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runningfrom2am · 5 months

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leveling the playing field IX

summary: with nowhere else to go after getting caught cheating to help lucy gray, you both make some desperately stupid decisions.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 2.6k

tags/warnings: capitol brat!reader, maybe slightly ooc coryo, idk i tried my best. do they love each other or hate each other? who knows (we do, kind of). implications and mentions of abuse, so read with caution!! also a little bit of swearing but that's neither here nor there

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a/n: here we are!! 'season' two!! thanks so much for reading it and I'm SO so glad lots of people seem to love it :) if you do, please reblog it or leave your thoughts in the replies or in my inbox! i love hearing from you and talking about it so don't be a stranger !

without further adieu,, enter buzzcut coryo <3

next part

Coriolanus's stomach twisted as he could hear your screams from the hall, even though by then he was all the way on the other side of the school. He thought that was unsettling, only for them to abruptly stop just before he left. The silence that followed was so much worse. He didn't get any sleep, sitting on the roof in Grandma'ams rose garden with Tigris all night, wondering if you were dead.

He was just sick about it, even as he left the following morning, so early that the sun was yet to rise. It was a long, painful ride, and he spent the entire thing certain that you were dead. It was his fault, he had only wanted you to come with him, so he wouldn't be alone, but now he truly is alone and he won't even have you to write to back home. Regardless, he would try.

Rather than sit with the idea that it might even be pointless for him to live another day, especially with this unflattering haircut and a uniform that challenged the discomfort of the academy one, he decided to write to you on a paper he had found bunched between the train seats to ease his mind.

Y/N/N,

I hope you're reading this. I hope this gets back to you at home and finds you safe and sound, and you're sitting over your desk with a textbook open getting ready for university in the fall. That's not what's happening though, is it? You're probably dead. I probably killed you. If you are reading this in your room, or your library, or over my shoulder as I write this because you are only alive in what's left of your spirit, I hope you know that I am sorry. I did it because I wanted you with me, because in the moment I was so sure you'd be better off with me in the districts than you would be at home with your father. I think I was wrong. But I still miss you. You meant more to me than I ever told you. I guess, more than I ever told myself either until these last few weeks.

I think I heard them kill you after I left you with the Dean. If they did, boy, did you go out fighting. I always knew you would. I can't stop writing in case I never get to speak to you again. But again, maybe you're not dead, right?

Please tell me you're not dead.

Yours,

Always yours, your Coryo

He smoothes out the wrinkled sheet as he writes, hand shaking through most of it. He doesn't know if he should even bother sending it, or if he should just fold it up and throw it out the window in hopes that the message will find its way to your ghost. No, he has to send it. Otherwise he'll definitely never know, at least not for twenty years, and he couldn't bear that.

The wind hits the trees into the windows of the train as it rolls along the tracks, demanding that the branches be heard against the glass. It reminds him of you. Then again, what doesn't these days? Maybe it was just you letting him know you had read his letter, and that you forgive him. That would give him a semblance of peace for the rest of the ride.

When you woke up, it was impossible to tell what time it was. You only knew that it was dark, and your bedroom door was locked from the outside when you got up and carefully tried to open it only to be blocked by the mechanism.

"I have half the mind to agree with you on the Avox thing." You hear your dad sigh, his voice echoing from his study just down the hall. Your eyes widen and you try the knob again. Yep, still locked. "But we could always send her to Nine or Ten as a nurse. She's not staying here, that's certain."

"I don't want to push your decision, here, but she was saying she would tell everyone. She knows more than we thought, more details." Highbottom was here too, great.

"No, that's impossible. What did she say?"

"She knows we're selling, likely that you're storing it all here somewhere, and she knows it's enough to be treason. I don't know what else she knows, but it's risky business ever letting her out of that room again. The procedure might be our best option, here." You've heard enough, quickly making for your window instead. It's locked as well, but draping your old uniform over the lever gives you enough freedom to crush it with a particularly heavy, hardcover textbook without making much noise.

You change quickly, grabbing a few essentials that you could fit into your book bag, then climb out the window and slide down the back porch column before making as quiet of an escape as possible. Adrenaline carried you a few blocks away, but now, you were unsure what to do. You couldn't return, and you couldn't be seen, and you had a tragic shortage of friends at the moment. You find your feet carrying you toward the building you know Coriolanus lives in.

You're not particularly excited to see him, but with no other options, you're sure you can find it in yourself to be forgiving just this once. You could go to Sejanus's family home, but it's not far enough away, and you're not sure what his father would say. He'd probably call your dad in a second and it would all be for naught- you couldn't risk it. So, Coryo's it was.

You enter the building, walking straight for the elevator. He was in the penthouse, so you just have to hit the very top button and figure it out from there. You've never been to his home before, but he's talked about it plenty. Enough that you could find your way there, at least.

You groan when you quickly realize the elevator doesn't work, looking over at the stairs. It's a tall building, so you've got a long way to go. You wonder how he does this every day as you climb up set after set of stairs, taking note of how the walls are basically crumbling around you.

You knew he didn't have money, that he couldn't eat, but you didn't think he lived like this. No wonder he was so thin, and no wonder he still had any muscle left on his body. It was these damn stairs. That couldn't be it though, that wouldn't explain how his shoulders just seemed to go on for miles- maybe he had some kind of workout routine you never knew about.

You're drawn from your thoughts when you reach the top of the last staircase, hesitating to open the industrial looking door in front of you. Just beyond that was the front door to the Snow penthouse, and now that you're here, you're not sure what to do. Do you knock? You don't even know what time it is.

You sit by the door, deciding to think it over for a bit. It doesn't take you long to fall asleep leaning up against the wall where it meets the dusty floor.

Waking up, you're met with a gasp. "Y/N?" You blink open your eyes, seeing Tigris crouched in front of you, forehead creased with worry. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

"Tigris, hello." You mumble, gathering yourself to stand up as she helps you. "I, uh, I didn't know where to go, so..."

"Okay, okay. Come in for a second." She nods, holding your shoulder as she guides you back into the apartment. You squint at the sunrise through the large bay windows, she must have been on her way to work. "Can I get you anything? Some tea? You must be freezing..." She says, immediately shuffling into the kitchen.

"No, no. It's fine. Thank you, though." You insist, trying not to stare at the state the apartment has fallen into.

"Okay, well, please, take a seat. Tell me what's going on."

You nod slightly and move to sit down at their dining table where she joins you, reaching out for your hand which you gratefully take. "Did Coriolanus leave already?" You ask and she nods, giving you a sad smile.

"I must admit, I'm relieved to see you." She says, taking you by surprise. "Coryo thought you were dead. He was just so torn up about it, he said it was his fault but he wouldn't tell me why. I was expecting to see your passing in the papers this morning."

"Well, my days are numbered." You sigh, looking out the window again. The view was stunning. Maybe you would prefer a penthouse to your own large, empty feeling home. "My father and Dean Highbottom were discussing turning me into an Avox as a pity punishment, and I don't doubt that my father would rather bury me than have that on his name. I didn't stick around to hear their decision."

Tigris listens intently, squeezing your cold hands between her own. "And now, I don't know what to do. I had nowhere to go, I'm so sorry to intrude-"

"No, my goodness, please. You are always welcome here." She assured you. "But... what will you do?"

"I have to leave." You nod to yourself. "I have to leave and I can't come back, can I?"

"One day I'm sure it will be safe for you to return." She says, notably trying to put a positive spin on it. "I'll tell you what-" She stands quickly, going over to a hall closet and pulling out a large fur coat. "Take this, it can hide you and keep you warm. Take the next train to Twelve, that's where Coryo went." She places the coat in your lap. "He'll be ecstatic to have you and see that you're well."

You nod, standing up and pulling it on in a hurry. It was a beautiful coat, you could tell it was real fur. This must have belonged to one of their mothers. "Thank you, Tigris."

"There's another train headed there in about twenty minutes, if you rush you can make it. I had to check the schedule last night for him. Don't buy a ticket, just climb in a transport car from the opposite side, not the platform." She instructs you hurriedly,

You dig in your bag as you both head for the door, pulling out a handful of money and rifling through it to give some to her. You'll need some, but she will too.

"Here, Tigris. Take this." You say as she holds the door for you, and she instantly is shaking her head.

"No, no. I couldn't." She smiles awkwardly, waving a hand at you. "You'll need it more than I do, Coryo will be sending us cheques."

You smile at her understandingly, holding it out to her again. "If not for your help, then for this lovely jacket. Please take it. I insist."

Tigris sighs, taking it from your hand before pulling you into a hug which you gladly return. "Tell him we love him, okay?"

"He knows," You say, chin resting on her shoulder. "But I will."

It was dark again when your train reached its final stop, and you were curled up under the coat trying to sleep. You scramble to get up, having to bolt from the train before anyone came to unload the car.

Unfortunately, you didn't get the privilege of having a place to stay when you arrived, so once you're out of sight of the train, the best you can do is wander.

You don't have to wander long before you hear music. You didn't realize people were happy here, so the sounds of laughter and shouting and dancing coming from inside what looked to be an abandoned building made you tilt your head at the idea. Maybe you would just sit outside, around the side of the building where you won't be seen and you can listen.

You don't even get the chance to sit before you hear the singing start. It's Lucy Gray. You mentally scold yourself for not thinking of her sooner as you stand again quickly, finding yourself quite lightheaded. You must be hungry. Maybe there will be some food inside, or maybe you can find talk to Lucy Gray and maybe she'll let you stay with her. Just until you get yourself situated here.

Clutching your new coat tightly around yourself you walk in after attempting to dust off and salvage your clothes. Your favourite skirt and shoes took quite a beating throughout the day, and you're disappointed, to say the least. Hopefully Lucy Gray has a washing machine, but you doubt it. Did these people even know what a washing machine is? By the look of everyone in the room, the answer was a definite no.

Sure enough, Lucy Gray was on stage, singing her heart out. You had never seen her smile so wide, of course, and the kids surrounding her onstage were just as talented as she was at all their instruments. You've never seen live music like this before, only classical or opera where everyone sat quietly and listened until the end. This environment was entirely new to you.

Not wanting to interrupt, you wait until Lucy Gray steps offstage and her spot is replaced with a little blonde girl who couldn't have been older than ten.

"Give it up for the amazing Lucy Gray Baird!" The girl shouts into the mic, gesturing to your friend before more music started to play. "She'll be back, she's just taking a little break, but until then, you lot are stuck listenin' to me."

This is your chance. You push through the crowd and step into the hall you saw Lucy Gray go down. "Lucy Gray?" You call out hopefully, watching your step as to not roll a heel. In hindsight, these shoes were not ideal for the journey you took, but your options were limited by a time crunch.

"Lucy Gray?" You ask again, turning a corner and peeling into a large open room. It's a few moments before your eyes land on her, and she turns to face you having heard you walk in.

"Oh my days, I thought I recognized that voice!" She smiles, opening her arms and running up to you. "Y/N, my word, what are you doin' here?" Her excitement fades quickly into concern as she drops her arms from around you.

"Long story..." You chuckle nervously, pulling at your coat again as she nods for you to continue. "We got caught, for the compact. And the snakes, somehow. Coriolanus put our handkerchiefs that you used in the tank so they wouldn't attack you, I guess. I didn't know. Then they pulled us out of class the next day, he told them it was me, so then I put up a fight and they sedated me. When I woke up I was at home and they were talking about having my tongue cut out and turning me into one of those servants but I'm sure my dad would rather have me dead. So," You sigh, trying to summarize it as quickly as possible. "I ran."

Lucy Gray shook her head, mouth agape in shock at all the information she just took in. "Okay, wait... So they were going to kill you?"

You nod.

"But that teacher of yours seemed so nice."

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, he gave me some money and escorted me into the train himself."

You scoff, shaking your head. "He's never liked either of us, but that's only because I have dirt on him. I don't know what Coryo did."

"Well," Lucy Gray sighs, rubbing your shoulders gently. "I'm glad you're here. That you're safe."

"You too." You smile. "Can I just say, too, we were so proud of you. We were so lucky to be your mentors."

"I count myself the lucky one." She grins. "Let's move on, shall we? On the up and up."

"Yes, sounds lovely." You grin at her.

"Can I get you some water? Liquor? What do you need?" She asks, turning at that and going over to a bench in the middle that had a few water bottles.

"I would love some water." You breathe out, joining her and sitting down as she hands one to you.

"Lucy Gray, could I ask you for a really big favour?" You say after taking your first sip.

"Please." She nods.

"Can I stay with you?"

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#tbosas #tbosas fic #thg series #tbosas x reader #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #coriolanus x you #coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus snow x reader #coryo snow #thg fanfic #thg fanfiction #thg

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annymation · 3 months

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The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 14- I Will Protect You

Chapter 13

"I WHAT?!" Aster exclaims, almost falling backwards from the log he was sitting on. His animation becomes more sketchy and unfinished looking.

"Umm "In love", come on, don't tell me this is one of the things you don't know yet" Hal says with a smile and one eyebrow raised.

"I- I know what it means but- Where did THAT come from? hah ha" The star asks nervously, genuinely not understanding what she's talking about.

"I mean... It's pretty obvious" Dahlia comes in and starts listing all the evidence "From the way you two talk to each other, to how you blush whenever she holds your hand, and how she laughs about pretty much everything you say, I could go on all day, point is that the signs are all there." She explains casually.

Aster's eyes widen "THAT'S what being in love is??? No- no way! I can't be in love, that's... A HUMAN THING. Wishing stars don't fall in love... Do we?"Aster asks now looking up to the sky... No answer, the stars are dead silent, but not because they didn't listen, they just don't want to get involved for now.

Hal smiles with confusion in her eyes, seeing the boy just stare to the sky all of the sudden sure feels quite weird, but she just continues saying "We may not know anything about wishing stars, buuut we know our girl Asha, and it's pretty obvious at least she loves you." She says booping Aster's nose cheerfully.

Aster's turn to look at her slowly "... You think Asha loves me?" The star is stunned, as his mind starts racing, realizing what this means "... Oh... Oh this is-"

Bazeema has both hands on her cheeks as she says in a dreamy sigh "The most romantic thing in the wor-"

Aster has both hands on his head as he says in a panicked voice "Terrible!"

(This image doesn’t really have anything to do with this scene other than it taking place in a forest, but I had to include it in this rewrite cause OH MY GOSH DO YOU SEE HOW PRETTY THIS CONCEPT ART IS?!? AAAAAAH)

"Huh?? How's that terrible?!" Hal asks, now almost looking angry at the star.

Aster starts floating in the air, "Walking" back and forth "If Asha is in love with me an-and I'm in love with her then... She's gonna be heartbroken!" The star looks absolutely horrified with this discovery.

Gabo throws his head back and laughs at that before saying "WOOOW look at you, cape! Already dreading the eventual break up before even asking her out?" Gabo sounds almost proud "Maybe my pessimism is finally rubbing off on him" He whispers to Dario.

"NO nonono! The problem is... I can't STAY here!" They explain, sounding more and more distressed "Once we defeat Magnifico and save Rosas, Asha's wish will come true! And then I'll HAVE to go!"

"Well, here's a thought then: Fight the system." Gabo says with a mischievous look, like he's trying to influence the pure star to go to the "dark side" "Rules are made to be broken. What's the worse that could happen if you don't go back to the sky, hum?"

"I would cease to exist." Aster mutters quietly, still pacing around while flying.

"... Oh..." Gabo says in a deadpan manner "So we have a Romeo and Juliet scenario on our hands" The teen says with a hand on his chin.

"Indeed, it's a tale of forbidden love." Bazeema chimes in, both hands in her heart as she sighs like a hopeless romantic.

Gabo looks at her with a bored expression and says "I meant how they both die in the en-"

Dahlia interrupts him "Okay okay let me see if I understand" She pulls Aster down by his cape for him to sit next to her "After her wish is granted you'll have to leave, and you can't come back? Ever?"

"Yup!" The star blurts out, as he begins to speak quickly "So it's best to just deny these feelings and never let Asha find out, so her heart isn't crushed into a million pieces later, right?" He asks them with a forced smile, hoping they all agree.

"... Wrong" Hal says with her arms crossed "Aster, I get where you're coming from, but do you realize that if you don't tell her, and just leave... You two might spend your whole lives regretting not saying anything?" She asks the star with sadness in her eyes, but then she shakes off the feeling and add one last comment with a sassy smile "And I'm guessing the lifetime of a star is preeetty long, ain't it?"

"... You have no idea." Aster says while looking at nothing with a distant expression... For the first time realizing he's gonna outlive Asha by billions of years. The star looks at all the teens worriedly and asks "But if I tell her, then... Won't she feel even more hurt when I have to leave?"

"Most likely, yes." Bazeema confirms quietly, looking at Aster with a kind smile "But I think, if you two won't see each other ever again, then you should enjoy every moment together like it's your last." The star's eyes widen, not because the quiet girl is speaking more than usual but because those words hit him deeply with a realization, Bazeema continues with her quiet voice full of passion "Then maybe, it won't hurt as much when you go back to the sky and she stays down here, because at least you'll both know you had love... And that love will continue, even at a distance..."

Gabo moves slightly away from Bazeema like he's scared of her "Aight' who are you and where's Bazeema? She never spoken more than two lines in her life."

Bazeema realizes for how long she has been talking and that everyone is staring at her, she blushes and covers her cheeks in embarrassment "O-oh goodness, I didn't realize I was rambling, I'm so sorry."

"No, you're right." Aster says while getting up from the log he was sitting on "I'm gonna tell her." The star is back to his cheerful and confident self, as he starts making his way to where Asha went "I may not be able to spend my life with her, but I'll love her in our last few hours together just as much as I'd love her in a life time!"

Most of the teens cheer him on as he leaves, except for Simon who has just been staring this all play out while eating his soup, with a face of someone who regrets all his life choices... Oh and also Gabo stops cheering to give one last comment:

"Sure thing lover boy, but umm remember we can't have you two kissing and saving the kingdom at the same time, and we're gonna start the plan in a few minutes so-"

Aster is already marching through the forest as he shouts back to Gabo with an ever so slightly irritated tone "I'll love her in these next few MINUTES just as much as I'd love her in a life time!"

Gabo looks pleased because he has been trying to mess with the star's seemingly infinite patience the whole day, just for fun.

All the teens now are staring at each other in awkward silence, Dahlia notices and closes her eyes with a sigh

"... *sigh*... Do you guys wanna go and wa-" She hear the sound of footsteps and when she opens her eyes again, all of her friends are gone "Watch?... Heh heh Asha, you really can't get a moment of peace, can you?" She says while getting up with her crutch, to follow them, and watch how this will play out.

We cut to Asha sitting by the river, trying to draw herself while looking at her reflection. By her side there's a black and white, hand drawn candle lantern that actually emits light. There's also some fireflies flying around the proximity of the river.

Aster comes from behind a tree and takes a deep breath (even though he doesn't breathe) and starts flying to where she is.

Asha has her back turned to him, but she can see Aster's light approaching her, so she turns to look over her shoulder with a smile.

"Hey Aster! Great timing, I was just gonna ask you to come here" Asha taps on the floor next to her to signal that she wants Aster to sit with her

"Really? Well uh... Here I am hehe" Aster does so, they float down and sit next to Asha with his legs crossed "Do you need help with anything?"

"I could use some extra light. This lantern I made is great but your hair is waaay better" She says while placing her sketchbook on Aster's leg, so she can better see her drawings thanks to the light coming from his hair. She was gonna start drawing more but instead she gets distracted and talks with Aster excitedly "Also, I gotta say, it's amazing that my pencil can actually create FIRE! This is gonna be so useful when we're breaking in the castle. If any door is locked I can just burn them, or maybe I could create a giant hammer, or or... You know?! Anything!" She smiles widely at the star, not able to contain her joy, thinking about all the possibilities.

Aster looks at her with that same dreamy look he had at the campfire, admiring how she's just so full of life and hope.

"Yeah, I know, I'm glad you liked it" He says with a smile, Aster is now looking at the water, trying to think on what to say... Should he just say "I love you" out of the blue?... That doesn't feel right. So instead he just expresses how he wishes he could be there to... Protect her "I really wish I could go in there with you all, make sure you're safe"

Asha gives him a bittersweet smile as she explains "I know, but we've talked about this: you gotta distract Magnifico here in the forest and break his staff, while we'll get in the castle, fight the queen, and free all the wishes, so you can un-curse them and give them back to everyone."

(That's it, that's their plan! Will it work? whOoOoOOo KoOoWsSs? Oh wait, I know, hehehehe)

Aster looks at her worriedly "Are you suuuure you guys can handle Amaya on your own though?"

Asha chuckles with the question "It'll be eight teens vs one lady with no powers, if anything you should feel sorry for her haha" She laughs a bit, but then her face turns just as worried as Aster's was, as she thinks for a moment and says "But, you'll be on your own... Are you SURE you can fight Magnifico this time?" She asks him looking at him in the eyes.

Now Aster is the one who holds his laughter "Pfft you mean on my own + all the plants and wild life as my army? I'll manage." Aster says confidently, but then he notices the concern in Asha's expression, so he tells her more reassuringly "Hey, I'll be careful. He won't catch me this time, I promise."

Asha smiles as she holds his hand tightly "I know, I trust you."

Aster's freckles start sparkling and his hair shines brighter with that, they hold her hand back.

Asha also seems to be blushing as she holds his hand

The 7 teens are in the background watching everything with an expecting look, just waiting for Aster to make his move.

Aster notices them staring from the corner of his eye, Asha doesn't though.

The two of them break eye contact as Asha looks back to her sketchbook, while Aster looks at the impatient teens with an angry expression that screams "IM GETTING TO IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The two teens take a deep breath and... They speak the same thing at the same time:

"... I wanted to tell you something-"

The two look surprised. Asha giggles a little as she says:

"Heh heh- okay you first-"

"No! no no no please, you go first!" Aster says, because he's honestly not ready to say it yet.

Asha takes a deep breath as she flips the pages of her sketchbook "Okay... This is gonna sound really out of nowhere but umm..." She stops in a page and takes out of the book... A sword "Wanna practice sword fighting with me?" She asks with an awkward smile.

... That's not what Aster nor the teens watching this behind the bushes expected at all...

Aster looks at the hand drawn sword and then back to Asha with a confused smile "... Eh?"

Asha lowers the sword "I know, I know, kinda last minute. But I just had the best idea!" She get's up and starts to explain while walking around with the sword in her hand "Your magic can't hurt me, and my magic can't hurt you, soooo we are perfect dueling partners to practice, don't you think?"

Aster understands now, she wants to be ready to fight the guards in case they are spotted by any... or even the royals.

"I don't remember sword fighting being part of the plan." Aster notes with a cheeky smile.

"It's not, it's just my own idea, call it a plan C" She says while looking at the sword she drew proudly.

"Sooo are you "planning" to make extra plans from A to Z? heheh" Aster jokes, still sitting down next to the river, looking up to her.

"You know, I actually might. Better be safe than sorry." She says, her smile falters a little, with her eyes revealing that she still has some doubts "I just... I gotta be ready for anything they might throw at us. I want to make sure I can protect my friends... Protect you." She tells Aster like she's letting out something that has eating her up inside.

Aster eyes sparkle with those last two words, since that's the same thing he wanted to say.

"... Well then..." Aster begins to talk with his eyes closed, reaching for something behind his back- "En garde!" He quickly creates a sword made of star dust while she wasn't looking.

The sword hits Asha, and just like how it went when Aster tried to use this trick against Magnifico during their fight in the storm, Asha starts laughing, feeling a sense of joy overtake her.

"Hhahahaahha" She laughs, hugging her sides as Aster get's up, standing in a fighting position holding his own sword "Hey! I wasn't ready!"

"Expect the unexpected, now come on! And don't you dare go easy on me!" He says spinning his sword with a confident look.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing!" Asha exclaims with a daring smile.

The two of them duel together around the clearing near the river, snickering the whole way through. Asha lands some hits on Aster, slicing his body made of star dust, but he immediately gets back together with every attack.

When Aster's sword hits Asha, all it does is make her chuckle a little, but she's landing a lot more hits than the star.

The 7 teens are watching all of this in the background, both surprised and endeared by the sight, that's definitely not where none of them expected this would go... But it is kinda romantic in a weird way.

"You're actually pretty good at this!" Aster comments as they're now both looking at each other in the eyes, with their swords pressed against one another

"Thanks! you too... But could be better tho." Asha says with a confident smirk "Good thing I'll be the one actually sword fighting hehe" She teases him

The star makes mocking shocked face "*Gaaaasp* Ooooh you did not! Alright, you asked for it!"

Aster summons a bunch of swords around Asha and makes all of them hit her at the same time, creating a huge cloud of star dust around them

Asha can only laugh as she falls on the grass

"Hhahaaahahah hey no fair!" Asha exclaims while laying on the grass

Aster is now floating with his face close to her's "Thought you said I shouldn't go easy on youuu" They smile playfully

Asha pulls him down by the cape and the two roll around the grass like two kids playing fighting, not even realizing that they're hugging. They both laugh the whole way through.

After calming down, they both lay next to each other and look up at the stars.

"So... Feeling more prepared?" Aster asks while still looking up

"Yeah, I think I can take 'em." She says, feeling reassured "*sigh* I just can't wait for all of this to be over." Her voice is full of hope.

Aster's smile slowly dissolves into a frown as he remembers he'll have to leave once it IS all over.

"... Um-hum, me too... Can't wait." They say, trying to hide their inner turmoil

Asha turns to the star with a curious smile "Ok, now's your turn."

Aster looks at her confused "Huh?"

"You said you had something to tell me, didn't you?" Asha asks, laying down on the grass next to the star

"O-Oh right! heh hehe... Umm" Aster quickly realizes he has no idea how to tell her. The star just begins blabbering nonsense without even realizing " Sooo uh I wanted to tell you- I mean- I actually didn't wanna tell you at first- Bu-but I have to t-tell you while we still have time that I... UUUH... I... I think I am- Ya know?"

Aster.exe stops working while Asha just stares at him in amusement, she never seen him acting like this before.

From the bushes where the seven teens are hiding comes Hal's voice shouting:

"Oh come on! JUST KISS THE GIRL ALREADY!"

(Shout out to @wings-of-sapphire who asked for a Kiss The Girl reference)

Aster discretely uses his magic to make several trees instantly grow in front of where the teens are hiding, creating a wall of trees, Asha doesn't notice as she sits up from the ground and looks back.

"What was that?" She looks around confused, but all she sees behind her are trees

"T-the wind, probably! heheh" Aster stammers out nervously.

Asha get's up and starts walking away from Aster "The other's may be calling us, I think we sho-"

"Asha wait!" Aster quickly gets up and grabs her hand, she looks back at him confused, but wanting to listen. Aster can only sigh as he explains frustrated " I just... I just have SO MUCH to tell you, and I don't know how to put it into words"

Asha holds his hand closely as she says "That's... Pretty unlike you. You've always been good at explaining what's on your mind" It sounds like that's something she admires about him.

"Yeah, but this is coming from somewhere else though." Aster tells her while placing his hand on his chest...

Asha's eyes light up in surprise, like she finally starts to realize what Aster is trying to tell her.

Aster ponders looking at her hand, how can he tell her all these new feelings that she showed him? Feelings that he can't even understand himself? How can he tell her what she's to him... Maybe the same way that he explained to her who she was... When they first met.

"Maybe... I can try beginning to explain this to you... In the best way I know how" Aster repeats the words that he said before they started singing "I'm a Star" on the night that Asha wished upon him.

And so... FINALLY... We get the song:

At All Cost

(Aster holds both of Asha's hands as the music begins, and we see fireflies flying around them. Asha looks at Aster expectantly, already suspecting what he'll say but still not quite believing this is really happening... That he actually feels the same way as her... And Aster confirms her suspicions as he begins to sing)

If happiness was a tangible thing It would be you If you'd have told me the feeling you'd bring I'd think it untrue

(Asha's eyes widen as she hears him, as he tries his best to put everything he has been feeling for so long into words. The star is gazing at her with a shy smile, his cheeks sparkling with golden star dust)

And people search for a wonder like you All of their lives You still amaze me after all this time

(Aster caresses her face gently as they say the line "You still amaze me after all this time", referring to how after growing up and watching her all these years, she still found new ways to impress him. Asha is now smiling at the star with eyes full of passion, confirming to him that she feels the same way, and with that, Aster begins to sing with more energy)

You pull me in like some kind of wind Mesmerized by the hold I'm in Leave you here, I don't wanna I wanna

(Aster pulls her in and starts spinning with her around the clearing, more fireflies start flying around them. Asha holds him closely as he sings the second line. Aster is hugging her as he sings the third line with his eyes showing more sadness, for he knows that eventually he'll have to leave her... And on the last line he looks at her, preparing to actually say what he has been meaning to say all this time... And only then he begins flying with her)

Love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs

Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs At all costs

(He holds her in the way one would when dancing a waltz, and starts guiding her to dance while they fly together, Asha is at first caught off guard by the fact they suddenly started floating, but as she looks at Aster in the eyes she knows there's nothing to fear, and she follows his lead. They're now flying above the trees, and all Asha can say while looking at the star is:)

Wow What's pain? When I look at you? No way I could explain you, even if tried to I'll never dream like used to do

(Asha caresses Aster's cheek with one hand as she now begins to put into words what she has been feeling, how when he's around she feels no pain, only happiness, how he changed her whole world and now she'll never see things or dream the same way) If someone tried to hurt you, I don't See how that could happen I'd fight for you in ways you can't imagine

(As she sings while still dancing with Aster and the two keep going higher and higher up in the sky. We see in the background behind her two constellations resembling Magnifico and Amable, and as she sings "See how that could happen" Asha moves her hands in a way like she's waving away some flies and the constellations behind her disappear as if the thought of them also is dismissed. And as she says the last line she boops Aster nose playfully to say how she's confident she'll keep him safe no matter what (You may hear in the distance the writer crying because she hates herself)) Felt this, no, I haven't, I hope It would be all right to stay right here beside you

(She smiles at the star brightly as she expresses she never felt like this before, and hugs him tightly as she sings the second line.) And love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs

(Aster throws Asha to the sky, making her fly even higher than him, they're approaching the clouds above them. Aster flies to her and they hold each other to once again dance their waltz) Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs At all costs

(As they dance flying upwards, they pass through the clouds when they sing the line "At all costs") If you're ever feeling like you're lost I'll come find you

(Asha is now above the clouds, she looks around noticing Aster disappeared, but as they sing "I'll come find you" Aster shows up behind her and gives her a hug from her back) Man all fronts, there's no ocean I won't swim across To be right by you

(Aster flies to be in front of her and holds Asha up, twirling with her in his arms, like this)

And not just once, here and now I swear on my response I'll remind you

(Aster let's her down and they gaze each other lovingly for a moment while singing those two lines with bright smiles on their faces) And love you as one does I, I will protect you at all costs Keep you safe here in my arms I, I will protect you at all costs

(They slow dance on the clouds, with the moon light and the stars shinning upon them. We get a shot like this from sleeping beauty)

(And as the song slowly comes to an end, Asha starts closing the distance between them) At all costs

(Asha's face is getting closer and closer to Aster's, as she's going for a kiss, Aster is surprised at first but he slowly goes for it too... Until.)

He stops.

As the instrumentals from "At All Cost" are replaced by different instrumentals

Instrumentals we haven't heard since the end of chapter 7.

The sound of some very angry orchestra instruments starts playing on Aster's ears, only the star can hear them, and that's shown in his face as he looks very bothered with his eyebrows scrunching.

Asha is waiting for the kiss but it never came, when she's about to open her eyes Aster just pulls her for a hug instead.

They hug, both not quite sure where to go from here, but Asha smiles brightly, feeling Aster's warmth.

Asha breaks the silence as she says "This is better than all my dreams...You actually love me back." She says almost in disbelief, but in a good way, like it's hard to believe this is real.

"Your friends said it was pretty obvious heh heh" Aster says chuckling a bit, trying to tune out the stars yelling at him.

"It kinda was ha hah" She says while laughing, because looking back Aster was very much not subtle about it "But I assumed that was just how you acted with everyone..." She admits, showing a bit of how her own insecurities were actually stopping her from seeing the very obvious truth.

Aster let's go of the hug and holds her face gently to say "Nah... Only with you." They smile, looking at her lovingly.

Asha's eyes almost sparkle as she looks to the star. She takes a deep breath and says "Aster... We'll be separated for most of the plan... I won't be there to protect you, so I need you to promise me that when you find-"

"Magnifico." Aster says in a whisper, his eyes not focusing on Asha as he's looking at something behind her

"Yeah, him, I need you to promise me tha-"

"No! Look!" Aster turns her face to look what's going on bellow the clouds.

Asha looks down and sees it... There's an army of guards approaching the forest, and leading them is someone carrying a green light.

Asha gets her sketchbook and draws a spyglass, pulling it off the page, she lays down on the cloud and uses the spyglass to confirm if it is him

Like this scene in the live action Peter Pan movie

And sure enough, it is. But she notices something else:

"Yeeesh! That lightning messed him up more than I thought... He got a huge scar on his face now." Asha comments.

"HA! Nice. I'm gonna drive him nuts when I make fun about that" The star says mischievously, already planning on how he's gonna break that staff.

"Hey, this is exactly what I was gonna talk about! I need you to be careful out there, don't get cocky, and don't fall for his tricks." Asha says sounding more serious, but with worry clear in her face.

"I'll be careful, I promise." Aster reassures her confidently. He pulls her up and holds her in his arms bridal style "Now let's go tell the others we can skip the "get his attention" part of the plan- WOOHUL!" Aster jumps off the clouds.

We cut a montage that consists of Asha and Aster narrating their parts of the plan while those steps happen in real time, we see Asha drawing something while her voice says in the background

"To get from here to the castle we could use Aster's magic, but that’s too risky since his star dust is shiny. I think it's safer if I create flying objects to get us there, it'll be dark, so hopefully if we're quick the guards won't see us."

We see Asha draw a carpet, and once she takes it out from her sketchbook it becomes a flying carpet like the one from Alladin.

Then, we cut to some guards, with one of them yawning in the forefront, guarding the castle’s entrance, while above them in the background we see some dark tiny silhouettes passing by.

We cut to Asha and Dahlia already getting off the magic carpet, now they're at the center of the royal garden.

We also see Safi and Simon flying down on a witches broom, Hal wearing shoes with wings like Hermes, Dario flying on a donkey with wings, as a reference to the short "The Flying Gauchito" from The Three Caballeros (HA! I DID IT! I REFERENCED THE THREE CABALLEROS! THIS IS SUCH A WIN FOR ME AS A BRAZILIAN!!!)

"You sure got pretty creative with these "flying objects" huh Asha?" Dahlia mentions as the others start gathering around

"Heheh thanks, I decided to just let my imagination run wild" Asha says enthusiastically.

"I could tell" Gabo mentions as he lands down on the garden, and we see him riding a happy baby elephant with big ears... So yeah we straight up have a Dumbo cameo "Couldn't you just give all of us flying brooms?"

"And where's the fun in that? Brooms are way too simple to draw." Asha shrugs "Also come on, don't tell me you don't think this one turned out pretty cute" She says cheerfully while petting the hand drawn Dumbo.

"I must say, he is quite adorable hihi" Bazeema comments quietly as she's landing on the garden with an umbrella... Like Mary Poppins.

Gabo just gets off the baby elephant as he tells Asha with a smile, as in, a genuine one this time "Hehe I really don't understand how your mind works, ya know?"

"Neither do I” Asha admits casually, while magically bringing all the living drawings back inside her sketchbook “Alright, Bazeema, where's the secret entrance you told us about?" Asha asks her bashful friend.

We see Bazeema guiding them to the middle of a rose garden. They prickle themselves through the thorny flowers, with Safi sneezing a few times, until they reach a hatchway made of metal with the symbol of Rosas engraved on it.

"Such wondrous things an introvert can find hihihi" Bazeema says quietly and proudly while pointing at the entrance.

We then cut to King Magnifico riding on his horse, leading his soldiers to the forest with an wicked smile, and we hear Aster's narration of his part of the plan:

"Meanwhile, I'll deal with king Magnifico. I just have to annoy him enough to the point where he'll let his guard down and I can take that staff off his hands, and once I do, it's over."

Magnifico prepares to throw a fire spell over the woods while saying "Let's see how long they'll keep cowering in there after THI-"

Something small and round hits behind his head. Distracting him from performing the spell. The king turns and looks angrily at his guards.

"Who threw that?!"

The guards all look at him confused, not even knowing what he's talking about.

"I did!" the voice of Alan Tudyk comes from the ground

(Yeah he doesn't get to voice Valentino, but he get's to voice most of the talking animals, since he's the lucky charm of Disney and all that)

The king looks down and sees a red squirrel (That is native of the Iberian Peninsula, look it up) holding a nut, ready to throw another one at him.

Magnifico stares at the little critter for a second before he starts laughing, turning to look at the forest as he shouts "HA! What's the matter boy?! Too scared to face me yourself?! Come on out, I know you're hiding in there!"

Then they hear Aster's voice echo from the forest, it's a voice full of glee and mischief:

"Hehehe I ain't scared of you, Alan was just eager to get started! I'm just getting warmed up!"

Some of the guards look scared by the echoing voice, while the king still smiles confidently "Oh but you should be scared, or have you forgotten what I taught you last time? That you are NO MATCH for me!"

"Hmmm It's a blur, all I remember is that now you look just as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside! HAH HAHA!" The star lets out an impish laugh, it echos through the woods.

(Aster's Peter Pan side is showing)

Magnifico's scarred face goes from a confident smile to a furious scowl. He rides his horse to go deeper inside the forest, with the guards following along "WHEN I FIND YOU I SWEAR I WILL WIPE THAT SMILE CLEAN OFF YOUR FACE!" He shouts, enraged by the star daring to insult his looks.

"Good luck with that! Cause' ya know, back at that storm I didn't really have anything to work with...But now..."

Magnifico hears screams from the soldiers behind him. He turns around and sees some of them are tangled up in vines, while others are running away from wild critters, and others are trapped inside giant flowers, it's a vision of pure chaos as now the king is on his own.

Magnifico looks at all of that in shock, unaware that Aster is now floating right behind him with a relaxed and confident smile. The star let's his presence be known as he whispers:

"Now I'm in my element." The star says that like a threat.

Magnifico get's startled but doesn't let it show, as he tries to turn around but-

He's stopped by something holding his staff.

As he looks down and sees vines trying to pull it off his hands. Magnifico tries to pull it away from them with all his strength, while making his horse walk backwards, and with that Aster starts talking casually to the horse

"Hey pal, did you know the guy sitting on you tried to kill me yesterday?" The white horse gives him a surprised glance as Aster continues "Yeah, he’s NUTS, I think you're better off without him" Aster tells him warningly.

The horse glares at Magnifico, and stands up on his back legs, making Magnifico lose his balance and fall on the ground.

The horse runs away, but the king is still holding tightly to his staff, the vines are still pulling it. He let's out a furious scream:

"UUUUGHA! You really think it's gonna be THAT easy?!" Magnifico uses a fire spell and burns the vines, once he's free he turns to where Aster was... But the star is no where to be seen.

"Yoooohooo!" Aster's voice sounds distant.

Magnifico turns to where it came from, he sees a trail, and by the end of it up a small hill, there he is, Aster is waving at him, basically inviting the king to follow the trail "Well?! What you waiting for?! Thought you wanted a proper hunt! HAHAH" And Aster flies off so fast it's almost he's just a shinny blur.

The king is catching his breath seemingly already exhausted even though the fight just begun.

His expression at first shows frustration... But it slowly changes to a wicked smirk as he talks to himself sinisterly "Indeed, I was looking forward for a hunt... And your little friends just so happen to be inside our trap."

(Pretend there’s a lightning looking scar on his left eye please, not like Harry Potter, I mean like actual lightning, thanks.)

Magnifico runs to where Aster went.

So we cut back to Asha and the others, as they make their way through a tunnel that leads to the dungeons.

"You're sureee these tunnels will lead us to the dungeons, Bazeema?" Asha asks, she's leading the group while holding a hand drawn torch

"That's what my father told me" Bazeema says quietly.

(Also I guess I should mention her dad also tends to the royal garden.)

Asha nods as she looks ahead attentively "Well I hope he's right, cause' I really don't want any surpri-"

"Maaa"

They hear the familiar bleating coming from behind them, everyone turns around and it came from... Dario, as he tries hiding something inside his shirt.

"... ooooh no no no NO NO NO" Asha says, very distressed while running to Dario, already knowing exactly who's inside his shirt "Dario! We were supposed to leave Valentino with Aster's animal friends! Why would you bring him with you???"

Dario has a face full of guilt and regret as he pulls the happy baby goat out of his large loose green shirt, he lets go of Valentino and begins to explain in sign language "He gave me big sad puppy eyes! I couldn't resist it! Plus, what's the issue? The little guy might be able to help us" Dario signs that last part with a hopeful smile that his friend will agree

Asha doesn't agree at all though, as she takes Valentino in her arms

Asha scolds her tall friend while holding Velentino close to her "I promised myself I would never let him in this castle again, last time he almost got eaten by a lynx and- and what if he gets lost??"

"Asha, calm down." Simon comes in from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder "We just gotta stick to the plan and stay together, we'll be safe."

Asha notices that he sounds... Very certain about that, which is odd coming from him. But Asha thinks it's a nice change for Simon.

"*Sigh*... Yeah you're right, we just have to stay together" She turns around and smiles at Simon "I'm glad you're not so scared anymore, you seemed pretty insecure about the plan earlier today" She says calmly as she makes he way back to the front of the line.

Dario follows Asha, now walking in front of Simon. The light coming from Asha's torch is distant so Simon is more in the darkness as he says

"I just needed some time to put my thoughts in order" His voice is emotionless.

And we see his eyes glow green for a second.

But immediately after that, he winces quietly in pain, placing a hand in his forehead as if he's feeling a strong headache. None of the other's notice though, as his eyes are back to normal when he opens them again.

We cut to them now inside the dungeons, it's a dark, large and humid corridor with walls made of dark bricks, with jail cells all along the way. Safi keeps sneezing because of the humidity.

(I got this image from a deleted scene from Wish, I swear I had this plot point of them getting in the dungeons for MONTHS and I just watched the deleted scene a week ago, it’s insane how much stuff I came up with seems to be in sink with the movie’s original ideas)

"I hate this place- ACHOOOO!" The boy looks scared as he holds on to his scarf "Are we close to the exit yet, Gabo?"

"We sure are buddy, just a few jail cells ahead and we reach the exit" Gabo says confidently, he knows his way through the dungeon since, as he told his friends earlier, when he was a kid he went to explore it.

(I forgot to mention in the previous chapter but his dad is a guard, that's why he had keys to the dungeons that Gabo stole from him)

"Good, this place gives me the creeps" Dahlia says, while looking around scared

"Look on the bright side, guys" Hal chimes in trying to bring some optimism "At least there aren't any creepy inmates, it's just us and our friendly faces" the girl smiles brightly, hugging Safi and Dahlia by the shoulders.

"And also this poor fella" Gabo says, pointing at a skeleton laying down out of a jail cell, trying to reach for an empty jar of water

Like this one from Snow White.

"... HMMM oooookayy let's pick up the pace, shall we?" Hal says with a clearly forced smile this time, her eyes wide as she starts to walk faster, still hugging Safi and Dahlia so they go with her.

Dario, Bazeema and Simon also start walking faster after the others, while Asha stays still for a moment

She looks down at the skeleton and ponders out loud "... I wonder what kind of people Magnus and Amaya would keep down here... Maybe people who found out about the secret like I did." Her voice is heavy and full of concern.

"I don't like how that implies this could happen to you." Gabo says for once not sounding condescending nor sarcastic, but genuinely worried, he's also the only one that didn't walk away from the skeleton and stayed to talk to Asha "Let's, just this once, assume anything in Rosas is normal and this guy just robbed the crown's jewels or something, now come on" He says, rushing Asha to keep going.

This is probably the closest Gabo ever got to being "Optimistic"... In his own way. Asha smiles at that as she starts walking after him. Then they hear Dahlia's voice coming a few meters in front of them:

"GABO! Is this the way out?!"

Asha and Gabo run to where they are, and all six of them are standing in front of a big wooden door

"YUP! This is it" Gabo says with a huge smile

"Great! Hold this" She hands her hand drawn torch to Safi, as she gets her sketchbook and pencil to draw a key, she then pulls it out of her sketchbook

"How do you know it's gonna fit though?" Safi asks her curious

"I drew it thinking of it as the key to this door, and so-" She fits the key inside the keyhole and the door makes the clicking sound of it being opened "It is" Asha smiles victoriously

All the teens look excited, the plan is going smoothly so far.

Asha gives them one last ted talk before she opens the door

"Alright guys, after we're in the castle we'll have to be VERY careful, yes, it's just queen Amaya in there, and a crazy lynx, but still, she's unpredictable." Her voice is of a true leader.

"Oh nooo! Is she gonna throw hot tea at us or something? Hahah" Gabo laughs at his own joke

Asha begins to open the door while looking down at Gabo. "You have no idea what she's capable of. So when we're in, we just run through the-"

"KITCHEN?!" Dahlia exclaims looking shocked at what's behind the door, all the other teens except Asha are also looking at it, just as shocked as her.

Asha looks at her friend confused "What? No, we're not going even close to the kitchen, we-" Asha turns to look where the door leads to and sure enough...

She sees the royal kitchen.

"... Huh?!"

All of them go through the door. Now they're inside the dark kitchen.

A place Dahlia is really familiar with... So she knows very well this is all wrong.

"Okay... This is freaky" Dahlia says looking around the place "That door was supposed to lead to the pantry, NOT the dungeon" she says scared, pointing at the door they came through.

Asha looks around the dark room, her face becomes more and more worried "This makes no sense..."

"Maybe your magic key messed with the door?" Gabo asks Asha

"No it didn't, this isn't my magic's doing, it's-" Asha looks at the door and realizes... There's something written on it. She gets a closer look, and sees symbols written all over the door, with some words in latin too... "This is the king's sorcery... He made a trap for us..." Asha sounds terrified.

"T-that's impossible, how could he know we were coming?" Hal asks, sounding just as distressed as her friend

"H-he couldn't, I-" Asha takes a deep breath and closes the door they came through "Check the other door!"

Dario runs to the door that leads to outside of the kitchen. It also has symbols written on it, but he tries opening it anyway...

It leads to the dungeons they just got out off too.

Dario looks back at them scared.

"... There's no way out" Asha whispers, sounding more and more distressed by the second. She takes Valentino from the floor and holds him in her arms.

"What about that door?" Simon asks, pointing at another door, but this one has no symbols written on it... And he sounds surprisingly calm for the situation.

"That's just the closet we keep the pans, pots and utensils. That's not an exit…" Dahlia explains, trying her best not to panic.

"Who knows? Maybe it'll lead somewhere, only one way to find out." Simon walks towards it.

He opens it, they look inside, it's so dark in there they can't even see the kitchen stuff that Dahlia mentioned.

Asha starts walking to the door, not sure if there'll be anything at all that can help them escape, but it's worth a shot, after all they apparently have nowhere else to go.

(I just realized there's probably a window in this kitchen and these kids are just being really dramatic)

Asha turns to her friends as she walks to the door "It's gonna be okay, Aster will come here after breaking Magnifico's staff any moment now... I know he will... All we gotta do is wait and stay toge-THEEEEEERRR"

And she falls in a dark pit inside the room.

"ASHA!" All 7 teens scream in unison, and I mean all 7, Simon included, as he genuinely didn't expect this.

(Actually, Dario wouldn't scream but uuh you get the idea)

However, he is the only one that stays outside the room, while all the other six run in, but unlike Asha, they don't fall anywhere, they're simply inside a normal room with pans and pots.

"Where did she go?!" "WAS THAT A TRAP?!" "What is going on???"

All of them speak at the same time, desperate for answers, but in the sea of shouts and questions they hear one quiet question

"Simon?" Bazeema's quiet high pitched voice makes the others go silent as they all turn around and see Simon standing in the entrance.

He looks at them with genuine sadness for what he's about to do.

"I'm sorry." He closes the door with a BLAM and locks it.

...

"... W H A T " Gabo's voice comes out filled with rage. "DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"I'm keeping you guys safe, like I've been trying to do this whole time but none of you EVER listen to me!" The oldest of the group says from the other side of the door.

"Si-simon, what's going on, why are you doing this?" Dahlia asks desperately.

Simon takes a deep breath and tries to explain "... Look, I'm going to be straight with you all, I talked with king Magnifico-"

(Hahah that’s a direct quote from Wreck It Ralph, when he betrays Vaneloppe)

"MAGNIFICO?!" Gabo shouts with indignation "YOU DIRTY TRAITOR! YOU SOLD US OUT!"

"No! No it's not like that!... At least, it wasn't supposed to happen, I-I didn't mean to do it-" Simon knows they won't forgive him but he tries to at least explain he did it for their own good "I just wanted to make a deal with him, to give him the star's location in exchange of all of us not getting hurt-"

"OH SO YOU WANTED SELL ASTER OUT!?" Gabo for the first time calls the star by his name

"LISTEN! I was desperate, okay?! I knew that if we just went with this plan things could go horribly wrong, and I knew none of you would listen to me if I tried to stop you, so... I contacted him through a mirror he gave to my dad" Simon is sitting with his back on the door as he explains, sounding more and more scared "And- I- I even realized I was making a mistake... I really did! I tried to break the mirror or throw it away but- I couldn't do it- he just kept talking and talking and- UGH" Simon winces in pain and holds his forehead as his eyes once again glow green, he takes some deep breaths as he ever so slightly calms down "The point is... We made a deal. He promised that if I keep you all in here then you'll be safe. It's the only way I can protect you." Simon's face looks tired as he says those words monotonously, like he's just repeating what he has heard before.

"Then WHERE is Asha?! Or was she not included in the deal?!" Now it's Dahlia's turn to yell at him through the door.

Simon's face instantly turns worried once more as if he's snapping out trance "I- I don't know... He never said this would happen" Simon thinks for a moment "Though... I don't remember much of what he said at all..."

"Ooooooh GREAT! Magnus gave you amnesia, such a trust worthy guy HUMM SIMON?!" Gabo says sarcastically, but his voice is not trying to be funny, he is furious.

"I- I'm sure wherever she is she'll be fine!" Simon tells them... More so trying to tell this to himself.

...

We cut to Asha falling from a dark portal that opened in the ceiling of a room.

She screams while hugging Valentino tightly.

"THEEEER- OOOF" She hits the floor "Ouch... Uuugh... you ok Valentino?" She asks her goat while groaning in pain.

"MaAAaaA" Valentino doesn't sound his best, but overall he's alright.

Asha get's up and looks around to see where she is... The king's study... Right next to the wishes room...

This is actually exactly where she and her friend's planned to go, they wanted to free all the wishes by opening the tower's ceiling, so Aster could use his magic and un-curse them all, then give them back to the people of Rosas...

But her friends aren't here... She's alone.

"How did things go so wrong?" Asha asks to herself while looking around the room, she notices some broken mirrors on the walls, as she sees he own reflection "... Come on Val, I'll send the signal to Aster. Regardless if he broke Magnifico's staff or not, he gotta come here and help me." Asha walks to the wishes room, while flipping through the pages of her sketchbook, until she finds the drawing she was looking for, a firework.

She's about to reach for the firework to take it out off the page... But then she sees the light of the wishes floating above her.

She stops and looks up to them, some of them are still blue, but the majority are green.

She looks up with a bittersweet smile, and says quietly with her voice full of hope "Hang in there just a little bit longer, okay? I promise I'll save all of you."

"It's unwise to make promises you cannot keep, mi rosa."

Asha feels a chill run down her spine. As she turns around quickly with an expression of horror already painted on her face.

Queen Amable is standing a few feet away from her, she's in the study while Asha is in the middle of the wishes room.

The queen smiles at Asha sadistically, with her pet lynx right by her side.

Chapter 15

Final Thoughts

OOOOOOOOH BOY so much happened huh?!

I am going crazy, wacky even, I waited so long for us to get to this part of the story! Not just the "At All Cost" stuff, I mean like THE CLIMAX THAT IS APPROACHING AND IM JUST BUILDING UP TO IT NOW AAAAAAH.

But YEAH let's talk about the At All Cost stuff, cause like... WOOOOAH BOY I love that song, and not just because it's pretty, but because while listening to it I felt like the song perfectly encapsulates teenage love, what do I mean? Because it's all so pure and like the two voices are saying the first things that come to their minds, it feels like a passionate train of thought forming in real time, and that's what I wanted to be like for Aster and Asha, as Aster is trying to figure out these feelings he didn't even know they could have, and Asha is caught off guard but so happy to finally show what she has been feeling too. It's beautiful.

I feel like most Disney couples don't feel like... Teenage love, mostly because the guys are ALWAYS older than the girl, and like, not that there's anything wrong with that... Except in some cases *glares at Snow White and Florian's age gap* but I think it's quite refreshing to see young love being depicted like this, with the two acting awkward and even oblivious because they don't know what love really feels like... And also they're raising a rebellion so that kinda keeps them distracted.

But speaking of the rebellion... It really takes just ONE person not believing in the cause for everything to go down the drain, huh? Yeah, Simon has his own ways of protecting his friends, while Asha chooses to fight, Simon chooses to comply. And really, I feel sorry for him, you guys maybe don't, like, everyone now might be a Simon hater, and I get it, but like, Magnifico played him like a fiddle.

Simon just hoped that if the king got Aster he'd leave Asha alone, but as they were talking Simon realized that Magnifico really wanted BOTH of them, so he realized he made a mistake and even tried to break the mirror... But before he could, welp, Magnifico pulled a Kaa move, and hypnosis happens to be way more effective on people who are feeling sleepy, so really Simon had no chance.

And can I just toot my own horn here and say that I'm so proud that even when Magnifico and Amaya aren't in the scene they'tr still threatening? Because that scene at the kitchen when they realize they're trapped, meaning that Magnifico knows their plan, GIVES ME CHILLS, probably because I hate the idea of being confined in a room with nowhere to leave.

And like... Magnifico is doing this just for the lols really, the guy could've just made Simon tell him where they were and captured them in the forest, but he was like "Ooooh they wanna get in the castle to harm my wife? Well, we can't have that now can we? Here's what I want you to do-" And then proceeds to make Simon betray his friends in such a way they'll never forgive him, oh, and if Simon doesn't do it then the king implies they WILL get hurt, how fuuuun.

It's funny how Aster is just having fun in the forest, messing with Magnifico, going through his Peter Pan arc, completely unaware Asha and the others are going through a living nightmare. Oh but don't worry, he'll join the nightmare too :)

You guys might start to think I'm on the villains side or something because they always get the upper hand, but this is all part of the metaphor of them representing the struggles Asha faces in her life, and let me tell ya folks, life is hard, sometimes just as hard as defeating two villains, but no matter what they do, Asha will keep fighting, and that's what makes a hero, the lower a hero get's, the more satisfying it is when they rise... And the higher a villain rises, the harder they fall :)

See ya'll next time!

Thank You For Reading!

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prismuffin · 1 year

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Heyo! How do you think Wally West, John Constantine, Hal Jordan, Dick Grayson and Conner Kent, react to accidentally falling asleep on their crush?

I feel like a lot of them would be a flustered mess!

Reader (He/Him)

- OwO

Ahhh I remember you, you requested that Steve Rogers fic huh? Well welcome back to my inbox- sorry it took me a minute I was out way longer than I thought I'd be! Anyways I think-

Wally would definitely be flustered when he wakes up. It'd just slowly dawn on him as you wake him up because he'd be so tired. Like he'd just stare at you with his eyes slowly widening and once he finally realizes he'd shoot so far away from you. His face would be completely red, his blush reaching his neck even and he'd just apologize while refusing to look at you. He'd decline any help on getting to his room and once he's in there he just screams into his pillow while kicking his feet. He just fell asleep on his guy crush. It's all he can think about. He definitely probably has a dream about it.

John wouldn't even be phased. Pfft, yeah he did just fall asleep on you, what are you gonna do about it? Exactly. He has a stone cold expression but fuck is he freaking out inside. He'd probably mumble something about being overworked and if you ask if he's getting enough sleep he'll almost drop his façade at the worry in your voice. He says he's fine, and begrudgingly allows you to help him to his room after you wouldn't let it go. He'd jokingly tell you to tuck him in, and you do. After you leave and he's alone he'd sigh dreamily before catching himself in such a love sick state. He'd smack both of his hands over his face, grumbling about how this random boy makes him feel like some stupid teenager in love. He'd also have dream about you and when he sees you the next morning he can't look you straight in the eye.

Hal would apologize while trying not to stutter too much. He'd feel pretty flustered about it but he wouldn't try and make it a big deal. When you ask if he's getting enough sleep he'd wave you off saying that he was fine but the way your concerned about him has his heart fluttering. He'd allow you to walk him to his room but he wouldn't let you inside, he'd tell you goodnight before he retreated to his sleeping chambers and the minute he shuts that doors his whole calm façade drops. He's cursing at himself for acting like such an idiot and falling asleep on you. It'd be on his mind all night and now he can't go back to sleep. No seriously, the embarrassment is keeping him awake god someone save him. When you see him the next morning and notice he somehow looks even more tired than the night before- you start fawning over him again and it only makes it worse.

Dick would probably be similar to Wally, in the sense that it doesn't immediately hit him. He'd be so tired that after you wake him he'd stare at you for like five seconds before cursing and mumbling an apology. He'd just slowly move off of you and would smile awkwardly while he tries to handle the situation without completely freaking out. When you ask him if he's been getting enough sleep he'll crack a joke about how he isn't and how he's very sleep deprived all the time. He does in fact let you walk him to his room but he's really flustered when you follow him inside to make sure he lays down. After you leave his heart would be pounding as he laid in his bed and similar to Hal he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep immediately. Though, over time he does get there. He to has a dream about you and it only makes him fall deeper in love.

Conner would try and play it off, key word is try here alright. His expression is stoic as he apologizes but they way he refuses to meet your eye and the way his face is practically glowing red is not helping his case. He'd be very embarrassed and would try and leave this situation as quickly as possible. When you ask if he's getting enough sleep he'll say he's fine and would excuse himself to go back to his room so he can get some sleep. But then you suggest walking him there to make sure he's alright and god damn his heart can't take the way you're worrying for him right now it's so god damn cute. Favoritism would take over and he'd allow you to walk him back to his room though he'd be hesitant on letting you inside. Once he's in bed he doesn't necessarily fall asleep easy but it's not cause he can't he just chooses not to as he replays the previous interaction over and over in his mind.

( this was unintentionally in rainbow order but I kinda love that )

———

Directory

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abjectimpulse · 6 months

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details for sun and moon

why yes! the internal name for this one is 'sun and moon'.

it started out fairly simply. i wanted to do a piece with sun and moon imagery with dirk and hal. i always love sun and moon imagery, and i find dirk very sun coded, and hal very moon coded. (hal only being seen as a reflection of the light from dirk, etc, etc.)

i went to look through random images to get some inspiration on which direction to go with it, and i saw a picture of this absolutely beautiful kimono. which gave me the idea to give them sun and moon themed kimonos. i love drawing detailed beautiful clothes.

then i thought about how using blue for hal felt wrong, which led me to 'blood moon' hal, so he could still have his signature red. solar eclipse dirk just sounded cool. sometimes i just do things because they are cool and no other reason.

yes, i am aware they are both wearing women's kimonos, but let me tell you, men's kimonos are BORING and not pretty at all. i want the prettiest kimonos!

the idea of making them a pair of twin deities just came out of nowhere, i can't really pinpoint a certain thing that triggered it. but i wanted to cover them in pretty jewelry and tattoos and makeup and just go all out with it. originally hal was a robot, but it seemed to fit better to make him 'human', to match dirk. not human since they are deities, but you know what i mean.

am i going to get into the flower symbolism now? might as well, a piece with so many flowers for both of them seems like a good piece to get into the flower symbolism.

i always use orange lilies to represent dirk, and black roses to represent hal. those black roses with a bit of red in the middle, you know the ones?

for dirk: orange lilies symbolize strength, courage, confidence, warmth, energy - and on the negative side, they symbolize hatred and disdain.

for hal: black roses can signify obsessive love, death, danger, hatred, rebirth or a major change in life. and black roses in the wild are never truly black - they are always some dark shade of red or purple. pure, real black roses are always artificially made. plus the symbolism of the red fading to black.

i gave them both weapons because i wanted the vibe to be a sort of mischievous, malicious sort of deal. like, these are deities that you don't want to cross. i gave dirk his katana of course, but i prefer giving hal daggers. don't really have a reason for that other than i like daggers.

i wanted the vibe of this piece to be as if they both noticed you there at the same time and they aren't sure if they want to play with you or eat you alive.

the chain connecting them is to symbolize how the sun and moon are linked inextricably together, you cannot separate the two. each of their collars has the others sign on it, another sign of how intertwined they are.

that shrine behind them is their shared shrine, as you can tell with both their symbols adorning it. it's based off a real shrine in japan, i referenced a photo i took while i was there. the real one in japan is a small, out of the way shrine, i think it was part of the suwa taisha network? i'm not sure.

i made dirks skin more tan than i usually do to emphasize the difference between them. the bright paleness of hal and the golden tan on dirk.

i think that's all for this piece. tl;dr i just really love pretty kimonos and shinto aesthetics. i had fun with this one.

(just realizing now looking at the piece in more detail that i forgot the rings on hal. god damn it.)

song for this piece is:

twin flame - EMM

#abjectart-details

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popculturebuffet · 8 months

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Beetlemania: Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle Volume 7 #1-7 review) (Patreon Review/comissoin for Brotoman.exe)

Welcome back all you happy beetlemaniacas to beetlemania, my look at the three men to wear the mask.. and at last we've come to the breakout of the bunch, the latest and co-greatest, the one whose movie debut inspired this whole project, Mr. Jaime Reyes.

Out of the three Beetles, Jaime has gotten the most appearnces in other media. His two biggest roles were in Batman Brave and the Bold, where he was one of the most featured guest stars, eventually joining that shows version of the Justice League International, with Ted also getting some apperances. More on that next week. He was the centerpiece of Young Justice's second season, with the reach, the beings behind his armor, being the driving force of that season's plot and from what I can tell he's still been decently featured in later seasons. He's also shown up on smallville , justice league actions and in dc's direct to video teen titans movie before they killed off that universe and yes it still bothers me.

But before we can get into who Jaime is, we have to ask whatever happened to ted kord? Short answer...

But when have I EVER taken the short route when I can ramble a bit?

So around the mid point of his solo book, Ted joined the Justice League International. This is where I met my boy and where most people met ted, Ted being thrown in there, along with the later addition of Captain Atom, to show off DC's charlton cast.

JLI was a diffrent sort of justice league book. Most of the big 7 weren't avaliable, with Wonder Woman and Superman busy being rebooted, flash now being Wally West who wasn't ready for it, and Hal Jordan and Aquaman

So with just Batman and Martian Manhunter representing the old guard, writers Keith Giffen and JM Dematis decided to go in a diffrent direction; Make it funny. The comic would be both a sitcom and superhero action with real stakes and status quo changes.. but also batman punching the team's green lantern and ronald regan loving macho dumbass Guy Gardner in the face after Guy challenged the goddamn batman to a one on one fist fight, sans ring.

Have I mentioned JLI is one of my faviorite comics of all time and something i'm LONG OVEDUE covering in some form? Well I have now.

The book was a hit for most of it's run and a fan faviorite for years and had both a great legacy for ted.. and some cruddy after effects. The good was that it kept him in the public eye for some time: Ted was on the team from the beginning to the end of Giffen and Dematis run and into the 90's, including Death of Superman. He also gained his best friend and comedic other half Booster Gold out of the deal, a janitor who traveled back in time with some future tech to make himself a superhero and promote the shit out of himself and whoever paid him to promote the shit out of them. It left ted a fan faviorite for generations and guaranteed he woudln't be forgotten.

The problem was a LOT of people were idiots about the bok and assumed because it was jokey the characters within were jokes. I mean the team wasn't immune to some pretty.. bleh characterizations: Power Girl was an angry man hating sterotype of a feminist as opposed to being an actual feminist now a days, Animal Man was routinely mocked despite Grant Morrision working wonders and ole billy batson was routinely but of the joke as he was well. a 12 year old in a childs body to us but a childish man to everyone else.

As a result many didn't really think to use ted after. There was an attempt at using the charlton characters that fell flat, but otherwise Ted's only real big run I can think of post justice league was in the pages of Birds of Prey, where he showed up having retired and nursing a massive crush on barbra gordon, so do most people attracted to women , can't blame him. The two had good chemistry but ultimately with the spectre of dick "King of all tush's" grayson looming, Ted never had a shot.

So ted was left off to the side, showing up for jli reunions but otherwise unused... until Infinite Crisis. In a fit of irony that had to be intetional, while it's predecessor brought ted into this world.. the leadup to it's sequel would take him out of it.

And thus we come to countdown to infinite crisis, a one shot leading into four mini series that lead into the event comic infinite crisis. CTIC is infamous to some: it portrays ted as a joke in the superhero community and pretty gruseomly kills off an infinite character. And as someone who hates killing off a b or c list character for the shock.. I think his death absoltuely works and is one of the most tragic and well written deaths in the dc canon and lets Ted go out on a high note.

The diffrence between this and say the slaughter of the freedom fighters or the various titans c-list deaths in the book proper is simple: Weight. Ted's death is given a lot of build up, weight, tragedy and is something that is never forgotten afterwords and has a serious impact on several characters.

So ted finds a conspiracy involving Maxwell Lord, formerlly the comically money hungry benefactor behind the jli now a megalomanical supervillian bent on killing all metahumans and superheroes except himself using the OMACs, a last resort batman built after he found out the justice league mindwiped him.

The takeaway is ted found out and with booster injured, Babs busy with a lot of shit, and no one taking him seriously, Ted was left to his own.. and sadly as seen above Max beat the shit out of him, tried to flip him and then shot him in the head. But again part of what makes it work.. is that Ted goes out on his own terms. He could've just given up, he knew going in he had no real chance of winning , no idea what he was facing when he did, and no one to back him up.. but he didn't. He didn't give up because that's not who he is. that's not the man who put on this mask. That's not the man dan asked to put on the mask. He began his career trying to stop a threat only one othe rperson knew about.. and ended it the same way. And it was THANKS to his tragic death everyone else was able to unravel things in time. As a result wonder Woman was able to snap the bastards neck before he killed superman, see above gif, and Lord was stopped.

Problem was Brother Eye, the AI Batman built to create and control the omacs was still mostly loose and the omacs copoted by the big bad of infinite crisis, Alexander Luthor, relelated to exactly who you think's.. alternate good counterpart from a mirror universe. Thankfully Ted's devistating loss inspired Booster to do something, so he went back to the future, grabbed as much info as he could, declared "never again" and found the scarab, which had ended up in el paso on the back of one Jaime Reyes and recutied him since he was invisible to brother eye. With a team of other heroes they saved the world from batman's greatest blunder.

The questions remained though. Who WAS this kid wearing the armor? What happened to him after? And how did he feel about the weight now on his shoulders? All important questions abou tot be answered as we dig into the first arc of Jaime's Solo, Shellshocked.

This comic comes from us from Writers John Rogers and Jm. Demattis. JMD of course co wrote jli, while Rogers is a screenwriter whose written a few comics and later would take sole writing credit here for this run and is part of the reason it slaps so much.

We begin with our hero landing in the desert, having no idea what's going on as he's attacked by captain punched in the face himself Guy Gardner, whose response to Jaime putting up a shield to defend himself after Guy shouts at him "WHAT ARE YOU" is

So an average first meeting with Guy all things considered. We flash back to Jaime's life before he got super armor and had a guy trying to kill him while he looks like he just.. badly wants to go home. The art here by Cully Hamner is fucking awesome and hamner also designed jaime's now iconic outfit, complete with having his mask look similar to a luchadors. It's gorgeous stuff and while Ted had the cool bug eyed goggles and giant ship, Jaime really looks insectoid. while still giving his mask enoough expression.

So in the flashback we meet one of the best parts of the book, Jaime's best friends Paco and Brenda. Paco is a boisterious loudmouth with a heart of gold while Brenda is a type a trying to encourage the other two to study more. Paco has shown up in the brave and the bold but the two don't get adapted much.. including, disapoitningly , for the film , with other characters seeming to take up their rolls instead, paticually Jaime's sister taking paco's roll as she was aged up for the film. I don't hold it against the film makers hard: as much as I miss them I get them trying to both do their own thing and not having room for them, focusing more on his family. Their might be room in sequels, one can hope.

For the comics though I like the two a lot and through every attempted revivival creators have been smart to keep them in it. They both provide a nice shoulder for jamie, Paco being his more fun and games type buddy, while Brenda keeps him grounded. While this type of trio, moderate voice of reason who has to pay referree to a smarty pants and a loudmouth isn't new in fiction, Paco and Brenda feel like real people. Their conversation feels like two real friends arguging with Jamie understandably tired of being their refree.

Things take a turn when Paco is judo throwingly dickish, sniping at Brenda she "thinks she can become a lawyer".. and rightly gets tossed on his ass for it. Brenda also takes akkido.. though the why is heartbreaking as she let's it slip her dad hits her. I also like the diffrence in where the two want to go" Paco dosen't care about school becaues he knows he can't afford college and has to make his own way, while Brenda desperatley hopes to because she has no other option to escape her abuser.. or so she thinks but we'll table that for now. For now Jamie finds the scarab. If your curious HOW Dan's scarab got here, he had it for a while, it seemingly blew up when it reinamainted dan from the dead to fight Ted , and then it somehow ended up on the rock of eternity. Then gods vengance got horny and then got angry and blew it up, and here we are.

We cut back to guy breifly and .. it's more of Jamie getting beaten up as his armor reacts on it's own to pull out canon to defend itself. Then we cut back.. but before we do.. I have to comment on how jarring this is. The scenes themselves aren't bad: the past stuff provides valuable info on who jamie is , his family, his friends, lots of ogod setup and the fight with guy IS necessary: not only is his over the top reaction to the scarab foreshadowing, but it leads to one of the best scenes in the entire series later on when he comes back about a year later.

It just feels a bit jarring here: even having read infinite crisis it feels incredibly abrubt and entirely unfriendly to anyone who didn't.. and trust me as someone back then who , while not reading this series monthly (that came years later when I finally got the chance via comixology unlimited) was picking up books week to week as a high school dork, not everyone could afford the big event series. I'm not doubting most comic book fans had read this.. but to someone just picking up the trade without knowing what an infinite crisis is, it's a bit of a head flip. They DO explain jamie's time in infinite crisis and fill us in on that stuff, it's just a lot to take in getting into the book wether you know the event or not.

Jamie banters with his kid sister milagro, in the comics as I hinted at earlier only about 4 or 5 versus slightly younger than jamie in the movie. The two banter, his mom tells them not to fight (And she knows because it's tuesday), and he goes to help his dad. It's a nice little scene that helps establish the dynamics: he and his sister fight but in a very natural sibling way (Jamie was annoyed she asked him to help with the remote for the 80th time) and his mom is.. well see above: she's tough but entirely fair.

He then goes to see his dad, and we see a scene tha'ts new to us but feels like ti's happened a thousand times: Jamie's dad's car shop isn't doing well but he refuses to let his son eithe rdrop out to work shifts or even do more with school, just wanting him to be a kid longer. I'ts.. heartbreaking and well done.

We then cut back to the fight. Guy is winning.. but breaks the face of jamie's armor so he sees it's just a kid and REFUSES to keep fighting despite his ring's recommendation. This is a REALLY awesome character moment that shows the duo really get guy. Not a suprise form Dematis obviously, but it still shows h'es not the same asshole he used to be. He's still.. well guy, seen here leaving earth for a tour of duty on oa with his usual grace and dignity

That comment tells me Batman''s seen that ass before Batman knows an ass that needs a shaving for he is the night.

Guy explains why he went nuts.. for once with an actual reason: the ring went fucking crazy, and wanted to kill the shit out of Jamie, but Guy isn't a killer.. which is a bold faced lie but hey you try telling a kid. Guy says he'll be back.. and isn't seen for a year in publishing time and months in story. Look he has a lot of people to moon and not a lot of time before he was due back on oa, cut him some slack. The one important bombshell though is contrary to previous lore up to this point, the Scarab.. isn't magic. Which isn't a shock to anyone whose seen jamie in anything else, but is still a nice way to drop that bit of retcon. And I do like it: it dosen't horribly contridcit previous stories and if anything Lewis Lovhag made a VERY good case in his blue beetle retrospective for how it all ties together.

So the scarab retracts, Jamie is left naked and in pain and we cut back to the past. The scarab bonds with him and he speaks it's language breifly.

Jamie then walks with Paco and brenda and runs into a strange girl.. a strange girl who turns out to hav eno eyes. While his friends pass it off as jamie starring at .. something else, it's clear he saw something. It's part of the scarabs power set naturally.

So we end the issue with Jamie naked and having no idea what to do next. We pick up exactly from there next issue: jamie is naked and wondering through the desert wondering how the hell he'll explain this to his parents, when we flash back to the past again. Their at school and Jamie once again sees thigns that arne't there. We find out why as it turns out Probe, the girl from earlier's friend has a power that allows him to make people undedticable. Curious about his own powers they want to invite him to join.. but the scarab attacks probe some how and, not knowing it wasn't Jamie's idea, her friend vows revenge. Back in the present, we get a neat scene as Jamie , with no other options rifles through a guys trunk only for a guy to point a rifle at him. The guy in question being white and having a sweet trucker hat, you'd assume he's going to be a dick.. but in a nice subversion and an even nicer random act of kindness.. the guy simply gives Jamie some clothes, offers to call his folks and is just in general a sweetheart. Given the series takes place in texas, el paso to be specific it's just a nice show that not all people are ignorant monsters. Some people will just.. help someone because it's the right thing as they should.

We get one last flashback, as Jamie gets targeted by Probe's friends we get another breif superhero fight with the scarab activating on it's own. Gain it's a bit.. chatoic, but on second read.. it feels a lot more deliberate than it did. The fight not only shows just how dangerous this thing is when left to it's own devices, but even the posse's leader is starting to tell that whatever Jamie is he isn't a baseline metahuman.

Back in the present day, the friendly trucker man who I genuinely wish we see again some day, such a peach talks to Jamie and tries to convince him his parents will be fine. Jamie insists on sneaking in.. and finds a freaked out Milagro in his bed... and sadly for our boy and his poor family.. that isn't the ONLY suprise awaiting our hero.

It's a hell of a reveal and one that's entirely well done and set up.

To properly explain it I have to get into DC's linewide status quo at the time. Blue Beetle came out in the aftermath of the big event I mentioned, infinite crisis. Heroes lived, a LOT of heroes died, and in the aftermath Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all stepped away for a bit: Superman was depowered in the final fight of the series, Wonder Woman wanted to reconnect with humanity despite being perfectly connected under any writer who wasn't Geoff Johns, and Batman, after all his paranoid antics leading up to it, decided to take a year off with his adopted sons Dick and Tim. Damien didn't exist yet if you were curious. And so every dc book jumped ahead

Complete with this nifty Sticker. Every book shifted it's status quo with a year having passed and like any good time skip left questions as to WHY things changed while we weren't looking. One Year Later was my first time skip and to this day is one of the best i've seen in comics. At the time I was reading Teen Titans, which shifted to a whole new roster in the wake of superboys death and a lot of turnover off screen, adding in two of my faviorite titans Ravenger and my boy eddie aka Kid Devil, who I'm bound to cover one of these days. It was really good stuff. Other books had roster changes, massive status quo shifts and all sorts of good stuff and most used it beautifully. It's what gave me a love of time skips and what you can do with that.

Given Jamie didn't come in till Infinite Crisis he wasn't obligated to use the gimmick and looking at his first two issues, they cleverly DIDN'T plaster the sticker on there, as to not give away the twist. There was no way a reader would know this had a one way time jump going in and no way a modern reader will know reading the trade. It also means they didn't HAVE to use it.. but i'm glad they did: Jamie being gone and his family and friends dealing without him leaves a massive gap and seeing how it was before allows us to discover how it is now alongside our boy. Some truly magificent storytelling.

We open issue 3 with..

youtube

I'm not kidding... we open with Peacemaker, complete with tatoo's. .talks about dreaming 'Blue dreams".. while casually beating up some guys holding up a convience store. He has a friend in the area he just dosen't know it.. god help him.

Back with Jamie, his mom.. dosen't belivie a word and neither does his dad, thinking it was drugs or something. His mom even calls it "this fairy tale". Now in MOST stories i'd get it: it's a LOT to take in and a lot to believe.

The problem is in the details: when Jamie disappeared.. the world was in danger: robots were swarming the sky, an army of supervillians escaped. There was mass destruction all over the world and an army of superheroes engaged in a massive battle for the fate of it. All of this happening around the EXACT same time Jamie disappears in a world where superheroes are entirely common and have been a fact of life since world war II. It dosen't wreck the story for me, Jamie's mom is fairly practical she probably didn't want to kid herself, I get her not thinking that till now.. but it's still VERY weird that none of them think MAYBE this is true.

So with really no other choice.. Jamie armors up. Which solves the "she thinks you were on drugs problem: but the result.. is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in comics and the one thing I was least looking forward to re-reading this story, a scene that's gotten me EVERY time.

It hurt to even put that on there. And in a lesser book Bianca's thought wouldn't have any nuance... but as Alberto explains and somehow makes this hurt even MORE

It's a beautifully heartbreaking segment and part of what makes this time jump work so well: Jamie's disappearnce had a tangible, painful effect. It's an exploration of what just taking ONE person out of the world for that long would do. I also love the end of what I showed you. Alberto explains to his son why Bianca's doing this.. but assures him he's still his boy and this will pass. I also like that they don't just have bianca be evil .. it's simply the SHOCK of all this getting to her, of having to come to the grips with the fact that Jamie is a person.

So he has Jamie go out for a bit, let his mom work through stuff.. though he pointedly dodges Jamie's question about him now walking with a cane. For now Jamie still hasn't gotten a grip on what the suit can do, and tests it, using arm blades and the canon from earlier before popping back naked again. Thankfully this time the Scarab shows it can make him some clothes.

So Jamie goes looking for his friends.. but both places he tries sputter out: Brenda's moved during the year and Paco isn't at school. Turns out though the Scarab can track anyone Jamie's met, and he acknowledges how creepy that is before heading for the border.

So turns out Paco is WORKING with Damper of the posse, the guy who makes the invisible stuff happen.. but just as their on the bridge here come the men in black, and the MIBS are working for someone named la dama and have cable sized laser rifles. Thankfully before they can blow a hole in paco and damper, Jamie swoops in just in time and blocks it. The MIBs decide "Fuck it this guy wants it big willie style" and attack jamie who struggles to get the scarab NOT to murder them, but manages to take them out then swoops off with Hector since homeland security are you know.. homeland security.

Jamie explains things to hector before stopping on a roof with him.

It's a touching and MUCH needed bit of cahtarsis. After going through a LOT of shit in the past three issues.. Jamie's finally given a proper welcome home.

Paco also helps with Brenda... turns out things got even WORSE with her dad and the bastard put her in the ICU. As paco brilliantly put it, there apparently really IS a god as a week later he died, and Brenda's beloved great aunt took her in. Paco's still visiting but hasn't told her about the posse. Jamie's reunion with brenda is just as sweet if a bit .. less huggy.

Yup.

So we open issue 2 and Jamie is doing his homework. He finds ted doing this without powers cool.. until he gets to the bullet in the brain part. Clearly a bit unnerved he moves on to dan, who at least gives him a clue, the scarab gave dan powers.. but he wonders why it skipped over ted. That's when he gets a visitor on the web: Oracle.

For those who haven't seen this version of her, Oracle is barbra gordon. During the killing joke the joker , wanting to drive Comissioner Gordon to madness, shot barbara. That wouldve been the end in many cases but not liking this one bit, writer John Ostrander turned her into oracle, who works as most superheroes go to help line, paticuarlly the bat family and her own operatives the birds of prey. She TRIES to recruit Jamie: Ted was her friend and this makes it her buisness... but instead of opening with "Ted Kord was my friend I just want to help" or something like that which might not have worked but at least would've softballed you know, hyjacking his monitor, Jamie instead blows up at her, mad the other heroes didn't find him (In her defense they had no way of knowing he was missing as Booster never told them and isn't around due to his fate, revealed in the series covering the missing year 52, not being known at the time this comic was published),. Jamie blasts the screen and tells her to go to hell while Black Canary, who is both barbra's best friend na dmain field operative needles her a bit. She likes Jamie though and it's clear she gets it: to Jamie the superhero community abandoned him, and heroes don't do that, and he simply needs time to process the fact their humans and they fuck up.. and that guy DOSEN'T represent them. Though Babs didn't HELP with that one by saying "if he wanted you dead you'd be dead" which is factually true but dosen't exactly calm down the scared teenager babs.

Anyways Jamie's mom takes him to the doctor where they find nothing. Jamie points out that's a good thing: if he HAD found the scarab, which can retreat into Jamie, there would've been a LOT of questions and possibly the government on their asses. We do see Bianca's come around a bit: after jamie apologizes Bianca tells him he has no need to: it's not her fault and she has to stop thinking that.

We cut to La Dama's place. While Brenda leaves for school, La Dama talks with her minon Diviner... and given he oggles brenda a bit before La Dama just bluntly tells him if he does it again he dies, no metaphors either she just straight up says she'll have him killed. Direct. I like that. But Diviner is an ass, but he's a useful ass so La Dama wants him to test the new beetle, try and break him. See if he's of any use since as far as she knows, the Scarab is still magic.

And reinforcing my point from earlier, Jamie getting back into school.. was incredibly easy. A lot of weird shit happened around the crisis so he just had to fill out a form. It's a great gag and makes perfect since. All Bianca had to do was say he disappeared in a beam of light. Brenda shows up , getting out a half our earlier as naturally having a rich aunt means she can get a nicer school and the three riff like nothing happened. Diviner finds Jamie easily.. but realizes Brenda being there complicates things, so he decides to stage a false flag attack: test jamie with a monster and save her to score points with his boss at the same time.

They go to their old hangout spot we haven't seen before but fair enough, we just met these guys. Jamie asks them point blank: what happened to his dad. Both are shocked no one told him and while Jamie got the cliff notes version, he got hurt at the garage, he knows their not telling him the whole truth.

And shockity shock, they weren't. His dad got shot. Turns out the unreliable guy Jamie was trying to fill in for... was in with drugs and Alberto got shot. Jamie.. blames himself. He was going to get to work summer hours. Thankfully Brenda says fuck that noise..well more don't blame yourself, this isn't a mature readers book.. and in a nice moment Paco.. agrees for once.

It's not hard to see why Jamie's connecting those dots as he lays them out: he disappeared, the cops questioned paco and brenda, her dad nearly beat her to death as a result, Paco joined the posse... but Paco makes it VERY clear it's not his fault.

It's a brilliant moment that shows for all his bravado.. paco is very EMOTIONALLY intelligent.

Then some groots attack. Well ents but they look grooty enough. Jamie tries to fight them but the scarab won't damage nature. Foreshadowing for later. For now Jamie takes command and points out when it complains there are plenty of trees, tracking where the magic is coming from.

Jamie is able to stop it and it foils Diviner's attempt to seem like a hero.. that and Brenda KNOWING him, knowing he always hits on her aunt, and not trusting him whatsoever. The fact he uses the word "ruffians" to describe jamie and paco dosen't help.

And with this Jamie's full circle knows. It was one of the big word of mouth things I heard in wizard magazine and other places back in the day... and rightfully so. While most teen super hero works have the hero hide it, especially during the 2000's cartoon teen superhero boom that was going on at the time, Blue Beetle.. has everyone find out within issues 3 and 4. Jamie HAS to reveal it to his parents as a result of his missing year and Paco and Brenda learn organically as he has to save both of them in ways that don't feel contrived: Paco was already working with some metahumans and the attack on him introduces la dama.. and makes it a big reveal that this crime boss is Brenda's aunt and guardian, while Diviner was attacking Jamie anyway. It allows jamie's FAMILY to deal with this situation with him instead of him having to hide it and the books better for it.

Am I saying EVERY hero needs to tell their loved ones? no, if you have a godo reason for them to hide it in your story your good. But if there isn't they should know. It's why most 2000's superhero animated shows, while not telling the parents in most, had the friends know at a minimum. It's more intresting to explore how this effects those around them rather than just having them have to hide it.

So the issue ends with Jamie having Paco call on the posse for a meeting.

Issue 5 begins with Jamie waiting for the posse. He ends up instead meeting the Phantom Stranger. For those curious the Phantom Stranger is.. the phantom stranger is...

I TRIED looking it up but he has no concrete origin. He's a mysteroius man in a trenchcoat and fedora who appears related to magic stuff or to help someone with a critical turning point. For instance brave and the bold had he and the spectre, the horny ghost of god's vengance, wager over wether batman would kill Joe Chill or not. Golly this review is giving me a LOT of ideas for OTHER reviews.

At any rate he says Jamie's not what he thought he was, and then bounces. The posse's rep, Damper the invisible guy from the flashback with probe is ycordial: as long as Jamie dosen't try anything their cool. Turns out Paco is actually really close to him: As he revealed to jamie earlier they aren't into drugs or anything, and as it turns out blocker dude was so upset because one of the other posse members he hurt was his girlfriend who since then has had a baby . And since Paco explained it wasn't a concious decision on Jamie's part, there square for now. He also finds out the stranger was invisible to everyone else and asks the scarab to tell him next time.. and finds out they can't hear the scarab either. Though i'm sure the voices thing went down better as Jamie HAS explained at this point the thing has a mind of it's own. It turns out though a guy working for Diviner is following them.

While that's going on Brenda has lunch with her aunt, who asks her about the boys. She also knows about the Posse though Brenda vouches for Paco, telling them he just hangs out with them. La Dama also wrongly assumes Brenda has a crush on jamie and I like changing this dynamic up: normally in this sort of trio the main character and the girl of the group have the unreseloved romantic tension. Here.. well..

I love the art here too. It communciates very well that no , Brenda's not denying she has feelings.. she's just utterly mortified anyone remotely thinks she has feelings that aren't there.

So while the Posse gives jamie ten minutes to talk, Divinier begins his plan, summoning a religious hunchback to do his bidding

Said hunchback uses harlot a lot and is easily tricked into stealing Damper (Shield guy) and Bonita's baby... and i'm suddenly wishing firefist would come back stupid outfit and all.

It turns out Probe is missing and we find out why while also finding out more about La Damia and the Posse: La Damia was originally just a coyote, someone who helps people from the border in exchange for cash or drug trafficing. Some are more benevloent than others, and ran a whole orginzation of them but has gone up in the world over the time skip.

She's also decided after the crisis she has to step it up hence gathering magical artifacts and metas, collecting them for her own team. And it also turns out Paco was ENTIRELY correct about the posse being good guys and harmless: they run stuff like bingo, smuggling and getting people across the border, but as Paco vouched no drugs or anything serious. They do crime.. but it's only because with no real superhero presence down El Paso way, no one on either side of the border is looking out for the little guy. Paco is one of their non meta guys, used for the more day to day stuff. They also figure Beetle's already being "tested".. before bonita rushes in talking about the hunchback taking her baby and accusing Jamie

We cut back to lunch: La Dama continues to grill Brenda, but Brenda both admits everyone likes jamie and gives the beam of light story: while La Dama dosen't buy it Brenda gives good reason for her loyalty: jamie was there for her when she showed up brused at school from her dad, took her lying about it in stride and simply offered genuine support... and with that La Dama clearly realizes she has an issue as she's targeting her adopted daughter's best friend.

Everyone else gets her calmed down.. and Jamie offers to get her back. It's a nice chekovs gun: since he met them earlier, that means he can track the baby using their combined dna. While one of the posse questions if Jamie's a superhero now Jamie dosen't know about that but says "It's a baby, I can't let anyone hurt a baby". While jamie may not WANT to be a hero and given all the shit it's brought down on his life, no one can possibly blame him... it's moments like this and the stuff mentoind by brenda that show WHY he's a hero. Without a moments hestiation he helps two people using something he really dosen't like simply because a child is in danger and he's the best bug for the job. It's jamie's core feature: his heart> he's just a good kid who loves his family ,friends and tries to do the right thing. That's it. It's why his friends and family are so key to his character: they show off he's human, he jokes, he fights with his sister, he's a normal teen.. but also show he's an honest good kid who does wheaver he can to help them, letting Brenda have an escape from her abusive home, helping his parents however he can, just being there. Jamie Reyes is one of the purest, most lovable heroes in the dc universe and this one moment encpasulates.. all of that.

Jamie fights the hunchback of notre slut shaming but has a problem since you know, he has to also rescue the baby then hold it. He traps the guy under a truck but it barely slows him down. thankfully help arrives: Peacemaker shows up on motorcycle and grabs the baby. Which is badass. but he calls jamie the blue monster.

Jamie is able to easily beat quasimodick though ,as the guy WANTS to die and the scarab drains it clean, despite jamie's wishes.. and as it turns out the news was watching. The whole world now knows there's a new blue beetle.. for better or worse. Something I want to note before we wrap up the arc proper next issue: ther'es a runner that while jamie has great power.. he has NO idea to fight. And I like that. He gets by with his gadgets and such but it creates a nice contrast between the previous two beetles: As we've seen while Dan Garret had powers, he was a brawler, while Ted was an acrobat and used movement as his primary weapon. It creates a nice contrast that jamie really only has his brain, much like ted, and brute force at first: no finnese simply because he hasn't had TIME to learn it yet.

So we come to the finale of our introductory arc, and yes ther'es still another issue to cover after, i'll explain when we get there.

We cut to some time after last issue with Jamie having found La Dama's compound. Turns out he didn't know he could do the tracker thing himself, it's why he had to ask the posse about probe int he first place but now he can it was easy enough. He has Paco stay behind though.. not out of malice or anything but as Jamie rightly points out he's can fly ONE person out if things get dicey. They need an exit stratgey. And when paco worries if Jamie's just trying to protect him..

Our heroes sneak in.. but turns out La Dama naturally ha senors and their soon spotted. The place itself is.. paradise. A really nice garden, plenty of testing. It's clear while La Dama has been taking kids in.. she isn't stupid enough. I mean she still has grunka lunka dunkity darmed guards, but when the guy in charge talks to them he not only tells them they could've got vistors passes. A fight quickly breaks out as our heroes naturally don't assume the best of these guys and one of them spinner, who can swap powers being a dick to the posse dosen't help. A full fight breaks out whlie outside Paco is chasaed. We cut to La Dama who.. handles things well, simply wanting it calmed down and notably giving Spinner an infraction... more on her later as we cut to her other problem, said car chase as Paco tries not to die, while Jamie takes the head guy out of the dome.. and thus the Phantom Stranger finds what he was looking for. it's a lot at once. All good stuff though.

La Dama arrives and ends this nonsese. She also brings out Probe, who turns out is staying of her own free will. As Stranger, whose now visable to all puts it , it's the finest prison.. one of their own will. He's also here BECAUSE La Dama's been hiding magic people, but she counters it dosen't break rules as she's doing it to keep them safe. Which given every the majority of supervillians are still unionized under the society at this point and the goverment's track records includes "send a guy who was used for experiments because he had a rape and murder charge to deal with the new green lantern and hope he dosen't do somethign serial killery to her girlfriend and oh look what's in kyle rayner's fridge".

So Damper makes an offer; since la dama offers saftey, he promises they'll be safe now El Paso has it's own here: Jamie. and Since jamie has no intent to go anywhere and is a good kid he agrees despite just being volunteered for this. La Dama also agrees: they can come and go as they please

As you can probably guess, La Dama isn't pleased and has a one on one with Jamie, who recognized her as Brenda's aunt. She knows who he is as like Ted jamie isn't the best at keeping secrets.. in this case the fact the Blue Beetle showed up right after jamie disappeared with a very flimsy explination.. it's too obvious and it's clear earlier she was just trying to get Brenda to tell her. As for why she put in the effort he's a threat.. and she's not wrong: he upended a massive operation of hers simply by doing the right thing and so far dosen't have any idea what the hell he's doing.

But as you can tell by this point La Dama's smart and it's part of why I love this character so much: she's a crime boss and she's defintely doing some shady shit.. but she's not a horrible person. She genuinely cares from brenda and sh'es far from stupid when doing her dealings. She was kind to the various metas instead of imprsoning them and when faced with a superhero.. she simply makes an offer. And not "you need to work for me or else" like say the kingpin would a simple one: keep doing what your doing but don't fuck with my operations in a major way, which also neatly dosen't stop jamie from say stopping a dealer or a robbery or something if it's on her dime and he didn't know it, just stops him from dismantling them, which with his powers he likely could. She's still antagonistic, offering to paint him as a villian in the media if he does.. but Jamie shows he's not afraid: she does this, he'll tell brenda. He's clearly bluffing, La Dama can see it.. but the risk is too great not to agree. Also in case you were wondering if things were a bhit TOO concidental with Brenda's new happy life.. Jamie had the same thought...

Honestly I like that the crime boss in Jamie's life ISN'T some big kingpin style villian. And I love me some kingpin and his dc equivlent blockbuster. No question. But I like that La Dama.. isn't evil. Ruthless, a criminal and someone more than willing to kill yes, but she's complex: she loves her niece, and while she did kill her dad and it's mildly fucked up she did so given the son of bitch hit her regularly then beat her so bad she had to be hospitlized, I have absolutely no sympathy for him. She did what she had to and the complexites of that including what Brenda will think once she finds out, all nicely add some Drama. La Dama says Jamie won't be able to figure out the scarab without her resouces.. when Peacemaker enters and drops the bombshell.

And this is PART of why I wanted to cover issue 7: it ends on less of a cliffhanger. That and it ties up some necessary EMOTIONAL loose ends too.

So we open our last issue. Jamie recaps his landing to earth and has taken the Reyes Family, Paco and Brenda to the crater it left, with Alberto having them gather some soil samples his cousin can look at. I .. genuinely dont' think this comes up again.

MIlagro suggests retracing his steps.. but still recoils when her brother tries to touch her. It's painful to see. Peacemaker joins the group and understandably Alberto wonders what the strange man wants with his son. Turns out he got the scarabs database, i.e. the instruction manual and more, beamed into his head on a tour of duty. We get our first flashback to inifnite crisis. We also get a few nice bits: Jamie wonders what monster built brother eye with Bruce deflecting it onto Green Arrow. He also later tells them to say they met superman, it'll go down better.. and when we cut back he has. Well most of them take it okay

Speaking of Peacemaker , Alberto dosen't trust the strange tatooted man and isn't comforted by Peacemaker casually talking about working off the books during the dominon and qurac wars, both wars Alberto served in. It's both some nice character to find out alberto served, and something that leads to one of the series best moments later, and both of Alberto's tours are some nice dc continuity nods: The Dominon War was the DC crossover event Invasion! , where the earth was invaded by the dominators. It didn't have a ton of impact and I mostly know it for two reasons: there were tie ins at the time in most books , in paticular Wonder Woman, JLI, and Suicide Squad for me personally, and Doom Patrol's next relaunch came out of the event and it'd later be the origin story for Crazy Jane. god I also have to do some doom patrol content at some point. Not enough hours in the day I swear.

We also get Paco and Jamie's thoughts on the la dama thing: While Paco is worried she's Jamie's "nemesis" jamie.. is fine upholding the truce. La Dama has stopped the worst of her actions, could easily have him ground into paste if she wanted as she likely knows someone as powerful at him but with more experince, and is being good to brenda. There's no REASON to shake that hornet's nest for now.

We get the rest of what happened on Brother Eye: Dinah suggests blowing up the bitch, I forgot she'd already met Jamie at this point, and they blow it up.. and as we see it REALLY was accidental: the scarab cloaked itself upon seeing Jon Stewart and then Hal Jordan.. and thus our hearts get broken one last time ... this arc.

It's one of the best scenes in the whole run and one of the most powerful.. and as I hinted at the main reason WHY I wanted to do this issue. At last, Jamie fully has his family back with him.

As for why he went forward in time it's simple: Brother Eye was already out of synch with time, its's how the scarab could track him since it used similar technology as it's creators, but with Brother Eye busy exploding and everything chaotic Jamie got shifted out of time and phase and thus wound up a year later.

So everything's good right.. except.. peacemaker raises a VERY valuable point as we end on a cliffhanger I CAN live with.

And we'll get to that some other day as I intend to cover the rest of this series sometime on my own time.

For now though when I finally got to read this run last year.. Blue Beetle became one of my faviorite comics of all time. It was probably easy to tell given i heaped almost nothing but praise on it. It has SOME small growing pains but once we're firmly in the present and everything set the book just keeps going and tells a magnifcent coming of age story. It's not hard to see why DC keeps going back to Jamie or why they thought he could anchor his own movie: He's a wonderful, loveable character with a rich and fleshed out supporting cast. While Ted's death was tragic it paved the way for a book about family, legacy, duty and being who you are versus who people expect you to be. Blue Beetle is a masterpiece and there are trades collecting both halves of John Rogers run out now thanks to the film. Snap them up. This is good stuff and it only gets better. For now though that concludes the main portion of beetlemania, but tune in next week for more beetle as we focus on both boys as they get brave and the bold and we wrap up this retrospective. Thanks for reading.

#jaime reyes #blue beetle #ted kord #peacemaker #barbra gordon #guy gardner #batman #milagro reyes #alberto reyes #bianca reyes #paco #brenda del vecchio #the posse #la dama

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wajjs · 6 months

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what would you think of "Let It Happen" and "New Person, Same Old Mistakes", both by Tame Impala for Hal Jordan

like hear me out, both songs have strong Parallax Hal vibes. like in "Let It Happen" : /It's always around me, all this noise/ /But not nearly as loud as the voice saying/ /Let it happen, let it happen/ /(It's gonna feel so good)/ /Just let it happen, let it happen/

now this could be for after the bug retcon, but it could also fit with the loss of Coast City weighing on his mind. In GL 1990 #46, Hal literally says that even before he sees the crater, he hears them screaming.

there is also : /All this running around/ /I can't fight it much longer/ /Something's trying to get out/ /And it's never been closer/ /If my take-off fails/ /Make up some other story/ /But if I never come back/ /Tell my mother I'm sorry/

sdfvgbhnj. I'm totally normal about thses songs and this man. NOw the first half also works for the bug retcon, but the part about /If my take-off fails/? Reminds me of that one comic where Hal is all "If I die flying this plane, they can take the money out of my life insurance. " which wow honey. man is on a mission.

Also you cannot tell me that if Hal's mother was still alive and he died as GL, he would not want someone to make up a story about it. but that's just my opinion on it. really this whole song is great imo for Hal and his character and here are the lyrics to it.

now onto "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" : /I can just hear them now/ /"How could you let us down?"/ /But they don't know what I found/ /Or see it from this way around/ /Feeling it overtake/ /All that I used to hate/ /Wonder what if we trade/ /I tried but it's way too late/ /All the signs I don't read/ /Two sides of me can't agree/ /When I breathe in too deep/ /Going with what I always longed for/

this fits him for the same reasons as above but also Coast City was a place of many ties and laced with history for him. Coast City was where he spent his childhood and a good portion of his adult life. He always found himself leaving it and coming back for some reason or another. But after it's destruction? He can never return home, however much he wishes he could. Coast City was his youth, his golden years, and its death was his undoing. /Feel like a brand new person/ /(But you make the same old mistakes)/ /I don’t care I’m in love/ /(Stop before it’s too late)/ /Feel like a brand new person/ /(But you make the same old mistakes)/ /I finally know what is love/ /(You don’t have what it takes)/ /(Stop before it’s not too late)/ /(I know there’s too much at stake)/ /(Making the same mistakes)/ /And I still don’t know why it’s happening/ /(Stop while it’s not too late)/ /And I still don’t know/

Am I sensing a theme here? Hal stole the power from the central power battery, he fought the entirety of the Corps, he named himself Parallax for god's sake! He went against his moral code to avenge Coast City against the Cyborg-Superman, he went against the Guardians, who he considered masters before this (which, whoo boy is not okay) ,and yet he knows what he's doing is wrong. He knows he shouldn't and he's doing it anyways, whether you want to involve the bug in this or not, it's Hal! pretty much the rest of the song is the narrator trying to justify their actions to the listener and it reads as the world's most unreliable narrator ever. The lyrics are here. im so normal for writing this. this is basically the start of an essay icant- how did I write all this

Okay first of all I love you for sending this ask and I'm sorry I took so long to reply

Then, yeah, I agree that the songs have intense Hal - Parallax vibes, though I have to say to me they're more 90s Parallax than bug retcon. It could be that I am biased, who knows?

(I'm 100% biased)

These lines: "I can just hear them now, how could you let us drown" are particularly poignant when it comes to 90s Hal pre-Parallax (but leading up to it) because YES. He is absolutely haunted by the screams of the people in the city dying. He's haunted by his inability to save them. He's haunted by all the choices that led to him being unable to save them.

(From The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan)

Also... "I tried but it's way too late"?

(Green Lantern 1990 #50)

#hal jordan #dc #green lantern #long post #blob talks #blob blahs #parallax

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bruciemilf · 2 years

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I hope you don't mind me chipping my own two cents in your hc!! Sorry your writing and angst also made me think all sorts of plots and feels that I couldn't just not share 😭😭

I wonder if Bruce's constant objectifying/harassment ever got spread around the league until no matter how close or not Batman is with you, they know how one of their leaders got treated as part of his daily life.

I mean, it's a pretty huge deal; Oliver might just tell people to tread lightly around Bruce and to not attempt any sexual remarks around the man. Putting himself as Bruce's newly, worrywart big brother in the scenes

Ted Kord whisk Bruce away to a business talk when a creep straight up fondle Bruce's ass (Michael Carter once punched a guy for it and couldn't come unless he finds a secure place to punch a creep)

Green Lanterns Corps and Batman are never in good terms, and when they found out how Batman's civilian identity acts, they shared a few jabs and laugh together. But after what Hal told them and how actually disturbing the whole ordeal is. Even the lanterns grow worry about their bat friend.

So whenever there's a media coverage and bustling reporters trying to trapped Bruce in, the Lanterns will shout at them to back off and give Bruce enough time to escape. Jessica prefers to comfort Bruce as they both run away from the press while everyone else is holding them back, she feels like he needs some.

(On the other hand, Guy loves shoving entitled paparazzi away, so it's a win-win!!)

Even his children's friends knows! They can see how Cass is seething at any particular ladies who go up to her dad. Dick usually consult to Wally and his team about his frustrations and concerns (which in turn only spread further). Tim, despite being a pretty secretive person, always makes it known to his friends about what's going on with Batman's life. Jason and Damian will rant to whoever is willing to listen and go off each time. Duke is usually awkward and uncomfortable when talking about it, while Steph won't shut up about his treatment.

Sometimes they invite their friends to his galas whenever they weren't able to attend them and keep those creeps in check.

Especially Carmine Falcone, whose creepiness to child Brucie (even now, which is no different) is widely known in the hero communities that it's not joke anymore. There's heroes who outright said Falcone is their least favourite villain and he won the most hated general guy in the league

Bruce has mixed feelings over all this. At first, he's grateful that his love ones are look out for him, even in the most trivial of times. He would do the same to be honest.

But...its getting out of hand where, this help only make Bruce feel even more helpless — Like Bruce is bringing all those disgusting leers onto himself, he can handle it. He should handle it. He knows how to handle it. He's not actually some dumb fragile glass that they need to treat with caution. Saving himself from dire situations, mentally reminds himself who he is and what he's worth. You can't just take it from him. Nevertheless, there's times he can't and it went too far...

Right now, after being saved from another weird cultist kidnappers; Constantine and Patrick are ushering him away from the masses while Dinah is holding people back with Kory and Dick. Its not about Bruce, the papers aren't going to be about him, and yet they treated as if it is. And Bruce, lets them. Bruce lets them handle him like some damsel in distress who couldn't do anything to save himself.

Bruce hates that part of himself. Ashamed even. Being saved like this will constantly remind Bruce that he's still playing the same poor, pretty little orphan in need of rescue at that shitty alley— by his family, friends, coworkers and even their fucking children. Thus, it further solidify his shamed. Bruce resents it, but doesn't know what to make out of it

K, so im gonna copy and paste my response from the previous part here!!

I LOVEEEEEE your points about Bruce's inner struggle with accepting care vs embracing care. I feel like this trope for THAT context frame echoes truth especially loudly.

Bruce being a victim of SA/Sexual Harassment and not rationalising that bc it happens SO often that he just. Stopped characterizating it as Harassment hits. Because I feel like.

Men don't know how to accept a help that doesn't harm them. Weather it's alpha male coaches embarassing them and their identity that they themselves seek out, or balantly ignoring clear signs of abuse, there's a certain viciousness in how men treat themselves and their trauma.

Bruce is like that not because he wants to appear MANLY, or because he thinks it's a Women's Thing, but simply because he sees himself as a tower of protection. What's the point of protecting others if you can't even protect yourself?

#i love this and oliver being a big bro!!! we love to see it!!!#not many thoughts on hal or the lanterns as i really dont have an attachment to them really???#but the rest is wildly correct #asks

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iheartchv · 2 months

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Hello there! if it isn't too much trouble may I request a romantic cod matchup please if you're still doing them and aren't swamped already? I'm Hal, my pronouns are She/They, I am 21 years old, 176cm or 5'9 height wise, and I tend to dress in a dark academia aesthetic, mainly with skirts fills and high heels cause I enjoy the power trip I get when I am over 6'3. I have chin length auburn hair (that does a very nice swirl thing like Mrs Incredible it makes me so happy), gray-green eyes, freckles, glasses and a slender hourglass figure. I would describe myself as a very sarcastic person who loves to make jokes (often the immature 'thats what she said' kind), and someone who likes to do fun fantasy escapism type activities (going to renfaire, playing DnD and RPG video games,etc.(I highly recommend the mass effect trilogy)). Peoples impressions of me range from cute and quiet to a straight up golden retriever. I am a pretty sedentary homebody most of the time though I can be more outgoing and confident when I am with people I know and usually they are some brand of weirdo or nerd (theater, Gamer, etc.) I also draw, make/alter clothes, learn about historical fashion, cook, and watch true crime. I have my issues, mainly with forgetfulness, anxiety, etc. making me a lowkey doomsday prepper because better safe than sorry, but I have always been the romantic daydreaming type and over time I have matured and am tired of new historical events making me more and more tired, I just want to find my person to do all of the things good, bad, easy, and hard with. I just want to make a home with them and be in their world. My love language is words of affirmation and acts of service.

🤔 I match you with...

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick 🚁

Gaz would be your match

He's the nerd of TF141

He would totally love to play DnD with you

Video games, comics, anything with pop culture, you name it

You and him could talk for hours on end about different video games, theories surrounding any game/comic lore, etc.

He'd feel so comfortable around you, and he would give that same vibe back to you, letting you know that you can be yourself around him

When you wear your heels, and tower a little over him, he'd only playfully scoff and roll his eyes

As he got to know you, and spend time with you, Gaz couldn't help but feel like he was falling for you

He'd notice any little detail on detail

The corners of your lips when you smiled, the way the sun light reflected off your eyes and streamed in your hair

He wants to tell you you're the most kindest, gorgeous girl he's ever seen

One day he gathers the courage to tell you how he felt for you

"I care about you... a lot. And I can't stop thinking about you... I like you."

"As in 'like' like?"

"Yeah..."

You both would be blushing, looking away and feeling nervous

But as soon as your eyes met, your hearts seemed to beat in sync...

... and you share a soft, sweet, and romantic kiss

He holds your hands in his and gives the your fingers and knuckles gentlemanly kisses

Gaz will tell you everyday that he loves you, and that you're beautiful, you're gorgeous, and you're so perfect

Ask him to do something for you and he will

Through the laughs and good times you've shared, he never thought he'd find the one for him, who was his best friend

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afro-hispwriter · 2 years

Text

The Dauphins Wife

The King

The Dauphin x Spanish!Reader

Summary- He was your Louis(The Dauphin Robert played)

Warnings- major character death, angst

A/n- I just watched the King and even though Robert wasn't in the movie as much I still want to wrote something for The Dauphin

wc- 1.3k

"If anything happens, make sure mi love is safe." He tells guards stationed beside you.

"You are fighting?" You ask in the best english you could muater and stood up. He brought his gloved hands up to your face and leaned down to kiss you.

"I am my beautiful, I must." He placed a hand on your swelling belly and kissed your again. "Je t'aime mon étoile(I love you my star)." He then leaned down and kissed your belly through the fabric. "Je vous aime tous les deux(I love the both of you)."

"Te amo(I love you)." You say and he separates from you. You watched as he hopped on a horse and slide the helmet over his head, he gave you one last look and began his way down to the battle. The battle slowly stopped and they opened a pathway for your husband and the guards.

After that everything went by so quick.

He had gotten off his horse and thats what you lost view of him. Seconds later, there was cheering, and it was not from your side.

"No." You whispered and ran down the hills. The guards were chasing you, trying to get you back. When you reached the crowd you started pushing through all of them. Some men almost drew their weapons but didn't once they saw who was trying to get pass. They had cleared a path as you got there. King Henry watched you emerge and immediately felt guilt wash over him. Even though he didn't kill The Dauphin, but he ordered his men too.

Hal saw you that first night. You sat next your Husband as the two of them spoke, you would smack his shoulder everytime he said something out of world. But he was shocked when the Dauphin told him you were his wife. You were quite that night, just listening and Hal didn't miss the way The Dauphin placed a hand on your belly after speaking. He now sees why.

"Mi Amor(My love)!"Everyone saw you run to the body of the Dauphin and fall to your knees. You immediately removed his helmet and brought your hand to your face at the sight. His eyes were wide open, he had blood coming out of the sides of his mouth(most likely from coughing it up)and blood oozing from his nose.

You grabbed his limp hand and gripped it tightly. You raised another hand to close his eyes. Tears started streaming down your cheeks, you didn't even notice all the soldiers moving around, checking the wounded or taking weapons.

"My Lady." You here an English accent and look up. "Words can't describe how sorry I am." It was King Henry, any wife who loved her husband would be furious, but you just couldn't.

"Can you take me back to King of France? Please its all I ask for." You said the best way you could. All he did was nod at you then at his men. Minutes later there was a wagon pulled by horses and English men stepping close to you so they could grab your husband. You watched them place his limp body in the back and you followed, not bothering to take the hand that was offered to help you up.

When you arrived to the castle the King and Catherine were outside.

"Oh my dear son." You hear Charles cry and ran to the wagon. A guard stepped close to you and held his hand out to help you down.

"I need to tend to his body." You tell Catherine as she sniffles.

"We have people who do that, you must lay down and rest, this is not good for the baby."

"It needs to be me." You straighten yourself out and begin your way into the castle. You tell the maids to transport his body down below where they tend to the dead members of the royal family, no matter where they reside. Once they brought him you told them all to leave. His body was covered by a white sheet and a cross in the middle. You slowly brought it back and took In the new features.

He was pale. To pale for your liking. You remembered all the times he'd stay in his chancery(office) and you'd scold him for being inside to much and he'd go outside with you(reluctantly), and he enjoyed it so much.

"I can't wait for our baby to be here love, so we can enjoy days like this all the time." He says as he lays in your lap and kissed your belly.

"Te Amo(I love you)." You tell him and he smiles and reaches up to kiss you.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me." He whispers.

"Estoy feliz de haberte conocido(I'm happy to have met you)." He was only able to pick up a few words but judging by your smile it was a good thing.

Tears fell down your face making it hit the armor. You immediately started undoing all the buckles and zippers of all the armor until it was just the under gown.

"Oh mi amor por que nos dejaste, se suponia que tuvieramos juntos por siempre(Oh my love why did you leave us, we were supposed to be together forever)." You rested your forehead against his cold one and started to cry, louder and harder than you did on the field.

"My lady." You hear and you whip around. It was King Henry again.

"King Henry." You said sternly and wipe your eyes with the back of your hand then reach over to the water basin and squeeze the water out of the small towel.

"I just want to again, apologize for what happened, and if there is anything you need I'll do it or get it done." You didn't look at him just sighed and spoke.

"Me and louis were planning on leaving the royal life just after the baby was born, we were just going to take money and move outside the boarders of France and into Spain, buy a little house for the three of us. But because you men only think with your cojnones(balls) instead of trying to down to the true problem non of this would have happened. Mi esposo{My husband) would still be here." You wiped the blood from around his mouth and when it dripped down his neck. "So no, I do not need anything from you, now please leave." You continued cleaning and prepping your husband but just as Henry was about to leave you stopped him. "Oh and King, my husband nor the King of France sent that letter I know that for a fact, maybe you should start looking at your own people."

He looked back at you in confusion but slowly nodded his head before leaving.

The funeral for The Dauphin was small, only family and close friends attended. Once he was buried you left, the only person who received a goodbye was Catherine. After that you were off on a wagon with money and essentials back to Spain. You bought a tiny house, and since you were still a princess in Spain they didn't question it.

You had baby girl named Paola. It was the name you had agreed upon if it were to be a girl.

"I like the name Paola, it sounds sweet but has a touch of fierceness in it." He says and you nod.

"Would you like it to be a girl?' Most men of his power would prefer if their first born was a boy, which is why it came as a shock.

"I truly don't care love, but a little girl would be nice."

You kissed her tiny head and drew her back to admire her.

She looks so much like him it hurts, but you already love her so much.

"You're so beautiful Paola, your papa would've adored you."

#the dauphin #the dauphin x reader #x spanish reader #the king 2019 #robert pattinson #robert pattinson x reader #robert pattinson character

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fountainpenguin · 10 months

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Out of all of Becky villain's, I'm of the belief that Rex would get along best with Mr. Big and Leslie. Mr. Big tries mind controlling him once in order to do his taxes but he doesn't even need to since Rex takes joy in doing it 🤣

😂 I'm obsessed with Rex / villain interactions because they're all so good. Some of my headcanons are:

He constantly calls Tobey "Theodore 3" and it ticks Tobey off. Also I have a story about Rex leading Tobey to his spaceship so he can fix some of its broken pieces (like the heater) and Becky just staring into the void like "Why did you do this?"

Rex is obliviously insensitive and so he and Chuck are constantly clashing because Chuck is soft and desperate for WordGirl interactions and Becky just constantly wants to shake her boy. Her little guy. He's dumb.

Kid Potato is already antsy about Butcher being friendly with WordGirl and I imagine that Rex doesn't like being friendly with villains, so Kid Math and Kid Potato actually get along really well by agreeing to hate each other and hold nothing back, they are completely raw and honest with each other in a way Rex isn't with the other villains, and that actually makes them "friends" and Becky stares into the void. I have so many thoughts about WordGirl and Kid Math in the superhero / villain retirement home, you KNOW Kid Math will be a "back in my day" rambler and WordGirl will just be like "Check your blood pressure" sldfkj.

Lady Redundant Woman multiplies, so that's a numbers game... Kid Math with a schoolboy crush on LRW is my favorite, I'm sorry but I love the idea of him squealing and getting excited when he gets to fight her.

Kid Math comes from a metal-based planet and he knows a lot about metal in my view. I cannot get over the idea of like, Kid Math wearing a metal bracelet or carrying a piece of metal or having metal glasses, or metal fillings in his teeth, and Captain Tangent just wrecks him. Not in a horrific way, just in a "oh wait, fighting someone with telekinesis is hard, actually" way sdklf. I think Tangent would leave Kid Math SO confused, because Tangent stops committing crimes while he rambles and Kid Math would just be like "... Is this surrender? Are we done?" and he'd just float there awkwardly.

I have a Factor It In chapter that opens with Seymour Smooth telling Kid Math about how there are numbers on the front and backs of the cards in people's pockets and he can exchange them for a prize and WordGirl just yells from off-screen "DON'T DO IT!" and it's funny to me, please let Seymour follow this kid around trying to make him a pawn. Every single villain who has a schtick of fooling people who aren't WordGirl deserves to get a win over Kid Math.

He would absolutely fall for Granny May's innocent old lady "I've retired, I'm just a bystander" act every time because "She said she changed! Why would she lie??"

He'd totally fall for Hal Hardbargain and the Coach if they tried to sway him for the same reasons. There are gadgets and great deals out there. There is more superhero training to be had.

Rex really just cannot be trusted alone with some of the top villains like Mr. Big and Dr. Two-Brains because he'll willingly put the mind control devices on and he'll walk right into traps, he's the worst.

Kid Math would be confused and answer every one of Ms. Question's questions because he thinks she's truly curious about him and doesn't understand her distraction tactics.

Invisi-Bill, AKA captain "I never work alone," is now in danger if both WordGirl and Kid Math show up on the scene. Good luck, dude.

I see Kid Math as a guy who just wants to punch bad guys and get in physical fights, and I think Big Left Hand Guy would actually be somewhat of a challenge since Rex is so small. WordGirl evades him by darting around him and grabbing him from behind, but I think Rex would just get slam-dunked constantly.

It's already canon that Becky can't recognize Amazing Rope Guy when he's not in costume, and we also know that Rex CAN see through her civilian identity and that she was shocked he was able to (and he was taken aback by her surprise because to him, it was obvious), so I lose my mind over this idea that although Rex is easily manipulated by villains, at least he's good at recognizing them out of costume.

I am very normal about my Kid "Second Best" Math and Victor "Second Best" Best ideas and boy howdy do I have a story to tell about what led to Victor wearing a superhero costume under his clothes in "Best of the Bests" slkdfjs.

Bless Rex, I love him <3 He's a goofball

#Satirical vocab alien child show #Arithmetic Lad #WordGirl #asks #Factor It In #Second Best kid #Ye #LexiHexa duo

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wellpresseddaisy · 1 year

Text

Long Ago (and far away) pt. 23

And now for something a little different. I thought we could use a bit of a palate cleanser before we have to deal with more emotions.

Monday evening, Diagon Alley

A shadowed figure darted across cobbled streets, bootheels ringing against the stone. A fine mist curled and wafted about the figure, flaring with cloak and skirt at each sharp turn.

It turned down a dimly lit alley and scurried through the pooling gloom. Finally, it pushed open the door of the Queensmark Teahouse and slipped inside.

"Eggers? Are you done for the night? It's an absolutely foul one." Eglantine Carruthers pushed back the hood of her cloak and removed her gloves.

"Nory? Is it just you, dearest?" Came a voice from the back.

"Just me, darling. I don't think anyone else has even stirred yet." She took off her cloak and laid it in a booth. "It is perishing out there."

"I have tea and a light supper ready. You're always ravenous after the theater." Eglantine Dunwoodie exited the kitchen, but it wasn't an Eglantine any but her friends recognized.

Gone was the soft pompadour and sensible dress of her everyday persona. In their place, she wore her hair in a short, cropped cut and the trousers and waistcoat of a three-piece suit. She wore a soft, collarless shirt under the waistcoat with her sleeves rolled up.

"Oh, Eggsy." Eglantine sighed. "One day…"

"Mother's been such a brick about me not wanting to be married and settle down with giving her grandbabies, after she calmed down at least." Dunwoodie managed a soft smile, though it twisted a bit. "I can't…not yet. She loves the girly things on me so."

"Well, you'll just have to bring home a pretty girl who likes to be fussed over and who wants to have children. Not to mention that you being handsomer than all your brothers would put their noses out of joint." Eglantine waved a hand and spoke airily. "How is that sweet little librarian you’ve been stepping out with, by the by?”

“Eglantine Honoria, what have you done?” That perfectly casual tone immediately raised suspicion in everyone who knew her.

“Nothing at all, darling. Just supporting a venerable institution. She’s ever so helpful. I suppose she can’t help being named Marion.”

“It’s a perfectly lovely name.” Dunwoodie raised an eyebrow.

“Maaaarion…madam libraaaaaarian.” Eglantine sang. “It’s from a non-magical musical, quite popular at the moment though the male lead doesn’t really have the range he ideally needs. Too used to G&S, I suppose.”

“Not everyone has an encyclopedic knowledge of musical theater, dearest.” Dunwoodie smiled.

“Well they should of they’re going to be producing librarians. She really is sweet. She found ever so many books for me and it was happenstance that she helped me at all. I just went to do a bit of research for a book and I didn’t realize she was your librarian until we were halfway through the history section.”

“She isn’t mine, dearest.”

“Not yet she isn’t. And when she is then we’re going to have a party for you.” Eglantine did not mention a certain tea and gossip date set for the next week.

"You just want an excuse to throw a party, you horror." Dunwoodie laughed. "How are you doing, though, without the house elves?"

"Oh, we're doing brilliantly. I felt so guilty that they were with us because Hal's the eldest when his sister has nine children and no help. Well, some help, but not nearly enough, not for nine. Really they were just dying for house elf assistance. Nanny — the head elf — was so very kind and helped us find Nanny Jameson and Nurse. And both of them get on famously with Nanny, so Nanny can pop by whenever she likes and make certain everything is up to her standards. And oh, I've been such a goose, darling. You really wouldn't believe." Eglantine waved her soup spoon as she spoke.

"Eat your soup, Nory, and then tell me. We haven't had a good long talk in so long." Dunwoodie set a soup plate before her. "I want to hear all about your doings."

"Thank you. I really am famished. One eats before the theater, of course, but opening night is such a marathon. And then people want to speak to one after and suddenly it's closing in on so very late and one is just dead." Eglantine stopped speaking long enough to refresh herself. "Now that I'm no longer in danger of just wasting away…oh, I've missed this too. I must make more time for my friends. Hal…you know, he's really such a darling man."

"That's the only reason he gets invited to our dos, you know." Dunwoodie smiled gently. "It's because he makes you wonderfully happy. Putting your mother's nose out of joint may have helped."

"And she can't even complain because his family is so unimpeachably correct." Eglantine giggled, her eyes alight with mirth. "In any case…do you know, we should have a party to celebrate how brave we all are, really. But, me being a goose. Mother—don't make that face darling, you'll be wrinkled up in no time and Mother isn't worth it—got it into my head that I should take more interest in the boys' primary education. That I was somehow a Bad Mother because I was leaving it to the professionals."

"That," Dunwoodie pointed with her toast. "Is precisely what a bad mother would say."

"In any case, Hal was away and I got myself so worked up over it that I tried and tried to take an interest. By the time he got home I was pacing in the foyer, convinced that I was the Worst Mother Ever because I was about to go mad if I had to listen to a child limping through the alphabet one more time. Do you know, he's never laughed at me? Not once? Not even this last time when he dropped his valise in the foyer and found me doing a fine impression of Lady MacB, all wringing hands and agonized eyebrows?"

"Of course he hasn't. He's a good man."

"Between him and Nanny they got me calmed down enough to see sense and it is funny now. The pacing in the foyer part, not Mother. Hal said life would be terribly flat if he came home to a quiet house and no dramatic scenes in the foyer. It really is a lovely place for a good scene." Eglantine smiled down at the table. "He also said that while spending more time with the boys is good, I can't neglect my friends or my work. That having outside interests makes one a better parent."

"Precisely. It isn't as if you shunt them off to Nanny and only see them an hour at teatime or leave all the hard bits to Nanny and Nurse. But you have to be able to work, as well."

"Nanny was very firm that we hired her on because she's a professional and can start the boys on their educational path. And that working parents need help, and also could we please keep my mother out of the nursery? We may have to ban her from the house altogether and won't that be a merry to-do?" Eglantine sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep ranting about Mother."

"She's just so rantable, dearest. One day, when she and your Aunt Eulalia are no longer with us, you're going to write a best-seller about your family."

Eglantine snorted. "Dad would buy innumerable copies and hand them out to everyone. He loves her, but…"

"Yes. But. Now, I asked you to come before everyone else for a reason, and I think we could both use a bit of a palate-cleanser after your mother." Dunwoodie refilled their teacups.

"Oooh, you have the best gossip, darling. You hear simply everything here." Eglantine settled into her chair.

"Guess who was in here Saturday afternoon?" Dunwoodie started.

"Oh, who? Don't make me guess, darling. I've used all my brain and borrowed some from Hal today. I'm working on some very dodgy credit."

"Alright, you goose. It was Professor Snape, and he wasn't alone."

Her tone had Eglantine gasping. "Oh, really?"

"He's bonded. Well, he was, just that morning at Gringotts."

"Ooooooh. Who?"

"The new head of the Slytherin family. He had the signet and the bonding bands. Didn't get his name, though. I expect it'll be in the papers in the next few days."

"No!" Eglantine fairly squeaked in delight. "Oh, this is too utterly wonderful. What was he like?"

"He seemed…normal? Protective. I think he might get called domineering and overbearing with some regularity, to be perfectly honest. Professor Snape was in a right state when they came in, like he was that one Potions lesson. Do you know…sometimes…it was like they were meant to be together, dearest. Like you and Hal. They were just right together. And he has a face like one of those collar advertisements. Handsome as anything, and there I was looking like a hazel angora rabbit."

Eglantine's mouth twitched. "You don't remind one that much of a fluffy bunny in your girly things. And certainly not now, darling."

"I, er, overreacted a titch when they came in." Dunwoodie bit her lip. "Held him at wand point until he showed the bands and his signet."

Eglantine snorted. "Well of course you did. It was Professor Snape. But darling, this is too blessedly funny. It would make a wonderful book. The schoolmaster plucked from his everyday life and hurtled into Society. Mmm…domineering husband…oooh, perfect aristocrat…he doesn't need to be taken to the shops…not with Mrs. Malfoy's influence, but…I wonder if Professor Snape will have a Moment of Triumph?"

"You are not using this in your work." Dunwoodie managed to sound stern for a moment. "And Professor Snape's moment of triumph would be making Dowager Prewett laugh inappropriately at a presentation."

"He would, wouldn't he?" Eglantine had that far away look her friends recognized as 'author at work'.

"He got such a ticking off from her at one of the last presentations because he spent the night trying to make either Professor McGonagall or Mrs. Malfoy lose their composure." Dunwoodie confided, mostly to get Eglantine's brain off the writerly track.

"Someone…well, no, she might actually be more frightening than Professor Snape."

"I was standing by the tea table thinking cook-like thoughts, so they didn't even notice me. She told him that he could stop being a towering brat and that he was going to sit by her until the Malfoys took him home because she couldn't trust him to behave otherwise. To his credit, he really did his best to amuse her after that."

"She called Professor Snape a…no. I won't believe it. She couldn't! She didn't! Not Professor Snape!"

"She did. She is ancient. I suppose we all must seem like children. I rather saw her point, though. We never saw it at school because he'd rather remove his own liver than be a bad influence on us, but I think his natural inclination is to tease a bit, push the boundaries. He's really not that much older than we are. What…seven years? Same as Eccles, really."

"Well, it is pleasant sometimes when your partner takes a firm line on pushing boundaries." Eglantine waggled her eyebrows. "Hal's dreadfully good at firm."

"Eg-lan-tine! What have you been getting up to?" Dunwoodie couldn't help the scandalized question. Usually, she tried to ignore Eglantine's more outrageous moments.

Eglantine just grinned wickedly. "You know, I learned so much about myself on the trip backafter we married. So…educational."

"You really are a horror, you know." Dunwoodie chuckled.

"Yes, I've rather a lot of practice." She snickered. "But…once he'd come back, Professor Snape, that is…he was taken care of?"

"Oh, yes. I think it might be good for him. He needs to be looked after, I think. He's got dreadfully thin."

"Has he? I used to think he toyed with his food more than ate it, you know? Nerves. But with all the layers it's so hard to see. And even I wasn't impertinent enough to ask. He made such a difference for us, though, those last few years. I don't think anyone's ever done the same for him. And…you're certain sure this one is a good one?"

"Yes." Dunwoodie answered firmly. "He reminded me of Hal. And Professor Snape reminded me of you after you'd found Hal. You used to go around, well, cranked right up, and no wonder with your mother. I think Professor Snape is more like you than not, dearest, only he internalizes everything. Funny how we never noticed."

"That would explain why he always knew exactly what I was up to." Eglantine sighed. "Couldn't get anything over on that man. And children are self-centered as gyroscopes, by and large, even mine."

"You still can't get anything past him." Dunwoodie grinned at her. "I asked everyone to come out tonight because I didn't want them surprised, as much as possible. I just wanted a good confab with you, first."

"We're definitely having more parties. I mean it, darling. We don't see near enough of each other. And we are going to make a standing date, whenever is most convenient to you. I won't fall out of touch with all my friends, and especially not you. Eglantines have got to stick together."

"Speaking of sticking, dearest, how's young Teddie?"

"Edwina is…coping. The collective family name took rather a hard knock with Mother's reaction to…well, me taking a powder. And then when I came back married…and started writing plays and things…what a frightful time. Poor girl is finding it a bit hard in Slytherin. Aunt Eulalia siding with mother didn't help. They've both lost their vouchers. Dowager Prewett apparently thought them giving me The Cut was beyond acceptable. Mother's tried to make nice again, though, in her own way. I just feel so for poor Teddie. She doesn't deserve to be a scapegoat."

"I can have a word with my cousins in Ravenclaw. She's a bright girl; they should be able to do something for her. It's certainly been long enough."

"You'd think people would forget, but not Slytherin. Not when it comes to committing Social Crimes. I've been trying to take her about with me as much as possible, since Uncle Wallace put his foot down. He and Dad have been the saving graces, really."

"Well, we'll do what we can. Some of my cousins are friends with some of the current crop of Morningsides. I'll see if they'll have a word. She won't be lonely forever."

"Thank you. If I knew five years ago…"

"We would still have put you on that steamer, dearest, if we had to drug you. You needed to get away. And you met Hal, who really is the nicest man I know."

"He is, isn't he." Eglantine went a bit pink.

"And how are Eurydice and Ecclesiastes?" The glint in her eye had Eglantine sniggering.

"Dicey's just fine. She's at Oxford and she's beating the pants off everyone in terms of scholarship. Poor old Eccles, though, she really can't help it. And we shouldn't call her that, but honestly, if you're going to proselytize…and your own family at that!"

"She sent me a Bible. With all the bits she found important highlighted."

"She didn't! Oh, you know I don't mind anyone being a Christian or anything, plenty of them are the loveliest people, but it seems like she's doing it just to be a trial. She does have to live with Mother, though, which I imagine is a complete misery, and Mother keeps saying how it's so unfortunate Poor Ethel is On The Shelf. What can you expect with a personality like a wet Monday?"

"Is she still, er, doing Good Works for the Unfortunate?" A rather unsteady voice betrayed Dunwoodie.

"I shall never live that down. Mrs. Weasley, thankfully, has a sense of humor. She collared me at the Simcox's tea, you know, and was just so delightful. She completely understood that you can't choose your blood relations. Eccles is moving into absolutely potty territory, I'm afraid. She wanted to wear the most ghastly frock to my parents' anniversary party. This…shapeless sack in the most putrid shade of mauve. It wasn't even nice shapeless, like one of those artistic dresses or the nineteen-twenties. She had a whole speech about modesty and not causing your brothers in Christ to stumble all while staring at my red velvet which was a bit décolleté. But in a tasteful way because it was a formal affair. Dad told her any stumbling wasn't her problem and she was to go change her dress immediately. She still wore something appalling but it wasn't actively embarrassing, at least."

Dunwoodie could barely speak for mirth by the end of it. "I really oughtn't laugh." She gasped.

"Someone should get some enjoyment out of this. Merlin knows Eccles isn't!" And Eglantine dissolved into giggles herself.

"Does she enjoy anything?" Dunwoodie managed after a few moments.

"Honestly, I think she adores her own misery. She's addicted to piousness." Eglantine sighed deeply. "Thank you, darling. You've been an absolute pillar, you know." She managed to pull herself together enough to clasp Dunwoodie's hand. "I think I hear—"

The bell tinkled over the door and Dunwoodie squeezed Eglantine's hand.

"Thank you, dearest. I couldn't ask for a better friend." She spoke quietly before moving to greet the rest of her guests. The 1983 and 1984 seventh year Slytherins (or at least cohorts of each) had rather banded together in the last several years.

"Neither could I." Eglantine said on a sigh and stood to help. Sometimes she really missed those last years at Hogwarts.

-------------

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I asked you to come out on a night I've been assured is perfectly foul." Dunwoodie did such an excellent imitation of Eglantine's italics that everyone snickered.

"It is, and you know it." Eglantine laughed.

"I have news that I'm certain you'll want to hear."

"Doc is joining the landlubbers again?" Maurice called out from where he lounged by the fire.

"Not on your life." Doc laughed at him. "I'll be buried at sea, my good fellow."

"Suhani's back?" Niniane asked hopefully.

"This next summer, I think." Maurice said. "She's nearly done with her course."

"Balls!" Niniane muttered. "Is there going to be another baby, then?"

"In the next twenty-four hours, if all goes well." A tall man answered as he slipped into the shop. "Annabeth is in labor. She was cursing the baby's timing when I left."

"Derry, you left?" Gwendolyn gave him A Look. As she was a librarian, it was an effective Look.

"She told me to go! In any case, Howard is with her and she told me she certainly didn't need an audience. I waited until her healer got there and then she shoved me out." Howard defended himself. "I promised to bring the news back, though."

"Be serious!" Dunwoodie scolded. "Although I'm sure Nory is already planning the welcome baby party. Professor Snape is bonded. He was in here right after. I didn't want anyone to be surprised and, well, we need to come up with a present."

The sensation was magnificent.

#hp society/the ton #hp the season au #hp the season/the ton au #long ago and far away #we meet the adult versions of some of our 1983 and 1984 Slytherins #eglantine dunwoodie and eglantine carruthers tirn back into teenagers when they spend enough time with each other

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