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224bbaker · 18 days

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An update and a thank you from 224B Baker Street!

Hello again, detectives!

While the crowdfund for season 2 of Fawx & Stallion technically wrapped up a few days ago, we thought it would be good to take a day or two to regroup, take a nap, and think of a few words to express our thanks. This being May 4th, the day in 1891 that Sherlock Holmes fell to his (alleged) death at Reichenbach Falls, it seemed strangely fitting to say a few words about the story of the detectives across the street and slightly to the left on the day Holmes ever so temporarily bowed out of his own story.

Last Monday, we crossed 100% of our goal. And on Thursday, we ended our campaign with 104% of our goal. We are beyond honored and completely grateful to everyone who donated, shared, sent along encouraging words, recommended, baked, drew, wrote, all of it, in support of us bringing more of this show into the world.

Everyone working to create this show has made art at some point that feels like it went out into the void--something they felt deeply, sacrificed for, put small, weird, jagged, still-beating parts of themselves into day after day, and then never knew if the thing those parts of themselves funneled into actually reached another human. Much less another human who saw themselves in it. We've been quite honest about the fact that our characters are very much an exploration of that feeling, of wanting to be seen, wanting the things we've done to be seen, to matter to someone.

We could write a million words, fifty seasons of audio drama, and never truly be able to put into words how grateful we are to you for reaching back to the art we create and telling it "I see this. I felt it. I love it. I want more."

Creating art is so hard. Most things are hard, but art is Hard, especially as the world and the algorithm and the AI and the Content creeps in and shuts off means of doing the personal, weird, silly, risky little things with any sort of official funding. It's why we funded season one ourselves, because we thought it was worth it. It means more than the world to know you thought so too.

And now, with all of that self-indulgence done: a practical update on NEXT STEPS!

MAY 2024:

We'll spend this next month prepping crowdfund rewards--writing thank you notes, getting extra supplies of stickers (they were VERY popular), etc! We expect those rewards to go out mid-Summer. The annotated Scandal in Bohemia will go out to our $30+ donors later this month via email. Also, if you pledged at $250 or up (THANK YOU again), we will be reaching out to secure details of your perks (start thinking of what mystery you'd like us to solve!). If you are expecting an email and do not receive one by the end of the month, please check your spam folder and if nothing is there, reach out to us via IGG!

We are also in the process or pre-production currently! This season will have a cast of roughly 22 voice actors, so we're taking the full month to get our recording plan. We'll also spend the month refining scripts, doing rehearsals, working with our composer on some original pieces (perhaps some violin) and giving our fantastic sound designer, Sarah, time to do the prep work she needs, and laying the groundwork for what is looking to be a very full summer of production! We look forward to updating you as the season progresses!

Again, thank you. Thank you. This second season is, aptly, a bit of an inverse of our first season. It's about the weight of expectation. How to operate in the world when you go from unknown to known. Invisible to spectacular. Alone to loved. It's also about a murder at a theme park but that's a bit less relevant to the emotional core of what I'm driving at here. But actually, fuck it, I guess it's still relevant, because we've always been excited about the weighty and the silly all the same.

So again, and not for the last time: #ForAmbrosius

-Lauren, Ian, and the whole Fawx & Stallion Team

#fawx & stallion #224bbaker #for ambrosius #s2 #crowdfund

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bmodiwrites · 2 years

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Steddie Masterlist (Recent Fic Version)

Come On & Mess Me Up | (E) 6656 words

In a desperate attempt to understand his connection with Eddie, Steve asks for an odd favor - he wants to learn all there is to know about DnD. Unsurprisingly, Eddie readily agrees. What he thought was going to sort things out for him only brings Steve and Eddie closer. The feelings that Steve wanted to avoid creep up and take him under. Which means, of course, that Steve has an open invitation to the Hellfire Club meetings. Read to find out what happens when Steve gets a little frisky and drops Eddie's precious dice. Eddie's reaction is not what it seems!

Or - a cheap excuse to write soft sub!Steve…

You're A Rich Girl | (E) 7685 words

After an unfortunate mishap with a childhood friend leads to a silent but cutting fight with his father, Steve cuts his loses and heads to the city with Robin in tow. It's there that Steve meets Eddie Munson, who is older and mysterious and too adorable for his own good. While their relationship develops, concerns and what seems like envy come into play. Read to find out what happens when the look of their relationship from the outside is brought up. When there's money involved, is anything actually what it seems?

Or - an accidental sugar daddy Eddie fic!

The Stereo's On | (E) 6023 words

Despite trying to keep his feelings on the matter a secret, Steve knows that Eddie is bummed about not going to prom. As the best boyfriend there is, he's determined to remedy the situation. Between a couple strings of fairy lights and a mixtape made especially for Eddie, Steve puts together a night to remember.

Or - a sorry excuse for a feeling filled PWP!

You've Begun to Feel Like Home | (E) 14,542 words

Eddie is 6 years old when he first meets Steve; the boy is beautiful and covered in dripping chocolate ice cream. They're instant friends, spending the entirety of that summer together. When the end of their time together starts to draw near, Eddie comes up with a plan - to marry his best friend. It becomes a trend that Eddie and Steve dance around for more than 20 years of ups, downs, and tragedies. Read to find out what happens when a ring pop and a handful of fake marriages changes both of their lives.

Or - 5 times Eddie & Steve were fake married and the one time they finally get hitched (for real)!!

We'll Be Rocking 'Til the Sun Goes Down | (E) 9033 words

When Gareth breaks his arm and needs to find a replacement drummer, Eddie is surprised to see Steve stand up to be that person. He's taken off guard by Steve's talent - no one knows that Steve's been sneaking into Hawkins High band room at night just to play the drum kit there. When previous crushes become too much to bear, what happens when feelings bubble over and a shirtless moment finally ignites the flame? Read to find out!

Or - Steve fills in as Corroded Coffins' drummer and Eddie is thirsty for it.

Look How We've Grown | (E) 11,230 words

Eddie Munson never expected Steve Harrington to enter into his life, especially not because of some silly movie. Yet, it happened and the best next step was to find a way to make the best out of an off the wall situation. It's surprisingly better than Eddie expected, to be with someone who paid attention and loved him for all his worth. Except, Steve shows his love in a way that takes some getting used to.

Or - 5 times Steve said "I love you" to Eddie without really saying it, and the 1 time it came so beautifully out of his mouth.

#steddie #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve harrington x eddie munson #steddie masterlist #fic masterlist #masterlists #bobbie writes #fic stuff

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imaginejamesandsirius · 2 years

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Hello! Firstly, I am big fan of this blog and it’s writing and wanted to say thank you for putting so much time and effort into these little stories and sharing them with us.

Secondly, I was hoping you could write a story (one-shot??) about James and Sirius coming out to Mr. & Mrs. Potter about their sexuality and relationship. I’ll let you decide how it unfolds all I ask is that in the end it all works out. 🥰❤️

"I think we should tell them together," Sirius said.

James shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I don't... disagree, but what if they react badly?"

"That's why we're waiting until we're about to move out. If they get upset, we won't have to live with them for much longer. Hell, I think we should wait until, like, the day before we move into our flat."

"So that if they throw us out, we can go there," James said.

Sirius wished that wasn't his line of thinking, but it is what he'd had in mind, so he nodded. "I don't think they will," he added. Fleamont and Euphemia were so nice. It was difficult to picture them doing anything the least bit mean, but he'd heard stories about parents that seemed okay and then freaked out once their child came out to them. He didn't want to think that James's parents would be anything like that, but he had no way of knowing for sure. Neither of them did. And since they didn't have any way of knowing how his parents would react, Sirius was going to hope for the best while they prepared for the worst.

"I hope they're okay with it," James muttered.

Sirius grabbed his hand and squeezed. There wasn't much he could say to make this better. They were both nervous, and they had reason to be. They didn't know if his parents would be okay with it or not. They hoped for the best, and that was all they could do.

Despite the fact that they hoped everything would turn out all right, they packed up everything they wanted to bring to the new flat with them. Everything was shrunk and stuffed into their rucksacks. As part of the plan for the worst, they'd then put their bags by the front door.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter were sat in the living room. Fleamont was reading the paper, and Euphemia was doing a crossword. They chatted as they did so, about what they were reading and anything else that came to mind. They were domestic, and Sirius had always liked seeing them like this; it had been nice to see parents that actually enjoyed each other’s company.

Sirius gave James's hand one last squeeze of comfort before letting go as they walked towards his parents.

"Mum. Dad. Can we..." James trailed off, courage failing.

"Can we talk to you about something?" Sirius asked.

"Of course, dears," Euphemia said. She smiled at them over her crossword and set her quill down.

Fleamont refolded the newspaper and looked at them expectantly.

"We are- that is, Sirius and I-" James stopped and made a face. "Of course me and Sirius. There's no other 'we'.”

“James,” Sirius said quietly.

“Right, erm, what I mean is, we're dating."

Sirius and James waited uneasily for a reaction.

Fleamont and Euphemia blinked at them. "Dating?" Euphemia repeated, as if she didn't know what the word meant.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "We're boyfriends. I understand if you don't want me to visit anymore-"

"Don't be silly," Fleamont said. He might have cut Sirius off, but his tone and expression were kind. "You're still more than welcome here. In fact, I hope you boys will come by for Saturday dinners like we proposed at the beginning of summer."

"Yeah, we'll... we'll think about it," James said, a touch faintly. This easy acceptance isn't what either of them had expected. He noticed, a moment later, that his mother hadn't said anything yet. He glanced at her, and his stomach sank. She looked pale. "Mum?"

She didn't say anything.

Fleamont looked at her in concern. "Darling?"

"I need a moment," she said. The crossword was hurriedly thrown aside, and she all but fled from the room.

Fleamont half-rose from his chair like he'd planned to follow her, but after a moment, he shook his head. "Don't worry about her," he said with a half-hearted smile. He finished getting up and walked over to them. "She'll come around, I'm sure of it." He held his arms wide. "Are you too old to give your father a hug?"

James practically fell into one of his arms, and Sirius stepped into the other one gratefully.

Fleamont pressed a kiss to the top of each of their heads, and they stayed like that for a while. "I'm glad you told us," he said when he pulled back. He kept a hand on each of their shoulders and smiled again. "I suppose now we know why you were in such a hurry to move out. It must not be fun trying to snog when your parents are down the hall."

"Dad!" James said, blushing.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" He glanced towards the doorway that his wife had left from. Fleamont lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry about your mother. I'm sure she'll come around. But-" he added, looking like it pained him "-I understand if you want to keep your distance until then."

James and Sirius made their goodbyes, Fleamont hugged them again, and then they were gone. They explained to him that they'd already packed everything in case the conversation didn't go well.

Fleamont wished he could be upset but... well, hadn't they been right to worry? Euphemia had walked out. She didn't say anything as she did it, but it still must have hurt them; he'd seen the look on James's face as she left.

He didn't know what she'd been thinking, and now that their boys were gone, it was time to talk to her.

He checked a few rooms before finding her in the study. What she was doing in here, he had no idea. "Normally, I ask for an explanation before I judge you," he said as he walked towards her, "but I think that was out of line. They were scared to tell us, and you left." He settled into a chair next to her.

Euphemia's hands were folded in her lap, and she stared down at them, unseeing.

"You should've seen the look on James's face," he said softly. "And Sirius tried to pretend that he didn't care, but it was obvious that he did. What happened? Why did you leave?"

For a long moment, Euphemia didn't respond. She knotted her fingers together and released them again. "I will apologise to them in the morning."

"You'll have to go to their new flat to do it."

She looked up sharply.

"They were worried about how we would react, so they packed before they told us. I thought about asking them to stay the night, but they were scared enough as it was. They deserve the chance to relax a little."

Euphemia looked lost. Undoubtedly, like Fleamont, she hadn't actually been ready for them to leave. The knowledge that they were planning to move out couldn't compare to the reality that their boys were no longer in the house with them.

"I'll visit them tomorrow," she promised.

"You still haven't explained why you reacted like that."

Euphemia took a deep breath, then told him.

The new flat didn't feel like home. Of course it didn't. They'd only been here one night, and it hadn't been a very restful night. Mrs. Potter's reaction to them was the main reason, but there was also the fact that they were on a new bad, as well as them sharing a bed for the whole night; they hadn't been able to do that before, for fear of being caught. They hadn't had to sneak into the other's room, and they hadn't had to sneak back out. It was just the two of them in this place, and they'd been able to walk into their room together.

They hadn't unpacked, and there was still some furniture shopping to do. They'd bought a bed, and James's parents had given them a kitchen table and chairs. They still needed a dresser and a couch. They weren't sure what else they would need. Like a coffee table. Would they need one? Or would the kitchen table be enough for them since it was so close? Sirius had said they should buy a couch and unpack everything, then see if they still had the space and wanted one.

It was a subdued morning, and not just because of all the boxes stacked up along the walls. They had known it was a possibility that Euphemia wouldn't be happy about this, but Sirius had sort of thought of it as all or nothing. Either both Fleamont and Euphemia would be happy for them, or they'd both be upset about it. It hadn't occurred to him that one of them would accept his relationship with James, and the other one wouldn't.

"Do you want to go now or wait a bit?" Sirius asked.

James was sat at the table, feet up on the chair with his arms wrapped around his legs. "Wait a bit. If that's okay with you."

"Yeah, 'course." Sirius didn't know what else to do, so he made some tea for both of them. He didn't want to ask James when he'd be ready to go shopping because he didn't really know what he was going through right now. Sirius loved Mrs. Potter, but his experiences with his own parents made him very familiar with people disapproving of what he did. For James, this was a first.

He added cream and sugar in the cups and set one down in front of James.

Sirius knew that this wasn't how all of their time alone would be. He knew that James was sad right now, and it wouldn't last. Even if Fleamont was wrong and Euphemia didn't end up being okay with it, James would eventually get past it. This silence was temporary. After a while, they'd come around to how they'd imagined sharing a flat together, as boyfriends. It would be happy and fun, and they'd probably get in more trouble than they knew how to handle, but that was how both of them liked it. It would be fun and messy and them all over. Sirius couldn't wait, even though he knew that it wouldn't be all fun and games. They'd probably argue over stupid shite, like whose turn it was to clean and other coupley things like that, and he even looked forward to that because it would mean they were getting closer.

But they wouldn't be doing any of that today. Or even tomorrow. For now, they needed to take it easy and give James time to adjust to the fact that his mother... well, that maybe she didn't like them as much as they'd previously thought. It was depressing to think about, so Sirius tried to push it out of his mind.

A knock came on the door, and Sirius frowned a little in confusion. "I'll get it," he said, getting to his feet.

James didn't get up, but he did turn to watch. He couldn't see who was on the other side of the door from his position, but he could see Sirius.

Sirius opened the door, then pulled up short. "Mrs. Potter."

"You can still call me Euphemia, dear," she said with a small, sad smile. "May I come in?"

Sirius hesitated and glanced at James. James nodded and got to his feet, walking over to Sirius. "Sure," he said, holding the door open for her.

"Thank you. I erm, brought you some muffins." She gestured with the basket she had on one arm. "A sort of house-warming present, I suppose, and an apology." She held the basket out hopefully.

James paused, then accepted it with a quiet, "Thanks."

"I'm sorry for how I reacted yesterday. If you're happy together, then I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," James said again, but it was stronger this time. "Did you want some tea?"

"That would be nice, but I wouldn't want to intrude. I'm sure the two of you are happy to live somewhere you don't have to hide."

Sirius and James shared a look. "You wouldn't be intruding," Sirius said.

"Then in that case, I'd love a cuppa."

In the end, Euphemia went shopping with them. She was a helpful voice to have, and for some reason, it felt less like they were kids playing house when she was around to help and knew what she was doing.

"That was unexpected," Sirius said, after she was gone and they had the new couch pushed against the wall where it belonged.

"A pleasant surprise. Sorry I was so quiet all day."

"Oh, don't apologise for that. It was nice to have some peace and quiet for once."

"You're such a liar," James said with a grin.

"So I'd like you even if you were screaming in my ear for five hours," Sirius said, returning James’s smile. "I don't see how that's my problem."

"I think it'll be your problem if I do ever start screaming in your ear."

"Yes, but you won't be crying, and that's more important. You would've gotten over it, but let's face it, you weren't you when you thought Euphemia didn't like us together."

"Yeah," James admitted easily. "But in my defense, how was I to know that she thought me waxing poetic about Lily last summer was because we were dating? I feel like I would've actually said the words 'Lily is my girlfriend' if that were the case."

"I'm sure your mum thought you said it, if that helps."

"It doesn't, but thanks," James said. He yanked Sirius closer and kissed him. "You're the best boyfriend in the world, have I told you that?"

"Yes, but not today."

“Best boyfriend. In the world.”

#prongsfoot #marauders #fanfic #james potter #sirius black #euphemia potter #fleamont potter #filled #established relationship #post hogwarts #no voldemort au #siriuslystarbucks

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kelleah-meah · 3 years

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Plans for My 2021 Litha Celebration

It's been an odd week, and next week will likely be no different. Which is why I'm trying to maintain perspective and hope for the best under these unusual circumstances.

Between work, the solar eclipse today, Mercury retrograde and next week's summer solstice, I'll be lucky if I don't collapse in a heap by Saturday evening. So in order to help me keep my head up and my eyes on the prize, I'm solidifying my plans for Litha.

It will be similar to my plans last year, but perhaps with less pressure to get everything just so. Here's the breakdown ...

On Saturday (June 19th) --

Sleep in

Meditate & Tarot

Take Ancestral Art class online at 10am

Description: ANCESTRAL ART | Includes • Skull Shining Breath/Breath of Fire Meditation • Drawing hieroglyphics and adinkra symbols. • Writing what each adinkra symbol means in your life.

Clean my house (a little)

Bake Lemon Poppy Seed cake

Dance around my house

Attend gallery opening at 7pm

On Sunday (June 20th - Litha) --

Watch sunrise

Then go back to sleep and sleep in (You have no idea how sleep deprived I've been lately)

Meditate & Tarot

Read my book

Make Lavender Lemonade

Go for a bike ride in the park

Cook summer solstice menu

Watch a fun & silly movie (Haven't decided what yet)

On Monday (June 21st) --

Watch sunrise

Meditate & Tarot (long spread)

Do Pilates workout

Write in my journal

Clean my house (a little)

Plant magnolias ... finally

Dance my heart out to some music

Go for a walk in the park

Paint my fingernails

Watch a fun & silly movie

It seems like a lot on each day, but hopefully it won't be. I have a habit of planning too much of my day, and I need to learn to be more relaxed on the days I'm supposed to be relaxing. I think that will be one of my 3 intentions for this new moon.

Anyway, my summer solstice menu will be essentially the same as last year's.

Baked chicken breast

Fresh spinach salad with cherry tomatoes & mushrooms

Pasta with basil and diced tomatoes

Lemon poppy seed cake

Peppermint tea with honey

Water with lemon

I'm making the cake from scratch (It's a recipe I've made before), so I'm doing it the day before (on Saturday) because I know it takes a long time. Then I'll cook the Litha menu on Sunday and enjoy the leftovers on Monday so I can enjoy the day stress-free.

We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!

Edited: I didn't realize that technically Litha falls on June 20th this year, not the 21st, so I've updated the post to reflect that. Sorry.

#litha 2021 #litha #witchblr #witchling #the occult #summer solstice #summer #the summer season #midsummer #eclipse season #retrograde season

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mytwistedhome · 4 years

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“The Alchemist” ❤️❓

A very old request that I’ve finally finished for @rainebowkitty !!

It took me a while because it required a bit of research (of which I really enjoyed doing!)

This little drabble involves Riddle and... another Disney character (leaving the name out in this intro because you don’t really need to know who it is to be able to understand this story >u< )

Summary: During his alchemy class, Riddle Rosehearts gets paired with a strange, magic-less student that he's never noticed before. This student seems to know quite a lot about the subject, but his bizarre ideas tend to stray from the rules that Riddle is used to.

I think that the reason why this particular story took me so long to complete was because the subject of alchemy was quite intimidating to me •́ ‿ ,•̀ Even after weeks of having the basic plot written and taking many notes on the actual science of alchemy, I still always hesitated to complete this. Every day, I would try to write just a little bit, but I always ended up cowering away because all the different little parts of the science seemed overwhelming and, again, intimidating. I've never before procrastinated this much or run away from subjects of my own writing, so this was quite a new experience for me... I wish I could've gotten this done much faster, but I think this entire writing process helped me to face a fear I didn't even know I had--a fear of writing about science/scientific topics! It might be silly, but that's really the way I felt while writing this: afraid to delve too deep into the subject.

Still, I am very happy that this is finally done! I only hope that I served justice to this ancient science 💗 Kitty, I very much hope that you enjoyed your two favs together!!!

Okay!!! I'm gonna stop being annoying now

Riddle stood in the midday class with his back turned to his alchemy professor, easily slipping the buttons through the holes of his lab coat as Divus gave his greetings and instruction. His voice was clear and loud, reciting his usual classroom demands of always taking full precautions, ensuring safety, and arriving prepared. Always, it was these same rules, yet they were just a little bit different each day to suit whatever the current project may be.

But, on this day, Divus added to his instruction, "And, boys! Make sure you pair with a NEW partner today."

Riddle turned his head to stare at his professor and froze in place, absolutely dismayed. Crewel was asking them to switch partners? A brand new partner? All of a sudden?

How very strange that was, for wasn't it better to keep with the same partners? So that the two are familiar with each other and can work their best together? This switching of partners was truly, very odd, and it seemed just the thing that Professor Crewel would be against, for he was always the most sensible in keeping to rules and the traditional order of things. But, who was Riddle to argue or question the one in charge of the classroom?

He turned his head away once more and smoothed over the small wrinkles in his coat as the clean, clear goggles slipped over his eyes. It seemed the others in his class were just as confused as he, for they stumbled about awkwardly in search of a friendly-looking acquaintance of whom they were unfamiliar with. Riddle breathed out a huff and narrowed his eyes, a bit annoyed to have to deal with the uncertainty and the bother of finding a "brand new" partner. He turned around and looked, himself, for a person that seemed amiable and new, and to his luck, he was able to spot someone standing at one of the large, wide cauldrons of whom he was sure he hadn't ever worked with before.

He slowly approached where the other boy stood with his back to him. He was hurriedly flipping through the pages of several different books that were spread over the long desk just beside the pot of which they were to work. He had dark hair of an impressive volume and seemed rather intriguing in the way he went about his work. Riddle tilted his head slightly, watching with curiosity and interest as the boy worked quick to search what he was looking for, before he said in warm greeting, "Hello.. I don't believe I've worked with you before."

The boy went still upon hearing Riddle's voice, and he turned himself around to acquaint the unfamiliar classmate as he pushed the round goggles he wore over his head. "Hello!" he said with a nod, "I could work with you, if that's what we must do." There was clear enthusiasm in his voice before he turned his head once more to focus back on whatever he may have been searching for.

Riddle blinked several times in bewilderment. He had never even seen this student, let alone worked with him before. In alarm, he stared to get a better look at this stranger. His dark hair was accentuated by a teal stripe that ran down the center--a unique trait that Riddle had never noticed in a student before. He also had a soft, summer, sun-kissed shine to his complexion, which flattered and glowed upon his warm and freckled face, making him even more unrecognizable to Riddle.

Divus then gave further commands to the class, telling them that their goal was to make a particular potion. Riddle payed close attention to the details of the instruction, but all the while, he could not help but think in the back of his mind upon how strange his partner seemed to be. And, then, with the brief lecture over, he turned his attention again to that unknown student. "I'm sorry, but what is your name?" his voice was soft and polite with an ease in his eyes, "I don't believe I've payed much notice to you in this class before, and I'm sorry for that."

"Oh! Uh, I...." he dragged that last syllable out, much to Riddle's distaste, as he rummaged with the ingredients spread before the cauldron, "I only just began coming to this school. Not that long ago, really, so it makes sense if you didn't know. And--I'm Varian, by the way."

"You just began coming here?" Riddle said with alarm as his head tilted with even more interest than before, "A new student on the middle of the school year... And just like that? That isn't a typical thing here. How did it happen?"

Varian gritted his teeth and briefly glanced off to the side in attempt to avoid the question, "It's a... rea~lly long story. Don't worry about it."

Riddle looked at him with skepticism in his gaze. How odd it was to have a student transfer in the middle of the school year. As far as he knew, it was incredibly uncommon in NRC, for it meant that they would miss the welcome ceremony and so many other lessons and meetings that were essential in their learning.

But, again, who was he to argue with the way the school was run? Perhaps Crowley had a very special reason to allow this student entrance in the middle of the year.

Riddle took a small step to better observe what Varian was doing. All around on his side of the desk, there were sketches of obscure symbols that appeared unrelated to their project at hand, along with notebooks opened to pages of quotes that were beautiful poetically, yet seemingly unintelligent. How strange, how strange That one word kept repeating in Riddle's head, and he grew slightly skeptical of the student standing beside him.

Riddle pulled his head away and pressed his lips together as he began looking over the ingredients, chemicals, and metals that were laid out neatly upon the long desk, but his attention was seized once more by Varian who immediately grabbed two beakers of melted medals and mixed them carefully with one another.

"Just a touch of sulfur, and some more iron for the base...The iron brings forth the energy of Mars, so we'll have a fiery and quick result for this potion!" Varian was getting more and more excited as he explained the steps, and he seemed to talk more to himself than to Riddle. But, he soon took a breath in woeful thought as he continued with the mixture. "I really wish we had access to use gold in this lab. I guess it's understandable that we aren't allowed, but it isn't fair! Gold, after all, represents the sun, and the sun is connected to a princess I've been honored to become well-acquainted with--"

"Varian!" Riddle let out loudly, cutting him off after having had enough of his mindless chattering, "What are you even doing with all of those metals and chemicals?"

He reached out and took hold of the beaker that his partner held in his left hand, vigilant enough as to not disturb the dangerous mixtures, but harsh enough to cause a drop of the pinkish liquid to fizz onto the table.

"Woah be careful with that..!" Varian said frantically, trying to steady all the beakers that could cause a mess.

"What have you made?" Riddle's eyes were fixated in a glare, yet his voice wavered with fascination as he asked the question.

"Oh," Varian smiled with excitement and straightened his back, and he cleared his throat, preparing to deliver a recitation of all he created in a matter of minutes, "That's still just sulfur with an iron base, but the sulfur also works as a primer. You know... the 'spirit of life'. I also added a bit of mercury to better blend the high concentrations with the low ones, which also aids in connected the high and low energies. And, of course, I added a touch of salt as well, just as another primer."

"I see..." was all Riddle said in quiet response. He knew of the three primers and their functions in the mixtures--every student learned that at some point or another in the class. But, as for the other symbolic and rather spiritual things mentioned by Varian, he had never heard of them before, and he wasn't sure if he should believe them now.

Varian only continued, "It's unfair that we can't use gold or silver. I'd complain if I wasn't so new to this school." Getting excited again, he seemed to be talking mainly to himself once more, "Gold is the sun! And the sun is willpower, inner ability and inner strength! It's deeply connected to the heart and the heat of the body... It ignites passion and life! And it's connected to vision, too. But, silver probably has even more use than gold does. It's connected to the moon and creation... but in formulas, it helps the metals grow more quickly and aids in their blending."

The scowl on Riddle's face deepened, and his small nose wrinkled every slightly in skepticism and suspicion, yet that typically unsavory expression looked oddly beautiful over his fair face, and so Varian payed him no mind. Instead, he kept up on speaking, though this time it was less of a ramble. "We should probably go through the first couple steps together, shouldn't we?" he asked with a kind smile. "The first thing would be to go through the operation of calcination. You know, heating things to purify the metal and cancel out any toxins. But, I trust this lab, so it's fine to skip that step. Next would be dissolution, like... using water to dissolve bits of the metal into rust at the edges. It usually works as another purifier, as the water brings in life. But it really isn't that important, is it? Let's skip that one! Then, that brings us to the operation of separation. Specifically, separating the components of the dissolution... But if we don't do the dissolution, there really is no point. It's basically isolating the rust and the different elements of the metals by filtering them carefully and then discarding the bad materials. That always seems to tedious to me. I doubt there's anything very bad that could sabotage our results, anyway. I don't think it's necessary; it'll only eat up our time. We should skip that as well--"

"Varian!" Riddle's patience was reaching its brim. His anger ripped through his voice, causing Varian to flinch back and widen his eyes. "We shouldn't skip anything! There's an order for a reason!"

"Okay, okay," Varian said with a timid smile in attempt to ease his partner's nerves. "But trust me, we should just go ahead a proceed with the fourth operation. Conjunction. It's basically the re-combination of the components that should have been separated in the previous step. But, combining the metals is basically what I've been doing so far, so it's like we're ahead. All we need is potassium nitrate. I promise! It's like a short cut." Varian said, looking to Riddle with pleading eyes in hopes of convincing him.

"Alchemy is a discipline," Riddle said sternly, though his voice was now kept soft, "There are rules and a direction you must follow. Every step involves a precise measurement, and unless you adhere to the order set in place, you will never achieve a good result!"

"Well, yes, you're... kind of right."

Riddle stepped back, blinking in disbelief. Kind of right? Who did he think he was? An alchemy expert? Someone so profound that he could skip around on the steps? Riddle's anger was building up inside, heart racing, blood boiling. His face was heating up, just about to burst--

And, then, Varian quickly drew from the cauldron a small sample of the potion they were to create. It was small bit, but it was perfect. Made with such quick ease, and filling up half of the beaker. It was quite impressive to have achieved such a wonderful result in such little time, and noticing this, Riddle slowly calmed.

"Hey... Relax, okay? It's really not something to stress over," Varian reassured with a confident chuckle and a mocking role of his eyes that went undetected by Riddle.

Riddle pressed his lips together before softening his expression and letting out a sigh, easing himself of the tension and excitement, yet also ashamed now for having gotten so angry before. Maybe, perhaps, he could trust this kid to do what he seemed so passionate about.

yes... drew the pic because I wanted the two of them together but, obviously, there are none that exist, so I had to create my own with my very slim art skill. I was originally going to have it at the top, but I am NOT confident enough in my doodling to do that lmao

#twst #riddle rosehearts #varian #fanfic #my fanfic #my writing #twisted wonderland fanfiction #<3 #crossover #tangled the series

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thisnerdsadventures · 3 years

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a 2021 update

Ah, so I have forgotten to update in a million years, per usual

~ Random thought section ~

I woke up this morning and read this tweet thread about Alice Wu's director's note for her movie The Half of It. It's streaming on Netflix, and I highly encourage to go watch it, it's probably one of my favorite movies from the past few years. Anyways, she talks about how she produced the film while digesting the heartbreak of a friendship breakup - the whole thread hit me on a different level, but here's a quote that really hit home for me, especially a month from graduation: "The end of the film is each of their beginnings. And for my characters, I can think of no happier ending." We spend a lot of time worrying about the end of things and the uncertainty of things to come. Yet, there was a time where we worried about the exact same things for the very chapter we are now so nervous about leaving.

1. I'm nervous about leaving school and starting the..... rest of my life???

2. I'm nervous that my friends will slowly fade away. I'm nervous that they'll get on with their lives and I'll be slowly still trying to get my bearings, stuck in limbo.

3. I'm nervous that starting adulthood will be difficult because there are no more college orientations, no more awkward freshman dinners, perfect opportunities to meet new friends who are just as nervous as you are.

In writing this out, I felt a sense of deja-vu, like I had written these words before. So I just looked back at some of my posts right before entering college, and lo and behold:

08-18-2016: Today I said goodbye to one of my closer friends, and i realized that without even knowing it, Sunday’s party was the last time I would see some of my closest friends. It’s awful that way, that you don’t even know it’s the last time until it’s passed, and you’re left to pick up the the end of a chapter of a relationship from the scraps of an unexpected and improper farewell.

I feel like I’m in a weird twilight zone between college and high school where my present friends are all beginning to fade away to move on in their lives, and I’m yet to really meet anyone in my class yet, so at the moment,,,,,,there really isn’t anyone.

I wrote this less than a week from moving to Boston, and it's so shocking to me that I also experienced the "unexpected and improper farewell" part in senior year. It's almost the exact same thing that happened in COVID and is continuing to happen. You never know when the last time you might see someone might be, except instead of consolidated over the course of one pre-college summer, it's over the course of more than a year, the time that this pandemic has been going for.

And I hate that I said the "fade away and move on" thing verbatim, literally nearly five years ago. To be honest though, it's true, a lot of them did fade away and move on. But so did I, I wasn't left behind. To some extent, I was the one who did a lot of the moving away. And like many things in life, a couple of us continue to hang around, and maybe our friendships cycled in and out over college, but have come around again after a few years. I guess those are the ones that you know will stick around. The limbo period between chapters is a hard one, and it's nice to know that present-day me isn't the only one who has felt this. It's nice to know that past me met so many incredible people so fast, that I forgot this limbo period happened.

I know this part is getting a little long, but there's just a couple more snippets I want to share:

08-13-2016: I recently read Marina Keegan’s essay The Opposite of Loneliness, and one line resonated with me a lot: We’re so young. It seems silly and almost pretentious for me to think that this party would be so final, and yet it does, even though we have decades upon decades to build and connect or reconnect.

We’re so young, but that doesn’t stop the understanding that we are going to a new chapter in our lives and that it’s going to redefine our relationships. I hope it doesn’t change them too much.

I suppose much of the anxiety of going to college results from having to build my own community from the ground up again.... I tell myself the pieces will fall together and everything will be ok, but it doesn’t stop the increasing anxiety from, well, increasing.

I loved this collection of essays, if you haven't read it, I recommend you do. In moving around for so many years, I haven't been able to keep a lot of books in my possession, but I kept this one because that essay really hit home for me, and continues to, no matter what part of life I'm currently experiencing.

I think moving to college did change my relationships. But change is not a bad thing - your childhood friendships, the few of them that survive, end up strengthening and growing into adult friendships. And in the end, isn't that better than not changing at all? I'm hoping that a few of my college friendships will do that too - we'll go from college friends to family friends, and my kids will call them "Aunt" and "Uncle" and they'll grow up watching their parents talk for hours in the front yard before finally getting in the car and leaving for home.

08-13-2016: But hey, this is part of what I signed up for, I knew I wasn’t going to have much of an initial safety net, but I’m sure I’ll survive. We, as humans, always find a way to adapt right?

I think I survived and adapted. Not in the way I saw things going, but we can never really fully predict things, can we? One day, I'll learn to give myself a safety net for the next chapter, I'm sure. Today's not that day though.

Going back to her director's note, there was one more thing that just struck an emotional chord for me:

Fun fact, Alice Wu actually went to MIT for a bit before transferring to Stanford, and then she became a software engineer at Microsoft! I relate a little too much to her. Maybe one day I too will dump coding for my art form. But for now, in this above example, I relate far too much. I worked on my album, Imperfect, a little too obsessively this past winter while trying to digest the throes of heartbreak from one of my own friendships that ended. I still don't know if there was an ending for that friendship. I think I've spent a lot of time trying to put off the end, like a TV series that just keeps adding more and more seasons. Regardless of whether it needs to end or not (which I have not decided and will continue not to do so), I spent a lot of time thinking about who I was before and after that friendship, and I've concluded that a lot of who I am now, what my life looks like now is a result of that friendship. I'll give you a hint: I really like who I am now, compared to who I was before, and it showed me a lot of parts of life and friendship that I never expected would happen. That friendship was (is?) one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me in my life.

Let's finish off this reflective post with a quote from Khalil Gibran, that's kinda related to that point about how transformative the past can be, and how we're far better off in future chapters of our lives because of it.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

Again, if you haven't read his collection of poems, you should absolutely 100% drop whatever you're doing right now and do so! Wow, I really just assigned an entire reading list in this post.

I hope in making this movie, Alice found peace. I would hesitate to say that I found peace when making my album. I wrote a lot of songs about the heartbreak I felt from that whole experience. But the last song I wrote, "Best Friends," ends the whole thing on a positive note, that at the end of the day, I remember how my friends (past and present) literally saved my life and how things are looking a little better, and whatever happens, I hope my best friends will be there waiting for me, whoever they end up being.

- OK I PROMISE I DIDN'T SET OUT TO BE 100% SO EMO -

But yeah, I haven't really been doing much otherwise? I guess just tryna stay alive, I've been cooking a lot and cooking a lot of good good food, I did apply to an MBA program, I got my COVID vaccine (second shot this week!), I am excited to announce I am publishing a paper in my MEng lab, which is a really big accomplishment imo, I am thriving in my (1) econ class that I kept, even though I didn't realize we had readings assigned like for the past month, I went to try pastries from this Turkish bakery, I biked, probably, 15 miles over the past month, I've read at least 4 or 5 books this year so far, and am hoping to knock another one out today. Currently dying because trying to finish my thesis in like . a week, which is looking a little challenging, but I'm sure it'll happen!!!??

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