#like the school symbols on the wall and the books and stuff

[wizardo-yo]

Late afternoon classes with Professor Falmea

Where are you sitting?

[kitkaaz]

*~ Lavender Honey ~*

*~ Chapter 2 ~*

Y/N POV

No. no no no. This can’t be happening of all people who found my hiding spot, my safe place, it was her. I couldn’t even muster words but I’m sure my face damn near showed her how I felt! She had closed the door and leaned on the tall vacant shelves, her arms crossed and giggling at me. I’m not laughing. I’m furious.

“Sheesh toots! You look pissed!” She snickered at her own words, like my anger amused her. It wasn’t amusing though, but I doubt someone like Jinx knows anything about empathy. “I am pissed! You can’t be here no one is supposed to be. This was my place to escape, MINE! And now you ruined it.” I stomped my foot down on the old sturdy wood and collected my stuff. Once again she laughed but it was quieter, more awkward. “Gosh, didn’t realize you were so possessive toots!” She smiled and leaned her head to the side against the steel rod of the shelving. I couldn’t even talk. I was too angry. I don’t even know if angry is the word. I felt like I lost something safe to me. I did.

I grabbed my bag holding it against my chest crossing my arms and gave her a meaningful push and caused her to hit her head against the shelf. She almost seemed shocked that I was actually mad. Like something sparked in her that people get upset when she does something hurtful. She didn’t speak she just watched me walk off and just stood in the door frame. I hope she enjoyed the laugh, I hope she got joy out of me being hurt. Of course she did, she’s Jinx.

Jinx’s POV.

Y/N stamped down the hallway. She was upset and I felt bad. Why do I feel bad? She’s a dork! Of everyone to feel bad why me? But I do feel bad. She liked this place and I took that away from her for my own joy. I walked into the room, it was small but yet somehow spacious. Tall shelves almost touching the ceiling and a large old glass window with a heater and windowsill large enough to sit on. Nothing on the shelves of any value but some notes with drawings and affirmations scattered the walls. I’m guessing Y/N made these, she thought no one would find this place. But I did, I hope I didn’t ruin it for her.

On the bottom shelf was a satchel. It had old velvet look with the symbol of a bee embroidered into it. I wonder if this is Y/N. Inside the bag was a letter, a book, and a jar of lavender honey.

The note read; Dear Y/N,

Enjoy high school! It is truly a memorable time. Make sure to make friends and join activities! Stand out and be social and never let anyone pick on you! No matter what there will always be someone who cares for you, like me. Don’t give up and I can’t wait to see you soon!

xoxo Wrenfri

P.S. The bees worked hard to make this delicious batch of honey and the lavender grew great I hope it tastes delicious!

I stared at the jar. It had a homemade label and was sealed covered with a purple and white cloth. I wonder if she ever opened it. Should I open it? I’m sure it has value to her. I should give it to her, to apologize. I feel bad, she seems so lonely and I made it worse for her by calling it out that she is a loner.

All I could do is sit against the heater with the honey jar and sink in the guilt. “I’ve probably made so many other people feel shitty like this. What is wrong with me! Why do I do that..” I was forced out my pity party by the sharp loud ringing of the bell. I stuffed the satchel into my bag and went to class. A class me and Y/N shared. How convenient is that, I can give it to her then.

Y/N POV

Algebra 2, another class I love. Thankfully stupid Jinx doesn’t sit next to me. She ruined everything. The one place I could feel safe in the whole world is now ruined. I was just so angry I couldn’t even pay attention. The teacher even called my name and I couldn’t hear her. Of course, Jinx has just fucked everything up in class too. “Ms. [insert last name], do you need to take a walk? You seem distracted.” The teacher asked she seemed genuine and any opportunity to get my head straight would held. “Yes ma’am.”

She dismissed me and I got up and left. I didn’t know where to go now. I didn’t want to go back to the supply closet, it wasn’t safe. So I just sat in the bathroom stall and did the worst thing you can do in school, cry. I sobbed so loudly I’m thankful no one was there. It would sound stupid to cry over a room but that is my only place to go to feel safe and now the one person I didn’t want to find me found me.

Jinx’s POV

I watched Y/N leave the room. Her arms in the pockets of her skirt and she looked almost like she would cry at any moment. Now I can go apologize. I waited a few minutes to ask to use the bathroom and she let me. Thank god I need to apologize. First place I checked was the supply closet, she wasn’t there, figures.. Second guess the bathroom, everyone goes to the bathroom to be in their feelings. I entered it quietly and could hear sobbing. I peaked under the stall and saw her shoes and the black tights she wore. Do I approach her? Wait for her to leave. No that’s weird. She’s sobbing so loudly I don’t know what to do. I did that, why is that room so special? It’s a room! But she is so upset and I did that. Impulsively I knocked on the door.

“Y/N?”

Thanks again for reading :) I hope ur enjoying!! 💜💛

[ourdemons]

Wowie it's been a hot minute So I drew these a LONG while ago but these are Grimmers parents (First [Kuritanta] and second [Vivianna]) and Israels dad (The last one [Oliver]) If you have any questions about lore and stuff I'm open to them :> I'll just say right now that the villain to my little story is Pixel Here's a little bit of info (I do talk about abuse and death just a little warning):

My original plan for Grimmers dad, His name is Kuritanta which means death in some language that I forgot :D, anyway my og plan was for Grims dad to be evil. Basically on the side of Pixel but I changed Kuri to be more caring but distant because of his own experiences with his own father and even mother. Kuri was treated with toxic masculinity and was kept away from the lower class or any contact with other demons. He was not a cold hearted kid. Kuri was curious and really smart having to teach himself to read and write. To keep him away from others walls were built up in the garden (Back yard) and in the front yard to, again, keep him away from the lower class or any other communication with others. Soon this will be broken when Kuri, in his late teens, will be able to finally go to school. There he learns other magic that will add on to his abilities that a grim reaper is normally born with. A small while there he soon becomes friends with Vivianna and Oliver. Both Vivi and Oliver are lower middle class. As he is there he learns how Angels are seen as the evil ones when in his books say the opposite. Along with this he also learns about how Vivi and Oliver live. Kuri sees their poor living styles and doesn't think its fair how they are treated. This starts his determination to want to fix things. Soon Kuri develops feelings for Vivi and starts to date her. Once his parents find out they get angry and his father tries to hurt Vivi. Kuri quickly gets in the way to protect her and gets his little shield symbol on his forehead (I'll talk about this later in a different post) Okie I'll talk about Oliver now: I don't have much on him because I just didn't think of him much :P So Oliver and Kuri are bffs. Once Kuri's parents die and he becomes the leader Oliver gets put in a better house along with other demons who were labeled lower class/ lower middle class. In school Oliver decides to learn about healing magic and becomes a doctor. He does have a reason he became a doctor. Like Kuri, Oliver falls in love and gets married when he's an adult but soon after his son, Israel, is born the mom starts to get ill and weak. It was found out that this sickness that was developing in her could not be fixed with the demons healing magic. This made Oliver work hard to try to find some way to cure his lover or even allow her to live a little longer but his trials are unsuccessful and she soon dies, not making even 3 months after the birth of Israel. Oliver is broken and being a single father with his new born son. When seeing Israel this reminds Oliver that he has to be strong for him and inside Oliver's mind he still has a piece of his partner that was gifted to him.

If you read through this you are a god and I hope you enjoyed :> Again if you have any questions I'm open to answering :D

[vivithefolle]

I think the most glaring inconsistent between the “smarts” of "hermione 1" and "hermione 2" is that she doesnt work WITH Harry and Ron as a team anymore. All those outrageous things like "punishing" Rita and Marietta and with her parents, even the time traveling, she does it off screen and alone. She’s SUCH a meta power breaking all the 4th walls because Rowling didn’t know how to write a trio anymore and cant let Hermione lowered herself to work with the actual teenage boy characters. (1)

(2). I can forgive her “momentary smarts” moments because I can see how actually being with friends emboldened her. I loved Ron for yelling at her for her slowness – as of book 2 I can see her taking that to heart and try not to be robotic. Before book 3, all her “independent rule breaking” was with them, to help them and when she was THERE with them.

(3) When she set Snape on fire or did the potions, she WAS alone yes, but Ron was watching her, and the Potion thing has logical development bc she had went into the Restricted Section for Harry in Book 1, and most important thing is she failed or was petrified. NOTHING like that anymore since book 3 because even Rowling knew those things Hermione did was too big for anyone.

On "Hermione 1" and "Hermione 2"

I think in the end it really just comes down to Rowling using Hermione as a "solve everything" trump card.

She said it herself, that Hermione explaining stuff makes sense because you just assume she's read it in a book. Ok, yeah...

But doesn't it also make sense for Ron to know things because he's wizard-raised and so would know stuff without need for books?

I mean look how perfectly it happened in COS!

Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, “You’re a Parselmouth. Why didn’t you tell us?” [...] “So?” said Harry. “I bet loads of people here can do it.” “Oh, no they can’t,” said Ron. “It’s not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad.” “What’s bad?” said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. “What’s wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn’t told that snake not to attack Justin —” “Oh, that’s what you said to it?” “What d’you mean? You were there — you heard me —” “I heard you speaking Parseltongue,” said Ron. “Snake language. You could have been saying anything — no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something — it was creepy, you know —” Harry gaped at him. “I spoke a different language? But — I didn’t realize — how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?” Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Harry couldn’t see what was so terrible. - Chamber of Secrets

Ok, so why Hermione would look so stricken I dunno, maybe anxious, but I'll give it a pass because Harry Don't Know Feelings let's go with that. So Ron somewhat explains "this is bad" (but he does describe Parseltongue as "a gift", so, yknow, he wouldn't cut off someone's tongue if they spoke Parseltongue, I see you there you people who think Slytherins are "oppressed"), because in popular opinion this is bad. He explains to Harry why that looked bad, why people reacted the way they did, and what is Parseltongue.

“It matters,” said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, “because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That’s why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent.” Harry’s mouth fell open. “Exactly,” said Ron. “And now the whole school’s going to think you’re his great-great-greatgreat-grandson or something —” “But I’m not,” said Harry, with a panic he couldn’t quite explain. “You’ll find that hard to prove,” said Hermione. “He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be.” - Chamber of Secrets

And all those are credible informations to garner out of a textbook! Especially from Hogwarts, A History which would probably give a bit of detail about the founders and their Houses.

And then compare and contrast with Deathly Hallows...

‘And as for this book,’ said Hermione, ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard… I’ve never even heard of them!’ ‘You’ve never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?’ said Ron incredulously. ‘You’re kidding, right?’ ‘No, I’m not!’ said Hermione in surprise. ‘Do you know them, then?’ ‘Well, of course I do!’ Harry looked up, diverted. The circumstance of Ron having read a book that Hermione had not was unprecedented. Ron, however, looked bemused by their surprise. - Deathly Hallows

Ho ho ho ho ho ha ha ha ha ho ho Ron read a book??? Shock! Bewilderment! Unprecedent!! Imagine Ron being literate!! Ho ho ho ho ho!!!

... yeah, but...

‘A book?’ said Harry, as he took the rectangular parcel. ‘Bit of a departure from tradition, isn’t it?’ ‘This isn’t your average book,’ said Ron. ‘It’s pure gold: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. [...]’ - Deathly Hallows

Hm. I wonder if Hermione has read that book? Who am I kidding, of course she hasn't, otherwise she'd have FUCKING REALIZED SHE NEEDED TO BE MORE PROACTIVE IN PURSUING RON INSTEAD OF PLAYING TSUNDERE AND LAUNCHING CANARIES AT HIM.

Ahem, heh, yeah. That's, the state of the writing in Deathly Hallows. Years of being told how awesome Hermione is for reading books and regurgitating what she read (aka a thing tons of kids do in their youth because kids are curious little buggers and love sharing their discoveries with others) really took their toll.

[lilies-and-chaos]

Watched this video and I have some Thoughts because for a very long time I've wondered if I'm autistic.

I feel like I have to qualify that claim, to explain myself, because despite watching a video breaking down and analyzing self-diagnosis, it doesn't feel valid to say.

When I was a baby, I didn't respond to my name. I didn't make facial expressions correctly as a young child. I had anger issues that I couldn't control (my younger siblings often looked like they had been scratched by an angry cat. We did not have pets.) and severe anxiety (I frequently had panic attacks, at times almost nightly, even going to the hospital once because I thought I was dying). I was tormented by horrible intrusive thoughts: at 8 years old, I was convinced that I would, one day, kill myself. My mom told me I would go to Hell. We were not religious. I didn't have many friends growing up. The friends I did have were often labeled as troublemakers, but I now realize they were (often) poor, (usually) unsupported, and (likely) neurodivergent. Usually, I would sit and read during recess instead of playing with the other kids. I was a great student and read voraciously, but if I was asked to make an inference about what a character was feeling I could not tell you. I didn't make eye contact until my 5th grade teacher told me and my mom that in middle school, I had to look at the teacher when they were talking. Somehow my mom hadn't noticed my complete lack of eye contact until then. Not that it hadn't been an issue before: teachers would call on me to ask what they had just said, thinking I wasn't paying attention. I was always paying attention. Until I was 13 or 14, I didn't understand symbolism in books or films: I watched La La Land and thought the musical sections were diegetic, that this was set in an alternate LA where people got out of their cars to sing. In 8th grade, I worried that I was a psychopath because I didn't feel as affected about stuff as other people. Between 14 and 16 my upper arms were so sensitive that I'd cry when they were lightly brushed. I've never been able to stomach the feeling of hand rails or rope moving against my skin. I've run my knuckles against the walls while I walk for as long as I can remember. At 18, 19, 20 years old I have cried about my plans changing. I have refused to eat because it wasn't the food I was planning. I rarely feel connected to the people I interact with. It's hard for me to identify my emotions past a general "good" or "bad" feeling. I have been told my voice is "exactly like my sister's," but the one telling difference is my voice is much flatter. I become obsessed with certain topics to the point where I won't talk except about that one topic and I'll forget to eat and sleep and use the bathroom.

Oh, and my RAADS-R score, when I take the exam with my boyfriend and my family helping me answer questions as accurately as possible, is between a 127 and a 148. I've taken it several times over the span of 2 years.

Not all of these experiences are symptoms of autism, which I know. But I included some to show how my parents handle mental health problems. I have anxiety but was not taken to a therapist until I was old enough to realize something was wrong, just told to stop overthinking. My therapist needed to tell my mom that I needed to be put on antidepressants so I wouldn't kill myself before therapy started working because she didn't want me taking medicine. My mom has told me that she suspected I was autistic when I was a kid, but didn't get me tested because I was doing well in school. Never mind that I wasn't doing well in many other aspects.

I've long thought that self diagnosis is not valid. This is despite the fact that every time I've sought and received mental health help, I've been correct about my self-diagnosis. Depression, Anxiety, OCD. Is Autism next?

But watching this video helped me remember that formal diagnoses are not always possible; that diagnoses are putting the human condition in a small box; that psychologists are as fallible and human as I am; that I know myself better than anyone else does. Why should I limit the tools and resources I use because I haven't had a doctor officially say that I'm autistic? If these tools help me function in my day-to-day life, what is truly the difference between me and the hypothetical autistic me?

It doesn't matter too much now. If I am autistic, I am high-functioning (although I am aware that term is not supported anymore). I have painstakingly taught myself the social rules and conventions I need to follow in order to fit in. I can small talk and joke and (apparently poorly) use sarcasm and usually even detect it. Not much would change if I was formally diagnosed. But man. I would love to know.

Ofc I will not say "I have autism" to people but those are my thoughts

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Ooh an ask game! I love those things lol!

1, 11, 14, 23, 24 (I'm sorry if that's a lot)

1. Do you listen to music when you write?

Almost never. It's distracting. If I do manage to get into the writing groove with it on, I never noticed it anyway, so...purpose?

11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most?

So let's go back to what I really liked in middle school, shall we, as that was some of the most formative writing years for me personally.

The Fearless books

The Night Room (to be fair, I still love this one)

10 Things to Do Before I Die (ditto)

The Pendragon Adventures (ahhhh, the nights I spent up late reading and reading this and wondering about the plot twists)

Like, so many Star Wars books aimed at middle schoolers

Roger Zelazny short fiction. So much.

This is a pretty heavy mix of stuff, but here's some things I know from them that impacted my writing:

The very, very close narration style

The short sentences, paragraphs, and chapters

The incredible vagueness that's meant to unfold as you read and understand it better after a reread or two or many

Trusting readers to figure things out maybe a little too much (I'm working on dialing this back--things like Zelazny and The Night Room were so captivating to me because they didn't fully make sense to me at first, and I often just end up being confusing)

Quippy tangents

Dealing with heavy stuff and off the wall concepts

As of late, I've also been really strongly trying to incorporate some of my more recent loves with things like really trying to emulate the plotting of Miyoshi and Takeuchi and the visual layout of things to adapt to my own writing, and really committing to some of the relationship work and symbolism that makes Jeweler Richard feel so rich. Committing to be strange and vague with what feelings mean. To commit to the Queer, not just the LGBTQIAP+

I think Rob Thurman's writing was what convinced me maybe I could actually write a book with queer characters in it that wasn't like. "Schlock" I think was the word I used most about it back then, because I mostly saw queer characters in really awful BL anime back then or as jokes.

14. How do you deal with self-doubts?

Whine on Twitter and maybe Tumblr and Discord, make sure I took my meds, go to bed, wake up and go back to writing. Eat some ice cream and cry about how I suck at my friends.

(Being my friend is difficult)

23. Favorite author?

Don't have one. I have a number of authors I admire for different things and different craft elements I want to emulate. There's no one specific author I think is best at those things, who I want to emulate most, or whose works I most enjoy. There's just a lot of things I like and want to learn and grow to be more like in various directions.

24. Favorite genre to write and read?

Fantasy and sci-fi, for sure. Always have been.

And after that, probably romance and YA. I write YA fantasy and sci-fi most often in novel form, especially lately, although I've also written plenty of adult ones, and a lot of short fiction in both YA and adult.

Yes, I'm aro, but I like a compelling, well-written romance. I like people being special to each other, and that's a really common way they're special to each other.

But I gotta be in the mood, because sometimes all romance tastes rotten.

[queen-haq]

Fic: Alive - Part 13

Summary: Aidan traced the thin chain around his neck, rubbing the infinity pendant between his fingers. No longer a symbol of their everlasting love, it was something he touched in anger when he thought of Sage. It was the only thing of hers that still remained with him after eight years, the last possession which still connected them together. When he 4did find Sage again, and he would no matter how long it took, he planned to destroy the pendant - and her.

Taking place across two timelines, Alive tells the story of Aidan and Sage, high school sweethearts driven apart by who they are and where they come from. Once enemies then lovers, their relationship runs full circle when they meet again in the present, now prepared to destroy each other.

My Masterlist (contains links to previous parts)

Rating: NSFW

The car ride was thick with tension, the air filled with such uneasiness Sage wanted to scream. She kept stealing glances at Aidan but he didn't seem to notice, his focus fully concentrated on the road ahead. At least his hand was on hers, their fingers intertwined together, and occasionally when he tightened his grip on her, she was comforted by the thought that he wasn't completely out of her reach – despite the wall of silence he'd put up.

She had confessed to falling in love with him, and although not expecting him to say it back right away – ok, fine, a part of her really hoped he would – she also didn't think he would shut down the way he had. Her outburst seemed to have caused him to withdraw into himself, first telling her he needed to be alone – leaving her sitting in his car at the airport parking lot for almost half an hour – and then declaring he was taking her home. No acknowledgement of her feelings, and definitely no discussion about it.

This cold facet of his was not something she was familiar with. Hell, even when they hated each other Aidan had been hot-blooded and fierce with his cutting remarks designed to bait and provoke a reaction in her, but this... she didn't know how to deal with this and she didn't like it. Unfortunately she was also too much of a coward to do anything about it and so she remained silent along with him.

When he pulled into a hotel parking lot, she was caught off-guard. "Thought you were taking me back."

"I'm tired. We'll head out in the morning."

She walked beside him as he carried her stuff, watched him while he booked them a room using a fake ID – all the while seething with frustration. Once they were alone in their room, she finally snapped. "What the fuck, Aidan? I tell you I'm in love with you and you act like I just gave you the time or something."

Walking away, he sat down on one corner of the bed and proceeded to take his shoes off. "No, you said you think you're falling in love with me. That's not the same thing."

"You're really gonna bitch about semantics?"

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"How about something? Anything? Instead of acting like an asshole?"

"Fine! You want the fucking truth? I wish you hadn't said it. I wish you'd kept that shit to yourself!"

His words hurt more than she'd expected. "Why? Because you don't feel the same?"

Silence ensued while he simply sat there. She didn't know what to do when he was acting this distant. This wasn't like him, not at all. If anything, he was always the one pushing her to open up more, and now that she had – he just seemed like an entirely different person. Something wasn't right. Unsure of what to do, she sat down next to him and reached out to touch his arm. Instantly he stiffened, his body rigid with tension. "Aidan, look at me." He didn't, his gaze still cast downward. "Look at me."

"No."

Reminding herself to be patient, she stood up, moved to kneel down in front of him and cupped his face gently. "What is it? What's wrong?" Now that he was forced to meet her gaze, it was like a dam within him burst.

"I'm a fucking mess, Sage."

The sudden onslaught of anguish in his voice broke her heart. "No, you're not."

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against hers. "You should be with someone better, not a fuck-up like me."

"Oh, and you think you have the right to decide that for me?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I hope not, otherwise you just implied I'm too stupid to make my own choices."

His eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "I'm really not in the mood for another fight. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"No!" she fired back. "You don't get to say something that idiotic and then pull the 'I'm tired' card."

"Fuck!" Frustrated, he fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling for a long while, quiet but restless, the hum of his soft breaths the only sound in the room. She contemplated prodding him to speak but knew that would only make things worse. Instead she lay down beside him, waiting, watching, worrying. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke.

"You know what's the worst thing about being part of my family?"

Her stomach churned with anxiety. Remembering the scars on his body, she placed her hand on his chest – a gesture meant to comfort him as much as herself. "The pain?”

He flinched. “It's not what he does. It's what he says. That if I wasn't who I was, if I wasn't such a fuck-up, if I was a good kid, if I was like Theo, then he wouldn't have to discipline me."

"Stop!" She covered her hand over his mouth. The thought of Aidan believing that crap simultaneously infuriated her and filled her with dread, and she had no idea how to deal with any of it. Sitting astride his hips, she directed him to lock eyes with her. "Your dad is the monster, he's the fuck-up. Not you, never you. Nothing you do or ever did, nothing about who you are justifies how he hurts you. Do you get that? Tell me you get that. Please."

He kissed her palm before moving her hand to speak. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm pissed at you! I can't believe you think that about yourself. How could you?"

"Because I've been told that my whole life. My dad, my mom. Even she thinks if I didn't push his buttons, if I just acted like a goody two-shoes when he was around he wouldn't-"

"Your mom's a fucking idiot!" Sage spat out, and instantly regretted her venomous tone upon seeing the flash of anger on his face. When it came to his mom, Aidan was very protective – which was something she didn’t understand considering the woman did nothing to stop the abuse her husband doled out at Aidan. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't have." Reaching up to caress the length of her arms, his hands affectionately rubbed her sleeves. The heat of his touch cut right through the fabric and onto her skin, leaving her tingling all over. Aidan, however, didn't seem to notice as he was lost in his thoughts, distant once again.

"Hey, talk to me," she urged, running her fingers through his hair.

"Cat said I'm hard-wired to be fucked up."

"Dumbass Barbie come up with that all on her own?"

Focusing his attention back on her, a small smile played across his lips. "I love it when you get creative with your insults."

"Does that mean you like me for my brain?"

His eyes twinkled with mischief. "That, your tits, and your exceptional oral skills."

She smacked his chest. "Yeah well, I only like you for your looks."

"Who can blame you? I’m pretty hot."

"And about as sexy as a Ken doll."

"He is pretty fucking sexy."

"Shut up."

"I get so hot when you boss me around."

There seemed to be a shift in his temperament now that he was flirting with her, but she knew him well enough to realise this was simply a way to distract her from discussing his self-esteem issues. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't about to fall for it. When he tried to undo the button of her shirt, she snapped his hand away. "No, I want to talk."

"Then by all means, talk. Don't let me stop you." His gaze wandered over her chest while his fingers busied themselves unbuttoning her shirt again. "If you're naked, I'll pay more attention."

"Liar."

He grinned, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the sight of his smile. Sometimes she forgot how strikingly beautiful he was, which seemed strange considering Aidan was supposed to be one of the hottest guys in school, but the fact was she just wasn't attracted to him when he'd treated her like shit. And now, well, everything was different that she'd gotten to know the person underneath the layer of jackassery and fallen in love with him – yet his good looks still caught her by surprise.

As he removed her shirt and threw it to the floor, she became acutely aware of his hard body underneath her. When he ran his thumbs over her nipples, a sharp jolt of electricity surged through her and she trembled. "Aidan?" she murmured, granting him her most flirtatious smile.

He sat up, encircling her in his arms. "Yeah, babe?" He unhooked her bra, skimming his lips along her shoulders.

Fisting his hair, she forced him to look at her. "Do you like it when I suck you off?"

Swallowing an audible breath, he stilled for a minute. "The answer to that question," he replied, his voice hoarse with desire, "is always yes."

"Want me to do it now?"

Aidan cocked his eyebrow. "Yeah."

She gave him a chaste kiss, nibbling his lower lip, before pulling back to look at him. "I will. I'll do whatever you want, but promise me something."

The greens in his eyes darkened, revealing his anger. "Now who's manipulating who?"

"I don't ever want to hear you call yourself a screw-up, or spout any of that bullshit your father says to you. Because none of it's true. None of it. And if there's a part of you that buys into his shit, just remember that I love you." She kissed his left cheek, then the right cheek, before locking eyes with him again. "I love you exactly the way you are."

The tension in him was palpable. His eyes brimmed with an inexplicable darkness that worried her. She waited with bated breath, hoping he would reassure her he loved her too – but then reminded herself that that wasn't important. What really mattered was that he believed he was worth loving.

And then, suddenly, he was no longer frozen but caught in a flurry of movement as his hand fisted the back of her hair, pulling her close, latching his mouth onto hers and kissing her with a fierceness that was both terrifying and thrilling.

While he removed her bra she struggled to do the same with his shirt but eventually gave up because there wasn't any part of her could focus with his tongue assaulting her senses. His fingers traced and marked her skin, digging into her, rough at times and tender during others, playing and taunting, until Sage, breathless and frustrated, finally pulled away. Eyes locked with his, their breath ragged, she reached below to stroke him over his pants before unzipping him to pull out his cock.

The sight of him caused her to catch her breath.

Four nights ago she had given Aidan a handjob for the first time, initially intimidated and then enamored by his naked body. He may not have been the only guy she'd fooled around with, but what she shared with Aidan was so much more intimate than stolen moments with her crushes from before.

Three nights ago was the first time Sage had sucked him off.

Sometimes she wondered if he wanted her to do things differently and was too worried about her feelings to tell her, yet when they were together and she was the sole focus of his attention all of her insecurities seemed to vanish. Every part of her trembled under his gaze, secure in the knowledge he wanted her exactly how she was – inexperienced, imperfect and all.

Instinctively she slipped her fingers inside his mouth. His eyebrow quirked up as he regarded her with surprise and then awe, and the uncertainty she felt about using him to lubricate her hand disappeared. When she wrapped her fingers around his already slick cock, caressing him, he held her stare for only a minute before closing his eyes. Leaning into her for support, he groaned with pleasure against her neck, teeth scraping her skin, fingers bruising her while she pumped him slow and then fast, fast and then slow, working him in a rhythm that followed no pattern.

As she tried to untangle herself from his arms in an effort to kiss her way down his body, he lifted her in one swift motion, rolled over, and pinned her underneath him. Caught under the spell of his penetrating stare, her heart pounded erratically in her chest. "Don't you want me to-"

"Shut up," he ordered, an affectionate smile fleeting across his face as he lowered himself and dropped a kiss on her temple. His lips grazed across her eyelids, tracing along the curve of her nose, her lips, her neck. His mouth closed over her left nipple first, sucking on the puckered nub until she was a quivering bundle of nerves writhing underneath him, and the pleasure intensified even more when he followed suit with the other nipple. Her fingers threaded through his hair, clutching onto him for dear life. It was chaotic and intense, this maddening rush to possess and be possessed by him, and the more he laid claim to her the more she wanted to succumb.

A small bit of sanity returned once he sat back on his heels, positioned between her legs with his hands atop her bent knees, but it quickly diminished once she noted the potent hunger in his gaze. What was it about the way he looked at her that always left her feeling flustered, panicked, wild and out of control – as if she was about to jump off a cliff? And yet, despite the frenzy of all those volatile emotions he evoked, she also knew with complete certainty he'd be jumping right along with her.

Cupping her ass, he raised her hips to ease her jeans and panties down her legs. The cool breeze humming from the air conditioner struck her naked body but it was only heat she felt, heat emanating from the smoldering darkness in his eyes and the warmth of his breath as he nibbled the insides of her thighs. White-hot desire coursed through every nerve and crevice in her body but it all paled in comparison to the sudden shock of ecstasy that swept over her when his mouth found the most sensitive part of her. His tongue lavished her, his lips teasing her clit in such a way she almost jumped up in response, and he moved a hand to her stomach to hold her down.

He fucked her with his mouth and fingers and the pleasure built inside her, hurling her senses towards the ultimate explosion. Her fingers dug into the mattress to alleviate the pressure but it didn't work and so she covered her hand over his and their fingers laced together in a tight grip. Although the force with which he clung to her was painful, it also forged a connection between them in the whirlwind of madness they were both drowning in.

She was his. He was hers. Nothing else mattered as long as they were together.

Her moans escalated to full pitch screams and when orgasm finally struck, it knocked her breathless. Ripples of pleasure flooded over her and she gave into the thrills, surrendering to it completely.

It was the act of him squeezing her hand that eventually brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes and found him studying her, a hesitant expression marking his face.

"Sage, you want me to stop?"

There was a fierce need in his voice but there was also concern. He looked torn, not wanting to push even though he was dying to sleep with her. "Do you have a condom?"

His eyes glazed over with joy, and his face broke into a wicked grin. 'Yeah, of course."

She smirked. "You were that sure you were getting laid tonight?"

"Tonight? No, maybe not tonight." He took a condom out from the back pocket of his trousers. "But I knew it was going to happen, sooner or later. Especially since you can't keep your hands off me."

"Ah, ever so humble."

"Modesty’s for losers."

"Arrogance will get you nowhere, Aidan."

"Not true. It'll get me inside you."

She chuckled. "I should just tell you to go fuck yourself."

"I'd rather fuck you. Way more fun that way."

As he removed the last of his clothes, exposing all the scars that marred his body, her heart ached at the sight of them. How long would the marks be there? Would they ever go away? And then she was struck with the horrible thought of all the new wounds that would inevitably come next. 

"Babe, you still with me?"

Turning her attention back on him, she ran her hand down his chest. "Always."

He greeted her with a sexy lopsided smile before ripping the condom package open.

Panic unfurled in her stomach as she watched Aidan slip on the condom. Although tender and beautiful in his intensity he was also entirely too hard in his current state, and knowing what was about to come next filled her with anxiety. How the hell was he supposed to fit inside her? He was too big. The mechanics didn't make any sense. And she knew – just knew – it was going to hurt like hell. Feeling flustered, her heart started palpitating, so much so she wondered if it could explode out of her chest.

"You okay?" His hand gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah."

"Still want to do this?"

Aidan had asked her before if she felt safe with him. At the time her answer had been no but now – she didn't know. Her arms enclosed him, clinging to him, kissing him, and subsequently the fear began to drown in the hurried frenzy of passion that swelled over her. Except he didn't seem to feel any of the urgency she did, not even when her hands swept down his back to cup his ass. Instead his fingers lingered on her skin, delicate and light as feather, while her excitement intensified to the point where she began to unravel from within. Heat coursed through her body, she tingled with excitement. Soon, his all-too-soft caresses were simply not enough. Reacting instinctively, she curved her legs around his waist and arched up against him.

He groaned, the guttural moan drenching in raw sexual energy, before rising above to study her. His gaze cast a spell over her and she lay utterly transfixed under him. Seconds, minutes, hours, she had no idea how much time transpired while she held his stare, lost within the dark desire in his eyes. Her hands ran between his shoulder blades, tracing the scars on his skin, when he bucked his hips to slip inside her.

The sensation of being penetrated was unlike anything she'd experienced before and she gasped, partly due to the discomfort but mostly because of this newly forged intimate bond between them.

Aidan whispered sweet nothings in her ear, cajoling her out of her frozen state, and the soft murmur of his words made her blush from head to toe. Slowly the physical awkwardness gave way to something different. It wasn't pleasure – it hurt too much to be that – but simple exhilaration at the realisation she did feel safe with him. Finally she could accept that her feelings were real, genuine, and this all-consuming fire between them wasn't born out of loneliness but something more meaningful. They were connected forever; it was an undeniable fact, and she didn't have to be afraid of what that meant anymore.

He lowered himself onto her, his weight pressed against her, their skin slick with sweat, arms and legs folded together so she didn't know where he ended and she began. As her body shifted and adjusted to take him in deeper with each thrust, she felt increasingly frantic, and clutched at his back to alleviate the heightened sensation. Gripping him, she kissed the side of his face.

"Hold on."

He rolled over in one swift motion and she found herself on top, straddling him. His hands curved around her waist, lifting her hips in slow strokes, and her eyes widened with surprise at the keen thrills of pleasure that ran through her.

"Like that?"

Her response was a soft moan as her head lolled back, breath coming out in short spurts. She was the one in control now, setting the rhythm, grinding her waist in circles around his cock.

"Sage!" he growled.

Body taut with anticipation, she was edging towards that ultimate rush when he grasped her tightly to maneuver her underneath him once again. Her eyes flew open, taking in the smouldering passion that burned in his gaze. His hands laced through her hair, tugging at her strands, and an expression of pure ecstasy crossed his face.

"Fuck!" He came hard inside her, his body shuddering at the intensity of it.

She held him for the next little while, caressing him lovingly while he buried his face in her shoulder.

When he spoke next, his voice was hoarse, breathless, and filled with disappointment. "Sorry."

She tried to get him to look at her but he refused to budge, his face still resting in the crevice of her neck. "Aidan, it's okay."

He didn't acknowledge her words, instead nipping her neck as his fingers found her way to her clit, thumb brushing against the tightened nub, teasing it, stroking it. Within seconds her body convulsed, trembling, tightening around him as pleasure flooded over her.

*****

Later that night she was awakened by the sound of Aidan closing the bathroom door. He climbed into bed beside her, she turned around to face him. Light streamed in through the window, casting shadows that danced across his skin. Marvelling at his incandescent glow, she wondered how it was possible he could look so volatile yet serene at the same time. Then again, he was a study in contradictions. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Giving her a small smile, he pulled her close. His fingers played with her hair, hers drew lazy circles on his skin. The air hummed with comfortable silence between them.

"I wanted everything to be perfect for you."

She smiled into his chest. "It was."

"Come on. I couldn't even wait long enough for you to come," he said, sounding angry.

A soft blush spread across her cheeks. She still wasn't used to discussing sex with the same frankness he did, but she forced the shyness aside. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, right."

Remembering that Aidan measured his self-worth in how great he was at sex, she reached up to cup his face. He reluctantly met her gaze, the shame in his eyes breaking her heart. "My first time was with a guy I love. How many girls can say that?"

"Love isn't all it's cracked up to be."

She pulled away, taken aback by the bitterness in his voice. There seemed to be nothing she could say to make him feel better, and was quickly reaching the point where she was too exhausted to try.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, balancing his head on her pillow. "I know I'm being an ass."

"Yeah, you are."

"I told you, I wanted things to be perfect."

"If they were, I wouldn't be here with you right now. I'd still be in Chicago and you'd probably be with Cat."

"Don't bring her into this. She has nothing to do with us."

"Except she's my sister and you slept with her," Sage pointed out, leveling him with a keen gaze. "Don't you think that bothers me? That I really fucking hate it? But it happened, and there's nothing I can do about it." Turning her back on him, she faced the wall. "You keep telling me to accept things the way they are now. I'm trying, It's not easy, but I am trying. Question is, are you?"

Resting his chin on her shoulders, he laced his fingers through hers. "She doesn't matter, not anymore, and it's not like I'm ever going to have sex with her again."

"Because she dumped you?" Sage muttered.

He tucked his fingers under her chin and directed her to meet his eyes. "Because you're the only one I want. You. That's it. I'm done with hot girls."

"Gee, thanks."

"If I promise to stop acting like an ass, you swear to let it go and forget about Cat?"

"There's no way in hell you'll be able to keep that promise. You're a born jackass."

He smirked, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. "True. Okay, how about this? I promise never to fuck her again."

"You mean that?"

"Yeah. Absolutely."

"Even if we break up at some point?"

His body stiffened. A dark expression covered his face, reminding her how nervous she felt when the angry intensity in him took over. "We're never breaking up."

There wasn't a hint of doubt in his words, his voice filled with complete confidence.

Before she could respond his mouth latched onto hers, kissing her with an urgency that left her incoherent and totally, completely caught in the spell he weaved.

*****

Now...

Picking up his pants from the floor, Aidan started dressing himself before taking a seat on one corner of the bed. As he put on a pair of socks, a sultry voice interrupted from behind.

"Leaving already?"

Looking over his shoulder, his appreciative gaze roved over Cat's very naked, very sexy body. Straight, blond hair reached just above her shoulders, her tanned skin complimenting those striking blue eyes. She was fucking gorgeous and fully aware of it.

He smirked. "Don't want your boyfriend to come home early and find me here."

Crawling into bed behind him, she rested her chin on his shoulders, her fingers undoing the very same buttons he'd just fastened. Her tongue traced the curve of his ear seductively. "Wouldn't it be so much fun if he did?"

"You just want two guys to fight over you."

"Well, duh. Who doesn't?"

"I don't like kicking a guy when he's already down. And seeing as I just fucked his girlfriend-"

"Always the gentleman, I see."

He stood up to search for his shoes, pausing momentarily to admire Cat's small, perky breasts as she lay down on the bed in front of him. One thing he really admired about Cat was her absolute confidence in herself. Most women in his experience, especially the more beautiful ones, needed constant assurance about their looks. Cat, on the other hand, didn't need or care for other's opinions, the only one that mattered was her own.

"I was thinking-"

"That can't be good." Flashing an incorrigible smile, he fished out his shoes from underneath the bed where it must have landed earlier when they were ripping each other's clothes off.

"Of moving back to Cali," she continued, ignoring him.

"And leaving poor Bob behind?"

"It's Robert, not Bob, and yeah. I'm getting tired of him. The other day he was talking about getting married."

"To you? He's obviously nuts."

"Hey!" she protested, picking up on his mocking tone. "Anyway, marriage isn't my thing, you know that. So I'm thinking of cutting him loose."

"You can dump the guy and still live here. You don't have to move back."

"I'm tired of New York," she sighed. "Maybe I can crash at your place for a few months."

He stilled, giving her an incredulous glance. "Because you're hard up for cash?"

"No, asshole. I just thought it might be fun."

Walking over to the dresser, he sprayed some mousse onto his hand and ran his fingers through his wet hair, attempting to rein it under control. Studying his reflection in the mirror, he regretted not shaving the scruff on his face when he showered earlier. Unfortunately he had a meeting with his agent in less than an hour and, considering that was the purpose of him coming to New York, it would be foolish of him to be late.

"Are you ignoring me?" Cat asked from behind, irritation evident in her tone.

He turned around. "Look, you and I both know that's a stupid idea."

"You can still sleep with other people," she huffed. "I plan to."

He smiled at her matter-of-fact tone. Always practical when it came to sex, Cat wasn't one to be tied down by emotions. Another thing he admired about her. "Let me think about it?"

Glaring at him, she sat up. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" he snapped back. "I like my own space."

"No, you're worried if I stay with you I won't let you mope around like you do now. That is, when you're not fucking everything that moves."

"That's rich coming from you."

"Fuck off! At least I'm not a pathetic loser who's still hung up on a high school relationship."

Furious rush of rage flooded over him but he refused to lose control in front of Cat. He knew damn well she would file that away in her memory and use it to taunt him in the future. "I'm not going to talk about this with you."

"She dumped you. Get over it!"

"Says the girl begging to move in with her high school boyfriend."

In one swift motion Cat picked up the lamp on the nightstand and threw it at him. He swerved out of the way just in time and the lamp struck the table instead, breaking into pieces upon contact.

"You really think she's pining over you? Oh, please. She's moved on to bigger and better things, unlike you who's still chasing after her like a bitch in heat."

Although the thought of Sage being happy without him made Aidan want to retch, it also helped fuel his need for revenge, to destroy everything she held dear. Hell, her moving on was a good thing, he assured himself, because then the satisfaction of breaking her apart would be even greater. And when the hold she had over him was finally severed, he would be free again. Normal. No longer consumed by Sage. Lost in thought, he didn't notice when Cat picked up a pillow and flung it at him.

"Hey Einstein, did you ever wonder why you still haven't found her?" Cat taunted, a cruel sneer twisting her face into a hateful scorn.

Naked or not, she was the farthest thing from sexy at this very moment.

"I mean, even you can't be that dumb. You must realise there's a reason your private dicks haven't turned up anything useful."

His eyes narrowed on her face, his stomach twisting into coils. "What are you babbling about, Cat?"

She gave him a smug grin. "Dad's been paying them off. I really thought you'd figure that out by now. Guess I gave you too much credit."

At first it felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He was angry, then confused, and angry again, his emotions scurrying all over the place as her words registered in his brain. And then, just as suddenly, a cold, controlled calm settled over him. Everything fell into place, it all made sense again. Cat was right. He really should have figured out sooner why the private detectives he'd hired had never been able to get anything concrete on Sage, but in his quest for revenge logic had taken second place to his emotions.

"What? Nothing to say?"

She was waiting for him to explode, but he couldn't care less. "Thanks, Cat. I'll see you around." Within seconds he was out of the apartment and heading towards his hotel, the meeting with his agent no longer a priority. Truthfully, he had far more important things to do, like going back to California and interrogating Thomas about Sage.

@bustlingcrowdsxorxsilentsleepers​, @idaofinfinity​ - tagging :)

[schlattburity]

So!! Recently I’ve been in a kinda pony kick, especially with making a story around my ponysona cause I am cringe but I am free. 

I’m the yellow horse the other @the-lost-disc-collective​‘s ponysona!!! Lore under and references under the cut

I won't explain Tommy's Ponysona's character too much because well, it's Tommy's ! But I will talk about how they relate to mine and that their name is Cleftnote, Celfty/Cleffy for Short and they're a zombpony :] ! So, Let's start of with my Pony! Finch Call aka "Calamity" They / (sometimes He)

Finch Call is an adult pony without a Cutiemark. Due to mental health issues, they dropped out of school as a teenager and "never got around to" finding their cutiemark. They currently live with their parents Downstage House and Jaye Bird in ponyvile. They mostly spend time alone, either by the pond outside of town or in Twilight's Library (this was before she became princess twilight), reading mysterious Books and taboo and black magic. They picked up the hobby of looking into that kind of stuff due to a slight hyperfixation they have on flying. They wish they where a Pegasus like their mother, and thought there was maybe a spell that could transform them into a an actual Pegasus, however... since they aren't a Unicorn and "earth ponies can't perform magic", they knew it was nothing but a pipe dream. At least the Books are interesting. It's also where they got their other name! They saw "Calamity" in a book once and thought it was interesting and sounded cool, so took it up as a kind of Monitcor, something they would like their friends to call them.. if they had any. Also probably for gender reasons. So, you can often find them reading weird books, and even trying to cite incantations, but nothing ever happens since they're just a earth pony. Until one day, it did. (They also have a somewhat uncanny ability to sense the fourth Wall, not break it like Pinkie or Discord, just when things are off. Either something is inconstant in the background or the Art, slight knowledge of the future, and so fourth. It isn’t crazy powerful and it’s nothing BIG, just a ever so slight sense that comes around every now and then.  Explanation is they literally constantly hang around, touch, and say taboo dark magic things all the time so a little bit rubbed off on em djhdfjk) Now! The Parents /neu Jay Bird He / Him

 Jaye Bird is a slightly sarcastic and somewhat charming Unicorn colt who is very logical and grounded. He wants to take care of his family and friends and will kill himself to do it. His talent is “Fixing things with magic”, however most people assume he’s some kind of mechanic or builder, a physical fixer due to how his cutiemark represents this with a Wrench. His talent is more so focused on his logical nature and focus on fixing problems of any kind with his intellect, knowledge, and magic ability.  Downstage House She / Her

Downstage is a Pegasus Mare with a talent for Acting, however she’s also found other ways to use it outside of just performing on stage. She has a good eye on people and can read them well, as well as good at general public speaking and dealing with Crowds.  Her cutmark also represents her personality to a good extent, so symbolism fans this is for you /silly

[gay-salt-amber]

MORE OC STUFF FOR YOU~!

Rashad has a secret identity that he acts on a little Robin Hood type of justice seeker, stealing from rude rich and giving to the poor, taking books and giving them to girls so they can have a education, stuff like that (think Red Whirlwind from Romeo X Juliet). Kalim or the Asim family has no idea and neither does the Viper family. Until- Petter patter of feet running across the cold clay is audible to one's shift ears as the man dressed in deep reds and brown clothes runs from the eyes of wandering guards, the moonlight shining the golden threads that make the tiger symbol. Carefully he jumps over a gap and starts climbing up a silk and cloth made rope that hangs in a shadow covered hallway from a luxurious home guarded by humans and tall walls, twisted his ankle under the dead of night in the process. "القرف (Shit)" He cursed behind his mouth and nose cover as he finally climbed over the balcony and looked at his already reddish swollen ankle. He, however, had no time to relax and let his guard down as he heard the sounds of movements in his bedroom. "Who's there?" Said the lad in the tone of toughness, reaching for his golden dagger attacked to his hip. A cute feminine face peeks out from behind a peacock green curtain. The younger Viper servant. "You're so tense princess." Said Najma with a smirky giggle. Rashad's heart dropped, he was so careful, now she'll tell- Najma walked to him and grabbed one of the books in the nap sack he carried with a smile, "I won't tell if you won't Tiger." Fun fic to make

Dylan makes bomb vanilla coffees

The tweels tease Dylan sometimes but it's more like brotherly teasing and not "These are tall AF older graders who pick on me" teasing

A bit of a angst but it's needed for Dylan's name and backstory; Azul's and Dylan's parents divorced sometime when Azul was being picked on and Dylan was taken with the dad after the divorce which broke both their hearts. They wrote to each other but Dylan never forgave their dad for doing that and happily started staying in the Ashengratto household when he does visit the Coral Sea during schoolings. He just loves his brother

Ash once was at a party in a pretty dressed and no one asked them to dance. Until Trein did a dope thing and asked a dance from their step-child and Ash keeps a picture of that night as a happy memory

Another time Crowley did it as a "I'll one day be part of your family, I want to make you smile." (I headcanoned a AU where Crewel is Trein's long lost son)

Allen loves sweets only cause of Riddle. He ate them whenever he and Riddle rarely hanged out with him though families refused it. So sibling ice cream cake dates are a must every free time in the school year

Not a OC but here's a RSA something; So a student was talking shit about Azul since he still sees Azul as the "fat slow kid" everyone picked on and Rielle's a good boy now so he tried to make said student stop but student kept going and even started saying all NRC is bad. Suddenly everyone in RSA heard a loud yipe and a table crash and find Rielle standing with a fist in hand and the student bruised in the face on the floor and Rielle's yelling at him to never dare say that stuff again and how he has no idea how hard people work and how that'll make someone hurt, all things he learned from Azul. He gladly took a suspension for that

;o I love defensive Rielle :D

[stegrossaurus]

The Red Book

The Red Book

by Carla

I remember the night the Morgans died. My parents had been aggressive and on-edge for months; many adults had been. Everyone knew the Morgans were witches and that the livestock deaths and farming accidents were their fault. Then one night, they simply lost it; screaming and howling in fury before running out the door to join the other adults and older children in the mob. They couldn’t look my brothers and me in the eye when they came home the next morning. 

I creep up to the Morgans’ house in the fading moonlight, a little worried that what I'm looking for is already gone. I had to wait a few nights before coming. I didn’t want to risk any witch hunters seeing me. But they’re all gone, just like the Morgans.

The rest of the villagers must have been very determined. The front door is torn off its hinges and there are still pieces of the Morgan family on the floor and walls. All of the smears and flyblown lumps don’t seem to add up to four complete people, so the rest of their bodies must have been taken to the church or the city a few miles away. I hold my nose and search the rooms. 

I’m a little surprised to find what I’m looking for almost immediately after entering the master bedroom. A thick, black book with a Baphomet goat on the leather cover rests on the nightstand. Clearly, the mob was more interested in justice than protocol; I’m certain books like this are meant to be confiscated. 

I flip through the pages, but even in the poor lighting it’s clear that magic is more complicated than it looks. I can’t make heads or tails of most of these diagrams and formulas. It’s so full of spells and rituals and lore that I stuff the book in my pack anyway before I search the other rooms. It’ll probably come in handy, but I need something I can understand. Their oldest daughter (Lottie or Lucy or something) was my age, so if she has her own spellbook, it will probably be simpler and easier to understand.

I find her book, a smaller volume with a wolf’s head imprinted on the red leather cover, next to ripped up poppets and sticky, shattered glass. I can tell immediately that my guess was right: the diagrams and instructions are simpler and many ingredients have a list of potential substitutions attached. I take it and every other bit of magic I can find.

Before I go, I take one last look at the scene. All the red chunks and brown splotches were once people, until other people found out what they were doing. And I’m planning on doing that exact same thing.

“The Morgans were stupid,” I reminded myself. “I won’t get caught.”

Once I’m home, I start reading more thoroughly and I can tell I made a smart choice taking the red book. The spells are a little simple; opening locked doors, putting people to sleep, and other small things. But they’re also easy and don’t require many ingredients. Smearing crushed up flies into a symbol is enough to keep my brother asleep for about an hour. 

The black book is more like an encyclopedia. There’s more about spell theory, the mechanics of magic, and supernatural beasts than any actual spells. That symbol I used for the sleep spell, for example, is meant to bind the microbes in the flies’ exoskeletons to dark matter so it can affect the hypothalamus.

The self-teaching is hard and not just because of the material. Between school and chores on the farm, there is little enough time to learn anything, let alone something that will get me killed if it’s discovered. But when I finally cast my first transmutation spell and watch the old, rusty axehead dissolve into a few gold nuggets, I know the risk is worth it. I just need to be smarter than the Morgans.

The Barclays’ farm is close by and about as poor as we are; they’ll do nicely.

Over the next few weeks, the Barclays crops shoot up, their machines perform perfectly, and Mrs. Barclay’s cough disappears. I think I can even find a spell to give Noah Barclay sight in his right eye again. Meanwhile, every family around them, including mine, is suffering a bit of bad luck. Farming accidents and illnesses just like before with the Morgans.

Lottie (or Lucy, whatever) must have been a prodigy because her additions and notes enhanced the spells massively. A spell meant to make the Carmichaels’ sheep rabid instead made them cannibalistic. A potion to make Kimmy Barclay’s biggest bully wet herself in class made her lose every bit of moisture in her body from every orifice. She looked like a withered piece of wood when she finally died. I meant to make my family’s tractor malfunction but instead, every piece of metal in the barn disintegrated. 

The black book has all of the information on beasts, so that’s what I consult when I want to try summoning and conjuring. There are harpies that can blight an entire field of crops, were-beings that can sniff out magic and hunt down anything with a spell attached to it, even horned and tusked demons that can drive an onlooker mad. I decide on the harpies and a river hag. They’re easy enough to summon, devastating in a farming town, and they’ll leave on their own when they’re done.

So many horrible things all pointing to the Barclays. People are scared, but I need them to be angry. I’ve been turning metal and dirt on their property into gold and gems for a while now and when they’re dead like the Morgans, I can go over there and collect. But I need to get everyone riled up for that to happen. 

There’s a recipe for a sour jar in the black book. It’s supposed to make couples fight and split up, but with the red book’s substitutions, I know I can make my neighbors a bit more hostile. 

I spend the next few days sneaking into my neighbors’ houses to get hair and nail clippings. The recipe calls for cat and dog hair, but wolves and cougars are more violent, so I pay a visit to the taxidermist and snip a few hairs while he isn’t looking. I mix the hairs, clippings, and wolf fur into a paste made from every spicy and bitter herb I can find, adding aconite and ergut to make it stronger. I prepare another paste and mix the cougar fur and trimmings from the Barclays. I mix it with water from a forest stream and leave it to stew under the full moon.

By the end of the week, I’m watching the Barclays’ house from my window, the sour jar hot and bubbling in my hand. My parents are screaming at each other downstairs. Soon my parents and many other adults in town will storm to the Barclay house. When my brothers downstairs start screaming and I hear the door opening, I know it’s only a matter of time. I’m going to be rich!

But why are my brothers running across the lawn and not my parents? And why has the screaming turned to choking and rasping?

I get ready to go down the stairs to check when something lurches to the foot of the stairs. Something hairy, large, and wearing my father’s clothes.

I don’t think. I just run back to my room and slam the door before those creatures can get in. I start tearing through the red and black books, looking for an answer. When they start slamming and scratching at the door, I grab the red book and sour jar, open the window, and jump. The bushes cushion my fall and terror dulls the pain. I pump my legs away from the house. Howling follows me.

What did I do? What do I do now? What went wrong? They weren’t supposed to transform and they certainly weren’t supposed to chase me. But they did and they are and they’re not alone.

There’s howling from the Carmichaels’ farm up the road and from the Florences’ on the other side. The only direction not populated by howling is the Barclays’; the four figures coming from there are hissing and roaring instead. A family of cougars in a pack of wolves and they’re all focused on me. I’m surrounded.

I stop running; there’s no point. They’re not running anymore, either; there’s no need. I smash the sour jar on a rock. They stop for a second, then resume loping forward on all fours. I flip frantically through the book, looking for anything that can help. 

Nothing. No cures or even answers. Nothing I can find in time, anyway. 

They’re close enough that I can see drool dripping from the mother’s fangs. 

“Mama, wait,” I beg as she gets closer. She stops and so does Father. “You remember me, right? It’s me, Carla.” 

They start sniffing me, all of them, and I hold my breath. There’s a glimmer of recognition in my parents’ eyes. They remember! I’m going to be alright!

When Jeremy and Susan Oak wake up, the first thing they notice is that they’re not in their house. And neither are the neighbors next to them. They’re near the road in between their farm and the Barclays’. Their clothes are ripped and there’s blood and meat on their faces and hands. Nearby, there’s a smashed jar of fetid, sticky slime and a red book.

It’s happened again.

The rage, the pain, the lost time, and then waking up bloody in a strange place with an oddly full stomach. 

Neighbors and spouses comforted each other, animosity and blame forgotten. It was witches, they told themselves. Witches had cast dark spells on them and God had punished them through the good people in this town, just like with the Morgans. 

Clearly, that was it.

The Oaks limped home, sore and scared. Was this truly God’s plan? Or was it more magic? And how would they face their children again? Especially Carla.

She was so sweet they didn’t know how they’d stomach facing her.

[angstyaches]

2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 20, and 33 for Shayne and MARS Blake and Lilith ~ <3

P.S. My last ask abt rereading the StW masterlist was me :)

Aagghh, hiiii! I hope you were able to access everything you needed.

Ask Game

Shayne:

2. Sexuality 🍄

He gives a slow shrug. "I always thought I was bi, because I felt the same about boys and girls in general, but... I don't know. I never really felt particularly attracted to anyone until Charlie."

5. Favorite drink ☕️

"Cherry coke."

6. Fun fact about you

He looks mildly distressed at the question. "I guess it's kind of fun that I used to live in Charlie's house, in the room that's his room now. Does that count?"

7. Favorite colour 🍁

"Black."

10. Cute movie 🎥

"Charlie's gotten me to watch a few of those romantic-type movies, but I don't... I don't really think I've ever found them cute." He looks a bit embarrassed. "Sorry."

20. Do you have or want any tattoos? 📜

"I don't have any," he says, "but I'd definitely get one if I ever had a good enough idea or a reason for one."

33. Things you do with friends 🦥

(While he's living with the Aldridges) "I used to hang out and study with Charlie and Rin when we were all still in school together," he says, "or just, you know, watch TV and talk. We never, um, really had time to do anything else."

Blake:

CW: mention of animal death, cynicism

2. Sexuality 🍄

"Ugh. Pass," he says bluntly.

5. Favorite drink ☕️

"Strong, black tea. Or if we're talking alcohol - rum."

6. Fun fact about you

He shrugs wildly. "When I was seven, I manifested a perfect clone of my dead pet parrot, Harry. It had no coherent thought process or nervous system or anything, so it kept flying in circles and crashing into walls and making this god-awful sound. My dad ended up taking it out back and... you know, taking care of it. God, Gretchen wouldn't stop crying for days. There. Is that fun?"

7. Favorite colour 🍁

He folds his arms and scowls. "I don't see any reason to choose a favourite colour beyond the age of five, but if you insist, I'd probably have to say red."

10. Cute movie 🎥

"I thought Finding Nemo was pretty cute. When I was ten."

20. Do you have or want any tattoos? 📜

He shakes his head. "I don't really see the point in tattoos, unless you're someone who's just desperate for attention."

33. Things you do with friends 🦥

"Am I supposed to be flattered that you think I have actual friends?" He shifts uncomfortably, as though he has something to add. He decides it's irrelevant and doesn't say it.

Lilith:

2. Sexuality 🍄

"I've used practically every label in the sexuality handbook," they confess, grinning self-consciously, "but for now, I think I've settled on pansexual."

5. Favorite drink ☕️

"Ooh, probably a mojito, or something like that. Or hot tea with a twist of lemon."

6. Fun fact about you

"Fun fact about me, fun fact about me," they say, drumming their fingers on their knee. "Well, in a really silent room, I can hear the heartbeats of the people around me. It's tricky, and I can't do or think about anything else while I'm listening for them, but..." They nod proudly. "I can do it."

7. Favorite colour 🍁

They tilt their head. "Is it weird to say 'white'? I love white, I just wish that it was easier to keep clean!"

10. Cute movie 🎥

"Oh, god. Mulan. Every time."

20. Do you have or want any tattoos? 📜

"Oh. Yeah," they smile sheepishly. "How much time have you got? I've got dragons, I've got birds, I've got lines of poetry. I've got this symbol on my wrist, but that's - I guess that's a story for a different time. My favourite, though, is probably the phoenix on my lower calf."

33. Things you do with friends 🦥

"My non-witch friends and I do regular stuff," they say, "cafes, book shops, cocktail bars, that kind of thing. I like hanging out with the witches more, though, because we can challenge each other and try new things that we wouldn't have otherwise thought of. We also go camping and stuff, which my other friends would never."

[bubblegumbeech]

Passing Through

Dannymay Day 5: Doorway

“Don’t go in there,” his mother warned. Her voice shook. “Never go through that door.”

Danny had no intention of ignoring his mother, especially since the night she’d given him that warning was seared so thoroughly in his mind he didn’t think even as an adult he’d ever forget it.

It had been dark, but not any darker than any other night with Danny’s myriad nightlights and glowing stars stuck everywhere he could reach and then some. The night had long since settled, and Danny was supposed to be sleeping and was instead, like any young child, not doing that.

In fact, he’d been staring out his window, arm balanced on the sill and face pressed up against the glass so he could see the night sky in all her glory. It was one of the only times he felt truly comfortable, alone and with his parents and sister asleep. He often imagined himself sailing amongst those stars. Or flying high enough to reach out and cradle one to his chest. 

Jazz always told him that was impossible, that each star was as far away from each other as they were from earth, if not further. He told her she could eat dirt, and she got a hurt look in her eyes that made him feel bad, but he didn’t apologize because she was being mean first. 

He’d been preoccupied, that’s why he didn’t notice it at first. 

When the soft pink touch of the sun started obscuring the night’s stars, Danny realized he’d been up all night and he was probably going to fall asleep in class again. He turned around to quickly dive into bed to at least feign having slept so his parents didn’t scold him and feel like they had to check in on him at night the way they threatened to last time. 

He hadn’t expected the door. 

It was small, very small compared to a normal door. It was just large enough that Danny could crawl through on all fours, and he knew there was no way his dad would ever be able to get through. At least not more than an arm. Maybe his head if he tried to dive through it.

The door was closed, a soft, purple light on the other side painting the carpet beneath where it stood, balanced, in the middle of the room. Acting as if it was placed in the wall like any good door, but missing the wall itself entirely. 

Danny walked closer, his mind off bed times and getting ready for school entirely. Now he was thinking of adventures and stories Jazz used to read him before he could read himself. Stories of exploration and hidden worlds. His hand brushed against the polished brass handle, and a jolt of electricity flowed through him, causing every hair in his body to stand on end. 

He probably should have let go then, released the handle and backed up, frightened. But instead Danny’s grip tightened and he twisted the nob, pulling it slowly open, his heart beating in rapt anticipation. It was barely open a sliver, the tiniest bit of purple light spilling out onto the frame, when his mother ran into the room and slammed it closed. 

She was wearing a hazmat suit, as if she’d just come from the lab downstairs, with thick rubber gloves and ominous red goggles that reflected a twisted version of Danny’s face back at him as she pulled him into a tight, unforgiving hug. 

“Thank goodness you’re safe,” she said, her words heavy with exertion. Had she run up here? How did she know there was a door? 

Danny looked over his mother’s shoulder to take another look, but the door had vanished at some point when his eyes were no longer locked upon it. That was when she gave him her warning. The one he had no intention of ignoring.

The one he was disregarding now, for no reason other than he was sick of it. He was tired of the nights, laying awake and seeing a door that promised so much and had yet to be given the opportunity to deliver. 

His mother would skin him alive if she knew, but she’d probably never find out. Honestly, if Tucker’s theories were true and it was some monster trying to trick him into its lair Coraline-style, it’d probably take at least a week for her to even realize he was gone. His dad probably wouldn’t notice at all. 

Jazz…

Danny shook his head. If anything, Jazz would be the one to forgive him for being dumb. She understood what it was like to have this burning curiosity, this need to know. 

The door didn’t always appear. Most nights it did, but only when Danny was distracted by something, usually the stars outside his window, sometimes a particularly fun video game or a good book. It only ever appeared right on the cusp of night and morning, before the sun rose fully but after the stars hid away. And it always waited for him to look away before it disappeared. 

He didn’t plan on looking away tonight. 

The first night after his mother’s warning, he’d stayed up all night, terrified, waiting for the door to appear. It never did. In fact, the next month, he spent every second awake expecting it to appear and being almost disappointed when it didn’t. 

It appeared again, in much the same way it had the first time, while Danny was star gazing. 

That’s why, now, knowing the rules (or rather what few rules he could tell from this side of the door), Danny was determined to follow through. None of his questions would be answered just waiting for the door to appear or not appear, nor would they be answered by spending time staring at it and studying it from the outside. 

He needed to go through.

The brass knob was cold against his palm, and it turned easily. The click of the mechanism was loud in the night’s quiet. He held his breath. He opened the door.

There was no resistance when it swung open. Almost the opposite, in fact, like it had been waiting for an excuse. The soft purple light that had teased the edges of the door was much closer to a deep, swirling purple that looked almost like mist and obscured the path forward. 

But Danny wasn’t scared. 

He was curious. 

He stepped through, and heard the door close softly behind him. Just like in a horror movie really, and exactly like the stories his mother told him, warning him of monsters and things from the other side. 

It didn’t matter anymore, if he’d made the right choice. He’d made his choice and there was only one path to take. Danny walked into the mists and kept walking.

No more than an hour could have passed, but it felt like much longer. Time seemed to stretch along with the endless path, and Danny hadn’t come any closer to the answers he wanted. 

He sighed. “Hello? Is anyone here?” he tried calling out, to no avail. 

This was turning out to be a waste of a trip. With all the cryptic warnings, he’d hoped it wouldn’t be boring at the very least, yet here he was. The only difference between this and one of Sam’s ‘nature hikes’ was that Danny couldn’t see anything through the damned purple mist.

Or could he?

Danny squinted his eyes, catching something moving just to his left. It was very much hidden, the deep purple of its cloak camouflaged perfectly against the swirling purples all around him. He took a step closer, off the path, and felt the air still around him.

A voice, haunting and deep, startled him. 

“A quick learner,” it said. 

Danny felt his mouth go dry. There was actually someone here, someone that might not be human. Someone that could summon a door into a kids room for half a decade waiting for them to open it. 

Someone who might have answers.

Danny stepped closer, and the mist seemed to gather, catching on itself and folding into a physical shape. The hooded figure. Danny forced himself not to blink. It felt like anything was possible, that if he looked away, he’d miss too much to make sense of it later. 

The hooded figure turned to him and beckoned with one gloved hand, the other holding a twisting, intricate staff covered in shapes and symbols Danny couldn’t quite make out. Danny didn’t step any closer.

It was clear this man wasn’t human, or at the very least hadn’t been for some time. The only thing Danny could see hidden under the cloak was an old clock. But even then, Danny couldn’t tell whether it was something he was wearing on his chest or if it simply was his chest and there was nothing else.

“You’re still cautious, even now when you’ve already made your decision?” the figure asked. “Did you not seek an answer to your curiosity?”

Danny frowned. This whatever-it-was knew more than he was comfortable with. Had he been watching from the other side? How? Is that why the door only appeared when it did? Why couldn’t he just open the door and step out if his goal was to spirit Danny away like in the stories? 

There were just so many questions, and Danny still didn’t have any answers. 

“Do you actually have any answers or are you just going to eat me?” he asked, growing irritated. It had been a long night, made longer by his fruitless walk, and it was starting to affect his temper.

Instead of answering, the figure lowered his arm, tilting his head to the side. “If you thought I was going to eat you, why did you come through the door? You’ve been very good at ignoring it so far.” 

“Yeah see,” Danny said, throwing up his hands, “that kind of stuff only makes you sound more creepy and suspicious, you know! If your goal is child eating you should set up, idk a candy house or something. Pretend to be a grandma, I hear that works wonders provided you stay out of your own oven.”

The figure laughed. It sounded, off, not like a noise Danny recognized, but more like a collage of sounds: a ticking clock chiming with heavy clanking clockwork all wrapped in canary song and it vibrated all the way through Danny from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. It filled the air around them much like the mist once did and Danny felt glee himself, caught up as he was.

He looked up desperately at the figure, trying to keep ahold of himself and how he truly felt, lost in the sudden sea of emotion. The figure’s cloak was bunched up, as if he was doubled over in laughter, his gloves clutching at his staff and the entire collection shaking with slight tremors.

The hood turned towards him, empty, and Danny’s panic spiked. The laughter stopped, and the figure stood once more, pulling the hood further down and hiding the nothingness underneath.

“I apologize,” he said, sincere. “It’s been some time since I’ve felt in such good humor, and you took me off guard. I hope you didn’t get too swept away?”

Danny, who was still definitely feeling the effects of the other’s laughter, shook his head no. “I’m alright. I just- what are you?”

“I am like Clockwork,” he answered readily. “Though the question you should be asking, Daniel, is what are you? That is a much more interesting answer.”

Disagreeing vehemently, Danny shook his head. Like Clockwork? Was that his name? Why he had a clock, er, was a clock? How did that work? What was he? Simply what his name implied? Something more? There were a billion and a half questions he wanted answers to that were more interesting than that. 

Then again, there had to be a reason he said it, right? “Okay Clockwork, I’ll bite. What am I?”

He could swear the thing smiled. “You are halfway there.”

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High: The Seven Ep 3

Let’s Split Up and Look for Clues! 

Welcome back to the Seven and the Museum of Adventuring. My previous pronouncement of combat was a little premature but hold tight, we’ll get there. For now, we’re back with Antiope who just saw a glimpse of the Ending of Things (aka, Ending) and is freaking out a bit. She tells the others and they all do various checks to see what they can find out.

Ostentatia casts Commune With City and clocks that there is some kind of abjuration shield magic on the government buildings in town, stopping them from being spied on. She also clocks some lingering undead-ish magic and a weird divination effect on Antiope, specifically on the Aguefort logo of her jacket, like someone scryed on her and just got that she had something to do with Aguefort. At this, Penny reminds her that the only true piece of info they gave Ending when they broke her out is that they were from Aguefort.

Sam with a 19 Insight still feels the connection she and Ant have with Ending because of their spells turned against them in the initial encounter. Yelle does a Perception check (27) and once again doesn’t really get bad, dreadful, menacing vibes. But also, she recognizes that she’s chill with a lot of things most people don’t love. 

Antiope reiterates that she texted Charity that she’s interested in the internship so she can learn more info--even better now that they know the buildings are safe from scrying. Yelle remembers Aguefort’s warning about people watching them and Sam asks Zelda if her “weird boyfriend” (“he’s actually really cool”) is friends with the elven oracle. Zelda says yeah, they’re both friends with Adaine, she can ask about any weird divination stuff. Sam makes sure to specify she should look into TK but NOT Ending, no doubt remembering what happened when she tried to do a spell on her. 

It’s been a big day as Zelda says so they all go to the TGIF-esque Slappy McFinnigans to celebrate (which Sam has problems with--the fact that they’re celebrating I mean, but she’s mainly ignored). They’re quickly kicked out because Katja can’t help herself from trying to brush the mane of their centaur server and they reconvene at the more their speed SlamBurger, where a horse can fully destroy a soda machine to absolutely zero reaction.  Zelda says that Ostentatia was right in that they should all do the quest because it doesn’t close any doors and they have the 2 weeks to figure things out. They all seem a bit more on the same page (though Sam is still pretty frosty towards Ant) and start making plans.

Before they leave, Yelle pulls aside Ant and Sam and says hey, first of all, you two are still linked to Ending from before. Second of all, I know y’all are Going Through It right now and you don’t have to talk about it or make up right away but you need to get your heads in the game and you need to know that you’re both loved and still family. 

Penny, Zelda, Katja, and Ostentatia go back to the museum to try and get more information for their quest. Katja goes to the information desk (horse in tow, of course) and just starts asking information about TK. She’s told that she’s one of the museum’s benefactors and has been missing for years, and hey, do you understand that a museum’s info desk is about where the water fountains and exhibits are, not just random information about the world?

Ostentatia bails her out by calling her over so she can do her plan which is just to walk into the back area like she owns the place. Now, Aguefort students do have a certain level of clearance to be back there and she does have her school ID. But instead of explaining that, she tried to use her Earrings of Diamond Charm to charm the employee she runs into which fails. And then she does a pretty good tag-team lie with Katja about how they NEED to pass a class but that doesn’t fly. Then Ostentatia tries flirting which ALSO doesn’t work. Zelda at this point steps in and just headbuts the dude so they can book it away. I personally would have gone with, “Do you know who we are? We killed the dragon that’s your current main exhibit,” but you know. No backseat adventuring. 

While this is happening, Penny is stealthing like a pro, looking for anything Arcana related. Ostentatia and Katja also did checks (O getting a nat 20) and we’ll go through all their info gathered now. 

Katja basically gets info on TK we kind of already knew. She was a benefactor of the museum. She’s centuries old like Aguefort. She was concerned with consciousness and divinity and specifically how will and divine will manifested, as well as elemental magic.  

Ostentatia gets a lot of info with her Nat 20. She gets a full map to the temple where TK went which is called the Temple of Earth Defiant. The point of the temple is that it’s up in the open air and harsh winds--wind being a symbol of chaos and unpredictability to dwarves--but they still use it as a place to honor their heroes and they rebuild and upkeep it despite the erosion and how hard it is to get there. It’s hallowed from evil and lots of stories about it involve heroes racing there for sanctuary. It was made by dwarves but it’s a pilgrimage site for other primordial beings like goliaths and earth genasi (which is what TK is). There are 3 heroes who have big statues here: Asha Hammerheart (a SUPER dope name I must say), Yvonna of the Sundering Hills , and Kora Ironbrow.

Penny finds that, amongst Kalvaxus’s hoard there were 7 unrecovered artifacts--the Mirrors of the Eidolons (which are the smashed mirrors they found it seems). Eidelons are kind of like the elemental plane version of angels/celestials. They’re primordial (remember Katja saw primordial language on the wall of the dragon cave) and kind of aligned with things like titans and genies. Raw element with no agenda (unlike celestials and demons and such which have a clear alignment which makes up the D&D religious system). It is said by wizards--who look at these things in more of a nuts and bolts way than say clerics who take the fuzzier religions view--that Eidolons are the hands of the gods because gods are beings of spirit--how could they form the physical world. Will of the divine manifested by elemental beings? Sounds right up TK’s alley.

Sam decides she’s desperate enough for information that she calls her mom who she is understandably snippy with. Her mom gives her a contact to talk to when she asks about TK but Sam stonewalls her on show business talk. She tries to play the “mother knows best, you’ll thank me later,” in a kind of Gothel-y way while acting like anything in the past never happened and says Sam is attacking her but when Sam accuses her of neglect, she proves her right by hanging up the phone.

Sam then calls the number and it turns out to be Lola Embers (Fig’s agent) who has been waiting for Sam’s call for ages and wants to talk to her, even though she’s currently chasing her dog across the park. She says she met TK once at a genasi woman networking thing and also says she once saw Charity get into an argument with TK over government funding or not getting a grant or something similar. She then says she’s in a lake trying to get her dog and Sam, being a water genasi who can breathe underwater and also a fundamentally good person even though she’s currently being aggro as hell, goes to the park to help her. Lola assures her that if she’s ready, she’ll help her get new acting gigs and that the world is ready for the new her. 

Yelle meanwhile casts Speak With Plants on some trees near TK’s office and, after a super stoner to stoner conversation, gets a magical footprint trail of where she ran off to when she absconded 12 years ago. 

Antiope (who is in a sports bra because she destroyed her top with the Aguefort logo since that’s what was pinged, revealing in a wild, nat-1 fueled retcon that she got a tramp stamp reading “Leader” in the Red Waste) goes to see Charity to fill out some paperwork, ingratiate herself, and perhaps get some info. Charity has her hot, young, assistant (who Antiope is instantly crushing on) give Ant his shirt (and Charity’s lack of surprise at seeing his 4 horses pulling a chariot tattoo makes the group think they’re def banging). She kind of explains what the Ministry does and Antiope boils it down a bit to snitching on other adventurers. Charity says it’s more of a who watches the watchmen situation and visibly twitches when she has to say the word “snitch”. 

When she takes a second to call Antiope’s dad, she accidentally leaves a tab open on her computer which has TK’s file open (probably up from when the Maidens asked about her earlier). Antiope sneaks a peek and learns that the artifact that TK stole is called the Legendarium Extrodia and it tracks quests. It seems that at some point TK must have had top level access to get her hands on it. It also shows that TK was marked for assassination (which seems like a pretty good reason to get the heck out of dodge). Brennan also says she’s learned enough that she can use the L.E. if she finds it. 

At this point, Yelle tells everyone to come back ASAP so they can follow the magic footsteps. Antiope wants to come but doesn’t want to burn bridges with Charity (or chances with Preston--equally important) so she, at Katja’s suggestion--pretends to have diarrhea and is Nat 20 convincing. Interesting choice for the end of the first meeting with a person you’re crushing on. But Preston is actually pretty supportive as she races out the door as fast as possible.

The Seven follow the footsteps out of Solace and it becomes clear that TK was headed to the dwarven temple Ostentatia learned about. This is a multi-day journey so Cinnamon sings a glorious, magical, horse song and summons mounts for everyone which I will now name because this is obviously the most important part of the episode:

Snowfire - Danielle

Taffodill - Sam

Alagonia - Antiope

Candyheart - Penny

Starforge - Ostentatia 

Strawberry Dancer - Zelda 

Crucial info. 

As they travel, Antiope casts Primeval Awareness and gets that there is something ancient in the mountain. They travel through Pilgrim’s Pass (a village area most travelers to the temple pass through) but find it completely razed to the ground. They investigate. 

With an 18 Survival check, Antiope finds tracks that seem halfway between dog and cat. There are more than 4 legs and it’s hard to tell how old they are because there’s not a lot of rain in the area. They could have been left long ago and been undisturbed. Regardless, these are clearly from monstrosities. On a 26 History Check, Katja knows that this area used to be protected by Blink Dogs (teleporting dogs) but they seem to be all gone now. On a 22 Nature check, Yelle sees a weird feather made out of plant material. It seems like fae stuff but bad vibes. On an 18 Insight check, Sam knows this was a purposeful slaughter.

And on Penny’s 30 Arcana check, oh boy. Penny finds broken common scrawled on the wall in human blood talking about a queen of the mountain who rules the skies. That only the queen may see and none may see themselves. And that the people were told to destroy the seeing glass and did not obey. In from of that message is a bear hide covering something magic. Penny lifts it with reckless abandon and sees tons of mirror shards.

Friendship bracelets! She thinks.

Gotcha bitch, the thing in the mirror says.

Uh-oh.   

Penny calls over her friends to let them knows she may have made a tiny mistake. The group is pretty split between, “Understandable,” and “Girl, WHAT?” In her defense, she did try to cast Friends on the person on the other side of the mirror shards but that’s not enough to stop an entire pack of 50-60 Displacer Beast (magic tentacle cats)/Blink Dog hybrid monstrosities along with the Harpy Queen (voice from the mirror) and her plant feathered harpy minions to start rapidly making their way to their location. 

It is at this point that Ostentatia remembers that abominations and monstrosities cannot step into the temple which means it’s time to RUN. 

And NOW it’s combat time. 

The premise of this fight is that the girls are on their horses, moving towards the center of the temple as fast as they can while fending off the closest enemies. I won’t give an exact play by play but the two highlights are as follows:

Yelle conjures up a bunch of geese with raptor stats (...so normal geese) to swarm the head cat/dog abomination and has to do a truly stunning amount of math for which she is rewarded with SEVENTY POINTS OF DAMAGE. 

Antiope does some insane arrow trickery and gets the Queen Harpy in the wing (which Ostentatia helpfully gets on video so she can show Preston later) and then forces her to take damage as she falls. If not for an extremely lucky Box of Doom nat 20, she may have been down for the count. Antiope still comes away with more than FIFTY points of damage on her though. 

And we end the episode mid-combat! We will catch up on our girls next time!

Superlatives 

Penny: Most Likely to Make Friends During a Hostage Situation 

As a companion to Danielle’s superlative last episode, Penny gets this award for reading or misreading every situation as an opportunity to make friends or make friendship bracelets for the ones she already has. 

Random Thoughts

Did you guys notice that with Katja having Cinnamon and Charity’s assistant being Preston, that’s two of the main pet NPCs from A Crown of Candy?

Antiope’s Reaction to Yelle Saying That Maybe Things Ending Isn’t So Bad: Rail against the dying of the light! Why are you OK with this?

Penny’s Reaction to Yelle Saying That Maybe Things Ending Isn’t So Bad: Entropy is TERRIBLE! Everything needs order!

The greasy cashier’s response to Ostentatia’s flirty, “Come here often?” is “To my job? Honestly no.” Brennan? Chef’s kiss. 

My other fave line this episode is from Sam. “I believe Cinnamon fucks.”

It’s very cute that Penny is like, “I gotta text Riz about this Eidelon stuff!” Not because she wants help. Just so they can geek out together. 

The joke that Brennan didn’t think about the birds is so funny considering all the bird facts in Misfits.

Also re Birds attacking: “They made a movie about this Brennan!” 

Good on Ant for refusing an Aguefort sweatshirt from Charity when offered after the little scrying incident before. Remembering things like this saves lives. 

It has been brought up several times that Ending isn’t necessarily Bad just Ancient and Powerful and I trust Yelle’s vibe check but also, like, a forest fire doesn’t have malice behind it but it can still devastate a city while it clears out dead trees that need to be cleared, you know? Not ready to start wild speculation yet but I am curious. And am similarly curious about the sisters Ending has mentioned. Oh and the parallels of 7 Maidens, 7 mirrors. It’s all there, we just need a little more info. 

Honestly, get you a man who will see you rushing out of a building, loudly claiming to have diarrhea, and instead of being grosses out will just supportively confess his own stomach issues. I wish he was just a little younger cause I want that for Ant. 

I do like that D20 has been playing a little more fast and loose with the RP ep/combat ep format. I think it really helps with story flow. 

In this episode Antiope and Brennan as various non-Zelda NPCs rolled 2 Nat 20s. O rolled one. Ant rolled 1 Nat 1--which was on a self imposed roll to see how she responded to Sephie’s tramp stamp improv. And O may have rolled one for initiative also but I wasn’t sure. 

[kingoffiends]

So...Lilith

So I did not think my responses would be reblogged by @veiledlight-blog and @ohmourningstar but I want to continue the discussion on Lilith which isn’t a reblog chain but instead a full post.

So, why not use Lilith in your practice?

Because you’re not Jewish. Lilith is Jewish. You are not. Judaism is a closed practice for a reason. You aren’t supposed to use the stuff there if you aren’t Jewish. Maybe I have to explain why it’s closed.

Anti-semitism is a big issue. It’s everywhere all around the globe. Closed practices are closed to keep the practice how it is without being colonized, and Judaism is no exception. The Jewish people are often discriminated against. I could go on a full rant on how.

My Sunday school classmates have found nazi symbols spray painted onto walls near their homes. My Jewish friends have been made fun of for being Jewish. I’ve personally been threatened with violence and possible death for being Jewish. It’s caused a long issue with my self identity and my religious beliefs which I still struggle with now. I have often not wanted to be Jewish because I felt so ashamed and bad about it. I didn’t want a Bat Mitzvah in case others found out because I knew telling my friends might bring up a side of them I had no clue about or letting others who would also harm me know about my Judaism. It worsened my mental health which was already not good. And guess what? I was a kid. Not even thirteen when this all happened. No kid should go through that. No kid should hate who they are and what they believe because of others and their hate.

Judaism at its root is meant to protect its people from those who want to harm those who practice it. The whole book of Exodus was about escaping the Pharaoh who enslaved us and finding a new home. We have countless stories about it (the Prague Golem is an amazing one). We have the Holocaust. We’ve been taught by the world to keep closed to ourselves. Its figures like Lilith are not for those who are not Jewish. 

Now, Lilith has become so popular because her whole concept has been changed from what it once was. Lilith was a high figure, not to be messed with and a literal demon who could and would harm babies and their mothers. Now she’s all succubus queen empowering women. While I am very happy that women, especially young witches, can feel empowered, there’s many, many ladies in other pantheons who are more appropriate for goyim (those who are not Jewish). Honestly, if i were a non-Jewish witch I would love Eve and even as a Jewish witch I still love her. Like your free will? Thank her. Stay away from the lady who was written to eat babies. 

Also, young witches are also a big problem when it comes to this. You're naive. Hell I’m still young I’m definitely still naive. But I’m learning. You should be too, learning what you shouldn’t use in your practice because it’s appropriation. 

And I mentioned before in my responses that some people have deities and entities come to them, not the other way around. I’ve dealt with this situation with another involving Lilith as said deity/entity before. Let’s have a hypothetical situation. You see Loki in your dreams. You’re not a Norse Pagan. He talks to you. When you wake up you feel this connection between you and him. You research. You find out about Norse Paganism and since you feel so connected to one of its deities, you study more of it and eventually become a Norse Pagan. People can get involved in certain religions or practices because of such experiences. Why can’t the same be done with Liltih and Judaism?

Now, Norse Paganism is an open practice. With closed ones it’s different, especially with African and Native American practices. But I say the underlying concepts and ideas still apply in concerns to Judaism. You’re free to join us. If you actually really feel connected to her, then I bet you 9/10 you’ll feel connected to Judaism and its concepts as well and end up converting. It’s a long process and yes, it’ll require a lot of work. But if you really want it you’ll do it. Getting into studying magic in itself is a massive undertaking. If you want it, you can do it. And if you want to become Jewish you can do it if you really want it.

I know many young witches who want to work with Lilith will say “but I’m too young I can’t convert!” Well guess what? If you really want it you can sit down and wait and when you’re 18 you can convert. Study Judaism in the meanwhile. Help out your local Jewish community. Be an ally to us. We’ll greatly appreciate it and it’ll help with the conversion. If it’s too much of a hassle to wait, hopefully you’ll learn you made a mistake as your young naive self and have more wisdom for your practice, because we all make mistakes and we all should learn from them. And definitely still stand with us as an ally against anti-semitism! And if you still work with and worship her after all that without the conversion, then you’re just an approperiating asshole. Why she would want to work with you is beyond me. Even being “against anti-semitism” is a futile effort because clearly no you’re not. 

Also, please do not work with Lilith while you’re converting. Wait till after. You made it so far doing it all right only to ruin it by doing that. Plus by doing so you’re honestly just showing 1) you only converted for Lilith 2) you don’t actually respect the rest of Judaism and 3) Honestly you’re just an asshole trying to cover your tracks.

For any witches who do fully convert or those thinking on it: you can still be a witch and do pagan things as a Jew! Look at me. Look at my mom. Look at @will-o-the-witch. Nobody will judge you for it (you’ll find we’re a very open-minded and accepting community). Even rabbis will be open to it and might give you resources! So don’t be scared. We’ll welcome you.

One big thing, don’t just do nothing when you are officially Jewish. Attend services at a synagogue. Help out at your local JCC. Celebrate the holidays. Don’t just turn Jewish because some kid on Tumblr told you to if you wanted to work with Lilith. If you’re just going to ignore all of it when it’s done, then why even bother? It makes you another asshole just covering their tracks. If this is what you’re gonna do, don’t do it.

Also, please note my whole ramble on conversion is meant for people who genuinely feel a powerful connection to Lilith which should extend to the whole of Judaism. Don’t convert or even consider it if you’re only vaguely interested in her and the religion. Research is fine but active practice is a whole new bucket of worms. You’ll waste your time and everyone else’s time with a conversion if you’re not fully involved and into it. Attend or watch (with the pandemic and that) a service or two and see how you think of it. Research research research as well and decide after you’ve done the two. It’ll likely be a no at the end if you are not genuinely interested. Or you may end up genuinely interested in Judaism by doing those things. Just always make sure you’re 100% confident in your choice for this if you’re going to actually convert. It’s a big move and not one to be taken lightly. 

So, TLDR for the whole conversion thing: you either end up realizing your mistake and growing as a person and witch, you reveal yourself as a true asshole, or you end up in a community you’re happy in. Think hard and long. Question your interest and connections. Don’t not get involved in Jewish things if you do convert.

I didn’t expect this to end up mostly about conversion at the end but oh well. I hope this helps or provides some insight. For any questions please just dm or send me an ask. Any anti-semitism or hate will be ignored because I don’t have time for your shit.

[dbtskills]

[Image has the biohazard symbol on a yellow background with text that reads Staying Sane While Quarantined]

So, shit has hit the fan and pretty much wherever you are, COVID-19 is too. Grocery store shelves are empty and people are getting sent home from work by the droves. If you’ve been instructed to work from home, temporarily unemployed, or are under literal quarantine, these tips can help you maintain your mental health in these trying times.

1. Cope Ahead

If you haven’t been quarantined yet and have time to prepare for staying at home, cope ahead. Coping ahead is figuring out what vulnerabilities you might face and planning how you’re going to deal with them. Do you struggle with loneliness? Are you quarantined with someone you fight with? Do you often feel bored? Do you have eating issues? Ask yourself these types of questions. Each answer is a vulnerability that you need to address. Many of the following items will help you do so.

Note: if you have eating issues, make sure to stock your pantry with items you will actually eat, not aspirational foods. If you’re left at home with nothing you’re willing to eat you’re in big trouble. QUARANTINE IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO USE BEHAVIORS!

2. Have An Activity Arsenal

Make sure you have plenty of stuff to do. If you’re able to work from home, awesome, that’ll use some of your empty time. Gather all the usuals: books, movies, comics, tv shows. Dive deeper down on your watchlists/readlists. Have any hobbies? Go back to whatever you used to do before life got too busy. Go back to drawing, finish that sweater you were knitting. Or try something new! Learn to crochet! Do a puzzle! Some of this takes planning and resources but you can also download apps that let you color or try your hand at graphic design or zine-making.

Once you’ve determined the things you CAN do, put them all on a list and stick that bad boy on your fridge so you can go to it when you’re feeling bored.

Note: the library has great resources for digital media. You can find shows/movies to watch as well as things to read online. Utilize those library cards to the max- they’re not just for physical books!

3. Make A Schedule

Specifically a sleep schedule. Quarantine may seem like the perfect opportunity to sleep your life away but your mental health will suffer if you don’t regulate your sleeping. Get up and go to sleep at the same time each day. Pencil in a modest nap.

If you can, schedule other things. I know that’s asking a lot though. But if you’re someone who feeds off the structure of life or school, all this empty time may destabilize your mental health. If that’s you, try to schedule sleep time and watch time and read time and social time. It’ll help I swear.

4. Have Patience

You may be quarantined with a roommate or a family that you don’t always get along with. If so, have as much patience as you can with them. They’re just as stir-crazy as you are. Avoid them if you’re getting fed up. If you fight, there’s really nowhere to escape to. Use your conflict resolution and interpersonal skills to the max.

Be patient the situation too. It’s not ideal. In fact it fucking sucks. But it’s the best way to protect yourself and those around you. Like really, science is all in on this one. You may feel confident in your ability to survive the virus, but what about your 80-year-old grandma or your immunocompromised cousin? We gotta protect them too. So post up and radically accept this shit.

Also be patient with yourself. This may seem like a great time to get that thing you’ve always been wanting to do done. And it can be! But you don’t need to be productive all the time. You don’t need to produce anything to make this time “worthwhile.” You’re allowed to just be. It’s most important to take care of yourself. If you’re really struggling against productivity, consider it productive to fight capitalism by doing nothing!

5. Be “Social”

Just because you’re isolated doesn’t mean you can’t be social. Call your family. FaceTime your friends. Do it every damn day. I know it’s not the same but it’s the best we’ve got right now. Schedule social time into each day and stick to it. This is a perfect opportunity to reach out to the people you’ve been meaning to for the past few months but haven’t. Call your grandpa. Call that friend from college you’ve been catching up with. Call a friend that you’re worried about. Even if you’re not feeling very social, it could make or save someone else’s day.

6. Write Down One Reason You’re Glad You’re Alive Every Day

It’s scientifically proven that expressing gratitude regularly can help improve your mood. It may be hard to come up with a whole daily list of reasons to be grateful when you’re quarantined during a pandemic. So let’s start small. Keep a list and every day add one reason you’re glad you’re alive. Think of it like Rey scratching a hashmark onto her wall for every day she’s been on Jakku. But like in a more positive way. Each reason is a day you’ve been quarantined but you may find yourself wanting to keep up the habit once this is all over. Even if it’s hard at first, you’ll find that you actually can come up with a reason a day. The truth is that the reasons are limitless. Just think of all the doggos out there left to pet!

[purplerose244]

Idea scenario for episode 10 (because putting thoughts down makes me less anxious 😅)

Langa gets Reki to fix the skateboard.

They are awkward at first but then they talk and they laugh like they used to. Reki promises the board will be delivered for his final challenge. It looks like they are mostly back to normal but then Langa finds out Reki left S and they fight again. Langa tells him he can't skate without him because he makes him feel alive, Reki tells him he can't skate WITH him anymore because Langa will leave him behind. Langa tells him he's sorry he broke their promise, Reki tells him he's sorry he left Langa. Langa confesses that he loves to skate when Reki is there, because he loves Reki. Reki admits that he wants to skate with Langa because he loves Langa (possible kiss because WHY NOT ❤💙❤💙)

Despite this Reki says that until he is strong enough to be by Langa's side, he won't be back to S. Langa says that until Reki is back he won't skate but Reki doesn't want that. He says that Langa loves skateboarding, that it's what united them and it will be what will bring them back together so he needs to keep going for the both of them. Langa promises that he will keep skateboarding. They leave with another "don't be reckless" from Reki, that Langa uses back saying "you too" (possible other kiss because YA KNOW ❤💙❤💙)

There are tears as they leave each other.

(I'm guessing that the finalists will be Shadow Langa Adam and Tadashi, sorry Miya. I don't know if they will make a battle royal or a pre final to decide. For the sake of this theory I'm gonna go with Adam vs Langa again)

(I do think there will be a confrontation between Tadashi and Langa though. An Eve and the Snake situation 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️)

Adam cannot wait to dance with his Eve. Langa can't believe Reki won't be here again. He wants to run away, he wants to leave, he doesn't want to skate without him again. But he made a promise, and this time he's going to keep it. Like back in his challenge against Miya the skate is delivered a little late. Not by Reki, but by manager Oka. The skate is the same in the structure but the sketch is different: it's Reki's signature gear symbol, fused with a snowflake all over. Manager Oka says Reki is cheering for him, no matter where he is.

Heartbeat.

Langa's heart flutters. It's here. The feeling. Even when Reki is not here, he still somehow is. The challenge starts, Adam tries to play his tricks, to seduce his Eve, skating and being a creep dancing. But Langa isn't looking at him, he is beyond. The feeling he has experienced at his first challenge against Adam was a raw, dangerous excitement, that had felt like the strongest emotion he had ever experienced. He was wrong. This one feeling was honest, vivacious, protective. It was pulsing, bright, warm. It was all Reki was, it was all his love for skateboarding and him. So Langa skates, he skates like never before, because he loves this and he loves Reki and everyone needs to know.

Adam doesn't understand what is happening. He's loving Langa, he's loving him with all of his heart. And he is... rejecting him? He isn't supposed to, how can he reject his love? Adam has been loved his entire life and he has never rejected the love his aunties have inflicted on him, that was natural! Why was his Eve being like this? How could he?? Adam starts to get more aggressive, showing more of his "love" trying to make Langa "understand". It's all in vain, and Langa smiles so sweetly, looking at something that Adam cannot see. That he cannot touch.

The police arrives again, this time they know something is up (Idk maybe Tadashi did something or the investigator is that good I don't have a clear motivation for this one). Adam is too caught up with forcing himself onto Langa (it sounds very bad but honestly can you not believe when it's about him? 😑) to even care. They get to the very end, Adam is out to do anything to get Langa, even hurting him as badly as he always did, with everyone else. But Langa is too far from him.

Langa jumps.

Snow appears, the reason why he got his name in the first place.

But there's something else, a light, making every single snowflake glimmer. The sun, there is the sun and it's making his figure shine even brighter. Adam is so caught up with his inferiority that he falls and doesn't even finish the challenge.

Langa is victorious. The others celebrate him for a moment, only to be taken by the police for interrogation. In the place where Adam had fallen there is no one. Adam is gone.

It takes a while to clear up the situation and to reconnect everything to Adam as the organizer of S. It is solved quickly since the focus is on Adam and his real career anyway. But the S has been discovered and that era is now over. Joe and Cherry have a conversation about how the world changes and where are they going to skate now (it probably ends with them arguing while admitting they can't skate without the other). Miya's qualification for the nationals gets postponed because for the S mess and everyone wants to know about that. He gets to make new friends, while the old ones that rejected him slowly start to go through "redemption" to get back into the "hero's party". Shadow, with his alter ego without a place to be, takes all of his courage to ask his boss out (on this one I feel either they will start dating on a slow pace, or the girl understood that they are hanging out as friends and nothing more. Sorry, I feel like this is Shadow's fortune 😅)

Langa goes to Reki's house to tell him about S (and get some smooch- what wait who said that ahah). Reki's mom tells him that Reki won't be home for a little while, he went to meet someone in another city. Langa is sad about that but he will wait for him.

In the dark, running away from justice that keeps looking for him, Adam can't get over how his Eve has left him. How Eve betrayed him, destroying the paradise they used to have together. He is restless, he wants to go back to that place and get Eve to love him again (because Eve loved him before, suuuure 🙄). In a way, he will make everything perfect, a new paradise for them, better than before. And Eve will never leave again.

Days go by, Langa meets the others at night to skate. Sometimes Miya even brings some friends (the ones that pushed him away in the past gets a very harsh treatement from Shadow 😉), and a few schoolmates of Langa finally got curious and are trying. Joe and Cherry are severe but very good teachers. In all of this, Langa thinks that this is a really nice moment to live in. He hopes that Reki will be back soon.

In another city, in another house, Reki takes the deepest breath of his life. He makes sure his headband is right, holds onto his skateboard (it has the same snowgear symbol on it but with inverted colors) and knocks. A second later a woman welcomes him and leads him in. Reki opens another door, where a guy with medical machines around is onto the bed. He looks up from a book and smiles.

"Kyan Reki. It's been a while pal, here on vacation?"

Reki smiles back.

"I actually have a request. It might be a lot, and I know you don't skate anymore... but you taught me all I know, and I want to get better. Will you teach me how to be the best?"

The guy looks surprised. There is a photo on the wall, them on skateboards having the time of their lives. He looks at it, then he grins.

"You're having dinner with us tonight. We start tomorrow. Get ready."

Reki exhales a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looks down at his skate, hoping that what they have is real, and that this is going to be enough. But even if it isn't, he isn't going to give up. Especially not on skateboarding. Especially not on him.

He closes his eyes, a hand on his chest.

Heartbeat.

He can't wait to get back to do his best. He can't wait to learn new tricks and improve himself. He can't wait to go back to skate with Langa.

~

When I was a kid, back when I watched heroes on TV and stuff,

The hero said:

"What is your happiness?"

He absolutely hated ending without knowing what happiness was, he said.

... and I think I understand better now. When you fight for something, or someone, you wanna know why.

Hence the meaning of that happiness.

It still doesn't change how the world see it.

To become rich?

(Scene with Cherry closing a suitcase filled with money, leaving his room)

To be popular with girls?

(Scene with Cherry getting into Joe's restaurant while a few disappointed girl clients leave at the same time. They smile at each other while Joe put the "We're Closed" sign on the door and get back in with him)

To get into a good school?

(Scene with Miya running through the courtyard of his school with his old and new friends, looking happy)

To be respected?

(Scene with Shadow teaching his boss how to skate and her being an adorable klutz and so impressed by him)

Of course, I'm sure... I know, that for many that's what happiness is.

And I know I thought I knew what my happiness was myself.

I even thought I've lost it at some point.

I was wrong. I never found it, and I never lost it.

I'm discovering it right now.

(Scene with Reki walking left towards the kitchen of the house he's in with a smile. Scene with Langa in the place they used to train in, sitting to watch the sunset, turning towards right with a smile)

And I'll get it.

Soon, I will get my happiness too.