Dark fantasy AU?
-In hindsight, as he's being chased through the forest, hunted by mythical creatures is not where Reggie thought he'd end up when his folks told him they were moving to Los Angeles. Honestly, considering how he used to roam the woods and fields near his Meemaw's farm, the fact that he'd stumbled into a fairy circle near the beach was almost insulting.
-It's not even that he manages to outrun them. It's that one night (he thinks it's night, though time moves differently here and light and dark are all tangled up and is the purple haze of the sky supposed to be dusk or dawn or just a dark stop of the forest?) he'd decided to just... give up.
He couldn't remember how long he'd been running, running from the pounding of hooves and the yapping of dogs that did not look anything like what a dog should look like. He couldn't remember a time where he wasn't hungry, or thirsty, or tired, but something inside of him just kept making him run and run and run
-But he'd had enough. So he just sat down, with his back towards the noise, and hoped they'll kill him quickly. And to comfort himself, he sang the lullaby his Meemaw used to sing when he was scared of the thunder.
-That's what saved him. One of the fae, Caleb, was so charmed by the song that instead of doing whatever it is they did with their prey, he bundled Reggie up and took him to his... castle. Dwelling. Domain.
-He was dressed in finery and made to sing as Caleb and the other fae danced and ate and did things that Reggie very much had not wanted to see, thank you very much. But eventually, they slept, and Reggie met... the other humans who were trapped here.
-Luke, a young boy who had run away from home to become a musician in 1875. He was distraught to hear Reggie tell him it was the nineties now. Even more distraught when Reggie clarified it was the 1990s.
-There was Alex, who had been cast out of his village for reasons he did not want to share, but that Reggie figured out pretty quickly when he saw the way he looked at Willie. He'd fallen asleep near a fairy circle, and the promises he'd been made had been so tempting, he'd said yes before he fully understood the deal.
-And then there was Willie. The boy who had been stolen from his parents, a changeling left in his place. Who had grown up here, a part of this world yet not really. Who did not know what the other boys meant when they talked about years, or America, or really the whole concept of 'family'.
-Luke's the one who tells them of their escape plan. Alex is worried they can't trust Reggie not to rat him out to Caleb, and Reggie is like: um excuse me I was just hunted for sport for who knows how long you think I wanna help that guy?
-But before he can Willie just tilts his head and says: his heart is pure.
-Which is very sweet but also a little creepy.
-Anyway, they do manage to escape Caleb's clutches somehow, and end up back in the human world.
-Being yeeted out of a little ring of mushrooms in the soil of a plant Ray overwatered in the big plant wall of the Molina studio was not particularly pleasant, okay. Considering a real human should not be able to fit through that. But Willie explained that as soon as a fairy portal grew, it was only a manner of time that the fairies would notice it and stake it out to see what they could lure to their realm.
-Somehow, Luke and Alex get thrown clear across the room, Luke slamming against the door, Alex dropping onto the concrete floor.
-Reggie's not sure if him crashing against a pretty wooden piano is better or worse. The sound it made was definitely worse.
-Somehow, Willie ends up sitting crosslegged on the little piano bench, and he turns and quickly crushes up the mushrooms to destroy the portal.
-Julie, of course, is screaming, Alex and Luke and Reggie are screaming. Willie is trying to explain to Julie she over-watered her fern and pouts when she runs away.
-No they're not ghosts but they are changed and they all have weird powers. Luke nearly cries with joy that he can still summon his guitar. Alex is really not okay with this whole 'walking through walls' thing. Reggie is sad he cannot summon a puppy or a pizza.
-Willie can teleport short distances and is shocked to learn humans can't just do that? You have to walk everywhere? Or ride a horse. What's a car? What's roller skates? He needs to see one of these skateboad things immediately, let's summon the human girl back to ask for one. What can they trade for a skateboard?
-They're kind of freaked out at the whole 2020 thing, but hey, Reggie's like: at least it hasn't been a hundred years like when I told Luke about the 90s.
-Queue canon but it's even worse and more chaotic.
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Still in the bag!
Meet Fairy!! Um... again. quq
I go to my LFS on Fridays so that I can see their shipments before the weekend crowd gets in, and the downside of this is that all the fish are on the pale side from stress because of their recent travel and unpacking. However, when I found her in the tank, she had a very clear horizontal brown stripe, which makes me certain that this honey gourami is female! She lost it in the bag here (again, due to the stress of traveling in my car), but she colored up in the tank within minutes.
feat. Jin Ling lurking in the back like a serial killer
All of the neon tetras were very interested in greeting her. Please just imagine that seagull scene from Finding Nemo where they're all going, "Mine?!" except it's my obese tetras chanting, "Food?!"
No. Fish are friends, not food. How are you this fat, I barely feed you any more!! I'm convinced they've figured out how to bite off the bottom feeder pellets I give the loaches once they soften up a bit.
I'M NOT TOUCHING YOU
Here she is trying to give Jin Ling a handshake with her feeler fins. He's not very receptive to friendship right now because he's got his breeding stripes on and is building a comically oversized bubble nest in that corner of the tank, but I'm hoping they get along once he calms down and feels less territorial. She definitely isn't as skittish as he is, and he stops chasing her once she leaves his bubble nest corner alone.
If I looked like that I'd admire my own reflection, too.
Overall, she is a very pretty and sweet fish! Even if it is difficult to take non-blurry photos of her due to how quick she is. I have high hopes that she will adapt well to the tank. Everyone in it is healthy, so if she survives the overall stress of transport and makes it the next few days, things should hopefully turn out great!
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It may not be a curtain vision, but here’s a little snippet of a dream I had with Reynie. There’s very limited context but I hope you enjoy regardless!
✧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈✧
Reynie hovered by the dining room entrance, his stomach twisted in knots. He took a hesitant step forward, and then another. Mr. Benedict sat at the table, a book in hand, while Number Two bustled about the kitchen, preparing breakfast.
"Where is everyone?" Reynie's voice barely rose above a whisper. Mr. Benedict looked up in slight surprise before smiling, his glasses balanced delicately on the bridge of his nose.
"Ah, good morning, Reynie," he greeted warmly, setting aside his book and removing his glasses. "I believe Milligan and the others took the children out to run errands."
“Oh,” Reynie murmured, swallowing hard. ‘Of course after everything they probably don’t want to see me…’ His thoughts trailed off as he lingered in the doorway.
Mr. Benedict waved him in. “Sit down, sit down! Number Two is almost done with breakfast.”
Reynie hesitated before taking the seat opposite Mr. Benedict. The only sound was the gentle crackling of food on the stove.
“How are you feeling?” Mr. Benedict's voice broke the silence. Reynie glanced down, fidgeting with his hands.
"Fine," he replied quietly.
The room fell silent once more. Mr. Benedict regarded him with an indefinable expression. It wasn’t negative really, but Reynie felt terrible from it all the same.
"Reyn—" Mr. Benedict started, interrupted by the arrival of a plate.
"Oh, lovely! Thank you, Number Two," he said gratefully before turning back to Reynie, ready to continue their conversation.
"Toast?" Number Two interjected, addressing Mr. Benedict.
Mr. Benedict blinked in surprise. "Yes- sorry- Toast?”
“I wasn’t sure which bread you wanted? We have whole wheat, whole grain, sourdough…”
“Well, Yes I’m sure they’re all good Number Two.” Mr Benedict began. Number two cut him off.
“…pumpernickel, rye bread, a baguette, white bread, brown bread-” She continues listing of bread.
“Yes, Number Two, that’s all fine—“ Mr. Benedict quickly looked up at her, bewildered. “Do we really have that much bread?”
Reynie glances between them.
“Any bread will do Number Two. Or no bread… Actually I’m rather fine without toast.”
“..No bread?” Number Two mumbled, a look of disbelief on her face.
Reynie slowly gets up from his chair as to not draw attention to himself. Maybe this conversation will last long enough for him to slip away and avoid talking about last night. Once he’s a good distance from the table he turns asround, preparing to make a quick exit up the stairs.
"Reynie?" Mr. Benedict's voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned, meeting Mr. Benedict's gentle smile, which was enough for him to sit back down at his seat.
“Sorry.”
"No need to apologize, my dear boy," Mr. Benedict reassured him.
Reynie lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
“Now, first things first, are you hungry?”
Reynie looks at him and then at Number Two. He pauses, then smiles. “Actually, is it alright if I have some toast?”
Mr. Benedict laughs for a moment, before promptly passing out.
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