#i cannot believe we finally got this song live in the year of our lord 2023

[kindahoping4forever]

English Love Affair (Live Debut) @ The 5SOS Show Tour Boston Night 2 - 13 August 2023

[sapphistaedine]

i cannot stop thinking about this so, naturally, in the year of our lord 2023, i’m gonna share it for all the world to see:

“the great war” by blondie taylor swift was made for siuanraine. 

“all that bloodshed, crimson clover"

all they’re trying to do is to survive now (but maybe life is about more than just surviving). to do their duties. to do what’s right. moiraine’s duty is to guide and teach the dragon reborn and siuan called her out bc she failed at doing that. moiraine said that she’d “let a thousand innocent people die if there’s even a chance that he will live.” loads of people actually died in what they thought was the “last battle” in s1, and more people will die in the actual last battle.

“sweet dream was over”

ever since they found out that the dragon was reborn, their lives completely changed. they were talking about their future minutes before they found out about it, and when they did, it was as if that future they talked about was completely wiped from existence. whiplash indeed.

"my hand was the one you reached for / all throughout the great war"

siuanraine have been together for god knows how long, and despite everything they've gone through, all the shit they endured, they’re still together!!! (we do not talk about s2e8 ending here shush) (i am a firm believer that they will find a way to reconcile in s3). in those years they’ve been together, they’ve surely had fights/wars in their relationship. but also–they have an upcoming war they need to be a part of. and i know they’ll find a way to come back to each other, to reach each other’s hands, and fight off the enemies that come their way.

“always remember / tears on the letter / i vowed not to cry anymore / if we survived the great war”

that scene where moiraine was creating a letter for siuan, letting her know she’s been stilled. the poor woman hasn’t slept for how long, got into a fight with her sister, all the while she’s processing her being stilled, finding the right words to say to siuan. she cried on that scene, but not to the point where she let herself breakdown completely. i am amazed at how she composed herself so fast bc if that were me… i’d put a pillow on my face and scream until i passed out. but yeah. once they survive the “great war” which, in this case, is the “last battle”, i’m delusional enough to believe that there’s no more tears to be shed–they will live peacefully, catching fish together, living their best lives away from all the drama.  

don’t even get me started on the last chorus bc it’s oh so perfect

“to that bloodshed, crimson clover / the worst was over”

the last chorus is all about them surviving the last battle. the aftermath. the celebration. they can honor the lives that were lost. here they’re making a toast–the worst is finally over. 

“i vowed i would always be yours / ‘cause we survived the great war”

like??? this reminds me a lot of the oath rod scene. they basically exchanged marriage vows there let’s be real here. but also: they survived the last battle. now they can actually live their best lives.

in conclusion, you have to listen to this song. 

thanks for coming to my ted talk

[rakhma-agape-ahavah]

Last August, a month before my sister in law got remarried, I had a dream about her that I believed with absolute certainty was from God.

In my dream she was at her baby shower, posing outside for photos with her aunt in a white shirt with lavender colored flowers. I was so certain of the dream, I reached out to one of my dearest friends to help me bring the design out of my mind and onto paper.

But being able to have children was something my sister in law wasn't even sure would ever happen. She'd been married before, to a terrible man. One who held her back from her relationship with God. A hateful, angry, controlling man. She had married him when she was very young, and after an emergency trip to the hospital found that, much like myself, she was highly unlikely to ever have children. And in the seven years they were married, they never did.

Mercifully, she was able to get a divorce, and be free of him. She moved in with my husband and I, and we got to see her relationship with Jesus blossom even more. Her dad had purchased a guitar for her before his passing, and it was a joy to have her sing worship songs in our home, free and unhindered, as she learned to play guitar beautifully. No fear that she would be stopped from praising her Father in heaven to her heart's content.

After about a year she gained independence from us, and began living on her own. She then met a wonderful Christian man, with a deep love for the Lord. I'm honored now to call him family, and to trust him with my husband's sister, whom we all adore.

In March, we got a phone call.

They were expecting.

I searched again for the shirt that was impossible to find: high and low for her, I scoured the internet for the shirt I saw her wearing in my dream, glowing and radiant in her pregnancy. Comparing every shirt on the internet to the drawing my friend had made. But I couldn't find anything exactly like it.

So with the help of my dearest, and oldest friends, I had the shirt custom designed and made for her. And it was, indeed, ready for her when her baby shower came around.

I took the photos for her baby shower myself. And at the last minute, when her aunt was leaving, and realizing we hadn't yet gotten a photo with her, we took a photo with her outside before she got in her car.

And when I came home, editing the photos, I realized I'd seen the image before. And it was the only photo taken outside, with the same person she had posed beside in my dream. I absolutely wept with my joy.

These last few months of her pregnancy, I've been having dreams of her singing worship music in her living room with a toddler. And this precious child in my dream belted out praises to God with all the power her little lungs could muster. I heard a voice in one of those dreams; that she would love Him with all her heart. And I am so excited to see what God has planned for her. I am overjoyed to the point of tears, and I am honored by what I've been allowed to see already.

I write all this now to announce to you that today, I received news just a little while ago, that this precious little baby was finally born. 8 pounds and 2 ounces.

What a mighty God we serve, who sets the captive free, and gives hope to the hopeless. Glory to God.

I'll update you again in a few years, whenever she learns to sing. I long to hear this sweet baby sing hymns again. The memory of a dream is not enough. And I can't wait for others to hear her sweet voice.

And in case you don't believe me, here is the proof. The proof that God keeps His promises, that God doesn't lie, that what He says is always true. Proof that obviously, there is Someone greater, Someone who knows us better than we know ourselves, and loves us so greatly that we cannot hope to comprehend it. Who else would know this child when she was only a hope, and a dream? Not I. I didn't have the power to know, or to call upon this dream. I'm no one. I'm nothing. And He is everything.

Acts 2:17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

I cannot describe the greatness of my joy, that I might be blessed to know one more person in this life who loved God so much nothing could stop her from proclaiming Him to the world.

And God showed her to me, of all people, the least deserving. He showed hope, and faith, to a nobody like me, in ways I can never deny. And now, I want to show it to you.

Jesus loves you. God bless you all.

[zealouswerewolfcollector]

Chronicles of Grief

2392 words, T

Warnings: Discussion of character death, grief/mourning

Minor Russingon, though you can easily read it as friendship only

On Ao3

Russandol,

I do not know why I am writing this if I am not going to send it. I will not risk a messenger for a personal letter. Perhaps I will send it with a bird. Perhaps I will keep it in the hope of handing it to you when I see you. In the hope that I will see you…

You must already know what happened. I should have known it the moment I was told he had ridden away. I must have known, but I did not believe it. It is still hard to believe. I am sitting on his throne, his crown on my head, and I cannot believe it.  

How long did it take you to accept that your father was… gone? You see? I cannot even bring myself to say the word. In the letters I have deemed safe to send I wrote lost, fallen, gone, but I cannot bear to write de

I apologize. I should not have mentioned your father. You did not even have time to mourn him. I have become inconsiderate in my grief. Perhaps I will not show you this letter even if I do see you.

---

We had a small ceremony. It felt empty without the body to bury. Afterwards, Lalwen and I sat with Father’s closest friends and told increasingly gruesome war stories to each other to distract ourselves from pain.

I wish I could go to sleep and wake up a decade later. I know it would not change much (if anything, it would make things worse), but I intensely wish for oblivion.

Forgive me for the grim words. I am trying to find something positive in this (I can see you shaking your head at me). I am trying to tell myself that Father will rest in the Halls, that he might return to Mother. I am trying to tell myself that we are strong enough to survive this, to come out stronger from this, but it does not help, Russandol. It does not help at all.

---

I am king now, it seems. How ludicrous. The blame lies with you, you know? Of course, you do. I am king now, and I cannot lock myself in my chamber and reread your letters over and over again as I long to do.

There are so many things I should take care of, so many new responsibilities. I have been the lord of my own keep, but this is entirely different. I wonder if I can do this. I am not my father. I cannot be my father.

Why did he go and left me alone with this? Why could he not wait? I am… I suppose I can tell you. I am so angry, Russandol. Angry with him for doing it, for not thinking about me. Angry with the Enemy, with the Valar, with your father. Angry with myself.

---

I am going to confess something. I feel relieved that I have not seen the body. I know that the Lord of the Eagles would have taken it to somewhere safe, maybe to my brother, and in my heart, I am grateful that it wasn’t me he chose. I would not want to see him like that, not my father. I want to remember him as I last saw him – strong and full of life. Do you think it makes me a coward? Oh, I know your answer. You are not trustworthy when it comes to my flaws.  

---

I keep waiting. Not for him to return, not for this to be a nightmare, but for an end. An end to what – I cannot say. I would welcome any.

All we have built is falling apart, but I cannot bring myself to care. The world could break this very moment, and I would only shrug. No, worse. I would embrace it. I find myself thinking about it, wanting it. No, not wanting. I am not sure I am capable of wanting anything anymore. I would not mind it if it happened, that is all.

Do you see now? Do you see how unfit I am to bear the crown? If not, I will tell you something more horrifying. I hear about all those deaths. So many Elves and Men. Our cousins, my friends, my close friends. Do you know how it feels? Comforting. I feel comforted that I am not the only one going through this pain. Now, at least, can you see? What kind of a king does that make me? What kind of a person does that make me?

I cannot do this, Russandol. I cannot be a good king. I do not even want to try to be one. You are the only one I can admit this to. Please, do not judge too harshly. No. Judge as harshly as I deserve.

---

It is like living in a house with one wall gone. Gone forever, not to be replaced. You are no longer shielded from the wind and rain. Your home is no longer home.  

---

Sometimes I revisit the memories of the moments before I received the news. They are not good memories, full of uncertainty, pain, blood, and my friends dying one by one in front of my eyes. And yet, they bring comfort because at least my father was still alive then, I still had hope, I still had him to rely on even after such heavy losses.

I would give so much to have him back. It frightens me how much I would give.

---

I should have known disaster was going to strike. I had been so happy lately. We had had peace for long years, the Edain had come to their own, and I was free to wander. And if my wanderings often led me to you, I was the happier for it. I should have known it could not last. I had dared to forget we were cursed.

Everything feels different, Russandol. Everything is different. I do not think I will experience joy ever again. My joy will always lack something.

I keep talking about my own pain, but the truth is I do not care about it. Despite my anger, I do not care that he will not be here for me. I only care that he will not be here. Do you understand the difference?

Perhaps there is none, and I am only trying not to appear selfish. It is hard to tell sometimes.

---

I am still so angry. I have surges of violent thoughts. I want to rage against this unfairness, this injustice. I want to break the chairs, I want to sweep off the dishes from the table, I want to scratch the walls. It is so unfair! It should not have happened. He should not have done that.

I go and practice with the sword to let the anger out, but it does not help. I am powerless against the natural order of things, against the unchangeable and cruel finality of it.

---

I was passing by the kitchens the other day, and I heard the cooks sing. It was Snow upon the Taniquetil; my father loved that song. I joined in from afar, and halfway through the song, I noticed that I was trying to imitate my father’s voice. I stopped then. It was a poor imitation. It was not even close.

What am I supposed to do, Russandol? How am I supposed to replace him? His absence is felt so deeply, and not just by me. If only you could see Lalwen… You would not recognize her. The bold and merry aunt we know is gone. She is a shadow of her former self. I have never seen her like that. Not even after Grandfather died.

How can I help her, Russandol? How can I be what my father was for her? I cannot, I know I cannot, no matter how hard I try.

---

Everything reminds me of him. I had never thought about how many of my memories are connected to him. Even something as simple as brushing my hair or riding my horse makes me think of him.

It is only natural, of course; he was my father. And yet, I find myself astonished to discover just how much he has shaped me, how great a role he has played in making me what I am, how entrenched he is in every aspect of my life from my mannerisms to my habits and preferences.

I hear his voice sometimes, I hear his laughter. I go somewhere, say something, and I know for certain how he would respond. I hear it with perfect clarity, and I almost want to reach out and touch him, let myself lean against him as I used to do when I was younger.

I miss him. It is unbearable.

---

My father used to say sometimes that when this was over, he was going to leave the governing to us, youngsters, and go live on the seashore in a small house he would build for himself. I laughed, convinced that he was joking.

The other day I found drawings in his chamber. Drawings of a house. It was truly a small one, but in his nearly illegible handwriting, he had scribbled my name and the names of my siblings over the chambers. He had reserved one for each of us and another for Itarillë.

He never got to have that, Russandol. Isn’t that so terribly unfair? He was kind and strong, and he had tried to be the best father he could be for us. And he did not live to achieve his dream.

---

Time has lost all meaning. Sometimes I remember last summer’s feast my father held or that time just a month before the firefall we rode in Ard-galen with Aunt Lalwen and a small company (Angaráto and Aikanáro came to join us, and we spent a few nights under the stars), and it seems like it has just happened, it seems impossible that most of the people who were there are no more, that my father, larger than life, is gone, all his hopes and dreams are gone. He seems so alive, so present.

When I think back to the first days after his death, I am surprised I survived them. It still seems unthinkable to go on when you have lost someone so important. At times, it seems it happened so long ago that I cannot believe it has been only several months. And yet, I feel that a part of me is still there, locked within those terrible moments, reliving them over and over again. That part of me will always stay there.

---

Sometimes I wonder if I could have done something. If I could have stopped him. If I could have saved him. I wonder what I could have done differently to change the outcome. It is a futile exercise that does nothing but bring me more grief, but I cannot stop.

Sometimes I wish I could have gone back to the moment he rode out and stop him. I would stand before him and beg him to stay. I would scream at him that he was condemning himself to certain death. But he knew that already, didn’t he? He knew. Even if I could have stopped him, something else would go horribly wrong, I am sure of it. We are cursed, after all.

---

I still feel rage at times, but it is calmer, mellower, not the all-consuming fury it used to be. I sit at a council and feel the urge to throw the goblet I hold upon the wall, to see it break. I watch myself doing it, but distantly, as if it is a different person wearing my face, while I am calmly conversing with my court.  

Is this how it is going to be, Russandol? Will I slowly learn to accept it, to live with it? To live without him. It is not what I want. It feels like a betrayal.

I laugh sometimes, I make decisions, I keep on living, and it too seems a betrayal. I am wrong to feel this way, but I cannot help it. I look at his portrait – smiling, he wanted the artist to paint him smiling, so when one day Itarillë came to visit, she (a full-grown woman she already was at the moment the painting was made, mind you) would not be scared – I look at it, and I smile back, and I tear up, and I hear him scold me for these thoughts, and still I cannot help it.

---

Will you believe that I have not cried yet? I cannot do it. There are moments when I feel I will break down, when my eyes fill with tears, and my chest constricts with the wretched pain of loss, but they last seconds, and I get myself under control again.

I try to work myself into exhaustion, so I will fall into a deep sleep and not have to think, but I lie in my bed wide awake and think of him dying alone. It makes me want to scream, but I am afraid that if I start, I will never stop.

Perhaps I could weep if you were here. Perhaps I could break in the safety of your embrace. Perhaps I could afford to be fragile and vulnerable if only you were to see me. Oh, how I wish you could come. I am barely stopping myself from asking you. I know that if I sent this, you would be battling with the same desire, but of course, your good judgment would prevail.

---

I have to end this letter one day, but I have no idea how. I still hurt, I will always hurt, I still think of him every single day. There are days I still feel angry, there are days I still cannot believe it, there are days I feel exhausted and incapable of doing anything. But there are also days I am able to remember him without the accompanying piercing pain.

Maybe there will come a time when those days grow greater in number, and I will be able to smile when my thoughts inevitably turn to him. Until then, I will try to do my best and keep living and hoping to see you safe and sound.

Yours,

Findekáno

[wesokkasimp]

mine (jealous!femreader x firelord!zuko)

A/N: ok so i kinda wrote this one really quickly so please forgive me if it’s not mind blowing but i have a problem with over editing things so i really tried to keep the editing at a minimum. 

word count: 1768

warnings: mild swearing, reader is lowkey bisexual (yes i projected my crush on mai into this fic what about it)

Ever since you and Zuko started dating publicly, you had been going to a lot more events. Being the Fire Lord's partner had its responsibilities, and appearing publicly at parties, galas, festivals, you name it, was the first on that very long list.

But this event in particular was very important. This would be the first Fire Nation gala Earth Kingdom residents, besides Toph and the Kyoshi Warriors, would be invited to after the disaster with the Yu Dao colony. Even though a compromise had been reached, tensions were still running high between the Zuko and Earth King Kuei. Your courtship with Zuko had only worsened the tension, mostly among Fire Nation citizens. They didn’t like the idea of Zuko dating an Earth Kingdom citizen, much less one from a lower class like yourself. After all, the Fire Lord was supposed to date a nice, Fire Nation girl from a nice, rich, noble family. 

But tonight, that didn’t matter. You were bent on enjoying yourself tonight. Zuko had introduced you to Team Avatar a few months ago, and while you had befriended the entire group, you especially clicked with Suki, who coincidentally was who you were chatting with. She was currently telling you about her latest adventure when someone caught your eye.

“And that was the third time I had to take Sokka to get his stomach pumped-”

“Who’s that?” you quipped, suddenly becoming very aware that you hadn’t seen Zuko since the start of the evening.

“Oh, with Zuko? That’s just Mai.” Suki answered as she began telling you about the fourth time Sokka got drunk out of his mind. But you had tuned her out.

You were aware of Zuko and Mais past relationship, just as Zuko was aware of all your past flames. However, no one ever cared to mention just how beautiful Mai was. But they had broken up years ago, not long after the Hundred Year War. You knew this. You knew Zuko didn’t still have feelings for Mai after what- four? Five years? You also knew Mai had moved on and was now dating a certain Kyoshi Warrior with a very pink aura. You knew this!

But knowing didn’t stop your stomach from dropping when you noticed Zuko laughing with Mai. You knew you were being ridiculous. You knew Zuko was sincere when he told  you how much he loved you, how you were his one and only every night before falling asleep in your arms. You knew how he couldn’t care less about the public's thoughts on your relationship. But that didn’t stop you from clutching your glass with a vice grip as you watched Zuko and Mai chat, catching up with each other.

“Hey! Are you even paying attention?” The Kyoshi Warrior snapped, bringing you back to reality.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I just, uh, got distracted.” you replied sheepishly.

Suki’s eyebrow quirked, clearly confused at what could have been distracting you. However, the bamboozled expression on her face quickly morphed into a smug one as she followed your line of sight, a smirk taking over her painted face.

“Oh. Y/N. Don’t tell me you’re jealous.” Suki giggled.

“Absolutely not! Why would you think that?” You squeaked, a blush creeping up your neck. Your tone was not a convincing one.

“Really? Do you think that little of me? I know jealous when I see it.” Suki chuckled, her eyebrows raising suggestively.

Before you could embarrass yourself anymore, the string quartet got back from their thirty minute break and began playing a slow, sweet song. 

Suki decided to spare your dignity this time as she saw you eyeing the former couple.

“Go on, Y/N. Get your man.” she sighed.

You didn’t need to be told twice as you set down your drink, dead set to get to Zuko before the song was over. However, the gala was packed, making it very hard to maneuver through the crowd. After bumping into various Fire Nation nobles, probably making them think even less of you than they did before, you finally made it to where Zuko and Mai were chatting. That is, were chatting a few minutes ago. Now, they were nowhere to be found. Confused as to where they could have gone, you began looking around the gala before spotting them.

On the dance floor.

Your eyes widened, then narrowed. The mere sight of another woman dancing with Zuko made your vision turn red. You didn’t care that they had both moved on. You didn’t care about the coos of affection Zuko couldn’t seem to stop whispering into your ear whenever he was near you. All you cared about was the fact that Mai was getting handsy with your boyfriend.

Deep down, in your heart of hearts, you knew where these feelings sprung from. Insecurity. Even before you made your relationship with Zuko known to the public you often wondered if you were enough for him. Zuko didn’t think your nationality or status mattered, but it seemed everyone else did. Now that your courtship had been made known to the public, you were constantly being reminded by articles, nobles, hell, even Zuko's own advisors, that you would never be enough for him. No one ever said anything to your face, of course, but it didn’t take a damn detective to figure out what the glares sent your way and the whispers when no one thought you were looking were about. I mean really, a Fire Lord, a decorated war veteran, with… you? You could barely open a jar by yourself, and while Zuko may find that endearing, it served as yet another reminder that you would never be enough for him.

But that didn’t matter right now. You didn’t feel like playing therapist with yourself. All that mattered was getting Mai, that gorgeous minx, away from Zuko. 

You strutted to Zuko with a determination you didn’t know you had. You were a woman on a mission. Normally, you’d probably think this over a bit more, especially at such an event. But not tonight. Tonight the mighty Fire Lord needed a little reminder of who he belonged to.

Just as the song was ending and Zuko began to lead Mai off of the dance floor, you tapped his shoulder.

“Hey.” you barked. Whoops, that was way louder than you intended.

“Oh, Y/N! I’ve barely seen you all night. Where have you been?” Zuko inquired, as if he hadn’t just been dancing with another woman.

“Around,” you muttered.

“Oh, how rude of me! Mai, this is Y/N, my girlfriend. Y/N, Mai, my, um, ex.” Zuko stammered as he realized the incredibly awkward hole he had just dug himself into.

“Hey. Nice to meet you.” Mai drawled as she looked you up and down. Even in your jealous haze, you noticed that she didn’t look at you the way most nobles did, with hatred in their eyes. She looked intrigued by you, if anything.

“The honors mine. Zuko, we need to talk. Sexy, we’ll continue this conversation later.” you stated with your normal confidence, enhanced by the alcohol.

As Mai watched you storm off, Zuko in hand, her eyebrows raised in surprise. She was not expecting the obviously jealous lover of her ex-boyfriend to call the woman she was jealous of sexy. It was quite amusing, really. This Y/N had certainly piqued her interest. Who knows, maybe if Ty Lee and her didn’t work out and you and Zuko ended up separating she’d give you a shot.

Meanwhile, once you’d led Zuko out of the ballroom and yanked him around the corner, you glared up at him, crossing your arms.

“What is this all about? And why the hell did you just call my ex se-” you cut Zuko off with your mouth, pressing a harsh kiss to his lips. Zuko’s gasp of surprise quickly turned into a moan as you pushed your tongue into his mouth. You continued moving your mouth against his, finding a steady rhythm while bringing your hand up to pull his neck down. The other found its way to his chest while he rested both his arms around your waist. As you drew more moans out of your boyfriend, you decided you had gotten your point across.

You pulled out of the kiss slowly. Zuko whined at the loss of contact. Bringing your mouth up to his ear, you breathed two words.

“You’re mine.”

Zuko’s needy expression turned concerned. 

“Is that what this is about? Are you jealous of Mai?” Zuko sighed as he rested his chin on your head.

Your jealousy faded away. Shame replaced it.

“Oh, spirits. I made such a fool out of myself,” you groaned. “I cannot believe I just did that! I was so caught up in getting to you that I completely abandoned all etiquette. I shoved nobles around, Zuko! I-I called Mai-”

Zuko cut off your rambling with a quick peck to your lips, much softer than the last kiss you shared.

“Hey, don’t start spiraling. This gala’s full of people. I’m sure no one even noticed,” Zuko murmured into your ear.

“But people do notice, Zuko. People notice what I do, analyze the living fuck out of it, and hate me for it,” you blurted. Oh wow. You did not expect to be bringing this up with your boyfriend tonight, yet here you were.

“Y/N, you know I don’t care what anyone thinks about our relationship,” Zuko stated as he slightly pulled away from the embrace to get a better look at you. “We love each other and that’s all that matters.”

“It’s not, though! How can I date the leader of a nation when the nation's people hate me?” you snivelled.

“The Fire Nation doesn’t hate you, Y/N. They’re just not used to you. This whole integrating of nations thing is very new, especially for us. But I’m sure they’ll start loving you in no time. How could they not?” Zuko reassured, his hand coming up to cup your jaw tenderly.

“You really think that?” you whispered, looking into Zuko's eyes as if they were the most beautiful sight in all the four nations. To you, they were.

Zuko leaned in for the third kiss of the night, and in that short moment, the world was only you and Zuko. No snarky nobles, no condescending articles, not even an ex that kind of turned you on. Just Zuko's warm, soft lips moving with yours in harmony.

“Does that answer your question?” Zuko murmured in your ear as he pulled away.

“Yeah,” you sighed. “It does.”

ahhhh my first oneshot! honestly, i didn’t think my first oneshot would go this smoothly. i did have to leave it alone for a little after the first 800 words because it wasn’t coming along great (the conversation with suki worked wonders imo) but i think it came out pretty well! thank you the the anon who requested this- it was a wonderful prompt! just a reminder- i am still taking requests for h/c and oneshots. love y’all xx

[wallgirl]

The Little Nereid Part two

2200 words, part two of a five six part fanfiction

Poseidon x OC

Dynamene, youngest of the 50 Nereids, has lived most of her adolescence as a servant alongside her sisters at Poseidon’s palace. But with her coming-of-age birthday and other developments, what she initially thought was just admiration of her master blossoms into something stronger and more passionate… and painful.

Categories: Romance, angst, unrequited love, coming-of-age, earn-your-happy-ending; no NSFW content

---

               Once she had collected herself and spent enough time admiring the bracelet on her own, Dynamene rose from the bed with a sigh and went to her door. No doubt her family would be wondering what her running was about.

               Upon opening it, several of her sisters nearly fell into the room.

               “Why-! What are you all doing here?” Dynamene gasped, quickly stepping out of the way.

               “We heard you received your gift, and we didn’t want to disturb you, but we were just so curious…” One of the nymphs tweedled her fingers.

               “Ah, yes! My birthday present from Lord Poseidon!” Dynamene beamed and held her bracelet-clad hand up to the light, allowing her sisters a good look at it. They crowded around in awe, cooing with admiration.

               “Dynamene! Are you alright? Ianeira said you came running like a madwoman from Lord Poseidon’s quarters…” Actaea halted with relief at the sight of Dynamene showing off her new bracelet. “Oh, I get it now. So he did give you your gift himself, did he?” She gave Dynamene a rather knowing grin.

               Dynamene blushed. “I mean… Yes, he did. I was very surprised.” She began to turn the beads of the bracelet over in thought. “I’m very happy with it. It’s even mother-of-pearl.”

               “So it is!” Actaea stepped closer to get a better look. “It goes so well with the pins I gave you. You look absolutely spoiled now.”

               Dynamene giggled. “I do have to say that I’m very happy with the presents I’ve received thus far.”

               “Then you’re going to be even more delighted here in a moment,” another sister called from the far end of the hall. Slender Callianassa stood holding her treasured lyre in both hands. “Why don’t you all come down to the sitting room here? I’ll play you anything you’d like, Dynamene.”

               The sisters crowded together down to the large sitting area, one of over a dozen spread out throughout the palace. Dynamene took a place of honor, draped on the side of the couch closest to where Callianassa perched on a gilded chair. “What would you like to hear, Dyna?” Callianassa asked, lightly strumming the instruments strings.

               “Play me something by Erik Satie,” Dynamene said thoughtfully. Her thoughts continued to drift back to that moment in Poseidon’s quarters, where she had stood face-to-face with him.

               “Oh, Erik Satie! That’s furniture music,” Thoe scoffed from where she had begun brushing Actaea’s hair.

               “You’re so old-fashioned, Thoe,” murmured Callianassa. “Let’s see… I’ll start with the Gymnopedies, Dyna.” She began to softly pluck at the lyre.

               Dynamene gave a sigh of contentment and allowed herself to close her eyes. It really had been such a wonderful day thus far. She felt so lucky and at peace to be here, surrounded by her loving sisters, enjoying a calm afternoon on her birthday. The golden sunlight washing in through the open windows caressed her skin with warmth. The gentle, bittersweet melody began to envelop her, and she found herself picturing Poseidon’s unwavering grey gaze. The tender somberness of the song brought to mind the emptiness in his eyes. How was it that someone so beautiful, so mesmerizing, felt so completely cold and void?

               And yet a powerful aura emitted from him wherever he went. He was heartless, but he was also smart and strong. What he lacked in sentiment he made up for ten-fold as a god with his vast knowledge of the ocean and his subjects.

               The ocean, his domain… How fitting for a man as unfathomable as he.

               The sound of familiar footsteps echoing along a distant hall brought a stop to Callianassa’s playing, and Dynamene looked up. The rest of the Nereids halted whatever they were doing and stood; those footsteps could only belong to one person. Dynamene quickly got to her feet as well, straightening her peplos with quick hands. She felt that strange tingle returning to her veins, creeping from her wrists up her spine.

               Lord Poseidon entered the room, and the fifty sisters immediately dropped to a quick curtsy. As the eldest, Ianeira stood at the head of the group, ready to engage their master.

               He said nothing, as he was typically wont to do, for a moment, taking in the room. “We will be receiving Lady Hera here tomorrow afternoon.”

               Several of the sisters tilted their heads or tapped their chins in reaction to the news. Lady Hera didn’t visit that often, but she was one of the few Olympians to make it a point to see her brother from time to time. Unfortunately, Lord Poseidon and Lady Hera didn’t often see eye-to-eye, and her visits often ended with him annoyed and her in a rage.

               “I will be meeting with her in my quarters. There is no need to prepare the guest suite,” he finished.

               That part wasn’t unusual. Poseidon did his best to keep his interactions with his family private affairs, usually entertaining them in his sitting room in his private quarters. The sisters exhaled silently in relief. Hera was always polite to them when she visited, but she had incredibly high standards of cleanliness, not unlike her brother. Preparing a suite for her was always nerve-wracking.

               “Of course, my lord,” Ianeira replied. “We will see to it that the palace is fit to receive her.”

               His instructions finished, Poseidon turned and left as abruptly as he had arrived. Dynamene stared after his vanishing figure, her hand lingering on the bracelet.

               “We have our instructions,” Ianeira said, turning to the others. “We’ll start the preparations after lunch.”

               With that, most of the sisters returned to their leisurely activities, some breaking off to have lunch early. Callianassa took her lyre up once more, and Dynamene returned to her perch on the couch. But her mind was now racing with the news of Hera’s visit. Hera usually came to Poseidon’s palace with one goal in mind…

               Convincing him to marry.

               It was just in her nature. As the goddess of matrimony, she worked hard to pair up her relatives and see them happily settled. A loner like Poseidon who refused to take a partner irked her to no end. Dynamene wasn’t entirely sure what her end goal was in seeing Poseidon married, but that mystery was best left to the Olympians who knew her well. Perhaps she considered Poseidon’s refusal to marry a personal affront to her own nature as the goddess of marriage. No matter her persistence, however, Poseidon would never bend. That was why their visits always ended in both parties with a sour mood. Dynamene often wondered why he bothered to entertain her coming in the first place, but then again, Poseidon was a pragmatist in these matters. He probably allowed her to make her arguments simply to keep the peace between him and her – and by extension, her husband Zeus.

               Not that Hera herself was someone to trifle with on any accounts. One disastrous visit 700 years ago had ended with Hera punching a column that upheld Poseidon’s personal balcony, completely levelling it in the process. It had taken forty skilled workmen seven days, working day and night, to restore it to its prior condition. Hera was the most feared goddess of the Greek pantheon, sheerly on account of her wrath. Not to say that Poseidon could not take her in a fight; he mostly certainly could, and he would win. But Hera’s destructive fury wouldn’t leave him unscathed, if things came to blows.

               Dynamene swallowed and forced herself to come back to her senses. There was no point in letting her fears run away from her. Since that incident so long ago, Hera had been largely successful in reining in her violence around her brother and his palace. Nowadays, when she visited, only harsh words were exchanged.

               And yet, Dynamene found herself dreading Hera’s arrival. Was it because of Hera herself?

               Or was it because of the topic that would no doubt be broached yet again?

               “Alright, sisters,” Ianeira called, clapping her hands. “Lunch is ready for all. We’ll begin work after.”

               With a sigh, Dynamene pulled herself from the couch. There was no use worrying now.

               Several hours later, with the great entrance hall freshly scrubbed and polished, and the special velvet carpets laid out, the Nereids’ work was done for the day. Dynamene slipped out onto one of the smaller balconies overlooking the ocean for a breath of fresh air. She inhaled the scent of the seawater with relish; as a sea nymph, it would always be her favorite scent. The door softly opened and closed behind her, and Actaea stepped forward in the moonlight to join her.

               “Finally, everything pristine and in its place,” her older sister sighed, gazing out at the ocean. “I’m sorry the latter half of your birthday was so dull.”

               “No, it’s fine,” Dynamene smiled. “I got to spend plenty of time with all of you, and several nice presents to boot. I’d say it was a pretty fine birthday.”

               “Always the optimist,” Actaea tousled her hair fondly. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. You won’t have another for the next century!” She sighed, voice full of reminiscence. “I cannot believe you are a woman now. It seems not long ago, when we first arrived here, you were hiding behind our skirts and shrinking behind furniture. And now look at you; a smart, well-read, considerate young lady.”

               “I still don’t feel that… grown up,” Dynamene confessed, looking down at her hands. “I still look so childish. And I’m still so clumsy.”

               “Coming-of-age is just the line drawn by the world, the official cut-off point between child and adult. The task of growing up is a giant blur; not one you can compartmentalize. Give it time, and you’ll feel grown-up soon enough.” Actaea smiled kindly.

               Dynamene took a deep breath, deciding to share what was weighing on her mind. “Truth be told, I am… worried about Hera’s visit tomorrow.”

               “Oh, everyone is worried about that,” Actaea laughed. “But she’s been well-behaved these past several centuries, no? I don’t think we have much to fret about.”

               “Well, yes, but… It’s not just Hera’s temper. I mean… She always comes to talk to Lord Poseidon about one thing,” Dynamene continued lowly, twisting her hands.

               Actaea looked mystified for a moment, then her eyes widened lightly as it dawned on her what Dynamene was referring to.

               “If Poseidon marries, we’ll have a lady-of-the-house,” Dynamene ventured. “And I suppose I’m just worried about what that would mean for us.” She turned her bracelet over on her wrist. Its iridescent surface caught the moonlight in haunting cool hues.

               Actaea was quiet for several moments. “Dynamene, you know as well as I do that Poseidon will never take a bride,” she said softly.

               Dynamene looked up at her older sister’s face. There was something she couldn’t place in her sister’s eyes. She slowly turned her face back to the ocean, gripping the balustrade tightly. “You’re right,” she replied. “It’s not something we should worry about.” A tight pricking sensation came to her chest.

               Actaea squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. “We should head to bed now, little sister. We’ll want our energy for whatever Hera brings our way tomorrow.” She grinned dryly before going back inside, leaving Dynamene alone again with her thoughts.

               Dynamene gave the dark ocean with its frothy foam one last longing glance. Her thoughts had been in a dizzy whirlwind all day long, it seemed. She desperately wished that she could go down for a swim, just to clear her head…

               The more she considered it, the better it sounded. The idea was tantalizingly delicious in the face of the strange weight in her heart. With quick, quiet footsteps, she rushed through the dark palace and down those 150 steps to the shore. She took a moment to take in the vast ocean again, with its white foam crests and the soothing rush of its waves. Stripping off her peplos and chiton, she folded them and placed them atop a nearby rock, making sure the pins gifted to her by Actaea were wrapped well within. Dynamene looked down at her wrist, momentarily debating taking off the bracelet as well, but couldn’t bring herself to remove it. Surely, as mother-of-pearl, it would be just fine in the seawater, wouldn’t it?

               With eager steps, she waded into the cold ocean water, allowing the spray of the waves to pelt her skin in its soothing rhythm. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate. Her older sisters were much more skilled in joining themselves to the water, but she still needed more time to focus her energy. Before long, her body began to slip away in the ocean, melting into foam. She gave a sigh of contentment. Although they might spend the majority of their lives in humanoid form on land, the Nereids were really most at home in the sea, their source of life and spirit. The dark, powerful waters cradled her fluid form, not unlike the weight of that presence she cherished back on land.

             With her body now joined to the water, her essence little more than a current, she slipped deep into the darkness and allowed her thoughts to melt away.

---

Author’s notes: A new sister added to the bunch. The Nereids asides from Dynamene are:

Actaea – caring sister

Callianassa – musically inclined sister

Eione – tomboy sister

Thoe – rude sister

Ianeira – oldest sister

I did my best to pick names for them that are each unique, to help differentiate them. These are all names of Nereids mentioned in real Greek mythology, but the resemblance largely stops there.

Now we’re starting to bite into the meat of the story; the main conflict. You know, Poseidon is a really static character to have as a love interest, but I have plans to flesh him out a little bit more in the next parts, so it doesn’t seem like Dynamene’s in love with a freaking statue (though with the way he acts most of the time, she might as well be)

What is the time period this fic takes place in, you ask? no one asked that

Well, it’s kind of an anachronism-stew situation. If we try to put a time on when Poseidon rose to power as king of the oceans, we might be able to slap the date on that as 1000 BC, roughly around when the Greek Pantheon as we know them started to be widely worshipped. Assuming that the Nereids came to serve Poseidon around the same time period, and that it’s been 1000 years since, that puts us around the year 0. However, Erik Satie composed the Gymnopedies in the late 1800s. So who knows? I’ve given up on making it make sense

[kalimagik]

Innocent

Draco Malfoy x Reader 

Based on the song “Innocent” by Taylor Swift 

Word Count: ~1700

Warning: death, saddness, I’m sorry...

A/N: I cannot be held responsible for the words that flowed through my fingers and onto the page. It’s sad and angsty and I’m really, really sorry. ANYWHOOOO...first Draco fic that I’m posting! If you enjoy reading, like, reblog, comment, or even follow! I’d love to hear from you all! Happy Reading <3

*Not my GIF - Credit to owner 

The ink on his skin felt as though it burned when no one touched it. Even when it was covered up. Returning to Hogwarts seemed pointless for his 6th year. He was now a part of something bigger, why did he need to be at school for any reason besides fulfilling the Dark Lord’s wishes. Not to mention, facing his girlfriend at the time was not something he was looking forward to. 

Knowing her, she would see the mark right away. How could he explain it to her? 

Draco managed to avoid Y/N on the Hogwarts Express and he managed to avoid her during the welcome feast, but when she sought him out after, he had nowhere to hide. 

“Draco! There you are, love! Where have you been?” she asked sweetly. Draco couldn’t meet her gaze. He instinctively pulled his sleeve further down his arm, but he wasn’t slick enough to hide it from her. “What are you doing?” 

“It’s nothing. I’ve got to go,” Draco tried to brush her off. He walked towards the dungeons and to his dormitory where she couldn’t reach him. He felt awful, but he knew she’d be disappointed in him if she found out about his Dark Mark. 

He was successful in avoiding her for a few weeks until she cornered him in the courtyard. 

“Malfoy! What is wrong with you? I haven’t seen you in weeks!” Y/N demanded. 

“I’m fine. Just busy with school work.” Once again, Draco tugged at the sleeve covering his left arm.

“School just started. Why do you keep doing that?” Y/N grabbed for his arm and before he could stop her, she pulled his sleeve up. Open mouth and wide eyes was all she could manage. She had no words for him. 

Draco quickly pulled his sleeve back down. “I have to go,” he said abruptly. 

“No. You don’t. I know you don’t have any classes right now. You need to talk to me!” 

Draco couldn’t hold back from her any longer. Grabbing Y/N’s hand, he led her to the 6th floor boys bathroom. 

“I can’t go in here, Draco! It’s the loo for the boys,” Y/N insisted. 

“No one uses this one. Just come here so I can explain everything.” 

Before the words could leave his mouth, the tears began to roll down his cheek. The pressure was already amounting. Katie Bell was still in St. Mungo’s and he hadn’t meant to hurt her. 

Y/N was the first to speak. “I guess you really did it this time, huh? Left yourself in your warpath. Lost your balance on a tightrope. Lost your mind trying to get it back.” 

“I had to, Y/N. He was threatening my family. He was threatening you. You don’t belong anywhere near this fight…it isn’t fair.”

“I can handle it.” 

“You say that, but I can’t handle it. I- I think we need to take a break. We need to break-up. It’s the only way I can protect you.” The tears on Draco’s cheeks picked up in volume. Y/N could tell how genuine he was being and how he didn’t want to hurt her. 

Taking a deep breath, Y/N changed the subject. “Wasn’t it easier when we were little? Wasn’t it easier in our lunchbox days? There was always a bigger bed to crawl into. Mum would hold you close and care for you. Draco, I remember when we were little so fondly. Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything and everybody believed in you? We didn’t have to worry about an impending war then.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” Draco managed. 

Y/N leaned towards Draco’s body, pressing her lips to his cheek. “It’s okay. I’ll wait for you…” 

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

The year continued and Draco’s state became worse and worse. Y/N could hardly recognize him. He seemed distracted and paranoid. One evening, Y/N found him in that same 6th floor bathroom. The end of the year was nearing and Draco had a job to do. A job that Y/N knew nothing about. 

“Hey, hey!” Y/N ran to him and pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder. She tried to soothe him with her words. “It’s alright, just wait and see. Your string of lights is still bright to me. Who you are is not where you’ve been. You’re still an innocent. You haven’t done anything you can’t come back from.” 

Draco’s breakdown hurt Y/N more than he could know, but she knew she needed to be strong for him. He had a rough few years ahead of him. 

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

When the war finished, Y/N was there waiting for Draco. He was pardoned for his affiliation with Voldemort and was free to continue his life. Soon after his pardon, he proposed and married Y/N as soon as he could. He was finally happy. The days were good, he had Y/N beside him. 

Draco did some things he couldn’t speak of, but at night he’d live it all again. He wouldn’t be so shattered in his life now if only he had seen what he knew now then. Nevertheless, he would relive his past life in his nightmares.

He would awake with a start every single time. Sweat encasing him and heavy breathing that he could not control. But, without fail, Y/N would wake up and take his shaking body into her arms and whisper to him. “Wasn’t it easier in your firefly catching days? And everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you. Wasn’t it beautiful running wild until you fell asleep? Before the monsters caught up to you? I know it's a hard life, but it’s alright, just wait and see. Your string of lights is still bright to me. Who you are is not where you’ve been. You’re still an innocent.” 

Y/N would hold him until he was able to fall back to sleep. 

Starting a family and raising a son kept the couple busy, but that didn’t stop Draco from being influenced occasionally by those from his past. It didn’t stop him from hearing the sneers and comments made about him. They still stung. 

Even at 31, almost 32, Draco was starting to teach his son how to ride a broom. He couldn’t even do that in peace without passersby whispering about him. They brought up the worst of him. The parts of him that he didn’t want his son to know about because he wanted his son to have a chance to make his own reputation. 

Y/N could see his face harden with every single word, so she’d have to remind him how great everything was for them. She would have to remind him that they are still young. “Hey, Draco.” She would call his attention. “It’s okay, life is a tough crowd, 32 is still growing up now. Who you are is not what you did. Never forget that.” 

Time turned the flames to embers. The family had some new Septembers. Scorpius started at Hogwarts and began to make his own place. As Draco saw all his old classmates for the first time in years, sending their kids off to school, Y/N reminded him that every one of them (including herself) has messed up too. 

Life continued to change like the weather. Scorpius was enjoying school and starting to form his own life, away from his father’s reputation. Everything seemed to be going well, until Y/N got sick. Then life got hard for the Malfoys. 

Draco sat with Y/N for hours on end. He didn’t want to go to work. He really didn’t want to go anywhere that would take him away from her. But, as much as Y/N held on, Draco knew she wouldn’t be able to forever. The end was coming soon. 

“Draco?” Y/N choked out one evening when Scorpius was on break from school. 

“What is it, love? Do you need something? I can do whatever you need me too. Scorpius, can you go get your mum some water please?” 

Scorpius nodded and hurried out of the room. 

“Draco, look at me.” 

Draco brought Y/N’s hand to her cheek and she stroked her thumb across his skin. “Even after I’m gone…” 

“Don’t talk like that. You’re going to make it.” 

Y/N smiled softly, wishing that he could be right. “I hope you remember today is never too late to be brand new. Okay? You can be everything that our boy needs if you let yourself.” 

“I can’t do this without you.” Draco felt his eyes begin to swell and water. “I don’t want you to go.” 

There was that smile again. It seemed as though the hope it held was so misplaced, but it also seemed so full of peace. The tears began to fall. Draco wanted to be strong for her this time, but he couldn’t stop them from coming. 

“Shhh. It’s alright, just wait and see.” Y/N started as she always did when he was upset. “Your string of lights is still bright to me. Who you are is not where you’ve been…You can do this.” 

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

The sun shined and the birds sang. Draco knew that Y/N would have thought of today as a perfect day. The dreary English weather seemed to have let up just for her. 

There was a beautiful turn out for her funeral and Narcissa had taken Scorpius back to the house when the crowd started to disperse. Only Draco remained at her grave. How could he be strong now? 

A slight breeze blew past his figure, wrapping him up in a warm feeling. 

“Hello, love. I don’t understand why you had to go. You were still an innocent. This shouldn’t have happened to you.” Draco wiped his nose on his sleeve. He felt as though he had lost his balance on a tightrope again. But then he thought of Y/N, he knew that it was never too late to get it back. 

[willsimpforazula]

Sokkla Month Day 27/28: Angst/Fluff

A/N: Song is Oath Sign by LiSA, English translation from Amalee's cover.

PS: Fate has some killer OPs.

PPS: I blame my laziness on being too engrossed in Seiba fanfics.

Anywho...bone apple tea or somthing liek dats

------

繰り返す世界 何度手を伸ばしたら

儚い涙は黒い心溶かすの?

芽生え出した思いが胸に響いたなら

君の隣でずっと変わらず護るだろう

Once again I reach my hand into a world, repeating on end

Though it's dark, could my tears carve a path and lead me right into your heart?

Like a rose it blooms and grows inside my chest you're name's all it knows

Is this fate, 'cuz every day I pray that by your side I can stay

The first time they met, it was in an abandoned town in some forgotten corner of the Earth Kingdom. From then on, they sought to find out everything and anything they could on each other.

Every piece of information, every scrap of rumours and sightings was held tightly to their chest, blooming and growing as each of them kept tabs on the other as best they could. When asked, they casually dismissed it as 'research on the enemy', though both of them knew they weren't fooling anyone. After all, research most certainly did not include figuring out each other's likes and dislikes, as if one were to be inviting the other over for some afternoon tea.

-------

堕ちた希望を拾って 明日に繋いでゆけば

絡まった歪な願いだってほどける

I'll gather these fallen flowers, the hope discarded and broken

And join them where they can meet, my wish is to set them free

"Are you sure about this?"

"More than I've ever been."

"What if your sister…"

"If she wanted to, she would have done it a long time ago."

"Regardless, I don't like it one bit. Not after what she did to-to-"

"You were just itching for an excuse to bloodbend me no matter what I said or did, even after helping you track down your mother's killer. But yes, please lecture me on what your brother can and cannot do."

"That was different."

"I fail to see the differences."

"......"

"Everyone deserves a second chance. Killing her doesn't solve anything. Or taking her bending away. Your brother is the only one who can get through to her. Not me, not the therapists. I just want her to be whole again, free from Ozai's influences."

"If she ever so much as hurts a hair on him, she is dead, consequences be damned and you won't stop me. Understand?"

"Be my guest."

-----

光をかざして躊躇いを消した

あげたかったのは未来で

泣いてる夜抱いたまま 嘆きを叫んで

踏み入れた足を 遠くの理想が そっと癒してゆく

確かな絆を強く握り進もう どこまでも

穢れきった奇跡を背に

Holding up the light within and with no hesitation,

To give you a future is all I wanted

Hold me tight through the dark endless nights, as I scream till the morning' s light

All my broken down ideals, I know they will heal

With every step they'll form the future

I'll hold tightly to this special bond we share, I'll follow you anywhere

Carrying onwards bearing this miracle

"Why are you here?"

"I-well, I-"

"Answer me, brother of Katara. Why do you come day after day? Is it because you wish to rub my defeat in my face? Or are you here to make me feel comfortable with my executioner? Answer me."

"It's neither of these."

"Lies."

"I'm not lying, princess."

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"This. Pretending to be my friend, offering empty words. I don't need any of these."

"That's where you're wrong. Your brother-"

"Is weak and an imbecile for letting me live."

"Everyone deserves a second chance. Even you."

"If the roles were reversed you would have been executed on the spot, after a long torture session that would make death seem like a release."

"I doubt that."

"What would you know of my methods?"

"Because I know deep down inside there is still that spark inside of you. You are only the way that you are because frankly your parents were shit."

"You know nothing!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Pulling out a dossier, he slid it across to her.

"What is this?"

"Know thy enemy, know thyself and you will win a hundred battles. Call it a hunch, call it a brother's intuition. Besides, if you really wanted me dead I would have been killed, I don't know, about twenty times over before we got to this point?"

"Fuck off Sokka, I don't want to see your face for the rest of the month."

"Keep telling yourself that missy." he smirked, even as a fireball whizzed dangerously close to his head.

"My my, someone's rusty."

"Fuck you you no good piece of shit savage!" she snarled, even as he moved out of earshot. Sometimes, she thought, it was better to not meet one's idol after all.

------

創られた想い 触れればなによりも

温かくて現実が霞み始める

狂い出した世界に問いかけ続けても

答えなんて出ないって もう君は知っていたの?

泣いて滲んだ願いは 決して揺るぎはしなくて

ただそっと痛みを終わりなく与える

Once again I hope I can regain the warmth that's ahead, and I pray these fake feelings will blur

As the world starts to fade away

Even if I lose my grip and set this question free from my lips,

I won't be surprised to know no answer will come from the light

This wish that was born from our tears, I know it'll never waver

I won't forget the pain even as we forge on ahead

"Crown Princess Azula, you are hereby relieved of all titles save your status as a princess and are forbidden from entering Caldera without prior permission from the Fire Lord himself. You are to be placed under house arrest on Ma'inka for the rest of your days. All communication will be vetted and censored and any attempt at inciting rebellion will result in your bending being stripped away as your only warning. The next attempt will result in public capital punishment. Do you understand?"

"I hear and obey."

"One question."

"Go ahead."

"Why spare me? Why let me live with my bending, knowing that it will be more trouble than it's worth?"

"It seems you have an advocate high in the system that petitioned on your behalf. Any more questions?"

"None."

"You have twenty four hours to prepare, starting now. I suggest you make full use of this time."

Why did you do it? Sokka you stupid fucking idiot, I'm a fucking liablity here. I really hope you don't regret it, she thought to herself.

---

Dear Suki,

I know what you're thinking. Believe me, sometimes I wonder if it's easier to just let her die or languish in some asylum for the rest of her days. But, well, I don't think I'll ever sleep easy at night knowing that perhaps I could have done something to save her.

I know with every sentence I write, I'm essentially digging my own grave. And frankly, I don't blame you. After all she did throw you into the Fire Nation's Supermax. I won't pretend her hands are clean, that she didn't know what she was doing but still, I think everyone deserves a second chance.

I'm sorry.

Sorry for leading you on all this while.

Sorry for making you think we had a future together.

Sorry for making you wait so long before I came to save you.

Most of all, sorry for giving what is rightfully yours to someone who probably doesn't deserve it.

I know that you'd most likely hop on the next boat and drag my corpse back to Caldera so you can beat the shit out of me one more time but please, whatever happens, your happiness isn't with me.

PS: Katara was just as livid when I told her about it. Also, I hear Zuko is single and ready to mingle (probably not the latter; spirits know he has the social skills of a turtleduck, which is to say none).

---------

哀しみを知って 喜びを知った 弱さは君を変えて

立ち止まった時 剥がれ すべてを壊した

Only knowing of sadness

Never thought I could feel this

But now I know what is pure happiness

Time stops still, taking your breath away

So rip from weakness and escape

Standing on the bridge, the glowing lights of Caldera grew ever fainter until it was a distant white speck on the horizon, before it finally sank beneath the horizon. Under the light of the stars and moon, the vessel was illuminated by the moonlight and the bioluminescent blue algae crashing against the bow of the ship. It seemed ironic that a vessel that carried her off two years with the promise of greatness and glory would now be carrying her off to obscurity and exile.

"Here, wear this. Wouldn't want you getting a cold now?"

"Why?" she whispered, a stray tear falling from her eyes as she felt a coat placed on her shoulders.

"Why what?"

"Why do all of this? For me? For someone who doesn't deserve this?"

"Because no one stood up for you when they should have."

"You shouldn't have. You deserve your happy ever after with Suki, not a lifetime of pain and regret with me."

"Maybe. Maybe it's all for nothing and I deserve a lifetime of pain and regret for being an idiot. But if I'm being honest, the times I sparred with you were the times I felt most alive. Like as if I finally found what I've been seeking for all this while."

"This is a massive gamble you're taking, betting it all like this."

"What can I say? It almost worked on the Day of the Black Sun. It worked out on the day of Sozin's Comet."

"What makes you think you can save me from myself? More to the point, why do you think I want to be saved to begin with? Until you can give me a satisfactory answer, don't come and look for me." she replied.

Just as she was about to disappear into the ship, she heard him mutter "Because you deserve to be happy too."

------

届くはずのない言葉を託して 見えた瞳は

何を感じて遠ざけるの? 心隠すように

今ここにいる意味 教えてくれたなら

強くいられる 変わらずいつも

I keep screaming out to you though I may never reach you,

But still I can picture the light in your eyes

Tell me what makes you so afraid that you'd hide your heart away

If only you'd turn to to me and say the words that would give my life meaning

Then I would and will forever be strong enough

Ducking into her room, Azula cried into her pillow, as she asked if this was one of fate's twisted ironies dealing her a hand that seemed too good to be true. Monsters don't need saving, they need to be put down. You don't deserve him.

Shut up!

You know it's true.

What's stopping him from betraying you? Or has your adolescent heart fallen for him that you would excuse any of his actions?

Shut up!

I could go on. Do you want me to?

No, stop please!

Azula!

Azula!

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands embracing her in a tight hug, making her gasp. It was warm, familiar and comforting. At once, the voices in her mind stilled, as the other person called out her name tenderly, like a parent with a lost child. Instinctively she knew it was Sokka, yet she kept her eyes screwed shut lest it all turn out to be a figment of her imagination.

After all, she had once hallucinated her mother talking to her on the day of Sozin's Comet when she was obviously nowhere near her room, much less Caldera or the Palace.

In a small still voice, she asked "Is-is it really you Sokka?", to which she felt a gentle pressure of his lips on her forehead and a response "Can hallucinations do this?"

"I don't know anymore. Please, don't lie to me."

"Open your eyes."

"No, what if it's all just my hallucinations?"

Another kiss.

"Still not convinced?"

"No."

Scooping up her hands in his, he pressed it against his chest and cheeks before asking her "Are you convinced now?"

In response, she buried her face in his shoulder, this time sobbing loudly as emotion overtook her senses. Meanwhile, Sokka just held her wordlessly, stroking her hair and back. When she finally stilled, he placed her on the bed and tucked her in. Before he left, she asked "Do you mean it?"

"?"

"What you said on the bridge, that I deserve to be happy too, even after all I've done?"

"Yes."

---------

光をかざして躊躇いを消した

あげたかったのは未来で

泣いてる夜抱いたまま 嘆きを叫んで

踏み入れた足を 遠くの理想が そっと癒してゆく

確かな絆を強く握り進もう どこまでも

迷いなんて目を開いて

振り払って手を伸ばそう

穢れきった奇跡を背に

Holding up the light within and with no hesitation,

To give you a future is all I wanted

Hold me tight through the dark endless nights, as I scream till the morning' s light

All my broken down ideals, I know they will heal

With every step they'll form the future

I'll hold tightly to this special bond we share, I'll follow you anywhere

No hesitating I'll open my eyes, though my heart's breaking

I'll reach out my hand and carry onwards

Bearing this miracle

15 years later….

"No no no Sokka you can't do this! You promised!" Azula screamed as she held his battered body in her hands.

"I-I'm sorry, firefly. I guess I was in over my head a little, huh?" he coughed, blood and spit staining the floor and her dress.

"I-we-don't have much time. There's someone else you need to protect."

"You're my only anchor to sanity Sokka! You can't."

Grabbing the nearest sheet of paper, Sokka wrote down a short message, before tearing off his necklace and dipping in it his blood, before pressing it into the paper like a seal.

"T-that should be enough, I think."

"Sokka please stop saying things like these! Our kid needs a father! She needs you! I need you!"

"Then I'm a terrible father if I can't protect those whom I love. Please, go now."

"Sokka!"

"Remember what I said on the bridge that night we left Caldera?"

"Yes, but don't you deserve happiness too?"

"Being with you these past fifteen years made me happy enough, so please, for the sake of yours and hers, go now while you still have the time."

"You're just one swordsman and a non-bender, how-"

"I have my ways. Seriously please, grab this and go! Every second we argue here is one second less you have to escape!"

"Alright, fine! But I better see you in Caldera, or else! I'll be damned if I let Risa grow up without a father."

"I'll try."

"No 'try', you will. Promise me Sokka."

"As you wish, firefly."

----

Present day

"Mommy, where are we going?"

"We're going to see daddy, Riri."

"Going to see daddy?"

"Yes, that's right." she replied as she stepped into the small shrine.

Turning her head and looking around, Risa could only see plaques with names and faces, but not a single person. Tugging on her mother's sleeve, she asked "Where's daddy? Why are we here?"

Scooping her up into her arms, she pointed at a plaque that bore his name and face, as well as a jet black sword encased in stone. "That-" she pointed, "is daddy."

At once, things clicked her mind and she asked the obvious "Is-is daddy gone?"

"No, no he isn't. Because he's in you and me. As long as someone remembers him, he will never be gone."

"Really?"

"Really."

Pulling out a handful of joss sticks, she asked Risa "Could you light this for me?" Nodding, she conjured a small green flame on her fingertips and lit the incense. Handing over three of the six sticks in her hands, both mother and daughter bowed twice, before placing it in the urn. Finally, Azula unwrapped a packet of seal jerky and placed it as an offering on the altar, before bowing again and taking her daughter by the hand to leave the place.

As they did, she could feel a burden being lifted from her shoulders as they crossed the threshold and just for a moment, she thought she could smell the ocean breeze and smoke, twin scents that reminded her so much of the boy, no, man who threw it all aside for her.

"I promise Sokka, I'll make sure Risa here grows up happy and healthy." she whispered to herself.

[angeltears-writing]

The Brother’s and movies

Lucifer

v  Lucifer tells anyone who asks that he enjoys serious, dramatic movies set during the wartimes the type that get Oscar nominations but are quite intense and a little dull.

v  Lucifer however holds a dirty little secret that his prideful nature will not allow him to outwardly share.

v  He LOVES Christmas movies.

v  The end of year holiday movie’s just alleviate all the stress in him. He is so happy while watching that he can barely keep the grin off his face.

v  DO NOT watch Home Alone with him and Mammon. Lucifer every 2 minutes is mouthing off against Mammon stating that HE is the Kevin of the family.

v  His favourite holiday movie is the Santa Clause.

v  The holidays are so special to him and the movies just capture the atmosphere and joy he feels.

v  He loves Christmas because he finally gets a break from his duties, he can have a fun little party with his beloved brothers and friends, he receives and gives meaningful gifts and even Satan is nice to him on Christmas.

v  When you come to the Devildom you bet Lucifer is watching Love Actually with you and every single romantic Christmas movie so he can feel enjoy the warm fuzzy feelings assiociated with his favourite holiday with his beloved Y/n.

Mammon

v  Before you came the Devildom Mammon solely watched hardcore triple X action movies. Unless on movie night with his brothers, then he’s forced to watch some boring artsy flick or some anime junk movie .*cough cough Levi*

v  He was a total dudebro and loved PointBreak.He owns the full collection of the Fast and the Furious. What’s not to love with the live fast, die hard law breaker lifestyle?

v  The man also lives for heist movies, Oceans 11? He has it memorised! He thinks about how HE would be a huge asset to the team and dreams about pulling off some high action super cool heist with you.

v  When Y/n comes to the Devildom it is like a flip of a switch for Mammon.

v  He says he can handle horror movies but you both know that’s a big fat lie so only insist on watching them if you wish to torture him.

v  He will complain and insult your choices of chick flicks and romantic comedies but he is enraptured.

v  HE LOVES it, he watches a couple of them in secret and daydreams about you and him as the main couple.

v  This man wants to pull a Heath Ledger and serenade you to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in front of his brothers, Diavolo, RAD, heck even the whole Devildom.

v  He is living for these romantic comedies and constantly tries to recreate his favourite cutesy moments with you. (Did he get you “special wishing sparkles” and told you to close your eyes and make a wish? Did he then give you a shy blushy kiss when you opened your eyes and say wish granted? Who knows that’s between you and him.)

v  Oh and you bet he’s crying when the couple’s fight and cheering so hard when they finally get together. He can’t help it he’s a secret romantic. Don’t be so loud about it Y/n! He has a tough guy attitude to maintain.

Leviathan

v  Anime movies. Need I go on?

v  He has the Blu-ray special editions of Studio Ghibli movies and he loves watching them on rainy cold days snuggled under a blanket with you.

v  He loves Ponyo for obvious water and fish related reasons. You guys have defiantly done cosplay photo shoots, he was Ponyo, you were Sosuke and Henry was the fishy sisters.

v  Other than anime movie’s Levi is a 80’s movie aficionado. He has seen every 80’s movie. He particularly relates to the high school movies for the theme of the awkward nerdy guy getting the super cool, popular girl of their dreams.

v  He does enjoy the nerdier comic book, big budget action movies, like Kick-Ass. He and Satan have faced off against each other regarding whether DC or Marvel movies are better. (He prefers the funny antics associated with Marvel plus he’s a Peter Parker fanboy)

v  He also is a huge fan of any Edgar Wright movie since seeing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. (He let out a Woaahhhh when he saw the comics)

v  May Lord Diavolo have mercy upon you if the movie is a book or tv show adaption because Levi will not shut up during the movie. (He will pause the movie he’s not THAT inconsiderate.) You will not have a moment of peace after the movie has ended. He simply must share every single thought he had on what the movie did right and what the movie did wrong. Then he has to show you his fan casting list of who would better fit the roles and then just when you think it’s over he pushes you to re-watch the movie with him to listen to the director commentary.  

v  Levi will generally save his commentary for after the movie if you got to the movie theatre with him. Something about the change of atmosphere and the excitement that comes from the movie watching experience just puts him in a calmer less frantic mood and you can enjoy a simple quiet movie date for an hour or 2 before your ear will be talked off.

 Satan

v  DO NOT WATCH BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATIONS WITH HIM! HE IS WORSE THAN LEVI AND TWICE AS BRUTAL IN HIS CRITICS.

v  Now that that fact is out of the way Satan is a mystery fan. He enjoys the cheesy who dunnit type movie’s especially if the detective solving the mystery is very cool and charismatic with a fun catch phrase.

v  One that caught him of guard and quickly became his favourite was Knives Out. A clear mystery with a wacky bunch of characters all with misleading facts and motivations. Additionally he was thrown for a loop on the ending so he really enjoyed it for its unpredictability.

v  Of course Satan enjoys DC movies I mean he and Levithan read the comics and he is a clear believer that the serious tone and consequence from DC makes them the far superior super hero franchise.

v  Contrary to popular belief Satan does not like documentaries, he gets restless and bored watching them, but you keep putting on those boring long documentaries because it leads to a very steamy make out session with a slightly huffy Satan who had been complaining that his movie choice would have been much more enjoyable. Hush hush Satan we are not watching the Blue Planet to sate our curiosity of the inner workings of the environment but rather to quiet your adorable little tuts and huffs with soft sweet kisses and gentle touches.

v  The double edged sword that comes from picking a documentary is that Satan will indeed make you suffer by making his pick a terrifying horror movie since he thinks you are oh so adorable when you’re frightened. He thinks it’s really cute when you ask him to walk you to the bathroom because you’re afraid of the big scary monsters and it’s even cuter to him when you throw your face into his chest and refuse to look until the scary scene is over. Haaa he cannot resist and must pat your head and give you a small peck.

Asmo

v  When one watches a movie with Asmo, one does not simply see it, one lives it.

v  Asmo loves 90s and early 2000s movies about the pretty popular girls because he lives to see their fabulous closets, outfits and their dewy supple skin. He’s a huge fan of Clueless, Legally Blonde and Bring It on.

v  He also simply dies for those cult classic like, Mommie Dearest, Troop Beverly Hills, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Marie Antoinette, Death Becomes Her and many more. You guys put on face masks grab a couple of tasty cupcakes and start reciting the movies line for line bursting into giggles every time, that’s how many times you’ve seen them.

v  Asmo gets the appeal of campy movie’s that have not been appreciated for their odd charm so when you come along you bet he’s going to be shouting out his favourite one liners and you fire the responses right back. He’s in love.

v  What he loves most about the campy movies is the fabulosity and authenticity that comes from the movie’s just wanting to tell a great story and celebrate the oddities and dramatics of the characters. His favourites are the ones with drag queens particularly Priscilla Queen of the Desert, To Wong Foo and The Birdcage. How is he not meant to simply adore the beautiful wigs, costumes, the attitudes of the queens and the sharp, dry, witty humour.

v  Big blockbuster wise Asmo is inclined to see any musical, and yes for 3 weeks straight he will sing the songs of the musical, much  to the displeasure of his brothers but to the delight of you and Solomon who cheer him on and request encores. (Yes you all went to see Cats together, yes you dragged Satan along. Yes everyone but especially Satan was traumatised and yes Asmo did drape himself across every available surface in the House of Lamentation and belted out Memory for practically the whole Devildom to enjoy. Enough with the questions!)

v  Asmo’s favourite musical is Rocky Horror Picture show, you have monthly viewings where Asmo dresses up as Frank en Furter and performs…well not for you more on top of you.

v  Movies with Asmo are always fun treats, you both have a great time with each other and walk away from the movie’s feeling more emotional and closer with one another.

Beel

v  Beel’s taste in movies is similar to his taste in food he is not picky and enjoys a wide variety.

v  He enjoys mafia movies of any variety He likes the familial bond and the trust between members but does not enjoy the double crossing, it makes him feel sad.

v  Other than that he lives for the lively mood, the Italian food, the dramatic situations and the action sequences.

v  He has seen a few animated movies and his favourite is Brother Bear, it reminds him of him and Belphie and makes him soft.

v  He does actually does like twin movies because the plots are always outlandish and funny to him at least.

v  When it comes to movies where food is central to the plot, do not get him started. The amount of times you had to pause Ratatouille so he could get his 20th snack in the last 10 minutes was astonishing. He get’s extra hungry watching the movie but generally enjoys chatting to you about the food making process of each dish rather than paying attention to the plot. (You: Would you prepare food made by a rat? Him: Well I ate Solomon’s cooking once so even a rat’s cooking would be better than that)

v  He loves to ask which dish would you eat when restaurant scenes come up because he’s curious of your taste while watching the movie and sometimes he’ll stop paying attention the movie and instead just watch your reactions.

v  Generally speaking any movie suggestion he’s fine with as long as he gets to spend time with you and can binge on delicious movie snacks.

Belphie

v  The total opposite of Beel, Belphie is a total film snob and will harshly berate your movie choice and say ‘You really made me stay awake for this crap fest.’

v  He doesn’t mean to be mean (yes he does but he doesn’t like making you sad) he just has a very particular taste for movies and if he’s going to extend the effort to stay awake and pay attention he wants it to be worth his time.

v  He is actually the one in the house who does enjoy documentaries. What can he say some habits die hard and he’s still a total Earth nut even though he human-phobic.

v  Not to mention the gentle voice of David Attenbourough soothes him until he is just barely awake so when he finally drifts off he dreams of the wonderful parts of Earth and the miracles or nature.

v  He is a fan of Shakespeare movies particularly the rich dark one’s that are a bit more violent. The atmosphere surrounding them just fits and the plot is a classic so why watch a cheap knock-off of what he has dubbed perfect writing.

v  This man is an emo so of course he’s going to watch the slightly pretentious movies with poetry, his favourites are Dead Poets Society, The Crow and V for Vendetta.

v  On movie nights he is selfish! He insists that you watch his movie first then he immediately falls asleep after it ends. He feels no shame over this.

v  He hates twin themed movies, he thinks they’re cheap and over use the same gag of ‘Whoa they’re twins.’ (Sorry Mary-Kate and Ashley Belphie does not like you guys at all)

v  He watches brother themed movies with Beel and gets really soft because he loves his twin so much.

v  If you truly force him he will relent and watch your movie with you but he will make fun of it and bully you every second he is awake and the only way to silence him is to cuddle up close, let him lay his head on your chest or shoulder, massage his head or give him tons of kisses.  

v  Generally speaking a bad movie buddy but a great cuddle buddy for movie nights.

[magaprima]

Okay *cracks knuckles* Let’s talk about just how powerful Lilith is. I will be using some of her actual mythology as logic/background info, but primarily I will only be talking about what we canonically see and imply within the CAOS world. I’ll be using logic and actual outright examples. 

First, the logic: 

We gather from the show that the older and more experienced a witch or warlock is, the more powerful they are. A clear example of this is while Sabrina needs tools to banish a demon, Blackwood is able to banish with a simple command. We also see how Sabrina, after decades in stone, is more powerful, because even without practice, time has had its effect. Lilith, is older than every other witch on the show. She is the first witch. The FIRST witch. No one is older than her in witch world, and if we go off her mythology and what typically gets given as the time since Eden, she’s averaging about 6000 years old. I think we’ve had it confirmed that Zelda and Hilda are somwhere between 250 and 300, given they weren’t alive in 1693, but Hilda was apparently old enough to be off partying on the Thames in 1837, and we establish she was in England raising Ambrose, so she is a hell of a lot older than everyone, a hell of a lot more experienced and knows a hell of a lot more spells. So she’s powerful on that basis. 

Lilith is not just any witch, she is not someone who got powers by signing the Book of the Beast, she is a witch of her own making with no conditions. This we know from her mythology (she said the holy name, giving herself powers and the freedom to leave Eden), but it’s also confirmed in that we see in the passion play Lilith already had Stolas, her ‘familiar’, before she met the Dark Lord, and when Lucifer is draining everyone’s powers, he is unable to drain Lilith’s. Lilith stays at full witch capacity. So the fact her powers are not dependent on a fallen angel or God giving her those powers, but powers she’s claimed for herself, also make her very powerful, because her gifts come from herself and cannot be taken away. 

She is also, due to her time in Hell and her role in Hell, the Mother of Demons, and a demoness herself. As  she said to the Spellmans she is a witch, but she’s not only a witch. Being the Mother of Demons and/or a demoness, comes with powers in its own right, powers that aren’t witchy but are infernal. So she’s powerful in that she has extra magic going on, but also she has literally Mothered demons in Hell, which gives her a certain amount of power and agency over the realm, even if the Plague Kings don’t want to admit it and even if Sabrina wants to ignore that. Being the Mother of Demons doesn’t just give her authority, it gives her power. 

She was created by the False God from earth. Divine, celestial energy was breathed into her by a God in order to bring her to life, and she was made from earth, the most powerful, magical thing there is; the earth itself. The very origins of her creation add to her power. 

All of this means that, as much as Sabrina’s role as daughter of Lucifer does make her powerful, she is not as powerful as Lilith, she physically can’t be (even if the writers like to forget that sometimes). And that brings me to the canon examples.

The big one; restraining Satan. Sabrina tries to trap him in the Acheron but it fails and he breaks free. He shouts ‘I am the great Satan which no prison can contain!’ and storms towards Sabrian violently, and is brought to an abrupt stop by Lilith. She ‘contains’ him. She holds him there with just her own telekinetic power. No spells, no aids or potions; just her own unadulterated power. This is one of the few flashes we get in the show of Lilith’s undiluted strength, showing us just what she’s capable of. She also does it with confidence. She doesn’t reach out her hand in panic and hope it works, she knows her power will hold him because she shouts ‘Hold that nasty thought!’ very glibly as she pulls him to an abrupt stop. And then Satan strains against it, he fights her power so much in his desperation to get free, but HE CAN’T. The Dark Lord is fighting to get free,and all that’s holding him there is Lilith, yet he can’t free himself. Lilith admits she can’t restrain him for long, but she holds him there for several minutes and chooses to release him when Nick does the binding spell. We never actually see Lucifer break free, so who knows how long she’d be able to hold him. The fact she can do this canonically shows us she is more powerful than all the other characters, including Sabrina. 

She returns Sabrina’s powers to her. The only other people we’ve seen bestow powers on witches are The Dark Lord (a fallen angel. A celestial) and Hecate (a Goddess). This puts Lilith on a par with both of them. It also shows she has her own source of magic as I said above. We confirm in Part 3 that Lucifer’s powers come from him being an angel  and it’s his celestial energy that allow him to bestow powers on his witches. Lilith therefore has her own power source too which allowed her to return Sabrina’s powers to her. Even though what she returned to her was Satan’s powers (showing Lilith, while Lucifer was bound, also had power over his gifts too), it stands to reason that if she is able to do this she is also able to bestow her own powers. Only...no one thought to ask in Part 3. 

She resurrected Mary without a sacrifice. Resurrecting people without sacrifices, without the life-for-a-life rule has been shown to be the exclusive of beings such as Lucifer and Hecate and things such as the Cain Pit. The fact Lilith is able to do this, and very easily too, shows, yet again, that she is on a par with them. The fact the writers said, in a quote about part 4 ‘Zelda has turned to an even older Goddess than Lilith’, implies even the writers see Lilith as Goddess level in her powers. 

She sent a soul to Heaven with the flick of a hand and she wasn’t even Queen anymore when she did this. She doesn’t do a big spell, she doesn’t do a ritual, she doesn’t even make any effort; she simply flicked her hand and Jesse left hell and flew straight up to Heaven. 

Similarly, she was able to banish Beelzebub with a flick of the hand too (probably one of the reason he didn’t want her as Queen. Holding a grudge). Sabrina, we’ve seen, needed tools to banish demons, Blackwood had magical commands to do it, but Lilith doesn’t say a word. She just flicks her hand dismissively, and Beelzebub is banished back to Hell, not only confirming how powerful she is in general but showing she is more powerful than the Plague Kings.

Which leads onto the point of how they’d challenged her for the throne once before and she beat them back. She says, before Sabrina’s arrival, ‘we will not have our sovereignty challenged again’, meaning they challenged her and she defeated them. This would have been a display of both physical and political power. Yet, when Sabrina comes in, they suddenly start Regalia challenges (the implication being that if they’d made that challenge to Liltih they suspected there was too much risk of her winning. They felt more confident with Sabrina, and reasonably so, as without the help of Ambrose, Lilith and Lucifer she wouldn’t have found any of the items. And there’s no way Lilith would have just let him pick up Herod’s crown). The hordes of Hell know Lilith  is very powerful, they just didn’t like her being Queen. 

She summons the Greendale Thirteen pretty damn easily. That was a big summoning of thirteen long dead ghosts, and conjuring them to be solid enough for them to be able to interact with and touch the living, even starting fires and summonings of their own. Essentially, she did a temporary resurrection with a very simple blood spell. 

She enchanted a ring to hide Adam from the Dark Lord. This is a spell that gets overlook I think in showing Lilith’s power and knowledge. Lilith was able to enchant an object so that the wearer would be unseen by The Dark Lord himself. She was able to hide a freaking person from his sight. That not only requires a lot of power, but shows immense knowledge of magic; an unchallengable knowledge really. I mean the only reason Adam was ever found was that Stolas told on them. If not for him, the ring would have worked permanently which is one freaking impressive charm to make. 

Lucifer seems to believe she is the only one capable of performing the Ritual of Separation. I mean if anyone could do it, he could easily have gone to Nick, or any of the coven, since everyone was wandering about and didn’t seem to be entering a protective circle for a while. And if it’s because he’d taken away even their power to do rituals, there are many people in Hell that would technically be capabe, people who are very loyal to him. And then there’s other witches in the world, ones who still worship Satan, the list goes on. But I think it’s a case of Lilith being the only one who he can trust to do the Ritual correctly and successfully, but also she’s the only one with enough power to match his.

She siren songs the Dark Lord to sleep quite effortlessly, which again is immense power. Much like when she siren songed Sabrina and freaking STOPPED TIME. The woman has power over time too, which the show doesn’t make clear whether it’s also linked to her siren song or not, but either way, time manipulation is also in her repertoire of power. But yes, she siren songs the Dark Lord to sleep, and then wakes up only Blackwood. That requires immense skill and power over the mind and the subconscious, something much more precise and powerful than even the nightmares of her ‘daughter’ Batibat. 

Finally, in notes of immense power, she gives Blackwood the Mark of Cain. In the bible this is only ever given by God, that is the False God. We have Lilith, yet again, doing something we have only confirmed Gods doing, putting her yet again on a par with them.

And all this power is why I just don’t buy how Caliban managed to encase Lilith in stone. And even Lucifer for that matter. Or how they were gone at all. It just seemed a bit of ‘ignoring their power’ in order to allow Sabrina to ‘save’ the world on her own. 

[brightstarkid]

StarKid lyrics that are extremely relevant right now (Part 3)

U.S. Election Edition

*Yes, some of these are repeats from Part 1 and/or Part 2, but they are now relevant in a new situation, so they are worth repeating. 

“But despite all of my struggles, I’m still alive” (“Goin’ Back to Hogwarts,” AVPM)

“Let’s reevaluate our options, throw away our old presumptions, ‘cause really, you don’t have to go through this” (“The Dragon Song,” AVPM)

“Here I am, face to face, with a situation I never thought I’d see, strange” (“Granger Danger,” AVPM)

“And oh, how the feeling grows” (“To Dance Again,” AVPM)

“Now, at once, a chance appears” (“To Dance Again,” AVPM)

“To give me strength, show concern, ask for nothing in return, say hello, talk me through, do the thing that presidents fathers should do” (“Missing You,” AVPM)

“I’ve seen how heartless the world can be” (“Not Alone,” AVPM)

“And nothing’s ever gonna bring us down” (“Not Alone,” AVPM)

“Well now it’s our turn, our turn” (Voldemort is Goin’ Down,” AVPM)

“We must unite so we can fight, turn the battle around! Time’s running out, it’s time to shout” (“Voldemort is Goin’ Down,” (AVPM)

“We won’t be pushed around any more, we’ll be a force you cannot ignore” (Voldemort is Goin’ Down,” AVPM)

“We’ll stick together, fight through thick and thin. If we stay side by side, there’s no way we can’t win” (“Me and My Dick,” MAMD)

“It’s time to start over” (“Ready to Go,” MAMD)

“So get that chip off my shoulder! ‘Cause it’s weighing me down and keeping me right here” (“Ready to Go,” MAMD)

“It’s not too late to turn around and find a better way. It’s not up to fate to lay the groundwork for a better day” (Ready to Go,” MAMD)

“While’s… we’s… waits to be delivered, go ahead, cry me a river” (“Ready to Go,” MAMD)

“Lord have mercy are we ready to go!” (“Ready to Go,” MAMD)

“We’re finally ready, and the time is right for us to light a spark. We’re keeping it steady, with our eyes on the prize to get us through the dark” (“Ready to Go,” MAMD)

“The world would be much better if you listened, a little bit, to me” (“Listen to Your Heart,” MAMD)

“Feel like the sun is shining, like every song is rhyming, everything is right on time in perfect key” (“Finale,” MAMD)

“So look alive and don’t forget that it’s not over yet” (“Not Over Yet,” AVPS)

“I’m laughing, it’s hard to hide a smile, my God it’s been a while since I have had a reason to” (“To Have a Home,” AVPS)

“And so many nights I’d pray for a better life and a better day, but I never thought that it’d come true, it’s finally here and I don’t know what to do” (“To Have a Home,” AVPS)

“And I’m trying not to cry” (“To Have a Home,” AVPS)

“My heart starts to heal, to know this is real” (“To Have a Home,” AVPS)

“Just try to relax, face the facts” (“Gettin’ Along,” AVPS)

“My mind is racing, but my heart, it beats faster. I’m in control, commander and master. Lady fate awaiting disaster, but she ain’t the boss of me” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“Let’s not forget that we hold the cards this time, so there’s no need to bitch or whine” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“There’s no way I’m gonna take another option, no way I’m gonna settle with a loss, no way I’m gonna sit around and watch, there’s no, no way” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“There’s no way you’re gonna find me in the background, no damn way you’re gonna see me satisfied, no way they’re ever gonna make me back down, no, no way” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“We’ll take it on together, we’re stronger and we’re better, and if there’s a problem HA! whatever” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“There’s no way we’re gonna leave it up to chance, there’s no damn way we’re gonna go without a fight. No way you gonna see us on our ass there’s no, no way.” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“There’s no way we’re gonna settle with sorrow, leave right now if you think this ain’t real” (“No Way,” AVPS)

“Don’t matter if it’s sooner or later, I know that it’s gonna be alright” (“Days of Summer,” AVPS)

“So I will try not to cry, but no one needs to say goodbye” (“Days of Summer,” AVPS)

“The future is now, so I don’t see how the time isn’t right for me” (“I Wanna Be,” Starship)

“We don’t hide and we don’t run away” (“Get Back Up,” Starship) 

“I know you see the rough times, hell, I see them too, but I ain’t seen anyone face ‘em half as well as you” (“Get Back Up”, Starship)

“We’re here to get the job done, it doesn’t matter if it’s tough or it’s fun” (“Get Back Up,” Starship)

“You can’t sit around and watch, your destiny is in your control” (“Kick It Up a Notch,” Starship)

“Who cares about normal? I’ll never conform, I will be content to resent the status quo” (“Status Quo,” Starship)

“I kick down the walls around me, they don’t know how strong I am” (“Status Quo,” Starship)

“Now there’s nothing, no there’s nothing he can’t do” (“Holy Musical B@man,” HMB)

“Take a mental snapshot of this most auspicious night” (“Rogues Are We (Reprise),” HMB)

“We gotta go meet our destiny” (“This Is The End,” AVPSY)

“I feel unstoppable, I’m super-charged, it’s contagious that’s for sure” (“Senior Year,” AVPSY)

“But I’m here to give you a brand new start and to make your spirit brighter” (“Always Dance,” AVPSY)

“The more your try to climb, the more you’re slipping down the hill” (“Tonight This School is Mine,” AVPSY)

“I’m ready for a change, gonna keep calm and carry on” (“I’m Just a Sidekick,” AVPSY)

“But you shouldn’t give up, no, you shouldn’t do that. Never ever give up, no, don’t ever do that” (“Everything Ends,” AVPSY)

“The clock looks still, still the hours pass and all that time is never comin’ back” (“Everything Ends,” AVPSY)

“After the sun has had its rest it will arise and light up the sky” (“Everything Ends,” AVPSY)

“So science and reason win out in the end” (“If I Believed,” Twisted)

“The road ahead may twist, but I will never swerve” (“Twisted,” Twisted)

“This is the beginning, I’m coming back to life. It feels like something’s coming, and it’s gonna be alright” (“With My Own Eyes,” Ani)

“We’ve barely begun, yeah we’re just getting started, you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, yes you do” (“The Force (You Got It),” Ani)

“It ain’t gonna be fun, just keep your eyes on the target. If anyone can do it, baby, it’s you, yes” (“The Force (You Got It),” Ani)

“Feels like you are going to fail, but don’t give up too soon” (“Independence,” TTTO)

“It’s the grind, take it one day at a time” (“The Grind,” TTTO)

“When the world’s at stake there are lives to save, and even though I shake my hands at god I pray” (“When the World’s at Stake,” TTTO)

“And life, as you know it, is changing” (“Wagon on Fire,” TTTO)

“I guess it’s been days or weeks or months or something worse” (“Lost Without You,” TTTO)

“Nothing can stop us now, oh, nothing can take us down” (“Speedrun,” TTTO)

“Who knew that all this time we had what we need?” (“Speedrun,” TTTO)

“You gotta go when you gotta go, it’s time to get the hell out of here” (“You Gotta Go,” TTTO)

“We’ve got to figure it out, we’ve got to find ourselves some answers” (“We Are People Now,” Firebringer)

“I hope you’re feeling power working through the shroud of mystery, and our history’s growing every day” (“We Got Work To Do,” Firebringer)

“This world is what we make of it, together” (“We Got Work To Do,” Firebringer)

“It’s our turn now, he is gone, our time is here” (“The Night Belongs To Us,” Firebringer)

“We’ll take on whatever’s next” (“The Night Belongs to Us,” Firebringer)

“It’s time to face what’s given us such fear” (“Together,” Firebringer)

“You couldn’t stop us even if you tried” (“Together,” Firebringer)

“We got a lot to do to make it work, we got a lot to do to work it out” (“Finale/Make The Most of It,” Firebringer)

“Do the best that we can here, we got to do a lot of work to make it” (“Finale/Make The Most of It,” Firebringer)

“If we’re gonna stay, we gotta find a way to maintain the balance set in place” (“Finale/Make The Most Of It,” Firebringer)

“Just a typical day that’s got me feeling in a beautiful way, no rhyme or reason” (“La Dee Dah Dah Day,” TGWDLM)

“Sometimes I just wanna shout on top of roofs and mountain tops” (“La Dee Dah Dah Day,” TGWDLM)

“Even now, it’s a dream, the kind that makes you question reality” (“What Tim Wants,” BF)

“You’ll get what you want, you’ll get it back” (“What Tim Wants,” BF)

“It’s time to flip the switch when the problem’s chronic, not being hyperbolic” (“CaliforM.I.A.,” BF)

“Sometimes you gotta slow your breath” (“Monsters and Men,” BF)

“And make a solemn vow to become your best self now” (“Monsters and Men,” BF)

“Tomorrow will come, tomorrow won’t come, tomorrow come today” (“What If Tomorrow Comes?,” BF)

“It’s a matter of time, a matter of time, don’t need to look far to find it” (“Nightmare Time Theme,” NT)

“Watch out cuz the world might surprise you again and again and again” (“With a Thousand Eyes,” NT)

“You’ve got to move, you’ve got to live, you’ve got to keep it positive” (“With a Thousand Eyes,” NT)

[thewokewordsmith]

Zuko and Katara are refugees and war orphans who have been trained by the White Lotus since childhood to hone their bending skills to assassinate the Fire Navy’s highest ranking members.

I originally made this gifset for Zutara month but a lot of people in the notes were asking for a fanfic and I finally got around to writing it. It’s a one shot for now but I might eventually turn it into a multi chapter fic. Anyway please enjoy.

If you summed up my life until this point it would be. Travel light. Move quick. Create distance. It’s a way of life when your an assassin. Nothing left behind. Nothing to tie you to the scene of the crime. Leave no trace of your ever having been there. Leave no trace of your existence. Make it quick. Make it clean. Flee the scene.

That’s what they used to sing to us when we were little. They made a game out of the killing. Turned it into a song. A nursery rhyme so that our young minds could grasp the concept of killing. I don’t feel bad for being an assassin. I’m doing what needs to be done to end the war. Some say it’s hopeless to still fight after the Avatar was killed by Fire Lord Ozai’s daughter Azula, but I say fighting is better than giving up. People always think things are impossible until someone does the impossible.  When it comes to ending this war I don’t believe in can’t. There’s just can’t right now. We can’t defeat Ozai right now, but we will.

Working at night has always been to my advantage, but my partner Zuko has never let it be to his disadvantage. His firebending is as deadly at night as it is during the daytime, and if ever it wasn't his dao swords more than make up for the discrepancy. The White Lotus masters pick our partners by watching the way all of us played together as children. To us it seemed like a regular playtime innocent enough, but there's nothing innocent about being one of the White Lotus' orphans, and it was really a test; a compatibility test to see what assassin we paired best with.  Not only did they see how well we played together but they also watched how we fought with each other.

Zuko and I have always had our share of fights but we always resolved them. We don't let things fester we knock down, drag out, and make up. I guess that's one of the reasons the masters put us together. I don't know all of the reasons why the two of us were paired and I've never felt the need to ask. Zuko and I just work. We are both opposites and equals an unmovable object and an unstoppable force.    

“We should be reaching Whaletail island in about fifteen minutes.” Zuko calls out.

“Who’s the mark?” I ask.

“Lieutenant Shimizu.”

I don’t need to study the photo of Lieutenant Shimizu I’ve got his face memorized already. I always remember their face even if I don’t remember their names. I don’t like calling the marks by their name. The killing is easier if I only think of them as marks.

“Five more minutes.”

I flex the veins in my fingers and my arms preparing myself to bloodbend as Zuko slips his Blue Spirit mask over his face. Our sky bison, Appa, dips low over the water. The members of the white lotus told us that Appa once belonged to the Avatar and I don’t doubt it because who else beside an airbender would have a sky bison? Some people say the Avatar isn’t dead. I’ve heard rumors that he’s in hiding and just waiting for the right moment to come back and save the world. I can’t waste my time with rumors and what ifs. I want a life beyond killing, running, and hiding. The only way to do that is to end this war, and I will by any means necessary.

The lieutenant’s ship comes upon us quickly. Bile rises up in my throat forcing me to clamp my lips shut tight and fight against the hot sick feeling but I hold back the urge to wretch. I always get an intense sick feeling before a kill. For a moment my skin is clammy but I whisk the sweat away with my bending to prevent chills. I’ve got to be totally focused. Zuko and I have planned this down to every last detail, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the killing.

“We can't fly in directly to the outpost we'll have to find somewhere to land Appa and then make our way from there.”

“How many are stationed at the outpost?”

“Less than ten.” Zuko replies. “It's strictly no take downs unless anyone sees us then we have no choice but to take them out.”

“I know the drill besides they never see us coming. That's what makes us assassins.”

I remember my first kill and the shocked look on the mark's face as my ice crystal pierced his heart. It slipped into him so easily, and even though the mark didn't know me he looked so betrayed. His eyes stayed on me until he fell to the floor. There wasn't any blood it all seemed too neat to be a killing. Murder was supposed to be messy and hard but my first time had been neither of those things.

“Is he really dead, Zuko?”

“Come on Katara we don’t have time.”

“But he-.”

“Come on! Make it quick. Make it clean. Leave the scene.” Zuko reminded me as he pulled me out of the room by the sleeve of my cloak, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the man lying in the floor. He was dead. I really did it. I  killed someone.

We were out of the building before anyone even noticed that the general was dead and I couldn't believe how easy it was. Surely they won’t be all easy I thought. They weren't. There has been more than one mark that's put up a good fight. I've got the scars to prove it but the outcome is always the same. They die and Zuko and I live on to kill again and again; enough to amass a body count. I've seen the look of death on so many people's faces but I never can forget my first. To this day that surprise look of betrayal haunts me.

“We can land over there.” Zuko points to a small island a few yards away and I guide Appa towards it. We leap off the back of Appa before he touches down to the ground.

“We're going to have to sail our way over.”

“I'm on it.” I bend out a piece of ice big enough and thick enough to carry Zuko and I over to the Fire Navy's communication outpost. The floating block of ice cuts through the water like a knife through flesh. When we get close enough to the out post I create a wave big enough to lift us up to the tower. For a moment it's like the two of us are flying, and how I wish that we could. I wish that the two of us could fly away from this all, but as it stands there is no running away there's only fighting and surviving in a world that's ruled by fire.

The outpost is made of metal that is old and rusted from years upon years of being left to bare the brunt of  the assault from it's natural enemy the salty sea water, and surely it creeks and groans but as we climb the stairs to the top floor there is no sound. Zuko and I spent years mastering Gōsutomōshon. Ghost motion. The art of  moving without being heard.

The guards are just starting up their rounds, and as we reach the top floor we stay out of their line of sight and they remain oblivious to our presence. We wait until they head in the opposite direction before making our way through the open door that will lead us to Lieutenant Shimizu. There is no one in the corridors no sounds save for the sea.

In the moments before a kill I become a different person. I wash away all traces of my off duty self and wholly become an assassin. Ice water pumps through my veins and I know longer know mercy or pity. You cannot bargain your way out of the fate at hand; not when my own hands are already stained with too much blood to turn back now.

“This is it. The lieutenant's room.” Zuko informs me.

“Not for long.”

I force the door open with a surge of water that pushes the solid metal door back on it's hinges. It alerts the lieutenant and before we can even step into his room he's bending at us. It doesn't do him any good. Zuko deflects his fire blast until I step into the room behind him to end things.

“Wh-who are you?” The lieutenant ask.

“The last thing you'll ever see.” Zuko answers.  

I hate it when they talk. I don't want to know what they sound like I just want them dead. “Shatter!” I cry out  and clap my hands together.

Zuko jumps on the spot. “Damn it, Katara you’re supposed to warn me before you do that!” Zuko snaps as the body lands directly in front of him with a loud thud of dead weight.

“Me saying shatter was your warning. Besides it's the quickest and most humane way I know to kill someone.”

“Humane? Freezing all of someone’s blood vessels and then shattering them into a million pieces is about a brutal death as you can get.”

“I’m sure they feel a lot less pain this way as opposed to boiling their blood.”

Zuko sucks on his teeth. “Whatever. Let’s get out of here.”

We leave the same way we came in. By the time the other soldiers discover their lieutenant's body we'll be long gone. As Appa flies us back to our camp  we are silent. I've never asked Zuko what he's thinking about after a kill and he's never asked me. There is no need to; we are both thinking about the same thing. A life where we are not killers. We are thinking about a time when all of this bloody effort will pay off and we'll see the end of the war. It has to end someday. It has to. The hope that the war will one day end is the only thing that gives me the strength to keep killing. Above all else I believe that we will win; I just pray to Yue that we win this war before Zuko and I lose the war between good and evil that is being waged within us.  

[borisbubbles]

17. CZECH REPUBLIC

Benny Christo - “Kemama”

So first off, thank you for the nice commens. 😇The past few months haven’t been the happiest time for me, so thank you for your patience as I scraped my bearings together for another post! 😁

So I will now extend that same sympathy to Benny Christo, whom I think I damn fucking underrated. Let’s jump in~

ENTRY ANALYSIS

As one may expect i INSTANTLY liked “Kemama” because you know, it’s a fun, laid-back, tropical afro-breeze, completely different from anything else we would see in NFs and the year. EXACTLY the type of song I was hoping the Czech NF would deliver (and deliver they did, see NF Corner). This level of mild like swung into strong unironic like upon realizing that the title is a contraction of “Okay Mother” 😍 and the song deals with the subject of overcoming racially-tinged discrimination and rising above the hate. That just feels very poetic and apt? “Kemama” felt like the entry that had to overcome the highest odds in order to earn the respect it so fully deserves, and still hasn’t fully reached it.

.In our Western European bubble, comprised mostly of gays and left-liberal straights, we have a very grateful and universal acceptance of many different kinds of [lizard] people that make up Eurovision casts. Yet with “Kemama” we may have reached  an unusually grimy undercurrent of coded racism. 

Of course nothing I read was outrageously rancid, than Cod for that. The worst statement I read was a double-whammy of “EWW THIS ISN’T CARIBBEANVISION” and “WHY WOULD SOMEONE FROM *KENYA* WANT TO REP CZECHIA IN EUROVISION?”, and yes they first got the continent wrong and then *also* got the country wrong in the follow-up post and then they were torn limb from limb by a pack of aformentioned left-liberals. I’m sorry but i can’t not have any other response than laughter in the face of yet another fucking MORON faceplanting themselves with words like a... racist JK Rowling if you will?

Still, while I never read something outright vile about Benny doesn’t mean I found his deniers really annoying and they were! Think “Ew Solovey is ‘Too Aggressive’ it will NEVER DO WELL IN ESC”, a statement that isn’t coded nor racist (and yet extremely false and misguided), functioned as a similar idea by the same minds. A statement borne from the same breed of narrow-minded stubbornness which has caused elitist morons to be all “there is **SOMETHING** about “Kemama” i do *NOT* like and I cannot lay my finger on it... but I **DO NOT** like it at ALL. It won’t ever qualify because everyone will think the same way I do” -- Eurovision snobs, tiptoeing around racial coda in January 2020.

 They would also insist that Benny was “arrogant” because he was seemingly impervious to their (de)constructive criticism. Like, if you were a biracial butterfly living in a slavic country who had to deal with statements such as the above on a regular basis, you WOULD block out the noise. And if you heard them often enough you will start to block them out pre-emptively. DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW COPING MECHANISMS WORK?? (oh wait you’re white-privileged. Nevermind 🙄)

 So naturally, when Benny decided that he would revamp “Okay Mother” by adding in MORE African elements it only made me love him even more lol. 😍 Was it a bull-headed, contrarian and possibly really stupid decision? Yes, yes and absolutely yes. Was it worth it? Well he managed to incite even more meltdowns in a group of people I feel nothing but contempt for, so hell yeah? Eurovision was cancelled anyway so who cares how much ‘worse’ “Kemama” actually got. 

Okay, so we’ve arrived at the revamp.

Granted, it wasn’t the best ‘vamp, I’d be a fool to deny it. The new elements threw a wrench in the melodic balance of the song. Out went tropical laid-back fun, IN went that fucking guitar oh my god this is some Hotel FM piano levels of overbearing I swear. (nb: this still didn’t stop me from ironically stanning Hotel FM’s lame asses anyway 😍). However, it made the personal backstory that I loved and savoured take a backseat to the now inferior composition. 😭

Regardless, New Kemama was fundamentally the same song, and I fundamentally liked Old Kemama, so whatevs, it made no different to me. In the eyes of many Eurovision diehards we were experiencing WORST PRESHOW SEASON EVER (after three songs... lol) and nothing clinches this brainworm more than a revamp announcement. “OH MY GOD HE WILL RUIN IT! I CAN GUARANTEE YOU I *WON’T* LIKE IT”. Self-fulfilling prophecies, ya know? It certainly didn’t help when the official channel accidentally uploaded a vid with broken soundmixing (‘OMG HORRIBLE LAST IN THE SEMI!!!!’ calm the ever-loving HELL down) and took another FULL WEEK to upload the correct vid. The damage had already been done. Typing "SEE I TOLD YOU THE REVAMP WOULD BE SHITE HA HA HA” in the Kemama comment box really just is the ESC equivalent of reponding with “Actually, *all* lives matter :smug:” to a BLM support pamphlet, isn’t it?

NF CORNER

While not my favourite NF of the bunch, I found the Czech NF to be lowkey epic. Not epic enough to remember its name but regardless Czechvision or whatever marked the end of an era because it was also the last selection spearheaded by Jan Bors :o

I think I’ve made it clear enough in the past that I’m somewhat mixed on Bors Era Czechia - Lake Malawi were a toetapping good, Ickolas was a pockmarked, skin-crawling evil and the other three inhibit a purgatory somewhere between “moderately nice” and “moderate timewaste.”

Still, I have great respect for the man who orchestrated Czech’s comeback after scoring NINE POINTS TOTAL across three years with the mindset of “So what? Why says we can’t win?” so ofc I was all into the idea of the “EIGHT INDIE ANGELS, HAND-PICKED BY BORS HIMSELF” NF that would serve as his swan song.

Naturally things went down the drain the second Bors left, with one of the eight peacing and his successor cancelling the live broadcast (does anyone remember what exactly happened? I vaguely recall one was the cause of the other but lol it’s July can’t be bothered to factscheck (Factsczeck?) anymore, bitches.

Anyway, ON TO THE GOOD STUFF, and yes, there was plenty.

We All Poop - “ All the Blood (Positive Song Actually)”

Yes, as you can imagine I ofc IMMEDIATELY fell into like when I saw that chyron and invisioned the inevitability of the Czech Rep’s Rep immediately alienating every parent just based on their name alone <3 😍 w/e WAP quickly became that “Good but not great” song you find in every NF that everyone gushes over because it’s the whitest option available. Like, yes, “All the blood” is good, but musically it’s identical to Green Day and Twenty-One Pilots and god name ANY 90s-early00′s American Punk Rock band. For me the enjoyment came from the fact that WAP were openly crazy vegan fundamentalists and the VC clip actively condemns the use ANY animal protein by replacing the cattle and game with LITERAL HUMAN BEINGS. 😍 :fusedmarcintensifies: :kasiamosage:

Pam Rabbit - “Get up”

Ohhhh YES a glorious experimental Synth-Trap song only I could love and ofc I did. God what is there even to say; the provocative darkness of the verses combined with the swirling amorphousness of the chorus gives me LIFE. LUFF THIS SHIT <3333 Ftr, this was also the fave of Slovene Juror duo / synth angels / Boris faves ZALAGASPER, further proving their pathetic naysayers that they own all things music and the haters can suck a series of-

Barbora Mochowa - “White and Black Holes“

Lol, yes even with a “Get up” existing, there was a song I liked even more. Barbora proved a very competent Lana del Gay last year, but I was a YUGE fan of this year’s... Kate Bush-Björk blend of ethereal awesome. It is so soothingly beautiful and the rare example of a song that I find completely free of flaws. Were the competition not such a hard place, I’d be pissed she didnt win (at least she won the jury vote MASSIVE KUDOS to every alum on that) but w/e this selection had opions and I’m rather robbed of a “Kemama” than I am of a BRILLIANT IRREPLICABLE AETHERBALLAD. ~Danse balance sûr les white and black holes~

Elis Mraz & Cis T - “Wanna be like”

I *VERY* strongly felt that if the Czech Republic wanted to win ESC, they should have picked Elis and even now I STILL believe she could have won. That isn’t to say I gushed over “Wanna be like” because I find it kind of annoying lol. Yes, I LOVE an annoying female voice (:Tones&Icackle:) but Elis’s reaches a Camilla Cabello sort of place for me (good lord get Senorita OFF the fucking radio) and the Scat + White Guy Rapping middle-eight. 😬. However, the second I opened up the video clip for this paragraph and was immediately BLASTED by Elis murdering a ukelele and wearing a  “schoolgirl” outfit straight from a Japanese tentacle porn movie and OH MY GOD THE AGGRESSIVE TWERKING made me reconsider that hey, this min-sized Meghan Traynor actually kinda highkey owns, yo!  Yet, I’m not at all bothered we lost her in the Czech NF because we got UNO DOS QUATRO CINCO SEIS :fatmansplit: fill up the megameme slot instead, so...

Eurovision 2020 vs Eurovision 2021

BENNY RUINED HIS SONG AND NEVER WOULD HAVE QUALIFIED. jk I’m not a moron. Sure, “Kemama” wasn’t an easy sell because you know AFROBEAT in a contest where half of the people watching are fash (ie: all of Eastern Europe, who watch out of ~Nationalistic Sentiment~ 😬), but there are Kemama live renditions out there and he owns them SO hard lol. A few soundmixing issues really would not have stopped Benny from qualifying in that RIDICULOUSLY WEAKSAUCE SEMIFINAL are you fucking kidding me. He probably would’ve bombed in the Grand Final, but I mean it’s Czech and it’s not Ickolas so ofc it would have.

And Czech renewed him for 2021 regardless of the sceptics, woohoo! I think part of it was due the Czech not wanting to re-organize an ENTIRE NF from scratch without Jan Bors, but probably also because Benny owns live when he isn’t engaged in psychological trench warfare with actual human detritus <3 and also because the Czech fucking CARE about their artists and don’t drop them like a sack of rotten potatoes wtfshitprus.

Can’t wait for the moment when he qualifies and Efendi does not, etc, etc. 

FREAKY! FRIDAY! FACTOR!

I’d say that the core around which the Ben Drama spun was pretty standard fare: niche fave beats out the concensus fave, meltdowns ensue, people convince themselves it was the WRONG decision because it wasn the result they wanted, try to disown the song and make a fool of themselves because the song slaps, sorry. Even the revamp drama felt more of less generic for me, because yawn fantards melting down over a revamp of a song they don’t even like what else is new.  

However, what I do take away that the revamp was ENTIRELY Benny’s idea which he told no one about (cue to JAN BORS having a social media meltdown like he’s Caesar at the Ides of March 💔) added MORE afrobeat just to troll his haters even more <3  God, I’d say it was bad from a musical perspective but this level of in-your-face defiance is fucking iconic and hilarious, sorry. This entire this year is so batshit bonkers that the concept of a someone potentially shooting themselves in the foot and “torpedo’ing” their qualification chances  (not rly, he would’ve Q’d anyway lol) JUST to take the moral high ground in a racially coded argument only HE took seriously may not even be the craziest concept in the year! (lol it definitely isn’t. Look at the pics I haven’t greyed out yet)

This and more yield Benny some well-earned Senheads! Yay!! 

Score: 3 Senhits out of 5.

[sagemoderocklee]

Hello! For the meta asks, would you do 1, 5, 8, and 17?

you did not come to play, lilac! thanks for all these questions! <3

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  –   what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

oh lord. that’s a... question. i have. so many current projects, i don’t even know where to start. this is gonna be long so please bear with me lol i’ll probably give more detail for some fics over others, and i’ll only go over fics I’ve got documents for because otherwise we’d be here forever.

The Art of Love: so this one is obvious because it’s been in progress for the last 2ish years? no i think it’s three now. I won’t go into detail with this because the fic is roughly halfway through, so there’s plenty of content for that up! I’d say the progress with that fic is actually going really well, though. Unlike Alliance, which took 8 years--five years of writing, three of editing--TAoL has been up for way less time, and is already about to hit the halfway mark! I really need to get back to it, tbh because it’s been way too long since my last update.

Honor Bound (sequel to Alliance): so this is.... kind of on pause. I’ve got the first three chapters written, but my focus has been more on TAoL when it comes to my more complicated, long running stories, so HB has taken a backseat. I think I won’t get back to working on the Allied Nations Saga until after TAoL is done, in all honesty.

Find Me: this is my HS AU, which has been on the back burner forever and I feel terrible because I think it may honestly be my most popular fic. Unfortunately, AUs/slice of life stuff is difficult for me because I’m more interested in politics, so I lost momentum on this fic. It is about halfway done. I have a good chunk of chapter six written, but not enough that I could say I’m close to finishing it.

It Eats Your Heart: obviously I just started this one, and it’s a horror fic. I’ve really gotta sit down and do some major plotting on it because I only have some very vague ideas currently.

Pearl-Filled Lungs: this is one of like three ningyo AUs I have--the other are pirate/ningyo AUs (and ones actually a selkie not a ningyo). I started it last year for the GaaLee fest, and it’s been sitting unfinished for far too long. I finally sat down recently and plotted the whole thing out, so I’m hoping to get back to working on it soon! It’s only 5 chapters in total, so I don’t think it’ll take me super long to get through once I sit down and do it.

Who Dares to Love Forever: This is a working title, and I may change it. This is a fic idea I’ve had for a couple years, inspired by the song Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. This particular fic is a vehicle for my sage mode!rock lee headcanon, and explores just how effective Chiyo giving Gaara her life would have been given she was an old biddy. So the idea for this fic is that Gaara’s running out of time because Chiyo only had so much to offer.

Absolution: this is another fic that I’ve had on the back burner for years. it was initially inspired by art by @brianadoesotherjunk but quickly spiraled into something much bigger because of course it did. This particular fic is one I’m extremely excited about. I need to go back over the first part, because I feel like it’s not quite right, but I do technically have the first part done. This fic follows Gaara struggling with bouts of narcolepsy that trigger nightmares induced by trauma and guilt from his childhood. These nightmares are incredibly dangerous for obvious reasons, but even more so because Temari’s baby is on the way. Temari and Shikamaru are married, living in the Kazekage estate, and with their baby coming and both needing/wanting to get back to work, they also need a nanny. Unbeknownst to Gaara, the year prior to the events of the fic, Maito Gai died, succumbing to the 8th Gate finally, and Lee has since been spiraling. His depression has become so self-destructive that he’s been taken off active duty. Shikamaru, along with the rest of the Konoha 12 (minus Neji and Sasuke), get together and discuss what to do. Tenten believes that Lee being a nanny would be the perfect thing. And so Rock Lee is sent to Suna, hired by Shikamaru and Temari as their live-in nanny...

We Need Not Be Yellow Tulips in a Garden of Gardenia’s, Yet We Go the Way of the Red Camellia: true to form, I decided that a hanahaki fic was something I had to do, and I was not going to pass up the chance at being as Extra As Possible with the flowery language, ergo the ridiculous title. I’ve gotten part way through the first chapter of this fic, but the whole thing is roughly plotted out and each chapter title is just as extra as the whole fic’s title.

Thirteen Strokes: so this is a fic I have--once again--had on my mind for ages, and--once again, because I am nothing if not a caricature of myself--inspired by a Florence+the Machine song, All This and Heaven Too. I started writing this the other night, as I wanna use it for GaaLee bingo. It’ll be 13 chapters, as per the 13 strokes that it takes to make the character for love, ai, in Japanese. The fic is from Gaara’s PoV, and follows his journey with and his relationship to love, with lots of worldbuilding and politics because it wouldn’t be an Eeri Original without those things.

Scarification: this is another idea for bingo based around the prompt shinshoubyou, which is a fictional disease where your emotions cause physical marks on you

Fill in the [  ]: another bingo idea, based around the prompt bouaishoukoigun, the fictional disease where you forget the person you love if it’s unrequited.

The Eagle’s Augury: an idea that allows me to play around with more worldbuilding and focus on Karura. In this fic, the curse (mentioned briefly on the Naruto wikia) that has led to every single Kazekage being assassinated, is coming for Gaara, and Karura is trying to warn him from beyond the grave. At the same time, Temari and Shikamaru’s marriage is approaching, and their ceremony is being held in Suna, with all the fan fair a marriage for someone from the Kazekage line should see. Again, another fic inspired by Miss Florence+the Machine, the song is Mother

Pomegranate Sun: this is a fic that I am... so excited about. Another fic that was originally inspired by a Queen song, Under Pressure, and has of course taken on a life of its own. This fic, I am actually going to be writing with @ghoste-catte! It’s an arranged marriage trope, and I’m super pumped for it! We’ve only got a little bit started, and it has obviously not taken priority for either of us since we both have a lot of fics on our plates.

The Ballad of the Dragon and the Phoenix: this is a fic I’m really excited but is going to take a LOT of research to get off the ground. I had this idea sometime last year, I wanna say? This fic is another self-indulgent headcanon about Lee’s origins, his family, etc. This fic starts when Gaara shows up on Lee’s doorstep, asking him to accompany him to another country for reasons Lee cannot understand. Gaara has been in talks with Phoenix Kingdom, hoping to forge a new relationship only to find that the Emperor wants to use shinobi for militaristic purposes. Lee doesn’t understand what help he could possibly offer the Kazekage, but he can’t very well turn him down.

okay, i’m gonna stop there. these are the ones I have titles and documents for, and honestly that’s probably way more than you wanted to know about lol

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with? 

Despite the fact that most of my fics end up from Gaara’s PoV, I actually identify with Lee the most!

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

Yes! Which is hard to find, tbh, because I am a sucker for political dramas with slow burn romances, but I don’t see a lot of that in the GaaLee fandom. I’m not as into like slice of life or short stories where the characters get together quick, I’m really not into established relationship fics unless it’s a sequel, so I tend to avoid those. I like AUs but it really depends on the AU, because I ultimately prefer the canon and I love seeing the way people write the shinobi world and all its rules and cultures and things. I’m just a big fan of worldbuilding, politics, and slow slow burns. Not this 25k SLOW BURN! crap because that is NOT a slow burn. I wanna see a fic that’s 200k words in and they still haven’t even figured out they’re in love! I like stories I can really sink my teeth into, ya know?

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

Oh gosh. I generally don’t think too much about it except like hoping people don’t think I’m like a stuck up asshole because of how I talk about my writing, writing in general, my hcs, etc. I mean, obviously I don’t expect everyone in this fandom to like me--and there are ppl I’ve gone out of my way to be vocally against because they do nasty shit--but largely I feel like I come across as too intense, so even the general population of GaaLee fans that I do want to interact with I’m always a lil nervous that people secretly don’t like me and basically are like “oh god this bitch again” when they see me in the tags. But I just get really excited and invested in my ideas, and honestly for the longest time this fandom was SO small and there weren’t a lot of people putting out content regularly so it was like a handful of us so I think it made me more emphatic about GaaLee lol I think I always like assume people aren’t as excited about my writing as I am or that people are like “too much politic, i need more romance”.

I’m always surprised when people really love my AUs, like Kado or Find Me have had such fantastic reception, and it’s like people just eat that shit up so much. And then I look at like Alliance or Art of Love and get kind of confused because I think by comparison those are more interesting and more developed than my AUs. I put a shit ton of work into everything I write, especially anything that requires research, so it’s not to say that I do less work per say, just that I feel like TAoL and things like it are more interesting and more developed, and the relationship feels.... somehow more to me there than in an AU.

a lot of my motivation really just comes from the lack of content this fandom had for so many years, and the fact that Naruto could have been a much more interesting series and I love worldbuilding so much. I think my motivation for each fic is different though. Like Alliance was started because I wanted to write something different from what was mainly in the fandom at the time because mind you I started that in 2010. But my motivation for TAoL is more wanting to tell a beautiful story with a complex narrative that looks at the failings of the shinobi world. Whereas like any slice of life fic is really just meant to be a fun break. And sometimes I write something literally just because I wanted to fulfill that trope for the GaaLee fandom--again, a lot of my ideas have been sitting for years and years and years (TAoL was an idea I had literally right after starting Alliance, but I didn’t get to it until 2017), so a lot of ideas that are old are because at the time that trope hadn’t been fulfilled yet in the fandom though that’s changing a lot with the recent GaaLee Renaissance of the last couple years.

[vespertine-legacy]

Sorry for re-posting this (not sorry, didn’t hurt enough of you the first time around), but I decided I wanted to put up my track list explanations.

I know I originally said I wasn’t going to share who I had assigned to each track and just leave it open to interpretation, but then I decided, fuck that, so here you go. It’s divided up by class because that made it easier for me to make sure I got everyone, but that’s not the order the tracks are in on the playlist, so sorry for that... POTENTIAL SPOILERS for ALL CLASS ROMANCES. Track explanations have snippets from the letters the PC receives from each romanced companion for all classes and Theron (and some of them fucking hurt).

(Here’s hoping the formatting doesn’t fuck up too bad...)

I’d love to hear your opinions on it (beyond “hey, fuck you,” though I do welcome those reactions too)!

The Night We Met - Lord Huron [Theron Shan]

[The thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that you’re out there. … I haven’t forgotten about you or our time together. I never will.]

I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do Haunted by the ghost of you Take me back to the night we met

--

[Sith Warrior]

Need - Hana Pestle [Vette]

[They say powerful Sith can come back from the dead and appear to the people they had strong connections to when they were alive. Will I wake up one day and see you? Will you finally tell me what happened? Will I know if you had the time to think about me before you died?]

My hand searches for your hand In a dark room I can't find you Help me Are you looking for me? Can I feel anymore? Lie to me, I'm fading I can't drop you Tell me I don't need you

The Other Side - Ruelle [Malavai Quinn]

[The Empire needs you. More than that--I need you. … I should have come with you aboard Darth Marr’s ship--stood in my rightful place by your side. … Now I’m faced with the possibility of never seeing you again… and it makes me ill. I cannot accept it. … No matter what anyone says--I know you’re alive, and I will find you. Even if it kills me.]

We are buried in broken dreams We are knee deep without a plea I don't want to know what it's like To live without you Don't want to know the other side Of a world without you Is it fair, or is it fate? No one knows The stars choose their lovers Save my soul It hurts just the same

Gone - Olivia Broadfield [DS!Jaesa Willsaam]

[You were always going to leave me. I knew that. … I’m more powerful than ever, and I don’t fear death. … Why should I cry that you’re gone? Why write words to a dead man? Why?]

And I finally found That I found my voice And I'm saying all these things Just because I've got the choice And it's gone

--

[Sith Inquisitor]

Stars - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals [Andronikos Revel]

[All I wanted was to fly free, no attachments. But what we have together--I wouldn’t give that up for anything. I know you’re alive. It would take more than an explosion to kill my girl. Even a really big one. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll commandeer a shuttle to find you myself.]

I can't look at the stars They make me wonder where you are Stars Up on heaven's boulevard And if I know you at all I know you've gone too far So I can't look at the stars

Grow - Rae Morris [Ashara Zavros]

[What does it mean, that you could die and leave no trace? … The Sith and Jedi are helpless against this enemy. I’ve left them all behind. I never belonged to those failed orders, no more than you did. We were always something special. Now it’s just me. Something is drawing me to the darkness beyond the edge of Wild Space. Maybe there will be answers waiting for me. Maybe I won’t be alone anymore. I wish you were going with me.]

Caught beaten by the edge Of the weight of the world Long live this pain Long live this feeling | Blind and childish I won't fight it Here I hide Underneath my innocence (Grow, Grow)

--

[Imperial Agent]

Already Gone - Sleeping At Last [Kaliyo Djannis]

[Truth is, I’m grateful. Obviously, I was getting soft. Won’t happen again. Just remember--I was the best thing that ever happened to you.]

I didn't come here to hurt you now I can't stop I want you to know That it doesn't matter Where we take this road But someone's gotta go And I want you to know You couldn't have loved me better But I want you to move on So I'm already gone

Saturn - Sleeping At Last [Vector Hyllus]

[The Song of the Universe crescendoed--its vibrations overtook the stars, then...silence. Your aura, normally so bright, dimmed, and the vessel we have made our home grew cold. … We do not know what we will be like without you. We do not want to know. Please come home.]

I'd give anything to hear You say it one more time That the universe was made Just to be seen by my eyes With shortness of breath, I'll explain the infinite How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist

Scared - Delta Rae [Raina Temple]

[I thought about reaching out to Lana Beniko, but I can’t risk the Sith finding out about me. Especially not now, when I have no protection. … I should forget about you. But I can’t do that. I’m not ready for a life without you. … Please come back to me.]

Baby, can you keep your promise? Baby, can I keep you honest? 'Cause I'm scared There's nothing in the sky above me There's nothing strung below us, baby, if we fall We're caught between a spark and lightning We're caught between forever and nothing at all And I'm sorry, I love you

--

[Bounty Hunter]

Over - Johnnyswim [Mako]

[Not sure why I’m even writing this. Closure? Just to say “I told you so”? It doesn’t matter. The galaxy’s falling apart, and I don’t need a front-row seat. I’m done with the business. All it’s ever done is take away the people I cared about.]

So wake me up the dream I had is over We were so young and now we’re getting older And I can’t keep on giving you what might be meant for someone new Wake me up the dream I had is over

Who We Are - Tristan Prettyman [Torian Cadera]

[Sometimes, we only get a single battle. You and I had a few years. … You honored me. You saved my life. You loved me better than anyone ever has. I’ll repay those debts. I’ll carry your memory with me on every hunt I take until the day I die. … Ret’urcye mhi doesn’t mean “goodbye”--it means “maybe we’ll see each other again.” If there’s another life beyond this one, I hope we do.]

I will never love another like you So give me all your secrets Your fear and doubts, honey you don't need them I will never find another like you

--

[Jedi Knight]

Hands - Emily Jane White [Kira Carsen]

[Sometimes I dream that you’re standing in my doorway, but you’re not you anymore. You’re him. Everything’s gone wrong since you left. … You have to come back.]

You caught my bad dream A deathly guise took you by night And those hands turned the tide You were harmed by unsaintly arms We will take you in our arms This ain't no dream

Revelry - The Careful Ones [“Doc” Archiban Kimble]

[You’ve survived worse disasters without breaking a sweat. … I had to learn a lot of math in medical school, and I’ve run the numbers. You’ve gotta be alive. … enough’s enough. … You’ve been gone too long.]

Picture perfect home or no, so I was told It was meant to be no other way Pain it came and fell on me Damn, you put that spell on me That my mind could never erase

--

[Jedi Consular]

Pain Told Love - Tribe Society, Kiesza [Felix Iresso]

[I spent a lifetime trying to find you. If I have to, I’ll spend another waiting for you to come back. That’s what love is.]

No one knows you quite like me Pain comes and you find a way to build your world around it And when it hurts get inside the pain and wrap your arms around it I heard pain tell love, she said "where would I be without you?" So love I better find a way to build my world around you

Find You - Ruelle [Nadia Grell]

[I will rally these old friends and lead them to wherever you are. We will brave the dangers that await, my love. Stay strong. We will come.]

Just hold on It won't be long I will find you here inside the dark I will break through No matter where you are I will find you

--

[Smuggler]

The Place I Left Behind - The Deep Dark Woods [Corso Riggs]

[Go to Port Nowhere and send me the signal. I’ll come running. … Come home. I love you.]

I've got the ramblin' fever down in my bones And everywhere that I wanna go The only place that I ever loved Is a place I left behind

I Don’t Believe In Us (Acoustic) - Overcoats [Risha Drayen]

[I didn’t give up on you until today. I searched all over Wild Space, even after Corso said it was time to face the truth. … I’m the one who was supposed to leave when things got bad. Damn you for getting the last laugh, just like always.]

Please understand me, I can't live like this anymore I used to love the sound of it, but what is it we're fighting for I drift in and out of seeing us for who we are Get glimpses of what we're doing here and I don't buy it anymore | I love you, I love you, but all dreams must come to an end

Hold On - Brooke Annibale [Akaavi Spar]

[I’m still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.]

We put our flame upon ice Watch it burn out All I want to do Feel the ache in my hands to hold on to you

--

[Republic Trooper]

The Last Time - Taylor Swift, Gary Lightbody [Aric Jorgan]

[We’ve been fighting these things for two months now. … Getting real tired of it. Might not be so bad if I just had my wife here with me like I’m used to. I know you’re still out there. No way you’re dead. Two months is long enough. Please come back to us.]

I'm not sure how I got there All roads, they lead me here I imagine you are home In your room, all alone And you open your eyes into mine And everything feels better

From the Wreckage Build a Home - The Wind and the Wave [Elara Dorne]

[We first met on a search and rescue mission. I suppose it’s only fitting we reunite the same way. Yours, always.]

We're built to last Well now it's clear you're the wind and I'm the wave Oh together we can brave all the things we never knew | If our ship does sink we will follow it like stones From the wreckage build a home

[captainillogical]

Devil’s Ballroom ch.2

A year after the events from the earth’s final attack, Little Homeworld is finally complete, and there’s a new jazz bar where gems and humans mingle and drink. - As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now.

Spinel/Reader

collab with wife @firstofficertightpants

The place actually happened to be like, right on the edge of Little Homeworld. Outside had full glass windows, tall, that reached the ceiling. Inside the lighting was dim, and a bit smokey. You figured it looked alright enough to head in, and gave the bouncer your ID. He nodded and you walked in. It smelt of cigars, and of cinnamon, and it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. A pretty woman in a low-cut red dress was playing the piano on the stage, and it was some contemporary jazz piece. The low murmur of people talking filled the air in between the swells of music, and the place actually seemed busy with people and even gems enjoying themselves. You liked the vibe. It was.. comfortable. At ease. You looked over at the bar, rather than any of the tables, and saw a spot near the end. Perfect. Right by the bathroom. You headed over and plopped down on the stool. There were three empty at the end, so you took the one in the middle, which had the best view of the stage from back here.

While waiting for the bartender to come back down this side, you took the chance to look  at the people around you. A couple familiar faces.. small town you know? And some new ones. New gems too. You can see Mr. Fryman sitting at a table with Kofi and Nanefua, and they look like they’re playing poker. You try not to snicker since Kofi looks absolutely blasted, and Mr. Fryman is cursing up a storm because Nanefua is clearly winning. You see her wink at Mr. Fryman. You suspect a rigged game.

Your phone chimes a couple times. You pull it out of your bag, and check to see who’s bothering you. Ah. The group chat.

    Alex: ughhh you guys my gmas killing me

    Alex: no seriously mexico fucking blows rn 

    Alex: i cant step outside without feeling like my balls are melting off my body

    Alex: and my brother won’t stop listening to the book of mormon soundtrack

    Alex: im going insane

Your friends are so melodramatic. You type out a couple of replies.

    Y/N: You should be used to mexican summers by now, you go every year.

    Y/N: And for the record, your brother is valid. Book of Mormon slaps.

    Alex: what the fuck youre supposed to be on my side u ass

    Alex: i thought our special thing was wicked. OUR SPECIAL THING, Y/N

    Y/N: I’m allowed to like multiple things. Including musicals. 

    Alex: never. fuck you. also what are you even doing rn come play minecraft with me

    Y/N: Yeah as much as I’d like to, I can’t.

“Y/N! So you finally came to see what this place is all about! What can I get ya?” you hear a familiar voice ask. Turning around to face the voice, you see Bismuth wearing her usual overalls and a rather nice looking bow tie. 

“Hey Bis, how’s it going? I like what you’ve done with the place. It’s nice. And uh, I’ll just take a hard cider for now.” You smile at her and set your phone down for a minute.

“Thank you! After we finished Little Homeworld, I had to find something else to focus on in my down time.” She explains while grabbing your drink from the fridge under her side of the bar, and opens it. “So tell me,” She sits the drink in front of you and leans on the counter. “What brings you out here today?”

You take a rather long sip from your drink before meeting the large gems eyes. On the stage, a tall, beardy man replaces the woman that just finished her piece. He immediately starts this jaunty, irish tune. He’s singing loudly, and it’s not bad. A couple of people are clapping to the tune.

“I just really needed to get out.” You replied, taking another sip from your drink. “I was kinda hoping I’d meet someone new, maybe get another friend to hang out with, since my friends wanted to ditch me this summer.” As you’re saying this, more people join the clapping. It’s getting a bit rowdy. “Or maybe at least get drunk enough to forget how lonely I feel.” You add, shrugging. 

“Well, I can supply the drinks, and at least a bit of company.” Bismuth winks, and turns to the patron 6 seats up waving her over. 

You check your phone again, and there’s more from Alex. AND Harper? She must still have phone service wherever she’s at.     Alex: what are u fuckin doin that so important that u cant play minecraft with ur best friend

    Harper: yeah, Y/N. the heck. Also alex, get lost, she’s MY best friend bitch

    Alex: u had ur chances but u left us so we’re a duo now. u can go

    Harper: excuse me!? I WILL end you.

    Y/N: Oh my god, chill. I’m just out right now, so I can’t okay? 

    Y/N: And nice of you to join us, Harper.

    Harper: fuck you I miss you okay. And I miss constant wifi :(

    Alex: OUT!? What do you mean OUT. its night. u play games with ME during this time

    Alex: for real what the fuck are you doing

    Harper: yeah, you don’t go out without us. Wtf are you doing?

    Y/N: I’m at a bar!!     Alex: WHAT

    Alex: dont tell me its the one place that just opened

    Alex: Y/N do NOT betray me you TOLD ME you were gonna go with me!!

    Y/N: I was. But I was also bored and you’re both gone, soooo. 

    Alex: wow

    Alex: i cant believe youve done this to me

    Harper: hmmm. ;)

    Harper: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ;)

    Y/N: What.

    Harper: you tryin to find girls again? 

    Harper: like that one time you went to empire city just to peruse the mall?

    Alex: LMAOOOOO

    Y/N: No.

    Alex: LMAOOOO Y/N GOOD LUCK TRYING TO FIND A GF LOLL

    Y/N: I’m not trying to find a girlfriend you fucks. Christ.

    Y/N: Also Alex, you’re one to talk. You can’t KEEP a girlfriend.

    Alex: ur just mad i have a passionate and intimate relationship w/ my hand

    Y/N: And it will probably stay that way. 

    Y/N: Besides, so far, no one cute here. So it’s a bust.

    Harper: a bust. Lmfao u just outed yourself :)

    Y/N: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

You put your phone down before seeing whatever Alex attempts to reply back with. It sounds like the current boisterous song is coming to a close, and really, most of the people here are clapping along with this guy. It’s fun. And despite the playful ribbing from your shit-talking friends, you’re starting to have a nice time. You finish your drink, and nod over to Bismuth who catches your eye and nods back. You look over onto the stage, the man having cleared the piano, and see Lapis wiping down the piano and seat. Guess he spilled his drink while playing. Lapis, unlike Bismuth, actually dressed up a bit for the job. Her hair was pulled in a cute, small bun, and she was wearing what looks like a tailored tux with no jacket. The vest fit her quite well. She seemed.. happy. Good for her.

No one had taken up the stage again yet, but the place was still lively with chatter. You see someone out of the corner of your eye move towards the stage, but Bismuth comes over again so you tear your gaze away. 

“Another cider? Or do you want something else this time, Y/N? She asks, cleaning a glass with a rag, and moves on to the next one. 

“Ehh, yeah, give me another cider.” You say as you pull out your phone again. Bismuth sets down the drink in front of you.

    Harper: what a goddamn disaster. she got that from me i think

    Alex: no, youre both disasters separately

    Y/N: Fuck you guys. Give me a break.

You hear the piano start to play again, and someone pulling the mic forward. You look up to see pink hair.. And someone kind of familiar. She’s wearing black slacks, a white collared shirt, and suspenders. The shirt is partially open, and you see part of a pink gem showing through on her chest. It looks like she’s got mascara running down her face. 

And then.. she starts to sing. 

It’s lovely. It’s slow and a bit sad, but she seems to be enjoying herself. She’s definitely done this before. Quite a few of the people around quiet down some, so you can hear her pretty clearly. You drink some, and text your friends.

    Y/N: Guys, I lied. There’s a cute gem here who can sing.

    Alex: holy fuk

    Alex: what

    Y/N: She looks kind of familiar though? I can’t quite place it though.

    Harper: dude theres like near 100 gems now in little homeworld lol

    Harper: you’ve probs seen most in passing? :P

    Alex: are you serious Y/N? cant flirt with human women so u turn to aliens? lmfao

    Y/N: Ohhhhh my god. Die.

The gem on stage sings the chorus with gusto - man she’s really getting into this. You’re kind of taken a bit with her performance. It just pulls you. But also.. She really seems familiar now and it’s bothering you.

    Y/N: No I’m serious she seems really familiar and not in that In Passing kind of way.

    Harper: what does she look like?

    Alex: yeah a description would be nice 

    Harper: TAKE A PIC

    Alex: holy shit YES 

    Y/N: I can’t take a pic. She’s too far away, it’ll be blurry.

    Alex: literally just zoom in lord almighty

    Y/N: Okay. Hold on a sec.

You turn on your camera app, and face the stage. Looks like the gem is actually finishing up her song. Perfect, you’ll snap a pic once she stands up. She finishes, and most of the people are clapping for her. You zoom in, and it’s grainy, but decent enough to make out most of her. You snap the pic.

The flash was on.

A couple people turn to look at you, and you try turning away quickly, horrified, and see the gem looking in your direction before walking off into the crowd of people. You cannot imagine a worse scenario. 

    Y/N: FUCK FUCCCCKKKKKK.

    Y/N: (image sent)

    Y/N: I GOT YOUR FUCKING PIC BUT THE FLASH IS ON.

    Y/N: I’M PRETTY SURE SHE SAW THAT IT WAS ME THAT TOOK THE PIC.

With shaking hands, you take another sip of your drink and wait for a reply. Why is life like this.

    Harper: uh.

    Harper: ummm.

    Alex: wait

    Alex: one fucking second

    Y/N: WHY ARE NONE OF YOU CARING ABOUT MY PLIGHT. 

    Y/N: I’M TRYING NOT TO COMBUST ON THE SPOT HERE.

    Alex: shut up for one second

    Alex: harper isnt that

    Harper: uhh. yeah i think so.

    Y/N: WHAT!? WHO IS IT. WHY DOES THAT MATTER AT THIS POINT.

    Alex: lmao i cant believe i have to tell u this

    Alex: bitch do u remember that shit that happened last summer

    Alex: where half the town almost died from that gem shit

    Alex: that’s her     Alex: that’s the bitch who almost killed like, the entire planet

    Harper: you know that night your dad almost died??

As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now.