#that you mustn’t understand what it’s like to not want to be a parent or feel great around kids

[fiapple]

I really enjoyed your tags on that bluey post btw.

oh, thanks anon! that’s very nice of you!

&, yeah, i feel like one of the really under-discussed parts of this conversation as a whole is how the way some people act about kids’ media is reflective of a really horrible view of children as a social class, which i think is where all the pent-up word vomit came from.

on this site especially, some people will repeatedly parrot to listen when media is not for you, and to understand that not everything is made for you to relate to, or with your consumptive needs in mind… and yet as soon as it could be applied to a group they are not personally in, that attitude gets thrown out the window. and one of the many places we see this sort of behaviour is with media made for children.

&, i don’t know, i just think the attempt at excluding children from their own audience spaces overall subtlety plays into the view that children don’t deserve to be seen as people, or deserve to be seen as anything beyond their most basic needs, until they suddenly reach adulthood. and that isn’t really mentioned enough in the context of this conversation.

consistently we see this idea that what children feel or think about media intended for them does not matter because they are not adults, therefore they’re somehow incapable of fully formed wants? or social or intellectual needs? and it’s just really, really inconsiderate overall. just because they may need more simplistic themes or symbolism in order to be able to understand (due to having less life experience & therefore less knowledge to use as a fucking point of reference, not being stupid or less than) does not mean they don’t deserve spaces where struggles they, as children, will relate to are safely explored through art.

i just think it’s really sad.

#asks #for the record i never plan on being a parent #i just think you should be decent about kids #like i am someone who gets very nervous and very uncomfortable around especially small children #it’s a lot of responsibility and also sometimes they get messy because they are a baby & that can be. yucky. #but like. that’s still a baby. i don’t hate them for that. #some people on here really choose to beef with like 8 year olds over less than that. #you aren’t even throwing a tantrum about having to watch a kid you’re throwing a tantrum over a kid wanting to watch fucking cartoons! #idk the whole thing is just ridiculous and i get really annoyed by the counter argument being #that you mustn’t understand what it’s like to not want to be a parent or feel great around kids #when i and plenty of fucking other people very much fucking do & can still be fucking half decent human beings about it #anti child sentiment is just unresolved emotional issues for the most part but that don’t make it less annoying #sorry for rambling again by the way

[ashesandhackles]

Precision in Grief and Rage

I wanted to talk about the shift in Harry's internal voice from Order of Phoenix to Half Blood Prince, and how his grief, guilt and immense self-loathing for his part in events around Sirius' death informs it. At the end of Order of Phoenix, Harry is a mess - of incoherent, unfocused grief, where he wishes he never wished more that he was anybody else:

“Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human — ”

"I DON'T WANT TO BE HUMAN!” Harry roared, and he seized one of the delicate silver instruments from the spindle-legged table beside him and flung it across the room.

The scene at Dumbledore's office is rife with how much he blames himself for his godfather's death. After one cathartic scene at the office, Harry spends the next year avoiding any and all mention of Sirius (he wolfs down his breakfast when Ron and Hermione bring him up) and suppresses his grief and rage surrounding the events of OOTP- unless he is sure that the person he is speaking to understands the weight of Sirius' loss: he hopes Remus would write to him, he mentions Sirius voluntarily to Tonks (under the impression that she is grieving him), and talks about him to Buckbeak ("Missing him? But you're okay with Hagrid, aren't you?"). His grief and rage manifests in precise, focused rage in this chilling Harry scenes:

Thank you!” said Mundungus, snatching the goblet out of Ron’s hand and stuffing it back into the case. “Well, I’ll see you all — OUCH!”

Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand.

“Harry!” squealed Hermione.

Why do I call it a focused, precise rage? Mostly, because unlike the other times Harry is provoked with perceived disrespect to a dead parent, Harry has not forgotten his wand. (Cue the scene in OOTP that he is so angry he just beats up Malfoy with his fists). What Harry has done is not just grab him by the throat, he makes sure Mundungus (who is shorter than him) is nose to nose with him and then threatens him with a wand. (btw, a note from my reread: younger Harry attacks people bigger than him by grabbing their throats too - Vernon to get his letter, the troll etc etc. It seems to be something he had picked up from Vernon. We see Vernon grabbing him by throat in opening chapters of OOTP)

“You took that from Sirius’s house,” said Harry, who was almost nose to nose with Mundungus and was breathing in an unpleasant smell of old tobacco and spirits. “That had the Black family crest on it.”

“I — no — what — ?” spluttered Mundungus, who was slowly turning purple.

“Give it to me!”

“Harry, you mustn’t!” shrieked Hermione, as Mundungus started to turn blue.

There was a bang, and Harry felt his hands fly off Mundungus’s throat. Gasping and spluttering, Mundungus seized his fallen case, then — CRACK — he Disapparated.

And Tonks has to throw Harry magically off Mundungus.

Harry swore at the top of his voice, spinning on the spot to see where Mundungus had gone.

And he doesn't stop until Tonks magically throws him off Mundungus. It is not a coincidence that we see Harry's darker and more chilling traits in a book where he is heavily paralleled with Tom Riddle. The parallel is explicit in the scene where he uses his mother's death to guilt Slughorn into giving him the memory. But here is a tiny mention of how Tom Riddle reacts to perceived disrespect to an heirloom from his parent:

“That’s right!” said Hepzibah, delighted, apparently, at the sight of Voldemort gazing at her locket, transfixed. “I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn’t let it pass, not a real treasure like that, had to have it for my collection. Burke bought it, apparently, from a ragged-looking woman who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value — ”

There was no mistaking it this time: Voldemort’s eyes flashed scarlet at the words, and Harry saw his knuckles whiten on the locket’s chain.

Quite telling to me that Harry specifically notices how Voldemort's knuckles whiten around the locket, after Hepzibah pretty much talks about how Merope was essentially robbed. Harry understands.

When Harry had finished speaking, Ron shook his head.

“You really understand him.”

“Bits of him,” said Harry.

#harry james potter #half blood prince #sirius black #tom riddle

[hauntingcryptids]

Speaking Up For Your Needs

Capaldi!Doctor x Reader

Summary - The Reader is having a bad day where they are feeling incredibly touch starved, but then The Doctor decides to teach The Reader how to fly The TARDIS.

Based On This Request -

Warnings - Themes of depression and loneliness

Word Count - 1510

A/n - Gender Neutral Reader. I had a second idea from this request. So, I just wanted to post it because I thought it was cute!

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

Your body hurt and your skin felt like it was burning. You desperately wanted to reach out and hold someone’s hand, hug them, and rest against their shoulder after a tough day, but you could never bring yourself to ask for that kind of comfort. This happened a lot in your life; you remember feeling this way since you were a child. Whenever you had gone months without touch you would become like this. Just a mix of want and anxiety.

Your parents had instilled a toxic ideology in you from a young age: overly touchy people are annoying, and you mustn’t trouble people with physical affection. Even when you grew up and left your parent’s home, you never braved showing physical affection to your friends or partners. You were too scared of scaring them away because of everything your parents had told you. But it seemed that the more reserved you stayed in those relationships, the more they pulled away from you. And after a while, you would end up alone again.

You began travelling with The Doctor almost a year ago. He had asked you to travel with him after months of the two of you accidentally meeting in random places. The Doctor had said at the time that the main reason as to why he asked you to travel with him was because he could sense that you were lonely. You didn’t understand what he meant by that until now. You were in so much denial about how lonely and touch-starved you were. Now, though, you understood. You wanted to reach out to The Doctor about your needs, but you didn’t know how. 

You had seen how The Doctor interacted on adventures after saving people. Some would offer him handshakes and pats on the back and hugs, and he would either skirt away from them or his body would tense uncomfortably. You never wanted to make him feel that way. But he offered you so much emotional, financial, and just general support in so many ways, yet all you needed right now was a hug. Because of all the help he offered you in other ways, would The Doctor actually be willing to show you physical affection?

Today was a quiet day in the TARDIS. That almost made what you were feeling worse. On loud days, you could ignore your needs and just focus on the adventure and helping people that were in trouble.

“Now, given that you have been in the TARDIS for a while…” The Doctor announced as soon as he entered The TARDIS console with a couple of books in his arms. He had asked you to meet him there once you were ready for the day.

“I think that you should learn how to fly her.”

“What?!” You jumped up from your seat in shock.

“I’m not ready for that, Doctor!”

“Of course you are. Aren’t they, old girl?” The Doctor patted the console of the ship after setting the books down. The TARDIS then beeped reassuringly in agreement with The Doctor’s comment.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt her or get the two of us into some sort of trouble.”

“Don’t worry. I will be here to guide you and The TARDIS will put extra protections on everything so we don’t punch a hole in the fabric of reality.”

“Can that happen?” You asked frantically as a new wave of panic rushed through you.

“No! Just joking around with you.” You nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, but then when you looked at The Doctor again, he was grinning like a maniac.

“Are you lying?”

“Of course!”

“Doctor!”

“Just come on, come on, come on! You’re ready and you know it!” The Doctor made a rapid circular hand movement in the air before he pulled you toward The TARDIS console. You ended up slumping beside him as he began to describe the functions of his ship.

The Doctor first explained every button and lever and random alien spinning device before you. He was being incredibly considerate in helping you understand something so incredibly inhuman, which surprised you. The Doctor, especially in this regeneration, didn’t have the most patient attitude.

You did well in remembering all of the parts of the console, but actually flying the time and space machine proved to be very difficult for you. Again, though, The Doctor was very encouraging, but nothing you tried led you to successfully flying The TARDIS.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” You ended up whining after another failed try at piloting the alien ship.

“Yes, you can! You just got to give it some welly!” 

The Doctor, almost out of nowhere, moved behind you and placed his hands on the console on either side of you. You instantly froze. The Doctor was still talking, encouraging you about your abilities and reminding you of some of the buttons and levers. You could barely concentrate, though. You could feel the heat of The Doctor’s body radiating off of him and into your back. He was so close to holding you that you almost couldn’t believe that this was really happening. Eventually, you had to take a deep breath in order to contain yourself from developing into a full daydream.

The Doctor stayed behind you and muttered encouraging statements as you attempted to pilot his ship again. It was difficult, of course, but you felt different this time. For some reason, with The Doctor so close to you and his words in your ear, you finally managed to fly The TARDIS.

“I did it!” You exclaimed excitedly.

“Of course you did! I knew that you could.”

You sighed and tried to release some of the tension that had built up in your body since The Doctor surrounded you with his body. You could hear that The Doctor was continuing to congratulate you, but you didn’t know how to respond to his comments, so you just hid your head and nodded. 

Tentatively, The Doctor placed his hands on your upper arms and sighed heavily in thought before speaking. You froze again upon feeling The Doctor’s boney yet firm hands on your body. You didn’t know what to think of everything that occurred that morning. But eventually, The Doctor spoke and did his best to relieve any anxiety that you might have.

“I know that you're lonely. I told you so when I first invited you to travel with me …” The Doctor paused before continuing.

“I’m lonely, too, sometimes. But I have been a lot less lonely since beginning to travel with you.” The Doctor paused again. You felt your eyes begin to water, but you refused to let yourself cry.

“Our situations are very different, but you don't have to completely close yourself off to me. I want to be here for you, however you need me.” 

You fell back into The Doctor’s chest, and he instantly wrapped his arms around your torso and rested his head against yours. It felt so nice to be held again like everything was right in the Universe. Your skin felt cool, and your body relaxed, the opposite of how your felt earlier. You now had to intensely fight to hold back tears as you felt your body finally fully relax within the strong arms of The Doctor.

“Every person has boundaries. It would be unsafe if you were to not have them. But please don’t think that you are upsetting me by speaking up about your needs. Okay?” You nodded into The Doctor’s shoulder and uttered a content ‘I understand’ which was muffled by The Doctor’s coat. Sometime during your time being held by The Doctor, you had turned in his arms. You didn’t remember doing this until much later, but you were surprised, despite what he stated, that he stayed like this with you. 

The Doctor ended up swaying back and forth for a bit with you in his arms, but as The Doctor usually does, he got bored very quickly. 

“You know … There is a planet where instead of handshakes, it’s mannerly for the people to introduce themselves with long hugs. Also, they have multiple interactive cuddle amusement parks and resorts. If you would like to go there with me?”

“You’re getting bored just standing around, aren’t you?” You joke into The Doctor’s jacket.

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise. I’d love to go to that planet with you, Doctor. But will you cuddle me while we read together sometimes?” You asked as you slightly pulled away from the Time Lord. The Doctor still kept his arms around you tightly, not allowing you to move too far away from his chest.

“I’ll do it all the time, Y/n. But let’s go to that cuddle planet!” The Doctor kissed your forehead before taking one of your hands and spinning you around a couple of times. He then jumped around the console in order to pilot the two of you to the cuddle planet, where you spent the rest of the day together.

#ghost's posts #my writing #fanfiction #x reader #doctor who #doctor who x reader #the doctor #the doctor x reader #capaldi!doctor #capaldi!doctor x reader #12th doctor #12th doctor x reader #twelfth doctor #twelfth doctor x reader

[dyns33]

The God of Nightmares

A little Dark Morpheus x Reader. Not proud of this one, but still posting it. 

Her parents had never been very clear about why Y/N couldn't go out.

Yes, they had told her about the "monster", the God of dreams, with whom they had had a "problem", and who wanted to kill them all and take her, but it wasn't really very clear at the end.

When she was a child, she hadn't asked questions.

Y/N had seen the tall, dark figure through the windows, she had heard the whispers in the dark, she had had strange dreams, and it had all scared her.

There had been the time when she had been sleepwalking, approaching the front door, and it was her father who had grabbed her before she opened it. Since that incident, they locked her in her bedroom when she was going to sleep.

It wasn't easy for her, being locked in the house all day, and in her bedroom at night.

But it was for her own good, the good of the family, the good of the whole world.

When she was ten years old, her mother had taken her hands and tried to be a little clearer about their situation. Especially because Y/N kept having a lot of questions, not understanding why she was the only one who wasn't allowed to go outside.

           "A long time ago, your grandfather's grandfather made a mistake. He met the master of nightmares who ordered him to give him the first daughter born in the family, otherwise the whole universe would fall in a eternal sleep. Frightened, the man accepted, but only had boys, who in turn only had boys, and that until you were born. But it had been centuries, and we didn't want to lose you, so we asked a powerful witch for help. The house is protected, and he can't come in without permission. As you can imagine, it didn't please the King of Dreams, who swore to kill us all as soon as he gets you. Then you mustn't go out, ever."

           "... But he could hurt you too when you go outside."

           "No, he's not allowed to. He needs to have you first."

           "I don't understand anything. And I thought I had no right to imagine things."

           "Indeed, why do you say… Oh, yes, I told you to imagine. Forgive me dear, you're right."

           "He and I are not allowed to do many things. But why did he ask my grandfather's grandfather for his daughter ?"

           "It's late, you should go to sleep. Dreamless sleep, promise me."

Y/N didn't answer, just going to her room, followed by her parents who locked the door as soon as she was inside.

It was all really unclear, and the few dreams she had weren't helping. Because even if the figure in the street was frightening, surrounded by ravens and his shining eyes staring at the house, there was nothing terrifying in hers dreams.

This rarely happened, no doubt because of the protection of the witch, and the prohibition of her parents to develop her imagination, but it happened that Y/N heard stories, stole a book, hid behind the sofa to listen the television, and then she couldn't help dreaming of another life, outside, where she would be free and happy.

This was what she continued to dream of during the night, finding herself near a lake, or in a garden, near a huge palace, where several creatures greeted her with a friendly smile, saying that they were glad to meet her.

Y/N did not see the King of Dreams for several years however, not until she became an adult. He had left her with calm and peaceful nights, only showing up at the door of her house. But he seemed to be losing patience after all this time.

           "My love, why do you let them treat you like this ?" he asked her one night, meeting her in a wonderful forest.

           "You. Don't come any closer !"

           "You can run but it would be useless, we are in my kingdom and I will find you everywhere. I am not trying to scare you though. I just want to talk to you."

           "You want to take me and kill my parents."

           "Oh, I certainly don't have any affection for your family after what they did to me, but if you ask me, I won't kill them."

           "... Really ?"

           "Really, my love. They have a debt to pay, and the rules are the rules. I can't leave until this story is over, and it won't be over until you let me in."

           "Why are you calling me that ?"

The Master of nightmares didn't answer her, just smiling at her, a sweet and sincere smile.

The next day, Y/N dared to ask her parents if there was a way to convince the terrible God to spare them. Maybe he would listen and be lenient. He could probably understand that people who hadn't asked for anything didn't want to abandon their daughter.

The question enraged them, her mother asking her if she had lost her mind, while her father grabbed her to shake her, yelling at her not to think such things, before ordering her to go to her room, where she was locked up all day.

Her only companion was a little raven who stayed at the window as she cried, but unable to get in, since she couldn't open it either.

There was another dream, during which the king asked her again why she let her family treat her so cruelly.

           "They cut you off from the dream world, my love, but they also cut you off from the waking world. It's not healthy, it's not normal. I see how unhappy you are. I regret having you put in such a situation. My brother had sworn to me that if I asked a companion to the man who offered me a pact, I would be happy, but he seems to have been wrong, for the first time."

           "The man who offered you a pact ?"

           "Don't you know, my love ? Of course not. They lied about that too, so you would distrust me. I can imagine what they told you. One of your ancestors found me when I was in a delicate situation, and he offered to help me. In exchange for his help, I offered him good luck. But he asked for more, he wanted the certainty that he and his descendants would lack for nothing, so in exchange for my favours and my protection, I asked for the hand of the first daughter of his family. When I had my betrothed, my benefits would no longer be assured, although they would continue to be lucky. He agreed on the terms, but the day you were born, your parents thought they didn't want to lose everything, so they locked you away from me. I now want to take you, make you my queen, but also to punish them, for not having respected our pact, but especially for all that they did to you."

Not knowing if she could believe him, Y/N asked him to leave her alone, which he did, bowing to her.

For several nights, she had no dreams, until she called him. Then the king of dreams ran to her, smiling enchantingly, and answering all her questions without the slightest embarrassment.

No, the world had nothing to fear from him. No, they wouldn't kill her parents if that was her wish. No, he wouldn't force her to stay with him if she preferred to leave, he just wanted her to be free, and to be able to see her sing, dance and smile in the middle of a meadow, lit by the sun.

And he was not a God. He was an Endless, Dream of the Endless. Morpheus.

Again, there remained the possibility that he was a liar. Her parents had always told her that he was a liar, that he was dangerous, and that he would do anything to get her out or let him in.

But from the beginning he had been the only one to treat her with respect and kindness. To worry about her happiness, to ask her what she wanted, to say that this situation was not normal.

The only one who apologized.

Y/N therefore found the courage to talk to her family again, in order to find a suitable solution.

           "I think it would be really possible to talk to him, and in exchange he won't hurt anyone."

           "You still say stupid things." growled her father.

           "No. Morpheus may not be as monstrous as you think, he'll let you go, he'll even let me go, this can all have a good ending, we can all..."

           "How... How did you call him ?" her mother asked in a shaky voice. "You talked to him. You listened to him. You let him hex you, and now you want to kill us all ! Do you think he'll leave us ?! Either you're crazy or you're stupid !"

           "We won't let you ruin everything ! You won't come out, you hear ?! You won't come out, even if we have to force you to."

Frightened by her parents' fury, Y/N took refuge in the cellar, in a dark corner where no one could find her. There, she had some time to think.

There had been something in her father's and mother's eyes, something dangerous, dark, and she had understood that they weren't necessarily talking about locking her in her room again to prevent her from going out.

If she died, they wouldn't have a problem.

A part of her refused to believe that they could commit such a crime, and yet they had lied to her since birth, only to keep the blessings Morpheus had granted them. Even though he had agreed to give them a little luck, which would be enough to have a good life.

She had to get out of this house, quickly.

Making as little noise as possible, she went back into the kitchen, hearing her parents who were still looking for her upstairs, and she slipped to the front door. The key had been left on a piece of furniture, no one imagining that she would think to open it, and no one fearing that the Master of dreams could enter, thanks to the magical protection.

As soon as the door was opened, Y/N found herself face to face with Morpheus, who seemed to know perfectly well what had happened.

           "Will you let me in to punish them ? Or do you still wish to spare them, just to come with me ?"

           "I... I don't know."

           "Matthew saw everything. He heard them, plotting against you, talking about hiding your body. Let me in, my love. Even if I don't kill them, I have to punish them for what they did."

           "Who is Matthew ?"

           "My raven. He always stayed close, to tell me if you were safe."

           "I don't care what you do, but I would love a hug."

Morpheus only had to take a step and open his cloak that contained the universe to take her in his arms. It was the first time someone had hugged her, and Y/N closed her eyes, hugging him back, as her parents arrived, screaming in terror at the sight of the scene.

They screamed again, as Morpheus waved a hand in their direction, but Y/N paid no attention, feeling at last where she belonged, surrounded by love and warmth. A kiss placed on her forehead, she then found herself in front of a castle, where several creatures greeted her as their queen.

           "I'm dreaming ?" she asked shyly.

           "Yes and no, my love. You are in my kingdom. Our kingdom. Come."

           "I thought I could go and be free if I asked to ?"

           "Come." he repeated simply taking her hand, leading her to the throne.

And then Y/N wondered if she was dreaming, or if she was having a nightmare.

#sandman #the sandman #morpheus #morpheus x reader #dream of the endless #dream of the endless x reader #dream of the endless imagine

[sneverussape]

snapetober 2022 - hidden injury

—

“is he dead?”

“for merlin’s sake…draco! you mustn’t touch him! he might be cursed!”

“professor!”

“first diggory, then potter, and now professor snape—!”

“parkinson, stop crying this instant, you’ll bring the bloody baron round!”

“he’s breathing, isn’t he? oh circe, oh merlin, mordred, and morgana…”

“it must be some sort of hidden injury…i saw him stumbling on the way back from the forest.…”

“you don’t think it’s—mummy wrote me yesterday that…you know…it was tonight.”

“you mean…”

“but why would the Dark Lord want to hurt him? he’s one of us! it doesn’t make sense!”

“pansy, you great bloody cow, keep your voice down!”

“but he…if the Dark Lord came back like potter said…and i know my parents had written about…well. something hinting at it. why would he…why would he hurt professor snape? what about…what about our parents?”

“…”

“…you lot, shut it. i’m trying to listen to professor snape’s breathing.”

“it’s the cruciatus, i’m sure of it. see how he’s shaking?”

“there’s no cure for the cruciatus!”

“i know, nott, shut up. listen, we’ll bring him to his office to lie down properly, and wexler and i will keep an eye on him until the breakfast bell. if it gets worse, i’ll send for pomfrey.”

“leggy, you couldn’t!”

“she’s a slytherin! of all people she’d be the most help, and she can keep our secrets far better than the old coot of a headmaster…here, malfoy, give the professor some room, will you? wipe his face…good man.”

“i could have sent for the elves at the manor…to help…but…”

“no, if the Dark Lord did this…it’s not safe. just make sure the professor’s warm. we’ll move him in a bit.”

“leggy, you really think…do you think…”

“shut it. never breathe a word of it outside of this room, any of you, you hear? for now, we will watch and listen. if the Dark Lord is back, and is responsible for this…one thing’s for sure…we take care of our own, understand? within hogwarts.”

“including professor snape.”

“especially professor snape.”

“enough now, leggy. zabini, shuffle over here and give us a hand. steady the professor while i levitate him. malfoy, scoot over. who was the swot that keeps breaking the wards on the professor’s office?”

“i did. just yesterday. it was pretty difficult that time. the professor was pleased, i think.”

“walk ahead of us and get it ready. mind your wand movements, hear?”

“i’m not a bloody first year, wexler. i heard you spent a month in the infirmary when you first tried to break the wards.”

“better you than me. now get a move on. i don’t want to use too much magic on the professor while he’s still…unwell.”

“malf—you aren’t coming to stay up with us. you’re a bloody fourth year. the professor will have our heads!”

“i don’t care, i’m coming. he’s my godfather. he wouldn’t dare fail me in potions for this.”

“no but he’ll give you detention for skipping curfew intentionally. you lot should have been in bed hours ago.”

“just walk, leggy, so we can set the professor down and let him rest. he can yell at me when he wakes…and i hope it’ll be soon.”

“on your own head be it— oh, merlin. greengrass you did not just melt his office door.”

“we’ll you did tell me to get it open.”

“the rest of you lot get back to bed before i assign you all detention with trelawney and hagrid. we’ll let you know how the professor is later. and none of you better be late for breakfast because of this or i’m assigning you all additional latin translations.”

#snapetober 2022 #snapetober2022 #my art #my fic #snape #hp #godbrat!draco #au #idk what this is it suddenly became un-angst the minute the kids all started speaking lol #and yea it takes place within the slytherin common room #anyway it’s an au because the kids start getting suspicious of voldys intentions from the get go #this was the moment the scales fell from their eyes #and they start questioning voldys motives (in secret) #wexler and leggy are seventh years #lol those names just came to me

[theramblingsofadork]

None of the boys on the Starpoint Squad have a professional background in engineering or chemistry, so when Starline tells them not to eat in the lab or while constructing the robot, they don’t take him very seriously.

This results in him flipping his lid (reasonably so) when he finds them doing just that, despite his warnings.

They do meekly apologize when they learn there is actually a real, scientific reasoning behind his words, and it's not just because he's being a stick in the mud.

Goes to show, Starline’s not the only one to get a slice of humble pie during the competition! XD

Accompanying fanfic below the cut!

vvvvvv

📘📙 Fanfic: A Slice of Humble Pie

Accompanying Music Track: World Trigger - 12/30

Starline stopped dead in his tracks the moment he stepped into the room. The platypus’ eyes widened when he saw Charge, Hex, and Lug standing around a table in the center.

Munching on cookies and cinnamon covered churros as they worked on the robot’s response system to Cello’s chemical mix.

Rivet immediately saw the problem too and clicked her tongue, green eyes shifting to the doctor besides her as his fists tightened at his sides. “Oh boy...” She managed to get out before Starline’s patience utterly cracked.

“GENTLEMEN!!” He exploded at the group, all of whom immediately looked up and froze like they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. (Ironic, because of what they were snacking on.) “WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT EATING AROUND THE EQUIPMENT?!”

The three stared at him blankly before Hex slowly crunched down on the cookie still in his mouth to reply, “Um… not to do it?” He squeaked.

“And yet, here you are, going against my very clear instructions and making an absolute mess!” Starline exclaimed angrily before he stomped over to them with balled fists. “Did it not occur to you—“ He yoinked the cookies away from Charge. “—That I had a very good reason—“ He plucked away Hex’s next. “—For telling you all not to eat in here?!”

He reached to grab the churro away from Lug, but the bulldog knit his brows together and quickly held it up out of Starline’s reach in defiance. The platypus merely gave him an unamused deadpan before a portal activated over his head, allowing Starline to easily take it from him.

The bulldog sputtered at his now empty hand and at being outsmarted, before growling deeply as the doctor continued by without so much as a second glance. “Grrrh… Well MAYBE we just thought you were being a big ole, grumpy stickler! I paid for that, you know!!”

“Well then, maybe next time, you’ll heed my words,” Starline stated with an over the shoulder frown as he crossed over to the nearest trash can to dump the confiscated goods into it.

“I don’t get what the big deal is, doc,” Charge said as he frowned and rested on his elbow on the counter.

“Clearly.” The platypus’s tone was practically dripping with sarcasm.

“…I mean, I get the whole liquids thing for obvious reasons, but is food really THAT much of a problem?”

“Yes, it is. And quite frankly, I’m surprised I even have to be saying that!” Starline exclaimed before the bag of cookies made a particularly loud ‘cur-chunk!’ as it hit the bottom of the cylinder.

Starline then spun to face them again, crossing his arms like a disappointed parent. “I understand that none of you have ever had formal training in a professional setting like this… but even so! I expected you to have SOME common sense!“

“Hey! You calling us dumb or something?!” Lug complained as he leaned atop the counter.

Starline sighed dramatically and pushed his fingers into his ivory bangs. “Your words, not mine, Lug.”

“HUHHH??”

“Regardless! Since it seems that merely believing the words of a professional isn’t enough for you, I suppose I have no other choice than to make it perfectly clear why we mustn’t eat in here.”

Gazing out to the annoyed faces watching him, Starline began to explain. “Contrary to what you all might think of me, I tell you this NOT because I am a stickler and want you all to starve. But rather because ingesting food or drink in a setting like this poses a very real and very dangerous health hazard! Not to mention it could potentially mess with the reliability of our tech!”

“‘Health hazard?’ ‘Mess up reliability?’” Lug squinted suspiciously, not buying a word of it. “How?”

Starline motioned to Charge, whose ears pointed straight up at being singled out. “For example: Charge is currently handling the concoction Cello made, testing if the fluid is potent enough for what we need to operate the hydraulics system, is that correct?”

Charge nodded and picked up the capped glass container with the glowing blue liquid inside. “Yeah. Cello wasn't sure how concentrated it needed to be, so I’m adding it little by little to get the proper dosage. But I’m keeping it covered so it doesn’t spill and no crumbs can get inside!” He gave the bottle a little shake, causing the liquid to noisily slosh against the sides.

“A measly effort at best to prevent incident,” Starline scoffed dismissively, which earned an immediate frown. “By handling the chemicals, then eating and sharing your food with the others immediately afterwards, you’re running the risk of making yourself and the group quite sick from cross contamination!”

Charge’s grumpy attitude and expression almost immediately dropped when the realization of what he said clicked. The lemon colored cat meekly set the concoction back down on the table and dropped his gaze with it. “…Oh,” he mumbled quietly.

Starline then turned to Hex and Lug. “And you two! Even if you’re not handling the chemicals, you’re still getting crumbs everywhere! And no matter how tidy you may try to be, they’re still going to end up getting into the ports and components of whatever you’re trying to build! Which, in the long run, can and will affect connection integrity, and potentially cause a multitude of other problems down the line!”

“Oh.” Both bulldog and rat too shrank down like wet, burlap sacks in embarrassment.

“That.. might actually explain some problems I ran into back home…” Hex mumbled, scratching at a tuft of purple fur as he recalled his favorite robot struggling to work properly after a few tests. He had snacked quite a bit around that one as well. Namely, pretzels and granola bars.

Starline huffed out a breath, pleased to hear their arguments silenced, though he was still just feeling plain annoyed. “Do you understand now why I was so insistent on this? One careless misstep, and our chances of winning the competition could be over before we even get the chance to show them all what we’re capable of.“

He sighed and pushed up his glasses as he pinched the bridge of his bill. “Honestly, I get being hungry on the job, but if you feel as though you MUST feast so badly, then please, for the sake of everyone here, do us all a favor and take it to the cafeteria where that stuff belongs!!”

The boys went silent, and Starline took that as a sign of their understanding. “Thank you!”

With that seemingly now settled, the platypus huffed from his long winded speech, feeling the twinge of an oncoming headache building in his head. “…Augh.. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some air… I expect this place to be spotless when I come back, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Starline,” The three boys somewhat mutedly murmured in unison.

“Good.” The platypus shut his eyes and headed for the door, brushing past Rivet who hadn’t said a single word the entire time. “Honestly, the nerve...” he grumbled to himself as he walked out.

The room was deathly silent as the door closed shut behind him. Then Rivet shifted her gaze over to the group. Before she could even so much as breathe in their direction, Charge held up a hand. “Don’t— say anything, sis.”

Rivet shrugged nonchalantly. “I wasn’t going to.” She paused. “…He is right though, you know.”

Charge groaned in response like he knew she was going to do that and grit his teeth. “I—!! Know that! Ugh… Now, anyways.” He rolled his eyes sideways and slunk down.

“I didn’t mean to make him so upset…” Hex murmured softly, quietly picking at the hard plastic on his tablet. “I just didn’t want to fall behind on our tasks…”

“Augh, no, don’t blame yourself, Hex,” Lug groaned, rubbing his face with a gloved mitt. “We’re the older ones here. You were just following our example... Technically we should be the ones who are responsible..”

“Says the one who, up until a minute ago, was the most eager out of all of us to defy the doc’s instructions,” Charge pointed out.

Lug start, completely caught off guard. “WHA—! Yeah, okay, well— MAYBE I realize I was being petty… But it’s not exactly like you were any better!!” He then exclaimed.

“Ha..! Yeah alright, you got me there.” Charge gave a small, sheepish grin. “I can admit I was wrong too…”

“Look, I’m sure you all didn’t mean any harm by it,” Rivet encouraged them. “But maybe from now on, just trust what he says when it comes to things like this, yeah? It’s clear to me that this competition is really important to him.” She chuckled weakly and sweat a bit. “Otherwise, he.. probably would have kicked us to the curb about a week ago…”

The lavender cat then moved to join them at the table so she could lean back against it. “I know he can be a bit arrogant, and… a little rough around the edges at times, but he IS trying his best to work with us despite his pride. So… maybe we can try a little harder to work with him too, yeah?”

The room was quiet for a moment, then Charge smiled and nodded, seeing her point. “..Yeah. Guess we were kind of being jerks and pulling a him by ignoring his request.”

Lug grumbled and put a hand on his neck in bashfulness. “Mm.. yeah… Especially when at the end of the day, he was just looking out for our wellbeing,” the bulldog glanced over at the trash can where their treats now lay discarded.

“We’ll apologize then when he gets back,” Hex stated, holding up his determined little fists. “Let him know we do appreciate him! And that we’ll try even harder from now on to be the best teammates he could ask for!”

Charge gave the rat a little thumbs up of approval. “Yeah, sounds like a plan. Eheh… Even if he’s likely going to lord this over our heads for a while…”

“Better than him staying quiet and letting you accidentally poison yourselves, right?” Rivet flashed them a coy smile and pushed off the table to retrieve a roll of paper towels from one of the nearby counters. As she passed them to head to her own work station, she bumped it against Lug’s chest.

Lug accepted it and blinked at the roll, turning it over in his hands. “Yeah, you’re right about that,” he stated, before sighing and ripping off a square of it. “All right then.. come on guys! Let’s get this place cleaned up like the doc instructed.”

The coder and bio-electric kinetic nodded, and the three got to work on cleaning while Rivet sat down to resume work on her part of the project.

When Starline would eventually return to the group ten minutes later, their work area would be just as he expected it to be.

Bright, clean, and sparkling, with not a single crumb or drop of chemical concoction in sight. ✨

#starpoint au #starpoint squad #sonic #sonic idw #sth au #sonic au #dr starline #sonic ocs #starline the platypus #fanfic #sth #sonic fanfic #my art #digital art #i wanted to write more interactions #The others have things they have to work on too #rivet the cat #charge the cat #hex the rat #lug the bulldog

[frozenpolishfangirl]

Helsa Valentine's Day - WEEK 1 (Northern Lights of Love/Affection)

@helsa-valentines-day

She looked above the sky hidden behind Arendelle castle’s library window, heavily thinking about what happened in the last few months, how she pursued herself do to such a change, and how she deals of being queen in the place she didn’t belong - the place that was prison to her for a long time, where she was locked in her own room, by her own parents, locked from the world that she was cut off from too early. Elsa wanted more, the place where she could be home, where everything would be easier, the place where she could care take of herself, but her convenience told her that she would better act like a perfect queen, not thinking about what she really wanted, what she needed. And Hans… the man that tried to steal her kingdom, and who, in the time of few last months, became closer to her than ever, when she gave him a chance to redeem himself working in the Arendelle castle and around it and the city. She was convincing herself for month after he left first, that she hated him, but in fact, she couldn’t help memories of how he was looking at her in the prison, the subconcious connection that she felt. Hans was good at working at the castle of her family for over six months, he did not caused problems, but still, Anna and Kristoff doubt his sincerity, that Elsa felt, and wanted him to stay back from the royal family, people of Arendelle and all the kingdom.

But Elsa felt more. Felt that she and him are closer than they should be, in the opinion of the Arendelle people, that he also doesn’t wanted to be in the place he didn’t belong, as well as her.

She was looking at the northern lights in the sky, seen only in the winter, thinking about what she could do, and then she heard gentle knocking at library’s door.

Your Majesty, can I enter your safe space of peace? - asked Hans calmly. The library definetely wasn’t Elsa’s safe space of peace, but he mustn’t know about that. It was her problem, that she didn’t wanted anyone to enter. She sighed, trying to be polite.

If you want… - she said half silently, and the doors opened. Hans was dressed in the night clothes, just as her, and in his eyes there was a visible sight of worry.

What happened? I feel you’re not in the best mood… - he said, still standing in the door.

It’s not your business… - she said, covering herself tighter in her mother’s pink scarf, she always needed when she was sad or upset.

Okay… but I really feel you need someone’s help… you look… sadder, different… - Hans said sadly, looking at her back, not seeing Elsa’s face, slightly covered in tears.

H… Hans, you shouldn’t be here… - Elsa felt like she needed to scream all her fear and upset out, but she was trying to be as calm as she could. She didn’t wanted to show anyone her deepest emotions, even Hans, that the council and her family was viewing as stranger. 

Please… let me help you, I know you’re in trouble… - he came closer to her, slightly leaning, yet not touching her. They were still too distant to show any emotions and affection towards each other, especially thinking what all the kingdom would say.

There’s no need, really… - said Elsa, feeling even worse, even sadder, feeling that she was actually burning.

Please, I….

I SAID NO! - shouted Elsa, bursting out from her hands a strike of ice, that covered the library’s door. In the moment, there was a uncomfortable silence between them - Hans, I…. I didn’t wanted to, I know you…

I understand you, Your Majesty - he said, smiling to her sincerely, and she looked deeply in his emerald, watercolor eyes.

How would you know?... - she said, wiping her tears of her cheek.

I would say… I was dealing with what I really feel for years… - said Hans, and his eyes started to show genuine fear - Your Majesty, please, tell me everything… I will not say anyone, even the closest staff…

Oh… - said Elsa, not sure she can purely trust him. He is a stranger, monster, not allowed to be here, as Anna and Kristoff said. She loved them, but in her eyes, even if she wanted herself to think like that, she felt very different about that.

Please, let me help you…. - he looked deeply in her eyes, and she felt a glimpse of trust, that big, that she kind of wanted to say to him everything that laid on her heart for months.

I simply don’t know where I belong… I feel not in Arendelle, I… - her eyes started to cover in tears again - I just want… to leave this kingdom behind, not hurting anyone again… even Anna… I really don’t know what to do… 

Elsa… - Hans said by her name, what he never did before, looking in her eyes with cheering smile on his face - I will do anything to help you feel better… and maybe in future, help you find the place where you actually belong… actually, maybe, in this life or another, where we belong…

And I’ll help you gain the trust of the Arendelle people as much as I can… I’m sure if they will know you better, they will see you more than…

Stranger? - said Hans, and Elsa felt he was looking right through her. But actually, that wasn’t the right thing she wanted to say.

An ordinary… - she replied, and for the first time in her life, she let Hans to hold her hand and feel feeling that she never felt before. That was not her home, but with him, the prison was feeling like real home, at least for a moment. If in the present on another life they were destined to be more than strangers, and  both find place they both belong, she would be all for it.

#helsa #queen elsa #prince hans #frozen #iceburns #hans x elsa #week 1 #affection

[awesomeart-83]

Decapolice Ocs

Elle Yale

“Hey ya, guys! Welcome to my crime lab! Find clues, solve the mystery, but don’t mess up anything or you’ll be banned!”

Age: 23

A very pink-focused forensic scientist who is very popular among the police station. When she is a child and as she grew into a young woman, she was obsessed with science. While her parents didn’t agree with her career (more information later), they tried to give her the best education to pursue her dreams.

“Why is Harvard is so insufferable? His loud voice! His stupid personality! Don’t tell him this, but he better choose a different forensics scientist or else!”

While she gets along with most of the team, he despises Harvard with a passion, due to his smug attitude and Harvard….. thinks she is just a cute scientist who might have a crush on him and very good at hiding it. On the other hand, she has a crush on Carl, due to his sweet personality and his sense of justice. Carl, when he discover this, tries to not rush it and worries that it isn’t the right time, but still tries to flirt with her.

Appearance: She is a young woman with a two ponytails that are medium length and are stuck together with a scrunchies. She has some hair clips on her to kept her bangs.

Main tactic: Special attacks

Ultimate move: Perfect Cell Attack

Retsu Tohuko

Age: 25

“This corpse………. It must have really suffered a lot of hell. Like me. I can tell from its expression.

A weird mortician who the team mets throughout the game. He is a mortuarist who checks on the dead bodies. He is hated around the station due to his disturbing vibes and creepy appearance with only having one friend (Yale) but despite this he tries to be a nice person around with a very creepy hobby.

As a child and throughout adulthood, he has been through near death experiences, leaving him feeling isolated and making an outcast even with his family (but that’s for another day). As he grew up, he became obsessed with the cycle of life of death and studied death and how people died through ways. When he got into college, he went into forensics

“Everybody dies somebody, maybe even you, Marks. Whenever it is, we all have to be prepared because death always comes no matter what

He doesn’t join the team until much later in the game when the team are investigating the Clown and has him check out the bodies of the other victims which includes Harvard’s mom. When Harvard finds out about this and freaks out, he is able to calm him down and deduces that they are related. He then tells Harvard that whenever that goes down, he mustn’t kill the Clown or he’ll be kicked off his job.

Appearance: He is a scrawny and thin man who is quite tall, but not to pass as a giant. His hair is short black that looks like it has cut off recently and has blue eyes. He is always shown to wear a mask on his face, making people believed there was a horrific scar on his face. They’re…….. half-right with having a scar cover the left side of his face which he covers up with his mask and makeup.

Ultimate Move: Grim Checkup

George Cornwell

Age: 32

“With your brain and my knowledge, we are going to make a great team, I am sure of it!”

A criminologist who doesn’t work at the police station but runs into the gang many times throughout the story before getting wrapped up into the search for the Clown. He wants to talk to the Clown (not to a obsessive degree) and wants to understand why does he kill. He isn’t a part of the police but Granger and Maise let him in to talk to the team over the criminals they captured.

He is pretty wholesome and quite understanding to many people (sometimes criminals). When he discovers Harvard’s past after the game ends, he decides to take up the mantle of Harvard’s moral compass and gives him a therapist to help with hi: trauma. He shown to be protective to his loved ones, but not to point of overbearing.

“Hey, there’s been something in your chest for a little long time. You think that you keeping in it’s chest and refusing to let it out, but you’re wrong. If you don’t want to talk to me, that’s fine. But if you are not going talk about this to me and your team, you need to talk to somebody else.”

However his past is mysterious and he refuses to tell anyone not even his close friends about it. And it turns out he has a pretty good reason, but we’ll see later. He’ll explain it to Harvard near the end of the game

Ultimate move: Let me take a look in your mind.

Stanford Williams

Age: 24

“There’s a line between the ideal detective and the insane detective, and Harvard Marks you have crossed the line to insanity.”

He is a high ranking serious officer who is a deep rivalry against Harvard. He isn’t well liked due to his serious attitude towards most of the staff but he isn’t outright hated due to his contempence in the field. He has a hidden side to him, caring for his family and friends off the job and taking them to nice places to relax and have fun.

His father was a officer who WAS excellence in his job and WAS actually chosen to be the police chief instead of Granger. But, notice the emphasis on WAS. A few years (possibly in Stanford high school days), he was found dead in a murder similar to the Clown style. While it is now unknown if the Clown or a copycat of the Clown and the killer was never found, it still effected him and made wanted to hunt down other serial killers like them and bring them to justice so nobody would have to suffer what him and family did.

“The reason why we are looking for the Clown isn’t for revenge you fool, it’s for justice for those who were suffered in their hands!”

So you think with their history, him and Harvard would at least connect or be friends? WRONG. While Stanford views Harvard with great potential as a detective, he despises him for his willingness to break the rules in missions and cases and his wild insanity. While Harvard would have chosen a different career if his mother hadn’t died (unless the game discredits this), Stanford has wanted to be to become a detective ever since he was a child. With Harvard, he only met with him at police college for the 2 years he was in along with Carl and Stanford was at his last 2 years. Harvard found him annoying due to his overshadowing anybody in their class and overly aggressive attitude towards. (Funny thing is that one of the reasons why Stanford hates Harvard.) So when they both of them (and Carl) end up stuck in the same police station in the same city, none of them are pleased.

Ultimate Move: Sharps Slashes of Justice

So, here’s them all! What do you think of them? Which one is your favorite?

#decapolice #decapolice Oc #Oc #level 5 #my Ocs

[khaleesiofalicante]

David and Minnie + driving

“You know you can drive faster than this, right?” David asked. 

“Max said I shouldn’t trust anything you say about driving,” the girl replied, clutching the steering wheel a little too tightly.

“You shouldn’t trust anything Max says about anything,” David chuckled. “Minerva, I’m serious. You’re driving too slowly. You could get into trouble.”

“It’s illegal to drive too fast. Not too slow,” the girl huffed. 

“That’s not true,” David corrected. “Driving below the minimum speed can be charged with a moving violation for blocking or impeding traffic.”

“What?” the girl squeaked and slammed the break. Luckily David was prepared for that and luckily they were driving in an empty street. “Is that really true?”

“Yes.”

“Oh shit,” the girl swallowed and looked at him. “You know what? I don’t need a license. I’m sorry bapak asked you to babysit me. I’m sure you’d rather work on your book during your vacation.”

“I’m not on vacation. I’m back home,” David chuckled. “And there is nothing more important than family. Right?”

“Right,” she whispered quietly. 

“You don’t have to get a driver's license if you don’t want to,” David told her gently. “Max doesn’t have one.”

“That’s because he is a self-proclaimed passenger princess,” Minerva muttered, and David laughed. “I…I do want a license.”

“Are you scared of driving?” he asked her carefully. 

“What if I hit someone or something?” the girl questioned. 

“Well,” David said. “That’s why we’re practicing now. So, you won’t get hurt.”

“But it’s not just me who gets hurt, is it?” she asked him. “If I mess up, it will hurt my parents too. Everyone will talk about it.”

“Ah,” David smiled. “I think you should talk to your brothers. They understand your concern better than anyone.”

“I don’t want to. They always try to help me and overdo everything. Max will probably get me a car AND a driver and Rafe will probably get me a fake license or try to control the traffic every time I drive,” she groaned softly. “Please don’t tell them.”

“I won’t,” David promised. “Do you want to talk to your parents about it?”

She bit her lip. “I…I don’t want to bother them. Not right now. Not with the UN Summit coming up for dad and bapak recovering from his episode. They already have a lot going on.”

“Parents always have a lot going on,” David told her. “You must talk to them, Minerva.”

She didn’t respond to that. 

“Do you remember Max’s Instagram live from last year?” David asked her then. “The one for Sustainable Leadership?”

Minerve burst out laughing. “How can I forget? Lance and Arthur burst into his office and asked him to judge their paintings. In the middle of the live stream! I can't believe he got Greta Thunberg to judge their art.”

David smiled at the memory. “When you are a kid, you feel less self-conscious about asking for help. Especially from the people you love. Because you know it’s what you’re supposed to do. But it gets a little harder as you get older. You feel like you have to do everything by yourself. But that’s not true, Minerva. They’re still your family. You mustn’t feel guilty about bothering them. Especially if you are hurting.”

“Are you sure?” she asked him in a whisper.

“I’ve only had Lance and Arthur for a few years. But it would break my heart if I found out my boys couldn’t talk to me when they needed me,” David told her. “Your parents have been doing this for a long time. They will understand. I promise.”

The girl took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay. I’ll talk to them.”

“Good,” David smiled. "Can I drive you back to Brooklyn?”

“Daddy said I should never let you drive his car unless we’re being chased by zombies,” Minerva informed him with a cheeky smile. “Sorry.”

“I immediately regret defending him,” David muttered. “Alright then. You can drive. Take a steady breath and relax your grip on the steering wheel.”

#please i am so soft for david teaching minnie how to drive #alec: hi baby where is our daughter? #magnus: she is learning how to drive with david :) #alec: WITH WHOM???? #tlnd

[alexeiadrae]

Blaster Interview with Hajime Kanzaka vol 12, translated

Japanese original here. So, where is Zel from anyway?

Tamiki: "Where is Zelgadis from? Lina and the other three are known, and I would very much like to know."

KANZAKA: Unknown. Zelgadis himself doesn't remember because he hasn't lived in the area since he was a child, and since Rezo was like that, his parents would go along with it, and sometimes he would run away from them because he was so upset with Rezo. 　

His parents are already dead, so he can't ask them about it.

Tamiki: "In Zephelia, how strong would Lina fit in?"

KANZAKA: It's like she's one of the top 500.

Tamiki: I wonder how big the total population of Zephilia is. ......

KANZAKA: I wonder how big it is. That kind of world population is completely different from modern Japan.

Tamiki: "Are there any conditions for a demon king to be sleeping? (Red eyes, red hair, etc. ......)"

KANZAKA: No, not really. You don't want to say, "He is the Demon King because his cheeks are red.”

Tamiki: "Were Zel and Rezo good friends before they were altered?"

KANZAKA: I don't think it was particularly good or bad; it was just the usual feeling of being relatives. It was a normal relationship, with age-appropriate rebelliousness and all that.

Tamiki Oh, there was a continuation of this as well. “I would like to know how close are you to your cat? I’d like you to make it official (laughs)."

KANZAKA: Um, ......I don’t really understand how to apply it officially, but does that mean I should answer, for example, that they are as close as Amelia and Xellos? I mean, what is a "cat" in the first place? ......

Tamiki: It depends on which cat it is. Some have already been dropped and others have not.

KANZAKA: Well, there are cats that run away as soon as they are seen.

Tamiki: At any rate, he is confident that he can drop any cat within a few days (laughs).

KANZAKA: Why would I do that?

Tamiki: "What is Gourry’s exact age?" I remember that in an old interview, you said that both Gourry and Zel were about 22 or 23 years old.

KANZAKA: Well, then, it's just as I said long ago. Well, I think Gourry has forgotten how old he is.

Tamiki: Perhaps the questioner saw the answer and sent it to me in order to clarify which one he was referring to. However, the principle of this interview is that the numerical answer is not absolute as an official setting, so please allow for a little ambiguity.

Now next up is another one of the oldest and most common questions. “What are the names of Lina's parents?"

KANZAKA: It's a secret.

Tamiki: "Why don't you put Xellos in the Slayers Super Series?"

KAMISAKA Because it would be a mess.

Tamiki: I guess this question means that Amelia and Zel had short stories in the past.

KANZAKA: A short story? If it were serious, it would be ...... black (laughs).

Tamiki: I don't think there are many people who would rather read a black story like that. However, with Slayers, when there is a request from fans to read such a story, I think there is a tendency not to try to write such a story, so you shouldn't expect too much from it.

Tamiki: Then, here's a question. I love cats, but it seems that dogs and other animals rather than cats appear in your works more often than cats.

KANZAKA: Because if you put a cat in the work, people would be drawn to it. For example, the scene in the film where the dog is startled by the explosion, barks, and runs away. If it were a cat, you would think, "I mustn't scare the cat!” 

Don't you think? Don't you think so?

Tamiki: ............. Ah, that's it, isn't it? I've heard this theory before: "It's better not to have the character you like the most appear in the work.

KANZAKA: Yes. That's absolutely true, of course, isn't it?

Tamiki: Why is your answer there in question form? How much sleep do you get? (What time do you go to bed and wake up?)"

KANZAKA: I am susceptible to sleep deprivation, so I sleep for about eight hours. I go to bed between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. and wake up around noon.

Tamiki: Oh, I do the same on my days off, but even on days when I have to get up at 7:00 a.m. for work or an event the next day, my bedtime doesn't change. When my average sleep time is less than 5 hours, I think I have to go to bed at 2:00 a.m. because it will be hard the next day.

KANZAKA: It's like that when it's something I enjoy. But when it is work, or some kind of obligation, I prioritize the fact that I have to go to bed because it will be hard the next day.

Tamiki: Ah, yes. That's exactly right.

KANZAKA: I think that humans are useless creatures.

Tamiki: Maybe it's just us. You write various works, but don't you get mixed up with ......?

KANZAKA: Yes, they do (laughs). In fact, when I was writing Lost Universe and Day Trip Quest in one-week shifts at the same time, there was a case where the names of the guest characters were switched in the middle of the story.

Tamiki: This is another common question, so I'll put two together. “When you are stuck for an idea, what do you do first?” What do you do to refresh yourself?

KANZAKA: I take a walk, ride the train, or take a bath. I always say that if there was a way to come up with ideas, no one would have any trouble. Or rather, there is no such thing.

#the slayers #blaster interviews #hajime kanzaka #slayers translated #zelgadis greywords #rezo #gourry gabriev #hk gets serious about his cat #hk on writing

[twilightmalachite]

Altered - Epilogue 7

Author: Akira

Characters: Eichi, Natsume

Translator: Mika Enstars

"HeY, Sakasaki Natsume. Your eyes are open properLY, rigHT?"

Season: Winter

Location: OO Stage (fine-O)

⚠️ This is an import from a unproofed Twitter Livetweet!

Eichi: History repeats itself.

The first time it is a tragedy, the second time it is a comedy.

No matter how serious the content is, if the same thing is demonstrated, it will become apathetic.

Continue the same thing many times over, and there will be a dry laugh.

Sakasaki-kun, you might not intend it, but we really are similar.

Although you may see me now as an immeasurably huge, abominable monster, now.

But, at that time, my young self saw you all—the Five Eccentrics, as the very same thing.

A mighty foe that would crush me if I were to get too close.

Because I was frightened and intimidated to desperation, I grew thorns, and attacked you excessively.

I tried crushing you using more violence and malice than was necessary.

In doing so, I destroyed even what I should have loved and cherished.

It feels it should be a mistake how we’re even able to get together again and laugh with each other like this.

We had parted ways so fatally.

You and I are alike.

However, I do not want you to make the same mistakes I did. I know it sounds hypocritical, but I mean that with sincerity.

I had envied you all.

I wanted to become like you all.

Despite this, I had gained something just as precious as you had before I knew it.

And I let it go, without having ever realized it.

I’ve always regretted it.

How is it? Is this farce of mine funny?

Just look around me. This is all that I let fall. They were such a bright and dazzling pure white, but I didn’t see them at all.

Hiyori-kun, Nagisa-kun.

Tsumugi.

And everyone from fine, who resonated with and spread their wings together with me.

Because I was flying out in the lead, and couldn’t see anything when I looked down, I allowed them to keep getting lost.

And so in order to reach our destination, an idol-like stage where we can laugh together—so many detours had to be made.

I want you to learn from my foolishness, Sakasaki-kun.

Don’t make the same mistakes that I did. You’re a proper idol—You should create a shining stage that brings about happy laughter, not one of ridicule.

Beside you is the bluebird that I released back then.

You mustn’t ever let it go.

Get along as best as possible, and live happily ever after together.

For eternity, like a fairy tale.

Only then will you have finally rise victorious over me.

And I wouldn’t regret it too much, either.

Eichi: Right now, I have the most magnificent, most beautiful bird in the world by my side.

That happy youth, that bluebird, will never be mine again.

I mourn that fact.

I mourn it deeper and heavier than the final stage of the war.

And I’ll mourn it for the rest of my life.

That will be my punishment.

There’s no need for you to dirty your own hands, boy.

"♪~♪~♪"

Location: OO Stage (Altered)

Natsume: Tenshouin Eichi, -senpai… He’s looking at me distastefulLY.

He’s like a smug parent entrusting their own dreams into their child’s hanDS.

You’re not my parenT, not a brothER, and definitely nothing like famiLY.

The first such precious friends I found outside of my famiLY… Were those that you mercilessly trampled to deaTH.

That’s why I lived my life hating yOU.

BuT, I couldn’t see the reality behind iT.

To pity and feel bad for my niisans, was like making a fool of them without understanding thEM.

HeY, Sakasaki Natsume. Your eyes are open properLY, rigHT?

I’m not sure if you’re seeing anythiNG.

Rei-niisan.

Shu-niisan, Kanata-niisan, Wataru-niisan.

I was the one who couldn’t see my beloved Five Eccentrics more than anyone elSE.

But, right now I can see my niisans clearLY.

And they’re shining so brightLY, like the sUN.

Natsume: I had immersed myself up to my head in ignorant darkneSS. I might’ve been the only one who thought such thinGS.

I was just covering my eyES. I had been dreaming this entire tiME, looking away from this realiTY.

BuT, I’m awake nOW…

This tiME, I’ll open my eyes and face this realitY.

Life is a performaNCE.

And right nOW, I’m standing on the stage of oNE.

If I dance with my eyes closED, it’ll be dangeroUS, you knOW.

“♪~♪~♪”

← prev | story directory

#altered #event #translation #eichi tenshouin #natsume sakasaki

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Tender Loving Care

Summary: When Naminé gets to go shopping at a store in Twilight Town for the first time, to have fun, she's shocked to find Riku working there. It seems he took a part-time job there because he wanted an excuse to run into the Sea Salt Family. Because after looking for Sora for more than a year, and burning the candle at both ends to do so, he finds himself needing a break from it: and someone to tell him it's okay to take a little bit of time off. And Naminé in understanding his situation all too well is more than happy to give him that reprieve. Namiku. Oneshot. Canon compliant. Post-Remind. Pre-Melody of Memory.

Tender Loving Care

Naminé had never been to a store before… a very sad statement, she knew. But she had only been born about two years ago, and had been in confinement for most of that time… and the Organization nor DiZ had exactly been big on the idea about her going to the super market.

She knew what they were like, of course. She had seen a number of them in Sora’s memories; and while Naminé knew it probably should have been the last thing she was worrying about during her imprisonment, a part of her found herself longing to go there, whether it was for clothes, toys, food: you name it.

She had wanted to be silly, too—even knowing she could get kicked out for such shenanigans—and sit in a cart and have Sora, Riku, or Kairi push her around in one of the carts, the way Kairi had once been pushed in one. It just seemed so much fun, and so freeing…

So Naminé was more than a little thrilled when she became her own person—something the former Nobody had never expected her friends would make happen for her: not even when she’d somehow ended up in the journal’s message about the people Sora needed to save—and got to go to her first store ever: somewhere she was right now, in fact.

It was a little dollar store inside Twilight Town’s mall, and it had drawn Naminé’s eye the moment she seen it, with all the colors and plethora of toys begging to be examined. It looked like a child’s dream come true to Naminé. And she had no doubt that whoever had designed the layout of the place, had done so with the utmost cleverness in order to bring kids in—as the children no doubt tugged on their parent’s arm to follow them in… And the space drew in the teenage artist, who had never seen such liveliness—and had never been free before—too.

“This place is lovely. Don’t you agree, Axel? Oh, look! Are those balloons in the back?! We could throw a party, for when we inevitably bring Sora back! And there are little air chairs that way!” Naminé was already on her way to the back of the room in her excitement, that seemed to be more pre-teen and teen oriented (also, with some art supplies leading on up to that section. Was today her lucky day or what?!), but before she could very far, Axel was gently grabbing onto her arm to stop her.

“Naminé, are you sure this is the first store you want to stop at? If you do, all the power to you! Don’t let me be the one to halt you. But if you’re worried about munny, or somethin’, you don’t have ta. Isa and I here have more than enough here, to let your first shopping spree here be whatever you want it to. Got it memorized?” Axel beamed at her, as he pointed an index finger to his head before winking.

Roxas and Xion—who were hanging back outside the store, because they must not have been as entranced by it as Naminé was—laughed at Axel’s antics. And Naminé couldn’t help giggling and smiling herself, as she wondered what she’d done deserve to such a wonderful family and happy lifestyle now. She certainly wasn’t complaining about it.

“But at the same time, if Naminé wants to go here, we mustn’t make her think we’re dissuading her from it, Lea,” Isa corrected his companion with a stern look, just as he came into the store and began heading back towards the area that had drawn the young witch’s eye.

“Yes. Isa’s right. This is the first place I’d like to go… if that’s alright,” Naminé explained. “But I don’t think that you were saying my interests didn’t matter or anything like that, Axel. Quite the opposite, really. You’re both too sweet.”

Okay… she was overdoing it, and Naminé knew it. She sounded too much like she was trying to please both Isa and Axel, as if she were afraid what would happen to her if she didn’t (and Naminé hated the stares she was attracting from a few employees who seemed to realize that she was aiming to please everyone, as if they realized she had been an abuse victim). But after all she had been through, she supposed that some habits would take a while to break. One day at a time…

“Well, if Naminé wants to check this place out, you know what that means. Into this store, we go!” Roxas exclaimed, quite literally skipping into the store to break some of the tension then. And if Naminé were a bit more comfortable with whatever she and Roxas were supposed to be to each other now, she could have thrown herself into his arms then.

Then, before she could blink, both Roxas and Xion were grabbing one of her arms and dragging her back to where she’d clearly wanted to head as the two of them laughed and laughed. And then she couldn’t help but do the same herself.

Eventually, the two of them must have trusted that she was out of her “I must please everyone” mode and would actually have some fun here, because they set her down and began looking at things themselves. And it was okay, for it didn’t take Naminé too long to become enraptured by the paints, glitters, and even streamers before her… so much so that she at first didn’t realize that Riku was working right in front of her, until she heard his familiar baritone saying rather cutely, “So, not even a ‘hi’ to your other favorite jailbird, Naminé? I see I won’t be getting you anything for Christmas this year.” (1)

“Riku! Oh my goodness, what are you doing here?! I thought you were in the Land of Departure with Terra, Ventus, and Aqua!”

Riku raised an eyebrow at that. And Naminé was about to try and puzzle out why, before she was unceremoniously knocked into Riku’s arms by a kid running just behind her. And if it weren’t for Riku’s fast reflexes she would have smashed her chin on the stool Riku’d been sitting on, but fortunately that hadn’t happened and she was very glad for that. She was done with being abused, thank you very much.

And somehow, it was only now—when she realized she’d almost hit her face on said stool, and realized that Riku was sitting on such a thing—that something seemed to really click in Naminé’s head. “You’re working here, Riku?”

Because it seemed that Riku had actually been sitting in said stool blowing up balloons. And Naminé couldn’t see how the store would let him get away with that, unless he was one of their employees. But she couldn’t help being a little confused by it all. Because surely if Riku was doing this, he thought it would help him find Sora in some way, shape, or form… Right? “…And you think this will help Sora somehow?”

To that, Riku simply shrugged. “Everyone needs a break now and then, Naminé. Even me. So, when I saw this store asking for part-time workers to help promote you guys’ upcoming balloon fest, I decided to give it a try. It’s a change of pace, at least. And I was hoping to run into you all… and to maybe have an excuse for the running into you, because maybe I do feel bad about not trying to locate Sora twenty-four-seven, yeah.”

And Naminé instantly felt horrible for almost having have accused him for slacking off in the search a moment ago. Maybe she didn’t feel as badly about that as she did for some of the other things she’d done in the past… but she still felt horrible enough.

And there was a part of Naminé—that she knew was wrong, and was trying to fight back now—that thought she didn’t deserve to have come to the store, after all, if she could still hurt people like this. And she tried to put some of that inflection into her apology here. “Of course, Riku… you do deserve a break and I’m so sorry to have made you think otherwise. You need time from the trauma, and to live your life, too. So, I’m thrilled that you’re here.”

“Thanks,” Riku smiled now, with that trademark smirk of his.

And it was when Naminé’s heart started fluttering at that, and she thought she might have been falling in love of all things, that she decided she ought to ground herself. “But you know, Riku… you really don’t need an excuse to see us. Ever. I’m also thinking that with all of the munny you’ve gotten fighting Heartless, you don’t really need this part-time job, either. Do you? You know what I’m thinking? You should quit! And spend the day shopping with my family and me. And then maybe we can even go to that aforementioned Balloon Fest later.”

Riku’s eyes widened fractionally at everything Naminé had just said. And, yes, his mouth was agape, too. And the former Nobody supposed she couldn’t blame him for being so taken aback that she, of all people, would suggest he quit his job, when she’d been all about getting her work done in the past, no matter how much it hurt her. But that was exactly why she needed to promote better living now, wasn’t it?

Riku didn’t respond right away. As she waited for him to reply, a kid sat on one of the shelves and made it dip down with his weight, and one of the employees came over to try and get the shelf to lift back up and to get rid of the dent… another worker added more yellow green air chairs to the stack of said seats—making Naminé wonder if that color was hot this season—and then the blonde had to panic for a second when she thought that Riku might have forgotten how to breathe, and she might have to give him CPR.

But finally, Riku was smirking once more—and Naminé had to tell her heart to be still once he was—and he sidled up to her and looped her arm with his. “Sounds like a plan, Naminé. I mean, this store alone is nothing like the ones that I know of. Usually, you just stand outside and peek at wares from a distance and tell the seller what you want… So, this here is kind of crazy. If this is just the start of the evening, I can’t wait to see what other opportunities this little vacation can bring me, with you by my side.”

Naminé thought for a moment about what to say to Riku’s comment there—as the two of them, arm-in-arm, began heading up towards the cash register where her family was—and though the little witch definitely looked pensive while she thought about it, it really took her only a second to figure it all out. Because this encompassed so many different things that she was feeling, didn’t it? “Hopefully much more, Riku. Hopefully much more.”

Author's Note: 1. Riku is saying that he and Naminé were both pretty much in DiZ's "jail," together (when they were trying to restore Sora's memories during Days/the start of KHII), so to speak.

Another story idea that I came up with while I was trying to sleep, or while half-asleep, or something.

Though this one I started a LONG time ago. Like, definitely before KHIV was announced.

For whatever reason, I wasn’t sure I’d ever finish this. I think I was lacking inspiration for it (I think because originally, I was going to have Riku and Nami go to the Balloon Fest and stuff, but I didn’t really know what to have them do there. But I’m glad that I cut that all out so I could finally finish/post this story. I don’t really know if that part of it was needed or would have fit in here, anyway, now that I look back at this. -shrugs-)

#namiku #rikunami #kh #kingdom hearts #canon #canon compliant #mostly #sea salt family #oneshot #domestic #post-remind #pre-melody of memory #riku #namine #roxas #xion #lea #axel #isa #saix #roxas and namine #xion and namine #lea and namine #axel and namine #isa and namine #saix and namine #mine #my work #shanna writes

[otomes-and-tears]

Hi! You said in your post that you accepted requests for Cnderella phenomenon. I read your rules and I have two prompts that I believe that fit your rules. The first prompt is a Lucette/Rod soulmates AU. The second prompt is Lucette's wedding with Rod. Sorry if I misunderstood any of your rules. Since you have an AO3 account, you can fullfil my prompts there if you like the ideas. I can't put the link, but you just have to search for the "otome games SFW plot bunnies" prompt meme challenge.

♦ redamancy (1/?) ♦

► tags/warnings: Rod x Lucette, Soulmate!Au, Implied/referenced child abuse.

► words: 1216

► summary: Fate, Lucette discerned, never had been particularly kind to her. It was a bothersome thing. An annoyance, really. She has been born with everything, all the pretty dolls and jewellery that any girl could ever dream of. Servants waiting on her, ready to realise her every whim. She had everything. Everything except a soulmate. ► a/n: Also being posted on AO3 ♡ ► Masterlist

“Mother, are you and father in true love? Like in the fairytales?”

It seemed like the wrong thing to say, judging by how her mother’s lips quirked downwards, displeased. 

Anyone living in the palace was accustomed to the tiny intricacies of Hildyr’s expressions. The way her brow furrowed in annoyance, or the specific way she held herself when she was angry.

It was an important skill to acquire while living in the palace, but no servants, not even the king himself were quite as adept as Lucette, the crown princess.

She loved her mother, truly.

Even when she was harsh, her mother would always be truthful and teach her the most valuable lessons.

That’s why she learned not to bother her, to be able to read her moods to guarantee that she wasn't being a burden.

That’s why she mustn’t waste her time with questions unless they’re truly important.

Still, as silly as it seemed, knowing this was of the utmost importance to Lucette.

At her age, a soul mark was bound to appear anytime and she needed to be prepared!

“I thought I forbid you to speak of fairytales. Have you been reading them?”

“N-no, Mother.” Lucette said, truthfully. She considered stealing one or two books but figured it wouldn’t be worth her mother’s ire. “I overheard someone in the palace talking about it today.”

“Then I have to find that person and make sure that they know what an appropriate topic of conversation in the palace is.”

“B-but mother, the true love in fairytales sounds so nice! Do you think I can fall in love with a prince?”

Her mother’s brows furrowed in annoyance. Lucette could feel it in the air— the static-y tension that arose every time she made a misstep.

She didn’t mean to insist. Didn’t mean to speak out of turn, but she really wished to know why.

Weren’t her parents in love? Why are they married then? 

She heard whispers in the corridors about mother not being blessed with a marking. About her father being bound to another. Were these things true? Were they not just nasty rumours?

Hildyr’s hand touched Lucette’s chin, gently raising her head so that her mother could properly see her.

She smiled. It was the same smile she always gave before giving her a lesson.

Her answer wouldn’t please Lucette, she could already tell. None of mother’s lessons were ever things she’d wanted to hear, after all, but there was no use in being told comfortable lies only to have the truth revealed later on.

Lucette was a big girl of ten and the crown princess, she more than needed to be told the truth.

“Dearest one, true love like that does not exist.” She said, firmly. Lucette did her best to hide the disappointment she felt at the statement. “The love between mother and child is the truest kind. It cannot be replicated by anything else.” 

“But… What about soulmates?”

“All other kinds of love are an illusion. My love is all you will ever need. Do you understand me, my heart?”

“Yes, mother.”

—

Fate, Lucette discerned, never had been particularly kind to her.

It was a bothersome thing. An annoyance, really.

She has been born with everything, all the pretty dolls and jewellery that any girl could ever dream of, Servants waiting on her, ready to realise her every whim.

She had everything.

Everything except a soulmate.

She used to yearn for it, at a young age. 

Stand in front of the mirror and check every inch of her body for a mark, any mark, any indication that her soulmate was there and that they existed.

But it had been for nought. No markings ever appeared and she had been burdened with the knowledge that she was, in fact, alone.

It seemed fitting. Her father never loved her, he didn’t even like her most days, the servants would at best shower her with apathy and her own kingdom despised her despite Lucette not having ever set foot outside of the castle walls.

Mother had been Lucette’s only source of love, but she was long gone now, leaving only her lessons in her wake.

Romantic love, her mother taught her, was an illusory thing.

A useless invention. Something made to distract people from their duties.

Soulmates were much the same. An invisible shackle bound to your ankle. A mysterious magic made to limit people’s potential, a weakness.

It was a good thing Lucette didn’t have one, she had said, these things only cause heartbreak. They could only stop her from achieving greatness, like her mother.

Not long after Lucette’s questions about soulmates, exposing one’s soulmark and even the mention of fated ones made the list of the unmentionable topics in the castle, with strict punishment for noncompliance.

And with that, for years following, Lucette barely thought about it.

—

Emelaigne had a soul mark.

Because of course, she did.

Her new step-sister had a way of always managing to get things that Lucette had failed to acquire, even if she seemed to be a failure in all other regards.

Still, she had a soul mark that she loved to show off:

A white carnation on her left shoulder.

Purity .

Luck .

Pure love .

What a fucking joke .

Emelaigne’s mother, Ophelia, also had one:

A single forget-me-not, that seemed to perfectly match King Genaro’s.

Lucette had never even seen his marking before, the small flower on his wrist, against his pulse, being hidden by cufflinks and gloves before her mother’s death.

The only person in that family who didn’t seem quite as comfortable showing his soul mark off was Rod, who scarcely even mentioned it.

It made him slightly less intolerable than the rest of his family, in her eyes. It wasn’t strong praise, since he carried his own brand of despicable, but Lucette’s hatred towards him lessened by his inclination to keep to himself and not rub her inadequacy in her face, like his sister seemed to often do (even if, admittedly, accidentally).

Still, he had one.

She was certain of it, since Ophelia and Emelaigne would always talk about when he’d meet them instead of awkwardly side-stepping the topic like her father often did with her, when he even remembered her lack of soulmate.

Lucette had no idea what it was or where it was located, but the existence of Rod’s soulmate was a certainty.

(Distantly, she wondered what his mark looked like, but she banished these frivolous thoughts as soon as they appeared)

It was bad enough to be forced into playing happy families with commoners, but even worse when she was made to feel so out of place when this was supposed to be her court. Her family.

Maybe this is why her father showed them so much love and care.

They had marks.

They had a soul bond.

They were, by definition, loveable . 

Lucette was no such thing.

He heard it often, Servants in the corridors whispering about how she didn’t have a mark because she lacked a soul. These cutting remarks bothered her far more than she ever cared to admit, even if they came from those below her.

(Distantly, she wondered if their jokes had a small backing in truth).

Not for the first time, she wished they’d all disappear.

#cinderella phenomenon #lucette riella britton #Rod Benedikt Widdensov #cinderella phenomenon fanfiction #Bee's writing

[justjams2003]

Blossoms-Chapter 2

Summary: A young author travels away from her family to The Opera she has heard so much about. She lost and confused and yet still seems to get a job there as a cleaner. Yet when she meets a mysterious man there, everything changes. Her mind is entirely consumed, but will she allow her burning need for him consume her life as well?

Pairing: Erik/Phantom x FemaleOC

Warnings:  Neglectful  parents, daydreaming, (Later on) Smut, (later on) pregnancy. Tell me if I miss any:)

"Who is this little thing," I can't help but ask myself. I was watching the new opera practice. It was going terribly. This new Pirma Donna they've got can't seem to get the understand the substance of the songs. Aurora is supposed to be wandering the woods, lost and entirely filled with fantasy. That is not shown in Carollota's pitch.

She's a confidant singer, entirely too confidant. Stuck up and full of herself at this point. She must be humbled, though Christene is not ready yet. Everything takes time and shaping her must be perfect. Even so, it makes me giddy to see this red-haired fool knocked off her high chair. High chair being the right word, she always acts like such a baby.

With all this, I was so excited when she finally stopped singing. As well as intrigued by the reason. A young woman, bouncing out of her body when she slams open the doors. Causing a shocked silence. Her pale cheeks light up a rosy red at the attention. Even so, I can see the absolute awe and excitement radiating from her.

Madame Giry announces that this young girl will be working here. They walk away and I can't help but sneak after them. Not even bothering to give the cast a quick scare. I must first know this fresh new face's name. The Madame guides her to the background cast's communion bedroom. Would she be playing in the new opera?

I must talk to the Madame. Yet, as she walks away, I cannot help but linger a little longer by the girl. She sighs, plopping down on the bed. Her luscious brown waves bounce by the action. Then, unexpectedly, she grabs a pillow, presses it to her face and lets a squeal. Such a noise I've never heard before.

It wasn't elegant, it wasn't perfect and definitely did not match any of the notes I know. It is just pure joy? How strange, so excited. Madame said she will be a maid, perhaps she will be playing one, yet Giry told nothing of her part otherwise. To be here makes her scream with joy? That is something new. Something exciting, it just seems to draw me in more.

Something, even more, new, she stands up and starts jumping. Wiggling her body as her innocent bliss cannot be contained? Nothing about this makes sense. Yet when the white ribbon in her waist-length black hair flows with her I can't help but want to do the same. To leap around, so sporadically, with her.

Not that I would, I don't have much to leap for joy about. Christene's voice is taking much longer than I would have hoped for. My plans must slow down for now. Perhaps I could start a new project, with this little one. Someone with her beauty and innocence must be protected. There must be some musical talent in someone so magnetic.

"You mustn't lurk like that." Madame Giry calls out, I can't get much past her. Though, that means I do not have to announce myself. "What is the role of the new arrival?" My voice echos out of the shadows. The ballet teacher does not stop by the sudden sound. "No role. Simply a maid. Why? She does not seem like your type?"

Now I am glad to be in the shadows. "What makes you say that?" I question, squeezing and turning to be sure I stay unnoticed by any other. She shrugs, "I must warn you to be careful. Her mother and father are very wealthy and have quite the following." Only then is where she turns to face me. I can tell she does not know where I am. Only that I am here.

I scoff at her statement, "Money is not what makes a man." I tell her, already concocting plans for this new beaut. "No, but it can be what destroys one." She knows her words are wise and without comeback. "Also, Christene will not be coming to her lessons today. She is showing the new girl around." Before I can even argue, she throws a quick smirk at me and continues her way to the stage.

I suppose I must be patient, neither of them are going anywhere.

The moment I saw Christene I was taken back. She is so beautiful. The way she carries herself is so elegant. Every step she takes seems to call for an applaud. Her physique is so perfect too. An easy hourglass figure and strong lightly toned everything. Her hair perfectly curls in the right place. Those brown curls capture the beauty of her smile and eyes so handsomely too.

"Are you Mariposa?" The strawberry blond girl next to her asks me. I am snapped out of my trance. I smile at her, in fear my voice would fail in front of my new companions, I merely nod. She returns the smile, "I like your name. I am Meg Giry and this is my friend Christene Daae." The sweet girl introduces herself.

Christene hooks my arm into hers and all three of us start walking around. "It's a pleasure to meet Mariposa. What made you come to France?" She asks me, it takes everything in me not to turn red. Her voice is as pretty as the rest of her. I clear my throat. "The streets of London were unbelievably boring. My Aunt travels a lot and would always tell me of the famous opera Populaire." I explain in detail, feeling a bit short compared to the ballerina.

We talked and talked while they both showed me around. That was of course until Madame Giry called Meg for a task. Leaving the two of us alone. At that same moment, I feel that watched feeling again. This time I can't help but turn around. Hoping to catch whoever it might be. My turn spooked Christene terribly.

"You feel it too?" Is a question I did not expect. I've always been a little odd compared to my London friends. It is strange, I thought I was just nervous. I nod at her, watching the balconies and every dark spot. "I believe it to be my Angel of Music." She explains, gently taking my arm and pulling me with her again.

I furrow my brows, "What might that be?" My family wasn't extremely religious. Still, I had friends who did the whole praying thing. They never once spoke about any music angle. "When my father died, he told me he would send an angel to look after me. Perhaps he sees your talent too?" She explains to me, feeling entirely contempt with someone watching her.

I can only laugh at the thought, "I've tried every instrument there is, including the voice. None of them fit." I so wished that I could sing. It is an ache that pulls at my heartstrings all the time. I do make up for it in other departments. My stories, for example, I take great pride in them. I rarely let people read them unless I know they're absolutely perfect.

The beautiful girl smiles at me, "That might be what you think. But the angel of music knows all." Her words are ominous, yet she seems so contemptuous with them. "It is getting late, let us go back." Christene ever so gracefully walks to our bedroom. Everything she does is like that. I can't wait to get to know her.

The opera house is quiet. I tried working on my new opera, perhaps some new music. Yet, my mind won't rest, won't focus on my work. The notes I played sound wrong and shakey.  The ideas just won't come out the way I want them to. And for once in years it wasn't Christene who I needed to see.

I hastily threw on my coat and mask. I chose the fastest route, even if it is the most dangerous. I expected to see her peacefully sleeping in her bed. No, her bed is empty and no one else seems to be missing. Has someone taken her? I wouldn't be surprised, she's a beautiful girl who seems to stream out light.

She can't be gone, she can't be. But, why? There is nothing special about her, right? Madame Giry would have told me if she could sing. Why am I so drawn to her?

My mind has gone off once more. I wasn't focussing on my feet or here I'm going. I stepped on the creaky floorboard. Immediately after, the smallest of gasps is heard. Someone is awake and I can't help but run after and see who it might be. "Christene has gotten in your head." I hear the whisper.

There I see the new girl right in the middle of the stage. Hunched over a notebook and furiously writing away. Such passion, only stopping every now and then to think. Once a bulb seems to go off in her head, she goes back to writing. I can't help but want to ask, read or know what she is writing.

I lean on the railing, watching so closely as if it is the best play I have ever seen. It is taking everything in my being not to go up and ask. "What are you writing?" The words play on my tongue, begging to be released. My body as well wants to jump down. Just to be close to this brilliant mind.

I must watch her more. I need to find out who she is, what she is writing and why I want to know.

#phandom #phantom of the opera #2004phantom #phanfiction #gerard butler #phantom x oc #PotO #PotO200 #erik destler #erik destler x reader #blossoms

[theartifxce]

‘I don’t care if it hurts me!’

"I don't care if it hurts me!" Anna proclaimed as she tried to break out of her bindings, with it cutting against her soft white skin. Whether it was her years of aikido training or the fact that she was unable to imagine what insidious methods their captors were capable of, but his sister seemed confident that she would be able to escape this situation while protecting him. Johan would not speak and deny her, because the last thing he wanted to completely shatter was her will, especially in this situation. But in order to protect her, Johan needed to paint the reality of their situation so that she would not do anything irrational. So he reflected quietly during her outbursts, choosing his words wisely, because whenever he dropped his façade, his words were destructive and venomous. “Anna – “He started off with a monotone voice, gaining her attention once again.

The both of them were tied with mere rope. Desperate to reach, his fingers caressed the bindings in order to figure out its material; manila rope.   Manila was known for its excellent levels of strength, flexibility and durability. Kinderheim 511 forced him and the rest of the children to know these materials well, teaching each of them how to adapt and break loose or at least use it to their advantage. Johan knew what he had to do – but the only variable he could not control was his sister.  “I need you to calm down.” He purred, shining a gentle expression her way, a sliver of smile that was all he could muster in this situation. He could see deep within her eyes, that despite her outwardly courage and strength – there was a pit of fear and doubt.  “You mustn’t draw attention to yourself.”

The words spilled from his lips gently before he went on to set his words ablaze. “…You’re a beautiful young lady…you understand what kind of dangers that presents for you in this situation, right?” and even though he tried to deliver his words as mildly as possible, Anna’s face responded with a look of sheer terror. But it was better this way, because he needed her to protect herself above all else.

They were sophomores at a prestigious and elite private school. If that wasn’t enough to paint a target on their heads for financial gain, their mother and father were also political aristocrats that had betrayed the secret police and fled to Germany once the Berlin walls fell. It was ironic to Johan how; having a name now caused them such trouble. Johan had since walked away from the bloody path he embarked upon after the Red Rose incident.

But…

A man dressed in green cargo pants and a white tee approached them, a scar going from his brow bone and down to the edges of his cheek bone. He knelt down in front of them both, observing with a snake like gaze.

He’d have no qualms against bloodying his hands once again.

“Your parents are very difficult people to get ahold of, ya know?” He sneered and Johan immediately initiated his plan the moment the man looked at him. It was simple, a man who was at the bottom of the barrel, who had nothing in his life that he would resort to petty theft and kidnapping just to make ends meet, their greatest sin was Pride due to the fact that they had nothing other than that to cling too. So Johan smiled right in his face and this garnered his attention immediately.

“The fuck you smiling about?” He barked, his intimidation ringing in his voice.

“When we had the bags over our heads, I imagined the kind of pathetic, low life scumbag that would kidnap two school children - and I must say,” Johan chimed in with a giggle and he could see Anna’s horrified face, confused as to what the hell he was doing by talking his shit.  Johan smiled even bigger, enticing the man’s anger – anything to get him right where he wants him and his eyes off of his sister. “You were exactly as I imagined – your dirty clothes, your poor taste in tattoos and greasy hair – it's laughable.” Johan stabbed with such an arrogant and charming tone, seeping his way beneath the abductor’s skin.

And it worked because the man was riled up enough to lose control and throw a punch at Johan. The blond fell back against the wall; he had nearly forgotten the taste of his own blood. But he had been hit much harder than that back at 511. He hoped that this little bit of action would have been enough to make the man leave.

 He just needed to buy a little more time, he chided mentally until her voice shattered the control he had over the room. “Don’t hurt my brother!” she cried out and it was then Johan immediately lifted his head and observed the scene before him. Anna bashed her head into the man and this prompted him to yelp in pain before grabbing a fistful of her hair.

“You fuckin’ bitch!” and he slammed her against the wall, her sun kiss hair falling over her features. The man winced and groaned in pain and Johan knew he had to work quicker. He watched in horror with a steeled expression how the man grew closer to cornering Anna, getting a look of her face before his eyes widen with sickening amusement.

“You have such beautiful eyes.” He pushed away the hair that stuck to her face from her sweat and tears. “In fact you’re one hell of a looker, little girl.” He taunted those last two words with such disgusting excitement that Johan’s eyes grew into that of a wild beast, his façade had completely dropped. The man brushed her hair behind her ear eerily and that was more than enough for him.

The monster was out to play – which is why it didn’t hurt when he broke his thumb to get out, or when the ropes cut into his wrists when he freed himself. He was as quick as lightning when he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around the man’s throat. He whispered angrily in his ear before pulling him backwards into the ground with him, “Keep your fucking hands off my sister.” And he trapped the bastard in a chokehold. He felt the bigger man wiggle and thrash, desperately trying anything to free himself so it was natural that the man clawed the right side of his face. But Johan was relentless and even though he had counted 9 seconds, he twisted his hold and then threw the man’s dead body to the side without remorse.

He sat up, his breathes were steady and composed as he immediately went to search the dead man’s pockets for a knife or anything else that could be of use. He found a butterfly knife and a pistol. Quickly, he checked if it was loaded before racking the slide twice to ensure the bullet had loaded into its chamber.

When he turned he froze at the sight of Anna’s expression. He almost didn’t consider what he had done in front of her and how scary he must look to her now. He knelt down and reached his hands out, approaching her slowly as if she was a wounded animal. His eyes displayed the alarms going off inside of him but everything else about his expression was void of emotion. When his fingers made contact to her face, he felt an odd sense of relief – touching something that was warm and alive reminded him that he was not entirely gone to the darkness he’s kept at bay over the years. He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath only to exhale in a shaky sigh of relief.

“…Anna…” He uttered tenderly. “…He…he was going to…” He pretended to express remorse, excuse his cold blooded murder. But in reality, the moment they were kidnapped he had already planned to kill them all.

@xxxangeleyesxxx

#replies #verse; unknown #yo so idk where this idea came from but imma throw it at you #feel free to turn this into a thread #i feel like this definitely helped my block #A N N A; I was born to give you the most beautiful flowers. #OK THEY'RE LIKE 16 HERE #Johan Liebert #Anna Liebert #Nina Fortner #Naoki urasawa's Monster

[aithusarosekiller]

LAKESIDE CHATS AND A MILLION BABIES

My Walphemia fic

It's just cuteness really

Quickly, Euphemia made her way up to the lake, trying to get there as soon as possible without seeming like she was in a rush to get anywhere. If she was seen running to the lakeside at lunch, Lyall and Hope would undoubtedly question her on who the ‘special guy’ she was clearly  so desperate to see was. She smiled to herself when she caught a glimpse of black hair, tied in a tight bun with a few whisps lurking around her shoulders. She crept up behind the girl and put her arms around her shoulders, tilting her head to yell directly into her ear. “Hello, darling!”

Instantly whipping around, Walburga grabbed her shoulders and pulled her behind the tree, out of everybody’s sight. “Goodness, Euphemia! You can’t be so shamelessly loud! People could see us and then I would get into terrible trouble with so many people!”

She felt her heart drop slightly but kept smiling as much as she could. “Oh. The full first name? I really must be in trouble, mustn’t I? I apologise, my lady, for disappointing you so terribly .”

“Don’t be childish. You know what I mean, Eff. We can’t be caught together.” She knew it was a serious topic but wasn’t giving up on her teasing just yet, desperate to at least somewhat brighten the mood.

“Why? Scared to be seen with your Hufflepuff girlfriend? Wow, Bugs, I never would have thought of you as the kind to discriminate based on houses. What happened to being better than the rest of them?”

This earned her a small smile, it was hardly there, but still worth it. “No, I’m scared to be reported hanging around and being intimate with anybody other than my fiancé .”

Euphemia sat down slowly and gently took her hand, holding it close to her chest. “Fiancé? Your parents are making you get married, aren’t they? I know you wouldn’t choose that for yourself. Don’t tell me it’s one of your cousins.”

“He’s my second cousin, actually.” Euphemia felt sick. Genuinely, physically sick.

“I know, it’s not exactly ideal, but family tradition and all.” She looked out across the lake. “Well, it definitely is family tradition this way, isn’t it?” She caught the way Euphemia’s expression turned bitter and tried to change the subject slightly. “I wouldn’t worry about it though,” she said with a grin. “He won’t steal me away from you, he just so happens to…not feel attraction towards the fairer sex.”

The beam she received was enough to outshine an angel. “He’s like us?” She asked, shuffling closer and placing a hand on Walburga’s shoulder excitedly.

“Well…yes but the other way around, I suppose.”

The happiness only lasted a few moments, however, as Euphemia let go and slumped back against the tree. “That’s not what I am most worried about though,”

“No?”

She looked almost pitiful. “No, Bugs. It’s the fact they are forcing you to marry your cousin . That’s…that’s…”

“Horrible, I know. But it isn’t like I have a choice. It’s the way of the family. Whilst I am married to him, we must keep up public impressions but don’t think that I will ever stop loving you.”

“I know. Neither will I. But I don’t like the way they’re making you marry a family member. You keep skipping over it like it’s no big deal.”

She sighed and leaned back against the tree in line with Euphemia, taking her hand back and gently running her fingers along the creases that covered her palm and around the part that faded into a lighter colour. It was something she had started doing a while ago to comfort herself and had become a habit by then. 

“I know it’s disgusting. That’s why I’m trying to avoid talking too much about it. I would rather not think about it at all if I am honest. Do you understand? Please tell me you understand me, Effie, or I’ll feel hysterical.”

“No, no, of course. Of course, I understand. It’s a topic nobody wants to discuss, I understand that. It’s just horrid that it’s a conversation people need to have anyway. The morals in it are so abysmal, that it’s likely they have completely disappeared. Nobody should have to even think about that happening to them, tradition or not. Blood status is all a lot of waffle and prejudice anyway, I don't understand why they think that inbreeding is a way to make the world a better place, it just causes countless issues in the health of children, as well as pushing long outdated traditions and practices and creates an even larger rift between different groups of people instead of actually solving anything.”

She found herself looking at Euphemia, her eyes swimming with awe and love as she clung desperately to every word like this girl in front of her was God herself speaking truths nobody else could ever know.

“What? Did I start rambling again? I’m sorry, I got a bit carried away…”

She smiled and lifted a hand, brushing her finger across Euphemia’s cheekbone and feeling her shiver slightly under the touch. “I love it when you go all smart and philosophical,” She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the face before her, admiring every part of it. “If my parents heard any of what you said, they would have heart attacks but…I love hearing you talk about it. You get so passionate, it’s adorable.”

She swatted Walburga’s hand away and laughed. “Stop it, you’ll make me go all mushy, you lovesick fool!”

“Never! I have sworn an oath to make you all bashful and cute until the day I die. That is the agreement, Mia, I must stick to it.”

Euphemia turned to face her and placed a hand on either side of her face. “Did you just call me Mia? You’ve never done that before.”

“Don’t you like it? I just wanted to test it out, so if you don’t like it, that is okay.”

She smiled and shook her head, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend’s nose twice and keeping their faces close together afterwards when she whispered just loud enough to be heard. “I prefer Effie but it’s okay. You can call me that again if you like, I don’t mind.”

“Yeah? I will. I like it.”

Euphemia nodded and rested their foreheads together, breathing slowly and taking in the moment. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Euphemia’s hands resting on Walburga’s hips and Walburga’s making their way around Euphemia’s neck. They held each other happily, thinking things over with the other keeping them grounded when the thoughts got out of hand. They wanted it to last forever, they prayed to whoever was out there to let this last. It had to. They couldn't live if it didn't.

“We should run away.”

Euphemia opened her eyes and frowned, pulling back slightly and tilting her head. “What do you mean ‘run away’?”

Walburga smiled and sat up, grinning madly. “The day of the wedding! We’ll tell Orion of course, he can come with us and find a sweet boyfriend at the local bakery. When they’re waiting for me to walk down the aisle, we’ll leave out the back and they’ll have to cancel! We can wait for him in the car and then we’ll move to a big muggle city where they’ll never find us and we can adopt ten dogs and a million babies!”

She couldn’t help but smile and bury her face in Walburga’s chest to smother her laughter. “Darling, we are not having a million children.”

“Ah, that’s what you think!” She prods Euphemia’s chest, still smiling like a madman. “I’ll adopt them all when you’re not looking and I’ll name them all after book characters.”

“The worst thing is that I actually believe that it is something you would do!”

They both continued laughing, clinging to each other as they did. “You know me too well, Effie, you really do.”

“Let me guess the names…child one is named Dracula.”

He snorted and shoved Euphemia playfully. “No, that’s the second one! And Dracula is a silly name, he’ll be James.”

“Why James?”

Smirking, she put on a serious expression. “Because that is Dracula’s first name, of course.”

“I really don’t think it is, sweetheart.”

She fake gasped and held a hand to her heart in an offended gesture. “Of course it is! I decided on it all by myself. He seems like a James, don’t you think?”

That made Euphemia shake her head and change the subject, unable to hide her smile. “So what is the first one going to be named, then? Romeo? Basil?”

“Toby.”

Euphemia paused and blinked. “Toby?”

“Yes, Toby. After the dog in the Sherlock Holmes stories. I do read more muggle literature than you may think, you know, I just hide all the books well.”

“Toby is…a terrible name. Why don’t you pick something that won’t embarrass the poor child? Perhaps something that means dog?”

Now it was Walburga’s time to frown. “What sort of name means dog ? Isn’t that some form of child abuse?” 

“Well, I don’t know! Surely you can think of something in time. Come on, what will the other nine hundred thousand, nine hundred and ninety eight be called?”

She sighed and shuffled around, sitting between Euphemia’s legs and leaning back against her chest, smiling as she felt her arms wrap around her middle. “We’ll figure that out later. We have time.”

Euphemia smiled and leaned down to kiss her and they both knew that they would do whatever they needed to in order to keep this forever.

#walphemia