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darylas · 7 months

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Chapter 1 - Blue Skies

John "Bucky" Egan x singer!fem!reader ♫ next ♫ ao3

When Bucky hears his favorite song begin to play, he does not expect to see a new Red Cross volunteer walk up to the microphone.

1.6k words

Warnings: Language, Alcohol

Disclaimer: Most of the characters mentioned are based on the dramatic portrayal featured in the Masters of the Air limited series, not the actual historical figures they represent.

A/N: This was my first time writing in several years! It's short and the pacing is interesting, but gosh darn it I had fun writing this. Special shoutout to @blurredcolour for inspiring me to pick up the pen. Go read their work, it's fantastic.

Bucky sat cross-legged in a chair next to Buck, not-so-slowly nursing his second whiskey. Men and women danced in the center of the officers club as the military band played an obviously well-rehearsed rendition of Glenn Miller’s A String of Pearls. Bucky tapped two fingers on his knee in time to the beat while he watched the dancers. He had already spent three songs dancing with three different women and was now taking a break to sit and enjoy his best friend’s company.

“That girl you were dancing with before, she was pretty,” said Buck before taking a sip of his coke. “She works in the Clubmobile, right?”

“Yeah, Helen. Good dancer, too.” Bucky spotted her on the other side of the room, chatting with Tatty Spaatz.

Buck took another sip as he watched the band play. “Got a letter from Marge today.”

“She dump you yet?”

“Not if I read the letter right.” Buck smiled and looked down. After a moment, he looked back at Bucky. “She said Peggy was not too happy she hasn’t gotten a letter from you.”

Bucky responded with a puzzled look. “We went on one date. A double date. I swear I didn’t give her any ideas that she’d be expecting mail from me. Buck, I swear. I don’t play like that.”

Buck gave a soft exhale through his nose. “I know you don’t. I was just passing along the message.” A String of Pearls began to come to a close. “Not sure why it’d be such a bad idea to write her, though.”

“Aww, c’mon, Buck, I’m trying to have a nice evening here.” Bucky’s eyes lit up as the band initiated the next song, loud trumpets and melodic saxophones blaring out the snappy intro to Blue Skies. He broke into a grin. “Now we’re talkin’.”

Buck and at least three other men couldn’t hold in their groans as they too heard the familiar notes. They knew exactly what this song did to Bucky, especially after a few drinks.

Bucky leaned over to address one of the protestors, Major Jack Kidd. “It’s my song! It needs vocals! You can’t expect me to just sit here in silence.”

“I think you’re gonna have to, John,” said Buck. “Looks like your act’s been booted.”

Bucky whipped his head around to look at the makeshift stage where the band was playing. He watched in disbelief as a woman wearing a Red Cross uniform strolled up to the microphone in front of the band and began to sing.

Blue skies smiling at me

Nothing but blue skies do I see

Several of the men whooped and whistled appreciatively, and Bucky saw you smile and wink at the crowd as you continued to sing. Every note was sung with confidence and precision, and you continued to smile brightly as you got to the chorus. Everyone in the room seemed to be under the spell of your voice and stage presence.

Never saw the sun shining so bright

Never saw things going so right

Noticing the days hurrying by

When you’re in love, my how they fly

Buck hadn’t realized how right he’d been. Bucky had gone completely silent.

He rubbed the lower half of his face to cover his growing smile. He hoped you’d glance his way but so far no luck. He found himself in a strange quandary as he was torn between closing his eyes to listen to your voice and keeping them open to stare at your face. He wasn't sure if it was the whisky, the humidity of the packed room, your performance, or a strange combination of all three, but he was beginning to feel dizzy.

Far too soon for his liking, the song ended, with you hitting the final high note right on the head. The crowd applauded as you stepped back and gestured to the band behind you in appreciation. You stepped back up to the microphone.

“Thank you very much. Let’s hear it one more time for our Air Force Band! Aren’t they wonderful?” The crowd cheered, Buck and Bucky clapping along with them. “While I’m up here, I just wanted to remind you all that this Saturday, the Red Cross will be hosting bingo night in the Aeroclub at 1900. I don’t want to spoil anything but I will tell you that we’ve got some pretty terrific prizes for the winners. Thank you again, ladies and gentlemen.”

As you departed the stage, several men in the crowd let out cries of disappointment. The band director spoke into the microphone, “Don’t worry, ladies and gents, she’ll be back! Now if you feel so inclined, grab a partner and get back on the dance floor!” He signaled the band to start playing a new song with a count of "one, two, three, four.”

Bucky slapped both hands on his thighs and stood. He quickly downed the rest of his whisky, put down the glass, and straightened his tie. “I do believe I feel so inclined,” he said to Buck.

“Yeah, I figured you might,” replied Buck with a smirk.

As Bucky made his way toward where you were seated with another Red Cross Girl, he smirked as he noticed that other officers who had the same idea begrudgingly backed off. As Buck was known to say, rank had its privileges. When you looked up, Bucky greeted you with his most charming grin. “Quite the performance up there; you do autographs?”

You looked at his hands and quirked your brow. “I don’t see anything to sign.”

Bucky looked down at his hands as well and flipped them over a couple of times. “Damn, you’re right.” He looked back at you. “How ‘bout a dance instead, then?”

You smiled politely at him. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t dance.” You motioned to the girl sitting next to you. “Rachel here is a marvelous dancer, though.”

“Oh, I know.” Bucky nodded at Rachel. “How ya doin’, Rach?”

With a mischievous smile and her chin resting on her fist, the blonde replied, "I'm just swell, Bucky."

He smiled back at her. “That’s great.” He looked back at you skeptically. “You sure? I promise to keep you on your feet, Miss…”

You gave him your name then said, “I’m sure. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Major, and don’t forget about bingo night on Saturday.”

Bucky stuck his hands in his pockets and pressed his lips together, nodding. “Right, right. Bingo night. Alright then, I’ll see you around.” He began to walk away then turned back around. “I don’t know if the band said anything to you, but Blue Skies is sorta my signature song. S’okay, though. You did alright. Little different than my rendition, but you sounded great.”

You gave him that same damn polite smile that he couldn’t decipher and said, “Glad you liked it.”

Bucky nodded once and headed back to his seat. He cleared his dry throat after sitting down next to Buck. After picking up his whisky glass, he frowned upon realizing that it was empty. Buck looked over at him. “What happened?”

“Turns out she’s more your type. Said she doesn’t dance.”

“What’s ‘a matter, Bucky?” He turned to see Blakely and Douglass grinning at him. “The jazz cat have claws?” Both burst out laughing at the terrible joke. Bucky bit the inside of his cheek and gave them an exasperated look.

Buck smiled good-naturedly and clapped him on the back. “Had to happen sometime, pal. Maybe getting shot down for once will help fix that king-size ego of yours,” he joked.

“I didn’t get shot down, she said she didn’t dance.” Bucky pulled on one of his sleeves. “There’s a difference.” Once again, he began tapping two fingers against his knee to the music, trying his damndest not to look at you.

═════ ♫ ═════

Later in the evening, Bucky, Buck, and Curt Biddick were all standing at the bar. Curt and Bucky were animatedly discussing the Yankees for what had to be the hundredth time, leaving poor Buck to his coke and people-watching for a few minutes.

Bucky saw his friend look quizzically at the dance floor then quickly avert his eyes and take a long sip. Bucky looked back in the same direction and immediately saw what Buck had been hoping he wouldn’t. At the far edge of the dance floor, you were dancing with Lt. “Bubbles” Payne, smiling and laughing.

“I’m telling you, DiMaggio would never…what the hell are you looking at?” Curt, who was more than a little drunk, turned around and saw you and Bubbles. “That the girl who was singing earlier? The one that gave you the brush-off? I thought you said she didn’t dance. I guess she meant she doesn’t dance with-” He was cut off by Buck smacking him on the arm. “What?”

Bucky was still watching you with your arms around Bubbles, laughing at something else he said. Bubbles. He was a great guy, but what about him made you change your mind about dancing? Or was dancing not the problem at all?

Curt, unaware of Bucky’s worsening mood, casually slung his arm over his shoulders. “Hey, c’mon, don’t feel bad. I’ll dance with you, Bucky. C’mere, they’re playing our song.”

Bucky shoved the drunk lieutenant off of him and smiled bitterly. “Yeah, cause spinning and shaking is exactly what your body needs right now, Curt.”

He felt Buck nudge his shoulder. “You’ll get your chance, John. C’mon, I’m beat. Let’s head to the barracks.”

As they began the walk back and the music behind them faded, Curt appeared deep in thought. Eventually, he said, very seriously, “Maybe she likes his mustache better than yours.” Buck coughed to cover a laugh.

Bucky rolled his eyes. He didn’t care that you had rejected him. Not even a little.

He wouldn’t spare you a second thought. No sir.

And he absolutely did not hear you singing Blue Skies over and over in his head as he lay in bed that night.

—

♫ next ♫

#john egan x reader #bucky egan x reader #john bucky egan #mota #masters of the air #mota fic #callum turner #reader insert #fanfiction #Spotify

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show-your-fangs · 1 year

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My trauma from certain chapters of Moments might’ve come up with something for a blurb. I’d die to see Jack expressing himself over not liking Beth and some sort of moment between reader Aaron and Jack where Jack makes it clear that he sees reader as a mother figure which makes Aaron pull his head out of his ass and makes the right chooce IMMEDIATELY for once👀 Or idk maybe not even Beth related but it would be cool to see Jack not wanting to lose another mother figure

I just love my little trio of hotchner boys and reader they’re such a little family I could cry

gosh as much as i am a beth hater, i could not find a way to fit this into moments. however, chapter 24 is literally just domestic fluff so you'll be fed GOOD when it comes out.

here's just a cute little moments au blurb where jack calls reader mom and aaron almost loses it.

This is part one of two Moment AU asks that I thought would go perfectly together.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x f!Reader

Words: 788

CW: nothing, just fluff.

Disclaimer: YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO REPOST MY WRITING ANYWHERE ELSE WITHOUT MY CONSENT. REBLOGS ARE ENCOURAGED THOUGH. YOU MAY NOT FEED MY WORK TO ANY AI DATABASES OF ANY KIND OR TO USE MY WORKS TO TRAIN AI. FUCK AI.

"Can we invite mom to dinner?" Jack's question filled the quiet apartment with a heaviness that Aaron couldn’t quite understand. Haley had just dropped the boy off at his apartment after spending the better part of the week at her place.

"Buddy, I don't think mom wants to come all the way here—”

“Did I do something wrong?” Jack practically whimpered and Aaron was rendered speechless once more, his brows scrunching further. That just made the poor boy look even more disheartened. His round eyes practically bursting as he tried to figure out what he could’ve possibly done to offend.

Aaron crossed the room to him in an instant, crouching down to his level as he sat at the dinner table finishing up on some school work.

“You did nothing wrong, buddy,” he said, gently, making sure that the words settled. “I just don’t think we should ask your mom to come over for dinner when she just spent the week with you.”

“I don’t wanna invite mommy to dinner,” Jack corrected him, as if he’d been correct this entire time and it was his dad who was not getting it. “I wanna invite mom.”

It took Aaron a few seconds to blink away the misunderstanding, confusion twisting into shock. Jack had called you mom, Jack had just…called you mom. A smile crept up on Aaron’s lips, one that Jack matched instantly as he realized his dad had just understood him.

“Do you want to call mom and invite her to dinner?” he asked the boy and he lit up like never before. Aaron pulled out his phone and immediately called you, putting it on speaker phone and handing the device over to Jack as he returned to the kitchen.

“Hi, honey,” your voice was warm and inviting and he wanted nothing more than to respond to you, but he wanted to experience your shock, the shock that Jack had just given him, more than anything.

“Mom!” Jack practically screamed into microphone.

“Hi, angel,” Aaron could hear you stifle a sob and he couldn’t help but tear up with you.

“Hi!” Jack was too hyper, getting any words in difficult. “Dad’s making dinner!”

“What’s he making?”

“Dad!” Aaron couldn’t help the laugh that erupted, so much screaming, so much energy. He walked out of the kitchen and took the phone from the boy, turning off speakerphone before he addressed you.

“He’s making boxed Mac n Cheese with hot dogs,” Aaron replied, a smile in his voice.

“Aaron—” you sobbed into his ear.

“I know, he got me too.”

“Did you know?”

“No,” he chuckled. “But I definitely do now.”

“Dad, give me back the phone!” Jack whined, pulling on Aaron’s arm until he could press his mouth to the microphone once more. “Can you come to dinner, please?”

He stretched out that last word until he was gasping for breath, making both you and Aaron laugh.

“Yes, angel, I’ll be there in a second, alright?”

“Mmkay!”

“I’ll see you soon, mom,” Aaron teased.

“I’m fully sobbing at a red light, just so you know,” you tried to make him feel bad but it honestly didn’t matter. Jack saw you as his mom, and nothing could take that away from you.

“I love you,” Aaron said.

“I love you too.”

Jack was engrossed in his worksheet once he finally hung up the phone. Aaron watched him for a second, how his tongue stuck out of his mouth while he concentrated, how he gripped the pencil in his hand like it would somehow slip away, how all of his things had spread out across the table as if he quite literally owned the place.

Jack had that effect on people, that easy way of taking over someone's heart in a way that only you could do as well. Aaron had been sure from the first time he introduced the two of you that you were soulmates, that he was meant to bring the two of you together.

Jack loved you so much it was overwhelming at times, his own kid clearly trying to one up him at every turn. But it didn't matter, Aaron knew Jack was your favorite, even if you constantly reassured him that you loved both your boys equally.

“Would you like her to be your mom forever?” He asked.

Jack nodded enthusiastically, pencil dropping and attention back to his dad. “And ever and ever.”

Aaron smiled brightly, fully, like the sun had taken control of him and he couldn’t stop. It was a silent promise, a definitive choice, a reminder of the small velvet box he’d hidden in the back of his closet a few days ago.

“Do you want to help me ask her?”

jack is my perfect child and i would kill for him

requests are still open for hotch and i am trying to get to the ones i've received. it's taking me a second because of just how many other open projects i've got, but trust me, they will get done.

tags: @canuck-eh, @ssamorganhotchner, @criminalskies, @xladyxdreamer

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner #hotch x you #aaron hotchner x female reader #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner fluff #show your fangs writes #show your fangs hotch blurbs #show your fangs moments au

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homestylehughes · 3 months

Text

But Daddy I Love Him

instagram au.

♥︎ luke hughes x zegras! sister

♥︎ face claim: marsai martin

"I know he's crazy but he's the one I want"

yn.zegras

liked by lhughes_06, your.bsf and 134,789 others

yn.zegras I know he's crazy but he's the one that i want.

oh gosh where do i begin..happy 1 year to my best friend, partner in crime, my lover, my baby all wrapped in one. i couldn't imagine my life with you, thank you for always making me laugh, always holding me when i cry. i love you, i love you, i love you. 1 year down, and many many many more to go.

tagged lhughes_06

trevorzegras A WHOLE YEAR???? how long did you guys keep this hidden from everyone???

↳ yn.zegras a whole year...we hid it for about....6 months...

lhughes_06 I love you so much.

↳ yn.zegras i love you more.

lhughes_06 why did you include the pouting picture..

↳ yn.zegras I LOVE THAT PHOTO SHUT UP

lhughes_06 I'm so grateful for you, thank you for putting up with me for a year straight, I couldn't imagine my life without you.

↳ yn.zegras luke this made me cry awwwww

jackhughes ONE YEARRRRRRRR WHAT.

↳ yn.zegras ONE YEAR!

jackhughes I'm sick over the fact that you hid this from everyone for MONTHS but I'm happy that you guys are happy. much love.

↳ yn.zegras we love you jack.

_quinnhughes CUTEST COUPLE!!!

liked by yn.zegras and lhughes_06

_quinnhughes happy anni guys, turn up!!! but not too much turning up, I don't want to be an uncle yet!

↳ yn.zegras WOAHHHH NOT YET.

seamsuscasey26 my parents for real

↳ yn.zegras our son :)

your.bsf ugh you guys are so cute. so happy you're happy babes

↳ yn.zegras i love you.

nick_moldenhauer lukey and his pookie!!

↳ yn.zegras nick this was so good actually, i love.

devilforhughes OMG they're so cute. happy one year guys!!!

liked by yn.zegras and lhughes_06

lhughes_06

liked by yn.zegras, _quinnhughes, 204,576 others

lhughes_06 happy one year to the girl makes me the happiest. thank you for all of your endless support and love. I couldn't imagine my life with out you, one down and a lifetime more to go, I love you.

tagged yn.zegras

yn.zegras awwww baby this is sooo cute

↳ lhughes_06 only for you.

yn.zegras i love you so much my pretty boy

↳ lhughes_06 I love you pretty girl

yn.zegras thank you for loving me through everything, my rock <3

↳ lhughes_06 always and forvever

seamsuscasey26 chewed.

↳ lhughes_06 ate.

↳ yn.zegras swallowed.

nick_moldenhauer king and queen fr

liked by yn.zegras and lhughes_06

_quinnhughes Luke I think you really out did yourself with this post!

trevorzegras rusty. this is good. thank you making my sister happy, if you fuck up I'll come for your neck.

↳ lhughes_06 sir yes sir (I would never.)

rutgermcgroarty awwww parents are so cute. happy one year guys!

↳ lhughes_06 thank you son!

elblue_06 my two little cuties, happy one year!!

↳ lhughes_06 thank you mom, we love you!!

jackhughes okay lukey pookie. I see you.

jackhughes mad that you hid it from us for 6 months but I'm glad you're happy little bro.

↳ lhughes_06 Love you

-----------------------------------♡-----------------------------------------

an: hi loves!!! new chapter!! this might have been my favorite chapter that I've worked on with Luke and yn. I hope you guys enjoy it as well, like and reblog if you do! much more coming very soon, i cant wait for you to read. I hope you are healthy and well. much love as always <3

tags🎀: @lukey-pookie-hughes43 @bruinsfan234 @bunbunbl0gs

#nhl fanfiction #nhl hockey #nhl imagine #nhl fic #nhl x reader #makayla talks #new jersey devils #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes x sister!reader #luke hughes x y/n #lh43

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furryllamas · 9 months

Text

Can’t Help Falling in Love | A. Walter

+ Alex Walter x OC

+ Summary: Life has been difficult for sisters Jackie and Eden Howard. Obviously regular teenage girl problems, such as boys, school, and friends. Except tragedy that ensues, the death of their parents and older sister. They'll have to navigate a life without their family, just throw in love, the countryside, and a whole lot of boys in one roof.

+ Authors Note: Hey guys I really hope you enjoy this first chapter, I was really inspired after seeing Ashby play Alex and absolutely fell in love 🤍

Chapter 0.0 | Two Time Zones Apart

The sound of LA traffic was not great, but it was definitely quieter than the sound of the streets of New York. It's only been 6 Months since I moved to LA semi-permanently. I still got homesick often but there was no place like California. Ever since the transition from being a model to a singer it was a choice I had to make, with mom and dads approval of course, even if it meant seeing Lucy and Jackie less.

"Oh Gosh. What time is it?" I grumbled as I rubbed my eyes. I looked towards my bedside table and picked up my phone. "10:30 AM" I removed the bed covers and stretched my arms over my head. The smell of my room always gave me some comfort in the mornings. I headed to the restroom and pulled my hair into a bun and turned the faucet on. I started washing my teeth when I heard my phone ringing. I ran back to my room to pick up my phone that was lying on the bed. A video call from Jackie. I quickly pick up the phone as I walk back to the bathroom.

"Juswt whun sewkand-" I attempted to say with the tooth brush still in my mouth. Jackie let out a quick laugh, "take your time Eid." I put my finger up, just one moment, and place the phone in front of the faucet handles, holding it up. I quickly rinse out the toothpaste and splashed my face with water to ensure I would fully wake myself up.

"Hi Jacks! How's it going?" I waved and picked up my phone.

"EDEN! It's going so well! I can't wait for you and Lucy to come home today! I missed you guys so much." Jackie smiled softly.

"Oh my, we haven't been away from you that longgggg" I teased as i sat down on my Vanity. I panned my phone to the stack of luggage by my window.

"Okay I know, BUT, I just missed you guys so much." She sighed. "It's been a month since I've seen you and Lucy. I'm just so excited for you to see my excellent work tonight."

"I know Jacks, My flight is at 2 so I'll probably be there by 7-ish." I start applying my makeup and look away from my phone. " and plus Lucy will be there sooner than me, so you'll get her while you wait for meeee."

She laughs, "Right, what would I do without your wisdom." She stays quiet for a couple of seconds, "How's your new song going?"

I wince, "It's going..." She looks at me confused. "I've just been lacking in inspiration lately. I'm hoping going home will help with that."

"I'm sure you'll get a spark of inspiration once you spend some good old fashioned time at the ballet with me."

"Thanks Jackie, I've missed you guys so much. I can't wait to get there tonight."

I stop to think. "Dinner at The Penrose?"

I look at her smile, "of course Eden! That's our spot."

"All right deal" I look at the time, 11:30AM, "All right sis, I have to head to the airport, see you soon!" I reach over to hang up, "wait! Remember mom and dad will pick you up later tonight so we can all go to dinner together."

"Okay, perfect! Bye Jacks, love you!"

"Bye Eids!" I hung up.

I start getting up and shutting the curtains. It might be a while until I'm back but I'd rather keep my room clean.

Ding Dong.

I head over to the front door that smells strongly of oak. Walking past the pictures I have hanging of Mom, Dad, Lucy, Jackie and I. I open the door and smile as I see the face of my amazing Manager, Lizzie. "Liz! Come to say goodbye to your favorite client." I giggled as she stepped in. "Excuse me! Not just my client, more like my favorite friend!" I hug her and drag her to my room.

"Oh gosh, look at all this baggage..." she exclaims standing in front of my suitcases. She reaches over and picks one up. "Alright Eden! Let's get moving and load these into the car, your driver is waiting."

I look over to her and smile, "You got it boss!" I salute. It was an easy load up and we wasted no time getting in the car. "Are you excited to see your family again?" Lizzie asked. "Yeah I'm a bit nervous though. I haven't seen them in a couple of months, I feel like I've missed out on a lot." It was hard being apart from them and not being able to see them as often as I used to.

Lizzie looks at me and smiles softly, her polished nails and her soft hands reach over to mine. She grabs them and turns to me. "E, you need this. You've been homesick for a while and I think this trip will help you with the new song." I lean my head back against the headrest and turn my face to look out of the window. "I know Liz." I turn back towards her. "Thank you for helping me today. It means a lot. I'll miss you lots."

She just smiles at me and I start feeling tired, car rides always seem to wear me out. I take one last look at the highway we're on and slowly close my eyes. I let sleep take over me and an oddly weird feeling at the pit of my stomach. I hear Liz whisper, "I'll wake you when we get there."

#alex walter x reader #alex walter #mlwtwb #my life with the walter boys

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tiredistic · 2 months

Text

"Her Voice Had never sounded so cold" p.2

P.1 | Part one

Pairing: Regina George x Janis imi'ike, Gretchen Wieners x Karen Shetty

Words: 1,195!

Content warning: Slight 18+ Adult themes, Angst, Depictions of mental illness ( depression, anxiety), Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts and almost attempt? Mention of abusive parents, Crash, suggestive language.

Summary: The Events after the fight.

A/n: Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I kinda made like plot twists that were surprises for me as well so.. Actually might just make this a series. Would you like to see Regina and Janis get back together..? idk their relationship seems kinda in the rocks rn >:o

Not proof read <3

It was cold. So fucking cold. Regina drove home in a fuelled rage. Gosh what a bad day it was to rain. The windows of her car started to fog as her breaths got erratic, her grip of the steering wheel doubling as her mind spiralled. Curses spilled out her mouth as she drove, her eyes getting cloudy.

“SHIT!” She slapped the steering wheel. “Cady Fucking Heron I’m Going to kill you” she seethed. Regina was utterly taken by hatred and sadness. She screamed and yelled her lungs out. Her voice was raw, the rain covered her sobs, the thunder screaming for her.

She didn't want to go home. She didn't want her mother to see her so weak. Why is she so weak? Why did jeopardize her relationship? Was Janis even anything to her?

Was she anything to Janis?

She tried to scream. Her throat roared in pain. Her eyes squeezed, her hands shook. Her mind was so fucked up, that she didnt notice how she was going a 95, in a 60mph zone. Regina knew she shouldn't even be driving right now, but she didn't care. What else was there to lose? She loved Janis. And just like that she was taken from her, why should she worry about her own life?

As the lightning struck, so did another car. It happened so fast, Regina didn’t even get a chance to react.

Her car was hit. The slippery roads made it hard, but Her emotions made it harder. The car slipped across the highway, down by the trees. She tried to make it stop swerving, but it only made it worse, throwing her body around; making the blond gain all sorts of bruises and cuts from her car. She would have screamed. She wanted to, but she couldn't. She couldn't even ask for help.

Her Jeep almost hit a displaced branch that would have jacked up her car, taking her life. But it didn’t. Her car stopped just in time for it to only slightly puncture her windshield. A part of her wished it would have. She wished it would have gone all the way through.

She stayed staring at it briefly before reality came down like the rain. How could she drive home like this? Even face her mother? Fuck, she was so scared. She didn't want to go to her father. That.. man. She knew her mother would send her. She couldn't go home.

She grabbed her phone, her bag, and tried to open her door. After a while, she got it open. Falling on to the forest ground, the sound from the heavy storm and the highway consuming her. Mud all over her sweats, blood from the crash, and rain.

“Why did this have to happen to me..” she sobbed, her blonde hair sticking to her face, she stood up, her socks drenched in water. She walked along the highway before meeting an exit and a gas station. She stopped and called a cab. She noticed a car watching her from a distance, some lady with confusion on her face. Regina had no choice but to wait, in the rain, as the wind hit her body.

Gosh it was cold.

—

Janis sat on her couch watching the local news. A bottle of Regina’s favorite wine, slipping from her hand. Her mind dazed. Why does everything keep getting ruined? It sucked. Couldn't she have something nice for once? It was just starting to work between them, gosh why was she in the wrong. Wasn’t this all Regina's fault anyway? Or was it hers.. Everything is so confusing.

The door was banged a couple of times before it was opened. Damian rushed in to see what Janis meant over text, “gays n gals stick together.” which was their code phrase for “some extreme shit just happened, come over.” Uppon seeing the girl, he knew.

“Oh my gosh.” Damian muttered before giving aid to the obviously not okay queer on the couch. He took the bottle out of her hand, placing it down before taking the short girl to her bedroom. He picked her up with ease, her body limp from the wine.

“She's gone.” Janis murmured quietly, hugging him.

“I know.” He added softly.

Damian gave Janis a soft knowing look. He covered her with the covers and turned off the lights, going back into the main room. The TV was still on the local news. As he went to turn it off, he froze because of the irony.

“A Hot Pink Jeep Wrangler was just caught swerving off the I-88 highway, at 9:46 today. Severity of the crash was notable, and the driver is currently not at the scene.”

“Witness, Kaitie Gordon saw it all, she says, ‘It's so sad to see these things happen especially to such a pretty car, and such a pretty girl.’”

“So you saw the owner of the car?” The news reporter asked, “Yeah, I saw her walking down the highway down to the gas station maybe? Then got into some car. Blonde, distraught, she was young too. I would have said something, I didn't connect the dots in time, sorry.”

Damian shut off the TV, “Oh my gosh, Janis what the fuck happened..” he wondered to himself. He decided to finish tidying up the apartment before taking his leave, his mind spiraling over what could have happened between the two “girlfriends.”

–

Gretchen pulled Karen in, they were making out on Gretchen’s bed. Their mouths barely disconnecting, Karen pulling at Gretchen’s clothing, the room was hot, and the attitude was intense. They briefly pulled away for air, but was quickly drained back into kisses, Karen's breath catching in her throat. They moaned into eachothers mouths, their bodies grinding and rubbing each other, their night garments threatening to lift ever so slightly.

The door-bell rang frantically, the banging on the door was aggressive. They slowly pulled away from each other, annoyed slightly, but also confused.

The knocking had to be Regina, it's how Regina always did it. But at 11:34 PM?

“Stay here, I’ll get it,” Karen giggled, tapping Gretchen's nose. Karen went to open the door and behold it was Regina. But definitely not the Regina they knew.

Regina’s bag was soaked, so was her whole outfit, her white shirt wasn't a good idea. Her blond hair stuck to her head, an aggressive frown plastered on her face, her breathing was shallow, her eyes were dead, and most of all.. She smelt like the forest, terrain and plants. Gosh this wasn't Regina George.

“Holy fuck you look like shit.” Karen added without a thought, as usual.

Regina just scoffed and pushed her way in, Not paying any attention to Karen's concern.

Gretchen came out, her face distorting as she looked at Regina. “Oh my lord! What happened!?”

Regina just walked past Gretchen going into the bathroom to fix herself.

After about two hours, she came out, her hair looked better, she smelt like lavender rose, and a pink robe covering her.

She joined Karen and Gretchen in the bedroom, their ears ready for the gossip.

“Cady Heron is going to regret ever living.”

#mean girls #regina george #mean girls 2024 #cady heron #rejanis #janis imi'ike #gretchen wieners #gretchen x karen #Karen Shetty #damian hubbard #my writing

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kaelakov · 2 months

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What's your favorite yuumori dynamic?

Personally, I'm still obsessed with Fred + anyone (I adore Fred), Louis and William's brotherly bond, and Moran and Bonde (they scratch my brain just right). I know almost everyone's obsessed with Sherliam (cause same), but they're like the OTP (platonically or romantically) yapping about them is inevitable. I want to dissect everyone else too, yk? But I'm curious what dynamics you like.

OH MY GOSH I'M SO HAPPY SOMEONE ASKED ME THIS!! OKAY SO JUST A HEADS UP IF YOU DIDNT LIKE.. READ THE MANGA (im sorry if this comes off as like rude or anything 😭) THERE'S A SMALL SPOILER ... also I yap a lot... so beware of my yap-itis

I have so, so many. I personally like seeing Fred and Sebastian togther because I love their little big brother, little brother dynamic SO, SO MUCH. I COULD YAP AND YAP AND GO ON FOR DAYS ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE IT. Another dynamic I really love is Bonde and Sebastian. I love how well they work together when it's needed. (Example being the Jack the Ripper case, and when Bonde had his little moment in the bank that left Sebastian shocked.) I also seriously love this one trio and it's Louis, Fred, and Sebastian. I love how in chapter 11 (YES, I LOVE THE HUNTING OF THE BASKERVILLE ARC SO SO MUCH, I HAVE THE CHAPTER NUMBERS MEMORIZED.) Anyway, I love how Sebastian just takes the role of big brother (yet again), and breaks up the little argument between Fred and Louis. It's funny, yet really shows how the characters interact with each other. I wish they animated that :(

AND THEN, ANOTHER ONE (yes another one), IS SEBASTIAN AND MONEYPENNY. I LOVE THEIR INTERACTION SO, SO MUCH. I PHYSICALLY SCREAM WHEN I RE-READ THE MANGA AND HIT THOSE CHAPTERS OF THEM INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER. I'm still pissed about how they didn't animate the queen, Moneypenny.

And at this point I'll just make a list...

Fred and Sebastian

Bonde and Sebastian

Sebastian, Louis, and Fred

Sebastian and Moneypenny

SEBASTIAN AND ALBERT

SEBASTIAN AND WILLIAM

John and Sherlock

Moriarty brothers... I love their dynamic and like.. it's kind of obvious since they're brothers.. but still. I gobble up every single analysis about them.

I love every dynamic at this point... anyway, yapping session is over. I'm so sorry if it's so messy in this post 😭

#moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #william james moriarty #louis moriarty #albert james moriarty #fred porlock #sebastian moran #james bonde #miss moneypenny #i went insane #...#ive gone insane

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thatonebirdwrites · 3 months

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I am taking my time between chapters to recover after posting each one. This one I carefully edited over and over again. I wanted to capture more of the trauma Kara and Lena have, and how their situations are not so different.

I also wanted to show more of Sam and Jack's support of Lena. How Lena navigates her disability (which DID is indeed a disability). Hopefully I showed it all well.

Also, I'm particularly proud of some of my prose here. Especially the last few lines of this excerpt. Let me know y'all's thoughts. EXCERPT:

She sleeps until the sun rises in a cloudless sky, the fury of the storm washed away by gold, red, and turquoise. Her head aches, her limbs throbs, and her stomach churns. She swings her legs out of bed, dizzy. She’s wearing Sam’s sweatshirt. The teddy bear lays on her pillow. One of her chapter books is open on her side table. A presence simmers at the edge of her awareness and pulses with grief.

She hears footsteps. Cobwebs stick to her thoughts, the past day a nightmare that melts like poison into her crevices. A person smeared in bright colors appears in the doorway.

“Hey, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

She blinks and stares. The comforting presence fades, and she's left alone with the person. All red, blue, and gold — she’s familiar, but her vision is too blurry. Good or bad? She wraps her arms around herself and looks down.

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad. I totally get this. I really do. And uh, I won’t tell a soul. I promise, okay?”

The words bleed together, a quilt that blankets her mind.

“I mean, you’ve seen mine.” The woman rocks back and forth on her heels. She tugs more on her cape. “And, gosh, is this too much? Because we don’t have to talk about it now. But I want to help. Because something bad happened, didn’t it? And I know I have bad news for you too, but that seems like a lot, and oh gosh, Lena, what do you need?”

Need? She looks down at her hands. They are still dirty. She rubs at the dirt, but it’s dry and strange. Everything feels weird. Her head still so fuzzy. Is the person safe? She signs for the bath, but the figure doesn’t understand.

She tries again.

“Oh, uh, signs. I’m sorry. Sam said you use a chart. Want me to get the chart?”

Sam? Sam is here? She jerks to her feet, but her legs are too long. She stumbles and starts to fall, only for the person to catch her. Her vision finally resolves the figure into Kara. Reader of tales, sings so pretty.

But she’s not Sam. She crumples and starts to cry. Her body hurts, her head all foggy, and she’s dirty. She has to scrub. To clean. To not be dirty. She rubs and rubs at her hands and arms, getting more and more frantic.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Rory. Do you need to wash? Is that what this is?”

She nods desperately.

“Okay, then let’s do that. Get you to the bathroom.”

But when Kara stands, she’s too tall.

Rory scrambles backward, terrified. Too tall means the scary one is here. Which means she’s been bad. She’s done something very, very bad. She curls her hands above her head and whines in pain. Everything hurts.

“Rory, it’s okay. You’re okay.” The voice is all wrong.

No, no she's not okay. She signs for Sam. The one who holds her just right. Rocks her to sleep. For her sister Ruby who plays games and colors with her. She doesn’t want this semi-stranger. She wants Sam.

“Singing helps, right?” Kara breaks into song. A familiar song, one about rainbows and bluebirds flying.

The melody coils around her, warms her, and soothes away the panic. She crawls closer and gently touches Kara’s arm. When Kara smiles and keeps singing, her thoughts come easier, less chaotic.

Lena loves Kara. She remembers this now. Kara is safe like Sam. Kara has colored with her in the past. Cautiously, she crawls into her lap and wraps her arms around her. Kara holds her so gently. Not Sam, but still nice. Still warm.

“Feeling better?” When she nods, Kara smiles. “Do you still want to wash up?”

She nods again.

Kara helps her to the bathroom. Finds more clothing and lays it by the sink. Asks if she needs help. She shakes her head. Kara isn’t Sam, but Lena loves Kara. But Kieran loves Sam. It’s all so confusing, makes her head throb. She wants to curl up and hide, but she has to get clean.

Water cascades over her. She can’t remember how to bathe. Her head too fuzzy. She picks up items in the shower cubby. Puts them back. Picks them up again. A vague notion of body wash permeates her haze.

She finds herself standing on the bathroom floor with a towel wrapped around herself. The shower is off. Her hand smooths over the clothing by the sink, and she picks whichever feels softer against her palm.

Drink. She’s thirsty, but she can’t remember where Lena puts things. She stumbles into the hallway and sniffles. She rubs at her tears, upset and frustrated. Sound comes from the living room, and she follows it to see Kara on the sofa.

The TV is on, but it’s all wrong. She rubs at her face. Tears are bad. She’s not supposed to cry.

“How about we watch something until Sam comes?”

Relief floods her. Sam is coming. She crawls onto the sofa and huddles next to Kara, leaning into her side. She wants to be held again, but she doesn’t know Kara as well as Sam. But Kara must be good if Lena loves her, right?

Fix the show first. She points to the remote. Kara hands it to her. She presses buttons until the best show plays: alien planets and their ecosystems. Kara finds her a blanket and wraps it around her. Makes her mint tea when she indicates her stomach hurts.

Enduring is what she does. Yet she does not remember what she endures. Lena is not present to explain. Kieran is silent. She feels alone and scared. She shudders and huddles deeper under the blankets.

The soft sounds of the documentary lulls her into a state of not-awake but not-asleep.

The light darkens, ripples, and folds like origami into shadows across her walls. She fades into a restless sleep, full of sneering faces and eerie green lights.

#supercorp #lena luthor #kara danvers #supergirl #kara zor el #Sam arias #jack spheer #ruby arias #alex danvers #kal el #Support systems #healing journeys #DID #healing from trauma #alters #did system #trauma #childhood trauma

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luminouslywriting · 3 months

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Chapter 18 (Mastermind)—MOTA Fic

A/N: This one, admittedly, goes really well with the next chapter as well haha—both being holiday themed, of course. As always, I hope that you enjoy and that you let me know what you think :)

Early December, 1943

Ruth had always found snow to be one of the most beautiful things that God had gifted the world. There was something really peaceful about the way that snow fell from the skies and blanketed the earth that was so marred and marked up by mankind. And given the fact that there was a war on, Ruth particularly didn’t mind the snow this December.

“You know, you have a jeep,” Jack Kidd’s voice sounded in her ears.

Giving a half-glance towards the barely visible path, she found Jack Kidd pulled up alongside her in his own jeep. Ruth was currently walking in the snow back towards the main buildings of Thorpe Abbotts—and she was perfectly aware of the fact that she had a jeep and of the fact that it was snowing.

She was no fool.

“Yes, I know,” Ruth retorted, giving a huff as a curl of hair fell in front of her face. “I happen to like the snow.”

Kidd just stared at her for a long minute, shaking his head. “Fine, but I’m not playing nurse when you go catching pneumonia.”

“Oh Jack,” Ruth replied in amusement. “I’ll just have Rosie play nurse.”

A grin spread across Kidd’s features. Although he wasn’t entirely sure on the details and how the hell Ruth and Rosie had ended up together, he didn’t altogether mind seeing the normally tense and overbearing friend of his relaxed—at least to some degree.

“Funny. I bet the Brass will love that.”

“You know me, I live to please the Brass. I’ll see you there in a few minutes,” Ruth reassured Kidd.

He just snorted. “Yeah, whatever you say.” With that, the man had peeled off down towards the main office.

Ruth’s shoulders deflated the minute that he had gone and for a moment, she just lingered in the snow. It was much quieter out here, especially now that the snow had arrived. She’d much rather be on her own than having to put up with dozens of soldiers who acted like a bunch of 12 year-old boys.

There was also the fact that the snow reminded her of home. Considering the fact that the Sharpe family had never actually owned a car, Ruth had always walked everywhere. She walked to school her entire life, she walked to work, she walked everywhere she went. And if she ever needed to go somewhere further—well, there was a reason why cabs existed, wasn’t there?

Truth be told, she needed the time away from everything to try and focus and clear her head. She had a lot on her plate and a lot on her mind. And given the fact that there was the upcoming holiday season that she most certainly had to do something with—only because Abe was here and by that extension, she was going to have to do something for Rosie as well.

Gosh, when did her life become so complicated?

She had to admit, regardless of whether she and Robby were fake-dating to keep suspicion off of Abe, she likely would have done something nice for him for Hanukkah. The truth of the matter was that Robby was a small slice of home in Europe and she wasn’t all that mean truly.

But what to actually get Robby and Abe was an entirely different story. It wasn’t as if they were being given time off to really celebrate—and given the fact that they were Jewish, life was complicated enough here in Europe anyway. The less attention they attracted, the better things would be for them.

Ruth struck the thoughts from her mind as she entered the mess hall, nearly entirely bumping into Ken Lemmons. “Curls!” Lemmons exclaimed, a grin crossing his features. “You’re all covered in snow!” He gestured at the flakes that were caught in her hair and she just gave a grin.

“Staying warm while trying to work on the planes?” Ruth questioned, slipping her gloves off of her fingers.

“Trying to at least, ma’am,” Lemmons said. “We’re just on our way to check the fuel tanks since they’re doing a training again tomorrow.”

Ruth couldn’t help but lean forward and just adjust the young man’s hat. He wasn’t all that much older than Abe, after all. And he just seemed so young in moments like these. “There. Now your ears won’t freeze,” she insisted.

Lemmons’ cheeks burned at the gesture. “Well thanks. I guess I should warn ya, your brother’s in there and causin’ quite a commotion with a game of craps.”

“Oh I’m not even surprised,” Ruth stated dryly. “Thank you for the warning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Given the fact that in a week, everyone was going to have weekend passes to London, Colonel Harding had decided to hold a holiday dance and party before everyone took off for a week. It was going to be the first time in a long time that a whole group of the Airborne would have a break and Ruth was actually fully intent on using her pass.

After all, a trip to London might be good for her. And maybe if she was feeling up to it, she’d go to Aldbourne with the gifts she had purchased for the men of Easy Company. It was just scarves, but given how the winter months were, she knew that they’d probably be wanting it. Especially given the fact that they weren’t sure where they’d be a year from then or if the war would still be on.

Despite the fact that she and Winters had broken up, she remained good pen pals with him and his best friend, Lewis Nixon. Nixon was actually better at writing her than he was at writing his own wife, which spoke volumes about the amount of trust that the two of them had for one another.

Ruth had better things to do than go to a party, but she had been needled into it by Tatty and Helen. The amount of red and green dresses she had seen in the last few days had to be a record-breaking number.

“So are you a Scrooge or do you enjoy the holiday?” Helen questioned, leaning into her gloved hands and looking at Ruth.

In the process of pinning her earrings in place, Ruth just glanced in the mirror at Helen. “I happen to love the holiday, though Christmas is not what I celebrate.”

“You never told us that,” Tatty said, adjusting the straps of her shoes.

“It doesn’t come up casually,” Ruth replied with a shrug. “But I’ve attended plenty of holiday and Christmas parties during my time in High School and Law School. Worry not, I shan’t be ruining the Christian’s holiday.”

“Well I hope not,” Tatty said with a pointed look. “Christmas is the best time of the year.”

“Speaking of which—” Helen clapped her hands together. “Don’t you need to get your boyfriend a gift?”

The relaxed expression on Ruth’s face quickly soured at the thought. “And pray tell what am I supposed to get him?”

“I don’t know,” Helen said with a shrug. “You could always bake him something.”

A wonderfully awful idea began to hatch in Ruth’s brain and she just gave a smug smile. “Then that’s what I shall do. I do enjoy baking, every now and then.”

“Why do I feel like that sounded much more malicious than Helen intended?” Tatty let out a sigh.

“Probably because it is,” Ruth grinned.

Before either Helen or Tatty could reply to that particular mischievous response, there was a knock at the Red Cross Cabin’s door. “I’ll be anything that’s your date,” Helen wiggled her eyebrows in Ruth’s direction.

Oh Heaven help us all—this is so stupid. To her credit, Ruth just forced a smile onto her face, practically plastering it on. She made her way over to the door and flung it open, finding Robby Rosenthal standing there looking less than enthused about the night’s upcoming events. And for a moment, he just stood there speechless at the green dress that Ruth was wearing and she couldn’t help but smirk.

“Wow, there actually is a woman under all of those pantsuits,” Robby found his footing and Ruth scowled at him.

“And here I thought there was a gentleman under your tons of hair gel but I was wrong,” Ruth retorted, taking his arm with a slight begrudging expression.

“Same rules as the prom?”

“Same rules as the prom.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The holiday swing music should have made Ruth want to relax and just actually enjoy the party. But watching Rosenthal dance was enough to sour any appetite of hers—and God, he just danced so much. Maybe he had taken the Torah stories a little too far when he read about dance being a tribute to God.

“You know,” Abe poked at Ruth’s arm in her chair. “You could just go and dance with him.”

“I’d sooner fling myself off of the Empire State Building, thank you.”

“So dramatic, Ruthie. What’s one dance gonna hurt?”

“He could step on my toes.”

Abe just looked baffled at the statement. “Him? Robby? No way! He knows how to dance! If anyone should be worried, it’s him! You’re the dangerous one.”

“In that case,” Ruth rose to her feet. “I suppose it would be a shame not to dance with him.”

“Ruth, wait, I didn’t mean to intentionally step—”

But it was too late and she was already marching up towards Robby—who was currently taking a break and sipping on some egg-nog at the bar. Without missing a beat, she tapped him on the shoulder. “I’m cashing in that one dance of the night.”

He choked on his egg-nog, nearly spluttering as he turned to face her. Ruth seemed abnormally pleased with herself and grinning far too wide for his likes. The last time this had happened, he had gotten a bloody nose at the science fair. “You’re uh—you’re not tryin’ to kill me yet, right?”

“Not yet,” Ruth promised, raising a brow. “What? Are you too scared to dance?”

“No!” Robby gave a huff. “God, woman, you’re aggravating.”

“So I’ve been told.”

With that, the two of them whisked away onto the dance floor. And all Abe Sharpe could do was watch the two of them dance together. And he knew that their closeness on the dance floor was probably so no one could hear the light jabs and insults they were throwing at the other person.

But he couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his features. It was all going according to plan now.

#mota fanfic #mota #masters of the air fanfic #mastersoftheair #masters of the air #oc originalfemalecharacters #rosie rosenthal #robert rosenthal x oc #rosie rosenthal x oc #ruth sharpe #mastermind #ruth x rosie #abe sharpe

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the-lincyclopedia · 5 months

Text

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Pretending I got tagged by @cricketnationrise!

How many works do you have on ao3?

As of an hour ago: 214. I just recorded a podfic tonight.

What's your total ao3 word count?

494,201. I really hope to pass the half-million mark this year. It won't take much. I just haven't had basically any writing energy lately.

What fandoms do you write for?

These days? The Queen's Thief, when I write fic at all. Historically also Check Please, Carry On/the Simon Snow trilogy, Sherlock, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Yuri on Ice, PJO, Boyfriend Material, Good Omens, and more.

Top five fics by kudos:

Love in the Time of Influenza - Carry On - Snowbaz sickfic

Face the Future with You - Check Please - autistic!Jack x ADHD!Bitty

The Aftermath of Angelic Assumptions - Good Omens - Ineffable Husbands sickfic

Man Oh Man, You're My Best Friend - Check Please - Zimbits fake dating

Nightmares - Carry On - Snowbaz hurt/comfort

Do you respond to comments?

Basically always.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

the only soul who can tell which smiles i'm faking - a Kent-centric ficlet set just after Jack's overdose

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my 200+ fics have happy endings, so I don't really know how to answer that.

Do you get hate on fics?

Not recently, but it was a pretty regular and normal occurrence when I was on FFN in my teens. Once, someone sent me flames on 18 separate chapters of a multi-chapter fic in a two-day period. It sucked. But also, comments with concrit were so, so common for me to receive in my teens that I figured they were a normal and expected part of the fandom experience, and I have so much cognitive dissonance when people say they're not and never have been. I've neither given nor received unsolicited concrit in quite a few years, and I fully understand that they're not part of the culture on AO3, but two of my longest-lasting fandom friendships began with concrit on FFN (once giving, once receiving), and I think "this has never been a normal part of fandom culture" is an overstatement. I also think there's a difference between hate (which I've received several times) and the majority of unsolicited concrit that I've received. Not everything that's rude is hateful.

Do you write smut?

I have written M-rated grinding once and E-rated sex once. Not sure if I'll write either again. I'm pretty darn ace.

Weirdest crossover:

A Little Help - Lizzie Bennet (firmly of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries canon, not the original P&P) meets Eric Bittle at Vidcon and the two of them become close friends.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. I know of at least three spinoffs of fics of mine, though.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not exactly, but when I'm in a relationship with someone I share fandoms with, the alpha reading/cheer reading/yes-and-ing/etc can blur into co-creation. And honestly I've also had key alpha readers who I haven't dated.

All time favorite ship?

Gosh, I can't pick.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My Queen's Thief fic where the characters all study abroad together. I have a detailed outline and a few thousand words, but I've had so little creative energy for the past several months.

What are your writing strengths?

I usually say persistence, but I don't know if I've had as much of that lately. Um . . . clarity, SPAG, and like--I have a really clear memory of what it was like to be younger, and I think that brings life to the stuff I write about college/other parts of life that I've already passed through.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Describing things. I prefer writing dialogue, but I'm also never sure if my characters sound like people. Realism in general is tricky for me--I get too hung up on logistics and then completely fail at writing people with realistic motivations. So lots of stuff.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I almost never do it. I could maybe swing it with Swedish, although one time I tried and got corrected by a Finn (which was welcome and they were right, but it made me wary of trying again).

First fandom you wrote in?

I don't want to answer this publicly because I feel like the story of me getting into fandom/into writing in general is pretty unique, and I might tell it someday with my real name attached if I ever get published. (I just checked, and there are literally zero fics on AO3 for the book I first wrote fic of. The fic that I wrote is not on AO3, since I was ten years old and it was 2006, and I'm very grateful that, although I entered online fandom young, I didn't enter it quite that young.) The first fandom for which I posted fic was probably the wizard one that we're no longer naming. May have been Artemis Fowl or PJO, though.

Favorite fic you've written?

To Every Single Kid I Used to Be - an epistolary fic in which 25-year-old Jack Zimmermann writes letters to his younger self, one letter per year of his life. Featuring autistic!Jack and a whole lot of real details from my own life.

Anyone who wants to play, feel free to say I tagged you, but I'm specifically tagging @doggernaut, @eponymiad, @worldsentwined, @cartograffiti, and @the-knights-who-say-book!

#a lin original #fanfiction #tag game

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linskywords · 3 months

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Oh! My! Gosh! I am probably late to this party but I was so happy when I saw you uploaded a new fic! And then I saw it was the long awaited Trevor redemption arc sequel! I just about did a Snoopy happy dance!

Some overall thoughts/feelings/ideas:

-oh my gosh Trevor really is committed to this bit. The way he sees everyone as just constantly having metaphorical masks on because thats what he does so he thinks its normal????

-your characterization of Jamie was just *chefs kiss*! I think it was Trevor who said Jamie just wants to make sure he's doing everything right and (in this lone instance) I agree with Trevor! The way you made Jamie seem both nervous in some situations but we see glimmers of self confidence! I love it!

-I know this isn't the main point but I legit laughed when Trevor came home to Jamie hooking up.... brought me back to my sophomore year of college when I lived with a friend who really really REALLY loved her boyfriend if you know what I mean. I feel you Trevor! Sometimes you just have to put in earbuds and LEGITIMATELY listen to music as loud as it takes to down them out

-I have always loved your way of writing and this chapter is no different! I love the way you are setting up this metaphorical house of cards. The way you draw contrasts to how Jamie and Trevor both handle stress. How Trevor's inner monologue of calling everyone bro and dude. Even the references to how he perceives Jack even lets us (tentatively) place this chapter prior to Jack telling Trevor he's a sub. Oh how I am so curious to see how it plays out when Jack told Trevor he likes subbing but from Trevor's POV... the house of cards is going to come crashing down!

TLDR: I love this fic already and I cant wait for what is next!

Love this, thank you so much for all your thoughts!! So glad you're enjoying their characterizations in this. Trevor, assuming that everyone's wearing the same mask he is. Jamie, not obviously the dommy type And Yet. (That was actually a big challenge for me when I first started writing this: I'd painted Trevor in the background of Jack's story as someone who was obviously a sub and who was going to be much harder to convince of that than Jack was -- but I was also already attached to him and Jamie and didn't want to pair him with someone who was a more obvious candidate to be the kind of dom who could handle him. So I decided that Jamie had layers. I actually really like how their connection shakes out. I think it's more interesting than it would have been if I were creating their characters from scratch!)

Also: yes, you are correct that this is before Jack comes out to Trevor! Jack's story spans his first two seasons in the league, from the fall of 2019 through the spring of 2021. Trevor's story starts at the beginning of the 2020-2021 season (which started in January 2021), when he and Jamie are first bouncing around between the AHL and NHL. (Trevor was drafted with Jack but played at college for a year; Jamie wasn't drafted until 2020). So that conversation is still in our future!

#where you lead #hockey rpf #trevor zegras #jamie drysdale #jack hughes

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vilandel · 4 months

Text

Silver Cats & Black Roses

Chapter 19 – Flaws of a Ball

A/N Nobles are being jerks, Charlottes aunt is one of the worst and Nozel confides FINALLY to his Vermillion aunt... who has her own wonderful words to describe papa Silva 💙💜

Ao3 link

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

“Are you serious?”

“I wish I wasn’t, but sadly, I’m not in a goofy mood right now.”

Most of the time when the Wizard King said that, he was actually acting goofy, either to everyone’s amusement or everyone’s annoyance, especially Marx the mushroom.

But as if the serious look in his eyes wasn’t enough, Yami could tell from his Ki that old man Julius was serious. Gosh he would have preferred if it was a bad joke. Heck, even Mushroom Head looked like he would have preferred a stupid prank for once. That was just how fucking upsetting those news were.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Fuegoleon said, again speaking for all the captains. “The war with Spade was just six months ago, there are still some lingering aftermath and not only from this raid, but also from the whole ordeal with the elves and the Eye of the Midnight Sun and even a bit from this affair with the Devil Believers. Not to mention that we still have to deal with those thievery acts in the Common Realm and that most nobles still don’t trust the Magic Knights. So, why do they want to celebrate the victory with a ball already?”

“I agree with Fuegoleon,” Kaiser added calmly. “Most nobles these days don’t trust the Magic Knights and it’s not anything new. We could give the benefice of doubt, of course, and hoping they came to accept that we do anything to protect this kingdom. But we all know that this isn’t the case, houses from high nobility especially have lately taken many offenses from the decisions we made as Magic Knights. And isn’t this ball suggestion coming a bit out of the blue?”

“Yeah, what that moustache grandpa just said,” Yami sighed. Since Kaiser helped him to realize his love for Prickly Queen, Yami was rather unusually willing to support his purple colleague when he made a good point.

“If ya all ask me, this noble ball victory bullshit sounds fishy.”

“It does, as it wasn’t offered like a peace offering or anything like this,” Marx said with a deep frown. “More like a threat, maybe? No, this is a too harsh word. I can’t really call it a warning either.”

Goldie Guts had taken a look at the so-called offer, looking down at the parchment with a frown, as if he was trying to get the words right. Weird, William was usually one of those who could get behind a true message between the lines quite easily. Yami had to admit that this wasn’t his forte. Besides, written words didn’t had any Ki, so he could never tell if they were genuinely true or a blatant lie.

“Hm… At first sight, it looks like a banal and even overly polite offer or suggestion ask to Magic Knights. But those are mostly about trouble in some areas, about new dungeons appearing or any difficulties people wish to have be better. A ball of victory isn’t really something you turn towards Magic Knights.”

“You are right, William,” old man Julius answered, pensive. “And in this case, it’s not like a ask for help or a suggestion for a mission, like we usually get. I wouldn’t have talked about it if this so-called offer didn’t sound like a decision already made, giving us no other choice than to accept it. It might be just nothing to worry about, but the way it was handled to us, the choice of words and with all that happened even in the last two years, it concerns me. Besides, could anyone of you tell me what Three Leaves Glory mean?”

Yami shrugged, he clearly had no idea what this shit meant. The Beanpole and Miss Sleepy Hat also looked like they had no fricking clue what was about this fuss.

But the captains who were either nobles or royals, they seem to know.

And that bothered Yami. He, Jack and Dorothy were the captains that didn’t come from noble and royal circles. As a foreigner, a commoner and a witch, they mostly have no idea how all the things of nobility worked.

But the other six captain, they seemed to knew… And given their looks, it wasn’t some good shit, it seemed. Rill looked he still tried to remember what this stupid term, though. But the rest? Nozel looked like stiffer than usual, Fuegoleon let his left hand glide down his face, William just sighed, Kaiser just shrugged, and Charlotte…

Yami almost flinched when he took a look at her. She was stiff, her mouth was thin line, her fist were trembling and resting on her lap.

She knew what that three leaves whatever shit meant and she didn’t like it at all. Okay, when she was reacting like that, then Yami just couldn’t shrug it off and move on to new cigarette. Her reaction actually worried him more than he would have before being with her.

Discreetly, he laid his hand on her leg. It seemed to calm her down a bit and Charlotte even put her own hand on his. Yami almost smiled that she was taking his comfort immediately now. She never would have before.

But at the same time, they were a couple now. A secret one, there was no denying that, but still a couple.

In the end, it was Fuegoleon who finally explained what this three leaves whatever shit actually meant, translated from noble language.

“The Three Leaves Glory is basically a term for a ball where nobles and royals are deciding betrothals between any kind of house and any kind of people. Long ago, the Three Leaves Glory was a ball of three days, in honour of the three leaves of the Clover.”

Yami grinned when Fuegoleon put this much emphasis on the word honour. Hard Nose might explaining the topic as factual as possible like he always did, but even someone like him couldn’t entirely hide what he truly thought about this whole shitty mess.

“During the first day, the future spouses met each other for the first time. The second, they were betrothed. And at the last day, the marriages were celebrated at this ball. It was basically multiple weddings at once. That tradition was annulled over fifty years ago, due to various and complex reasons.”

“But the term of Three Leaves Glory Ball still remained, am I right?” Marx asked cautiously.

Fuegoleon only sighed, which practically an answer already.

“Yes. It’s more or less like a standard ball, now multiple weddings at once anymore. But… it’s still an important event on the marital market. Not official, but still very important. And decisive and final. It’s often decided between the future spouses back or at least one of them, only for them to learn it way later.”

“That sucks,” Beanpole groaned, sitting impossibly on his chair. “What was the use of forbid the original idea if it’s still practically some forced contracts?”

“Because noble house preferred to be in the centre of the attention at a wedding and multiple weddings at once takes the spotlight away from them.”

The cold disgust in Nozels voice was pronounced that each person present turned towards him in surprise. Yami as well.

Okay, he was more than used that Braids was strict royal with a stick up his ass who adores discipline, something a lot of nobles seemed to lack. But never did Yami heard that kind of disgust in his voice before. Either Bird Braid started to change his mind about nobles after the elves or after Spade. Or he hold his disgust for years and now he was so done to care and hold it back anymore.

Damn, if it was the latter, Nozel must have been using a lot of inner strengths for years dealing with hated nobles. Maybe he had not such a big stick up his ass after all. Yami would have thought that Braids would defend the intention of the nobles. But from all the people present at this table, Nozel seemed like the most offended about this perspective.

Along with Charlotte.

“So this is what my mother warned me about,” she whispered, so that only Yami was able to hear her.

Crap. He actually forgot about that. Auntie Dea, like most of the Black Bulls called Charlotte’s mother now, did warned Prickly Queen about some ball like that.

Was this what Dea meant with that warning? Knowing her, that poor Blue Rose Mom certainly had nothing to do with it, but she must have heard bits here and there, at least enough to warn her daughter about it.

Yami remembered how angry he got when his girlfriend told him that for the first time. Well, the mere thought that some people would want to marry off his Prickly Queen for their own schemes, as if she was an empty cup of a trophy, made him raging, wanting to destroy a wall over their heads or something.

Charlotte was the most wonderful woman in the kingdom on many levels. And she was his. No one had the right to decide over her future like that!

Charlotte must have felt the angry tension within him, so she put a hand on his leg, in an attempt to calm him down. And it worked. Who would have thought that a simple hand on a leg could be enough to calm someone?

The anger was still here, but thanks to her, it was now calm.

For fuck’s sakes, he really needed her on so many levels.

Charlotte seemed to have calmed down a bit herself, as she said, “But that kind of nonsense hadn’t been organized since five or six years. Why starting again with this and why using the victory against the devils in Spade as an excuse?”

“Because nobles are desperate, maybe,” Nozel said again in a cold, disgusted tone. Damn, what was wrong with him? Yami tried to read his Ki, but it was a mix of so many things he couldn’t recognize. Did nobles killed his favourite eagle or something?

“Who signed this so-called offer, by the way?” Kaiser asked and Yami admitted that he really wanted to know that too, for once. Just to put some nobles on his disgust list and making them potential candidates for a dimension slash.

Marx took the parchment again and said, “Well, we have of course a good bunch of Évantails on this list, the house head Bianca Évantail of course and Reginald Évantail as well.”

“Which Reginald Évantail?” Charlotte asked, a slight smirk on her lips. “Last time I checked, this house has two Reginalds. At least, for all I know, maybe there are some more cousins with that name.”

Yami couldn’t help but grin. This comment was definitely his influence on her and it made him proud of his Prickly Queen.

“It’s the father and the son,” Marx replied. “There is also a Prudence Évantail and… oh, Nozel, one of your knights has signed as well.”

“Samuel?”

“Exactly.”

Bird Braid let out a groan that was definitely not proper for a royal. Yami would have laughed if Nozels Ki wouldn’t have let out so much disappointment. Gosh, did he always had problem with this particular knight?

“Wizard King, I think my vice-captain and myself already made you aware of the annoyance Samuel gives, as well as the Silver Eagles squad. I can talk to him about this and scold him, but at this point there’s only as much Agatha and I can do with him. If he’s going too fast…”

“Then I will take the necessary measures. If Samuel Évantail continue to be this bold with his unknightly behaviour, we ‘ll have no other choice than to definitely kick him out of the Magic Knights, the arrangement between the Silver Eagles and house Évantail won’t change that. But are you sure about this potential measure, Nozel? Won’t this affect the Silver Eagles in some way or another?”

“Trust me, given Samuels deeds since he became a knight of my squad, him being not a Magic Knight anymore won’t change anything for the Silver Eagles.”

Crap, really? Yami felt kinda bad for Nozel, if he had to deal with that kind of knight, to a point that he would be happy to have him kicked out of his squad.

Were all the damn Évantails such assholes nobles, when even someone like Nozel Silva of all people was fed up with them?

“House Évantail has a lot of members and some are knights as far as I know,” Julius said thoughtfully. “What about the Évantails who are members of your squads, if you have some? We better make sure that they won’t do us any problem one way or another.”

“I don’t think we have to fear Marguerite on that matter,” Goldie Guts said. “She is not an easy person, but that is because she follows the rules strictly and point to point. She is unyielding about it, but she is loyal to the Golden Dawn and the Magic Knights In fact, Marguerite is the type of woman who would finish to write the rapports during a hurricane or a terrorist attack.”

“I have no complaints about Othello,” Fuegoleon said with a shrug. “He is old, but is still in his best shape and just enjoys of being a knight.”

Jack just laughed like crazy. “Nothing to worry about noble arrogance from Hannibal. He’s a perfect Mantis, just enjoying slicing things with this wind magic.”

Yami didn’t find that very reassuring, but okay.

“I have nothing to worry about Grenadine, she is one of the best knights I could wish for the Silver Eagles. And since she’s a bastard, there is no chance she would play a part in such schemes.”

“Hm, I have no complaints about Daphne,” Dorothy said with a peace sign. “She has her pride, that’s for sure, but her principal hobbies are romance novels and dresses from the modiste Soie Velours, not conspiracy. Besides, Daphne is not on good terms with most of her family since she became a knight of squad with a captain as witch, so no probs.”

Sleepy Hat wasn’t even upset about the prejudice that asshole noble house had against her. Damn, she had a lot of inner strength and good mood in order to do that.

“Belinda is not a problem either, she is way too kind for this. Besides, I think she is on a vacation right now.”

“Not exactly, Rill. Belinda is on maternity leave right now.”

“Oh yes, that’s it! Thanks, Marx!”

“I have no Évantail in the Black Bulls, so don’t ask me.”

“Églantine is not a problem either on that matter. In fact, she is one of the best Blue Roses I ever had and she keeps contact to her house to the strict minimum. I think that if she could, she would cut ties with them entirely, if it weren’t for her youngest brother and a great-aunt she’s very fond of.”

Kaiser stroked his moustache while saying, “Galahad is a shy, nice boy and a very loyal Purple Orca. But he is also rather afraid of his family. I will talk to him later and make sure he knows it’s okay to not follow his house in conspiracy.”

Yami looked at each captain, stunned. Fuck, were the Black Bulls the only squad with no Évantail? It probably wasn’t such a bad thing, given that most of Évantail nobles were asses. But still, Yami felt left out a bit. Maybe he should search for an Évantail as a new recruit. Would be nice to have newbies since Asta and Noelle.

But nice Évantails were apparently a rarity. Would he be able to find one, if there would be one not taken by a squad? He almost got one at the last selection exam, but Nozel decided to not be an arrogant jerk and give Grenadine a chance as a Silver Eagle.

“Good. In this case, we shall mostly pay attention to members of house Évantail who aren’t Magic Knights. Who else signed, Marx?”

“House Taliss, of course, as well as some members of house Lys. And house Vitrail, especially lady Athénaïs.”

Fuegoleon and Nozel made a face at that name, which made Yami grin. Gosh, that lady Athénaïs must be an awful noble to make those two made a disgusted face like that. He almost wanted to meet her.

“Are there also some relatives from the captain, Marx?” Julius asked.

“Let’s see… Ah, yes, there is a certain lady Rosamund Roselei.”

Oh no! Not Prickly Queens bitch aunt who wants to marry her to an old guy like Reggie! Why was that wench always on their way again and again?

He felt Charlottes hand again on his leg, as she said, “I have a very distant relationship with my aunt and I have no intention to change it, despite her trying it. Rosamund signing this kind of conspiracy offer is very like her.”

“And there is also… Oh. Lord Lac Silva.”

“Wait, he’s back in the country?” Julius asked, but he was the only one to comment. Everyone else slightly turned towards Nozel again. His face had now movement, except for the twitching eyebrow, proof that he was upset.

But his eyes. Damn, never before had Yami seen such a raging storm in those cold purple orbs. This wasn’t Nozels usual style of being upset, like when he was mocked by Yami and Jack. Now, this right now was deeper, harsher, probably lingering for years. He clearly had no good bonds with his old man.

“I have nothing to say to him.”

The tone was calm and cold, but you had to be a completely clueless idiot to not hear that Nozel didn’t have any affection for his father. Damn, Yami already knew that most noble and royal daddies weren’t really fathers to their kiddos. Prickly Queen and her old man was a good example of it. But Bird Braids case seemed to be a special one.

Geez, what did that man do to be such a bad father? Yami wondered if this Lac Silva dude was just as worse as his own old man or maybe even worse.

“Understandable,” Julius just said.

Yami frowned. Julius sounded like he excepted this answer from Bird Braid. Did he know this Lac dude? Well, it wouldn’t be surprising, Julius had been captain at the same time as Braids own mother. What was her name again? Something like Alice or Alicia, a sound like that. He certainly knew something about the Silva family drama.

Next to Yami, Glowing Hair looked like he was thinking really hard. But then he squealed for some reason, making every other person flinched or jumped up. Except for Dorothy, who just giggled.

“Oh my, Rill. Do you have something important to tell us?”

“Yes, Wizard King! Although it’s more like a spontaneous thought and it’s maybe too far-fetched. But… is it possible that the thievery organisation in the Common Realm have something to do with this Three Leaves Glory ball offer?”

There was silence. A long silence, which made the captain of the Aqua Deer visibly nervous.

“What? Is this really a stupid idea?”

“No, actually not. Given how little clues we have about this affair, we should consider each possibility,” Fuegoleon immediately said to calm down Rill.

“Not to mention that it is really a strange coincidence. Even if it’s nothing in the end, we should keep this possibility in mind until we have more proof about those thievery acts. That would be all for today’s meeting, you can now go, captains. As for me, I will-“

“Work on the belated paperwork instead of wandering of again, exactly.”

“Ugh, really?”

“You’re behind for like three months, no excuse.”

The nine captains actually chuckled at this little conversation, while Marx took Julius by the wrist to drag him out of the reunion room.

Maybe Mushroom Head deserved a raise, Yami decided. He was very loyal and worked his butt off to keep this country in shape. Maybe he was too harsh on him with the teasing?

Well, that was future Yamis problem. For now, he walked silently besides Prickly Queen, slowly so that their colleagues would be off soon. That captains meeting was as always hours long and he needed his Prickly Queen Comfort Time.

Nozel left immediately. Geez, the mention of his father must have upset that Bird Braid a lot. William was looking out of the windows, pensive. Kaiser and Fuegoleon were discussing something, either the whole affairs or it was about their beloved. Jack, Rill and Dorothy were in a heavy discussion about something like axes, porcelain cups and canvas.

Did he really even wanted to know what those three weirdos were talking about?

It didn’t take long for the other captains to follow Bird Braids lead and leave the hallway. There was no one else right now. Perfect.

Yami grabbed Charlotte wrist and lead her through the first door he could find. Just a small room with a couch, a small table and two paintings with winter landscapes on the wall, with only one window and lacy curtains. Probably a little break room. Good, no one would disturb them.

“Yami, really?”

“Come on, Prickly Queen. Hours sitting next to you while holding back, with only occasional touches? I was agonizing!”

Charlotte surprisingly didn’t complained too much, kissing him immediately. Gosh, she must have been on edge too during this meeting.

But maybe it was mostly because about this whole ball bullshit and that her aunt is one of those organizing this crap.

“You’re okay?” Yami asked they break from the kiss. “With that… ball bullshit? With your aunt?”

Charlotte smiled. “Thank you for worrying about me, Yami. Well, I’m strong, I won’t let her and the others decide about my future and my life. But… I would lie if I say that I don’t care about it. It really… gives me stress.”

“In that case, what about some stress relieving sex?”

Prickly Queen blushed, but she didn’t protested. She must be really needing this right now. And to be fair, he needed it too.

Charlotte nodded and the hunger in her eyes was enough proof how eager she was. Damn, how much did he love this miracle of a woman!

Yami promised himself to invite her to take a bite afterwards. He just hoped to have enough money on him this time.

They made out passionately as they lied down on the couch. Charlotte was on top of him, slowly getting rid of her robe and her upper clothes while kissing him deeply. Damn, she really became a master at this kind of multitasking.

Yami grinned against her lips. Nobles didn’t deserved someone like his Prickly Queen, as she was way above them with everything. But she was his and he would rather stop taking dumps than giving up on her.

♣♣♣

It was evening, but the sun still let it last rays shine on the Silva flower garden, bathing it in a soft golden light with sparkles of red. The Silva flower garden was always beautiful, even in November, but today it was especially stunning.

Nozel looked over at his aunt, who was walking beside him. Given the look in her blue eyes, she was delighted as well by the sight.

“Ah, it had been while since I was here, but this garden is still gorgeous as ever,” Océane Vermillion smiled, focusing on each flower she could see, on each tree they passed by.

Nozel was glad to get a grip on himself and for the first time in years, personally invited his aunt over at the Silva palace. Having her here, so casually, as if she just left the castle for the Vermillions yesterday, was a proof what a fool he was.

Océane would have helped him dealing with all the house affairs from the start. She would have let him grieve while dealing with it herself, then step by step teached him to do all of this. No one would have teached him all of those matters than his aunt.

Océane Vermillion was a master at gossip and politics, even though she wasn’t in the parliament and didn’t had such a position like Lac Silva. But this was exactly her strength. The power Océane had was subtle, masked behind smiles, love for pastries and a simple life. She was able to make a stubborn and corrupt noble change his mind with just compliments and facts she made sound like spicy rumours, even the most boring ones.

Yes, his Vermillion would have helped him the best he could. If only he hadn’t been so stubborn, convinced that he had to do everything alone. Not to mention that Océane was one of the last persons that had a direct and very close connection to his mother. It was also the case with the Wizard King or his knight, Julia Ambrosia. But Acier and Océane had been sisters, which made her connection the closest and most precious.

Nozel took a closer look at his aunt. She was almost closer fifty than forty, but she didn’t look like it. There was still a youth in her traits. He wondered if it would have been the same for his mother, if she would have lived to that age.

Océane and Acier were sisters, so they were also very similar physically. The same nose, the same soft face and the same frown when they were very focused on something. But Océane had curlier hair, her eyes were blue and not purple, the smile was also completely different. How strange, Noelle got most from their mother’s looks, but she got her smile from their aunt. Same for Nebra. She had started to smile more often and more genuinely after Spade and it was only then that Nozel had realized that his sisters had the same smile.

Nozel sighed. He certainly had a lot to say, but no word seemed appropriate. Still, there was one thing he needed to finally say.

“I’m… I’m sorry I never let you help me back then, when mother passed away. I should have let you help me.”

“Do you really think I blamed you, dear nephew? You were a grieving teenager, too young for all of this duties. You weren’t ready for all of this and no one let you properly grieve. I’m sorry I haven’t tried more to reach out. True, Achilles, that oaf, hold me back. But I should have tried more and don’t let the Vermillions hold me back. As well as my own grief and loss.”

“But you lost your sister.”

“And you lost your mother.”

There was a silence, filled with some memories of Acier Silva. How much she loved walking through the Silva flower garden, especially at the rose belvedere or the water lily pond, with the swing chair hidden by flowers and little birches.

“I’ve made many mistakes… I should have acted differently.”

“But you were still a child, you were fifteen when you took over the house, Nozel. You weren’t ready, you never were ready. Anyone would have made mistakes in such a situation, especially alone. And you were terribly alone. Long story short, you did the best you could and believed you could in those circumstances. And don’t forget that your parents’ marriage wasn’t stable back then, never really was. You know that as much as I do.”

He knew, of course he did. He knew it for long and before that, he already had a feeling. Even when he was a little boy, he knew without knowing that the marriage of his parents wasn’t a happy one.

“You had some burden already, as the oldest child and then everything that happened to Acier… You became an adult too quickly. A lot of people should have prevented it. Me, of course, but also your father…”

“You at least wanted to help me. Father… Lac never would have.”

“Oh yes, we agree on that. Helping his grieving son to carry a too heavy burden? No, that doesn’t help him with his own ambitions, why would he?”

Océane always had a very specific way to talk about Lac and it always made Nozel smile a bit.

“It doesn’t change the fact that it was a too heavy burden for you and that you had no one to help you. You might have not asked for help, that’s true. But you were just following the example of your mother. She also did everything alone.”

“Mother made it look so easy. For years, I thought I was doing wrong. It’s only lately that finally realized that… she might have struggled as well.”

“She made it look so easy, right?”

“Yes.”

“You also made it look so easy, my dear nephew. To be honest, Nozel, I was worried about you for years. You practically sacrifice yourself for house Silva, for the Silver Eagles, even more for your siblings. You never asked for anything in return. No normal Head of House, noble or royal, would have dealt with everything that way. I don’t say that you were wrong by putting your own interests behind for others. It shows how good of a heart you have and other house heads should take some examples on you. But… you did the very same mistake as your mother. You forgot to care for yourself, you forgot to have your own life. Not to mention your guilt issues. I was really scared you would sacrificed yourself to a point that it would be too late to save you from your pain.”

Suddenly, Océane smiled brightly. “But then, you came back from Spade. You had a spark in your eyes that I haven’t seen since your mother died. You spend more time with Noelle and your sisters were closer. But I think that this wasn’t what saved you from your cold. There is something that filled your heart and your soul. I saw it grow over the past few months and I see it in your eyes in this very instant. Something saved you and freed your kind heart from the golden cages.”

Nozel looked at her wide-eyed. Something in her tone made him suspect that his aunt might know. Maybe not about Vanessa directly, but that he had someone. But how? Well, his aunt was very observant, but there was no way she could-

No, not true. It wasn’t like Nozel and Vanessa took all the necessary precautions to hid their relationship. Not at the café, not at the willow in the parc, not when they were walking arm in arm in town. But this had been things they done together long before they were a couple.

Still, there were some moments when they have been careless. Vanessa and himself were actually lucky that no one witnessed them yet so far. At least, as far as he knew.

“So, what’s the name?”

Nozel managed to practically choke on air. It was unexpected.

“Don’t be so secretive with me, my dear nephew. Please tell me, what is the name of this amazing person that made this happy.”

Nozel hesitated, but not much, if he was honest. He knew he could trust his aunt. It was just… no one knew about him and Vanessa yet, so he wanted to protect their bond. Especially since his father was still out there and their whole situation.

But at the same time… Nozel was tired of secrets. He had secrets since the age of fourteen, he went through so much to keep it safe and look where it had brought him. Being with Vanessa made him happier than ever before in his life and he didn’t want to hide it. Vanessa was a witch, sure. But he wasn’t ashamed of loving her with all his heart. He wanted to show her at his side through the world, he finally wanted to share his happiness.

So, maybe telling his aunt wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It was just… difficult to put in words.

“Her… her name is Vanessa Enoteca.”

“Vanessa Eno… Oh, the Black Bull witch? One of Noelles squadmates?”

“You… you know her?”

“Silly nephew, I don’t know know her. It’s just that there was some talks about the Black Bulls during those last two years. I’ve seen her for the first time at the wedding of lady Finesse and lord Finral. If I remember correctly, you even danced with her that day. I must say, Nozel dear, you got quite the catch. She is a beauty.”

Nozel had no other choice than to agree. In fact, Vanessa was for him the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

“She’s not just her beauty.”

“Oh, that soft tone in your voice… You’re hopelessly smitten, it’s so clear as crystal.”

“Hopelessly describes is it well. I… We talked for the first time in Spade, when the battle had been over, but when everyone was still resting and recovering. Vanessa needed some time alone and it was a coincidence that I ended up at the same spot she was. Or was it Fate? I don’t really know. Then we talked… we opened up, in a way. I was too tired to give her the illusion that I was cold and she seemed fed up with a delusion she had for a while.”

“A delusion?”

“I won’t tell you more about it, I don’t believe I have the right to spill her secrets to anyone. I apologize, aunt Océane.”

“Of course not. You were always a gentleman deep down. What happened after?”

“After Spade, at the beginning, we mostly talked over the communication device and occasionally at the Silver Eagles base, when she had to bring a rapport from the Black Bulls. Actually… it was more that she talked to me and called me on the device. I… I never tried to reach out at first, mostly because… I was convinced I never deserved that kindness she was so casually giving me.”

Océane only nodded, looking at him with compassion. Of course she knew about his guilt issues. Was there something in the kingdom Océane Vermillion didn’t know or at least didn’t suspected?

“But it changed after the royal wedding. We started to spend more time together. We talked, we enjoyed to be in each other’s company. It took some time, but I realized that I fell in love with her. It just took me some time to act upon it. For weeks, it was just Vanessa and me spending time a bit like friends, but with a tension between us. A comfortable tension, yes, but a tension still. But then… Lac reappeared.”

“Oh, that asshole! What did he say?”

“Aunt Océane! Didn’t you always told us to always watch our language?”

“In most cases, yes. But my sickening brother-in-law is just the exception that confirms the rule. So, what did that wannabe cockroach wanted from you?”

“First off, he wanted me to stop seeing Vanessa. Of course he couldn’t believe that I just enjoyed being in her company. For some reason, he thought she was my… my… that I used her as…”

Gosh, why was it so difficult to say? But of course, his Vermillion aunt understood him immediately.

“So typical of that elephant shit. Even lust shouldn’t be just a time to spend, but a tool to use in his schemes. I lost count about how many times this shitty rat moustache cheated on your mother for the sole reason to reach more power and influence.”

“Vanessa left soon after. At least, I thought so… and Lac, well, he wanted to talk about marrying me off. I… can’t…”

“You don’t need to put his speech into words, I can perfectly imagine what he told you. That conservative anarchist is sadly very clever to use the truth in his manipulation and not lies. Oh, my poor Nozel, he hopefully didn’t force you to a marital deal by threatening you! I’m gonna kill this butt face!”

“He tried, honestly. He also suggested that I can choose my own spouse, but only if I would accept help from him considering the thievery affair in the Common Realm.”

“What a backhanded deal. He would have been the winner in any case.”

“I know. After that, I… I actually fled like a coward.”

“You’re not a coward, Nozel dear. In this case, fleeing was probably the best option to get out of his grasp.”

“What I didn’t know was that… Vanessa didn’t really left. She stayed nearby and so, she heard the whole talk I had with my… with Lac. And when I fled, she followed me. I was so surprised to see her on my balcony all of a sudden. I thought she would have find me pathetic, for how I handled that talk with my… with Lac. But she didn’t find me pathetic, She was just so terribly worried about me. And…”

“You weren’t used for people worrying about you. Am I right?”

“Yes. Vanessa practically allowed me to be vulnerable in front of her. I was surprised about how… liberating it felt.”

“Ah, yes, I get that. Showing vulnerability is still wrongly considered as a weakness, but the truth is different, as it is a strength, since it takes a lot of courage. You’re lucky to have found someone like her, my dear nephew.”

“I know… That night, we talked. And we kissed. Actually… we spent the night together.”

Nozel blushed. The memory of their first night together was still so clear in his mind and filled his heart with a blissful joy. But telling anyone about it, especially a member of his family, this was difficult. He couldn’t say more than that he and Vanessa spend the night together.

And of course, his aunt immediately understood what this implied, as she started to laugh.

“Oh my, you both didn’t lose any time. That must have been a heavy tension you had for weeks. But at least, you’re happy with your beloved witch, am I right?”

“Yes. It’s like, she not only let me vulnerable in front of her, allowing me to trust her. She trusts me as well, she… Vanessa is always so full of joy and optimism. But she also had her own past pain. Different than mine, but somehow still similar? At least, she told me about it, she trusted me with it. It’s like… we’re healing together, as if we needed what we have now to start to come to terms with our past and moving on together.”

“Seems like a very healthy and loving relationship, if you ask me.”

“Honestly, I don’t think words can be enough to describe our relationship. Or maybe it doesn’t need words. I am happy with Vanessa, there is no doubt about that. Every worries I have seems either not important anymore or not impossible to come over when I’m with her. I feared that I didn’t deserved that kind of kindness, but it didn’t felt that way. It feels more like something so precious that I can’t give it away, that I need to protect to keep it save, but still letting it free because it deserves to be free. Aunt Océane, I’m… I’m even ready to give up on my royal status if I need to, if it means I can be with Vanessa.”

Océane just smiled at his speech, putting some strands of his hair behind his ears. Just like when he was a little boy. Nozel let her. His childhood had been taken too early from him and he was tired of always acting like a heartless adult. Vanessa often acted a bit childlike and she always encouraged him allow himself a bit of childhood.

Another miracle Vanessa has done to him…

“You’re just as romantic as your mother, my dear nephew. But unlike my poor sister, you’re not completely blind in love. And you are loved in return. That’s one of the greatest gift someone can get.”

“I never believed it before. But now I do. It’s just… our situation isn’t ideal.”

“A prince and a witch… Oh yes, the different circles. Status sadly still plays a role in our society when it comes to relationships. And you’re with a witch, that would be considered worse than a commoner or a peasant.”

Océane went silent, looking like she was thinking.

“You’ll have my support, Nozel. I would be a really bad auntie if I don’t help you and your lady love. It’s good that you realize that the situation isn’t ideal, it will help you to face the hurdles better. Over the years, I saw a bunch of nobles who fell in love with someone out of their circles and who didn’t pay attention to the hurdles and the consequences… which lead to tragic ends. But you’re not like this, thankfully. So I don’t need to pop your fluffy bubble to make you understand the situation.”

“But what can you do? It’s not like Vanessa and I are together for long at this point.”

“First lesson to learn, my dear nephew. Consequences and influences can last very long, especially when they’re subtle. And that is one of my specialties. You know I have my entries in practically every noble circles in the kingdom. If subtly and gradually start to talk about witches, the Black Bulls and royals being in love slowly in a more positive way, it can work miracles. Nobles are stubborn, but they also have double standards. It’s always good to use if you want people to change their minds. It’s a slow process, I’ll admit, but if you don’t want more hurdles to deal with than necessary, it’s one of the safest road. Besides, with that Three Leaves Glory ball on the way, it’s better to start early.”

“You already know about that ball?”

Why did he even asked? Of course Océane Vermillion knows about it already.

“Oh my, they already send the suggestion or offering or order, whatever it is? Nobles are really bold these days. Or desperate. No wonder, what happened those last two years in the kingdom show them how fragile their power can become. It’s sad that instead of questioning themselves, they cling more on their beliefs.”

“My father was one of those who signed it.”

“Oh. That fricking asshole of a wannabe mosquito!”

Nozel couldn’t help but chuckle. His aunt definitely had a very unique way to describe and insult Lac Silva.

“It’s clearly a trap to force into an arranged engagement. I will never understand how much hopes he has on your potential marriage, even though he hates you in particular and even though you’re the only one who didn’t got his magic affinity.”

Oh yes. Nozel just couldn’t forget that if he would have a magic based on water, he most possibly would have stay an only child. After all, Lac Silva was ambitious but never was appealed on fatherhood.

“Listen Nozel. I will tell you something you might don’t know yet. There is a dance that is always put on the program during this Three Leaves Glory balls. It’s very originally called the Three Leaves Waltz. Long before, it was the waltz that made each new betrothed official. It is way more subtle today, of course. But this dance is subtly put in place to make each dancing couple practically officially engaged. For those who haven’t any idea or who aren’t given any other choice, it’s a trap. I wouldn’t be surprised if your father is indeed intending to trap by forcing you to dance with the noble lady of his choosing and by that, trapping you into a betrothal.”

Nozel clinched his fists. This sounded like something his father… no, Lac Silva would do. He probably counted on the fact that Nozel isn’t well aware of all the complex and subtle details hidden in noble etiquette, making him easy to trap. Nozel was even certain that he would have trapped into this trap.

Never had he been so grateful that his aunt knows the world of nobility and royalty like the back of her hand.

“Then… what should I do until then? And when it’s the time for this trap waltz during the ball, how shall I react?

“Nozel, we don’t know every detail yet, there is no point to plan fifty step ahead, especially since some details can change at any moment. But I can tell you what you can do when it’s the time for this dance. It’s a good thing that Magic Knights will be invited as well. So, you will go directly to Vanessa and invite her for this dance. It would be even better if you only dance with her for all the other dances. A bit like Fuegoleon did with Lital back at the royal wedding. It will give everyone a clear message.”

“But… How can I know when it’s the time for this Three Leaves Waltz?”

“You’re smart, Nozel dear. I’m sure you’re going to recognize the signs easily.”

Well, that didn’t help him a lot. It was nice that his aunt trusted him so openly, but Nozel still would have preferred some more details.

“Nozel, I will help you so that you won’t be trapped into an arranged marriage. Heaven knows how much I’m aware how awful this could be. I might not have the worst husband, more or less and thankfully I had my children, a sister-in-law and most of my nephew and nieces to help me to make the best out of it. But not everyone is as lucky as me and I owe it to Acier that you won’t know this hell. Even more so, you’re in love, you have the best reason to fight for your happiness.”

Nozel looked at his aunt, stunned. He would argue that she owed it to his mother, but given how close Acier and Océane were, maybe his aunt had promised something like this to her sister before she died.

And why would he deny Océanes help, no matter the reasons? She was his aunt and she cared about him and his siblings, this was enough a reason for her to help.

“You seem tense, my dear nephew.”

“Well… the news about this ball and with my father involved, it’s not a good news for me. Especially in my romantic situation.”

“Of course. Will Vanessa be with you tonight.”

“Well… we spend practically every night together at this point.”

He wasn’t ashamed of his nights with Vanessa. But it was still embarassing to admit to his aunt that his beloved was with him basically every night.

“Thought that much. At least, this means that you’re certainly going to relax afterwards. And we both know how much you need that in general.”

This was true, but Nozel wasn’t ready to admit that yet. At least, not to people who weren’t Vanessa. And even with her, she needed to push and tease him a bit before he forgot his pride and admitted he needed to relax and to rest.

“Well, I better go now, otherwise my dearest father-in-law is going to try and to put me on time-out. Don’t worry too much, Nozel dear, we’ll find a solution. And it’s not only me, you might have more allies than you realize.”

Nozel just looked at his aunt with surprise.

“We might discuss some things, if you want. But make sure that I can properly your beloved Vanessa soon. I’m rather curious to meet the woman who the spark of your childhood back in your eyes. Until next time!”

Nozel just watched his aunt leaving the flower garden and disappearing back in the palace. Sometimes he couldn’t fully understand Océane and her motives, as she never liked to talk too much about her own past, how she was in away sold to the Vermillions and watched all of her siblings die, being the only one to probably grow old.

Océane certainly never had an easy life. That much Nozel knew, even though he wasn’t aware about all details. But his aunt cared and she helped, probably more than anyone could realize.

He certainly regretted to not have let her help during all those years. But today, she was at his side and despite his worries about the situation, it was at least a relief to know that he had at least one ally. And according to Océane, he might have more of them than he realized.

The sun was now completely down, only some red and orange lights were lingering over the horizon, the rest of the sky already in a dark blue, some stars appearing already. It was time to go back to his room.

Nozel knew that Vanessa would be there. A few days ago, he had let made a double of his balcony key, for her. So that she could enter at any time she wanted instead of waiting for him to open.

And indeed, when he opened the door, a flash of rosewood moved like a lightning before he felt her embracing him only one second after.

“I missed you, my handsome eagle.”

“The last time we saw each other was this morning,” he replied, quickly closing the door.

“Too long if you asked me,” Vanessa laughed, leading him to the bed and sitting casually on his lap. “So, how did the meeting with your auntie go?”

“Much more relieving than I imagined.”

“Told you so!”

“But you need to know that… she knows about us. To be fair, Océane has observed me and came to the conclusion that I… that I’m in love. There’s no use to deny anything with her and… I didn’t want to keep it a secret. So I told her. She’s giving us her full support.”

“That’s good news. We certainly need support, but it’s not like we won’t have people to help us. Also, speaking of, Yami mentioned something about a shitty ball when he came back to the hideout… Something happened at the captains meeting?”

Nozel couldn’t help but sigh. “Sadly yes. Something occurred and it’s a turn of events I really don’t appreciate. Especially since my father… no, Lac Silva has something to do with it.”

“Tell me everything, honey. But first… try to relax a bit. I know how worked up you can be when you’re tensed and burdened. I’ll help you.”

She really knew him better than anyone would realize. Nozel couldn’t help but smile.

He had no time to answer though, as Vanessa crossed her arms behind his neck and put her lips on his, pulling them both into a deep kiss. Nozel put his arms firmly around her waist, holding her closer.

It wouldn’t be an easy fight. But he wanted this more than anything else. He might lose some of his pride and his reputation in the process. But who cares, Vanessa was worth it.

#Black Clover #Black Clover Fanfiction #Silver Cats & Black Roses #Fluffmay #My Writing ☘️♣️#Yami Sukehiro #Charlotte Roselei #Yamichar #Yami x Charlotte #Nozel Silva #Vanessa Enoteca #Nozessa #Nozel x Vanessa #My Black Clover OC ☘️#Océane Vermillion #Magic Knight Captains #Julius Novachrono #Marx François #Majority of nobles are a pain

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justhere4thevibez · 9 months

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annual writing self-evaluation

thank you @pipergirl17 and @erythromanc3r for tagging me!

1. List of works published this year (in no particular order):

oh gosh, I've been busy-busy this year with fanfic, so here goes!

Complete works:

... And a Hellcheer New Year

Galentines and Valentines

Hold Onto Me

Devil in the Woods

Every Time I Run, I Run to You

Eddie and Chrissy Go to a Wedding

Knocking Me Out With Those American Thighs

Cooking Up Something Sweet

Please Don't Say You Love Me

Let Me Start Over Again

You Got Me Good

Be My Breath (Through the Deep, Deep Water)

This Old Man

Do You Wanna Touch Me

My Words Will Be Your Light

She'll See I'm Not So Tough

She Knows What She Wants

Give Me a Taste

The Right Kind of Sinner

Release My Inner Fantasy

Hooked on a Feeling

Whiskey & Wine

The Graveyard Smash

Long Is the Road Out of Hell

In a Sentimental Mood

Set My Soul On Fire

Burnin' Out of Control

WIPs:

Looking For Something Dumb To Do

I Can't Get Rid of You

If You Fall, I Will Catch You

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

hmmmmm, that's a tough one! I love them all for different reasons, but I will say I'm very proud of Long Is the Road Out of Hell because it's my longest fanfic to date (almost 60k!) and at one point I really wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish it. but I did!

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

tbh if I'm not proud of something, I won't publish it. but I think the work that frustrated me the most was Whiskey & Wine, my kinktober fic. I pushed myself too hard with too big of a goal and burnt myself out halfway through. but I did learn the importance of setting boundaries for myself (and why I need to be careful committing to challenges 😅)

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

not gonna lie, once I publish something, the words tend to leave my brain, so I don't always remember what I write lol. I should probably keep a doc of good lines from my fics so I have something to present when people ask me 😂 but here are two excerpts that I'm pretty proud of.

Devil in the Woods: He had loved her since the first time he opened his eyes to find her snuggled up on his chest. He had loved her longer, since the moment he’d held her in his arms on that endlessly rainy night. And longer still, he’d loved the little girl who played jacks with him on May Day and laughed at his wild antics.

Hooked on a Feeling: He knew he could be… a lot, as kinder people said. A goddamn nuisance, according to everyone else. He didn’t mean to be, he just tended to… latch on to things. Kind of like a bulldog (but in a nice and lovable way, thank you, Jeff). And right now he had ChrissyChrissyChrissy clamped tight between his jaws, and he hoped to god she didn’t ask him to let go.

5. Share or describe a favorite comment you received:

I have a few regular commenters who give me the longest, loveliest comments where they literally analyze each chapter section by section 😭 it makes me feel so loved. but as for one individual comment, I distinctly remember a commenter from one of my early fics commenting on a really tough scene I did re: chrissy's eating disorder. they said that they also had an eating disorder, and that chapter was very healing for them. I don't think I'll ever get another comment as powerful as that.

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

I go in and out of mild anxious/depressive episodes, mostly due to outside stressors, and that makes it really hard to write. writing is the one constant joy in my life, and when I don't even feel like doing that, I know something is very, very wrong. but luckily, they don't usually last too long!

7. A scene or character that you wrote that surprised you:

mike's redemption arc in Long Is the Road! that one was a total curveball to me, and it only came about because it was the closest place I could think of to have Chrissy walk to after her mom kicked her out. total accident, but it spawned on of my favorite sibling-ships for chrissy that I've ever written!

also writing wayne's pov! i never intended to do that, but once I started, his voice just kind of stuck in my head 😂

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I wrote a lot. like over 300k of fanfic. and i even got back into writing some original fiction, which I'm so excited about!

I also started writing smut for the first time in 2023, which was something I never anticipated doing, let alone enjoying! but it's been super fun

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I'd like to work more on my original fiction, maybe get a short story published. I'd also like to get better at world-building! I tend to get so focused on the characters that I forget they exist in a place I should spend some time creating lol

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

@slumped-in-the-arms-of-fiction all the way! she's been such a wonderful beta reader, cheerleader, and overall positive influence on my writing. I Can't Get Rid of You wouldn't ever have happened without her support and feedback!

11. Anything in your real life show up in your writing this year:

ooh, buddy! pieces of myself get sprinkled all over the damn place 😂 but as for specifics...

Galentines and Valentines opening scene was reminiscent of the girls' nights me and my college friends used to have (and still have sometimes)

Hooked on a Feeling had elements of my own past experiences of being laid up in a hospital (and being very annoyed about it)

This Old Man was absolutely inspired by my love of Columbo

You Got Me Good definitely included some of my own thoughts and feelings about when I get a little too high 😂

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

give your writing time.

it's so tempting when you have a new idea to jump on it and then get frustrated when it doesn't immediately turn out the way you want, but I've found that if I give myself time to think over a piece before I write it, and let it sit for a little while after I write it, I'm much happier with the end results!

13. Any new projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

finishing my three WIPs! and hopefully a little christmas fic 😂 I don't have anything else immediately in the works, thank god!

14. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read:

@1lostsoul0fishbowl @pearlypairings @rose-n-gunses and anybody else!!!

#vibez answers #annual writing self-evaluation #fic writing #writer games #dash games

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wario-speedwagon · 9 months

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Dave and Old Sport Adopt a Kid: Chapter 10

Happy post-holidays, everyone! Here's another chapter of these two gays and their daughter to celebrate the new year! Full chapter under the cut as always :)

Chapter 1 Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Jack had finished placing the last dirty dish in the sink for dealing with later.

“We should probably head out soon,” he declared to the drawing aubergines at the cleared table.

“Ugh, fine,” Dave sighed, putting his pencil down in dismay. Pruny didn’t take the hint as she continued doodling unbothered.

“So, what’s our grand plan for today, then?”

“Huh? I dunno, show up?”

“I meant your ‘Aubergine’s handy dandy three-step plan’ or whatever you called it?”

“Oh that!” he finally recalled. “...Yeah I don’t remember.”

“What do you mean you ‘don’t remember’?”

“I dunno, with Pruny showin’ up and all, things kinda got sidetracked. We can probably save the plan for next time, eh?”

“What, so we just show up and… do our job then?”

“...I guess?”

“Well that’s unexpectedly anticlimactic…” Jack quietly admitted to himself. Though he couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed. Honestly, it was probably both. Still, this was quite out of character for the Dave he’d come to know up to this point.

“C’mon, Prune, time to go.” Dave lightly nudged her arm, finally getting her attention as she quickly gathered that the time for drawing was sadly over.

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

The colorful cast exited the car, stepping foot onto the Fazbender’s parking lot as they headed for another accursed day shift at Freddy’s.

“Well hey! Look Pruny!” Dave exclaimed, suddenly kneeling down to her level and pointing.

“There’s the dumpster where we first met! Now ain’t that just nostalgic! …Gosh, it feels like so long ago with how much’s happened, but it hasn’t even been a whole day yet!”

*sigh*

Pruny didn’t quite read much of what Dave had rambled about, so she hoped they weren’t expecting any sort of special reaction about the dumpster Dave had just pointed to for… some reason? Jack seemed to ignore the matter altogether, so it was probably not important.

Weird as this Fazbender's place was, though, she was content to be back. She often hung around this building but never had the nerve to actually go inside and see it for herself until they’d (forcefully) taken her in. It didn’t live up to her every dream, but it was still exciting to her nonetheless. She’d never really been inside any fun place for kids like most kids had been, so it was nice to finally have her turn.

Jack and Dave pushed open the heavy doors into the pocket dimension of hell at which they worked. To where its phone-headed arbiter “happened” to be waiting for them.

“Yo, Scott. How’s ev—”

“I may just be stressed to the point of paranoia,” Scott harshly interrupted, “but I really don’t find it a good sign that you’re arriving with Dave now considering his… reputation.”

“Love ya too, Phoney—”

“—Yeah, well, that’s only because someone left his kid behind with me—”

“And you brought her BACK here!? Why would you do that!?”

“It’s… bring-your-child-to-work day again…?” Dave weakly attempted.

“Yeah no, uhm… there’s a whole… situation.” Jack resisted the urge to rub his temples while recalling all of last night’s and this morning’s headaches.

“C’mon, Phoney, just admit it! This place is a glorified daycare and you know it!”

“—Okay, whatever! I don’t care!” he finally snapped out of sheer resigned stress. “I have much more concerning problems than your ‘parenting style’ to worry about right now! If you don’t somehow already know, four children have gone missing yesterday, and so far things are looking to shape up into yet another Freddy’s threatening scandal that I have to deal with!”

“Oh, well, that’s not so bad! It coulda been five kiddins!”

“No, no, it’s very bad actually! And if I don’t… no no, I’m not gonna think about that right now…”

Scott wandered away, hands practically attached to where his temples would be.

...but then heel-turned back around to add:

“Now go make yourselves useful for once, before I make this your problem too! Go on, get! Saferoom! Now! And don’t you even dare mention a word of this to anyone!”

He then promptly marched off toward a group of children who were all encouraging each other to climb on top of the animatronics on stage.

“Sheesh Louise, he sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“No kidding. I suppose that’s what happens to a guy who has to single-handedly save a sinking ship from a child murder scandal. Must suck to be him right now,” Jack shallowly sympathized as if they didn’t have a direct hand in Phoney’s current situation.

“Alright kid, you’re free to do whatever the hell you want while— …Prune?”

But she was already long gone from sight.

“Oh. Well, she really takes after me, huh?” said Dave rather proudly.

“...Sure.”

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

The three men had been talking for a while with no sign of wrapping up anytime soon, so Pruny took it upon herself to wander around like kids are supposed to do here… right? Those guys worked here, so they’d be too busy to watch her all day anyway.

As she continued wading through the large, crowded dining space to the other side, she recalled that there was that gigantic present box next to the Prize Corner that had her curious from yesterday. Of course, that creepy guy was still there smiling blankly behind the counter, but she figured that she could easily sneak from the other side without him noticing pretty easily for closer inspection.

Approaching the box, Pruny hugged up against it to get a sense for how big it truly was. And in doing so, she felt some sort of plucking vibrations reverberating through it, kinda similar to clock ticking, but definitely different; this thing apparently seems to play some sort of music or sound, she gathered. That only piqued her curiosity even further.

So she naturally opened up its giant lid.

And then it slowly, grandly emerged from the box, rising to its feet as it began to tower over her.

And it then looked down at her with its rather haunting clownish mask face.

She naturally stepped back, partially out of natural fear but also to behold it better at a distance, but her fascinated stare at it remained unbroken.

The puppet’s head tilted.

And then the question crossed her mind, whether this thing also had a robotic voice or not, because to her frustration, it seemed like all the robots here had some sort of voice, even the strange Phone Guy, but obviously no moving lips to read. Although, she could sometimes detect the faintest sound of muffled voices from them, yet she heard nothing of the sort from this ominous… thing.

She didn’t know if she preferred its eerie silence or not.

And then it stepped out of the box. And then it extended a creepy hand out to her.

She carefully considered her options. Was this safe? What did it want with her?

…

She decided to take its hand.

(Chapter 11)->

#heehee guess who's finally heeeeere~!#dayshift at freddy's #dayshift at freddys #dsaf #jack kennedy #dave miller #jack dsaf #dsaf jack #dave dsaf #dsaf dave #peter kennedy #dee kennedy #dee dsaf #peter dsaf #dsaf fanfic

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idkyouyet23 · 4 months

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‘On My Mind’

~ a LITG Max fanfic ~

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Chapter Seven - Let The Games Begin

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 💌:

Just a quick chapter as I was excited to update this story, I hope that you’re all enjoying this story so far and I’d love to hear your thoughts & feedback in the comments, so don’t be afraid to say anything!!

I love you all 🫂❤️‍🩹

~Jess

You can read it below or on AO3,

whatever you like :)

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐯:

After I get dressed in my light blue bikini, I go back into the bedroom, where Max should be.

I look around to see everyone else beginning to wake up, Sienna notices that Max isn’t with me so she gives me a smug look

‘Aww has Max ran off already Jasmine?’,

I laugh it off

‘I hope no, I’d be fairly unlucky if he has’

‘Max would be a fool to do that,

although then you could get with me’,

Bea glances over at me while biting her lip

‘I’ll take you up on that offer if he doesn’t come back’, Liam rises up

‘Wait Jasmine is your name, since when?’

‘Since my birth Liam but I’ve always preferred Jazzy so that’s what most people call me’, I announce

‘Jasmine is a pretty name but I definitely think that Jazzy suits you better’,

Emel grins at me

‘Yeah I think so too, but it’s been a while now, what if something’s happened?’,

I question worried about where Max is

‘I’m sure that he’s fine, stop worrying’

Theo responds

‘You’re literally so head over heels for Max aren’t you?’, Claudia inquires and Jack looks over to me

‘Yup I definitely am, I really like him and honestly I don’t want anyone else’,

Just as I answer Claudia,

the bedroom door opens to reveal Max

‘Jazzy was real worried about you’,

Oakley tells Max as he strolls towards me

‘Really?’, Max asks sitting down on our bed beside me

‘You should’ve seen her,

it was lucky that you came back otherwise I would’ve taken Jazzy’, Bea replies

‘Sienna thought that you had done a runner from me’, I tell him and Max bursts out laughing

‘Are you kidding? I could never!,

anyone would be a fool to run away from you, I was making breakfast for us so I’m hoping that we could have a breakfast date?’, I give Max a quick hug

‘I’d absolutely love that Max!’

‘It’s so crazy like you two barely know each other but you are so obsessed with each other’, Liam remarks

‘Jesus Christ, you must not have been listening during the Mr & Mrs Challenge then’, I respond

‘Jaysus Christ’, Liam mocks my Dublin accent and Sienna giggles

‘Gosh Max how do you listen to Jazzy?

Her accent is very annoying’, my smile fades

𝘚𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 ‘𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬?! 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴,

‘Can you not insult my girl please?’, Max is clearly agitated by her and Jack speaks up

𝘔𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵.

‘Yeah Sienna that wasn’t cool’

‘I’m sure that you won’t last with Max, you’ll just come crawling back to Jack

in no time’, I sigh trying to not let any temper get to me

‘No offence but I don’t want Jack,

I only want Max’, I say calmly and Max takes my hand leading us out of the room.

We sit down at a table that is filled with all my favourite breakfast foods such as pancakes, fruit with yogurt and smoothies

‘Max this is so amazing’,

‘It took me a while but I’m glad that you like it and are you okay? That was intense’,

‘I’m feeling better now that I’m alone with you, I hope that you believe me when I say that I only want you ‘cause if you don’t then, I want you to believe that I’m only here for you now like if you got dumped, I’d walk with you ‘cause genuinely Max I really think that I’m falling for you’,

I ramble on until suddenly Max presses his lips onto mine,

when we pull away we are both blushing

‘Honestly I’m falling for you too Jazzy,

I’ll never let go of you’

I begin to eat some pancakes

‘You’re amazing Max, you have made me feel so much happier but when I was talking with Jack last night, he asked if I was faithful in Casa’

‘Oh okay, what did you say?’

‘I told him that I was but my plan is before the next recoupling, I’ll tell him the truth so he won’t pick me, I don’t wanna hurt him but it’s the right thing for us so we can stay together’

‘I agree with you on that, hopefully him and Sienna will leave you alone after that’

After breakfast, ‘Snog, Marry, Pie’ is announced from a text.

Once it is Max’s turn, he turns up to me getting down on one knee

‘Will you marry me?’,

‘Of course I will! You’re marriage material for sure’

‘Did you guys hear that?

Jazzy says that I’m marriage material!’

Max beams and I kiss his cheek,

I reject Jack’s proposal in respect for Max but I accept Bea’s proposal for fun,

When it is Sienna’s turn she of course, went to kiss Max but he steps back quickly to keep it respectful

‘Why did you do that? I didn’t think we vibe like that Sienna’, Max asks her and with her usual smug look, I reply

‘I think I know why’,

Once it’s my turn, I give Bea a quick kiss and afterwards I get down on one knee in front of Max

‘Will you make me the happiest girl alive and marry me?’, I smile brightly up at him

‘Yes, yes! A million times yes’

And for my pie, I obviously pied Sienna

‘Wow that was original’, cream is all over her mouth so when Sienna spoke it went everywhere

‘I only did it for the craic honestly’,

I state to her.

After that game, Max and I sit on a daybed for a debrief between ourselves

‘I wouldn’t marry you’

‘You wouldn’t?’, I act shocked pretending to not be disappointed and Max chuckles,

‘Not now anyways, although I definitely will someday soon I promise’

𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥.

#love island the game #love island game #litg #litg season 8 #litg s8 #litg tempting fate #litg fanfic #litg ff #litg max

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darthfrodophantom · 1 year

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Prove That You Deserve the Answer Ch 4 - Final Chapter

Summary: After an argument with Jazz leaves Maddie feeling insecure about her role as a mother, she wishes she could understand her children better. She soon learns the dangers of making wishes around ghosts when she switches places with Jazz. But when this body swap allows her the opportunity to really talk with Danny, she realizes that maybe she can use this to finally see what’s really going on with her son, and maybe find some way to fix their relationship in the process.

Phic Phight Prompts: See Chapter 1 for full listing. For @silverwing013, @majorastudios, and @eyesofcrows

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46310419/chapters/118045219

Chapter 4: Or Is It the Answer You Needed?

Maddie had a pleasant conversation with Danny on the flight home. It was the kind of easy conversation she hadn’t had with Danny since…well since before the portal. Before he became a ghost. That strained conversation was clearly her fault, and if she was herself…their interactions would still be strained and forced. Like how he treated her every day. Like how he treated her on that trip to Colorado. She had hoped it would be a great way to connect with him, but time alone and a vacation wasn’t what he needed from her - he needed her to understand. She hadn’t at the time (oh my gosh she was an idiot! She wore a Specter Deflector the whole time! She put one on Danny! She really was a horrible parent), but she would now.

But as lovely as their conversation was…it wasn’t real and honest and she knew that. Danny thought he was talking to his sister. And as much as she enjoyed having this time with her son and this renewed connection, it was based on false pretenses and she couldn’t let that happen anymore. She had to come clean. She had to tell him. And then she would steel herself for his judgment.

She handled phasing through the wall much better than she did before. Having some advanced knowledge of what was happening helped, as did the prior experience, but that tingling shiver still vibrated through her body as she passed through the wall. She didn’t know if she would ever quite get used to that feeling. She wondered how Danny did? Maybe that feeling of it just not being right didn’t impact him because it was natural for him. Or maybe he’d done it so many times he barely noticed. She would love to know and ask, but she had to earn the chance to ask those questions.

He set her down on the floor and turned back into his human form. He didn’t seem to be uncomfortable spending time as a ghost, which meant he immediately changed back to likely avoid detection. Because of her and Jack and what they’d done.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” Danny said with a smile. “When you first said you wanted to come along, I thought for sure it would be a disaster. But you held your own.”

“I really liked being invited along,” she told him honestly.

“Invited? I don’t remember any invitations going out. If I remember correctly, you begged to come along,” Danny quipped with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest.

There it was, she could see Phantom right there. Even if he didn’t look like Phantom right now, she had seen that smirk and that pose on Phantom before. God how had she not made this connection before? She really had been blind. “You know what I mean. Come on Danny, I’m trying to be sincere here,” she scolded lightly. “I really liked spending time with you tonight. And you were incredible.”

Danny ducked his head in embarrassment. “Thanks Jazz. I had fun too.”

Right, Jazz. Still Jazz.

She wrang her hands nervously in front of her as she bit her lip. “Danny, there’s something important we need to talk about. Something I need to tell you.” She knew this wouldn’t go over well, but already she felt better starting the process of disclosing. It was time for him to know and for her to come clean, and it just felt right.

Danny must have noticed the gravity in her tone because he looked up at her with a frown. “Uh, that sounds serious.”

She sighed. “Danny, I made a wish earlier today. I didn’t know what it would do and I didn’t mean it.”

Concern flickered to relief before settling on frustration as Danny stared at her. He threw his hands up in the air and threw his head back. “Seriously Jazz?! You’re just now telling me this? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one! You should know better than this! Is this another mess I’m gonna have to clean up?” he asked. His eyebrows rested heavily on his brow.

Maddie shook her head. She didn’t want Danny to think he had to go rushing after some ghost. Based on what Danny said, she didn’t think a ghostly spirit had been made in the fulfillment of this wish. “No, nothing like that. Danny, I made a wish that–”

She never quite got the chance to finish her explanation as the door burst open and Jazz (in her body) rushed frantically into the room. Again Maddie felt that dysphoria of seeing her body from an outside perspective, especially when it resonated with Jazz’s nervous energy. And the part of her that refused to look at herself in a mirror shuddered at looking at her own body when she knew those arms had been used to hold the gun that injured her son.

Jazz looked between them with panic in her eyes. “Danny! I’ve been trying to get your attention all day! Mom made a wish and she traded places with me!”

Maddie’s heart dropped into her stomach. Yes it had been her plan to tell him and unveil everything, but she wanted to be the one to do it. Now he’d feel like she’d been backed into a corner and maybe her pleas wouldn’t come across as honest as they would have if she told him herself. But this was also her penance for waiting so long. She wanted to wait for a perfect moment…and life experiences thus far should have taught her that there never was a perfect moment.

Danny looked between both of them curiously as he scrunched up his brow. “What are you talking about Mom?”

Jazz shook her head. “No, I’m not Mom. That’s Mom,” she said as she pointed to Jazz’s body. “We traded places. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m stuck in Mom’s body and she’s stuck in mine.”

Maddie felt like she needed to say something as Danny’s questioning eyes fell on her, but what could she say? Jazz had already said enough, but it looked like he was looking for some kind of vindication or denial from her. She could really only nod her head as she looked at him with soft, sorrowful eyes. “She’s telling the truth.”

Danny immediately backed away from both of them as his eyes grew wide. His face paled so much she thought he had transformed. “Oh no. No no no no no, how long have you been switched?” He was still trying to find an out, a hope that maybe he hadn’t done what he thought he’d done, even though he’d just turned back not five minutes ago.

“Since after school,” Maddie admitted.

It seemed to solidify even further for Danny that his fears were real. He shook his head numbly. His entire body trembled. He took another shaky step back, and another, until he was up against Jazz’s dresser. He splayed his hands against it and seemed to hold on for some kind of stability. His eyes never left her, like he was watching her. He was terrified.

“No no no no no,” he stammered as he kept shaking his head. “Oh no I–oh god.”

Jazz seemed to immediately catch on (her daughter was so quick) and she brought a hand to her mouth. Her face mirrored the same panic. “Danny, please tell me you didn’t,” Jazz pleaded.

He simply nodded his head as he stared at Jazz’s body in horror. “I did.”

“Danny I–” Maddie tried to say because she had to offer some kind of reassurance. Her children were panicked and terrified because of her, and while she couldn’t blame them (she had created that reason all on her own and she knew that), she needed to make sure they knew they didn’t have to worry about that anymore. But she never got the chance as Jazz swiftly moved in between her and Danny. She recognized that protective stance, because she’d had Jack take some promotional photos of her in that exact stance. “Jazz come on, that’s not necessary.”

“Oh yes it is. If you know then this is very necessary,” she threatened darkly. Was that the same tone Danny heard when she would threaten him? It felt so malicious and serious. She hated hearing it, and hated even more that Danny had to associate that tone and that voice with his mother.

So she tried to remain calm and not get defensive (she deserved this reaction from them after all) as she tried to state her case. “Jasmine, I think it’s great you’re trying to protect your brother. I understand why you feel the need to, but I promise, there’s no need. I’m not going to hurt your brother.”

“Given your track record, I have a hard time believing that,” Jazz spat at her.

She felt that barb strike her deep and her shoulders bowed with the weight of the horrible things she’d done to her son, but she pushed on. “I know,” she said quietly, a stark contrast to Jazz’s vitriolic words. She tried to look past Jazz and meet eyes with Danny, but Jazz moved to continue to block him from view. “I know I haven’t given you a reason to trust me. But Danny, you have to know I’d never do that on purpose! I love you sweetie, and I would never have hurt you if I would have known!”

“Oh so it’s his fault then? Is that what you’re trying to say?” Jazz countered.

“No, that’s not what I said,'' she retorted sharply. She could feel some of the anger she promised herself she wouldn’t show flaring up, but Jazz was making this conversation even more difficult than it already was! “I know it’s my fault. I know what I did. And when I realized it I felt so horrible and disgusted with myself that I–” She balled her hands into fists as she felt that urge to be sick rise up in her again, but she swallowed it down because now was not the time. She heard Danny gasp lightly as his wide blue eyes poked out from behind Jazz.

“That you what, Mom?” Jazz prodded in a flat tone.

“That she was sick,” Danny offered from behind Jazz as he put the pieces together.

Maddie nodded her head sadly. “What kind of mom hurts her own son?” she asked quietly. “A monstrous one. And once I realized it…I couldn’t stand being in my own head.” Jazz’s face softened a bit, and she saw Danny open his mouth but she interrupted him. “No, I’m not looking for pity or absolutions. What I did was monstrous and I have to live with that. So don’t try to make excuses for me. But I do need you to believe me that I’m not ever going to hurt you again, Danny. I never would have done it if I knew. And I get why you didn’t tell me. I didn’t give you any reason to tell me. And that’s why this is my fault.”

She felt something wet hit her cheek. The tears she’d tried so hard to keep inside seemed to leak out despite her best efforts. It’s not that she minded crying - she planned to do a lot of this when everything was all over and she was stuck with nothing but her thoughts in an attempt to sleep - but she wanted this to sound honest and she didn’t want Jazz to accuse her of emotional manipulation. But the way both of her kids looked at her, it made her think she was actually making some headway.

“But Danny, I’ve spent most of the afternoon with you,” she continued. “If I was going to be afraid of you or shun you or hurt you, wouldn’t I have done that already? Instead I asked to go with you on a ghost hunt. You even gave me a thermos–”

“You gave her a what?” Jazz asked as she turned back to look at Danny.

“I thought it was you!” he defended.

“But I didn’t do anything with it!” Maddie pointed out as she tried to get her kids back on topic. “I never pointed it anywhere near you! I never felt anything but pride and sorrow that I hadn’t figured it out sooner.”

The room fell silent for a moment. And then another moment. A few awkward beats hit as Maddie waited for her kids to say something else. She didn’t know what to expect, but she felt the gravity of this moment surround her. What if he didn’t believe her? What if he rejected her? What if he continued to blame her? Would her relationship with her son be even more strained than it already was? It felt like an echo of the fear and panic Danny described to her, about how this very moment would change their family dynamics forever. It could get better, but it could also get much worse, and she understood even more why he felt so scared to say something. Just like him, she feared being on the receiving end of this moment while she awaited a judgment that would impact their relationship forever.

Danny took a step out from behind Jazz, but she noticed he still remained partially obscured. “Maybe it’s because she’s saying it in your voice Jazz…but I believe her,” he finally admitted.

Maddie waited for that rush of relief to hit her, and a little of it did, but she her practical mind knew that this was far from over. He still sought some protection behind his sister for a reason. But it was a step in the right direction, and that’s all she could hope for right now. It helped her breathe a little easier, if anything.

Jazz turned her back on Maddie and knelt down in front of Danny. She placed her hands on Danny’s shoulders. “I know, this body swapping is making this conversation difficult for everyone, but even more so for you because of your displacement of maternal qualities.”

“Wait, my what?” Danny asked abruptly.

“But you don’t have to believe her, Danny,” Jazz continued. “Not unless you want to.”

“I know I don’t…but I do. Because she’s right Jazz; she’s had plenty of opportunities to hurt me tonight. But you didn’t,” he considered as he made eye contact with Maddie. “All you’ve done was try to help and ask me weird questions. And you hugged me as a ghost and - oh that kiss on the forehead makes so much more sense now!”

“I won’t lie sweetie, it was a lot to work through,” Maddie admitted. She was still working through a lot of it. “I still have a lot of questions. But I meant what I said tonight; I’m so proud of you, and of course I still love you. This doesn’t change that.”

The worry seemed to leave Danny’s eyes as a soft smile settled on his face. She tried to return that soft smile, hard as it was with Jazz silently fuming between them. She could just feel her daughter building up to some kind of reprimand.

Sure enough Jazz stood and looked between the two of them before she focused on Maddie. At least she no longer stood in a protective stance or in front of Danny, so Maddie figured she would call that a momentary victory. “So wait, let me get this straight, you’ve been hanging out and fighting ghosts and all this time you never told him we switched places?”

Maddie sighed because she knew Jazz was about to give words to some of the guilt she’d felt throughout the night. “I know, I probably should have said something sooner, but–”

“No but! Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy this is working out. I’ve been trying to convince Danny this would turn out okay for awhile, but I told you to stay away from him! I told you we needed to avoid Danny!” Jazz seethed.

“I know you did, but after what you said this morning, I thought I was doing the right thing. I never expected this was the secret the two of you were keeping!” Maddie defended. She couldn’t defend her violent actions against her son, and she knew that, but she would defend that despite how guilty she felt, she did the right thing by talking to Danny.

Jazz paced around the room angrily. “How could you do this? How could you use me like this? You used me to take advantage of Danny! You used our relationship to pry a secret out of him he wasn’t ready to tell!”

Maddie shrunk a bit in the wake of her daughter’s accusations, because it vocalized something she herself had felt, but she tried to hold firm. “Maybe I did. And that was probably wrong. But I was so worried about you Danny, and I needed to understand since you wouldn’t talk to me. And I get why now, I do. I had every intention of telling you. But once I saw you transform…I knew I couldn’t say something then. You’d panic and I needed…I wanted to show you that it’s okay. That I’m okay with all of this. That we spent the evening together because it’s okay.”

She turned to face her daughter, face lined with apology. “And Jazz, I’m sorry if you feel like I used you. I did, and I didn’t think about how that would make you feel. But this…I needed this Jazz. I needed to see.”

“It wasn’t your right to see until Danny wanted you to,” Jazz shot back.

“No Jazz…it’s okay. I think…I think we’re okay,” Danny spoke up.

“Danny, I know you’re trying to keep the peace, but you can be angry about this,” Jazz groaned with a frustrated sigh.

“Yeah, except I’m not. I’m more just…relieved?” Danny shrugged. “I mean yeah, it sucks hearing that you were lying to me this whole afternoon and pretending to be Jazz just to get me to talk. I probably should be mad about that. But…I’ve also been lying to you for a long time too and I knew those lies were hurting you, so…I kinda get it. I get why those lies feel important sometimes.”

Jazz opened her mouth to argue but Danny held a hand up. “And really, if we want to talk about people forcing my secret, you also found out before I was willing to tell you Jazz, so I don’t know how much of the moral high ground you can take on this.”

Jazz looked taken aback as she scoffed. “Oh no, that’s not the same at all. I found out because you were being careless about where you transformed in public. Here you thought you were transforming in a safe spot.”

“And I thought that alley was a safe spot,” he countered. “But after you found out, you lied to me about not knowing until I was ready to tell you. Which I appreciated!” he said quickly as Jazz opened her mouth to retort. “I did. But I don’t see much of a difference. You both were just trying to do what you thought was best for me after you found out.”

“That’s all I wanted, Danny,” Maddie said earnestly. “You talked about how you were scared that I wouldn’t understand or that I’d be scared of you, and I knew words would only do so much. I had to show you, and that felt like the best way. But I am sorry. I never thought this wish or this body swap would end up here.”

“Yeah, about that wish,” Danny spoke up. “We should probably get that ghost and reverse this wish. I know we’re not done talking about all of this, but I’d much rather have a real sit down about this after you two are in your real bodies. Because this is just so confusing.”

“I would really like to be back in my body,” Maddie agreed. She really did want to talk to her son more about this, but as herself, so he could really see that she meant it.

Jazz sighed and let some of her anger deflate. “Yeah, me too. But it’s not like catching Desiree is easy.”

“Believe me, I’ve been trying all day,” Danny groaned. “But we’ve got no other choice. I’ll just be out all night trying to get ahead of her. It’s fine.” His voice sounded so flat and so resigned, and it shattered a bit of Maddie’s heart that he just expected that he would have to do this all night and alone. Well not anymore.

“Well then I’ll be out all night with you,” Maddie offered.

“What? No, you guys don’t have to be there to reverse it,” Danny tried to explain. “I’ve done these all-nighters before and I’m used to it. …Uh, I mean, I’ve done all-nighters completely in my room while being very respectful of curfew,” he backpedaled quickly as he realized he was talking to his mom.

Maddie chuckled. “Curfew is the furthest thing from my mind right now,” she reassured him. “But no Danny, I think I can help. Your father and I noticed a strange ecto-signature earlier today. I think it might be Desiree. I can probably lock onto it and project it onto my–” she looked down at her wrist and realized she only had Jazz’s practical analog watch on her wrist and not her fancy programmable watch. “Okay, well I can project it onto my watch to lead us there. So Jazz sweetie, I’m going to need my watch.”

“Oh no, no if you two are going to find Desiree, then I’m going too,” she declared. “If you project it onto this watch, I’ll follow it.”

“She does not get the thermos,” Danny decided as he pointed to Jazz.

Maddie put her hands on her hips. “Now really Danny, you were willing to trust your sister with it earlier when you gave me the thermos.”

“That was with some wish-generated spirit, not Desiree herself,” he explained. “I’ll take the thermos. Mom–I mean Jazz, give Mom an ecto-gun.”

Jazz hesitated a moment before she pulled one of the smaller guns off her toolbelt. “Are you sure Danny?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he insisted, and Maddie couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across her face at that sign of trust.

Jazz handed the gun over to Maddie with a significant glance. The look she gave in return was somewhere between frustration and reassurance, but she took the ecto-gun. She immediately went to put it on her hip, but remembered she didn’t have her tool belt or her holster and her pants pocket wasn’t big enough to hold it safely (this is why the hazmat suits were so useful for daily wear!), so she kept it in her hands. Maddie in turn activated the tracker on Jazz’s arm and set it to target the unique ecto-signature. Those classes she took on programming were worth every penny because this new app was fantastic.

With their preparation complete, Danny stood point before them and fumbled with the strap of the thermos. He shifted uncomfortably and Maddie could tell he was hesitating. He had been so quick to transform before when he thought it was just him and his sister. Her presence caused that reaction.

“This feels so weird now,” Danny admitted as he triggered the transformation to his ghostly appearance and gave proof to Maddie’s fears.

She walked over to him with a confident smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not weird for me,” she reassured him. If they were about to fight a ghost, she couldn’t have him hesitating and feeling awkward about using his ghost powers. And if they had any hope of moving on as a family after this, she also needed to make sure he felt comfortable not just knowing that she knew, but being Phantom around her.

Danny gifted her a slight smile before he cleared his throat and turned to the task at hand. “Okay, Mom grab hold of Jazz - no wait I mean, Jazz grab hold of Mom. And then I’ll grab Mom. I mean Jazz. I mean - oh my god this is so confusing!” he groaned as he clenched his hair in his fists.

“I think we understand what you mean Danny, it’s okay,” Jazz assured him. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around Maddie’s waist and held her close. Danny’s arms slid around Jazz to hold her tight.

“Danny, are you sure you’ll be able to–” Maddie started to ask, but the feeling of being weightless again interrupted her as Danny lifted all of them off the ground. Well, nevermind. Her baby boy was so strong!

Again without much warning, Danny turned all of them intangible and flew them out through the wall and into the chilly night air.

~*~

They tracked Desiree for a while. The quick ghost jumped from wish to wish all over the city. This time Danny ignored the ghostly threats created by her in favor of hoping they would all stop once she was imprisoned like last time. It seemed the only way to catch up with her, and Maddie agreed it was a solid plan. They really didn’t have much time to talk during the flight since they focused all their attention on tracking Desiree. Jazz tracked, Danny flew, and Maddie kept a lookout. It wasn’t the best way to air out their grievances, but they did work well together as a team.

Finally Maddie caught a glimpse of a ghostly glow out of the corner of her eye followed by a brush of long black hair. She still didn’t know what this ghost looked like, but she’d notice that ghostly glow anywhere. “Over there!” she pointed. “Pretty sure that’s her.”

Danny didn’t even ask for clarification as he poured on the speed in the direction she pointed. He zoomed around the corner with perfect control that Maddie knew would make Jack proud. “Desiree!” he called to the retreating back of a curvaceous feminine ghost with long black hair and a blue ghostly tail. The ghost looked behind her with a scowl before she shot off down the street. Without further warning, Danny shot off after her. Jazz tensed behind her, but Maddie remained calm; this wasn’t her first time tearing through these streets at breakneck speeds after all.

She had every faith that Danny could keep up with the ghost - she’d clocked Phantom at some pretty high speeds before - but he had two others weighing and slowing him down and it took him time to catch up. And even once he did catch up, his hands were full and he couldn’t engage in combat until she and Jazz were out of those hands. So she waited for the right opportunity and the right angle before she pulled out her ecto-gun and shot two quick blasts towards the ghost. The first burned into her shoulder and the second took advantage of her reaction to the first blast and hit her in the back.

She screamed as she stopped in the air and turned around. It gave Danny just the right amount of time to drop the two of them safely on the cement of the sidewalk and shoot his own blast into her abdomen. Civilians on the street screamed and made themselves scarce as an impromptu ghost battle emerged around them. Good, looked like some of the PSAs she and Jack did about what to do in a ghost fight were paying off!

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Danny pointed out with a knowing smirk.

“Avoiding?” she asked with a coquettish lilt to her voice even as she nursed the injury on her abdomen. “Why would I avoid you? You can’t do anything to stop me! Not after I have granted so many wishes!” she boasted as she glowed with a brighter aura.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I know exactly how to beat you.” He pulled out the thermos and opened it. “I wish you went back into this thermos!”

Maddie had to give it to her son: that was an incredibly ingenious idea! Clearly his poor grades were because of ghost fighting because he was quite resourceful. But after a silent beat…nothing happened, and Desiree laughed. “You fool, I don’t grant every wish I hear anymore! I have become much more selective as I’ve grown in my power!”

“Okay well…this just got a bit more challenging,” Danny frowned.

“Then we do this the old-fashioned way,” Maddie said confidently, rising to the challenge. She hoisted up her ecto-gun, small as it was. Unlike the previous fight, she could actually help this time, and she wouldn’t leave it all up to her son.

Danny rushed towards Desiree as he led with an aggressive ecto-blast, which she countered. That did mean she left herself open for Maddie’s ecto-gun as she got the ghost in the side before she ducked behind a car.

“You, teaming up with your family, this is not how a wish is supposed to work!” Desiree lamented as she took a swipe towards Danny with long sharp nails. He dodged out of the way and Maddie breathed a sigh of relief. “Where is the chaos? Where is the pain? Where is the family tearing itself apart? No, you’re not supposed to be working together! I had so much excitement in mind! Now you’ve turned this into the dumbest wish I’ve ever granted!”

In her anger she summoned a cloud of pink smoke that shot towards Danny and surrounded him, pinning his arms against his chest. He struggled against the bonds, but still didn’t miss a chance for a retort. “Really? Because I thought the dumbest wish was the time I wished you into the thermos,” he quipped with a smirk.

“You dare show this insolence to me?” she thundered. She clenched a fist and the pink smoke squeezed tighter around Danny. “Have you no respect?”

“He shows plenty of respect to the ones who deserve it,” Maddie snapped as she took another shot at the ghost. Shooting a ghost in the back wasn’t necessarily an honorable shot, but it did catch the ghost’s attention. Maddie dove behind a parked car with a well-executed tuck and roll to escape the ghost’s retaliatory backhand. “I’ll keep her attention! Jazz, third pocket on the right; you can free Danny with the Fenton Kinetic Nullifying Implement for Ectoplasm!”

“The Fenton what?” Jazz shouted back.

“The Fenton KNIFE!” Maddie yelled as she rolled around the car to escape another swipe. She stood up quickly and shot the ecto–gun at the ghost’s face. Wow, she hadn’t snapped back up from being on the ground since she was young! Amazing what young knees could do.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Jazz had found the KNIFE and activated it so the glowing blade vibrated so fast only the glow was visible. Satisfied Jazz would get Danny out of his bindings, she kept her promise and kept the ghost distracted with her hit-and-run tactics. She really wished she had more than just this small blaster, but she’d do what she could with it until she could be trusted with a larger one. As she engaged Desiree, she kept an ear out for when Danny was free and she could change her tactics. It didn’t sound like they were making much progress.

“Wait, no no wait, I don’t want that thing anywhere near me!” Danny panicked as soon as he saw the knife.

“I’m not going to cut you, Danny,” Jazz assured him.

“Didn’t you hear the name of that thing? Nullifying ectoplasm? I’m made of ectoplasm!” he yelled.

“Then stop moving!” Jazz reprimanded. “Honestly Danny.”

“‘Honestly’ yourself Jazz. You know, Mom’s body advancing on me with a knife has been a recurring nightmare,” he pointed out in what he probably hoped was a joking tone, but it made Maddie freeze. Oh god, of course he would have nightmares about her doing something horrible to him! How many times had she talked about wanting to get a ghost, specifically his ghost on a dissection table? She had planted those horrible nightmares into his mind just by some of her insensitive comments! She had–

Unfortunately she dwelled on her self-loathing too long, and Desiree shot a beam at her knee which took her down to the ground with a gasp of pain.

“Mom!” Danny yelled as he strained against his bindings. “Jazz, what are you waiting for? Get me out of this thing!”

Jazz made quick, precise work of cutting the smokey bindings that held Danny. She managed to avoid cutting Danny and as soon as she freed him he shot after Desiree with glowing fists. He punched her with such force she slammed into the asphalt before he followed with another vengeful punch.

While Danny pummeled Desiree, Jazz ran over to her mother and knelt down next to her. “Are you okay?” she asked as her hands hovered awkwardly over her knee.

Maddie nodded her head as she winced. “It’s just a burn from an ecto-blast; not the first time I’ve had one. Although, I guess I should apologize since it’s on your body.”

“Yeah, I thought of that,” Jazz sighed. “But I’m glad it’s not something worse.”

“Danny seemed to think it was,” Maddie remarked as she watched Danny throw his full strength into an ecto-blast. He fought with a renewed fury and energy that he didn’t show last time they fought a ghost together.

“He gets a little protective,” Jazz explained, but her words came with a fond smile. They sat silent for a moment as they watched Danny fight. Maddie felt like she should go help, but honestly he seemed to be doing fine on his own.

“He really is doing an amazing thing for this town,” Jazz mentioned after a moment. “I know you and Dad have struggled to see that, but he’s a hero Mom. He sacrifices so much and gets so little. I hope you can see that now.”

Maddie nodded her head as she watched Danny expertly dodge another attack. “I do. And sweetie, I know I took advantage of you and I’m sorry, but I don’t regret it. I’m so glad I know. Now I can focus on how proud I am of him, and of you.”

“Of me?” Jazz asked curiously. “No, Danny’s the hero here.”

Maddie placed a hand on her daughter’s knee. “You both are. You’ve fought so hard to keep your brother’s secret, and you’ve clearly been there for him. I was acting weird after he transformed the first time, but he never doubted anything I said or questioned any of my excuses because he trusts you. He opens up to you. And I’m proud of you for taking care of him when he didn’t feel like he could trust us.”

Jazz blushed as she lifted a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear, but when she realized it didn’t work so well with short hair, she stopped. “Thanks Mom.”

Despite the ghost battle surrounding them, Maddie pulled her in for a hug. It felt so strange to hug her own body, but this time she didn’t mind. Hugging Jazz was far more important than her own discomfort. She could still remember their argument this morning and how quickly Jazz had come to Danny’s defense. Jazz had been doing so much for Danny and taken on so much of this stress, and she hadn’t even noticed. Even though she’d only been in Jazz’s body for a short time, she realized just how much her daughter did for the stability of this family, and she had renewed appreciation for her. She would do better, for Danny and for Jazz, and she would work to support both of them instead of forcing them to rely only on each other.

Unfortunately a crash startled them both out of their hug. Maddie cast about looking for her son, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him still floating in the sky mostly unharmed. Desiree however looked far worse as she weakly floated up from a broken car windshield.

Danny smirked and reached for his back, only to grab at nothing. “Oh man, not again,” he grumbled as he looked around for the thermos.

“Ugh, he lost the thermos again!” Jazz complained. She shot up and dashed over to where he took his first hit, and sure enough, she saw it sitting on the ground. She uncapped it and pointed it at Desiree. The strong suction of the thermos pulled her inside as she cried and screamed in protest before the street fell silent.

“Hey, I told you no thermos!” Danny reprimanded, but his complaints fell on deaf ears.

As soon as the blue light of the thermos died out, a rush of dizziness passed over Maddie. She placed a hand to her head before she slumped against the car and everything went dark.

~*~

Maddie groaned as she sat up and placed her hand on her head. Fainting two times in one day…she wasn’t quite sure her brain could take it. She rubbed the slight headache from her temples when she realized she felt spandex against her skin. She pulled her hands away and saw the black gloves of her hazmat suit. She looked down at her body and saw the teal suit and her curvy figure. She reached up to her face and felt her short hair. She looked over across the street and saw Jazz. Not Jazz in her body, but Jazz’s body, propped up against the car, where she had just been a moment ago.

It worked! The plan worked! Capturing that ghost had reversed the wish and she was back in her regular body! Oh she could not be more excited, and she shared a wide smile with Jazz who also looked relieved at being back in her own body.

“Are you guys back? Like fixed and everything?” Danny asked. He hovered over her as he inspected her with squinted eyes.

“We’re back in our own bodies!” Jazz announced happily as she hugged herself. “I’ve never been so happy to be me again!”

“I agree,” Maddie affirmed whole-heartedly. Everything just felt right again. She felt normal again. The world seemed crisper, and she looked at the street from a familiar height and perspective. The comforting squeak of spandex as she moved. It had been an interesting experience being in another body, and she intended to write her experiences down for scientific study later, but she was so happy to have everything back to normal.

Well, as back to normal as it was going to be now that she knew about Danny’s ghostly alter-ego.

“Oh thank god,” Danny breathed out in relief. “It was getting so confusing.”

“It wasn’t much easier on our end eith–oh. Oh there’s that ecto-blast. Oh ow. Ow ow ow,” Jazz winced and grabbed at her leg below the blast.

Maddie rushed over to her daughter and pulled out the Fenton Pain-Away, a numbing and sanitizing spray that she applied with long practiced ease. “There, that should help until we can get some Fenton Burn Cream on that. And sorry again about getting hit.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jazz assured her as she took Danny’s offered hand to stand. “I’ll be okay. And we’ve got plenty of that burn cream in the first aid kit in my room.”

“...Right,” Maddie said in a flat tone as she looked down at the ground. They needed that cream because of the shots she would take against her own son.

Danny must have picked up on her change in demeanor because he landed on the ground near her and nudged her with his elbow. “Hey, it’s okay Mom. Really. I’m not…I know you feel bad, but I’m not mad at you. I could have said something and stopped it, but I didn’t. But I’m not mad at you, and I forgive you.”

She knew better than to ask for forgiveness from him. She knew she didn’t deserve it yet, if ever. She’d asked for his understanding and a chance, but not for his forgiveness. But hearing that he forgave her and that he didn’t hate her for what she did…it soothed her heart and brought her to tears. She opened her arms for a hug, but she left it to Danny to decide whether he wanted to close that gap. She wouldn’t force it on him, especially since she didn’t know his comfort level with her right now, but after everything they’d been through today she just wanted a hug from her son.

He opened his arms and almost took a step, but he hesitated as he bit his lip. The rings of light appeared around his waist, the ones that somehow transformed him between his two personas. No, that’s not what she wanted. She didn’t know if he triggered the transformation for her or for himself, but she wanted to hug her son no matter what form he was in at the time. She placed a hand on his arm, stalling the transformation. “You don’t need to do that,” she told him simply.

She thought she detected a slight glimmer of tears punctuated against his glowing eyes, but she didn’t see them long enough before he threw himself into her open arms. She closed her arms around his chilly body and held him close, her little ghost boy. Her son, the hero. She pressed a kiss into the top of his head and this time he didn’t back out of it. “I love you, Danny. Just the way you are,” she promised.

He only hugged her tighter in a hold Jack Fenton would be proud of while he mumbled an “I love you” against her jumpsuit. This, it just felt so right. Connecting with her son and being there for her son. Yes, it would be different. Yes, it would take some adjustments. But she was happy to make these adjustments, and these differences would prove to be a good thing for her family. She could just tell. They were all going to be stronger for this.

She wished she could hold onto that hug forever and continue to cherish the way she finally felt connected to her son after so many months of him pulling away, but her son was still a teenager: a teenager with ghost powers, but a teenager nonetheless, and he eventually pulled free from that hug. “We uh, probably need to get out of here,” he suggested as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, before the reporters show up, or someone like Dad or the Red Huntress.”

The mention of her husband shook Maddie out of the pleasant haze she felt at finally reconnecting with her son. “Oh my gosh, your father! I completely forgot about him! We didn’t give him an excuse for where we were going!”

Jazz waved her hand dismissively. “Don't worry, I handled that. I knew we’d probably need some time away from him to figure out this whole body swap situation, so I told him that the Fenton Ecto-Balancer could probably be used to attune a person to the ghost zone. He’s going to be modifying that device all night.”

Danny laughed. “Nice one Jazz.”

“That’s my clever girl!” Maddie praised. Actually, she was almost too good at it. She thought back to times when Danny had mentioned a ghost ran past them, or Jazz mentioned something was on the fritz in the house, or Danny suggested they work on a specific invention. How often had they been trying to keep the two of them busy or misdirect them? “Wait…how long have the two of you been doing this?”

“A long time,” Jazz admitted. “Before Danny even knew I was doing it.”

Maddie just shook her head. Jazz had been right, she had been pretty blind. But no more. “Well now you don’t need to worry about that anymore, at least not with me,” she assured them. “And Danny, I know this has been a lot already but…your father deserves to know.”

Danny sighed as his shoulders deflated a little. “No…I know.”

She placed a reassuring hand on her son’s shoulder. “It doesn’t have to be today. I forced you to reveal this too early to me, and I won’t make you do the same with your father. We’re on your time for this, and I’ll support whatever you decide. But when you do tell him, I’ll be there.”

Danny ran a hand through his hair and let out another heavy sigh. “No, no you’re right. He deserves to know. I’ll tell him once we get home.”

“I think you mean we’ll tell him,” Jazz piped up as she stood next to them.

Maddie placed another hand on Jazz’s shoulder and beamed at her two wonderful, brave children. “We’ll do this together.”

Danny smiled wide and nodded his head. “Yeah, together.”

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

#Danny Phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #phic phight 2023 #fanfiction #Phic Phight #longfic #identity reveal #danny fenton #Maddie Fenton #jack and maddie are trying to be good parents #jazz fenton #maddie pov #desiree danny phantom #Fenton family dynamics #freaky friday #Maddie tries to understand #ending #the end #i did it

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