him in relinquishing his misery and whatever they’ve got bottled up inside of them.

At the end of the three hours, they stand at the center of the clearing and swallow their feelings back down. Penny catches Quentin before he can collapse, and the others catch Julia, Margo and Eliot before they fall as well.

They help them back into the house, and sit them down on the couch. Quentin’s learning up against Eliot, chest heaving as the one good thing amongst all the pain swirls around him pumping with his heart beat.

“This is real,” he breathes into Eliots shoulder. “You and me.”

Eliot nods, reaching up with a hand to cup Quentin’s cheek. “You and me.”

Quentin swallows down the words that try to force their way out and offers a small smile in response, curling up against Eliots side so he can fall asleep.

He’ll say it eventually.

**

The house is full, Eliots having another party. He’s making a set of cocktails when Margo approaches Quentin and watches him watch Eliot. He turns to look at her after a moment, “Do you need something?”

She shakes her head, leaning up to rest her elbow on his shoulder. “I just think you should tell him.”

“What?”

“I mean you two have been together for a while. I’m pretty sure he’s the only reason you ignored your parents —“

“They’re not my parents—“

“—and it’s so disgustingly obvious. Just say it. It’ll stop weighing on you.”

“Margo...”

She pulls away and squeezes his arm, “You’ve been through some shit, I get it. But if you keep going on like this, you’re going to get too scared and push him away. And I like you, Q, really I do. But if you hurt him I’ll have to turn every bone in your body into oatmeal or something equally hideously awful. So just tell him.”

He looks back across the room, just in time to make eye contact with Eliot, who shoots him a smile before handing another student the cocktail in his hand. “I can’t.”

“You can.”

How does he explain to her that there’s that weird flash in his eyes? Or that that’s not the usual smile Eliot reserves for him? How he can’t say it to him now because it feels wrong?

He can’t.

She wouldn’t understand.

“Okay.”

She pats his shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Q. Your real family may be fake, but we’re your family, too. And there’s nothing fake about that.” She leans up and presses a kiss to his cheek, “Now go tell your boyfriend you love him so I don’t have to watch you two dance around the topic for the rest of your days.”

“It wouldn’t have been—“

“Go!”

He sighs as she shoves him, and makes his way across the room to Eliot. Eliot grins down at him, leaning down to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I was wondering how long you were going to play wall flower.”

“I was thinking we could go somewhere quieter.”

Eliot perks a brow and nods, “My answer depends on whether this is a sex thing or —“

“El.”

“Alright, Alright.” He sets the cocktail down and notions towards the kitchen. Quentin makes a face, but Eliot shrugs, “Nobody spends time in the kitchen at a physical kids party, Q. Come on.” Before Quentin can even think to respond, Eliots pulling him into the kitchen and pressing him up against the wall by the door. His lips slide down to his jaw, as he kisses his way towards Quentin’s collarbone.

“Eliot this—fuck. Okay. No. Not a sex thing!”

Eliot pulls away, tilting his head. “Okay. So it’s serious.”

Chewing on his lower lip, Quentin nods. “Kind of, Yeah.”

“Okay.” He pulls back, hands staying lightly on Quentin’s hips. “What’s going on?”

Quentin watches him for a moment, unsure of how to start. He swallows, thick, and reaches up to twirl one of the longer curls at the base of Eliots neck. “Everything in my life—I don’t know what’s real. Dean Fogg apparently orchestrated my kidnapping for whatever reason, and I. I don’t know anything about anything.” Eliot opens his mouth, but Quentin shakes his head and barrels on. “I wasn’t even going to come to his school, but then I met you, and I knew I didn’t want to miss out on knowing you.”

“Well, I am an exceptional human being so —“

Quentin pinches him playfully. It’s not him, but it is. This is Eliot, no matter what Quentin’s stupid brain tries to say. “Shut up. I’m trying to tell you I love you and you’re ruining it.”

Eliots face goes blank. “What?”

“Shit. I—Uh. I. Love. You?”

He watches him, silent, and just as Quentin’s heart is going to fucking burst, something new flashes in Eliots eyes and he steps away. “I have something for you,” he says, holding his hands out in front of him. “Just —stay there, okay? Don’t move.”

And then he rushes out of the kitchen like Quentin hadn’t just told him he loves him.  

Quentin stares into the dark of the kitchen, lit only be the moon breaking through the sliver of curtains on the window over the sink. He doesn’t have a lot of time to freak out, though, because Eliot comes back, smile on his face. His real smile. His just for Quentin smile, and Quentin’s overcome and he pulls him in for a kiss. His hearts pounding against his chest, and he loves Eliot with everything in him, and it’s okay if he isn’t ready to say it. It’s okay if it’s one side so long as they can still have this.

Eliot opens his mouth in the kiss, like he’s about to say something and for a moment Quentin thinks maybe it is real on both sides, that he’s going to say it back.

But then there’s a shattering pain in his chest that sucks all the air out of him and Eliot’s pulling away. Breathless, Quentin looks down to find the virgo blade sticking of his chest, with Eliots fingers wrapped around he base of it.

He chokes on air, and looks back up at Eliot. Unable to feel anything but shock, and the agonizing fire burning in his chest.

And then the flash in his eyes disappears and is replaced by a calm peace and then an overwhelming terror and confusion. “Q?”

Quentin coughs, hacking and violent and something wet and irony pours out of his mouth as he legs collapse from beneath him.

“Oh my god,” Eliot falls to the ground with him, holding him in his arms. One of his hands pays the air around he knife like he’s unsure of what to do—like he doesn’t know he’s the one that did it. “Oh god. Q—I don’t. Oh god.” Quentin’s eyes grow heavy as Eliot pulls him into his chest.

Then there’s a scream.

“Quentin!” He thinks it’s Margo, but he can’t open his eyes to see.

“We—I don’t know what happened. One second—he told me he loved me. And the next there’s—there’s a fucking knife sticking out of his chest!” Eliots arms squeeze him tighter, and Quentin just wants to ask why, why Eliot would do this—just why.

But then everything goes dark.

“Oh god, No.”

**

“He’s remembering,” Jane says, “How else would he have known?”

“Or—“

“There is no or. He remembered Quentin, that was worrying enough. But he had enough foresight and knowledge to control one of the students. The student Quentin is closest to? Do you really think that’s a coincidence?”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

Jane falls back in her chair, “I don’t know. We can’t stop. Extra wards and security measures, obviously. He’s not going to take Eliot over again, there’s no point. For some reason, he perceives Quentin as his threat. And he’s eliminated that threat.”

“We need to reset.”

“We do. Have you told them about his death?”

Henry shakes his head. “It’s an unnecessary pain. They’ve already dealt with enough when it comes to Quentin.”

“So, we won’t be trying this again.”

“No,” Henry looks across the room to the students standing around Quentin’s body on the infirmary table. “It’s clear training Quentin is the wrong way. Weak link he may be, this isn’t the solution. We need to change something else.”

Jane nods. “I agree. What do we do now?”

“We can’t reset until we figure out what to change next. Eliot needs a spell to forget.”

“They all do.”

They stop talking and watch as Eliot stares blankly at Quentin, Margo and Penny at his sides. They both pull away as the nurse approaches, but Eliot keeps his eyes on Quentin.

“What shall we —“

There’s a commotion as Eliot stands up and casts a spell. The nurse attempts to cast faster, to bind his hands, but it’s too late. A sickening crack echoes around the room, and he falls to the ground like a lifeless doll.

Margo’s scream shatters the air around them.

Henry looks at Jane. “We can’t do this again.”

“We have to.”

“Then let’s separate them all. Perhaps never allowing them the chance to meet will change things.”

“Are we certain? Every new loop will bring my brother closer to understanding.”

He watches as the others all stare down at Eliot on the ground with varying degrees of shock and nods. “Do it.”

So she does.

#The magicians #queliot #quentin coldwater #eliot waugh #im not happy with it #but i havent been writing much #and i wanted to get it out #so #here ya go #also if its not clear #eliot was being controlled by the beast for a lot fo the time he and quentin were together

[fortescew]

Look, another character? Another character. It’s Jinx again with Alice Fortescue. 

LILY JAMES? No, that’s actually ALICE FORTESCUE from the MARAUDERS ERA. You know, the child of GERVAIS and LUCILLE FORTESCUE? About to begin SEVENTH YEAR, this SLYTHERIN student is sided with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. SHE identifies as a FEMME/NB and is a PUREBLOOD who is known to be ESCAPIST, HYPERCRITICAL, and COMPARTMENTALIZES but also RESOURCEFUL, AMBITIOUS, and OPEN-MINDED.

TW: miscarriage, stillborn birth, drugs, death

aspiring auror. daughter. sister. droobles blowing gum champion. strawberry bubblegum ice cream queen. martial artist. lover of herbology, divination, and popcorn. dueling & herbology club as well as frog choir.  collector of sunglasses, records, jewelry, happy memories & silly beliefs.

Childhood started off as a dream for Alice. Being close with both of her parents, and spending most of her time learning trades from them, she felt like she floating on cloud nine. Having a little sister like Pandora made Alice even happier than she could ever imagine. Growing up in Galway with all the life around them, the world was theirs. The girl was so effervescent, that people were drawn to her light, to her kindness, to her free-spirited nature. Alice had always been particularly close with her dad who brought back souvenirs from his missions as an Auror, and the world around her, the unknown was something she wanted to discover. When her was dad away on missions, her mom would instill these ideals in her on how to be a kid, lifeskills, just fun things about magic, playing in the garden, things for the soul. When her dad came back her mom stepped back while he taught Alice how to do martial arts, how to hold a wand properly, how to wand formations, about history, everything she could know. What her father did though, Alice started asking question after question until she was absolutely convinced that being an Auror was now her calling as well – all at the age of five. Alice was a naturally kind child, and the reason she was so drawn to the profession of being an Auror is because it was driving some sort of darkness away. It wasn’t just her who wanted that goal either because other people wanted to be Aurors as well – she was part of something bigger than herself.

Alice wasn’t alone in thinking her dreams were wonderful and that’s what made her parent’s relationship beautiful, how they balanced each other out, wanted the same things even if they were different. Alice is still pureblood and from a wealthy family, she still had privilege, even if she is a known blood traitor but she valued this concept greatly. Everyone in her family did. Together they were this perfect, balanced family unit up until the age of nine until everything fell apart. At age eight, when her mother announced she was pregnant, Alice was over the moon, until something went wrong. When her little brother was born, he was a stillborn, and it devastated both of her parents. While her father was able to move on from the loss, her mother withdrew from her daughters & husband, staying in her room, and separating herself from them. Alice tried everything she did to help, to get through to her mother, but there was nothing she could do. Alice knew they had to move forward, that she couldn’t be like her mother, and had to be there for her younger sister to continue on. 

After her mom’s stillborn child is when Alice really had to learn to have the emotional & mental capacity to learn to take care of herself, to deal with her emotions, and soon she felt obliged to take care of her mom.  Alice & Pandora were their surviving children, who were spoiled rotten, and never had to go through anything relatively traumatic until there was this one gigantic thing where it was either – they soothed themselves or they fell apart. Alice would not fall apart, so she internalized it all and felt like she had to shoulder all of the burden of balancing out the household when her dad decided to go on more missions while her mom withdrew for those two years ( and for many years after ) before she went to Hogwarts. It still was never perfect but it was the best a 10 year old could do, and really, it wasn’t what a ten year old should’ve been doing at all. For both her and her sister, Florean’s became an escape and a safe haven. When her dad was there, it was like walking on eggshells, which is why there was so much time spent outside the house, but Alice got a break. A well deserved break where she was allowed to focus on herself, where she forced herself to, almost as if she was recharging her battery. When it was just Alice, Pandora and they mom, she paid almost all the attention she could feeling the pressure pile on top of her, while still furthering her own goals as an escape. Soon, Alice became an escapist, literally in some senses, to survive living there – something that has lasted well throughout her teen years. Before, when Alice’s goals and dreams were often talked about in passing as just a common topic, were now taboo. She had to force her dreams inward, she had to keep going and motivate herself when it was just her, Pandora and her mother. Her sister was her guiding light, a reason she stayed so anchored & so balanced. A reason she kept moving forward. Her ambition, her wanting to become an Auror anchors her, and while she doesn’t know if she can always depend on herself – Alice always knows she can depend on being an Auror. Just as Doctors can depend on the fact that there will always be sick people, Alice can depend on the fact that people die, people change, there’s always a Dark Wizard lurking around every corner & that the war is tearing apart people’s lives every day – it’s the ugly truth.

When she got to Hogwarts, there was a part of her that was surprised that she was put into Slytherin. Even if Alice did fit into the house like a glove, knew that her ambition to be an Auror was probably the reason she was placed in it the first place, the other houses like Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw appealed to her. The first year away from her sister, Alice wrote her almost ever day and cried weekly when she was away from her sister worried that she’d feel the same burden of living with their mom that she did. Worried that Pandora would need more help than she could get ( though, Pandora was PERFECTLY functional & on top of things, it was all anxiety that consumed Alice ). She found herself spending more and more time with Ravenclaws & Hufflepuffs, which cultivated more of an open-mind, and while she did well in school, Alice often daydreamed quite a lot. On occasion even used recreational drugs like pot ( & LSD ), because she just had to experience everything – the world was so big, so vast, and although there were some parts – mainly the blood prejudice she witnessed – that were ugly, the rest was so fantastic. 

RANDOM BULLET POINTS:

Is a dog person over a cat person, literally loves dogs so much and has been trying to get Hogwarts to let her dog in.

love pandora with all her heart tbh if you want to make her angry mention her sister rudely and you’ll be WRECKEDT

Is very short and tiny but can kick your ass EASILY. trained in martial arts and has a very strict exercise regime that she follows everyday!! 

has a cute irish accent but speaks french w/o it, the only time you’d really think she’s french

 can sing but isn’t AMAZING but loves singing and dancing, her and pandora TURN UP IN GALWAY

 speaking of singing this is a very alice song that she would sing also how i could see her voice

doesn’t talk about her problems, if you can get her to talk about her problems you’re doing more than I even can. She’s very much due to fall apart any minute now or just have a good cry but she’s compartmentalized so much so GOOD LUCK.

Sees the good in people because she believes that a lot of people can be better than they actually are being, especially in her house. Will often challenge people gently around her.

Also likes to fuck w/ people who are blood prejudice by being extremely calm w/ them. Unless you threaten her friends/call them slurs. More often then not Alice will just calmly fight the bigoted logic and has to really REALLY try hard not to punch them in the face

( has probably punched one of them in the face )

Is very into physical platonic affection!!!!

Dyes her hair different colors and is ETERNALLY unhappy with her hair. She’s always fussing around with it, always changing it and doesn’t know what to do with it. Alice’s natural hair color is a really dusty blonde, I’d even say a dirty blonde. She really loves to experiment with it though, so she’ll cut it and dye it all sorts of colors - from neon green to brown. From a pixie cut down below her waist. Anything and everything. Sometimes, in an attempt to just get out of her own head and escape for a bit, cutting & coloring her hair is fun and gives her some of a respite. She knows it’s just hair and it’ll easily grow back with a hair potion and just does it as a way to cope with not feeling completely comfortable in her appearance. She also does ridiculous makeup, sometimes adorning very shimmery glitter all across her eyelids and wearing funky socks that don’t always match her uniform. Sometimes she prefers to wear pants instead of a skirt, and puts pins of all sorts up and down her tie. Alice also owns an extensive sunglasses collection that she tries to wear on weekends or just times when she’s outside & the sun is out. In more modern times or times where she’d have access to more knowledge about the LGBT/queer community, she’d identify as non-binary but at the moment she’s very in the dark and just believes it to be her being very self conscious. I could see if she was introduced to this knowledge and educated, she’d be able to self identify as she’s already aware that she’s not straight at all, but until then she’s sort of in the dark. It would be a lovely thing to see though as the RP progresses if someone could educate her or point her in the right direction!

Is very underestimated I imagine?? And definitely lets her own skill speak for itself ( unless you piss her off she’ll occasionally talk a big game lmfao ), but until the second half of this year was much more free spirited and now is very much stressed and just much more serious.

That’s all I can think of rn but YEAH thanks for reading ur the real MVP

#eras intro #FINALLY #jeeeeezus #its not the best but i dont mind it

[banshee-cheekbones]

and we’re back with round two! like it says on the tin, this is a complete list of what I’ve written between the beginning of April and the end of June!

some statistics:

total number of fics: 67

total number of fandoms: 12

total word count: 75,925

most common pairing: Malia/Kira and Betty/Veronica are both tied with four fics a piece!

and now, for the fics!

American Gods

a conversation long overdue. Audrey/Laura. 1615 words. Rated T. ao3. “You know, it didn’t have to be Robbie. It could have been you, just as easily, if you’d been the one to pick up the phone. If you’d been the one to come over and deal with the fucking cat.”

energetic praise you wanted. Bilquis/Media. 250 words. Rated M. ao3. "Oh, honey," she says, words ghosting over Bilquis' swollen flesh. "I'm afraid that isn't going to work on me."

rage looks good on you. Audrey/Laura. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "You are the most selfish bitch in the entire universe."

Borderlands

a high degree of caution. Lilith/Mad Moxxi. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "You know, this is definitely on the list of things most people don't screw around with."  

Crossover

Intermission. Allison Argent (Teen Wolf) / Jo Harvelle (Supernatural). 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "You know, I could have taken that vamp on my own."

Gotham

a little healthy competition. Barbara/Tabitha. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "I bet that I can make you come before they finish their set."

Hannibal

Decoy. Alana/Margot. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. For the time being, using Will as a decoy is the best option available to them.

once, twice, three times. Beverly/Molly. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. Beverly has never been much of a believer in the concept of soulmates.

Jane Got A Gun (2016)

weak spot (everybody has one). John Bishop/Vic Owen. 1248 words. Rated M. ao3. “If you cannot hold your tongue, I will cut it out of your head.”

Logan (2017)

change of plans. Donald Pierce/Logan. 3655 words. Rated T. ao3. When Logan refuses to give Pierce the girl, Pierce decides to tell him a secret.

how to fall through the cracks. Donald Pierce/Logan. 3245 words. Rated M. ao3. Pierce and Logan have met before, in an El Paso bar in the early hours of the morning. Logan just doesn't remember.

threat assessment. Donald Pierce/Logan. 5268 words. Rated M. ao3. Pierce and Logan have met before, in an El Paso bar in the early hours of the morning. Logan just doesn't remember.

Pierce, on the other hand, remembers everything.

Power Rangers (2017)

comfort above all else. Kimberly/Trini. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. "Are any of those clothes yours?"

no sign of movement.  Kimberly/Trini. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. "Trini," she says for the eighth time, "we're going to be late if you don't move."

the thing that lives in the dark. Rita Repulsa/Trini. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. All small towns have their own sets of tales, their own legends passed down through generations. Angel Grove is no different.

Wrong Number. Kimberly/Trini. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. A little miscommunication with the boys means that Trini and Kim have half an hour to themselves.

Preacher

Sacrilegious. Emily/Tulip. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. Emily is fairly certain that what she's doing counts as an act of sacrilege.

Riverdale

an unspoken promise. Betty/Veronica. Rated G. ao3. Veronica has been given enough jewelry in her life to recognize a necklace box when she sees it.

Betrothal. Cheryl/Polly. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. The footsteps stop on her left, and when she glances left through the netting of her veil, she's met with a glimpse of vivid red hair. It belongs to a Blossom, there's no doubt about that, but it's the wrong Blossom.

do you do more than dance? Betty/Cheryl. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. Cheryl Blossom is dancing on a table in a fire-red bralette and pleated skirt, and she won't stop staring at Betty.

feels like the first time. Alice/FP. 3380 words. Rated E. ao3. On a hot summer night by the shores of Sweetwater River, after senior year comes to an end, Alice and FP find a moment of bliss.  

find a home for your love (home isn’t always a place). Alice/FP/Fred. 5407 words. Rated E. ao3. Sometimes, a threesome isn't just a threesome. Sometimes, it's a plea for something more

hit me (where you want it). Betty/Cheryl. 250 words. Rated E. ao3. Cheryl doesn't know where the cane originally came from, but she does know that Betty knows how to use it.

Hitch. Betty/Cheryl/Veronica. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "Let Veronica eat you out."

how to keep a secret. Alice/Hermione. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. Hal has no idea that she's been intermittently fantasizing about Hermione Lodge since high school.

just keep your eyes on me. Betty/Veronica. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. It's not that Betty is afraid of heights. Really. She's not.

one day (i’ll kiss it all away). Betty/Veronica. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. Veronica is thirteen when she starts feeling her soulmate's pain.

peel it all back. Alice/Hermione. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. At initial glance, Alice Cooper's entire life is the definition of neat.

running interference. Alice/Hermione. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. The supply closet of the White Wyrm is not made for make-out sessions.

somewhere in her smile. Hermione/Mary. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. "We could be like them," she says, lowering her gaze to where Mary's fingers are clasped in her lap. "Like FP and Fred. If you wanted to."

stages of healing. FP/Fred. 1509 words. Rated T. ao3. FP’s hands have been scarred for as long as Fred can remember.

vow of silence. Betty/Veronica. 250 words. Rated E. ao3. "We have to be quiet."

Supernatural

savor the present. Anna/Jo. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. The last time Jo saw her, Anna was 19. The time before that, she was 32. Next time, she might be 70 or 4. There's no way to predict.

Stress Relief. Meg 2.0/Ruby 1.0. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. "Get yourself a new meatsuit?"

swallow it down. Meg 2.0/Ruby 1.0. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "Sex pollen? Are you kidding me?"

Vacation Plans. Castiel/Dean. 965 words. Rated M. ao3. Written for the prompt “cas/dean - cas walks in on dean jerking off OR vice versa :D."

Teen Wolf

a day in the sun. Peter/Stiles. 494 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. Peter can think of about a dozen different places that he'd rather be off the top of his head, but it was Stiles' turn to pick where they went for their weekly Saturday date, and as much as Peter likes upsetting traditions, there are some things that he simply can't be bothered to go against.

all the amenities of home. Allison/Kira/Lydia. 1879 words. Rated E. ao3 & tumblr. Established polyamory, sex tapes, masturbation and facesitting.

any way you want it (that’s the way you need it). Malia/Kira. 2429 words. Rated E. ao3 & tumblr. Malia wants to know how to make Kira feel good. The obvious solution is to watch her masturbate.

Begin Transmission. Derek/Stiles & Isaac/Scott. Completed WIP. 26 chapters, 11 added since first quarter. 55,178 words total, 19,346 added since last quarter. Rated E. ao3. After the events with the alpha pack and the darach, Stiles is thrust into his new role as the emissary for Scott’s pack. It’s a demanding position, one that requires years and years of study.

bite down, bite down (into me). Allison/Stiles. 1036 words. Rated E. ao3 & tumblr. Allison Argent is the furthest thing from a werewolf, but you wouldn’t know that from how eagerly she sinks her teeth into Stiles’ flesh.

Cold Comfort. Laura/Lydia. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. The scream tears Lydia out of sleep, rips her out of a dream that she immediately forgets.

Comfort Food. Malia/Kira. 414 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. Malia is standing in front of her locker, one hand crumpled into a fist at her side, the other clutching a sheet of paper that's nearly torn in half. There's a deep dent in the door of the locker, so deep that Kira is surprised the metal didn't completely break. Malia's breathing is loud and uneven, and Kira approaches her slowly, not wanting to surprise her.

Contentment. Braeden/Kira. 544 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. Braeden's never been particularly fond of sharing her things with others, but for almost five years, Kira has been the exception, particularly when it comes to clothes.

Exchange. Braeden/Laura. 500 words. Rated G. ao3. Breaking into Hale Industries is a cakewalk.

Firelight. Kira/Lydia. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. The slur in Kira's voice is soft but distinct, and Lydia glances down at her tipsy girlfriend, who is stretched out with her head in Lydia's lap.

hiding in plain sight. Erica/Kali. 500 words. Rated T. ao3. "Should have left town when you had the chance, Kali."

it comes seeping in (when you close your eyes). Allison/Nogitsune. 1328 words. ao3. The other girl’s eyes, her eyes, are very black, impossibly black, and when Allison stares at them, she has the distinct feeling that the ground underneath her feet is tilting, that she’s about to fall into a deep hole that she’ll never be able to claw her way out of.

just the two of us. Boyd/Erica. 2431 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. The one where Erica gets a cold at college, Boyd comes to take care of her, and love confessions happen.

make some noise. Laura/Stiles. 527 words. Rated E. ao3 & tumblr. The real reason she'd opted out of the trip was because of Stiles, because she wanted to be loud in her own bedroom for once.

Nightcall. Parrish/Stiles. 1680 words. Rated T. ao3 & tumblr. Jordan can count on one hand the number of times he’s worked a quiet night shift since moving to Beacon Hills.

(Or, the one where on-duty phone sex is almost a thing, but a collapsing shelf gets in the way.)

nothing but sun and sand. Malia/Kira. 1210 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. On the first day of their week-long vacation, Kira and Malia share a moment of quiet down by the ocean.

only oceans can separate us. Cora/Lydia. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. "You should get to bed soon, babe."

put the past behind you. Lydia/Malia. 250 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. "I know this is weird for both of us, and I know you don't wanna talk about it. Do you wanna get drunk and make out in the bathroom instead?"

rate your pain. Allison/Stiles. 438 words. Rated T. ao3 & tumblr. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think this is going to hurt?"

ripped to shreds. Laura/Stiles. 386 words. Rated T. ao3 & tumblr. And, also like her, he wants to rip off Kate Argent's head.

sands of time. Noshiko/Marie-Jeanne & Allison/Kira. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. In the 900 years of her life, Noshiko has had relationships with more people than she can count.

seasons change (but people don’t). Malia/Kira. 2340 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. The one where Malia hates airports but is willing to brave the chaos so that she can finally meet Kira in person.

sway. Allison/Malia. 250 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. Malia is never drinking again.

sync up the cuts (to the bass drum kick). Laura/Stiles. 581 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. Watching Laura perform is like watching a tornado decimate a town.

Territorial. Laura/Kali. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. “I thought I told you to get out of my territory.”

the best girlfriend ever. Allison/Stiles. 636 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. “I really hope this doesn’t look as ridiculous as it feels.”

Tighten Up. Allison/Erica. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. "How much time do we have until the game is over?"

Total Control. Allison/Scott/Stiles. 312 words. Rated T. ao3 & tumblr. Allison takes his left wrist, while Stiles' thicker fingers take his right, and as they start winding the scarves (or at least that's what they feel like) around his wrists and the headboard, it becomes clear just how flimsy the fabric is, how easy it would be to tear through it.

The Walking Dead

a loud awakening. Daryl/Jesus. 453 words. Rated G. ao3 & tumblr. His fingers skim over a sun-warmed hip, and he cracks open one eye just long to see Jesus looking down at him with an amused smile on his face, hair loose around his shoulders, bare-chested with a mug of coffee in his hand.

a steady decline. Andrea/Michonne. 250 words. Rated G. ao3. Andrea is getting sicker.

getting caught (ain’t always a bad thing). Daryl/Jesus. 918 words. Rated M. ao3 & tumblr. When Jesus wakes up to an empty apartment on his day off, he decides to use his time in the shower for other purposes.

Proximity. Beth/Carol. 250 words. Rated T. ao3. While the days are growing longer and warmer, the interior of the prison is still cold, especially at night.

#mine #mine: masterlist #twfemslashwritersnet #twfemslashcreatorsnet #when compared to last month i wrote more fics but word count was less #we shall see how the third quarter goes!

[nesthemonster]

Waffles.

Hiii *waves hands* This is 💩, I know. But the idea won't leave my mind. And each excuse is good to not study for Anatomy. So, forgive me. And you say say anything good or bad (but non unuseless critiques, tumblr is not for that NAH NAH) Love you all, Besitooooss "(Y/n), you have to give your neighbor a chance!" Said Sasha as you entered the cafè. "There's no way I could ever go out with him!" You said rising your voice and removing hat and scarf as the place was very hot and cozy."You haven't listened to the music he listens to. At very high volume. At midnight. He will always be 'the guy who tries to catch a Mariah high note.'Yep. No way I could ever change my mind." "But he has been so damn sweet this morning helping us with the car!" Added Beatrice pinching your arm. You and you friends were at your weekly breakfast appointment: each Sunday you and the girls would have brunch to have a little chat and spend some quality time together because during the week between boyfriends, university and a gazillion of other things it was impossible to gather the four of you for more than 10 minutes. Usually you would hit a cute lounge bar on the opposite of the city but that day was so snowy and windy that the girls decided to meet at 'Home Cafè'. It was really your home: most of the morning before lessons or evernings you would be at your little table next to the window doing homework, reading or simply relaxing. Theodore and Mary Home were like parents and you have witnessed their lives, the lives of their children and granchildren in the last 4 years. You have seen waitresses and waiters coming and going. "At least you'll be always here." As Mary once said. For these reasons the girls forced you to 'cheat' on them each Sunday. "The girls are right! You have to let the world see you! You can't bring clients only to our little place." Said Theodore winking at you the time he witnessed the girls and you fighting about this particular topic. "I said no. It takes more than a pretty pair of eyes to make interested in a boy." You said waving and walking towards the table where Alice was sitting. Unless it was that particular pair of eyes. You were looking at your friend when your attention was caught by the door opening on te opposite of the room. A boy, better, a man entered the room sliding a hand into his short, black hair and smiling towards a group of men sitted nearby. His eyes were beautiful. The whole face was. But the eyes were to die for: they were brown, chocolate brown, melted chocolate brown. And they were big. And awake. Awake?! Since when 'awake' is a way to describe pretty pair of eyes? You felt ipnotized. You felt a sense of warmth in the deepest part of your stomach. You completely blacked-out and you would have continued to swim in his features if he hadn't turned his head to you and smiled even more. Was it possible that his eyes were even brighter?! That's when you felt your friends calling your name. "(Y/n)?! Girl, are you ok?" Asked Sasha right behind you. "I- I'm-.." You were too startstuck and embarassed to formulate a full sentence. HE CAUGHT YOU STARING. "The last time I saw that face was in senior year when Trevor was moved into our class.-said Alice sipping nonchalantly her coffee- WAIT. WHAT HAVE I JUST SAID. YOU HAD A HUGE CRUSH ON THE DUCHE.- and started moving as she was looking for something- WHO IS HE? "Who is he- who? I've lost few passages." Said Beatrice moving next to you and noticing your face being cherry-coloured. "I can't believe what my eyes are seeing!" "Please, can someone pinch me? Iris might have a crush!" Added Sasha sitting on the chair faking a faint. "First of all, keep your voices low or my embarassement won't let me come near this place for the next year. Secondly, I didn't know Trevor personally at the time. Finally, I don't have a crush on nobody." "Honey, please." They said at the same time. "I've been just caught off guard by a boy that entered the bar. A very handsome one." You said sitting down and trying to see without being seen if he was watching you. No such luck. "I was saying something about eyes, and the universe proved I was wron- GIRLS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" You hissed loudly noticing that they weren't paying attention to what you were saying. Fortunately, you may add. "We are trying to figure out which one is the one." Said Alice moving on the chair and stretching her neck. "Is the one with the suit? No, too boring." "Is the one next to the other guy? Nope, they're kissing. Although they are very cute." "That blonde one with the glasses? He's definitely your type. And mine too if I haden't a such wonderful boyfriend." You felt your cheeks going redder and redder. A second grader. You were acting as a second grader. "If you stop streaching your necks out, I'll point him out to you. But you have to stop right now." You said while turning the pages of the menu. In few seconds they were at their places. "Good girls- you said hiding a giggle and lifting your eyes from the pages and looking for him around the room- I don't see him. Maybe he went away." A strange feeling in the back of your throat. "No way. I need to see the guy that left you speechless. It's a world record." Beatrice laughed followed by the other two. You were about to said some type of cursing when a voice at your left said: "I'm sorry to interrupt but Mary said that at this table there were two waffle menus. Is it possible to have one?" Now you were seriously questioning the universe about what you did wrong to deserve that. "I think Mary is wrong, but we're not the waffle type. Not that you have to be a type to eat waffle. Maybe it's better if I just give you the menù. Here." You bubbled trying to control the flow between brain and mouth. He laughed. God. All his face smiled. And due to the short distance you could notice the beard perfectly shaped, the thick brows, the purple marks under his eyes, the perfect teeth. And his eyes. The strange thing was that when you looked him in the eyes he wasn't just looking back at you: he was LOOKING back at you, like really looking at you. It's difficult to explain but that was the feeling. " That's very kind of you. Now it's better if I go, I've bother you girls enough. Have a nice and waffle-free day." He smiled and crossed the room to sit as his table where his friends welcomed him with noises and gestures you couldn't fully understand. After few seconds you remembered the presence of your friends and turned to them just to find 3 marble statues. "Girls?" You asked. "I can't believe what I have witnessed." Sasha said. "I think I need a glass of water." Added Beatrice. "Let's try to stay calm... WHO AM I FOOLING?!" Almost screamed Alice. "He's the guy with the pretty eyes. Am I right? Yes, I am. I always am." "Although he has other few pretty things." Said Alice with a certain look. "He only asked for a menù." You tried to calm them, yourself and your heartbeat. "While you were studying the other's face into details. PLEASE." Said Alice on the verge of a crysis. "Pretty lady, now you listen to me. Do. Not. Minimaze. What. Has. Just. Happened. Or I'm going to slap you. He's cute, very cute and polite. You haven't witnessed to the scene from the outside: you would understand why we are in such shock. I'll be honest and say that I've never seen someone looking at you with such sentiment in the 15 years we've known each other. So, don't freak out. Enjoy the moment and do not overthink the events. Why am I saying these things? Because I know you, lady. Do not even try to think all that crap you're think about right now. Did I made myself clear?" She said point a finger to you while you were nodding. "Good. 'Cause I can feel him looking towards you. Now, we'll act cool and order something to eat. Mary!!" She ended raising a hand in the air. "I always love her, but when she acts like that I truly adore Alice." Said Beatrice. And you know she was right. That's why Alice and you have been inseparable for a decade and a half: she knew what to say before you said a single word, you balanced each other and you couldn't survive on your own. "I've seen you have had someone visiting your table" said Mary approaching you and showing a hidden waffle menù between other five. " You are INCREDIBLE! - Sasha put her arms around the woman's waist- but hey, how did you know?" "Because I know always everything, because I've seen the scene earlier and because the poor guy has suffered enough!" She continued. "Enough?" Asked Alice. "Two months or so." She said patting on your shoulder. "Two months?! What are you talking about?" You needed an explaination.

#lmm #lin #lin manuel #lin manuel miranda #lin x reader #lin manuel x reader #lin manuel miranda x reader #hamilton

[dracimalfoy1988292]

Veintidós

•••

When Ivy woke up in Chloe's room, she had a headache. Naturally, she tried to make out memories of last night, but it all felt like a foggy dream.14

"Holy shit, what did I do last night?" Ivy asked as she rubbed her eyes. Everyone else was already awake and beginning to get ready for the day.

"Well, after you drank an astronomical amount of Butterbeer and you opened up about your lovingly feelings for Remus," Bella said casually as she dusted her cheeks with blush. Ivy's eyes widened.

"R-Remus Lupin?"4

"Yup."

"What did I say?" Ivy managed to stutter out, beginning to get nervous.

"Oh nothing much. How you wanted to snog him, how attractive he his, how much you like him," Bella said with a shrug like this was common knowledge. Ivy laid her head on the back of the armchair she slept in.

"Do I really like him that much?" Ivy said, thinking out loud. Bella shrugged.

"They do say that drunk words are sober thoughts. Also, you said, and I quote, "I do really like him, I'm not being a drunk idiot," so, that must mean something," Bella said as she walked away and into the bathroom, where she changed into clothes for the day. Ivy thought long and hard about Remus.

She still didn't want to come around to the idea that she fancied him. Ivy wasn't one to think about boys often, but Remus was making it awfully hard to think about anyone or anything else. Ivy decided that she was drunk and it meant almost nothing. Although, she couldn't help but feel she was lying to herself.

Ivy eventually got up and got ready for the day, changing into her clothes and doing her morning routine. Once they were all dressed, they went to Diagon Alley where they bought school supplies for the upcoming year.

"We all should have done this a while ago," Ivy said as they walked through Flourish and Blotts, picking up the books they need.

"Yeah, probably. I'm surprised they aren't sold out or something, since we waited until the very last minute," Jessica said as they walked to the register to pay. Once they were done with buying books, they were basically finished. Chloe needed new robes since she managed to outgrow her old ones.

"How are you still growing? You were already super tall," Jessica said as Chloe got measured.

"Not that tall. Well, taller than all of you, but still," Chloe exclaimed as they walked out Madam Malkin's robe shop.

After their day at Diagon Alley, Ivy travelled back to her home where she already began to pack her clothes for Hogwarts, grinning down at her luggage, excited to go back.

•••

Ivy walked through the halls of Hogwarts, taking everything in like it was the first time she's seen the castle. She didn't ride on the train with James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, but instead with Marlene, Lily, Alice, and Mary. Lily was nice to her, making Ivy feel kind of guilty for misjudging her.

As the students walked down the halls, Sirius Black ran up to Ivy and tapped her on the shoulder. Ivy gasped and grinned at him.

"Sirius!" She exclaimed happily as they walked. James came not too much longer, followed by Remus and Peter.

"How was your summer?" Remus asked Ivy. She shrugged.

"Good, I guess. Rather boring, though," Ivy said. Remus looked down at her, his eyes twinkling in joy.

"Same here," James began, "without my dearest Lily Evans, I've been counting the days until we get back here."

Ivy rolled her eyes with a smile, recalling the train ride with her. Lily was a lovely person, with a melodic voice and bright red hair. James's words triggered one particular conversation she had with Lily on the way.3

"Ugh! Don't even say his name!" Lily said with the roll of her eyes as the other girls laughed. Nonetheless, she was still smiling. "He's so persistent. It's quite admirable in a strange way."

"Ivy, what's he like? You hang out with him often," Alice said, causing all of the girls to shift their gaze to Ivy, who struggled slightly to find the words to describe him.

"He's funny, and actually quite kind most of the time. More kind then Sirius, who acts like a twelve year old girl who gossips all the time," Ivy said, getting laughter from the girls. "James isn't that bad, especially since he's stopped teasing Severus."1

They continued to talk, but it was obvious to Ivy that Lily had more complex feelings about James than they thought. Ivy decided to keep this information to herself for now.

"Oh of course, I'm sure she missed you too," Ivy said in a sarcastic voice as James nodded his head, agreeing with her.

Even if Ivy was sixteen and puberty had happened a while ago, she was finally beginning to grow into her own person. Since the beginning of fifth year, she had become less insecure and walked with her head held high, a newfound confidence that most people seemed to notice.4

"Also, you cut your hair!" Remus said, looking at the top of her head. Ivy nodded, happy he noticed.

"Yup, I cut it myself last week."

"I can already imagine how much you struggled," James said, causing Ivy to scoff.

"Yeah right, it was a breeze. I should be a hairstylist or something," Ivy said. James shook his head in disbelief.

She said goodbye and turned towards the Ravenclaw table, not even bothering to try and sit with the Gryffindors. McGonagall would notice.

Chloe, Bella, and Jessica sat next to her, saying hello and waiting for the sorting ceremony. Eventually, all the small eleven year olds got sorted.

"I swear, there's more of them every year," Jessica muttered to the girls as Dumbledore got up to say his welcoming speech, smiling at the students. After he was done, the food suddenly appeared as the hall was filled with people cheering at the sight of their dinner.

Everyone piled food onto their plates, chowing down. Ivy felt Adam Andrews' eyes fixated on her for most of the dinner, but she chose to ignore it. Whenever she looked in his direction, he would act as if he wasn't staring at her.4

After dinner, the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors walked to the West Towers as all the students talked excitedly and laughed at jokes their friends made. A prefect answered the riddle and then all the students rushed in, some sitting in the common room and others walking to their dorms.

Sadly, their captain from last year, John, graduated. Ivy did not get the position of captain, which made her wonder who did.7

Ivy ran a hand through her brown locks and sighed, stretching out in the comfy arm chair she was in. Jessica, Bella, and Chloe had gone to their dorm to organize their things, hanging up their posters and to get the room ready for the upcoming school year.

Ivy looked up at the dome shaped ceiling, trying to find constellations in the stars. After a while of doing that, most students had gone to their dorm or were reading quietly in the common room. Ivy got up and walked to their dorm, where Bella was trying her best to hang up a poster of a makeup company.

Ivy walked over to her bed with her luggage resting beside it, sitting down on her bed and looking around at the different sections of their room. It was definitely personalized. Jessica had several feminism posters, Bella had fashion and makeup posters surrounding her little section, and Chloe's walls were covered with Witch Weekly covers.21

"One day I'm gonna be in that magazine," Chloe said confidently as she hung up the last one. Bella nodded.

"I don't doubt it. You're super hot and talented and smart. Why else would you be in Ravenclaw?" Bella said as Chloe smiled.

"Well thanks. I'm going to go take a shower. Be right back," Chloe said as she grabbed her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. Ivy called next shower, resulting in swear words from the two other girls who wanted to take early showers.

"We need to alternate morning showers since we all want to take showers at night," Jessica yelled at Ivy as she walked in and closed the door.

She cleaned her hair with the coconut scented shampoo and conditioner, shaving her legs and washing her body. She hopped out and wiped off her already smeared makeup, looking in the mirror and sighing. She was never one to be narcissistic or all that confident, but for once she didn't really mind seeing her bare face. After she was changed into her pajamas, she walked out and got into her bed, grabbing a book and casting Lumos to read it.30

The other girls were asleep or reading as well, the dark room enlightened by the ends of all their wands. Chloe said goodnight as she casted Nox, rolling over in her bed. The other girls did the same until it was just Ivy who was awake. She went under the covers to spare her roommates from the glowing light. As she read, her mind drifted off to school, who she would have her classes with, then Remus.

Ivy reminisced about her time getting decently drunk last week. She thought about what Bella told her she said about Remus. Seeing and talking to him for the first time since July made her remember why she liked being around him so much. And Sirius wasn't exactly subtle with the looks he gave when they were talking to each other. He whispered to James and grinned at them boyishly, excited about Remus finally getting a love interest as if his life was a movie.

After a while of thinking, Ivy exhaled, casting Nox and putting away her book, turning around in the bed and slowly falling asleep.5

•••