#1) he hugged me (which again - was rare for me because of last school influence) and then 2) his hug was super... warm and

[jils-things]

i know me and my friends tend to joke a lot over how red is (hc) huge and how hes basically caked up and down 😭😭but that genuinely comforts me because i can hug someone and feel super warm and comfy (aka chest lol) but i mean this in the most wholesome way i promise asdkaldkadjak <3333🥺

[saturnity]

Telling Tenya Iida to take care of himself. Tenya Iida x Gender Neutral, Best Friend Reader.

(authors note: this is my first full length fic in...a while. motivation hit me like a brick and I decided I'd churn something out! this fic is dedicated to a few special friends: @classreptenyaiida, for the interactions I've had with him, @yarozu for being such a great fan and supporter!! @lostcoves for being my first friend on this platform and for being so so kind to me, @uwu-iwanttodie because god I know you're a sucker for tenya just like i am, and @tryingmyves for sticking around and being a wonderful person!! there's also one more special person this fic is dedicated to but I don't know their tumblr url and if they wish to be named LOL // but yes anyway, enjoy! i hope you like this, feel free to send me any feedback, rts and follows appreciated!!!)

warnings: none! all fluff. good for everyone.

Tenya Iida and (f/n l/n). The both of you were inseparable, friends since childhood, in the same class throughout elementary and middle school. You were overjoyed to hear that you’d be in the same class with him again in UA, brimming with excitement to be able to stick by his side for longer. Of course, you had a crush on him ever since you could remember...but you were really too scared, terrified, really, to confess to him- in fear of ruining your 15 years of friendship.

Out of all people, you were the person who knew how determined Tenya was to not only reach, but exceed his goals and aspirations. You knew how much he wanted to satisfy the people around him and meet their expectations. You didn’t exactly understand why he did it, but you knew how driven he was, and how he’d do anything within the law and the rules to get there. And he rarely failed. Tenya was a great inspiration in your life, encouraging you to do better, while growing together. In a way, he influenced you to work hard, train harder and to do your hardest. The both of you became a force to be reckoned with; your parents and Tenya’s parents realised this, and hoped you’d do great things as heroes in the future, allowing you to spend weekends and holidays together.

Throughout your first term, Tenya enthusiastically took up the role as representative of Class 1-A with pride. He’d come to you for feedback for his ideas, always asking your opinion before proceeding, and you’d be his biggest cheerleader. You improved ideas he delivered, making sure small details were tweaked, and ensured logistics ran smoothly. Whenever Tenya needed help, you were the first he’d go to. Tenya presumed the role of a figure of strength within Class 1-A, readily assisting people in need, hosting study groups after school, and going the extra mile to make sure everyone was...more or less, in line. His work towards being a ‘good hero’ started here, and it wouldn’t stop until his last breath. As an Iida, he worked daily to strengthen his reputation as a helpful, strong figure...no, a reputation as a hero.

But inside, you knew Tenya was tired. He was slowly burning himself out. He didn’t need a savior, but he needed someone to shake him awake. There were days where you’d find Tenya a little less awake than usual, even though he seemed to have the same amount of energy as every other day. You’d catch him zoning out after school days ended, maybe he’d drop from his chopsticks once more than normal at lunch, and sometimes he’d even forget to bring certain things to school. Your best friend definitely wasn’t sleeping or resting enough.

You did your best to make sure Tenya was taking care of himself. Sometimes, you would gently remind him to drink more water, or to get more sleep. Other times, you’d deliberately book ‘study sessions’ with him, only to do the exact opposite- taking him to a cafe for a ‘change of environment’, introducing him to several new drinks and cakes, much to his dismay. Or maybe you’d eat lunch on one of the school rooftops, and allow him to take a nap afterwards on your shoulder while you ran your fingers through his coarse, navy hair. Perhaps you’d relax at your house, a movie would be playing on the TV, and while he’d feverishly insist on studying or doing something more ‘productive’, you’d gently but stubbornly insist that he rest. As the days passed, Tenya placed his focus on his ambitions, and your opportunities to ensure his leisure decreased.

One night, you wondered why Tenya pushed himself so hard. Was it because he was a people pleaser? There were definitely times where he would be almost too eager to help others. Or was it because he decided to shoulder his world of responsibility alone? Maybe it was because he was constantly surrounded by good examples of what a hero should be, that he held the burden of his family name, that he was expected to be the next best thing for the hero community...or maybe it was all of the above. Tenya had been working tirelessly for this; yet he didn’t know when or how to take care of himself and to forget to be selfless. He was always running to help others, always thinking in the position of others, or whatever would be better for the future. You didn’t remember the last time he did something for himself. Regardless, you decided that you’d definitely work a little harder to make sure your best friend would care for himself. After all, everyone needed someone else to lean on, right?

You shook your head. “No. I’m serious. You need to rest. Or at least take it easy this weekend.”

Finally, one Friday afternoon, you saw Tenya yawn in class for the first time. He looked close to falling asleep, in fact, you could say he was positively exhausted. His eyelids fluttered downward, their weight becoming heavier and heavier with each blink. Inside, he was praying he wouldn’t get picked on to answer a question- he just wasn’t really following the class material anymore. Or worse, he hoped Mr. Aizawa wouldn’t assign group work- it’d mean he would have to actively interact with other people, which he didn’t have the energy for. Thankfully, the bell rang, and the gray, bleary-eyed teacher dismissed his class, unfurling his sleeping bag and escaping the room to get a nap himself. You walked up to Tenya’s desk and playfully smacked his arm, shocking him a little more awake. He adjusted his glasses and looked up to you.

“Heeey. Someone’s looking tired.”

“I suppose I didn’t sleep quite enough last night, (y/n).” Tenya grinned. To the normal eye, it would seem like one of the class rep’s normal, signature smiles, but to you, there was a fatigued weakness shielded behind its sunny exterior.

You arched an eyebrow. “You’ve said that every day for the last month and a half.”

“I know, I know. There’s so much work I need to get to, in fact, I should return to my dorm soon to st-” Tenya had finished gathering his things and prepared to leave the classroom, until your hand reached out onto one of his broad shoulders and pressed him back down onto his seat.

“No you fucking don’t.” You folded your arms, a frown plastered to your face.

Tenya scowled. “Please, (y/n), can we joke around later? I have to get th-”

“Look, if you’re aiming to be a successful hero in the future, you might as well take your own advice that you give so often to others and rest. You always tell us to make sure we get enough sleep, and you’re not even doing it yourself. If you’re tired or sick, you won’t be able to perform as well as you want to, right? And you always want to be at your best, don’t you, Ten?”

“But-” Tenya protested. He had so much work to do, so much to get to.

“Tenya Iida. In our 15 years of friendship, I’ve never seen you this fucking tired. We’re only in our first year. Are you going to keep doing this throughout school? Or what, the rest of your life? For the love of god, cut yourself some slack.” You almost yelled out in protest, in disgust of seeing your best friend suffer in silence.

Tenya stared at you in shock. You’ve never spoken to him like this before, or at least, it was rare. Usually you played more of a supportive role by his side, and when you were more assertive, you were never this pushy. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he heard you shout. The remaining members of Class 1-A who hadn’t yet left the room stared at the both of you in a similar amount of surprise as your bespectacled classmate did. After sighing, you decided to use reason that Tenya would buy into, desperately hoping he would do as you said.

“Then it’s settled. We’re gonna take it easy this weekend, okay? And don’t apologise for making me worry. It’s my job to look out for you, you know. And we haven’t napped together in a while too. I kinda miss that.” You brought Tenya into a hug.

Tenya sighed. You were right. He couldn’t hide that he was tired. And honestly, it was exhausting having to troop through each class with the meager 4-5 hours of shut-eye he was getting. It was a battle that he knew he was losing. He surrendered to your suggestion.

“I...uh...suppose you’re right. Sorry for making you worry.” Right after Tenya had finished that sentence, he yawned. There was really no hiding his tiredness now.

“Hey...(y/n)? Thank you. I appreciate you doing this.” Tenya smiled, as he reciprocated your warmth.

[britishassistant]

The Villainous Paranoiac Just Wants An Uneventful Holiday (Part 1)

This is not how you wanted to spend your break.

The school was supposed to be empty. Everyone except the Octavinelle trio was supposed to be gone.

Not to say you don’t enjoy your friends’ company but. No magic-using people means no magic-spewing overblots.

You were looking forward to just bringing the fairies their firewood and working on your winter homework while taking the first opportunity in a good long while to unwind with Grim and the ghosts. No investigations to worry about, no weird dreams to get worked up over, no overblots to frantically try and survive.

You wanted a break.

This? Marching 10km into the desert with the rest of Scarabia dorm for the third day in a row due to their leader’s looming psychotic breakdown? This is not a break.

Although...

There’s definetely something rotten in Scarabia dorm, you think to yourself as you watch Viper-senpai hand out skeins of water. Kalim-senpai had no problem using his unique magic yesterday, and yet today he acted like Grim had mortally insulted him when he asked for a repeat performance.

If the outburst had been after two or three other instances of Kalim-senpai using Oasis Maker and receiving what he felt were insufficient thanks for it, then his current attitude would make a little more sense. But taking umbrage after using it just once? And being universally praised by everyone else the rest of the day for it?

It doesn’t add up.

Even deranged behavior has some sort of internal logic to it, as Rosehearts-senpai and the Rules of the Queen of Hearts have taught you. Even with how nonsensical all 810 rules are, it’s rare to find a scenario where one rule actually conflicts with another— all of them usually work smoothly in tandem with the goal of having an orderly unbirthday party in mind.

Even if they do violate most forms of dignity and common sense.

Kalim-senpai’s behavior though? It’s erratic without rhyme or reason, bouncing from nice to mean and back again seemingly as he enters and exits a room. He insists you and Grim stay and participate in this asinine “training”, despite the fact that you both belong to a different dorm, and are technically rivals to Scarabia in Magift and exams.

If you didn’t know better, you’d say it’s almost like he’s trying to imitate Rosehearts-senpai before his overblot—and doing poorly at it.

And with how much Viper-senpai has been invoking parallels between the current situation and what happened back then...

The smartphone Crowley gave you is a cold, heavy weight in your pocket. Its charge ran out yesterday, which is unsurprising given how many times you dialed and redialed the dumb bird headmaster’s number only to be met with his voicemail. You can probably recite that stupid message by heart now. You’ve heard nothing from Ace and Deuce either.

One thing is clear; no one’s going to help you out of this mess but you.

“Kalim-senpai?” You brace yourself as you step towards him. “Can I ask you something?”

“What could you possibly question me about?” He barks, glaring down at you haughtily.

“Well, I was just wondering, what’s the point of all this?” You fight to keep your nerve as his posture stiffens. “I don’t mean any disrespect, none at all, but you do want everyone to do better in Magift and exams, don’t you? I was hoping you could explain to me how the parades and defensive magic training are supposed to do that. I apologize for my ignorance, I’m nowhere near as smart as you, but could you please tell me why we don’t just practice Magift and brush up on the class material inst—”

Your head’s ringing.

You think you hear faint yelling, though it sounds like it’s coming from somewhere far away.

Your cheek aches.

Numbness blooming into a sharp stinging throb that feels like it’s growing with every second that passes, burning hotter than the sun above you.

You cautiously poke your tongue against your teeth, but none feel loose, thank the Seven.

Damn, the desperate, near-hysterical thought flits through your head. Even a pampered rich boy like him has strength behind his hits, huh?

The rest of you is just trying to process what the Hell just happened.

“How. Dare. You?!”

Asim-sama looms over you, red eyes burning with fury.

It’s a fight to keep yourself from curling into a terrified ball under his gaze, tucking into yourself as though seeing less of you would abate the anger, the shouting, the hurt, like you used to when you were a child.

“You dare to question my methods, my leadership of this dorm?! You? A sniveling street rat leeching off my hospitality?! Do you know who I am?!” He rages. “I am Kalim al-Asim! I am the Head of this dorm! I don’t have to explain ANYTHING, justify ANYTHING to the likes of you!!”

You knew, you knew you were pushing your luck when you first asked, but you thought it would just be yelling, like it was before. You can handle yelling, nothing Asim-sama can say could ever be worse than what you’ve already heard.

You didn’t think he’d hit you.

You didn’t think he’d hit you.

You didn’t think—

“DON'T YOU TOUCH MY MINION, FGNAH!”

Your arm whips out almost on instinct.

You jolt forward slightly as Grim collides with it, hissing and spitting like he really was an irate cat, the flames in his ears flaring brightly enough that some detached part of you is worried about getting burned.

The other Scarabia students are reaching for their magic pens.

“Lemme at ‘im! Lemme at ‘im!!” Your friend howls, fighting to get past you. “Forget butt on fire, I’ll BURN IT TO A CRISP FOR HURTING MY MINION!! I'LL STEAL EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND SELL IT FOR LUXURY TUNA!! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR CROSSING THE GREAT GRIM—”

“No, Grim.”

Your friend halts in his flailing to stare uncomprehendingly at you. “But Yuu—!”

“It was my fault.” You say, trying to keep as much emotion out of your voice as possible. Tears and trembling only show weakness, only make them worse. “Asim-sama was just correcting me. He was right to do so. I shouldn’t have questioned him. I overstepped my bounds.”

Asim-sama sniffs. “At least you know your place. Be glad I don’t punish you anymore than this.”

“What?! He slapped you for asking a question, you can’t possibly believe—” You gather Grim into your arms and hug him close. You quietly thank the Great Seven you at least have him, trying to hide the quiver in your limbs by burying your face in his fur.

But that’s exactly why you can’t let him do this. It’s just the two of you, you can’t win against an entire dorm of wizards like you did against the ghosts. Maybe if Ace and Deuce and Jack were here...but it’s just you. You need to protect your friend in the only way you can. “We can’t win this. Please, Grim.”

You feel him grumble, then a paw carefully pushes at your forehead. “Hrm...I’ll show mercy for now, so geroff already. It’s too hot for you to keep hugging me like this, I’m cooking here fgnah.”

Despite saying so, he settles onto your shoulder, tail smacking your arm as it flicks irritably.

“If you’ll excuse me, Asim-sama.” You duck your head slightly. “I will remove myself from your sight and head back early as penance for my behavior. Once again, my deepest apologies for insulting you.”

Asim-sama gives you a curt, dismissive nod.

You turn and make your way through the crowd of Scarabia students, snatches of muttered conversations floating to your ears.

“How could he��?”

“Just for a question?”

“Isn’t that going too far...?”

“Unforgivable...”

“Prefect.” Viper-senpai takes you by the shoulder, turning you to face him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” You reply monotonously, eyes on the sand below you. “Just...just need to be by myself for a bit.”

His lips purse and you can feel him study your face. He presses a full water skein into your hands. “Take this. Even if it’s not as cold as I’d like, it should help with the swelling some. Plus you need to stay hydrated out there.”

“Thank you, Viper-senpai.” You nod, keeping your eyes down.

“And Prefect?” He squeezes your shoulder, voice lowering only a fraction. “I am truly sorry about this. All of this. It will not happen again, you have my word.”

It would’ve been a nice apology, had you not caught a glimpse of a smirk on his face.

You nod, making sure not to outwardly react to that or to the way the whispers of the other Scarabia students turn from the condemnation of their dorm head to the exaltation of the vice dorm head. You begin following the tracks in the sand back to the main dorm.

The sun beats down on your back as you take a swig from the skein and pass it to Grim to drink from. He’s still grumbling about how you should’ve let him recreate his rampage at the entrance ceremony.

For your part, the distance and good company have let you pull yourself out of that headspace enough that you can try and look back objectively on what happened.

Your mind keeps circling back around to one question: why did Asim-senpai hit you?

Based on your interactions before this, Asim-senpai doesn’t seem to be the type to resort to physical violence as a first response, or even a last one. Which means something in your question likely backed him into a corner enough that the normally pacifistic dorm head felt lashing out physically was the only way to get you to stop.

...Like the fact that he couldn’t answer it?

Even when screaming abuse at you, his ultimate response was that he wouldn’t explain himself to you. Is that because he didn’t want to? Or because he couldn’t? Does Asim-senpai himself not know the reasons behind his own actions? But how can someone act without knowing or meaning to, without being under the influence somehow?

Under the influence.

People acted without knowing or meaning to thanks to being under the influence of Buchie-senpai’s Unique Magic during the Magift incident. But he went home, you saw him leave, so what...?

You pull out your notebook, flipping through the pages with sweaty hands until you get to your records of the testimonies from the incident. You scan through the testimonies from Scarabia students, hoping to find something, anything—

Oh.

Oh.

“Motherfucker.” You hiss, staring at the page in dismay. You are an idiot. You are the biggest idiot, you make Deuce look like a genuis, how could you forget about this?? It was only the key testimony that helped pinpoint Buchie-senpai and Savannahclaw as the culprits behind the injuries. And it explains so much— why you kept agreeing to stay here despite wanting to go back to Ramshackle so desperately, almost like your mouth was speaking without your consent.

“Minion?” Grim asks, pushing the water skein back onto you. “What’s wrong?”

You snap your notebook shut and slide it back into your pocket, taking another fortifying swig from the skein. “Grim? Think we can get back soon enough to work on the escape route in our room before the others arrive back for lunch?”

“If we pick up the pace a bit, yeah.” He hops back onto your shoulder. “But what’s the rush? We have all night tonight to work on it.”

“Let’s just say the sooner we can get out of here, the better.” You mutter, cogs and gears turning in your head as a tentative plan begins to form.

This is not how you wanted to spend your winter break.

[to-hell-and-beyond]

Start of Something New Pt.2

Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz x Reader

Requested: Yes : No

Request: hello! can you do 25 from the fluff list for hawk? i love your writing so much <3 - @sinicalh4wk​

I know this is probably not what you expected when you requested that but..I’ve been writing so many Pt.2′s and I had to do it! And what better to put our new Cobra Kai bullies in the mix? I enjoyed writing this so much so I hope you enjoy!

Summary: It’s been a rough year but now its the Valentine's Day dance. A dance full of fun times and memories! Or another plot for Kylar. Guess him joining Cobra Kai has really boosted his ego. What will happen when he mixes his new friends in the mix?

Words: 1879

Pt.1

It definitely was the start of something new. Hand holding turned into sweet kisses, sweet kisses turned into passionate kisses and well...you know the rest. It was the start of a passionate first love, a flame that burned so bright it couldn't be put out. Even when Hawk flipped the script it still burned bright. It was that kind of love that everyone wishes that they had. But only a few were lucky to have it, you two were very lucky.

“Alright, listen up boys! And, well girl.” Kylar called as they all sat in the library. Rory, A.J, Brucks and Sarah were sitting down as Kylar flipped a chair around and sat down. He wanted to be “cool” like that. They had all become friends when they had joined Cobra Kai.

“The Valentine's day dance is coming up and that only means one thing.” Everyone had known of Kylars hate of Hawk. He is 100% sure that “Hawk stole his girl” even though you told him numerous times you didn’t like him. This was another one of his ridiculous plans to get him to be yours.

“Free drinks?” A.J asked as Kylar scowled at him.

“No. If Cobra Kai has taught us one thing, it’s to not give up-”

“I thought it was Strike hard, Strike fast, No mercy?” Sarah interrupted. She was picking at her nails in boredom as she talked. She had loved Cobra Kia, giving her a sense of family, but she was sick and tired of Kylars endless plots.

“Can you just be quiet for like 5 minutes?” Kyalr asked as he curled his fists. If there was no such Anti-Karate rule that was enforced in the school he would have already tried to kick Sarah’s ass.

“She just needed something to shut her up!” Brucks shouted which caused Rory and A.J to start laughing. The librarian came and shushed them. Sarah rolled her eyes wondering why she put up with them.

“Look, the only reason I'm here and not on a date with Tory is because you said there would be free food. I see no food so get along with it before I push you to the end of the world.” She threatened as they all took a step back away from her. What cowards.

“Well now that that is over, I have a plan.” Kylar said but yet again Sarah cut him off.

“If this is another one of your plans to put anonymous love letters in Y/n’s locker I’m leaving and going to tell Sensei Kreese what you did in the bathroom last friday.” Kylars turned an ugly shade of red as Sarah threatened him.

“Dude, what did you do?” Rory asked as he tried around to face his friend.

“It doesn't matter what I did.” He turned to face Rory and then back at Sarah. “If you don’t want to be a part of this fine leave, but don’t complain we don’t have time for Pussys. That’s why we need to show Y/n what a good man looks like and not Hawk and at the same time show those losers what Cobra kai can do. So what do you say? You all in?” Kylar asked as they all looked at eachother. Had Kylar actually said something that was not idiotic?

“I’m totally in dude, let’s go beat up some losers!” Brucks yelled as they all yelled in agreement with him. The librarian then came and kicked them out for being too loud.

---

“Are you sure this is the place?”

“Yes now shut up.” Oh how Sarah hated this. She could be on the couch cuddling with her girlfriend but instead she was here helping these idiots. Couldn’t they just get the materials themselves? Or even pair her with A.J instead of Rory?

“Did you get everything?” They turned around to see A.J covered head to toe in black. Guess Kylar wanted him to be incognito.

“Did you set up everything?” Rory asked as he passed A.J a bucket. He was starting to get flashbacks when they did Carie for their school play. He had played Tommy Russ and trust him when he says that the bucket scene was not fun.

“I’m so glad you're here. The last few hours have been hell and I couldn't even tell Tory!” She hugged A.J who was surprised. Sarah never showed much emotion but when she did it was really weird.

“Dudes! Everyone is in the gym! They don’t suspect a single thing!” Brucks laughed as the rest of them shushed him, including Rory. The man never seemed to use the appropriate voice at the appropriate time. The group was not sure if it was a blessing or a curse.

“Great! I just got the rest of the plan for Kylar. “Wait for the text and then unleash the storm”good, he couldn’t go with a better metaphor?” A.J said as he looked through his phone.

“What does “Unleash the storm” mean?” Rory asked as he helped Sarah climb up into the ceiling. It was her job to be the one that let go off the rope when Kylar told her too. 

“I swear to god, It feels like sometimes you're stupider than a prissy ass white boy here!” Sarah mumbled as she securdeed the rope.

“Hey!”

“I will drop you.”

“Aaaand we have confirmation. Unleash the storm Sarah.” That’s all it was to them. A simple game of tug-a-war. Spilling the contaminants of Kylars envy on to an innocent couple and watching as their love crumbles to the gourd. So that Kyler can swoop in and play hero. It was funny how things turned out…

“Wow...You look beautiful.” Hawk said as soon as he saw you. You looked like a marble statue carved by the most amazing artist in the world. It felt like deja-vu, feeling the same feelings he had when he first saw you. All the worry and fear seemed to leave his body when he saw you. It was like it was happening all over again.

“Thank you.” You laughed as you took his hand. Even though so much had changed in the past year he was the same boy you had fallen in love with. He still had that sweet smile and caring heart. You never wanted to let it go.

But you did...thanks to a bucket full of green slime. It stuck all over your body and completely ruined your outfit and hair. You heard a “clunk” as the bucket fell beside you along with the rope that held said bucket in place.. That was when you knew this whole thing was a set up. Someone was trying to do this to you. And you knew exactly who had done it.

“I thought that Hawk wasn’t supposed to be there when you let go?” Brucks asked as the group watched. They watched from the corner of the hallway as you and Hawk were covered in green slime. A.J, Rory and Sarah actually felt bad for you as they saw your heartbroken look. This was supposed to be your night but they had taken that away from you.

“You idiots!” Screeched Kylar as he ran to his group of friends, phone in hand.

“You were supposed to wait for me to get here and then hide! I would text Sarah when to let go off the bucket and then we would run! Your god damn lucky we didn't get caught! We're supposed to be in there now, people are going to be wondering why!” Kyler yelled. The group was pretty sure at the point everyone was hearing him.

“No dude, that’s not what you texted to me.” A.J said as he helped up his phone. Low and behold as Kyler was wrong and A.J was right. Sarah snorted while Rory and Brucks looked at Kylar with confusion. How could he have messed up a simple text?

“You guys do know that you're yelling right?” They all turned around to see you and Hawk both dripping in Green slime. Hawk looked like he was ready to bust all of the kneecaps in one kick and you looked...happy?

“I am so sorry you had to go through this Y/n.” Kyalr told the girl as everyone in the room rolled their eyes. “I was trying to show you how much I love you and how much Hawk doesn't love you! I mean look at him! He hasn’t even tried!” You grabbed Hawk’s hand as you saw he was pretty much growling.

“Don’t listen to him Y/n.” Sarah said as all eyes turned to focus on her. 

“Yah! This entire thing was Kylars plan!” Rory continued. He wasn’t a bad person per say, he just hung around the wrong crowd. He was heavily influenced, that was all his fault.

“This isn't the only thing he tried to do Y/n. He has been sneaking letters into your locker and even following you home some times. It's becoming borderline stalkerish.” A.J continued.

“Hey it’s not Kylars fault! He’s just doing what every man-” Brucks started to say to defend his best friend.

“If you continue that sentence I will hurt you worse then what I did the last time at the Dojo.” Hawk threatened. Was he really gonna start off with this misogynistic bullshit? Brucks took the hint and closed his mouth shut.

“Look I didn’t mean for you to get upset Y/n-” Kylar started to say.

“So you confess that you did do all that stuff to Y/n?” Sarah said as she popped a piece of gum into her mouth and began to chew. 

“Look-”

“It's a yes or no question idiot.” 

“Ok yes! Are you happy now?”

“Very happy.” Sarah continued as she took out a recorder from her Cobra Kai jacket pocket. She had never been so glad that these things could carry so much and still look incognito. She smiled at Kyler as she passed the tape to Y/n.

“We women need to look out for each other. I’m sorry about what happened to you and that I even went along with.” Sarah flashed a rare smile as she put a hand on your shoulder and turned to look at Kyler.

“If you touch Y/n or the tape I will tell Tory, and Tory will tell Kreese who will notify the authorities. Because we all know Tory is Kreese’s favorite after Robby left, and well Kreese is that good old soldier guy.” She gave a small wave to Kylar, who looked like he was going to blow his head off.

This day had not been perfect, but it was then the end of something new. Not a flame that no one could put out but, a boy with a huge ego. It was also the start of a few things. A start of a friendship, a start of a peaceful end to a long and cold war and a start of a clear ending all enjoyed. There was peace in the air for that very moment, a peace that had not been there for a while. Overall, all was well and all would be well.

[bluezey]

Inside Onward - The New Iandore

I just got a 2 in 1 laptop tablet combo for Christmas, which means Inside Onward is the last fanfiction I wrote on this hunk of junk laptop.  And I couldn’t be prouder of that.  Honestly, not only is this the longest fanfic I’ve written, I kinda stopped up and teared up at the last paragraph, not wanting to see this end.  Thank you all for reading.

The familiar chime of the smartphone alarm rang through headquarters.  Followed by another familiar wake up call of a chipper voice exclaiming, “It’s morning!  It’s morning! Wake up, sleepyheads!  It’s a new day!”

Fear woke up with a yawn, his arms and nerve stretching as far as they could reach.  He then gave a lazy smile to Joy, watching him bound across the room, waking up Anger and Sadness.  “Come on, you guys!” Joy cheered, still dressed in his pajamas, but raring to go.  “You don’t want Ian to be late for school!”

Fear climbed out of bed and began getting dressed.  “You heard him, guys.  Let’s go.”

Once dressed and with notebook in hand, Fear followed Joy, Sadness and Anger out the bedroom door and down the stairs onto the Headquarters floor.  Greeting them was Disgust busy at the console.  “There you guys are,” Disgust said, hands on his hips. “Thankfully, I didn’t need your help getting Ian ready today.”

“That’s good to hear,” Fear commented, scribbling that note down in his notebook.  “Disgust is present obviously, then there’s Anger, Sadness, and-“

“Me!” Joy chimed, before interrupting himself with a gasp.

Fear looked back at Joy, confused.  “What?”

“You’re finally wearing the sweatshirt again,” Joy awed with a big smile.

Fear looked down at his Willowdale College sweatshirt.  “Oh, well, I was just waiting for the right day to wear it.”

“What’s so special about today?” Disgust asked.  “We’re just doing an oral report in history.”

“Not that,” Fear commented as he made his way to his locker.  He opened it and pulled out a cardboard box.  “See, I didn’t feel right if I was the only one who got to wear Dad’s sweatshirt. So, I made a few orders with some mind workers over at Dream Productions wardrobe department and… ta da!” Fear finished, pulling another replica of Dad’s sweatshirt out of the box.

Joy jumped up and down with, well, joy.  “Our own sweatshirts!  I’ve never been so happy!  Oh, I’m gonna try mine on right now!” Joy exclaimed, snagging the sweatshirt from Fear’s hands.

Fear watched as each emotion took a sweatshirt and tried them on, each one fitting them perfectly. Anger rolled up the sleeves on his, Disgust adjusted by placing his comb and pocket mirror in his jeans pocket, and Sadness gladly snuggled up inside the hoodie of the sweatshirt.

“Glad you all like it,” Fear told everyone.  “Now come on, let’s get Ian fed and off to school!”

----

The emotions gathered around the console, proudly watching Ian standing in front of the entire class, telling his story about his first epic quest for his history class.  Months ago, Fear wouldn’t dare dream of the idea to his worst enemy.  And here he was, just as excited as Joy is to let Ian stand out and tell the tale.

“And I believe, with a little magic in your life, you can do almost anything,” Ian concluded.

“Is that how you fixed the school?” one classmate asked.

“Yes,” Ian replied as he picked up his wizard’s staff, which was leaned against the chalkboard beside him.

“Is that how you also destroyed the school?” another student asked.

Ian sheepishly held his staff and replied, “Uh, also, yes?”

Fear shuttered nervously. “I hate Q and As.”

“Okay, so we had a hiccup,” Joy shrugged.

Disgust grinned as a bunch of familiar classmates approached Ian.  “Here come Ian’s friends.”

“Great speech, Ian,” an elf student said.

“You coming to the park later?” a troll student asked.

“You know it,” Ian replied.

“Yay!  Play time at the park!” Joy cheered.

“Joy,” Disgust told Joy. “Teenagers don’t have play time. They hang out.”

“I hope we don’t get too much homework,” Sadness sighed.

----

“Mom, I’m home,” Ian announced as he walked through the door.  As the teenage elf placed his staff by the front door, he was almost caught off guard by a slender serpent bodied pet dragon leaping up and encircling his body to greet him.

“Hi Blazey, we’re home!” Joy almost sang as he took over at the controls.  “Who’s a good dragon?  Who’s a good dragon?”

After Ian gave Blazey a good scratch under her chin, the dragon ran off as Laurel entered the room. “So, how was school today?”

Ian folded his hands behind his back with a smile, as Joy and Disgust helped him respond, “It was pretty good.”

“Well, alright,” Laurel replied with a smile.

Just then, Colt entered the room, coffee cup in hand and a brand new wedding band on his finger. “Hey there, Ian,” he greeted. “You working hard?”

“Nope,” Ian replied. “Hardly working.”  The emotions’ laughter almost drowned out Colt’s braying laugh.

Fear turned and watched Family Island light up with Ian’s response to Colt.  After giving a careful double take, Fear left the emotions behind at the console and quickly made his way to the window.  He overlooked the islands with a smile, starting with Family Island, now with a new Colt Bronco statue next to the Laurel statue.  He panned over the Islands with a smile, observing every single one.  Science Island, with its influence on space.  School Island, proudly highlighting Ian’s math skills. Friendship Island, expanded to accommodate all of Ian’s new friends.  Smartphone Island, a little smaller, but still a piece of Ian. Wizard Island, with a glow shimmering from atop Ian’s staff like the light of a lighthouse.  Fear smiled wide as he scanned every single island.

Then stopped at Dad Island.

Thankfully, it has changed to show how much of an impact just one day with half a dad had on Ian’s life. Along with some pictures of Dad and a large replica of the Dad audio cassette, there was a large replica of striped purple socks draped on one side of the island, and a statue of Dad’s legs sitting on the edge of the other side.  Dad’s legs were beside Family Island, making it look like they were connected. But, Fear’s smile faded, knowing that wasn’t true.

“Well well,” Joy commented, standing behind Fear. “If I’m not mistaken, I think Dad Island is a little closer today.”

Fear jumped from being startled, before giving a nervous smile.  “Oh, hey Joy,” he exhaled a sigh, going back to looking melancholy over the island.  Fear promised that Ian would finally meet his Dad, and he would be a better person because of it.  But, only one part came true.

Joy watched Fear for a moment, then gave a supportive smile.  “Hey.  We’ll get Dad on Family Island one day.”

Fear gave half a smile. “Thanks, Joy.”

“I’m serious,” Joy replied. “We may not find another Phoenix Gem, but I’m sure there’s plenty more stories of Dad out there.”

Fear gave a full smile at Joy as the happy emotion gave the fearful emotion a big, warm side hug.

“Get off of him or you’re dead meat!” Anger shouted.

Fear and Joy turned to see onscreen Ian successfully grabbing Barley, flipping him out of his grapple and slam him onto the ground.  Joy and Fear could hear Family Island chime behind them.

“Woo!  Nice one, Anger!” Joy exclaimed, running up and giving the red emotion a fist bump.

“Phew!  Thank goodness I wasn’t here for that,” Fear commented as he approached the console.  “Barley sneaking up on us still scares the heck out of me.”

Ian took up his staff as he and Barley stepped out of the house.  “So, how’s the new van?”

“Oh, Guinevere the Second is great!” Barley commented.  “I’ve almost got enough saved up for a sweet paint job.”

“No, please, don’t,” Ian replied.

Barley looked surprised and confused.  “Why not?”

“Stand back, boys,” Disgust told the other emotions as he took the controls.  “I’ve been waiting all night for this.”

“Cause I already took care of it,” Ian replied, motioning his staff to the side of the van.

Barley turned and was immediately jumping and screaming with joy.  On the side of the mandarin orange van was a mural of a Pegasus from Barley’s first van, with the same background color as old Guinevere.  Upon the mighty steed was Barley in his adventure outfit, boldly his sword onward, with Ian dressed as a wizard at his side.

The emotions cheered as Joy exclaimed, “He loves it!”

Disgust brushed a blue curl from his face as he replied smugly, “Yeah, I know.”

The brothers climbed into the van and Barley backed out of the driveway.  “Now, the best way to the park is to take a trail that I like to call the Road of Ruin,” Barley told Ian.

Ian gave an unimpressed shrug.  “Nah, too obvious.”

Once again, Barley was thrown off his guard.  “Wait, what?”

Joy turned to Fear with a big, bold grin.  “You ready?”

Fear grinned back, a little less big, but still bold for a Fear.  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“On a quest,” Ian quoted, as he took up his staff, “the quickest path is not always the right one.”

And with that, Joy and Fear slammed their hands down on a button between them on the console.

Ian held his staff aloft until the tip reached the ceiling.  “Avi Volanta!” Ian declared, and Guinevere the second was enveloped in sparking white magic from the inside out.  And, as Barley took the wheel, the van lifted off into the air and flew over the rooftops of their neighborhood.  The brothers cheered in their success, and a rush of adrenaline from flying above New Mushroomton.

Inside Ian’s head, the emotions cheered on their Ian, with Fear occasionally reminding them all to focus on keeping the van in the air.  They don’t want the brothers to crash!

----

Later that afternoon, as it was becoming evening, Fear snuck off real quick one more time.  He made his way to the center of the Headquarters floor and tapped his foot on a button, making the core memory holder rise from its hiding place.  Fear took a quick glance over the core memories, one for each part of Ian’s personality.  After taking a brief pause on the blue and yellow memory powering Dad Island, Fear knelt down and inspected the core memory powering Family Island. While still in the holder, Fear brushed his finger against it, making it move to a memory of Laurel holding infant Ian while singing him to sleep.  He moved his finger against it again, and the vision changed to Ian standing at the altar with Barley at Laurel and Colt’s wedding. He brushed against it once more, and the memory changed to kid Barley helping Ian learn to walk, followed by a vision of grown Ian hugging Barley back atop the remnants of the cursed dragon.

Each and every vision was still shining a bright and cheerful yellow, and Fear couldn’t be any more glad to see that.

“Come on, Fear!” Joy called out from the console.  “Ian and Barley just made it home!”

“Oh!  Coming!”  Fear tapped his foot down on the button, and the core memory holder returned to its resting place, core memories and all.  Fear returned to his place at the console, with his friends and coworkers, as Ian and Barley stepped into the front door of the Lightfoot home.

[missjosie27]

Year 3 Part 1- No Cursed Vaults Allowed

Hey everyone! I’m back with Year 3 for the adventures of my MC! This will feature some new characters including an in depth look at his parents. I have a feeling it will be the best year yet! Enjoy! Comments and feedback welcome!

Summertime was an ideal season for many things, muggle and wizardfolk alike: cookouts, nights out at the pub, parties, celebrations, holidays to the beach, picnics, visitations to relatives, etc. It was just too bad David Grant was given no opportunity to enjoy any of it.

The start of the summer break began badly and only got worse from there. Unlike the end of his first year, there was no hiding the truth of what he had been up to. Some junior reporter managed to get wind of the cursed ice story despite all attempts of the school to lessen its impact. Though he wasn’t mentioned by name, his parents had gone through this nightmare once before and it didn’t take a genius to know their second son indulged in the cursed vaults same as their first born. The result was not pretty.

His mother’s reaction was the most severe- she railed for hours about irresponsibility, jeopardizing his education, the fact she told him not to get up to the same type of foolishness as his brother and what that meant to the family. All the while, David winced and tried to resist covering his ears, though a small woman of only 5’4, her presence was no less intimidating by those who knew her. The piercing blue eyes and mother bear persona was enough to make even the largest man quake in their boots. Which meant he received no help from his dad in that regard.

His father, a man of about six feet with still solidly dark brown hair and a goatee, was not the type to scream and yell but he was the kind of man to take a person aside and issue them a soft but stern warning, which in this case meant wagging his finger and telling him to obey his mother’s wishes.

It was a dynamic that had been going on for four years now going on five. Ever since the disappearance of his older brother both parents took a turn for the worse in their behavior and attitude not only towards him but each other. As opposed to long dinner conversations, the family tended to eat in silence, where long walks in the backyard meadow were once common, David was forbidden from venturing even twenty feet outside the house, where affection and love once dwelled was now replaced by tension and distance.

His parents thought him naïve but the thirteen year old wasn’t stupid. One didn’t need to be a full grown adult to see how fragile things had become. To make matters even worse, all of this tension was redirected back on him. Both of his parents worked, his mother at the tea shop in London, his father in the Office of International Cooperation as the envoy to the United States, but when not occupied with these tasks they focused on him. And the summer of 1986 was filled with reminders about the upcoming year and what he was not to do.

If it wasn’t for his grandfather, Thomas Grant, he might have gone crazy.

“Mum and Dad aren’t happy, Grandad. They don’t do much really. Except feed me and occasionally yell.”

The slender, graying haired man gave a sad chuckle as pulled his grandson close to him.

“They’re going through a rough time now, David. Given the circumstances.”

“But I’m not like Jacob. I didn’t purposefully try to get involved in that vault stuff. It just…sucked me in.”

“I’m willing to bet Jake had a similar story,” Thomas laughed, deep and true. His sense of humor was well known among his family and peers.

“Grandad, I’m serious,” David responded though he couldn’t resist a smile himself. “They’re suffocating. How am I supposed to do anything with them always on my back?”

“There’s always Hogwarts,” came the witty response. When his grandson didn’t laugh this time around, the patriarch of the Grant family turned serious, cupping a finger underneath David’s chin.

“David don’t judge your parents too harshly. Just remember that you aren’t the only one who misses Jake. There must be sufficient time to heal. And when that happens, things will turn around. In the meantime, keep your head up and your ear to the ground.”

The young teenager nodded, knowing that if there was anyone he could trust, it was his grandfather, who often spoke plainly about topics such as these.

“I will.”

“There’s a good lad. Now let’s enjoy more of this summer sunshine shall we, David?”

“David?”

The sound of his mother’s voice brought him back to earth.

“David, are you listening?”

Snapping out of the flashback he quickly replied, “Yes mum.”

“You didn’t promise me,” she warned him as they sat at the table eating breakfast. She had made eggs, sausage, and picked an assortment of fruits but on the eve of going back to school, there was one more lecture to be had.

“Promise that I won’t try to touch the giant squid? Yeah, sure, I can promise that.”

But his attempt at humor was mitigated by a stern look from his father, looking down from his Saturday paper.

“We do not need our second son engaging in this dangerous cursebreaking business,” Heather Grant repeated for the umpteenth time. “It leads to nowhere good. Especially with Jacob gone. Please promise me you will not attempt to find more of these cursed vaults.”

“You’re mother is right, son,” the soft voice of his father echoed. “Your job is to further your education at Hogwarts, make some friends, and meet a few girls along the way,” he added with an uptwitch of his mouth.

“This is a time for you to learn and grow. Not put yourself in needless danger. Listen to your teachers. Listen to Dumbledore. Pay no attention to whatever temptations these vaults might have for you.”

If you had bothered to pay attention to my side of it, you’d remember I don’t CARE what’s inside of the vaults, David thought bitterly. I’m trying to find Jacob so we can be a family again. So YOU don’t have to cry every week about losing your son

In the end, the young teen held his tongue, buried his feelings as he always did on the subject and did as he was told. If it would save his mother that much grief to tell her what she wanted to hear, so be it.

“I promise I will, mum. Cross my heart and swear to die.”

“David!”

“Kidding.”

He was enveloped in an enormous hug, almost causing him to choke on his food.

“We love you, sweetie. Always remember that.”

Even as he acknowledged her words and reciprocated that love, David couldn’t help but feel bitter.

“I love you too.”

In a summary, this was why he hated the summer holidays. Hogwarts couldn’t come soon enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The arrival at King’s Crossing couldn’t come soon enough. Using an old Chevrolet that his grandfather collected on his travels in the United States and later passed down to his son, they drove to London on a lovely September day. For David, however, he was just looking forward to getting away from his mother’s smothering influence. Unfortunately, he couldn't get away from her without one last embarrassing hug and kiss on the forehead.

“Stay safe,” she said, as a few sixth years passed by and snickered. David would have hexed them right then and there were his arms not constricted and his wand in his back jeans pocket. “And remember…”

“I know, mum. No cursed vaults.”

“He understands, Heather,” his father spoke up, in a rare moment of support. He also hugged his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Be well, David. You know we’re always an owl away if you need us.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

With a last wave and a goodbye, the train whistled, and David hopped on. A sadness permeated through his heart as he looked out of the window one last time at his parents. Their faces were neutral, even distant as they turned and walked away, not even bothering to hold hands or give any sign of affection.

Sighing, the now third year Gryffindor wondered if things would ever return to normal in his family and what it would take to mend the wounds inflicted. In his heart, he already knew the answer. The problem was his parents had already forbidden it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It didn’t take long for him to find Rowan and grab a compartment. They were later joined by Charlie and Ben as well as Penny, who decided to spend her train ride with the Gryffindor boys this year.

“It’s great to see you again, David!” the pretty blonde greeted him with her usual hug. She did the same with the rest of the crew, causing Ben and Charlie to blush. “How was your summer?”

“Not good,” came the monotone, blunt response. “Unless you count not being allowed twenty feet outside of the house trapped with overbearing parents to be fun.”

Ben hesitated as he tried to formulate the words.

“Did your mum and dad…you know…”

“Find out about the cursed vault? Yes. And I have the Daily Prophet to thank for that. My parents saw the article and they put two and two together. So they know everything and made me promise a million times I would stop associating myself with the vaults.”

“Sounds rough, mate,” Charlie spoke sympathetically. “My mum saw it too but after I told her everything, she was very understanding.”

“Goddamn it, Charlie you told her what we got up to?”

David hadn’t meant to sound upset, but the last thing he needed was for his friends’ parents to think he was an obsessed nutcase as well.

“Dave, give me more credit than that,” the second eldest Weasley said raising his hands in the air. “I didn’t give her any specific details, just the gist. When Bill told her it was because you were trying to find your brother she immediately melted. I think she’s definitely going to send you a sweater this year.”

Not knowing what a sweater had to do with anything, David nevertheless relented.

“Sorry, Charlie. Didn’t mean to bite your head off. Things are just….tense at home. I’m very glad to be going back to Hogwarts.”

“Hey if anyone understands it’s me and Bill,” Charlie chuckled. “There are seven Weasley children in our humble abode. Family disputes are quite common.”

“Speaking of which, where is the lanky tosser?” David smiled. “He usually joins us by now.”

“Funny you should mention that. He’s out fulfilling his new prefect duties. Got the letter just last month. He’s getting himself acquainted in a fancy compartment as we speak.”

“He’s going to make an excellent prefect,” Rowan blurted out excitedly. “The best ever!”

“I suppose he won’t be able to help us out with the vaults anymore given his new position,” Ben suggested sadly. “Prefects enforce the rules, not break them.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Charlie said while munching through a sandwich. “Bill isn’t above breaking a few rules when it suits him. He’s a leader not a tattle tale.”

“That reminds me,” Penny perked up. “Have you given any thought to the broken wand and the book you found?”

That was an interesting question. David had not told his parents about the treasures that lay within the vault and locked them in his trunk to prevent them from being discovered. As to their true purpose, that was still anyone’s guess.

“Of course, I have. They’ve been stored away ever since I found them. But I can’t figure out what they’re for.”

“I wish I had been able to come with you into the vault,” Rowan lamented. “If I had, maybe we would have been able to translate more of that ancient Aramaic on the column. I’ve been doing a lot of research over the summer and I have some theories…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” David assured him. “I’m just not sure we have much to go off of right now.”

“What about Merula?”

He leaned back in his compartment seat, as though wholly unconcerned.

“What about her?”

“You know she’s going to want revenge since you got to the vault before her last year. Not to mention the failed bubotuber prank she tried to pull.”

“Oh yeah, that was funny. Remind me to send her a biting tea cup for her birthday this year.”

“David.”

Rowan’s serious tone forced him to give a serious answer, even though his mind couldn’t be farther from his Slytherin rival.

“She’s going to try and provoke me like she usually does. It’s the best we can hope for. She doesn’t know a damn thing about the vaults and as long as we keep it that way, Merula Snyde won’t be anything more than a minor nuisance in potions class.”

“No offense, David,” Penny warned. “But Merula’s a lot cleverer than you give her credit for. She’s mean, but she isn’t stupid. If any wind of the next vault gets to the Slytherins, she’s going to be the first to jump on it.”

Bollocks, she’s right

David didn’t like to give any credence to any Slytherin, much less Merula but he had to acknowledge that the blonde Hufflepuff brought up a good point. She was not one to give up easily or at all and would not fail to brag about any progress with the vaults or information regarding his brother. He had not taken her up on that offer the previous year but if the flow of intel ran dry, might he have to make a deal with her?

No, never. Merula can piss up a tree for all I care

“I understand your concern, guys. But there’s not a whole lot we can do right now. I don’t even know if I can go after the next vault.

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Ben challenged to his surprise. “Since when does David Grant let rules stop him?”

David didn’t respond, instead choosing to close his eyes and take a small nap before arriving at Hogwarts. Those were questions he preferred not to answer at the moment.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the train ride was relatively quiet. Penny had to wake up David and Charlie from their respective naps (Charlie also had a habit of snoring) to put on their robes but that aside, it was a peaceful trip without any hijinx.

Heading up to the massive castle was now a familiar routine. The familiar call of ‘Firs’ years’ could be heard above the chatter of the thousand strong student body as he waved a friendly hello to Hagrid who greeted him back. Invisible carriages carried them and their luggage up to the front hall where Peeves was waiting with an assortment of fanged frisbees and had to be cleared away by Professor McGonagall. Yes, being a third year did have one gigantic perk: routine. Being thirteen meant you were no longer a little kid and people showed you a modicum of respect.

They weren’t the only ones moving up in the world. As the respective houses gathered at their tables in the Great Hall, David spotted a familiar long haired, tall red headed Weasley sporting an impressive red and gold badge. It didn’t take long for them to embrace.

“Bill Weasley, you wanker. Can’t make time for us on the train anymore?”

Bill grinned in response.

“For you lot? As if.”

“Seriously, though. Congratulations on becoming prefect. I know you really wanted it last year.”

“Thanks, David,” the eldest Weasley thanked. “Mum practically died of joy when I got the letter. Really, I’m just glad Dumbledore believed I earned it.”

“Just don’t let it get to your head,” Charlie teased him as the group took their seats besides and across from one another. His brother rolled his eyes.

“You know me better than that. Percy on the other hand, God forbid he ever becomes a prefect…”

“Who’s Percy?” Rowan asked, clearly not aware of the numerous siblings the family possessed.

“He’s our younger brother,” Charlie explained. “Younger than Bill and I, but older than Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. He’s a bit of a wet blanket.”

“He comes to Hogwarts next year. You’ll understand when you meet him,” Bill said, his smile becoming more of a grimace. “By the way, I wanted to ask you sooner, but I couldn’t get away from the prefect training. Did you find any clue or hint about the next vault?”

“Don’t know anything more than you do, I’m afraid,” David said, shaking his head.

“You’re still interested in the vaults even though you’re a prefect?” Rowan asked Bill.

“Hey, just because I’m a prefect doesn’t mean I’ve lost my appetite for curse breaking. I just have to be more…discreet about it from now on.”

Charlie grinned at the rest of his friends as a way to say ‘I told you so’. Ben looked mildly surprised while Rowan was positively aglow with admiration.

“Do you think Dumbledore is going to punish us for investigating the vaults?” the sandy haired third year asked aloud.

David shrugged. “I don’t think so. He asked me to stay away from them, but he wasn’t upset.”

“No way that he could be. You saved the entire school from being turned into a frozen wasteland,” Rowan pointed out.

But before anyone could say anything more, the enormous oak doors burst open as Professor McGonagall entered the room with this year’s batch of first years in tow. The older students immediately quieted down as the protocol and procedure for the sorting began. Time for chatter on the vaults would have to come later.

In another instance of the inconsistency of time passing, David observed that the sorting always took longer when you were on the outside looking in as opposed to when you were the one being sorted. The hat’s song was entertaining enough as it always was, but just how many first years had last names beginning with the letter ‘D’? He was also quite hungry as evidenced by his stomach growling. The feast couldn’t come soon enough.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the sorting ended, and Dumbledore took center stage.

“Welcome back to Hogwarts!” the white bearded warlock boomed happily. “I’m pleased to have all of you new and returning students here for another year of magical learning and self discovery. To those returning pupils with empty bellies, I apologize for making you suffer through another one of my speeches, but I must address certain concerns before we dig into our sumptuous feast.”

David could have sworn the old man’s eyes twinkled at the sound of the groaning from the student body.

“First, as a reminder: The Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds to all students regardless of year. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has also pressed me to tell you that the list of banned items at Hogwarts has increased to one hundred and fifty seven. A full list can be viewed on his office door. As always, Madam Hooch will announce the dates of coming Quidditch tryouts for your respective house teams.

“I would be remiss, however, if I did not mention the Erumpent in the room. As many of you know, last year, Hogwarts was afflicted with cursed ice caused by one of the long rumored cursed vaults. The curse was released as a result of an outside entity tampering with them. Therefore, I am ordering everyone in this room to stay away from the rest. It is said that each vault unleashes a unique curse and I will not have my students and faculty endangered again. And while it is true that some of our students broke the vault curse and saved the school, it is also true they put themselves and others at great risk by doing so. As such, I am forbidding any student from seeking out the remaining ones. The penalty will be severe, especially for repeat offenders.

“But do not let my warning damper your spirits. Please, enjoy the feast and rest well for your classes tomorrow.”

Dumbledore clapped his hands twice and the usual assortment of foodstuffs and goodies appeared in front of them. But his warning did take away some of David’s appetite and Ben was the first to address the comments as the feast commenced.

“So much for Dumbledore not being upset…”

“Do you think he knows we were all involved? Are we going to get detention?” Rowan said in a panicked whisper.

“Relax, both of you,” Bill lightly chided. “If any of us were getting detention we’d know by now. We just have to decide what to do moving forward. David, what do you think?”

That was the problem, however. He had no idea where to go from here. On the one hand, listening to Dumbledore and his parents did seem to be the wisest course. There was a lot to consider- his schooling, his reputation, not to mention the possibility of having his wand snapped by the Ministry. But deep within the pits of the fun and witty David Grant was a hole that he never let anyone see, not even his own parents. The hole that symbolized the loss of his brother and the burning desire to find him again. He didn’t want to disobey the headmaster or mum and dad, but how could he sit idly by with newfound information on Jacob and not act on it.

“Let’s heed Dumbledore for now,” came the muted response. “I need to think on this.”

Rowan and Ben looked at each other as if unsure what to make of the situation but they didn’t press the issue. Bill nodded, his perception much more adept than the third years also said nothing but nevertheless kept his good cheer.

“Hey David…catch.”

The turkey leg thrown at his plate nearly caused him to jump ten feet in the air, as memories of Merula and bubotuber pus came to the forefront of his mind.

“Wanker,” David laughed as Charlie snickered and Bill winked.

The rest of the evening was much more pleasant as they ate to their hearts content, joked around, discussed their holidays, classes, Quidditch, and various topics. As they were dismissed from the Great Hall and made their way up to bed (Bill had to lead the first years on their annual tour) Jae, ever the smuggler that he was, presented them with a new kind of sweet that Filch had failed to ban: Animal Augments. Basically, they gave one the temporary ability to sound like a random wild animal. Ben’s lion roar woke up the fourth years in the next dorm and David nearly pissed himself laughing at Rowan getting the donkey themed one. As Jae put it- “galleons well spent.” These were the moments that made Hogwarts worthwhile.

Cursed Vaults or not, it was good to be back.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #259

"i went straight to heaven, but i kept on knockin’.”

What's something that makes you feel more creative? Music. What are the last three nail polish colors you wore? Wow, idk the last time I wore nail polish, but probably black or maroon. What's the last thing you binge watched? Avatar: The Last Airbender w/ Sara. Do you watch youtube videos or tv shows more? YouTube is essentially my TV. Quite literally - I don't have a television in my room because I never watch it. What's a DIY project that you don't think actually works? Oh dude, plenty. I have DIY-obsessed friends online as well as a Pinterest, I know this shit, lmao. I can name one though with total certainty because I was with a friend when she tried that disgusting "YOU CAN MAKE cuPCAkES IN A C uP!!!!!" crap. It's the most eggy shit you'll ever try. Do you collect Mason jars to use for crafts? No, but I think those crafts are generally super cute. Have you ever gotten rid of something and then regretted it? If so, what? (or what's one thing?) Oh yeah, one of my biggest being my senior prom pictures, but not for the reason you'd expect (save for two pictures of us that're just REALLY fuckin cute): I want them back because goddamn I was pretty ok and I miss that now that I hate my body every waking moment of every day. :^) What color is the zip-up hoodie you wear the most? Don't have one w/ a zipper, they're ugly. Do you live in an apartment that has inspections? No. Do you hate taking naps during the day? Nooo I love naps and usually take one a day. I tend to feel really tired all over again a few hours or so after I wake up. Who in your immediate family has the best natural hair? MEEEEEEEEEEEE. Would you ever audition for American Idol? Hell no. Do you know anyone who thinks they're more talented than they are? Lol wow, this is mean. I don't think so. Do you buy gum? Rarely, even though I like it. What's your favorite dollar store?  I don’t have a favorite, I'd say? But I think we normally go to Dollar General. How many cell phones have you had in your lifetime? Maybe like, six? Have you ever been inside a Victorian mansion? BITCH I WISH!!!!!!!!!!!! I would kill to get married in one, omfGGGGGGGGGGG. What was the most boring field trip you ever want on? I don't remember a bad one. I loved going on field trips. The last time you went, what were your favorite rides at Cedar Point? I’ve never been. Which country would you most like to visit? Eeeeek idk, but probably South Africa. What are your favorite types of videos to watch on YouTube? What I watch on YouTube has become pretty diverse, but I know my favorites are easily Mark's actual big projects w/ egos 'n shit alksjdflk;w gOOD SHIT MY FRIENDS. I still love let's plays, of course! Are you a hoarder? No. Is there a guy (or girl) that you wish things had worked out with? Yes. If you were to start a collection, what would it be? I'd loooove Shadow of the Colossus stuff, particularly the amazing figures they used to have only in Japan. And World of Warcraft stuff; all I have rn is an Illidan poster and a fae dragon plushy hanging from my ceiling that Jason got me. If you were rich, what things would you get done cosmetically? Mother of god, a lot. #1, make me skinny again for the love of fuck. Which would result in loose skin being taken off and probably a breast lift because being overweight ruined my comfort with them laskdjfw. Whiten my teeth and give me laser hair removal surgery on my legs, please. Are your parents too controlling? Not at all. Who is your favorite fictitious redhead? VOL'JIN Blizzard what the FUCK give him BACK What shows have you seen on Broadway? None. Who is the prettiest Asian YouTuber that you can think of? Bitch Mark is Korean and he's gorgeous as fuck goddamn it ain't fair. But this is a weird question. What is the best news you've heard lately? When my mom got a follow-up blood test, things looked good!! She especially needed to level out her sugar, which she did well on. She also didn't lose or gain any weight, so that's wonderful. Have you ever flown first class? Hunny I am v poor. Have you ever had food SO bad in a restaurant that you sent it back? I don't believe so, anyway. Do you talk in your sleep? Very regularly now. Have you ever locked yourself out of your house? OOF, yes. Are you the type of person who can shake insults off easily, or do they tend to stick around in your brain & bother you? They stick with me for a long, long time. At least two I remember from years upon years ago. Who was the last person you cut out of your life intentionally? My old therapist that I trusted and loved when I fucking shouldn't have. Where were you raised? By who? Eastern NC, by my parents. What were your first words? "Dada." What were some of your favorite things when you were young? DINOSAURS, Webkinz, Pokemon, and Spyro, to name a few. What did you grow up listening to? Mostly country and pop music. What games did you play in the past? Spyro was my obsession, and I also loved hunting games (ironic, as irl I would never even consider it???) as well as fishing ones, plus Crash Bandicoot. What was the best birthday party you ever had? I'm not sure. How about the best vacation? I'm unsure; I haven't really been on a lot. Do you have any secrets you never intend to tell? Yup. What memory would you like to disappear from your mind forever? A nightmare I had about my dad. If you were someone else, would you be friends with the person you are now? Yeah. Do you consider yourself a smart person? No. What friend in your life has been the greatest influence to you? I don't know. Where is the scariest place you’ve ever been? What made it so terrifying? I shared a bedroom with an EXTREMELY volatile, violent woman once in the mental hospital. As in she had to go in solitary when she had a violent episode, during which she became very destructive to her surroundings, so as you could guess, I was worried about my own wellbeing. She was eventually moved because I was that uncomfortable. Did you celebrate Easter? Are there any holidays you are more inclined to celebrate than others? If so, which? Well, Easter hasn't come yet, but we'll probably go to my sister's house for the kids. We'll celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving without fail. We don't pay much attention to others. I'd LOVE to do something for Halloween, we just never have anywhere to go/anything to do. What was the last thing you deleted? Pictures. What colors make up the majority of your wardrobe? Is there any color you like, but don’t wear often? There's black there. Oh, there's s'more black. What's that???? More bLACK????? MAN, I wish I could pull off pink. When was the last time you were in any amount of pain? I had a pretty intense headache yesterday. Who was the last person to hug you? Do you hug this person often? My niece, and yeah, every time I visit. What are you most likely to argue or debate about? The fact I almost never leave my pajamas lmao. What was the last show you watched? Have you seen it before, or is it something you’re watching for the first time? A few days back, I was reeeaaally bored and actually watched TV deliberately, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?????? It was The Witcher; wasn't bad. I'd be willing to watch more. How would you describe your taste in clothing? What would a dream outfit look like to you? uuuuuggggGHHHHHHHH let me be GOTH. Give me a corsette if they weren't notoriously uncomf with plenty of chains 'n stuff. BIG, SPIKY BOOTS. SKINNY LEATHER PANTS. UUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH. Have you ever tried snowboarding? No. What’s your favorite planet besides Earth? Saturn is dope. Would you ever be a coach for any sport? Nope. What color of eyes do you have? Blue. Do you like tacos? NOOOOOOOOO. White or red wine? Wine is gross. Do you prefer foxes or wolves? Foxes. What’s the youngest you would consider dating? No younger than 21. Do you think suits are sexy? mmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Did you go to high school with your current best friend? No. What is your boss’ (or school prinicpal’s) name? N/A Were you a fan of Michael Jackson before he died? I was never really a fan. Respected him immensely as a musician, I just didn't care much about his music. Turkey or ham for Thanksgiving? Ham. Turkey is always too dry and stringy. Do you look good in hats? I wouldn't know, I haven't worn one in forever. Never with short hair. Colons or equal signs for your smiley face's eyes? Colons. Do you like architecture? If so, do you have a favourite style or structure that you’d like to make note? Yes, and I should really have an answer for this, as architecture was a big part in Art History... Ummm Etruscan stands out, and of course Roman/Greek (even after the class I don't remember their differences well...). I love Middle Eastern architecture, too. What is one of your favorite words, in any language, and why? I just love the sound of "serendipity," as well as uhhhh "sakura" in Japanese and "kanji" in Chinese. I'm trying to think of a German one, as there certainly are some, but they're evading me right now. Where is the farthest you’ve travelled on foot? JESUS FUCK probably going to get Sara's brother from school, mother of all that is holy. But it might just feel like it because it was during the peak of my muscle atrophy in my legs. Are there any songs that you perhaps like but avoid because it makes you sad when heard? A good number. Do you like the area that you live in? What do you like or dislike about the area? NO. There's not shit to do and it's not aesthetically pleasing at all. Do you have a memory of when you really thought that you have lucked out on something? If so, what was it? Uhhhhh. A handful, I guess? Oh, uh, the suicide attempt to name one and probably the biggest. I took way too many of those pills to experience almost zero symptoms of an overdose; I did look up what "too many" was, because I wanted that. I'd say I was pretty fuckin lucky. If you have apps on your mobile phone, which one do you use the most? Facebook. Which do you like better: fantasy or science fiction novels? Why? FANTASY!!! I think it allows more creativity and possibilities of something magically "making sense" because yeah, it's fantasy. Science fiction has more "realness" to it, more, obviously, scientific elements versus make-believe. Do you like opossums? Do you think it is ethically right for others to keep opossums as pets? OPOSSUMS!!!!!!!!! ARE!!!!!!!!!! FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're my second-favorite animals kdsja;lkdjaw. BUT ANYWAY, no, unless it's for rescue reasons. When was the last time someone asked you a huge favor or advice? Do you get asked often by this person? Oh I have no idea. Probably my mom? And no, definitely not. She hates asking for help. What are your thoughts on nihilism? I definitely get it, but it's not my personal outlook. Do you like the snow? More like love. What are your thoughts and feelings towards work/jobs in general? I don't know? I've never even had a real, steady job, so it's hard to really answer... I've only had bad experiences. It's kinda weird to me how you have to work your ass off (usually) to get a job you enjoy, as well as slave for some stupid green paper until the day you die just to stay alive and healthy. But at the same time, it offers a sense of fulfilment and is as well something productive and beneficial to the masses to do. Civilization would be very, very different and unadvanced if we were without them, so I guess it is a necessary thing. Humans gotta work together to keep where we're at. Do you believe in astrology? I've never actually elaborated why I don't believe in it so there ya go: not in the slightest. All it does is offer extremely broad characteristics that, in some light, almost anyone can relate to so they feel included in something. We naturally want to "belong" within something as social creatures, and astrology is an easy one with it being so vast. It gives equally indirect advice that can be applied to a multitude of situations, so people just mold what they read to fit their world. Don't base your goddamn life choices on the random positioning of shit in space. What is something that you’ve made/created? Do you take pride in your creations? Well, way way way too many OCs that I do indeed love a hell of a lot. If you have a Tumblr account, do you have any followers that you wish would not follow you? Well I'm sure there are bots. What kind of books do you generally enjoy to read? Fantasy stuff, mostly. But I also love novels with deep meaning, particularly about life in general. A good plot is mandatory. Does the quality of a video, on YouTube or a television, matter to you? I mean of course in some situations, like if I'm watching something educational/something to gain visual knowledge from. What is one situation that may cause you to become shy (if there is any)? Don't don't don't don't don't point out that my serious interests/things I massively love are "weird" like it's been years and I can still barely explain why my biggest tattoo is a tribute to some fuckface on the Internet lmao. When one is depressed, what can a friend do about it? Do you find that there is a good method to approach people in helping them combat depression? It is SO important to, first, ask them what they want. Do they want advice, an ear to just listen, just your presence, to be alone? As for combating depression, that greatly depends on the origin (if any) of theirs. There are so many factors in answering this question, but what I mentioned should, imo, always be the start. Do you tend to listen to music that embraces your mood or does music dictate your mood? Is it a little bit of both? Definitely both. When I'm sad though, I'm almost definitely listening to somber music too. Do you find yourself to be generally a forgiving person? I'm too goddamn forgiving. Do you have an embarrassing memory that you now look back at and can laugh? If so and if you’re comfortable, could you share one here? Omg I have a Bible-length collection of those suckers. I'd prefer not to. What is one skill that you have worked hard to develop? Is there still room for improvement on that skill? Damn, anxiety-coping mechanisms and actually trusting them to help me through attacks. I used to be convinced that they were useless because it just wouldn't work and weren't immediately effective, but you've gooooooot to trust the process, friends. What do you consider to be your main passion(s) and how did they come about? Spreading awareness of the seriousness of mental health and the comfort of knowing there's hope. You can never stop pushing. My own experience with mental health struggles is definitely the deeeep roots of that. Who do you think influenced you the most in your life so far? Why? Jason changed my life in many ways. Trauma does that. He taught me a lot about the necessity of having faith in yourself to survive on your own, a shitload about love and how it's not some fairy tale, and that people change, even those you least expect to. What is something that you have overheard people talk about that really bothered you? I could name more than a few things about race stuff, living where I do. What do you normally say or how do you normally act in response to a compliment? I usually do this shy laugh and say "thank you" with too much enthusiasm. How many books do you own? Do you have more physical books than electronic books? I've no clue where a lot of my old ones are. I have no electronic ones; I strongly prefer to read a physical book. What are your thoughts on higher education? Is it really necessary? In your opinion, what changes can be made? Depending on your aspiring career, it can be necessary, but just as easily, it can be unnecessary. I know for a fucking fact it should not be NEARLY as expensive as it is. Maybe even free, but I have no idea what monetary concerns that could cause with whoever runs the place. Have you ever received a heartfelt compliment from a stranger? Probably at some point. How many people would you consider to be extremely close to you? "Extremely"... like three lmao. Maybe one more or so. When was the last time you had to speak to a crowd? How well did that go? When I was taking pictures at a wedding last. It went okay. How would you describe your general outlook towards humanity? We by no means deserve to be the apex predator and Earth would be a shitload better without us. How long do you think you could last without any contact with your significant other, best friend, or a person whom you consider would be the closest to you? I'll use my mom here, in which case idk. I don't particularly want to find out. I talk to her at LEAST by text daily. Every day now that she can't work/is always home with me. Have you ever realised that someone was lying, but it was too late to confront them? Nope. Eventually speaking up is how I lost her, but.

[romancingromanoff]

Dream At Dusk Part 3/? OFC x Cullen Family

Ellen show with Scarlett Johansson part three is next :)

Part 1 here

Part 2 here

Three months later

Esme

The amount of time that had passed since Maggie was first welcomed into their home was usually a blink of an eye for most people. Humans could always be counted on to say, “Wow, summer went by so fast,” or “I can’t believe it’s the start of a new school year already” this time of year as September was about to roll in and kids were preparing to head back to classes. Parents were snapping shots of their kids on the first day, much to many students’s dismay (especially the older ones which were becoming way too cool for such childish things now), and incessantly crying about how the little ones grew up so fast and that they would freeze time if they could.

For the Cullens, however, it should have felt even quicker; less memorable considering the fact that each of the “kids” had experienced several dozen first days of school but this one was definitely worth pulling out all of the stops for.

“Emmett, you’re not leaving until we get a first day of school picture outside,” Esme stopped him as he was reaching for the keys from the bowl.

“Seriously? You know we’re basically going to go in there and quietly keep to ourselves like we do every year, right?”

“Come on, this is really important to Maggie and I know you’re not actually in any kind of rush to get there,” she quickly shuffled him along through the front door where Carlisle had set up a camera and tripod a couple of yards away from the house, opposite to where the rest of the family had grouped together. Esme couldn’t help but smile seeing Maggie, their newest member, engaged in conversation with her siblings before enthusiastically sending them off to Forks High.

She was still a newborn and probably wouldn’t be allowed to attend school with the others for the next few years at the very least but Maggie was excited to at least have the ability to live vicariously through the others. Hearing stories about high school drama or whatever gossip was running through Forks’s teenage population would definitely be good for her to hear after three months of being cooped up inside the house. She was desperate to know what was going on in the outside world but obviously didn’t want to risk putting anyone in danger either, so this was the closest she could get for now.

“Promise me you’ll bring home extra copies of your assignments so I can do them?” She held her small pinky finger up to Alice who simply laughed in response before shaking it.

“Of course! I don’t know why you’d want to put yourself through a high school English literature class on Chaucer but be my guest! You can even do my homework for me if you want.”

“Well, I really don’t have much else to do. And it’s not like I can just sleep whenever to pass the time anymore either,” she shrugged, quietly laughing at her own situation. How different things used to be just three months ago when she could spend more time sleeping than anything else, yet still feel exhausted and drowsy. Nowadays, napping was more of a hobby for Maggie who was still in amazement trying to process the fact that narcolepsy didn’t rule over her entire life anymore.

Since the incident with her fainting and the floor suddenly becoming wet, no other sleep attacks had occurred, though Carlisle was still suspicious that it could happen again if Maggie was ever triggered by a sudden, extreme emotion like fear or anger. In the last three months with the Cullens, she’d felt like she was much more in control of her life and wakefulness despite being a slightly peculiar case amongst vampires. They still hadn’t figured out exactly how much her condition of narcolepsy now influenced her second life but unlike her human state, which was constantly disrupted by exhaustion (a consequence of her inability to get any productive sleep no matter how many hours she got at night), she rarely felt tired. It wasn’t like she needed to sleep and she could potentially go throughout her indefinite existence without ever shutting her eyes again, but there was just a little vibration in the back of her head that buzzed a little too loud if she went too long without a short nap. Staying awake wasn’t impossible but it was a nuisance that ate away at her emotional state. If she went a month without a break of a few minutes of sleep in between time she’d get noticeably crankier. Maggie would become more irritable and, as a result, also lost a lot of her self control when it came to her thirst. And that was something they definitely did not want to risk.

They found that Maggie could easily relieve vampiric equivalent to exhaustion by taking a few minutes to nap every two weeks or so. The duration was usually 5-7 minutes with 10 being the absolute longest she could stay asleep. It was usually a lazy Sunday afternoon when she’d lightly tug on Esme’s arm and look up at her with those big brown baby eyes of hers to signal that it was time for her to lie down. And each time, Esme would gladly allow the young one to pull her into her bed (the first an only one ever actually needed for sleeping purposes in the Cullen house) and cuddle up to her before drifting off into a realm mysterious to all others of their kind.

Esme had always been a cheery, tender spirit; the epitome of a devoted mother, but even Carlisle had never seen her in a more naturally maternal state before Maggie came along. Sometimes her naps would be preceded by some soft humming or even singing on Esme’s part, which tended to lead to relatively dreamless sleeps for Maggie. This usually prevented random things from spontaneously popping up and out from her imagination.

As a narcoleptic human, Maggie had always had vivid dreams and unfathomably realistic hallucinations or nightmares. As a vampire, her tendency to dream had been greatly subdued, but every once in a while her mind would wander off in its sleep to a place she had been thinking of earlier. The first time she’d taken a nap after the water incident was shortly after Carlisle and Esme had been describing one of their anniversary trips to Yellowstone. She’d unconsciously gotten swept up in the vision of tall, breezy grass fields filled with wildflowers and inhabited by giant fluffy bison roaming across the sun setting in the distance. Luckily, only a few tiny dandelions and other harmless flowers sprouted up around her pillow as a result. No bison this time.

“Just promise you won’t dream of some freaky ‘Canterbury Tales’ shit and flood the house again,” Emmett playfully teased at her, sticking his tongue out. Maggie had quickly become the little sister he had always longed for. She was certainly the only one in the family with a similar enough childlike attitude to keep up with all of Emmett’s pranking without getting too annoyed by his immaturity, which made them a dangerous duo. Rosalie was by far their favorite person to mess with even if the consequences were terrifying to face afterwards. Just last week they had carefully replaced her hairspray with bright orange spray paint and then spent the next few days being chased by an shrieking, angry ginger all around the house.

“If I do, your room is getting flooded first,” Maggie rolled her eyes at the big buffoon she was surprised to be able to call her brother. Usually loud individuals like Emmett were nothing but intimidating to her and she’d spent almost all of her human life avoiding those that reminded her of him. But in her second life, she’d found Emmett to be the most chill in the family and he seemed to capture all of the positive possibilities that awaited their kind. He often took her exploring and they could find themselves wasting hours flipping from the tops of mountains and parkouring through miles of the wilderness. Esme and the rest of the Cullens had all noticed that he definitely brought her out of her shell.

“I don’t foresee that being a problem,” Alice said with a smile.

“Well, if you ever do see it becoming a possible problem then it stops right away because I will NOT tolerate water damage to my room and especially not my closet,” Rosalie towered over her with the white stiletto heels she had chosen for their first day of school. “You all are lucky the orange paint was able to wash out of my hair by today or else Emmett wouldn’t be going to school either.”

“Rosalie, back row please,” Carlisle stood behind the camera trying to organize all of them by height. When they all finally settled in with Maggie and Alice at the very front, Esme just behind Maggie with her hands on her shoulders, Jasper holding Alice with Edward standing next to him, and Rosalie plus Emmett in the back, Carlisle pressed the timer button and walked on over to Esme’s side and each of them then smiled. A few quick flashes of light burst from the camera.

“Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward? Watch over Jasper, okay?” Esme quickly hugged each of her children while reminding them to steer the newest vegetarian convert away from the humans if it ever got too bad for him. There hadn’t been an incident in quite a while but a few recent close calls had them worried. Esme also knew that it was eating at his self-esteem though. “You can do this, honey,” she gently brushed her hand against his cheek and he gave her an encouraging smile.

“Thank you very much, ma’am,” he slipped into his southern gentleman’s accent which happened every once in a while. He and Alice then got into their car and drove off behind Emmett and Rosalie’s before being followed by Edward’s. They had headed off to school, Carlisle was about to leave for the hospital, and the two remaining Cullens would have the house to themselves for the next few hours.

Maggie

“I could hunt, take a shower, and then do my piano practice,” Maggie suggested as the two entered the downstairs living room. Edward had been teaching her how to play the piano and she was meant to practice on her own for two to three hours each day.

“Oh, honey, I don’t know about that,” Esme hesitated to say yes. Every time that she’d been outside it had been with Emmett and Jasper nearby as well. Emmett had never had to use force before but he was, in fact, the strongest of the group and the most capable of restraining the newborn if she got out of control and Jasper could also help control her emotions to an extent. If it was just Esme accompanying her this time then it would be the first. She looked out the windows and into the forest before them. Grey clouds were covering up the sun as usual but it hadn’t rained in the past few days so that also meant the mountain was relatively dry. That meant people could certainly be hiking nearby. “Humans could be enjoying the outdoors on a day like today and I just don’t think it’s completely safe.”

“Esme, please?” Maggie was insistent and couldn’t imagine herself not going crazy today if she spent the whole time waiting for the others to get back home. “Carlisle’s been bringing home some of his dirty scrubs from the hospital. The blood residue is basically harmless to me now and you know I wouldn’t risk it if I thought I might hurt somebody.” She tried her best to keep a straight, serious face. Even though she’d struggled with being assertive when making decisions before, there was this inexplicable newfound strength inside of her which brought her self confidence to the surface. Her body wasn’t really her body anymore; at least, not the body she had known for the last 16 years but she had also never been this in touch with her senses before either. She felt as if she could do anything in this new body so long as she willed it in her mind.

“Alright,” she smiled seeing how happy Maggie was as she jumped up and down with excitement. “But I’m coming too and I want you at least 30 feet within range at all times, okay?”

“Yes, of course, just thank you! Thank you, Esme!”

She quickly tied up her newest favorite pair of sneakers and was out the front door as soon as she saw Esme following close behind. Nothing felt more freeing than the wind blowing back her hair as she ran against it with such power. She was like a force of her own, unstoppable by nature itself. And even after months of experiencing this she still couldn’t help but laugh as she sprinted along. It was actually a pretty bad habit of hers keeping her mouth open when she ran. If it weren’t for her precise vision, she probably would have accidentally run into a swarm of bugs and swallowed dozens of them by now. The wind also helped her to hunt since it picked up various scents from her surroundings. Today a flock of geese flying in from the north appeared on the menu but Maggie only sniffed the air with disappointment, searching for something else. She needed something more substantial than poultry and was at least hoping that there would be some deer in the nearby clearing.

Then she caught a whiff of something else. Well, it was more like she was hit by the scent considering how strong it was. Maggie stopped in her tracks, immediately pivoting her body 90 degrees towards the direction her nose was being pulled towards. It was definitely a large animal; the red meat she was looking for, though it wasn’t something she could make out right away. It was giant whatever it was and at first Maggie was convinced that it was a cougar she had targeted but then the scent did the strangest thing. It soured.

Her nose crinkled up into her disgusted face the same way it used to when she caught the smell of expired milk, but worse. This time it was like the chunks of milk were just one individual ingredient in some sort of rotting disaster dish along with spoiled eggs and molding bread. But despite the mystery meat slightly turning off her appetite, there was something else still laced in there that had her mouth watering. As she trotted closer towards its origin the faint thumping of its pulse grew stronger and stronger along with her desire, which had now completely undertaken her mind. The only thing that stood in her way was a fairly wide gorge with a seemingly intimidating stream cutting through it. It was too small to be considered a river, but the jaggedness of the rocks surrounding it and the sheer speed at which the current seemed to slice through the middle made it more than just a simple hop over a puddle. But as the venom began pooling in her mouth it was like it gave her the strength to accelerate even faster as she raced towards the edge. The beast on the other side was bigger than any other creature she’d hunted before but that wasn’t going to stop her. She had latched on to the scent of its blood. That meant that it was hers. Even when the animal finally turned around, noticing her about to pounce, its vicious snarl and strange intensity in its eyes didn’t stop her. Just as she felt her feet lifting off of the ground, something else did. And it hit her like a bus.

Esme

As soon as she saw her turning her body from the corner of her eye, she knew she had lost her. For the first few milliseconds of time that passed in between, she hung on the prayer that it was just a bear or some other predator she had caught the scent of. Whatever it was, Esme certainly wasn’t going to be able to outrun her. Still, she hoped that she wouldn’t have to; that it was just an animal a little bit larger than usual that would satisfy her thirst before they could quickly return home without a trace. But then she smelled it.

“Maggie, no!” She screamed to no avail. Her cries begging her to stop might as well have been yelled at a waterfall or a hurricane. Esme felt herself falling apart from the inside as she watched the girl that was so precious to her near the edge. She moved very much like a storm and shared its disregard for borders and boundaries but, unfortunately, the wolves didn’t. And they wouldn’t be so forgiving of her nature. In turn, Esme didn’t think she could ever forgive herself if they touched her so she stood there petrified by the whole sense that she, an immortal and nearly all-powerful being, had somehow fallen flat to the helplessness of fate. She wanted to scream at herself. She wanted to scream at the world, cry for help, something, anything!

With a flash of light passing by, it was like her prayers were answered. Esme knew it was Edward just from how fast he moved as he came in from the east sprinting straight at the thirst-driven newborn. She gaped with a cry breaking through the breath she was holding as she watched him hurl his body like a catapult at Maggie who was going in for her prey like a missile. Luckily, with the element of surprise on his side, Edward was able to just intercept the smaller vampire before her feet could touch down into Quillete territory. As he began to take her down with him, Emmett came in full speed from the same direction Edward had come from and just at the right moment too. Surprised but still in primal mode, Maggie had only been set back momentarily after Edward shoved the both of them straight into a truck sized boulder before she brutally pushed him to the side with a loud hissing sound. She was just about to reset her body and leap back into the air when Emmett tackled her head on. In an instant, all of the momentum she was focusing was suddenly thrust backwards along with the rest of her body which drove straight through the boulder behind her like it was as flimsy as cardboard.

“Emmett, quickly!” Another voice sounded from nearby. Whipping her head towards the speaker, Esme’s eyes almost relaxed in relief when she saw Alice and Carlisle darting towards them. In the next second, her mate was by her side, stroking her arms comfortingly as she tried to sputter out a billion of the thoughts rolling through her mind.

“It’s all my fault,” she held onto Carlisle letting him hold up some of the weight she was having trouble with on her own. A dizziness had overcome her senses and she couldn’t keep herself steady. “I should’ve never let her leave the house.”

“It’s alright. Alice saw it on time… hopefully,” he tried to assure his mate best he could while also trying to remain as vague as possible. Because in truth, Alice had only seen that Maggie was in trouble somewhere near where the two territories met up. She hadn’t exactly seen how it ended or would have ended at the time but he knew he had to keep that information from Esme for as long as possible. He already frowned seeing how badly she was beating herself up

“Try to calm her down!” Edward yelled, finally able to pick himself back up. The distinguishable cracks that blemished his marbled cheek looked painful but he was still able to bark orders. On cue, Jasper swung down from up above in the trees as Emmett wrestled to get Maggie’s arms behind her. Alice catapulted herself on top of her shoulders and tried to force her down to the ground with her weight, but the newborn bucked back like a wild stallion, still trying to throw them off of her. Everyone stared intently at Jasper as he began to focus his complete attention on the newborn in front of him. With her eyes dilated and teeth showing Maggie was barely recognizable. No one could tell if it was working or not.

“Esme, we need you over here,” Jasper spoke loud enough to convey the direness of the situation but was still somehow able to keep calm. Nodding at her mate to show she was fine, Esme tried to follow his lead and kept as relaxed of a demeanor as possible as she approached Maggie. Emmett and Alice had her wrestled down to her knees but the screams of panic and pain that only got louder as she neared closer were unbearable to hear. By this point, the wolf who had remained in place and fiercely guarded the border had already signaled the rest of the pack. It was only a matter of time before more wolves showed up and they needed to get Maggie out of there before that happened.

“Maggie, it’s alright, shhhh,” she tried to soothe her into calming down. But it was like she was speaking to a stranger; her thirst had overtaken her entire perception and she was unable to recognize anyone. Family, friend, enemy, or foe, none of that mattered anymore. She only saw her prey and those that stood in the way of it. “It’s Esme, darling. I love you, please, calm down.”

As she cooed the little one’s screams down and her struggling gradually subdued, it seemed like she was getting through to the Maggie on the inside and she was surfacing back to her old self. Timid and unsure while it was all happening, Emmett subconsciously began to loosen his grip ever so slightly upon seeing that Maggie was settling down. Both Jasper and Edward, who knew the importance of never underestimating a newborn, cried to stop him at the same time.

“Emmett, NO!” They screamed just an instant too late. The other two boys immediately jumped into the scuffle as Maggie instantly reverted back to primal mode and began recklessly kicking at everything surrounding her. In the mix up, bodies scrambled to push her back down all at once, making individuals impossible for the newborn to distinguish. And in the chaos as she flung her limbs like weapons at everything around her, Esme felt a sharp kick to her abdomen and the brute force sent her flying backwards and over the wrong side of the border.

[metaphoricallyroger]

With Love, From Me to You - i of iv [R.T.]

Summary: One-hundred ways to say ‘I love you’ over twenty-seven years.

Words: 2,891

Warnings: Language.

Note: This follows both Bohemian Rhapsody’s and real-life events (generally for dates, minor plot etc.), picture whichever Roger you fancy! The title is taken from ‘From Me To You’ by The Beatles.

--

1. (1964):

“I like your laugh.”

It’s funny to you, that after such a simple sentence on Roger’s behalf you become fast and close friends almost instantly.

--

2. (1964):

It’s the first time you’re allowed to go to a dance and even then, it was on the stipulation that Roger goes with you. It took a lot of arm-twisting from the stubborn teenager, but he eventually agreed. Only after you promised to go to some rock concert with him.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“You look nice, that’s all.” Roger thinks you look just as good when you’re wearing your school uniform, but he knows tonight is an important night for you.

“Sweet talker,” you laugh.

Your eyes glimmer with the compliment and you feel your cheeks warm as he leads you out of your house.

--

3. (1964):

“We’ll be best friends for life, right?” It’s an odd time to ask, at a party for someone in your school class, but you’re both bored out of your minds, and it seemed as good a time as any to ask.

“Forever,” Roger swears. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

--

4. (1965):

Typically, your house phone didn’t ring in the early hours of a school day.

“Want to go for a walk?”

“What? Roger?” Your eyes still half closed, you struggle to work out who’s calling so late.

“Shit, sorry,” he sighs, “did I wake you?”

“It’s okay, I couldn’t sleep anyway.” You both recognise the lie, but don’t acknowledge it as you plan where to meet.

--

5. (1965):

You sit in the driver’s seat of Roger’s father’s car, while he sits in the passenger seat, attempting to teach you to drive. Why his father had allowed you to take his car into the paddock next to their house unsupervised is beyond you.

“I’m going to stall, Roger,” you fret.

“Yeah, so? If you do, just try again, you’ll get the hang of it.”

“What if we crash?” Although you are in a very flat, cleared paddock, with you at the wheel for the first time, anything could go wrong.

“It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Okay,” you breathe out and turn the key in the ignition.

--

6. (1965):

“Y/N!” You turn your head in the busy classroom to see Roger gesturing wildly where he’s sat, books spread across two desks.

“I saved you a seat,” he pulls out the one next to him and you give him a grateful sigh.

--

7. (1966):

You and Roger are currently en route to a The Who concert in Watford, four hours away from Cornwall.

He has been driving the majority of the time and you were surprised that he hadn’t pulled over the first time he yawned. Roger offered to drive first and you agreed, making sure he promised to pull over if he’s tired.

“Are you going to finally admit that it is time for me to drive?”

“I’m not tired, Y/N.”

“I think you are, considering one of your eyes is shut.” You watch as he wrenches a tired eye open and you smile softly, placing your hand on his shoulder.

“I’m really not that sleepy.” He punctuates his sentence with a bold yawn.

“Pull over. Let me drive for a while.”

“Yeah, alright.” He pulls off the side of the road and jogs to your side of the car, opening the door for you.

You clamber out and switch seats and adjust yours to sit closer to the steering wheel and put the car back into gear.

“See, now you can have a-” The boy next to you has fallen asleep, hair blowing out with each deep exhale, making you smile softly.

--

8. (1966):

You’ve never had your heart broken, but your first boyfriend has broken up with you and you aren’t heartbroken, you’re angry. From the way you’ve been influenced by your female friends, you thought you would’ve been crying all the time. But you’re too busy trying not to kick a hole in the wall.

“Who does that twat think he is? Running around like he’s the Lord’s gift to ladies. I can’t believe I ever slept with him.”

Roger doesn’t want to say he feels happy about this (because this is you who’s been broken up with), but your boyfriend was an absolute twat in his eyes, and he’s happy you’re rid of him. He’s also happy that you aren’t sad about it, but that’s beside the point.

“Want to go egg his car?” He suggests with eyebrows raised.

“You read my mind.”

--

9. (1966):

“What are you doing?” Finding Roger in your house wasn’t rare, but finding Roger in your house holding a bunch of flowers and your coat was.

“I am taking you out to show you how a real date should be done. Not what that tosser was trying to pass off one as.”

“You really don’t have to do this to make me feel better. The eggs worked, truly.” You nod along with your thoughts, trying to persuade Roger out of his latest idea.

“I know. But I want to. Now, go and get your shoes on, we’ll be late otherwise.”

Knowing better than to argue, you do as he says and allow him to lead you to his car.

--

10. (1967):

“I got in!” You run into Roger’s arms excitedly and he catches you and spins you around, laughing.

“So did I!”

“I’m so proud of you,” you pull back to look at his sparkling eyes.

“You’re proud of me? I’m proud of you!”

You’re both overjoyed and hug again, even tighter than before.

“Don’t know how’d I’d survive uni without you nearby.” He finally places you back on your feet and you both exchange letters, looking at the separate places you’ll be attending university in London.

--

11. (1967):

You have never been this drunk before. In fact, if you could think straight, you’re sure in your life you have never been drunk.

It’s your eighteenth birthday and to say you weren’t well on your way to seeing three of everything was an understatement. Your fingers feel numb and one side of your body has become a dead weight, too tired to pull yourself up you begin to slip off the stool.

“I’ll walk you home,” Roger grasps your elbow.

“Um,” you pause and wiggle your feet, “I can’t remember how to walk.”

Roger restrains a grin at your expense and squats, gesturing for you to climb on his back.

“If you throw up in my hair, we’re going to have words.”

Roger makes it back to your dorm hall with minimal accidents and pulls open the door thanks to the key he blindly fished from your back pocket.

“You’re going to get in trouble if my RA finds you in my dorm. Ooh,” you hiccup, “I can tell everyone I’ve had the Roger Taylor in my room.”

“You’re oddly coherent in talking for someone who’s drunk their weight in pints and scotch.”

“I give good mouth,” you smack your lips together as if trying to prove your point.

“Ah, there’s the drunk in you.”

--

12. ( Same night - 1967):

“Mmhm, no, stay.” You drowsily reach out and weakly grip the hand resting on your forehead.

“Do you mind if I do? Just to make sure you’re alright in the mornin’?”

“Okay,” you grin and sigh contentedly, allowing Roger to place pillows along your back where you lie on your side.

“I’m going to get you some water and paracetamol, don’t go anywhere without me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Your grip releases from his hand and he places it under your chin gently.

--

13. (1967):

The train station is busy, people are getting jostled on all sides by rushing travellers like dominos fall one after the other. Despite the frigid temperatures of the outside world, the number of people underground have made the heat swell.

“You call me once you get back to Cornwall, okay? Tell me how everyone is?” You tuck Roger’s scarf into his fur coat and he rolls his eyes playfully at your care.

“I will. Have a good holiday.” You both hug each other and the pair of you savour it, knowing this will be the last until school starts again.  

--

14. (1968):

You haven’t seen Roger since before the winter holidays in which you both travelled to your respective sides of England. You did want to go back to Cornwall with him but it was agreed upon (without your knowledge), that this year's holidays would be a family reunion in God-knows-where, Kent.

Having become fast friends after meeting at your orientation day of sixth form, you both knew that your friendship would be able to survive not seeing each other over the uni break. You both agree over the phone on your first night of holidays that a train ride from Kent to Cornwall and vice versa would be too much travel and not enough visiting.

“It was mine as a child.”

“You’re giving me a used, toy lion?”

“Look,” you sigh, “if you don’t want it-”

“No,” he cuts you off, “just wonderin’ why you would give me something important to you.”

“It reminded me of you.” You gesture towards his growing shaggy hair, not dissimilar to your old lion’s mane.

Roger grips the little lion’s paw and brings it under his chin, and doesn’t let it out of his sight.

--

15. (1968):

“You ready for today?”

“Think so,” he passes the cigarette you’re sharing back to you.

“Just wish I’d ignored my mum and brought my kit with me,” he continues, exhaling smoke.

“What’re they called again?”

“Smile.”

“That suits a dental student,” you quip and turn to face him.

“But don’t worry,” you place a hand on his shoulder, “they’ll see how good you are, even if you are auditioning on bongos.”

“Shit,” he pauses, “I’ll be late if I don’t go now.”

“Good luck!” You call and stub the cigarette out on the side of the dorm building before disappearing back inside.

--

16. (1968):

“I cannot believe you just opened for Pink Floyd.” You nudge Roger on the shoulder playfully.

“Neither can I.” He has this far-off look in his eyes, that can’t quite focus on anything except for the poster of the headliner as if he’s still trying to convince himself this moment actually happened.

“Well, tell me more about it! What was it like up on stage?”

There’s something wonderful about the look in Roger’s eyes that he gets when he’s talking about music, it almost paints a picture with the movement of his hands.

--

17. (1969):

You and Roger are the only two left from your group still studying and you haven’t had any time to go and get refreshments. Yearly exams for your universities were hurrying around the corner and you’re stressed, Roger, on the other hand, seems to be coasting by despite hardly ever attending his own classes.

You thought he would’ve bailed hours ago when everyone else did, but he’s been studying vigorously and you’re honestly quite surprised.

“Here, eat.” A wrapped sandwich lands in your lap and you look up at Roger who’s also holding two bottles of water.

“No,” you refuse, pushing the sandwich back, “you need to eat too, though.”

“That’s okay, I bought two.” He draws the other out of his pocket and sits back down, eagerly tucking into his food quietly without alerting the librarian.

--

18. (1969):

“It’s way too late for you to get the Tube back, just stay here.” You, Roger, Brian and their new friend Freddie just got back from a party and while Brian and Freddie have both made their way back to their accommodations, Roger hasn’t.

“Your flatmate won’t mind?”

“She’ll be gone before we wake up,” you whisper, “some people have normal jobs.”

“How are we going to fit?”

“There’s enough room for both of us.” Enough room means practically sleeping on one another, which usually means Roger on your chest or stomach, with a leg wedged in between your own and the other wrapped over your body.

“Alright then,” that seems to elicit yawns from you. You both collapse on the bed and fall asleep on top of the covers, still clothed.

--

19. (1969):

You stare down at the dress in your hand and its price tag, before looking back up at Freddie and Roger, not quite believing they aren’t having a laugh. You knew that most of their items at the stall were vintage, but you didn’t assume they came from somewhere high-end.

“You ripping me off for a particular reason?”

“I can give it to you for free?” Roger sheepishly grins. You reach into your handbag for your purse and get out the required money.

“Absolutely not,” you state, “I’m paying full price.

--

20. (1970):

“Need help with that?” Roger comes to stand at the open doors of his van and watches you struggle to place the hardware of his drum kit gently on the concrete.

You, Roger, Brian and Tim were all setting up for Smile’s latest gig at the pub they frequent.

“It’s not that heavy. I’m stronger than I look.”

To prove your point, you pick up the bass drum with ease and walk away, a slight waddle to your step as it bumps into your side with every second stride. You hear Roger laugh behind you as he slams the doors of the van shut and the pleasant sound follows you through the back entrance to the stage.

--

21. (1970):

“‘Humpy Bong’. Who calls their band ‘Humpy Bong’?” Roger has been complaining about the name of a band more than the fact that their own lead singer just quit. Granted, the name sounds ridiculous to you, but the principle of the matter still stands.

“His loss, he’s the one joining a band about humping a bong.”

You try to change the conversation but Roger launches into another tirade.

“I think he’s right. That show was a load of bollocks.”

“Well, there was room for improvement, yeah,” Brian suggests, attempting to be the optimist.

“I’ve got better things to do with my Saturday nights. I could give you their names.” You and Brian exchange an eye roll as Roger smirks to himself.

“Don’t be vile,” he receives a playful tap on the arm, “besides, I think you’ll find a new singer.”

The men look at you and shrug.

--

22. (1970):

“I’m never eating meat again. Tell Brian I’m joining his club.” You complain as Roger finishes securing another band in your hair to make the mess more secure.

“Now you’re being dramatic, Y/N.”

“My stomach feels like it’s about to leave my body.” You relax against the cool tile wall and accept the glass of water he’s been cyclically passing you since this fiasco started.

“That’s generally what happens when you throw up every hour.”

“You should go to bed, leave me to die in peace,” you moan. It was embarrassing, to get sick at your friend’s house, but you and Roger have been through most things in life with each other, and that eases some of the pressure you’re feeling.

“Sorry, you’re my best friend. I’d stay up all night with you if I had to.”

The hand he rubs across your back is comforting as you hunch yourself forward over the toilet bowl once again.

--

23. (1970):

Roger almost jumps out of his skin as cold hands press against the flat of his stomach beneath his shirt.

“Y/N!”

“I’m cold!” You whine. The flat the Christmas party was held in is cold, you weren’t aware that the idea of this party was to actually emulate outdoor conditions inside and Roger was always warm, so why not use him like a hot water bottle?

“I’m not a heater!”

You lean over, slightly intoxicated, and whisper in his ear, “no, you’re way hotter.”

He grumbles under his breath and you laugh as you stumble away.

--

24. (1971):

“Oh, Roger,” your eyes bug out, “come here. Let me help.”

Roger is trying to wrestle with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol across his bloody knuckles and blistered palms, hissing everytime they pass over sensitive skin from drumming.

“Thanks, love.”

“You must really be in need of help if you’re calling me that,” you lilt and grab a fresh cotton ball.

You blanch as you study his hands.

“You’ve rubbed all the skin off!” He only nods. You gently wipe the blood away and wrap his fingers with band-aids, giving him a respite everytime he winces.

He flexes his fingers gingerly once you finish.

“Thanks again,” he repeats.

Your lips create a smacking noise as they make contact with the calluses on his palm.

--

25. (1971):

The three members of Queen and you stand around Roger’s van after another mediocre performance with their latest bass player, who once again, didn’t live up to the standards Roger, Brian and Freddie all have.

“That’s the millionth bass player we’ve been through since we became Queen!” Roger complains, flinging open the back doors of the van.  

“Bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”

“Well I don’t see you offering any suggestions,” he glares at you.

“I might know of a bass player.”

“You do?” Brian pipes up, trying not to become too hopeful.

“I’m friends with his girlfriend. I’ll introduce you at the disco we’re going to later this week. His name’s John Deacon, by the way.”

“If this works out you’re brilliant, and the best friend anyone could ask for.” Roger presses a sloppy kiss to your cheek.

“Yeah, yeah,” you wave him off.

[tornrose24]

CU Pinocchio AU-how the climax and ending would go down

AKA I’m going to get super depressing on you guys again (like MAJOR depressing) if you remember how the movie goes. Well, I WAS asked to warn you next time.

(First off, have I ever mentioned how much the idea of being swallowed up by a huge creature terrified me as a kid? There was a reason I dreaded a certain level in Kingdom Hearts.)

Anyway, back to the story.

So as I said in an earlier post, CU gets tied to a rock so that he can’t float up to the surface of the ocean. He’s trying to find the monster that swallowed the boys up (and I STILL have no idea what monster/character from the CU ‘verse would get that role, so I’m referring to it as the monster for now). Though there’s not much at first... just fish... and trash... maybe a sunken toilet just for laughs. And he just keeps going further and further out....

As for the boys, they are safe within the monster, which for some reason hasn’t digested the ships it managed to swallow–one of which they are trying to hide out in. Both of them are of course terrified out of their minds, but Harold is an especially panicky mood because 1. He thinks they’ll die 2. He thinks Heidi will be all alone if he dies and 3.– “WE’RE GOING TO END UP AS POOP!” He yells as he shakes George by the shoulders.

(Seriously, I can see him doing that.)

George is all “Calm down! Let me think!” But he’s having a hard time coming up with ideas on how to escape because it’s only a matter of time. They found a stack of wood that they could set on fire, but it’s too high up above one of the ships and they can’t reach it with their combined efforts. They started to make an escape raft, but they don’t know if they can be able to take it out if there’s nothing but water outside.

Moments later, the monster decides it’s feeding time.

And this time it sees CU.

Cue CU freaking out and trying to escape, only for it to be completely hopeless as he gets swallowed up too.

This time, the abrupt flooding that ensues in the monster causes enough chaos that it knocks Harold off the ship and George barely grabs him in time while holding on to the weak railings. This is of course what CU sees the moment he first spots the boys and tries to hurry towards them.

Yet soon George is slipping and also finds himself holding onto Harold AND the ship for dear life. Both boys are freaking out as they hold onto each other/to safety with one trying to reassure the other that he will not let go, no matter what. George has no intention on letting go of Harold, even if it means his own life gets spared.

Then George loses his grip on the ship. He starts to fly away towards the monster’s throat with Harold in tow.

Then a hand grabs George and he finds himself and Harold getting tossed back onto the boat.

When the chaos starts to fade, the both find themselves coming face to face with an extremely relieved, yet very terrified CU. Of all the things they anticipated, this was not it.

Then before either George or Harold can say anything, CU just sweeps them into a huge hug and breaks down into a sobbing mess as he starts apologizing for everything. For being easily distracted and not listening to them, for leading them into so much trouble and danger, for the way he abandoned them and then treated them so horribly while under the island’s influence, for letting this happen to them... for just being so stupid like they thought he was.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so dumb! I let you down when I swore I wouldn’t! Please give me one more chance to fix everything!”

The boys are shocked and overwhelmed. Yet they understand that he came to try to save them and that is more than enough for them.

“It’s ok,” Harold reassures CU as he hugs him back.

“You actually came for us.” George adds as he also hugs CU back.

It’s a couple moments of silent hugging and happy reunions.

Then the boys finally tell CU about how they plan to escape. They are going to play one of the biggest pranks ever by tricking the monster into sneezing them out. More than happy to help, CU helps the boys enact their escape.

To everyone’s amazement, it actually works. But of course, the monster is NOT happy and the chase ensues.

(Just maybe with a bit more slapstick than the scary horror from the film. Lord I forget how scary that darn whale gets.)

So yeah, it’s a crazy chase across the ocean and towards the shore. The raft gets destroyed at one point and CU is forced to hold onto the boys and get them towards the rocks, all the while they try to hold onto him (or alternatively, they ride on him like they normally do and cling for life as he’s probably swimming like crazy in those cartoons with the arms rotating and everything).

With time running low, he gets them to an opening in the large rock wall that separates the sandy shore from the ocean... but there’s a problem. The longer he’s been alive, the more he becomes more aware of things and actually thinks them out, and this is something he’d have never caught onto before until now.

The opening is only large enough for the boys, and there’s no time to look for another way to safety.

In an act of pure, selfless love, CU continues straight on without hesitation and forces the boys through the opening.

As George and Harold realize that CU isn’t following them, they turn around to see him trying to get away, and the monster is coming up as they scream for CU–

–Then it crashes into the rock wall, shaking it and sending rocks and waves everywhere.

Moments.... then minutes.... then nothing but peace.

Finally the boys can breath a sigh of relief and laugh at their good luck. They managed not to become sea monster food after all! They start getting excited and plan on recounting it in a comic book to the other kids when–

“Oh no, we forgot Captain Underpants!” George freaks out.

“Where is he?!” Harold panics.

So the boys rush out and try to find CU. Hoping against hope that he made it safely. Finally they spot a familiar figure amongst the rocks and they hurry as fast as possible–

His body is badly damaged–horribly cracked and chipped away upon hitting the rocks in certain parts–as he lays face down in the water.

When they try to get him out of the water, they realize something is horribly wrong–he’s not moving. No matter what they do, they can’t get him to wake up and open his eyes. It’s as if he became an inanimate object again.

“No,” George’s voice cracks as he tries to feel for a heartbeat in a moment of forgetting that there would never have been one to begin with.

“No... no you can’t be–!” Harold protests as he and George kneel besides their friend. He shakes him one last time but it’s no use and Harold can do nothing but crash into George as the two hug each other upon realizing the awful truth.

So the owner of the orphanage mysteriously vanished (huh, I wonder if they went to a certain island) and Edith now finds herself the next to own the place which is both a relief and a fear for everyone because she feels that she can’t do it all on her own. She was able to make enough money at her other job at the elementary school (which helped pay the rent a bit), but this level of responsibility scares her.

The kids reassure her that they will do whatever they can to help her out. And maybe since George and Harold somehow found a way to find their hero to life, maybe he could help them too. That is if they ever come back.

She hopes so. There’s also a part of her that hopes to see CU again very, very much and that he’s ok.

At that moment, there’s someone at the door, but when Edith opens it, she’s startled to find George and Harold with a rare, kind adult who is helping to carry CU for them. And based on CU’s condition and how upset the two boys are, she instantly knows something is wrong.

She helps take CU into a room with a bed while Heidi and the kids nervously watch on. She watches as George and Harold sob over the lifeless body of CU.

“We should be the ones who were sorry!” Harold protests. “We didn’t thank you sooner! We thought you were going to abandon us and you didn’t!”

“You aren’t dumb, you really were a hero!” George cries. “You actually saved us! You tried saving us before you could save yourself–!” He cuts himself off as he crashes his face into his arms upon the bed.

Edith knows they need to be left alone. She’s crying silent tears as she closes the door while Heidi gives one last sorrowful look at the boys and their friend before hugging Edith.

“Please come back!” Harold pleads to CU. “You can’t go yet! We do want you around! We really do!” He sobs.

“Please don’t go!” George also pleads. “We love you!”

But it’s hopeless and the boys can then do nothing but hug each other for support as tightly as possible.

They don’t hear the voice speak out.

“Anyone can do a heroic act... but it takes a real hero with enough bravery and love in their heart and a willingness to make a sacrifice to do what you did.”

They don’t see the white light in front of them. Not even when it fades.

They don’t see their friend waking up.

He’s confused at first to why he’s inside a familiar building instead of out near the shore, but then he sees George and Harold hugging.

“Oh thank goodness, you’re alright!” He lets out a laugh and hugs them. “I guess we all made it!”
 George and Harold are shocked to hear CU’s voice. They move away enough to see him–but then they see that something is drastically different. For some reason he’s dressed a bit like he was in his ‘human’ disguise now instead of his usual attire, but it’s not that which really makes them stare in amazement.

“Uh, guys?” He asks as he moves away in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
 “Y-you’re–” Harold stammers.

“Look at your hands.” George only replies.

Confused, CU holds his hands up–

–Only to see that instead of wood, he sees actual skin, down to the very faint details.

“What?” He flexes them to make sure–then he touches his face, only to feel a warmth and softness that it never had before. Same with his arms, which are missing certain details he’s familiar with. “Wait... am I–?!” He notices his reflection in the nearby mirror and he has to race over to look to make sure he’s not dreaming.

He isn’t.

“I’m–!” He finds himself crying tears of joy. “I’m real! I’m a real human now!” He turns around to face the boys and he’s just so happy that he scoops them both up and spins them around in a hug as he keeps repeating “I’m real, I’m real, I’m real!”
 “You are!” George laughs and smiles.

“You’re finally real!” Harold also laughs. “But we’re just glad you’re alive too!”
 At this point Edith has heard the commotion and when she opens the door, she’s startled to see that not only are the boys hugging the person she knows better as ‘Benjamin’ who just happens to be alive and well, but he is also an actual human person now in the truest sense of the word. As she’s overwhelmed with happy relief, Heidi peeps in and smiles in delight because she had faith that CU could become real all along.

None of them say a word and just let the boys hug their friend, who finally feels like he can truly belong with them and never wants to let them down ever again. The boys’ wish upon that star finally became a reality–they finally got the hero they wished for and more.

And that’s it for how it ends. :)

[svtmatokis]

Closure Part 1

Annyeong~! I’m literally WEEKS away from the end of probation and I am super duper stoked to share with you this next piece. It’s going to be a two parter so look out for the next one soon. 

I’m someone who believes that you shouldn’t live life with regrets and that everything is a learning experience. Everything is meant to happen for a reason and we’re all meant to walk our own paths. Sometimes though, the people that come into our lives are hard to forget. People like your first love for example. 

When I was in grade 11 we had a transfer student from Sask. and he was like that hot new kid that every girl liked. I was lucky enough to have his locker next to mine so we became quick friends.  The thing is, we were on two totally different spectrums of life. He was that popular AP/IB kid who was super smart and took Calculus and wanted to go to top Universities while I was the art student who was involved in a lot of extracurriculars while focusing on Music and Culinary and just wanted to live my life. We were in first aid together and had NOTHING in common. We joked, smiled and shared some special moments while others judged. Why would the hot new kid like someone like me? It didn’t make sense. Eventually, the pressure of his new friends got to the both of us and by senior year, we were nothing more than acquaintances. We talked but it was nothing as in depth as it was before and eventually after graduation, we left with unspoken words and to this day, what if’s still play in my mind.

I’ll never forget him nor will I regret my choices back then. We were young  and if we had stayed the way we were, I dont think I’d be writing this blog right now haha... 

Sorry if this was a bit long, but writing this is closure for me too. I know I’ll probably never see him again but I needed to get this off my chest once and for all. No matter what, he’ll always have a place in my heart. 

NOW TO THE REAL STORY! 

Plot: You were once a trainee with Pledis and had a close relationship with the boys of Seventeen before debut especially Wonwoo. But with the boys debuting so soon and your ambitions changing, leaving was the best choice, but maybe cutting contact from them for five years was not....

Pairing: Reader x Wonwoo

Words: 2565

Genre: A tiny bit of Fluff, lots of reminiscing

“So I’m bringing a friend with me to the meet up tonight” Seungcheol said as the boys finished up practice.

Tonight was a night where all the artists from Pledis got together to hang out. They normally had dinner together before going back to one of the dorms to play games, have dessert and relax outside of their busy schedules. This only happened on rare occasions and were organized by group leaders and their managers so it took a lot of careful planning.

Wonwoo looked up from his phone and raised an eyebrow at his best friend, “Someone we know?”

Seungcheol nodded  his head, “I ran into her a few weeks ago at a cafe and invited her to our get together tonight. I’m going to meet up with her now for dinner so I’ll see you guys back at the dorms.” he said before throwing on a nicer shirt he brought with him and said his goodbyes realizing he was running late.

You sat at the meeting place Seungcheol had told you to wait at so the two of you could have dinner together. You couldn’t believe it had already been close to five years since you last saw him and the rest of the boys. Had it really been that long since you left Pledis?

You thought about each of the Seventeen members, from the oldest but still childish Seungcheol, to the shy gentleman Joshua who you were happy to see had come out of his shell after all these years and of course baby Chan who was still in high school when you left and now he was a graduate and achieving his dreams.

Then there was Wonwoo, the man who no matter how hard you tried, could not rid of from your memories. You leaned back against the bench thinking back to your days with Pledis.

You were one of the older trainees, only being a month younger than Joshua but had entered around the same time Seungcheol had. Not too long later, Jihoon came along and the three of you formed a quick bond both wanting to achieve the similar dream. You and Jihoon became close naturally since composing was something you were both passionate about. Seungcheol was like the big brother you never had, he was always looking out for you but at the same time, he didn’t hesitate to critique you during practices and boy was he harsh sometimes.  

You remembered the day Wonwoo was introduced to the rest of the trainees, it was a few weeks after Soonyoung had joined and you couldn’t help but be intrigued.  He said he was a singer but eventually through Seungcheols influence, he got into hip hop and started rapping.

You remembered the days where you and a few of the other female trainees would sit in on the monthly evaluations and you were mesmerized by Wonwoo’s rapping skills that he had picked up. It complimented his naturally deep voice and his style only added more to his performance.

Eventually as time went on, you two got close since you ran into each other during practices or whenever you were with Seungcheol and Jihoon. Eventually, those group meetings turned into one on one meetings and it was safe to say, you were developing a slight crush on him.

He was quiet and didn’t say much but his actions spoke for him. There were days where practice for you didn’t end till late and Wonwoo would wait for you to finish so he could walk you back to the dorms and stop by for a late night snack along the way. His reason being that it was too dangerous for you to be going home alone though in reality, you normally walked with the girls who lived in your dorm until this habit had picked up.

Other times, he would wait for you outside your dorm building with coffee in hand knowing that you had an early class and he would walk with you to the company all the while enjoying the banter that went back and forth between you two. It was a natural feeling which made your insides warm.

The times you cherished the most were during breaks where a few of you would go to a cafe to relax and it was almost always that you and Wonwoo were together. As the people around you would converse, you would rest your head in your arms while leaning on his arm for support. It brought butterflies to your stomach every time you felt his  fingers gently caress your arm, slowly lulling you to sleep.

But all those moments ended just as quickly as they began. When the boys found out they were going to debut, the boys were on lockdown and working extra hard and all the time that you spent with them was cut short. You didn’t mind because you were working with Bumzu and learning how to compose with Jihoon but because of all that, it meant that you were seeing less of Wonwoo as well.

The two of you always missed each other with timing. Whenever Wonwoo had free time, you would be with Jihoon or Bumzu or at practice and vise versa.

Eventually, the two of you were forced to focus on your respective paths and despite you having feelings for him, had to make that sacrifice and push them aside and soon friends turned into strangers.

You would pass each other in the hallways and greet each other politely but there was never anything more than that. Eventually, as the boys got closer to debut, your own path changed and you found yourself leaving Pledis.

You stated that it was time to move on and that you had other aspirations but deep down, you knew that you were heartbroken and you were running away from your feelings for Wonwoo. Only Seungcheol and Jihoon knew that you had resigned.  There was no big farewell, you had a meal with the two boys on your last day before promising to keep in touch but never did.

As you said goodbye, the memories of you and Wonwoo played back in your mind. The talks, the laughs, the late night walks everything and you had to stop yourself from shedding a tear in front of your friends.

You didn’t think your absence would make an impact on anyone and it didn’t except to Wonwoo who had immediately noticed your absence. When he asked Seungcheol a few months later, a pained look made its way onto his face and the leader only shook his head before walking out of the room not answering.

It was Jihoon who told Wonwoo that you left and cut all contact from everyone and no one could locate you and amongst the boys, Seungcheol was taking it the hardest since the two were practically siblings.

From that day on, you were a constant in Wonwoo’s mind as he was yours.

Five years later, you were a successful composer with Starship Entertainment. The path that you were on with Pledis was different from the one you were on now and looking back, despite what you left behind. You had zero regrets.

Your thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed you from behind causing you to turn around in shock.

“Seungcheol!” you gasped as the said boy grinned at you before pulling you into a long hug.

The two of you went to a restaurant you both frequented back during your trainee days. It was a small place but had the best Cheesy Korean Chicken and the two of you often found yourselves eating there more often than not.

“Ah...this place feels so nostalgic doesnt it?” Seungcheol asked leaning on the table.

You smiled and nodded your head, “I haven’t been back here in ages.”

“How’s Starship? I heard through Baekho that you left the country for a few years before joining them.”  Seungcheol said after you had ordered.

You nodded your head at his statement. Running into the members of Nu’est had been completely by accident.

After leaving Pledis, you went to do a bit of soul searching and spent three years out in L.A. Nu’est went to film their comeback music video there and it was just pure luck that you ran into them at a restaurant you were at with a few friends Joshua had introduced you to once upon a time. .

Baeko, a member you had bonded with during your trainees days recognized you instantly and called you out.

Once the initial nagging was over, the two of you caught up and you even took him and the other members to your studio your practiced before telling him about the offer Starship had had given you and that you accepted it.

Baekho passed the message on to the others at Pledis and thats what lead to your conversation now.

You and Seungcheol ran into each other backstage at an award show that you attended with Monsta X. They had won an award for their comeback album which you helped produced and wanted to take you in thanks. After the initial shock wore off, you agreed to meet him for dinner the following week..

“I really enjoy working with everyone there” you answered with a smile. “I feel like it was all meant to be.”

Seungcheol nodded his head with a smile. “You looked really happy that night. I can’t believe you helped produce that amazing album. Your skills have seriously improved.”

You blushed at his compliment before thanking him and telling him how proud you were of him and the boys for winning all those awards but also on constantly improving day after day causing him to only grin at you cockily.

There was no anger or tension in the conversation. The conversation flowed like they did back in the day and to anyone who didn’t know the situation, they wouldn’t have been able to tell that you hadn’t seen each other in almost five years. But you also knew that there was a giant turkey in the room and it was no surprise Seungcheol was the one to drop it.

“And you’re one of the most sought after producers in the Korean music industry. Bumzu must be proud. Do you keep in contact with anyone? Outside of Baekho?”

His tone was light but you knew the underlying meaning in his question.

You shook your head, “I only met with Baekho briefly and he gave Bumzu my cell phone number and we only talked on the phone not too long ago. I kind of made it a point to move on with life after I left Pledis.” you explained, “You were all preparing for your debut and I just didn’t feel complete at the agency anymore. I didn’t think it mattered.” you shrugged as Seungcheol shook his head.

“It tore me apart that no one knew where you were after you left. After time passed, I guess a few of the members stopped wondering and moved on with their lives but we can all tell Wonwoo thinks about you alot.” Seungcheol said clenching his hands. “I don’t know what went on between you two before you left but from time to time, when someone brings you up, he gets this distant look in his eyes.”

You sighed, “I’ve thought a lot of about it over the last few years too. What could or should have been. I guess with time, the close friendship we had as trainees faded and we both went our separate ways to walk our own paths. Though at the same time, I feel like there were a lot of things left unsaid between the two of us.” you ran your hand through your hair, “Like we never got any closure you know?”

Seungcheol nodded his head understanding before changing the subject.

“There’s a meet up tonight with a the guys from the company. I said I was bringing someone so I was hoping you’d go with me. I know everyone would be happy to see you again since they heard you were the musical genius behind Monsta X’s latest comeback album.”

You sighed remembering how that was announced. Monsta X had included you in their thank you speech during the award ceremony and you recalled seeing many shocked faces in the area where Seventeen was sitting but remained hidden.

You agreed to go with the promise that if you felt uncomfortable, you would leave and Seungcheol agreed knowing that it wouldnt come to that.

After he paid for the meal, the two of you put your masks on and walked through the streets of Gangnam hand in hand to the Penthouse that the leaders and solo artists had rented out for the get together.

Wonwoo knew the moment Seungcheol walked in and his jaw dropped at who he brought with him.

“No way, is that Y/N-noona?” Mingyu asked shocked as a group started to gather around you and Seungcheol .

Wonwoo couldn’t stop staring from his spot. The last time he saw you was at the monthly evaluation right before you left Pledis though he was sure he caught a brief glimpse of you at the award show the week before sitting with Monsta X’s Shownu.

You felt his eyes on you throughout the night as various artists came to greet you and caught up with those you were once close with. He didn’t approach you but you knew he was watching as if almost waiting for the right time.

Stepping out onto the patio to take a breather, you looked out at the city skyline and let out a sigh. Seeing and catching up with everyone was nice and you were glad they were all doing well. Jihoon had embraced you tightly as soon as he saw you and congratulated you on your success. He even offered to collab on a piece with you one day which you said you would think about.

As you pondered your thoughts, you didn’t hear the door behind you open and shut before feelings someone’s presence next to you.

“It’s been a while…” a deep voice interrupted your thoughts and you turned your head shocked to see the one person who was constantly on your mind.

“It has. How are you Wonwoo?” you asked as he turned to give you a small bow.

“I hear congratulations are in order.” he said with smile looking out at the city skyline.

“Thank you…” you said, “Congratulations on your success. I knew you guys would be great.”

Wonwoo chuckled looking down letting out a hesitant breath, “Listen…” he had to think hard of what he was going to say. Right now, they were treading on light water and he missed when their conversations would naturally flow between them.

“Would...you like to get coffee with me tomorrow?” he asked turning to look at you and he met his eyes before nodding slowly.

“I would like that.” you said with a smile as he grinned knowing he made the right move. The two of you stayed on the balcony in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before you both deemed it too cold and decided to go back inside.

At the end of the night, at Seungcheols insistence, Wonwoo walked you back to your apartment with the promise of seeing you the next day.

Shoutout to @johnaldsuh and everyone else in the Discord chat for the encouragement! - Anna

[ainchaseseiker]

More Modern world Au, mostly dlrg

•Roy sometime’s ask his friend Blazing heart to babysit Blesse when he has a date. Cue to Blaze interviewing the small child about her brother’s relationship.

•Ria is everywhere! She stalks Dread and Roy when the two go on a date and takes pictures. Abysser stops her from being so nosy and confiscates the pictures. Abysser will never admit that he kept them for himself.

•Lili is a sneaky little child, and Ria’s partner in crime when Dread and Roy are in the picture. Papa Abysser is seriously thinking of saving his daughter from his employee.( “She is a bad influence” he says dramatically, “no im not”.Ria grinned playfully).

•When teaching music was not enough to support him and Blesse anymore Roy finally resigned himself to work in the bakery. Abysser is more than happy to give him a job, cue to Abysser later pumping his fist and saying “yes!” When no one is looking. His ship has reached land!

• Blaze went to the bakery one time and saw Roy and Dread by the counter. The redhead looked at Dread for a moment then nodded and said to Roy: “You have good taste bud.”

•Cue to Roy blushing madly and stuttering while waving his arms around. Ria is cackling. Ria is always cackling. Lili suddenly screamed.“THE COOKIES ARE BURNING!!” Thank God Abysser wasn’t at the bakery that day.

•Roy’s former music partner Erblu also went to the bakery one time and was surprisef to see Roy there before smiling as the two of them chatted by the table over a cup of tea and cookies.

• Erblu now goes to the bakery regularly because (1) the food there is delicious and (2) so he can catch up with Roy and tell him about what’s happening now, Roy in turn smiles contently as he listens to his friend.

• Cue to jealous Dread who hugs Roy from behind and buries his face in the other’s shoulder with an angry pout after Erblu leaves. But Roy the dense idiot doesn’t know and goes on with his life.

•Ria slaps herself at this and finally takes matters into her own hands. She takes Erblu away one time and tells him about what’s happening. Erblu apologizes and offers to help. He never knew about Roy’s relationship. And it makes him feel awful for what he accidentaly done.

•The next time Erblu is in the bakery, he asks about Roy’s life this time. Roy is surprised but shrugs and tells him. Erblu starts dropping subtle hints, when Roy still doesn’t get it, he facepalms and straight up tells him that Dread is jealous.

•Dread can’t take it anymore when he saw them that time and stomped towards the kitchen. It was deathly quiet after that. Lili stopped drawing. Ria paused in writing an order from someone who called and gave a worried look. Erblu sighs and shoves Roy towards the kitchen and tells him to talk to Dread.

•Dread ignores Roy when he went inside the kitchen. Roy keeps quiet for a while before softly asking if he’s jealous. He’s suddenly slammed to the wall by Dread who stares intensely at him and said so what if he was. Roy shivered a bit at that. He’ll never admit that Dread was scary that time.

•Dread suddenly stopped with wide eyes and immediately apologized, hugging Roy. Roy is very confused at what just happened but soothes his boyfriend with soft words. Roy then said that it’s fine and that he’s not leaving Dread for Erblu.

•When the two came out of the kitchen Blesse was there with Blaze, Blesse immediately kicked Dread in the shin.“Stop hurting big brother Roy!” She pouted. Erblu laughs and scolds Blesse lightly.

•Dread apologized to Erblu for his behavior but the other man waved it off. Erblu then takes his leave with the promise to come back again.

• Little Blesse was secretly feeling lonely all this time and misses her big brother. She told Blaze about this when the redhead was babysitting her. Blaze is touched that Blesse trusts her enough to tell her about this and secretly promised to help the little girl in her heart

•Blaze started to bring Blesse straight to the bakery after she fetches her from school so Blesse can spend time with her brother. Blaze is worried when Blesse just takes a seat quietly beside her and Lili and doesn’t move to greet her brother.

•Cue to Blaze talking this out with Ria and brewing a plan. Later when closing time came, Roy thanked Blaze for taking care of Blesse but was confused when Blaze frowned at him.

•On the way home, Roy realized he wasn’t spending as much time as he used to with Blesse and mentally scolded himself before asking Blesse how was school today. Blesse just shrugged and looked ahead as she walked. Roy felt his heart ache at her subtle coldness. He asked if he did something wrong which made Blesse stop walking.

•Blesse sniffled softly and said that she’s fine, it’s not like Roy would notice because he’s with Dread and busy with work. Roy’s eyes widened and he immediately goes down on his knees, turns his sister around and hugs her, whispering apologies and promises.

•Blesse sniffs quietly and hugs her brother back meekly asking to be carried. Roy is happy to oblige and make it up to her sister as they went home, issue solved.

•Blaze was ecstatic when she learned that the siblings made up and practically threw a party. Also, she brings Blesse straight to the bakery after she picks her up from school.

•There weren’t that many customers in the bakery before Roy worked there. As a result, only a few people were needed for the rare custoners. So the staff is only made up of Ria and Dread along with Abysser if he’s free. Don’t forget Roy.

•Abysser works in a weapon’s company. The second floor of the bakery is his and Lili’s house. Lili likes to spend time downstairs with Ria who she came to see as a mother and Dread who became her big brother. Literally. They look alike!

•Abysser is 29, same with Ria. Blaze is only a few months younger than Roy. Erblu is 25.

•Since Roy started to work at the bakery, it’s as if change came with him. Customers were still low but significantly more than before. This is because of Erblu and Blaze. Erblu because he kept pestering his friends to go try the sweets there, he dragged Arme with him once. Blaze recommended the cafe for her brother Rune who wanted a place to hang out with his friends.

•The elgang (minus lu, Ciel, Elesis and Ain) are now the most frequent customers. They’re in college. Rune, Aisha and Chase are in their first year. Rena and Raven are in their last year. Ara and Add are in their second year.

•I’ll try to fit all of the 2nd job Characters in these stories.For now though, I can’t decide which Class to fit in first. Also, I don’t know their fanon names of certain characters so forgive me for errors.

•Esper is that one customer that buys out all the cookies after Rune recommended the bakery to him. His dormmates Lusa and Masi now fight him and each other to buy the cookies first. Dread is amused at this. Roy is not, he now makes sure that there are enough cookies for Esper, Lusa and Masi. He keeps their share seperated and lies if the other asks if there’s more. He also adds a cup of coffee to their order. The Adds couldn’t be more happy, their saltiness tones down significantly.

•The classes that are in college are in the following: RS, IS, LK, DC, TT, EM, VP, DW, GA, WS, BM, AS, SD, DiE, LP, MM. Please tell me what their fanon names are because I don’t know some of them.

•Dread befriends them and looks forward to seeing them everyday. Roy becomes motherly and frets around the gang when they visit. Asking about their day, did they eat well etc. The elgang is surprised at this, they’ve only met yet this man already worries about them.

•This earned him the nickname Mom Guard behind his back. Surprisingly, it was Chase who started to use the nickname behind Roy’s back. Unsurprisingly, it was Rune who made it up.

• Lili doesn’t go to school, money is tight because of low customers but papa Abysser wants the best for her and saves whatever money he gets from the bakery and the weapon company.

•Ria has taken the liberty to take time off her position in the counter to teach Lili basic education, she was the one that taught Lili how to read and write but it was Dread who hooked her into drawing two years after she met Ria.

•Until now Ria remains her tutor, Blesse also tries to teach her but fails miserably as a result, Ria is the one who translates what Blesse is trying to say. Abysser finds it sweet when his employee tutors both kids in a corner since Ria would use exaggerated hand gestures that makes Lili and Blesse laugh.

•He secretly has tons of pictures of the trio.

•Ria is now the official unofficial tutor of Lili and Blesse, especially when the latter is confused about her school work.

•Dread and Roy sometimes join the trio and help Ria tutor. But this would mostly end up with Dread forgetting that he put something in the oven and Roy whacking him on the head.

•Dread invited Roy to his apartment once, but Roy is worried that Blesse will feel neglected again. Blesse huffed and told her brother she’ll be fine and asked if she could spend the night at Lili’s house in exchange.

• Abysser is more than happy to let Blesse spend the night, but thirty minutes later he’s on the phone with Ria begging for help. One Lili was enough. But having his daughter sugar high with another child is insanity.

•Ria sighed at this but goes to the bakery grumbling to herself, she doesn’t mind taking care of children and helping her boss but the problem? It’s twelve in the fucking midnight.

•Meanwhile Roy and Dread were peacefully enjoying each other’s company at Dread’s apartment. With Dread playing with the other’s hair as they watched movies.

•Roy is fighting off sleep but Dread playing with his hair and his soft humming made him lose. Dread would later be seen blushing when he realized Roy had fallen asleep but carries him to his room and set’s Roy on his bed.

• He was pulled back by Roy who had a tight grip on his arm muttering “don’t go”, Dread realized Roy was still asleep and is probably having a dream. With a soft smile he lay down next to the other male and rubbed Roy’s head whispering a good night before he too fell asleep.

•The next morning Roy woke up in Dread’s arms. He immediately slaps him with a red face. Dread fell off the bed and groaned, before he explained what happened last night. Roy apologized softly after the explanation.

• When they got to the bakery, the two were surprised when it wasn’t open yet, Ria was always the first one in. They entered through with spare keys that were hidden and the two of them went to the second floor.

•Dread held back the laugh and Roy felt a smile twitch in his lips. A disgruntled Abysser greeted them with bags in his eyes and clothes ruffled, behind him was Ria with messy hair, swaying on her feet and muttering something under her breath. Lili and Blesse were sleeping peacefully behind the two adults.

•When asked what happened, Ria just collapsed on Abysser’s back as the latter only said two words: sugar high before he picked up Ria and set her on the couch.

•Roy panicked and apologized to Abysser and Ria for anything that could have happened. The two waved it off and said that they just need to keep the sweets away from the two children at night.

•Morning routine fell in quickly as Abysser filled in for Ria who was dead to the world in sleep, in the counter as Dread started to bake. Roy waked up his sister and went to take her home for a change of clothes and a shower for himself. Another day has started at the bakery

[wrath-and-ruin]

92!!!!

Rules: Answer 92 statements and (if you want) tag some people. Thank you @savvy-mutant-turtle-banger for the tag!

Last: 1. Drink? Earl grey 2. Person you called? Husby 3. Person you texted? Step mother 4. Song you listened to? Power by Little Mix 5. Time you cried? Uhhhhm… like a month ago? Maybe…? 6. Dated someone twice? I guess if you count taking a break in a major relationship as ‘dating twice’ then like 6 years ago. 7. Kissed someone and regretted it? About 13 years ago. Got a bit too drunk… 8. Been cheated on? Yeah, about 6 years ago. 9. Lost someone special? My afi in 2006, a close friend in 2000. 10. Been depressed? Battling on and off for the past 8 years. 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up? About 8 moths ago. Drank and then smoked pot… silly me. Always do it the other way around.

List 3 favorite colours: 12. Burgundy 13. Byzantium 14. Cobalt

In the last year, have you: 15. Made new friends? Made a couple of really awesome ones right here on Tumblr, but I’m usually a pretty social person, and with my job I’m always meeting new people and making new friends. 16. Fallen out of love? Well… recently went through a bit of a rocky patch in my relationship (won’t get into details) but we were able to figure stuff out.. so no… as of yet. 17. Laughed until you cried? Of course. I love to laugh. 18. Found out someone is talking about you? Haven’t really found out anything specific… but I’m sure someone is. Some people don’t appreciate that I’m very upfront. 19. Met someone who changed you? I’ve met some pretty awesome people this year, and I do think a couple of them have positively influenced me, yes. 20. Found out who your friends are? I’ve known that for a long time. 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list? Yup. Husby irl.

General: 22. How many on your Facebook list do you know? The majority. It’s rare I accept a friend request from someone I don’t know. 23. Do you have pets? One snake, Hubert. 24. Want to change your name? Uhm… no. Don’t think so. 25. Something you did for your last birthday? Dyed my hair purple. 26. What time did you wake up today? 7:05 approximately. 27. What were you doing last night at midnight? That’s rated MA… 28. Something you can’t wait for? To travel. 29. Last time you saw your mom? On Thursday. 30. Favorite food? Japanese. 31. What are you listening to right now? My kids laughing at the show they are watching in the other room… sounds like Transformers RID. 32. Talked to a person named Tom? This is a weird ass question. Yes, I’ve talked to a Tom. 33. Something that gets on your nerves? Passive aggressive people. Jut say what you mean, don’t do that manipulative read between the lines bullshit. 34. Most visited website? Oh… Uhm, probably a four way tie between Google, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Deviantart. 35. Background? Like… my heritage or my phone background? Phone is a snake… heritage is all over he place, but mostly Norwegian, Austrian, and Irish. 36. What are you wearing right now? A bra and sweatpants cuz it’s my day off! Woot! 37. Hobby? Way too fucking many. I write and draw, dance, do a bit of woodworking, play around with the forge, hike when I can, and read of course. 38. Hair colour? Natural is like a sandy blonde, but it’s currently half dyed, and the lower bit is a lighter golden blonde. 39. Long hair or short? Long 40. Do you have a crush on anyone? A few… 41. One thing you really like about you? I would have to say my confidence. We all have flaws, but the fact that I’ve made it to a place where I am quite comfortable with myself makes me really proud. 42. Piercings? Two in each ear 43. Blood type? This seems like an unnecessary thing for people to know… 44. Relationship status? Technically common law, but I call him husby because it’s been 10 years, and we are practically married. 45. Zodiac? Gemini 46. Nicknames? My full name is technically Jessi, but everyone calls me Jess. One of my best friends call me Jay. 47. Pronouns? I’m a she 48. Favorite TV show? Game of Thrones 49. Tattoos? None yet, but I’ve got plans for a few. 50. Right handed or left handed? Right 51. Have you ever had surgery? No. A couple kids and some broken bones but no surgery. 52. Favorite scent? Cinnamon, campfire smoke, sawdust, rain, freshly brewed coffee. 53. Sport? UFC, though I’ll watch football from time to time. 54. Vacation? I wish. Been all over Canada and the US, but I haven’t vacationed in a long while.

There were no 55 or 56 so BONUS QUESTIONS: 55. Fears? Dolls and clowns *shudder* 56. Aspirations? Wanna be a teacher. Wanna see the world.

More general: 57. What are you eating? A banana and some cashews. 58. What are you drinking? Coffee. 59. I’m about to? Go pay some bills. 60. What is one thing you are waiting for? To move. 61. One thing you want? More time to write and draw. 62. Getting married? Perhaps, eventually. Not in any huge rush. We’re already practically married, the rest is just paperwork as far as I’m concerned. 63. Career? Bartender and manager/supervisor.

Which is better? 64. Hug or a kiss? Well its rare that a kiss doesn’t come with a hug in my experience, so kiss. 65. Lips or eyes? Lips. Holy hell a man with a nice mouth… unf. Panty soup over here. 66. Shorter or taller? Taller. Like wayyyy taller. I have a size kink. 67. Older or younger? Preferably older. 68. Children or no children? Already got some. 69. Nice arms or nice stomach? Oh come on?! I don’t wanna choose! I want him to be shredded… like he could pick me up and crush me! 70. Random hookup or relationship? Currently, relationship, back in the day, hookups were preferable. 71. Troublemaker or hesitant? I bring the trouble.

Have you ever? 72. Kissed a stranger? Yes. 73. Drank hard liquor? Yes. 74. Lost glasses or contracts? Don’t have either… though I’ve lost my sunglasses a few times. 75. Turned someone down? On a regular basis… story of a bartender’s life. 76. Sex on a first date? Back in the day. 77. Broken someone’s heart? Yup. 78. (MAKING THIS ONE UP BECAUSE AGAIN THERE WAS A MISSING NUMBER) Broken someone’s face? Yup. 79. Had your heart broken. Once. 80. Been arrested? … maybe… 81. Cried when someone died? Yes. 82. Fallen for a friend? In high school.

Do you believe in: 83. Yourself? Yes. 84. Miracles? No. Make shit happen. 85. Love at first sight? Sure. 86. Santa Claus? No. 87. Kiss on a first date? If it went well. 88. Angels? I believe that ghosts and spirits are real, whether I would call them angels… probably not. 89. (ANOTHER MISSING NUMBER) Life after death? I think I’m a tiny speck in the universe and that there is no possible way for me to know exactly what awaits me. The possibilities are endless. There might be something I could never have imagined, or there might be nothing at all.

Other: 90. Name of current best friend? Stephanie. 91. Eye colour? Blue. 92. Favourite movie? Hmm that’s a tough one. I love Gladiator, Shawshank Redemption, the Hobbit trilogy, As Above So Below, the Secret of NIMH (I realize that’s a cartoon but it was my favorite as a kid and the animation is so dark and beautiful, so go ahead and judge me).

This one is a bit loaded, so I won’t tag anyone. If you want to do this please do!! I’d love to learn about all of you!!

[inkedangelhaz]

Harry Styles Vanity Fair

The Vanity Fair interview is only available to read in Italian right now, so I decided to translate it so others (and myself) can read it too! I did change some of the wording to make it more understandable, because Google Translate isn’t always the best, but I didn’t change the meaning of anything that was said. You can read the original (in Italian) here !

Harry Styles: Vanity Fair Interview 2017

Harry Styles has grown, does not drink, and wants to become pescatarian. The only mystery: For whom did he write the songs? “For a woman in particular”, and he hopes she understands the dedication. All clear, Kendall?

The last thing that Harry Styles does before going to sleep every night is send an email with a list of what he needs to do the next day. “Even if it’s boring stuff, like 9 o'clock: coffee. If you don’t have a schedule sometimes you feel lost. I do find it a little hard to laze.” Perhaps it’s one of the side effects of the past six years with one of the most famous boybands of all time, One Direction, where every minute of their lives on tour was planned in detail. The world tours could last almost a year, and did not include only concerts in the stadiums: there was endless promo to be done during the day and recording in their “free time”.

One Direction: This Is Us – the documentary behind the scenes by Super Size Me director, Morgan Spurlock – had shown another member of the band, Zayn Malik, who was ripped mercilessly from his bed in the tour bus after only ten minutes of naptime to record a new song.

Instead it seems that Styles wallows in the discipline. “I adore routine,” he explains. “When you’re small it’s all programmed: waking up at a certain time, breakfast, school. And when it ends it’s hard to figure out what to do with yourself.” Maybe for him it was a way of keeping that part of youth tight. He was 16 years old when he had moved from Cheshire to London as one of many who hoped to succeed with X Factor. In 2010, Simon Cowell had chosen five teenagers who had failed to pass the solo audition to create a super group. Harry was soon to become the sexiest and most famous component of a group that in a short time had turned into the sexiest and most famous boyband in the world. According to the ranking of the richest people in the world this year, Styles has a heritage of 40 million pounds.

Today, at the age of 23, he is trying to become master of his universe. One Direction took an “indefinite break” last year and he spent the following months writing and recording his first solo album, and to play in his first film, Dunkirk, the epic war film of Christopher Nolan that will be released this summer. The album is titled ‘Harry Styles’ and was perhaps the most anticipated solo album since Robbie left Take That. The first single, Sign of the Times, a ballad of five and a half minutes, arrived at the top of the charts in 84 countries on the day of launch. And Harry Styles is number one in the United States, England, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Holland and Belgium, and second in Italy. It is the debut album of an English artist who sold more in America since Fimi/Nielsen began recording sales in 1991.

But I really figured out what made this guy when he called me out of nowhere, on a Friday afternoon, to arrange our interview.

“Hi, I’m Harry,” chirping a young voice. “Harry Chi?”, I say, thinking he’s a kid trying to sell me something from a call center. “Harry Styles. Do you have time to have lunch together next week?“ The “personal touch” is the brand of every true global superstar. Bono, Chris Martin and Taylor Swift know well what it means to bypass the bureaucracy of manager and PR to send a personal invitation. It is a gesture that sends many messages, from the most obvious – I am normal and approachable, and obviously I know how to use the phone – to the deepest: I am giving my time. After understanding that my agenda is quite empty, Harry proposes a date and one of his favorite downtown restaurants. Book him.

Three days later, I arrive at the restaurant and find that there are no reservations on behalf of Harry Styles (of course not, which megastar would book in his own name?). There is a table for someone with a similar name, but since I do not know, the waiter is reluctant to sit just me. Five minutes later, “Harry Spring” enters, and not only looks much like Harry Styles, but guarantees it for me. Harry proves adorable. Affectionate hugs and handshakes, thank you and please after every word. We sit down and after a second he stands up to help the waiter to bring water bottles.

He wears jeans, brown ankle boots, and a Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned enough to take a look at his well-groomed chest and the endless tattoos he has on his breast and left arm. A pair of sunglasses on top of his head keeps his hair back. He has a crucifix on his neck and big silver rings on his fingers. Yes, he’s just beautiful: boyish face, expressive, gentle attitude, impeccable manners. But, without absolutely wanting to affect his reputation as a heartthrob, I am not sure that the desire to take him home is a wish. Rather, I wish he was my son. He has two phones: one is for private use (with the newborn goddaughter on the screensaver), the other is pink and he uses it to let me listen to his new album, which still had not come out when I met him. Although he is only 23 years old, he is already godfather of three children. Almost all his best friends, he explains, are older than him. “When I moved to London, I wanted to learn from people who could give me good advice.” At first his friendship with Radio 1 DJ, Nick Grimshaw, had unleashed gossip, although Styles denied being bisexual. Today, however, the assumptions about his private life revolve mainly around famous women.

He orders a Chicken Paillard and contemplates aloud the idea of becoming Pescatarian. “I did it for two weeks, as an experiment, but I think at some point I’ll try for more time.” Because? He thinks maybe “some discipline does well”. He is never critical of life with One Direction. “It is very difficult to complain, it was an incredible thing.” While he and the other members of the band are “on hiatus”, Malik is the only one who has officially left the group. Since then he has released to the press comments denigrating the band’s music and has also recorded a piece with Taylor Swift, the former girlfriend of Styles, for the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades of Gray. Have you seen him lately? Silence. “Mmm, not much.” Have the reports cooled down? “No, I’m OK. I think we are happy for each other, the fact that we are doing things that we like and we get it.”

The smile emerges again as soon as I ask about others of the band. “We all work a lot, but we go out together.” When did you last talk to Simon Cowell? “Oh, recently.” He called after hearing the anticipated Sign of the Times. “He said he loved it and he was proud of me.” He stops. “Not that the last calls were not pleasant, but this time they did not have that nuance of, ‘this is the boss calling’, and it was beautiful.” He can’t wait to make me feel the album, but first I ask him why he wanted to try to work solo. “Sometimes you write songs where you want to tell the whole story,” he says. “In short, if you write a very personal song, it is difficult to give it in the hands of a band.”

What stories did he want to tell? He makes a grimace. He spent the last seven years revealing as little as possible of himself. The press interviews with One Direction rarely lasted more than ten minutes, with other members of the band behind which to hide. The current level of personal analysis is a novelty for him. “I really wanted it to be sincere, without changing words. Recording this album gave me one of the most beautiful times of my life. But when it came out I felt vulnerable, and that had never happened.”

Let’s go to the album: blatantly inspired by the rock years ’ 60-70, psychedelic, glam and alternative country, it is light years away from the dance pieces and acute voices of One Direction. He wrote it and recorded it last summer in two months, in Jamaica. Styles says he was inspired by the singer and songwriter of the 1970s, Harry Nilsson, and the bands he listened to when he was small: his father adored Fleetwood Mac, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones, while his mother liked to hear Norah Jones and Shania Twain. Of course, they were not so fashionable influences, but maybe the point is just that. Despite the huge commercial success of One Direction, I honestly struggle to hum their songs, they do not remain in my head. Styles has replaced the ephemeral light pop with something more lasting, and it works. The lyrics are saturated with sex, nostalgia and broken hearts, a rare glimpse of his personal life. The last song is titled From the Dining Table and begins with: “Woke up alone in this hotel room, played with myself, where were you? Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon, I’ve never felt less cool.” You play with yourself? “I play with my thoughts!”, he immediately corrects.

In April he gave an interview to the magazine Rolling Stone in which he claimed that a woman in particular had a key role in the album. “Sometimes you just want to make a nod to someone, sometimes a real bow, and hope she understands it’s for her.“ The commentary was seen as evidence that the album was about Kendall Jenner, the model, television reality star, and Kim Kardashian’s half-sister with which Styles had been in a turbulent relationship with for two years. Are you interested in clarifying things? Obviously not. "It doesn’t seem to me that the record is a romantic tribute to a person. It’s more about me than anyone else. I think it’s all too easy to say, oh look, it’s about this person, that’s the most interesting thing. I never felt the need to talk about things like that.” And who can blame him? His sentimental life has always been in the spotlight. In 2012, he and Taylor Swift had been on the front page of the tabloids when they had been caught on their second date walking around Central Park. They had left a short time later, but the interest in their relationship had reignited when it was known that Swift had written at least two songs for him in her next album (Out of the Woods and Style).

Does always being in the spotlight make the natural development of relationships more difficult? “Relationships are difficult anyway. You don’t always understand just how a relationship goes, it’s not like you can say: in a week I will know. You are often told what it is before you really understand it. However, all that stuff happened when I was even younger, and you’re very confused when you’ve only had a few relationships.” Did you have to give up that sphere of private life or manage to have a little more confidentiality? “Not lately, because I made the album and a lot of things… I don’t know. No, I feel like I’ve worked a lot with the band. Too many things happened.” How many times has he been in love? “I don’t know. I don’t know how you could tell, so it’s hard to answer, right?” "One realizes, when it happens”, I fight. "Well, so they say.” He makes an embarrassed giggle and then takes the pink phone. “Um, you want to hear another song?”

He’s always been a seducer. His elder sister, Gemma (writes about technology and trends of the Millennium), recently wrote an article for the journal Another Man in which she remembered a family vacation in Cyprus. Harry was seven years old. “He was sitting on a bench near the pool, with people who were triple his age. When we returned to the airport, there was a crowd of girls of all ages who came to greet him.”

He and Gemma grew up in Cheshire. Their father was a financial advisor, now working in insurance. Styles was seven years old when his parents divorced. He is grateful that his parents have maintained a friendly relationship, even after his mother has remarried. "I’m lucky I didn’t have to take sides when they separated. I have always felt loved and encouraged by both.” He calls his mother most days. “A lot of friends say to me, ‘Your mom is really great.’ She never made me feel obliged to prove what I’m worth. Many grow up without ever showing what they feel, instead at our house there has always been much love.”

At the age of 14 he had started working in the local bakery, and he got up at 5 every Saturday. He had always thought of becoming a physiotherapist, but then “we did a workshop at school, to talk about what we wanted to do, and someone told me that there were no job opportunities in that field, so I had to choose something else. I was hurt.” Shortly thereafter he formed a group with some school mates, White Eskimo, and participated in a local band contest. “I was nervous before I got on stage, but that feeling of having all eyes on you doing something you like was exciting.”

Now we are waiting for hectic times, with a world tour of three months, alone, starting in September. The Dunkirk film will be released on August 31st. He hasn’t seen it yet, so he doesn’t know what weight he will play as an English soldier. Rumor has it that he also impersonates Mick Jagger in a biopic, but he denies it, although the look he chose for his solo album resembles the elaborate, androgynous, 70s look of Jagger. Despite having 30 million followers on Twitter and 20 million on Instagram, he is oddly cautious about social media. “Once I heard someone say: If Twitter was a party where you know that 30 percent of people are great, but you also know that the rest will hate you, you are just not going to go,” he explains.

I must admit that he is much more serious and sensitive than what I thought by watching him in the videos of the One Direction era. After three hours in his company, I can’t find any defect, he doesn’t even drink. “In the last two years of touring I discovered that I liked to go run in the morning. When I work I don’t like to drink. I do it when I go out with friends, but then maybe I don’t touch even a drop for more than a month.”

It’s time to say goodbye. I ask him what he wrote in the email that he sent last night, what he must remember to do. "I have to go and cut my hair.” Just a good guy.

(cover from Vanity Fair No. 24. Text by Kristi Murison. Translation of Gioia Guerzoni)

[amaris-noir]

answer all of the numbers, pls?

Thank you for asking! I’ve tried to answer all questions I could answer to~ 

1: Is there a boy/girl in your life?

I don’t know how to answer that. There kinda is someone but isn’t..

2: Think of the last person who hurt you; do you forgive them?

Yes. At least I’d do my best to try to. 

3: What do you think of when you hear the word “meow?”

Cuteness, kittens, nekomimi in anime? D:

4: What’s something you really want right now?

Pass all the exams this month, find a job I’d be comfortable with, be somewhere else. 

5: Are you afraid of falling in love?

I think next time I’d be but I can’t tell if there would be next time.

6: Do you like the beach?

If it’s not very hot or crowded and I can find a place where I can escape Sun then yeah~ I like sand, breeze and sea 

7: Have you ever slept on a couch with someone else?

I don’t think so? On a bed yes (I slept with mom, one or two friends) but couch no

8: What’s the background on your cell?

Black and white image of Japanese city neons 

9: Name the last four beds you were sat on?

What XDD My mom’s bed, a hospital bed and that’s basically it. 

10: Do you like your phone?

Pretty much yes. Just hope it won’t start slowing down more.

11: Honestly, are things going the way you planned?

I plan very little..  I’ve planned more travelling this year and this hasn’t worked out yet and it won’t because I don’t even have money anymore

12: Who was the last person whose phone number you added to your contacts?

Dentist?

13: Would you rather have a poodle or a Rottweiler?

Definitely a Rottweiler if I could choose.

14: Which hurts the most, physical or emotional pain?

It depends on the kind of physical pain because there are ones that I can take and ones that make me wanna die. But I guess emotional pain is worse? It’s always shitty and makes me cry and wanna die or stop feeling.

15: Would you rather visit a zoo or an art museum?

Ah! I visited both when I was in Germany last time but idk what was better. Zoo is definitely more attractive and more fun and alive.

16: Are you tired?

Physically so so, emotionally rather yes..

17: How long have you known your 1st phone contact?

I assume my 1st phone contact was my mom/home number so I’ve always known them.

18: Are they a relative?

Yeah - mom

19: Would you ever consider getting back together with any of your exes?

Maybe if I still loved someone and the reason of breakup wasn’t because the relationship was toxic or really bad. But I don’t have any exes so I can’t consider it.

20: When did you last talk to the last person you shared a kiss with?

What

21: If you knew you had the right person, would you marry them today?

I can’t afford wedding hahaha But if I had the right person I’d definitely want to marry them, not necessairy on the spot. Also it wouldn’t be up to me only :3

22: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

Those kissing questions.. *rolls eyes* 

23: How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now?

None. I’m not a bracelet person.. Maybe I’d be but I can’t even put them on by myself D:

24: Is there a certain quote you live by?

I’m sure there are many that have influenced me but I don’t intentionally live by any particular one.

25: What’s on your mind?

Everything.. feelings, uni, exams, more feelings, summer plans?, life.

26: Do you have any tattoos?

Nope

27: What is your favorite color?

Black haha I like others as well but not as much as black.

28: Next time you will kiss someone on the lips?

That’s not something you can plan if you’re single and not a person who’d drunkenly kiss strangers in the bar. So idk. Will I ever even do that? 

29: Who are you texting?

Lately only two or three people at most

30: Think to the last person you kissed, have you ever kissed them on a couch? PLS NO

31: Have you ever had the feeling something bad was going to happen and you were right?

Not sure.. I feel very confused about my negative feelings

32: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to?

@slaugrath I definitely bother him with things and he doesn’t seem to mind

33: Do you think anyone has feelings for you?

At the moment, I don’t know but rather not

34: Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes?

Yes ♥ many of my friends and my family (it seems one thing about me is complimentable! I’m glad there’s at least one thing)

35: Say the last person you kissed was kissing someone right in front of you?

eeh..? I don’t kiss anyone, pls stop.

36: Were you single on Valentines Day?

Yes ( . .)

37: Are you friends with the last person you kissed?

38: What do your friends call you?

Karolina, Mariko

39: Has anyone upset you in the last week?

Mom, ME, my friend

40: Have you ever cried over a text?

Yes

41: Where’s your last bruise located?

On the right arm

42: What is it from?

I don’t know XD

43: Last time you wanted to be away from somewhere really bad?

I wanna be away from my brother and this house.. very often

44: Who was the last person you were on the phone with?

Mom…

45: Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?

Yeah!

46: Do you wear hats if your having a bad hair day?

I’d have to wear hats everyday XD

47: Would you ever go bald if it was the style?

No D: I don’t follow trends that much. Who would like to look like the half of the city?

48: Do you make supper for your family?

No? We make breakfasts and suppers individually.

49: Does your bedroom have a door?

Yes? 

50: Top 3 web-pages?

idk.. youtube? tumblr? Such websites! :3

51: Do you know anyone who hates shopping?

Yeah

52: Does anything on your body hurt?

Yeah, my kokoro ( . .)

53: Are goodbyes hard for you?

Depends on what kind of goodbyes and with whom. I’ve never had any hard goodbyes.

54: What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?

Probably tea.

55: How is your hair?

It’s wet .. I washed it a while ago.

56: What do you usually do first in the morning?

Check my phone.. Go to the kitchen to make myself tea.. Go to the bathroom to clean my face.

57: Do you think two people can last forever?

I think they can

58: Think back to January 2007, were you single?

Surely

59: Green or purple grapes?

Green ones~

60: When’s the next time you will give someone a BIG hug?

I don’t know but I know whom I wanna hug 

61: Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?

Yeah.

62: When will be the next time you text someone?

Today, soon? I gotta finish this and study and then text. Maybe in the evening after German course

63: Where will you be 5 hours from now?

Language school

64: What were you doing at 8 this morning.

Sleeping.. I kept waking up but I was sleeping in general.

65: This time last year, can you remember who you liked?

Yeah… The same person as now

66: Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile?

No.. Sounds sad haha 

67: Did you kiss or hug anyone today?

Nope and I won’t

68: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?

I had lots of thoughts and can’t single out the last one.. I don’t remember when I fell asleep.

69: Have you ever tried your hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?

Kinda..

70: How many windows are open on your computer?

Three.

71: How many fingers do you have?

… 10 fingers, 10 toes, luckily. 

72: What is your ringtone?

I don’t remember.. my phone’s on vibration mode all the time.

73: How old will you be in 5 months?

23 *sobs*

74: Where is your Mum right now?

In her room.. not working today because she’s ill.

75: Why aren’t you with the person you were first in love with or almost in love?

Someone has to like you back first.. and want to be with you D:

76: Have you held hands with somebody in the past three days?

No..

77: Are you friends with the people you were friends with two years ago?

I’m still friends with most of them

78: Do you remember who you had a crush on in year 7?

A classmate?

79: Is there anyone you know with the name Mike?

Nope.

80: Have you ever fallen asleep in someones arms?

No.. *forever alone*

81: How many people have you liked in the past three months?

Jesus, how many people should I have liked? :o Just one XD’

82: Has anyone seen you in your underwear in the last 3 days?

Family I live with ._.

83: Will you talk to the person you like tonight?

I want to but I don’t know if we’ll talk..

84: You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of your car window, you’re with?

I don’t understand this question. You mean whether I’m with hot guys or hot girls? I’d say guys but my opinion about what is hot in guys is not so obvious or typical haha 

85: If your BF/GF was into drugs would you care?

No, I’d just watch them destroy themselves.. D: Is such a question even necessary? Who wouldn’t care? 

86: What was the most eventful thing that happened last time you went to see a movie?

Hm.. literally nothing happened. Unless people who come way too late count XD

87: Who was your last received call from?

Mom

88: If someone gave you $1,000 to burn a butterfly over a candle, would you?

what the fuck D: I don’t think I would ._.

89: What is something you wish you had more of?

Affection, love, true friends, friends I’d feel comfortable with and could hand out with, money, knowledge, hair, femininity? 

90: Have you ever trusted someone too much?

Probably.. I think I trust people.

91: Do you sleep with your window open?

Rarely.. I can’t fall asleep because of noise. But I wake up at night or in the morning and I open it then :3 I don’t usually have problems with falling asleep once I wake up.

92: Do you get along with girls?

I guess?

93: Are you keeping a secret from someone who needs to know the truth?

From my grandma who asks if I like someone but I don’t think she needs to know the truth 

94: Does sex mean love?

Obviously not.. Not necessarily.

95: You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, is that a problem?

I don’t wanna be in a room alone lmao

96: Have you ever kissed anyone with a lip ring?

No. idk how kissing with or without one feels anyway

97: Did you sleep alone this week?

Yeah

98: Everybody has somebody that makes them happy, do you?

To some extent. It’d be much easier if I didn’t think and feel so much

99: Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Uh.. I think it’s a coincidence but it’s possible that you can start liking someone and can’t explain why and it develops and nothing about that person makes you stop liking them so the feelings of a kind of infatuation you’ve had get more real. 

100: Who was the last person that you pinky promise?

I don’t do pinky promises I guess?

[kaoruyogi]

How to Win Wars and Influence Nobles (Ch. 1)

Rating: E for Explicit/NSFW Content!

Check it out on AO3!

You'd think a video game lawyer could just drop into a pseudo-medieval universe filled with magic and demons and be totally okay with it, right?

Nah.

In the wake of her brother, Spencer's, disappearance, Belle dropped into Thedas with luggage, but without a clue. After brief but memorable panic attack, she resolved to be the best goddamn lawyer Thedas had ever seen. Even if she was the only goddamn lawyer Thedas had ever seen. And even if that obstinate asshole, Cullen, wouldn't stop giving her the side-eye every time she walked into a room...Or every time he walked into a room with her in it...Or every time they walked into a room together...Or--Fuck it. You get it.

Hey everyone! With very little fanfare or introduction, and many prayers that you like it, welcome to my pseudo-self-insert/self-indulgent, modern girl in Thedas fic! I know, I know, the trope. In my defense, I had no idea this was a thing until after I started writing. So...whoops. ^_^;;

In any case, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Big-Ass Hole and the Big Asshole

“Max!” Belle’s voice was being drowned out by the long-winded worry of her paralegal. He was such a smart guy but she’d be good goddamned if he wasn’t just a scared little puppy sometimes. On and on he went, barely taking a breath as he went over the plans for her two-week absence from their firm—as if they hadn’t been discussing them for weeks already. She represented a number of video game companies in various actions, but Max was more concerned about her general counsel work for a larger company. She’d already notified her clients of her impending absence and told each of them which associates would be handling her caseload, so she had no earthly idea why he was so stressed.

Of course, stress management had come naturally to her for a very long time. Working as a 9-1-1 operator through law school would do that to a person. It had also made her very impatient with nervous people who screamed or spewed out copious volumes of information at a pace no one could keep up with, much like Max was doing at that very moment. Her hands balled up into fists on instinct, jaw clenching in an attempt to manage her irritation before she shouted at her friend and colleague while standing in the street in front of her apartment complex. It didn’t work.

“Max!!!” she shouted again, so loud she attracted the attention of a passerby. Belle ducked her head, staring at a particularly dark gum stain in the sidewalk below. This was Orange County, and everyone yelled at people on their cellphones in the street, but it didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

Max’s voice abruptly ceased it’s prattling, giving Belle a moment’s peace to collect her thoughts before speaking again. After a slow exhale, she said, “Max, we’ve been over this. Several times in fact. Everything will be fine. I’m just going to my parents’ house for a couple of weeks. They don’t even live that far away. I can catch a flight back if there’s some life-threatening emergency. You. Need. To. Chill. Dude. I’m gonna hang up now because my Uber is supposed to be here in, like, two minutes. Deep breaths, Max. It’ll be fine.”

As promised, Belle dropped the phone away from her ear, giving the red symbol on the screen a little tap to disconnect before dropping the device into the purse slung over her shoulder. “Ooooh,” she groaned, dropping her head back with her eyes shut tight. “Lord give me strength.”

The fresh silence dropped her back into her own mind to focus on what she should have been worried about. It had been almost three months since her half-brother, Spencer, went missing. He and Belle lived pretty close to each other, and were just generally pretty close. She’d never really understood why he wanted to be a firefighter. He was smart as a fucking whip—could have been anything—but he was a damn good firefighter. He promoted like a rocket after finishing his Bachelor’s Degree, only twenty-two and already a lieutenant. It made his disappearance all the more confusing.

He’d gone out for his morning run and just vanished into thin air. He’d had his cellphone on him, and took the knife he used for protection. And Spencer was no small man. His build made men and women swoon and fawn over him in bars. It was rather obnoxious, really. Belle always thought him the prettier of the two of them, his attractive bronze complexion a stark contrast to her easily burnt alabaster skin—he was more like his mother than their father—and striking blue eyes much brighter than her hazel ones. He was tall, fit, and well-muscled where she was still tall, but a bit chubby with a round face and ample bosom and backside. She liked chips, cheese, and chocolate—appetites she was unwilling to abandon to save her a little spare flesh.

All that said, Belle had been paying the rent on Spencer’s apartment in addition to hers for two months in the hopes that he would come back or be found, and the police still had no leads. It was time to go see her father and stepmother and find out what they thought the next steps should be. The idea of giving up hope on her little brother was still too much, but she was, above all, a pragmatist. She couldn’t afford to keep paying double rent every month, and she didn’t have room for all of his stuff in her apartment. But there was no way in fresh hell that she would get rid of even a scrap of it. So she was hopeful their parents would be willing to chip in for a storage unit, one close enough to Belle’s apartment that she could go and visit Spencer’s things from time to time.

Their parents had once given them matching hamesh necklaces—the Jewish symbol for protection—hers in gold and his in white gold, though he rarely wore his in public. He thought it was too gaudy. But Belle knew for a fact that he’d been keeping it in with his turnout gear, and had dug it out of his duffle bag two weeks after he’d gone missing. She took to wearing his charm on the chain with hers. The religious symbolism of it didn’t really bring her any comfort—she wasn’t terribly religious, after all. It was more the feeling of having something of him with her that kept the charm fastened around her neck.

She ran her thumb across the back of his gleaming hamesh as she stared down the street in the direction her phone had told her the Uber would appear. The app said two minutes five minutes ago, but it wasn’t unusual for them to get caught in traffic. The fingers of her other hand tapped at the smooth plastic handle of her rolling luggage, a combination of nerves and impatience conquering her resolve in their tiny physical manifestation. Half her life was packed in the carry-on check bag duo, including outfits for nearly every foreseeable occasion. Much of her family thought it would be wise to convene at the same time, since Belle and Spencer were so rarely able to visit, so she had to be prepared for any eventuality.

Always prepare for any eventuality. It was a mantra that made for a good first responder and a good lawyer. Predict, prepare, preempt. Her mind chanted it over and over, even as she took stock of herself one last time before the Uber’s supposed arrival.

Her curly-wavy copper-red hair was freshly washed, her curtain fringe meticulously straightened over her forehead and just brushing against the top of her oversized prescription sunglasses. The overall length had been growing out well with the painstaking care she’d taken of it after chopping off over two feet a little over a year ago—it was already to her armpit. The gauzy, short sleeved lavender tunic she’d chosen for the day shouldn’t set off any detectors at the TSA checkpoints, and was heat-appropriate given the unseasonably hot autumn weather. Her skinny jeans hugged her curves tight, likely because they, too, were freshly washed. She twisted and stretched her legs a bit awkwardly at that thought, hoping to loosen her pants up a bit before getting on the plane where the waistband would undoubtedly cut uncomfortably into her gut. She already knew the black yoga mat flip flops on her feet would be shucked the second the wheels left the ground. She preferred her feet bare.

The thumb that had been stroking Spencer’s hamesh moved to massage the back of her left earlobe—a habit she’d developed to cope while her right ear had still been perpetually covered with a headset. It stuck with her long after she left dispatching to become an attorney, though she learned to manage it when clients were grating on her nerves. But in that moment, her aggravation mounted with every passing second the Uber driver didn’t appear. Geoff. She stared at his picture on her phone. He was older than the average Uber driver, his cheerful smile and more gray than brown beard at once welcoming and unsettling. What the fuck was taking him so long?

Belle’s skin crawled as goosebumps raced down her arms and legs, her hair rising skyward. She glared down at her arm, and caught a glimpse of her red curls spreading and separating, lifting away from her shoulders. It was like that time she touched the static ball at the science museum. The faint hum of electricity buzzed in her ears and coursed through her veins. Her eyes darted about, fear rising rapidly in her gut. Nothing around her was moving. Nothing seemed at all affected by whatever was happening to her.

A deafening crack made her scream and flinch, her right hand still clutching her bags even as her left flew up to block her face from what she was certain was an explosion. Instinct dropped her forearm away from her eyes. If someone was hurt, she could help.

No one was hurt. What she saw was worse than carnage. Less than two feet in front of her hung a hole. Not a hole in the ground, but in the air. It was surrounded by neon green tendrils of light that seemed to reach out like paralyzed lighting, striking the ground constantly and in only one place per filament. At the center of it was something her mind would only describe to her as a wormhole. It was black inside, but also not black inside. Faint images of something peeked through the darkness, distorted by space and time.

Belle didn’t know enough about wormholes. In her Wikipedia wanderings, she’d read some wild theories—stuff about time travel and inter-dimensional transportation—and some more scientific works that mentioned how a wormhole could connect two points that were trillions of lightyears apart in a distance of just a few feet. In all her random reading about wormholes, however, she’d never heard mention of one popping open on an actual planet, let alone in a crowded metropolitan area right in front of someone’s face.

But there it was. Or at least that was the most her mind could comprehend of what floated in the air before her. Predict, prepare, preempt, she thought. How, exactly, would her mantra apply to a random green glowing wormhole in the middle of a residential street in Orange County? She considered her options, her static-frizzed hair rising up around her cheeks, almost crackling in the charged air. Run. She should run away. That’s what people were supposed to do when disruptions in the space-time continuum opened in front of their faces, right? Run? Run.

Before she had the chance to finish pivoting away from the anomaly, another cacophonous crack pierced the air around her. The opening seemed to come alive, the green glow and lighting rolling and fluctuating and reaching. One bolt of green lightning snapped, and she felt it hit her. But not like lightning. It didn’t strike and leave. It held onto her. It pulled her.

Belle screamed as loud as she could, emptying her lungs until they ached and holding onto the only things she could reach—her luggage and her carry-on. Stupid. The fucking things rolled. So fucking stupid. Still, she clutched at them with everything she had.

One sharp tug from the wormhole wrested her feet from the sidewalk. She shrieked again, still holding those stupid fucking rolling bags even as her body was sucked into the not-black blackness. They followed her into the wormhole. Maybe.

Oh God. I just died, didn’t I?

*****

“—econd one. I think it’s safe to assume that this was not a coincidence.”

“If it’s not a coincidence, then perhaps Corypheus is sending them through to infiltrate the Inquisition. She should be locked up in the cells until we find out why she’s here.”

“Or perhaps there is something less sinister at work here. The young man has proven himself quite useful to you over the past several months, hasn’t he?”

“And to you. While that may be true, I am nevertheless considering locking him up as well!”

Arguing. A French-sounding woman and a British man were arguing over Belle’s dead body. Or maybe her not dead body. Maybe her still alive and once again conscious body. What a coup it would be if she hadn’t died in a wormhole. Huzzah.

She chanced opening her eyes, praying all the while that she’d somehow been dosed with acid and made it to the airport where she passed out. Belle abhorred narcotics, but anything would have been preferable to what in absolutely no way could have happened. So she cracked her eyelids apart.

Subtle daylight peeked through a couple of thin slits that she supposed purported to be windows, skinny and useless as they were at providing any substantial form of light. They did manage to illuminate the space enough for her to tell that the walls were made of gray stone. Her sunglasses had been removed, and no one had bothered to replaced them with her regular glasses. Typical. Her vision wasn’t too terrible, though, so she squinted to make out her surroundings. The room was moderately sized, and filled with very old furniture. It all looked sturdy enough, if not terribly odd and plain. She wondered offhandedly about the decorating choices of the security staff at John Wayne Airport.

Her bags lay open on the smooth stone floor, her belongings ruffled, but not quite strewn about. Another tiny victory, she supposed. After all, it’s not as if one’s bags come flying through a wormhole in tow every day, let alone come out the other side intact. But she hadn’t gone through a wormhole, had she? She was still alive, and the man and woman were speaking English, so she must have been somewhere at least vaguely familiar. Right?

A tentative tilt of her head brought the still-arguing pair into Belle’s blurry view. The woman’s back was turned, though her figure—even hidden under some sort of old school chainmail and purple cloth hoodie—made it quite obvious that she was a woman. Wide-cuffed brown leather gloves and boots enveloped her extremities, making quiet shuffling noises as she shifted her weight to uncross and recross her arms.

The man, from what Belle could see without her glasses, may have been rather good-looking. His golden-blonde hair seemed slicked back away from his sunkissed face, though it was all a little…smudgy. She could make out a ridiculously large surcoat with a poofy collar made of…fur? Something? It draped over silvery armor that gleamed even in the weak light. His hands balled into fists at his sides until one would rise to point a very stern finger at the French woman.

Belle squinted hard, confusion prickling at every one of her senses. Something was definitely wrong. More wrong than the hallucinated wormhole.

“Did someone drag me to Medieval Times while I was unconscious?” she rasped, not realizing until she spoke that her throat was really goddamn dry. “Did the fucking Uber driver bring me here instead of the airport?” Fucking Geoff.

Perplexed, angry, and still indistinct eyes landed on her. The woman turned only her head, giving Belle the barest peek at her bobbed red hair and blue eyes. Her gaze was critical, appraising in its depth. Nothing new. It was something Belle had to contend with every time she walked into an executive’s office, or every time one walked into hers without having bothered to Google her first. She could always tell.

She sat up a little too quickly, and her head swam for a moment as she reached for her sunglasses on the small table beside the bed. Her purse was too far to go for her regular glasses, and she had no intention of staying wherever she was anyway. The other woman turned and the man scowled as she perched the plastic frame atop her nose, giving the bridge a tiny push with her middle finger.

Ah. Everything was much clearer. And the guy’s surcoat collar was definitely fur. Or faux fur. Fuck it, it had a fur-like consistency. His eyes had been just far enough from hers to stop her making out their color without her glasses. But even through the shaded lenses she could tell, then, that they were a very unique shade of amber. And he was good-looking. A years old scar bisected his upper lip just to the right of his nose to a flattering effect. She wondered if it was stage makeup for the show.

“Medieval times?” the French woman asked. “Are you referring to a place or an age?” The inner corners of her eyes narrowed almost undetectably.

“Oh God, here we go. So not Medieval Times, then? What are you guys, LARPers or something? That’s fine. That’s cool, man. I make my living with clients like you.” Belle slipped off the bed onto her knees as she prattled, closing and zipping her suitcase and carry-on and haphazardly throwing her purse over her shoulder. “Didn’t have to rifle through all my shit, but whatever.”

She stood with a sigh, all of her bags in hand and ready to move. “Okay, so I appreciate you both helping me out after I obviously went all…hallucinogenic and wandered away from in front of my complex. But I’m pretty sure that I’ve missed my flight by now, and I really need to get to the airport so I can get to my family’s house up north.” The faces staring back at her were unfazed—still assessing and agitated. Great. “Sooo, I’ll be going now, then.”

The little plastic wheels on her luggage rolled and clacked against the stone floor as she headed for the unfinished wooden door. These people took this shit far too seriously. The hooded woman’s arms never unfolded, though her eyes and head followed Belle as she passed. “A place or an age,” she thought. They can’t even be bothered to get out of character after a drugged woman shows up and passes out.

Just as she was about to reach the door, the large blonde stepped in front of her. Her chest nearly crashed into his silvery armor, and she staggered back a step to avoid the collision. She had to admit he cut a pretty impressive and imposing figure, even with his stupid red and black pimp coat. It was a thought that might have carried more weight had he not been looking down his nose at her. Unacceptable.

“Please move so I can leave.”

“You cannot leave. Not until we’ve uncovered what happened to bring you here.” His scar twitched with his almost imperceptible snarl.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fully capable of investigating that on my own. Now, please move so I can leave.”

“You cannot leave.” He spoke slower and louder. She could feel her blood starting to boil. No one was entitled to treat her like she was stupid.

Belle used her middle finger again to slide the bridge of her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose, tilting her chin up to meet the man’s unyielding amber eyes with her own. “I’m a lawyer, and even though it’s my job to stay out of court, I should tell you that I went to school with some very good plaintiff’s attorneys. If you do not move out from in front of the door and allow me to leave, I’ll be happy to sic one or two of them on you for false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and whatever other causes of action they can come up with to decimate your likely meager bank account.”

The arch of a blonde eyebrow was the big asshole’s only reply.

Okay, fuck this. “Listen, bro,” she said, letting her luggage stand alone in favor of poking him in his stupid chest plate. Her painted fingernail tinked against the metal. “I did not somehow get dosed, hallucinate myself through a fucking wormhole, and meander my way here just so I could be kidnapped by some overgrown, thick-skulled, takes-himself-too-seriously, LARPing motherfucker in a ridiculous coat and some weird hooded chick who likes to watch. So allow me to address you as you’ve seen fit to address me.” She cleared her throat. “Get. The fuck. Out. Of my way.”

He seemed shocked when her two-handed shove knocked him off balance, his eyes going wide as his back slammed into the unfinished wooden door. Self-satisfaction and adrenaline roiled through her body, flaring her nostrils and squaring her shoulders. Served him right.

But she hadn’t anticipated how fast he could move in heavy armor—an oversight she regretted instantly. She didn’t even see him move before she felt his hands squeezing her biceps, locking them to her sides. He wasn’t hurting her—she suspected that was an impressive level of self-restraint—just holding her in place. Under his furrowed brow, his warm, furious eyes darted back and forth between hers, searching for lord knew what. The woman’s voice sounded from Belle’s back just in time to save the asshole’s testicles from her knee.

“Let her go, Cullen.”

The creases between his eyebrows deepened as his scar stretched, reaching for his cheek. Belle could feel the slight heat of angry puffs of air leaving his nose. He looked to the hooded woman, disdainful as he spoke. “Let her go? Leliana, you cannot be serious. You, of all people, should seek to discern the reason for her presence here.”

“I do. And I have a feeling we shall have a better opportunity to find out if you let her leave.”

Belle craned her neck to glimpse the woman—Leliana. Her right arm had uncrossed itself, and her knuckle brushed to and fro under her chin. She had a look of certainty about her that was rather unsettling. The whole situation was rather unsettling. Something was so wrong. Belle’s mind screamed it over and over, pleading not to be ignored.

She turned her gaze back on the man still pinning her in place. Cullen. He was looking down at her again. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You heard mommy,” she snarled. “Let me go.”

The muscles on either side of his jaw expanded and contracted. “Fine.” He removed his hands from her arms, throwing them out to his sides in an impotent gesture of futility. “On your head be it.”

Belle nearly sobbed out her relief when he stepped out of her way. She talked a big game, but doubted she could have stopped him if he really wanted to hurt her. He was so much larger than her, and the self-defense she’d learned didn’t cover fighting an armored man. And threatening to sue someone didn’t always work. It certainly didn’t work on him. Pushing her glasses back up her nose and taking her luggage up behind her, she shoved the door open with her shoulder.

The first shriek that left her throat was reflexive. An icy gust of wind swept across her body and hurled the hem of her light tunic up to her chest. Why was it so cold?

The second shriek acted as a pronouncement of her terror and rage. Her surroundings were…not what they should have been. She stood atop a stone pathway on the outskirts of what looked like a huge castle. All around her, mountains jutted up from the earth to impossible heights, forming impossibly low valleys below. Everything but the castle—every fucking thing—was covered in a thick layer of snow. Blasts of freezing wind rushed sideways across her path, making little whistling sounds as they passed through gaps in the stones.

Her head whirled around to look behind her. Leliana and Cullen had followed her out, and stood just outside the doorway. Belle’s lip quivered. Whether it was due to the cold or her fear didn’t really matter.

“Where the fuck did you take me?” She backed away from them as she cried out her question, desperate to go home. She just wanted to go home.

“Only a few miles from where we found you,” Leliana said. She was calm. Too calm. Too fucking calm.

“Only a few fucking—Fuck you! It’s hot. It’s a hot September. They said it on the news. It’s supposed to be hot for weeks. There’s no snow.” Belle’s breath came in erratic, heavy puffs. Panic attack. Asthma attack. Who knew? Who cared? “There’s no snow for four hundred fucking miles. Where did you fucking take me? Where am I? Who the fuck are you people?” An unbidden tear trickled down her cheek, turning her skin to ice along its slow path.

The hooded woman was still too calm. “We are the Inquisition. We found you at the Temple of Sacred Ashes and brought you to our keep, Skyhold, in the Frostback Mountains.”

“God, just drop the fucking act!”

Leliana took a step forward. “I assure you, I am not acting. The year is 9:41 Dragon. I am Sister Leliana. This,” she held out her hand toward the blonde, who still eyed Belle warily, “is Commander Cullen Rutherford. We work with the Inquisition. You are in our keep—our home, Skyhold. We are on the Orlesian side of the Frostback Mountains in Thedas.”

“The—Thedas? That’s not—Not a place.” Belle’s every utterance was halting and disjointed, fragmented by wheezing breaths she couldn’t control. She was getting very dizzy. She was losing feeling in her fingertips and face. She was going to pass out.

“And Drag—Dragon is not…” Her eyelids fluttered. Her knees wobbled. Her head bobbed. “Not a year. It’s not even…”

Mercifully, everything went black before she hit the ground.

*****

Notes: Alright, so it's out there! I hope you liked the first chapter!!!

I'll be updating this fic as often as I can, but like my other two, it gets uploaded only if I have time to write it (because I still work full-time). I'll also be working on this at the same time as "Trial by Fire" (incidentally, if you haven't checked it out, give it a once over ^_~), so don't worry, that's still VERY much alive and kicking.

Anywho, thanks for starting this journey with me! I hope you have fun along the way!