#do you know how long it takes for a horse to learn how to spell?

[staff]

Horse Friend is now available on iOS and Android. To celebrate that Horse Friend is now available on iOS and Android, Horse Friend wrote you this poem.

That's right, folks. You can now bring your very own Confunglius Brango* to school, to work, or even to the movies. We won't judge. Just tap here, or on that little shop icon on the lower right corner of your screen, and buy yourself the most wonderful gift of all—the gift of friendship with a virtual horse.

You can also give the gift of the prolific pooper to all your friends. A pony for every pocket. Magic.

*Names may—neigh—WILL vary.

[batfleshh]

Ok but,,,, bandit!reader who’s touch starved and just melts when cowboy!price touches him, even if it’s not the friendliest type of touch

Cowboy!Price X Bandit!M!Reader

!! NSFW WARNING, not proofread, cws at cut!!

Cowboy!Price who gives you a slap on the wrist for some of the minor things you do that get reported by to law, like stealing or scams. Most of the time he’ll explain that you’re too slippery to catch, but he’ll get you next time! But he knows in the back of his mind just how he’ll take care of you never learning your lesson. This man just can’t bring himself to punish you, the most he’ll do is not let you bounce on his cock. But if it is more extreme, like full blown horse theft or assault, he’ll make sure you know to change your behavior when he’s done with you.

Bandit!R who never learns when he gets in trouble, only pouting at the way Price warns him about it every single time. But sometimes when he resorts to his more extreme punishments, you’ll be put in your place for a while. One of the main things he’ll do is just, not touch you when you’re both alone. After a long day of playing cat and mouse for the authorities, he’s fed up for how much of a fool you actually take him for when you’re out getting away with things. Sometimes you just forget who owns who in this relationship, and you forget to ask when your mind needs to be reset.

Cowboy!Price who uses your neediness against you, resulting in your mind slipping into a more submissive headspace when you’re both alone. He likes when he’s in control, keeping up this whole “authority figure” feeling kind of makes him feel more powerful when he’s around you. He loves how much you try to earn his praise and affection, even resulting in not giving you any kind of affirmation for days on end just to watch you melt when you receive it. It’s a weird, sadistic pleasure of his, but he can’t help himself.

Bandit!R who whines for Prices attention, doing whatever you can to get that man to give you the simplest of praises when you’re with him. You’re not sure what kind of spell he has over you, but the feeling you get when his kind words and showings of affection hit, it you makes you feel euphoric. You need him to know how good you can be, and you need him to know how willing you are for him to know.

cw!! for small boot stuff, needy reader, praise, degradation n name calling, spit as lube, unprotected sex, sub!bottom reader, dacryphilia, blowjobs, cockwarming, affirmations and aftercare bc I’m a sucker for a happy sub im sorry guys :(

You’re stationed on your knees in front of John, your hands fidgeting as you wait patiently for his orders. Your mouth feels dry as you swallow for what feels like the millionth time, staring up into his dark eyes as you watch the gears turn in his head. He nods his head at you in confirmation, you immediately reaching your hands up to unbuckle his belt. You whine as your eyes trace the outline of his hard on before your hands get to, quickly moving to pull down his undergarments. You grab at his cock slowly, licking at the tip with your tongue. The taste of the pre leaking from his tip is enough for your mind to start to fog up, immediately forgetting everything that has happened that day, or between you two in the past for that matter.

Price groans as you slowly start to take his length into your mouth, knowing full well you won’t stop yourself until you reach the bushel of hair that rests on his pelvis. He lets you do what you want for right now, letting you slowly sink into your own headspace. His foot slowly inches forward, the toe of his boot nudging against your own excitement in your pants. You moan at the feeling, unknowingly moving your hips to grind against his boot. You try to stay focused on sucking him off, your hands coming up to rest of his legs for support. You make eye contact with him, batting your eyelashes at him.

“You’re already so excited for me, boy. Wonder how eager you’ll be to take this inside you, hm?” He talks to you with a rough edge to his voice, chuckling at the dumb look you’re giving him. He finds it so cute when you decide to let go of your tough personality only when you’re beneath him. “Tsk, wonder how I got lucky with such a floozy.” He spits down at you, his harsh words only egging you on more to do better, choking slightly on his cock as you begin to suck on him faster. Price lets out rough noises as he grabs at the back of your head, shoving your mouth onto his cock. He releases down your throat, smirking at the way you cough and gag, his release dripping from your tongue when he pulls out of your mouth.

Tears prickle in your eyes at his lack of words, trying to cover up the way his lack of praise is affecting you. You watch as his hand gives his cock a few lazy strokes, thinking to himself. “Get up on the bed, boy.” He orders you, watching as you scramble to kick off your pants and lay on your back on the bed, a white dress shirt the only thing lingering on your body when Price moves up to you. “Already know what position I like ya in, huh whore?” He sneers at you, a mock disgusted tone in his voice. You can only nod, tears still brimming in your eyes as you look up at him, his hands moving to pull your hips against him. John wastes no time in spitting on his fingers, wanting to be nice enough to prep you.

As he slides his fingers into you, you try to distract yourself from the dull pain of them entering you. Your breathing begins to slowly pick up, searching around for something to comfort you. You whimper as you grab for his free hand, squeezing it. Rather than him pulling away, Price moves his hand up to your chest, playing with the closed buttons on your shirt. You pout at him, his hand then moving to your face. His thumb caresses your bottom lip, watching your mouth open with a small moan as he continues to work you open with his fingers. He pushes his thumb into your mouth slowly, watching as saliva that was previously pooling in your mouth is now escaping onto his thumb. He doesn’t mind it, almost getting off to how gone you looked, how much you seemed to trust him in this moment.

He slowly removes his fingers from your entrance, removing his thumb from your mouth and giving his cock a few good strokes. You whimper embarrassingly loud as he pushes his tip into you, beginning with slow, but fair thrusts. You’re still not completely satisfied, whimpering more from the praise he’s withholding from you. He notices this, smirking to himself when he pushes his cock further into you, watching as your eyes shoot open. With the water brimming in your eyes now slowly falling down your cheeks, you begin to whine, trying to keep yourself together. Trying to keep your composure, in order to feel like you haven’t failed him.

But instead of a harsh reaction, you feel warm, gentle hands caressing your thighs. You sniffle as you wrap your legs around his waist, gentle sobs leaving you as you try to keep it together. Price coos at you, finally deciding to let you have a nice time. He moves his hands up to grab at yours, putting them on his shoulders. “Thas a good boy, fuck. Such a good damn boy f’me.” He curses into your ear, fucking into you faster. The praise makes you lose your mind, your cock leaking onto your stomach as an orgasm builds up inside you, your breath quickening. Price feels your hands dig into his back slightly, groaning at the way you’re just so desperate for him. He picks up the speed of his thrusts, watching as tears stream down your face, saliva leaving your lips as you begin to babble out words.

Price can only hush you, kissing lightly at your freshly tear stained cheeks. “You’re doing so well, sweetheart.” He praises you, grunting as he feels his own orgasm building. You begin to whine and moan louder, your own release building up with his. John moves one of his hands down to stroke at your leaking cock, soft kisses being planted on your lips as he does so. The whole thing is making you crazy, and the sweet noise you make when you cum on his hand is enough to make him slam his hips against yours, releasing inside of you. He collapses on top of you, rolling onto his back and keeping his cock plugged into you. He lets you keep his cum inside you for now, making a mental note to give you a good cleaning later. He finally wraps his arms around you, the feeling making your body feel like mini explosions.

You smile tiredly as you nuzzle up into his neck, a blanket being pulled up to cover the bottom half of your slowly. You whimper gently as Price whispers sweet word into your ear, keeping you feeling happy with his word of praise. “There’s my good boy.” He says to you softly, kissing away at your face. Sure, the dynamic you and Price display is fun. But when you’re cuddled up close to him, feeling his warmth again yours, you sometimes wish this was all this was. But for now, you keep that to yourself, resting your head on his chest or neck. You would love to stay like this forever.

~ ★

It’s currently 3:42am and I’m tired as shit, gn mwah

Tags: @rodolfoparras hi :3 <3

[yurinaa-world]

Could I request a the twst(anybody) with a Coppelia reader (Dirge of Coppelia from genshin impact)right when her dance partner got broken down while not her,she got transported to twisted wonderland, sometimes they catch her dancing alone, what would they react about her dancing, would they join her?

(For reference this is what she looks like)

Characters: Leona, Floyd, Malleus, and Lilla x Female Reader

Synopsis: With Coppelia reader, when her partner breaks down while not with her she sometimes dances alone and they dance with her.

Warnings: Fluff and spelling mistakes, and maybe ooc?

Notes: I'm sorry for this being late, I've been burned out with work :((

𝐿𝑒𝑜𝓃𝒶 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒶𝓇

Leona, I just thought you were another weirdo; there’s a whole bunch of them at Night Raven College, so there was nothing different about it, but you always seem sad, like, he gets it, nobody wants to be here listening to lectures.

But you looked like you'd cried a river full of tears; your voice sounds so horsed; he tries to pretend that he doesn’t care, yet here he is doing exactly that.

When Ruggie tried to wake up Leona, he gave up after a long while, leaving him in the botanical garden and waking him to see someone dancing. That someone is you. Wasn't this the first time he’d caught you dancing alone?

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

You hear a yawn from behind, stopping your dance and looking behind to see Leona lying against the tree of the botanical garden, looking back at you. "Ain't it boring to do the same dance over and over again?" Leona asks, his voice laced with sleep. You shake your head, a playful smile tugging at your lips.

"Oh, not at all! When a dance holds meaning, you can never tire of it. Well, I usually have a partner, but he's gone," you say with a sad sigh.

"Dance with me then," Leona suggests getting up from the ground, grabbing your hand, and interwinding your fingers together. "I'm not telling you to dance with me, you know, and this dance is really difficult!" you tell him with a smile.

"I've never been more attentive to anything in my life. Teach me," he grins back at you. "Alright then, just follow my lead and keep close to me, okay?" You ask him, "Alright then," and he nods back to you. You take a deep breath and slowly start your dance step by step, making sure you move in sync with him.

𝐹𝓁𝑜𝓎𝒹 𝐿𝑒𝑒𝒸𝒽

He’s seen alone crying, doesn’t say anything, and leaves you alone. Later, he grabs you and just takes you away to hang out with him; no, you don’t have a choice.

He's your biggest fan, and no one else can compare, but he doesn’t watch; he gets in there, grabs you, swings you around, and calls it dancing.

If he's in the mood, he’ll learn from you.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“Come on, let's dance together, shrimpy!” Floyd intertwined your delicate fingers with his while spinning with a bright smile on his face. You smiled back at him, trying not to get dizzy. Before Floyd, let’s go with falling on your buttocks from the dizziness.

“Shrimpy looks so funny and all dizzy!” Floyd laughs while you laugh along with him to humor him a little. “What did you think? Wasn’t it fun to dance with me?" He smiles, showing his sharp teeth.

“well Floyd I don’t think spinning around is dancing,” you mutter. “huh?” You hear him say his smile, stopping before grabbing your hands and pulling you up in a quick motion.

You gasp as he pulls you up. “Then show me how to dance. I want to see you do those pretty twirls!" He said he was grinning like crazy.

“I would love to teach you.” You smiled back.

𝑀𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓊𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝒶𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒾𝒶

10/10 right here. I just have to say he would be an amazing dancer, and I mean,  it would be a dream come true to dance with him (for me, it would be a dream).

He’s so mesmerized, you can dance too! So, want to dance with him? Yes or Yes. Man probably saw you dancing one night, then afterward went back to his dorm, thinking about how to ask to dance with him, like he needed to ask.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“A dance with you, child of man?” Malleus with a smile on his face asks you to hold out his gloved hand for you to take whilst you are outside of the ramshackle dorm, the cold wind making shivers yet you can’t help but be flustered by the sudden question.

You blush, not because your heart was pounding in your chest, not because of the way he had been smiling at you—though that had made your breath hitch and your cheeks flush—taking his hand, feeling the soft glove, “Of course” you smile as he placed his other hand on your body.

Slowly moving together, you can’t help but look away from his face, looking into his eyes—such bright green eyes so unreal to look into, it just freaked you out and made your head spin.

“Don’t look away.” You hear Malleus making you look back at him with a bit of surprise.

 “I won’t,”

𝐿𝒾𝓁𝒾𝒶 𝒱𝒶𝓃𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝑒

Father like son, 10/10 amazing dancer, he’s learned every type of dance there is to know.

He’s seen you dancing and also scared the hell out of you while you were making it to the main part. You just open your eyes and find his face inches into yours, making you shriek and fall backward.

Since that happened, he’s always come to watch you dance. Only sometimes since he likes your frightened face it's quite cute.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Feeling the wind in your hair made you feel alive. The weather was just calling for you to dance in the open. The tree leaves were rustling. With you dancing without a care in the world, you were also trying not to worry about anything or anyone right now.

“a smile as beautiful as a flower,” a voice you know t well be Lilia, of course, his voice making you completely ruin your rhythm and jumping forward, looking behind to find him—hanging like a bat with a smile.

“You scared me!” You huff, clenching your chest before sighing, “If you don’t mind me intruding, may I ask for a dance with you?" Lilia asks, holding a hand out after standing on his feet instead of hanging.

“You could have asked before scaring me, but sure, I would love to dance with you.” the smile returned on your face with you taking his hand—before he kissed your hand, making you blush a little.

“I like how cute your face looks.”

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[mcflymemes]

GENERIC FANTASY PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue for any fantasy setting

you are a descendent from an ancient royal line.

can you joust?

this is not a question of bravery.

are you too cowardly to take a life?

hand me my sword.

the sheets feel scratchy.

you could have got us killed!

if you had kept to the plan, those knights might be alive right now.

together, we have a chance to take back what is ours.

would you ride into town with me?

you're playing with fire.

you should be on the throne.

perhaps we never should have come.

did you bring your bow?

you take one more step, traitor, and i'll chew you to splinters.

are you fit to compete, or shall the forfeit stand?

thank you, my lord.

i will deal with you when this is over.

you have to go alone.

we have some work to do.

it's an ambush!

why are they all staring at us?

were you robbed?

clean your sword.

i must look for a suitor.

i know where your allegiance lies.

pick up your sword.

you're not going to kill me?

what do you propose we do, your majesty?

the path takes us through there.

i will probably die on this quest.

even the peasants can marry for love.

your people love you.

i just learned this spell. can i show you?

are you with me?

how many more must die for the throne?

why don't we discuss the matter later?

what are you wearing to the ball tonight?

do not shush me!

be careful on those roads. there's been a report of bandits.

i'm not worthy of the throne.

how do i know your promise will be kept?

take the sword to the tower.

is that your horse?

i hear there's going to be a royal ball.

it was said to be magic.

no one has ever taken that castle.

what a waste of brandy.

is there a way down?

do you hear talk of a dragon?

you knowingly endangered a member of the royal family.

on a horse, with a lance... you're unbeatable.

some day, i'll be a knight.

there's an army out there, and it's ready to follow you.

hold your tongue or lose it.

you're no longer a myth. you're starting to mean something.

admiring the castle again, i see. isn't it beautiful?

tonight, evil has met its match.

you make me feel like a poet.

i'll ride with you.

this kingdom is better off without the lot of you!

why were they trying to kill you?

no one ever comes back from the woods.

i think it's time we found out what's going on.

i will not lose.

how about a little target practice?

you were right to fear the woods.

choose your last words carefully!

the time for pleasantries is through.

run, and i will run with you.

they wanted to arrange my marriage.

will you dance with me?

i'm sure when i'm older, i'll understand.

you know what we have to do.

what do you think? now that you know what i am?

you speak of what you do not know.

my parents were peasants.

we have a long journey ahead of us.

we should have killed them when we had the chance.

you might find this land a more savage place than you remember.

do you even know how to use that thing?

you have to be of noble birth to compete!

i didn't want to be at the celebration.

i can do magic.

are those catapults?

do you know any spells?

i'm not supposed to be seen with people like you.

minotaurs? they're real?

try and take them then.

help me fetch my arrows.

i'm afraid i'm not worthy of you.

i hear you have a quest for me.

sit with me and drink.

that's a bit of a long story.

there is no way that i am fighting.

i challenge you to a duel.

i wonder who lived here.

maybe it's time you had this back.

you have a traitor in your midst.

meet me in the castle gardens tonight, after the sun sets.

the king sent me.

you stole from the castle?

[muchmossymess]

GUYS okay hear me out majoras mask boat boys au

I love legend of zelda I love boat boys this is like the ultimate combination of my interests you cannot understand the brainrot. Idk what to call it yet tho... majoras minecraft? Anyway prepare for an essay

OKAY so we have the Hero of Time, Etho, who stopped ganons plans before they started, and would be stuck in a child's body if not for the fact I think that'd be a lil weird for the more shippy aspects of this au that all the running through time aged his soul and his body followed suit (he's still got a young appearance, and the mask doesn't make him look older like he thinks). Same reason he has the scar over his eye (from the ganon fight); no matter how much the body may heal or rewind the mind will not forget.

Then navi (maybe bdubs?) left him, and he went with epona (maybe bdubs instead? (eponas a horse iydk)) and he sets out on a journey aka the beginning of mm:

Wandering through the woods on epona, gets jumped by skull kid. For those unaware, there is skull kid, a lonely lil sweetheart, and he wears the mask, an entity on its own. He also has two fairies, siblings tael and tatl.

So I was a little unsure about this for a while, but I think I've decided on grian for the skull kid and Jimmy for tael, grian bc watchers and Jimmy bc skull kid is not very nice to tael (bc of the mask) and like a listeners reference or smth blah blah blah

TATL. that's who's interesting. At the beginning she gets separated from her friends and becomes your companion. So naturally for this au she is our favourite joel smallishbeans. It works so well. Tatl is mean but cares, and that's joels dynamic with the bad boys and with etho, guys it's literally perfect idc what you say

I think it doesn't change much throughout like the story of the game, but just taking dialogue tatl says to link and its so perfect for a sassy joel to a "can't believe I'm dealing with this shit again" etho. Uh one thing different though; in hylian form etho doesn't have an ocarina but instead a mini marimba. Just because. I think it's cool, and for potential things later on.

Now, fairies in this au are just tiny glowing people shaped things with wings. The glow around them is their magic, and depending on emotions/energy the brightness changes (thats why they look like flying balls of light). Some fairies have the ability to make projections of themselves, more hylian sized in nature. This can be intimidation or distraction or w/e, but they cant do it for long periods of time bc its exhausting. These forms aren't physical. Just sized up light projections of their actual bodies.

So for a lot of their journey, joel is just a cute pocket sized ball of rage and sarcasm, who helps with ethos aim for fighting. Bc that's a game mechanic and also ethos like half blind. But like when joel calms down imagine him crawling into ethos hat and just dozing off. He can fit in the palm of your hand like guys it's so cute. But he is also capable of being worse than a mozzie

Oh probably a good point to put in what I imagine etho looks like. So it's typical link green (maybe a bit dampened?), weird pointy hat, short hair (white ofc), his shirt is more of a jacket with a fluffy cold weather collar, it's a bit too big for him but he knows he'll grow into it, he's all knobbly and thin (underfed a lil, boy was never taught how to care for himself beyond basic survival). His injured eye is red bc of ganon, and often gives him phantom pains. It can't be healed.

Anyway, at some point in their journey together, etho and joel learn a song that let's fairies have a larger physical form, no wings, sorta like the great fairies (who they learnt it from prolly). It isn't permanent, slowly draining ethos magic meter, the spell ends when you run out of magic. This is because I want them to actually be able to stand side by side or maybe hug, and also bc its hard to block a blow with your body when ur tennis ball sized.

Aaaaand, this ties back in with with marimba. What if ethos injured, or unconscious, and he obviously can't defend himself, so joel panics and plays the marimba in what he hopes is the right order to give himself a body. I imagine that being that small, you could not play an ocarina. And hey maybe joel carries etho away after that, and when the spell ends he has barely any light emitting from himself because he spent nearly all his magic (what he is made of) saving etho.

But this song isn't used much, because of its draining nature, and you can't really do any other magic things while it's going. So it's mostly just in the final fight (over and over) or tough moments or maybe joel wants to experience something like hoe hylians do. It's obviously inferior to how he experiences things as a fairy, of course, he's just curious thats all. He totally doesn't want etho to do it more.

Okay I think ill sorta stop here, I am NOT done, I will probably post some art I've done for this later lol, and I want help with who everyone else is (mumbo is the moon. You cannot stop me nor change my mind) with mcyts to npcs

[ravenwitch45]

Could I request Stolas, blitzø, and Loona (separately) with a reader who was a witch when they were alive and still is in hell.

Having SO who was a witch and still is in Hell

Stolas

Oh okay then!

He's surprised but quite happy at this revelation.

He's also a mage, and while every demon can do magic to an extent, the actual techniques to learn most arts are coveted by certain circles. The only exception are overlords granted powers upon reincarnation. Either way Stolas barely ever sees let alone interacts with other magic users.

So upon discovering the fact you knew and practiced magic before death. He's immediately intriqued, asking all about it. Whether or not your powers were granted or there from birth, How they work, What you like to do with them and of course he loves seeing you use your powers.

After his curiosity has been sated a little, he... well we all know he loves to ramble on about his interests. And while with a bit of time it's easy to grasp the basics of botany, Magic is a lot more complicated, Blitz just kind of tunes it out even though he tries, and Octavia is just starting her magic training.

So he starts rambling on about it all to you, unintentionally of course but he subconciously just feels more comfortable about it with you. You notice it but don't mind, having had no one to discuss magic with either for a long time you welcome it, and start asking him about it actively and making sure to listen, which makes him happier then you could imagine.

One thing he really likes to do with you after discovering it, is mix his magic with yours. It's a very intimate, and powerful technique if used agressivley, generally only done with romantic partners and other learned loved ones. He had never done it, considering... you know but when he does it with you, he just melts.

The spell gives a glimpse of the other person's thoughts and feelings, and being able to literally feel all the love you have for him just makes him a blushing mess in your arms.

He loves you so much.

Blitzo

Oh another Magical Hottie? He's down.

He's familiar with magic of course, i mean his other partner as well as his daughter know magic and he himself has learned a bit from using Stolas's grimoire so he's far from weirded out, surprised of course, but cool with it.

But unlike Stolas, he knows nothing about the complexities, so his questions are a lot more wild guesses? He honestly thought you might have been a sinner who got magic due to ruthlessness like The Vs or Al to which he ain't upset at the idea. He would be impressed if that was true.

Also he of course asks what you can do in bed with it, and no he doesn't mean a card trick.

Depending on how you were treated in life, he'll have some buisness to take care of.

Honestly just watches you in awe if he ever sees you kill with it, probably would run up to you and kiss you after it's over, whispering sweet nothings into your ear and calling you a beautiful badass

He runs on like one braincell most of the time so he might ask for a bit of help with stuff, like if he misplaces one of his horse figures or something, you honestly saying you should just teach him these spells but you never do, he just likes seeing you do it.

He is always impresed by every bit of magic you use, mnot matter how much he sees it.

Had to apoligize profusely when you glared at him for buying a pointy hat, assuming you'd like it, though you both laughed it off

Overall he doesn't care too much, he think it's cool and might make fun but cares more on how you treat him and his loved ones, and if that comes with some magic he's good with that.

Loona

Oh she is interested, in every part.

Her favorite top has a pentagram on it, this girl loves magic. And while officially she's just a receptionist, she's generally the one who handles the grimoire plus she knows how to disguise herself so she's a bit of a mage herself.

While she is very curious about how being a witch is, she's someone who understands how it is to be treated diffrently when you don't want to so she'll generally let you talk when you feel like it.

Eventually will ask for help with some magic stuff if she feels like it's needed. Like asking for help on memorizing spells, and asking her step dad or sister feels daunting to her.

Will totally get you witchy fashion from Stylish Occult if you like that stuff.

One time asks if familars are a real thing, getting the response that she is kinda your familar, a deep and intended to be life long bond a witch has with someone special and she just becomes a blushing mess from that.

She likes it a lot, and is very happy to learn about that side of you, but overall loves you as before

(Sorry for the few here, I've never done Loona before.)

Okay there you go! Sorry this took so long, my birthday happened and I got distracted by a lot of stuff, but I finally finished it! And I'll get to more soon enough!

[endollvors]

Mal Autonomy Manifesto

She's doing Very bad, for the record.

This is just the highlights of D2, because if I did everything we'd be here forever.

The movie starts with Ways to be Wicked which is canonically a stress daydream Mal's having after being cornered against a statue by a large group of adult press who are actively breaking the law by being there. And they refuse to leave the premises until an authority figure makes them.

Then she's immediately grabbed by the wrist and dragged away for a dress fitting by Evie. We'll get into the fitting in a second but Dark shout out to this moment in the movie Novelization

"Yeah," said Mal, nodding. In a way, she was strangely relieved. More time to rest, she thought. Keeping up this act is exhausting. [...] Evie grabbed Mal's arm and spun her around. Mal cried out in surprise. "If we don't do a fitting for your ball gown right this minute, you'll be dancing in your bathrobe," Evie told Mal. "Bye, Ben," She added as she deftly dragged Mal away. There goes my nap.

At the fitting, the appointment intended to make sure a garment actually, you know, fits, Mal says that the dress it too tight, that she can't Breathe in it. Evie dismisses this concern out of hand. She can breathe after Cotillion.

The secret to fitting in, the book that Evie(veteran of 15 years of fucked up princess training) disparages her for using magic to read is about Courtly Etiquette by the way.

Mal broaches the subject of wanting some of the freedom the Isle provided. "Don't you ever miss running wild and breaking all the rules?" I miss being in charge of my schedule and Evie says "No, We're Auradon girls now." and drags her around the room. "We can be whatever we want to be here." She says. Interesting then, how little what Mal wants matters.

Mal tries to get to class and is stopped by Jane, who immediately launches into a barrage of questions she is uninterested in and unprepared to answer. She attempts to leave, stating both that she is busy, on a time crunch to get to her classes, and that she trusts Jane to pick what's best. Jane ignores this, grabs her arm again, and keeps her there until she answers, regardless of the cost to Mal.

Mal learns that there are aspects to attending Cotillion with Ben that she was unaware of. These are serious, affect her life in the long term, and Everyone knew but her. She's visibly surprised and upset. She asks if her whole life has been planned out in front of her without her say so. Signs point to yes.

Ben interrupts her at her locker. She says she doesn't have time. She has to get to class. Seriously, she's going to be late. Ben grabs her by the arm, "No, come this way." And drags her over to give her his present.

Mal is chased into the boys dorm by a barrage of reporters. They are still trespassing. They are inside the building. Love that. She's clearly visibly stressed, Carlos calms her like a spooked horse and she has an outburst. She says that people are following her everywhere, that there's so much she can't say for proprieties sake. She asks, "Don't you ever miss screaming at people and just making them run away from you?" I miss setting boundaries. Carlos says of course not, do you have the magical gummy that I asked for? Mal asks if he's really committed to telling the truth because she can't be honest without fearing being literally deported. She then shares, halfway to hyperventilating that, at this point, its not particularly unappealing. At least this all would stop, right? Carlos ignores this.

(Denouement, I'm not gonna defend the everything about this but know that I interpret the Spell thing as her trying to undo her mistake, literally turn back the clock so it never happened and isn't considering that she's mind wiping him. This is what she does when she does something wrong. Late to class etc. Like, it's still fucked but you know comprehensible. Adding that he frames her using magic as taking the easy way, like she hasn't looked 40 seconds from curling up in a ball and shivering like a hypothermic kitten all day, and that's with the magic.)

Mal leaves. She packs a bag and writes a letter and goes to the Isle under her own power. Ben follows her, convinced that the fight is the only reason that she would do this, and that he can track her down and talk to her and that everything will be fixed. The others help him do this.

So, he shows up, she physically recoils from him, cries, asks him multiple times to leave her alone, to go back to Auradon without her. he says this. Which is my number one least favorite Ben line of all time. "The people love you, I love you, don't you love me?"

I'm just gonna mention here that Mal never actually agrees on screen to go back to Auradon, she just gets in the car after Ben calls for her.

Ben asks if she wants to cancel Cotillion. She doesn't answer the question.

Girl talk is a mess of a scene. It will be it's own post bc it makes me INsane. But the relevant bit is that she describes her problem as the pressure to be perfect, to be something completely different than she's been her whole life up to now, and under constant scrutiny to maintain an act that exhausts her. Everybody else in the circle reassures her that Ben loves her, Not actually the problem she mentioned but ok, and tell her to attend Cotillion no matter what.

Evie tells her to go if she’s up for it, immediately after saying she’s going to take the some of her extremely limited time that afternoon to alter her dress. Jay told her to go, to try one more time as a condition of the relief they had already denied her.

When she arrives at Cotillion, Evie asks how she's doing and Mal says she feels like she's gonna throw up Evie says, "That's ok, That's fine. We're all here for you."

On the way out the door, Mal is grabbed again, stopped by the Former King and Queen, so they can apologize, and offer their explanations, immediately.

Jane and Lumiere block off the top of the staircase to prevent Mal from being able to escape before they can show her something.

Like. ok. Ben loves her, so what?

It can’t save her. If she could have been saved it wouldn’t have gotten to that point. She wouldn’t have run away, been followed, been emotionally blackmailed, been brought back, been told to go to Cotillion anyway. She wouldn’t be Engaged to be Engaged to be Engaged.

[witchysilver]

Baldr - info, opinions and worship (long post)

I am making this post as a devotion to Baldr<3

Family Parents: Odin and Frigg Wife: Nanna Kid: Forseti Baldr has numerous half siblings, but full brother to Hodr, the blind god He is one of the Aesir

Names and epithets Ways to spell his name: Baldr, Balder, Baldur Epithets: The white, the good, the bright, father of justice

Treasures Home: Breidablik Ship: Hringhorni Horse: Gulltopp (translates to Goldtop)

Baldr is the god of beauty, light, innocence and forgiveness. He is also seen as a god of purity, joy and peace. Some also call him a god of naivity because he always see the good in everyone, even people no one else is able to see good things.

We have little knowledge about Baldr in general. The most known story about him is his death. Some who is devoted to, worship or work with Baldr might not want to work with Loki at all due to this story. Baldr had dreams about his death which gave him long awake nights. His mother, Frigg, tried to help him by making everyone and everything promise not to hurt Baldr, all materials, weapons, sickness etc. All except for the misteltoe, which she thought was too small, young and harmless to make a promise. Now that Baldr seemed absolutely immortal the other gods tried their weapons on him, as nothing would hurt him. His blind brother Hodr wanted to join in, but couldn't because he did not want to hurt anyone. Loki had found a way to know the misteltoe didn't promise to not hurt him, and made an arrow from it which he guided Hodr to shoot at his brother. Baldr died from the arrow and Loki ran away. Later in the story we get to know Baldr would be allowed to leave Helheim and go back to Asgard if the whole world would show their grief after his death, and everyone did except an old lady. It is believed this old lady is Loki to make sure Baldr couldn't return to his family.

Controversy There is controversy whether or not you can work with Baldr due to him being in Helheim. Their argument is true, those who goes to Helheim can't leave it before all gates open and chains break under Ragnarok. But again, Loki is chained and can't leave his place before Ragnarok when all chains breaks and gates open under Ragnarok. If working with Loki is valid, then working with Baldr is as well! And please do not fear having your own beliefs on this. You are free to reach out to him whatever your reason would be.

Lessons What I have gotten from working with Baldr is to forgive. Forgive but not forget, and forgiving doesn't mean to let others walk all over you, and it's also important that you learn to forgive yourself. You also learn to appreciate and find joy in the smallest things, which I personally think has bettered my life quality so much. He wants you to know your worth but still show kindness to the world, and to help others who need.

Offerings and acts of devotion Meditation around a source of light (in the sunlight, by a candle, LED candles, fireplace etc) Help others who need (he used to guide and help his blind brother) Heal and care for your inner child Create something for him Pray to him Appreciate others Enjoy calm music Enjoy your fav herbal tea, raise a glass to him Keep candles that reminds you of him (I personally love the scented ones) Practice forgiveness and compassion, especially towards yourself Devote a plushie that reminds u of him or summer Symbols of light, sunrise, summer, and things you find beautiful, keep around, decorate or keep on jewelry Decorate with fairy lights and lanterns Take notice in your progress and look at how far you got Sketch, draw, write and other creative expressions Sunbathe (Remember sunscreen) Express or decompress Take a walk on a sunny day Practice regulating emotions, and feel your emotions Find healthy emotional outlets Spend time with the ones you love Do something that makes you happy Play with your pets Donate to organizations that helps homeless, sick, disabled etc Take care of yourself Make a comfortable and safe space for yourself Celebrate achievements, even small ones Clean trash around your neighborhood or in nature (also great offering to Jord, Gaia, or other personification of Earth) Practice open-mindedness, agree to disagree Honor your ancestors, learn about your family history (family were huge in the norse society, and Balder loves his family) Flowers, especially those strongly connected to the sun(Mayweed and Sea Mayweed is both known under the name Balder's brow in Sweden and Norway, they would make a great offering as well) He is associated to the colors gold, white, yellow and sky-blue carnelian, red jasper, citrine, goldstone, sunstone -Some say misteltoe would be a nice offering, but some believes you shouldn't, would recommend asking him before you offer it

Signs -I haven't found much of set signs that Baldr is reaching out to you, which might be because of the lack of information. However I have seen these; You randomly think about him over an extented period of time The rune Dagaz/Dagr Dreams become very symbolic Dreaming about him You can always reach out to him if that feels right for you! I personally see him in the sun and 7 of swords. He could also be big in meditation and dream interpretations because of his dremas before the story of his death.

[welldonekhushi]

Under My Spell | Part 2

Part 1 Part 3

Part 2 of Under My Spell!

Note: Thank you all so much for showing the love on the first part! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! As a treat, here you have a part two! If you haven't read part one the link is above <3

Warnings: A bit fluff? With a mix of horror and sensual, if that's how you describe it, welp

The man with the guitar took you through the deep parts of the forest, the places you never explored but now you were. You weren't sure where he was taking you, but you were patient enough and let things go as it should. Holding onto him tight, while he rides his horse, a sense of belonging felt inside you for no reason. As if you felt safe? But he was a literal stranger. How can you even accept to come with him without knowing the consequences?

Another part said, he wanted to teach you guitar.. somewhere else. And why is it taking quite long? Your eagerness mixed with curiosity was eating your mind and thought of asking him as many questions you can once you reach.

".. here we are, señorita." He stops his horse and drops himself on the ground, giving you his hand again, to help you come down too. The horse kept itself still, while the man took you a little bit far from the forest, to reveal a beautiful field ahead, with the moon glistening its shine on the land. The stars are twinkling, with your eyes just admiring how pretty it looks. You take a step ahead, trying to observe everything. Your eyes shined with happiness, your lips creating a grin, much to the man's amusement.

"Do you like it?" He asked, while your attention was still over the sky.

".. it's.. it's beautiful. I'm.." You looked back at the man, with excitement, but suddenly a question sparked in your mind, and thought of asking him. Walking towards him, you gave him a gentle smile.

"You never told me your name." Saying this, he smiled back and lifted his head, facing you properly through the wide brimmed hat, revealing his face in the dim lights. "I'm Alejandro."

Something about his voice always drove you into him, and it made you want to know more about him. ".. Y/N." You told him your name, and he tilted his head.

"That's a pretty name you got there, muñeca." He said, though you didn't get the last word he said, but you blushed at his compliment.

"G-gracias?" Your basic Spanish starts to work as a reply, and your urge to learn it grew more, ever since you met Alejandro. ".. oh, you wanted me to teach guitar, right? When will you even?" You fold your arms, slightly pouting.

"I will teach you, cariño. Don't you worry about it." Alejandro chuckled, and then walked towards a tree beneath him, and sat there, removing his brimmed hat, revealing his whole face. Your eyes suddenly widened, your mouth gaped, and cheeks flushed red. His face was so perfect. That gelled hair, the beard, those doll-like eyes..

You didn't say anything but kept staring at him, being so lost in how he looked. Alejandro tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Muñeca?"

His voice startled you, and you cleared your throat. "Y-yes?"

"Don't you want to learn guitar?" Alejandro grinned, and patted the empty spot beside him. "You know I would never want a person like you to learn my guitar tricks. But because I found you special, you must come here for me."

Did he call you special? Really? Well, who knew this man knew how to make you melt. Gently walking towards him and sit on the ground, your bodies inches close to him, your nervousness never trying to halt itself. How can you contain yourself when you have a literal handsome looking Mexican man just teaching you how to play guitar? No way.

Although, he did begin to teach you, telling you the chords and strings, helping you play the tune that he played back in the bar with you. It sure was hard for you, because anything that you try for the first time looks difficult for sure, but you do get used to it. And Alejandro knew it well.

"It's not working, Alejandro.." You tried to do something, but with no success.

"Let me help you." He grabbed your hand gently over the strings and placed his other hand on the fretboard, as his fingers helped you change the tone. it. He moved your hands slowly, and played the strings, making you create the tune. Something that was actually letting you lose focus, is Alejandro being dangerously close to your body while he teaches you. Your cheeks kept on flushing red, hoping he doesn't notice. Surprisingly, you were able to play the guitar, without his help. Your hands ran through the strings, and Alejandro kept watching you, diligently.

"You finally did it." Alejandro congratulated you for finally learning the tune, leaning his body to face you.

"I can't believe I actually did.." You were amazed. He was able to teach you the tune meanwhile you were happy how successful you were. It felt you could now actually play the guitar without hesitation. Your hands moved like magic through those strings, and produced the melody.

"I told you, cariño. You can do it." Alejandro nodded, resting his back over the tree.

"I can't thank you enough.." You chuckled, and so did Alejandro who flashed a smile back in reply.

"You don't need to thank me. It's a pleasure, darling."

For a moment, you blushed when he called you by that name. Clearing your throat, you got back to the topic, and handed him the guitar back. "Anyways.. if I ask, how long have you been practicing it?"

".. quite a long time. Been playing it since I was born." He replied, looking at the sky. "Like, not at the moment when I came into the world and they handed me a guitar."

You had a chuckle, continuing to listen to him talk. ".. I quite enjoy it. I always keep the guitar to myself, and somehow, many people do get attracted to the melody I play, like you did."

"Y-yeah.. I did." You blushed, pursing your lips and shrugging. "It's soothing, relaxing.. comforting.. makes me want to sleep."

He suddenly smiled at the statement, giving another response. ".. mind if I help you?"

While he said that, you raised an eyebrow. "Help me in what?"

".. I'd play the tune, and you can sleep here."

Your cheeks flushed red when he said that. Was he telling you to sleep here while he was present with you? Was that even possible? "Seriously?"

"Yeah? It's not that I'm going to give you trouble, and for the fact I don't know where you live.. if it's far away from the location, you'd turn more exhausted." He sits properly and runs his hands on the guitar strings. You were nervous to admit, but you did feel safe around Alejandro. He was nice and sweet.. that made you want to know more about him.

The way his hands play the guitar always entices you, the beauty of how perfectly he played it shows how good he was. You couldn't stop staring at him. He looked too pretty, delicate.. that look, those eyes, those li—

Shaking your head to forget those thoughts, you gulped, and nodded, agreeing to stay with him back, while he grins. "Perfecto."

"You mean.. perfect?" You translated the word into English, much to his amusement.

"You're pretty good in Spanish, muñeca. I like that." He smirked, and began to play with his guitar. You skid a bit closer to him, and watched the stars for a while, and Alejandro played the melody again. It was so pleasant, and catching that was putting your mind to ease. Your body felt relaxed, and more comfortable, especially when he was beside you. Slowly, your head rested on his shoulder, as he noticed and felt you closing your eyes, drifting to sleep suddenly.

For a moment later, you wake yourselves up over a huge rock and rub your eyes, realising that you've ended up in a strange place. You didn't find Alejandro beside you anymore, neither you were now watching the night sky. The reality was dark, eerie, and disturbing as if you were in a black forest, all alone. Likely, you were more confused than to be scared, because you thought maybe Alejandro would have brought you here, but it's not what it seems.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Your voice echoed through the forest, but got no response. You walked forward into the forest, trying to find a way out. The crickets chirping, the owl's hooting, and wolves howling, it was making you slowly uncomfortable and uneasy. The wind blows through your hair, and the dead leaves pass by you, flying away. Nothing else can catch your full attention when you feel the sound of a horse running behind you. Flinching back, you didn't see anything, but you felt someone else was here. Was it Alejandro?

".. hello?" You tried calling them again. "Alejandro? Is that you?"

The running was heard once more, and you turned around to find nothing again. The atmosphere was getting nervous, and you had no idea what was going on. You were lost, and perplexed. "Alejandro.." Calling him again, you gulped and tried backing off, till your back bumped with someone behind you, as you let yourself gasp. Only to realise, it was Alejandro, and you sighed in relief.

"Oh my god.. Alejandro, you scared me!" You wiped the sweat off your forehead, now glad he was present here in front of you. "What is this place? I don't think we came here before."

Alejandro let out a chuckle, and sighed. "Querida, we did never came here before, this is why I wanted to show you.. my world."

".. your world? I don't get it?" You were now curious, and he tilted his head, smiling.

"Yes, my world, cariño. The place where you and I will be together. Forever." He whispers at the last word, and smiles darkly, giving you a sudden feel of threat inside. What was he trying to do to you? Was he messing up with your head?

"Forever? I—" Before you can speak, Alejandro's eyes suddenly turned black and his irises into a greenish color, making you back off in shock. Your eyes widened and mouth gaped at his appearance, since you never saw this version of Alejandro before. He walked towards you, feeling pity.

"Poor you, you're scared of me that instantly? But I've just started." He walked towards you, and you just had the urge to keep backing off while he smirked at you, evilly.

"Please, darling. Stay with me. I'd treat you better." He furrowed his eyebrows, begging for you to stay. "We can do a lot more than just.. learning guitar, isn't it?" He grinned.

The fear in you grew more when he was still trying to chase you. You were also tripping off for a bit because of the slightly rocky ground.

"But the thing is.. the reason why I brought you here is that.. I want you to surrender. And give me.. what I need." His voice grew deeper and devilish, much to your own horror. You couldn't take it anymore, and you just began to run as far as you can, without having yourself caught in the hands of.. Alejandro who was something else.

Panting for air as you end up behind a huge tree, and hide underneath it. While you were undercover, you stood there for a couple of minutes. Not realising Alejandro just appeared beside you, whispering in your ear.

"Querida.." His voice startled you, and you cried out loud, running away but in between, you just trip over a rock, and fall down. As you struggled to get your feet up, you groaned but the injury didn't let you. Feeling Alejandro behind you, while you crawled over the ground, letting out a dark laugh which sent shivers down your spine.

"Aw.. my poor thing. Look at her. She's so miserable." He gave you a sad look. ".. I want to help her, but she's not letting me."

"S-stay back! Please!" You begged him not to do it, and you started sobbing. "Alejandro.. no.."

"I would never hurt you, mi amor. Never. You just have to trust me." He kneeled down, looking at you. "I just want you to be with me, that's all I want."

The hot tears streamed down your cheeks, and the sounds of slight sobs escaping through your mouth, being already scared of what he was going to do with you.

"W-what are you?!" Your panic filled tremendously, that you demanded a response from Alejandro's side, for what he truly was.

".. you see, my love. Ever heard about Mexican folklore? Yes. I'm one of them. The people who came with me, never got back alive. They feared me. Despised me. They wish to stay in their homes, thinking.. that someone like me would take them with me, forever." He darkens his eyes, and smirks. "I'm the monster in their stories. I'm the El Charro Negro."

Hearing his true identity, he caressed your face, wiping your tear off with his thumb, he shushed you to call down.

"Shhh.. it's okay, cariño. For I am here." He slowly picked you up in his arms, your sobs not coming to an end. You felt you were about to be hunted. Killed. The man you thought to be safer and sound was actually a monster within. You stared in his eyes, nonetheless how creepier they looked for him.

"You're hurt. And I shall not let you run away from me anymore." He smiled, leaning close to your face. His eyes did something that hypnotized you into his gaze, and making you helpless to do anything. By that, he admired your beauty and appearance. The sight of you always made him melt, and found an opportunity to finally have you all to himself.

"For now that you're mine, you'll be with me forever, and ever." He whispered, and he leaned closer to your lips, and kissed them delicately. You suddenly let out a slight whine, feeling his lips on yours. He was actually working on taking your soul, by alluring you into his trap, and it certainly worked. For how close he was to steal it, he kept on kissing you until..

"Alejandro!" A voice startled the man, as he turned towards the direction where the sound came, and he immediately dodged the weapon that was thrown towards him, as it straight aimed towards the tree and stabbed it. Alejandro, who still held you in his arms, looked at the one who tried to attack him, as you lay unconscious.

The demon lets out an evil chuckle, darkening his eyes as he begins to speak. "Hermano.."

[capsensislagamoprh]

My thoughts on this awesome art.

JJ ( lesser noble's son/ mayor's kid or something like that) is just trying to help his friend (Otabek) but he has the worst understanding of boundaries, subtly, and gets caught up in the drama so fast it's tragic. Hilarious, but tragic.

Minami is an elf. Come on now. Look at him! He works with Christophe as an apprentice. Just is suddenly there with whatever is needed. Has a massive break thrugh to become an official court magician apprentice by learning that illusive spell at a crucial time.

Pitchit is all about that tea. Him and Chris have serious side eye when everyone else needs help because of their dramatic selves, but boy do they thrive on it. These two might secretly be the source of all the rumors and spontaneous dance numbers in town.

Christoph is the fairy godfather/court official magical person with all the gentle magic and blatant flamboyancy such a position requires. Somehow he's always there. You just don't notice until he makes himself known. It's creepy, until you realize it's actually to help and protect, and part of his magic. Also, half the time it's Pitchit eaves dropping and using clever mirror placement to get that pipping hot constant comet (tea).

You know that Georgi is so into singing his massive hit (backed up by JJ) that a 'captured' Otabek just unties himself and walks out with Yuri as the villains hold the long note before they even notice. They are well across the dangerous bridge before the song ends and JJ discovers they slipped out. Georgi has to double take, blinks and is secretly impressed and chagrined because damn it that was a GOOD SONG! He worked on that all week! Sends JJ to get them back for the plot to continue.

Yuri hates that everything causes spontaneous songs. Especially when his parents sing them because they are always sappy wake you up at dawn with thrown open windows and birds and suddenly he's dressed and on a horse and what the hell?! Why are they on the way to town? What even is life? Someone HELP! Gets chased because plot demands it, winds up in woods. Hears BEST music. Follows it.

Otabek lives in the woods in an oddly fantastical 'cabin', that would be a massive magical castle if he'd just flip the fuse box switch, but he wont because it causes questions and matinence issues, and he just cannot with these sudden laps of logic for fairy tale rules. Why it all so convoluted? You could just like, not? He's gonna get caught up in the plot and wonder what the heck happened. Otabek helps. Everyone. Because common sense is apparently his alone, WTF people? W. T. F. Finds Yuri trying to escape town folk trying to mob him. Helps. Tried to get him back home. Adventure and secret (is a high rank) noble reveal because Georgi is not as bad as he seems. He's like Christoph's counter part. They both mean well. It's just that one is goth af about it.

Victor and Yuuri are just trying to throw a frikin birthday party for their feral son. He's cursed, but like, in a good way. Some day his prince will come (wait until they meet the guy from the woods and start the betting pool on how long it takes for the curse to break because they are keeping him) and they have SO Many Songs About It. Ah, how will they ever lift this (dramatic, tragic, so exciting) curse? With SONG! Wait... where did Yuri go? LE DRAMA! *smooch smooch* Los DRAMATICA! *kissy kiss kiss kiss* OH How Will They Ever Make it to That Fateful Day?! *aggressive making out*

[cdyssey]

The Abbott staff meet up at a bar after work and a guy hits on Melissa and Barbara becomes protective

PROMPT

Ouch, Anon. :') But also, right up my alley.

CW: Alcohol, Unwanted Advances

UPDATE (11/16/22): Uploaded an edited version to AO3! I actually added 300ish words to the edit to help out a few rushed places.

—

Barbara leans against the threshold of Melissa’s classroom door, arms neatly folded over her chest, and patiently waits for the other woman to look up and notice her. It doesn’t take too awful long—Melissa’s vigilant eyes are constantly flicking towards the door, habitually assessing for potential threats—and when she quickly realizes that she’s not alone (and that no one is going to hurt her), she blinks and smiles tiredly.

There are dark circles etched beneath her pale eyes.

More lines creasing her forehead than usual.

An unsubtle sadness about her.

An utter exhaustion.

Joe got married to Nina Santa Cruz yesterday, and Melissa went to the  wedding for reasons that Barbara doesn’t fully understand, perhaps judging from the safe distance of a high and mighty horse. Her friend stubbornly insisted that she and Joe want to stay on amiable terms—that even though he was awful to her for the last decade of their marriage, that even though he nearly brought them both to the point of bankruptcy with his spending habits, that even though he cheated on her with one of their mutual friends—things are good between them.

Great even.

Melissa’s always sugarcoated the whole sordid affair, made excuses for the bum that Barbara has learned to smile thinly at and nod politely to over time. Anything else has been quickly and viciously shut down.

You don’t know him like I do, she’d snapped when Barbara had called him a manchild for inviting Melissa to the wedding on Facebook Messenger of all places.

He doesn’t mean to hurt me.

It was the same thing one could say of a small child who didn’t know better.

Or a rabid, untrainable dog.

“Hey, Mama,” Melissa yawns, taking the opportunity to stretch her arms over her head before she leans back in her chair again. “Ya heading home for the evening?”

“No, ma’am,” Barbara drawls, shaking her head rather lavishly, “and you aren’t either. Remember? Larry’s birthday party is this evening.”

It is very clear—from the alarmed expression comically stretching her face—that the other woman had not in fact remembered Larry’s birthday party.

“Fuck,” she swears, dragging a tired hand across her puckered mouth. “I forgot that was tonight. Goddammit. I didn’t even get him a present.”

“He’s a seventy-two year old adult, Melissa. He hardly needs a present.”

Nor a birthday party at a bar that was infamous in the eighties for being the premiere place to snort lines in the bathroom, Barbara quietly thinks to herself—but their principal has always been an overgrown child at heart. Both Melissa and Barbara like him well enough, though, and they’ll be sad to see him go next year when he finally retires after putting in forty years at Abbott.

“Yeah, but it’s Larry and it’s fun to watch him get excited over stupid things,” Melissa shrugs, now knuckling her lips thoughtfully. “This bein’ said… I kinda don’t wanna go anymore.”

She gestures to the pile of spelling worksheets on her desk and the open gradebook next to it.

“Got stuff to catch up on,” she continues with a sigh. “And I’m still tired from last night.”

Last night.

The wedding.

Joe.

Being forced to applaud her ex-husband kissing another woman.

Kissing the other woman to be precise.

Barbara watches the shadows beneath her friend’s eyes subtly deepen—watches how her shoulders slump with the incalculable weight of what that specific trauma does to a person—and she hates Joseph Lombardo all over again. 

If Melissa won’t, fine. 

Good. 

Bless her Sicilian soul. 

In her heart of hearts, she’s always been far more of a saint than she presents herself to be. 

Barbara will just hate the man enough for the both of them.

“It was a good ceremony, though,” Melissa adds hurriedly, as though she can read her thoughts. She likely can. Barbara has never been particularly adroit at disciplining her features when it comes to her less-than-warm feelings about Joe.

“Mhmmmm,” she hums noncommittally, smiling thinly and nodding politely.

“No, really,” the younger woman snaps, defensive now, even a little desperate. It’s always been far too important for her to receive Barbara’s uncomplicated and unadulterated approval. “It was fine. I’m fine. Joe and Nina—they’re… fine.”

She only falters at this last part, her brow furrowing lightly over her eyes, and Barbara takes pity on her.

“I believe you, hon,” she tries again, offering a smile that feels plastered on her face, caked like another layer of makeup. It must be a passable effort because Melissa relaxes in her chair again, somewhat placated … and still so visibly defeated at the same time, wearing her sadness like a tender bruise.

“Come out with us tonight,” she adds gently. “It’ll do you some good to get your mind off of”—she bites her lower lip and chooses her next word very carefully, enunciating it as though she’s delivering it to a wounded animal trapped in a corner—“grading.”

Melissa glances down at her pile of unmarked papers for what feels like a long time, clenching her fists in her lap. The seconds trickle down, the silence cloisters them, and Barbara’s already composing another line of persuasion in her mind, anticipating a blunt refusal.

However, when the other teacher finally looks up again—when she purposefully meets Barbara’s gaze—she looks less defiant than she does uncertain.

Almost lamblike in her chair.

Her eyes so wide and bright.

And Barbara nearly staggers backwards at the sight.

Melissa Schemmenti is rarely, if ever, uncertain.

She is not a helpless lamb.

“Could ya pick me up from my house?” She asks, and it’s a coded question, a subtly charged one. Melissa wants to drink to the point of not being able to get herself home anymore without saying those words aloud, and she’s asking for permission from Barbara. 

She’s asking for the safety to do so.

This is also a new one in their relationship—Melissa doesn’t ask for help. Ever. She just suffers alone and seems to think she deserves it.

“Of course, honey,” she quietly replies.

But despite the lack of precedent for the question, there is no other possible answer.

Melissa will always be safe with her.

—

Larry’s party is very much Larry—loud and raucous and entirely too much fun for the sixty-three year old Barbara, but she carries out her social duties as a party attendee gracefully. She revolves around the crowded space to chat with friends and colleagues, occasionally reminding them, in her instinctively motherly tone, to drink some water after doing tequila shots. (“My goodness, Lorraine, you’re not twenty-two anymore! Enough is enough”) She abstains from drinking herself, taking her role as Melissa’s designated driver quite seriously. (“Oh, not for me tonight—thank you anyway. Do enjoy a Manhattan for me, though, but don’t bother with the wings. Lord knows they come off that grill still clucking!”) She happily videos the principal singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with Mr. Johnson on the karaoke stage in the corner. 

It’s off-key and it’s stupid and it’s entirely lovely all at the same time.

(“We can put this on the You-Tube!”)

As often as she can, she checks up on Melissa, who pretty much settled herself at the corner of the bar from the moment they arrived, steadily working through one Sam Adams after another. Larry tried to wheedle her into singing “Come and Get Your Love” with him, but she’d declined apologetically and told him that her throat was a little worn out from teaching today. A few of the third grade teachers had invited her over to sit with them at their booth, but she’d passed on this offer too with a pinched smile, gesturing to the TV mounted behind the bar and claiming that she was watching the re-run of the Eagles and Dolphins game. Barbara joins her from time-to-time and resists the somewhat inexplicable urge to press a hand on the small of her back and whisper quiet words of comfort in her ear, but Melissa expertly shrugs off her attempts at companionship too. 

“Go on, hon,” she had said the last time Barbara made her rounds, smiling wanely, her eyes nearly black in the low lighting. “Have fun. I’m just not in the mood tonight.”  

And so, Barbara, clearly dismissed, does what she can to run interference between her friend and everyone and their cousins who are starting to wonder what’s wrong with her.

Usually, Melissa is the life of the party, the first to the bartender and the last on the dance floor.

“She’s just not particularly feeling well,” Barbara smiles tightly at their friends and coworkers, all the while knowing that they’ve been gossiping behind Melissa’s back.  They all know Joe. They all know what he did and how he hurt her. Some even get continue to get their haircuts from the new Mrs. Nina Lombardo. “Long day today.”

Larry, a barrel-chested man with a big, jolly belly, works his way over to where Barbara is standing by a tall table, watching Melissa from afar. She’d just been about to go over there herself, alarmed by the sight of a man with a poor combover sidling next to Melissa on the barstool next to hers…

Too close for comfort.

Both her own and her friend’s.

She’d seen the way Melissa reacted to the unexpected intrusion, how she’d nearly jumped out of her skin… she doesn’t do well with surprises.

“Barbara,” Larry barks out, slapping his hands on the table and startling her from her thoughts, “what the hell is Schemmenti’s problem?”

She frowns at the principal, annoyed that he’s blocking her view of the second grade teacher.

“Like you don’t know, Larry Chapman,” she mutters under her breath, craning her head to the left to no avail. “The whole bar is talking about it, and you, dear sir, have never missed a beat.”

“Yeah, but I wanna hear it from you,” Larry shrugs, unbothered by her clipped tone. “You’ve got the hot line to our red haired beauty. The rest is just fiddle-faddle and playground gossip.”

Barbara doesn’t say anything to this for a long moment, thinking about how Melissa would hate to know that she’s the center of attention right now, that despite every effort she’s made to fade into the background unnoticed, her melancholy is as bright as her hair.

“She went to Joe’s wedding,” she finally says, softly, with an air of disbelief, as though she still doesn’t know how Melissa found the strength to do so.

“The SOB had the balls to invite her?” Larry grouses indignantly, his brow forming a vee over his eyes.

“Crude way to put it,” she sighs deeply and wishes she had a Cosmo in her hand, “but yes—he did, in fact, have the audacity to do that to her.”

“Bastard,” the principal simply says before making the Sign of the Cross over his broad chest. 

“Oh, I’m sure the good Lord will forgive you for that since it’s true,” she smiles at him tiredly, easily mollified by the recognition that he’s in the same boat she is in—entirely concerned for Melissa Schemmenti.

He shuffles around to the other side of the table so that he’s standing next to Barbara and—praise, Jesus—clearing up her line of sight to Melissa. To her disdain and confusion, she sees that the man is still there, leaning across the space between the barstools, tomfoolery in his hooded eyes.

Clear and undisguised lust.

And Melissa is leaning backwards as far away as she can from him, visibly uncomfortable.

But to Barbara’s utter and irreconcilable surprise, she doesn’t seem to be doing anything to discourage his advances, hasn’t pulled out her pepper spray or yelled the word stronzo once.

“She doesn’t see the good in herself,” Larry says astutely, quieter than he’s ever been in in his entire life. “Thinks she deserves schmucks like that.”

He points at the man who has now got his grubby hand around Melissa’s waist, pinching her hip. Heat rises to Barbara’s cheeks at the disgusting sight, guttural and speechless fury.

How dare he?

How dare he touch her?

“Want me to handle it?” Larry growls, already rolling up his sleeves. Once a former linebacker back in his day, he could probably snap the offending mongrel like a twig.

“No, Principal Chapman,” Barbara says coldly, placing a staying hand on his forearm. “Allow me.”

Larry will just end up getting arrested for a public safety violation if he gets the chance to go over there. 

Barbara will take the trash out with a touch more delicacy. And so, primping the back of her hair once, she heels over to the bar in a few staccato steps. When she’s within a couple of feet of them, she can finally hear a snatch of their low conversation. She stops just short of them, somewhat reticent now that she’s made it this far and neither of them have noticed her presence.

“We could go back to my place,” he crows, his hand still on her side, “and you can take off that nice leather jacket of yours, and we could fuck.”

“You’re being presumptuous,” Melissa snarls, though she doesn’t slap the man’s hand away from her. “I said fifteen minutes in a car. No frills. No shirts flyin’ off. I got a knife in my boot and I ain’t afraid to use it.”

A short pause. With his free hand, he scratches the back of his neck.

“You want something cheap?” He asks skeptically, giving her a once over as though he’s already undressed her with his eyes. “A quickie in the backseat?”

“I just wanna to feel something,” her friend says distantly, and it is the saddest combination of words in the English language that Barbara has ever heard.

Oh, God, she could almost cry.

But because she’s Barbara Howard, she pulls herself together in a maddening instant, and doesn’t do that. Rather, she closes the space between herself and Melissa and the man who just wants to fuck her, batting down his arm from where it has slid to the younger teacher’s backside.

“Barbara?” Melissa asks, wide-eyed and surprised.

“Grab your purse,” she commands in her teacher voice without looking at her. “We’re leaving.”

“Hey!” The man protests, clearly lacking the sagacity to understand what just happened. He abruptly stands up from his barstool, inches away from Barbara’s face, towering over her significantly. His breath reeks of whiskey, his flannel shirt putrid with cologne. “She’s a grown ass woman—she can speak for herself.”

Our of the corner of her eye, she sees Larry yelling something and waving his fist around, sees that half the bar has stopped to watch them, but Barbara doesn’t flinch.

Doesn’t back down.

Refuses to lose her cool.

“And you, sir, are a grown ass man,” she hisses at him, “who is throwing a tantrum like a child. My friend deserves much better than that—much better than you.”

And even though she knows she shouldn’t,  she jabs a finger into his bony chest, sending him stumbling backwards onto the barstool again, staring up at her dumbfounded.

“Larry, be a dear, and close out our tabs, would you? I’ll pay you back on Monday,” she brightly calls over her shoulder as she puts an arm around a numb, achingly quiet Melissa.

“Come on, sweetheart,” she whispers softly against her head. “Let’s get you home…”

—

Melissa is silent the entire drive back to her house, staring out of the passenger window, attempting not to cry apparently from the telltale way she is holding herself—all stiffened muscles, her limbs angled away. Barbara, knowing that she requires this space, well aware that Melissa Schemmenti hates to cry in front of others, doesn’t push the issue, knobbing the radio to the Gospel station and allowing the old hymns to fill up the space in the car where words are decidedly absent.

Perhaps there are no words for what happened in the bar.

What more is there to say except that Melissa went to her ex-husband’s wedding, and it cost her something to do it?

Anyone would be just as easily undone.

After twenty minutes of soundless driving, Barbara pulls into Melissa’s driveway and parks perfectly next to the other teacher’s black Civic, turning off her sedan with a click. The sudden absence of music and the gentle thrumming of the engine are felt.

All that is left is an emptiness.

The darkness of the night.

The shadows that stretch in the car.

“Thanks,” Melissa says flatly, reaching across her chest to unbuckle her seatbelt. She does it clumsily, with fumbling fingers.

How many beers had she downed?

How many did she think it would take to drown out the sadness, the pain, the noise?

“I can stay the night with you?” Barbara offers, perhaps a tad too overzealously, heat suddenly rising to her cheeks. “Gerald wouldn’t mind.”

Melissa is just a friend, and there is no marital rule against spending the night with friends. Her stomach lurches, and for a second there, she misidentifies the sensation as a manifestation of guilt.

She has nothing to feel guilty for.

Melissa is a friend.

“I’m not drunk, Barbara.”

“Never said you were.”

(Just privately thought it.)

“And I’m not… I didn’t… I don’t need your help either,” she finally gets out, overpronouncing every word as though each was impossible to say. “I’m not another one of your charity projects, Barbara. You don’t have to fix me.”

It stings. 

Of course it does.

Melissa’s words have a singular way of doing that. 

And a cutting remark almost rises to her tongue, a hearty, “Fine then! Sleep with random losers and boozers for all I care, Philly’s finest bachelors.”

But she stops short because she does care, and the thought of that cretin from the bar being inside of her makes her sick. 

And because of what Melissa said to him.

I just want to feel something.

And because of what Larry said to her.

She doesn’t see the good in herself. Thinks she deserves shmucks like that.

Barbara swallows her hurt and reaches across the console between them.

Places her hand firmly over Melissa’s, feels the spines of her knuckles tense beneath her lined palm.

Feels the other woman immediately recoil beneath the touch.

Feels her halfheartedly try to pull away.

But Barbara is stubborn and she squeezes tight.

She will never let Melissa go.

“And why would I ever have to fix you, Melissa Schemmenti?” She asks softly, with all the tenderness of a first kiss. 

“I can’t mend something that wasn’t broken in the first place.”

[traditional-with-a-twist]

lv. Beauty and Her Beast

<<Previous || first arc || second arc || third arc || AO3 || Next>>

“Let her go.”

The rider's voice, low and thick with menace, sends shivers down Shirayuki’s back.

She knows that voice. 

A long time has passed since she heard it last.

...

The man holding her wavers, but then he tightens his grip. He nodded to his fellows, and they closed ranks with her in the center.

Steel flashed in the dying sunlight.

Deliberately, the leader drew Shirayuki against his side, twisting her arm behind her back. He lifted his chin against the interloper and bared his teeth.

“Look here,” he snarled, “don’t go sticking your nose in where you don’t —”

The horse whinnied, the bell of its voice crashing over them as its rider lifted the reins and bent close to its neck.

As one, horse and rider charged.

...

Yowling in fear, the bandits scattered.

Knocked off her feet, Shirayuki threw up her arms to protect her head and tucked in her chin. 

She curled into a ball, the most she could do before the thundering hooves were upon them.

...

She felt a rush of wind, the force of its weight in motion, but nothing touched her.

The rider had guided his mount with an expert hand. When she peeked under her elbow, the horse had swerved around her and plunged after the men.

Limbs trembling, Shirayuki raised herself into a sitting position.

...

Wails of alarm were receding amongst the trees, and her rescuer had drawn up with his back to her. He stared after the men with a rigidity that spelled controlled fury. 

She could see more than his outline now: straight back and broad shoulders, a soft gray uniform like and unlike the Wistal castle livery.

Even before she registered the bright, close-cropped hair, Shirayuki knew him.

“Mitsuhide,” she breathed.

...

He turned, eyes flashing at the affront to the innocent, to the peace of Clarines, to his friend.

One hand fisted at his hip as if seeking a sword that no longer rested there. He bore no weapons, no armor.

Shorn of every trapping, Mitsuhide had rarely looked more like a knight.

...

Emotion welled up in her: relief, astonishment, a delight shadowed with sadness. 

Last she had seen Mitsuhide, he was pressing a good-bye gift into her hands, resigning himself from the royal service, walking away without a backward look as she and Kiki gazed after him. 

To see him now brought her back in time, to those endless days of loneliness and inescapable grief, the crushing burden of coming to terms with her loss, the lighthouse that Obi had been to her - a safe harbor when she was tossed at sea. 

Regret shot through all the gladness she felt; her heart throbbed.

...

Fast on the heels of remembered grief, the questions crowded in. 

What was he doing here? Where had he come from? 

Where had he been?

She was struggling to distill all this into words when Mitsuhide let out a cry. “Shirayuki!”

He leapt from the saddle, rushing to raise her from the ground.

She gave him a wobbly smile, feeling dizzier than ever as the adrenaline drained away.

...

“Shirayuki, what are you doing here?” Mitsuhide asked, the lines in his face drawn taught with distress. 

Words faltered in his anguish, falling over each other: “Alone — in the woods — almost night —” 

“I…” Embarrassment crept over her as she considered how rash her actions must look. “I wanted to buy a horse,” she confessed.

...

“A horse?” Mitsuhide repeated. “You learned how to ride?”

“Oh.” She bit her lips. “Not … no, not really.”

He stared at her blankly. As the absurdity of the announcement sank in, disbelief gave way to worry, incredulity, frustration — each taking it in turns to chase each other across his face.

He might have been tempted to scold her, but there was something disarming in that earnestness peculiar to her. 

Besides, she looked as though a gust of wind might carry her away.

...

Mitsuhide dragged his fingers through his hair, then shook his head with a sigh. “Never mind that now. You should be inside, somewhere warm.”

Shirayuki felt the wisdom of this; she nodded and stepped forward, reaching for the bag lying discarded on the ground.

The next moment, the sky slew sideways. 

The trees threw up their arms, tilting wildly. 

...

She would have fallen but for Mitsuhide beside her, his outsized hands steadying her shoulders. 

“Easy… easy there. Shirayuki –” He broke off and shook his head. “I’m so sorry.”

Up close, Shirayuki could trace the etchings of misery on his face with the fading light of the sun. 

Worried, she patted at his arm. ‘Everything is okay now,’ she told him soothingly. ‘It’s all right.’

...

His gaze traveled over her, from the snow in her hair to her bloodless face and clothes in disarray.

Mitsuhide shook his head. 

‘No,’ he said, so low he might have spoken to himself, ‘it’s not.’

...

"Shirayuki -- for today, please let me take care of you. Forgive me, it's not much."

He didn't allow her space to object but ground on. "I'll see you to safety until we can find someone more suitable to help you." 

He turned away without waiting for an answer, busying himself with preparations for riding together. 

...

Mitsuhide was quieter than she remembered. He mounted the horse with her bundled up in one arm like a child, her pack dangling from his shoulder, and settled her with the utmost gentleness, but he didn’t speak. Gone were the fumbling, well-meaning speeches; when he wasn’t looking at her, a curious blankness stole over his expression.

He rode with her in front, where she could rest against his shoulder, at an easy pace that lulled her to drowsiness.

Some time passed before questions began to return to her.

‘Mitsuhide?’ 

‘Please rest if you can, Shirayuki,’ he said, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

‘I’m very comfortable,’ she assured him. ‘It’s just that… I’m sorry. Weren’t you busy doing something when you found me?’

...

Some feeling returned to his face as he shook his head at her. ‘That’s… Shirayuki, your safety is more important than my regular duties.’

‘Oh!’ Her eyes rounded in comprehension. ‘You work in town.’

‘Ah…’ He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. ‘No, it’s… I came to report, to deliver messages, but it can wait until tomorrow. First, we’ll get you somewhere safe and dry.’

...

She understood then, what he had done since leaving Wistal.

There was some logic in Mitsuhide becoming a courier, Shirayuki admitted, given his hardiness in the saddle. 

It was strange to see him unarmed, so reduced in rank, but it made more sense than that he would leave the service only to idle his time at nothing.

...

As she mused on it, a new thought dawned on Shirayuki.

Here was someone she might ask who traveled, swiftly and far, who knew her husband without description, who — this last thought came to her almost against her will — who might understand the need to wander in the first place.

‘Have you–’ she couldn’t keep the eagerness from her voice, ‘--have you seen Obi?’

His eyes flashed to her face. ‘Obi?’

"Yes -- that's why I wanted -- he wasn't in the town so I thought --"

Mitsuhide's expression darkened the longer he listened. "Do you mean… you were out here alone because you were looking for him?" 

...

She nodded, eyes full of hope as she awaited his answer. 

"Where did he go?" Mitsuhide asked sharply. 

Shirayuki winced. "I don't know," she answered softly. "You -- you haven't --?" 

"No.” He turned his glare to the road.

She didn’t ask again.

[galercin]

Igne Natura Renovatur Integra. Through fire, nature is reborn whole. 

It was engraved in the stone of the archway leading to her demise. She thought nothing of it as she pressed through in her search. The words rang true now as she had awoken once more. If it were not for the cold stone against her back and dim candle, she might have thought it was a nightmare. 

Her memories were vivid even after however long she had been unconscious. A purple haze surrounding her former lover, pain laced through his wicked expression, voice raising, pulse quickening, throat tightening, then complete darkness.

Her mind and actions had not belonged to her. Ash clogged her throat, an uncomfortable heat cloaking her on all sides and it was as if her mind was a blank state, a puppet led by strings. She was there, but not there, watching her own fire-stoked hands move, watching the horrified faces of the army, screaming, shouting, grunting, none of it phased her anymore. It continued until she saw nothing but darkness again.

Somehow it had become her comfort in this new walk of life. The shadows hid everything she did not want to see, including herself. It was no way to live and so taking nothing with her, she fled. Whatever boat there was to set sail at after dusk she had patiently waited each night for a chance to escape without being seen.

Her steps were quiet as she slipped away and onto foreign soil. Moonlight was her only guide, though tonight, that would be of no help to her. A torrential storm urged her to seek shelter and as luck would have it, a small valley of light, some sign of civilization, had presented itself to her only a horse trot away.

“Woah look what the cat dragged in, or maybe the goddess has sent a spy from the heavens ha!” She does not startle, nor does she return the laugh. “Did you miss a turn to the Blue Lions, or the church maybe?”

Wordlessly, Rinea shakes her head not meeting the man’s intense stare. She could feel his eyes on her, sizing her up. 

“Oh, no? Then, are you sure you're cut out for this?” His voice trails closer, bordering a taunt.

“...No, but if you would allow me to seek refuge then I—”

“Ah… Spare me the pleasantries. Lots of people come here to hide.” He leans his weight on his forearm resting against the wall of the narrow hall, blocking any further entrance. “So, tell me about yourself, doll, where are you from, what makes you tick... and spare no details, ‘cept for the boring ones. Anything said here, is safe with me.”

She blinks, head snapping up to look at him, surprised at the fact he's giving her a chance or at his informal blunt, if crude, manner she does not know. 

"Well... alright. I hail from a country by the name of Rigel. In truth, I fear I can no longer reside,” among the living, “where I used to tread. I suppose you could say my presence is no longer welcome there."

"Why? You do somethin’ that made them mad? Are you actually a sinner underneath all that?"

“I…” She frowns, half-lidded eyes searching for an answer among the grooves of the ground. Fingers grip the fabric of her opposite sleeve. She had never been particularly liked in court, Berkut was gone, and worst of all, she had this… tingling in her senses. As if some part of that accursed spell lingered in her still. She had never liked the dark, but it was the only safety she could find there.

“Hah... I'm not gonna press you for those details but…” A pause. He sizes her up again, with a skeptical brow this time. “You know how to fight? Won't last long around here if you don't.”

“Um... I'm not particularly skilled, but I wish to learn. I've always stepped away from the battlefield, averting my gaze from bloodshed but... I realize that that is no longer possible. If nothing else, I wish to defend myself should I encounter my life in danger again.”

"Mhm... interesting... not good at fighting, then what do you excel in, aside from a pretty face?"

“Err... I…” If she said she danced she feared he would not be as kind as Berkut once was, willing to listen with soft eyes, as she saw him before. As she wished to remember him. “I don't know... honestly. But what I lack I can surely make up for.  I am willing to put forth whatever sacrifices I need to.” 

Sacrifice, a strange word that was. As part of worship, to show one’s faithfulness, they must relinquish a part of themselves. She had died that night, offered to a god she doesn’t believe in for a cause she had never asked to be a part of, stolen away, but now she must take it back. Find what it means to live. 

“Tenacious, are you? Well, you sound like you’re on some… journey I don’t quite understand. Always look ahead, never back and all that. But, if you are serious, what does this new role look like, where do you fit in, what do you want?”

“A peaceful world would be wishful thinking and far too easy of an answer, yes?” She might have smiled for a moment at her own jest. It fades like the torch beginning to flicker out above them. If only she could have talked Berkut down, showed him a reason that not all was war, not everything is worth his pride. She could allow herself to mourn and pray later, hoping that despite everything, he was at least at peace among the stars.

“You don’t often get second chances,” she begins. Rigel found no comfort in relying on luck and fate, forging its own path through merit alone. Though she couldn’t help but wonder if she was an outlier, she had always wondered this, and handed her privileges on a silver spoon. She was not naive or ignorant enough to deny this fact. “Where I come from, people are starving, suffering from a drought and infertile lands. Selfish of me to think, to have the luxury of never returning, but perhaps if I could change my fate from the beginning, perhaps I could be more, do more, than a noble’s daughter and a… former consort.” 

“One more thing, I never got your name.”

“Rinea.” No title, no sway, no value, just Rinea.

“Well then Rinea, welcome to the Wolves. I think you'll need this." He hands over a sheathed sword. To someone who had more experience than she, it was one of iron, durable and basic, but to her, it felt heavy in her hands. A responsibility, an oath, she had vowed herself to. 

“How can I—” she looks up to find no one there at all— “thank… you?”

[jxncywarrior]

Stranger Things characters and ships as Taylor Swift Albums

Part Two: Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

*Disclaimer: I’m tagging all the ships and characters featured. I’m gonna try not to be biased. MOST of these are strictly based on canon. No hate to ANY ships or shippers.*

Fearless: Jancy (Nancy’s POV)

“Well you stood there with me in the doorway…It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something, it's fearless”

Fifteen: Will

“In your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team but I didn't know it at fifteen”

Love Story: Lumax (Max’s POV)

“Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel. This love is difficult, but it's real. Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess”

Hey Stephen: Stancy (Steve’s POV)

“Hey Stephen, I could give you 50 reasons why I should be the one you choose”

White Horse: Byers Brothers to Lonnie

“I was a dreamer before you went and let me down. Now it's too late for you and your white horse”

You Belong With Me: Byler (Will’s POV)

“I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're 'bout to cry”

Breathe: El to Hopper

“Cause it's tragedy and it'll only bring you down. Now I don't know what to be without you around”

Tell Me Why: Max to Billy

“I need you like a heartbeat but you know you got a mean streak. Makes me run for cover when you're around”

You’re Not Sorry: Mileven (El’s POV)

“You got your share of secrets and I'm tired of being last to know”

The Way I Loved You: Jopper (Joyce’s POV)

“Breaking down and coming undone. It's a roller coaster kind of rush. And I never knew I could feel that much”

Forever & Always: Byler (Will’s POV)

“Oh, and it rains in your bedroom. Everything is wrong It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone”

The Best Day: Will to Jonathan

“know you were on my side even when I was wrong. And I love you for giving me your eyes. Staying back and watching me shine”

Change: The Upside Down

“These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down. It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win and we'll sing hallelujah, we'll sing hallelujah”

Jump Then Fall: Lumax (Lucas’ POV)

“I realize your laugh is the best sound I have ever heard”

Untouchable: Byler (Will’s POV)

“It's like a million little stars spelling out your name. You gotta come on, come on. Say that we'll be together”

Come In With The Rain: Elmax (El’s POV)

“I've watched you so long, screamed your name. I don't know what else I can say”

Superstar: Steddie (Eddie’s POV)

“And all the girls in the front row scream your name”

The Other Side Of The Door: Jancy (Nancy’s POV)

“You carried me from your car up the stairs. And I broke down crying, was she worth this mess?”

Today Was A Fairytale: Jopper (Joyce’s POV)

“Can you feel this magic in the air? It must have been the way you kissed me”

You All Over Me: Stancy (Steve’s POV)

“I lived, and I learned. Had you, got burned”

Mr Perfectly Fine: Mileven (El’s POV)

“But that was when I got to know Mr. "Change of heart" Mr. "Leaves me all alone, " I fall apart. It takes everything in me just to get up each day. But it's wonderful to see that you're okay”

We Were Happy: Lumax (Max’s POV)

“No one could touch the way we laughed in the dark”

That’s When: Stonathan (Jonathan’s POV)

“I said, "I know" when you said, "I did you wrong, made mistakes and put you through all of this"”

Don’t You: Stancy (Steve’s POV)

“Don't you smile at me and ask me how I've been. Don't you say you've missed me if you don't want me again. You don't know how much I feel I love you still”

Bye Bye Baby: Stancy (Steve’s POV)

“I want you bad but it's come down to nothing and all I have is your sympathy”

If This Was A Movie: Stancy (Steve’s POV)

“I know people change and these things happen but I remember how it was back then”

Links to other parts of this series: Debut, Speak Now, Red, 1989, reputation, Lover, folklore, evermore

[lightvsdark18]

Some responses to voicelines (Kalim)

What kind of shenanigans do we have planned today? I'm down for anything...as long as it doesn't incur Jamil's wrath.

That's if he finds out.

We've known each other a while now, huh? But there's still so much I want to learn about you, and so much I want you to learn about me. No need to spell that out, I guess... Ha ha.

:)

If you ever need anything, don't be shy - just say the word. I'll drop everything and come running.

I appreciate that.

After everything you've done for me, I owe it to you not to let you down!

Let's do our best, Kalim.

I'm having a blast every day. It wouldn't be this fun without you around, so thanks!

Same here, Kalim. You're great to be around.

School Uniform

Ooh, you should come listen to the Pop Music Club perform. What kind of songs do you like?

I like a lot of different types of music, so it's hard to pinpoint only one.

I was kidnapped as a kid more times than I can count on two hands. It takes a lot to scare me.

("I'm very worried about you.")

Is anything bothering you? You can always lean on me. I'm used to looking after younger people anyway.

Kalim, I'm older than you by... Seven years. But I do appreciate the thought.

P.E. Uniform

If we're all done here, want to drop by my dorm? There's tea.

Is it iced tea?

I'll hold off on horsing around the way I do with my brothers...unless you want that, of course.

I'm good.

Which are you better at: dancing or singing? We can do whichever one you prefer together.

I suck at both, so I don't know.

If you're ever feeling indecisive, just do something! There's no need to make tough choices if you do everything you want!

I don't know about that advice.

Ah, your PE clothes are dirty. Are you sure you don't want to buy a new set?

Nah, I'm just steal a new set in the pile of clothes Crowley has. Just have to find it.

Ooh, you've done it now... Payback time! You're not getting away! Aha ha!

(dramatic) Oh no.

Labwear

You should drop by Scarabia Dorm more often. You're welcome there anytime, you know!

:)

Do you cook at all?

At the moment, no. I have no stove or oven.

Ceremonial Robes

I'm pretty bad at eye makeup... Somehow, I think you'd be better at it.

What do you mean "somehow"?

You should visit my family home sometime. Oh, the hijinks we could get up to!

Yeah!

Dorm Uniform

How would you like to go with me on a magic carpet ride?

:/ I want to say yes, but a part of me is scared to fly.

I want everybody in the dorm to be like one big happy family. Jamil and I are basically brothers as it is! The more family the merrier, right?

Yeahh. ("I don't think Jamil shares the same sentiment.")

Welcome! Allow me to give you the grand tour. Where to first? Ooh, we could start with a camelback stroll through the desert outside.

Camelback stroll?

Say, can I feed Grim some treats?

Only if I get some in return. I'm hungry, man.

Mind if I bend your ear about my troubles sometime? Let's see... Hmm... Actually, never mind, my life is great! Ha ha!

*presses X to doubt*

You've been laughing a lot lately, like you're having a blast. No, no, that's a good thing! I love seeing you smile!

:D

Gala Couture

I'm sure fairy parties are a blast! Don't worry, I'm right here with you. No need to be nervous.

("I don't feel less nervous after hearing that.")

You should dress up, too. It's more fun to pretend we're all fairies together, right?

I guess.

Don't you think this outfit would look better with more jewels?

Hmm, maybe.

Halloween

Grrr... My body twitches every time I see the full moon. If you hear any howling, you'd better watch your back.

*makes a noise in her throat in a form of a laugh*

Don't you think it would be so much more fun if Cater and Lilia from the Pop Music Club put on a concert in costume with me?

Probably.