#I think this also happens with stealing the candlesticks

[secretmellowblog]

One fascinating thing about the way Hugo writes Jean Valjean's inner conflict is that we're almost never actually in his POV when he makes his final decisions. We spend chapters and chapters exploring Jean Valjean's thought processes as he agonizes over difficult moral choices, but in the final crucial moment, when he actually makes his choice, Hugo "cuts us off" from his internal monologue. We view what his final choice looks like from the outside, from the perspective of other characters. This is especially significant because Jean Valjean, from the outside, is often pretty unreadable. He is uncannily calm, tranquil, and polite. He's opaque. There's a moment where he's described as a "whirlwind within, calm without;" Jean Valjean uses excessively polite behavior as a defense mechanism, "picking up his calm the way a warrior would pick up his buckler." The most obvious example of this is the Champmathieu trial, where Jean Valjean agonizes over whether to turn himself in. We spend chapter after chapter inside of his POV, exploring his terror and inner conflict as he weighs his options and invents a thousand excuses for himself-- we explore his trauma-fueled reactions to the concept of returning to prison in painful, agonizing detail, from his horrific memories of prison to his surreal nightmares about being buried alive. The tension builds as chapters fly by and he still hasn't made his final decision, as he hopes some unforseen accident will prevent him from making it to the trial and he won't have to make the decision after all-- But in the final moment, when Jean Valjean *actually* makes the final choice...we're not in his point of view. Instead, it's told "from the point of view" of the courtroom, and Jean Valjean's strange heartbreaking serenity is described solely from the outside. At the moment where we most want to hear what Valjean is thinking, we're abruptly cut off from his inner monologue. This becomes even more tragic when the "adrenaline rush" of the courtroom fades away and we witness the aftermath of the trial. When Jean Valjean returns to Fantine, we see him from the point of view of Simplice and other characters. He's described as behaving "mechanically" as if in shock. From the outside he appears eerily uncannily "tranquil" and completely opaque. It is impossible to tell what he is feeling or thinking. Jean Valjean responds to Javert's violence toward Fantine with an icy, eerily tranquil restrained fury: threatening him with a leaden bar, saying "I advise you not to disturb me at this moment"-- but you can feel behind that restraint the weight of all the grief/anger from the previous chapters, which he's incapable of letting himself express openly. He has made this horrible nightmarish sacrifice that he's been agonizing over for thousands of words, he's facing unimaginable violence and grief--- and in the moments where we most want to hear how he's reacting to this, "the line goes dead." We're brutally cut off from his mental state and left to imagine what he might be feeling.

After a few moments of this meditation (Jean Valjean) bent towards Fantine, and spoke to her in a low voice. What did he say to her? What could this man, who was reproved, say to that woman, who was dead? What words were those? No one on earth heard them.

#les mis #les mis letters #we were talking about this in the Letters discord server #and im losin my mind over it a little #I think this also happens with stealing the candlesticks #? #and with saving Marius #also the way his relationship with Javert ends #we don't see *why* he decides to rescue him at the barricades from his own pov #and thats significant

[graceshouldwrite]

The Most Powerful Hack to Make Your Readers Cry

You’ve seen it all: show, don’t tell, plant a visceral image in the reader’s brain of the environment/character, write a complex character arc with lots of growth and setbacks, establish deep relationships, high stakes, etc. 

All the advice for making readers cry I’ve seen so far is basically that list. But, while those things are absolutely important, I find that the thing that always does the trick, whether as a tipping point or in and of itself, is this: 

THE CALLBACK! 

Before we move on, this is an ANALYSIS heavy post, so all the book + show examples contain spoilers!!

So, what do I mean by a “callback?” Think of Chekhov’s gun, but, here, you use the gun to pierce your reader’s heart. As a refresher for anyone who needs it, Chekhov’s gun is just a rule in writing that anything you introduce in the book should play some role in the plot.

Specifically, the name comes from the example that if a reader introduces a gun in the first act, it MUST go off later, (maybe, say, in the third act). For example, in the TV show Breaking Bad, the protagonist Walter White prepares a vial of poison (ricin) that he wanted to use to eliminate an opponent early on in the series. After the assassination attempt falls through, the ricin makes an appearance again in the very last episode of the show, when Walt finally uses it to kill another opponent. 

Got that? Alright, onto the examples of successful, tearjerking callbacks: 

1. The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan); “Family, Luke, you promised.” 

Context: The character Annabeth says this line. Years ago, Annabeth had run away from home, and Luke had effectively adopted her into a found family with another kid named Thalia. Common reason for leaving home = parental trauma! Yay! He promised Annabeth that they would be each other’s “family” from now on. 

Now: Kronos, the antagonist titan, has possessed the demigod Luke and uses his body to strike Annabeth, injuring her. She’s also holding a dagger that Luke had given her when she joined his “family.”

Significance: her words + the dagger are a mental + physical reminder to Luke of his promise. They force him to recognize the sheer degree of his current betrayal by bringing him back to a different time. The fact that their found family only happened because of parental trauma bringing them together makes it worse—Luke felt abandoned by his Olympian father, Hermes. Now, he realizes that he basically did the equivalent to Annabeth by joining the titans. 

2. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo); Jean Valjean’s death 

Context:  At the beginning of the book, the bishop had caught Valjean trying to steal candlesticks to sell. Instead of handing him over to the police, the bishop told the police that he had given them to Valjean, saving him from arrest and showing him mercy. This changed his life forever, kickstarting his character redemption arc. 

Now: Jean Valjean dies surrounded by his loved ones, remembered as a benevolent man who bettered thousands of lives. He’s surrounded by light from candlesticks that once belonged to a bishop.

Context: Valjean had once taken in an impoverished woman named Fantine, showing her mercy and promising to take care of her daughter, Cosette, after Fantine died. Valjean then rescued Cosette from abusive quasi-foster parents (it’s a long story), raising her as his own daughter. This furthered his arc by allowing him to finally understand how unconditionally loving someone feels. 

Now: Valjean describes Fantine to Cosette, who never knew her mother. 

Significance: Both examples throw readers back to much earlier points in the story before the completion of Valjean’s character arc. In a way, this final scene feels like an external manifestation of his kindness paying off; both he and the reader feels a sense of accomplishment, relief, and just a general “OMG WE MADE IT.” Readers don’t feel cheated, because they were with Valjean every step of his 1,400 page arc. The weight of it all just crashes down on you...

3. Your Lie in April (anime); Kaori’s letter after she dies

Context: Kaori’s entire plot significance is that she helps Kousei, a piano prodigy who can’t play piano anymore due to traumatic parental memories associated with it, play again—but also, just to help him enjoy life again after a turbulent upbringing. She meets him a year before she dies of a medical condition, and her free spirit + confidence influences him to find beauty in life and music again. They basically do a crap ton of crazy funny stuff together lol

Now: Kaori has died, and she leaves a letter to him. Among other general confessions and thoughts, she references things they did and memories they shared: she says, “sorry we couldn’t eat all those canelés,” reminisces about  jumping with him off a small bridge into the stream below, “racing each other alongside the train,” singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as they rode the bike together, etc.

Significance: Yes, the nature of the letter is just sad because she’s revealing that she loved him all along, apologizing for not being able to spend more time with him, lying that she didn’t like him (to spare his feelings b/c she knew she would die soon), etc. BUT, these small details highlight exactly how many experiences they shared, and the depth of their relationship. Thus, they emphasize the significance of her death and the emptiness it leaves behind. 

4. Arcane (show); “I thought, maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I’m different.” 

Context: Character Jinx says this in the last episode to her now estranged older sister, Vi. Without going into the crazy complex plot, basically, orphans Vi and Jinx used to care for each other before a bunch of crap went down that got them separated. They then grew up on opposite political sides; Jinx grows up on the side of the underbelly city rebellion, and Vi grows up working on the side of the richer city that essentially oppresses the undercity. Thus begins the development of their opposing viewpoints and work environments, to the point where they always meet on opposite sides of a political battle, never able to come together as a family or understand each other again. 

Now: After a super dramatic confrontation, Jinx reveals that although she wants Vi to love her like she did before their separation, she knows it’s not possible because “[Vi] changed too.” She finishes with, “so, here’s to the new us” before blowing up a political council meeting a few blocks down filled with people Vi sides with. Oops! This cleanly seals the fate of their relationship as something basically irreparable.  

Significance: This callback isn’t through literal flashbacks or items like in the previous examples. Jinx’ lines are enough to bring back images of their childhood to the audience’s mind. Now, the audience subconsciously places this image of: 1) two sisters so different, hurt, and torn apart, right next to 2) the image of two sisters as innocent children who loved each other and would care for each other no matter what. 

Why do callbacks work so well? 

If you’ve noticed something in common with all of them, you’re right: they remind audience of a time BEFORE the characters have come so far on their arcs, developed, and put on so much more emotional baggage. 

Callbacks force the audience to SUDDENLY and IMMEDIATELY feel the weight of everything that’s happened. The character’s anguish and overwhelming emotions become the audience’s in this moment. Callbacks are a vehicle for the juxtaposition of worlds, before and after significant development. 

This works because we, as mortals, fear IMPERMANENCE the most. We fear LOSS. For us, time gone is time we will never get back; callbacks make us face that exact fact through a fictional character. A lost moment, time period, or even part of oneself may hurt as much as losing a loved one, and nothing makes humans grieve more than the realization of a loss. A callback slaps the audience in the face with the fact that something was lost; loss hurts so much because almost 99% of the time, what’s gone is gone forever. 

Of course, a good callback requires good previous character development, stakes, imagery, and all that jazz, but I thought I’d highlight this specifically because of how under covered it is. 

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

I’ve been binging general media lately: I finished Death Note, Your Lie in April, and Tokyo Ghoul all within like a month (FIRST ANIMES I”VE EVER WATCHED!!), reread lots of Les Miserables, analyzed a bunch of past shows like Breaking Bad, watched a bunch of My Little Pony, worked to fix up my old writing... and that’s not even all! The amount of times I’ve CRIED while enjoying the above media and so much more honestly just inspired this post. 

Like, no joke, my eyes were almost always swollen during this period whenever I hung out with my friends and it was so embarrassing help 

Personally, I just find that this method works super well for me, and I watched a bunch of reaction videos to these above scenes (and read book reviews on the book scenes I mentioned), and it seemed that just about everyone cried during these parts. That’s when I realizes that the callback might also just be a universal thing. 

Anyway, this post is long and dense enough as is. SORRY! As always, hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated <3333

Happy writing, and have a great day,

- grace <3

#writers on tumblr #writing tips #writing #booktok #writer #writeblr #novel #writerslife #writergram #wattpad #media analysis #wip #ya fantasy #plot holes #characters #writing ideas #writing a book #anime #your lie in april #percy jackson #arcane

[ithehellisbucky]

Waking Up In Vegas

spencer reid x reader

request: prompts 87 (boop), 88 (that's such a bad idea- lets do it), 89 (Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool), 96 (I'm not crying, you are.) by anon

word count: 1.7k

warnings: Mentions of drug addiction, heavy drinking and blackout, that's it.

author's note: I've had this in my inbox for months, and I'm so sorry I didn't finish it sooner. Also, what do you want to see from my blog, it seems like I only post once a week for my fics and that's a no go from me.

~~~

The light was too loud- that's a wonderful thing to think when you remember nothing of the night before. You groaned and sat up, seeing that you were in a large bed with white covers. You scratched your head and looked around, noticing that the bedboard behind you was a large pink heart.

Looking down you realize that you're wearing a sequined red bikini top and a skirt scarf combo with booty shorts underneath. Drunk you does not have good fashion sense.

Before you can notice anything else, you start to feel puke crawling up your throat and you immediately run and vomit all your guts up.

You rinse your mouth out and notice that the blanket mound you left has shifted, and you become wary and pick up a heavy brass candlestick.

And then the lump rolls over, and it's your goddamn coworker.

"Reid?"

He startles and wakes up, staring at you and then glancing down at himself- huh, there was something wrong about that picture, but you couldn't figure out what it was just yet.

"y/n? What are you doing in my hotel room?" He pauses, looks around, then mutters under his breath "this isn't my hotel room."

He looks up at you "Since when are you married?"

"I'm not," You look down at your hand, noticing a giant red ruby adorning your ring finger "I am."

You look down at his hand and notice that he is too, "And so are you."

You and Spencer look around your room, both badly masking paranoia and panic. Both of your eyes stop when you notice a picture frame in the corner- a wedding certificate.

"Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool. This is fine, no big deal, just a marriage certificate," You move over and pick it up "with both of our names on it."

"Okay, this is okay, this is fine," Spencer says, sitting back down on the bed stunned.

"So, we're married, which is a thing that happened, last night, that you definitely remember." You say, sitting down next to your newly revealed husband.

"I don't remember."

"How do you not remember? You have super memory powers!"

"This is an excellent first fight to have as a married couple, of course, you blame me." He says, standing up and shrugging.

You meet his stance "Of course I blame you! You're the smart one!"

"Oh, well Agent, I wasn't aware that you had an IQ of 25!" He pauses "25 is the number associated by Henry H. Goodard to be an idiot, it's actually-"

"I know!" You exclaim, seething with half-hearted rage.

"You know, your the one who got an addict drunk!"

"Your vice isn't alcohol! If I drugged you I'd be a monster! You ordered that first bloody mary all by yourself, and those shots we did were totally consensual!!!"

He looked up at you "you remember that?"

You think, and notice memories that you didn't know were there, "um, yeah, bits and pieces."

From the expression he makes, he looks to be remembered more too. You and your new husband sit down and let it all hit you.

~~~

"4 tequila shots please." You wave down the bartender.

You're already buzzed, but you and Spencer were just getting warmed up. Morgan and Garcia left hours ago to go to a fancy restaurant, Rossi was planted firmly at the poker table, Hotch was nowhere to be seen, JJ had gone home to be with Henry, and Emily was at a "sin to win" night at some casino that you already knew too much about just by hearing the name.

So that leaves you and Spencer at the bar in the only casino in town he wasn't banned from.

At first, you were concerned about him drinking, but once he reassured that alcohol isn't his way of self-medicating, you were okay. Besides, if you saw any red flags, you would throw his ass in rehab faster than you can say 'gin'.

So, you were 5 drinks in and having the time of your lives, showing off battle scars and laughing. God, his eyes were pretty.

"Your eyes are so pretty!" You giggled "like soooooo pretty, woooooooow."

He laughed and looked back at you "your skin is pretty, like in a non-serial killer way, it's really pretty."

"Thank you, just don't kill me for it."

"I just called no murder!" He whined "besides, how am I sure you won't kill me and scoop my eyes out?"

"Because that's gross." You said, rolling your eyes.

"And stealing your skin isn't?"

"You can' have my skin!" You say, mock running away.

He laughs, and looks directly into your eyes, and smiles, wow, he was pretty. Morgan was right.

"Hey, do you wanna get out of here?" Spencer asks you.

"Yeah, let's get ice cream!" You grab his hand, and it feels natural through your foggy brain.

After stumbling through the ice cream parlor, full of people who were trying to pretend like they weren't. Spencer got butter pecan, and you got sherbert and chocolate.

You stumbled out of the store, giggling to yourself and Spencer.

God, you loved him. So you told him.

"I love you." He stopped in his tracks, and you almost tripped on a bicycle rack.

"Really?" He whispers.

All of the giggles are gone.

"I love you."

The ice cream is long forgotten, his on the ground, and half of yours on your clothes and half next to his on the ground. All that's left is your faces inching closer to each other.

When your lips meet it feels like firecrackers going off inside your head.

His mouth is soft, gently contrasting with your soft lips. His tongue sneaks into your mouth, your smile around his.

"Let's get married." He pulls apart from you, out of breath.

You stay silent for a moment, before looking up and directly into his chocolate brown eyes "That is such a bad idea-"

He diverts his eyes and scratches the back of his skull "Um, yeah, that's okay, let's-"

"Let's do it."

He looks back at you, and you grab his body and kiss him.

~~~

Sometimes people can be happy, you realize as an elderly woman ties a sash around your waist.

You have to be honest, you never thought this was gonna be how you were gonna get married. Hell, you weren't sure if you were gonna get married at all. But certainly not like this. Certainly not at 1 am to your coworker 7 drinks in at a cheap roadside attraction.

Definitely not like this.

But something about this weirdness felt like the only way anything ever would've made any sense.

There was something about the outfit you were wearing that was perfect, a bright red bra covered in sequins underneath a top with buttons and poofy sleeves that showed off a lot of your chest, a wrap-around cheap white silk skirt with jeans shorts underneath. And of course purple open-toed boots. Perfect.

Marrying Spencer Reid is like a fever dream. A perfect man with perfect hair and perfect eyes. So of course you were giggling like crazy while they put the cheap crown with pink tulle serving as a veil on your head.

Your witnesses were an elderly couple, of course, you wanted to have your best friends there, but knowing them they'd try to talk you out, and believe me, there was no way you wanted out of it.

"Now's time dear," the woman exclaims, gently patting you on the shoulder and leading you out of the fitting room and towards the chapel.

The owner of the business hooks his arm around yours and leads you into the chapel, church bells from an iPod attached to a speaker ringing out into the air.

Spencer turns around the air visibly leaves his lungs when you make eye contact. The chapel you two had chosen in this drunken haze was costume-themed, and he was wearing an ancient Rome costume that fit the time where his favorite philosopher, so even though no one else noticed, you could tell he was dressed as Gaius.

His hair had been attempted to slick back, but little curls were popping up all over the place instead. He was wringing his hands tightly and bouncing his knee, god you couldn't wait to marry him.

The elderly man who had led you to the alter places you next to Spencer, you couldn't focus on anything but your soon-to-be-husband.

Spencer takes his hands and gently pulls your veil up from around your face, and a tear trickles out of his eyes as he sees you. You smile and notice his nerves, try to calm the love of your life down "boop", you gently tap his nose and he smiles in comfort.

The officiant drones on and on about love but you can't hear him, all you can focus on is his love-filled eyes.

"Do you take Spencer Reid to be your husband?"

Your eyes snap out of their daze and you say with the most certainty than you have ever said anything: "I do."

"And do you take (y/n) (y/l/n) to be your life partner for as long as you may live?"

"I do," And you feel more wanted than you ever have in your life, he wants you, Spencer wants you.

~~~

You and Spencer sit on your bed in stunned silence, neither believing that last night had really happened. You look over at your apparent husband and notice tears streaming down his face.

"You're crying." You say, your voice coming out as a chocked whisper.

"I'm not crying, you are." You look down and notice that your shirt is soaked in tears.

"Oh." You take a deep breath and look into his eyes. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Get an annulment?" He doesn't look completely happy about his answer and stares into your eyes for reassurance.

You take a deep breath and stare off into the distance, out into a world that would be so much better if you were married to Spencer Reid. "I don't want that."

You look back at him to meet his eyes, "Me neither."

"I love you, a lot, and I want to be married to you." Spencer smiles, and you feel wanted and safe and loved.

Instead of saying it back, he kissed you with a passion that was way more descriptive than simple words. Spencer is your husband and you love him, he loves you, and you are finally wanted.

~~

My Masterlist

Requests are open!

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Marvel:

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[princesspiratecat]

The Rise and Fall of the Shepard Family Part 29: Summer, 1084 & Fall, 1085

Part 1& Part 2

Part 3 & Part 4

Part 5 & Part 6 & Part 7

Part 8 & Part 9 & Part 10

Part 11 & Part 12 & Part 13

Part 14 & Part 15 & Part 16

Part 17 & Part 18 & Part 19

Part 20 & Part 21 & Part 22

Part 23 & Part 24 & Part 25

Part 26 & Part 27 & Part 28

It was strange to be back. 

Most of Gwendolyn’s memories of the Allard estate were from a time when Aélgarda had been alive. During her exile at the hovel, she had come to miss so many things about it, and had reveled in the little luxuries she had once had. The fire was always roaring, the meat had always been cooked to perfection, and her feather bed had always afforded her a good night’s sleep when her mind was quiet. But now the house had a coldness about it that she hadn’t remembered from before. It was dark and damp and surprisingly dirty.

Gwendolyn wrinkled her nose at the smell of dog and garlic from last nights’ dinner that hung in the air in the Great Hall. There was something else there that she couldn’t account for....rotten vegetables perhaps? 

Yuck. 

They made their way to down the hall to the stairway and she could feel her palms getting sweaty. Frances met her eyes and offered her a reassuring glance, but she still felt a burning tightness in her chest as they treaded up the stairs.

Courage. You need courage.

“Oh brother! I am so glad you’re here!” Francine’s face was a mix of nervousness and fear as she hugged her brother tightly, and then hugged Gwendolyn. She had never seen her so frazzled before. Francine had always been the girlish one, full of giggles and frivolousness. But today, that was all gone, and she looked older than her eighteen years. “He is getting worse by the day, yet he still insists on coming down to sup and drink his mead. Then he is in his cups until he passes out. Frédérique says she will be here in the morning with her husband, but I am hoping they will arrive sooner. I cannot handle him anymore.”

“Mead? Is that wise?” The beautiful features on her husband’s face flashed with a look of concern.

“I cannot stop him. He won’t listen to anyone and keeps ranting about how he cannot trust women. I don’t know what to do!” The look of helplessness and hopelessness on her face disarmed Gwendolyn. She had seen that look before. It was the look her father had shortly before her mother died.   

“Take us to him.” Gwendolyn could see exactly what he was feeling without him having to say anything, just by the tone in his voice. He was nervous and slightly terrified. 

We all are. 

The room smelled of sweat, vomit and stale air. She had never been in the Master’s bedroom before, but it was a beautiful room, despite the smell. The bed was large with fine fabrics that seemed to shimmer in the light, and the furnishings were inlaid with beautiful carvings done by a highly skilled hand. The light streamed into the room through long windows, which, under different circumstances would have been pleasant, but just then it made her feel exposed. The floors were covered in a variety of fine furs, and the niches were filled with silver candlesticks and beautiful decorative wooden boxes. In the corner sat a bucket of unknown contents, and Gwendolyn tried not to think about what might be in it.

Marcelle had lost a considerable amount of weight since she had last seen him. He was frail and old looking, with dark circles under his eyes. But she noticed he was dressed in a long elaborate robe in the Norman fashion that set him apart from all the other men who wore the Saxon style. There was a finely carved silver medallion at his breast, which Gwendolyn found an odd thing to wear when one was sick. Had he dressed purposely for the occasion? 

He still wants to remind us of his status. Of course.

“What are you doing here, Shepard girl?” The raspy words slithered out of his mouth like a snake before she could even think. Upon his features was a look of disgust, reserved especially for her. She bristled under his gaze and felt her anger surface.  

“I am come to support my husband.” She looked away, intimidated by his hatred of her. She wanted to add that she had also come in the hopes that the breech between them could be healed, but after seeing his face she knew that it had been a foolish hope. Why was she here? The whole thing seemed like a stupid idea now, and she wished she had stayed away.

“Get her out of here, Frances.” He said his son’s name between clenched teeth, and her heart fell. What had she done for him to hate her so? Besides being born and falling in love with his son, she had never caused him harm or hurt him purposefully. If anything, it should be her that hated him.  

Perhaps it was better for her to go. If Frances wanted peace, then she was likely standing in the way of that just with her mere presence. But a small part of her hated being rejected by him, and it hurt her more than she expected it would. She got up and looked at what seemed like dead eyes and held his gaze to the point of making him uncomfortable. She wasn’t going to waste this chance to speak her bit, and he was going to hear it.

“I have come to inform you that I have forgiven you for all of the terrible things you have said and done. For exiling me, and for stealing my dowry, and for the hurt you have caused both of us. Although you really don’t deserve my forgiveness, nor my pity, I give it anyway.” His gaze was empty, as if he found her ridiculous. 

Then she moved closer to him and half whispered in his ear, ”Your time has come old man. You better get down on your knees and pray hard that your God will forgive you too for all of the rotten and disgusting things you have done.” She could feel her lip quiver in anger as she reflected back the look of disgust he had given her. His eyes grew wide with surprise, and it gave her a slight thrill. He hadn’t been expecting her to speak that way to him. In the past she would never have dared.

Before he could respond, she walked out of the room with more confidence than she felt. She noticed that her hands were shaking and her heart seemed to want to burst out of her chest. 

As soon as she walked into the long hall she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had said what she come to say, and now it was over. She never had to think about that man again, and once he died, she would be free of him forever. But she couldn’t stop her tears from falling, yet she refused to give into the ache in her heart. 

Not here. 

She left word with a servant to tell Frances that she would be at the orphanage, and on shaky legs made the short walk down the lane to see her sisters. She wanted so much to collapse into Gwyn’s embrace, and after a few short moments, she did exactly that. 

She told her everything, in between sobs and sniffles. And when she had gained enough composure over herself, she asked her sister’s opinion. “Do you think I was too harsh on him? Do you think I should have said something kinder to a dying man?”

“Marcelle?! No. He is lucky indeed that more don’t make their opinions of him known. His wealth protects him. But most people have turned against him since what he did to you has come to light, they whisper about him. People are disgusted by his abuse of power against a helpless orphan girl. He’s no longer seen as a gentleman. If I were you, I would have said much more.”

Gwendolyn felt a small sense of relief that the village was on her side, but she was still worried about the rest of her new family. Where did they stand on the issue? Would they turn their backs on her once Marcelle was dead? 

During the ride back to the Inn, Marcelle explained everything that had happened and what his father had said. 

“Of course he chided me for leaving, and for marrying you and called me a simple fool. He called me simple!” Gwendolyn said nothing at this, as it was hardly a surprise. “Honestly, I thought he was going to be more angry and refuse to see me. But Gwendolyn, then he said the strangest thing- he called my mother a whore and said that myself and Francine are the only ones he can be sure are really his!”

Gwendolyn gasped in shock. “How could he say that of Aélgarda?! What an absurd thing to say! She dedicated her life to all of you, and the village.  And as for your parentage, one only has to look at your siblings to know they have the same parents as you do. They are all different arrangements of his own face!”

Frances nodded in agreement. Every one of his siblings had the same dark eyes as Marcelle, the straight sharp noses, and even the same shade of that beautiful sable colored hair. Gwendolyn thought that Frances was the best looking out of all of them, of course, but there was no denying that they were all related. It was as plain as day to anyone that cared to look. 

“I can only imagine that he is suffering from delusions. Perhaps a combination of poppy juice and mead?! He looks awful. I’ve never seen him so weak. It made me pity him.”

“Well, did you make your peace with him? How did you leave it?”

“In a way, I suppose. He said that I would inherit the estate since I am the only son he can be sure of...which shocks me to my core. I think the things you said to him had quite an affect on him, because he then told me to leave so that he could ‘make peace with his maker.’” He gave her a look just then, and she could see he was still recovering from shock. “What exactly did you whisper to him when you got close? I’ve never seen him pray in my life!”

She pinched her lips together and said quietly, “I told him what needed to be said. It was for his ears only.” 

His mouth curled into a little smile and he let out a chuckle. “Something about god? I’ll make a note never to cross you, as I have to say that I never want to see the look you gave him directed at me.” His eyes were teasing and he kissed her gently on the neck. “What a saucy Tigress you are.” She laughed and then he kissed her again. 

                             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

In just a week’s time with the arrival of autumn, another nasty illness had spread to Barton Upon Humber from the North, and then made it’s way to Grimsby. Most people remained indoors, fearful that another plague would wipe out as many as it had several years ago, or more. Their fears were not unfounded, as it had been reported that twelve people had already died in the nearby farms and villages.

First it hit the Merchant household of Handel, and killed not only Master Uddulf Handel, but his young son as well. Everyone was surprised it had brought down such a large, healthy man, but luckily his wife and daughter were spared. 

Next it hit the Merchants, and killed the Irishman, Fáelán. For a time people thought that it would take Aoifé and the children as well, but they narrowly escaped death after several weeks.

Soon after it traveled to the house of the late Olric, where it bedded his widow, Agatha. The three children had to be sent to the orphanage while their mother was too sick to care for them, and she died just days afterwards, alone. 

But finally it ended it’s travels at the Allard estate, where it made short work of Marcelle, who had been hanging on. It also banished Francois to his bed, where he clung to life. Yet just as quickly as it had spread, it was gone again, leaving the living to mourn the dead one more time. 

As soon as Marcelle died a messenger was dispatched to the Inn. Frances had been summoned to the estate where the reading of the will was to take place, and they hastily began to pack their trunks. As Gwendolyn began to carefully fold her clothing, she couldn’t help but wonder why she felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. It was true that she mostly hated Marcelle, but now that he was gone she remembered the days when he used to come visit their father and offered them fresh cherries from his orchard. He would sup with them sometimes, and her father had always been so proud when he did. She had considered him a father figure for so long. 

What had made him change so much?

She glanced over at Frances, as tears silently rolled down his cheeks, and she could feel his sorrow. She stopped folding and clasped her hands in his. He looked away at first, too ashamed to look her in the eye. Then the tears gushed out, and he quietly began to sob. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she could feel him shake with misery. She gently rubbed his back up and down, up and down, until he sobbed even harder and it all came sputtering out. 

“Now we’re both orphans,” he whispered. 

#sims 2 stories #sims 2 challenges #new foundations

[nevertheless-moving]

inspired by this post by  @crcgeneralwandsmith 

(Jango as Valjean from Les mis)​

*Takes a VERY deep breath*

Jango is freed from slavery by the Jedi Council instead of Pirates- only to be immediately remanded into their custody. Tries to escape [obviously], so gets put into higher security, which increases his rage at the Jedi, unfairness (look down, look down).

Eventually his case gets processed and he gets released because he didn’t actually commit crimes except self-defense: Mace Windu singing (do not forget my name) because he doesn’t trust the Jedi Killer from Galdrean.

Jango immediately falls into Dooku’s plan, agrees to clone army, boba- a few years pass

but THEN has a road to Damascus epiphany when he tries to steal from, um...Breha Organa’s dad- and the Organa’s don’t turn him into the Jedi even though they catch him right away, and back up the whole space candlestick gift lie. (you forgot I gave these also, would you leave the best behind?)

So Jango has an epiphany that...he should stick to murder, not stealing. No- wait, sorry Mr. Organa that he should be nice? to kids? Because Mr.Organa is doing this so that his daughter, who might be Queen one day, will understand the value of human life...

or you can substitute this with Qui-Gon Jinn I HAVE TO KEEP GOING SORRY THERES NO TIME

Thinking that all through, he returns to Kamino like yikes this is kindof fucked up isn’t it. (Have I fallen so far and is the hour so late)

Takes over Kamino and starts a- mercenary school?  And he’s kindof the king but he’s pretending to be one of the alpha generation clones so he can get away with all the many, many, earlier human rights violations. The clones are happyish, space ports open, so some people live there- the whole planet is singing (at the end of the day) because Jango’s better then the long necks at least?

Mace Windu is assigned to the planet of Jango Fett clones- very suspicious for so many extremely obvious reasons but like, he can’t just write to the council and say this guy looks like Jango Fett because ITS A WHOLE PLANET OF JANGO FETTS THE

you know what- you what? I’m going to say that during the takeover some of the long necks fled to Genosis and stole Boba because technically Jango reneged on their contract- Dooku then had to flee Genosis because the blame for creating the army fell hard on him. Much to his despair, Dooku falls in with Hondo.

eventually, EVENTUALLY

99- who escaped during the confusion with the bad batch- gets put on trial for being Jango Fett- and like, everyone believes it because he’s just raising a bunch of sons on an isolated planet instead of being a king and everyone who knows Jango is like that does sound most like Jango Fett. And- and 99 goes along with it, because by putting him on trial in the republic, they’re actually stealth granting rights to the clones, so he really commits to the role. Is sentenced to prison forever

Jango (can I condemn this man to slavery, pretend I do not feel his agony) is kindof angsty about it, because he just got a lead on Dooku and Hondo’s whereabouts, and also Windu is really grating, and Cody is like yeah I can definitely be a better king than you fuck off...oh and also 99 or whatever his name is.

DRAMATIC CONFESSION (And so Windo you see its true, this man bears no more guild than you)

Intense Confrontation song (Every man is born in sin/ There is power in me yet;

Every man must choose his way/My race is not yet run) Epic Battle we deserve, but instead of Windu decapitating Jango he jumps into the Ocean, flies off in secret to rescue Boba.

NOW we get (Master of the House) with Hondo as Thenardier and Dooku as Mrs. Thendadier

 no i will not accept criticism i have ASCENDED

Hondo: (Master of the House, Keeper of the Zoo, Ready to Relieve them of a Sou or Two) 

Dooku: (I used to dream that I would meet a prince, but force almighty look what’s happened since)

then Jango comes in for Boba/Cosette and- and probably just murders everyone to be honest in would be pretty ooc for him to anything else

but i GUESS he could trick them book canon style instead...

#star wars #star wars au #les mis #nevertheless writing

[meta-squash]

Brick Club 1.5.3 “Money Deposited With Lafitte”

We establish Valjean’s solitary nature here. And okay, so I just rewatched the first two Mad Max movies with my best friend because she’s never seen them, and really Valjean and Max Rockatansky have a lot in common. Lonely, solitary guy with a backstory that’s a mystery to others but not to the viewer, who is also very skilled at many things, waltzes into a town, saves it from various crises while not talking much and being pretty socially awkward despite his charisma, and then leaves never to be seen again. Someone write an AU. Okay, moving on.

“He talked with very few. He shrank from compliments and with a touch of the hat would walk on rapidly; he smiled to avoid talking and gave to avoid smiling.” God my favorite thing about Valjean is just how awkward he is, despite also being unknowingly charismatic. He’s fantastic at fooling people simply because he’s so kind, and from that they choose what they want to see, but really he’s just so awkward. He doesn’t want to talk to people or do much socializing, which I think is another reason for his avoidance of upper class society affairs. Not only is he not interested because he’s not interested in advancing himself up the social ladder, he’s also not interested because it would mean he’d have to talk to people.

Valjean’s library is “well chosen,” and I’m wondering what books that would mean. Surely the bible, but what else? I assume he learned what the Right Books were by listening to conversation or looking at what was on other people’s shelves (perhaps during his Benevolent Break-Ins?) or something. His language starts to become more polished, too, as he educates himself through literature as well as (I presume) through his brief social interactions. The people seem to notice it but also don’t seem to think much of it? This doesn’t seem to factor into the rumors about him as much as his solitary nature does.

Valjean’s aim with a gun is frighteningly accurate (Where did he learn to shoot a gun? Would that have been another skill from his time as a pruner?) but he never kills inoffensive animals/small birds. I think this is the only other time we see Valjean with a gun aside from when he’s at the barricade. This description feels weirdly dark; I think it’s the word “frightening” (in Hapgood the word is “terror”). This skill with a gun seems like a hint not of his laborer past but of his past at Toulon, the potential he had prior to Myriel of becoming “the worst man.” Now he only uses it on threatening animals, but his aim itself is a threat. (Which is an interesting thing to establish only to have him definitely Not Use It on the barricade.)

“He would offer a hand to anyone needing it, help a fallen horse, push a mired wagon, or grab a rampaging bull by the horns.” What a parallel here. In Tome 3 we had Fantine as a horse that falls. In the coming chapters were have a broken wagon. I’m not sure if the “rampaging bull” would be Javert or perhaps Thenardier or something else? I would assume Javert, since his goodness essentially stops Javert mid-”rampage.” This is also an example of Valjean throwing himself in front of more dangerous things to help others, potentially heedless of his own wellbeing.

“If we took a little time, the nettle would be useful; we neglect it, and it becomes harmful. Then we kill it. Men are so like the nettle!” This line reminds me of all the parallels I was getting to modern day back in Tome 2. It’s just something that’s still so prevalent today. Someone grows up in a way that’s considered “bad” and instead of figuring out how best to help and communicate and nurture that person into something that is not “bad,” we just toss them away and neglect and ignore them and then when they adapt to that treatment in a certain way that we again consider “bad,” we either lock them up or force them out onto the streets. (Sorry, I’m mad at how relevant a 150 year old book is. A local homeless man was murdered by a housed person at a camp last week for no reason and the treatment of people living at homeless camps around my city has been so awful recently.)

“My friends, remember this: There are no bad herbs, and no bad men; there are only bad cultivators.” This one is so interesting because it sort of sets Valjean up for future failure. A cultivator (whether it’s a person or a machine) is someone who prepares land for use. Montreuil-sur-Mer itself is this land, and yet Valjean neglects certain parts of it. He makes this comment about the nettle, about finding a use for it if you only take a little time, and yet he gives up on and/or just sort of ignores the sex workers (and any other adjacent community) that are pretty much guaranteed to exist due to it being a garrisoned town. Valjean I love you but I have Concerns about your weird moral hoops that people have to jump through. I’m sure there are women who work at the factory and also as sex workers, who are hiding their second job and hoping no one finds out. But what about the women who are already known sex workers, who (I assume) don’t even have a chance? Valjean gives hospital beds, universal healthcare, a place for old and infirm laborers to stay, an “infant school/place of refuge” (I still don’t quite know what that is), but he doesn’t put any sort of aid in place for women who are already “fallen” or “morally indigent” etc. There are no bad herbs or men, only bad cultivators, but what happens if you’re great at cultivating three quarters of your field, but you decide not to bother to work the land of that last quarter? Anything you plant there will die, and you’ll yield fewer crops. It seems like a weird oversight on Valjean’s part to do good for most of the city and townspeople except for these women. There’s clearly a divide between the “honest” working women and the sex workers; we see it clearly later on with Fantine. So it’s not as if it’s a hidden secret. But for Valjean to enforce these specific moral standards without giving those suffering the most a way to achieve them and the support to do so, it’s just bad practice. @everyonewasabird mentioned that maybe it’s because he never really knew any women, so he doesn’t really know how drastically different life is for women and how different it is to “be an honest woman” vs an “honest man,” or how difficult it is to get there if you’re already trapped in sex work, but if he’s fairly aware of the goings-on in most of the town, you’d think he’d realize there was a divide and that people on one side were suffering while people on the other were not.

Oh my god I thought this post was going to be short but apparently I have Opinions.

“With his eyes raised to heaven, he listened with a sort of longing toward all the mysteries of the infinite, to the sad voices that sing on the brink of death’s dark abyss.” Ah, Valjean and his many deaths. Valjean listens to the “sad voices," but he never (or almost never? I can’t remember) actually talks to or “listens to” god. He never assumes that god is specifically listening or speaking to him, it seems.

Valjean breaking into houses to place money on the table is the exact reverse of his stealing the silver from Myriel. But it also goes hand in hand with his “can’t take compliments” nature; it would probably be really hard for him to stand there and listen to people thanking him for his generosity. But I think it’s also something from when he was poor himself. It’s an understanding of the shame and humiliation that comes with having to ask for money or for charity. Valjean breaking into people’s houses to not-so-secretly place money on their table circumvents that entirely. He avoids having to take a compliment and the people of Montreuil-sur-Mer get to avoid feeling awkward or shameful at asking for money.

A brief refocusing on the candlesticks here. Just a reminder for the audience about where all of this goodness comes from, but also a little example of the way Valjean himself displays the candlesticks as a reminder. I’m not sure what would make them “unusual” to the townspeople though? Surely everyone had candlesticks?

We also get a taste of the nature of rumors in Montreuil-sur-Mer. A rumor occurs, and despite multiple people being able to dispel the rumor, it persists and grows. But Valjean has a reputation and a status to back him up despite the darkness of some of the rumors. Fantine never has that. The rumors about her only serve to push her further down. He’s a savior and she’s a scapegoat. Again they are parallels of each other, moving in opposite directions.

#les miserables #les miserables meta #brickclub #lm 1.5.3 #les mis #les mis meta #i finished writing this at 3 am instead of 5am! #also for anyone that's scene Mad Max Road Warrior: #is the scene where the Feral Child has to get the shotgun shell from the hood of the car not the most Gavroche moment ever? #*seen not scene #clearly finishing at 3am instead of 5 doesn't help my ability to spell at all

[jettingtothemoon]

Rescue You; chapter 7

➳ pairing: hector x witch|reader ➳ genre: fantasy, angst ➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut, mentions of rape, slavery, spoilers for seasons 1 thorough 3. ➳ word count: 2579 ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ summary: In which y/n, a witch from Dracula’s court, tries to save the forgemaster from his fate. 

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10

The Book

Sure enough, Hector had managed to lift the candlestick last night. It took a great deal of effort but once he did it, it became easy for him. He himself was surprised that he had managed to learn how to do it in just a few hours but you knew he could do it. He is a forgemaster after all so his magic is strong.

Once again you walked him to his outhouse, too afraid that Lenore would pay him a visit had you not been there. You were reluctant to leave, even after he was inside, and just stood outside the door. You could hear Cezar bark in joy, happy that his master had returned. You could even hear a quiet chuckle as Hector presumably took his dog in his hands, probably petting his little head with great delight.

He is so caring, he always has been. Even when he sided with Dracula, he knew humans would die and, for the most part, he didn't care. They had wronged him and never shown him compassion, yet, he was only okay with it knowing that they wouldn't suffer. 

Only, despite what he was told, countless humans did suffer. It wasn't his fault and you were sure that he even felt bad about it but now, now he was different. He had seen how vampires could betray him just like humans but he had also seen how you, a human just like him, had managed to love him. He was no longer the naïve man you once knew, he was something different, something more.

"Little one, your lesson is over for the day?" Once again you had encountered Striga at the outhouse.

With a nod, you finally stepped away from the door. "Yes, we're done for tonight but he needs to rest. He drained a lot of energy and if he is disturbed I fear he won't be able to work efficiently tomorrow."

You began to walk away with Striga, this time hoping that your words would prevent Lenore from paying Hector a late-night visit.

"Don't worry, little one, no one will be bothering him tonight." The way she spoke held a tone of knowing about it as if she too was aware of what you really feared.

She must know about what Lenore is doing to him, you presumed so from the moment Hector finally opened up and told you about it. The council of sisters were not ones to keep things from one another and you were certain that they all knew about Lenore's fixation with the forgemaster, even if they didn't approve of it.

It was quiet as you walked but you didn't feel uncomfortable. Striga was the one vampire that seemed somewhat friendly towards you and, although you doubted whether it was genuine, you still felt the same. You knew it couldn't last though, this odd almost-friendship you were forming with the vampire. 

She, like her sisters, would be more than happy to kill you once they find out about your plan to free Hector. Hopefully, that will not be until the two of you are long gone, but even then they will still be likely to track you down.

"Striga," you began, and the vampire hummed, "Could you take me to the library?"

Despite having freedom in the castle, you were yet to do much exploring and so, you were not entirely sure of where the library actually was.

"Of course, little one, but then I must leave you. Morana is waiting for me."

Striga did indeed take you to the library and sure enough, she left before you had even stepped foot inside. 

As soon as you were sure you were alone, you closed the doors behind you and began your search. You were certain that there would be something in here to help you find out more information on the ring binding Hector to the vampires, Lenore in particular. 

Unfortunately, you did not have much knowledge of such magic, or how to remove the effects, all you did know was that it was powerful and dangerous. If Hector or anyone else other than the vampires tried to remove the ring the pain would be unbearable, not to mention it would likely kill him. That was why removing it by force was not an option. You needed to find another way or somehow trick one of the vampires into removing it, even if only for a moment.

You searched for hours but came out empty-handed. There were books on almost every kind of magic imaginable, even ancient magic you had never heard of, but nothing on slave rings. It was obvious that whatever you were searching for had been moved or burned, though you were hoping for the former. It seemed likely that Lenore would have hidden it or be holding it in her personal chambers, which makes things difficult. Lenore is not easy to deceive, nor will she be easy to steal from.

It was almost dawn when you retired to your bedroom and finally got some sleep. By the time you were waking up again, it was late in the day. So late, in fact, that Hector had been wondering where you had been for the past few hours.

"Sorry, I didn't come by earlier. I was asleep," you confessed the moment you stepped into the forge.

Hector turned to you almost immediately with a look of relief and put his hammer down. He quickly walked across the room but stopped before you, looking hesitant again. He still wasn't used to this, to you.

You reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck. "You don't have to hesitate with me. If you want to hug me then hug me."

He smiled and nodded shyly, wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you closer to him. He liked this, he liked the smell of your hair against his nose, he liked your warmth. He liked you.

Your hug came to an end much sooner than either of you wanted it to but you knew not to be greedy. If someone were to come in and find you, even if it was not one of the vampires, Lenore would find out and, if that were to happen, everything would be over.

"So, how's the forging going?"

Hector picked up his hammer once again. "I'll be done in a couple of hours, then we can get started on today's lesson."

He smiled with such happiness and excitement when thinking about the time he was going to spend with you, even if it was only to teach him more magic. So far, you had pretty much covered most of the basics but there was still so much more to learn. Even so, you were sure that what you had already taught him would be enough to keep the vampires at bay, well, once you finally got rid of that ring.

The day of the attack was growing closer and you had no intention of being around when it arrived. If things went as planned, the two of you would be long gone by the time that day came to pass. To do that, however, you needed to act fast. There was no time to waste.

"Actually, I was thinking we could take a break today." 

Hector turned to you with furrowed brows.

"I went to the library last night but the book I was looking for wasn't there. I think Lenore has it and I need to get it so that I can deactivate the effects of the ring," you explained.

Hector stopped hammering for a moment. "You're sure she has it?"

"Where else could it be? I just need a way to get into her private chambers without getting caught. If I can pull it off I'm sure I'll be able to free you."

You were so sure that this was the best and possibly only way to free him but the look on his face showed that he was sceptical. Still, he seemed to sense the urgency in your tone.

"I'll distract her."

Although he didn't care to elaborate any further than that, you knew what he was intending to do.

"Hector, you can't do that." You shook your head and stepped closer to him.

He cast his eyes to the ground for a moment, slowly bringing them back up to you with a gulp. "If I don't she will find you. She might find you anyway but at least this way you'll have a chance."

You reached up, cupping his face in your hands. "I cannot ask you to do that. I won't let you. Not that."

His hands soon reached your own, fingers delicately wrapping around them as he pulled them from his face. His hands now holding yours.

"Don't worry about me. I will distract her for as long as I can before it comes to that, there are other ways. Just- Just be quick."

He stroked the back of your hands with this thumbs before letting them go and turning back to the forge.

"I won't let her hurt you," you promised as you took your usual seat on the floor by the window, where you would watch him work for the next couple of hours.

You had been protecting him since the moment you arrived and now he was trying to protect you. You knew that but what he was willing to do for you, to keep you safe, it was too much. If you could get in and get the book within a few minutes you would be able to make it back before anything could happen between them.

By the time Hector was finished with his work, the plan was ready to be put into action. You knew that Lenore would know he was alone, she would have been waiting for the opportunity to catch him when he wasn't with you. That was why you had stayed by his side for as long as you could every night. The moment you left she would know and she would come. 

You would have to move quickly to make sure you arrive back in time to interfere with her plans. You just had to get back before things escalated, before she could touch him. Hector just had to keep her talking long enough.

You sucked in a breath. "I won't be long. Just keep her talking for a few minutes and no matter what do not leave this room. You have to keep her in here."

"Don't worry, just get the book and come back. I'll be fine." Hector brushed his fingers through your hair, pushing it behind your ear.

You both knew this was a risky idea but you also knew there was not much else you could do. This was the only way and it could have three very different outcomes. It could go smoothly and you would get the book and be back in time to interrupt Hector and Lenore before anything could happen. Or, you would successfully get the book but not in enough time to save Hector from a night with Lenore. Lastly, but not least, Lenore might see through your entire plan, find you and kill you.

No matter what, it had to be the former. You needed that book but if it meant Hector had to suffer at the hands of her again, it was just too great a price. Though, you supposed that was preferable to the last outcome. If she was to find out what you were doing, even if she didn't kill you instantly, it was all over. Hector would remain trapped, bound to her for the rest of his life, and you would be dead or worse.

You nodded softly but couldn't control the growing sickening feeling in your stomach. It was with a deep breath that you turned from him and left the room, the door clicking shut behind you.

As you began to walk away, you pulled the mirror from your pocket. With a wave of your hand, you could see the room, you could see him. He was sitting with Cezar, petting the dog with an anxious face. He was worried, scared even. So were you.

By the time you made it to the section of the castle you were headed for, she entered the room. You watched her walk over to him, making a silent promise to be as quick as you could before stuffing the mirror into your pocket.

Your pace quickened, shoes patting against the ground. When you reached the door to Lenore's chambers, you looked around, checking the coast was clear and, with another deep breath, you quietly stepped inside.

There was little creak in the door, the hinges regularly oiled and wood frequently cleaned. The room was, as you had expected, clean and elegant. The bed was large and covered in fine linen. The thought that Hector may have been here before, with her, made your skin crawl.

And so, your search began. Rummaging through draws with enough care to go unnoticed. You just needed the book, then you could be out of here tonight. By tomorrow this castle will be long behind you and he will be free.

~~~

"No lessons with the witch today?" Lenore questioned with silk in her tone.

Hector lowered his head, shaking it slightly. "I don't know, she hasn't come back yet."

She continued to step closer, her hand delicately reaching out, pressing against his chest.

"Come now, Hector, you know she isn't coming tonight. Especially not if you're with me."

He gulped and raised his eyes to meet hers. "Actually, I was planning on staying here a little longer. I'm sure Carmilla will enjoy a few extra night creatures at her disposal."

With that, he turned his back to her and gripped his hammer. She, however, stepped even closer and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Do you hate me that much? That you would rather make more night creatures for Carmilla over spending a little quality time with me?" She hummed, twirling his hair between her fingers as she rested her head against him.

"Yes," Hector's answer was short but finite and the vampire did not like it one bit.

In seconds, Hector was being pressed up against the wall with an arm to his throat. "You may hate me, Hector, but I don't hate you. Now, I don't want to make this harder than it needs to be so, are you going to tell me where she is or am I going to need to order you to?"

He gritted his teeth. "I already told you, don't know where she is."

The pressure against his throat lessened and she took a small step back, her fingers lightly stroking the side of his face.

"You know it will hurt if you refuse to answer so tell me where she is. That is an order, Hector." 

She was angry, very angry, but she knew there was no need to harm the forgemaster. He would tell her what she wanted whether he liked it or not, he had no choice in the matter.

Despite the pain that began to surge through his body forcing him to fall to the floor, he remained quiet. He was determined to protect you, he needed to endure it. You were all that mattered now. You were more important than the book you were after. To him, you were even more important than his life and his freedom.

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10

#Castlevania #netflix castlevania #Hector #hector x reader

[citoyenneangele]

Les Mis in Bernese (Swiss Les Mis part 3)

The most interesting finding I had during my research at the library was a script of Les Mis in Bernese German (Bärndütsch), a Swiss German dialect, my native language kind of.

I found this extremely fascinating, to read a story that means so much to me, in particular a version of it that is very close to the original in many quotes, in my local language. It was without a doubt a very particular experience for me, enriching in many ways.

This script was written by Ueli Bichsel in the occasion of a open air theatre production in the Bernese old town in 2011.

Sadly it was pretty hard to find actual footage of the show after 9 years, since many of the things are no longer available on the internet after such a long time. This sadly also includes the photos that the theatre company uploaded.

Here is a partly reconstructed version of the website, that does include some aspects of it, like the introduction to the play and the cast, but sadly no photos :(

Here is one of the few pictures I found on the internet a few months ago, featuring probably Javert and Gavroche

here is a little exctact of the play featuring Valjean’s dispair, a fair in Montreuil, the Thenardiers, Cosette and the other 2 kids, possibly Fantine...

The way this video is arranged makes me suspect there would be a whole recording, to which I sadly don’t have access, but this video just focuses on the woman who plays the accordeon.

Besides that the only file I have access too is a a few scenes that were featured in a christian tv show which you can find here. It is a portrait of the woman who did the co-direction of the production. The portrait starts at about 5mins in. It features besides the portait of Nathalie Trachsel also some behind the scenes clips from the rehearsals, also some scenes from the actual play: Javert upon Valjean’s release, Valjean and the Bishop, Fantine dying, Javert confronting; then after a break The Amis shouting “to the barricades!” (in particular Combeferre, Feuilly, and Enjolras (the guy with the red cravat), them building the barricade, the first attack, Gavroche shooting the sergeant and Gavroche dying, Valjean releasing Javert.

Now let me tell you about the particularities of this play and its adaptional choices:

The language: as I already said, this is the first time I hear and read Les Mis in my native dialect. It is a very poetic form of it using many specific Bernese terms of vocabulary, that I would probably not use on everyday basis.

The script is specifically designed for the square in the old town where it was realised in 2011. Multiple references concerning the nearby streets are being made. Also the actual cathedral of Bern, giving the square its name, is being integrated, as the seat of the Bishop of Digne. I think they invested also some part of the introduction to the play by stating that all of this could also have happened right here, in these streets, which is a pretty powerful message.

The play includes multiple dreamlike sequences, that also explain multiple cast of Valjean. The first dream is kind of a nightmare that Valjean has during his first night after prison where he sleeps on the stone bench which resumes the ordeal he experienced since his conviction for stealing bread (featuring various Valjean-actors at different stages of his life). The next one is the one where everyone surrounds Fantine and wants money from her after her dismissal. Another dreamscene is the internal debate that Valjean experiences after learing about the “trial of the applethief”, where multiple actors represent the different voices in Valjean’s head (Madeleine’s self who doesn’t want to give up his freedom and doesn’t want to give his town up and do good there instead, even if this means breaking with the past, Fantine who insists that he has to save her daughter and thus can’t go in prison, the apple thief who doesn’t want to go to prison for life in his place, the Bishop who wants him to stay with the truth...). The last dreamscene is the near-death experience Marius has after the barricade which is very similar to the finale of the 2012 film which it predates, except that they are actually not singing the finale but the regular Do You Hear The People Sing in (standard) German.

Another particularity is the insert of Javert as some sort of narrator that comments basically the entire story from his point of view. This is particularly interesting because this Javert seems to me more omniscient than I expect actual Hugolian Javert to be. And since there is no story without a narrator, this play ends with Javert’s suicide.

Generally the book seems to have been an important source of information, many of the dialogues are directly taken from Hugo

The influence of the musical is there and reaches also to the point of the already anticipated inclusion of a song into the play. But there are some part of influences that also make me think of other versions, in particular some dialogue seems to be directly taken from 2000 Les Mis (conversation about the cause from Marius and Enjolras)

Marius is a Republican (and sadly partially rude to Gavroche)

Javert tries to hire Gavroche to spy on the Musain, and the latter takes the money, but later uses this against Javert

Gavroche kills the artillery sergeant and not Enjolras, and gets killed while rejoicing his success

preparation for the barricade is featured

In general I have to say that I enjoyed reading this very much as it was really a well done adaptation from how I can tell this. Very detailed.

I am gonna keep a copy of this script. So if you have questions or would have to see something more in detail, just ask ;)

Click on read more to see the detailed summary.

Before the actual script several interesting documents are included

So the very first page is a letter that the director wrote to one of the actors in the play (he plays Le Noir, a elderly revolutionary, who gets a few lines of one of the unnamed workers of the Faubourg that Hugo quotes). He makes an excuse that it took so long, but they had to edit some things because there were not enough male actors for all the roles, so they had to change a few male roles into female roles, and they are also considering where someone may take over multiple roles.

Then we have a list of all the roles with the respective actors who played them. Some roles are still open, and marked with a question mark, as this list was made before the rehearsals actually took place

Next up we have a plan of the rehearsals, with days and hours and everything... interestingly enough they took place at a location that I personally know, so that is very meaningful for me.

Then follows the actual script. The title is Les Misérables - fate, death and love. The translation is by Ueli Bichel, last edited by Marlise Oberli-Schoch, in 2010.

Prologue

Valjean enters from one of the side streads, is poorly clothed, unshaved, lies on a stone bench and sleeps.

Valjean has a nightmare. so there is a scene within the scene. Which explains the quantity of Valjeans that are employed. Like the Madeleine's self, they appear to the actual Valjean actor in the dreams. In this particular dream sequence Valjean is sentenced to 5 years galleys. While both Valjean and his sister Jeanne beg for mercy (because he tried to work but that was not enough to feed all 8 of them, and parents are dead and so on...)  the judge has none of this because the LAW.

Valjean2 is sentenced to more prison and other... corrective measures

Valjean 3 and 4 are sentenced to more prison and other unhuman treatment. Javert appears and lets the prisoners to be chained together. They go away

Javert has a monologue about Valjean. Basically he knows that we will say that this sentence is inhuman and that arresting people like JVJ causes more misery since he is the breadwinner of his family etc. But the law is clear and shall not be questioned. He is not in the position to judge the law, and he is also not responsible for the existence of criminals. His duty is it to find out about crimes and to fight them and to deliver criminals to their rightful punishment. He also gives Valjean his passport and tells him what he has to do and what happens if he breaks is parole...and then Javert speaks to the public and talks about how Valjean cried after his first conviction, and how he now doesn't show any feelings anymore. Wonders what happened to his soul.

A woman called Delacroix wakes Valjean up and asks him what he is doing here, why he sleeps on a stone bench and why he is not going to a inn. He says he was rejected everywhere. She gives him a tip and indicates... the actual cathedral that is on that square in Bern where the theatre takes place.

Image/Act 1

Valjean knocks at the cathedral door. First Magloire with Baptistine, then the Bishop come out. While the women are scared the Bishop approaches Valjean without fear  and calmly. greets him with a blessing. Valjean tells him who he is and that he has nowhere to stay, that they didn't let him in even in the prison and so on.... Bishop invites him. JVJ continues to talk about his yellow passport. and is surprised that he wants to take him in ... more conversation of this kind. Bishop says it is not his home, it is the home of jesus, that the door ask not how the one is called who comes in, that is asks if one has hunger or thirst.... Says Valjean come sfrom a place where lots of sad things exists, a place full of hatred and anger against the peple, you have the right to mercy. When you go from here with a benevolence, and thoughts of freedom, a penitent sinner and a peaceful man, then you are worth more than anyone of us. Lets him sleep there.[

Magloire has a panic attack because the silver is missing and what else terrible could have happened. The gendarmes bring the arrested Valjean back.The entire conversation about how the bishop exonerates Valjean, by saying he gave him the silver and why didn't he take the candlesticks... And tells him to become a honest man, that he no longer belongs to evil...Javert as narrator again comments the whole scenery and does not believe that Valjean can become a good person in such a short time. Because once a prisoner, always a  prisoner.

almost to prove Javert's judgement  the next scene is Petit Gervais, but with a girl called Odette, Valjean tears his ticket

Image/Act 2

there is some kind of fair with music and dancing and market, and all kinds of shows. Javert is there, Thenardier is in his inn, Mme T. is there too... Thenardier boasts about how he, sergeant Thenardier, saved a General in Waterloo with lots of overdramatic details People in the audience have mixed feelings about his narration. While someone is totally impressed, someone else has heard other things about this "ghoul". The Thenardiers have first names (Justin and Rose) They have a discussion about their newest visitor and how they can rip him off the best. Make some remarks about his job as a innkeeper that remind me distantly of Master of the house in the musical. Javert has a conversation with Mme T. about Cosette. Then a conversation about Javert, who is new in town. and once they know where he wants to go (the police prefecture) they suddenly ask lower prizes.

So apparently the Thenardiers are in the same place here as Javert, and thus probably also Fantine and Valjean..

Javert arrives at the police. there is a captain Bovet, who is currently ridiculously eating a sandwich and is not bothered by Javert's arrival until he says who he is, i.e. the new police inspector, and he keep telling him that he is not behaving the way he is supposed to according to the official instructions. He wants to see the mayor immediately. On the way, Javert has a conversation with Bovet about how much more clean it is here and how much less crimes there will be here than in Paris. Bovet says that is due to the glass manufacture that the life in Montreuil has never been better. He asks him if he wants to see it. He says, first the mayor. Whom does the factory belong to? To the mayor. He first worked as worker, but after the bankruptcy of the former owner he bought the entire factory six years ago. Javert thinks then it is even better if they first go and see the mayor, when he seems to be the driving force in this town. Bovet says, yes, but also that he is kinda extraordinary, eccentric, well very shy. He lives like an eremit, retired and alone. He even did not want to be elected, he had rejected to be mayor at first. The people think he is abit crazy, but Bovet thinks he is sympathetic and yet he has a bit of pity for him because he is so lonely. A very short, very formal visit at Madeleine's house, where for some reason a soldier is watching, and asking the mayor to come. The scene concludes with Javert-narrator wondering from where he knows this man, finds it weird that this man does not show any interest in the prefect of police (excuse me what are you now, Javert, prefect, inspector, officer? I have lost the overview in this play), wonders if he has something to hide, himself, his face, his voice, a movement, his language....

a woman called Ducret approaches Madeleine, and tells her about one of the girls at the factory, that she has not spoken to ehr yet, but everything indicates that she has a child. Madeleine asks if she is a whore. He only does not want that his workers are captured by moral disintegration. Ducret then suggests to dismiss her. Madeleine trust upon her judgement, and says in this case she shall give her 50 francs and send her away. Ducret has a conversation with Fantine which starts with innocent smalltalk and ends with her being dismissed. 

basically Fantine is in a state of powerlessness and everyone wants money from her and threatens her.  (The Thenardiers, the landlord the renter of furniture, the letter writer...) Fantine breaks down.

a woman called Françoise who offers haircuts, wigs and teeth, buys Fantine's hair. 

Whores in front of the Thenardier's inn and apparently Mme T. is there too, singing (apparently not being a whore). and Javert and Bovet are there too, about how they are being more and more... Two guys called Rambone and Savioni are harassing Fantine who looks worse than the other whores, and Fantine defends herself  tries to kick one of them in the eggs ^^ When Javert comes the men disappear... 

Javert arrests Fantine and as a narrator he makes a comment in which he says very clearly what he thinks about her (I am not gonna repeat that here though), but basically she is very criminal and is treating good and honorful citizens of this town badly and this can not be tolerated. She breaks down and asks him for mercy because Cosette, you know, but of course Javert doesn't care. So she breaks down and coughs even more...

 Madeleine intervenes, Fantine attacks Madeleine, who only wants Javert to release her, but Fantine thinks Madeleine is responsable for all her misery and spits at him. Madeleine says he know what happened, the men are at fault and should be punished, not she. But she insulted the mayor. But the mayor says that this is his business and not the justice's. The whole Javert-Valjean argument about Law and who has what competences Fantine is free. Madeleine wants to pay her debts and bring her daughter back and make that she can live a worthy life again. Fantine faints, and Valjean says to the soldiers to bring her to the hospital

Fauchelevent's incident with the cart. Involves various inhabitants of the town called Toutou, Zidane, Josephine, Fabienne, and Rahel Javert is there too, and in the end of the chapter he is sure that Madeleine has to be 24601

Fantine is deadly ill, Madeleine wants to bring Cosette before she dies 

Javert demands to be dismissed, featuring detailed description by Javert on the points where he thought to have recognized Valjean (and reading this script in its entirety makes me realise mistakes that they didn't. For instance here he still stole from a boy (i.e. Petit Gervais and not Odette). Equally detailed description of the apple thief, and who recognized him as Valjean. Mention about the trial the next day. Madeleine says he can leave. Javert insists to be dismissed. Madeleine says, rather than dismissed he'd need to be promoted, he appreciates him as the dutifuly man of honor that he is. Javert has another monologue that how each time when he arrested someone and mercilessly judged him, he told himself "help me god that you will never stumble", And now he stumbled and needs to accuse himelf. It is about justice, the law asks for an example. Valjean just says we'll see. 

dreamlike sequence. Features different actors that represent the different voices in Valjean's head.

Bishop: tells him to go his way. And stand to his identity, to lie would be very wrong, he promised to do no wrong anymore.

Apple thief: blames him for making him his substitute, the one who needs to suffer in his place

Madeleine's self: is relieved that Javert is no longer going after him. Valjean no longer exists. This was god's will. God wants me to do more good here, to be an example for others, everything else is destiny. And for that I need to stay the mayor who gives food to the ppor and makes that the orphans get good education. He shall break the candlesticks as he shall break with the past. He shall forget about the bishop. And also this apple thief is a criminal, he shall be in prison.

Fantine: asks when she will finally see Cosette, he owes her a lot for all the injustice she has suffered because of him. She doesn't think the apple thief wil be a better person but he will be an example for her child. He shall save Cosette who is suffering because she is mistreated by the Thenardiers

Valjean wakes up and tells Arnaud to leave for Arras.

Image/Act 3

again no trial scene, just a summary of a very angry Javert who wants to go after Valjean NOW, as he humiliated him

Fantine dying. Javert confronting Valjean and making respectless remarks to both Valjean and Fantine. Valjean in turn accuses Javert of having killed Fantine. Valjean attacks Javert with a chair so that he can pay his last respect to the dead Fantine. Then says to Javert that now he is at his command. Javert makes another extremely unnecessary stupid comment. Valjean approaches Javert and stretches out his hands, as Javert wands to bond them, he knocks Javert down and escapes 

Valjean sees Cosette and wants to help her carry the bucket of water home to ther mother. Cosette says she has no mother, thinks she never had one, that she brought her and never picked her up again. Valjean asks if she lives alone. She says, almost, Monsieur and Madame are only beating her. Realizes she is Cosette, says he wants to stay in the inn for the night, she shall show her the way. They talk about the two other children, Popine and Zelma, who never have to work and have beautiful dolls, and always are allowed to play, while she has to work all day and is not allowed to play as the two other kids don't let her. Only sometimes she is allowed to play, when she is done. But she has nothing to play with. She once played with one of the dolls but then Madam beat her. But she has a small sabre of tin with which she dissects leaves and rainworms

Usual Thenardier-inn conversations, in particular the one about the missing bread, the lost money, that Valjean miraculously finds, Valjean buying the work she'd have to do,  (socks), he buys her a doll in a nearby shop, the whole negotiation about Cosette, including Thenardier insisting to see a passport. Valjean saying he doesn't have any, it is not required here. If he takes Cosette with him they won't know his name or his address, they will break down all the bridges behind them . However he has the letter of Fantine. They leave quickly.

Here the Thenardiers don't go after him, they just regret that they didn't make more money

another Javert-narrator monologue, about the dangerous criminal that escaped him and that now also has an innocent girl in his hands. He searched with 36 men and 6 dogs but he is like disappeared from this world. He felt so bad wehn he told the police minister about this development. But the latter did not seem to be that interested, talked about social misery, about shortcomings in the health system. Told him about the beggars, the neglected, from the small criminals who kill another man for bread, about big criminals who in hordes rob reputable citizens, he shall not chase a phantom. But our dear Javert is obsessed with said phantom and doesn't want him to escape. He wants to follow his trace until he has him on (no, not under) the guillotine. He is coming to Paris, not for the miserables, for whom he does not care that much, but for Valjean!

Image/Act 4

Gavroche singing a song about Paris in the time text, yet missing

a coin falls on the square (no idea from where), an entire bunch of poor children and teenagers fight upon it. Gavroche, the most streetwise/smart/crafty of them takes it, and escapes, the other children behind him, he gets caught by Javert, the other children disappear Javert treats him badly and takes the money away from him. When he asks Gavroche for his name, he asks Javert back, but he doesn't seem to be interested in reavealing his identity.  But then Gavroche tells him his name, because he told him that there are many like him. And he insists that he, gavroche is unique. So basically Javert recruits Gavroche to spy on the Café Musain "because there are things happening that are of big significance for the state and the city", and Gavroche says yes, because he gave him money. Javert wants to know who is there, what they speak about and what they intend to do.

The students and workers in the Café Musain discuss the situation and Javert spies on them. The people is agitated, one fears that there will be a revolution, a uprising of the miserables Grantaire (who is absent in an older version of the script) declares that he only wants to drink and forget about life, a stupid invention without purpose. Bahorel and Joly have a conversation about Bahorel's lover Feuilly talks about Roman Gods (apparently we now have a Jehan Feuilly or is that a Feuilly Prouvaire or whatever?) Grantaire has a monologue about what they consume in different cities, and harrasses the waitress. Courfeyrac doesn't want any kings anymore and does not like the charter, thinks she belongs to the fire. Enjolras comes in with Marius, presents the latter as a friend of his who want to join them. Marius is a republican and declares that he wants to fight for the republic with all his force, however he hopes it won't get that far that he'll need to give is life. But he prefers to do so rather than life under a tyran (suspicously similar to 2000 dialogue if you ask me) They sing the Marseillaise until Louison tells them to stop, because she does not want the police to shut down her pub. Yes, apparently she now is an innkeeper too.

Outside the café: chaingang. Valjean with Cosette watching. The conversation between the two that ends with Cosette saying "If one of them would cross my way, I think I would die... Dad, what are galleys?" Valjean wants to leave. Marius sees her and wants to follow her, but loses her in the crowd. Goes after Gavroche instead and handles him pretty rudely  (Sorry Marius, but this is not how you do it). Basically he tells him to find an angel. Gavroche then is just like "but does this angel have white wings?" Marius instead gives him a detailed description of Cosette and her goldbrown hair and white dress, and how velvet her look is and how silky smooth her lips ar and everything... 

They are back to the Musain Combeferre says all the workers have to swear that they go to the streets at the first alarm and fight Feuilly says he can be sure, they fight. But the students have to pave the way. We workers fight, and even if there are as many enemies, we'll fight Feuilly says they are 300 already (oukei, now I am really impressed) Bahorel is convinced that in 14 days they will be as strong as the government i.e. 25000 Bossuet declares he doesn't go to bed, he makes cartridges. Feuilly wants to fight. now. Enjolras says first they need to have weapons Courfeyrac insists that the soldiers do have weapons. Le Noir has the "either for the people or against the people speech" that is more or less an exact translation of the speech that one of the revolutionaries in the Faubourg has in the preparations chapter. Gavroche comes, announces Lamarque's death Combeferre: what? Lamarque? The courageous freedomfighter, our advocate? Now we have resist on our own! Away with the government! Feuilly: we overturn the government! To the barricades! Enjolras: it is about us! now its about everything! at his funeral - to the barricade!

Valjean and Cosette in the garden. They are considering to move again. Cosette: we are changing houses like we are changing names. Valjean is like "I know that must be weird for you, but one day you will understand". Valjean goes inside. Marius is with Cosette (Gavroche led him here, for money), lots of poetic blablabla, and <3<3<3, and you know, Marius shows her handkerchief and ask if it is hers, she says yes. In the end Valjean calls her. Says he keeps the handkerchief as a pledge 

The "Thenardier Gang" (yes that is how they are called nowadays) sets out to rob Valjean's house. Eponine tries everything that they don't. In the end she succeeds.. Claquesous blames not only her but also the sight of 2 fighting sparrows and a black cat during the day. Cosette tells Marius they are leaving for England and probably won't come back. Cosette says Marius he should follow them, but Marius says he has no money. He says e won't come tomorrow, only the day after, and also he dies if she leaves. Marius says they have to renounce on each other for 1 day, but maybe they'll win life. Marius tells her the address. or more precisely he graves it into the wall, says he lives with Courfeyrac. when he is gone, Valjean decides they need to leave immediately, he has seen people that don't please him and Paris is bubbling, they have no choice...

Image/Act 5 (named the revolution)

So basically Lamarque's funeral has already happened. And many of the poor have paid him their last respects. Then the subversive slogans suddenly caused the troops of the king to attack people. People are kinda angry and meet up in front of the Musain. Courfeyrac finds a group of workers who come from the funeral, but luckily have not been among those who were attacked by the dragoons (ah, they are not called dragons, good to know :)), but are very angry, Courfeyrac tells them to go inside they can use people like them. Bossuet speaks with a worker from another group, who has a grazing shot in the arm, but doesn't care, they discuss about their weapons Feuilly asks a working woman what she wants. She says: to fight. Show them up there that they push back against that. Feuilly approves. Another worker has no weapon but would fight if he had one. Bossuet tells him he should provide himself one. Worker sets out to pillage a armorer. Everyone in the crowd shares rumors about what happened, and the Thenardier and Claquesous are awaiting happy times. And Babet also. Extraordinary mention to Combeferre declaring this is the best day of his life. They start building a barricade and undercover Javert has made his appearance.

Eponine tells Marius Cosette has left, apparently without leaving a sign. Marius is heartbroken and wants to die on the barricade at any cost. Which again upsets Eponine because she loves him 

Inside Musain. Enjolras wants to know what is happening. Courfeyrac says the rumors are very contradictory and it is hard to tell what is truth and what is a lie. Lots of army, people is building barricades everywhere. Barricade is growing and more people are there. Gavroche comes over the barricade. Asks a worker who has the command. One who's called Enjolras. He wants to know if he is a general. Worker says no, the generals are on the other side. We are only brothers. Gavroche says Enjolras he wants to volunteer. Wants to send him to the ambulance. But Gavroche wants a gun. But Enjolras wants to arm first the men, then the women and only then the children. Gavroche leaves and comes back. Tells Courfeyrac and Enjolras there is a problem and draws their attention on Javert, and tells them how he offered him money to spy on them. For some reason he now knows his name. They arrest Javert  and by binding him on the post at the entrance they want to show a warning to anyone who dares to betray them 

they are awaiting the 1st attack Combeferre sees someone approaching. Enjolras says don't shoot, we know who it is. Bossuet says it's Gavroche. Gavroche wants his gun. who's there- french revolution. The whole Mabeuf thing except that they really present him as an ancient assemblyman who was "at the convent" (which is here not meant the place where nuns are, but the convention, which is apparently called convent in german for some reason). Javert gets another weird narrator-monologue where he denounces the stupidity of the students who throw their lives away and those of the workers because they always think you can change the world all of a sudden. And how they don't have a chance as badly equipped as they are against so many more well trained soldiers. That has to end badly. Either they die in the hail of bullets or "they are beheaded on the guillotine" (ok apparently this Javert has a guillotine obsession but doesn't know how such a thing works ) Javert goes back into the scenery where Joly reminds him that he will be next... The whole first attack plus Marius wants to blow the barricade up, and thus saves it, and asks for the leader, and Enjolras says its Marius. But all Marius wants is to be alone for a moment

Eponine dies and Marius discovers that Cosette still is in Paris 

they sing and women bring food, they reprepare the weapons, basically drink with me mode I guess... Marius writes his letter to Cosette and asks Gavroche to bring it. Gavroche doesn't want to miss the next attack and thinks he shall wait... Marius insists that he has to leave now, that they won't attack until tomorrow. And then it will be too late to go because all the streets are closed. Gavroche goes. 

It is night and they are trying to rest. One starts to sing the "Song of the Revolution (Musical)" and then the others join in. Combeferre and Gavroche come back. Gavroche has a bag of cartridges with him. Gavroche asks what is going on with them. Here no one sleeps anymore. The whole army of Paris is around etc. (basically what Enjolras says in the book divided between Gavroche and Combeferre) The whole we'll stay and build the barricade higher, conversation, and the uniform conversation, except it is reduced to the essential and Combeferre doesn't get to say anything, it is all Enjolras, in between Marius asks Gavroche who told him to come back. He says he delivered the letter "to the gatekeeper" Valjean comes with the 5th uniform, the 5 leave. Enjolras cares for Javert. Javert recognizes Valjean and says he's gonna have it easy now. Gavroche announces their arrival. A cannon is being heard, like it being rolled there. Cannon attack. 2 people die. Enjolras says this was a grapeshot, and that they needs to stop this cannon, i.e. that it needs to be "fireworker"'s turn. Gavroche says he takes that over. Before anyone can prevent him from doing so, he is up on the barricade and shooting. he hit his target, and is all excited and rejoicing about how he "blew out his lamp", that he evidently forgot that he is standying on a freaking barricade. This causes him to be also shot, of course, and he falls down dead right into the arms of Combeferre.

Enjolras says to all that the last one alive shall shoot the spy. Valjean asks Enjolras if he can crush this man's skull with his own hands, and since no one has objectsions he lets him. Final attack is announced by both Marius and horns. (yes another Hernani flashback for Autumn  ) . Everyone goes to the barricade Valjean and Javert alone. Valjean frees Javert with the mention of the promise he made to the bishop of Digne to never do anything unjust. And killing him because he did his duty as a policman here today, or because he followed him his entire life would be wrong. And if he against the expectance should make it out of here alive he can find him in Rue de l'homme armé. Javert says he hates this kind of games, he shall rather kill him. Valjean tells him to leave. He shoots in the air and goes back to the others where he says he is done. Heavy shooting happens. One after the other the defendants of the barricade die. Valjean does stay at the background and doesn't shoot on the soldiers, yet he supports the defendants of the barricade. he realizes that Marius was hit and falls from the barricade. Valjean goes to him. And whereever he looks there are just dying or dead "revoluzzers" (yes, this is the word he uses in the script, not revolutionaries or something like that). During the very last attack on the barricade he carries Marius away from the barricade and can escape with him  to the sewers. The soldiers pull the flags of the revolution out and plant the flag of the monarchy (whatever "the flag of the monarchy" may be)

Image/Act 6

We are in the sewers now. Barely conscious Valjean falls down on a sleeping Thenardier at the gate that leads out of the sewers who thinks he has made the great gain. and of course wants to steal from them. and comments this in a monologue this is observed by Javert. And of course now Thenardier is all about helping these people, if they aren't dead yet etc. Javert says him just to back off, calling him by his name. Thenardier insists to help, but he says he shall just leave. Valjean gets back his conscience and checks if Marius is still alive, wants to lift him up again, then sees Javert and lets him down again. But Javert just asked him if he needs help. Valjean says to Javert he hasn't given him the address , so that je can escape. Javert wants to know who that man is. And reminds Valjean what happened to those who were on the barricade. Valjean says he survives if he gets help quickly. He is a daredevil, an idealist, but a good person and he can do many good things yet for our country. Please let for once in your life reign mercy before law. Javert insists that he is dead Valjean says not yet. Insists that he needs to save Marius and then he says he'll come back They arrange a meeting at the same place at the same hour the next day.

Marius lies in the middle of the open square between Barricade and inn scenery. There is only the bed and Toussaint that cares ffor him and Cosette that is looking over him. Marius has a fever dream and is near death when they sees all the friends including Gavroche and eponing with the revolutionary flags and singing "The song of the barricade" climbing on the barricades. It is the german DYHTPS (Lied des Volkes), arranged kinda like the finale in the movie that came out notabene after this thing here. Basically Marius is convinced that they came to lead him to heaven, but in the end they get fainter again and in the end of the scene Marius is alive and awake  and with cosette.

Javert derailed made by Javert-narrator which linguistically resembles the confusion of Javert Valjean comes in in the middle of that and says "here I am" Javert halfway awakens from his trance, makes a step towards Valjean, holds his pistol agains Valjean for 2 seconds, then he turns around makes two steps back and holds it against his head. Light goes out. Shot. 

THE END.

#Swiss Les Mis #Les Mis uf Bärndütsch #Bärndütsch #Swiss theatre #les mis #les mis play #les mis script

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Mini Prompt Challenge!

I have been gifted the knowledge of a random word generator. I decided it makes an excellent one word prompt.

The challenge?

Generate FIVE random words.

Make a short story (10 sentences or less) based on those words.

Then tag 5 people.

And here we go!

Tagged by: @primeemeraldheiress

THANK YOU!

_______________________________________

1) Spoil (Thomas/Jason)

The boy was clad head to toe in the world's finest silks, cut flattering and revealing. Though still more modest than most the other pets following their masters around the palace ballroom on the end of gilded leashes. 

He also stands much closer to his Alpha--nearly shoulder to shoulder--as though they were equals.

Lex raises his eyebrows at Thomas Wayne. The wealthy patriarch looks amused at the many similar looks turned his way as he snakes an arm around the boy's waist and tugs him close. The much younger man steals a glance up to meet his Alpha's eyes in a shockingly inappropriate display. Most Alpha's would consider it at best bad breeding, at worst, a challenge.

Wayne just gives the kid an indulgent smile, fingers drawing Lex's gaze low to where they dip under the jeweled belt holding up the sheer silks.

"You spoil your omega, Mr. Wayne," Lex taunts around scotch aged longer than the boy has been alive. 

The old man's grin turns sharp before he says, "He's mine to do with as I please and all I do to him pleases me."

_______________________________________

2) Harbor (Talia/Jason)

There are not many people who know about this place so the knock at the door is unexpected to say the least.

But there is no one who frightens the Daughter of the Demon.

She tucks her dagger back into it's hiding place within her blouse as she pulls the door open.

"What happened?" She asks calmly, refraining from pulling the young man into her arms for comfort.

Jason Todd stands in the corridor trembling, dripping wet from the rain... and drenched in blood. 

When he doesn't respond--just stands there staring at his shaking, crimson streaked hands--she gently takes him by the elbow and guides him inside.

"Th-they're after me... I-I did it... I finally killed him, the... the clown..." Jason stammers his explanation all in one breath, "I killed him and they're... they're hunting me..."

Talia takes a deep breath and squeezes his hands before steering him towards the shower, speaking softly in his ear, "Don't worry, habibi, you will find safe harbor here with me. I will always protect you."

_______________________________________

3) City (Gen)

Jason stands on the roof next to his favorite gargoyle for the first time in years, closes his eyes, and takes a long, deep breath of the city air.

Gotham doesn't look any different than that fateful day he left looking for his birth mother. 

He takes another breath, steeling himself for what he's about to do; what he's about to start; the path he has set himself on.

Bruce makes a big deal about how Gotham is his city. He may have been born here, the new kid may have been born here, but they've lived their whole lives in ivory towers. 

Jason is the one who was born from the belly of this beast; the one who lived in her heart; the one whose whole wretched life--and death--is a manifestation of her rotting soul.

Gotham will never be their's they way they think she is. 

This city belongs to Jason. 

And he's about to remind them all of that fact.

_________________________________________

4) Hallway (JayDick)

Jason is reading. Again. 

He's all work and no play lately and Dick feels neglected (even though he knows Jason is reading for fun).

He can't believe he has to resort to these kind of low tactics. 

Not that he isn't going to have a blast.

Jason looks at him like he's crazy when he slides down the hallway in his socks, briefs, and a pink button-down left hanging wide open singing Old Time Rock and Roll into one of the fancy silver candlesticks he may or may not have swiped from the manor just for this. 

But Jason's eyes track every sway of Dick's hips and Dick knows him well enough to see the microscopic twitch of his lips as he tries not to smile.

Finally, with great dramatic sigh--as though Dick is a major inconvenience-- Jason marks his place in his book and rises. 

Dick grunts but doesn't stop singing when Jason picks him up, tossing him over his shoulder like a caveman, and carries Dick to their room. 

It's about fucking time.

_________________________________________

5) Threshold (RomanJay... angst, mind control, violence)

Jason thought he knew pain. They're the oldest of friends; well acquainted after years and years of close companionship. 

He didn't realize how horribly, devastatingly wrong he'd been.

Sometimes when he has nothing else to do, while his trapped but still very conscious mind looks for a distraction from watching his body do terrible things, Jason wonders if he should have seen this coming; if there'd been some way to know, to prevent it. 

Sometimes the heartbreak and torment will override the purple haze for just a moment and he can stall the swing of his fist.

But he can't ever stop it. No matter how much they beg; no matter how much of his loved ones' blood drips from his gloves. 

Dark, cruel laughter echos through his mind and it's all in his head but flinches at the now familiar but no less sickening touch re-exerting control.

"Hit him again baby," Roman's voice coats his brain, all black and slick like oil sludge. "Show him who your real daddy is."

Jason tries to leave his body behind, or at least squeeze his eyes shut so that he doesn't have to see Bruce's broken face or hear the useless attempts to reason with him and wonder if these words will be Bruce's last, if this is the blow--the swing of Jason's own fist--that will finally kill the Bat.

Tagging: @pleasesavejasontodd, @firefrightfic, @setsailslash, @openthingsatrandom, @gavotteandgigue, @ anyone else

#mini prompt #one word prompt #tumblr games #blurbs #Thomas Wayne/Jason Todd #Talia/Jason #JayDick #RomanJay

[mithrilwren]

your dust from mine

For Fjorclay Week, Day 3: Fairytales/Mythology

Summary: Fjord was born to more than a servant’s life, but doesn’t know it. Prince Caduceus is betrothed to a man, but the wrong one. A tale of mistaken identities, fairytale foolery, and the power of true love’s kiss.

Or, welcome to what I’ve spent the last two weeks working on! This is a loose adaption of my favourite fairytale, The Goose Girl, with some decidedly CR/Fjorclay twists. It’ll be around 8-9 chapters total, and I’ve got 4 written so far, so hopefully updates shouldn’t take too long! For the moment, here’s the first chapter :)

(cw. child neglect, murder most foul - it is a fairytale, after all!)

[Also on Ao3! (Subscribe there for updates!)]

Chapter 1 - Gemels (The Room)

Fjord’s first memories are of darkness.

There are few lights in his world. A little window, with the shutters drawn by day. A candle at his bedside, always left burning, but no books to read by its sputtering flame. A pale globe, and two green orbs sunken within, who he comes to call ‘Nurse’ when he is old enough to speak.

Fjord learns all other words slowly, with no one there to teach him.

What bright moments he has, they are all surrounding Sabian. He is the only spot of colour in Fjord’s grey life - clad in blues and greens, and ever on Nurse’s hip. He is ‘loved’ by her, though that word is one of the last to enter his vocabulary. The first time Nurse speaks it, her hands are holding a different child, but her eyes are on him.

“You are loved, Sabian,” she murmurs into chestnut curls, and from her eyes he learns the meaning of rejection. “Never forget that,” and he learns the meaning of bitterness. “You deserve the world,” and he learns the meaning of hatred.

During the quietest nights, he drags his stool over to the window and presses his nose to the bottom of the glass, peering out between the slats into the unknown realm beyond. He sees strange things - tall pillars with rustling, flat-fronded garb, grey waves rolling onto an empty expanse of jagged cliffs. He brings the candlestick with him, but the light can’t reach far enough to show him the colours of all the shapes he sees. Still, he stands there on tiptoe, night after night, watching moonlight crest the peaks of white-capped swells, and wondering if there will come an age when Nurse will hoist him on her hip like Sabian, and carry him out into the world beyond his room.

---

The queen died in childbirth, or so they say. The child that killed her was sickly and weak, and needed to be sequestered away from the world for his own health. That, too, is part of the tale: the one that keeps the rabble of Port Damali from clamouring at the door to the castle keep, asking where their newborn heir might be.

The king now rules from a dais of one throne, draped in the same crimson as the blood that enrobed his milky hands as he brought the knife to his wife’s throat. She was as fair as he, while she lived, but all the red in the world could not disguise the colour of her child’s skin when he emerged from her body. All forest green, boisterous and strong. The baby’s cry mocked him for being heartier than his own.

He could not abide an adulteress to share his bed, no more than he would not suffer another man’s child to sit on his throne.

He locked the child away, and prayed nightly for a solution to his troubles.

Another child was born in the castle, eight months before the queen died in childbirth (so they say, so they-) and his mother, a servant, was still with milk when the queen died. Having no true mother to nurse him, the unwanted prince was given to the servant to raise. This she did, in the strictest sense, but she had no love left in her for anything but her own son. It infuriated her to her very core, that her child would live and die in poverty and servitude, while she was meant to give up her own son’s raising for the sake of a half-breed bastard: this hideous boy, who born to any other family would have been left at the orphanage to rot with all the other driftwood strays. The resentment poisoned her heart, day by day.

The years passed, and what excuse could the king offer, that the child had not yet been seen? The people said he did not speak his name out of grief for the mother who gave it, but the whole kingdom ached for their promised prince. He could deny them much longer. At last, the king went to his trusted advisors, and asked what he should do.

“Find a younger wife, who will bear you a new son,” one said, but the king was weary of women, who would only betray his trust. “Say the boy died, and name a new heir,” said another, but if the son dies, so does his family name, and his legacy too. “Claim him,” said the third, “and let the people decide if they will accept a bastard prince or not.”

It was an intolerable suggestion, but what else was there to do?

The king went that night to the child’s bedroom, and laid eyes upon his not-child for the first time in five years. The boy was sleeping with one chubby finger in his mouth, suckling softly at the pale imitation of a mother’s sustainance.

He had hoped that the years would have softened his anger, enough to bear the indignity of what was required of him, but the fires only mounted as he looked upon the boy’s green skin, the beginnings of tusks caging the child’s thumb.

From behind, stealing from her silent vigil to the king’s side, the wetnurse crept up.

“I have a son,” she murmured in the king’s ear. “Around the same age. Nobody outside this keep knows his face.” He frowned, wrinkles deepening with each treacherous word she spoke. “My Sabian is a smart boy, unlike this dull one. He barely knows his letters, even at this age. But Sabian, I can make him understand.”

“Understand what?” the king growled, offended by her impertinence. She did not flinch back from his rising anger.

“His duty.” She ducked her head into a modest bow. “I only ask, in exchange for my son, that you raise him as your own, and cast this one aside.”

The king scoffed, then stalked off, furious at the woman’s presumption. To replace one man’s bastard with another… that was no solution at all.

But as he slept that night, he dreamt many frightful dreams: of orcish hordes on his doorstep, and an empty future, and his name crumbled along with his castle into the surf. Then he dreamt something sweeter: of another child, with his own fair skin, riding proudly on horseback through the wide streets of Port Damali.

It was no solution, but it was better than nothing at all.

When he awoke at last, he called the wetnurse to his bedchamber.

“The child will be mine, and mine alone,” he declared, as though the idea was his own. “You may instruct him, but he will be my son. My claim over him will be absolute, from this day forward.”

“I understand,” said the nurse.

So nothing has changed, she thought.

They shook hands, and that was the last time they spoke of the matter.

---

Sabian has been gone a week, and Fjord misses him dearly. He begs Nurse to tell him when his friend will return, and she smiles - a first, directed towards him - and says that he needn’t wait long. That soon, he will be leaving this place, and to think on that instead.

Any thoughts of Sabian’s absence flee Fjord’s mind. There’s no room for them amidst the excitement that keeps him up to all hours, bouncing between the window and the bed, until the tallow of his candlestick runs low and he’s forced to sit as still as he can in the darkness. No one has been in to replace it in days, but he doesn’t think much of that either: a small aberration, in a rapidly shifting world of possibilities.

There are leaves - leaves, he knows the word now - bending towards his window, and he will see them, and touch them, and the water too. Fjord wonders what it will feel like, to slip his feet into the ocean for the first time. Will it be like the copper-bottom bath, slippery and cold, or warm like the stone floor of his bedroom on the longest days of summer, when sunlight slips between the slats and leaves patches of heat in little rows? There are so many things to look forward to, so many questions, and answers within his grasp.

When Nurse returns, she hands him new clothes. Fjord wrinkles his nose at the fabric. They’re scratchy, and smell strange, and he misses the loose cotton of his pajamas the moment he pulls them over his head. One small hand nearly goes through a hole at the elbow, and he frowns all the more.

“Why can’t I wear my clothes?” he whines.

“Hush up,” Nurse snaps, and the cuff to his ear is so unexpected it nearly brings him to tears. Fjord clutches his hands to the side of his head, not understanding, as she grabs him by the forearm and pulls him out the door.

They’re walking so fast that he can’t even stop to say hello to the tree outside his window, or stare for longer than a moment at the sea, bright and gleaming in the cold morning air. But if he walks fast enough, Nurse doesn’t pull so hard on his arm, so Fjord bounds along at her back, working as hard as he can to keep pace with her heavy stride.

There are no other travellers in the hallways, but a clamour is happening somewhere outside the walls - many voices raised all together, and the hurt and confusion he felt about his still smarting ear fades away as they start to angle in the direction of the sound. People, he thinks joyously, I’m going to meet people.

The first sight of the blue sky, unshuttered at last, takes his breath away. Though Nurse pulls and pulls at his arm, he cannot be moved from his open-mouthed awe, frozen on the stone steps of the castle keep. Everything is so colourful. He looks down at his own skin, and sees for the first time its shade reflected in the ground beneath his feet, and in the oaks that grow mightily along the ramparts. He pulls himself from Nurse’s grasp and falls to his knees in the dirt, running his hands over the verdant shades of grass, and laughing in delight at the way the blades tickle his palms. It seems, in that moment, that they’re greeting him, and he says hello back, in a quiet voice that no one else can hear.

Nurse doesn’t tell him to wipe off his dusty knees, but she does take his hand again, and leads him on, towards the voices beyond the wall.

He didn’t know there were so many faces in the world - of  all shapes, all pallors, and Fjord longs to run through the crowd and say hello to every person he sees. He cares little for the ceremony on the raised wooden platform, too fascinated by the crowd that watches on. But as they pass by, nobody pays attention to Fjord. He tugs on one lady’s sleeve with his free hand and she looks down, but draws her arm back quickly as soon as she sets eyes on him, then turns to whisper to the man at her side. “Urchin,” he hears, and “green-blood” too, in the scant seconds before he’s dragged out of earshot. He knows the words in shape, but in context: not why they would be said with such contempt, or with such a fierce glare at his back.

The man she brings him to hangs at the back of the crowd - a rugged figure, with thin, sallow lips and the shadow of sinewy muscles beneath his clothes. “A charity case,” Nurse says, and shoves Fjord forward. “From the orphanage.”

Though he wanted desperately to meet new people only a moment ago, he doesn’t want to meet this man. His eyes aren’t kind, as they look him up and down. His sneer reminds Fjord of the wolves in the stories Sabian so loves, the ones that Fjord pretends to like because he doesn’t want Sabian to know he’s afraid: all yellowed, brittle teeth, hungry to tear errant shepherd boys apart. He shrinks back, more frightened now than he ever was of Sabian’s tales, but Nurse pushes him forward again, and he has no choice but to go where her hands direct.

“And what do you want me to do with him?”

“Whatever you see fit. I don’t care. Find a use for him.”

The man frowns, and he prods at Fjord’s chubby cheek with a dirty fingernail. Fjord forces himself to remain still. “He’s soft - not a day of work on him. What use have I got for a boy like that?”

“Put him to work, then, and the harder the better. Gods know he needs it, the trouble he’s given me...” Fjord opens his mouth to protest - he’s been good, he knows he has - but closes it again, fearing another cuff on the ear.

Hush up.

He’s trying.

“There’s always hard work that needs doing round here,” the man muses, and Nurse nods, relieved. A cheer erupts, rippling down from the dais to the back of the crowd, and her head whips towards the stage. Her eyes are shining, Fjord realizes, and he follows her gaze. He needs to squint to see it, but he can just barely make out a familiar face on the platform. His pale skin looks strange, painted in rouges, and set below a glittering crown, but he can still recognize his only friend.

“Finally getting to learn the prince’s name, huh? Did they really need to wait so long? Still, Sabian. Sounds strong enough. A royal name, if I’ve ever heard one.”

“Sabian,” Nurse breathes, and she is too slow to hide the tear that falls onto her cheek. She does not look back at the man, or Fjord, as she wanders away from them both. Fjord reaches out a hand towards her, but the man pulls him back, and his grip is stronger even than hers. He thinks now that this man is not so much a wolf, but a serpent. His long, thin fingers coil around Fjord’s forearm, and he is inescapably caught.

“Be careful of him. He’s a liar,” Nurse says dreamily over her shoulder, not truly looking back. “Don’t trust a thing he says.” Fjord is too afraid to speak a word in his own defence, though he’s not… he doesn’t think he is...

“They always are,” scoffs the man, then turns to Fjord. “Do you know who I am, boy?” Fjord shakes his head, eyes still following Nurse as she disappears into the throng of the crowd. “I’m the groundsmaster of this castle, and as long as you do exactly as I say, when I say it, we’ll have no trouble between the two of us. Do you understand me?” Fjord nods, biting his lip to keep it still. He can’t see Nurse anymore. “Hard workers earn their rewards, hmm? And poor workers, their punishments.” His fingers coil tighter, and Fjord flinches in his grasp. “Come on, boy, I know you’re no mute. What’s your name?”

“Fjord,” he says. It sounds strange to his ears - he’s not sure he’s ever spoken his own name aloud.

“That’s your common one. And your last?”

Fjord shrugs. He doesn’t know who gave him his common name, and doesn’t know if he has a last. It never mattered, before.

“Then I’ll give you one.” The man’s sneer grows wilder, vindictively pleased. “Your parents tossed you aside, and who can blame them?” He tweaks at the nub of Fjord’s tusk, and Fjord closes his lips, self-conscious, though he doesn’t know yet what he’s meant to be ashamed of. “A half-breed like you, and soft at that! But I think I can fashion you into something useful. Like the stone that holds the foundation, I’ll chip you down, until your shape is better suited to your position. How do you like that, boy? Shall I call you Fjord Stone?”

He shakes his head vigourously. All he’s known is stone: stone walls and stone floors, and a stone ceiling above his bed. He can name their exact count, all the stones that made up his world. He would rather be Fjord Tree, Fjord Sky, Fjord of the Sea that he’s longed so often to touch. Anything but Stone.

The man throws back his head and laughs, and the sound is as cold as winter. When the laugh dies away, his look is just as cold, with no trace of mirth in his eyes.

“You have spirit, Fjord Stone. I like that. But you will find that what I like more is obedience.” The hand on Fjord’s arm slithers up to his throat, pressing harder and harder, until he is gasping for air, and clawing at the calloused fingers with his nails. “I will ask you again. Do you like the name I gave you?”

Black spots dance in his vision, and he gasps out what he can, with what little breath remains.

“Yes,” Fjord whispers, and proves himself a liar after all.

#critical role #fjorclay #fjorclayweek2020 #fjord #fjorclay week #im not going to tag caduceus because he's not gonna show up for a few chapters ;) #god this has been SO much fun to work on #and im so excited to finally share it

[twigstarpikachutroll22]

Congrats on 301-500 followers, mate! If you were gonna give a thank you speech, what'd you say?

*stands at a podium with a typed and printed speech I’ve been working on for over a year*

*taps the mic, clears throat, and begins*

It’s teleporting into creepy dystopias and confusing the heck out of random people hours.

Before this gets serious, you should know that I like to dance naked in front of car lots.

And then I said, who died and made YOU queen of the pastas? I don’t care if it’s what all the cool worms are wearing, I am NOT putting you in a tiny leather jacket! I do not control the speed at which lobsters die. Kids, if you’re gonna let the cave duck skateboard in the house, he should at least be wearing a helmet! Excuse me! Where can I find the glowing, flying, self-folding napkins?

Glug glug glug, my face is a bug! I eat ants for breakfast right off the ruuuuuuuuug!!

Oh, Vanessa, thank goodness you're here! A platypus has tied me up in my own pants! I was having sex with a bagel. The sheep were trying to sing in French. Hey, are you dead? Why weren’t you at elf practice????

The trees are really sneezing today.

To be, or not to be. That is the question.

It’s an avocado! Thanks!

When I look to the sky, all I see is Bob Ross staring down at me. According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to stuff breadsticks into my purse. So my foot’s totally stuck in there right, I’m freaking out, the dog’s having a seizure, and I still got half a pie left. Sometimes, a man has to steal an animatronic badger to stay in this crazy game called life. Just dump it right there, next to that giant gorilla head. I’m in a heated existential discussion with this dead-eyed plastic desk toy. Hey! Got any grapes?

…Who ya callin’ pinhead? ‘Tis I, the frenchiest fry! I am the spirit of the fart. A question mark wrapped in a conundrum swallowed up by a four-legged starfish. I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the overstuffed burrito that spills onto the lap of crime! I am to metaphor cheese as metaphor cheese is to transitive verb crackers. I cry tears of lemonade. I’ve seen your death in my mind. I am a space alien and I have FOUR BUTTS! Also, I am a robot monkey. And my head is made out of blueberry pizza! I’m ugly and I’m proud! Your hot dog is no match for my bratwurst! I have the power of god and anime on my side! I do not like green eggs and ham. Fun fact: This smile is currently masking an internal storm of terror and unease! And I will not ever, NEVER, eat a tomato!

Girls? Can you explain why I look like I'm getting married at the bottom of a pit?

By the way, Kevin, a potato flew around my room before you came. Excuse the mess it made. Your wax figures turned out to be evil so we fought them to the death! I decapitated Larry King. And Frederico fell into a pile of brownie batter! The poor engineer didn’t know what happened. Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs? That’s so fetch. I was wiping away my tears with the memes you made. #LitPokemonGoToThePolls! Mmm-mmm, chicken. I kinda feel like flexing on you because I get to be Deez Nuts. Excuse me, could you please leave? Thanks Pete. I’ve met God, he had nothing nice to say about you.

My only friend in the whole wide world is a hippo named BOOBOOBUTT.

I call THIS straw...Fernando. 

Please stop attacking that wig!

The candlestick thinks you’ve been hogging the spotlight. He’s going solo.

You know, mummies have their brains pulled out of their nose. Do you think horses get songs stuck in their heads? Songs are like hugs that mouths give to ears! I’d like to be tree. Why don’t you try scrapbooking them to freedom? Michael, close your mouth. We are not a codfish. 

George Washington never knew dinosaurs. Common sense is a weakness. Tea? In the microwave? Are you a savage? Bond. HYDROGEN bond. It’s called a hustle, sweetheart. Taste the rainbow! He doesn’t understand your funky-fresh ways. Albert Einstein never wore socks. Why should I? Caution: Falling cows. There’s a world/galaxy/universe to save here and I don’t care if I do it “with love” or with an AK-47. Don’t be a transphobe, Chad. Open the goozack. Shut the goozack. Lock the goozack. Let’s go shoot some monkeyflippers.

D’you ever notice that clapping is basically just repeatedly high fiving yourself? If a guy clones himself and sings a song with his clone, does it count as a duet? What if graphite pencils are racist against colored pencils?

Ohh, I made a sweatshop again?! How does this keep happening?!?!?!

You don’t think the lobster is lying to you.

SHUT UP, HEATHER! It’s my unbirthday too! I wanna be a ghost story!! Did you just boot my stroller? Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow! When I kill God, I'll make a law in the universe that makes every being put carrots on their sandwiches. They have to do it. They can't eat a sandwich without carrots. And you? You will eat sandwiches every day. Keep the change, ya filthy animal. 

And don’t forget the kitchen sink!

My very educated mother just sat upon nine pizzas (SPLAT). The lady doth protest too much, methinks. She has no personality. She doesn’t remember who I am. Little slappy? Make daddy happy? If she can draw naked men, she can eat flan. Pets will be electric in 20 years. Hey, sorry for accusing you of murder last week.

Beep, beep. I’m a sheep. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I don’t like boys i just wanna dance like a lizard.

If I had one wish in the world right now, I would wish that every hamster in the world would get their own personal fanny pack.

Yer a wizard, Harry. Now, you must acquire a taste for...freeform jazz.

I met a ghost once. He helped me find a dog. Sadly, he was just captured in the midst of his latest plan to set fire to the sun. Pain is hilarious! Potato girl has her life goals in order. Lawn gnome beach party of taffeta, make a note of that. All hail planet nine, the celestial potato. Are you talking about teaching asparagus to sing? Poppy, I speak WORM. It’s a romance language. These are NOT worms.

Filthy toilet! You’re dead, fluff butt.

Ring a king a bees will sting so dance a timba tumba!

Whose fault is it? The guy who ran the red light? Or the mesopotamian dude who invented the wheel? Is this the Krusty Krab? No, this is Patrick. What the heck is a polar bear??? Do I look like I speak squirrel? Do not cuss with me, you donkey butt faced son of an Umbridge. I am a magical unicorn dragon duck potato panda troll and I will vomit rainbows upon you. I will de-bone you like a fish! I am like glitter: always there, and never just where you tried to put me, shining regardless. Be afraid. Be very afraid. 

Ya like Jazz?

She can cut that cheese.

It’s a crowd favorite. Everybody loves a good jazz square. Is this a pigeon? Worm off the string, what crimes will he commit? Vegetables are a social construct. And also your eyebrowses. We are not the crispy breads of your breakfast! And there is no queen of England! Rules and schools and tools are for fools, I don’t give two mules for rules! Hippity hoppity, get off my property! You like Krabby Patties, don’t you Squidward?

OH MY GOD, THEY WERE ROOMMATES. 

If life hands you lemons, carve them into tiny ships and allow a colony of ants to live out their dream of becoming pirates. Or staring at your parents while they sleep. 

Love is like a beautiful flower… but it can also be dangerous, like a tiger, with a gun. Nature is like a runaway dump truck: hot, fast, and full of garbage. There’s a beating heart in everything… except lawyers, zombies and jellyfish. Nothing feels as good as the moment right before you break something. Nothing says “mother’s love” like a giant robotic platypus butt. There’s no “I” in “crab.” Every girl’s a princess. Some of them just have fancier crowns. When in doubt, button mash! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! Everybody’s been turned into an apple. It’s a part of growing up. WEAR A WATCH! Time is a precious thread in the fabric of the universe. It deserves its own tool of measurement! Pudding makes a terrible hat! Adults are just kids, with much, MUCH bigger toys. Do not shake someone’s hand when they’re glowing. Oh, and NEVER trust a person who refuses to believe in unicorns. 

Whoop, shark attack! Nom nom nom! Jellyfiiish! Hand sandwich! Turkey! Snowman! Dolphin! Helicopter! Last supper! Monkey in a zoo! What? Gear shift! Splleerrch! Uuurrrt! Eerrrt! Uuuuuhuht!

If I took a meat cleaver down the center of your skull, I’d have matching halves. That’s very important. Shmebulock. There’s no need to call me sir, Professor.

Fly free, little Mah-ri-sol! Be free!!

My nipples are a mystery.

Ah! One feels like a duck, splashing around in all this wet! And when one feels like a duck, one is happy!

Shut up! You’re all gonna die! Street smarts! I hate the trucks that look like they got childbearing hips. Who uses that emoji? Satan worshippers. That’s who. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. 

Why be mad? Just because it brings out the color of my eyes? Not worth it!

Grandma sent you an angel moth from outer space? Pudge controls the weather. Hide the coconuts! Is mayonnaise an instrument? Bees burn their enemies to death while group hugging them. I want a flugelhorn! Did his belly button get taken by the thunder god? Please stop touching my head. I wanna know if anyone else has experienced being pierced by a hair strand. Steve, I’m ending our affair! Your pig is ugly. And you know what else? I’ve never liked your spinach puffs. Never! I’ll explain, and I’ll use small words, so that you’ll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon.

If I were you, I would try to change a lot more before you become a renegade fugitive from justice, hiding in the woods, dressing up like a bear, and stealing candy from children. You wear a helmet in the shower one time and you get labeled for life. Life sucks sometimes. But at least there’s pizza. And at the end I give birth to a bowling ball!

A dog met a mouse in my kitchen. They became friends. Draco Malfoy has definitely tried to fight santa. I am a little black cat and god is dropping a piece of ham on me. 

DID YOU KILL EMINEM???

Don't worry, Twilight. I have eyepatches stashed all over Ponyville, in case of an eyepatch emergency. 

I’m calling mom! And I am NOT using the banana this time!

Do you rodents think you can handle a semicircle?

How much do deer testicles cost, Dave? Enlighten me.

Ohh, why isn’t my invisible truck working?

Why did you bring a gun to the livestream???

Why did I let a convicted war criminal practice energy healing on me?

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Why are bugs always pregnant?

Peter why are you not plural.

Why dO mY nOSTRILs whISPer To Meeee?

Some questions are best left unanswered.

Well divide me by zero and call me a syntax error! My cat has seen something strange. 

Glorp zub banana! There’s a party in my tummy! A SEA MONSTER ATE MY ICE CREAM!!! I tried talking to them, but there was a dustbuster, a toupee, and a life raft exploded! Now one’s bald, one’s in a boat, and they’re both unconscious! Ferb, I know what we’re gonna do today! As the children of divorced parents often say...TWO CHRISTMASES! Let’s go get this bread! Let’s go destroy our feelings! We've got to lead that corn colossus away from those back up singers! For truth, justice, and all that is pre-shrunk and cottony!

Tra-la-LAAAAA!

The future...is in the past! Onwards, Aoshima!! Infinite squared degrees to the elephant! Increase the D! Release the baby! No Troll left behind! Campe Diem! Purple dragon yo-yo ball! No fruit calls in my class! Swiper, no swiping! Oh, good! My dog found the chainsaw! KING BOB!!! On with the show and off with their heads! Shrimp! Heaven! Now! Aaaah!! Grandma’s vacuum cleaner!! 

You may make the sandwich, but the sandwich you eat makes who you are.

Now if you don’t mind, I’ll be disappearing back into the shadows. I don’t wanna live on this planet anymore. Goodbye, everyone, I’ll remember you all in therapy. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!

Remember, reality’s an illusion the universe is a hologram buy gold BYYYE!!

*tosses confetti, steps aside and does an overdramatic flourishing bow, then twirls and skips away*

#imma have to come back to collect that confetti again later #itsedgelord666iamcoal

[bellatrixobsessed1]

The Final Agni Kai (A Terrible AU Fanfic that literally no one asked for!)

This was totally going to be the battle between Sie and Zuko in the cabbage fic but I couldn't pass having the fire siblings do this.

Summary: Agni Kai AU where instead of actually fighting the Agni Kai, Zuko and Azula play a monoply-uno hybrid from Hell.

The sky is heavy with smoke and an odor of sulfur. Sozin’s comet paints the mid-afternoon sky a shade of orange-red. Azula, stares up at said sky--she is daydreaming about just leaving everything behind to become a J-pop idol. 

“By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Fire Lord…” But it is hard to do that when the fire sage keeps blabbing on and on. And it is twice as hard when a wild flying bison swoops into view. Suddenly feeling as though she has run out of time, she turns to the sage and asks, “What are you waiting for? Do it!”

Azula had been rather vague so he isn’t sure what he is supposed to just do. All he knows is that he can’t let his dreams just be dreams. Just do it! Azula’s voice echos in his mind. But in his mind she sounds more motivating than angry. 

Appa lands in the courtyard and Zuko dramatically jumps off of him. “Sorry, but you're not gonna become Fire Lord today. I am.”

Azula laughs, “you're hilarious.”

“And you're going down.” Zuko informs her.

“That was my line.” Katara whispers. 

“Sorry.” Zuko replies. 

The fire sage, recalling Azula’s words--just do it!--begins to ignore the interrupting duo and brings the crown closer to Azula’s messy topknot.

She lifts a hand and then the rest of her body. “Wait!” And then to Zuko she says, “You want to become Fire Lord? Fine. Let’s settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Monopl-uno!” She whips out a game board and a deck of cards and slaps them onto the ground. 

“You're on!” 

“What are you doing? She’s playing you. She knows she can't take us both, so she's trying to separate us.”

“I know. But I can take her this time.” Zuko declares. 

“But even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula.” Katara protests. Also she does not want to have to wait through a game of Monopoly, that game is boring as hell even if it is mashed together with Uno.

“There's something off about her, I can't explain it but she's slipping.” Zuko rubs his chin as he takes in the disheveled sight of his sister. Her hair is a mess and her eyes are tired. “Hmmm...can’t quite put my finger on it.” She flashes him an uncanny and feral smile. “Nope. No idea.”  He makes his way across the courtyard. 

He and Azula stand on opposite ends of the courtyard, kneeling as you do before beginning a game of monopl-uno. It is always best to start any board, card, or any kind of game by kneeling before your God and asking for protection lest the game transform itself into Jumanji and you find yourself stuck in a jungle forever. 

This is what had happened to Jet. He has been stuck in the Foggy Swamp, which is also a jungle, ever since. He is now a backwater redneck. But this is no surprise being as he already liked to chew on straw prior to being transported into the jungle to live out the rest of his fuqboi existence. 

“I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother.” 

“No you're not.”

But she really is. She actually hates monopl-uno, in her foggy state of mind, she had momentarily forgotten this. But she cannot back out of this now. “I am so.” She whispers quietly.

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

“Are not.”

“Are to.”

“Are…”

Luckily Katara is there to get them back on track. The only thing more boring than Monopoly is reading approximately six pages of ‘are not’, ‘are too’. Even more boring than that is pre-algebra. Thank Raava, that math does not exist here. “Will you two just get on with it!?” She asks.

Azula passes out five uno cards and a fat stack of monopoly cash. For every green card, the player receives $500. For the blues the player gets $100. Yellow cards earn the player $50. And red earns the player $20. 10’s & 5’s are a free for all, Azula and Zuko snatch as many as they can. 1’s are distributed by wiping out a Candyland, whoever draws Queen Frostine gets to steal all of the 5’s. Azula bites Zuko as he reaches for the last one dollar bill. He retracts his hand quickly. 

It settles in that Azula is losing her shit.

If no one draws Queen Frostine by the game’s end then the 1’s burst into flames and are claimed by the void that manifests itself as a third player in the form of a sentient piccolo, that plays truly awful covers of Rammstine’s Du Hast and Smashmouth’s All Star the whole time.

With dread, Azula notes that, “Colonel Mustard has murdered Mrs. Scarlett with a candlestick in the billard room.” 

Zuko grips his head in stress, knowing that this means that Azula has to move her gingerbread man to the next purple square. This ends the game.

No one has drawn Queen Frostine. 

The 1’s burst into flames and a piccolo rises.

The first notes of Du Hast echo through the courtyard, terribly off key.

Katara has a wicked urge to puncture her own earholes just to end the madness.

Why did Colonel Mustard have to murder her with a candlestick. If he would have just used the wrench then they might have had a chance to draw Queen Frostine!

Far, far off in the distance Sokka, Suki, and Toph fight a different kind of battle. They play Battle Ships, but they use actual ships. Except the ships are not water ships but airships and they are in the sky and the bombs are real.

Suki is uncomfortable with this. 

It is Toph’s time to shine. She can use echolocation to cheat. 

Aang and Ozai also fight. But their fight is different. It is a battle of wit. They have chosen several popular debate topics including women’s rights, religion, which economic model to follow, and whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza. 

Pineapple does not belong on pizza. 

Neither does cheese, because cheese is gross. 

In fact, pizza does not belong on pizza because pizza is gross and no matter what Aang is still a vegan and Aang is not sure if a good vegan should be eating pizza. 

Iroh finds himself a tall mountain and yodels atop it until the militia stationed at Ba Sing Se submit. 

But none of this is as important as Azula declaration, “go fish!”

Zuko cusses and picks up a goldfish. He curses again. Drawing a goldfish means that he has to pull a block from the jenga tower and that rickety thing is already very close to collapsing. Azula smirks as he nears an old and vacant house in Capital City. It is the same one that they have been stealing boards from since they were children. 

It is on its last legs. 

A bead of sweat drips down Zuko’s forehead as he tugs at the board. The whole house bobs precuriously. Azula and Katara take several huge steps back. They, in fact, stand approximately one-hundred feet from the building, which is a safe number when practicing social distancing. 

Zuko yanks the board free and the building groans. He clenches his jaw. But the building remains up right. 

“Ha! Take that, Azula!” He says loudly. The building shakes at the sudden noise and it topples. He has done this to himself. Now he has to draw six more uno cards and one more go fish card. 

“So, how have you been?” Zuko makes small talk as they walk back to the coronation courtyard. 

Azula thinks that it is a stupid question, she is obviously in a state of mental torment. “Oh, I’m fine.” She replies nonchalantly. 

“Yeah, me too.” He replies. “I read this really cool book the other day.”

Azula hasn’t, she has been stress eating cherries and pacing around her bedroom. “I read one too.” She lies. 

“Which one.” 

“Oh...you’ve never heard of it. It’s a really underground novel.”

They reach the courtyard, Zuko draws his uno and go fish cards. It is still his turn so he rolls the dice. “Yahtzee!” He declares and Azula flinches. She moves her gingerbread man to an orange square and picks up a trivial pursuit card. She relaxes a little, upon remembering that she is a trivial pursuit expert. 

“What’s the tallest piece on a chessboard?” Katara reads the card.

Azula rolls her eyes, this is an easy one. “It is the King.”

Zuko Googles the answer just to be sure that Azula isn’t lying again. 

Katara winces, “correct.” 

Azula flashes a smug smile as she passes go and collects $200. She is glad that she did not have to answer a Guess Who question. Those always throw her off. 

Zuko stands up, it is his turn. He throws down a green skip. This time Azula curses. He then throws down a green reverse card so it is his turn again. Azula snarls. He realizes that he has no more green cards so he picks up a Go Fish card. It is an angelfish. Angelfish act as substitutes for yellow cards so he is stuck with it. Having none of her own, but having the mindstate of one, Azula literally turns herself into a wildcard and flops down onto the deck. She changes it to blue. 

She always changes it to blue.

She has no blue cards, but she never changes it to anything but blue.

She reclaims her human form and draws a Go Fish card. 

It is a clownfish. 

Which makes sense because she played herself (clownfish substitute red cards only), she is the clown in this situation. 

Zuko smirks and throws down a blue seven. 

Azula is about to throw down a blue three, when Zuko brazanly shouts. “No draw fours today? What’s the matter, afraid I’ll reverse it!?”

“Oh! I’ll show you a draw four!” Azula shouts. She lifts her blue drawfour as well as four scrabble tiles--one for each letter of her name, except she is missing the ‘u’ so instead she has Azla--and powers her draw four up with them. 

A is the first letter of the alphabet so Zuko has to not only draw four cards but another two extra. And since Z is the last letter he also has to draw twenty-six extra cards. By this time the deck has run low so he has to pick up a twelve of spades which amounts to twelve green uno cards.

To figure out what number each represents they must spin the twister spinner and consult the magic eight ball. 

“Nooooo!” Zuko screams as she throws the cards down. 

Katara bites her cheek. She doesn’t like cheating to win, but she is pretty sure that Azula had swapped out her ‘u’ scrabble tile for a ‘z’ while Zuko was messing with the Jenga tower. So she doesn’t think too much of it when she completes Zuko’s Connect Four line. 

“Zuko!” She yells. “You forgot to say, ‘I’ve united the four!’” 

Zuko pumps his fist and says. “I’ve united the four!” This nullifies the power up Azula has used on her draw four. It balances out so he only has to draw four uno cards. 

Azula’s face bunches up in disgust as she gives the twister spinner a flick. 

Right hand on blue. 

She places her right hand on blue and the twister board tells her to move her top hat to the chance square. Katara picks up the chance card and reads “go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.” 

Azula blinks several times. She is trapped, with nowhere to go. She sadly makes her way over to the grate, overwhich they have constructed a jail out of a cardboard box. The word ‘JAIL’ (though Zuko accidentally spelled it ‘JAYL’ at first so that was crossed off and ‘JAIL’ is written beneath it) is written in big red marker. Katara doodled a star under it in pink gel pen. 

Azula sadly lifts the box and sits under it, clutch her knees to her chest as Zuko passes go, collets his $200, and uses it to buy a candyland card. A smile lights up his face, he has drawn Gramma Nut! That means he gets to discard exactly three uno cards. 

He sets them on fire and shouts “uno!” 

He throws his remaining card, a blue five, onto the deck. 

From within her jail cell, Azula shrieks. She sets the jail on fire, marches up to the unused chessboard, flips it over, and throws the pieces at Zuko “I hate this game! This is a stupid fucking  anyways!” 

Zuko and Katara slap each other high five. Unbeknownst to them, Momo swoops down. “But you forgot to play Bop It before saying uno, which means that your victory is null.” 

Zuko slaps his forehead. 

Azula’s eyes grow wide. 

This means only one thing…

One terrible thing…

Azula swallows as she removes Don’t Wake Daddy from the box. The siblings stare at each other. If at any point, daddy wakes up, Ozai will materialize before them and win the game. “Here, you do it!” Zuko says to Azula. She very carefully takes the tweezers and as steady as she can, attempts to extract the wrench representing the funny bone.

But Azula is already shaken from her loss and the stress of losing her friends. She accidently touches the rim and the game buzzes. 

She and Zuko weep as they both take turns pressing the alarm clock. Daddy springs up and Ozai appeared before them to reclaim his Fire Lord crown. In leaving his debate, Aang has automatically won. Ozai’s bending yanks itself from his body, as he had bet it before the debate started. Aang cheers!

Another airship explodes as Toph cackles. 

Ozai begins to weep for he might be the Fire Lord again, but he has no fire. 

Neither Zuko nor Azula are the Fire Lord. They both hug each other and cry as Katara plugs her ears. 

The piccolo still plays Rammstine. 

Ozai also cries because, even though he is Fire Lord in title, no one is going to listen to him since he is a non-bender. The Fire Nation will fall into anarchy unless the siblings can work something out. 

Aang also weeps because her realizes that, Ozai is still the Fire Lord so he is still going to have to defeat him somehow.

Truly, nobody has won here. 

Nobody except Iroh and Toph.

#Avatar #Azula #Zuko #Agni Kai #Katara #Alternate Universe #Fanfiction

[tonygoldsteins]

heyyy, i’m nie. let’s jump right into it ;****

☆(ALEX WOLFF / CIS MALE / HE/HIM) is that [ ANTHONY GOLDSTEIN ] over there? the [ STUDENT ] is [ EIGHTEEN ]. i heard they’re a [ SAGITTARIUS ]- which is probably why they are so [ OPTIMISTIC and ADVENTUROUS ], but also [ TACTLESS and BOASTFUL ]. did you hear that they [ REDACTED ]… hope no one finds out. (ooc: nie / 26 / est / she/her)☆

STATS

Full Name: Anthony Jacob Goldstein

Hometown: Crestview, NY

Birthday: November 26, 2001

Religious: His mom is technically Protestant and his dad was Jewish, but Anthony’s a little more Agnostic. He attends temple during the high holidays (and a Shabbat once in awhile with his bubbe), had his bar mitzvah, and celebrates Christmas with his mom (+ stepdad and half-sis blegh) in the sense that he’s lovin’ those presents. If asked he identifies as Jewish, at least culturally. Rejects Christianity sort of on principle lmao.

Drugs/alcohol/smoke (y/n): yes/yes/no

Languages spoken: English and enough Hebrew to get through Hebrew school

Western astrological sign: Sagittarius

Other traits: Honest, impatient, careless, attention seeking, open-minded, forgetful,  irresponsible, confident, outgoing, and humorous

Relation to Ana Alston: His best friend was str8 up obsessed with her, bro

BACKGROUND

TW: Death

Anthony’s parents (Elizabeth and Jacob) were childhood best friends turned sweethearts turned accidental young parents at the age of like, 19/20. This accidental child was indeed Anthony. When he was about three years old, his dad died. There's a lot of weird n repressed murky memories around what happened. His mom always says he died trying to help someone, like he got caught in the crossfire during a mugging or something, and Anthony is like, actively choosing to believe her, even though he does not realize he is making a choice in it. 

So he has a very holier-than-thou, pristine image of his dad in his head. Like this guy was the coolest, bravest, sickest mf on the planet, half to memorialize him and half to avoid grieving something that he was robbed of, i.e. a parent. In reality, his dad was very directionless and lost and unreliable and not a bad guy but Anthony's mom had no plans to stay with him. He kind of just smoked weed all day, drank too much, and played video games. What Anthony doesn’t know, or what been kept from him because he does not remember, is that his dad didn’t die playing hero. His dad died because he drank too much one night, didn’t wear a seat belt, and swerved into the opposite lane while driving the family home. He crashed into another car, which killed himself and someone in the other car too.

Eventually, Anthony's mom found love elsewhere. The guy (Magnus McNulty) was well off and handsome and tried very hard to be buddy-buddy with then-10 year old Anthony, and eventually Anthony's mom and Magnus got married and had a daughter, Cassandra (Cassie). For a long time Anthony had a lot of contempt for this new little family unit, and still refuses to call his mom’s husband anything other than his first name. He felt like his mom betrayed him and his dad by getting with Magnus; he still kind of feels that way.

He started stealing when Cassie was born. It was little stuff at first, packs of gum at the corner store when his mom sent him for milk and candy from CVS. As he’s gotten older, he taken to also stealing things that aren’t necessarily bigger but less sterile and devoid of importance. At rich kid parties, he tends to swipe nice-looking silverware, candlesticks, and on one memorable occasion a gold bracelet. He doesn’t do much with these things but keep them in his desk drawers or under his bed.  He still takes stuff of the shelves and racks of stores but he’s almost gotten too good at it, at least at the little league stuff; it’s kinda losing the thrill. Something with higher stakes may be in order.

PERSONALITY & ETC.

Other stuff to know about Anthony is that he has to watch his little sister a lot (yawn), he has had a rock collection since he was in kindergarten, he reads comics and unironically loves superhero movies, and he’s a little “fuck da police” edgelord.

Trying to get him to be serious or sincere can be like pulling teeth — it’s frustrating for you and painful for him, and most people seem to be charmed by it or endlessly frustrated. He’s the kid taking pictures of his elbow when his arm is bent because it looks like a butt. He has a ‘420′ story highlight on his Instagram page and is a seasoned shit-poster.  He's goofy and says weird shit just to say weird shit. He thinks girls who ignore him are into him. Standard practice. He wants to bring levity babey.

He plays the drums because when they chose instruments back in elementary school he chose the one that would annoy his mom and Magnus the most, but now he’s really into it. His favorite bands are like, The Strokes, Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, Rat Boy, Dinosaur Jr, etc.

He tells people Shiloh had a huge crush on him when they first met and he had to turn her down just to troll her. <3

He has a scar on his head from the car crash that he has been told was from falling from a swing set and again he doesn’t question it.

Lowkey dysgraphia and ADHD

Happily sells weed and his adderall to the teenage masses xx get that coin!

LINKS ‘N STUFF

PINTEREST BOARD

Will create a connections page ASAP, but otherwise I am open to just about anything. He definitely needs friends, perhaps an ex of sorts (awkward late middle school era and they didn’t do anything past some fumbly over the shirt stuff xoxo romance), people he sells weed to, bandmates, neighbors, idk. Give it 2 me.

#crestview:intro #cannot be bovvered to make a graphic mostly because i am bad at them ;) #hmu to plot!

[hh-foxyhart]

“The Dangerous Game” aka the Meeting of the Prideful Peacock and the Fiery Vixen of Lust

It was a dangerous risk...but someone had to do it.

Word had gotten through to the Guardian Sinners off the happy Hotel through their rogue-like Sinners of Greed that apparently a certain VERY powerful man, not just in authority and position, but in magical power as well, posed a possible threat..or perhaps even promise to help..the hotel. His name was Wormwood, and he was apart of the ROYAL COUNCIL. One Sinner mentioned encountering him a brief number of times, and mentioned he would come off as a bit pompous, stand-offish and Prideful (but then what was to BE expected from a demon of PRIDE?), but that he was also apparently a powerful Sinner of Pride...a manipulative trickster, who would read others in order to lure them into binding deals and contracts.

So the Guardian Sinners decided to fight fire with fire and send one of their more craftier members...Flare Hart, their Flame-Trickster, a Fox Sinner of Lust.

As Flare managed to score an invite to one of a popular socialite’s parties, one Wormwood frequented often, as he and the hostess were on very social terms, and she managed to sneak her way into the party...in her beautifully sexy yet somewhat more Victorian-inspired dress of red (she’d done her homework on what era he resided from and worked with Alexis on attire), she glided her way through, also casually socializing and making a good impression with some other guests at the party with small talk, sparking their intrigue with a new guest who at glance didn’t seem like much other than a pretty face until she opened her mouth. That’s when out of the peripheral of her eye she saw him...teal suit, peacock feathers and a wide brimmed black hat with matching feathers adorning them as decoration…

‘THERE YOU ARE’ She thought to herself, excusing herself to use the ladies room….she purposefully made her way towards the manor...and as she approached, purposefully brushing against him…

“Sorry, excuse me” she mumbled loudly enough for him to hear in a quiet yet alluring tone...casting a small charm from her sin cantrips as she did...even if it didn't’ charm him, it would catch his attention…

And it did, as she heard him say “I’m sorry excuse me’ to whomever he was conversing with to follow her. PERFECT.

She quickly rushes into the manor, making a purposeful show to look around, as if lost...then places her glass down on a table at the side of the staircase before heading up...sure enough, at the top is an empty bedroom, no doubt a guest bedroom, that she quickly ducks into, not bothering to shut the door behind her…

She looks around and for a moment is taken aback in awe...the beautiful blue wall paper adorned with teal peacock feathers, a bed of royal blue sheets with golden banister and a HUGE window with a view of the city, adorned with royal blue curtains…indeed, this was Wormwood’s personal guest room. How could he have left it so carelessly unlocked?

Without thinking twice more, knowing he’s probably right behind her, Flare makes a quick dive for the bathroom to the left, shutting the door behind her...and then deciding to take a quick moment to relieve herself to make sure her alibi was concrete.

As she does her business she heard him enter, with the slight creak of the door and hurried footsteps slowing down...then her sensitive fox ears pick up something that sets off red flags…

A ‘clack’ of the door shutting...then a ‘click’ of it locking…followed by more silent footsteps IN THE ROOM, ending approximately around the bed…

He’s locked her in..and is waiting for her. Thinking fast, she finishes, flushing the toilet, washing her hands…and grabbing a nearby candlestick (probably to light the bathroom at night) and gets ready….

She KICKS the door open and wields the candlestick with a shout of “WHO ARE YOU!?!?” causing the Peacock, who was previously sat calmly on the bed, to jump up in shock with a bird-like SQUAWK!

“WAK!?! -Madame put that down this INSTANT!!!” He suddenly bawked with alot less grace then she was expecting...but then again she was wielding a weapon.

“Not until I know why the f*ck you’ve locked me in here while I’m trying to use the restroom!?” She snarled, keeping up her frightened act.

“Well, when a lady enters a gentleman’s guest room, he doesn’t know what she’s planning to steal!” He snarls back, “besides the guest bathrooms are OUTSIDE.”

“Well, I didn't know that! YOU meanwhile have followed a strange woman into a BEDROOM and LOCKED YOURSELF IN with her, what was I supposed to think!?”

Wormwood was about to answer...then stopped himself. True, she wouldn’t have known where the bathrooms were if she’s asked, since they’re out of the was on the side of the house..but at the same tie, HE was the one who chose to LOCK the door on her while she was doing her business...the implications of THAT were indeed insidious.

But Wormwood, as Flare knew, was also alot smarter than that.

“Well, my dear...I apologize for implying that terrible thought upon you. Allow me to restart this interaction on a more cordial note,” he bows, offering a hand, “Lord Wormwood at your service miss…?”

“Hart, Flare Hart” Flare says, bowing in turn and taking his hand-

And THAT’S when they both feel it. A Spark. Not just ANY spark, but a spark of power they caused them both to jump back in surprise-!! Then, after a moment of switching glances from each other, to their hands, to each other and back, Flare spoke;

“Wh-what the nine was THAT?” she mumbled, looking up at him. He seemed to have a flabbergasted look in his eyes, before finally speaking himself; “What are you?”

“Um, I’m a Fox-”

“NO NONO!!” he interrupted, frustrated yet insistent, “WHAT are you?! Are you some kind of Caster?”

“Oh! That, yeah.” she snaps her fingers, show don’t tell after all, summoning a single red flame, making it curl and dance to her whim about her finger tips. Wormwood’s eyes widen, gazing, almost entranced by the flame.

“You’re a sorceress…” he says matter of factly, as if trying to analyze exactly what he’s seeing, “an older one no doubt?”

“Nah, I’ve only been down here in hell for a couple of months.” she also says nonchalantly, making the flame poof in a heart shaped puff of red smoke. “It’s mostly for entertainment, but..let’s just say I’ve plenty of tricks up my sleeves” she winks, giving the Peacock Lord a sultry mischievous look

Wormwood is taken aback, blushing, not only at how open she is to showing off her powers, but…!

“a couple of MONTHS? But Sorcerer Demons don’t unleash their powers even for at least a DECADE?!” he mutters, “and yet..here you are controlling HELL FIRE as if it were nothing but a TOY? A part of me doesn’t believe that, Miss Hart…”

“I guess I’m different? But, anyway, I’m technically a fire hazard, so now I gotta head back, so iff you could unlock the door-”

As she’s turning around while saying this, he suddenly glides in front of her, blocking her way out...even if the door was unlocked, that is..

“I’m Sorry my dear, but I’m afraid I can’t let you leave just yet,” he whispers softly, eyes glowing from underneath the brim of his hat, a strange smile appearing on his lips, “you see...I am a “collector” on knowledge of demons, and seeing one as YOUNG as you with such ra power….you think I can let you go unchecked before knowing exactly what you’re capable of, or what lies in that fiery soul of your’s? I’m afraid that, my dear vixen, is out of the question…”

As he speaks, feathers arise from his hat and the jewels hanging off his tie/collar, glowing in sync with his eyes...and then the “eyes” on the feathers of the wallpaper in the room also open, gazing down upon her...and in that moment, Flare realized exactly what Wormwood was and what was happening…

He was a Mesmerist, a master of hypnosis, illusion and manipulation..and THIS, is “Soul Sight.” an ability Alastor, the Radio Demon, had used on her and the other Guardian Sinners as well, in order to see into their souls and determine their cardinal sins..and their fears, memories and desires. In that second, Flare knew she had to act FAST to turn the situation in her favor before he read her mind and true intentions of being there..and she did that the only way she knew how…

By opening up her cardinal sin...and initiating a DANGEROUS GAME…

As her own eyes glow red, her demon eye, a heart shaped red eye on her chest, opens, fiery red wisps appearing and illuminating the darkened room as she gazes right into Wormwood’s eyes (NOT the ones floating around the room), slightly irking thee Peacock as he concentrated on trying to read her. Though he was slightly surprised at seeing her demon eye open, he also realized exactly what her cardinal sin was before her mouth opened, and she began to-Sing?

“I felt your fingers,

Cold on my own…

Your chilling touch, that just tingled my spine,

Watching your eyes,

As they invade my soul,

Forbidden desires,

I’m afraid to make mine…”

She strides forward, caressing his face, making him freeze as she dances around him, singing still,

“At the touch of your hand,

At the sound of your voice,

At the moment your eyes met mine,

I am out of my mind,

I am out of control,

Full of feelings I can’t define…”

Wormwood blushed...he’d never really been serenaded via song before...and he certainly wasn’t prepared at the strange sensation that came over him as his own voice responded to her’s-!

“It’s a Sin with no name,

Like a hand in a flame,and my senses proclaim

It’s a dangerous game…”

He blushed as his hands seemed to move of their own volition, touching her cheek to make her gaze into his eyes...he wanted to see what spell she’d cast that was messing with his soul sight, yet at the same time, a part of him felt it…her desire, her attraction to him, stroking his ego, stirring more singing words from his lips…

“A Darker dream,

That has no ending,

Something unreal,

That you want to be true…”

She smiles, intertwining her fingers with his, nuzzling his hand with her cheek as she sings in a sultry whisper....

“A Strange Romance…

A darker mystery tale…”

“The frightened vixen doesn’t know what to do…!” His eyes flash, suddenly feeling a confidence wash over him, spinning her and dancing her in a tango-form as he attempts to take control of the song-! “Does she just run away, does she risk it and stay? Either way there’s no way to win!”

“All I know is I’m lost, and I’m counting the cost, my emotions are in a spin!” She places a dramatic hand to her forehead, smiling at him...she’s teasing him now, and this frustrates Wormwood, and yet, he’s determined not to allow her to distract him. Whatever enchantment she’s cast, whatever this tango is for her, he won’t let her seductive teasing interfere with his own agenda! But...if she’s going to try and lead him in this dance, so be it…however HE would be the one to lead, not her-!

“I don’t know who’s to blame, it’s a crime and a shame, and the angels proclaim it’s a dangerous game….” they both find themselves slow dancing, suddenly realizing the flames and eyes are slowly circling them, like an invisible audience illuminated by candles, setting a mood of expectation and romance….

Neither one of them were fully in control to begin with...neither of them leading, neither of them following...but going with the flow as they sing in unison, almost as if perfectly rehearsed…

“No One speaks….

Not one word…

All the words are in our eyes….

Silence speaks, loud and clear..

All the Words we want to hear-!!!”

“At the touch of your hands,

At the sound of your voice,

At the moment your eyes met mine,

We are out of our minds,

We are out of control,

Full of feelings we can’t define!!!”

As he dance picks up a more energetic pace, Wormwood, feeling anxious at the idea of losing control, desperately tries to regain it by backing Flare to a wall….

“It’s a Sin with No name-”

“A Force with no shame”

“Fire Fury and Flame, both Blindsided the same,”

“And the ANGELS PROCLAIM-!!!”

The Peacock Presses her against the wall, and their glowing eyes meet as he tries to bury his psyche into her soul…Flare’s heart races as she’s pinned between the wall by this powerful Peacock demon, instantly sparking her Heat-!!

IT’S A DANGEROUS GAME…

And then her lips lock with his...initially to get him to back up so she could flee...but in that moment, her heat spreads onto him, a warmth of desire shooting up through his spine straight to his brain, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, Wormwood melts into the kiss, losing all control into passion, the eyes around him closing, Flare’s fire lighting the spare candles around the room in a warm ambiance of crimson as they stumble to the bed in the lustful trance, hands tugging at each other's clothing, hands and lips all over each other’s skin as they surrender, losing themselves to passion….

….

….

...TIME SKIP

….

….as Flare’s eyes slowly open to the royal blue sheets beneath her, she realizes it wasn’t a dream….especially hearing a frantic voice whispering to himself by the window…

“no..no No NO This wasn’t supposed to happen!!! I was just supposed to READ her, not to lose myself to such a senseless vice-!! I’ve always been so careful, how could I have let myself-!!!? WHAT DID SHE DO TO ME!?!? Why did I give in so easily!!?” he frantically mutters to himself, gazing out the window as he talks to his reflection...his hair and clothes are messed, as if he’d slept in them or haphazardly tugged them on...

Flare slowly rises, realizing she’s technically still dressed in her dress, but not her leggings or shoes. She gently walks over to him, touching his back slightly, causing him to jump and whip around, breathing heavily, looking at her as if she were going to stab him.

“EASSYYY my Lord, EASY...I’m not going to-”

“What have you done to me...why...HOW!?!? HOW could you have resisted my sight?!? WHY did you ENCHANT me to do and say and...SING those words?!”

“I didn’t please, LISTEN to me...yes, I have enchantment, but I Did NOT trigger it on purpose, there are still ALOT of things about my abilities...as a Caster, as an entertainer and a LUST Sinner that I’m learning...I think what happened last night was just...a weird cocktail of your “Soul Sight” and my “performance’ mixing our sins in a very...weird way”

“But...w-we S-SLEPT together?!” he squawked, “I didn’t even ASK you or…! We just…DID!! It’s so UNORTHODOX…! So SCANDALOUS!!”

“So? It wasn’t BAD if THAT”S what you’re worried about. In fact, I really...REALLY enjoyed it..” Flare blushes...it’s true, it may have been fueled by her heat, but Wormwood was a very PASSIONATE lover in the sheets…Wormwood blushes, seeming to like, yet be embarrassed by, having his ego stroked by a compliment on his sexual prowess…

“W-Well...it’s b-been a LONG time, but I HAVE had experience pleasing lovers…ahem…” he clears his throat, trying to compose himself, “BUT…you cannot tell ANYONE of this...encounter. UNDERSTOOD? I have a reputation as a GENTLEMAN to maintain after all, and I will NOT allow some...strange woman to jeopardize my reputation.”

Flare smirks and giggles, “Oh don't worry, this “Strange vixen” is no blabbermouth. Though you know, your performance last night is certainly NOT one I wouldn't mind REPEATING, if you’re up for t. Here” she hands him a card for the Happy Hotel, “this is where I stay...do stop by if you ever want some tips” she winks, quickly scoops up her leggings and slipping on her shoes,

“...you...trust me enough to still want to be in contact with me? Even after I tried to read your mind and slept with you almost so...unceremoniously?” he mumbles, looking almost numbly blindsided by the idea.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve had much more jeopardizing encounters...besides, EVERYONE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE.” She winks, “see you around ...LORD WORMWOOD” she bows and quickly rushes out…

Wormwood stands there, a little dumbstruck before glancing at the card...his eyes widen when he sees the name on the card..and his eyes low, a small, sinister smirk appeared on his lips..a second chance, the vixen says? “We’ll certainly see about THAT rubbish, little FOX…” he chuckles darkly, a plan taking form in his mind...

Little did he know that he’d be walking right into this fiery trickster’s trap..and initiating a much more dangerous game...

“Dangerous Game” is from the Musical “Jekyll and Hyde”

Hazbin Hotel belongs to @vivziepop

Wormwood belongs to the talented @envyq00

Flare hart belongs to me, @zikkafriday

#Hazbin Hotel #Vivziepop #Flare Hart #Fire #Fox #Lust #Wormwood #Peacock #Pride #Demon #Sinner #fan character #oc #Dangerous Game #Jekyll and Hyde #Musical #fanficiton

[stargazer-writing]

The Arcana Disney Movie AUs

So I’ve been trash for this game since December, and I’ve been thinking about making this for a while, so I’m just gonna do it on my side blog since it’s technically writing, right?

This is probably gonna end up being long so I’ll put everything under the cut

Also sorry to Lucio stans, but I’m afraid he’s gonna end up as the villain for most of these T-T

HERE WE GO

Asra: Aladdin

No one really knows how Asra ended up on the streets, but he uses his magic to make money by telling fortunes to travelers 

He doesn’t really get into all that much trouble with the guards, but has been known to talk himself out of a problem or two

Faust is Abu :3

MC is the child of the Sultan, and the two meet after MC accidentally steals pumpkin bread from the baker after running away from the palace

Asra falls in love with their kindness and confidence, but after learning their true identity, knows they would never love a street rat like him

Lucio, advisor to the sultan, plans to use the lamp in the Cave of Arcana to become sultan, and uses Asra because only someone with magical abilities can set foot inside the cave

Julian’s the genie

I absolutely believe he would be thrilled to make all of the jokes the genie makes

(Also: I can’t bring people back from the dead. It’s not a pretty picture, and I don’t like doing it!)

Asra disguises himself as the royalty Alnazar to see MC again, and charms them with a carpet that he enchanted to take them all over the world

MC figures out who Asra really is, but Asra, afraid they will be angry at him for deceiving them, lies and says he disguises himself as a peasant to avoid palace life

Now Asra, afraid he will be discovered, decides not to use his last wish to free Julian like he promised, and Julian, angry and hurt at his betrayal, refuses to serve Asra any further

After the argument, Lucio, having discovered Asra’s true identity, steals the lamp and forces Julian to make him sultan, banishing Asra and forcing MC to serve him

Instead of Lucio turning into a giant snake during the climax, he just turns into a giant, angry goat

Asra manages to convince Lucio that if he truly wants to be powerful, he should wish to become a genie, as they have the power to do anything they please

Of course Lucio takes the bait, and upon using his last wish, finds himself trapped in a lamp, which is promptly abandoned in the desert

Asra apologizes to Julian, and uses his last wish to free him like he promised

Then Asra and MC live happily ever after traveling the world on their magic carpet

Nadia: Sleeping Beauty

This one wasn’t all all that interesting as it was but there wasn’t anything better for her, so I’m gonna change it up a little

Nadia is the queen of a thriving kingdom, but has no one to rule alongside her

Of course, Nadia’s perfectly fine with that, but still receives marriage proposals from nearly every royal in a hundred mile radius

One particularly persistent one, Count Lucio, insists that a marriage between them would strengthen both kingdoms, but Nadia continues to refuse

Finally, enraged by her constant rejections, Lucio threatens the queen, saying she will regret not marrying him, and storms out 

While Nadia doesn’t take his threat seriously, her courtiers manage to convince her to hide in the nearby forest until they can be sure he won’t try anything

While laying low in a little cottage, Nadia meets MC, a magician from a nearby village, and without anyone else to talk to, they strike up a friendship pretty quickly

She also meets and befriends a couple of forest fae, Asra, Portia, and Muriel

Meanwhile, Lucio has been scheming on how to get his revenge, and eventually decides to summon a demon to curse Nadia

He finally does so, and the goat demon curses Nadia and the rest of her people to fall into a deep sleep, which can only be broken if the queen receives true love’s kiss, as he knew she had no one who could do such a thing for her

He also plans to seize control of Nadia’s kingdom after everyone has been cursed

After a while, Nadia, figuring she is out of danger, decides to return to the castle, and makes MC promise to visit her

She definitely doesn’t have a little crush on them at this point, nope, no way

However, as soon as she returns, the curse takes its effect, and by the end of the day everyone in the kingdom is sleeping

After hearing about this from their fae friends, MC decides to rescue the queen, but before they can get to her, they encounter Lucio

Lucio’s deal with the demon came at a price, and he now guards the castle as a giant, mangy goat

MC uses their magic to battle him, and finally manages to chase him away from the castle, where they find their sleeping friend

They approach her sleeping form, and gently press a kiss to her lips

She awakens, and upon seeing MC, smiles and grabs them, kissing them again

Eventually Nadia asks for MC’s hand, and after a while, she finally has someone to rule alongside her, and they live happily ever after

Julian: Tangled

Flynn Rider!Julian owns my heart and soul <3

MC lives in a tower in a secluded part of the forest, and they possess long, magical hair that can be used to heal and grant temporary power to others

Lucio has held MC captive for the majority of their life, brainwashing them into believing he is protecting them from those who would use their hair for evil; meanwhile, he has been using their power to keep himself young and powerful

Julian stumbles on the tower after going on the run, and seeing an opportunity, MC decides to ask him if he’ll take them into town for the festival about to happen

He’s pretty confused at first, because “Really, my dear? You want to trust a common thief like me to take you through the forest all alone? Aren’t you afraid something might happen?”

Eventually agrees, because he figures that MC will wise up and run back to their tower in a few hours anyway

But they don’t, and throughout the trip, Julian begins to believe that maybe someone really does see some good in him

He reveals to them how he became a thief, leaving the orphanage to try and make something of himself to bring back to his little sister, Pasha, but never managed to return

He also reveals his real name to be Ilya

They finally reach the town in time for the festival, celebrating the lost heir to the throne who disappeared several years ago

However, before they can begin heading back to MC’s tower, Lucio, who had discovered their disappearance, incapacitates Julian and convinces MC that he ran off, escorting them back to the tower 

Once Julian comes to, he notices MC’s disappearance and, fearing the worse, runs back to the tower

During this time, MC, who has been feeling strange since the festival, finally comes to the realization that they are the lost heir, and confront Lucio

When Julian arrives, he’s is too distracted by MC bound and gagged to notice Lucio sneaking up behind him with a knife

MC begs and pleads for Lucio to let them heal him, and he finally agrees on the condition they stay with him, letting him use their power 

Julian, not wanting his love to suffer at Lucio’s hands for the rest of their life, uses the last of his strength to cut the hair, causing the effects its had on Lucio to wear off, destroying him

(Whatever you do, don’t think about Julian in Flynn’s death scene)

Luckily, the last bit of magic left in MC brings Julian back, and together they return to the kingdom to reunite with MC’s parents, as well as, eventually, Pasha, and live happily ever after

Muriel: Beauty and the Beast

MC lives in a small village with their friend and mentor, Asra

One day, during one of his usual trips searching for new spells and ingredients, Asra becomes lost and stumbles upon an old, decrepit castle

He stays for a while, not seeing any sign of someone living there, and eventually decides to leave, but not before seeing a rose to take back to MC

Just as he picks it, an earth-shaking roar comes from the castle, and before he can run he is confronted by a large, terrifying beast

 Meanwhile, MC is at home when Faust returns, warning of a terrifying creature and leading MC to to same castle

They find Asra locked in a dungeon, but before they can rescue him they encounter the beast; a tall, snarling creature with the features of a bear

MC attempts to beg for Asra to be set free, but the beast maintains he must stay, as he is a thief. Eventually, MC manages to bargain for him, offering themselves in his place

The beast is shocked that MC would give up their own freedom for someone else’s, but nevertheless accepts the deal, with Asra vowing to save them

MC soon discovers that the castle’s inhabitants are cursed after meeting its old staff: Portia, the once cook now turned kettle, Nadia, the head of staff who has become an old clock, and Julian, a court physician who is now trapped as a candlestick

Because the beast, who MC learns from the others is named Muriel, once refused to give shelter to an enchantress in disguise, he is now cursed to look like a monster until he can learn to trust again and can love and be loved

If he cannot get someone to love him before the last petal on the rose falls, he will be trapped as a beast forever

During MC’s time in the castle, Muriel slowly begins to open up little by little, and after several months MC and he have become something similar to friends

He even more slowly discovers he has fallen in love with his prisoner turned friend, and begins to hope that there may be a chance to break his curse

One day, after expressing to Muriel their homesickness and wish to see Asra again, Muriel shows them the magic mirror, and they are horrified to see Asra sick and lost trying to rescue them

Muriel decides with a heavy heart to free MC, and with a grateful goodbye they manage to reach Asra just in time

Upon their return to the village, Lucio, a famed hunter who has been trying to marry MC for many years, learns of the beast in the forest and MC’s relationship with him

Jealous that a beast could win MC’s affection and not him, he gathers a group of villagers to kill Muriel

However, just before Lucio can kill him, MC returns, having realized their love for Muriel, and he is able to fight back, chasing Lucio away

However, he begins to succumb to his injuries, and just before the last petal falls, MC confesses their love to him, restoring everyone in the castle to their former selves, and Muriel and MC live together in the woods, happily ever after

Portia: The Little Mermaid 

Portia enjoys spending her days looking for human objects in shipwrecks and on the sea floor. She has always been fascinated with humans and their culture, and her secret wish is to one day be able to see what it’s like on land

One night, she sees a ship sailing overhead, and swims up to see MC, the heir to the throne of the seaside kingdom celebrating on board

Portia becomes enraptured with the royal and the others, watching them sing and dance all night

Suddenly, a massive storm appears, and the ship is tossed about in the waves

She sees MC be thrown overboard, and quickly swims over to save them, dragging them back to shore

After managing to pull them to dry land, she’s relieved to see they are still alive, and out of curiosity watches them for a while (maybe developing a little crush on them in the meantime), singing to herself quietly

As they awaken, she hurries back into the sea, but not before leaving MC with the vague memory of her voice

Back in the ocean, Portia’s older brother and leader of the merfolk, Julian, hears of her encounter with the humans and confronts her, warning her of their dangers, but she ignores his warnings and instead decides to find the human she saved again

She goes to Lucio, one of the most powerful witches in the ocean, and begs him to give her the ability to walk on land

 He agrees, but only if she gives him her voice in return, and tells her if she cannot get the human to kiss her in three days, her soul will become his

Unbeknownst to her, Lucio plans to use Portia to gain control of the merfolk, using that power to conquer the ocean

Portia, believing it will be easy to complete this task, agrees to the terms, and soon finds herself with two legs and no voice, standing on the beach where she left MC

Coincidentally, MC passes by just as Portia appears, and quickly rushes to help her; seeing her, they at first believe her to be the one that rescued them a few days prior, but discovering she has no voice, push that hope aside

They lead her to the castle, where she is given clothes and a place to stay. Portia excitedly begins to explore this new world and its people, and while her actions seem strange to MC, they can’t help but find her excitement and wonder endearing

During the next three days, Portia attempts to get her kiss from MC, but keeps being interrupted someway or another

Meanwhile, Lucio decides to speed up matters, and uses the magic of Portia’s voice to disguise himself, planning to seduce MC so the deadline of Portia’s contract will pass without being fulfilled

Lucio’s plan succeeds for the most part, but before MC can become too deeply ensnared in his spell, Portia manages to recover her voice, and MC realizes she is the one they fell in love with that day on the beach

However, Portia’s time runs out just before she and MC can reach each other, and she reverts back to her true form

Julian, having been searching for his younger sister and seeing what she had done, offers himself in her place, giving control of the merfolk to Lucio

In order to save the sea and her people, MC and Portia team up to take down Lucio, and finally manage to take back control and banish him from the merfolk’s waters

After finally being given Julian’s blessing, Portia decides to become a human permanently, and she and MC live happily ever after

Lucio: The Princess and the Frog

Lucio is a prince from a small kingdom who has found himself without access to his family’s fortune

In an attempt to gain back his money, he plans to travel to Vesuvia to marry Nadia, a wealthy businesswoman

However, he resents the idea of being tied down, and before meeting Nadia talks to a strange man giving fortunes, wondering if there’s a way to regain his wealth without marriage

The man tells him his future, and instead of payment, asks only for Lucio’s handshake at the end; however, upon doing so, the man reveals himself to be the Devil in disguise, and Lucio is horrified to find himself transformed into a goat, and the Devil now disguised as him

The Devil reveals to Lucio he plans to use Nadia and Lucio’s wedding as the perfect setting to bring all the guests under his control, and will then move on the the rest of Vesuvia

Meanwhile, MC is an employee of Nadia’s and a part-time magician who hopes to raise enough money to open their own magic shop someday

While working at a party thrown by Nadia celebrating her upcoming marriage to Lucio, they discover the real Lucio, now appearing as a talking goat

He convinces MC to help him in exchange for paying for their shop, but upon reluctantly kissing him to break the curse, they find to their horror they have become a goat as well

They eventually end up being chased into the forest, where they meet Julian, a raven, and Muriel, a wolf

They tell MC and Lucio about Asra, a forest magician who could possibly turn them human again, and agree to lead them there

MC and Lucio, who at first hated each other due to their perceived seriousness and narcissism, respectfully, slowly begin to see each other in a more flattering light

Lucio also begins to realize the error of his ways, and how his carefree, luxurious lifestyle has affected him negatively

Upon finally reaching Asra, he reveals to them that only someone of noble birth can break the ancient curse, and because Nadia has distant relatives who were nobility, only her kiss can make them human

Lucio and MC hurry back to Vesuvia, and on the way Lucio, discovering his growing feelings for MC, decides not to marry Nadia but to instead earn his wealth back and work for a living

However, before he can tell MC this, he is found by the Devil and captured, and the Devil begins his plan to enslave Vesuvia

MC, Julian, and Muriel discover Lucio is missing, and finally find the Devil while searching for him; the Devil attempts to win over MC by promising them their shop, but MC, with the help of Lucio, Julian, and Muriel, manages to use their small amount of magic to banish the Devil and save the wedding guests

After explaining everything to Nadia, she agrees to help, and after kissing Lucio, he and MC are restored to their human selves

Lucio explains his new-found feelings for MC to Nadia, and though she is surprised, she calls of the wedding, and Lucio confesses his feelings to MC, who happily reciprocates

They eventually manage to purchase MC’s magic shop, where they both work, and live happily ever after

This is the first time I’ve done something like this, but I had a lot of fun doing this! If there’s something else similar to this that anyone wants me to do for The Arcana, let me know!

#the arcana game #the arcana #julian devorak #portia devorak #asra alnazar #muriel the arcana #count lucio #nadia satrinava #headcannons #disney #the princess and the frog #beauty and the beast #aladdin #the little mermaid #sleeping beauty #tangled

[ladylilithprime]

Sastiel Creations Challenge | @ladylilithprime

↳ Theme: One More | Prompt: Day

Fluff Bingo Square: Movie Night

=I Did Not Live Until Today=

Read on AO3

MOVIE NIGHT IN the Bunker had been originally instituted by Dean, and the insistence of Sam that everyone in the Bunker, especially a stressed out and overworked teenaged Prophet of the Lord, needed to take regular breaks to relax and unwind before the constant "go, go, go" made them all go crazy. Hunts would occasionally interrupt the ritual, postpone it for a couple of days, but none of them were allowed more than ten days without a mandatory Movie Night. Dean had insisted that Castiel join these movie nights whenever he was around, intent on "educating" the Angel in what he termed the "classics" of cinema. Castiel had confided privately to Sam that, upon viewing these so-called classics, he was gaining more of an understanding of Dean than he was of why the movies were classical, which Sam had assured him was normal.

Movie Night had been weird after the Trials, because Sam would start out watching the movie with Dean and whoever else was there, but suddenly it would be hours later and he wouldn't remember actually watching any of it despite not having moved. In the wake of Crowley showing up in Sam's head with the brothers' code word tripping off his tongue to warn him that he had an angelic passenger who had taken over the driver's seat, Sam figured he knew what had happened and maybe he felt a little tiny flicker of gratitude for Gadreel sparing him having to watch the monkey movies again, but that was drowned out by the overall feelings of shock and betrayal and rage because how could Dean do this to him?!

It was Sam's decision to continue Movie Night even though it was just him and Castiel in the Bunker now. The original purpose of enforcing a break on overworked humans was still valid, even though now the overworked human was only Sam, and the secondary purpose of introducing Castiel to human entertainment was also still in effect, perhaps even more so after Metatron had downloaded a huge selection of American pop culture into Castiel's head without much in the way of context. Without Dean to steer the selection towards action films and neither of them particularly interested in watching mindless violence and gore, plus Sam's increased aversion to psychological horror films, the movies they watched tended to veer more towards musicals. If Castiel suspected that this, too, might be a bit of Sam's rebellion against Dean's stubborn adherence to mullet rock as the only valid music to listen to, well, he didn't call Sam on it and Sam didn't choose to admit anything.

Tonight was another designated Movie Night, not because it had been too long since the last, but because Sam knew that after the failure of the tracking spell with Gadreel's extracted Grace he, at least, needed something where the fate of the world was less dependant on the outcome. In hindsight, queueing up Les Miserábles was probably not the best idea given the overall setting of the movie and the themes of melancholy and grief that pervaded it, but he suspected Castiel would appreciate the other themes of faith and sacrifice and second chances.

He probably should have expected Castiel's analysis of the story's themes to extend to their lives, but somehow it didn't even occur to him until Castiel blindsided him with an abrupt declaration that Jean Valjean reminded him of Sam.

"I'm sorry?" Sam blurted, not sure he had heard the Angel correctly.

"He is a good man who committed criminal acts for a good cause and was harshly punished for it even after his incarceration ended," Castiel explained, gesturing to the screen where Valjean's pay was docked in front of the other workers, who were openly hostile. "It does not matter to these people that his intentions were noble - to feed his family - or that the crime was relatively minor, all they see is the criminal record and discount the good heart of the man who committed it and is stained by that record in the eyes of the society he serves."

"Cas, that's not... I started the Apocalypse!" Sam said, shaking his head. "That's a good bit worse than stealing a loaf of bread and running."

"You killed a demon," Castiel disagreed. "A demon you had been told by everyone around you was responsible for breaking Seals and that killing her would stop things. You were deliberately not told that she was the final Seal and that killing her would release Lucifer because enough angels, myself included, believed that if you knew the truth then you would not have killed her. Yet you do not blame me for lying to you, or for changing my mind and breaking through my conditioning too late to send Dean in time to stop you. Nor do you blame Dean for breaking under Alistair and being the one to break the first Seal which set things in motion. Instead, you continue to allow people, including Dean who should really know better, to cast the blame for things beyond your control onto your shoulders and even take on blame and responsibility where there should be none, forgetting that any penance required for playing a part long ago set out for you has been more than served."

Sam looked away from Castiel's placid, deeply knowing expression, but found he couldn't focus on the screen until a flash of silver catching light drew his attention. "Look, I don't... whatever redemption I might have earned with jumping has to be cancelled out by the things I did after getting out again, especially all the crap I pulled without my soul--"

"Do you think yourself responsible for your soulless self's actions, even though your soul was still in the Cage being subjected to Michael and Lucifer's torments?" Sam frowned a little at the low notes of guilt and sorrow in the Angel's voice and looked over, but Castiel wouldn't meet his eyes, staring instead at the screen as the old priest backed up Valjean's lie of gifted silver and gave over the candlesticks as well. "Hm. Heaven has not treated you nearly so kindly as this priest does..."

"Castiel," Sam started to reach out, but found his courage falter and lowered his hand with a sigh. "I know you didn't leave my soul behind on purpose. I knew it then, too, even with you keeping secrets and never having mentioned it before that moment... sorry, too, about the holy fire."

"There is no apology necessary," Castiel refuted, though Sam thought he looked moderately grateful for it anyway. "You were right to be suspicious of my actions and motives at the time, if not for that specific reason."

"Still..."

"Sam, I assure you, I hold no ill will over your suspicion of me, nor for your actions to try and stop me. If anything, I am deeply grateful for your continued faith in me even after I had gone off the reservation and done you considerable harm." Castiel shook his head. "We are getting away from the main subject, which is that you are not responsible for the actions your body committed without your soul present."

"It was still my body," Sam argued. "My... impulses or whatever, stripped of my inhibitions--"

"Not true," Castiel interrupted. "Stripped of your higher empathic functions and natural moral compass that is your soul, your body behaved with logical precision not unlike how most Angels would act. While that behavior likely seemed heartless or 'dickish' at times, this was in part because of the contrast to your usual compassion and kindness, but you weren't actively malicious or uncontrolled. Everything, including the decision to go to Dean with the suspicion that something was wrong and to ask him to be your moral compass, was meticulously and logically thought out and reasoned for the most optimal outcome. Recall that your soulless self felt that it was for the best that your soul be retrieved and rejoined with your body, and only rejected the plan when the possibility that doing so would kill you was presented."

"Whereupon I promptly tried to kill Bobby! Cas--"

"Sam," Castiel turned fully to face him and glared at him in a way that reminded Sam forcefully of the fact that this was an Angel of the Lord. "You. Are. Not. To. Blame. Your soulless self attempted to kill a man who showed every sign of being ready to kill you by forcefully reuniting your damaged soul with your body. A soul, I must add, which did not deserve the torment inflicted upon it and to which we owed the continued existence of the human race."

"I was just--"

"Cleaning up your mess, so you've said." Castiel was beginning to look frustrated. "But the Apocalypse was not just your mess. It was Dean's, and mine, and Lucifer's, and Michael's, and every angel and demon and human servant of either side who worked towards setting it off earlier than my Father planned. I would even venture to say that it was my Father's fault for refusing to step in when, despite Raphael's delusions, we had very clear evidence from Joshua that He is still alive and close enough to be aware of the situation." The Angel reached forward then and covered the shell-shocked human's nearest hand with his own. "Your soulless self recognized that, and recognized the unfair imbalance, and quite rightly called us out on our lack of respect for you and your sacrifices. Since regaining your soul, Dean's insistence on leaving past transgressions in the past except when it suits him to drag them out as evidence of culpability and questionable judgement has driven your self-confidence down to the point where you have even allowed Dean to make you believe yourself at fault for not looking for a brother and non-human friend whom you had every reason to believe were dead and at peace.

"No more," Castiel said with a fire in his vessel's blue eyes that had nothing to do with his borrowed Grace. "Sam Winchester, you will listen to me and believe this if nothing else: You. Deserve. Respect. And for my part in allowing others to be negligent in giving you that respect, you have my apologies."

For a long moment, Sam could do nothing more than stare at Castiel, stunned speechless and feeling more than a few echoes of the old awe and wonder with which he had first viewed this Angel of the Lord who had saved his big brother from Hell. It seemed impossible to believe, even with Castiel staring into him and all but demanding that he do so. For all he knew, he had fallen asleep on the couch next to Castiel and all of this was somehow some sort of incredibly vivid dream like the ones he tried to pretend he didn't have about the Angel, because if anything stood a chance at making their current arrangement far more awkward than it ever needed to be....

Castiel must have seen something of his thoughts in his expression, because the intensity faded into sadness and then, before Sam could gather his wits enough to try and reassure him, turned to resolve. "I will remind you of this conversation later, so as to establish better credibility."

"Um..." Sam blinked. That was unexpected. "Okay? Thanks? I'll... work on believing you, Cas, I will, I just...."

"Have several years of conditioning for expecting the worst to work around, as well as the more recent problems with maintained perception of reality," Castiel nodded. "I will remind you as often as is necessary of your worth and worthiness."

Sam nodded, more for the lack of any other way to acknowledge Castiel's words than out of agreement or understanding, jumping a little when the music from the television screen picked up in volume. He turned back to the movie, flushing darkly when he realized that they'd completely missed Fantine's entire arc and Valjean's crisis of conscience, and reached for the remote. "Oh, hey, let me--"

"No, it's--" Castiel's grip on Sam's hand tightened, then released with enough abruptness that Sam found himself stopping anyway, turning questioning eyes on Castiel. "I confess that I have been, ah, 'cheating' with this film, as it is one of the stories that Metatron saw fit to share, though not this particular version."

"Should we put on something else?"

"If that is what you prefer. I am enjoying watching it with you regardless."

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if that was because of Castiel's bizarre comparisons between Sam and Valjean, but he swallowed it back and instead forced himself to settle back into the couch beside Castiel to watch the introduction to the Thénardier family and Cosette. The silence stretched between them as the music played, until--

"Sam? Why is Thénardier's wife making that gesture when she sings that there is 'not much there'?"

Sam swallowed down the urge to choke or laugh, because of course Castiel would ask about that. He cut a sharp glance in the Angel's direction to check if he was being trolled, but Castiel's expression showed only genuine puzzlement. "Uh... Well, I mean, uh... some guys get kinda hung up on penis size, uh, taking the whole 'bigger is better' idea way too seriously and, uh, thinking that bigger size makes them better able to please their partners, which, uh, really isn't true across the board. And, uh, there are a lot of guys who think that having those, um, extra inches is all they need for it to be good for their partner, which also isn't true." He found himself looking at the screen in a gambit to not have to meet Castiel's eyes, and moments later he pointed. "See, she's saying the line again without the gesture. So, uh, the implication is Thénardier falls doubly short of the mark."

"I see," Castiel said, his tone meditative. With his eyes averted, Sam couldn't see the speculative look the Angel sent in his direction, though he definitely heard the pointedly dry tone when Castiel added, "Mrs Thénardier would do better to find a more skilled pizza man."

Sam jerked his head around to stare at Castiel again, but this time the Angel's expression was the same sort of bland that he used when trolling Dean, and so Sam managed to force out a chuckle for the joke before settling in to watch the dynamics between the Thénardiers and Cosette with its very Cinderella vibe. Castiel muttered something about "punching John Winchester again" that made no sense and Sam wasn't sure he wanted to know about anyway, and then made a brief comment about Cosette's dream being similar to many human interpretations of Heaven, but otherwise said nothing until Valjean told Cosette that he was now her father.

"Another parallel," he said. Sam, who had hoped Castiel had forgotten about his weird fixation by this point, blinked in confusion.

"Uh, Cas, I'm pretty sure I haven't gone and adopted any random kids," he pointed out. Really, that seemed more like something Dean would do than him, Dean actually really liked kids and liked the idea of being a dad while Sam... not so much.

"Random, no," Castiel agreed. "You are, however, extraordinarily compassionate. I suspect that, if presented with an orphaned child whose situation required more specialized guardianship than a more normal human fosterage system could provide, you would be an excellent parental figure." He was silent for a moment, pensive and troubled, and then said, softly, "I had never had Nephilim of my own, nor am I likely to do so in the future, but if I did and was unable to care for the child myself, I would ask you."

"Me?" Sam gaped at him. "I mean, why me? Why not Dean?"

"Dean has an unfortunate history of being less than tolerant of supernatural occurrences, of children with powers beyond most human capabilities," Castiel said, shooting an apologetic glance at Sam even before Sam was aware of wincing. "A Nephil would inevitably have powers, and I am a Seraph. Only an Archangel could overpower and suppress the Grace of a Nephil sired by me, and there are no more Archangels available to do so. You have powers of your own and training in using them, albeit with an enhancement method that I would not recommend using with a Nephil, and would be well suited to teaching."

"Cas, my powers--"

"Are yours and yours alone. Azazel may have forcefully activated them on his own schedule and attempted to corrupt them and, through them, you, but he - and Ruby - failed. Your soul is far too pure and good for their hooks to find permanent anchor."

"But... I mean, you... angels... you always warned me against using them...."

"Only because the method with which you were amplifying them - that is, drinking demon blood - was so dangerous to you and the people around you, and training them to full strength properly after first tearing down Azazel's blocks would have taken considerably more time and effort... and, I suspect, those of my superiors actively assisting in bringing about the Apocalypse did not want you learning to use your powers without the addictive crutch of demon blood that could be used to prime your rage and point you at Lilith when the time came."

"So why are you just now telling me this?"

"Well," Castiel glanced away, looking somewhat sheepish. "To be honest, I did not realize that you were unaware that your powers were innate and not actually demonic in origin until I overheard you speaking of them in past tense as if they no longer existed because you were no longer drinking demon blood rather than you simply not using them. Given my clumsy understanding of social nuances and the complex mix of negative emotions you associate with your powers, I erred on the side of caution and did not mention it until our current conversation provided an opening."

Well. That was fair. Even so, Sam couldn't help but stare at Castiel as he attempted to process everything he had learned in such a short amount of time. The fact that the majority of Angels hated him was not new, but the fact that Heaven had actively sabotaged his efforts to be better than the demon blood that tainted him was... also not new, exactly, but Sam had never expected to hear it put so bluntly in conjunction with reassurance that his powers - and, by extension, Sam himself - did not come from a source of evil.

Even more bewildering was the hypothetical child Castiel spoke of and his assertion that Sam, not Dean who had always longed to be a parent, but Sam who had barely ever had anything to do with children even when he had been one, was to be given custody of the hypothetical Nephil if Castiel was incapacitated. The way Castiel had talked about the subject made it clear that he had never had Nephilim himself, and Sam knew that the creation of Nephilim was outlawed, and yet the Angel was sitting there, calm as you please, declaring that if he did ever have a child with a human and needed another parent besides himself and, presumably, the mother, that he would pick Sam. Sam, who was uncomfortable around kids at the best of times, even if he could fake passable competence in an emergency. Sam, who wouldn't trust himself to look after a completely human baby, never mind one that had "phenomenal cosmic powers" at its disposal. Sam who, until earlier when Castiel had declared that "nothing is worth losing you", had thought that Castiel might possibly consider him a friend at best and tolerated him as a reasonably useful asset at worst. Mind-boggling just didn't cover it.

And that wasn't even touching the whole thing with Castiel sounding like he was defending the actions of his soulless self. The subject of Sam's time topside without his soul was something Dean had never hesitated shut down hard, but Castiel had sounded almost... complimentary. Which made no sense, Sam knew, because without his soul he had been a tactless jerk, not--

"Your soulless self recognized that... and quite rightly called us out on our lack of respect for you and your sacrifices."

Sam swallowed against the lump forming in his throat, and again when it refused to be dislodged. Everything he did to help people, to try and make up for the damage he had caused, it never felt like enough. All the centuries spent in the Cage with Michael and Lucifer systematically taking out their rage on him amounted to only a year and a half on Earth, and the tortures blurred together to the point where Sam had long since lost count of how many centuries it had really been, shoving it down and shoving it down, his shaky forays into meditation and reshuffling his mind only managing to build the flimsiest of fences between his conscious mind and that echoing chasm of memory and pain, bits and pieces escaping here and there to scratch along his dreams. Little reminders that he may be out, maybe, but he would never be truly free. It was a truth, cold and logical and inexorable, that Dean refused to acknowledge in either of them, touched by Hell as they both were in different ways, and neither of them coping nearly as well as they wanted the other to believe.

"Stripped of your higher empathic functions and natural moral compass that is your soul, your body behaved with logical precision not unlike how most Angels would act."

The irony of an Angel of the Lord comparing his soulless self to other Angels was not lost on Sam, nor was the way that comparison gave him mixed feelings. All the years of praying, of believing in God and His Angels, having faith that some higher power was watching out for Dean and his Dad when he couldn't, that there was real good in the world to counterbalance all the evil being shoved at him from all sides...

"Sam Winchester, the boy with the demon blood."

...no....

"Nothing is worth losing you."

...but why....

"Sam? Sam, did you hear me?"

"Hm?" Jolted from his contemplating, Sam shot a guilty look first at the screen - how had he missed that much of the movie?! - and then gave Castiel a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Cas. What were you saying?"

"I was asking about Marius's assertion that he is in love with Cosette, when he has only just met her and barely interacted with her at all," Castiel repeated himself after a moment of scrutiny for his friend. "It seems disingenuous, more like the 'love' of the pizza man and the babysitter."

"It's supposed to be love at first sight, Cas," Sam explained, scrubbing a hand down his face. "It's like... when two people who've never interacted before meet, and there's this... connection that forms between them, like they click on a level that is deeper than physical or emotional. A look, a touch of hands... you just know, looking at that person, that this is it. This is the one." He shrugged. "It's talked about in books and movies and stories and songs all the time as this big romantic ideal, a lot like soulmates... uh, cupid-type soulmates, not me and Dean type soulmates."

"Do you not believe in love at first sight?" Castiel asked, tilting his head to the side with that puzzled curiosity that Sam found endearingly familiar.

"I don't disbelieve in it," Sam said, choosing his words carefully. "I mean, being a hunter has taught me that every story has some root in a truth. I just don't necessarily think that it always happens the way the stories make it sound. Like maybe sometimes it's one-sided, or something gets in the way like they live too far apart or one is already married or..." Sam bit his lip before he could continue the thought with mention of angels and humans, because he knew from Castiel that most instances of humans and angels coupling were less about romance and love and more about lust and awkward power imbalances, and the last thing he wanted to bring up right now was the hypothetical Nephil again. "Besides, just because love usually happens more slowly than a couple of seconds doesn't make it any less deep or meaningful or special."

"I see," Castiel hummed, and then, "Sam? How do you know when you're in love?"

...Shit.

"Uh," Sam reached up to rub the back of his neck, only to force his hand back down again when he realised what he was doing. "It's different for everyone, Cas...."

"I am aware," and there was a definite note of impatience in the gravelled voice. "I am asking how you know when you are in love."

"Oh," Sam mumbled. He could feel his face heating up and very nearly prayed that the heat wasn't a visibly obvious blush before he stopped himself; Castiel would probably hear it if he did. "Uh, well... not to sound like a broken record, but it was different for everyone I was... I mean, I felt differently about different people, even though it's all still love."

Castiel made an encouraging noise, and when Sam chanced a look in his direction, the Angel was turned more towards him than the screen, clearly interested and wanting to hear more. Well, okay then. Sam leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes, reaching back into the depths of his memory for the times he was in love or thought he was, shying away from some of the memories like Madison or Sarah or Amelia, and focusing on the deeper ones, the ones that got under his skin and stayed there across the years, even just as scars. There was a pattern there, a set of feelings that overlapped each instance.

"Happiness," he began, because that was the obvious place to start. "When you see the person, you feel happy. Being around them, sitting next to them, holding hands, hugging... full of happiness and joy and peace. You feel happy when they're happy, sad when they're sad, hurt when they're in pain... You want to protect them, even when you know they can protect themselves. You would fight, kill, even die for them, not because they would ever ask it of you, but because losing them is... unthinkable. It's agony. And all the pain is worth it, because seeing them smile is... it's better than Heaven."

"Oh," Castiel breathed. "Yes, that... that makes so much sense now."

There was a shuffling sound, and the couch cushions dipped beneath shifting weight, and then Sam felt one of his hands being enfolded in Castiel's, the skitter of that unfamiliar Grace held tightly leashed beneath his skin tingling just at the edge of Sam's awareness. He opened his eyes and looked at Castiel, who was beaming at him now from much closer than he had been. "Cas...?"

"Sam," Castiel was still smiling, but it was warmer, softer than the brilliant joy of before, more comfortable and... "Thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I was never able to explain myself adequately to my brothers, and so they frequently drew incorrect conclusions that I lacked the necessary frame of reference to refute or correct. Perhaps now I can make them understand."

"Understand?"

"That I am in love with you, Sam Winchester," Castiel squeezed Sam's hand gently. "My world started the day I took your hand. And I would not have it any other way."

"Cas... I...." He couldn't say it. He wanted to, God, did he ever want to say it back, but the words caught in his throat, too used to being choked back after so many years. "Cas...."

"I know. Sam? Will you hold me again? I enjoyed that quite a lot."

"Sure, Cas," Sam shifted, shoving the whirling of his thoughts back and away, and opened his arms. Castiel released his hand and moved closer, pressing the length of his body against Sam's. He let out a soft sigh as Sam brought his arms up to curl around Castiel, settling in a loose embrace that still managed to fully encompass the Angel's smaller physical frame. Together, they turned to watch the movie, wrapped up in each other and the mutual assurance that their feelings, spoken or not, were returned.

"Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in Heaven has in store...."

=End=

#sastiel #sastielcc #sastiel creations challenge #spn fluff bingo #supernatural fic