#iz extended family au

[murshmallauw]

Dib loves this new side of Zim that hormones bring out

[redpiperfox]

was rereading rosette, and your author's note mentions that you chose specific characters for specific roles. i am VERY curious about All Of Them, i cant pick just one, so i'll leave you with the jurisdiction of choosing which ones to talk about? or you could mention all of them... haha jk unless

tldr: GIVE ME THE INSIDER INFOOOO

Just so you know how much I waffled this answer, I've currently been text-character-limit blocked on my response O.o Did not know there was a limit, but uh, I reached it trying to reply >.<

Will give you the answer over a couple of reblogs!:

I saw Rosette and my heart started racing, I clutched my pearls, I needed to sit down, I AM NOT NORMAL ABOUT THAT FIC ToT

I could Actually write endless essays about so many little details of that work... so much went into it, and I have to remind myself that I need to remind myself that the streets aren't aware of how Insane I am, and that is probably for the better XP

BUT YOU ASKED AND I SHALL DELIVER SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:

Hwang family: other than the obvious of all the characters featured in the extended family home 2hwang grow up in sharing the surname "Hwang," I picked dancers and the sort of connections that reflect canon. Niki looking up to Hyunjin and following in that legacy (yeah, I know he's not a "real" Hwang, but my au so I do what I want XD), SinB [Hwang Eunbi] as the kindest to them as the pioneer in 4th gen dancing gems. Also, the name Eunbi gives me mother-hen visions from my time knee-deep in Iz*one so XD

Hometown village: I had decided I needed to save all of SkzItzy for the new village they move to, which left me with the current village to fill of good friends, but not found family people. Aespa was an obvious choice as Itzy's irl friends, and I decided to dust in Enhypen members since I already had Niki. "Taeyhyung" was a generic enough name that I didn't feel like I was villainizing any particular boy group member XD Picking 2PM's Wooyoung was probably my favorite part of the hometown village-- it's been so sweet watching him be this JYP mentor figure for all of skz publically since Kingdom, and for the group personally since much before from what Chan's told us. This "respectable gentleman" figure who's removed enough from current happenings seemed to fit him really well.

Foster family: [giggles] Okay so SeungBin being siblings? Absolutely completely canon, Seungmin is such an annoying younger brother and Changbin takes the preachy protective older brother so well, and making them the first thoughtful and concerned people 2hwang meet was the perfect way to build them into the new village. I built the rest of the family around them: Chaeryeong is already Changbin's annoying baby sister confirmed XP Sunmi was easy to fit next to them, I think of Chaeryeong as sort of the next generation Sunmi performance wise, and Seungmin is always joked as being the role Sunmi was in teasing the company and JYP himself. Younghyun I knew needed to be central in someway, and as a very involved, very well known and respected idol of his generation who has so much history and present influence in the company, I put him right in the center as an older adult who makes the village feel like home.

[errantgoat]

I've concluded the True Aeon playthrough. I'm satisfied. My thoughts and feelings will contain spoilers!

True Aeon…is really fun! It allowed me to act out some of my lawful stupid fantasies…you just have to be okay with the fact that you'll end up being the asshole for some people. The amount of power you feel your character possesses on this path is immense!

The only gripe I might have is with the characterization of the Aeon as a concept. It definitely shines as the keeper of Cosmic Order, you can feel in your bones that what has happened to Sarkoris shouldn't have happened at all. The barrier between Planes being broken is a Crime and demons rummaging and killing because of that is also a Crime. Every small step you take to remedy that imbalance brings a great amount of satisfaction and a feeling of 'right'. And it's not only the Worldwound, the need to punish cosmic Crimes extends further…A mortal trying to prolong their own life beyond their given lifespan is a Crime, and so is mixing the essence of the Abyss into a divine creature. It's all instinctual, the world was created a certain way, and anything breaking that balance has to be corrected. Simple.

The game wants you to treat judging and punishing mundane criminals as evenly important as all the above, which I didn't buy. At all. It would've been fine as the 'Aeon training wheels' for act III, anything beyond that feels unnecessary. If things stayed in the Cosmic Order/Order of Creation lane the path would've felt more thematically cohesive. At least that's my opinion.

THAT SAID

My favourite things that I got to do on True Aeon path:

Dispelling Jerribeth's influence over the tribe like it was nothing!

Disgruntled Xantir Vang when you restore his original body.

Redeeming Staunton Vhane and him being there in Iz to protect the Sword of Valor if you go after Galfrey.

Saving Terendelev!??!

Dispelling the fucking youth potions from Galfrey omg.

(Also I thought sending every civilian away from Drezen in Act V because they're some sort of thief/liar/ etc was stupid but also funny as hell.)

Being a void.

NOT TO MENTION THE ENDING. OH THE CHERRY ON TOP. (Super spoilers ahead) At Threshold, I was expecting the same formula I got both on Legend and Angel Path. Go deeper into the Worldwound, fight Areelu, the same scene with Suture sneaking up on you, scene in front of the Wound, choice, the end. NOPE, instead you go into the past, into the Threshold that looks brand new (a few corridors of it anyways, but still.) Right before everything happened. And there you fight Areelu - who conveniently knows who you are, but I will ignore this - and defeat her. AND THEN. You cannot exist anymore. There will be no Worldwound and no infusing mortals and demons with mythic powers. You are a paradox, and you just committed a cosmic crime, you used your powers to punish a mortal who hasn't done anything wrong yet. And so you dissolve into the darkness of the void, the only grace being the choice of leaving your companions with a memory of you. And with the ultimate sacrifice the Commander writes the grandest coffee-shop AU of all time. The World without the Worldwound.

All the ending slides you get are from the perspective of the Crusades never taking place. Kenabres is an insignificant town/village you can barely place on the map. Irabeth and Anevia never met. Seelah is a Paladin but never left the South. Lann and Wendu aren't mongrels. Without demonic influence I think Woljif wouldn't be a tiefling either. He's still very Woljif tho. Daeran grew up with all his family alive and is a respected diplomat (I think this is my favourite AU bit.) Etc, etc. Good thing I didn't recruit Arue because I'm sure the fact she'd still be a soul-sucking succubus would break my heart. True Aeon ending made me emotional. I won't lie. It peaked, it cannot get more amazing than this. :'D

[khaleesiofalicante]

Hello. How are you feeling? I hope you're doing well and keeping safe. And not working too hard. I hope you had an excellent and spectacular day. You of all people deserve it sooo much. Now that the very important questions are asked,I would like to say some things which randomly come in my brain and because I'm incapable of keeping my thoughts to myself. I have to make it everybody's business. Now, since you love lists and a list would make this simpler, here goes:

Have you ever wondered about Magnus's birth name? Like, do you want it to be revealed,or should it remain a mystery. I personally want it to be revealed.

2. Now, talking about TEC, what do you think about a Clockwork Princess style epilogue for Tbvotd? Like, we'll get that closure about Malec's relationship ( And cry buckets of tears). How Alec died, when he died,about the extended family etc. (Although the Lbaf gang is canon for me. You have made it so perfectly. That was a compliment btw. You should take it,and not be a Modest Magnus™)

3. Note: This one is not me asking your opinion, it's stating mine. I think one underrated Malec phase is the post Cohf malec. Like it wasn't explored upon. And it could have been really great if we did get content on it. Like,their first date after the break up,how both of them would have been nervous as hell. Alec wants it to go perfectly because he doesn't want Magnus to second guess the decision of getting back together. Magnus because he doesn't want Alec to think he made a mistake by accepting him and his past. Then,their first time after. Then the discussion of Alec moving in. Then being softly hesitant and then slowly becoming absolutely sure about their relationship and each other's feelings about them. There was just so much lost potential. CC should have given us something.

4. An AU that came in my mind. Malec are high school sweethearts. They actually knew each other from childhood. They were best friends before dating. Tmi gang is like the elite group in high school. They are very popular. Now,the angsty part. Alec's parents are politicians. They accepted him being gay but they were against him dating Magnus because he has a background (like him killing his stepfather and his mom committing suicide. And his birth father being MIA) which will not be good for someone who's going to be a politician. So, Alec's parents try to dissuade him from dating him,but Alec is adamant. So,Parents and Alec make a deal. Alec gets to date Magnus until graduation. After graduation,he can't date him anymore. Alec agrees, thinking his parents will see reason when they see him happy with Magnus. he doesn't tell Magnus about it. Izzy and Jace know about it and tell him to tell Magnus but he doesn't listen. Comes graduation day. Happiest day of Magnus's life. Because he's proud of how far he's come. Alec arrives late at graduation,and seems very miserable. Magnus asks him what's wrong. Alec tells him he has to break up with him. Magnus doesn't believe him and asks for the reason. Alec tells him about the deal. Magnus feels very betrayed and says Alec has been lying to him the entire time. Alec tries to explain and say his feelings were real and he wasn't playing around with Magnus. Magnus is heartbroken so he doesn't listen. Izzy and Jace come in. So do Simon and Clary. Magnus finds out all of them knew about the deal.(since Iz&J told Si& Clary). magnus thinks everyone betrayed him. he leaves with one parting line to Alec-. THANK you Alexander. Thank you for making what was supposed to be one of my happiest days into one of the saddest. He leaves. They try to track Magnus but he's off the grid. Alec accepts that he's gone. After 5 Years. Alec is a politician. Clace and Dizzy are thriving at life. They travel to LA (or any other place which is not NY) they see Magnus there. He has a new friend group. He's a hotshot lawyer. they're shock because he always wanted to be a photographer.

I can't think anymore.you add your details

I have wondered! I actually mention it one of my ongoing fics hehe. But I like mysteries so I don't want to know what it is. I like the name Magnus way too much 🥺

Thank you for the compliment, bebe. I think we're very unlikely o get that kind of closure for malec or any of the characters. There is a popular theory that TWP might end with clace wedding and since TBVOTD is released before that (IF I AM NOT WRONG) i think cassie won't write anything that will spoil the rest of the books.

I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH. And yes! So true! Getting back together after a break up is to tricky and I too would have loved to know how they navigated it. I really liked your ideas about it! Maybe you should write a one shot about it ;)

OKAY BUT YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO WRITE THIS? HIGH SCHOOL ANGST HITS DIFFERENT I NEED THIS FIC SO BAD DO IT BRO WRITE IT PLEASE!!!!

ps - but seriously though these ideas are so fucking good i would love to read snippets or even MULTI CHAPTER FICS if you want to explore these ideas 💚

[what-color-is-a-mirror]

a fanart i did for @viiv-marshroom 's extended family iz au because i adore it♥

[violintrees]

📗👀 (no rush of course, whenever you have time ✌️)

OKAY. Time to ramble about one of my long aus :)

If you have played Supergiant's game Pyre YOUR A REAL ONE AND WILL UNDERSTAND SO MUCH MORE AND I GIVE YOU A <3

For everyone else, Pyre is Supergiant's 3rd game and I adore it so I made a little very big crossover au. Im just gonna describe the premise. All you have to know is that it is set in a magic fantasy setting and Irkens, Vortians, and other IZ aliens are just different species that inhabit the same world as humans (ie they are not aliens to the world (also Irkens are not cyborgs btw, they are just biological buggy species with secondary brains and extendable legs)). Other stuff will be explained as it is relevant.

We start with Dib, Gaz, and Prof Membrane traveling in the wastelands of the Downside, the land of exiles. Prof Membrane and Dib were exiled for the crime of literacy and publishing and Gaz for conspiracy.

They see a dead.. wait no not quite.. actually living Irken! Half dead in the canyon who after being shaken awake and given some food calls himself Zim. With him he has an Imp named Gir and a Beyonder computer crystal named.. Computer. Irken exiles are rare but even rarer is one that wasn't rescued by the Essence, a coalition of Irken exiles in the Downside. Even weirder, Zim says he is not an exile and is actually military invader on a secret mission, sent by the Tallest’s of the Commonwealth themselves! The encoding brand on his left arm (An Irken ritual practice of burning your purpose onto you) confirms this, though weirdly Zim has many brands from scientist to invader to.. cook? But he is indeed an Invader at the moment (Dib and Prof Mem can read the brand, Zim recognizes the word as a symbol for invader but can’t read per say).

What neither side know (yet) is that Zim was branded as defective before being exiled. While knocked out, it was placed between his shoulders on his back where he cannot see it himself.

The Membranes are investigating an ancient ritual known as the Rites. A way they can become free again and get released from the Downside, but they need another member to perform the rituals. Zim thinks this seems like a good lead as to what he is supposed to be invading and for the Membranes, an Irken would make a powerful ally in the rites. They make a deal to free Zim with them.

What follows is a journey across the world, performing ritual combat with other Triumvirates for the chance at a glorious return to the Commonwealth, but the path is filled with danger, betrayal, and maybe love, found family, revolution and discovering that even in the worst situation, there can be a future worth fighting for.

[thevalleyoftriumph]

>< d00mbug ... 13 ...

HIIII BABE

13)   Extended family? Do they see them often?

hmm well? d00mbug iz technically just a bug in the code so they never really had any family. i considered giving them a little buddy but never rlly went thru w it, mainly since theyre mainly a sona and i never rlly had anyone like that irl! this soundz concerning but itz not i promise

HOWEVER comma . i have considered making a mini lil au for them [yk noncanon to their actual story] where they WERE human at one point similar to austin and eteled!

there they woulda def had a few family - no parentz, but probably friendz they had a sorta found family type thing going on with. they woulda seen them in person very rarely - long distance - but they would often text, send picturez from work, or call them !

mainly a sister figure, a few stupid little siblingz, maybe a "yeah he just haz uncle vibez to me" person here n there.

[soysaucevictim]

Week 3... posted later than I intended, but whatever.

-

Nov. 7

I woke up around noon today.

Picked up some Subway.

Had to spend a couple hours piecing together my last week. Was low-key probably dissociating. Lapsed on my logging tools pretty bad. But all things considered, I’m not terribly surprised why that happened.

Once I got myself oriented again, I got to my exercises.

First, today’s DD. 30″ push-up plank with EC. A bit sloppy, but what else in new. Probably would’ve benefited from bothering to put the timer on the floor. But decided not to.

(Decided to watch SvS again as BG noise.)

Second, Day 13 of the YAC. 3 sets: 35″ boat pose hold + 35″ knee hug hold. Still manageable. Laughed about “Logan's not here. So, let's act like it, alright?“

Last, Day 13 of TEN. Arm Day. I think I managed at least 9 sets, but probably 10 within time (just because I wasn’t 100% sure how great my tracking attention was today.) Definitely did an extra set on top of that overtime, though. A fun sequence to do, though!

Spent some time chatting, browsing places, and some writing for the iZ!AU fic.

I somehow managed to get to bed in the yellow zone again.

-

Nov. 8

I woke up around 8AM.

One of the first things I got done was today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ leg raises with EC (seated). I counted 150 reps by the time was up. pretty intense near the end of each side.

Second, Day 14 of the YAC. 3x35″ supermen holds, 35″ rest. Manageable with slow breathing. Didn’t have interval timer on floor and got a bit dodgy to extend further to look up my monitors from floor to see

Last, Day 14 of TEN. Ab day. Counted 5 sets completed withing time, =1 more overtime (if barely). I do so enjoy sit-up punches... and sitting punches! It’s nice being able to do this load without needing to anchor my feet at all.

After some chatting and dishes, I felt like making some vent art. Been in a haze lately. Spent rest of night chatting some more and whatnot.

I got to bed in the red zone, not obscenely late. But still.

-

Nov. 9

I woke up around 9AM.

After some Tumblr and chatting, I did my exercise early.

First, today’s DD. 1′ flutter kicks with EC. I counted 116 reps by the end of it. Muse’s “Time Is Running Out“ was a perfect accompaniment - counted to the beat.

Second, Day 15 of the YAC. 3 sets: 35″ boat pose hold + 35″ knee hug hold. Modestly tougher after those flutter kicks - but I could get through it.

Last, Day 15 of TEN. Ab/back day. I counted 5 sets completed by the end. First set was a bit awkward to navigate exercise transitions - but I locked onto a rhythm/flow soon enough.

After some dinner and dishes, spent rest of night chatting and doing some writing stuff. (iZ!AU-related, but was a thought experiment.)

I got to bed a few hours later than yesterday.

-

Nov. 10

I woke up around 11PM.

After a some chatting, did today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 prone reverse flies with EC. Very doable - just takes being mindful of floor space again, for me.

Second, Day 16 of the YAC. 3x35″ supermen holds, 35″ rest. Had timer on floor this time, A bit more tolerable like that.

Last, Day 16 of TEN. Cardio day. I counted 7 sets by the end of the duration. Got pretty winding, definitely had to rest ~15″ or so in between rounds to catch my breath. Energy levels didn’t really permit doing the hidden burpees (walked into and out of plank.)

A bit later, I made today’s Hello Fresh dinner (and did the dishes afterwards). Skillet Refried black beans. It was just alright. It had radishes - which i kinda liked. But yeah.

I spent rest of night with the usual and doing more writing.

I got to bed a lil earlier than yesterday.

-

Nov. 11

I woke up around 10AM.

I thought I had group today - but forgot it was Veteran’s Day. Listened to music and did dishes while I waited around needlessly.

After dishes, chatting, and sketching - I did my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 squat hold side bends with EC. This was reasonably fun to do, not much else really worth remarking on.

Second, Day 17 of the YAC. 3 sets: 40″ boat pose hold + 40″ knee hug hold. Starting to feel the increments now, here. But I was able to get by!

Last, Day 17 of TEN. Leg day. Counted 6 sets completed within duration, did one more overtime (because I was almost done with that set before the chimes sounded.) A little bit aerobic, but nothing too intense, overall!

Spent some time writing a lil bit, but otherwise a lot of the usual.

I got to bed around the same time as yesterday.

-

Nov. 12

I woke up around 10AM.

Spent time doing some shopping for a new computer and chatting about that. I also spent time setting up another computer and doing some video editing (just free up HD space.)

I think I did my Workout really late today.

First, today’s DD. 40 climber taps with EC. Still gets to feeling this one in the abs. Very doable.

Second, Day 18 of the YAC. 3x40″ supermen holds, 40″ rest. Intense, but manageable

Last, Day 18 of TEN. Arm day. Counted exactly 15 completed sets by the time was up - manageable, given the sequence consisted of a lot of exercises that are quick to do. Nevertheless, this load/pace was pretty intense to do!

I got to bed later than yesterday.

-

Nov. 13

I woke up around 10AM.

Spent time getting more vids processed, chatting, and making some more trip reservations.

I then made today’s Hello Fresh Dinner. Mexicali black bean soup. This was very enjoyable, worth a reprisal, hands down.

Aaand there’s ANOTHER Friday with a family argument. This time around a fallen tree branch. Bleh.

Spent rest of night processing vids, chatting, and listening to music. (Didn’t get around to today’s DD.)

I got to bed obscenely late... partly to babysit my computer processing those videos. :P

[eilonwiiy]

Bookends ; a Witchlands AU

Chapter 3

Iseult is confronted with an opportunity that threatens to change the course of her future... 

Summary: Iseult det Midenzi never expected to go to a top university, so when her mother falls ill and she is forced to drop out to make ends meet, life has never seemed so unfair. But when she starts working at the local library and is unexpectedly assigned in the Children’s Room, a certain monosyllabic man and his thrice-damned demon child start showing up and Iseult begins to wonder if the threads of fate have a plan for her after all.

Previous chapters: 1, 2

Ships: Iseult/Aeduan, Safi/Merik, and more… stay tuned!

Tags: modern AU, college setting, family, friendship, humor, fluff, slow-burn, romance, eventual smut

Read on AO3: here

Tag list: (please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @lseultdetmidenzi @twilightlegacy13

*   .   *   .   *   .   *   .

“I hope you don’t mind me stealing you away.”

Evrane handed Iseult a cup of tea, the porcelain clinking delicately upon its saucer. A lazy swirl of steam rose into the air and Iseult gently blew across the top before taking a timid sip.

“Just what we need,” Evrane sighed, sinking into the high-back chair behind her desk as much as someone with her incomparable posture could. “Nothing like a hot cup of rose tea on a blustering winter morning.”

Iseult hummed in agreement, watching the fat chunks of snow falling outside the window behind Evrane. She had yet to regain feeling in her toes from the walk to work, but the tea and the quietly popping fire in the fireplace was helping.

Evrane’s office was an octagonal room that resided in the second tallest tower of the library. To get there you had to climb a long, winding spiral staircase and the first time Iseult had been invited to her office, she had never been more enchanted in her life. While the expected hints of modern technology littered Evrane’s desk area, the rest of the space was as gothic as the rest of the library, with a functioning fireplace, dark hardwood floors and paneling, and a high-domed ceiling. Bookshelves teeming with hundreds of leather-bound volumes lined the entire perimeter of the office, save for the three arched windows that stood behind the Evrane’s desk and framed her workspace in pale light.

Evrane took a sip from a cup before placing it on her desk. She sat so regal in her chair, yet completely at ease, her elbows resting on the arms and hands clasped together. She radiated assuredness. Purpose. Iseult shifted in her own, hoping to offer a reflection of sophistication to the woman sitting across from her. The leather squeaked awkwardly.

“Did you end up finding that first edition of The Raider King?” Iseult hurried to ask over the echo of that embarrassing sound in her ears, sure it would haunt her in her most unsuspecting moments for many years to come.

Evrane shook her head with a weary smile. “Not yet, but I haven’t lost hope. My attic is more of a time capsule than actual storage space. I haven’t touched some of the boxes up there since I moved from Nubrevna - and that was a significant number of years ago. It will turn up.” She smiled again at Iseult, the flames from the fire danced in her emerald green eyes. Iseult resisted the urge to squirm in her chair again and restored to taking a lengthy sip from her cup.

“So Iseult," began Evrane, a noticeable change in tone. Iseult latched onto it. “I have an idea I’d like to propose to you and I’m hoping you’ll find it as agreeable as I do."

Iseult’s cup froze on her saucer. “An idea?”

“An opportunity,” Evrane amended. “I’ve been quite pleased with how well you’ve taken to your job here, but if these past several months have taught me anything, it’s that you can do much more.”

Iseult blinked in surprise. A ripple of trepidation fluttered in her stomach, nearing something close to pride, but the crypticness of Evrane’s statement made it difficult for her to fully embrace the feeling. “Do… more?”

“Precisely. I’ve sincerely enjoyed our conversations, Iseult. Your repertoire is quite extensive for someone so young. Clearly, you can do more than shelve books. Though,” Evrane chuckled, “there is never a shortage of books to be put away.”

Iseult willed her face react, barely more than a tight-lipped smile.  But the rest of her sat very still, hinging on Evrane’s every last word.

“As you know, Nadaya left us a couple weeks ago on maternity leave, and won’t be back until May. Though I've known of her departure for quite some time and despite the a stack of applications waiting to be read through, I find myself reluctant to do so. I was wondering - well, I was hoping - that you would be interested in taking up the mantle.”

“You want me to replace Nadaya?”

“It would only be temporary, of course. But with your knowledge of children’s literature and enthusiasm for YA, I can’t think of a more suitable person to fill the position.”

“I d-don’t have a library science degree.” I don’t have a degree, Iseult thought.

“That hardly matters,” Evrane dismissed, waving a hand, silver bracelet tinkling musically from the motion.  She reached for her tea. “At least, while this is temporary. You know books, Iseult. That is what counts."

“But,” Iseult stammered. “Won’t the other librarians mind?"

Evrane’s eyebrows bounced mildly over her teacup. “Mind?”

“I mean, won’t they be bothered to have someone under-qualified hired?”

It was Evrane’s turn to look surprised. “I think they’ll be relieved to finally have someone picking up the slack in the Children’s Room.”

“The Children’s Room.” Iseult swallowed. Of course. That’s where Nadaya worked, so obviously, that would be where Iseult worked. “What would that entail?”

Though Iseult hadn’t accepted yet, Evrane perked up at the question and eagerly set her tea down. “If you’re worried about missing your cart, I promise you there will be plenty of shelving opportunities down in the Children’s Room.”

“Oh. Good,” Iseult replied, trying to keep her voice normal despite the confusing sense of panic welling in her chest. “I’d hate for it to develop abandonment issues.”

Evrane studied Iseult, her expression unreadable, but her gaze seemed to soften.  “Really it will be very similar to what you do up here, except now you’ll also work the desk. You’ll check out patrons, check-in returned books, assist patrons when needed. You don’t have to contribute to any programming, except for potentially covering the occasional story time. Unless you’d like to, of course. It’s all very straightforward, Iseult. Nothing you can’t handle. Aside from learning the catalog software, I don’t foresee you having any trouble adjusting.”

Iseult nodded, but Evrane’s words slid off her like oil to water. She would be working with the public - and not just people. Children. That thought alone was enough to send her running.

But Evrane believed in her. She wanted her to take the job. She’d held off interviewing more qualified and worthy candidates for her. And instead of feeling flattered, Iseult couldn’t let go of the churning dread threatening to capsize her composure.

Evrane had said it would be temporary… then why did accepting her offer feel so monumental? Iseult wasn’t even supposed to be here. She was supposed to be at school. Studying, working towards - something. Accepting Evrane’s offer felt like taking another step away from that life. Her old life. Hell-gates, what was she even doing here? Sipping tea and eating biscuits? She was wasting time that could be spent working a third job, making money to send home to her mother, getting her life back on track. Getting herself back to where she was supposed to be. She needed to go. She needed to politely decline, rethink her priorities, and-

“Iseult?” prompted Evrane gently. “What do you think?”

                                              *   .   *   .   *   .   *   .

The bell above the front-door to Mathew and Habim’s coffee shop jangled and a burst of warmth greeted Iseult as she stepped inside. Behind the wool scarf wrapped around her face, she sighed, relieved that the blistering cold and the 7 blocks standing between here and the library were behind her. She could already feel herself beginning to thaw.

Jitters was as it always was, looking more like an overgrown living room than a coffee shop. Mismatched furniture sprawled out over worn rugs of clashing patterns and on the walls hung tapestries and artwork with no real cohesion to them. A fire crackled in the brick hearth, where several customers were huddled around on a lumpy, velvet sofa and shabby armchairs. Nondescript instrumental music wafted from an ancient radio behind the counter - soft enough to not intrude on customers’ conversations, but loud enough to hug the shop in perpetual state of homeiness.

Iseult loved the dingey hole in the wall shop for all that it was, and even though it wasn’t hers, it felt like hers - hers and Safi’s. Since branching out and opening several more shops throughout the Witchlands, the owners Mathew and Habim now only popped in from time to time, and in the last few visits it had been obvious that they were more interested in seeing her and their goddaughter, not the shop. Their baby was in capable hands, they’d told them. It also helped that they now had an actual baby to take care of.

“You can’t hide from me, Iz. I’d know that pink nose anywhere.”

Safi stood behind the coffee counter wearing the mossy green apron all Mathew and Habim’s employees wore. Iseult pulled off her hat, hair slightly askew, and tugged down the scarf obscuring half of her face. “You found me.”

The smell of nutmeg and roasted coffee grains immediately filled Iseult’s nose. Wiping her boots on the doormat, she shuffled across the shop’s creaky floorboards and joined Safi behind the counter. She shrugged off her backpack and started the arduous process of unraveling herself.

“How was work?” Safi asked, extending an apron to Iseult and waiting patiently for her to finish unbuttoning.

“Apocalyptic,” replied Iseult, trading Safi and pulling the apron over her head.

“Really?” Safi walked around the corner and disappeared into the back office with Iseult’s coat and scarf draped over her arm. “Should I bother putting on another pot of coffee or is the end near enough that we can ditch these aprons and achieve our life’s ambition?”

Iseult tilted her head to the side. “Break into Mathew’s safe and find out the secret ingredient to his pumpkin cookies?”

Safi reappeared in the doorway with a scandalized look. “Raid Henrick’s office and burn it to the ground.”

“Ah right.” Iseult sighed glumly, pulling the apron tight around her waist and tying it off. “No, you should make the coffee. I suppose people will want it regardless of whether or not my life is going up in flames.”

Safi shot her a curious look as she took her advice and started bustling around the back counter. “That’s… dramatic. Can I help you put out the flames? Coffee isn’t flammable, you know.”

Iseult fiddled with the strings of her apron, untying them only to retie them again. On some level, she knew that she was being, as Safi put it, dramatic. The dread she’d left Evrane’s office with was unnecessary baggage. Dead weight, her mother would have called it. Stasis had done nothing to discourage the rapid fire in her chest every time she thought of what tomorrow would bring. Nor had reciting her multiplication tables - a method Iseult had used as a child whenever she was on the verge of tears and Gretchya would scold her. She only resorted to her times tables in the most dire of situations. Graduating to division, if Gretchya was involved. But her anxiety only seemed to derive greater power from her desperate attempts to silence it. She should just keep it to herself. It’s what Gretchya would tell her to do.

“Evrane wants me to work in the Children’s Room.”

Safi’s eyebrows bounced in mild surprise. “So?”

Iseult shook her head. An impatient jerk. “So?” she repeated, incredulous. “So I’m terrible with children and should in no way be left alone with them. I don’t know the first thing about taking care of them.”

“Taking care of them?” Safi laughed. “You’re helping them find books, not saving up for their college tuition.”

“You know what I mean. I don’t know a thing about them.”

“You know what they read. I think that’ll come in handy, don’t you?”

Iseult took a deep breath and for a third time tugged her apron loose. There were times she relied on Safi’s quick wit. Like when aggressive men painted her with platitudes and unwanted attention. And then there were times she envied it.

Iseult often wondered what that would be like to laugh in the face of fear. To not only be able to shrug off life’s worries with a wink and a smile, but to pull up a chair and sit with it in comfortable silence. Her best friend had grown up with an alcoholic uncle, and though he hadn’t been cruel to her, Safi had weathered his debauchery, riding scandal after scandal with little help from anyone. She’d mastered the art of not giving a fuck, suffering much worse than Iseult ever had - so why couldn’t she?

Safi set down the bag of coffee grains and turned to face Iseult. “Do you want me to bail on my 4PM?” she offered. Concern laced her words. “The world may not be ending, but we could still do some damage.”

“If you’re going to give in to your urges to skip class this early into the semester, you’ll be graduating after me.”

“And yet here I am offering,” Safi countered, bracing her hands on the counter behind her and leaning back. “It won’t kill Polly to take notes for once.”

Iseult gave her a look.  “Oh, so you two are talking again?”

“I don’t know.”  Safi raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching.  “Are you?”

Right. Safi was still on that. The impromptu fireworks show her and the Nubrevnan had put on for everyone at the Cleaved Man may have been a spectacular performance, but it hadn’t been enough to make Safi forget about the drink Leopold had sent her. Iseult certainly hadn’t forgotten about it. It had been on her mind all weekend. She supposed she should give him a call. He was probably waiting to hear from her. A ‘thank you’, at the very least. And yet, three days had gone by, and Iseult had done nothing more than take out her phone a dozen or so times, open a new message, and then promptly tuck it back into her pocket.

Iseult turned to the clock mounted on the wall. “Oh, would you look at the time,” she deadpanned. “You’ll be late for class if you don’t get going.”

Safi blinked back at her unimpressed and gave the clock a disinterested glance. A split second later, she did a double take. Her eyes widened. “Weasel’s piss!” she hissed, clawing at the apron strings tied behind her back. “You aren’t kidding!” She swept past Iseult and flew through the tapestry leading to the back.

Iseult listened to Safi’s hurried footsteps climbing up the narrow spiral set of stairs that led to their attic apartment and the muffled string of curses she left in her wake. There was the unmistakable thud of the apartment door slamming shut, shortly followed by creaking floorboards and frantic shuffled footsteps overhead that, if Iseult hadn’t known better, sounded like they belonged to a small herd of elephants. A couple customers seated nearby perked up from their coffee and eyed the ceiling warily. Iseult smiled apologetically and quickly ducked down behind the counter to pick up Safi’s discarded apron.

The bell above the front door rang, announcing a customer had entered - or perhaps leaving because of Safi’s stampede. Iseult pushed up from the ground, knees cracking, apron clutched in her hand, and she was about to offer the usual “What can I get for you today?” when she saw who was at the counter and froze. “Ryber?”

One of the two girls standing in front of Iseult broke off the conversation she’d been having with her companion to look at her. Upon seeing her, the girl’s eyes sparked with recognition.

“Iseult!” she gasped happily. “I didn’t know you worked here!”

Iseult nodded, taking in Ryber’s broad smile and releasing a relieved breath. For a painstaking moment, she’d wondered if her former chemistry lab partner from last year would recognize her.

“I work and live here.” Iseult gestured to the ceiling. “My best friend and I live in the apartment above this place.”

Both Ryber and her companion’s eyes widened in fascination. “That’s so cool!” Ryber exclaimed. She swept a hand to the pastry display to Iseult’s right. “Cookies whenever you want! Never going without coffee on those nights when you’re up late cramming!”

“It has its perks,” Iseult agreed, ignoring Ryber’s assumption that she still had a reason to be up late studying.

“I wish we had a place of our own,” Ryber continued. “Tanzi and I still live in the dorms. We - oh, sorry Tanz!” She turned to her friend who had been hovering on the edge of their conversation in polite silence. She gave her an apologetic look. “Tanzi, this Iseult det Midenzi. We were lab partners last year. We almost didn’t make it out alive. And Iseult, this is my friend Tanzi Laminaya.”

“Best friend,” Tanzi corrected, poking Ryber in the ribs. Ryber nodded sagely, despite waving her off.

“Yes, best friend. My sincerest apologies.” Ryber shook her head and grinned at Iseult. “We’re living in Paladin’s Hall this year.”

“Nice,” Iseult said. “I’ve heard that’s the best dorm.”

“And the spookiest!” Tanzi chimed in.

Ryber moaned. “Don’t start with this.”

“It’s ok. I’ve heard the stories too,” Iseult intervened, giving Tanzi a friendly smile, who beamed smugly and tried to catch Ryber’s eye. Ryber ignored her. “The library that I work at is supposedly haunted too.”

“Our library is haunted too?” Tanzi all but squealed.

Iseult’s stomach twisted. Navigating these conversations was never not tiring. “No, not the school library. The Venaza City Public Library.”

Both Ryber and Tanzi nodded in understanding. “Wow, you make coffee, work at the library, and you go to school,” Ryber listed off, looking across the counter at Iseult like she were some sort of deity. “I have a hard enough time juggling two majors - nevermind two jobs.”

“Well,” Iseult began, but just at that moment, the sound of a baby elephant tumbling down the stairs came rumbling from behind the hanging tapestry and Safi stumbled out into the shop. Her knitted beanie slipped haphazardly from her head as she righted herself and stepped behind the counter.

“Safi,” Iseult breathed. The relief in her voice was painfully noticeable, but she was too happy to be saved from explaining to Ryber that she had dropped out of school to care. She swung her arm out and redirected Safi, who had no doubtedly been en route to grab a frosted donut and a cup of coffee. Safi gave her a bemused look as her hand pushed into her back, but went with it with nonetheless.

“Safi,” Iseult said again, introducing her, “This is Ryber and Tanzi. Ryber and I were lab partners last year in chem.”

Safi perked up. “Oh! The Bunsen burner malfunction of ‘19! I’m glad to see you still have all your hair.”

“Thanks,” Ryber laughed, fingering her long threaded braids. “I’d probably be bald if it weren’t for Iseult. And trying to resuscitate my GPA.” She shrugged sheepishly. “Science isn’t really my thing.”

Safi waved her off. “Leave the sciencing to the scientists. That’s what I always say.” It was dumb, but Ryber and Tanzi both laughed. “You two look like you’re heading back to campus,” Safi said, taking in their backpacks and the layer of snow covering them both. “Do you need a ride?”

“Seriously?” Ryber asked. Her and Tanzi exchanged hopeful looks. Their dark skin was pink with cold.

“Of course. Though, my Lebaron is older than I am, so there’s a 60/40 chance we may not make it.

“I’ll take that chance!” Tanzi said with gusto, looking to Ryber for confirmation, who nodded without reserve.

“Me too!”

“As long as you know what you’re getting into. But first I need coffee. And sugar. And maybe something salty. You guys want anything?”

Ryber craned her neck around Tanzi and examined the pastry display case. “Can we get three hot chocolates, a lemon poppyseed muffin, and two chocolate croissants?”

“And a fudge brownie?” Tanzi added.

“A wise choice,” Safi commented. “I’ll get working on those hot chocolates. Iseult, can you take care of the pastries?” Before turning around, Safi shot Iseult a sideways grin. Iseult felt her insides melt in appreciation.

Iseult reached for a paper bag and sidestepped over to the pastry display case. Ryber followed her along the opposite side.

“You said you work at the Venaza City Public Library, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Iseult said, reaching for the biggest fudge brownie on the platter.

“Sooo,” Ryber drew out. “I know you’re not working right now. Well, you’re working - here, not there - but I was wondering if I could ask you a favor.”

Iseult stood up straight and met Ryber’s hopeful expression over the glass case. “Uh, sure. If I can help, I’ll try.”

“I’m looking for a book for my book club and I need to get a hold of multiple copies so everyone can read it. Otherwise, we’ll all have to share and instead of meeting every month, we’ll be meeting every ten years. The school library won’t let me put in a request for that many of the same book-”

“Can you believe that?” Tanzi interjected disapprovingly.

“-and I was wondering if I could put in a request at your library. Do they do that?”

For the second time since Ryber had walked in, Iseult felt relieved. Ryber was asking her something completely unrelated to school - and she could actually help her.

“Of course,” she answered. “We do that all the time. If you give me the titles, I can put in the request tomorrow when I’m at work. It usually takes about a week for the books to come in, depending on where they’re coming from.”

Ryber and Tanzi exchanged grateful looks. “Bless you!” Ryber praised her as she unzipped her bag, pulled out a notebook, and ripped out a piece of paper. “It’s just one book,” she said scribbling the title down. “But if I think of anything else, I know where to find you.”

“Great,” Iseult said as she traded Ryber for the scrap piece of paper and handed her the bag of pastries. She folded it into a neat square and tucked it into her pocket. “I’ll make sure to do it first thing tomorrow. When you come to pick them up, I can get you set up with your own library card.”

“Thanks, really,” Ryber said. “You know, if you’re interested you should join us. We try to meet every month, but it usually turns into every other month given everyone’s schedules. You know, it being junior year and all.”

“Right.” Iseult nodded uneasy. Ryber breezed on.

“Our dorm room is obviously too small for a group of people, let alone just us two, so we gather off-campus at my boyfriend’s place.”

“Boyfriend, huh?” Safi appeared holding a cardboard tray stacked with three hot chocolates. Whipped cream peeked out of the sippy hole of each lid. “I wonder what that’s like.”

“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds,” Ryber assured her.

“Oh stop being modest,” Tanzi sniped, poking Ryber in the ribs again. This must have been a thing she did regularly because Ryber barely flinched. “They’re crazy about each other.”

“Tanzi,” warned Ryber, but her friend ignored her.

“They’ve been inseparable ever since they met at Freshmen orientation. Well, all the times when she’s not with me, they are.”

“That’s your right as her best friend,” said Safi seriously. “I assume that’s who the third hot chocolate is for?”

“Of course,” Tanzi confirmed proudly, as though this were her boyfriend she was bragging about. It had to be a testament of how much she approved of him. Iseult could only wish the same on her and Safi when the time came and Safi brought a boy home. Iseult couldn’t fathom a universe where the roles would be reversed. “We’re off to wait outside his class and surprise him with sweets. Ryber likes to carry his books for him. He does the same for her all the time. No matter what, if he doesn’t have class, he’s there waiting for her.”

“Tanzi!” Pink dusted Ryber’s cheeks, embarrassed, but Iseult couldn’t miss the pleased smile she was fighting to hold back. Tanzi shook her head.

“Last year he waited two hours outside Noden’s Hall during a blizzard waiting for her philosophy class to get out, only to find out that the class had been cancelled because of the weather.”

Safi ‘aw’d and gazed wistfully at Ryber. Iseult couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes brightened. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen this shade of blue. It notably made appearances while they watched Pride and Prejudice like it was the first time and not the hundreth. For all her slandering of Caden and the race of men, the softness in her expression confirmed what Iseult already knew, but Safi would never admit to: she was a romantic at heart.

“He’s perfect in every way,” Tanzi boasted. “Well, except for one notable exception.”

And just like that, Safi’s harlequin moment evaporated. She leaned in greedily. “Oh what?”

“His best friend.”

Ryber whacked Tanzi’s arm, but Safi gasped, a little too gleeful in Iseult’s opinion. “Is he awful?”

“No,” Ryber said firmly at the same time as Tanzi groaned, “The worst.”

Safi shook her head and turned to Iseult. “That’s a pretty high offense, wouldn’t you say?”

Iseult nodded. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if her boyfriend didn’t like Safi. Not that she was in any position to have a boyfriend, of course. But in a theoretical scenario, what would she do? Could she really love someone who didn’t love her best friend as much as she did? Assuming that she was capable of falling in love with someone in the first place, could she do that? Or what if Safi didn’t like her boyfriend? Would she break up with him? Even if she loved him?

Iseult bit the inside of her cheek. Apparently there would be no stasis today. Here she was working herself up over a fictional boyfriend in a fictional scenario that would never happen. She’d never even been kissed before. The man of her dreams wasn’t about to materialize out of thin air. She wasn’t even sure what he would look like...

“He’s not awful. He’s just…” Ryber trailed off, grasped for the right word. “Intense.”

Safi gave her a doubtful look. “So, he’s awful.”

Ryber burst with an exasperated laugh. “No, no, he’s a good guy. Really. He just has a lot to deal with. He has issues with his dad-”

“Daddy issues,” Safi mused in a mock tone. “Who doesn’t love that?”

“And he has a bad relationship with his sister-”

“Women troubles. Even better.”

“He pours his heart and soul into helping people, without ever asking for anything in return, even if he is a little intense about it. And, well... Kullen wouldn’t be friends with him if he wasn’t a good person. Because Kullen is a good person - the best, if you want my opinion. So, I trust his judgment.”

Ryber fell silent and her mouth quirked to the side, suddenly looking shy. She possibly hadn’t meant to be so honest to a complete stranger. To break the moment, she fumbled with her backpack and dug out her wallet. “How much do we owe you?”

Safi put up a hand and shook her head. “It’s on the house.”

Ryber broke out into a smile, eyes bright and free of embarrassment. Safi handed her the tray of drinks and hefted her backpack onto her shoulders. She turned to Iseult. “See you when I get home?”

“Always.”

Safi nodded. Something had crossed over her during Ryber’s speech, but Iseult wasn’t sure what. It wasn’t the same bright-eyed, fanciful look from before, but it was something. Iseult knew that much. She wanted to ask Safi what she was thinking, but before she could ask further, Safi was following Tanzi and Ryber to the front door. As they exited, they waved goodbye to Iseult.

“Think about book club!” Ryber called over her shoulder.

Iseult nodded her promise that she would, sensing, as the door jingled shut, that Ryber had given her more to think about than she knew.

                                             *   .   *   .   *   .   *   .

The next day found Iseult sitting alone at the desk in the Children’s Room waiting in tortured silence for her first patron to walk in.

The morning had started well enough. Hilga, the head librarian in the Children’s Department, had given her a tour of the room, as well as an overview of the software they used to catalog and circulate books. If Hilga disapproved of Evrane’s appointment of Iseult, she didn’t show it. On the contrary, she seemed ready to sob with relief when she tentatively asked Iseult if she would be able to manage without her for a bit if she spent some time in the back office to catch up on her book ordering. When Iseult said yes, she bustled around, thanking her profusely and set a tin of cookies by her computer, insisting that she help herself, before hurrying off.

There was only so much Iseult could do so early in the morning and with no one to assist, even less. She familiarized herself with the area behind the desk. Where to find library cards, important forms, museum passes, the stash of good pens. She tried her hand at the computer and managed to successfully put in the request for Ryber’s books as promised without bothering Hilga for help. And after taking a slower, more thorough tour through the room’s collection of books, she officially had nothing to busy herself with.

An hour later and not even the rumored ghost had made an appearance.

Iseult knew from her visits with the book cart that mornings were typically quiet if there wasn’t a program, and blessedly, there wasn’t. But that didn’t stop her from imagining the hundred or so catastrophes bound to disrupt her morning. She sat very still in her desk chair, hands clasped in her lap, listening intently to the silence, occasionally hearing Hilga’s unintelligible muttering from her office. A latte stood by the open tin of cookies, both untouched. Her insides were too wound up to eat or drink anything. Iseult didn’t need coffee; she needed Safi.

Moving for the first time in an hour, Iseult looked helplessly around the empty room and pulled her phone out of her skirt pocket. She cradled it in her lap, keeping it hidden behind the desk and began typing furiously. Safi’s second wave of morning commuters at the shop was probably settling by now, if she could just reach her-

Iseult’s fingers froze on her phone screen. A soft rustle of paper fluttered from somewhere in the room.

Heart stuttering, slowly, Iseult lifted her head. A flash of blue caught her eye from across the room.

It was the man with the opal earring.

And he was alone.

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Love in the Highlands

Summary: In Lochdubh, Hamish acts as self-appointed matchmaker to newcomer Belle as she tries to make sense of her feelings for taciturn landlord Gold. Hamish Macbeth/Once Upon A Time fusion: rumbelle, bellish / Isobel&Belle broship.

Written for the @a-monthly-rumbelling prompt: “AU: Fusion”

Rated: T

=====

Love in the Highlands

Small, isolated communities like Lochdubh were naturally suspicious of incomers, especially if they came from anywhere further afield than Glasgow and even more so if they came from the other side of the world entirely. Belle had been prepared for more than a few strange looks when she had first moved to town and started to work at the newly opened bookshop slash library slash local information office slash community centre slash back-up post office. 

Once she’d made it clear in a firm but friendly manner that she wasn’t going anywhere and that she was going to try and fit in with the local customs as much as possible, people started to be more accepting, and now the locals would smile at her in the pub and would only express incredulity that someone would ever want to move from somewhere like Australia to the middle of nowhere in the Scottish Highlands. 

There was only one person left in the town whom Belle had yet to win over, and, considering the way that the rest of the locals gave him a somewhat wide berth, she thought that this was something to be proud of.

Ciaran Gold was Belle’s landlord, and he owned the village antique shop; how he managed to stay in business in a place as small as Lochdubh was anyone’s guess and theories among the town varied wildly: from him being a vampire, to him being a mob boss, to him running an underground moonshine operation to rival Lachlan McCrae’s. 

He was also the most reticent and surly man that Belle had ever met, keeping to himself for the most part and barely ever leaving his dusty shop. He hardly spoke two words together to her when she ventured into his lair to bring him her rent, and although she would have loved to stay a while and browse the veritable Aladdin’s cave of treasures in the shop, she always received the impression that her presence was unwelcome, and he was shooing her out of the place with his aura alone. 

“He’s like that with everyone,” Hamish assured her when she was lamenting her lack of cordial relations with her landlord in the pub one evening. The local policeman and his girlfriend had welcomed her from the very first and it was largely due to Hamish and Isobel’s practical common sense that Belle’s popularity was increasing, and the library was gaining in foot traffic daily. (The fact she’d started bringing in cake probably helped as well.)

“But why?” Belle pressed. “No one’s naturally that miserable, something has to have happened to make him that way.”

Hamish made a face and pointedly changed the subject by announcing that he was going to get another round in. Belle waited until he was out of earshot and turned to Isobel. 

“There is a reason, isn’t there?”

Isobel nodded and leaned in over the table. 

“It’s a bit of a local gossip legend,” she said. “Gold left Lochdubh for the bright lights of Glasgow, married a city girl who then left him and took their wee son with her. He came back to Lochdubh a broken man. Hamish doesn’t like it talked about; Gold’s a cousin on his mother’s side and even if they’re not incredibly close, he’s still family.”

Now that Belle knew the connection, she could see the resemblance. Gold’s face was older and worn with life’s hardships, his hair greyer, but the familial traces were there. Isobel’s words had only served to make him seem even more mysterious in her eyes, and she wondered if perhaps she could be the one to bring him out of his shell of hurt…

X

Armed with the admittedly scant knowledge that she had gleaned from Isobel, Belle decided that she would take a different approach the next time she tackled Gold. She would simply refuse to be cowed by him. If he wanted to be left alone, then he shouldn’t have a shop open to the public. 

So, on the next rent day, when Belle went into the antique shop with her cheque, she didn’t go up to the counter straight away. She was determined to look around and browse with the proper respect that a lifetime of collecting all in one place deserved. 

Gold was watching her as she moved around the shop taking in the veritable Aladdin’s Cave of treasures there, and occasionally, their eyes would meet. At first he seemed to be in just as much of a foul mood as usual, but the longer that Belle stayed, the more he seemed to become used to her presence and relax in it. When he finally spoke, Belle was so surprised that she startled out of her perusal of a delicate tea set. 

“Do you see something you like the look of? Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he added when Belle jumped. 

To Belle, those few words - spoken in complete earnest, she could tell - were incredibly revealing. He didn’t mean to scare her. All the other times she had been in the shop, something about him had given off a fearmongering aura. Now, he was a little different. As she glanced over at him, she saw that there was a slight shy smile on his face. 

She pointed out the tea set. “This is beautiful.”

He came around the counter and crouched down beside her to open the display cabinet, taking out one of the cups and handing it to her. This was certainly unprecedented. Everything about the shop had a general air of ‘do not touch’ around it, and now Belle was being allowed to handle the goods. 

The bell over the door went, and this time they both jumped, with Belle losing her grip on the cup. Gold’s hands shot out to catch it and ended up cradling hers as she regained her hold. She looked up at him, suddenly aware that she was blushing furiously, and noticing that Gold had gone distinctly pink around the ears as well. 

Belle glanced over her shoulder to see who had come in, finding Hamish standing in the doorway. He was looking rather amused at the scene he’d just interrupted. 

“Can I help you?” Gold asked coolly.

“No, no. As you were.”

Hamish backed out of the door and closed it behind him, leaving Belle and Gold standing in the middle of the shop. The moment had become awkward now thanks to Hamish’s inadvertent intervention. 

“I think you’d better take that back,” Belle said hastily, handing over the cup. “And this.” She put the rent cheque down on the side and almost ran out of the shop, glad to be out in the cold air so that she had an excuse for her flaming cheeks. Oh, this was bad. She definitely wasn’t supposed to be developing a crush on the landlord when she’d set about trying to ingratiate herself with him. Now what was she supposed to do?

X

Ever since Isobel had moved into the police house, she’d extended an open invitation to Gold to join her and Hamish for Sunday lunch, doing her best to give him some familial contact. So far, she’d been incredibly pleased with her efforts. He generally came about once every two months, which was about as much as his introversion could handle. When he came this week, however, Isobel was quite certain that he’d never come again. 

Ever since Hamish had walked in on Gold and Belle’s ‘little moment’ in the antique shop, he’d been determined to matchmake.

“Hamish, you know your cousin better than anyone else in the village, but even I know that he’s not going to welcome you interfering in his love life, no matter how honourable your intentions might be. Besides, you don’t even know that they like each other, let alone want to get to know each other more intimately.”

“Iz, if you had been there, you would know that they definitely like each other. I think ‘smitten’ is the word.”

When Hamish, on learning that Gold would be joining them on Sunday, had suggested inviting Belle as well, Isobel considered putting her foot down for all of ten minutes before she realised that if she did, Hamish would simply resort to more drastic measures to get the two of them in a room together. His enthusiasm was borne out of a simple desire to see his closest relative happy, and all Isobel could do was try to temper him for fear of him doing more harm than good. 

Although she wouldn’t interfere in Hamish and Gold’s relationship more than she already had done by extending the lunch invite in the first place, Isobel felt that it was only fair to let Belle know what she was letting herself in for in accepting Hamish’s invitation. 

On learning that Gold would be present, Belle had just given a little smile, quickly covered it with a cough, and said that it wouldn’t be a problem. 

Reluctantly, Isobel had accepted that maybe there was something in Hamish’s observations. 

Now Sunday was here, and they were all sitting around the table with anticipation hanging heavy in the air. So far, Belle and Gold had been perfectly civil to each other and shown no signs of mutual attraction, and Hamish was thinking of increasingly ridiculous methods of trying to leave them alone together. It was painfully obvious to all parties what he was trying to do, and now he’d dragged Isobel into the kitchen on the pretence of getting her to help make custard.

“Hamish, if you keep this up then neither of them will ever come here again.”

“We have to give them a chance!”

“We’ve given them several chances, now be reasonable. These things don’t happen overnight. Look how long it took us to get together.”

“That was different.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Whilst this argument was continuing in the kitchen. Belle and Gold were still left to their devices in the other room. Belle couldn’t help continuing to sneak little glances at Gold. She’d been doing it ever since she’d arrived, and sometimes she caught him doing the same. This was one such occasion. He gave a little smile, although it was becoming clear that he was getting increasingly stressed by the whole situation. 

Figuring that conversation was better than awkward silence, Belle decided to start talking. 

“Are they doing this on purpose?”

Gold shook his head. “No. Hamish is doing this on purpose and Isobel is probably giving him grief for it as we speak.”

“I think he just wants us to get to know each other a little better.” Belle inched her chair a little closer around the table. Since she’d been given this opportunity, however contrived, she might as well make use of it. “I mean, I’d like to get to know you better, if I can.”

Gold’s expression was a strange one, part hope and part disbelief. “There’s not much to know,” he mumbled. “Not much good, at least. I’d rather talk about you.”

“If that’s what you want, I’m sure that I can be persuaded, Mr Gold.”

“Please, call me Ciaran. If we’re getting to know each other better then maybe first name terms would be a start.”

“As you wish, Ciaran.”

She didn’t realise how long they continued to talk for, but by the time Hamish, looking somewhat smug, and Isobel, looking somewhat exasperated, returned to the room, the custard was stone cold and had set into a solid lump in the jug, and the apple pie that it was supposed to accompany had burned to a cinder. Isobel got out some ice-cream instead, and the ruined dessert was tactfully not mentioned in the hope of avoiding breaking the proverbial fourth wall that had sprung up around the table and Hamish and Isobel’s prolonged absences from it. Still, conversation seemed to flow much more easily now that Hamish had achieved his goal, and Belle was almost disappointed when the time came for her and Gold to leave. Not too disappointed though. They walked along in the late afternoon sun together until it was time for them to part and go their separate ways to their respective homes. 

“It was nice to get to know you, Ciaran,” she said. “Perhaps we could get to know each other a little better over lunch again. Without an audience, this time.”

Gold smiled, and his ears had gone rather pink again. 

“I would like that very much, Belle.”

“I could bring a picnic to the shop tomorrow?”

“That sounds perfect.”

As they said their goodbyes and continued down their different roads, Belle couldn’t help but grin. It turned out that Hamish’s interference had done the trick after all, and if he was attempting to play matchmaker like this, then he obviously approved of her interest in his cousin. 

Belle couldn’t wait for their next date. 

(But she probably wouldn’t tell Hamish about it.)

[murshmallauw]

don't trust ugly old men who break into your home once a year and steal your dad

[salmonthestoryteller]

Army

A Roswell New Mexico/Krull AU Fanfic

(Set in the Same AU as Destiny)

And since 9/10 in the fandom probably don't have any clue about such an old movie:

High Fantasy Sci-Fi AU in which the Invaders were aliens, there was a lot of magic, the main ship came from warring kingdoms, and one member of the said ship spends the whole movie captured by the villain.

I couldn’t resist writing more of this AU with the fandom fusion theme....

“You’re choice of roads kinda sucks.”  Noah complained, emptying pebbles out of his shoe.

Alex sent the magician an amused look.  Valenti was calm as she surveyed their route.  “This way saves us days of travel.”  She informed him.

“Let’s go, then.”  Isobel led the way into the rock strewn mountain pass.  The rest of the group followed behind.

Alex noted a shadow dart between two boulders, as Noah hurried to catch up to him and Max.  “Robbers.”  He whispered.

“We know it’s not the Alighting.  We don’t know if they’re robbers.”  Alex whispered back..

“In these parts, it’s little likely to be anything but.”  Max opinioned.

“Don’t worry, I’ll turn them into pigs.”  Noah promised.  He moved to one side of the path, glancing through his papers in search of the right spell.  Two men leaped out to throw axes at him as a third dodged out in front of them to throw a spear toward the group.

Max dodged in front of his sister to shield her - knocking aside the spear with his own as Alex drew his sword.  A woman leapt into the saddle of the horse Alex was leading that held many of their supplies - snapping a whip at him and making him release the reins to dodge the attack.  She quickly took ahold of the reins herself and backed the horse away from them. The spear thrower disappeared behind the rocks again, but a different man and woman stepped out with swords of their own.

A squeal escaped from the small pig Noah had accidentally transformed into - unharmed but trapped beneath the throwing axes. The group closed ranks around each other, backing toward a boulder to keep at least one approach protected.

“You're surrounded by a hundred men!”  A voice called out from hiding.

Alex gazed suspiciously at the boulders and rock formations that were around them.  “A hundred isn’t enough!”

“Are you mad?”  Isobel hissed at him.

The woman who stepped out into the front of their path gazed at him with amusement, as other men and women appeared from around the boulders.  “Well, what do we have here.  Fighters!” She seemed amused at the notion.

Alex did a quick count of those in sight.  "Looks like you're short at least ninety men."

“Let’s just kill them and get it over with, Maria.”  The man who’d thrown the spear earlier had a second one in his hands, and raised it as if to repeat the previous action.

“Wyatt!”  The woman snapped out in a lecture.  The man in question froze.  “I don’t kill men without a good reason.”

“Lucky for you, I don’t either.”  Alex sheathed his sword.

Maria laughed at the suggestion, an amused smile still playing across her lips.  A blonde woman stepped out from the boulder right beside them, holding a crossbow, and the group turned - startled.  Alex noted up close the broken manacles that were around her wrists.

"You're escaped prisoners." Max noted aloud what Alex had been thinking.

"Thieves, bandits, and brawlers." Maria supplied.

"Desperate people." Alex translated.

"As desperate as the likes of you will ever meet." Maria agreed.

"Good. Those are the types of people I need."

"You need?" She sat down on one of the smaller boulders.  "Look here, Fighter.  These?  They follow no one but me.  And me?  I follow no one at all."

"Would you follow a king?" Isobel broke in.

"A king?" The woman wielding the crossbow burst out laughing at the words.

"I was hardly born yesterday." Maria told her. "I certainly wouldn't follow just any mad man wandering the wilderness claiming to be a king."

"Would you follow a King… to the Black Fortress?" Alex asked, undisturbed by her dismissal.

"Now I know you're a bunch of lunatics.  I wouldn't follow my own mother to the Black Fortress. Not that even she'd be crazy enough to go there."

"Is it crazy to fight for your world? To protect your friends and family?" Alex asked, glancing at the other men and women in the valley as well. "The Alighting are after us all."

"Noble sentiments." The blonde spoke up.  "But we fight for profit."

"The profit is freedom." Max told her.  She rolled her eyes at his insistence.  "And fame."

"Freedom?" Maria interrupted.  "Look around you.  We have it.  As for fame, that's an empty pocket.  Count it, go broke.  Eat it, go hungry.  Seek it and go mad."

"Well said." Valenti spoke up. "But this freedom and fame would extend to your families."

Her words brought silence from the gathered group.  Hesitance. A teenage girl leaped down from one of the peaks to stand before the group.  "I will go with you."

"Rosa!" The woman who'd stolen the horse cried out.

"It's worth the risk, Liz." She insisted.

"She shames you all." Isobel spoke up.

Ignoring the tension, Alex pulled out the glaive amulet hidden in his shirt, taking one of the keys from it to unlock the manacles around Rosa's wrists.  Several of the prisoners stepped forward to watch.

Maria stood up, approaching as well. "Only the king and his lord marshall have the keys to these manacles."

"That's right." Alex shot her an amused look.

"You're certainly not the Lord Marshall.  You look about the age to be… one of Jesse Manes' sons?"

"The exact age." Alex returned.

"I must be losing it." Maria paced away.

"I need an army." Alex's words made her pause and turn back.  "You and yours are worth an army." He tossed the key to her.

She studied the key in her hand, then tossed it back.  "If we win, remove them.  Otherwise I'll die with them on."

Alex nodded at her terms.

"Well, you heard him." She turned to the others. "We're now an army!"

"Unpaid army." One of the swordmen complained.

"Problem, Hank?"

"Just thinking aloud."

"That would require you being able to think." Maria challenged, before heading over to join the main group.

"Do you have horses?" Alex asked her.

"More than you do, apparently."  Maria turned to the blonde with the crossbow. "Cam, take Wyatt and Kate.  Go get the horses and supplies.  Looks like we'll be on the move."

"On it." Cam nodded.

"Your choice of traveling companions is only growing more questionable." Noah, human again, rejoined the group.

"How do you even know where the Black Fortress is?" Liz had climbed down from the stolen supply horse, though she had yet to relinquish the reins.

"We don't yet.  We're going to the Emerald Seer." Alex supplied.

Maria froze momentarily at his words.  "What makes you think she'll see you?"

"I think she'll see us." Valenti spoke up.

Maria turned away from her knowing gaze.  "So, which of Manes' sons are you?"

"Alex Manes." Alex supplied.

"The one who was supposed to wed the Antar Prince."

"The same.  The Alighting captured Michael."

"The Alighting captures no one. If they caught your lover, he's dead."

"Be silent!" Isobel hissed, taking a step forward.

"Iz." Max pulled her back.

"I'm only telling the truth. The Alighting takes no prisoners." Maria insisted.

"They took him alive. I saw it with my own eyes." Alex broke in.

"And you think you can rescue him, defeat the Alighting, and save the world?" Liz looked at him doubtfully.

"That's the plan."

"I'm not sure that sounds like a plan."

"Lunacy." Maria shook her head.

Far above the gathered group, at the edge of the mountain path, a silent figure watched… and waited.

Fini

In trying to fill character spots I have come to realize that ¾ of the Roswell cast, even the side characters, are female.

[phoenixyfriend]

7 for Dimo/Tarvek.

soulmate au prompts.

7. the one where you and your soulmate share an emotional link.

Tarvek’s never met his soulmate. He knows the emotions, though, the ones that get stronger as he gets older. They’re hazy when he’s young, and clearer as he gets older.

By the time Tarvek is old enough to understand the echoes of emotions he receives, he can best describe them as resigned sorrow. A general malaise. Tired.

Tarvek’s soulmate is someone who’s given up, and Tarvek is too young to know how to fix that.

When Tarvek is older, he’s so busy trying to fix himself and his sister and his family that he can’t think about his soulmate.

Dimo’s had soulmates before. He still has some, even, though none are romantic. His sister, Oggie and Maxim, and there’s something in the distance, growing. It has been since a year or two before the Masters disappeared.

It feels like fear and tension, usually. Old pains and new pains and the lash of a spark in fugue. Hatred on occasion. Loathing of the self and of others.

Dimo’s not sure what to think of the fact that it all starts so young. He’d guess that his soulmate is eight or nine, maybe when there are a few spots of happiness. He’s almost cheering up about it all, too, and then it’s gone and everything is somehow worse.

(He wishes he had something better to offer than the pains of an old soldier searching for his Heterodyne. The kid needs it.)

There are a few years of happiness, maybe two or three, perhaps when they’re... oh, twenty at the oldest, certainly. Young, still.

Those don’t last either.

Everything gets worse again, so much worse, there’s endless fuguing and guilt and pain and sorrow. There’s a lot of grief.

Dimo’s had worse, but it’s not something he’d wish on anyone, not really.

Tarvek is only just figuring out that Anevka’s dead when he feels a spark of happiness from down the line.

Something good happens to his soulmate, and for the first time, Tarvek actually feels peace from down the line. Contentment. Excitement, sometimes, but that constant low-level gloom is gone.

He wishes he could be happier for his soulmate.

He really, really does.

It’s hard to do that when he’s digging his hands into the catafalque’s wiring and finding only dials that show little more than zero.

Dimo’s running around with his brothers and Miss Zeetha and that Lars kid when he feels the most intense grief his soulmate’s had yet.

The past few days have been haywire for both him and his soulmate, and this... this is so much worse than any of it.

This is the grief of losing a sibling.

This is... Dimo’s felt this before. Once. Oggie had needed to mercy kill another jager, and...

Dimo’s felt this before and it’s bad.

He doesn’t know what to--

He needs to find Miss Agatha.

He needs a Heterodyne.

(He feels his soulmate get shot and then the fear of losing someone before he ever meets them is back.)

Tarvek is insensate in the Hospital.

The worry-unease-happy-love that he feels from his soulmate is comforting.

Violetta’s comforting, too.

Dimo can feel the tangle of emotions, sickness and pain and a vagueness that’s more worrying than any of the rest, he can feel them pass through his soulmate while he waits for the Doom Bell to ring.

His soulmate is involved in this mess, he knows it, but he doesn’t know who.

Pride-Anger-Approval-Worry pass through Tarvek in waves that come from somewhere he can’t pinpoint. Something is very red. And purple. Is that Violetta? Violetta! Hi, Violetta.

Dimo clutches his chest and stumbles.

Dying-Dying-Dying-Dying-Dying-Dying-Dying-Dying-Dying

Over and over and over again.

He’s had soulmates before, they’ve died before it’s never been like this and he can’t make it stop.

“Hoy, Dimo! Iz hyu--”

“Sometheenk iz wrong!”

Tarvek survives, he’s fine, he’s great, there’s a muse here, kind of, and Violetta is fine, and Agatha and Gil are fine, and everything is fine-fine-fine in a way he doesn’t let himself think about.

There are waves and waves and waves of worry from his soulmate. If he could make it clearer, give it words and images, he would, but he can’t. He just tries to send back satisfaction. He’s fine. He’s alive. Isn’t that enough?

Dimo’s ready to fight something for a lot of reasons, but the extended worry about his youngest soulmate is pretty near the top of his list. The kid--not a kid, an adult by now, he needs to remember that--keeps having wild swings of emotion, most of which involve fear or frustration, and at least one bout of unconsciousness that had followed a brief flash of pain.

Dimo wishes he could meet his soulmate if only to convince himself they could take care of themselves.

Tarvek wants to fight something. He’s not sure why. He’s blaming his soulmate.

He’s also standing on the table just so he can shout down at Gil, but that’s besides the point.

Dimo finds Agatha, brings her the zappy stick, and then tries to step back to let the Sparks and Minion work. He joins his brothers in getting new parts, and--

“He... Well... I don’t know. I... think that’s going to depend on how smart a guy he really is.”

Resignation-worry-affection-annoyance

Dimo teases the minion, slaps him on the back and--

“You know, we could just chuck it all and turn to piracy.” Resignation-resignation-irritation-humor-hope?-affection “It’d be a lot easier.”

There are sparks of shock-fear-wonder-hope-irritation-resignation-affection-fondness-fugue-fugue-fugue as they travel along the city. Each matches a word or an action or a visible thought.

Tarvek Sturmvoraus is very good at hiding his emotions, but...

Dimo sends a silent apology and squeezes the stump of his arm so it hurts.

Sturmvoraus stumbles and hisses and assures Maxim that he’s fine, when the question is asked.

Dimo grabs him by the collar and pulls him back when Othar shows up.

Tarvek stares at Dimo like he’s never seen him before in his life, which is only half fair. They only met today, but they’ve been running around together for miles, now.

“Ve need to talk,” Dimo says. “About hyu soulmate.”

“I don’t have a--ah!”

Dimo lets go of his stump. He hopes he didn’t make it start bleeding again. “Hy’m theenkink dot hyu do. Hy’ve been theenkink dot hyu need somevun vot’s beeg und scary on hyu side since ve connected, und now Hy’m theenkink dot’s still true.”

Tarvek stares at him, unreadable in the face but crystal clear in the emotions he’s struggling to control, and then sharply nods. “Fine. Let’s talk.”

Dimo loses his Heterodyne, his soulmate, and well over a thousand siblings to the time bubble.

He hates it.

[taiey]

A directory of all my interesting things (2/2)

Stretching the concept of “monthly” self-rec to its limit here... Obviously you should go look at all of these, but bold marks the most interesting things. ♥ 

Martha

Full-arc picspam

Doctor Martha Jones. 

+1

You’re a physician?

troll appreciation post

Just one day leave me behind, a million miles from home.

Clara/Martha parallels.

This Is War

jewellery + thinky

There is no gun

eye-closing for the dead

Martha Jones exposes the plasmavore in Smith and Jones.

Don’t mention it.

Martha meme:

8 moments of medium awesome

Relationships:

Martha & the Doctor: 1/2/3

Tish

Francine

Hath Peck

Milo & Cheem

Tallulah

Riley

“moments of revelation”

mistakes

Traits:

the authority thing

magnanimous

finding beauty

skeptical

media fan

endurance

What does the legend say?

perfectly reasonable question

their hit single Did Shakespeare Hit On You? (Did You Walk The Earth?)

hugs

“this job is way below my pay grade “

the way the hands keep holding

Celebrating New Who: March 23rd: Favourite Character

happiness

minor characters

weakness

At work

you need that boy/like a bowling ball/dropped on your head/which means not at all

[pictured: the sheer magnificence of Martha Jones]

That thing where Martha suddenly drops the non-violence doesn’t actually feel like character development to me.

“they say she’s going to save the world.“  +1

Family +1

“I reckon you’ll find someone worth believing in.”

in The Shakespeare Code

in 42

And you leave because you’re certain Of who you want to be…

Noun-traits

Looks like a lady / Thinks like a leader / Shoots like a boss

contempt/confusion face

“Should’ve been that the Doctor fell for her.”

She persisted.

Adjective-traits

Rose

Full-arc picspam

the root of my problems with series 2.

Except that implies, in this big grand scheme of gods and devils, that she’s just a victim.

when do rose and mickey break up?

apologies

hair-flippy

So I ship Mickey/Rose...

‘brave’

the uber-salty sonic screwdriver post

it’s as if the only reason she’s given a life is so she can renounce it in demonstration of her devotion to the Doctor

what we had / don’t mean a thing

And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back.

‘just’ a companion

hoodie

Other Doctor Who

the most inexplicable DW cliffhanger explained.

‘THE DOCTOR CAN’T REGENERATE INTO A FEMALE IF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THE CANON’

moffat’s women are not identical [series]

consequences, theoretically part 1

Cass from Night of the Doctor

The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang make my heart sing.

Dream Lord

Voyage of the Damned vs The Day of the Doctor

Jackie

Jackie/Davros quote

Nyssa/Tegan

I need a hero!

my personal peak Moffat salt

[person] doing stuff  [series]

You have all the weapons you need. Now fight.

The Master: I deserve

Mickey

‘just’

“Mickey Smith, defending the Earth.”

“I was here.”

awesome moments

11

Donna

“I’m happy right now.”

The picspam of insufficient bitterness

BILL

Pearl’s description

trailer gifs

Robot Proximity

little things

Danny Pink: 

I don’t want to see more things; I want to see the things in front of me more clearly.

references in Series 9

Tanya Adeola in For Tonight We Might Die

Nancy

We are the music-makers

in story  

Amy   

Clara

Newtons Sleep

Amy vs River on faith.

Why I hate 10.

eternal imprisonment

a silliness and conceit unrivalled by any other character in history.

the Doctor spending two-and-a-half minutes straight pointing a gun at two people who could kill him with one hand.

the ‘too famous’ arc

Amy/Clara Jolene

Bechdel Test

Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons? [Yes.]

I love Moffat’s Doctor Who because it is feminist.

[black] Doctor Who characters being awesome.

Terrible things have been done to protect you. They are not necessary.

Companion per series [series]

i iz in ur series 2, endorsing polyamory

Disruptive influence. Nice to meet you.

Lady of the Two Lands

Your fight for survival starts right now.

Series 6

Aliens of London / World War 3

the wedding of river song moment

Midnight: Do we have a deal?

(The actual list of my favourite new who episodes.)

It’s about the triumph of intellect and romance

“London Glamour” Woman

Vincent

With Moffat it’s all details, and they matter.

telling different, non-daughter stories

Moffat ladies + tearing power from the things that have hurt you.

In which the Doctor kinda inspired Davros’ obsession with survival

#LIKE A HYBRID 

kissing

Lucy Saxon, but with underlying RTD grief

series 9, diversity of the supporting cast.

Non-violent awesome

Moffat characterisation: I know how they define their very worlds.

dw female characters + technology

‘it really doesn’t matter’ YES IT DOES

new who characters [series]

companions + central conflict

The extended food/relationship metaphor

If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction, we lessen the importance of their deprivation.

companions + canon titles

Greenworld (incomplete)

How often is the resolution “kill the things”?

Moffat 100% sexist

Non-Doctor Who

Book edits:

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

The Twice Lived Summer of Bluebell Jones 

Rachel Berenson: warrior // princess 

Katniss & Gale

The Fifth Season; N. K. Jemisin. 

Firefly AU: both Tam siblings as Alliance operatives.

I fight like a girl

Hufflepuff

Character meme

GRANT WARD MURDERING INNOCENT PEOPLE

what is fridging

Mary Watson

An non-exhaustive taxonomy of character love

Black Widow SNL Parody Trailer //  Supergirl First Look Trailer were really quite different

Black Widow: I have a very specific skill-set.

THE LAND OF FICTION HAS PROBLEMS.

Daenerys Targaryen is Azor Ahai reborn

“The Election of 2016″ (hamilton)

Momento: you do not know who you are

Bridge to Terabithia

Gwen Stacy (616)

Moana

hater-sniping

[triglavpark-blog]

Novice iz Prerije - January 2018

NOTICES:

This is the January 2018 issue. There was no December 2017 issue   Our Sympathies Condolences are extended to the family of Joe Arko. Joe was a refugee of war-torn Slovenia (born near Ribnica) as a two-year-old with his family in May of 1945 to Austria where he spent about 5 years in the Displaced Person Camp at Spitaal au Drau. The family migrated to the USA living first in Canon City, Co, then Joliet near St. Joseph and then to St. Stephen in Chicago. Joe and his wife Freda made their home in Lemont near the Slovenian Franciscan Monastery. Joe worked for 40 years for Argonne National Laboratory where he was known as the local MacGyver. When the physicists did not know how to design a piece of equipment for their experiments, Joe was the person they turned to. Joe used these skills to support many of our organizations. Nothing ever seemed impossible to him. He was also a passionate musician and singer, a member of every Slovenian choir in the area as well as virtually every Slovenian music group playing Avsenik and Slak. He will be sorely missed. Condolences are also extended to the family of Avgust Petek. Gusti was also an immigrant from Prekmurje. Gusti was an active member of both the Prekmurje Social Club as well as the Slovenian Catholic Center. He was one of our most active outdoorsmen who loved to hunt and fish. You could also find him playing Balina on Sunday afternoons up on the hill beyond the picnic platz. He was always recognizable by his smile and the greatest mustache of anyone in the community. He will also be missed. Cleveland Consulate Consular visit: Consul General Andrej Rode will be at the SCC in Lemont beginning at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 10th. Please call to make an appointment. Appointments will be taken first. It also helps to call his office in Cleveland if there is anything out of the ordinary about the need for the appointment. The number in Cleveland is 216-771-7010. AmCham AmCham Slovenia together with Department of State and the US Embassy in Ljubljana invite students from the US to take part in the program 6-week European Experience - Internship in the Green Heart of Europe this summer.  Undergraduate students interested in a new outlook on business and entrepreneurship.  More information about the program is available also on the web http://www.amcham.si/en/european-experience.html. The application deadline is March 1, 2018. Confirmation of acceptances occurs on April 30th. the internships are held in June and July. The program does not cover a return ticket or incidental living expenses during the internship.

Consulate Address We remind you again that the Consulate in Cleveland has moved. The new address and telephone number are below.       Consulate for the Republic of Slovenia       1100 E. Superior, Suite 720       Cleveland, OH 44114       216-771-7010

Tarok Tarok is a card game that is played by many Eastern Europeans. Gypsies used these cards for their fortune telling and they refer to them as Tarot cards. The card game predates the fortune telling. Recently we found an instruction book for Taroks (it is how the Czech immigrants referred to it) printed in English by Automatic Printing in 1951 by Jerry Prescott whose uncle was Czech. His nephew Mike Prescott is the 3rd generation of the family involved in the printing business and reported to us that there is no problem in making copies of this booklet. In fact, they still have a box of the original 1951 printed booklets which we are arranging to have shipped to the Slovenian Catholic Center in Lemont which is the home of two Tarok tournaments a year. We will also have the scanned booklet available online at the SCC website. Potica Potica is commonly served at Slovenian homes during the holidays. It was also known as Povitica as the Croatians still call it. the earliest references we find to this walnut bread is in the writings of Valvasor. The Slovenian Union of America at its home office in Joliet sells original ceramic round baking molds (similar to a bundt cake) for anyone who wishes to make it in its original form. Hopefully, by the next newsletter, we will publish a recipe for potica from the 16th century. Slovenian Merchandise Ivan Hozjan and his wife, Rose, run a business that specializes in goods such as hats, t-shirts, drink coolers, coffee mugs, decals, license plate frames, different types of clothing that have Slovenian Themes. You can find them online at www.SlovenianSpecialties.com. Slovenian Language classes The Filosofska Fakulteta sponsors ongoing Slovenian Language classes. The summer program is the most popular that runs from the end of June to the end of July. there are tuition scholarships available through recommendations from the Consular offices. Please start this process asap to ensure you qualify for the funds available The second semester for the Saturday Slovenian Language Classes at the SCC begin on January 20th. There is an adult class that is held every week from 10 am until noon. Venerable Bishop Frederick Baraga The 150th anniversary of the death of Venerable Frederick Baraga is being celebrated in Marquette, Michigan the weekend of January 19, 20 and 21. More information is available on their Facebook page. There will be further celebrations of his life during the Annual Bishop Baraga Days which will be held on August 17, 18 and 19 in Marquette. Currently, they are in a capital campaign to turn the last home he lived him into the official archives of the BBA as well as a research center on his life, the lives of the missionaries (many of them Slovenian) who created Church in the UP and their impact on social policy towards the Native Americans in that area.

Copyright © 2018 Dr. Janez P. Vidmar, Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia for Illinois, All rights reserved.

[murshmallauw]

This little au is my comfort even if I have other projects now

Have a zim being a happy papa and a sketch of a keychain I want to do for myself