#and i'll always believe there will be communication/contact between them in small ways until they reunite so here's to hope and love 💖

[mobius-m-mobius]

ty for giffing some of the sweeter lokius scenes! everyone's reunion fanart is beautiful and hopeful then finale gifs make me cry again lol. it's nice to remember how many romantic moments we got 💚💛

Oh that's very kind of you to say and I can certainly relate! Was planning to rewatch the entire Loki series but keep getting caught up in Lokius being separated for now when all they've wanted is to be together working towards good so might pivot into going back through Owen's filmography instead for some much needed and guaranteed happiness 😅💖

If it helps Loki Appreciation Week is coming up soon, Dec 11th-17th, and I'm sure there will be plenty of love going around for everyone's favorite eps and moments! I'm going to be following my own lead from airing and giffing the first thing that pops into mind each day like a speedrun so can't promise zero angst but will definitely be trying to keep the majority more fun and romantic to celebrate what most of the season felt like to me 🥰

[marichat-verse]

Mist Memories

Leo Valdez x reader for his birthday ahhhh (even though it's angsty) with a platonic/developing jason x reader cameo at the end (lmao im sorry i couldn't help myself 😭)

Based on this picture I found in pinterest + also [kinda] based on traitor by olivia rodrigo and omg i really recommend u guys listen to this edit because it reminds me so much of this fic that's been stuck in my head for MONTHS also kind of a run away with me prologue lol

Your POV

I nervously made my way across the forest until I reached a limestone cliff. I knocked on the iron door, not really expecting to get an answer.

My boyfriend has been shutting himself in Bunker 9 for the past few weeks. I stood there counting up to seven before knocking again. I knocked again two more times, until he answered in the middle of my last knock.

He removed his goggles and winced as sunlight hit his eyes. He'd grown thinner and paler, making the dark circles in his eyes more pronounced.

"Oh, Leo..." I reached out to brush a few strands of hair away from his face, but he moved away.

"What are you doing here?" He said in a monotone voice.

I moved to walk inside the Bunker, brushing off his hesitation to let me in. "I'm your partner, remember? And I'm really concerned because you're shutting yourself out lately. You know everyone's starting to worry about you. Percy asked me to check on you because you missed pegasus riding with him. Oh, and I'm pretty sure Jason's coming back from Camp Jupiter soon. I was hoping you and Annabeth could be with Piper while Percy and I hung out with Jason because it's been a little awkward since their breakup. Plus Piper wanted to tell you something—"

"Please," he said forcefully causing me to stop and look at him. "Just... Get out."

Normally, he'd shut himself from the world for a few days to work on an important project or because he was feeling really sad and he needed space. But this was getting out of hand. He had never locked me out of his life when I offered to help him. He was never this mean when he asked for space. I was not having this attitude of his.

"Okay, Leo. I tried to play nice. What is so important that you blow off all your friends for nearly a month that you can't even tell your partner, or maybe say hi to your best friend who's coming back from the other side of the country?"

He didn't say anything. He pursed his lips and avoided eye contact. I scanned he room for any signs.

It was messier than usual with all the crumpled paper scattered on the floor, especially on his desk. He could have been drawing up new plans. Something in my gut told me that something wasn't right. There were no new unfinished projects, indicating that he wasn't starting a new invention. Harley's helicopter lay on his bench in the same state it was weeks ago. Huh, not even his siblings could enter the Bunker.

I turned and Leo was already changing Festus' oil. I took this moment of distraction to pick up a few pieces of crumpled paper on the floor and on his desk. I had to process the words a bit longer—too long that Leo took notice. Damn dyslexia.

I heard footsteps speed up behind me, but it was too late. I read enough and got the gist of what he had been trying to do these past few weeks.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled at me. Small embers started to erupt between his curls.

I laughed dryly. "So this is what you've been up to?"

His fists tightened, further crumpling the paper in his hands. His eyes flashed with anger, despair and confusion.

I sighed and focused my eyes on his desk, not daring to look at him any longer. Under some pieces of paper were old photographs of him and Piper from Wilderness School. Yup, those definitely were the mist memories she had with Jason. I read the latest draft he'd been writing:

Dear Piper,

Remember the mist memories from boarding school with Jason? They were real, but they were with me.

I miss you. I miss when it was just us. I miss the night on the roof.

Yours truly,

Leo Valdez

I tried to keep my voice from cracking. "How long?"

I heard him sigh. "Three weeks."

I balled my fists. Tears started to fall and smudge the ink. I wiped them away as fast as they came.

"How?"

"In a dream," his tone softened now. "Hera came to me in a dream and told me to check an old drawer in Bunker 9. I found the photos and the memories came rushing back."

"How long were you dating back then?"

"Two weeks."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

Silence; then a deep breath.

"No."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I knew you'd get upset like—"

"I meant why would you throw away months of our relationship for a couple of weeks of your relationship with her? And without even bothering to tell me? Gods damn it, Leo. We've been together since you've first arrived at camp. And what about those promises you made when we were sailing to Greece? You've been keeping these feelings away from me and you've been lying to me, making me believe that there's still something between us and—"

"Oh, calm down," he said with an annoyed expression and tone, which only infuriated me more, "it's not like I did anything were her yet! I didn't kiss her or tell her how I truly felt for her! She just got out of a relationship with Jason around the same time I had that dream. I had to figure out how to talk to her about it. I've been alone in this Bunker for three. Fucking. Weeks. I didn't cheat on you."

"Oh, and that makes everything better?" I countered. "Being in a relationship isn't about not cheating, Leo. It's about being honest and communicating with each other."

"Oh, like you've been communicating with me? After the war, you take go back to Manhattan for school, and you take a job. I haven't seen you much during the holidays because work has been keeping you in the city. And you won't tell me what you even do for a living!"

I took in a deep breath. "I told you I needed to have a life outside of camp! I needed to know first that I could handle myself in the mortal world as a normal human being. I needed this demigod part of my life to be separate as much as possible! I've been in two wars, Leo. I needed time to myself, too. And I was about to tell you guys in a few more days. But I guess now, I'm glad I've kept you out of that part of my life. At least I have an escape from all of this. And now, especially from you."

I took another deep breath and walked to the door, about to let myself out. I turned back again, both our tear-stained eyes meeting each other.

"If it makes you feel any better," I said softly, "I would've hated the idea of us breaking up. But if you really love her, if you really feel like you have this special connection to her and she makes you happy, then I won't get in your way. You could at least have had the decency to talk to me so we could have left on a good note."

He looked at me with wide eyes, clearly regretting his actions. I sighed and looked around the Bunker, possibly for the last time. Lots of memories were definitely created in this room; all just as grand and meaningful as the inventions they made here. But just like some of Hephaestus' contraptions, some of them were flawed and dumped in his scrapyard, no matter how much potential it could have had.

"Goodbye, Leo."

I sat on a rock on the beach that gave me a beautiful view of Long Island Sound. To my left, the sun started to set, casting an orange filter on everything. My heart broke, remembering how everything glowed orange in the Bunker. Leo always left the fires burning when he was working. The sunlight twinkling against the sea reminded me of how small bits of flame peaked through his hair earlier. I remembered how mad he was at me. Or maybe he was mostly mad at himself.

"Hey."

I jumped when someone sat—or rather, landed—beside me. I turned and smiled, seeing one of my good friends back at camp.

"Hey, you're back," I said weakly. "How long have you been here?"

He smiled at me, although he could maybe sense that something was wrong. "Half an hour, maybe? I saw Annabeth making plans to expand camp to have a city. She made me do an aerial inspection and I told her I'll get back to her tonight. That's when I saw you."

"Mhmm," I mumbled, not really knowing what to say. It was silent for a few minutes before I spoke up again, knowing he was just waiting for me to open up.

"I broke up with Leo."

His head quickly turned to me. I guess he wasn't expecting it to be that bad. "What?"

"Oh yeah," I laughed dryly. "Turns out the mist memories Piper had in Wilderness School with you? They were real. But not with you."

His eyes widened. "Oh... With Leo."

"He locked himself in the Bunker for weeks trying to write a letter. It was heartbreaking. Like, truly heartbreaking. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her and how much he missed them. Then he said how much he missed that night with her under the stars and... It hurt. Like hell."

"Oh," he said. "I guess Piper didn't tell me everything then."

"She knew all along?"

He shook his head. "Maybe not everything, but she told me she's been confused about her feelings lately and she'd been having visions or dreams of possible old memories that were messing with her head."

"I'm sorry about you and Piper," I said.

"Don't be," he said. "I understand her. It did hurt, though. But I think I can get over it some day. We're still awkward around each other, but at least we left on a good note."

I scoffed. "Leo couldn't even give me a good ending to our relationship."

"Hey," he said as he put a hand on my shoulder. "You're a great person, y/n. You've done so much, especially for him. It's his loss that he was stupid enough to let go of you."

"I know that."

"Do you really?"

"I do!" I said. "I'm a great person and I know that. But that doesn't mean what he did doesn't hurt me."

"I know," he said. "You'll find someone who'll treat you like the queen that you are. You're a great person, and I'm not just saying this to cheer you up. I truly think you're amazing."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Jason. And you'll find someone great, too. Maybe not as great as me but, then again, who is?"

We both let out a laugh. The conch sounded in the distance, signaling dinner. I moved to stand up before hearing Jason speak up again.

"Hey, do you maybe want to just grab a couple of plates and eat out here?"

I smiled. "Yeah. That sounds good. I don't really want everyone else hounding me about the breakup right now."

I don't know how long it was going to take me to get over Leo. We really did gave something special. It was cruel how the universe gave me something so good, to make me have hope that something was finally going right, then have it yanked away from my arms just as suddenly as it came.

He never cheated on me, but that didn't mean he didn't betray every promise we made to each other. I should have known it was too good to be true. Life has always played cruel jokes on me.

Then again, who's to say that things won't turn out for the better, right?

•••

Tagging: @drvrslcense @bubblybubbubs @dreamerball @quteez @aesthetxcimagines @chasingpj @beingleft @wadewilsonsgreatestfriend

[bluerosewritings]

Tarts and Kisses | Riddle x Fem!Reader

[Originally posted on “The Heart Mirror” on Wattpad]

Riddle stared at his phone, biting his lip. The red head wasn't usually one for late nights - if things were going his way, he would have finished going over his notes half an hour ago and would now be sleeping. Unfortunately, things were not going his way.

Because of rule 373 of the Queen of Hearts - 'if one is unable to be near the person of their affection, they must partake in a form of communication at the 9th hour of the 5th night' - the two of you always called each other at nine o'clock every Friday. The two of you had also decided to alternate who called who each week, this week being your turn to call.

Yet you hadn't called.

At first, Riddle had brushed it off as you being distracted. Sure, he was a little annoyed that you hadn't properly adhered to the rules, but whenever you hadn't in the past you usually had a proper reason.

So when Riddle watched the clock hit ten, he began to worry. Surely you wouldn't have taken this long to call? As menial as the calls were, you'd told him often how you "loved just hearing his voice". Maybe you fell asleep? But wouldn't you have told him how tired you were?

Unable to take it any longer, Riddle left his room. As he passed by the dorm lounge, he caught a glimpse of Trey out the corner of his eye.

"You're back late, Trey," Riddle said, slowing down his pace, "are you finished with the food for tomorrow's Unbirthday Party?"

"Hmm? Oh, Riddle. Thought you'd be asleep by now." Trey replied.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm on my way to check on (y/n)," Riddle frowned, "she missed our Friday call, and I... need to make sure that she has a proper reason."

Trey smiled, knowing how soft Riddle could be when it came to enforcing rules on you. Then realisation dawned on him.

"Ah, Riddle, she won't be in her dorm," Trey explained, "I asked her to help me with the last of the Unbirthday Party food, but we had an accident... nothing major. But it probably distracted her."

"I see... thank you, Trey. Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone."

"W-Wait, Riddle...!"

—

You pushed the tart to the back of the fridge. After closing the door, you looked over at the other treats lined up on the cafeteria kitchen's windowsill. Trey had said that they would be better there instead of the fridge.

Next, you walked over to the oven and peered at the tray of cookies. Rows of hearts, spades, clovers, diamonds and roses were hardening nicely from what you could tell. Since you'd left them until last, Trey had said to just let them cool and he'd ice them in the morning. That just left...

You turned around and grimaced. The giant pile of flour and the wrapping they exploded from taunted you. Where did they keep the broom again...?

Before you could begin your search, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around your body. You turned around to see who it was only to have a pair of lips crash against yours mid-turn.

At first you panicked, then your eyes noticed a familiar heart-shaped cowlick. Relieved, you relax into the kiss, wrapping your own arms around your boyfriend. When you sadly pull apart, Riddle presses a kiss on your cheek. You smile and nuzzle your face into his neck, allowing him to press a third kiss on the top of your head.

"You worried me." Riddle mumbled, stroking the back of your head.

"Worried?" You frowned. "Why?"

Riddle sighed. "(y/n), it's nearly 11."

"Wait, what?" You pulled away from the hug and went over to your bag. Once you fished your phone out, you cringed at the time on the display. "Oh, Riddle, I'm so sorry..."

"As you had a genuine reason, I'll let you off the hook this time," Riddle said kissing your other cheek, "however, next time it'll be off with your head. Understand?"

You giggled. "Yes, my Queen."

Before you could lean in for another, the oven timer went off. Remembering the cookies, you cursed and grabbed the oven mitts.

Riddle watches as you start unloading the cookies onto a cooling tray, his eyes brightening with amusement as you start moving the rose-shaped ones.

"Did you do these one?" He asks.

"That obvious?" You chuckle, feeling your cheeks light up slightly.

Riddle shakes his head, smiling. "We don't usually have rose-shaped cookies for the Unbirthday Party, so I figured you must have thought of it instead of Trey. They're cute."

"T-Thanks." You stammer.

You push the rack backwards towards the rest of the treats. Riddle takes the oven mitts off you and puts them away as you make room for all of them.

"Is everything meant to be on the side?" Riddle asks when he's back by your side.

You nod. "Trey said only the tarts had to go in the fridge. Everything else was better off on the side to cool - I was just making sure the cookies were easy to reach, since they need to be iced in the morning..."

Riddle hums in response. "If you want, I could help you move everything to Heartslabyul. That way-"

"No!" Riddle looks at you, confused. "I-I mean, I don't wanna risk dropping anything! Since, y'know, w-we won't have any time to remake it..."

"Are you sure?"

You nodded quickly.

"Very well..." He said, not full believing you but deciding not to push it. Maybe you were just tired.

You sighed in relief. Riddle already seeing the rose cookies was already a bit of a let down, but as long as he didn't see what was in the fridge, it wasn't all for nothing.

Your eyes caught sight of the flour pile again. "Oh, shoot, I forgot about that... Riddle, do you know where they keep the cleaning broom?"

Riddle followed your line of vision and saw the pile. It was almost up to his ankles, with parts of their bags sticking out. This must of been the accident Trey was talking about - flour bags all exploding on the ground.

He took a look at your face and decided it was best not to ask. Now that he got a good look at you, there were bags under your eyes. You really were tired.

"Allow me." Taking out his magic pen, Riddle chanted a short spell.

The flour and paper bags lifted off the floor. With another flick of his wrist, two of the bins opened and the levitating items sorted themselves into them.

You let out a sigh of relief and kissed your boyfriend's cheek. "Thanks. I really didn't want to deal with that..."

Riddle chuckled, catching your hand in his. "I could tell. Was there anything else? Or can I walk you back to your dorm now?"

"You may." You say with a smile.

You threaded your fingers between his as the two of you set off. While you tried to listen to what you boyfriend was telling you, a mix of tiredness and thoughts of tomorrow were making it near impossible. Even as you kissed Riddle goodnight and waved him off, all you could think about was his future smile at your present.

—

The horns sounded off. "Our great leader! The Crimson Ruler! Announcing Dorm Head Riddle!"

"Dorm Head Riddle! Hip hip hooray!"

He really did look like royalty, you thought, watching Riddle walk down to the head table, crown balanced on his head and cape fluttering behind him. As according to the laws of the Queen of Hearts, Trey as vice dorm leader was to his left and you as his girlfriend were to his right. Not wanting to risk any chance of him seeing your gift, you shifted your legs slightly to block the bag as best as you could, Riddle luckily being too preoccupied with checking the decorations to notice your fidgeting.

"You all have your teacups?" Cater nudged you and you quickly grabbed your teacup's handle. "Today is nobody's birthday, so to this Unbirthday Party! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Rang out across the field.

You took a sip - earl grey for this month - and looked over at Riddle. His gaze was directed towards the selection of tarts Trey had made; berries and cream, raspberry almond crumb, brown butter apple. You saw the flicker of confusion in his eyes. Figuring now was the perfect time, you placed down your cup.

You pulled the bag onto your lap. "Riddle?"

Riddle turned to you. "Yes?"

Surprise lit up his face when you emptied the bag. Carefully, you held out a strawberry tart towards him. The tart was slightly smaller than the others, with the strawberry slices carefully arranged into the shape of a heart.

"Sorry if I seemed a little off yesterday," you said as he takes the tart off you, "I just didn't want you to find out. You're always so kind to me, helping me out even when we weren't dating... I wanted to do something for you in return."

A soft smile grew on Riddle's face. You swear you could feel your heart jump out of your chest when you two made eye contact, the adoration in his eyes making you melt. The kiss he pressed against your cheek didn't help.

"Thank you." Riddle seemed to whisper in your ear.

Riddle pulled away and placed the tart on a plate. Carefully, he took out a knife and cut out a slice, placing it on his plate.

"Shouldn't Ace do that for you?" You asked, remembering the Queen of Hearts rule 41.

"I'd rather do it myself." Riddle replied, prompting a small blush grew on your cheeks.

While Riddle tried to keep his adult composure, inside he was like a gleeful child. Cutting away part of the tart, Riddle couldn't stop his heart rate growing at the thought of you making this especially for him. It tasted different from Trey's - a little heavier, but somehow sweeter. So sweet. It was addicting.

He glanced over at you. You were watching him nervously, smiling when he caught your eye. Spearing another part of the tart, he brought it to your lips.

"Say 'aah'." Riddle wasn't usually one for public affection, but he felt it was only right to share the tart with you. The red glow on your face was nice too.

The tart hadn't tasted exactly how you thought it would, but watching Riddle immediately return to finish off the slice before cutting off another. As he offered you another taste, you wondered if Trey would let you help with baking again.

[taurealuna]

Hiii...I'm G(she/her) I'm 20... So I've been down lately. I don't know why sometimes i feel so ignored and rejected by people and i always feel like they think I'm naive. I've always felt like that but never this strong and I've never disliked myself this much until now. Partly maybe because of the ending of friendships with my only 2 closest people, i was tired of being the only one putting effort. One day i stopped initiating contact and i heard from them its been months now. That kind of made this all hard, i started noticing everything more. It always have been like this, I've been betrayed and abandoned even bullied(bullying happened during my childhood) by people who i used to call my bestfriends but this time i don't know why this have so much affect on me now. I'm struggling alot with my self confidence and insecurities and self worth.I'm trying to heal myself now and I'm trying to be self confident. I'm so sorry for this big ask, if it's not a problem can you do a reading for me?.. regarding where I'll be 2-3 years from now on mentally and in genral, any carrier advice. If you need my zodiac placements are Virgo rising and virgo sun in 1st house, Gemini moon in 9th, Libra mercury and venus in 2nd and virgo mars in 12th.

Thank you💜!!

hello G! 💜💜

firstly i just want to say that i’m really really sorry for the late reply, i hope you’re feeling better/okay now. i could sense a lot of sadness from you and i’m sorry that you’ve been through so much but i understand how you feel. i hope you remember that you’re not alone in this world!

in the next 2-3 years, i feel that you will find a certain level of emotional stability and even to a small extent, financial stability. i see that although now you have gone through such difficult times, there is hope and strength for you to grow into a better version of yourself. with the king of cups and the strength card, i believe this is an encouragement for you to look into the future and envision who you want to be. i see that you will develop a sense of individualism that nobody can tear down this time, and i feel that you will grow into someone who is kind and perceptive as well. you will be warier against people who will take advantage of you. your current situation is represented by the 9 of cups in reverse. the 9 cups represent a healthy self-image and emotional state, and with this card in reverse, it shows how broken and beaten down you are by the situations in your life and how people have left you. you are someone who treasures these friendships a lot but people often let you down, all the time. i see that these experiences helped you to recognize who you are and where your boundaries are at. it is time to alright to leave it in the past and move on from it. there could be a level of spite that can arise from these tensions with the past. facing your emotions honestly and recognizing others for who they are can help you to move past them.

justice and balance seem to be a big theme for you at the moment. right now as you’re growing into your adulthood, you are learning how to balance your impulsiveness/ desires with the world around you. there seems to be an abundance of wands energy here which signifies the fire energy. in your youth, you could have been someone who was eager to make a wide circle of friends and was chasing after a sense of community? in a way, you were clear in what you wanted however things didn’t seem to go your way. as you grow older, you start to realise what are the things that are truly important to you and you slowly learn the difference between false friendships and real friendships. i feel that you may have had a desire to be recognized by your friends and wanted them to recognize your worth and talents. i feel that it is important for you to learn how to recognize these in yourself as well. you may have had friends who exuded the same energy with you as well, straightforward and popular in a way. this reminds me a little of those popular cliques in high school movies (mean girls? but not exactly the same either) i feel that there could have been times where your ‘friends’ made you feel left out several times as well. with the moon, it is important for you to not blur your boundaries and allow others to mistreat you again. beware of those who seem nice and often compliment you, they may not mean it. many times their words could have a hidden meaning to it as well. if you are able to discern this, i feel that you will feel a lot more at peace with yourself as well. 

[privilege-archives]

ELEANOUR FABRAY ➝ THIRD SIBLING

I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN

❖ FULL NAME: Eleanour Darcy Fabray. ❖ PRONOUNS: She/Her. ❖ AGE: 21. (June 21st). ❖ BIRTH ORDER: Third. Quad to Second, Fourth & Fifth Fabray. ❖ GRADE: Senior. ❖ MAJOR: Biochemistry and Microbiology. ❖ SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Closeted Homosexual. ❖ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Closeted Homoromantic. ❖ FACECLAIM: Dianna Agron.

I'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME

TW: IMPLIED ABUSE

Even as an infant, Darcy was vastly different from her sisters. She was the loudest crier, the fussiest child that needed to be hold a certain way, the one that would only settle when she was put down in a crib on her own. She was often the reason some nannies couldn’t last long in their duties of taking care of them. More so when she began to grow and became mobile, her shrieks and cries would echo around the house that it was almost painful to hear, only because she wouldn’t settle. This didn’t change when Judy came around to secure roles for them in her films. She never took well to the fame her parents have and she was often the first to go missing when it would involve being in the spotlight. It took a lot of crying, tantrums, and plenty of ‘discipline’ from her parents to get her to recite her lines or act on camera. Her favourite word had always been ‘no’, especially when she had to endure flashing lights and crowds.

Growing up into such a prestigious family, Darcy fell short in the family standard of perfect. She was a difficult companion, having a plethora of peculiarities, ranging from ‘no contact’ to ‘being too literal’. She liked her own company and her short tolerance from being around people painted her as an anti-social. Nothing neither Russell nor Judy could be proud of about her. Their frustration in their inability to understand her resorted heavily in getting her disciplined the only way they know how, with a heavy hand. They weren’t shy about how they felt about her and how she ‘should be more like her siblings’, either. This resulted in planting a seed of resentment in Darcy’s young mind towards her parents and a rift between herself and her sisters. She was never good enough in their eyes, and having seen herself inferior to her siblings caused her to be perpetually uncomfortable in her skin.

Curling upon herself, Darcy spent her childhood years filled with a sense of isolation and loneliness. Despite having her sisters around, she remained mostly in her room, whether she either be found reading her books or breaking things. It was why her parents were mostly infuriated with her. She wanted to understand how things work. With an insatiable curiosity for the world, she would often resort to breaking things so she could see how it worked inside which is what she did to the curtains in her room at the age of 3. She was playing with a lighter she found in the coffee table by the living, the same lighter she noticed Russell used to light a stick. Wanting to figure out how something could create a fire, she swiped it and headed up to her room. She had plenty of attempts until she figured out how to use it…then accidentally burnt her finger on the trigger button. Shaking her hand off from the heat and checking it through her tears, her attention was lost to where the lighter landed. By the time she noticed it, there was smoke and her curtains already lit up, triggering the fire alarms to ring around the entire house. It was a chaos of sounds and yelling and people and Darcy snuck under her bed to get away from the overwhelming flood of sensory information. When the firefighters came around to put out the fire and everyone settled down from the panic, she heard her name being beckoned in a looming soft voice of her mother. That day, she received a spanking afterwards that had her carrying an ice pack for her butt for a couple of days.

At lost of what to do with Darcy and her oddities, Russell and Judy brought their daughter to a professional child psychologist. They believed her tendencies could be fixed and they could have an easier time dealing with her but Darcy, at the first few sessions, never talked nor looked at the therapist. It took a while before the girl took to her therapist and what followed those sessions were behaviour modification drugs and anti-anxiety. Later down the years, an antidepressant medication was added but Darcy, more or less, remained the same way. The only change was that she was manageable. Her tantrums lessened and so did her communication skills. She had figured that if she had kept her mouth shut and let them be, she won’t be in trouble as much and it gave her some peace. Her effective coping mechanism may have made her less of a target for trouble but it brought a greater distance between herself and her family because they’ve gone through so much trouble in trying to ‘fix’ her, implying that there was something broken inside of her that needed repairs; something not quite right fitting into her family standards. What Russell and Judy didn’t know was that Darcy was at lost as they are because she couldn’t, for the life of her, understand why she had to be this way and not normal like her sisters. There had been times where she felt this bubble of anger towards herself for being herself because that was where the problem lies and that anger hurt more than she would admit.

The greatest (and quite possibly the only) distraction Darcy had to her personal complicated issues was schooling. She liked going to school, despite having a hard time connecting with people her age. Learning meant figuring out how things worked and it gave her so much joy to be at school, especially being in science class. That was where Darcy’s love for science started. From the simplicity of growing plants to complexity of how a cell worked, she was in awe of it all. It made her feel welcomed, in the way where her excessive thirst for knowledge could finally be fulfilled and for once, she wasn’t lost at all. Unlike in her reality where she was lost in human contact and communication. Somehow, things were so much easier to grasp than people and it had always been like that ever since. Apart from her love for science, the school provided another avenue in which Darcy showed interest and it was photography and it started when she saw an ad from her high school bulletin board. They needed a photographer for their newspaper club and by then, Darcy knew better than to remain around the family household than needed so she took the opportunity to make sure she wasn’t always around. She enjoyed being behind the camera, taking photos of scenery and of people then taking notice of how they smiled or acted so differently with a lens in front of them. It was largely due to the anonymity it provided rather than being the one in front of it. Things went even better when she met a small group of people who seemed to take a liking on her. Cautiously curious, she allowed herself to hang out with them at times and she realised perhaps her life wasn’t that bad when she had friends.

It was due to her friends why Darcy was even able to figure out a way for combating her anxiety towards people, through drinking. At first, she was reluctant to try it, having a slight distaste for it because of Russell’s drinking but she was always a pushover so it didn’t take her much to get convinced. Soon, she, too, partook in recreational drinking and ‘youthful shenanigans’ such as skinny dipping at a lake. It felt nice to just be. Her friends had also been the reason as to how she managed to get acquainted early to sex. It was during one of the parties her friends brought her to and drinking made socialising with people easier. However, between her medications and alcohol, her lapse in judgement brought her to fall into bed with a stranger and lose her virginity to him in her drunken state. Even though, it was consensual, she wasn’t prepared for such a thing to have happened that afterwards, she called a taxi to drive her home where she soaked in her bath and cried. She was torn at what to feel because she allowed it to happen but she couldn’t believe it had happened, that…someone had touched her like that, something she had been highly particular about.

Knowing there was nothing to be done about it, Darcy accepted what happened and moved on. She would simply smile at her friends when they would joke that she ‘got some’ during that particular night. There were other things that needed her attention and she knew she would rather forget about it. When her friends brought her to another party, she made sure she didn’t drink as much as to not allow another repeat of what had happened to her before. What actually ended up happening was having a girl on her lap. She wasn’t sure how she came to be there or if she somehow beckoned her but she was there, causing her slightly to get anxious. She wasn’t used to this, more so, when people began to chant for them to kiss. She had wanted to leave, then, but as she looked into those eyes and felt those hands on her cheeks, she was rooted to the spot on the couch. Without warning, she felt those lips press against her, and tasted the fruity-flavoured Chapstick from the girl’s lips, and with that single moment, she knew she wanted more. That somehow, this felt more natural to her. She almost didn’t want to stop, not even after everyone cheered at seeing two girls kiss. She was thankful too that nothing further than kissing happened, making it more memorable to her than her first time having sex. It was then that she realised that perhaps there was a reason why she didn’t like her first time and it may or may not involve the gender of the person she was with.

Being enrolled in Pacific hadn’t been one of Darcy’s priority because she had her eyes set on leaving California for her higher education; she wanted to make her own way in this world. Yet, before she could’ve tried her luck to other universities outside California, Russell spoke to her about which university to go and he offered Pacific. It only took two days before she settled on the decision to go to university. After all, he didn’t want her getting left behind by other prominent names in the industry, especially when most of their children, people Darcy knew from having families being in the spotlight, was studying and enrolled in the university. It’d hurt his pride.

BABY, THERE'S NO OTHER SUPERSTAR

Darcy had short-length hair that barely touched her shoulders but she is letting it grow out. She has no tattoos or piercings to other than the ones on her ears. She wears glasses for seeing because she has myopia (short-sightedness), much preferring them to her contacts but she wears contacts upon the need arises. Normally, she can be seen wearing designer brands and elegance styles, an influence by her upbringing, where she looks decent, presentable yet fashionable either in a dress or wearing pants for the day. Her style can be deemed as smart casual, ensuring she always looked her best for any occasion.

YOU KNOW THAT I'LL BE YOUR PAPARAZZI

Russell is a famous entrepreneur, who owns most of Hollywood’s big brand businesses. Judy is an Oscar winning movie actress, and the children had small roles in movies as children.