#oberon cannot tell the truth even when he's telling the truth

[melonisopod]

When I tell you there were LAYERS to the Command Spell Torture Scene.

[cleonard-ricsummerinenglandblog]

ENGL 350 Blog 4

A Love Forged in the Fires of Hell…

Act 2 Scene 1’s exchange between Demetrius and Hermia is one of my favorites because it’s funny, pathetic, and all the while slightly uncomfortable when you think about what they’re doing and where they’re going.

It starts with Demetrius stating that he hates the pursuant Helena and then demonstrating what a love god he is with his plan to kill Hermia’s lover so she can be with him because that will definitely make her love him back. Helena, for her part, reiterates her want for Demetrius. Demetrius then says what every person who has ever been followed around by a weirdo has wanted to say to said person.

“Do I entice you? do I speak you fair? Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth  Tell you, I do not, nor I cannot love you?”

But what agonizes me with this statement from Demetrius is that he is so in the right to say this to Helena… but then what the hell is he doing in these woods again? Oh yeah, pursuing Hermia, doing exactly the same thing to her that Helena is doing to him.

Helena responds to this by revealing her BDSM kink, stating that she is Demetrius’s spaniel, and that she would even be happy getting beaten senseless so long as it was his hand hitting her. 

Demetrius’s response is pretty much the only one that makes sense to such a declaration.

“Demetrius: Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;

     For I am sick when I do look on thee. 

 Helena: And I am sick when I look not on you.”

But Helena turns it back on him.

We then get to the bleakest part of this scene because yes, it does get worse thanks to Demetrius.

“You do impeach your modesty too much, To leave the city and commit yourself  Into the hands of one that loves you not; To trust the opportunity of night And the ill counsel of a desert place With the rich worth of your virginity.”

Simply put, he threatens to rape her if she doesn’t leave… 

Again, I want to sympathize with Demetrius, but the level of audacity to threaten that is… wow. It’s also a bit stupid considering she’s pretty much been begging him to do her for hours now. And indeed, her reply is pretty much, “I want you to.”

To everyone’s relief, Demetrius’s threat, though still heinous, was empty, or at least toothless, as he decides to just run away from her. 

When he states so, we finally, finally, for the love of Christ our Maker, get some bite from Helena, in that she is so sick of trying to make Demetrius love her. That she should be the one getting wooed by him. Of course she still hasn’t gotten it through her thick skull that it would take a miracle to make that happen… oh wait.

Really though, the entire exchange is funny to me. But, it is also why the idea of Helena and Demetrius actually being together makes me want to vomit. The threat he gives is also ironic given that he’s the one who ends up getting… forced upon… 

That irony honestly is what makes thing the ending of the play is meant to be a joke in and of itself. The only couple in the play that actually has some business together is Lysander and Hermia, but they are joined in the end with Thesus and Hippolyta, Demetrius, and Helena, as well as a renewed Oberon and Titania. It makes them stand in stark contrast as an ideal love surrounded by couples that should not be together. Perhaps a statement on marriage as a business of suffering more than a genuinely happy ending.

[tainbocuailnge]

What do you think of Oberon-Vortigern masquerading as Merlin and teaching Castoria whatever magic she wanted to learn? Starting from her wanting to know how to cast fire, because the place she was staying was cold?

I'm going to talk about something slightly different from what you were actually asking about. i joke a lot about how for someone called king of liars oberon sure is a terrible liar, but this actually proves that he's a genius liar.

oberon vortigern is a liar, to the point where everything he says becomes a lie. while he was pretending to be oberon his friendship with guda & castoria was a lie, but by claiming it was a lie the statement "it was a lie" becomes a lie and their friendship turns real. when he warns aurora to be careful around him because he's a liar, she just smiles pleasantly because by suggesting he might betray her he turned that possibility into a lie. oberon is a great liar not because he tells convincing lies, but because he cleverly manipulates what the lie is.

thus, pretending to be merlin is oberon's way of making absolutely sure that "there was someone who reached out to castoria at her loneliest moments" will not become a lie.

if he had reached out to castoria as himself, the lie would be that there was someone who would want to reach out to her, because he is a liar. but by pretending to be someone else, he made it so that the lie is that "this person" helped her, and the feelings of wanting to help her remained genuine.

his choice of merlin specifically is another layer of insurance. if it had been the real oberon, he might not have helped castoria. if he'd used any old fake name, any actions performed with that identity would be lies too. vortigern hates merlin with an extreme passion, but he also knows him well, and he knows that merlin would have never left castoria shivering alone in a shed if he could do something about it. his myroom line for merlin even conveys a certain sense of respect in that as much as he hates him merlin is still essential to his existence, because there cannot be lies without truth. in other words, merlin represents "the truth" to oberon. so the one time he needed to be genuine no matter what, he pretended to be "someone who speaks the truth", carefully wrapping all the lies around his identity so that his actions would be true.

even if it's a lie that merlin is the one who reached out to her, it's still true that "merlin" would have reached out to her.

no matter what, no matter what, oberon vortigern wants artoria caster to know that even in this world built on corpses, even in this world they both exist to punish for its crimes, there exists the miracle of someone who selflessly helps you. at this point he had already been saved by the welsh fairies, so he already experienced that himself once. he absolutely cannot allow that to become a lie. if his only proof is his own experience then it will be a lie the moment he speaks it, but now that it is immutable truth that there was someone who helped castoria, "there exist people who will help you" will remain true for him as well.

[zeravmeta]

I actually fucking love how disingenuous Merlin really is. Like for someone who is dedicated to observing the truth and feeding off stories he’s also an incredible liar. Merlin can feel emotions despite what he says but he doesn’t trust his own emotions to be real because his nature as a half incubus means that he’s detached from the process of feeling said emotions, so he’s always hyper aware of his emotional state and hand-waves them away as his own incubus nature feeding off them. It’s part of what caused him to isolate himself in Avalon, because he genuinely grieved for Artoria but couldn’t handle said emotions, and it led to a self-loathing over how his involvment could make things worse. 

It’s part of what makes his parallels with Oberon so interesting: Oberon is a living lie but Merlin’s only “lie” is to himself. Oberon and Merlin are fundamentally incompatible because Oberon represents the stories that Merlin feeds off of, and Oberon can’t accept someone consuming a story without understanding its value, while Merlin’s role as someone who observes and enjoys stories purely on a surface-level value for consumption means he can’t percieve Oberon. Oberon is a living lie fighting for the fictional Lostbelts because he can’t accept that they are reduced to lies, in essence arguing that they are as “true” as PHH, while Merlin represents the truth in PHH being PHH, the story that he lives in and observes thus being the only “truth” among them, yet he holds the lie of he himself being a neutral arbiter. It’s telling that Merlin has the capacity to become a Beast despite his insistence on being unemotional, because he genuinely does love the humans he watches, yet it’s that disconnect and self-doubt from his emotions that keeps him from consuming them outright as a Beast. 

You can even relate this to their dynamics with their respective Artorias. To Merlin, the only Artoria is the King of Knights who chose her own end, but every Artoria is thus made his Artoria because she always chooses to take up the sword in the end. While he recognizes the distinctions between them, all Artoria’s are still the same girl he raised and led along to her destiny, one that she chose and one that shattered him. Even Castoria, who spent the entire Lostbelt fighting against the selection prophecy because she couldn’t accept the cruelty and burden that PHH forced onto one young girl, made the same choice, a choice made to save the world and to be a hero. 

Oberon finds PHH disgusting. He hates Avalon Le Fae for being a bastion of unending cruelty, he hates PHH for having the audacity to exist as the “truth” meant to stamp out the Lostbelts “lies”, he hates nearly everything about everyone and himself, but he doesn’t find it entirely meaningless. Even though his words and actions are turned into lies because they are made devoid of meaning, he still finds value in the small bits of genuine kindness and empathy present throughout. Even knowing what Castoria was within her own Lostbelt, he presents himself as his most hated opposite because if Oberon isn’t allowed to care about Artoria, he knows that Merlin is. Even while falling through the endless abyss after having lost, he see’s the clear blue sky of PHH and finds it so beautiful it makes him sick.

The only time “Merlin” is allowed to directly intervene and care for Artoria is as Oberon, because Merlin does love her and thus Oberon can wear that role by his nature of being a piece of living fiction. Oberon loves Castoria but cannot express it as himself, because if he did then it would become a lie and that bond would dissappear. Castoria dissappears right before Oberon can reveal his nature as Vortigern because he can’t be the loving figure of “Merlin” anymore as the composite whose going to destroy PHH, the world that made Castoria take up the sword regardless. When Castoria is made to take up the sword again, the lie that Merlin was able to raise Artoria as a normal girl disconnected from her destiny is made meaningless once again, and all that’s left is the rotting corpse of a monster that fights against the idea that that love and care was meaningless. 

[thessaliah]

can the man of chaldea be a pretender?

From the current description? No. This doesn't mean Goetia-Flauros-Whoever-Could-Be can't be a Pretender Solomon if playable, Chaldea Person (so far) is not a Servant. There are a few things that aren't exactly matching, but all our information is limited.. This is what we know of Pretender (for now):

- Those with these saint graphs are not counterfeits/fakers, but rather play a "role" that deceives the very soul. This impersonification adds power/achievements to them which replace their real selves. Lostbelt Vortigern is Oberon Vortigern.

- They are classed as enemies of the world, but not of humans or other living creatures. Even though they could be a threat to humanity oh well, it seems their target is the world itself. I remember Barghest's description of the Mors King (Vortigern's previous incarnation) was one that was not against fairy or humans but the land/world. It probably means is kind of a self-destruct mechanism*?

- Unlike typical Servants who are either Heroic Spirits who commit great deeds or Anti Heroes that were defeated to establish goodness, the Pretenders are those who mislead or deceive others to do great deeds. Oberon manipulating people to do his manifestation.

Now with Holmes and why he could be a Pretender as he is in the main story. Because he is Sherlock Holmes, so he's not a faker. But he could have been something else too before becoming Sherlock Holmes (Surtr statement: Hybrid Servant). He is also called the "enemy of the world" by Zeus (his eyes, specifically). I think this* could mean many things and would depend on when and how we'll handle his defeat. I brought up earlier his weird connection to Buddhism, possible connection to Laplace, or anything Chaldea related (if he is meant to be beaten in the main story and not a 0.5 chapter). There is a third explanation during his quest, he said:

"People do not need to know. They cannot know. That is why―I have been granted this Saint Graph as a Ruler, as arbitrator and adjudicator. It is a role that arbitrates the truth, and mediates all things in order to maintain human history."

I always found it a little weird a British detective claimed to be the one who "maintains human history." He also said that saint graph was handed on him, but it could be a lie, like how he lied about being a Caster earlier. Moriarty brings it up in Holmes' interlude, under the accusation he tells him "Who are you to call yourself a detective?" and "If you are pretending to be an ally of justice," etc, along with a reminder of what he said he was. If his eyes are connected to arbitrate the truth to maintain "human history" mayhaps he is connected as a manifestation of the Theoretical Pruning Phenomena. That is an enemy of the world (the ones marked for deletion) as Vortigern as the Will of Britain and its self-destruction mechanism was.

The third requirement is pretty easy to fulfill. Note that Holmes that was introduced in part 1.5, was mostly a passive member of Chaldea, but in part 2, he gained track as a leading advisor who is giving pointers so Guda, Mash, to go on and commit great deeds with him: destroying the Lostbelts (for now) with the false claim they caused the bleaching to start with. This is something I talked about before: differences between part 1 with Romani giving a sound advice and solution that effectively restores Humanity since the prologue, while Holmes doing the opposite, giving a phony solution to erase the lostbelts yet we still don’t know how to actually restore the blank world.

[craby-bouquet]

잠자리 - 2.3 : Roscid

I’m half living my life between reality and fantasy at all times.— Lady Gaga

~ Part 3 ~

Kwon Soonyoung x Female reader

Fantasy!AU, Romantic Comedy, Royal!AU

4k words

Masterlist | Seventeen masterlist  |  잠자리 masterlist

1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.1

You were pacing around the hallway in front of Oberon’s work room, waiting for Soonyoung to come back out. The both of you had been summoned shortly after you finished eating breakfast, and you were sure it was about him sleeping in your bed. You wondered what was happening behind the closed door, what they were saying. What if Soonyoung really was in big trouble? What if he was taken away from you? 

The door opened and Soonyoung, with his eyes turned to the ground, came walking out.

“How’d it go?” you asked eagerly.

He turned his eyes to you, they stood empty, a hint of sadness, then he smiled “He wants you to go in. You’ll be fine.”

You nodded, still worried about everything that could possibly happen, but you did walk in slowly. You closed the door behind you and turned around to see the king sitting behind his desk, he stood up when he saw you.

“You look lovely.” he complimented you.

After breakfast another maid had come in to help you get into a complicated dress. You got to choose which dress you wanted to wear today and after stepping into your ridiculously large wardrobe, you decided to pick the most simple dress you could see. Dresses weren’t your thing, especially not big evening dresses. This soft pink dress had a simple jewel neckline and butterfly sleeves, the top reached until your hips before it flared out into layers of tulle that reached until just above your ankles. You felt silly, wearing a dress like this. If you were to wear this back home, people would call you crazy.

“Thank you.”

He smiled and nodded “You looked kind of out of place yesterday, in the outfit you wore then. You now truly look like you belong here.”

You nodded, not sure what to say.

He sighed and gestured you to sit down on the other side of the desk. You did as he commanded and sat across from him. 

He folded his hands on the table “I think you know what this is about?”

You nodded. You couldn’t be sure, but you sure had a feeling.

“Soonyoung told me about how you have trouble sleeping in places you don’t know, and that’s why you asked him to stay.” 

For a second, you frowned. That wasn’t necessarily true, you didn’t have trouble sleeping anywhere. But then it dawned on you what Soonyoung did.

“That’s right, yeah.” You said softly, as if it was something you were ashamed off.

Oberon smiled relieved “Why didn’t you just tell me? We could have taken care of that.”

You shrugged. Why did you not tell him? “I didn’t want to bother you.”

He gently rested his hand on your shoulder and looked you in the eye, his eyes were soft, loving “You’re never a bother. Now let’s see what we can do to fix that.” He thought for a little, humming as he searched for an idea.

“We could put an extra bed in your room, so Soonyoung could stay with you? Or maybe he could just sleep on a couch…”

You wiggled your toes under the table, and bit your lip “I actually felt really safe with him sleeping next to me…” You said softly, hoping that wouldn’t make him angry or something. But that was the truth. You felt unsafe in your room, something just… wasn’t right. And Soonyoung being next to you made you feel so much safer.

Oberon didn’t get angry, but he did seem like he had to really think about that, like that hurt his brain. He sighed, “A princess cannot sleep in the same bed as her guard. It’s just… inappropriate...”

You didn’t say anything, just looked down at your hands on your lap.

“But you feel safe with him- and I’m glad about that, because that is the whole reason why he became your guard. So who am I to say he can’t sleep in your bed. As long as you keep it appropriate.”

You laughed, genuinely happy “Of course. Thank you so much.”

He was happy to see you laugh, to hear you laugh, for the first time in person. 

You jumped up, trying to dim down your happiness before he would change his mind or something.

“One more thing,” He said before you could leave, “The maid told you about lunch, right?”

You nodded “Yes. She said something came up, so you had to change the schedule.”

He nodded, “Alright. Well, I just want you to know there’s nothing you have to worry about.”

You hadn’t worried about it until he told you you shouldn’t worry. Something about the way he said it alarmed you. But you forced a smile anyway, reassuring him you weren’t worried.

Soonyoung was happy to hear the two of you weren’t in trouble. Apparently Oberon had been quite harsh with him, but he was glad to hear he hadn’t yelled at you. 

Lunch with the king was awkward, you saw more similarities between the two of you, and you were glad to see you had things in common, but things were still kind of… weird. You both didn’t know each other and trying to get to know each other was quite hard if there were so many guards standing in the room with you. Talking freely didn’t seem like an option considering there were more people who’d listen along.

After lunch you both stood up, Soonyoung rushed to your side immediately. 

“Maybe you could show me around the castle,” you tried to find something to call him, “highness.”

The king smiled, happy that you wanted to spend more time with him “I would love to, however, I have business to attend to. My sincerest apologies. Maybe master Soonyoung could show you around?”  

You were surprised by how upset you were by the fact he once again didn’t have time for you, but you forced a smile and nodded. What he had to do was probably really important.

“But I cleared out my calendar for tomorrow after noon, maybe we could spend some time together then? Walk through the garden or something, maybe check out town?”

You nodded “I would like that.”

Oberon smiled, and walked away without saying anything else. Your shoulders dropped the moment the big door closed behind him.

Soonyoung pushed your shoulder, you had to change your stance in order to hold your balance. But he managed to make you laugh. 

“Let’s go. I know just where to start our tour.”

You rolled your eyes “The kitchen?”

His eyes lit up as he smirked “You know me so well.”

The castle was truly gorgeous, totally like a fairytale castle but filled with plants and flowers of all kind. Growing on the walls and ceiling, sometimes even covering the ground. It was huge, and you expected to get lost here more than a few times, but you felt safe. Which was… odd, considering you didn’t even feel safe in your own room. Maybe you really did have trouble sleeping in new places.

Just thinking about wandering through those long halls again, made butterflies flutter through your stomach. And you got that chance the next day, on your way to Oberon for your walk through the garden, the only place Soonyoung didn’t show you during your tour. 

This time. you told Soonyoung you wanted to try finding Oberon’s room by yourself. You had been there before so you were sure you must be able to find it again. Oh, how wrong you were. 

You had been walking the halls for ages, yet you hadn’t come any bit closer to your destination. They really should put signs in these confusing halls. The sense of security you had had the day before had melted as snow, and you were quite positive you were lost. Well, you were completely sure.

The weirdest part was that there was no staff to be seen anywhere. You had no idea how castles work, of course, but you always thought there was staff everywhere.

But then you heard hurried, high-heeled footsteps coming your way, and a honey sweet women’s voice mumbling to herself. She didn’t sound happy, like she was angry with someone. When she came around the corner, your breath got stuck in your throat.

She was the most gorgeous woman you had ever seen. Her long, blonde hair was dancing all around her, some jewel hanging from it to her forehead. She wore a gorgeous, simple, cornflower blue dress that seemed to be fitted just for her, with a lace shawl hanging from her shoulders. Her face was like that of a model, like she had just walked away from a photoshoot. 

She stopped and frowned when she saw you.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” The fact that she seemed annoyed completely got lost in how pretty her voice sounded. 

You bowed in reflex, but she waved it away “Yes, fine. Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning or something, maid?” 

She thought you were a maid..? You looked down at the dress you picked today, it definitely didn’t remind you of something a maid would wear.

She followed your eyes to your dress, and suddenly seemed to realize something, her eyes almost pressed shut, “You’re his daughter, aren’t you?”

You were sure she meant king Oberon, so you nodded hurriedly. 

Her expression changed suddenly, her eyes kind, her body less stiff, as she walked up to you and embraced you. You just stood there, letting her hug you tightly, not knowing how to act.

“You should have said so! Silly girl.” Her laugh was enchanting, “I’m queen Titania.” 

You had figured that. You bowed again “It is a pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

She waved your words away, “I’m sure it is, but don’t be silly, you don’t have to act all formal to me, we’re family!” 

That last word caught you off guard. She was right, she was your father’s wife, you just hadn’t thought about it like that yet.

“I wanted to meet you so badly, but my husband didn’t let me. I suppose he wanted your sweet face all to himself.” She playfully touched your nose with her index finger, “I tried to tell him that was ridiculous, I was sure you would want to meet me. I’m so glad we meet at last.”

You smiled “I’m glad too.” 

“Ah! You’re so sweet. Are you on your way to your dad?” 

The way she called him your dad so easily, sounded strange to you. You hadn’t thought of him as a ‘dad’ until now, the word sounded so far away. You nodded, however, knowing she meant well.

She looked around, with a strange expression, “Then, what are you doing here? This isn’t even close to his office.”

You bit your lip “I got lost.”

She seemed to enjoy that, but got herself together very quickly, “Don’t worry, I got lost when I first got here, too. Do you need me to show you the way? I just came back from his office, so…” 

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” 

She put her hand in the small of your back, and pushed gently to get you to walk along with her, “Oh, that’s no problem whatsoever! I would love to spend this time together, we need to bond too, you know. I sort of am your mother now.” She started talking as you walked down the hallway.

What did she mean by being your mother? She wasn’t anything like your mother. 

“In this world I am, anyway. Your mom’s husband is your dad, right? So then your father’s wife must be your mom. And since I am that wife.” When she saw your conflicted face, her expression changed, “Oh but don’t worry, I don’t expect you to treat me like a mother, I would just like to do some bonding. Do some girl stuff together.” She winked.

You nodded, she seemed more eager to spend time with you than Oberon. You didn’t understand why the fairies and Robin Goodfellow called her difficult, she seemed lovely to you.

She talked the entire way, you were pretty sure that, even if you tried, you wouldn’t get a chance to talk at all. You didn’t mind though, she was cheerful and nice, and filled the silence of the empty halls. There were some maid’s here and there, but they only bowed, didn’t say anything and didn’t look either of you in the eye. Titania didn’t react to them at all, ected like they didn’t exist.

You recognized the door you stopped in front of as Oberon’s office. Titania smiled down at you “Here we are. Oh and maybe put in a good word for me, if you don’t mind.” She winked. 

You smiled back at her before knocking on the door.

“Come in.” Your father’s voice said on the other side. Once the door opened, he seemed to notice Titania, who waved at him with a devilish face, something you didn't see, and glared angrily at her. 

He stood up to welcome you as the door closed, and gestured you to sit.

“I see you met Titania…” he carefully started, trying to look nonchalant, but clearly bothered. 

You nodded “I did, she seems lovely.” 

He scoffed, “She’s a good actress.”

“She was nice to me.” You said defensively. 

“I’m sure she was.” Still mockingly, “She just came from my office, where I told her to leave you alone. Yet she pulls this, completely ignoring my order. I’m truly glad she was good to you, but don’t think she’s a saint.”

“I didn’t. She was just being nice is all.” You couldn’t believe he could talk like that about his own wife. It disappointed you.

He sighed, touching the bridge of his nose, “I know, I know. She is a nice lady, she just never… listens.” He sighed once more, before lifting his head to smile at you, “Anyway, we need not worry about her today. We’re going to have fun.”

He folded his hands on the desk in front of him "I just finished my paperwork, so you arrived at a perfect timing." He smiled sweetly, for the first time since you were here he seemed to drop the whole king attitude "So, what do you wanna do? Go to the garden? Go into town?"

You made a thoughtful sound, you hadn't really thought about it but it was an easy decision "I have only seen a snippet of the garden, I would love to see more."

He stood up excitedly "Well, let us go then."

The afternoon was lovely, it was great talking to Oberon as your father, telling him about yourself, him asking questions. And you were also happy you got to know him, how much you had in common, a thing you were always bothered by with your father at home whom you had nothing in common with. It felt strange, insane and unreal. 

It was way easier to bond and talk when there weren't guards around everywhere. Yeah, there were guards in the gardens, but way less, and they were kind of out of sight. You felt more free.

The garden was just as beautiful as the inside of the castle, truly a masterpiece, as if you were living inside a painting. It seemed like it couldn't possibly be real.

All in all, you had a good time. And you finally felt like you actually got a chance to bond with the man who was supposed to be your father. And you actually had fun.

Soonyoung was laying on your bed as you came back to your room, he was just staring up at the ceiling.

“You good?” you asked with a big smile on your face and one eyebrow raised.

His face turned to you with a smile “Yup.”

You sat down beside him, petting his hair gently as you chuckled.

“Did you have fun with Oberon?” He asked.

You nodded “Surprisingly, yes.”

He frowned “Surprisingly?”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect beforehand…” You bit your lip, “But I liked hanging out with him and getting to know him.” 

His smile grew wider as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling “Good.”

You laid down as well, holding onto his arm and as you, too, looked up at the ceiling. There was nothing to see but some plants with pretty flowers.The room still felt weird, unsafe. It made you uncomfortable and scared in a weird way. You tried ignoring it, blaming it on you not being used to it, but you were almost sure that wasn’t all. Something was wrong.

“What did you do in my absence? Have you looked up at the ceiling the whole time?” you tried to get your mind off the weird feeling.

Soonyoung laughed “Nope, that’s only the past half hour. I was at my parents.”

Your eyes grew wide “Really? That’s Amazing!”

He nodded “I hadn’t seen them in a while so it was fun.” 

You couldn’t help but smile at how happy he looked “I’m glad.”

He grabbed something he was laying on and held it up to you “Here.”

It was a stuffed animal snake. You took it from him, laughing “What..?” 

Soonyoung shrugged “I promised you I’d show you my plushie.”

You laughed loudly as you threw your arms around the boy beside you, snake plushie still in your hand as you blew softly in his neck, making him chuckle.

“I love it, it’s really cute.” 

He raised an eyebrow, his face stood devious, you knew he was gonna make a corny joke “So you think I’m cute..?” 

“Yep.” You responded without hesitation, which clearly wasn’t the response he expected to get from you. You could see his eyes finding something to say back, but he didn’t seem to be able to. After a little while he just gave in and sat up.

“Did you have dinner yet?” 

You nodded, as you also sat up “Yes I did.” with Oberon, it was just there, in the dining room, as you got back from your walk. And the dinner wasn’t awkward at all, unlike the other day “Have you?”

He nodded too, “My mom made me my favorite.” 

That made you smile, you were happy he got to see his parents. You couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him to be away so long, watching over you. In a weird way, it made you feel kind of guilty. He left them to take care of you.

He stood up and walked over to the door "I'm going to put on my pyjamas, take care of Hoshi for me, please." He winked.

You held the snake plus his up and frowned "You named it Hoshi?"

"Yup. See ya in a sec, highness." He winked before closing the door behind him. You decided this would be a good time for you to change into you pyjamas, too. You gently put Hoshi on the bed, shaking you head with a big smile on your face as you thought of Soonyoung. 

Shortly after you put your nightgown on, there was a knock on the door and a yawning Soonyoung walked in "I'm so tired!" He exclaimed as he ran to the bed and jumped on it, burying himself between the pillows and the blanket "I'll miss this bed when we go home…"

You jumped beside him, not noticing Hoshi falling off the bed "When are we going back?"

Soonyoung sighed and turned around to look at you "Tomorrow evening. It's quite a journey back so prepare yourself."

You nodded as you laid down, holding Soonyoung's hand in yours. 

He looked around "Where's Hoshi?"

You frowned and sat up, looking around also, you saw a white, fluffy tail stick out from under the bed.

"It must have falling as I laid down, let me get it." You bend forward to get the snake from under the bed, but to your surprise it wasn't the only thing there. You frowned as you looked at the rat, looking back at you. You didn't think they'd have those here.

"Everything okay?" Soonyoung asked chuckling.

"Yeah. I got him. There's a rat here, too."

Soonyoung fell silent for a little while "Are you sure." His voice changed, it wasn't as cheerful and loving as you were used to. Instead it was cold, and stern.

You nodded as you got back up, plushie in your hand "Yeah." 

Soonyoung's eyes seemed kind of panicked, as if they were trying to decide what to do, how to react. And then he jumped off the bed.

"Highness, I need you to get Robin Goodfellow and Oberon. Tell them about the rat."

You frowned, confused "...wha-?"

His eyes turned even more stern, demanding even "Now. This is very important. Tell them I'm catching the rat. Go!"

Then he turned into a snake, and disappeared beneath the bed.

The urgency in his eyes got you scared, made you run to the door and into the hallway. Hoshi clamed between you arm.

Masterlist | Seventeen masterlist  |  잠자리 masterlist

1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 |  2.4 | 3.1

[rockislandadultreads]

Adult 2020 Fantasy Releases: even more reads

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown. On Abeth the vastness of the ice holds no room for individuals. Survival together is barely possible. No one survives alone. To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is not the same. Yaz is torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of difference and mystery and danger. Yaz learns that Abeth is older and stranger than she had ever imagined. She learns that her weaknesses are another kind of strength. And she learns to challenge the cruel arithmetic of survival that has always governed her people. Only when it’s darkest you can see the stars.

Cries from the Lost Island by Kathleen O'Neal Gear

Set against the glory and tragedy of ancient Roman Egypt, this novel brings to bring to life the greatest love story of all time.

Sixteen-year-old Hal Stevens is a budding historical scholar from a small town in Colorado. A virtual outcast at high school, he has only two friends: Roberto the Biker Witch and Cleo Mallawi. Cleo claims to be the reincarnation of Queen Cleopatra. She also believes she's being stalked by an ancient Egyptian demon, Ammut, the Devourer of the Dead.

But when Hal and Roberto find Cleo murdered in the forest near her home, it appears she may have been telling the truth. Her last request sends them journeying to Egypt with famed archaeologist Dr. James Moriarity, where it quickly becomes clear that Cleo has set them on the search of a lifetime: the search for the lost graves of Marc Antony and Cleopatra.

But they are not alone in their search. Cleo's murderers are watching their every move. And not all of them are human...

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Bound by blood. Tempted by desire. Unleashed by destiny.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

88 Names by Matt Ruff

John Chu is a “sherpa", a paid guide to online role-playing games like the popular Call to Wizardry. For a fee, he and his crew will provide you with a top-flight character equipped with the best weapons and armor, and take you dragon-slaying in the Realms of Asgarth, hunting rogue starships in the Alpha Sector, or battling hordes of undead in the zombie apocalypse. Chu’s new client, the pseudonymous Mr. Jones, claims to be a “wealthy, famous person” with powerful enemies, and he’s offering a ridiculous amount of money for a comprehensive tour of the world of virtual-reality gaming. For Chu, this is a dream assignment, but as the tour gets underway, he begins to suspect that Mr. Jones is really North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, whose interest in VR gaming has more to do with power than entertainment. As if that weren’t enough to deal with, Chu also has to worry about “Ms. Pang,” who may or may not be an agent of the People’s Republic of China, and his angry ex-girlfriend, Darla Jean Covington, who isn’t the type to let an international intrigue get in the way of her own plans for revenge. What begins as a whirlwind online adventure soon spills over into the real world. Now Chu must use every trick and resource at his disposal to stay one step ahead—because in real life, there is no reset button.

Chance of a Lifetime by Jude Deveraux, Tara Sheets

In one century she loved him madly, and in another she wants nothing to do with him In 1844 Ireland, Liam O’Connor, a rogue and a thief, fell madly in love with a squire’s daughter and unwittingly altered the future. Shy and naive Cora McLeod thought Liam was the answer to her prayers. But the angels disagreed and they’ve been waiting for the right moment in time to step in. Now Liam finds himself reunited with his beloved Cora in Providence Falls, North Carolina. The angels have given Liam a task. He must make sure Cora falls in love with another man—the one she was supposed to marry before Liam interfered. But this Cora is very different from the innocent girl who fell for Liam in the past. She’s a cop and has a confidence and independence he wasn’t expecting. She doesn’t remember Liam or their past lives, nor is she impressed with his attempts to guide her in any way. Liam wants Cora for himself, but with his soul hanging in the balance, he must choose between a stolen moment in time or an eternity of damnation.

Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore

Shakespeare meets Dashiell Hammett in this wildly entertaining murder mystery from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore—an uproarious, hardboiled take on the Bard’s most performed play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring Pocket, the hero of Fool and The Serpent of Venice, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff. Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging—last seen in The Serpent of Venice—washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool. But the island is in turmoil. Egeus, the Duke’s minister, is furious that his daughter Hermia is determined to marry Demetrius, instead of Lysander, the man he has chosen for her. The Duke decrees that if, by the time of the wedding, Hermia still refuses to marry Lysander, she shall be executed . . . or consigned to a nunnery. Pocket, being Pocket, cannot help but point out that this decree is complete bollocks, and that the Duke is an egregious weasel for having even suggested it. Irritated by the fool’s impudence, the Duke orders his death. With the Duke’s guards in pursuit, Pocket makes a daring escape. He soon stumbles into the wooded realm of the fairy king Oberon, who, as luck would have it, IS short a fool. His jester Robin Goodfellow—the mischievous sprite better known as Puck—was found dead. Murdered. Oberon makes Pocket an offer he can’t refuse: he will make Pocket his fool and have his death sentence lifted if Pocket finds out who killed Robin Goodfellow. But as anyone who is even vaguely aware of the Bard’s most performed play ever will know, nearly every character has a motive for wanting the mischievous sprite dead. With too many suspects and too little time, Pocket must work his own kind of magic to find the truth, save his neck, and ensure that all ends well.

[stubbornness-and-spite]

So here’s the deal: it’s almost two in the morning and my impulse-control is not good at night and I’m seeing no reason not to post the prologue of my longest and most beloved WIP(maybe my novel one day?) 

I’d love to hear your feedback, but this is both my heart and soul and my child so please be polite? I’m not averse to criticism but I’d prefer something more substantial than: it’s bad. Also, while I absolutely love and appreciate any and all nice things you say about my writing, if there’s something specific that you liked or even just stood out I’d love to hear it. This and what I have of the story is woefully unedited, partly because I forgot and wrote a few scenes that contradicted each other and haven’t decided which is canon yet. I might ask for some help deciding when and if we get there. Let me know if you see any typos!

Feel free to send me any asks about the characters and universe. Even if it doesn’t get directly integrated with the story, it will be a great help with worldbuilding.

The working title of this story is The Demon’s Heart, but I hate that and will change it eventually. The story could vaguely be considered Shakespeare fanfic because I borrowed and tweaked some characters Shakespeare borrowed and tweaked from mythology. It deals with a demon, bound by contract to a fae lord who yearns for power above all else and how the rise of a king and a queen lead to the fall of a demon.

Warnings: discussions of death and the concept of death personified, demons, blink and you miss it implied torture(possibly sexual, but very vague), universe specific discrimination(a character thinks of someone as less on the basis of their species. it's not intended as a racial parallel, but it could be perceived as one from someone else's perspective)

~

A shadowy figure sits atop an obsidian throne. Her long fingers drumming lightly from where they rest as she gazes down at the kneeling figure before her. Her face is gaunt, her skeleton visible under transparent skin, but her lips are red as blood, her hair black as ebony and some deep part of your soul tells you that she is beautiful. In the grotesque way that a skeleton is beautiful and death as a concept is fascinating and compelling, the figure on her throne is enchanting. Her eyes gleam with the knowledge of eternity and she stands straight and tall under the weight of the world. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but tall and firm does it stand. A spine of iron and a fist of tempered steel rule her domain. 

“Why have you come to me?” she asks, her voice a wavering whisper, echoing with threads of sounds that mortal ears were not meant to hear. 

“My lady,” the kneeling figure’s voice does not shake as he addresses her. His words may be deferential, but his tone is not reverent. He speaks to her like an equal and she does not know how to respond. “I have come to bargain.”

The lady laughs, cold and high. “What could you possibly want so much that you would seek to make a deal with Death, my dear?”

The figure does not rise but he lifts his head to look her in the eyes and Death finds herself unnerved as he grins cockily. “I want the contracts for the lives and souls of King Oberon and Queen Titania of the faerie woods.”

Death stares at the figure for a moment before she scoffs. “If my advisor allowed you in for a laugh, do tell him on your way out that he has signed the order for his execution.”

A burning fury overtakes the figure’s face. “He let me in because I begged,” the figure spits. “He let me in because I offered him anything for even a chance to bargain with you.”

“What did he ask?”

The figure’s face goes red. “A flask of my blood and a night and a day of my screams.” 

“Did you give it to him?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Death pauses and takes in the figure before her. One of her most despised subjects, a demon, should know better than to beg her for favors, but this one seems to have cast that aside. She considers turning him away just for that. The very crime of being a demon was enough to anger her, but to seek her out was abhorrent. The demons swarm outside her palace walls like insects. They slip through her gates with her reapers and do terrible things to the souls they steal from those foolish enough to sell them. She locks her demons into contracts to keep them from simply stealing away the souls of the unsuspecting, but their slimy, conniving, traitorous tongues grant them the consent and contracts she demands they have to steal mortal souls. 

A thought occurs to her. This figure before her is a demon. Why should he beg her for the contracts of the poor king and queen if he can make contracts with them to take them himself?

“Why have you come to me?” She asks coldly. “You have already bargained with Oberon for his soul. Are you so greedy as to demand more than your lying tongue will buy you?”

The figure trembles and Death takes a moment before she realizes that he trembles not with fear but with rage. “I don’t lie and I won’t make another demonic contract with them.”

Death scoffs. “All demons lie.”

The figure interrupts before she can continue. “I don’t,” he spits. “By choice and by force, I don’t.” He smiles ruefully. “Too many fae souls in my youth,” he admits. “Anything but the truth burns my tongue now.”

Death stares at him with a new perspective. The casual tone in which he describes eating fae souls makes her sick, but a demon who cannot lie is as good as dead. Perhaps that is why he desires the souls from her. “Have your bargaining skills deserted you with your lies, then?” she asks. “Is that why you come to me to provide your next meal?”

Curiously, the demon looks sick at the prospect. He stumbles on his words, but recovers quickly. “I can bargain as well as I ever have, my lady. I ask you for the king and queen’s Contracts because I made a mistake and I refuse to make another demonic contract with them.”

“Do the king and queen know you bargain for them?”

The demon scowled. “Oberon knows, Titania does not. She would have tried to stop me. Oberon tried to stop me too, but he knew the risks if I didn’t and chose his kingdom over me,” he admits. 

“Over you?” Death questions. “He’s not concerned for his own life and his queen’s?”

“No,” the demon replies simply. “He was concerned for mine.” It suddenly occurs to Death that twice the demon has used the fae king and queen’s names. 

“Did they give you their names?” she asks in a whisper.

The demon ducks his head and grins bashfully. “Oberon gave me his and like a fool Titania’s as well. He’s lucky he locked me into a contract first. He told me later that he assumed that demons were like faeries and needed to be given a name by the one who claimed it. Titania gave me hers eventually for the ceremony of it.” His smile softens and his eyes fall shut. “They both have mine,” he whispers.

Death can’t for the life of her remember the last time her shock showed on her face. A name was a being’s identity. Giving your name away was akin to placing your life and soul into another’s hands. Death and her subjects may be the ones to control mortal contracts that determined their existence, but their names, the extensions of themselves that were the ultimate power over them, were their own. Death and her subjects were said to have no contracts by which one could bind them, but even they had names that they held even closer to their chests than mortals who knew what power their names had. For a demon to offer his name up to anyone was rare. For a demon to offer his name up to a mortal was unheard of. Demons did not trust easily or at all and to give away one’s name was to give another total power over them. It was the ultimate expression of trust.

“Why do you want them?” she murmurs. “Be honest, be simple, while I’m feeling generous.”

The demon rises to his feet and looks her in the eyes. “Because I love them. And I can’t bear the thought of losing them.”

Death nods. “Convince me.”

[ofhamlcts]

hi all!!! I’m Emily and I am absolutely thrilled to be here writing with you! I seriously cannot wait to begin plotting and writing and all of the angst we’re going to kill each other with! but for now, i’ll quit my rambling and start introducing the mess that is my child.

without further ado: larissa griffith aka hamlet

PINTEREST / APPLICATION 

I do not - and will never - expect you to read my long ass, rambly application because we are all adults with lives!!! below, i’ve summarised the most important information into short(er)  bullet points for your consumption! these should give you a good insight into who lar is as a character and serve as a launch pad for plotting!!!

(TW: Alcoholism and abuse)

larissa has strong roots in Britain's working class, going all the way back to the industrial revolution. traditionally miners, her entire family has a chip on their shoulder about Thatcher and that stand off with the miners, forcing them to turn abandon their traditions and livelihoods. instead, her mother was/is a careworker and her father was a factory worker. 

she grew up poor - dirt poor - but her mother forbade her from knowing it. instead, she enlisted lysander to conceal the truth; a kindness on both their parts. she encouraged the pair to “make their own magic” -  bus-trips to neighbouring towns to substitute for far-flung holidays, treasure hunts in charity shops instead of newly wrapped birthday treats, bargain hunting in supermarkets instead of gourmet dishes.

Lysander was at the centre of her childhood. Two years her senior, they were a two-pieced puzzle, complementary in their opposites. The boy with the bleeding heart, he was kindness personified; the first to befriend an outcast, accepting of people’s shortcomings, optimistic in his belief that the trajectory of life was up. Lysander was both best friend and brother, co-conspirator and protector.

Shit hit the fan after the 2008 financial crash. Her mother’s pay was frozen and her father was laid off. Faced with failure as a provider, husband and father - his identity eroded - he transformed into something else. He drank. A lot. At first, the drinking isn’t so bad.  Between one and five glasses, he’s a joy. He sings Christmas songs in July and dances like he’ll never have the chance to again. After that comes the bits Larissa never saw. Arguments between her parents - over money, unemployment and benefits - soon grow physical. At the end of the night, her father always begs for forgiveness and promises to never drink again. Her mother always forgives him. And he always breaks his word. Lysander ensured she never knew what was going on in their house.

He protected her in other ways too. when Larissa was eleven, her father came home drunk and demanded she go with him on a father-daughter road trip. lysander intervened, first attempting to reason with him. when that fails, he orders you out. child that she was, larissa wriggled free from her father’s trip and fled to lysander’s room, where she knew she’d always be safe. hours later, Lysander pulled back the covers, his face shaded in dried blood and hastily applied bandages. come on, he urged, it’s time to go on an adventure.

Adventure turned out to be two children and one shaken mother moving into their grandparents house thirty minutes outside of Edinburgh. Determined to ensure that abuse didn’t blight their future, she insisted on both siblings sitting and passing entrance exams and scholarship interviews for the leading private school. Both she and Lysander passed. But from the very beginning, it was clear that they were different from everyone else. The other students had double-barrelled surnames and parents who were titans of industry and the creme-de-la-creme of society. Possessed by their own self-worth, they were the very embodiment of entitlement. Larissa despised them instantly, taking their existence as proof of a fundamental ill in the universe. It wasn’t fair that they had so much when she had so little, or that their families continued to be whole.

Lysander saw things differently. Fire and water, sun and moon - she had always known there were fundamental differences between the two of them, but hadn’t thought they would ever drive them apart. Whilst Larissa spurned her new school, preferring to bury her head in her work and befriend the librarians, Lysander threw himself head first into his new life, choosing to see the opportunity and kindness in his new peers. Bit by bit, the gulf between them widened - until they led separate lives. It broke her heart. Larissa didn’t know what to do with her sorrow except unleash it upon Lysander, leading to their one and only argument. She accused him of looking down upon his family and of being ashamed of them. She even used the words class traitor

Fences were only mended between the two of them on account of Larissa finding out what had really happened between her mother and her father - and realising the truth of her own past. Once she understood what Lysander had done to protect her, Larissa bit her lip and swallowed her pride; knocking on his door to apologise. From that moment forward, she swore she would do whatever she could to repay him.

More than anything else, Larissa felt guilty that she hadn’t known about her father’s true nature. Remorseful that she hadn’t helped. Whilst her family told her not to chastise herself, pointing out she had only been a child - Larissa insisted on bearing a cross and atoning for her sins. From then on, she swore to repay the kindness shown to her by her mother and Lysander and dedicate her life to protecting society’s most vulnerable, single handedly correcting the injustices she witnessed, whether they be gender, racial or class.

Larissa entered Ashcroft with her fists curled, ready to go to war and burn the establishment to the ground if that was what it took to succeed. Mind already made up, she decided that Ashcroft was like every other university - dominated by white men, more obsessed with statistics than welfare and infected with rampant sexism.

Sure enough, she got to work immediately. Unable to bite her lip, Larissa called out every slight, intentional or otherwise. Headstrong and stubborn, once she has the bit between her teeth she’s restless in her pursuit. In her two-and-a-bit years at Ashcroft, she’s prosecuted several successful campaigns. From picking apart the English literature reading list for being too colonial, calling out Lecturers on their sexist bullshit and launching a petition to force Ashcroft to divest from fossil fuel investments, no cause escapes her attention. By far, her most ambitious campaign was in her first year, once she  discovered that Ashcroft’s cleaners - as agency workers - were being denied fair wages, holiday leave and sick pay. Outraged, she spearheaded a campaign to bring them ‘in-house’; the first person to arrive and the last person to leave the picket lines.

Larissa initially rejected Oberon Ashcroft’s invitation into the Imperium society. Invited after she stormed into his office and delivered a list of cleaners demands, she refused to join until he acceded to the cleaner’s demands. He did so immediately - trapping her in her own promises. 

Larissa’s dislike for Octavia was no big secret. Her brother’s taste in partners has always been poor - so whilst she wasn’t surprised he went for another blonde heiress, Larissa was disappointed; knowing that it could only end in heartbreak for her brother. Girls like Octavia did not end up with boys from families like hers. 

There’s no such thing as justice. That’s Larissa’s new motto; practically every other sentence out of her mouth since Lysander was arrested. Whilst her brother put - and continues to place - his father in the judicial system, she saw the writing on the wall from the beginning - suspecting that he was one small pawn in someone else’s game. There is no doubt in her mind that Lysander is innocent - nor has there ever been any. 

Larissa offered to lie on the stand for Lysander; offering him the alibi that would have seen him slip the noose around his neck. He forbid her, telling her to think of her career, her freedom, her life. He didn’t know that there wasn’t a life worth living without him in it. 

Besides, her life has changed beyond all recognition. Some of those changes are of her own making. Stricken by grief, she’s abandoned almost everyone and everyone who meant anything. Theresa was the first to fall by the wayside, abandoned without a moment’s thought. It’s too selfish to try to be happy whilst her brother rots. Academics go next - her grades slip letter by letter, until Headmaster Ashcroft writes sternly worded letters warning of a scholarship loss. She’s even lost interest in her causes; all injustices paling in comparison to the one committed against Lysander. In short, she’s turned against the world, half-gladly.

Coming back to Ashcroft was a bad idea, but she’ll never admit it. Her newly minted title of “sister of the murderer” is not an easy one to bear. Someone starts a rumour that she’ll be expelled from the Imperium Society. More people hope it’s true. Never apt at biting her tongue, she punches them - and half a dozen more - in the face. 

Larissa has tried to convince Lysander to fight back - to launch an appeal, do an interview with the media to tell his story - to do something, anything! Every time, his answer is the same. Sadly, he shakes his head.

Octavia comes in the space between dreams and nightmares. Her beauty has been snatched from her, drained with her life force. She finds this version of Octavia an easier one to stomach. Without facade, Larissa can stare directly into her soul. How is it that dead, Octavia feels more human to her? Younger too - before her eyes, Larissa sees Octavia as she must have once been - a little girl with all the fire of life inside of her. Any hate borne towards her in life softens into pity. Catching her glancing at a photo of her and Lysander, Larissa asks the one question that will shake the universe. Did he kill you? With only half a second to consider the weight of that question - and whether she wants to hear the answer, Octavia shakes her head. No.

Larissa makes Octavia a promise. She swears not to rest until she finds the person who did. Not for her, but for Lysander.

[the-kit-scarlet]

I Of The Storm | Flashback | Balthazar & Kit

Are you really gonna love me when I'm gone? I fear you won't I fear you don't

Set Pre War 

It had happened far too quickly for Kit to truly comprehend. Oberon had proposed. Mab had shot him down. Oberon had arrived in a frenzy. “Pack your things, kitten. We’re going to war.”

Kit had laughed at him then. Oberon had only shot her a wry smile. “Do you think I am joking with you, kitten? I am risking all my advisor’s support to come to bring you with me. No one knows of this- husbands keep their secrets from their wives, children from their mothers- and I am coming to you on the eve of my rebellion to bring you with me.” Oberon took her head in his hands, his touch gentle despite the way he vibrated with energy.  “Come with me, kitten. You will want for nothing.” 

“What if I do not want to love a soldier? What if I am frightened of losing my lover to battle?” Kit placed her hands on the outside of his, turning her head gently to kiss his palms. She dared not to voice her true cause for hestitance- why would I abandon my home over something as silly as a rejected proposal?

“Would you love a King, kitten?”

“I will love you even after the breath leaves my body, Oberon. You know that. You know I have as little choice as a river does when it runs into the sea.” Kit sighed, knowing the truth of the words before they left her lips. She would follow him anywhere, no matter the cost. He must have known this too or else he would not have come to collect her. 

Oberon kissed her so fiercely then she thought she would melt into his embrace. 

“Pack your things. I will help you.” 

“I have to tell-”

“No.” Oberon said, his blue eyes burning with a fire that frightened her. She withdrew and Oberon pressed on, grabbing Kit by the shoulders. 

“You will tell no one. Did you hear me, kitten? I am risking my war before it has begun to bring you with me. You cannot tell anyone anything. It could ruin my reign before it begins.” 

Kit withdrew as much as she could, but Oberon’s grip was relentless. 

“You expect me to leave all my friends behind? What’s left of my family? Oberon, please. I’m all the family Balthazar has left. My girls here are closer than sisters. Ruby practically raised me after my mother passed. I cannot abandon them without a word. At least let me leave a letter. You can look it over, ensure nothing condemns you. But I cannot abandon them so callously.” Oberon’s eyes were a void and it terrified Kit. She kissed his hands again, pleading with him. 

“You would choose a pack of whores and a disgraced son over your King? Over the father of your child?” Oberon’s voice was closer to a growl. He placed a hand on her stomach- still far too flat to reveal their secret- but his grip was more possessive than gentle. It is just the stress of it all. He is planning a rebellion. He does not mean it.

“ Consider it your first royal favor to your beloved. Your Grace, let me leave word so that after your war is won, I could be reunited with them.” Kit said, her voice soothing. 

“And what if Balthazar declares for Queen Mab? Would you love a traitor?” Oberon’s voice chilled her to the bone. 

“Then Balthazar is a fool, Your Grace, but he is a fool that your beloved considers closer than kin.” Kit said, planting kisses on each of his knuckles. 

“I’ll have final approval,” Oberon said, his voice softening slightly. Kit threw her arms around him and then her legs as he spun her round the room. 

“As you wish, Your Grace,” Kit said, whispering into his arms. He planted a kiss on her forehead before extracting himself from her. “Hurry.” 

Kit grabbed a scroll and a quill while Oberon began to throw her things together. She thought to tell him he was likely to ruin all her dresses if he was so careless but held her tongue. She had a feeling she would only be granted one favor tonight. 

Dear Balthazar, 

I do not have much time so I trust you will pass my message along to my other sisters. I will be gone for a while, but fear not, I will not be unreachable. I do not mean to speak in riddles, but trust me when I say that if you desire to reach me I will not be hard to find. 

I love you so, so dearly. I hate to be apart from you but I am left little choice. In the coming weeks, please remember how important family is to me. 

I wanted to tell you in this in person, but it appears the Celestials have other plans. 

You will be an Uncle. I would not deprive my child a father to ensure a relationship with his uncle, nor would I deprive my child an uncle for his father. You and I both know too well how broken families can damage children.

I love you. I will see you again before I even begin to show, this I am sure of. 

Your beloved sister,

Kit 

By the time she set down her quill, her things were already packed away and her room was empty except for the furniture. Oberon was behind her, arms wrapped tenderly around her. All of his sternness had disappeared. She looked up at him and he only nodded. 

“Go to the carriage, kitten. I will take the horse. We cannot risk being seen together.” 

Kit went to protest, but Oberon kissed her. 

“Would you risk our child for your pride? Let me take care of you. Take the carriage. I will meet you within the hour.”  

Kit merely nodded, taking in her empty room one last time before departing down the steps she had known since she was a sapling. The tears began to fall as soon as she was in the carriage and she stuffed her fist into her mouth to keep her cries silent. She needed to be strong now. 

Oberon did not spare the letter a glance, tossing it into the lit fireplace over his shoulder before slamming the door. With any luck, the whole place would burn down and Kit would never be tempted to leave him again. 

[parf-fan]

Halloween 2018

I had hoped to have this finished and posted last week, but it took longer to write than I'd planned (and also I got sick, which slows everything down).  As it is, it only went through two-and-a-half drafts, so it is not the most well-written thing I've ever posted, for which I apologize.

This full-on essay is a critique of the 2018 Halloween scenario.  As such, it contains spoilers – major freaking spoilers – below the cut. I beg of you: if you've not yet attended the Halloween event, DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE.  Even if you can't go, but plan on watching videos of it, wait to read this until you've watched the videos.  Not simply because of spoilers, but also because I do not want my opinions to affect your initial viewing.  You have been warned, and I entreat you to heed it.

Any critique worth its salt begins with the strong points, of which there are many, and I should like to talk about them anyway.

Half the new plot is awesome.  Midsummer-Night's Dream is my shit, and I am beyond stoked about the inclusion of its characters.  Even on the second day, when I knew it was coming, I could not stop myself from physically bouncing up and down in my seat from excitement at the introduction of Titania and Oberon.

The manner in which the ridiculous weather we've had all season (plus rehearsal month) was worked into the plot – not merely lampshaded or joked about, but as an actual plot-point – may be the biggest stroke of genius I've experienced at the Faire to date.  It is clever as heck, and adds an extra level of immersion.

SIX MONARCHS!  Oh, poor poor Kensington.  He didn't even freak out, he skipped directly to dead-inside acceptance.

The moment at King's Court in which the faerie monarchs are magic-tugging the goblet – and by extension, Triboulet – back and forth stuck out at me because of the excellent physical acting of Joshua Kachnycz.  He left absolutely no doubt that he was truly being magically pulled.

Likewise, Joshua's quick-change into the guise of Puck seemed exemplary to me (at least when both fog machines were working).  True, he did not change his whole attire, but in proportion to the parts he did change or add – in the middle of the stage, too! - I think he did it quickly and well.

Triboulet being Robin Goodfellow is not only totally in keeping with his character, but also bears out something he told me in Gauntlet once, something I meant to make a post about but never got the chance while I was thinking about it.  I had asked whether he had any genuine loyalty to Spain, or whether he was merely in it for the pay.  He responded with something along the lines of “Who said anything about pay?”.  Upon asking him to elaborate, he indicated that he was never hired by Spain, but rather was bent on causing chaos for the sake of chaos, stirring up shit for the pure fun of it.  That was when I knew that he'd be revealed as a faerie trickster come Halloween, but I didn't suspect Puck specifically until about two minutes before the reveal.  tl;dr, Triboulet as Puck matches perfectly with how I've been interpreting him all season.

Furthermore, the fact that it's Puck causing the primary mischief enables me to utter such phrases as “everything's Pucked up”, “Puck this”, “you motherpucker”, and “Puck you”.  It is the stupidest play on words possible, and I love it, and will likely not stop using it until everyone in the shire hates me or the season ends, whichever happens first.

Everything involved in deciding the fate / punishment of Puck is just beautiful. From seeking asylum in England, to being reduced to prose (which, mood), to throwing himself on Titania's mercy after learning about Jane's past, just all of it.  Side-splitting, well done.

THE NEW WORDS TO THE ROGUES' TREATY-SIGNING SINGING!  Oh my gosh.  When I realized what was being sung, I laughed very loudly and fairly long, probably confusing a few patrons who didn't notice the difference, possibly irritating some, definitely killing the moment for a few.  I love it.  I love it immensely and will never be over it.  For any who didn't notice or couldn't make them out, the new words are “Nosferatu, some spooky dudes,” over and over.  It is comedy gold, for the scene is so solemn and gratifying, and the new words sung in total seriousness, and with no specific attention called to them.  Comedy freaking gold, I tell you.

The mid Parting-Glass speech.  Holy shit.  Just.  Fuck me up, I have Emotions.  A lot of emotions.  I already almost cry upon hearing it, I'm gonna fuckin' bawl my eyes out on the last day.  Fuck.

The entire plot with Titania and Oberon and the conflict over the seasons and said conflict spilling over to harm the humans is spectacular, and I love it.  But the other new plot?  Not so much at all.  Why? Distilling down every issue to its core, the thing in common with them all is this: it's just bad writing.

What the wine plot tells me is that the writers' first impulse upon being presented with multiple lead romantic relationships is to do some sort of love-triangle-square bullshit.  Yet love-triangles/squares are boring and overdone, and present no challenge in terms of devising conflict.  They are uncreative.  And basing full half your plot around them is simply poor storytelling.

Similarly, one of the things I most admired about the main season was the presence of conflict without a joust to the death.  Setting up the Joust and conflict  without the promise of fatality is more of a challenge, and therefore the successful result is more engaging.  I take no issue with the fact that the Ultimate Joust is generally to! the! death!, but greatly admired the achievement of pulling off the plot without it just this once.  So when the Halloween Joust was revealed to have returned to its deadly state, I was let down.  If nonlethal Ultimate Jousts were a more common thing, perhaps I'd not be so upset about this.  But I believe this is the first one I've seen, and we all know it'll be to! the! death! once more next season.  Which I will have no problem with.  But returning the promise of fatality this season is a step backwards in quality.

During main-season Joust, I frequently found myself just beaming at the field, happy to watch six knights, all honorable in-universe (or so it seemed) and out, doing what they loved without filtering their enthusiasm through masks of hate or greed.  It was so wholesome a thing to be able to Favor any knight in wholly good conscience both in-universe and out.  Sure, Henry and Francis were being prideful idiots, but not so seriously that it compromised their morality overmuch, and thus I gladly Favored them.  I would not expect this of Joust every year, but I loved that it was so this season.  I loved that pure moment of contentedly smiling over the field, filled with love for all those riding upon it.  And I hate that I've been robbed of that moment three weeks too early.

The pre-joust dialogue was not between Francis and Henry.  I mean obviously, it wouldn't be, since they were both enchanted.  But it didn't even sound like enchanted versions of them talking.  It was straight-up Don Alonso and Sir Robert.  Literally.  Every word they said was the exact same stuff we hear from the Bad Knights, complete with the promise of drinking wine from hollowed skulls.  Perhaps it was just because I was already in a disappointed state of mind, but it just didn't seem effective.

The point that may gall me the most as a storyteller: the solution to saving the day came out of fuck-all nowhere. It was not hinted at, foreshadowed, or set up in any way.  Because I'm extra salty, let's look at some recent previous plots for a moment.  In Halloween 2016, the thing mentioned several times throughout the day was that Excalibur could only be pulled from the stone by one worthy to rule England.  Catherine drawing it forth thus fulfills a narrative promise.  In Halloween 2017, the point stated several times throughout the day was that Rumple could not be harmed by mortal man.  Thus, when Catherine successfully breaks his power, we understand why she is able to.  Main season 2018, the recurring thing throughout the day was the back-and-forth between the jesters. Thus, we can track the point to which Jane arrives at in shooting Triboulet.

But Halloween 2018, what is the point mentioned repeatedly?  What do the antagonists / new characters emphasize?  That the mortals cannot throw off the magic of the wine before sunrise.  What, then, does that indicate?  What is the logical storytelling resolution of that? That a faerie will be the one to undo it, or at least enable the humans to.  That is the narrative promise.  The fact that the mortals are able to break it on their own doesn't make sense, and cannot in any way be predicted or deduced or traced through after the fact from anything elsewhere in the plot.  That's poor storytelling, mate.

The Halloween plot is meant to up the antie.  To take things to the next level.  To be grander, more sweeping, more epic.  That's a simple fact of its existance.  And this year, the writers' idea of grander and more epic was to go from friendship-love saving the day to romantic-love saving the day?  NO! FUCK YOU!  You know better, I know you do!  Romantic-love is not inherently stronger or more important or more valid or more valuable than friendship-love, and I've always treasured the Faire as one of the few settings in which I can count on that truth being understood.  This is a betrayal.

Besides, the power of true romantic-love saving the day is amatonormative and just so. fucking. overdone.

My next point involves a different point, one I'd been meaning to write about since week one but never had time to.  I had truly hoped that the Chessmatch would be between the queens.  That's one of the things that made 2017 work so well.  The king got to win his glory at Joust, and the queen got to win her glory at Chess.  It balanced them out, and ensured that one ruler did not appear more plot-important than the other.  And so it should have been this year.  When I saw that it was not so, I took some consolation in the knowledge that the queens would at least have their moment in saving the day in Halloween.  But they didn't.  I mean, Catherine was the first to throw off the effects of the wine, if you count that, but it's not really the same. The queens were both wholly robbed of any opportunity to display their prowess and win their own triumph, and I am very much not okay with that.

Which brings me to the subject of the queens.  It may be most effective for this next point to quote directly from my stream-of-consciousness bullet-point brainstorming of all the issues I found with this scenario.

YOU MADE THE QUEENS FIGHT i will never forgive yo[u]

WHY DID YOU MAKE THE QUEENS FIGHT

LIKE REALLY

I DON’T GIVE A SHIT THAT THEY WERE ENCHANTED, I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT IN-UNIVERSE RIGHT NOW

HOW DARE YOU BREAK THAT BEAUTEOUS, WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIP AND SOLIDARITY WE’VE BEEN TREASURING ALL SEASON AND LONGING FOR FOR SO LONG

AN[D] OVER FUCKING ÉROS????? ARE YOU SHITTING ME

As the Halloween Chess initially unfolded before me, as the kings' tempers rose and they became more and more volatile toward one another, I was already thinking about the post I would write about the new scenario, and I noted that I would include something about how I was glad that at the least they didn't have the queens turn on one another.  I made specific plans to mention that as a silver lining, a partial saving grace.  And then they fell to the quarrel/fight scene between Hermia and Helena, and all I wanted to do was scream and throw things and, in hindsight, cry.

Let me take a moment to reiterate.  I fucking love Midsummer-Night's Dream.  It is my absolute favorite of Shakespeare's plays, it's the first play of any kind I ever saw, it was a facet of my childhood, and I was in two separate productions of it.  And in that play, the quarrel/fight between Hermia and Helena is one of my favorite scenes.  It's so much fun to perform, and gave rise to my tagline: though she be but little, she is fierce.  But that scene has no place here with these characters.

This then brings me to my next point.  In-universe, none of the fighting makes sense.  Since the looks matched up, everybody's wine!love was requited, and nobody felt a claim on someone another now wanted. I've watched Chess all four days, and the three most recent days, I've made active effort to track the development of the conflict, having not understood it before.  But I still cannot see what they are fighting about.  Yes, it was stated that the wine would fill the drinker with rage, but what we saw between the kings in the main season, that was rage.  This is rage combined with a massive fuckin dose of irrationality.  The reasoning gone through to arrive at both the brawl and the joust comes down to insane troll logic.  This is the second thing that bothers me the most as a storyteller.  If Oberon's line about the wine had simply included a mention of irrationality along with the rage, the whole conflict would seem a lot less bullshit.

And now, the third thing that bothers me the most as a storyteller: you guessed it, the cup.  Listen, Dumbshow-lampshading the utter lack of mention or explanation of the cup following King's Court does not make it good storytelling.  Last year's lampshade about the treaty worked because we'd already had a whole main season about that.  But the cup was just. abandoned, and not long after being introduced.  Of course I see the need for something to call the faeries to the shire, but you can't take the entire inciting macguffin of so primary a plot and so thoroughly ignore it for the rest of the story.

This is even less excusable when considered with the fact that there was ample opportunity to keep the chalice involved.  Simply have it present at Chess, mention in the preamble that the match is partially for possession of  the cup (albeit maybe temporarily), and add a line to Triboulet's toast-proposing, something about the toast also being in anticipation of the victor toasting his opponent's health from the goblet.  Once the wine takes effect and everything starts going to shit, the kings no longer care about the cup.  The cup should then also be present at Joust, since the faerie monarchs are wagering possession of it on said game.  It doesn't have to be made a fuss of, it just has to be there, and probably spared a few words in the part of the recap given by Titania and Oberon.  This would at least settle the plot point, if not resolving it, and actually turns it into something of a successful red herring.  At the start of the Chessmatch, the audience is expecting a continuation of the plot from King's Court, not a sudden love-square.  Reprising the chalice at the beginning of the match would bear that out, lulling the audience in to a false sense of plot-security, if that makes any sense.  The wine plot is then eased in rather than sudden; not because it begins any subtler, but because the fakeout plot lasts a little longer, and overlaps.

And a final, less significant note: the fae don't look like fae.  They pretty much look human.  Oberon looks his part a little better, 'cause he's got slightly odd eyes and an unusual crown, but that's it.  And Titania simply looks like a human in an orange dress and flower crown.  True, the style of her dress is not of the English Renaissance era, and that makes her stand out a bit, but it isn't disquieting.  At least the two previous years, the faeries have been visually off-putting, disturbing, unsettling, bordering on creepy. This post says it better than I can, so allow me to quote from it:

also i think that for me personally you are not doing midsummer night correctly AT ALL if you haven’t put a lot of work in on the part of the actors and costumers and makeup and other elements to make sure that the fairies are as unsettling and otherworldly and uh FAE as possible. the fairies aren’t supposed to be cute. titania should strike fear into the audiences’ hearts just by being onstage.

All in all, I have never been so disappointed in something from the Faire.  I am heartbroken, in a way.  This universe, the Megan-Zach universe, has been so very good from the start, and has just built exponentially the entire time.  There was the 2016 main season, and that was friggin' fantastic.  Then the 2016 Halloween plot, and that was even better.  Then there was 2017 main season, and that was better still.  The main season plot gave way to the 2017 Halloween plot, and bloody hell that was even better! Then there was the main season 2018, and holy fucking shit on a stick, that was freaking incredible!  And then there's the Halloween 2018 plot – which, nope.  They'd been building and building these three seasons and now, in this final moment, they partially blew it.  I've been informed that this is the last year of Megan and Zach as our monarchs, that this is it for this universe.  And this is not the note anybody – actor or patron – deserved to end on.

There are some silver linings though, and I should be remiss to not mention them. (Though most of them are not significant enough to be true silver linings, but rather what I refer to as pewter linings.)

First, I am pleased that they retained the bout of flyting.  As the day is no longer saved by Jane, the back-and-forth between the jesters is no longer necessary for the plot, and as such, neither is the flyting. It has been one of my favorite moments all season, and I am grateful that they left it there.  Particularly when considering that they had to remove the sample performance of an out-of-house performer in order to make time for the new segment.  I think that a good decision.

At the end of the chessmatch, Puck announces  the upcoming joust through an entertaining impression of Kensington.  Even if I weren't staying through the wine-affected monarchs' end-of-game bullshit in order to experience the faerie/weather plot, I'd stay just for that impression, because it's hilarious.

Getting to see Catherine wielding a sword at Joust almost makes up for a third of the wine plot.  Despite the awfulness of what enabled that moment, the moment itself is hecking fantastic.

After the faerie wine has been dispelled, Henry has a line saying that the enchantment could not have made him behave like that unless he already had the potential to do so.  This bears out an crucial point in the series of fic I'm (still) working on about the Bavarians.  I had already decided that faeries cannot manipulate anyone – physically, mentally, or emotionally – into doing something that the person in question did not already posses the capacity to do, and though it's not exactly a plot point, or even stated directly in the fic, it's very important to me, and is sure as heck gonna be mentioned in the author's notes.  So it was rather nice for that to be confirmed as canon.

At Finale, the human queens sometimes acknowledge that there was potential for them to have looked at each other after the wine. Moreover, they also acknowledge that that course of events would have been at least slightly less awful, and do not seem averse to the notion that this hypothetical version of events would've led them to become enamored of another woman.  This acknowledgment does not make up for too much, but it does help a little.

The real silver lining, though, the closest thing the wine plot has to a saving grace, is Sir Walter.  It wasn't just a matter of his reactions to everything being entertaining, as they always are, but genuinely interesting.  This line of plot takes his role as only sane man to the next level.  He went beyond “how can I salvage this festival day” to “how can I save these four people and both their realms from war and ruin”.  It was no longer a matter of stress for him, but of the wellbeing of two nations and all those therein.  This conflict threatens more people and more peace more than any conflict he's experienced here before (that we've seen), and that change altered his actions and reactions in a very tangible way.  It was quite enjoyable to see him go from just stressing over the day to stepping up and actively trying to change the course of events, even in conflict with the orders of his rulers.  He flat-out refused to announce the joust, for one.  And even during the final battle of Joust, he kept putting himself between the queens, knowing that it would result in his ass getting kicked.  If they're teamed up hurting him, they can't hurt each other.

There's also the extremely interesting fact that half the time the faeries did any sort of magic that physically manipulated the mortals (freezing everyone, making everyone fight each other in aid of the kings), it didn't seem to have any effect on Kensington.  Now, granted, I may just be looking at the wrong places at the wrong times on this one, but if absolutely nothing else, I know he is definitely unaffected by the everybody-fight-each-other enchantment.  This is both fascinating and really cool to me, and has the potential to open up some compelling character details.  I think I may sometime compile and run through a list of the different potential explanations I've thought of for this. (I'm sure it won't be too difficult to guess my favorite possibility even without seeing what all I've come up with, but it should still be a nifty post.)

Overall though, despite these pros that would've been impossible without the wine plot, the wine plot is, to my mind, terrible.  It is not badly executed, of course.  Far from it.  It is executed brilliantly and beautifully, and truly the actors and stagecrew and sound and effects teams have my admiration no end.   But being well-executed doesn't make the writing any better.  It is poorly-written, overdone, borderline cliché in places, and did not add to or enhance my experience.  I know the writers are capable of better, and cannot for the life of me determine why they settled for something so frustratingly mediocre.

How do I know it's bad writing and not just a plot I don't like?  Because when shit started going down, I became angry at the writers, not the characters.   That is the ultimate test of quality.  If something you don't like is happening in a story and you become angered at the people within the story, then what is happening makes sense, and does not jar you from the world of the story, although you disapprove.  If something you don't like is happening in a story and you become angered at the writer(s), then what is happening does not make sense, and you are jolted out of the world of the story, remembering it to be fiction.

I hate the wine plot, and what's more, I hate that I hate it.  I wanted to love the Halloween plot in its entirety, and hating so much of it just breaks my heart.  And in total honesty, I know that certain people were eager to see my reaction to the new plot, and I expect that they're at least somewhat crestfallen that I detest a good bit of it, and that knowledge just makes me even sadder about the whole thing, and I'm angry that it fell out this way, and I'm let down, and I'm disappointed in the writers, for – not to sound like a broken record – I know them to be capable of far better than this.

[thesonancetests]

oc intro: nix trillin [nonsense]

She tugged on the lapel of her jacket, pulling it closer to her skin. Up here the wind spoke to her and the city shone in the night, and every building sparkled with the light of the stars that she wished she could see. She was alone once again.

She spent a few minutes breathing in the view from where she stood, then she ran. Running was a song that she knew every lyric and beat and rhythm to. Her legs knew exactly how to move, and she felt at ease.

With the wind caressing her face and her long black jacket whipping behind her, suddenly everything felt right with the world. She let herself go to the rhythm of the run, to let her worries slip behind her and allow the quiet world to envelope her. There was no one up here to tell her what to do and what not to do, and for a moment she could just forget everything that was wrong and bad.

name: nix trillin 

age: 16

gender: she/her

sexuality: bisexual

ethnicity: mixed, half-chinese, half-”who the fuck knows”

appearance: long brown hair, black eyes, tall nose, permanent resting bitch face, Short™ [5′1″], “nothing impressive”, multiple piercings that she did herself

occupation: student

associates: Dax Oberon, Mikaela Soren, Lykel Trillin, eventually Coline Zobel and Tillia Sng

personality: 

ISTP, chaotic neutral, enneagram type 8

individualistic, aloof, highly independent, determined, secretly witty

prefers to keep to herself

would rather throw herself out a window than talk about her emotions

would rather people not know about her “dark past, tragic backstory, all that bullshit”, doesn’t want people to look at her with pity

quick to judge, benefit of the doubt who?

high empathy, low compassion

strengths

analytical and rational

able to remain calm and composed in times of crisis

Walking Bullshit Detector™

will stand up for what she believes in, even if it offends others

super loyal once you’ve earned her trust

does not give up easily

isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty

good at reading expressions and body language

weaknesses

stubborn as fuck

has a hard time opening up and letting people in

big trust issues, very suspicious of people who she doesn’t already trust

can be too fixated on her mission

can be hurtful at times with her words

can be too attached (fatal flaw in The Sonance Tests)

once she has an impression of someone it is very hard to change that

catchphrases

“you’re lying”

“what the fuck”

“it’s really not”

likes

boots

oversized jackets

books, literally cannot get enough of them

iced tea

running

her father’s cooking

dislikes

being told what to do

sappy stuff

small talk with strangers

bullies

that One Specific Shade of Blue™ [#0000ff]

hobbies

running, parkour, freerunning, physical activity in general

reading, will read books from all kinds of genres

studying old literature

learning anthropology and human culture

fun facts

scared of balloons even though she’s never seen one (has read about)

is a self-proclaimed expert on color theory

has a very low spice tolerance

thinks art is very neat and would like to learn how to paint

totally doesn’t have a crush back on Mikaela

her mission

to find out the truth about her brother, Lykel, when he was thrown out of the Diome eight years ago

the Councils threw him out for treason, but she firmly believes that it’s Bullshit™ and they are hiding something

joined The Sonance Tests to get closer to people like Coline Zobel who she believes might know what happened to her brother

her memories from that year when her brother was Wasted (thrown out) are wonky, lots of missing pieces

angry and frustrated that she cannot remember what happened

family background

Lykel Trillin (brother), Vander Trillin (father), Jean Trillin (mother)

her father has become very withdrawn ever since the incident eight years ago, retreats into his study and works from home, rarely speaking

he doesn’t talk to anyone, and only eats and works

her mother is working more and more at the pharmacy, only coming home every so often

it’s taboo to speak about Lykel and whatever happened to him at home

Nix misses the days when her family would get along and everything would be okay again and she didn’t feel so damn lonely

the sonance tests

reckons its her biggest chance to gather intel on her brother and figure out what Bullshit™ the Councils are up to again

decides she’s gonna make it or break it, very determined to survive

has very few allies due to her distrusting nature

very athletically capable due to her sneaking out and running and climbing 

strong willpower and clear head helps

constantly wary, sleeps with her weapon

can be too attached, so will try to save everyone she loves

TAG LIST | [ask/comment to be added]

[jo-the-schmo]

Breaking... Ch.3

Part 1 Part 2

A/N: So this chapted is short and kinda boring, sorry about that. I’m mostly using it as set up for the rest of plot. Also I will warn y’all now, time jumps will be a thing, not in this chapter but in the next one. I hope you guys enjoy even if its terrible <3 Tags: @iamnotthrowingawaymyshit @literally-melonkitty @deltablue202 @renae-writes

I had to re-add the tags sorry guys ;-;

Word count: 2081

Warnings: Vomit, Shakespeare (very important sorry), curing is ineivtable for me.

Breaking Boundaries

As the three of you entered into the study you instantly felt the air change. Alexander and Philip were both being oddly quiet. They both walked past you, Alexander sat down at his desk and Philip stood beside him while you were standing in the center of the room. You shot them an inquisitive look, Alexander’s eyes seemed to be searching yours for an answer to some unspoken question. Philip seemed to be debating with himself about something.

“Is something wrong?” You finally asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence. Alexander sighed.

“Miss Y/N, your story is not something that anyone with honor should take lightly. I practiced law, I practically perfected it. As a lawyer I would suggest you stand trial against this ‘suitor’ so that he can be put through the proper punishment for his crimes.” His face was serious but not cold. Philip moved around the desk.

“Father’s right, you can stay with us as long as you’d like but it might be wise to find him.” Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Last time I had this talk with anyone I agreed. But… I can’t agree to this, in this time there is no guy to put away. I wish I had a name to give them, they really look like they want to help.

“I’m sorry but I can’t give you a name. If he finds out that I’ve been conspiring against him, it will not end well. I appreciate how much you want to help me; I really do, but this isn’t something that I can disclose just yet.” I won’t be here long anyways, or hopefully I guess. Philip stepped up to you, his eyes were filled with sorrow, he was sorry on your behalf.

“If you cannot tell us his name then at least give us your last name so that we may be on the lookout for anyone speaking of you.” He said with care. I don’t want to make this any more complicated than what it has to be, but they just want to help me so much… Okay, I’ve already told Rachel my real last name but if I give them a fake one right now I can give her a reason not to tell them. Generic name, what’s a generic name I can say? Philip stared down at you with a pleading expression against his artful features.

“Fine… Taylor, Y/N Taylor.” Was that even a common name during this era?

“Taylor? I do not know of any person who goes by that name…” Alexander was a genius; I have to be careful!

“My family is from England but I was born here, my father immigrated here and began his career in North Carolina, most of our wealth came from before my parents settled here.” Was that convincing? Please tell me it was. Alexander nodded along, he didn’t seem satisfied with how the conversation turned but he was understanding.

“Very well, but just remember this Miss Y/N, you are welcome here. As an orphan myself, I have a tender spot in my heart for those who have come from that background. If you ever change your mind and you wish to take my advice, do not hesitate to ask.” He gave you a warm smile but Philip still didn’t look pleased. He forced on a smile, clearing his throat before he spoke.

“Would you like to sit down?” Your eyes softened. Is he disappointed in me or something?

“Yes, I would actually.” You chuckled tiredly and Philip followed you to the couch you were previously sitting at, your book still lying on the cushions. Quickly picking it up, you eagerly flipped to the page you left off on.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream? One of Shakespeare’s lesser appreciated works on page.” Philip said as he sat down beside you, Alexander perked his head up.

“Ah, an intriguing choice, I do not see many choosing to read that, most people favor Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet or my own personal choice, Macbeth.” Alexander stated while simultaneously asking you as to why you chose that.

“I enjoy the complexity of it. Shakespeare has a bit of a habit to making simple stories seem complex. Romeo and Juliet for example, it’s a beautiful story but it isn’t difficult to summarize. Romeo and Juliet, not meant to fall in love, their fear to tell the truth causes the deaths of two of their closest compatriots and their own deaths. But this story takes those same ideas and truly makes them complex. The anguish and history between all the characters makes the ending more interesting…” You realized you were rambling. Damn you Shakespeare for instilling my need to dissect everything! Alexander nodded along in agreement. Philip simply stared at you in awe, a familiar smile dancing on his lips.

“You have quite the mind Miss Y/N! I must say, your character reminds me very much of Titania, very tactful and… forthright seems to be the right word.” Alexander chuckled to himself.

“Really? I’ve always seen myself more as Helena.” You retorted. Alexander looked oddly surprised by the statement.

“I would be inclined to agree with Father, if Titania were to not have fallen in love with Oberon and Theseus. Her feelings for them always confused me about her character.” Philip said with thought.

“Right? How did such a strong woman fall for such horrible people?” It was rare for you to find someone who understood your ideas on literature. Most people think I’m weird when I talk about how much I love Shakespeare…

“Everyone has their flaws I suppose, hers seemed to be a poor taste in men.” Philip shrugged.

“Well, then I suppose it’s good that I don’t have that flaw right?” He quickly caught on to your subtle jab about his flirting earlier. His eyes were wide as you started to laugh at your own joke.

“Miss Y/N, I’m sure I do not know what you mean by that statement. I am the model gentleman and I will not stand for such accusations!” Philip responded with playful offence.

“How dare you, sir! Are you trying to insinuate something?” You made out between bursts of laughter. Alexander chuckled lightly at the two you, happy tears rolling down both of your cheeks. He looked outside and quickly stood up, getting yours and Philip’s attention.

“It’s getting late; Philip don’t you have work to do?” Alexander asked while putting his glasses down onto the table. Philip sighed and stood up.

“It isn’t that late Father, besides Y/N’s room may not be finished yet.” Philip gave an exaggerated hand motion towards you.

“No, no it’s fine! I don’t want to distract you from schoolwork or anything!” You hopped up off the couch and put the book back on the shelf where you found it. Philip followed you over to the door.

“Thanks for letting me use your study Alex.” You called out before leaving the room. Alex was too surprised by the name to call back out.  Philip followed you out until you both made your way back to the main hall.

“I wish we could converse longer but Father is right, I must retire to my chambers for work. I…enjoyed your company today, that means I look forward to tomorrow as well.” Philip said with a sly smile.

“If you can handle my strong opinions on literature, music and society in general then I look forward to tomorrow as well.”  You responded with a chuckle. You both said goodnight to each other, soon after Rachel found you and told you that your room was ready.

           That night you were given a room in the serving quarters, next to Rachel’s room. She gave you a night dress and laid in the shockingly soft bed, your thoughts swirling. Maybe this is all a bad dream. Maybe not a bad dream per say but a dream nonetheless. If I fall asleep, I’ll wake up in my own bed in my own apartment and in my own modern time period. Just close your eyes Y/N. You didn’t realize that you were tired until that thought faded away and left you in the darkness of your subconscious. You saw something in the darkness, a small light, a blue light. Light is usually linked to the idea of heat and safety but for some reason this one didn’t. It was cold and foreboding, you didn’t like it. The light came closer and as it began to engulf your body, you heard a sound, something wooden slamming against something else and then your own voice.

“Excuse me!”

           When you opened your eyes again you were still in the bed, still wearing the slightly scratchy gown, breaking out in a cold sweat. What the hell was that? That was…suffocating. Whatever… Everything happening right now is weird, just something new to add to the list I guess. You stretched out, got up and attempted to put back on the clothes that were given to you. Attempted being the operative word, you had to ask Rachel for help with tying the back. After that the both of you made your way down the halls.

“The first thing we will do today is check on Mrs. Hamilton, that’s the first thing we do every day actually.” She spoke with glee.

“Nice, so what exactly are-“ You were interrupted by a sound that made you feel squeamish. Coming from a room a few feet ahead of us. Rachel immediately ran for the door, you followed close behind. Busting into the room you both soon saw a disheveled Eliza, hunched over on the floor by her bed. Her face was half inside a wooden bucket, making noises that was a mixture of gurgling and gagging. Rachel made her way to her, pulled her hair back and patted her shoulder comfortingly. Eliza continued to vomit into the bucket for some time before she was finally given a chance to steady herself. You sat down beside her and looked her worriedly.

“Are you alright Eliza? Are you sick? Do you need a doctor? Rachel, should we go find a doctor?” You started to rattle off questions as the possibilities grew. Eliza shook her head, her eyes glassy as Rachel wiped the sweat off her brow.

“No, no Dear, I am perfectly fine. I am merely expecting!” She said weakly. Wait, expecting? Oh my god…

“You’re pregnant? That’s why your dress was… Eliza you are incredible!” You smiled at her happily, she looked confused for a moment.

“Incredible? I would not say that, although I am excited for this child.” She responded. This woman is the best person to ever exist. Not only is she the closest thing the United States ever had to royalty but she also deserved that shit! On top of everything she manages to have children and still be the best? Role Model of the year!

“Y/N, could you give me a hand with Mrs. Hamilton? I understand if you do not wish to clean out the bucket but if you could help her dress I would be very appreciative.” Rachel said as she helped Eliza to sit on her bed.

“I can clean the bucket, I don’t mind.”

“Truly? Thank you very much.” She picked up the bucket by the sides and handed it to you. “Take this outside to the garden, you will find a watering pump to clean it out.” She instructed you. You nodded and made your way down the hallways and out the back door in the kitchen. The garden was very beautiful, most of the plants seemed to be placed at random and yet it was still visually pleasing. No wonder Eliza likes it out here. You found the pump and quickly cleaned the bucket. Poor Eliza, pregnancy is rough. Once the bucket seemed clean you made your way back inside, intending on going back to Rachel and Eliza. Instead you stopped when you heard the sound of hooves and carriage wheels. Stepping inside the main room, the front door burst open and you were greeted with the site of an oddly distressed Alex. He mumbled something under his breath but stayed almost completely still, looking like the apocalypse had just begun.

“Alex? Are you alright? Did something happen?” You asked with concern. He looked over at you as you walked over to him, his voice was low and exasperated.

“John Adams just withdrew my seat in office.” He said with panic.

John Fat Motherfucking Adams!

[ikon-au]

magical creatures au!

hello! yes magicalcreature!au this is really cute! I know it might have been a while but I needed time to get my mental health back on track before doing any aus! 

Thanks for requesting and have a good day/night!

Story: There is a magical forest that is filled with mystical creatures such as fairies/pixies/elves and all sorts. The Fairies with their king rule over the forest, helping human and fixing the chaos manevolant creatures such as goblins/demons/sirens create.

Jinhwan - Fairy

he is isn’t just a fairy, he is the fairy king like Oberon from midsummer’s night’s dream

all the fairies in the forest follow his orders or else

one of the most powerful magic users in all the land

what the goblin do to cause mischief, it is the fairies that help fix what they have done

is on friendly terms with humans and often the human venture into the mystical woods in order to heal a sick child or help them in life

even though he is kind, he likes to disguise himself as a human and learn from them

plays tricks with horrible humans and goblins

has yet to find a fairy queen

Yunhyeong - Centaur 

centaurs are the gatekeepers to the forest that allow people to enter/leave

powerful and dignified creatures, they are a sign of powers but also justice

yunhyeong guards the entrance to the fairy part of the forest 

he carries a sword and shield just in case bad human beings or goblins decide to attack and cause mayhem

he is kind and thoughtful and likes to listen to stories that humans from other lands tell him or the stories from satyrs

can be bargained with sometimes with food (but only rarely)

if any human is injured or taken to the fairies because they are sick, he puts them on his back and rides them to the nymphs to be healed

has a soft spot for children and changelings 

Bobby - Satyr

half-men, half-goats they have a notorious reputation for being wild, lustful and drunks

they spend their days lazing around and cat calling woman and other mystical creatures suck as nymphs

bobby spends his days playing the flute and spreading stories that may or not be true

sometimes lies in his stories to make him seem more heroic that what he actually is

the only time he is really telling the truth is to get him drunk and it’s not an easy job as satyrs have a high alcohol tolerance

even though mischevious, they are benevolent creatures that aid humans and fairies 

is kinda jealous that he was given the half body of a goat whereas yunhyeong got a horse

popular with nymphs and human girls

Hanbin - Goblin

goblins are tricksters, wicked and not a creature to associate with

hanbin is sly and mischievous, often coming up with schemes to ruin a day for a fairy or human

have a variety of magical powers that have devastating affects to humans and other benevolent creatures

(if you read goblin market by Christina Rossetti…. you can kinda get the picture of a goblin)

disguises himself as human sometimes and play tricks on travellers

is rivals with fairies and he wants nothing better that to get rid of them so he can live his life in peace

can be bargained or reasoned with gold coins and money

hanbin often travels to the coast to talk the sirens who help with his goals of causing chaos in the land

goblins in human form are handsome in a disturbing an unsettling way

Donghyuk - Nymph

nymphs lives in secluded areas of the forest protecting natural areas (ponds, trees, flowers)

donghyuk is the nymph of the willow tree

with the other nymphs, they protect the area from others and sing songs

even though gentle and benevolent, if people threaten the area they protect, they will kill them in an instant

they are close friends with fairies and often help them 

helps humans by singing then songs that heal and giving them magical items to protect them from malevolent creatures such as goblins of demons

though it is quite hard for you to find them, they use their powers to hides themselves in nature

donghyuk, however, like to be seen and talk to humans

Junhoe - Siren

alluring creatures, they use their hypnotising voices to send unlucky sailors down to their watery grave

junhoe spends his day lounging around the coast and waiting for any incoming ships

he is very alluring with his white hair, crystal eyes and body adorned with jewels and suite his tail

most of the time bored as most sailors now take an alternate route so no ships come

he is on somewhat friendly terms with less than benevolent creatures (harpies, ghost and of course goblins)

aids then is the hopes of trying to mess up the lives of humans

if you ever meet him, chances are you will die unless you have something like jewels or pearls to bargain with

siren songs have no effect on fairies or changelings

Chanwoo - Changeling

changelings are children that have been swapped by mischievous fairies and elves when they were babies and replace with the fairy’s child

he is he is tall for his age, never gets sick and smarter than other kids

he can sense other magical beings where humans cannot

he is often bullied by the other kids because of his background but his parents even though they know he is not theirs still love him

can talk to other magical beings suck as fairies and goblins

can perform very little magical and struggles to identify as human or mystical being

he makes some unlikely friends such as goblins, sirens and nymphs

immune to the sirens song

[themeltedheadaches]

ALL THE SHAKESPEARE ASKS

ANTONY: What bad habits do you need to break?i need to quit 1) cracking every joint in my body (especially my neck, it’s started to make distressing crackling sounds), 2) popping my jaw like why ???, 3) biting around my cuticles when i’m stressed, 4) scratching at my skin when i get upset like……………….pls

BEATRICE: What is the achievement you’re most proud of?honestly this is sad but going back to public school after a semester of homeschooling!! it would have been so freaking easy to stay in independent study but i didn’t do it and i’m really proud of myself for pushing so hard. i’m grateful to myself, too, bc i’ve grown so much and met so many wonderful people in high school :)BENVOLIO: What comes to mind when you think of peace?books, cats, walking in a garden, tea, reading aloud. watercolors. my mom’s gardenia lotion. more often, when i think of peace, i remember this feeling i got at my uncle’s memorial - all these tears were being pulled out of me and i was grieving but i was surrounded by people who loved me and understood, and my cousin gave me a poem he wrote as a prayer, and reading it i just felt myself relax and i just felt soothed. it’s weird to say that that was a feeling of peace, but it was, and that memory is actually a comforting one.BIANCA: What do you want most in life?balance!! i am a very intense person and feel things A Lot, and i want to be able to balance myself. it’s “no self-control for days” or “don’t let yourself eat for two whole days” for me, literally, and it’s not healthy!! arghCELIA: Do you want to fall in love?i’d like to! but my last experience was so toxic and disingenuous i’m a bit scared :(CIRCE: Would you rather be loved or feared?loved CLAUDIUS: What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?honestly……………idek, there’s a lot of things in my life that i would do differently but idk if a particularly bad thing stands out? probably not trying hard enough, in generalCORDELIA: Do you consider yourself a good person?i’d say so! i hope so.CRESSIDA: What makes you feel trapped?i cannot wake up later than 10:30 or the day is ruined and i will be a useless self-pitying mess DESDEMONA: Do you believe that the truth will set you free?i’d always rather know the truth than any other alternative, so yesEDGAR: Do you want to make your family proud?yes!!EDMUND: Do you ever wish you’d been born someone else? If so, who?not really. GERTRUDE: Would you (or have you) ever cheated on a significant other?no and no HAMLET: Do you prefer to think things through thoroughly or act on impulse?i act on impulse so much omfg it hasn’t really ever gotten me into trouble but Oh Boy Will It One DayHECATE: Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?introvert omgHELENUS: Do you believe in God?yeah but not in a christian sense at all tho (judaism ftw)HIPPOLYTA: What is your biggest regret?not putting myself out there more! i want to share a lot of my work with The World (aka the internet or even just in school) but it’s so hard for me??? and i regret it now that high school is ending!!HORATIO: Who do you love most?i honestly probably have the most unconditional and gentlest love for my older bro, we support each other so casually and naturally and i’m so lucky to have such a good friend in him. i have the most overwhelming love for my friends tho, it just kind of bubbles up out of me when i’m around them and thinking about them!! i love them!! i’m so lucky to have them in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!JULIET: What is your favorite luxury?chocolate, tea, fun soaps/perfumesLADY MACBETH: What is your favorite thing about yourself?my eyes!! they are my one feature that somehow never disappoint. the rest of me is a disaster lmaoMACBETH: Have you ever killed anyone? Would you?no and i certainly hope notMALCOLM: What does honor mean to you?doing everything you can not to fail, following things through, being loyal but not blind. having dignity. picking your battles. having bravery but also kindness as two top priorities.MEDEA: Do you have any quirks?i can’t sleep unless it’s on my right side, i read horror movie wiki pages so i know what happens but don’t have to see the actual movie, i have a terrifying ability to accidentally spoil books, i hate tomatoes, balloon animals make me cry (it’s sad when they pop), etc.MERCUTIO: Is there anyone you would die for?yes! any of my friends, and most of my family.MIRANDA: Is happiness a choice?it can be. but not always!OBERON: Does reputation matter to you?lol i am one of the proudest people i know OPHELIA: Is there anything you regret not doing?see the hyppolyta answer!ORSINO: If you could have any material thing in the world, what would it be?a pet!!PARIS: If you had the chance to rule the world, would you?if i could rule it as a united force, then yes!! taking AP enviro sci has made me so anxious to get started on trying to help fix/prevent the mess our environment is in PORTIA: When did you lose your innocence?OH BOY i think i still have small bits of it! i don’t think we ever fully lose our innocence, it just loses a little bit of its shinePUCK: Do you consider yourself a mischievous person? actually yes, especially if someone tells me not to do something and i can annoy them by doing it. i live to tease people.ROMEO: How far would you go for love?Ridiculously Far but not so far as to degrade myself. if i think i deserve better or aren’t getting all that someone can give me in fair trade, i won’t go any farther than i already haveROSALIND: What does your ideal day entail?sleep, tea, beach, milkshake, some kind of poetry performance, shopping, concert, macarons, bath, warm milk, early sleepROSALINE: Which people from your past haunt you?ugh honestly i’m trying not to let anyone keep effecting me!!! the past is the past and it may be Nasty but ya just gotta learn from it, is the perspective i’m trying to get withSEBASTIAN: Is violence ever the answer?short-term yes, long-term noTITANIA: Do you believe in magic?:)TYBALT: If you could kill one person without consequences, who would it be?honestly probably no one b/c anyone i’d pick would have too many domino effects and it would be so badVIOLA: How skilled of a liar are you?sometimes i think i’m a Super Liar and i’m the most impenetrable person ever and then i realize that i’m actually the least subtle and can’t tell a big lie to save my lifeVOLUMNIA: Describe the biggest sacrifice you’ve made.i let patrick read as hamlet this week in ap english and let me tell you it was rough :( 

[ask-the-phan-site]

The Anchor King of Vanity

>It’s time.

Time to show him real news.

It’ll be the story of the century.

Heh heh! I can see the bulletin now.

Then let’s get going!

>Mona becomes our van and we drive off to take Chaz Monerainian’s heart.

>Meanwhile in the studio of A. Nigma High School, Chaz was once again hogging the camera and poor Tina Kwee is nowhere in sight.

So Principal General Barrage is now asking all students, teachers, and even our visitors to assemble in the gym to find out who sent me, Chaz Monerainian, that Phantom Thieves calling card. This is Chaz Monerainian and this has been Chaz’s Corner!

>With that, the broadcast ended.

News Team Member 1: Are you sure it was wise to kick Tina out of the News Team, Chaz? What if that calling card is because of how your treat her.

News Team Member 2: He’s right, man. What you’re doing does seem a little... Villainous.

Chaz: What can I say? In the media game, you do whatever it takes.

>The two News Team members just stare at him. Then finally, they just sigh in defeat and leave to get ready for the assembly.

Chaz: Well that’s how my father said it.

?????: Then yer father’s an idiot. No wonder yer so messed up.

Chaz: !

>A red wave passes over him. When it was over, Chaz was now in a castle where there was a room full of mirrors, a throne, and on that throne was an apple, clearly poisoned.

???????: You put others down just for your own popularity.

???: You claim that you’re a piece of art, but all I see is a mess.

?????: You have a dark heart that limes for the spotlight. But we’ll be taking both.

>Suddenly, ten mirrors broke open and we step in... I hope this doesn’t mean 70 years bad luck.

Joker: Target: Chaz Monerainian.

You are suppose to spread the news of what really happens at your school, but you talk more about yourself.

Yer a lyin’ piece of shit that you would push anyone just to get all the fame and glory.

You even hurt a girl who wanted to do her job to the best of her abilities to satisfy your own desires.

You even once criminalized the man she loved for attention.

As thieves of justice, we cannot allow this to go on any longer.

You will pay for your cruel ways and your vanity.

Spirit: Tina’s future depends on us taking your distortion and making you see the error of your ways.

Mona: We will take your Treasure and succeed in our mission.

Joker: We are the Phantom Thieves and we will take your heart!

Chaz: You can’t do that. I kind of need my heart to make me a great news caster.

Panther: You’re anything but great. You’ve completely replaced the news with your show. How will anyone know what’s really going on at A. Nigma High?

Spirit: I’m surprised Barrage is letting you get away with this.

Chaz: That’s because he recognizes talent when he sees it. Even without that robotic eye of his.

Queen: No. It’s because he’s doing his job. But we’re going to remind him that he has to enforce the rules on all of the students. Including you.

Spirit: Now you’re going to know what it’s like being a Detentionaire. Look like Lee Ping and Biffy Goldstein are about to have some company.

>With fury growing inside him, Chaz’s eyes become a gold color.

Shadow Chaz: You dare speak to your king like this!? I shall have your head on the chopping block for this. Mirror mirror on the wall, help me defeat these thieves once and for all.

>With that, the Shadow changes his form.

Oracle: Persona!

>Necronomicon scans the Shadow.

Oracle Got it! Oberon is weak to Nuclear moves.

Queen: This is my area. Persona!

>I change Personas.

Joker: Persona!

Noir: I’ll help too just in case. Persona!

Spirit: Me, too. Persona!

>Spirit summons his Persona, Tokebi.

>Oberon uses Summon.

Oberon: Now, my dear fan, let us broadcast a very special edition of Chaz’s Corner!

Skull: In your dreams, pal!

Queen: Right. Soon, your little fan here will see the truth about you. Let’s go, Johanna!

>Johanna uses Freila on Oberon. It knocks him down. Queen passes the Baton to Noir and Milady uses Psio on Titania. However, she dodges it. Thoth uses Taunt on Titania. It enrages her. Milady uses Psio on Titania. It got her this time and it was more effective since Titania was enraged.

Noir: Time to punish them!

>After the attack, Oberon and Titania were still up. Still enraged, Titania attacks me. Oberon uses Nocturnal Flash. Luckily, it missed all of us. Johanna uses Marakukaja to raise our defense. Thoth uses Freila on Oberon. It knocks him down. I pass the Baton to Noir and Milady uses Psio on Titania again. It knocks her down again.

Joker: Let’s do it!

>After the attack, Oberon and Titania are still stand. Titania was now weaker. Then, Tokebi uses Zionga on Oberon. He didn’t get shocked this time. Titania, still enraged, attacks Spirit. Oberon uses Brave Blade on me. It takes a lot of health out of me. Luckily, Johanna uses Diarama to heal me. Then, Thoth uses Psy Wall on Queen. Milady uses Tetrakarn on Spirit. Tokebi uses Zionga again on Oberon. This time, it shocks him.

Spirit: You’re free to attack, Queen.

Queen: I’ll see to it.

Joker: So will I.

>Titania hesitates and Oberon is disabled from Shock. Johanna uses Freidyne on Oberon. It knocked him down and was super effective because of the Shock. Queen passes the Baton to Noir and Milady uses Psiodyne on Titania. Titania is gone. Noir attacks Oberon. Luckily, she didn’t get Shocked. Thoth uses Freila again. Milady uses One-shot Kill. And Tokebi uses Assault Dive. Now Oberon was getting weak.

Oberon: This is the story of the century! I won’t let you take this from me!

>Oberon uses Maziodyne. It leaves me Shocked.

Spirit: Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.

>Queen and Noir defend themselves and I am unable to move. Tokebi uses Baisudi on me and cures me of the Shock.

Oberon: You little shit! I’LL KILL YOU!

>Oberon uses Brave Blade on Spirit. Luckily, the Tetrakarn protects him and the attack reflects back at Oberon. It was a critical hit.

Spirit: Here goes nothing!

>After the attack, the Shadow resumes his normal form and a familiar light comes out of him.

Mona: And here we have the Treasure!

>I take the Treasure. It was a toy microphone.

Chaz: All I’ve ever wanted was to become a reporter just like my father and his father before him. I wanted to do whatever it takes.

Noir: Even if it means making others miserable? Even pursuing your dreams shouldn’t be done at the expense of others.

Queen: You have to better plan your future to make sure that it works out for everyone and not just you.

Chaz: ...

Crow: A real reporter tells only the truth of what is happening in their community and not just with themselves. You need to think more clearly before you decided what should be shown to others.

Joker: From now on, tell the truth when it needs to be told and don’t make it all about you.

Chaz: ... Okay. I’ll think twice before I decide what I should talk about before I get on the air. I’ll even apologize to Tina for giving her the boot. I promise as a Monerainian.

>With that, the Shadow returns to his true self.

Mona: We’ll hold you to that.

Spirit: I hope it works. Tina really needs this.

It will. Don’t worry.

>With the Treasure in our possession, we leave the now disappearing Palace.

>In the school gym, Principal General Barrage had gathered everyone, including us, to find out who sent Chaz the calling card.

You maggots know why I called you here! One of you sent this to the school news room! (begins brandishing the calling card) Just because it’s not in your handwriting doesn’t mean we can’t identify you. Later after I dismiss detention, I am taking this to Public Safety Canada where they have experts in this sort of identification! So these Phantom Thieves had better turn themselves in now if they wish to avoid not only expulsion or being fired, whichever the case may be, but also an arrest!

>Suddenly, the gym doors open and in comes Chaz Monerainian. He slumps all the way to the stage.

Barrage: About time you showed up, Mr. Monerainian!

Chaz: I... I have something to say... I’ve been... Taking advantage of my position as senior anchor of the school news team... I’ve been manipulating information to gain more popularity to be more like my father. I even... Ruined Tina Kwee’s chances for my own gain... I’ve abused my status to even make the goodest of students look bad.. (begins tearing up) I’m nothing but a bad lousy reporter! I’ve ruined everyone’s lives! How... How could I possibly... Pay for all this!? (sobbing)

>Chaz was on his knees sobbing like mad. As for Barrage... He was a different kind of mad.

Barrage: WHAT IN TARNATION HAPPENED HERE!?

>Everyone just stared for a moment in silence.

Barrage: Fine! I’ll give the guilty party one last chance. Step forward or pay the consequences!

(whisper) This looks bad.

(also whispering) Not to worry. Me and Biffy came up with something.

(also whispering) You’ll love it. Watch this.

>Futaba presses something on her phone and a projection screen comes down. Then, the Phantom Thieves logo is projected on it and Futaba’s altered voice is heard.

Hello, A. Nigma High School. I am Phantom Thief Alibaba and we had just taken the heart of Chaz Monerainian. And also, by the time you are watching this, we are already half way out of Canada. So go ahead. Send that calling card to be examined, it won’t do you any good now. They don’t even know how we did it. This Alibaba, out.

>The message ended. Barrage was furious, but knew the message was right. In his frustration, he crushes the calling card.

Barrage: What are you maggots all looking at!? Assembly dismissed!

>Everyone came out and were either talking about what happened out loud or on their phones.

I can’t believe the Phantom Thieves actually did it.

Can’t really say Chaz didn’t deserve it. The way he flaunted his popularity like that.

Now the guy’s just as cursed as we are. Something I really won’t forget while I’m at Horizon.

Alright, y’all. Back to class.

(chatting on her phone) OMG, what a waste of time. I was in the middle of setting up an appointment at the salon. Oh well, I’ll just go back to tormenting Biffy. I know it seems wrong, but I just love his company. But still, the Phantom Thieves were here at our school?

I know. I kinda reminds my of dad’s movie: Ace Von Chillstein in High School Thieves Guild. I wonder if I’m the main character in this brand new story... Am I the one they call Joker?

(noticing them texting each other even though they’re right next to each other) You know, there are a couple of seats with your name on it that need to be filled. So I suggest you hurry.

You know what I just realized. All this Phantom Thief business happened when those students came here to look for people interested in transferring to Horizon High.

You’ve noticed that, too?

Are you sayin’ that there’s somethin’ suspicious about them? You better not. There’s no way they’re guilty of something. Like that Yusuke guy. I know he seems weird, but he’s gotta style that’s definitely earned my respect.

You’re so compassionate, Chopper. I also love that about you. (sighs) It’s really going to make me miss you while you’re in New York.

Chopper: Don’t worry, Beth. Me and Emmett will be staying at my uncle’s place there. And I’ll message you everyday. You’ll away be in my heart, babe.

Beth: Aww, thank you. You’ll always be in mine.

Irwin: Oh, brother. What do those two see in each other.

Grayson: You’ll understand when you have someone for you. For now, let’s just head to class. It looks like Barrage is heading this way.

(translating skater slang) Heh! What a great prank! ... It is a prank, right?

Who knows, bro. Those P Thieves aren’t like a lotta people. They’ve actually changed a few hearts.

Including in New York. Like that octopus teacher at Horizon.

And let’s not forget Spider-Man and Norman Osborn’s son... I mean, Peter Parker and Harry Lyman.

Fred (Blonde Skater): Speaking of which, you sure you and Ted wanna go to that nerd school?

Ned: Me and Ted do love being Skaters, but we wanna give something new a try.

Ted: Besides, we get to go to New York. Now I can show up my damn cousin, Chris.

Ned: That, too.

Zed: Okay. Just don’t forget, we’re always bros and since I just got my license (which was not easy since I keep almost crashing during my driver’s test), it’s only an 8 hour dive.

>The four skaters fist bumped.

I’m glad to see such close and devoted friends are willing to go a long ways... Just hope you have travel papers and passports. Now you better get going. Classes are starting again. 

Phantom Thieves, You've taken my heart But nothing will tear Our bond apart

How was that?

Rud the Drummer: A little forced, but very true.

Cyrus: It’s a working progress.

Goob the Bassist: I’m sure you’ll get it soon, Cyrus.

Skeeter the Guitarist: Hopefully before the end of this summer.

Rud: You know I still think it’s a bit of a shame that we’re using that science school as an excuse to get to New York.

Cyrus: Can we help it that Ross Caliban saw our number one hit, Go It Solo, and liked it so much that he asked us to come over to New York to perform a collaboration?

Rud: I guess.

Cyrus: Relax, guys. I already know enough science to help us at Horizon. No cheating this time. It’s just plain old studying.

Goob: And you can count on us to help you along the way.

Cyrus: I know... Thanks, guys.

Grr!

Cyrus: Okay, okay! We’re goin’! Jeez, since when did the Tazelwurm care about education?

>In a classroom.

Aww, man, we’re awesome!

It’s just shame Holger was in class when Phantom of Thieves did heist.

Lee: Maybe next time, Holg.

Wait until the after school report, this will be the story of the century.

Just try not to go overboard like Chaz.

Tina: You can bet on that.

It looked like your principal was serious about turning in the calling card.

He had a complicated past. Military.

Alright, settle down! Class is about to start!

Lee: Sorry, Mom. I mean, Mrs. Ping.

>Suddenly, the door opened.

I hope I’m not disturbing class.

Mrs. Ping: No we were just about to start.

Lee: Why are you here, Dad?

Mrs. Ping: Principal Barrage said that school will be closing early today. So your father’s treating us to lunch at a restaurant today... Now take your seat! As for you visitors, go keep my husband company outside.

Sure thing, Mrs. Ping.

>Me, the Phantom Thieves and Dr. Ping leave the room.

You’re wife sure is tough.

Dr. Ping: I know... But that’s one of the things I love about her.

I know the feeling.

Strength can be a fine character trait.

Indeed it can.

Ann: (laughing) Get a room, you two!

I think this heist was a good one. We got to learn a bit more about our Reserved Members. Just like with our last heist.

I just wish someone would actually let us know that they wish to join the Reserved Team as well instead of relying on luck from our heists.

I’m sure something will come along. Just wait.

Dr. Ping: Same here... In the meantime, why not join us for lunch? I’ve got enough for everyone, even Lee’s friends.

Ren: Sure. I guess we have time.

>We go with Dr. Ping to the parking lot to wait for school to be out.

>Another successful heist.