fairestmusesofthemall

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Having enough spoons to like one post and then your headache says lay down and stay down if you desire to try and rp tonight. :( Dash, my body is bullying me. Again. :( Much muse. No health. Toss me a potion. Or ten.

[fairestmusesofthemall]

I can't stick around. I gotta get some sleep because I have to get to the dr tomorrow, then a haircut. August and Sneezy (Tom Clark) are very much available for OUAT threads. Doc on @leaderintitleonly is available for OUAT threads too. Tag me in a starter or send in something. I don't have the energy for plotting, I am so sorry. I just don't. Unless you have an idea. That's what I can handle at the moment cause I gotta clean out drafts and reply to things. Sorry. Everything is out of control and I am achy/tired. So. SELF CARE. TOMORROW. And meds! faceplant

[fairestmusesofthemall]

"It's not a story. Well, it is. But I assure you, I didn't make it up. I certainly didn't steer you wrong with that drink." He wasn't sure if he imagined it, but it was probably the best water he had tasted. August had allowed himself to wander off the straight and narrow that he had mentioned. It had led to amazing sights. It had led to tasty watering holes. He hadn't lied that simple well water in Storybrooke had a certain crisp taste to it. He had a mission. He had failed, of course. It was a partial failure, but he was back to try again. The weight of the world or rather, the world he had been sent from was weighing heavier on his shoulders this time. August wanted to blurt out that he knew. He knew every time Emma had been broken and crushed. He knew about that one time she was almost happy and somehow it was snatched away. He wanted to tell her about how each time he almost took her with him or the time he was tossed back into foster care because he stopped to play with her at the playground when no one showed up to a birthday party. He remembered what she wished for that year, too. She wished for mostly the same thing every year with slight deviation. He wanted to tell her that he found her at the homeless camp and told her she was just a cygnet looking for her family. She was lost. When you're lost in a group of ducks, they don't understand you or how beautiful you are. They also don't understand one day you'll grow up to rip someone's arm off. "Sorry." August shook his head with a little chuckle. "I got lost for a second. It's going to sound a little corny... Your eyes are the perfect shade of wishing star blue." He rose from his seat. The metal dragged against the old tile and seemed to blend perfectly with the cacophony of the diner's hustle and bustle. "It's a short walk. Wishing star tree is right behind the convent. That's what my intel told me." Straightening his jacket, he made for the door and held it open for Emma. "I'm more than happy to be a distraction from paperwork. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." August winked. "My work feels like play, so I can't say that I'm a dull boy. Jack should get it together."

Emma huffed out a small laugh at the concept of Henry running away on a whim to start a rock band and/or hike in New Mexico; she knew what August meant, of course, but this was the same kid that stole his teacher's credit card to hop a bus and find his bio-mother in Boston when he was only 10. She didn't think such things were entirely out of the realm of possibility for him, particularly when he got into his erratic teen or very young adult years. But then, as August said, maybe her being a part of his life now would lessen the chances of further impulsive behavior as he got older.

She was, after all, like August apparently, a former serial run-away that knew of and could educate Henry on the costs and downsides of doing such things. It seemed he took her word seriously on many things already. Maybe the years of running and searching fruitlessly for a sense of belonging would actually serve a greater purpose.

It also didn't escape her that August was being more forthcoming about himself and his past than he was usually, than he had been before, perhaps. Of course, given that he was committed to that 'mysterious stranger' sort of vibe it was possible he was lying. She didn't think so though. Beyond having a knack for telling when people were, that story sounded too-well-suited to him (or a past-him, rather) to be at least entirely made-up. She made a mental note to ask him more about that New Mexico-era of his later.

"You know, you don't have to make up a story about 'lost wishing stars' to get me alone somewhere, right?"

Oh. Wow, Emma, okay. The urge to make a witty retort seemed to fire off before the rational part of her brain could caution her not to sound so damn flirty. It wasn't that-....August wasn't really cute, because he was, and it wasn't that she didn't like him, because she did- and, of course, their banter had become such that it always sounded a little casually flirtatious anyway. They had one of those effortless rapports that meant they could meet each other every time, quip-for-quip.

But her past track record with dating was about as clean and functional as her criminal one and it had occurred to her a few years ago that maybe she needed to refine her taste in people a little more before diving back in. A therapist had also informed her (and she was sure Archie would agree) that she had a tendency in the past to be impulsive with relationships as a way to seek the affection and intimacy that had been largely absent from her formative years- that, in particular, had stuck with her.

And all that aside, she was really enjoying having August as a friend (one that she kind of playfully flirted with anyway, of course, but still a friend) and didn't want to do anything that might screw that up. Maybe it could be something else later on, but...she had to be slow and careful.

"I just mean that I trust you now- and, if it's not too soon or weird, consider you a friend. So, yeah, it's a beautiful night, why not go looking for a 'wishing star'? Couldn't hurt, and I need all the help I can get. I also need a break from the files at the station anyway."

The beloved pumpkin cheesecake was also all but completely decimated at this point, and so too did August seem just about done trying to make the freezer-burnt lasagna work for him. Most of the Storybrooke regulars had learned to avoid it entirely (making Emma wonder why Granny even still ordered it) and maybe now, so too would August. Little-by-little he was acclimating.

But would he stay and put down roots as she was trying to do? Or would he up-and-leave one day, continue to wander as he seemingly always had? Another reason not to get too attached, too quickly.

"I can get this," Emma said, tucking a folded wad of bills just under the lip of her plate. "If you'll drive us to the 'wishing star'."

[fairestmusesofthemall]

"Very wise. Spoken like someone who was just lucky to survive out there." There was a wild animal within his heart that wanted to reassure Emma that he understood and knew. He had languished in foster care and fled. Trying to hold onto the idea of wishes and dreaming felt like a crock, even when you came from that world. Staying doe-eyed and idealistic was impossible and even he had given up until he came here. Such things would remain under lock and key for now, at least. Perhaps one day that animal could be fed and cared for. For now it could howl at the bars and beg for comfort. "I wasn't very normal as a kid. Henry seems much more well adjusted than me. I was hopping on buses and skipping town. Henry has you. You'll keep him on the straight and narrow. He might be a dreamer, but I don't think he'll head off on a whim to start a rock band or go hiking in New Mexico with friends he just met." August used his fork to paw at a bit of lasagna. He could taste a bit of freezer burn that had settled into the pasta, but much like his other feelings, that comment would stay buried as well. One knew better than to say something about Granny's cooking or, in this case, lack thereof. The prongs of the fork tapped along with the music idlily. "Well, someone told me that when your wish is stuck, you often have to find a way to unwedge your wishing star. It might be in a tree somewhere. That same person also told me that princes occasionally get stuck in trees." August set the fork down on the marinara splattered napkin and raised his eyebrows as he formulated a plan in his mind. "What say you and I look for a lost wishing star? Maybe one of your wishes just got stuck and needs your help. I don't think they really have that whole GPS thing down just yet. Unless, of course, you've got work to do tonight."

The choice of an Everly Brothers song in the diner felt apropos, making it seem even more like they'd been suddenly transported to 1960. The only thing missing was a shared milkshake and talk of going to the sockhop later on. But that was-...well, silly, sure, but also a bit date-like and Emma didn't really want to examine too deeply as to why those particular vintage images and archetypes came to her first.

It was only when he spoke again that Emma realized she'd been grinning to herself all the while (and to her personal slice of pumpkin cheesecake- a new variation on a classic Granny had recently debuted that she'd become perhaps a little too obsessed with- it really was that freakin' good...maybe that was why she agreed to this little pie-focused hang out. Must've been).

"Oh, no, nothing, don't mind me..." she dismissed, despite knowing full-well she was going to tell him anyway. "It's just-...you sound so much like Henry sometimes. That's a good thing, though...I think. I just...I think it's good he has some adults around here that reaffirm his beliefs, even if they're-...well."

She didn't want to describe said beliefs in a term that would've been offensive and/or distasteful to either Henry or August for that matter, so she swallowed the rest of that sentence in another bite of pumpkin cheesecake. Admittedly, she was also coming around to the idea that Henry's beliefs didn't have to be seen as maladaptive- not entirely, anyway. He was a kid after all, and one with a big imagination, and for most children that in and of itself was entirely normal.

And maybe...she didn't exactly know what 'normal' was for a child when she'd hardly gotten the chance to be one herself.

"No, sorry," she corrected. "'Even' nothing. They're, y'know...a normal part of childhood development, so I hear. I guess I just worry so much about him being disappointed, having that world-view shattered to pieces one-day that, I-....I've pushed back a little more than I should, maybe. And, anyway, the world needs a little more whimsy, I think. Believing in pixie dust, fairytales...that dreams actually can come true."

There it was again. That pressing impulse that seemed to be getting stronger the longer she stayed here and put down roots.

"It's just..." She hesitated, debating confessing such personal things outloud while scraping her bits of leftover pie with her fork. "When so few of one's dreams have ever come true, in their entire life, it's difficult to believe that could ever be the case...y'know, when the real world has been so harsh, when that's all someone has ever known..."

And then, finally, the most personal revelation of them all,

"But even then...there's an element of wanting to, despite everything. Wanting so desperately for there to be hope around the corner, to believe that there is. Somewhere."

[fairestmusesofthemall]

There was one time I used to have, from OUAT, both Mary Margaret and Regina Mills on this account. When it came to Mary Margaret, I got really gross messages because I wanted to be critical of what Regina did and I was looking to have some deep conversations. There's a reason I'm not playing her ever again. When it came to Regina, I warned she was not going to change and she couldn't really feel love, she was going through the motions and she was easily swayed to evil even if she was usually doing her best for Henry. She was inherently selfish so she'd slip often. People just wanted her to be their surrogate mother and tricked me into this after agreeing to my terms. There's a reason I'm not playing her ever again, either. I have Doc on his solo, Blue on her solo, and August and Sneezy here. That's it. This post brought to you by having a panic attack watching OUAT.

Fiery Mun is Trying.

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Some Mun Facts OR Shut up, fives! A ten is talking!

Name: Jamie OR Fiery. Take your pick.

Age: 34 (Why yes. Old rper. Give me RPer AARP.)

Zodiac: Pisces/Aries cusp but also Sheep

Height: 5'.5 (scoliosis ate up 1.5 inches lost forever in my spine)

Hobbies: Watching movies, cooking and baking, writing, making stupid friendship bracelets, professional sick person, I plan trips good even if I don't go on them.

Favorite Color: Most days it's mint. Other days it's orange.

Favorite Books: Les Misérables, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven (I KNOW IT'S CHEESY), They Both Die at the End (READ THAT HOOOOOO GOOD'UN)

Last Song: The Name of the Game by ABBA. I am...really high strung on ABBA right now.

Last Movie: Elio! I also made my fiance watch Three Amigos. IT'S A SWEATER. :D

Last Show: Once Upon a Time. The episode was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I can't believe my fiance talked me into rewatching but okay, that's what xanax and avoiding the tags is for. :B

Recent Read: Editing my fiance's writing for a contest. I've got Prince of Song and Sea waiting on my tablet.

Fun fact: Hi my illness/disability/what the hell IS THAT?! is rare. We're getting more visibility on it, though. That's why I flake so very often. :) That's not really fun, is it? But some teaching hospitals treat me like a rockstar so that's fun. Shout out to neurology students, you're my favorite.

Tagged By NO I STOLE IT: @boombambaby

Tagging: IDK steal it? I'm not awake enough to see who hasn't done it yet. @wishingxuponxstars and @piiixiedcst since I know you two haven't. Listen I'm late to the party. Always. BUT YOU COULD DO IT. Steal it. Raccoon energy. Pass it on.

[fairestmusesofthemall]

After feeding a few coins into the jukebox, August has retreated to his seat. There's a twang and a warble as the song begins. "I can't help but feel like it's a little sad. He says he's dreaming his life away, as he can only have them in his dreams." August's smirk fades. "That's a terrible way to live. But I've got a secret." He hovers a fork over a slice of pie, beckoning with the utensil. "Dreams can come true. Might take a little wishing or some pixie dust." The smirk returns in full force. "What?"

( @piiixiedcst for...anyone. LOOK WHO I FOOOUND. )

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Dear Body, Stop hurting my god I need to be productive for five minutes. Let me write something.

Me

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Lilo and Stitch + Onion/Reductress/Clickhole headlines (1/?)

[fairestmusesofthemall]

"Ah yes, mating rituals. Often times the smarter specimen will go in and take the object of desire out for drinks and something Lilo calls a 'fancy steak dinner' while others fight and prove they are the less savvy mating partners."

"So if I'm following here, don't settle unless it's surf and turf. Or turf and turf!"

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Dentist tomorrow. Grocery shopping after. I'll probably be pretty sore so expect some napping. Still trying to catch up. Doing my best to cut through my drafts. If I ever get enough energy I'll totally start up a queue. I'll cross post to Doc just so you all know what's shaking, bacon. But yeah! If I have the energy, I'll get a queue going. If. I never have the spoons for that :D

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Ooh, an hour. She wanted to pretend they were still dating or stuck in the hellish will-they-won't-they of the curse. She was still a horrible patient and they made occasional break-throughs. Sometimes there was property damage, but just sometimes. Those days were exciting. They were also filled with not knowing if she'd be evicted from her shoebox apartment. On second thought... "Let's not fantasize..." She chuckled as she pocketed her cell phone. "But if he's not careful, maybe I'll just..." Her eyes lit up as Archie made his way down the stairs and appeared in the doorway. She reached into the stroller to lift up Kiernan's tiny, chubby hand. He was nonplussed for the moment until he caught a glimpse of Archie's face and began wiggling back and forth. "We've booked Daddy for an entire hour- Archie!" They were always dancing in her mind, somehow. With each embrace, he often had to lift her up to be eye to eye. It hadn't always been that way, and yet somehow she knew that his arms were always a safe place. "I forgot how nice your arms felt. Mn... Irish breakfast? New blend? Can I taste that kiss again?" Cherise wrinkled her nose with a wry smile. "Sorry. I know it's a bad habit. Tasting what I can't always have. But if it gets a dozen more kisses out of you..." As she was safely deposited back to the ground, she smirked after divulging her ulterior motives. "Oh... Archie..." Cherise stood on her toes and began reaching. Her index finger pressed against his lips. "You're covered in my lipstick. You blotted my lips for me..." Her fingers swiped away in near slow motion as a light seemed to flicker in her eyes. The two of them plus the baby in the stroller seemed to be the only color dotting the town during the dreary day. It was if someone had painted them in. Greens, pinks, and purples were surrounding the two of them with little accents of reds and orange. Even if it was going to rain or if something sinister was brewing, spring and autumn had reunited for the day.

He'd been in the midst of organizing notes and complicated files when his phone went off- not the office landline he was so accustomed to, but rather the new smartphone he'd acquired a few months ago. The breaking of the curse meant no longer being stuck with solely 1980's technology, which in a lot ways made life more convenient...but Archie found, for all his regained knowledge of magic, modern tech in this world had a bit of a steep learning-curve for him. He'd get fully used to it soon enough, he was sure, and he did really enjoy that these 'new' devices allowed him and Cherise to communicate via 'memes' and funny videos throughout the day. It was a sort of magic un-to itself, he reckoned.

A skip of his heartbeat and a swelling of relief followed when he saw the tell-tale picture of Cherise and Pongo popping up with the call. While he mostly used this number for personal reasons, there was the occasional emergency call from a patient that would come through or something similarly urgent related to his practice, so this was the obviously preferred alternative. He also just loved hearing from her whenever he could, especially when they were apart during work hours.

"Hey you," he answered, allowing his voice to drop that intimate cadance he normally reserved for home. But no one was here to hear him now, except her. "Yes and yes. Please. Save me from this place for an hour."

He was already gathering his things before he got a chance to confirm Prince and Me classes were on Saturday around 10-ish. Ah well, that was tomorrow, they'd get a chance to touch base about that soon enough.

"I'll be down in 5. Maybe less if I'm fast enough. Try not bite anyone until I get there?"

It never seemed to matter how often they saw each other, even now that they lived together and shared a family, a home; for him, it always as though they'd been separated for years (and, he supposed, in a real way they had been, thanks to the curse). Any and every chance to be near her, with her, was anticipated and savored. As such, he all but bolted down the stairs to the door to greet her, his coat a near-afterthought that he shrugged on in his haste.

He took her in his arms and kissed her the moment he saw her waiting by the door. Really, he couldn't ever help himself. If Cherise ever tired of his perhaps overt displays of affection, she hadn't yet said or indicated so to him- and all the better, as the love he felt for her was all-consuming and difficult to contain.

"It's not a 'crappy' surprise, by the way- it never could be," he said after they parted- already wanting to kiss her again. "Every time I see you is like the first. Surprise me all the time, all day, if you want."

[fairestmusesofthemall]

He was just trying to catch up with It's Getting Hot in Here. Sass had made himself comfortable. Without Thor to remind him of what he had missed and having the room to himself, he could enjoy the silence. There was a strange, sudden influx of guests. Sam had tried to explain there was a convention not too far away. Jay wasn't able to go and seemed a little put out, but they were getting some guests who didn't want to be in the middle of the action. Good for them. Good for everyone else who needed to find entertainment. His head shot up and expected to find someone familiar. "Oh, it's a closet with a tricky handle. You'll need-" Suddenly Sass' jaw hinged open. She was very aware of who and what he was. This was something called a goth phase. Trevor informed him of it. Apparently some people never grew out of it. Hetty's ancestors would never. "...Okay, well that saves me a lot of explaining. The towel closet on this floor has a tricky handle. You need to lift up, then left..." He slowly rose from his comfortable seat, lamenting that he would yet again need Sam to repeat that episode. Maybe he was destined to not actually see the outcome and be cursed to Thor's retelling. "It's uh, it's fine. We're used to it... You're not here for that convention, are you?" He could have sworn he recognized her face... "Wait wait wait, aren't you... You're Ghost House, right? One time Trevor hit the wrong button and got us all the local channels. I think I saw the one... Didn't you tie up all the fishing wire in the house with the chihuahua?" Sass studied Lydia's face for a moment.

"I'm not a new ghost, I promise...at least, so far as I'm aware. I've just got this sort of...gift, I guess, if we want to call it that." Though, goodness knows it didn't always feel like one, but Lydia didn't want to be inadvertently offensive. "I'm sorry for ignoring you guys when we first got here. But you understand, right? Most people assume my paranormal show is just a gimmick, and lest I end up taken away somewhere, I've gotta pretend it is for the 'normies'. Anyway...I saw Sam was busy with Jay at the restaurant, I don't really want to bother her, so...would you mind telling me where I might find some more towels...?"

@fairestmusesofthemall for Sasappis

[fairestmusesofthemall]

@piiixiedcst for Archie

"So, did you want to take Kiernan to Prince and Me classes?" Her mood was normally planted somewhere between sweet and sour. She trended on more sweet and tender for for Archie, even if she had something miniscule weighing on her. "And... do you want to come out of your office so we can have lunch at Granny's? It's a crappy surprise, but I figure it might cheer up your day." Cherise glanced to the cloud-filled sky and pressed her lips together with growing concern. This didn't feel like a normal cloudy day in their picturesque Maine town. This felt like someone had smuggled pixie dust and intended to use it for something sinister or they had a break-in at Mr. Gold's. Would that last thing be so sinister? Unfortunately, yes. There was a tiny sigh at her thoughts. "Well, I'm outside. And I didn't even bite anyone on the way! I'm learning from Pongo. I'm an excellent student... Until you get me back into my classroom and that'll all get undone. Won't that be a pity?" A snicker slipped through.

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Hi. I'm exhausted from hanging out with my parents, aunt and uncle, and lil cousins. I'll answer a few things and then pass out. I recovered some old icons and with some benevolent peer pressure there will some some throw backs on my blog. I'm also gonna get rid of some characters I'm just not feeling. Fandom too obscure/nobody really curr/icons just too exhausting for my broken little self to do. So. Yeah. I'm tired. Cool.

Okay. I love you. Bye.

[fairestmusesofthemall]

"It's your day? Mimosas!" It's orange juice (the one with Donald Duck on the label), sparkling apple juice left over from New Year's, and a mountain of sugar sticking out of the top. Do not drink this.

[fairestmusesofthemall]

Replies will turn to normal shortly and I will stop hyperfixating in a little bit. Migraine came back a bit this morning and I am very, very sore. I just need to rest a little bit more.

"Normal" listen I don't know what normal will be, but I am gonna try. Also I get back my drive on Friday so wooo hoooo let's see what secrets that thing holds.

sleep now please