#spell should be honored to be compared to something he adores so much

[smilesrobotlover]

I hope you guys don’t mind some chaos zelda doodles. Mostly regarding my aus.

Some kotg nonsense, then love at twilight nonsense with a hint of TCOD, a moping Ghirahim with the hand of Farore nonsense along with four swords stuff, and lastly I wanted to sort of redo Linebeck’s design? He keeps giving me a hard time so I wanted to just make him a little more soft and cartoony. He makes me unwell.

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Ares

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares

Lucifer

He cannot overstate what kind of damage this mortal was able to do in their first few seconds in the Devildom...

The instant they got to their feet, they had managed to incapacitate Satan and knock down Beel. Lucifer himself tried to get between them and Diavolo but…

If he hadn’t moved his head, if he was standing just ONE INCH to the left… he wouldn’t have a head anymore. Barbatos was there to intervene, but had he not they could have probably taken out the Avatar of Pride and done critical damage to the Demon Prince himself in one strike...

Frankly, Lucifer prefers not to dwell on that moment... He's sure Ares must be proud of this one...

He pretty much treats the mortal like a live bomb afterward, if he can get away with not interacting with them at all, that’s what he’ll do.

He’s NOT scared of them... much... It’s just that they have a bullish and uncooperative attitude at best and since they know they can take any of them, they don't even consider him - Lucifer, the eldest demon brother - a threat...

But you know what the most frustrating thing is? They won't give him an inch of respect, but they'll always listen to Levi! Levi!!

Look, Lucifer knows he may not hold a rank among the Hell's army and he might not have been a major player in the Celestial/Demonic wars of the day, but he's still the strongest demons here, dammit!! 😡

Lucifer finds nothing is more embarrassing than having to ask Levi of all people to keep the mortal in line because he can't... Oh, the humiliation… He hopes they leave soon...

Mammon

At first, he thought they were scary. But in time he thought they were scary… and also pretty damn awkward.

Mammon wasn’t there when they more or less wiped out the majority of his brothers in the Conference Hall but when he finally showed up he'd never seen Lucifer look so pale… If THAT doesn't make you shit your pants, he doesn't know what will.

Naturally, he kind of toned it down on the "stupid human" stuff real quick after seeing that…

But here's the thing. After the two made a pact together, Mammon started to notice that the MC wasn't all that mean, they were just… violent?

He legitimately thought that they couldn’t stand him for a while until one day a guy on the street called him a dirtbag. The MC threw a punch right there! No questions asked, they just decked that guy!!

It was kind of touching… and messy. Very messy. Did he mention that they’re terrifying yet? 😥

As it turns out, the MC has apparently spent a lot of their life just fighting things and being asked to fight things so they're not very used to showing non-violent affection… 

It took him awhile, but he realized that their way of saying, "I like you," is, "I will attack your enemies." So now all he does when his brothers tease him is say, "I'm telling MC!'' and they'll stop immediately. It's great!! 😁

Considers them to be his bodyguard when he goes out to gamble in some… shadier places. Most of the time not even the bouncers want to take on the MC, ain't nobody getting paid enough to lose that many teeth…

Leviathan

Okay, so. It's not very obvious anymore, but he USED to be on the front lines of the war against demons in the Celestial Realm. He was in charge of battle strategies, he led armies, and even now he still holds the highest rank of the royal navy!

So leave it to the kid of a war god to sniff all that out about him, huh…? They appeared to know all about his record the instant they saw him and they actually seemed to respect him for it!

For context, this mortal tells pretty much everybody to shove off but any time he’s around they call him “Admiral” or “sir” and actually pay attention to what he says! He can tell it drives Lucifer insane, but honestly? It’s a bit of an ego boost. 😌

It’s sort of cute when they come to him asking for tactical advice… They get just as into it as he does with his anime and any time he points out something that they haven't seen before they get so excited it's like they're a kid watching a magic trick. HUGE ego boost. 😏

Speaking of anime, it’s hit or miss whether or not they can watch any of it. Anything with good fight scenes (and let’s be honest, not that much talking) they’re on board for. But if the hero and the villain talk to each other for like an episode before throwing punches then the MC will just rant...

MC: “The enemy is distracted... Why aren’t they attacking yet??”

Levi: “Because the villain killed the hero’s best friend and they’re-”

MC: “They could avenge their friend right now if they ended things right here!”

Levi: “MC, we’ve been over this... That’s not how plot works.”

MC: “And now he got away!! See?? They should have killed him when they had the chance!”

Levi: “*sigh*... Let’s just play some CoD.”

Satan 

The last thing he remembered when the “human” hopped out of the portal was a sharp pain to the side of the temple and Asmo wailing as he fell unconscious…

Yeeeeah, not great. And unfortunately for the mortal the Avatar of Wrath tends to hold a grudge… 

For a comparatively brief moment in time, all of Satan’s considerable ire had shifted away from Lucifer and to their new housemate. They found their bed, clothes, pillows, food, and even their toothbrush cursed!

… But Ares kids must be built from some strong stuff, because half of what he employed didn’t even faze them! He even put an explosive spell on their backpack and not only did they tank the blast, it didn’t hurt them at all!! It was like they’re damn near immortal!

Annnnd they kind of are. Apparently the MC had taken a dip in the River Styx at some point before and became nigh invulnerable…

Was it maybe a little terrifying to know that they had kidnapped a nearly invincible demigod on the level of Achilles? Yes. Did that also mean that they must have had a weakness too? In theory....

Satan honestly devoted a depressing amount of time trying to uncover the “Achilles’ Heel” of his new sworn enemy… until…

The MC was walking with him and Asmo to RAD one morning when they passed by a group of lesser demons harassing a small puppy. Now Satan may be more of a cat man, but NO ONE fucks with animals while he’s around.

He was right about to go over and rip those demons a new one but the MC actually beat him to it! Apparently, the second that they realized what was happening, they launched themselves forward and started bashing the abusers' heads into a wall!

… Live by violence, forgive by violence because in that very moment Satan decided they weren’t so bad after all. He even joined in!

Oh, Asmo gave them both shit all day for the bloodstains on their uniforms and the scratches on their… everywhere, but it’s not like either of them cared. Righteous justice had been served and it was glorious!!

100% would team up with the MC in some kind of vigilante “punish-all-animal-abusers” gig. They have but to ask. 😌

Asmodeus

Oh they TERRIFIED Asmo when they first showed up! How else was he supposed to react?? They brought down his brothers like they were made of cardboard!!

Though he had to admit that the confident, battle-ready look they had about them was sexy as hell, he knew better than to go bear poking! 😣 He avoided them like plague until they finally asked him for a pact.

And then he discovered something… something very unexpected….

They're actually adorable!!!

Okay, like, not in appearance (they look like they could pile drive Cerberus for Pete’s sake!) but he discovered that they have NO CLUE how to handle physical affection. Like zero!!

The first time Asmo actually got the courage to try and hug them he expected them to toss him off, but instead they just stood there like a malfunctioning doll, all flustered and confused… It was so cute!!! 🥰

From that point on, Asmo would take every chance he could to wrap his arms around them or kiss their cheeks just to watch them try and fail to handle it. It's more fun than picking on Levi!!

It took two months for them to finally attempt any kind of reciprocation and even that was adorable! They pecked him on the forehead without thinking about it then nearly passed out from the realization. Apparently, they had never felt like kissing anyone before so he was quite honored!

The brothers know that if the MC's looking too mad to listen to Levi, they just need to call Asmo. A nigh invincible warrior becomes a LOT less scary after you’ve cuddled them into submission! 🤭

Beelzebub

Beel didn't like them one bit, at least not at the beginning. They had managed to get past him and actually attack Lucifer which was NOT a great first impression on their part...

He honestly saw them as a threat for a while, but unlike the rest of his brothers he didn’t avoid them. He just kept an eye on them.... constantly….

Look. Beel is a big guy. Stealth is not his strong suit… If he's tailing you, you're probably going to know about it because there's a six-foot something behemoth in orange following you around while pounding down bags of chips. He's not very subtle…

That being said, after following them around for a while the two finally got to talking and he realized that they didn’t want to hurt anybody or anything. They were just acting on instinct before.

After making the MC promise not to hurt any of his family, they got on much better terms. Hell, he actually got them into fangol!

Beel's sport of choice is pretty much just ultra-violent American football so the MC took a liking to it instantly! After enough begging, the coach let them try out and they got onto his team immediately.

He likes having them as a teammate! They're very good at the game, uh... even if they take it a little too seriously…

They once tried to convince his teammates to decorate the team bus with "the helmets of their fallen foes." They're REALLY into the sport… But hey, they haven't lost a game since they’ve joined. It’ll be fine!... Probably.

Belphegor

Hahaha… He’s in danger… 😥

It took one look at this mortal to make him rethink the whole, “Trick the Human” plan… Since when have humans looked like that?? They could crush his skull under their heel!!

It took all he had in him to play it cool when they first met because his internal monologue was nothing but screaming… THIS was the "human" he had to use to get him out of there?? How in the WORLD was he going to kill them?!

Admittedly, he had to think about it for a while. Belphie's a clever guy… and a demon. So who needs an honorable fight, anyway? If he can’t win one-on-one, then he’ll cheat!

He waited until the MC got the door open and didn't attempt a frontal assault… No laughter, no gloating. He just waited for them to turn their back, claws ready to dig out their heart, and then-!

MC: "Do you really want to try that?"

The MC must have had some kind of danger sense, because they didn't even have to turn around to know what Belphie was doing…

MC: "Look. I like Beel and you're his twin brother… So I'm willing to let this slide. But if you really want to try me…"

MC: *looks over their shoulder with the glare of a bona fide killer* "I won't hold back."

That was... very persuasive.

The MC brought Belphie down to the others peacefully with his tail between his legs and honestly Lucifer was more relieved that he wasn’t a bloodstain on the floor than he was mad… They could have killed him sooo easily… 

They did, indeed, forgive and forget about the whole “attempted murder” thing, though Belphie was never quite able to shake off how frightening they were in that moment… He had nightmares for a while.

Thankfully, Asmo clued him in that the MC would melt into a harmless puddle of fluff if they got even the slightest bit of physical affection... Oh, the sweet payback he could dish out... It’s cuddle time. 😏

[gowyuko]

Had there existed a time when Ko Gowyu had been nothing of what he was now? Perhaps a time when he’d been a young boy, without any worries in the world, playing and running along with his friends. Or even the idea that he’d been close enough to someone to call them more than a mere acquaintance but even worse a friend.

There had been a time as such; it was but long ago.

The fae realm possessed magic that Gowyu would catch himself missing more than he ought to, because behind all that was ethereally beautiful in his homeland, there also was something ugly that made him nauseous at the thought of returning. The mere thought of finding himself back there, stuck and unable to leave. Gowyu had left something rotten to the core, but the way it’d corrupted him from within, he was not regretful of, rather, Gowyu was grateful for the lessons it’d taught him as a young child. 

Two hundred years he’d been when betrayal had landed at the tip of his tongue and the furry of it had sent him almost commiting a crime that would not have seen any mercy, not even from his dear mother. From his father, Gowyu had never expected anything, the respect he had for him would never compare to the affection he carried for Inyri. A conversation between Tooen and Inyri started the spiral, Sayge’s name for the first time putting forth a conflict against their name. 

Another one, more sinister than the other, of contempt and how Gowyu would never get them where they needed to be and his sister would be a better bet. But alas, she’d been gone for so long and it did not seem as if she would return anytime soon. That did start to plant the seed of envy, because the whispers came from mouths that had smiled at him, hands that had held him and voices that had carried to shower him with praises that Gowyu had soaked in years after years. 

It led to doubts; did his mother also think the same of him while she told him she loved him? Was it the kind of love that was only displaced because the truly adored one was not complying with the rules of her lineage? Gowyu had been red with rage, but deep somewhere within, a place that had ceased to exist now, he’d also been hurt. Far from being the innocent and docile fae he’d always portrayed himself to be, Gowyu had always thought that he’d one day be the pride of his clan. 

He’d been socially thriving, the facade had been paying off, he’d been doing so good at making connections, creating himself links that would strengthen his position in the clan; or so he’d thought. Gowyu had been nothing else but a puppet in a game that many had been playing, a piece that was only pushed forward and idolized because the main one had fiercely locked its defenses and refused to let anyone try to climb up to its fences. 

The hurt had come from the thought that he’d been getting played as much as he’d thought he’d been playing the field as well. The anger, he’d let it diffuse by returning to his chambers and doing something he’d grow fond of doing over the next years to come; sitting in the dark and letting his thoughts invade him in the shape of shadows that carried somber whispers. In this darkness that would soon come to carry no light, there had been something close to it before the downward spiral. 

Gowyu had grown more suspicious, more paranoid of people’s intentions, of all of them, even his own mother. All but one person. Their voices had not been present during the conversation that he'd accidentally heard talking of him as if he was nothing but an insect in a world of predators. Gowyu had had one person to consider keeping his trust in, they’d grown up together. Ran through the years with smiles and laughter that no one else had genuinely brought forth from him. 

Contrary to what he’d wanted to seem like for so many years, Gowyu had never felt emotions the way he’d supposed it should have been felt. He’d always had this vague sense of what he should have been and his mother’s affection had slowly softened the parts that had wanted to harden before its time. But this friend had done something Gowyu had never thought himself capable of doing; they’d brought out sincere feelings. 

Had it been a spell? The Gowyu of now would affirm it had. The Gowyu of then was only a simpleton who thought this was a gem, something that belonged to him, made for him. He’d jealously cherished this friendship like he’d cherished nothing else before. If he could have locked it up in a shell that only he could access with a magic word, he would have. An idea he’d entertained very young, an idea that had tasted bitter the day his friend turned his back on him and spoke with a venom that Gowyu had never known to taste so sweet before. 

Ko Gowyu had always known that snakes were the most powerful; slithering, double edged tongue and the strength to suffocate a prey that outweighed them by triple at times. They were marvelous. He’d always had a fascination for the kind. Dragons had always seemed to be just a bigger imitation of the one animal that ruled supreme. Subtle in the way they preyed, their venom capable of poisoning over a period of time and the warmer the blood, the faster the spread. 

But Gowyu had had to get bitten and filled with the cold reality of it, feeling it spread from roots to tips before realizing that he too; had been born with the ability to sink his fangs in veins and never let go until his prey had succumbed to his venom. Because what it’d done to him was to know that the last person he expected to betray him had always planned on doing so; had only befriended because he wanted to have Gowyu eventually present him to the first born of the clan. There would, after all, be no greater honor than to find their place at her side as a mate. 

Gowyu had started seeing green, at first, not from envy, hatred, or jealousy; but from the bite of another snake. It marinated overnight in the darkness of his chambers; rather than killing him, it grew and it festered an ugly wound that began to spread like an illness. A fever that began to grow faster than any mold. Gowyu had still had the thought of locking this rotten snake, this time only to see how long one could stay under a rock that weighed heavy enough to crush the bones but not give the mercy of death. 

Then his mind lashed onto the one common thing behind everything that had begun to transpire; the first born of the Ko, Sayge. 

Gowyu had spent quite a few days locked in, refusing to eat and refusing to sleep as he hissed. He’d felt the scales on his back and down his arms; he’d seen in the darkness, his eyes turn the color of a serpent and he’d found himself unable to speak without his tongue darting forward and sliding against his teeth. The whispers would sound like millions of snakes crawling up his ears, their venom would bulge in his veins and grow exponent to the point that one night he’d slept and awoken to his curtains pulled and a wet cloth against his forehead. 

Inyri’s face had come from a blur above his face; Gowyu had felt nothing at first. 

“What have you done, child of mine?” 

His mother’s voice, he’d always loved the way it sounded; so Gowyu had let himself shed the last of his skin with it lulling him back to sleep in the background. 

After seven days of unrelenting fever; Ko Gowyu had awakened a changed fae.

[palimpsessed]

So @captain-aralias​ did one of these and invited other writers to do the same. And I wasn't really going to because it feels a bit late now and also I've done quite a few other year in review posts for 2020. But then I got to thinking that it would be really nice to have one of these for each year to look back on and compare, which convinced me. So, here we go!

If you’re a writer, I’d also encourage you to steal this. Tag me on your post so I can see your thoughts! 🥰

List of Complete Fics for 2020 1. At the Top of a Tower, With You- General, 900 words 2. Use Your Words- Teen, 16k 3. A Man of Letters, or Five Times Baz Retreats and the One Time He Doesn’t- Teen, 54k 4. To the Manor Borne- Teen, 43k

Total: 4 fics, 113k words

Every one of these fics was written for an event, which, realistically, is the only reason they got finished. I have so many ideas I'm working on all at once, and I came into fandom with a focus on making art, so to actually find the motivation to sit down and write/finish/post a fic was entirely deadline based. And it's a technique I'm sure I will also employ in 2021.

Best/Worst Title?

Well, I've mentioned a few times before that I usually have a title before I have much in the way of a fic concept. I don't really dislike any of the my titles, because they all did exactly what I needed them to do, which was help me focus on what I wanted to accomplish in the fic. Comparatively speaking, though, I can answer this.

Best: Use Your Words - succinct, idiomatic, a book quote/motif that also has the potential to be a spell, does what it says on the tin, is probably what all of us are constantly yelling at Baz and Simon to do throughout the books and the fic itself

(Honorable mention to A Man of Letters because that title forms a perfect heart shape when viewed on mobile on AO3. ❤️)

Worst: At the Top of a Tower, With You - this is also a quote and it fits the fic perfectly, but it is a bit of a mouthful and it has a comma in the middle of it, which, while I love commas, feels a bit off-putting in terms of a title - also, it's always kind of bothered me that it's a Baz WS quote used for a CO-era Lucy POV

Best/worst summary?

Again, I don't really dislike any of my summaries.

Best:

To the Manor Borne: The gang decides to spend Christmas together at Pitch Manor. Romance, hijinks, and holiday cheer ensue.

Anything that lets me use the word hijinks is always good! - it's short and sweet - it does a fair job of setting up the premise for the fic and giving highlights, without giving anything away

Worst: A Man of Letters

I'm not going to include this one because it's so long, I had to cut down the version I posted on tumblr to fit in the AO3 field, which is really why I rank it below my others - it effectively sets up the world of Simon and Baz in Regency England prior to where the story starts, but it is prohibitively long - and it's set up, not summary, so it also loses points for not doing what it purports to do - I could have said exactly what this fic was in one sentence: "Simon and Baz meet at several Regency-appropriate venues over the course of a London season and reflect on their acquaintance in letters", but instead I did the full book jacket version because it was more interesting to me.

Best/Worst First Line?

Oh, this is interesting. I can honestly say that I have no idea where this will go. Going to pull up my docs and find out! Okay, since I only have four fics to consider, and I'm feeling split, I'm going to do two for each. I feel good about my words, but I will say that half of my first lines actually provide information, and the other half are incomplete thoughts. Those were stylistic decisions I made, but when taken alone, it does somewhat limit the effectivness of a sentence when it can't stand without the rest of the paragraph. Perhaps that decision will lure readers in for more?

Best:

In the end, we wind up at Pitch Manor. (To the Manor Borne)

I know that you won't be surprised when I tell you that I do not like writing letters. (A Man of Letters)

Kind of interesting that these both contain key words from the titles 🤔

Worst:

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this. (Use Your Words)

I love how the title seems to be answering Baz's question when the two are put together like this 😂

Strange that it should end here, where it all started. (At the Top of a Tower, With You)

The title also seems to complete the first line in this one, too. I'm learning about my writing as this goes on, so that's cool!

Best/Worst Last Line?

Hmm. Okay, again, no idea. Also, a little leery of including last lines for anyone who hasn't read the fics they're from yet. (Tho I guess it's unlikely those people would be reading this😆) But let's see what we've got.

Use Your Words and A Man of Letters have very similar final lines, and both are somewhat spoilery.

Best: The ending of A Man of Letters felt risky to me, in the way that it is formatted and changes tone from the rest of the story. It was something that happened as I wrote it and I loved it. I had no idea if readers would like it, if they would feel like it worked as an ending, but I felt strongly enough about it to let the entire fic hinge on that and I think it really paid off. So, without giving you the actual last line, which is only one word, I'm going to say that one is my best ending.

Worst:

To the Manor Borne: "Carry on, Simon."

It's not bad, it's just not mine.

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, fewer than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I did not set out to write any fics in 2020. I was supposed to be taking a break from writing. I've been an aspiring novelist for half my life now, and have been going through major ups and downs with my writing. I decided I needed to re-evaluate and figure out if writing was something that was even going to be able to make me happy anymore. The answer is: YES! Just…not original fiction. At the moment. I'm happiest when I can write for the sake of writing and not have to DO something with that writing. Which is why discovering fan fiction was AMAZING!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

To actually answer the question, yes, I wrote more than I thought I would. I also wrote exactly as much as I thought I would, simply because these were all things I signed up for (with the exception of my Countdown fic, but I committed to it as if it were something that required a sign up).

I have a lot more ideas for 2021, but I don't know how many of them will come to fruition. I'm not putting pressure on myself to have to do anything beyond what I sign up for again, because it did work out so well for me starting off.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

I mean, the pairing and the fandom were in no way a surprise. 😆 They're my only ones, so those were both a given. The genre is also not surprising.

What's your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest?

A Man of Letters, without any hesitation. I adore it so much. It's the kind of fic I know I will unabashedly sit down to read over and over, even if I'm the one who wrote it. I had one reader to please and it was ME. By far, my most self-indulgent fic.

Okay, NOW your most popular story?

That depends on the metric.

To the Manor Borne leads in Comments (107), Kudos (153), and Hits (1992), and Use Your Words leads in Bookmarks (26).

But since To the Manor Borne is top in 3 out of 4 metrics, I'll say that one.

Story most upderappreciated by the universe?

I mean, the least popular by a wide margin is At the Top of a Tower, With You, but I don't know if I'd call it underappreciated. It's short, it's angsty, it's got a very unusual style, it's Lucy POV, it's the first fic I wrote and posted. I didn't really go into it with high performance expectations. I'm proud of it, I just didn't expect it to be popular. It would be nice if more people read it, but I'm not broken up over it.

Story that could have been better?

I'm not even going to touch this one. Everything can always be improved upon, but if I go down that route, nothing will ever be done. This is one of the things I have come to appreciate about traditional art versus digital. With traditional, there is only so much you can do before something is permanent and you have to live with it. It's an exercise in letting go and acceptance. Digital is flashier and more flexible, but I could (and have) spend months on a single piece and never feel satisfied, never stop tweaking. I think that's also the reason I started to hate my novels.

Sexiest story?

Based purely on overall vibes, I find the understated tension of the Regency the most appealing, so I'm going to say A Man of Letters. I didn't actually stray into sex territory in any of my fics (though Simon and Baz have had sex by the time To the Manor Borne starts, and refer to it, and probably do it "offscreen"), but A Man of Letters is the one that feels sexiest to me. Lots of thirsting!Baz and feral!Simon and sensual hand touching (how risqué!) - and YEARNING. That, to me, is the sexiest vibe of all. So. Much. Yearning.

Saddest story?

At the Top of a Tower, With You - for this one, I tagged "angst without plot" and I stand by that. It's Lucy losing her connection to Simon at the end of CO and trying to find a way to reconcile herself to leaving him alone again. I gave it as much of a hopeful bent as I could, with the refrain of Baz's spoken "love" to cling to, but it's very sad.

Most fun?

To the Manor Borne - All of my fics have their fair share of angst, but this one also has some good, silly, holiday fluff thrown in. Since I wrote it for the Countdown, each chapter was based on a different prompt, which led to this one going in all sorts of directions no single fic probably ever should. Plus, it has the most Shepard, and Shepard always makes things more fun.

Story with the single sweetest moment?

Oh my god. I don't know. No, never mind. I do. It's To the Manor Borne, but it's split between the two gift giving scenes, the Constellations and Secret Santa/Gift Giving prompts. These were private moments between Simon and Baz, sharing themselves with each other, being vulnerable, and communicating. It's the gifts they give each other, yes, but it's more so the reasons they chose those gifts, and how they show part of themselves and share their love for each other, through those gifts, that had me in tears writing those two scenes. I'm super proud of them.

Hardest story to write?

Use Your Words - it was written for an exchange and that made it really hard to write it knowing there was this pressure of making my gift-ee happy with the fic. I'm proud of it, and they really liked it, but the anxiety was too much for me.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

A Man of Letters - if there is a fic better suited to me as a writer, I haven't met it. I started writing after reading Pride and Prejudice in high school, so I started out writing Regency and I spent years and years and years of my life obsessed. When I transferred into college, an administrator I had never met before heard my name during orientation and said, "Oh, you're the Austen scholar." (It is a small, private college, and I was a transfer, so the pool of students was even smaller. But still. Many years later, I'm clearly not over it.) I also did my senior thesis on an epistolary novel (Frances Burney’s Evelina), and my English Lit emphasis was for that time period. So, I felt like I had been preparing for this fic my entire adult life. 😂

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

I don't think so. I tend to let my writing be dictated by the characters, so I'm always following their lead. Sometimes they'll do or say something that surprises me and takes me down a route I didn't necessarily foresee, but I don't think there was ever a point where one of them did something that made me rethink who they are as a character.

Most overdue story?

I will say A Man of Letters, since that one felt like a culmination of my seventeen-year-old self's wildest writing dreams. But I should probably say the Scooby Doo AU I still haven't managed to finish, because that one has been a WIP since I joined the fandom. Oops. (I'm hoping when I look over this in a year, I can feel smug that it's finally done.)

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Writing at all was a risk for me! And writing fan fic for the very first time! Writing an entire fic told only through letters. And then ending it in a completely different style from the rest of the fic. Doing a multi-chaptered fic for the Countdown, using a different prompt for each chapter, and publishing a chapter every single day for thirty days (with the exception of two days that had art). Signing up for fandom events in the first place!

What I learned from taking risks in my writing is the same thing I learned when I took risks in my art this year. I have a much better appreciation for what I've done when I push myself, I feel better about the end product, and I like it longer. I think it's really good for me to challenge myself creatively.

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most?

Oh boy. Um. Therapy! Both Use Your Words and To the Manor Borne had their big HEA moments built around sending Simon and Baz to therapy. I don't think that's likely to change for future fics, either. I feel like therapy as the theme for 2020 seems very fitting. (Also, I think I keep sending the boys to therapy because I'm trying to get myself there…)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Just to write what I want to write, have fun, not put any pressure on myself, and to take risks in my writing and my art because it will help me to grow.

[multifandom242]

My Favorite Miraculous Characters (excluding kwamis)

(alter egos don’t count as the same person)

1. Chat Noir - I mean do I really have to explain? He’s funny, good-looking, smart and just a huge dork (which is the best!). He tries to be a “bad boy” but he is so dorky and polite that it’s not possible. Also, he’s so thoughtful that just makes me want to give him a hug. The whole thing of him being like “yeah, I’m cool” but is actually a really socially awkward boi that really makes his character great.

2. Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Honestly the explaination should not be required. I admire this wonderful girl so much. She’s so talented, I mean, she can do amazing digital art, her designs are just next level, she can bake (okay, this may not be that much of a talent bc she grew up baking but still...), and she does these things with time to spare to help other and be a awesome superhero. I love how selfless she can be.

3. Adrien Agreste - Mr. Sunshine Boi... Ah... He’s such a cutie! I mean he has no street smarts which is annoying at times, but it’s still endearingly cute. I love how, much like almost everyone in the show, he puts his friends first. He cares for everyone, even characters like his father, which shows how even if he gets hurt by him (obviously to a point), he loves him a whole lot.

4. Alya Cesaire - She is the embodiment of passion. Like Marinette (except in a lesser level bc I mean, you can’t compare to Marinette), she throws herself into things that she loves. We see how dedicated she is to her blog, her two little sisters, and helping Mari w/ Adrien.

5. Kagami Tsurugi - I cannot emphasize how much I love this girl. I mean, she’s loyal, honorable and respectful in the ways she was taught to be. She knows what she wants and when she wants it. She does what is expected of her from her mom. Even though her life isn’t as social as Adrien’s, she still had more street smarts. She cares in the way she was taught to and stands up to her mom in a way Adrien doesn’t.

6. Alix Kubdel (I hope I spelled that right) - Before I get to the whole explaination, I want to say that she would probably be higher up on the list if she was more of a main character. I love her sarcasm which she lays on thick during may episodes. And her hair is just glorious! I love how even if she has this layed back personality, she still cares about all kinds of things (like her watch/miraculous). I love everything about her as Bunnix and in the Timetagger and Reverser episodes.

7. Nino Lahiffe - Honestly, just like Alix, I think if he got more screen time he puked be higher on the list. I adore the way he talks, from his dudes to the rest of his slang. I love how compassionate he is to Adrien in Bubbler. I love how much he loves his friends, to a point where he can get akumatized if they are done wrong. He is such a good friend and everyone should have Nino in their lives. Him getting the protective miraculous is perfect bc that’s what he does. I wish we saw more of him!

8. Sabine Dupain-Cheng - She is a very supportive mother and cares for daughter and husband so much. She helped Marinette with her amazing advice (as we seen in the first origins) before Alya and Tikki came around. She keeps her cool and only gets angered when people cross the line. Also I love the way she wasn’t afraid to defend herself in Trouble Maker.

9. Rose Lavillant - I love her too! She is just so cheery! I love how optimistic she is and looks at the world to see the good and not the bad. Her who looks at the world in such whimsical light that makes me want to believe the world is like that.I love how much she cares for everyone, especially Juleka. I love how she’s not just a pushover too, we see how she takes demand when she tired of something as shown in Chat Blanc.

10. Ladybug - Okay, let’s be real. I don’t think they’ve really defined her as a character. I mean sure, they’ve shown her insecurity but that’s just a big part of Marinette. She hasn’t been defined as a real character because of how Marinette she is on the inside. She seems like just a perfect and confident woman with no flaws. But I like her because she is that. She will stand up and take responsibility for whatever, good or bad. Also I really like the way she loves her partner (platonically even tho we kno that she loves him more than that) But I wish she was a better character not just a “perfect” character.

[just-random-obsessions]

Funny Moments In Thor The Dark World

Find Thor 1 here

Find Avengers 1 here

This is the second part of me watching all three thor movies and the avengers movie and comparing the humor pre-ragnarok to the humor in the 3rd Thor movie. And, as before, I’m writing this on my computer where the I and U keys don’t work so sorry for any spelling mistakes.

Tag List: @nikkoliferous @fyrecrafted @lokijiro @miskiett @darthxerik @icyxmischief @iamanartichoke @juliabohemian @official-and-unstable-satan @melodylnoelle @just-another-human-2019 @fandomsfanfiction @mentallydatingahotcelebrity @cateyes315 @burningarbiterheart @imnotacreepijustlikeyou @usedtobegoodfriend96 @alexakeyloveloki

Official-and-unstable-satan and fandomsfanfiction weren’t tagged sry

Anyone who wants to be added/removed to the tag list please let me know! and if I missed someone please also let me know. Sorry this post is so long

~ “Hello Mother. Have I made you proud?”

~ “Please don’t make things worse” “Define worse”

~ “I really don’t see what all the fuss is about”

~ “Just like you”

~ *That smile!!!!*

~ “I’ve got this completely under control!” “Is that why everything’s on fire?”

~ *About the Scary MonsterTM: “All yours”

~ *Thor says hi to the Big Scary MonsterTM*

~ “I accept your surrender”

~ “Anyone else?” *All the people simultaneously: NOPE*

~ “Perhaps next time we should START with the big one”

~ *Odin obviously shipping Thor and Jane* (idk I got a kick out of this)

~ *Jane awkwardly avoiding her date*

~ *Date: hi*

~ *Him awkwardly talking about his ex*

~ “And the fact that she kept sleeping with other men” “NO!”

~ *Darcy being mistaken for a waitress*

~ *Darcy mouthing “Cute” to Jane about Richard*

~ *Darcy embarrassing Jane by talking about Thor*

~ “Is there a point to all of this cause there REALLY needs to be a point to all of this”

~ “That’s what I said!”

~ “That’s what I did!”

~ “He’s not interested” “I’m interested” (Am I the only one who feels like his awkwardness was actually kinda cute?)

~ “He’s my intern.” “You have an intern?”

~ *Intern is fucking adorable like Richard*

~ “I have totally mastered driving in London!” *Has not mastered it at all*

~ *Selvig running around Stonehenge naked*

~ *Darcy keeps calling Ian ‘Intern’*

~ *Darcy calls Jane cause she didn’t wanna shout*

~ God I fucking love Darcy she’s so criminally underrated

~ “I am not getting stabbed in the name of science”

~ “It’s okay, we’re Americans!” “Is that supposed to make them like us?”

~ “We’re scientists-well I am” “Thanks”

~ “That doesn’t seem right”

~ “I wanna throw something! Jane give me your shoe!”

~ *Jane ignores Darcy*

~ “Give me your shoe”

~ “Were those the car keys?”

~ *Ian’s face when he realizes he threw the car keys to another planet*

~ *If you have to bury so many people then you’re doing something wrong you hot dumb fuck* (I mean that’s basically what Heimdall said right?)

~ “Typical” *after being left behind while Jane goes to talk to her boyfriend*

~ *Jane! Love of my life and most talented and beautiful person in the world oh how I love yo-SLAP*

~ “As excuses go, its not terrible”

~ “I know” “You do?” “Do what?”

~ *Darcy interrupts the KissTM*

~ “Um I’m pretty sure we are getting arrested”

~ “How’s space?” “Space is fine”

~ “He’s my intern… My intern’s intern”

~ “Holy shit!” (after Jane went up in the Bifrost)

~ *Heimdall calmly dodges the car*

~ “We have to do that again”

~ “Hello”

~ “What’s that?”

~ “It’s a soul forge” *No I’m pretty sure that’s a quantum field generator*

~ *Jane being ready to fight Odin for comparing her to a goat*

~ “You told your dad about me?”

~ “It must be so inconvenient, them asking about me day and night”

~ “Please meet my mother” *Jane shies away from Thor*

~ Loki casually tossing the thingamajig in the air like the cute little shit he is

~ Lord, he’s so damn pretty

~ *Kurse being like: Lol I ain’t touchin’ that boy with a ten foot pole*

~ “It’s as if they resent being in prison”

~ “There’s no pleasing some creatures”

~ *Loki calmly reading a book while all Hel breaks loose*

~ “You have my word that no harm will come to yo-” nvm bitch die

~ *THAT look between Sif and Jane*

~ *Frigga immediately seeing through Odin’s bs lies*

~ *Heimdall: I have defeated the big space ship!! The bigger one behind him: Bitch you thought*

~ “WITCH!!!!” *Now I know who Loki gets his amazing aforementioned smile from*

~ *Selvig using shoes to explain complicated science*

~ *Selvig then using pencils*

~ “Any questions?” “Yeah, can I have my shoe back?”

~ “What’s SHIELD?” “It’s a secret”

~ *Darcy’s cute af face when she sees that Selvig is in the mental hospital*

~ “Are you sure you wouldn’t just rather punch your way out?”

~ *Loki shapeshifting into the guard*

~ “Mmm Brother, you look ravishing”

~ “Costumes a bit much”

~ “So tight!”

~ “I can FEEL the righteousness surging!!”

~ “HEY wanna have a rousing discussion about truth?”

~ “Honor?”

~ “Patriotism?”

~ “GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

~ “At last. A little common sens-”Bitch are you really fucking kidding me? (What do you mean that’s not what he said?)

~ “I thought you liked tricks”

~ “I’m Loki, you may have heard of-” SLAP

~ “That was for New York”

~ “I like her”

~ *Loki gazing lovingly at Jane in the background*

~ “Betray him, and I’ll kill you.” “It’s good to see you too Sif”

~ “If you even think about betraying him-” “You’ll kill me? Evidently there will be a line”

~ “I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing.” “I said how hard can it be?”

~ “Whatever your doing brother I suggest you do it faster.” “Shut up Loki

~ “You must’ve missed something.” “I didn’t, I’m pressing every button on this thing”

~ “Well don’t hit it. Just press it, gently.” “I aM pReSsInG iT gEnTlY AND ITS NOT WORKING!!!”

~ *Thor starts slamming buttons and it starts working*

~ *Volstagg: Oh fighting is much fun- OH SHIT IM FALLING!! HELP!!!*

~ “I think you missed a column.” “Shut up”

~ “Why don’t you let me take over? I’m clearly the best pilot”

~ *Bitch I’m the one who can actually fly*

~ “Oh dear. Is she dead?”

~ *Thor knocks over a column* “Not a word”

~ “Now they’re following us”

~ “Now they’re firing at us”

~ “Yes thank you for the commentary Loki, it’s not at all distracting”

~ “Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather”

~ *Seriously, whoever wrote the escape scene is a genius!!!*

~ *Loki yelling at Thor about how thIs was a bad idea you dumb fuck- wait wtf are you doing AAAAHHHHH!!!!1*

~ “You lied to me. I’m impressed”

~ *That smile again snfnejaihfeqrqrsbdsalxdjewonjfeq*

~ “For Asgard!” YEET

~ “Nothing personal boys!”

~ “If it were easy, everyone would do it”

~ “Are you mad?” “Possibly”

~ “TADAAA”

~ “Oh yeah, my father. Eric Selvig”

~ “And these” “yeah… those”

~ “How did you find me?” “You were naked on television”

~ “I don’t get paid enough. I don’t get paid at all”

~ “What’s happening? Birds? Birds are happening?”

~ “All right are you ready?” “I am”

~ *phone rings* “It’s not me”

~ “Why are there so many shoes in here?”

~ “I’ll just text her”

~ “So who’s Richard?”

~ *Thor hanging his hammer on a coat hanger*

~ “Where are your pants?” “Oh he says it helps him think”

~ “Loki is dead” “Oh thank God!”

~ “Better get my pants”

~ “Do you even know what these things do?” “No” “…Neither do I”

~ “Ooh get the guy with the sword!”

~ “Oops”

~ *Ian’s high-pitched scream*

~ *Does car insurance cover My Car Was Sucked Into Another Planet Due To A Cosmic Event That Only Occurs Once Every 5000 Years or no?*

~ *Thor and Malekith fighting between worlds and poor little Mjolnir trying to keep up*

~ *The two of them against windows*

~ *AAAHHH*

~ *Awww! Look at the cute little Jotunheim monster! He’s so adorable I wanna pet him so much!’

~ *Darcy and Ian kissing after he saved her life*

~ “Darcy?” “Jane!” “Ian?” “Selvig.”

~ “Myuh Myuh!!”

~ *Thor ends up on the subway*

~ *The girl taking 50 photos*

~ *Thor and the woman colliding into eachother*

~ “I’ve come to accept your surrender”

~ *Malekith gets crushed by his own ship. Now that’s some lovely karma right there*

~ *Darcy and Ian go back to kissing*

~ “He kinda committed treason on our way out” oops

~ Jotunheim Puppy chasing birds

Wow I’m so sorry this was so long. But guess what? It’s gonna get even longer. Sorry, again.

So one of the differences between the first and second Thor movies is that Thor 2 has humor in the climax whereas Thor 1 doesn’t. This is because of the differences with who is the villain. In Thor 1, Thor is having to fight his brother. To quote Avengers, they “played together and fought together” for several millennia. Of course there’s not going to be any humor in it cause there shouldn’t be. The climax at the end of the movie isn’t supposed to be some epic battle between the forces of Good TM and Bad TM. It’s supposed to be tragic that he’s having to fight his own brother because Loki lost his mind due to so many factors. The last joke in the film is “You’re an amazon liar brother, always have been” “It’s good to have you back”. There’s nothing else till the end credit scene. That’s because Kenneth Branagh knew that this was supposed to be viewed at as being sad a hopeless, not some awesome upbeat battle.

Thor 2 on the other hand, is exactly that. Thor has known Malekith for.. what? 2 days? Maybe 3? His relationship and dynamic with Malekith is different than with his brother. To Thor, this is just another enemy attacking Asgard. And I’m not sure whether this was intentional or not (because I remember reading somewhere how Allen Taylor had a bitch of a time in the editing process so I think the movie came out different than he intended) but the lack of any personal relationship will Malekith means the film can make really funny jokes and still have it fit with the film. If anything, I might even argue that the humor helped the film to maintain a very nice positive vibe. Idk I can’t think of the right words to explain it but the jokes actually fit the film very well.

However, then we move on to Ragnarok. With Ragnarok, Thor is fighting his sister. While (just like Malekith) he has only known her for two days, that still doesn’t take away the fact that he is having to fight his sibling. And I’m not a film director but if I had the option of approaching this situation and taking it the Thor 1 route or the the Thor 2 route, I’d go with Thor 1. Because it’s actually incredibly tragic that Hela has been driven to insanity like Loki (though ok a different level) due to Odin’s shitty parenting. She is the horrible way she is because Odin made her that way. And that could’ve been an AMAZINGLY complex story with the audience feeling so much sympathy for Hela like we did with Loki in Thor 1, but the narrative just falls flat for two reasons. 1) Taika admitted he didn’t want the film to be emotionally complex so 2) The humor in the climax completely detracts from the seriousness of the situation.

Also, some side notes: Yes, this is edited from the original. I accidentally deleted everything and then had to go back and add everything back in. So I also had to re-tag people too. And I also added a bit more explanation at the end. I meant to do so when I originally posted but it never got done till now. Sry. Also sry that it’s so long

[hyperfixateandchill]

aaand because I can’t stop thinking about it i’ve written down my ranking of post-finale deancas scenarios including a non-exhaustive list of pros and cons for each. read on at your own discretion.

1st place: Deancas open up the new Roadhouse. My personal favorite because, again, Dean’s canon dream. I think Dean would LOVE running his own bar and playing host and serving people food and drinks is basically his love language. Cas isn’t as into the bar vibe specifically but he enjoys seeing people come and go and getting to know the locals who come by and just being with Dean. They get to stay connected to the hunting world without being actual hunters which is probably the perfect win win situation for them.

Other Pros of the Bar scenario (i’ve thought about this a lot): Claire and Kaia come by increasingly often to visit until eventually Claire basically works part-time at the Roadhouse when she’s not off hunting and Dean starts only semi-ironically calling it the “family business.” Claire puts up pride flag stickers on the front door and Dean makes a thing of it at first but then warms up to the idea. People start catching on and now local queer people will come from several towns over to visit the bar because there aren’t exactly that many queer friendly spaces in their corner of Kansas. Then it’s pride month and Claire and Kaia secretly update the bar’s online info to explicitly draw in queer customers and on the evening of the nearest pride march the bar is PACKED with all the local gays and Cas has the pop music blaring and he will NOT let Dean change it but it’s ok because Dean’s made friends with a drag queen who’s a professional comedian and now they’re comparing calendars to see when she might be able to come do a set at the Roadhouse and basically their bar is now a gay bar. “LGBT friendly”, Dean insists, because 1. he’s not gay and 2. he still caters to the local straights and the hunters. but now hunters come in and end up sitting 2 stools away from a flamboyant!gay and some are slightly weirded out but most don’t care at all and all of them end up making some kind of comment about how they’d heard about Dean Winchester and his angel... guess it’s true huh? And Dean shoots them a cocky grin and says ‘yep’ but he still holds to the rule that pop music is only allowed on tuesdays and thursdays and maybe very late at night on the weekends when everybody’s drunk and dancing. The Roadhouse is a second home to Dean and it’s the perfect mix of middle american dive, hunter’s hangout and lgbt space, and that’s literally DEAN so it’s perfect and he gets to work with his family by his side and be a part of a community (or several) and he feels useful and happy.

Cons of the Bar scenario: Doesn’t work great with having a small child or hobbies. very long hours and unusual work schedule. would encourage Dean’s drinking habit. I.e. it might be more intense than some alternatives (unless the bar is more cafe/diner during the day and Claire/Kaia/whatever other youngins can mind the place on their own if deancas aren’t in and the bar is located quite close to their house to they can come and go).

Overall works pretty well for a more active/energetic take on deancas’s lives post-finale. 8/10

2nd place: Mix of mechanic!Dean and retired!deancas. Dean’s never had a proper job before or much of a social circle who aren’t hunters, so I find it hard to imagine Dean working at an autoshop and playing mr. normie with his coworkers. Same with Cas and a regular job.

What I can imagine, however, is Dean having his own small business where he fixes up old cars (for like, vintage car enthusiasts). It starts as a hobby but then he realizes people would pay him to do it so now it’s a business. Deancas obviously have a a house on a big plot of land near the woods and a lakeside, so there’s plenty of outdoor space for him to set up a small shop and most of his customers call ahead so he doesn’t have people just coming in anyway. The work is not quite enough to pay all the bills but again, Charlie’s magic credit card, so who cares. Cas gardens and beekeeps and occasionally sells the extras at the local farmer’s market. Dean cooks and fishes and uses Cas’s ingredients whenever possible. They spend their days on their own property, doing their hobbies on their own time and making enough money from them that they don’t feel useless and still have plenty of time left to get over-involved in Jack’s pta. It’s a very calm, contented life. the millennial hipster dream, fulfilled by two 40-some year old dads.

Pros: deancas getting to spend their days doing what they love, being ridiculously domestic and married (even if they’re not officially married), both being absolute malewives in their own ways and it’s disgustingly sweet.

Cons: this scenario doesn’t have quite as much excitement and opportunity for shenanigans as the bar scenario. Less connection to a community, more living like hermits. Dean might appreciate the more social atmosphere of a bar. Cas might be equally happy either way, but he’d probably like having Claire help them out at the bar so that’s a plus for him.

Overall a good scenario for a more placid semi-retired life. 7/10

3rd place: a bait and switch. Cas is the one who ends up still having something you could call a ‘job’, Dean is the househusband. It starts with deancas still helping saileen with HOL (hunters of letters) stuff but eventually Dean is very decided that he wants out now that things are in good hands. Cas agrees with him but still consults with the hol network since he’s got all that lore knowledge. Dean very occasionally helps with research/strategy for a hunt but that’s IT no more hunting for him, and so it ends up that Cas still comes by the bunker fairly often and works from home the rest of the time on research and translations etc and Dean’s 100% amateur chef-in-training and papa bear because now nobody can look down on him for being a housewife (or nobody he gives a shit about anyway) so he’s gone all in. and whenever he comes by the bunker these days is after he’s picked up Jack from school and he comes to join their family to cook them all dinner while they finish up the work.

Pros: love me a Dean who’s gotten over his hypermasculinity and is now comfortable with doing whatever he likes even if (sometimes specially if) that thing is considered stereotypically feminine. It’s his big fuck you to his dad and it’s the life mary had wanted when she was young and dean is mary and therefore he’s honoring her memory when he spends his days on a bright airy kitchen making lunch for his 4 year old and waiting for his ex-soldier husband he adores to come home and doing not one bit of hunting. except dean never had to lie about his past and cut ties with his hunter family to get this. which is why this time for him it works, when it didn’t for mary or sam. love that energy.

Cons: Dean is not in fact just a malewife and would probably still want some more action in his life. might feel kinda useless with Cas having a ‘thing’ to do when he doesn’t. Cas would be perfectly happy regardless though.

Overall heartwarming and sweet but not as realistic: 6/10

4th: Disheveled-magic-shop-owner!Cas (+ Sam and Dean). Just thought of this. Cas knows his shit about spell ingredients and magical objects and supernatural weapons, probably more than even Sam. And Cas gardens. And Cas most likely enjoys pinterest and mom blogs and finds out about etsy... So Cas may or may not start growing/hoarding specific goods he knows are useful in the hunting world. at first it’s just to help HOL out but eventually Dean realizes like... we could profit off of this? And Cas eye-rolls because he doesn’t care but then again he knows his shit so he sets up a poorly-designed website to sell hunting stuff. and maybe Sam goes in on it with him because Sam also knows his shit and it’s kind of cute because they work together and Dean probably does the mechanic/barkeep/househusband thing though he does help with making the special bullets and dropping off parcels at the post office and so on. And maybe eventually they open up a small magic shop where they sell their shit. And maybe the shop is next door to the Roadhouse and it’s all become ‘your one-stop shop for everything a hunter might need’ (and you know the gays like their new age shit too so it all works), and the bunker isn’t even far away either and all three business are interconnected, the ‘family business’ that AU John Winchester of Hunter Corp wished he’d created.

Pros: Cas gets to do a thing he’s knowledgeable and passionate about and Deancas get to leave hunting while staying adjacent to the community. Cas as a disheveled shopkeep who’s not particularly nice to customers but who provides them with insights and mysterious comments that make people certain he must be legit.

Cons: Cas using his knowledge of the supernatural to profit off of hunters sounds too capitalist and not very Cas-like. He would be the type to gladly give people stuff for free and methinks that Dean and Sam would feel that way too. Cas helping with HOL stuff is basically established in options 1-3 already and so is him gardening for potentially useful ingredients. He doesn’t need to sell this stuff in a shop.

Overall makes sense theoretically but doesn’t vibe well for me. 5/10

5th: full on retirees, doing basically the same things as no 2 except with maybe some more travelling and less caring about making money from any of it.

Pros: the “and they lived happily ever after” they deserve after all the shit they’ve been through.

Cons: boring. uneventful. Dean and Cas are still quite young and neither’s had a chance at something even resembling a normal life for more than a couple of months at a time. They should get more of a middle aged married life experience before moving on to full retirement.

Overall valid but less interesting: 4/10

6th: Cas gets a job at a local library or shop, Dean is either a mechanic or a househusband. To preface, if Cas were to get a job out there in the world, my favorite would be like a magic shop or a bookshop with *unique* books. But I find that unlikely unless Cas is running his own shop (see 4th place for that). So here we’re talking about a regular normie shop.

Pros: Cas has a job he likes and feels useful in? And he’s not completely tied down to Dean all the time (though not sure that counts as a pro). More of the ‘normal life’ vibes.

Cons: Cas working at a random bookstore or library or shop or whatever would be passably interesting but not as fulfilling or useful or fun as any of the other options.

Overall valid but not interesting or all that heartwarming. 2/10

6th: deancas don’t know any life outside of hunting so they keep on doing it, except now with lower stakes than before and they go on less actual hunts.

pros: umm... consistency? they keep working closely with saileen and the new hunters who start coming by/moving into the bunker.

cons: everything. Dean’s wanted out and he should get it. Cas literally died several times over and he should get to experience a human life with the man he loves and not just do more dangerous shit.

Overall a terrible idea. 1/10 (because 0/10 would be the Cas never comes back and Dean dies and goes to heaven scenario)

[kanene-yaaay]

Just like a dream [Or Cuddles - 15º Tickletober]

Kanene’s note: I am sad so I thought  ‘h e y! What if I translated one of my fluff tickle-fanfic to light my day?’, so here are we!! This is a pure gold cute fluff, and a bit of angst in the beginning, but do not worry! The prince is here to save the day!! *dramatic glitter pose* 

Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:

* Lee!Patton and Ler!Roman (It can be seen as Romantic or Platonic Royality). 

* Hmmm… This is a Tickle-Fanfic! If you don’t like this kind of stuff, please look for another blog, there are plenty of amazing art in this site!! ‘u’).

* Something around 1500 words. -w-)b.

* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! Any advice is very very welcome!

* I just realize I’m in love with Lee!Patton. And Roman here is an absolutely adorable ler. Someday will make a teasy tickle fanfic, I promisse xDDD.

* E a versão em português brasileiro!  Thankys for reading, my lollipops! Watch a fun video, take a good rest, talk with the one that you love and drink water! Byeioo!~

                                 [~*~]

He took a deep breath and bolted into the room, closed the door, sighed in relief and gave up in controlling his tears, so they fell.

And fell and feel and fell as he let himself collapse in that cold, strangely relaxing, floor.

It was just that. Just fell. Just washed his so hurted soul, just showed the feeling which he so hard tried to not hide anymore, just poured in a flow that wandered through all his face until finally drop.

He tried to sniffle quietly, he really tried since he kept in mind that the bathroom wasn’t soundproof. However, he was the heart, the core of all the emotions, the guardian of feelings, for a reason. He lived them more intensely, felt them more immensely.

Albeit, he also knew the others sides were busy, so he had nothing to worry about. 

That was why he took all the time he needed, wanted. Half hour, one hour, one quarter of hour… It didn’t mattered. 

Patton didn't leave until the last drop fell.

The representation of morality got up, wobbly legs, took off his glasses and cleaned their lenses in his cardigan. He took deep breaths one, two, three times.

And a couple more.

He headed to the sink and washed his face, yet knowing that it didn’t changed in the slightest the swelling and redness which his features assumpted after cryings like that. He stared his reflection, an analysing glare. A few hours of funny cute videos would do. He would get some snacks in the kitchen when only his eyes still red and were easier to not be seen… Not that he wanted to hide it from the others, he just didn’t wanted to… show it.

And after all of this he would try to summon a night movie and sleep cuddling someone.

Yeah, he nodded to himself. This sounded to be ideal. A shadow of a smile appeared in his lips.

Patton turned around and opened the door, founding a Roman about to knock.

Their glares met in the same exact heartbeat, both equally astonished. Patton felt himself to paralyse before his instincts of flight took over, prompting him to quickly run back to the bathroom and lock himself inside.

Breathed in. Breathed out. In. Out. Repeated this movement three times more, seeking to calm his fast heartbeating and the adrenaline in his blood. He knew the other was still out there, knew that he would have questions and that he would have to explain himself, that he would have to let Roman into this complex mess who he was.

But he also would have comfort, would have company and human warmth and… affection.

He reminded the other’s look: scared, alarmed, worried.

Patton pinched the tip of his nose, adjusted his glasses and cardigan, took a deep breath and a part of him wondered if Roman was still out there.

He opened the door.

He was. 

Patton’s heart stopped, melting and the guardian of dreams and passion didn’t uttered a one single word, which was rare for him, only opened his arms in a gentle glare and a silent plead.

The moral aspect hugged him quick and strong, his hands holding the fabric of his shirt as tightly as possible and the tears he didn't even know were still there coming back.

The aspirant of royalty drowned in silence, his arms involving him entirely, a hand gently  stroking his back and the other lightly combing his hair. His chin rested in the other’s head as he hummed lowly a random song and rocked the parental figure with such tenderness too much pure to be described.

As sudden as it started the teary flow stopped, which didn’t meant the end of the hug or the careness, just the song, a few minutes later, which was switched by the velvety low tune from Roman. Patton was even more surprised.

- What happened, padre?

- Just that sudden sadness, you know, Ro-ro?

- I do.

Princey started to massaged his scalp and Patton felt all his muscles automatically relax; He let himself to be transported to some place and when opened his eyes, he was laid in Roman’s extremely soft and gigantic if compared to any other from the Mind Palace, bed.

- Now we shall watch a movie! - A flourish and a big television appeared in the wall at the same time dozens of sweets and snacks surrounded them. - Disney? Comedy? Action? Romance? Pixar? - The said shone in the device for a second before being replaced for another. The representation of creativity turned, a bright and nurturing glare, a smile which seemed to demonstrate all his love. - Today the choice is yours.

Patton felt more and more astonished every more second. Everything sounded too much strange. Everything seemed to much… unreal. He couldn’t help himself but feel as he was taking advantage of the other’s kindness, like he was forcing him to bear with a problem that wasn’t his. Usually things wasn’t like that, usually it was him who… who… took care of the others.

- Anyone you prefer, kiddo. - And a tiny smile opened in his lips. Something in him starting to becoming calm although the hurricane in his core.

- Oh, no, no. - Roman denied, getting a little closer. - Today the honor will be totally yours, my dear Patton. - Each word was punctuated with a kiss in Patton’s cheeks, who began to  giggle uncontrollably, feeling his face burn. - Consider yourself lucky.

How did all of this could be so strange and… No, more than strange, more than only different…

Good.

Patton giggled a little more, lightly bitted the tip of his tongue and thought a bit more.

- Maybe The princess and the frog?

- Your wish is an order!

In a few pieces of time the movie already played in the background.

The creativity’s representation got closer, inch by inch, until finally manage to involve the partner in his arms, rocking and leaning his lips in the other’s head before whispering.

- Thank you for letting me take care of you, padre. I know it’s not easy.

This made Patton wide his eyes and expand his heart further, if that was still possible. He held out his hands, intertwining his finger with Roman’s when he received his act.

- It’s just… normally I am the one who take care of you. - The royal aspect huffed, and Patton stroked his cheek, shiny gently eyes showing how much he loved his little ‘work’. - I am the dad, should be more stronger.

- You are strong!! - Roman immediately shouted, sounding offended. - Patton, you are the heart! The one who don’t matter the situation always try to give your best, even if that hurts you, even if that brings consequences we’re all afraid to accept… you always try to remain fair and right in your decisions! You manage to see the bright side of everything and everyone and always is there, even if your day also wasn’t the best.

His eyes began to tearing, and Patton felt a hand softly direct his chin up so that he could stare the glare full of determination and energy from the other.

- Patton, you deserve this and much more, okay?

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, from letting out a few sheepish giggles. Roman’s tune became a bit more velvety.

- Okay, Patton?

- Okay. - And then embraced the aspect of passion and love, filling his face with thankful, lovely butterfly kisses and happy whispers.

It was almost in the part when Tiana went in search to recover her human form when the touch ended. Patton started to really get involved with the film's plot when a sensation almost made him jump through the ceiling.

Discreetly he looked at his tummy, finding Roman’s hands drumming his fingers on it and leading electric  sensations, something that made a involuntary smile be painted in his features, spread across all his body. The one in cardigan squirmed slightly, which didn’t stopped the motion.

The tickling were bearable, Patton decided, and he didn’t wanted to break this awesome bonding moment shared with the prince. He could endure until the end of the movie, for sure! It was almost in the middle, it was just a matter of time!

- Are you alright, Pat? You look a little agitated.

- I-it’s nothing, Ro-ro!

And practically jumped when the index finger found way to his belly button. Roman stared him with a raised eyebrow, but without really questioning something. The tickles stopped. The cat lover allowed himself to relax a bit more.

‘And what if he started to trace his fingers sloooooooowly through all your tummy?’

‘Not you, again.’

‘Imagine that nails scratching your sides!!! Tickling behind your ears while teasing you about your incredible tickliness…. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!’

‘Ah! Ah! Ah! What if he released small raspberries in each one of your ribs? Quick and small at the point you wouldn’t have the slightest idea where he would attack next! Ah!’

Patton controlled, again, his impulse to squirm and hide his, now very blushed, face in his hands. It only took a little stimulus and then it all went in a downhill!!

Now he desperately wanted some tickles.

His glance landed in the hand that remained resting perfectly calm in his stomach, absolutely unaware about the avalanche it had caused. That small voice continued to create the most random tickly scenarios in his mind, his face getting more and more in flames, his smile more uncontrollable and the movie more and more forgotten.

Maybe it was because of all his self inflicted anticipation that the one who wore glasses almost fell from the bed when a light feeling hit his foot, a inhuman squeak escaping from his mouth.

Roman paused the film, startled, quickly getting ready to face any danger that might threaten the welfare of his Pat-

And then he heard the laughter.

- Nahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Rohohohoho-rohohohoho!! Stahahaahahahahahahap!!! 

- But I’m not doing anything, dearest Patton. - The blossomed grin at the precious scene in front of him was easily perceptive in his voice. It didn’t took long to found the source of the ‘attack’.

His entire room was programmed to modificate itself as felt the most infinitesimal creative desire of someone, and, as it seems, this someone’ was the guardian of feelings, that is why now two soft gloves softly danced their fingers in the other’s foot, going from the heels to the tip of his toes again and again and again regardless Patton’s kicks, freeing all the kind of giggles.

- RohohohOHOHOHOHOHohohoho!!! – The moral aspect cutely squirmed in his arms, a gigantic smile adorning his face, wrinkled nose and his voice filled by the snorts and high pinch squeals.    – NHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahaha!! He-he-HEHEHehehehehehehehelp!!! – And again dissolved himself in a mess of quick and adorable giggling.

Roman bitted his lip. - Of course, my dearest hearty partner! - And his hands repositioned themselves in sides of the other, who began to fight more, his head shaking non stop. Evil laughter poured through the prince’s mouth.

Every wriggle, scribble and squeeze generated and increased a new flow of laughter, making him to go from the most high tune to the deep belly laughter. Tears started to accumulate in the corner of his eyes and, while the tickles and laughter took over his body in a lovely, joyful sensation, Patton never felt so grateful for any and everything. Just laying there and receiving all the love and care, without thinking or worrying with absolutely nothing sounded like a dream.

- Ohoho. No, no, Padre. - Roman whispered, his lips touching lightly the other’s neck, making with each word resulted in small vibrations that even made himself giggle with Patton’s bubbling squeaks and laughter. - Now the greatest Tickle Monster got you and there isn’t any way to stop him from attacking his ticklish tickly prey!!! - He continued to poke and wriggle inside the one in cardigan’s belly button since Patton’s hands, which were holding his wrists, didn’t made any real attempt to stop him. - Muahahahaha!

The blush spreaded across his cheeks, his laughter going muffled when he turned around to hug Roman, who changed his techniques to a soft dance of his fingernails on the cat lover’s back, the wobbly laughter becoming more and more low, sleepy giggles.

- Thahahahahahank you, Roman. - Closed his eyes, tightened their hug, let out a happy sigh.

- Your wish is always and order, Patton. You’re welcome.

Just like a dream.

[lighteyed]

once upon a dream ❦ peter parker au

summary: sleeping beauty au but peter is aurora and reader is prince phillip 

word count: 8.8k so hold onto ur hats 

author’s note: if u would like to give feedback that would be REALLY NICE ok akkfasjlakfjljdf thank you i love you

   It starts once upon a dream, with a boy who had rose petals for a mouth and honey for eyes, a boy born of the King and Queen, the kindest and gentlest soul to ever grace the grounds of the kingdom, as was apparent from the moment he blessed the lives of those around him. Good-natured and sweet, even as an infant, he smiled and laughed rather than cried, and he was the King and Queen's greatest joy. His name was Peter, for it meant stone, and they dreamt of their precious boy who filled their lives with the brightest of sunshine one day growing strong enough to rule over them with his benevolent hand. A celebration was proclaimed to pay homage to the newborn prince, and the entirety of the kingdom was beckoned forth to the castle to take part in the grandest of holidays.

   From the neighboring kingdom came the King and Queen’s dearest friend, another King who brought with him you, his darling daughter only a few months old, his gift to his lifelong allies, as they had long and fondly dreamt to unite their two kingdoms through the marriage of a son and a daughter. Your sleepy, infant eyes hardly glanced at the other baby being presented to you, the boy you’d one day adore, the boy whose presence was to incur the wrath of the most vicious fairy in the land.

   Though, of course, not all of the fae were vicious. In fluttered three kindly fairies, the announcer proclaiming, “The most honored and exalted excellencies, the three good fairies. Mistress Flora, Mistress Fauna, and Mistress Merryweather.”  

   They appeared at his cradle, cooing at him profusely as the guests of the celebration, delighted, waited for them to bestow their gifts upon the child. Each was allowed only one.

   The first smiled down upon him and decreed that her gift shall be the gift of beauty of the rarest kind, the warmth of springtime in his every step and loveliness beyond compare.

   The second smiled down upon him and decreed that her gift shall be the gift of song, his precious life filled with joyful melody, his heart filled with the croon of a nightingale.

   The third smiled down upon him, but before her gift could be given, all the light in the room winked out of existence, the candles blown out by the abrupt gusts of wind rattling the chandeliers, the doors to the room thrown abruptly open. The gathering of villagers and nobility alike parted for her, for Maleficent.

   Any semblance of good residing in Maleficent had left her long ago, and the flair with which she had entered the room, to join the party she hadn’t been given an invitation to, foretold that the fairy was not here to join in on the revelry of the day. The smirk adorning her red lips, as her patronizing gaze fell on the King and Queen, was indicative enough of her intentions. “Well, well,” her tone is velvet, falsely sweet, and she ascends the stairs to where baby Peter lies in his bassinet. “What a glittering assemblage, King Richard… royalty, nobility, and, how quaint, even the rabble.” Her leer turned on the trio of fairies surrounding the child’s cradle before it went back to the King, and she let out a mocking sigh. “I must say, I really felt quite distressed of not receiving an invitation.” She paused to allow room for an apology.

King Richard, making a show at being brave, said, “You’re not welcome here.”

Maleficent, in turn, made a show at being hurt, but it does not last. She lifted her head and laughed at him. “Oh, dear. What an awkward situation.” She turned, seemingly to make her leave.

The Queen, however, asked quickly, for reassurance, “You’re not offended?”

The fairy’s strange eyes fixed upon the Queen, a shudder creeping up her back. “Why, no, your majesty. And to show I bear no ill will, I, too, shall bestow a gift upon the child.” She ignored the protests of the King and swept the meddlesome fairies aside with one wave of her hand. She glared down at the tiny prince, who stared back up at her with innocent, doe-like eyes. Her hand hovered over him and her sinister voice, the falsetto of sweetness gone, echoed through the throne room. “Listen well, all of you. The prince shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who meet him, but,” she leaned back from the child, raising her arms, “before the sun sets on his sixteenth birthday, he shall prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die.”

The Queen rushed forward for her child as her husband called for Maleficent to be seized, but the only thing left of her when the guards lunged forward was her maniacal laughter ringing in their ears; just a flash of green lightning and black smoke and she was gone.

The curse itself could not be undone, for Maleficent’s magic was so mighty, all other magic-wielders lacked the power to reverse it. The third fairy, Merryweather, having been unable to present Peter with her gift before, smiled down at him, and gently decreed that if he should prick his finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, he would descend not into death but a deep slumber, and there he would remain until true love’s kiss is bestowed upon him to break the fateful spell.

   Such was a temporary alleviation to the nerves unsettled by Maleficent’s curse; it was not a good enough antidote to the fears of King Richard, who then and there commanded every spinning wheel in the kingdom to be burnt forthwith, and so it was done. However, the safety of the kingdom’s most precious possession remained uncertain, and it was henceforth decided that, for the young prince’s safety, he was to be sent off to live with the three kind fairies and that night, the King and Queen watched, hearts heavy, their only son be carried away from them.

   For sixteen years, the location of the prince remained a mystery to all, but there he lived deep in the woods with the three fairies who had raised him as their own, disguised as three mortal women with hair of red, brown, and gold. They bustled around the tiny cottage, a flurry with preparations for his birthday party, mumbling amongst each other about how to get the boy out of the house.

   Peter, lacking in his former title of prince, appeared down the stairs of the cottage, and it is evident that the years were kind. Beauty of the rarest kind indeed; something sunshine-filled about each move he made, his soft smile and sparkling, joyous eyes the sweetest gift, given to him to bless the rest of the world. He tilted his head curiously at the trio. “What are you three up to?” He asked, their suspicious stances poised over the kitchen table piquing his interest.

   They stumble over an answer in unison before the golden-haired woman stated, “We want you to go out and pick some berries!” in a hurried, panicked tone.

    His brow furrowed, Peter replied, “But I picked berries yesterday.”

    The red-haired one sternly said, “We need more.”

    The brunette places a hand on his shoulder, pushing him out of the house, “Lots more!” She chimed. “Don’t hurry back, but don’t go far, and don’t speak to strangers!” And with rushed goodbyes, they ushered him out of the little house. He didn’t question their mischievous behavior, it was hardly in his nature to question the women who had raised him. They watch him retreat good-naturedly, recalling the day they brought him there, a tiny thing swaddled in a blanket sleeping soundly as if not a thing in the world could possibly harm him, and it was a beautiful thing to behold: the innocence of an infant. Soon, he’d be theirs no longer, once the curse came to pass and he could return to the castle that would one day be his. 

    Peter hummed a tune as he journeyed through the forest, and it’s almost as if the creatures hum it right back alongside him. Birds, rabbits, chipmunks, they follow his quiet, honeyed voice as it picks up, no longer a hum but a song, though he keeps it low as to remain as inconspicuous as possible. His guardians had always emphasized the importance of a discreet existence, one where he kept to himself, ran his errands for them if need be, then returned quickly without much talking to anyone. He never really minded. It was all he’d ever known, so what was there to mind?

     Elsewhere, you lifted your head, surveying the woods. The pretty voice seemed to ride in on the warm spring breeze, drifting through the canopy of trees overhead. “Come,” you pat your horse lightly, “we’ve been needing an adventure.” You start toward the melody, now a saddened sort of tune.

    The animals watch Peter as he sings and picks the berries. When he speaks, more to himself than them, they answer regardless, in their way. “They treat me like a child,” he grumbled, pushing a curl off his forehead as the owl answered who? He sighed, placing a few more berries into the basket. “Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. They never want me to meet anyone, and I’m always alone.” He paused, then smiled, for all was not lost. There was one thing he held on to, night after night, dream after dream. “I have met someone, though, sort of.” He amended the statement. It was not a formal meeting, but all in his head. Another chorus of who? comes in from the owl, prompting him to say more. “A princess. A beautiful, darling one, kind and intelligent and caring toward everyone, yes, even you,” Peter taps a finger on the nose of an inquisitive rabbit. “It was brilliant, we would talk for hours upon hours, and before we say goodbye, I take her into my arms, and then, of course, I wake.” He shook his head. “Yes, only in my dreams. However, they say if you dream a thing more than once, it’s sure to come true, and I see her each night, so I can only have hope that she’ll reveal herself to me one day when it is time.”

     You, hidden behind a tree out of his sight, glow with adoration at his pronouncement. It was quite a sweet declaration, paired with his charming voice, a voice you’re sure you’ve heard a thousand times in your dreams, a lullaby that helps you drift back off when you’ve risen only briefly, you’re sure of it. You long to step out from the shadows and greet him; his apparent shyness, indicated by those eyes he casts around wearily and the softened, almost inaudible pitch of singing, while endearing as anything, made you hesitate from such actions. You decide to leave him be, but before you can climb soundlessly back onto your horse, you step on a twig, the resounding snap of the branch echoing unmistakably. You winced. 

     Peter nearly dropped his basket and the woodland animals scurried off in fear. He’s never had to deal with people before, let alone people sneaking up on him in the woods, so his fear is heightened extraordinarily at that very moment. Nevertheless, he lingered, waiting for the creator of the noise to reveal itself. Perhaps it was simply another animal being a troublesome little thing, as some were prone to be. However, when what steps out from behind the throng of trees is a girl, pretty and smiling nervously and taking a tentative step forward, he realizes he’s even more unprepared than he had initially thought. You’re awfully familiar to him. He feels it like a punch to the throat, leaves him breathless and utterly incoherent. He knows you without knowing you, impossibly so.

    “My apologies,” your face feels warm in a bashful sort of way, and you’re not accustomed to feeling bashful. You pride yourself on the confidence you possess (you’ve hardly had much reason to doubt yourself, an advantage of being royalty), but it all seems for naught in the presence of this boy, the glowing, springtime-eyed boy gazing at you, stunned. “I, um, I didn’t mean to frighten you…” Your hands find your dress and clutch at it tightly to have something to focus on rather than the boy with his mouth agape.

     He shut it abruptly as if finally noticing his impropriety. “Oh, oh, no, it- it wasn’t- you didn’t- you’re just…” he took a deep breath to settle his nerves, acutely aware of his cheeks aflame and shaky hands. “A stranger.”

    “I gathered as much,” you replied, remaining at a distance as to refrain from frightening him further. “I- I- well, I wanted to tell you that, that your voice is very pretty. I am sorry if I startled you, I’ll be on my way-”

    “You heard me?” He squeaked out, the pink of his cheeks darkening like mad. “Singing and talking? You heard me?”

     “Indeed,” you school your features into an ambiguous expression, afraid the pleased smile you bite furiously back might be misinterpreted. “You sounded quite nice. I thought maybe it was the fae playing tricks on me, they do that often, but no, just you. A welcome surprise.” The twinkle in your eye makes Peter’s heart flutter rapidly against his ribs. “I do think I’ve heard your voice before.”

    “Have you? Where?”

    “Why you said it yourself, did you not? Once upon a dream,” you murmured to yourself before glancing back at him, a prominent grin adorning your face. “That’s where we met, of course. That’s where I’ve heard you. Assuming it is me you’ve been meeting in that head of yours.”

   “It is, indeed,” he echoed your previous words. “You remember my voice, but I remember you. You are not easily forgotten.”

    “Oh, please,” you waved a hand at him. “Your voice is far lovelier than my face could ever manage to be.”

    “I must disagree with you there, my dreams did you an injustice compared to the loveliness I see now.” He’s unsure of where this self-assurance has risen from and he does not waste time on thinking too much into it. He must say it whilst he still can, lest you vanish before his very eyes as you do each night as he awakens from his slumber.

    “You flatter me, truly,” you smoothed out your dress, stained from traipsing through the forest all day. “Though I must know your name, after meeting you in my dreams and such, it would only be right.”

    He hesitated. “I- I’m not supposed to give it out, ‘m very sorry, I would if I could, but you must stay at least a while longer until I’ve finished collecting these,” he held up the basket clutched in his hand.

    “Very well, then I won’t tell you mine, either.” You take your horse by the leash loosely tied around its neck and follow the boy into the forest.

     His walk gave a vague, pleasant impression of poetry. Loping grace, calculated strides, like a doe in its natural habitat. It wasn’t just his walk that was poetry, it was entirely him. Every blush of his cheek, each blink of his eyes, the radiating (if not teasing) smile he sent your way when you cursed underneath your breath about the bugs nipping at your ankles exposed by your dress. He could tell, easily, that you were unaccustomed to the throes of the deep woods, despite your most valiant efforts to hide it save for the string of profanities you uttered every time you felt another bug bite into you.

     “If I had to guess, I would say you were a princess,” Peter cracked another grin as you slapped a mosquito away from your arm, its body leaving a bloody splotch there on your skin in its death.

    “What gave you that impression?” You flipped your hair away from your eyes.

      A lot of things, he supposed. Perhaps he could simply say it was your unfamiliarity with your current surroundings, as if you’d never been in the presence of a tree that wasn’t perfectly cut and shaped courtesy of some royal gardener or whatever they called it. That wasn’t, of course, the only reasoning behind his assumption. It was the way you carried yourself. The regality of it. An air of confidence you gave off, the formality with which you spoke. You, simply put, looked like a princess, an ethereal being. His first thought upon meeting you was that you mustn't be real. No, impossible. You were a fairy creature; you should have wings like a butterfly’s sprouting from your shoulder blades, flowers wreathed among the strands of your hair, your voice like a wind chime and your laugh like a bell. You were spun from his fantasy-filled sleep, all terribly pretty with those dreamy eyes. He knew you, as you said you knew him, but he had been woefully unprepared to encounter you in the real world. Oh, he could hardly bear it. Just shyly observing you, as you did him, made him flush from his neck to his ears, across his lightly freckled cheeks and nose until he had to refrain from looking at anything other than the ground to prevent further embarrassment.

      It was perfectly reasonable for him to say that you, simply put, looked like a princess, but instead he just said, “The way you have no idea how to deal with being outside in nature.”

     “I appreciate nature a great deal, I’ll have you know, however, I am, unfortunately, not wearing proper hiking attire, nor was I expecting such an adventure today with a boy so accustomed to these woods in a way I neglect to be.” You huffed in faux-annoyance. He was clearly jesting. You were in no position to argue too vehemently, lest you blow your cover. “I can assure you, I’m no princess. I just tend to stick to my little garden in the back of my home rather than the dark woods.”

     “Your ornate dress would also give the impression of royalty, but if you insist you’re of humble birth I am inclined to believe you, as per our agreement to secrecy.” He wished he was able to tell you his name… well, he could, if he desperately desired it so… but, no, he respected his guardians far too much to disobey them to such an extent, and there was no harm in spending these hours with you as long as he didn’t reveal his name. No harm whatsoever. Though he did not always understand their rules, he abided by them out of his goodness and his inherent loyalty.

    “Who’s to say I am not a thief and this dress is stolen?”

     “You don’t strike me as a thief,” Peter continued pulling off the berries from bushes he knew were safe for eating.

     “And why is that?”

    He paused. Does he dare? “Too pretty.” He did dare. 

     You fought off the look of surprise threatening to break open your face. Composure was your finest, most practiced quality. “Too pretty to be a thief? Thieves aren’t allowed to be pretty, then?”

      “They can,” he decided, then said, “Your prettiness just looks like it stems from goodness. That’s all.”

     “Thieves can steal for good reasons.” You avert your eyes from him, examining a tree with brilliantly bright flowers hanging low from its branches. Easier than looking at him was looking at flowers, but what was the difference, really? Both were beautiful.

    “You just don’t look the type.” He said after a while. He came to where he had wanted to take you since the minute you’d chosen to keep him company. “Close your eyes for a second.” 

      You turned back toward him once you had secured your horse to the tree, arms folded across your chest. “Presumptuous of you.” He shakes his head at you, the florid hue of his complexion quickly becoming a permanent fixture of his face. “Fine, as you wish.” You held your hands together as you shut your eyes. He shuffled closer toward you, grass ruffling underneath his light footstep.

     “Open them.”

      You did, and clasped in his grip was a dainty rose, held out for you. You feel a swarm start inside your stomach, butterflies fighting to be free of their cage. They did not appreciate the proximity between you and Peter, they begged closer closer closer, they pleaded kiss him kiss him kiss him, they cried indignantly when you did not. Your breath seemed nonexistent when standing so close to him, so close each fleck in his brown eyes stood out against the gold and pink of the blooming sunset. Composure no longer existed. Before you could say a word to him (though you were unsure how you were going to do so without sounding like a complete and utter fool), he said, “I have more for you, but… well, may I?” You nodded, and he slipped it through your hair, careful to mind the thorns. “There, now you look like you belong among the briar patch, a wild rose.”

      “You’re a sweetheart,” you said while his fingers were still twined in your hair, lingering on the soft curve of your cheek. He couldn’t match your gaze for long, the intensity made his skin warm all over, if it were even possible to blush that hard, and he was afraid he’d do the impulsive thing in the rush of heat and kiss you full on the mouth. Oh, it did cross his mind, but he was not an impulsive boy, and he pulled back the littlest amount to restrain himself. He tried to feel the wind whip across his face, to cool him down. Passion, apparently, was going to make an idiot of him, and he’d only just met you. He couldn’t allow himself to be an idiot in front of you, yet. “Thank you, truly. I don’t get out much, or talk to people much, and this has been a lovely day.”

      “Neither do I,” he admitted. “Hardly at all.”

     “When might I see you again?” Earnest in your question, you reached for his hand. You liked his hands, nervous and all over yours, a perfect fit. “Or, better yet, when might I learn your name?”

     Maybe making such hasty promises was the wrong move, but regardless he said, “Tomorrow, at the cottage by the glen,” and walked you back toward whence you came, the rose in your hair and a quickly made bouquet in your hands. He watched you mount your horse, basking in the feel of your lips delicate on his cheek from when you had bid him goodbye. You departed from him in the grip of some bright, beautiful, bold dream, lighter than life or air.

     Peter headed back to his home, humming happily to himself. A raven is perched atop the tiny cottage’s roof, but Peter paid it no mind. He was held aloft in the clouds, in the radiance of the sunset, in the hands of another. When he entered the cottage to see the slightly lopsided cake that Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had made for him, his happy mood increased tenfold. Their cries of happy birthday helped a smile light up his face. “Oh, thank you! You’ve made today even better than it already was!” His sincerity is touching, but the three women pause.

    “What else happened today?” Fauna asked, taking the basket out of his hand and noticing a stray rose left inside.

   “I met someone,” he informed them, and he’s glowing as he says it, glimmering with happiness and hope and dreams. “A beautiful someone. The most beautiful someone the world has ever seen.”

   They cast quick looks among one another. This just wouldn’t do. “You’ve met some stranger!” Flora exclaimed. “After all we’ve taught you?”

   “She’s not a stranger, though, I’ve met her before, once upon a dream,” he laughed at his loophole to their rule, and he began humming dreamily again as he helped himself to some of the cake on the table.

   “He’s in love!” Fauna felt his forehead for the unmistakable flush of first love, and there she found it.

   “Oh no!” Merryweather sat down in a chair, fanning herself dramatically.

   “This is terrible!” Flora took the cake out of his hands and started eating the rest herself.

   Startled, Peter wiped the frosting off his lips and stared around at the trio of women, pale and acting more melodramatic than ever. “What is the problem? I would say I’m old enough for love. I am sixteen now, after all.”

    Flora sighed. “It isn’t that, dear.” She glanced at her sisters for help.

    “You’re already betrothed.” Fauna explained, wringing her hands. Perhaps they should have told him sooner, rather than later. It was just that, well, if the curse were to come true it would be today, on his sixteenth birthday, and it only felt right to wait until today, up until this very moment, of course, watching his previous elation fade into dejection and hurt. “To Princess Y/N, of the neighboring kingdom. She’s lovely, as well-”

   “But that’s impossible because for me to marry a princess I would have to be a-a-a-”

   “A prince, dear, yes,” Merryweather reached over to him to pet his hair gently. He backed up toward the kitchen window before she could touch him.

     “You’re Prince Peter, son of King Richard and Queen Mary, who we are to take you back to tonight.” Flora tried to place a motherly hand over his, and again he jerked back from touch. He felt completely and utterly betrayed. Outside, a raven caws at the sky and flies off, an omen or a metaphor.

    “I-I-I can’t go there, she’s coming here tomorrow, and I promised to meet her!” It’s the only thing his mind can focus on, out of the billions of thoughts swarming around up there right now. Her. You. The impossibility of having to marry anyone other than you. It was incomprehensible.

    “I’m sorry, dearest, but you can never see that girl again.” 

     Peter said nothing. He stormed out of the room, the rose you’d placed in his basket when he wasn’t looking to make him think of you later in the evening between his fingers. Tears well up in his eyes, burning against his shut lids. He settled himself down on his bed once the door was safely closed and bolted, placing the rose on his pillow and letting the tears spill out. The three fairies huddle around his door, listening to his muffled, shallow breaths. They thought he’d be so happy with the news.

    Far away, in your own kingdom, you were just entering the castle, singing softly to yourself and spinning throughout the halls, your heart rosy with joy. You were hoping to slip quietly into your room and send one of the maids for a vase to put your new bouquet into. Then, you wanted to sleep immediately after a bath, to fast forward time in your own way and get to tomorrow quicker. You could hardly wait.

     You were, however, stopped in the hallway by your father. He had a bemused expression on his face. He’d been watching your twirls of delight for a few moments now and, as endearing as it was, had business to attend to with you. “What has you in such a mood, my girl?” 

    “Oh, father! I had the most lovely day! Enchanting, really, so splendid I can hardly believe it was real!” You grabbed his hands excitedly, bouncing on your toes.

   “What happened? Not talking to strangers, I hope?”

   “I met someone, a most handsome someone, father, he was kind and funny and romantic, gave me this rose and a dozen other flowers to keep with me until I see him again tomorrow! You can meet him, too, of course, that’s a given!” You added the last part upon seeing the surprised knit of his brow. “I’ve met him before, once upon a dream, so he’s not a stranger, I’m sure you’ll like him as I do. You mustn't look so worried!” You patted his shoulder.

     “It’s not that I’m worried my dear, it’s- well, I’m sorry, child, I should’ve told you sooner…” he trailed off, wiping the sweat off his brow. You take a step back, a feeling of dread creeping up your neck. You wanted to clap your hands over your ears to avoid hearing the next words to come out of his mouth. You almost did. “You’re betrothed. To the lost prince Peter. We’re to meet him and his father King Richard there tonight, at their castle, when the prince comes home. You’ll be married soon enough, and I already have a castle ready for the two of you. Nothing elaborate, forty bedrooms and a dining hall, room for the children, naturally-”

    “That is absurd!” You cried, eyes alight. “Married? Children? To a stranger? This is- this is absurd, absurd and impossible and ludicrous and all other synonyms for the damn word! Prince Peter? He doesn’t even exist to me! I don’t even know what he looks like!”

     “He was blessed by the fairies to be quite handsome, and kind, too, he’ll make a suitable match for you, Y/N-”

    “Enough of this! I’m to meet the other boy tomorrow, not marry some random prince tonight! I don’t want it, I renounce my title, I reject the crown, I will not go with you anywhere tonight or tomorrow or any day after!” You stomped your foot, childish as it may be, and ran off in the other direction to the stairs, to the safety of your bedroom, as your father yelled after you that you would do as you were told. “You’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming there!”

      “I command you to come to your senses! No daughter of mine will marry a peasant boy!” And he would drag you kicking and screaming if he had to, mark his words. If he could get to you before you escaped, that is.

    Spoiler: he doesn’t. That, however, comes later.

    In the woods, the fairies and Peter walked cautiously down the path leading to the castle, the greatness of it looming overhead. Begrudgingly, Peter had gone with them. He would explain, he had decided, to his parents that it would be impossible for him to marry just anyone, and he would tell them about the girl he’d met, and implore them to meet her instead of marrying him off so soon. It had to work, or at least sway them in his favor.

    Unnoticed, they reach the castle and head into an unoccupied room with a fire burning in the fireplace, ushering him inside and locking the door. Fauna pulled the drapes closed, shutting out the light from the sunset completely. He sat down, and Flora nestled a crown atop his curls, his final gift from them as a symbol of his regained royalty. Peter then let out a distinct sniffle and hastened to wipe his eyes. Everything in his life had been upheaved in a mere moment and it frightened him, made him anxious and frustrated, made him want to run, hide, never look back. He was eager to meet his parents—well, more curious than eager— but a royal life was too much of a shock, coupled with a predetermined marriage plan and he was about ready to collapse. Happy birthday to me, he thought glumly.

    They all flutter around him as he made his misery apparent, awkward pats on the back were distributed, and they soon bowed out of the room to alone him a few minutes to himself. He held his head in his hands, breathing deeply to calm himself.

     The fire goes out suddenly when he lifts his head. He’s in pitch-black darkness, save for a small sphere of green light winking at him from the other corner of the room. His eyes go glassy, unfocused, as he stares at it, entranced. There’s no looking away from the little ball of light, and Peter resolved that he needed to be closer to it, needed to touch it, so he got up from his seat and started toward it. It floated beyond the fireplace, where a wall suddenly opened up. He continued walking. He had to. His only thought was the mysterious ball of light, there was no other option but to follow it.

     Outside, the fairies discuss their boy’s sadness, worried for him. “Do you think his plan to tell the king will work?”

    “I do hope so,” Merryweather leaned against the door. “I don’t see why he must marry any old princess, anyway.”

      “That’s not for us to decide, dear,” Fauna answered, though if it were she certainly would give him the choice of his happiness. It gave her, and all the fairies, the greatest satisfaction to see the boy’s happiness. He was such a sweet boy, he deserved endless happiness and smiles and love. They hadn’t meant to make him this unhappy. “We shall see what the king makes of it- what was that?” They halted their discussion, ears pressed against the wooden door, and all collectively gasped. There was a distinctive giggle ringing in the room. “Maleficent!” They chorused, barging into the room, cursing their decision to leave him alone. They watched him vanish behind the reappearing wall, unable to hear their cries for him. They try to push the wall back open, and when that didn’t work, they had one thing left to use: their magic. But even as they found the passageway, there were multiple ways going off the fireplace, and they couldn’t find the right way at once.

     He continued slowly up a staircase, following the light. He followed it into another dark room in the tower, where it floats into a corner and transforms into a spinning wheel. He reached toward it, a hand outstretched. There’s the voice of the fairies far away behind him, telling him not to touch anything, and another soft voice, invisible, crooning in his ear when he holds back, “Touch the spindle, Peter.” A command if he ever heard one, and Peter was nothing if not eager to please.

    The rays of the sun are a scarlet red as he pricked his finger sharply, like droplets of his blood had escaped and found their way into the sky.

     The fairies entered the doorway a minute too late, horror in their gaping mouths and wide eyes as Maleficent cackled. “Fools, the lot of you, for thinking you could defeat me, me!” Another wicked laugh curls from her lips. “Here’s your precious prince!” She kicked Peter’s crumpled body lightly. When she disappears, she leaves nothing behind but that cruel laugh and her cruel curse.

    Peter was face down on the floor, curled in on himself, the blood spooling from his finger making a tiny puddle on the wooden floor. The fairies gathered around his motionless body, crying, blaming themselves.

    The entire kingdom has already filed into the castle to celebrate their beloved prince’s triumphant return to his royal roots. The sun had set, and he was supposed to be entering now, cheered for by all, embraced by his parents. The fanfare outside is indicative enough of the momentum of the celebration, but if that weren’t enough, fireworks were beginning to sound off.

     Fauna began to wail, “Poor King Richard and Queen Mary, they’ll be devastated when they find out!”

    “Heartbroken,” Merryweather agreed, blotting her eyes.

      Resolutely, Flora said, “They’re not going to.” Her sisters looked to her curiously. “Everyone in the kingdom is here, at the castle, so we’ll put everyone to sleep until Peter awakens. No one gets hurt.” First, they conjured a bed to situate him on, and then, in his hands, place the single red rose you had left him. “Now, let’s get to work.”

     They flew around the castle, putting everyone to sleep swiftly and efficiently. Flora settles down to put the spell on the other king, who is lying next to King Richard, already asleep. While drifting off to sleep, this king mumbled, thinking he is still speaking to King Richard, “I’m sorry, but my daughter has run off, seems she’s fallen in love with a peasant boy…” his eyes fluttered briefly shut but Flora shook him back awake, alarmed by his statement.

    “Peasant boy? Who is he? Where did she meet him?”

    “Just some peasant boy she’s met.”

    “Yes, but where?” She pressed, shaking his shoulder again.

    “She said once upon a dream,” he slumped over, finally asleep.

     Flora’s eyes widened drastically as she scrambled up from the floor, calling for her sisters. Oh, this was glorious. Peter would have no reason to be sad once he awakened, for his betrothed was already the object of his affections. They just had to find her.

      You hadn’t given your father a chance to drag you out of your castle kicking and screaming; you had already left. You had propped open a window when the maid had gone to draw your bath, found your footing on a sturdy vine, and cascaded to the castle grounds with only minor cuts, scrapes, and assaults to your dress. You would’ve worn more suitable clothing, but you had none, therefore you made do and accepted the dress’ fate.

     You ran toward the stables just as the maid was discovering your absence, readied your horse with a gentle coaxing of a shiny apple, and escaped faster than your father could call the guards to find you. You felt like you were flying, freedom settling on your shoulders as you ride your way to the cottage in the glen. You had to see him and tell him of the atrocity your father was planning to force you into.

      You dismounted from the horse as soon as you see it, the only cottage for miles. You tie the horse to the tree, giving her another apple and a pat on the head. You knocked on the flower-covered door, smiling to yourself.

     “Come in!” Called a voice from within. You entered and immediately got the feeling that something was off. It was too dark in the cottage, unnaturally black, and you couldn’t even attempt to turn back and hurry away because you were seized at the arms by two strange yet strong creatures.

    “Get off me!” You struggled against them to no avail. You were soon tied up, though you had spat on them and kicked them enough to wound their pride at least. “Do you know who I am? Release me this instant!”

      A candle lights up your face, illuminating your angry eyes and snarl. A ferocious look for a princess, Maleficent noted. Deeply satisfied with her catch of the day, she said to you, “Look at this,” she runs a hand over her raven’s head, “I set my trap for a peasant girl and I catch a princess. How darling.” You sneered at her, craning away from her icy gaze. “Well, away with him, my pets, but do be gentle. I have such plans for our royal guest.”

     The fairies arrived again a beat too late, finding their door propped wide open. When they enter the cottage, they find your red rose on the floor, strands of hair entwined from where it’d been yanked out.

    “She’s taken the princess!” Merryweather picked the rose up from the floor.

    “To the forbidden mountain,” Flora gritted her teeth. It was a horrid place, the stuff of nightmares and evil. Darkness bloomed there, ceaseless. “We must.”

    “We can’t!” Fauna moaned. “It is forbidden for a reason!”

    “We can and we must! For Peter and for Princess Y/N, so that they may know each other truly! And for the whole kingdom, so that they may know peace!”

     Merryweather and Fauna can hardly argue with a sentiment such as that. They reluctantly journey forth with their sister to the forbidden mountain, a twisted castle shrouded in black and green smoke, its towers like jagged spikes.

      Shrunk down to microscopic size, the fairies approach the castle. The guards do not detect their presence and they passed the gates unseen. They shimmied through a window to a room where Maleficent and her little pets are feasting and dancing around a fire. “What a pity Princess Y/N can’t be here to enjoy our celebration! Come, we must go to the dungeon and cheer her up,” she said to her pet raven, perched on her shoulder as always. She departed the feast, her raven and the fairies following her. 

      They held in their gasps when they saw you, chained to the wall with a cut across your cheek and your head down so you didn’t have to look Maleficent in the face.

      Maleficent cooed to you, “Oh, come now, Princess, why so melancholy? A wondrous future lies ahead of you, the destined heroine of a charming fairy tale come true.” She made images dance before your eyes to depict a story. “Behold, King Richard’s castle, and in yonder topmost tower, dreaming of his true love, your betrothed, Prince Peter. Behold the gracious whim of fate, ‘tis the same peasant boy who won the heart of you, most beautiful Princess Y/N, only hours ago. He is indeed a sight to look upon. Beauty of the rarest kind, yes? In ageless sleep, you’ll find. The years roll by, but a hundred years to a steadfast heart as his are but a day. And now, the gates of the dungeon part, and the princess is free to go on her way. Off she rides on her noble steed…” Maleficent’s voice dripped with sarcasm as she continued on, smug and sly. “A valiant, radiant, beautiful figure. Regal.” The image of you she showed was that of a shaking old woman, hunched over and sad. “Off to wake her love with true love’s kiss,” she mocked the phrase with a high-pitched tone, “to prove that true love conquers all.” You growled at her, struggling against your chains, trying to rip them off the wall and get your hands around her throat. The cruelty of it all. To make you a prisoner here while your prince was alone and ageless, to release you once you were too feeble to give him any sort of life together or even entertain the thought. The most brutal punishment of all, to give you to him, at last a savior, except like that. And she loved every second of it, basking in her triumph and laughing back up to her feast. “A most gratifying day,” she had smiled as she locked the dungeon door. 

      After she is gone, the fairies appear, approaching you. “No time to explain,” Flora hushed you, opening your chains with her magic.

     “Who are you?” You asked, rubbing at your bruised wrists and standing up on weak legs.

     “Peter’s guardians, fairies, and we have heard so much about you, Princess Y/N,” Flora said. Merryweather produced the rose from her pocket and placed it back in your hair. “You must save him, you’re the only one who can!”

      “I’ll do whatever it takes to save him, and to stop Maleficent,” you added, scraping dried blood off your cheek from where she had cut you. “Tell me what I must do, what I must face, and I will face it gladly.”

     The set of your jaw and the determined stance of your shoulders ease the fairies’ worries. They’d thought that perhaps you’d be too scared to fight. Flora conjured two weapons with her magic, presenting them to you. “The road to true love may be buried still with more dangers, which you alone will have to face. Arm thyself with this enchanted shield of virtue and this mighty sword of truth, for these weapons of righteousness will triumph over evil.” You suit up, ruined dress and all. The fairy halted from opening the door. “Do you, ahem, know how to use these weapons, Princess?” 

      You unsheathed the sword, chin raised. “ I shall learn.”

     The door swung upon, and you and your new companions flood out, the raven shrieking for its mistress. You and the fairies start up the stairs and Maleficent’s servants come streaming down toward you. You narrowed your eyes, raising the sword and beginning to fight. It was a heavy thing, nearly impossible to hold upright without the proper training, but you managed to fight back effectively before they jump right out the window. They began a counterattack of throwing rocks, which Flaura turned to bubbles, and shooting arrows, which Flora turned into flying daisies. If you had more time, you’d marvel at the wonders of her magic.

     Merryweather freed your horse outside, waiting for you. You hopped on, riding off determinedly to the gate. You would not be deterred, even when hot oil came pouring toward you (which Flora turned to a rainbow). Merryweather followed the raven as it tried to wake a slumbering Maleficent, and she turned him into a stone raven outside the dark fairy’s door, but not before he succeeded in waking his mistress. Maleficent screamed, “No!” when she saw her beloved pet turned to stone, then again, a panicked “No!” when she noticed you making your daring escape. She raised a hand, and the drawbridge, too, started to raise.

    “Watch out, Y/N!” Flora called, and you tightened the reins on your horse, ground your jaw, and launched over the gap just barely. “Hurry, hurry!” She called again. Your grip is so tight you can feel your fingernails against your palms. It feels like flying again, you’re going so fast through the dark forest you have no time to think or plan your next move. All that matters is going as fast as you can and getting away from Maleficent. To Peter. Your Peter. To know his name brought you strength.

       Maleficent raised her arms, casting a spell. “A forest of thorns shall be her tomb, born through the skies on a fog of doom, now go with the curse and serve me well, round Richard’s castle cast my spell!” Bolts of lightning strike the darkening castle, causing a wild growth of thick and thorny bushes, seemingly impenetrable. Maleficent breathed loudly through her nose. She had foiled your daring rescue. “Finally, for the first time in sixteen years, I shall sleep well.”

      Or so she thought. You hesitated only for a moment. Then, hauling the heavy sword back up, you fought your way through the thorns, because they reminded you of the rose in your hair, and the rose reminded you of Peter. This was for him. You continued cutting your way through until you were free on the other side.

     Maleficent gaped. “No! It cannot be!” Enough was enough. She appeared in front of you suddenly, and you stepped back out of habit. “Now, you shall deal with me, dear princess, and all the powers of hell!”

       A tad dramatic, you thought, or maybe not, you thought after she transformed herself into a monstrous dragon in front of you. Your breath caught in your throat, and not in the happy, love-filled way from before. No, this was much different. Still, you squared your shoulders, making a courageous step toward her despite there being absolutely no chance of your victory. She spewed fire, and your fight with her was short-lived. You raised your shield against her, but you knew that would only last so long. She was too much. She was blazing fire and snapping jaws. You retreated, backed up against a wall, shakingly holding the sword high. If you were to die, you would go down fighting, with that stupidly heavy sword in your first and a scowl on your face. That’s how you would want to be remembered. Cowering in fear did not exist to you. Composure was your strong suit.

      “Up here!” Flora said from above you, and you climbed up to where she was, only to find yourself trapped on a cliff. Fire blazes all around you and one meticulously aimed ball of it destroys your shield into a pile of ash.

     Maleficent’s laugh at your loss ignited a rage in you, and you raise the sword again, staring her in her strange eyes, as the fairies chant, “Now sword of truth fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure!” It feels lighter in your hands somehow, and when you throw it in a spiraling arc at the dragon, you know your aim was true. It struck her right in the heart, and she goes down off the cliff in an eruption of flames. You peered over the side of the cliff, blowing a strand of hair out of your face, dusted with char. She was reduced to a pile of nothing, the sword sticking out of the ground.

   The horse and the fairies came to your side, and you made your way to the castle. You let them lead you to Peter, nearly tripping over yourself to scramble up those stairs in an effort to get to him faster.

    He lay there on the bed, serene-looking in his sleep. Even when you look away, you’re still looking. His face had been burned into your memory; that beautiful, sweet face. And here he was. Your Prince Peter. The boy from your dreams, the boy of your dreams. The rose clutched in his hand and tied in your hair, binding the two of you together. You know what is meant to happen next, yet you hesitate.

    “What is wrong, Princess?” Flora asked, fluttering around you with her sisters. “Is it your attire? You are looking a little worse for wear, but we can fix that up.” They wave their wands and clear the ash from your face, fix your knotted hair, patch your dress good as new. “A new color dress for the occasion, I think, as well.” She makes it pink.

   Merryweather wrinkled her nose in disgust.  “Blue.” She turned your dress blue.

    “Pink!” Flora commanded, making it pink again. Merryweather raised her wand again, but you wave your hands wildly about to capture their attention.

    “Can’t you just make it both?” You said, exasperated. Flora shrugged, doing as you asked. “Anyway, that’s not what I was going to say. Must I really, um, kiss him?” You stared down at the boy in front of you, placing a hand on his.

    “Why? Is that a problem?” They cocked their heads in confusion.

    “Well, it just feels a bit intrusive, he’s not awake to say it’s okay for me to kiss him, and I don’t want to make assumptions on his behalf but I know it’s the only way to wake him up so I’m not really sure what-” The fairies all stare at you blankly, so you halt the confused monologue.

     Swallowing your nerves, you lean down and press a gentle kiss to his cheek. It was what felt right in the moment, and so you did it, and the world tilted on its axis. His brown eyes opened slowly, catch yours, and he beamed.

     “It’s you,” he said as he sat up, cupping your cheek. “You’re…”

    “A princess, it would seem, betrothed to a Prince Peter. You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you? I’ve been waiting to meet him, though I hear he gets himself into all sorts of trouble. I’ll have to deem him worthy of my time.” He crinkled his face up in that boyish, shy manner of his, just the most darling thing you’ve ever seen. “I’m very glad it’s you.”

    “As am I,” he said sweetly, face leaning up toward yours.

    “I was thinking I might kiss you now if that’s alright,” you played with the collar of his shirt apprehensively. He nodded a yes, a please kiss me, and so you did, and he tasted of fairytales.

     Inside the throne room, as the people begin to awaken, your father is attempting to explain to Peter’s that his daughter has decided to marry a peasant boy, mumbling something along the lines of it being the fourteenth century and a perfectly acceptable thing, but King Richard is hardly listening. He stood up, eyes bright, as his child and the princess descend the stairs and come into the throne room together, hand in hand, a rose in the button of Peter’s shirt and a rose in your hair.

    You kneeled together in front of the throne, and Peter embraced his mother and father tightly. Your own father stands there stuttering like a loon, and you send him a wink.

    You and Peter danced together, alive with love and joy, the whole night spent in the company of one another’s arms. You resolved to never let him go, and he resolved to keep you in his heart for the rest of his life. Fauna dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, and, when asked what was wrong, said softly, “I just love happy endings.”

THE END. 

[yfere]

Shipping Calculus! Live Updates from C2E66(6)

A MASSIVE SHIPPING FEAST ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM this episode, hot DAMN. Thank you to @alarnia and @softazelma for helping with data entry. Masterpost here. I just...I don’t even have words, I’m too busy soaring.

-5 to Fjord/Jester unlike Fjord, as these two unfortunately give us a Complete Guide on how to Lose All The Battle Points—Fjord accidentally ditching Jester to get mauled by a winged monster for the third time in a row as he is Contractually Obligated to do, and Jester getting her own back by polymorphing the roc just as Fjord settled on its back, sending our dear warlock plummeting towards an early—and painful—landing. The hemorrhaging to the ship was mostly patched up by both of them being very regretful over the whole situation, Jester saying “sorry” a billion and one times, and so on. Then they dip back into point loss with Fjord Completely Failing To Be On The Wavelength when it comes to disguising as leaves, participating in dance parties, not making people exhausted with a hard ride on the moorbounders through the night,  etc etc, but these were largely made up for by Jester’s appreciation for Fjord paying for their inn stay, his continued helpfulness with Sending, and most importantly Jester taking every opportunity to point out how RIPPED and TOUGH and SMART and GOOD AT ACCENTS Fjord is as he flexes for her benefit. Overall, a rollercoaster week, but we at the lab feel it balances to point loss when you factor in the massive physical toll these two took on each other, and not in the fun way. They can do better (the fun way, for instance)

+20 to Jester/Caduceus as these two show us Battle Points Done Right, with Jester casting an insect plague in the most Caduceus of moves, and NOT ONLY THAT, but making them an Oprah BEES gif, recalling the most Iconic of Jester/Cads scenes, and the most Iconic Jester Ship Mascot, comparable only to jellyfish. Caduceus calling Jester a “sugar pea” and making her squeal and hug him, a type of #BodyContact which earns the most possible points without lips being involved. Dancing with Jester and having a grand old time. Them earning Battle Points?????? with their protracted bat-catching session, and Caduceus using literally all of his Banes so that the itty creature never so much as nicks Jester. That’s love.

+10 to Nott/Cat Shaped Creatures Speaking of lip involvement, Frumpkin got a kiss from Nott before being let down!!! Caleb better watch out, or she’ll steal his cat right out from under him!! Massive point loss however for Jannick yeeting Nott off of him for daring to ride alone, because Caleb’s precious pets are nothing if not loyal. (that’s a +15 to Caleb/Cat Shaped Creatures right there!)

+37 to Fjord/Caduceus These two have their strongest week YET, with Fjord—voluntarily! opening up about the Wildmother, and Caduceus giving some amazing advice about meditation which lets Fjord get more peaceful sleep to ASMR ocean sounds! Caduceus talking about a “shining beautiful” destiny (always a point earner!), and opening up about HIS Wildmother dreams and past and quests as well! Caduceus saying he has faith in Fjord—though there’s some point loss as Caduceus seems to have joined Nott’s “There is Evil in the Fjord Club” by implying it’s only his good friendships keeping him on the straight and narrow, smh Caduceus. Cads adorably suggesting that they can ALSO stop in the abyssal temple before they leave town if that’s what Fjord wants, like visiting a gift shop. Caduceus as usual being the first to Fjord’s side for That Good Hjealing and Emotional Sjupport, which Fjord petulantly demands, and Fjord encouragingly saying “C’mon, baby” as Caduceus looks around for the pursuing roc. In the Creepy Tunnels, Caleb gets +2 to Cockblocking as Fjord wanted to be the one to help Caduceus out, but Caleb gets the honor. Later Cads helps Fjord look for magical arms and armor though, that’s pretty sweet.

+42 to Jester/Yasha LOVE??? LOVE WAS SAID????? ANNNND THEY HUGGED?!?!?!?!?! The “we” puts ever so slight a damper on things, but that is a Point Earner right there, with a lovely conversation about being Yasha’s New Family and defending her from anything that would upset her. Yasha getting teary, saying Jessie once more and making a joke about the king’s instrument being a rock harp, like….they are love?? Love?????? AND, annnnnnnd they get the Sexy Points for “Comes more with another person” HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS JESTER I’M LOVsjkajkgakajksakjkasjksajkfukewk;HA;GKJ BKfjkcbdjabkjsdbalkbB  SJAK BKJBSAKJK;jkjdasbjksbjkdakasdsfnajdknmbznb

-1 to Beau/Pets While she gets point gains for charming a baby roc with some staff scritches and thrown food, she gets point loss for beaning the poor baby with that same staff, though luckily she doesn’t join Nott in the Baby Killing Club of this campaign. -1 to Caleb/Vulture Culture as despite using all of his spells to Live a Bird-Brained Life, he unfortunately drops his form too quickly to save Fjord, gets bit back to wizard form by the baby roc and told to shut up with the bird screeching by Beau. But Frumpkin gains some points for looking successfully for the pursuing roc.

-20 to Nott/Yasha You get the sense that Nott is trying to mend things with Yasha, but it always falls apart and falls apart horribly. “We’re safe in this smoke” leads to Yasha immediately leaving it, and after Nott has her flask taken she spends the rest of the episode talking about how shady and suspicious Yasha is which even Caleb “Nott is Never Wrong” Widogast can’t agree with. Searching the darling barbarian’s pockets and accusing her until Yasha gets fed up and yells that she didn’t FUCKING take it.

+15 to Beau/Yasha/Jester as they have another stellar week. Featuring Classic Threesome Moments, including “Should I give you some private time alone?” with both Beau and Yasha Very Much Wanting Her To Stay, and Jester sharing the Sugar Momma loveliness she’d been having with Beau with Yasha, in the form of a suggestive ring gifting joke and “dressing Yasha up” in the fancy clothing Beau recovered for the both of them. The three of them touching the stone Celestials and listening to their music

+17 to Beau/Yasha *starts singing Beyonce* she liked it, so she put a ring on it! ‘Nuff said. Beau’s terribly awkward but wonderful “We’ll protect you with our lives” also: goooooooooooooooooooooooood. Beau being incredibly worried over using Yasha as bait, more worried over dead Celestials, but forging ahead because they both know it’s the best option they have at the moment *sniffs* it’s Some Angst Here. Beau saying Yasha has “dope wings” and might be a “dope angel in irons” and suggesting that Yasha may have gotten her name by sleeping with a lot of people, the sheer dumbassery of which makes Yasha facepalm herself in the hopes of getting a Lesbian Amnesia concussion.

+20 to Beau/Jester as Dimension Door gets used once more for an incredibly sapphic and beautiful moment. Beau grabs onto Jester to try to throw her to safety, but stays when Jester asks, and Jester getting them both to safety?? Dare I say, Romance? Dancing together, loving shiny loot together, running their hands along the side of the tunnel and detectiving together. Beau saying Jester is pretty awesome, as always!

+4 to Fjord/Cowboy Vibes as for one glorious moment, he was yeehaw riding that roc. Alas.

+11 to Caleb/Fjord. Although a sincere effort was made, these two did not in fact earn any Battle Points as Caleb’s furious handwringing, running around, and smacking faulty cocoons and tossing feathers repeatedly failed to help Fjord out of his situation with the roc—only acting as a feathery transport to a cleric managed to do the poor man any good. Nonetheless, these two continued to Same Hat on planning as usual, going full speed (or not at all) with the moorbounders, Caleb directing Fjord towards Facely duties but admirably performing on some Facely duties himself when they first roll into town and get the side-eye. Fjord as always being Very Attuned to Caleb’s navigational skills, wanting to know what direction they’re going and wanting Caleb to do translation duty. Being excellent detective partners as they have been since the circus in identifying bodies and bones together. Point loss for Fjord apparently thinking that the best way to get Caleb’s attention is to throw an eldritch blast in the vicinity of his cat instead of, say, shaking him or something. Fjord…….when are you going to be nice to other people’s pets? Will you ever?

+1 to Caleb/Essik “But of course you must know of THIS EXTREMELY FAMOUS AND HANDSOME MAN ESSIK THEYLAS who will ABSOLUTELY VOUCH FOR US, IN FACT PLEASE ASK HIM TO I NEED AN EXCUSE TO TALK TO HIM.”

+5 to Jester/Graffiti as she pulls off a difficult prank in changing the sign to the “Ruddy Poon” in full view of the whole community. One of her weaker jokes of the episode, though, so less point gain.

+3 to The Mighty Nein/Oban as he’s apparently super impressed with how quickly and trustworthily they brought Yasha to the area. Compliments Jester on her singing skills. He must be a good guy then, right? Right?

-4 to Nott/Jester for Nott claiming erroneously that rocs eat leaves to Jester, absolutely wanting Jester to “waste” a spell looking for her missing flask (that Jester stole). Point gains for Jester casting lesser restoration on Nott and worrying about her alcoholism and recklessness to a heartbreaking degree….but unfortunately, balancing out to point loss considering the physical and emotional toll her thievery resulted in as Nott panicks and takes out her feelings on the rest of the party. We at the lab live in fear on what will happen once Nott discovers who IS responsible

+14 to Caleb/Jester she…..makes him laugh???? A rare accomplishment for which There Must Surely Be a Medal??? This alone earns All The Points for an Iconic Moment, but Caduceus gets +7 to Cockblocking for being the one Eagle Caleb carts around when the offer was originally extended to Jester. Caleb also catching onto Jessie (thank you Nott for this nickname I despise) and looking soft at everything she does, and dancing, and being the first to adorably compare Jester to a snap pea. Caleb agreeing with Jester that building bridges sounds nice. Point loss for Jester making far too much fun of Caleb for not knowing her demon stories and not seeing the obelisk, prompting him to weakly defend himself that he’s “doing his best.” More point loss for Caleb also pushing to ride the moorbounders to exhaustion, and just ignoring Jester’s “feelings” to talk to Caduceus, showing a lack of trust that is UNACCEPTABLE.

-500 to Nott/Alcohol Which needs no explanation.

+16 to Caleb/Caduceus as these boys get Good Quality Time, with Caleb flying Caduceus around everywhere, Caduceus continuing to think Caleb Magic is the Solution to Everything by suggesting alarms at the cave entrance and seeking out Caleb’s cat-based assistance three billion times. Caleb asking for Caduceus’ opinion and feelings specifically for guidance on what they should do, also thinking Caduceus Magic is the Solution to Everything by asking for a detect magic which Caduceus could not provide. Once more very emphatically forbidding Caduceus from wasting his spell slots on Daylight, because like a #KnightInShiningArmor Caleb wants to chivalrously cast that spell himself with the driftglobe. Caduceus chivalrously picking up the tab and buying incense both for himself and Caleb. Caleb holding onto Caduceus’ wrist for a full minute and proving Caduceus is a favorite for his Special Buffing Spells,  because the wizard is too much of a scaredy-cat to just hold his hand, I suppose.

+20 to Everyone/Detective Work for finding gems, bones, maps, emblems, and identifying the precise coagulation of blood to determine when it was spilled! Nothing Conclusive was learned, but boy did it increase the Creepiness Factor of the episode!

-100 to The Mighty Nein/This One Particular Roc who will hold  a grudge against them for the rest of time, woe unto them should they ever venture into the Barbed Fields again.

+19 to Jester/Cosplay of the Week for a much-complimented leaf disguise, and for dressing up in the bloody garb of some mauled nobles. Point loss because it was unclear to most of the judges that “leaf” is what she was going for, and not “healthy edible vegetable”

[orengjijyuusu]

A Story of Me and You

A Ren x Kat fic (self insert)

(Sidenote: Inspired from the Sweet Dreams/Be my Partner photo shoot in SL. And in honor of Jinguji Ren's birthday. Happy birthday, you flirty orange ♡ Enjoy~)

Kat felt seriously out of place in this magical realm of bubbles and...magic. All throughout the dance hall, ball goers were casually mingling in their fancy attire, either on the dance floor or scattered around the vicinity. 

Compared to her, everyone looked so refined, bright, and many other captivating adjectives she couldn't form off the top of her head. She wasn't exactly sure how she got here in the first place. One minute she finds an invitation to a party and the next she suddenly finds herself in this world.

Kat stands off to the side as she watches everyone dance. She grips the skirt of her dress, not sure what to do. Should she dance? Should she go outside? CAN she go outside? Needless to say, Kat wasn't very good at partying. Especially at fancy galas such as this one.

Overtime, she catches glimpses of the 11 hosts who graciously held the party for the guests. There were some floating on bubbles, standing on chandeliers, and others simply overseeing the party from the balconies.

Occasionally they would start dancing with some of the ladies on the floor when a certain song from the orchestra began to play.

They all look so graceful, Kat thinks, trying her best to balance in her own shoes, makes me wish I took dancing lessons beforehand.

She looks up at the grand staircase to see if she can make her way to another level. However, her attention is drawn to the man leaning against the railing.

He is one of the hosts, Ren, as Kat recalls. Definitely one of the pretty boys of the bunch, alright.

His blue eyes scan the ballroom a couple of times before his gaze settles on Kat. He obviously catches her staring and throws a playful wink her way.

She bashfully looks away as to not be rude and leans against a pillar. Great, it totally looked like I was gawking just now, she thinks and pinches the bridge of her nose.

Kat looks up again at the staircase and sees that the host was no longer there. "I scared him off. Way to go..." she grimaces quietly to herself.

"Quite the opposite, my lady." A voice hums right beside her ear.

Kat nearly jumps out of her skin and whirls around to find Ren peering out from the other side of the pillar. She places a hand over her chest and exhales, "Ahaha...you scared me."

The princely host frowns, "My apologies, I didn't mean to scare you." He takes her hand, "I just had to come and rescue this lovely lady standing all by herself." Ren raises her hand to his lips and places a tender kiss on her fingers.

Kat gulps nervously and tucks some hair behind her ear, "It's fine, really. Erm, not being lonely I mean--about the scaring thing. Um...I was-I was daydreaming."

Ren releases her hand and smiles, "About what?"

She blinks, trying to think of an answer that would make sense, "The party...I think. How great would it be to dance so beautifully. The irony of handsome men being your dance partner." She laughs nervously at her last sentence, "Oh, I should not have said that..."

Ren's smile turns into laughter, "You're hilarious. But it sounds to me like you need to get out more."

Kat fidgets in place, "Well I--Yeah pretty much. I just...I don't know how to party...ballroom style."

She nervously looks back out at the dancefloor to avoid any awkward eye contact.

Ren hums in amusement before extending his arm, "Would YOU care to be my dance partner, lady?"

Kat's pulse quickens at the offer, "Oh I uh... I can't- I mean I can!" She reaches out and hooks her arm under his. He pulls her toward the dance floor for a moment until she recoils and jerks back. 

"But I suck!" Kat fumbles with her words, "I mean I-I can't move in heels that well and..."

Ren looks back at her in surprise before giving her a strangely devious smile, "I... never did ask for your name, lady~"

She blinks at the sudden change in topic, "Well, my name is Kat. I mean--unless you want my real name. Ah! But we just met. So uh...just Kat for now." Ahah kill me! Kat cries in her head, why am I so awkward!?

Ren's smile grows, "You're adorable. But I'll take that invite as a challenge."

Kat's eyes flash over to her strangely attractive host, "...You what?"

"I'll guess your real name. I'm confident I can."

"Tch, bet." She scoffs under her breath, barely hiding an amused expression.

"Alright." Ren chuckles.

Kat freezes, "Oh wait, I didn't mean-"

"If I guess your name before the end of this party, then you have to dance with me, in front of everyone." The idol says with a devious grin.

Kat feels her cheeks flare at the thought, "Oh no. I don't-"

"I won't force you." Ren's gaze softens slightly, "Not very gentlemanly of me to treat a lady as such. And everyone else will be minding their own business. But I do encourage it."

Kat feels her heart thud in her chest, "Why do you want me to dance so badly?"

The host glances at the dancefloor for what seems like the umpteenth time since the two began conversing, "Hm, I DO wonder why." He muses, "Maybe I see something hiding behind those pretty eyes." Ren leans in and gives her a pressing smirk. "Such as a secret desire to dance with the way your foot is tapping the floor." 

Kat purses her lips together in embarrassment before sighing, "You're right, I do." 

Ren holds out his hand, "Then we understand our little game. Besides," his eyes shadow over slightly, "You won't be seeing any of these people anytime soon after the party, so go with no regrets."

Kat oversees this expression and gives him a firm handshake, "You are a very persuasive man, you know that?"

Ren lingers his gaze on her with an unreadable expression before smiling, "I get that a lot. But for you," his voice lowers an octave with a strange yet exciting look in his eye, "it's a challenge. And I DO love a challenge."

His words send goosebumps up her arms. Dammit! He got me again! She screams at herself. Why is he so good at this?!

"To start," Ren chirps to change the mood, "why don't we take this somewhere a little quieter, eh?" Ren turns on his heel and leads his guest by the arm to the grand staircase.

Kat stumbles a couple of times as they go up each step, "Uh, where are we going? Hold up I can't keep...up..." Her voice fades when Ren releases her arm once they reach the top.

He walks towards a pair of double doors and opens them to reveal the night sky. Then he turns to Kat and beckons her to join him outside.

As if charmed by a spell, or by the gorgeous blue color in his eyes, she walks to him without a second thought.

She obviously wasn't doing a very good job hiding her flushed facial expression when Ren cups her cheek with one hand to prompt a reaction out of her.

"Well aren't you as red as a strawberry. It's a cute look for you, lady~." He says as she shyly averts her gaze. Ren chuckles amusingly and gives her head a small pat.

Why am I allowing this to happen? Kat questions, He's a total stranger but...I feel like I can trust him. I feel like logic has taken a backseat because of it.

The two walk out onto a spacious balcony, away from the bustling party and under an endless starlit sky. Ren turns to Kat expectantly, as if waiting for some kind of answer to a question he never asked.

She crosses her arms, "If you think I'm going to tell you my name just like that, you're sorely mistaken."

Ren shrugs with a smug grin, "Worth a shot, Katlynn."

"Nope."

He snaps his fingers in frustration, "Ah I'll get it at some point." Ren glances over towards the orchestra playing inside. Almost immediately, he gets that same scheming look on his face, "And I know the perfect way to start thinking about it."

Approaching Kat, he extends his hand, "Want to practice a bit before you lose, lady~?"

She raises an eyebrow,"You are awfully cocky, you know that?" The only response she gets is a wink, "Plus what about our deal?"

"I don't intend on losing. And I said in front of everyone." Ren slips his left hand around Kat's waist and pulls her close, "Out here, it's just you..." He gently takes her other hand in his, "and me. I promise."

Kat makes eye contact upon hearing the insistent tone in her escort's voice. 

Quite clearly, for the first time, his gaze comes across as earnestly kind and soft; completely the opposite of that flirtatious front he had on earlier. She almost feels compelled to do anything he says with a look like that. 

Something about him, at this moment, allowed Kat to trust him. She didn't know what kind of voodoo charm-like hypnosis Ren was using on her, but damn it! His tactics were working too well. In response, all she can do is nod in agreement. She places her free hand over his shoulder.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ren hums as he begins to sway her back and forth, "Don't worry, we'll take this nice and slow." He nudges her foot carefully, "This is typically the simplest kind of dance. Left, right, left..."

Kat's eyes drop down to her feet as she tries to follow Ren's instructions to the best of her ability.

"Now let's try turning in a circle." Ren guides her back as they advance from just stepping left to right, "Just go back and forth, like a rocking chair."

Kat sees the pattern rather quickly, however she fumbles in her heels and nearly trips over her dance partner. 

"Ah, I'm sorry." She abruptly stops their movement, "I just can't do it right in these shoes. I'll lose my balance."

Upon saying that, Kat starts noticing the growing soreness in her soles from standing too long.

"You CAN do it." Ren calmly places his hands on her shoulders, "Just without the shoes."

Kat blinks, "You want me to dance barefoot?"

"If it helps you, then yes."

Staring down at her feet, she slowly replies with, "Well, I suppose..."

"Do you want me to take them off for you?" Ren asks teasingly. He stifles a laugh when Kat sputters out her objections.

"I can do it myself." She huffs and kicks her shoes off. Immediately, the soreness in her heels almost dissipates completely. Her feet feel much better than before. In fact, she felt better in general...also shorter.

With the shoes, the heel portion added 3 extra inches to Kat's overall height. Now, she had to slightly crane her neck up to look at Ren.

"You are...tall..." she mutters.

"You forgot exceedingly charming." He replies before resuming the dancing position they were in before.

While Ren continues to lead, Kat significantly notices her dancing becoming more fluid and confident. Much better than that stagnant stilt dance she was doing earlier. Not to mention, she was...also enjoying herself.

After a moment of silent dancing, Ren clears his throat, "My lady, I know you are trying to watch where you step, but try looking up at me."

"I don't think I'm confident enough to look away yet."

"I won't step on your feet." He pleads.

Kat keeps her eyes glued to the ground, "I know YOU won't."

Ren let's out something along the sound of a whine, "Please? I won't be mad if you do."

After a bit of prodding, Kat pries her eyes from the ground...and nearly ends up bumping foreheads with her dance partner. She yanks her head back, face completely flushed, "Ah shi- I'm sorry! I wasn't concentrating."

But all he does is smile. "Don't be," Ren spins Kat out gracefully, "I'm quite the fan of-" he pulls her hand to reel her flush against his chest, "close proximity."

"You know the flirty remarks you keep making are only throwing me off." She mutters through gritted teeth.

"Oh? Would you like me to stop, Katrina?"

"No that's not it either. I mean No...maybe? It's complicated."

Ren stops their dancing, "How so?"

I should have kept my mouth shut, Kat thinks as she clicks her tongue, "I uh, well..."

"Again, if my nosy-ness rubbed you the wrong way, I'm not forcing you to admit anything." The host responds, removing his leading hand from her back. 

The second he let go, Kat could feel a cool spot spreading in place of his warm fingers. Honestly, she wished he hadn't done that.

C'mon, be bold for once, she urges herself, adrenaline now, breakdown later. Her left hand lurches forward and catches Ren by the retreating arm.

"No, you're okay!" She blurts, allowing her brain to block off any feeling of regret she might have later. With a nervous gulp, she looks up into her captivator's eyes and tightens her grip on his arm. "I just, I tend to take flirts rather seriously and if that's not the kind of guy you are I don't want to assume-"

"But I am being serious."

"But why me?" Kat fires on instinct, "What makes me so special? You're this," she gestures to his entire body, "beautiful hunk of a man and I'm...I seem like a nobody compared to you."

"That's just it, lady." Kat feels the warmth of his hands place themselves on her shoulders. Ren squeezes them lightly for reassurance.

"That's the reason we held this event. At this party, no lady or gentleman should have to feel like a nobody." He lifts a hand and smooths down flyaways on her head, "You're always somebody to someone, regardless if it's here, or where you come from." One of his hands travels downward to cup her cheek, "And tonight, you're someone to me."

Kat feels a strong pang strike her heart, a feeling of affection. She forces it down by enveloping Ren in a hug and buries her face in his tuxedo.

"I...didn't think I'd need to hear that from someone like you." She mutters, voice slightly muffled through the fabric, "Thank you."

Ren's arms wrap themselves around her shoulders as he returns the embrace with a squeeze. "When we go back in and dance, I'm going to make it look like I'M the nobody compared to you."

"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves." Kat pulls away with a hard-to-contain smirk, "Bear in mind you are still far more attractive than I am."

"Au contraire," Ren notches a brow and bends down to meet her at eye level, "I have to argue that you are even lovelier than what you say about me..." He leans into her left ear and says a name. Her name.

Kat's mouth goes agape with confusion. But before she can question anything, Ren darts forward and plants a kiss on her cheek, "Mwah!" He vocalises so she can be extra embarrassed.

Kat's cheeks flare like fire, "Ahaha...how the-the...my name...wha...??" She chokes out, completely flustered beyond comprehension.

Ren pulls out a small placement card from his jacket pocket, "I saw the table you sat at, before I met you, I happened to take a glance."

"So you were just...PLAYING with me?" Kat's flushed face snaps to shock, no longer embarrassed. Traitor! "Well then what was the point of this game?" She exclaims.

"Nothing, I just wanted to spend more time with you. You're fun, Kat." He smiles gently, "And I want to get to know you more."

Kat shifts awkwardly, "I assume you decided this after I neglected to dance with you."

Ren shrugs, "Like I said, I do love a challenge."

"Well," Kat exhales, "You did it, that's for sure. So…"

"So…?" The host repeats with a teasing undertone. She knew what was coming next so might as well get it over with.

"So I'll hold up my end of the deal." She throws her hands up and makes her way to the door, "Whisk me to the dancefloor, good sir."

Ren moves in front of her, momentarily blocking her from going inside, "You don't sound too enthusiastic about it. What about our dance lessons together? Didn't they help?" He asks, surprisingly worried.

Kat stops abruptly from maneuvering around him but doesn't look at his face, "No they did! And I'm so grateful you helped me. I'm just...nervous. But I don't want your lessons to be for nothing. So…" Her voice catches, "I want to get out there with the confidence I have right now. Before I burn out."

Kat gulps and clutches Ren's arm, "Tonight, if I don't dance, then I have a feeling I will regret it for the rest of my li-wah!!"

Before she can get the last syllable out, Ren kicks her feet up and catches her in a bridal hold. "Then I suggest we get to the dance floor before it's too late. Are you ready, lady~?" His face holds a fiery look of determination.

"I'm going to have a nosebleed with all the stunts you are pulling, I swear." Kat wraps her arms around his neck, "But, yes. As I'll ever be."

Ren smiles and moves briskly towards the staircase. Before Kat can question why he wasn't slowing down to descend the staircase, Ren hops onto the railing and slides down with her balanced on his arm.

Kat inhales sharply and tightens her grip around Ren's neck, not noticing that she was also pressing her bosom right into the side of his face. But HE wasn't about to tell her that.

When they reach the bottom, he places her on her feet with a slight pink hue over his cheeks. "That was fun." He says while dusting his tuxedo from the back.

"I think my soul just left my body." Kat squeaks hysterically.

"Oi! Ren, don't be playing extra with the guests!" Yells another host, the one with silver hair. Kat kept forgetting names.

Off to the side, a host with blue hair, Masa...Masa-something could be seen rolling his eyes at them.

"Don't listen to them, I'll go all out to impress a pretty lady~" Ren retorts, pulling Kat to the dance floor where other people could be seen mingling and dancing to the orchestra.

They stop in the center of the dance floor and face each other. Ren bows to her with a smile and proceeds to hold his hand out expectantly. "May I have this dance?"

Kat takes his hand without hesitation and does an awkward, yet rather adorable curtsey to Ren, "Just like we practiced, right?" She asks, voice trying to hold steady.

"Just like we practiced." He repeats, taking her by the waist. This prompts her to position her hands appropriately, and then they begin to move. 

For a while, they do simple back and forth movements to get Kat comfortable with the setting. Then, she notices something horribly wrong...and lacking.

"Ren, I-I forgot my shoes!" She whispers frantically, trying to stop their movement. But Ren doesn't budge.

Instead, he pulls her hand to his lips and presses a sweet kiss to the back, arm tightening around her waist. "Kat, you don't need them." He says reassuringly, "Just look at me, and only me. Don't worry about anything or anyone else."

Kat's cheeks flush for about the billionth time, eyes helplessly locked on to his blue ones.

"This...may be selfish of me," Ren says hesitantly, "but I wanted you to show me, and only me, that special side of yourself. The side no one gets to see." They carefully switch into a swaying dance when the music changes, arms wrapped around each other's neck or waist. "I want you to be mine, just for a moment." His forehead comes into contact with hers, a warm spot that brought comfort with their slow dance.

As their faces come dangerously closer to each other, Kat mutters out, "Ren...thank you. For everything."

Ren shakes his head slightly, "No, thank you. For giving me the opportunity to dance with you…" His lips press themselves against hers. Gently, Kat can feel a soft yet passionate feeling embed itself into their kiss. She loses all awareness of her surroundings, even after they part.

Kat, utterly entranced by her prince of the evening, reaches up to stroke his cheek and searches his eyes. Then she realizes something after a moment,  "I-I'm not going to see you after tonight, am I?" She asks quietly.

Ren nuzzles into her touch with a sad look in his eyes, "I am uncertain…time works strangely in this realm. And that's what makes me long for more of it. With you..." His eyes suddenly turn fierce, "But I'm NEVER going to forget this night. The night I got to spend getting to know you."

He presses a kiss to her forehead gingerly, "It's time to go, my princess. Let's meet next time in a dream."

Kat envelops him in an embrace, "Stay like this...please. For as long as possible." She whispers with tears in her eyes.

Ren holds her tightly as the world of magic begins to glow white all around. Despite the ballroom, the people, and the hosts disappearing, Kat could still feel his arms around her until the very end. And that was all the comfort she needed to know that he would be with her. Someday.

[cevanstorytime]

America’s Sass

Chapter 3

The trivia assistant came to our table and passed out the papers and pencils. Chris snatched ours and looked at me excitedly. “What’s our name?”

“Uhhh.” Was all I could get out. I stared at him blankly.

“America’s ass!” Mike yelled from across the table, but drunk me heard “America’s Sass” which made perfect sense.

“He is very sassy,” I said wiggling my eyebrows at him.

“Hey, hey, hey! I’m the sassy one?! I’ve gotten a lotta lip from you today little lady.” He said wagging his finger at me.

“See? Sassy.” I said looking at his friends.

“Hmm.” He looked me over for a minute. “Maaaybe you’re right, but just so you know, I’m not alone in sassy town.”

“But you are the mayor.” I winked at him as he gasped and put a hand to his chest in mock shock.

He scribbled America’s Sass in the top corner of the paper, put the pencil down and finished the beer sitting in front of him. He motioned to the bartender to bring another round.

By now I had lost count of how many drinks I’d had, but I was feeling very relaxed. “Listen, you get too many drinks in me and I’ll be useless as far as trivia goes.” I told him, but he didn’t believe me. He scrunched his face up and made a pssh sound.

“Are you sure it’s not the opposite?” He teased as he nudged me with his shoulder.

The server arrived and placed our drinks on the table just as the trivia host started the game. Chris turned his hat backward in what I assume was an attempt to look serious, but it just looked adorable. “Alright! Everybody ready? Got your team names on the top of your paper? Alright. Here we go. Question number one. What kind of person shall not be honored on a US postal stamp, according to the US postal service and the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee?”

Chris and I turned to each other and in unison whispered “a living person.” Chris made a fist and hissed “Yessss. Mmm! I knew it!” He quickly wrote the answer down then put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed me.

“Question two! In what city is Jim Morrison buried?”

I turned and whispered “Paris” in his ear. I’m pretty sure I saw his ear twitch, and then we were face to face, mere inches apart. My heart jumped into my throat. His must have too because I saw him swallow hard. His eyes darted to my lips.

“You need some water over there?” Joey asked. I turned away from Chris, my face crimson I’m sure.

He was still looking at me when he answered “nope, we’re good.” He finally turned away from me but turned his gaze to Mike as he picked up his beer and took a long swig.

We continued kicking ass through the first two rounds. And in those rounds, we had another two rounds of drinks. I was drunk, Chris was drunk, and it was beginning to feel like I had known these people forever. A warm comfy haze settled over me, and Chris was getting closer than I thought humanly possible, but I wasn’t going to object. I took my blazer off, as the closeness and the alcohol turned me into a human furnace. He kept his arm around my shoulder and would pull me close and talk in my ear. I could still smell his cologne, but now he had a slightly bitter smell from all the beer he’d consumed.

After I answered one question fairly quickly he brushed my hair behind my shoulder and whispered “you’re so fuckin smart.” I felt his beard brush my neck, which set off goosebumps from my head to my toes. His hand trailed down my arm and over my forearm. He took notice of the goosebumps and looked at me startled. “Are you cold?”

I shook my head slowly. “Nope. I’m fine.”

A smile crept over his face as he rubbed my arm in an attempt to warm me up. “You sure?” I nodded and managed to get mm hmmm out. To which his response was “Hmm. Wonder why you’re covered in goosebumps?”

“I don’t ...I don’t know...hmm. Am I? Maybe I’m under the vent? I’m fine..I uh. I don’t know why...I have..what?”

“Akala.” He said softly. I looked at him confused.

“What does jungle book have to do with this? I mean I love the original, and the remake was good but wha...”

“It’s the answer to the question. You have the pencil. Write it down. A-K-A”

“I know how to spell Akala ass.” I turned to the paper and wrote it down as he giggled. “I didn’t even hear the question. I would have got it.” I mumbled, my mouth twitching into a crooked smile.

“Uh-huh. What happened? Why didn’t you hear it?”

I turned my hands up in an I don’t know gesture which made Chris laugh hard, his hand flying up to his chest involuntarily. Which set me off in a fit of giggles.

“What’s going on over there?” Tara asked. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.” He answered. “She’s a funny woman.” I rolled my eyes as he laughed some more.

“Ok! 15-minute intermission!” The host announced.

“I’m going to go get some fresh air. Would you ladies like to join me?” Theresa asked.

“Yes!” I answered a little too quickly. I hopped up and followed her out the front entrance to the sidewalk, Tara close behind.

“Thanks for coming out with me! It was getting too stuffy in there.” Theresa said.

“I’m glad to hear it wasn’t just me. I thought it was just because I had so much to drink.” I snickered. “I haven’t hung out at a bar like this in a looong time.”

“Well, we’re here every Tuesday! You should join us! This has been a lot of fun tonight. I’m glad Chris found you.” Tara smiled warmly at me. “He’s been in a funk for a while, I was starting to wonder if he was ever going to snap out of it. And then he called me and told me he might have someone to bring tonight! I got so excited. He hasn’t brought someone to trivia in ages. Like I’m talking over a year.”

“He has been really busy this year though,” Theresa added.

“That’s really sweet, but I doubt it had anything to do with me. We literally met this morning, for like twenty minutes.” I responded a little confused. There’s no way he was happy because of me. “And honestly when we met this morning he was very quiet and reserved compared to this.” I swung my arm motioning to the bar. Both the girls just shrugged.

“I’m just saying... it’s nice to see him...hopeful... again.” My eyes shifted from Theresa to Tara, and back to Theresa.

“Why do you think he’s been so down?” I asked

“Well, he’s always so busy with work, and when he comes home he’s surrounded...by us...and our other friends, who are all in these,” she inserted air quotes here, “normal lives. And he’s single...and, well I think he feels like he’s missing out, or left behind or something.” Tara explained.

“Like the odd man out.” Theresa confirmed.

“Ah. I see.” I said slowly. “Well, like I said, we literally just met today. So...I’m just...I mean, how could you not like him, but I don’t want to rush anything. We’ll just see what happens.”

“Yeah! Of course! I didn’t mean to suggest that ...” the door to the bar swung open and the guys all came lumbering out.

“What do we have here?” Ryan asked. “What were you ladies discussing?” He prodded.

“Nothing!” Theresa replied. “We were just telling Brie that we’re here every Tuesday pretty much and that she should join us! Ooh! Let’s swap numbers before we forget! And that way if you need any help or if you’re like looking for a doctor or a hairdresser... or you just want to hang out!”

“That would be fantastic! Thank you so much!” I responded. Genuinely grateful for having met these people. All the fear and doubt I had felt about moving had seemed to vanish tonight and I could begin to see the start of my new life forming. We chatted for a few more minutes before heading back inside to finish up the trivia game.

Chris held his hands out for a double high five as I walked past him through the door. I smacked both his hands, which then swung down and smacked both of my ass cheeks like I was a football player. It took me by surprise, causing me to do a little jump through the doorway and then stop dead in my tracks. I slowly turned towards him and saw him standing in the door frame with a look of total shock, both hands over his mouth. He reached out in front of himself palms up and spoke, “I am..soooooo so sorry. It’s a habit and I wasn’t thinking, and I apologize sincerely. I’m such an idiot.” His hands were now over his heart and his face had blanched white. I looked from him to Joey, who was holding the door open. Joey’s eyes were as big as plates and his mouth was hanging open in a half-smile, half shocked look. Like he was about to start laughing but wanted to see my reaction first.

I busted out laughing so hard that almost everyone in the bar turned to see what was happening. “Your face!!!” I yelled between guffaws. “Oh my god your face!” I couldn’t get my shit together. I was doubled over in laughter as Chris let out an uncomfortable “ha...haha.”

“Oooh man.” I wiped tears from my eyes as the guys started to walk towards me. “It’s fine Evans! Good lord!” His shoulders and face relaxed again which sent me into more fits of giggles. “Oh shit. My sides hurt! Let's go win this shit. Do you want another drink?” I laughed, elbowing him in his side.

“I’ll get it.” He responded. I slid into the booth and looked over towards the bar just in time to see him down a shot. The bartender slid two glasses towards him. Chris nodded his thanks then picked up the glasses, joining us at the booth. I stood up, letting him slide back into the booth.

“I don’t get a shot?” I teased as he passed me.

“I needed something to ease my nerves.” He looked at me apologetically.

I clicked my tongue at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. I kinda liked it.” I winked at him as he handed me my glass. We slid back into the booth and back into the effortless comfort that had enveloped the table before.

Chris and I dominated the second half of the game and were tied with another team for first place. There was a tie-breaker question, and the category was music. “Remember what I told you this morning?” I asked. He grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

“I’m so ready for this massage I can already feel it. Do you want the mani/pedi or the facial?”

“Uh, mani/pedi. What kind of question is that?” I answered, making him chuckle.

“You got this. It’s all you.” He rubbed my shoulders like I was a boxer getting ready to step in the ring, and he was my super supportive coach.

“Alright, for the tie-breaker I’m going to play 3 seconds of a song. You must give me the name of the song. The name of the band, and the name of the album it was on.” The other team groaned loudly. I rubbed my hands together in excitement. The clip started and I immediately knew what it was. My head snapped towards Chris. We wore matching expressions of excitement. He too knew the song.

“Do you know the album name?” He asked.

“Do I know the album name?” I scoffed. “OF COURSE!”

“Well WRITE!!” He was excitedly smacking the paper.

I scribbled furiously Don’t stop me now, Queen, Jazz. I folded the paper and ran to the stage handing it to the host.

“Alright, we have America’s Sass’s answer. Fifteen seconds left for the Lil’ Sebastians to answer.” They were writing fast, and I started to worry. They finally brought their paper to the host. I couldn’t tell if they were confident or not, but I at least knew we had the right answer.

“Alright. The correct answer is queen, both teams got that right. The song title is Don’t Stop Me Now, both teams got that right.” Chris’s hand was on my knee squeezing hard. Like the fate of the world depended on the last answer. “America’s Sass wrote Jazz for the album, Lil’ Sebastians wrote A Day at the Races.” Long dramatic pause.

“We got it!” Chris hummed in my ear.

“The correct answer is... Jazz! America’s Sass wins!” The host pointed towards our booth. Chris shot both arms in the air and then grabbed my head, planting a big kiss on my cheek.

“I knew you had it!” He said before planting a second kiss on my other cheek. Our table was cheering so loudly that I couldn’t hear the host. The Lil Sebastians came to congratulate us, and Chris offered them a round of drinks for being such good competition. He then turned to Theresa and said, “Spa day on me momma.” She waved him off and giggled. We settled our bar tabs and slowly made our way outside.

“Where’d you park?” Chris asked me.

“Oh, I walked. It’s only a little ways away.” He eyed me closely.

“I was going to get an Uber. I shouldn’t drive. You want to share?”

“Oh, no it’s ok really. It’s nice out.”

“Then I’ll walk with you. If that’s ok.”

“Yeah. Sure! But then you have to come back to get your car.” I paused thinking. “ I can drive you back.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll Uber back and come get my car tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Alright, it’s this way.” I said pointing over my shoulder. We said goodbye to everyone and lots of “get home safes” were exchanged, and then we were alone.

“Shall we?” He asked.

“Mm hmm.”

“Lead the way.” He held his arm out and slightly bowed as I turned and lead us down the sidewalk in a slow and leisurely manner. I had no doubt I would be seeing him again, but I didn’t want this night to end. It felt like home. We chit chatted the whole way to the house about our childhoods, and our mutual love for Disney. We had a lot in common. Like... a lot. He loved my favorite bands, which I hadn’t even expected him to have heard of. We discussed our favorite movies and tv shows...the dogs, and before I knew it we were standing in my front yard.

“I’ll just call the Uber real quick.” He said pulling out his phone.

I pushed his hand down and he looked up at me. “Do you want to come inside for a little bit?” I hesitated, “We can just hang out. Unless you need to get home. Oh,” I said realizing He probably needed to get back to his boy. “Never mind, I’m sure you need to get home to Dodger.”

“Dodger’s at my sisters.” He put his phone in his pocket. “She watches him on trivia nights because I usually stay out late.”

“Oh! Well that’s nice.”

“Yeah” he put his hands in his pockets and bounced on the balls of his feet. “I’d like to come in for a while...if you want me to.” He said after a moment of silence.

“Yes! I asked you to. Of course I do. I didn’t change my mind that fast.” He laughed at my response. I unlocked the door and let us in. Harry came bounding up to us, well, him. He kind of ignored me. Chris bent down to pet him.

“Hi buddy! Long time no see!” Harry was giving him kisses on his hands, his face, anywhere where skin was visible.

“Do you want something to drink? I have water, tea, strawberry lemonade...uh...Cheerwine.”

“Cheerwine?! Yes please.” He answered excitedly.

“A man after my own heart.” I said under my breath.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“Nothing!” I said from behind the open refrigerator door. “I’m sorry the house is a mess, I haven’t finished unpacking yet. Have a seat.” I said pointing to the sofa.

He kicked his shoes off and headed to sit down. I sat beside him with a little space between us, which Harry immediately took. I handed him his drink and sat mine on the nearest box. “Do you want to watch something? Are you hungry? I can make us a snack.”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you though. What do you want to watch?”

“Uhh I don’t know. What kind of stuff do you like? Ooh I have a bunch of rick and Morty's I haven’t watched yet. I’m behind on a lot of stuff. Have you ever watched rick and Morty? It’s fucking hilarious.” He was staring at me with his brow furrowed like I said something wrong. “What? Do you not like it? We can watch something else.”

“I fucking love rick and Morty. Put that shit on.” He went silent for a minute while I found the show.

“You alright?” I asked.

“Yeah. Yeah...I, it’s just...you’re amazing.” He said watching me for a reaction.

“Aaaaand you’re drunk.” I said shaking my head.

“No! I’m not! Maybe buzzed, but I’m definitely not drunk anymore. I’m serious, you’re really cool. I’m glad Harry found me.”

“Me too....you’re not so bad yourself .” Was my lame ass reply. “ I had a really really good time tonight.”

“Me too.”

“When are we doing our spa day?” I asked, suddenly remembering our prize.

His eyes grew wide. “Whenever you want! I’ve got a few weeks off so I’m open whenever!”

“Nice! Well, I don’t start work for another week and a half. I can call them tomorrow and see what they have open?”

“Sounds good. Just tell me when and I’ll be there.”

“Ok!” Another awkward silence passed as we just stared at each other. I couldn’t tell if I was making it up or not, but it definitely felt like something was going on underneath the surface. A sort of tension that was painful yet exciting. “I should probably let Harry out real quick.”

“Oh yeah, of course.” I stood up and Harry followed. I opened the back door and let him out, when I turned around Chris was standing less than a foot away staring at me intensely a million emotions running over his face. And then he spoke, “I’m going to kiss you now.” It sounded like he was asking permission. So I nodded quickly.

“Yeah. Do that. That’s a good...” his mouth crashed on mine before I could finish speaking. One hand went to my waist pulling me in tightly, while the other hand ran up my back and onto the back of my neck as he continued his assault on my mouth. Now both hands were in my hair, holding my head steadily in place. My hands ran up over his chest and on top of his shoulders. What I really wanted to do was climb him like a tree, but I needed to show some restraint. He pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine. He rested there for a moment before placing gentle kisses on my cheeks, then my lips, and then working his way down my neck. My head rolled back, clearing the way for his kisses. He nipped at my earlobe, which elicited an involuntary moan from me. He growled in my ear, which immediately set my skin on fire and covered it in goosebumps at the same time. He squeezed me into him again and kissed me slowly, passionately on the lips one more time before releasing me. My head fell to his chest and he placed one last sweet kiss on my forehead.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

I pulled my head away. “What?” I said confused.

“No! No that’s not what I meant. I wanted to do that. Very much. But I don’t want to rush you into anything. I’m not trying to... I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to fuck you. That’s not...ugh. I’m making a mess of this.” I put a finger over his mouth before drawing it to mine and kissing him softly.

“You’re not. That was great. I’m... i know you’re not...i mean it was kind of fast but you know what? I don’t really care. It was perfect.” He took my face in his hands again and searched my face, for what I’m not sure. He kissed me again before looking over my shoulder.

“I think someone is jealous.” I turned to see Harry standing at the door giving me the nastiest look, like I had just left him outside for days.

“Yes. But I think he’s jealous of me.” Sure enough, when I let him inside he ran straight to Chris, tail wagging, as he glared at me. “Should we go watch some Rick and Morty?”

“Yes. Absolutely.” We sat close enough that Harry couldn’t get between us this time. Chris wrapped an arm over my shoulder as I rested my head on his chest. I woke up still in the clothes I had worn the night before, laying with Chris’s arm wrapped around me and my arm draped across his chest, both of us stretched out on the couch. I looked down towards our feet to see Harry curled up in a ball. Chris yawned and stretched, then rubbed my back. “Good morning.” He said in a deeper than normal voice.

“Mmm. Good morning” I replied. “We should have watched tv in the bedroom.” I chuckled.

“That could have been dangerous.” He replied. “I might not have been able to control myself as well as I had.”

“Mmm.” I groaned. “Another time then.” A laugh rumbled through his chest, which with my head resting against it sounded even more amazing. “You hungry?”

[whitecrownsblackthrones-archived]

Chosens|The Line of Infinity

As part of a deeper dive into the lore & creation of the Immortal Realm world, I will be diving into the many Chosens that were selected by Ying & Yang throughout the years, as the Chosens have shape the world more then anything. Note that, I will not be doing ALL of the chosens which existed, as some of them aren’t notable or worth talking about. I will be talking about them in no particular order, so bear with me, as I may be jumping from era to era. These characters will also be available for rps, but only via request.

In this installment, we will peak into the lives of the mystifying Lord Masters of the Mystic Arts, with their secretive lives & traditions, however, we will only go into deep drives on three people of this honored line, the two Lord Masters who acted as Chosens, Diamond & Nickel Infinity, & the current Lord Master, Quartz Infinity.

Note: Later in a different post, there will be a deep drive into the Original Lord Master who began this long line of masterminds & magical experts.

Face-Claim(s): Lyse Hext, Final Fantasy XIV(Stormblood version) | Taki, Soul Calibur | Zhuge Liang, Dynasty Warriors 9

Originating from one man, by the name of Isorin Infinity, the Line of Infinity is a name passed on, from one generation to the next to those who are demeaned worthy & powerful enough to carry the title of Lord Master of the Mystic arts. There is a zero bias standard for this title, meaning when a female comes to possise this title, it does not change to ‘Lady Master of the Mystic’ but remains the same as ‘Lord Master’, & is not passed down through any blood connection to the current standing Master, only to those who are powerful enough, meaning there is no limit to who can stand to become a possible Lord Master. Race, gender, origins, beliefs, even criminal records are completely irrelevant to the standards of becoming a Lord Master, only power, wit, discipline & having the presence of an open mind matter in this field. Because of this, there have been many, many cultural changes in the home shine, named ‘Mystic Shine’ of the Lord Masters, believed to be found in the northern mountains of the kingdom, Lyttona.

Traditions

With the coming of each new Lord Master, traditions states that they much surrender their birth name & take on a new one, of which their new last name will always be ‘Infinity’, likely to represent the forever on going line, & their new first name must be a known mineral of the earth, to represent the home world they were born upon.

Living at the Mystic Shine means living similar to that of a hermit or even a monk, to live off the land around them. Chores, studying, & much time meditating. There is also much time spent exploring the multiverse, as the goal of the Lord Masters is to explore & understand the multiverse around them. To discover all it’s secrets, both good & bad, to gain the knowledge that other beings are otherwise unable to handle. Lord Master are also known to live incredibly long lives, even by age immortal standards.

A Lord Master is also forbidden from dating or getting married, if they are single when they first approached for training, & must renounce all worldly possessions, for must their focus must be to that of their study of the multiverse & that alone. It is believed to, that the hermit lifestyle, combined with not seeking out partnership & having no valued possessions will grant the Lord Masters the quickest access to Heaven upon their death.

The Mystic Arts

The Mystic Arts itself is often compared to wizardry & witchcraft, in truth the mystic arts compacts both of these magics, plus a few others, including(but not limited to) elemental manipulation, eldritch magic manipulation, some reality warping, inter-dimensional travel & dimension manipulation. Each Lord Master has their own preferred & favored form of the magic, but all of them are required to be able to preform a majority of mystic powers, if not all. More powers are always being added to the list of mystic spells, as Lord Masters are always creating new sort of magics & abilities. 

To perform these arts, the user should have a certain degree of physical strength to be able to continuously cast these powerful spells, without such begins to take a tole upon the user’s body. As such, it is a requirement for Lord Masters to have their body in a certain physical condition at all times, usually done through undertaking some sort of fighting training & practice, though it appears the style of fighting does not matter.

Nickel Infinity

Of the three Lord Masters, Nickel was the first chosen to become a Lord Master. Born under Lady Ying’s gaze, it is known she originally hailed from Vlaqinn, but there are no records of what her birth name was, or what her childhood was like. First records of her appear in 1000 B.E, when she was sighted as a shinobi-in-training, undergoing Karate, Taekwondo, & Ninjutsu combat training, while also studying magical arts closely with remarkable skills in both. She appeared to know at the beginning of her life what she wanted too do, noting many times in her personal journals that ‘she knew ever since she was a baby, that she wanted to be the next Lord Master. Like the gods themselves were guiding her to this fate.’ Such eventually lead to her taking her master’s place as the Lord Master of the Mystic Arts.

She is noted mostly for her strange ability to light her body up with symbols when casting spells, as well as her favor towards espionage based magics. Invisibility, shadow movement, mist creations & other of these sorts she used to suit her shinobi based fighting style. Supposedly, she was also the creator of the Oblivion Blade, which was originally a Kodachi, before the blade was found by Queen Figg(a chosen who lived after Nickel’s time) & was transformed into a longsword. It is unknown what the purple energy in the sword is, but it was sighted by Nickel in her person journals to ‘slay all that is unwanted, & that which should not be’. By this, it is believed that Nickel may have used this weapon to kill many times before, but what is unknown & unclear.

Nickel was know as a woman of a serious nature, her duty must come first, it must always come first. She did not like to make small talk, & was noted as something of a mute. Her position was no game to her, & rightly so. She also had something of an ego, her position as Lord Master was serious, & as such, everything she says & does must be taken serious as well, as she liked to think, but this is often lead to the gaining of much pride.

Nickel was believed to have died around 2019 B.E, a shorter life then what most Lord Masters live. The Lord Master, Mica Infinity, was known to have come after Nickel’s death.

Diamond Infinity

Born under Yang’s sigil, Diamond appears first in 2050 B.E, a few years before the coming of the Death Plague that would ravage the world. Because of this even less is know about her then normal Lord Masters. Though she is sighted as a survivor of the Death Plague, who went on to live until 5971 B.E. Few who knew her called her a joyous spirit, who enjoyed the outdoors, & loved to do painting & needle pointing in her free time, if she was not mediating. She was always calm, but she always had something of a light in her voice, that showed her enjoyment of life.

It is unknown where she originally was born, the best theories suggest she hailed from Jailiam or Vlaqinn, as she was noted to be able to write in the languages from those countries(Latin, Koran & Japanese).

Her favorite use of magics appeared to be those like levitation, teleportation, transformation & the use of power seals & signs for varying effects & uses. Diamond was also believed to have an incredibly powerful form of foresight, more powerful then the foresight normally used by other Lord Masters. She also appears to have greatly studied a form of martial art, but which one & how many has been left unclear.

She was also noted to be a great beauty of the ancient world, often called ‘One of the Seven Greatest Beauties in the world’. The saying ‘Shine bright like a Diamond’ was originally ‘To shine bright like Diamond’ & was to compare a person(usually a woman) to Diamond Infinity, meaning they were beautiful, wise & powerful as Diamond was.

After her death, the next Lord Master know to take her place was the man called Natrolite Infinity.

Quartz Infinity

As of 9818 B.E to now(2020 A.E.), Quartz Infinity was served as the Lord Master of the Mystic Arts. He is not a chosen by any means, but has much knowledge about chosens, including the ones of the current day Princesses Ann Yang Li & Suzanne Ying Li. 

Quartz is described as a humble man, who enjoys late nights under the moon, & spending his time away doing calligraphy & stargazing with his favorite cup of tea in hand. His preferred form of physical training is Jiu-Jitsu, specifically Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to use only as a defense measure, while his preferred forms of spells appear to be all wind-based spells. Showing he is easily a man who wants to avoid all conflict, & will not strike until all opinions have been exhausted.

It was by his advice that the old war that once ravaged the world came to an end, after assisting the King of the Intelligence Kingdom, John Li, in organizing a Declaration of Peace & having the Kingdoms of the world come together to sign it. This massive feat has earned Quartz much respect & adoration from across the Immortal Realm.

Today, he still lives at the Mystic Shine, though it may be that he is looking now for someone to take his place as Lord Master, to be blessed with a worthy protege.

[fanonorcanon]

Cullen & F!Mage Trevelyan (Peaceful Thedas AU)

“Oh for fuckssakes,” She groaned, getting up slowly. The eluvian had thrown her out at the top of a hill. A hill strewn with bushes, rocks and weeds.

“Are you alright, that was quite a fall,” someone said.

“Oh yes, completely fine,” she spat, dusting off her clothes and the pack that had fallen from her back. “Nothing like rolling down a fucking hill that’s at least ten feet tall with--” she began before she looked up. Oh, Maker. He’s hot. “Sorry,” She finished lamely.

He chuckled and she felt her face grow hot.

“Can we start over? Hello, I’m Tilda, and you are?”

“Cullen, a pleasure to meet you,”

“Why yes, it certainly is,” she smirked, tilting her head. He seemed stunned rather than pleased so she pressed on. “So where am I, Cullen?”

“You don’t know where you are?” He asked.

“Not really, eluvians don’t usually come with instructions.”

“You came through an eluvian? I’ve only heard of those in legends!” He grinned.

“Uh yeah, anyway, where is this?”

“Ferelden.”

“Yes, I figured as much, but where?”

“Oh! Apologies. We’re in Honnleath,” Cullen replied matter-of-factly.

“No, really. Where are we?” She laughed.

“I’m not sure I understand why you think I would lie about that, but we are indeed in Honnleath. Redcliffe is several miles that way.”

“Huh,” She heaved a sigh and began pacing.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

“So let me get this straight. Here, in this Thedas, Honnleath never got invaded by darkspawn?”

“Dark what?”

Her jaw dropped. She'd heard of eluvians taking people to faraway places, but never to a different world. A different timeline maybe? Very strange indeed. “You’re kidding. You’ve got to be. You don’t even have darkspawn? Well shit. I really lucked out. No demons either then?”

“A myth told by the Chantry,” Cullen replied hesitantly.

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Are those common where you’re from?”

“Very. You guys been to war much?”

“What?” Cullen was adorable and completely sheltered by a land that had never known war.

“I’m staying here,” She murmured, mostly to herself. She made the decision without hesitation because fuck that conflict-ridden world. The maker had given her a chance to start over in a land with no big bad hanging over one’s head. “You guys probably don’t even have slavery here, do you?”

“No, not in Ferelden. There are some who aren’t opposed to the idea, but I am. Is that a problem for you, Tilda?” He asked sharply.

“Not at all, you misunderstand, I deplore slavers.”

Cullen smiled brightly, clearly relieved.

“Definitely staying here,” She said, louder this time.

“You’ll probably want to stay with one of my sisters for the time being,” Cullen said firmly. “I’m sure I can send a messenger on to let them know. I don’t think they’d mind.”

“Nah, I’m fine right here. Hopefully you can give me some insight on where and what this place is. Because right now it's a damn paradise compared to the Thedas I knew.”

“If you insist. Just for tonight until I can arrange something more fitting for you,” Cullen agreed reluctantly, leading me towards his house.

“Hey, Cullen I am not fussy at all. I was actually trying to get away from some demons. Nasty things, trust me.”

“If you weren’t opposed to it, I’d love to hear some tales of the way things are there.”

“To someone who’s only known peace, I’m sure they’ll sound very grand but that’s not really what they are,” She replied.

Cullen gestured for her to sit while he fetched cups and a pitcher of water.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

He sat everything down, including slices of hearty bread with butter and jam before sitting down.

“Should have made tea,” he murmured to himself.

She put a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to be so nervous, Cullen.”

“I’m not, at least I don’t think I am. I don’t get much company that I welcome other than my family so I suppose I am feeling a bit out of sorts.”

“So you get a lot of unwelcome company then?” She arched a brow at the blush that stole over his face. “Let me guess, a handsome man like you probably gets lots of proposals?”

“No!” He sputtered.

“So more than a lot?” She pressed.

“Maker’s breath. I don’t think they’re proposals. But they do ask me to meet them at some place in Redcliffe it's either a fountain or statue or something, I'm afraid I don't concern myself with the specifics. I always tell them that I’d rather not make the trip and leave things unattended for so long. There are many older people living in the area, I worry about them you see.”

“Wow,” she giggled. “So you’re turning down loads of people so that you can help the elderly. You’re a real charmer, huh Cullen?” She tried to bite back further laughter as he blushed even harder.

“It just seems like the right thing to do!” Cullen huffed.

“I’m sorry. That’s just so precious.”

They talked well into the evening about his family, her own family and things they like to do when they have the time. Conversation lulled only when their stomachs growled loudly. Cullen chuckled and got up to make dinner.

“Would you like some help?”

“No, you're a guest, please rest. I'm sure you need it after today. Demons, huh?”

“Yeah, demons. Horrible things.”

“What were you doing before you encountered them?”

“There was a war with mages and templars that hadn’t been going well for either side so there was an agreement to meet peacefully to talk. I was marching to the temple of sacred ashes with friends from my former Circle in hopes of making an accord or at least some sort of pact, but I think there was an explosion, some woman urging me on… I can't seem to remember that part. It's not important though; seems more like a nightmare than anything.” She tried to push away the thought of what it would mean to the Thedas she knew that the only way anyone thought there'd be peace had perhaps disappeared in a giant flash of green flame. Mages would certainly be painted the villain. She sighed heavily.

“It sounds important.” Cullen looked worried, his brows furrowed thoughtfully.

“I doubt a simple alchemist like myself would make any difference in the oncoming storm there,” She chuckled humorlessly.

“Maybe it's the romantic in me but I've read many stories where one person makes all the difference. I truly believe that's possible. And you've fought demons before so it seems that you'd do a lot better than someone like me.”

“That's kind that you think so much of me, but more to the point; are you trying to get rid of me already, Cullen?” She feigned deep offense, laying a hand against her chest.

“Of course not! I just don't think I should put my own desire for agreeable company above the fate of the world. Even if it isn't my world.”

“So you find me agreeable? Only agreeable?” She teased.

“Stop that,” he huffed.

“I’m sorry, but you make it very easy to tease you,” she grinned sweetly at him.

He set down a pot of tea then two plates laden with cheese, cured meats, apples and more of the hearty bread from earlier.

“Let's just eat.” He sat across from her, a blush reaching his ears.

Seeing him get flustered over the smallest things was just too much.

“Are there mages and templars here?” She asked around a mouthful of bread.

“Slow down. The food’s not going anywhere, my lady.” Cullen chuckled at her frown.

“They're not very common. I've only met two mages in my life and not a single templar,” he said.

“Do templars rule over mages?”

His brow creased. “No. Why would templars need to rule over mages?”

She began to tell him about demons, harrowings, tranquil and the rite of annulment some mages had been threatened with.

“Templars, where I come from anyway, operate under this guise that they need to protect mages from themselves. In my own experience many templars fancy themselves as jailors to mages, think themselves beyond reproach. Some do really bad things. Tormenting someone who cannot fight back, either because they fear retribution or in the case of tranquil where they’re incapable of standing up for themselves because the spell doesn’t let them is abhorrent. Those templars are rarely reprimanded.”

“But couldn't mages just supervise each other? It hardly seems fair. And no one deserves to be made tranquil,” Cullen huffed.

They sat in companionable silence for some time before she spoke again.

“Can I tell you a secret?” She whispered.

“I'd be honored to keep your secret, my lady.”

“I actually considered becoming tranquil.”

“Why? Why would you give up your free will?” Cullen asked, completely aghast.

“I didn't want to leave myself open to corruption. It was something that had been drilled into me so heavily to the point of paranoia. But one of my instructors convinced me to go forward with my training. That it was okay to be unsure, but to hone your mind like a blade and always be on watch. To be cautious but bold.”

“They sound like a really great person.” Cullen smiled at her.

“Yeah, thanks Cullen.” She sighed happily. “I haven't told anyone that since my instructor all those years ago.”

“If you’re truly intent on staying, we could use an alchemist in the area. As I said there are many elderly people living nearby and the nearest alchemist is in Redcliffe. Having one closer could make all the difference,” Cullen said quietly.

“Is there some place I could stay for longer than a single night? I don’t want to besmirch your honor, ser Cullen,” she said playfully.

“I’d have to ask around.”

“Don’t worry too much. I could find a cave somewhere out there and become a real ‘witch of the wilds’,” she giggled.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, there are bears and wolves aplenty out there.”

“Cullen, I’ve fought demons and darkspawn. I’m sure I can fend off some wildlife.”

“I’d rather you not have to though,” Cullen said softly, his brow creasing once more. He seemed deep in thought before he slapped a hand on his knee. “There’s an old fishing shack near the lake, I could fix it up a bit for you. It’s not far from here.”

“As long as it’s not too much trouble.”

“It should only take a few days. You can stay here in the meantime. I’ll sleep there.” He stood abruptly and began to walk towards the door.

“Surely it can wait until tomorrow. I could help,” she reasoned.

“No time like the present,” he grinned. “I’ll return in a few days, though I might stop in for food every now and then if I can’t find any game.”

“But what about supplies? Nails and things.”

“I can get those tomorrow. I’m mostly going to check the damage and gather lumber.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re really something.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“Please don’t push yourself too hard. I’d rather you not hurt yourself just for…” She couldn’t help trailing off.

“No, I’d really appreciate having an alchemist in the area. This is simply a service to the community!” He chuckled.

“I’d still like to help, Cullen. It’ll be dark soon and it’d be a lot easier to see in the dark with help.” She held out a hand and summoned veilfire to her palm. “Are you sure I can’t convince you?”

“That’s amazing. I-I suppose that would be very helpful.”

She checked her bag for the basics, bedroll, soap and a change of clothes. He packed his own bag with the same, including food and basic cooking supplies.

“And to think you were just going to walk out the door without all this,” she chuckled.

“I was a bit eager, I suppose.”

She nodded and followed him outside and towards the shack, he picked up an axe by the door on their way out. When they arrived she saw no damage, and thought it needed no repairs.

“No, no, it needs some kind of insulation, tar or something between the boards. You can see inside from here. And besides, it’d be much too cold, my lady.”

“There’s a fireplace and a bed. I don’t need much more than that, Cullen.”

“No, this is unacceptable.” He shook his head and frowned.

“You’re very stubborn,” she commented.

“Maybe so, but I will make certain this place is comfortable several days from now.”

They set down their packs and searched for suitable lumber.

“You’re not cutting down a tree right now, are you?” She asked alarmed.

“No, I was just going to mark them with chalk then come back tomorrow with tools and possibly some additional hands for heavy lifting. My sisters are both betrothed to strong men, and will likely need little convincing to help bring an alchemist to the area.” He ran a hand through his hair. It was curling around the edges from the heat.

She built a fire when dusk approached.

“You can head home now. I’ll be fine here for tonight.”

“What, don’t be ridiculous. I’m sleeping here. I’ll walk you back. You deserve comfort after the day you’ve had.”

She shrugged. “I’m quite accustomed to roughing it, Cullen.”

“I’m afraid I must insist, my lady.”

“You’re not going to budge on this, are you?” She frowned at him.

She tried to settle in his bed after watching him go but instead ended up browsing his bookshelves. Hidden behind several books on sword and armor care was a book called ‘Hard in Hightown’ the cover was much different than the copy she'd seen in her own world. She grinned. Who would have thought Cullen would have smut like this? She settled onto the couch and began to read. Before she’d realized she’d gotten to the last chapter.

“My lady? I knocked on the door, but you didn’t answer, are you alright?” Cullen asked as the front door cracked a bit.

“Yes, I’m fine. Come on in.”

“What are you reading?” His smile seemed to rival the sunlight streaming through the door behind him before he shut it.

“Oh, just a little something called ‘Hard in Hightown’.”

He visibly paled.

“It’s quite good, actually. I wasn’t expecting much from a title like that, but it distracted me enough that I didn’t sleep. I must have lost track of time.”

“Maker’s breath,” he sighed. “I apologize, I’ll take that back now. It should be nothing more than kindling.”

“But I’m almost finished! Have a seat.”  

Cullen looked nervous, but sat beside her on the couch.

She feigned intense focus and watched him squirm from the corner of her eye.

“Maybe I should make some tea,” he muttered, going to stand. She set her hand across his restless legs to still them.

After she’d finished the story, including the autographed page at the back, she closed the book and set it down.

“So why does he call you Curly? Is it because of your hair?”

Cullen nodded.

“He’s a writer in my world as well. Mostly of crime novels. Is this what he’s best known for? Erotic romance?” She smirked as Cullen went pink and nodded again. “Okay, I’ve tortured you enough. Let’s eat then get to work. I plan to earn my keep in any way I can. Well, save for how some of the folks in the book earned it,” she giggled. Cullen hid his face in his hands and groaned.

“I’m truly sorry that you saw that, my lady.”

“I’m not. It was a good way to spend an evening.”

“You sure you’re not too tired?”

“Cullen,” she began, exasperated. “I'll be fine.”

“As you will, my lady.”                                     

☙ ☙ ☙

After having a quick breakfast of eggs and smoked meat they headed to the lake.

“I wasn't sure if you wanted me to tell anyone of how you got here,” Cullen said quietly.

“Hm, I suppose it would pose a lot of questions,” she replied.

“I only told them that you're an alchemist and you thought this would be a nice place to settle in. I hope I didn't speak out of turn.”

“Not at all. Thank you, Cullen.”

Once they'd gotten close to the clearing by the lake a blond man was waving enthusiastically and wore a bright smile.

“This is Alistair and this is Thom,” Cullen said.

“Good morning, my lady,” Thom said, looking up from papers he had spread over a stump.

“So Cullen tells us you're the alchemist who fell from the sky,” Alistair chuckled. “He didn't tell us what a beauty you are, though.”

“Yes. He did.” Thom said flatly.

“Should I tell Mia that her betrothed is flirting with other women?” Cullen was flushed all the way to his ears but wore an intense frown.

“I don't mean any of it! She knows I'm only joking, see she's smiling. You're no fun at all, Cullen. He's a real mood killer isn't he Thom?” Alistair said.

Thom hummed thoughtfully.

“How long have you been an alchemist, Tilda?” Alistair asked.

“I started helping my mum when I was small, but I polished my skills in a mage academy.”

“Are you from Tevinter then? I hear that place is crawling with mages these days.”

“I'm not, but the mage academy was in Tevinter, yes.” She was lying through her teeth. She'd never even been to Tevinter! “But I haven't been there for some time. I've mostly been wandering Ferelden.”

“Where are you from, then?”

“Ostwick,” She answered truthfully.

“Shall we get to work then?” Cullen asked. “Thom can you show her your plans?”

Thom nodded.

They'd planned to give the shack siding and shutters for the few windows. True to Cullen’s word, they’d all finished before the week was out. Thom had come back a few days later with a cabinet well suited for alchemy. There were over a dozen small drawers, shelves for empty vials and cabinets beneath it for larger tools like a brew pot and kettle. It was a lovely gesture and she thanked him profusely for his kindness.

Shortly after settling in and stocking up on herbs for common potions and cures she was often visited by Cullen.

“Are you sure you don't need any help, my lady?”

“You could call me Tilda for a change,” she teased him.

“I'm being polite,” Cullen argued.

“As you will then. Do you need something? A love potion perhaps? Now that you don't have to dote on the elderly you should be free to accept invitations from admirers.” She couldn't help smirking at him.

“Maker's breath,” he whispered. “Call me a prude if you will but I don't know if I'm ready for all that. I'm building an archway for my sisters weddings.”

“It's okay to not be interested in romance, Cullen.”

He sank down into a chair at the small table she'd squeezed in for dining on.

“It's not that I'm not interested,” he began hesitantly.

“But?”

“It's just as I've said. I don't think I'm ready. I have so many ideas of what romance should be and I don't want to make a mistake.”

“You can't expect to be perfect at the start. And if you find the right person they'll understand and help you through any inexperience you might have. Communication is the most important thing in a relationship.”

“That seems very wise. Did you leave anyone behind in… that other world?” There was a look in his eye that she'd never seen.

“Most certainly. Left a trail of broken hearts all the way here.”

“You're seeing someone now? I had no idea.”

“I'm joking, Cullen. There's not much room for romance in a circle. Was just a few unpleasant experiences that aren't worth mentioning.”

“Oh.”

“I hear Annabel is pretty sweet on you. Alistair said that she's brought you so many pies that you've begun sharing. I have yet to get one of them.” She feigned offense.

“It seemed wrong. I don't know why. If you like I can bring one.”

She let a silence fall between them.

“I'm sorry, my lady. I wasn't trying to hide it or anything.”

She stood and turned away from him to hide her grin.

“They're not even very good.”

She burst into laughter.

“You're worse than Alistair,” he huffed indignantly.

“Pah, I'm far more charming.”

“I suppose,” Cullen mumbled, a blush coloring his cheeks.

“Mister Rutherford, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were flirting just now!” A woman with curly blond hair stood in the open doorway.

“Mia!” Cullen yelped.

[angstymarshmallow]

pillow talk - (griffin x mc)

[A little note: I wanted to write something desperately after that Griffin scene this week. I took small pieces of dialogue from their scene and this really isn’t much apart from just an indulgence.] [Words Counted: 1809] [Tags: @brightpinkpeppercorn, @choicesthot]

Time seemed to always pass differently when Rhia wasn’t awake. She could no longer count the seconds, the minutes, the hours as she had done countless of times for other things in her life and her usually very rigid – very precise sleep schedule was short-lived compared to the remainder of hours which she accustomed and dedicated to learning new spells and adventures with her friends.

But tonight, had been an entirely different story. For the first time since childhood, Rhia knew roughly how many hours she spent locked in Griffin’s embrace because the hours weren’t enough. She longed for sleep again so she could spend a few more precious hours pressed against him, listening to his heart.

Her body’s auto-pilotness allowed her mind to drift and wander until her thoughts stumbled back to last night.

She remembered most of it – the images came within a flurry before she was able to make sense of the entire picture. She remembered how natural it felt to take his hand and entwine their fingers together on their walk back to her dorm. She remembered the flutter of nerves colliding inside her stomach while her heart spiked; it was beating too fast for her to keep up with their conversation. She remembered their almost tangible enthusiasm to get rid of each other’s clothes once they were finally alone. And his eagerness that pressed hotly by her hip before his mouth found the valley of breasts before finding other sensitive areas from her newly exposed skin.

She recalled, quite plainly the shiver of delight that accompanied the undeniable truth. It seemed to echo somewhere deep in her heart. She wanted him – wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone else. There was no going back to being just friends.

As her eyes drifted down the length of his body, those images continued to stir something inside her. The arms around her had shown her how to move, how to guide her hips back and forth into him.  She remembered urging him to take the lead and clenching her fingers against his naked back as every touch sent her into a tailspin. She remembered gasping his name and drawing blood when she bit her lips to stop herself from screaming until the tremors stopped.

God, he was perfect.

And Rhia was on cloud nine.

Despite how cliché she believed it to be, there was no other explanation as to the current ridiculously huge grin on her face as she kept her gaze solely on him. Involuntarily, she licked her lips while her eyes continued to drift lower.

She paused to observe the slight rise and fall of his chest until her temptation to touch him grew stronger than being satisfied with simply watching. Without giving herself a chance to second-guess, she splayed her fingers across its broadness, delighted as his muscles flexed beneath them.

A shiver went down her spine.

Rhia kept her hand there for a moment; more keenly aware of his heart than anything else in the room as she listened for its steady beat. After awhile and with a little bit of reluctance, she lifted them higher. When her fingers finally rested against to his cheek, she was startled to find Griffin’s eyes already open and staring intently at her.

“Uh,” She fumbled and her cheeks grew hot as she tried studiously to avoid his gaze. Don’t panic. She told herself sternly, although the sudden flutter in her stomach seemed to have other ideas. Just…look anywhere but at him. “So…” She tried to sound casual. “How long have you been awake, exactly?”

“Long enough to realize you’ve been secretly admiring me.” Griffin replied with a small smile. “It’s not so secret anymore though.” The corner of his mouth lifted further as her cheeks darkened with the telltale signs of a blush. “Did you know you’re completely adorable when you blush?”

She huffed.

“I take it, that’s a no?” He waited patiently for her to meet his eyes again before adding, “well then, let me be the first.” Then he dropped them slowly to her bare shoulders and then lower until Rhia’s stomach flipped.

Her breath caught. She tried to push past the sudden tightness and cleared her throat.

“You should be told. Regularly.” He met her bewildered stare with a wry grin. “You’re beautiful Rhia.”

Feeling flustered, Rhia ducked from under the weight of his stare and buried her face by his neck. “You keep saying things like that.” She uttered softly into his skin, “and I think I’m going to literally turn into a puddle. No magick necessary.”

A rumble started in his chest before eventually evolving into a full-blown laugh. “Oh no, I wouldn’t want to do that. I think I’d miss you too much if you were to suddenly turn into a puddle.”

Rhia rolled her eyes.

“I really would.” He continued insistently. “In fact, I think I’d miss your smile the most - it’s always like…staring into the sun.” She felt his cool hand drawing deep circles across her back and she shivered. “I’d definitely miss this too,” she heard his pause and he sucked in a breath before he continued to massage her skin, “as long as we’re agreeing to do this again.” He added. “I wouldn’t want to just assume – ”

And what does this mean to you, Griffin? She wanted to say the words but they remained buried – lodged within her throat as she swallowed heavily. To be honest, she was a little afraid of the answer, she was afraid she wanted it too much to mean more. “I would,” smoothening her features, Rhia pulled back enough to manage a small smile. “and I’d miss this too. I think I’d miss everything about you.”

She saw his eyes widen a little in shock before his lips quirked with the same reassurance, she knew him capable of. His grin was wide enough for her heart to ache at the sight.

“You say that now, but you didn’t know me last year.” Griffin tried to say jokingly but his voice had ended on nearly flat note.

Rhia didn’t miss it.

He trailed off and his smile faltered when he glanced away. “I didn’t have a lot of friends last year. So, it was all kind of a bummer - especially the dance. I didn’t even have a date.”

“Really? Wow.” Rhia was surprised. Griffin had always struck her as someone well put-together and likeable. The thought of him being alone - hurt. She couldn’t imagine the kind of person she would have been anymore if she hadn’t him – her friends with her from almost the very start.

There was just a quiet confidence to Griffin she assumed he always. And there were other things – his smile, the way his presence felt oddly comforting despite when they had hardly known each other. She was drawn to him, but the more of him she saw – the more she realized she had only seen glimpses into Griffin’s life and not the whole. She wanted to know more. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you?” His smile was back, although this time it wasn’t altogether quite himself. It hadn’t even reached his eyes. “You were attuneless a year ago.”

“That’s a very fair point,” She agreed. She cupped one of his cheeks though, forcing his gaze to linger on her. “This year will be different.” She promised. “You aren’t alone anymore.” You’ve got me.

“Yeah, if I get to spend time with you, that night is already going to be a guaranteed success.” She felt the ghost of his hands again, trailing upwards.

“Just by me being around?”

“Every second I’m with you has been….” He stopped as though looking for the right word. “Amazing,”

Smiling. Rhia knew what it was now. Griffin always had smiling eyes, and they were doing that now as he nuzzled into her open palm.

“Which is why I’ve been thinking,” a dull shade of red coloured his cheeks as he glanced away and momentarily shifted into silence.

“Uh, Griffin?” Rhia called out hesitantly. She slid her hand to his jaw and slowly tugged his attention back to her.

His eyes were lost in thought before he was smiling again and the uneasiness that had been building inside Rhia’s chest vanished.

Instead, she found herself leaning into him while she waited for him to speak.

“I’d be honored if you’d go as my date.”

“Griffin!” Rhia squealed his name; happiness bubbling inside her chest before she could control it. Heart slightly hammering, she dropped a kiss by his brow then another by his cheeks before finally kissing his lips. “I’d love to go with you.” She whispered against his them.

She felt his mouth widen against hers’, a soft o before she caught the flash of surprise in his eyes. “Really? You mean it?”

“Of course, I mean it!” She flicked his nose with affection. “There’s really no one else I’d rather go with, Griffin.” Because for her, it had always been him. “Even from the very beginning Griffin, it’s been you. You’ve always been there for me.”

Griffin drew a shaky breath and his shoulders sagged with relief.

It finally dawned on Rhia how much asking her must have weighed on him. She could even the feel the change in the air as tension begun dissolving from him. “Wow, were you really nervous about asking me?”

“You have no idea. It’s not everyday the girl you’ve been crushing on says yes.”

Rhia laughed, her cheeks slightly turning pink at his endearment. “Lucky for you then that she’s got a crush on you too.”

“Lucky me.” He agreed, grinning warmly at her. “I’ll do my best not to step on your toes by the way.”

It took a moment for her mind to switch gears and then she laughed. He was always good at making her laugh. She tried to picture dancing with him - but it was difficult for Rhia to imagine him struggling at anything. “I’m sure you’ll pick up the moves in no time.”

Beaming at her, Griffin planted a kiss on her brow.

She sunk further into his arms, and inhaled his scent. She never wanted to let go.

“I hate to say it, but I should probably get going. No matter how much I want to stay.”

Rhia angled her chin enough to her windowsill and saw the telltale signs of dawn finally gracing the horizon. Still, she didn’t want him to go. She had never wanted to so much for anyone to stay.

Her fingers dug into his skin from how tightly she was holding onto him before abruptly letting go. “Probably,” she sighed dejectedly. There would be other days. Other nights like this. At least she hoped there would be.

She rolled towards the other side of the bed and gave him enough room to stand.

Their clothes were discarded in nearly every direction and a lot of her furniture hadn’t faired too well either. Her lamp was turned on its side on the floor as well as several dozen books. She was lucky nothing serious broke.

It had taken them a little under half an hour to restore things back into working order before Rhia snuck him to the door. Thankfully Shreya was fast asleep and Atlas had spent the night on their couch – otherwise she was pretty certain this would have been a story she would never live down.

They stopped at the doorstep of her dorm and Griffin bent forward to close the gap between them. He kissed her goodbye. “Until tomorrow.” A pause. “Uh, I mean – until later.”

Smiling, Rhia tipped on her toes to lock her arms around his broad shoulders. She kiss him back. Her hands shifted slowly into his hair as he uttered a soft moan. She didn’t stop him from pulling her by her hips to rest snugly against him.

When they finally came up for air, she dropped her hands back to her sides. ““Until later then.”

Neither one of them moved, despite saying goodbye. She could feel how much he wanted to stay in his stare; the way his eyes never left her face as his hand moved to cup her cheek.

“I swear this is the longest goodbye I’ve ever seen.”

Rhia flushed at the sound of irritation coming from  the corner of the room; immediately breaking whatever spell that caused them to remain in each other’s orbit.

Blushing, they both sprung apart from each other at the same time. “I’ll be seeing you too, Atlas.” Griffin called out.

The only response was Atlas grunt as he turned to leave.

Resting her head against the door, Rhia watched him go.

There was a second when he stopped and glanced back behind him, a moment where their eyes locked and Rhia couldn’t look away. The radiance of his smile made her heart flutter, made it hard for her to suddenly breathe until he looked away. Then he waved before completely disappearing down the hall.

“...Is he going to be coming around often?” Atlas grumbled, interrupting Rhia’s day dreaming. “Because if so, we’re gonna need some ground rules.”

And the moment’s ruined. 

Closing the door quietly behind, Rhia purposely avoided her sister’s scrutinizing stare as she passed. “We’ll see.”

-

[timetrickster]

Aloha Oe X Edith Nox Crossover Episode 8: Ice + Fire = Emotions

So, this episode has music, I recommend you play the music.

@cometworks < author of her novel.

Tag: @coloursintheblur , @thelysstener

And here we go!

FADE IN:

INT. NEYDOLYA’S NEW HIDDEN LAIR.

The aftermath of the RAVEN MONSTER had passed. VODNIK, slimy and sneaky frogman and right hand to the disgraced Fate NEYDOLYA. He returns to his mistress’s side and gives full reports.

NEYDOLYA

Vodnik… your reports.

VODNIK

Mistress Neydolya, I’ve come to report that the ritual by the Necromancers brought him back.

NEYDOLYA

A successful mission, presumed. Do you have what is required of the spell?

VODNIK

Yes, mistress. (He presents her with a book with the ritual circle drawn and list of ingredients next to it.)

She grabs the book and looks over it.

NEYDOLYA

Good. The Empath Witch?

VODNIK

The news of the Black Beast’s return had sent her into a state of rage. Her mind fractured separating her core emotions.

FLASHBACK: VODNIK had followed JUSTIN & VIOLET holding a knocked out EDITH.

NEYDOLYA

Interesting. Empath Magic has that capability. Search the archives, there may be an item that has a similar ability. What shall we do with the Princess?

VODNIK

A demon of her own design, her ice, her fire, and her fear.

CUT TO:

INT. JUSTIN’S PRIVATE QUARTERS. MID-MORNING

It was mid-morning, the sun was shining, and JUSTIN was in his private quarters. He conversed with ENOCH.

JUSTIN

Enoch, open Diary Recording. Nox Universe. 582. New entry.

ENOCH

Diary Entry Number 8. Recording begins.

JUSTIN

It’s been a couple of weeks now in this universe. I made amazing new friends and a world full of magic and possibly beyond. Recently fought a raven mutant monster. Noemi and Argento have soul summoned him by accident… glad he found some new development in himself. I wonder what will happen this day. (He falls silent.) Stop recording.

VIOLET comes into his private quarters slowly.

VIOLET

Justin? I need to talk.

JUSTIN

Come on in.

They both sit down together.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

What’s up?

VIOLET

There’s this person… that I… I… I…

JUSTIN

Like a lot?

VIOLET already feeling awkward enough just shuts her mouth up. Shakes her head up and down answering his question. JUSTIN smirks with excitement. VIOLET felt a little awkward due to the fact she doesn’t open up to many people and with someone that’s an alien. She felt like the only person she could talk too was him.

JUSTIN

Who? Boy? Or Girl? (He looked at her as if he was inspecting clues written on her face ) Girl? Isn’t it?

VIOLET nods again.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Someone new? Someone you’re close to?

VIOLET

Someone I’m close to.

JUSTIN

Oh, lovely. Uh, military officer?

VIOLET

She’s not in the military.

JUSTIN

Oh, okay, uh. So personal then?

VIOLET was silent but was looking at a plant in the corner of the room. JUSTIN realizing who she likes very much his jaw drops.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Noooooo… No. No. Really?!

Drawn back from his words, VIOLET was scared.

VIOLET

WHAT?! What?!

JUSTIN

Is it… is it Edith?

There was a slight smile on his face, VIOLET became rather shy and had a pinkish red tone flushing her cheeks. The feeling of embarrassment and feelings of lov- lov- lo- liking someone a lot. Her face squished from liking someone a lot and embarrassment she tries to hide her face with both hands. A smile was finally formed on JUSTIN’S face as he goes to sit next to her and comfort her.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Hey, no, no. It’s okay.

He was rather caring and supportive.

Dude, you like Edith?

VIOLET

Yeah…

JUSTIN

V! That’s great! It’s amazing!

VIOLET

Thanks…

JUSTIN

Look I know you’re nervous and like I told Noemi. I was so afraid and nervous too. I fell in love with Hoku since I attended high school on Earth. I… uh… it was her eyes. Those shining brown eyes that reminded me of the stars.

VIOLET

That sounds… sweet of you for Hoku. But I can’t express it to her, I’m afraid…

JUSTIN

Again I know how you feel. Even my daughter felt exactly the same way when she met her boyfriend.  

VIOLET

Wait you have a daughter?

JUSTIN

Adopted. But she’s still my little girl. Despite being a similar age to her.

VIOLET

She’s a hundred too?

JUSTIN

No, just a regular Panguan girl. She’s only 17. But anyways… let me help you out.

CUT TO

INT. LAPIS FORREST. MID-MORNING

Both VIOLET & EDITH with a picnic basket in hand are walking toward the Lapis Forrest. VIOLET felt the feelings of nervousness. Something she was unable to feel before due to the fact she is trained to face things beyond terrifying than this. As well as being both Princess and Commander, to an entire kingdom. But this… this was nothing compared to fighting other witches and wizards and facing an entire kingdom.

VIOLET has a quick flashback:

FLASHBACK:

JUSTIN

Ok! What does Edith like?

VIOLET

Uh… gardening, libraries, tea, people, puzzles, questions…

JUSTIN

I meant… on a date but that’s good. Where does she like to spend her time?

VIOLET

The Lapis Forrest.

JUSTIN

Maybe a picnic?

VIOLET

She loves picnics.

JUSTIN

Then great! Start off with a picnic!

CUT TO:

INT. EDITH’S FAVORITE SPOT. MID-MORNING

VIOLET distracted trying to remember what to do, EDITH had already set up the picnic set.

EDITH

Violet? Are you okay?

VIOLET was caught zoning out. EDITH motions her to sit on the blanket.

VIOLET

What? Oh, sorry a bit distracted. (She sits)

EDITH

You okay?

VIOLET

I’m fine. How was your day?

EDITH

I don’t know really, the day has just begun but I’m pretty much happy that you asked me to go on a picnic. Want to go the Bazaar later?

VIOLET

I’d love that.

VIOLET & EDITH are enjoying their picnic, filled with their favorite foods and drinks.

EDITH

Can you really believe it?

VIOLET

Believe what?

EDITH

Justin… him being an alien and all that. Space. There’s really more out there in the universe.

VIOLET recalls to a flashback of EDITH on Gaia. VIOLET recalls a memory of EDITH and LEANA both holding hands of LEANA. Being two big sisters to her, they had watched the stars while a night on the town.

VIOLET

Yeah… I couldn’t believe it either.

EDITH

You were quite harsh with him too.

VIOLET

I was still learning how to trust him. Plus a boy spouting about aliens and space and different universes isn’t exactly normal for us.

EDITH

True… but he turned out to be a good person.

VIOLET

He is a good man… he brought new experiences for us.

EDITH

Time travel! Universe travel! He took you to see Clementine…

VIOLET

I know… despite what happened… I know he was trying to be kind…

EDITH gets closer to her to comfort her. VIOLET'S inner thoughts made her blush.

EDITH

Sorry…

VIOLET

NO! Don’t be. I just miss her, ya know? Wishing I had more time and all but I know she’s in a better place.

EDITH

That’s good… and she’s probably watching over you right now.

VIOLET looks at her scars and smiles.

VIOLET

I know.

The feeling of happiness surrounded their soon to be a fun-filled day.

CUT TO:

INT. LAPIS BAZAAR. AFTERNOON

The Lapis Forrest was this unique beauty within itself. It was home to a species of tree that produces blue buds when flowering. Just like the color of lapis lazuli. The leaves are a very deep green. There were huge rocks of Lapis Lazuli everywhere as well.

In the Bazaar, there was filled with magical creatures here and there and humans as well. A peaceful coexistence, everyone acknowledges VIOLET as their princess with greetings and bowing.

EDITH

Famous as always.

VIOLET

Well… I am a princess. (She smiles with pride)

EDITH laughs and smiles, she sees something catching her eye and sees gemstones which make her overall happy. She eyes a simple and basic quartz crystal on the vendor’s table.

EDITH

QUARTZ! (A smile was glued on her face)

She holds it and sees it change color, to Mellow.

VENDOR

Are you an Empath, if I may ask?

EDITH

I am!

VENDOR

Then that is the perfect gemstone for you. That quartz is enchanted as a sort of aura looker. You can see their emotions.

The gemstone was imperfect but EDITH loved it anyway. She looks through the clearness and saw the VENDOR’S aura showing mellow.

EDITH

Cool!

VENDOR

That will be a 15 Units.

EDITH checks her wallet but was short on cash.

EDITH

Aw man… I don’t have enough units.

VIOLET sees her sad face and steps in, holding 15 units. Their coin currency were metal thin rectangles.

There were huge rocks of Lapis Lazuli everywhere as well.

VIOLET

Fifteen Units, here ya go.

The VENDOR shocked by her presence, he bows.

VENDOR

Princess Violet!

VIOLET

Hello, my lovely subject.

VENDOR

You have graced me with your presence, your highness. Please take the quartz in honor of you my princess.

She places the units on the table.

VIOLET

No. You are a hardworking man. You deserve to be paid for what you do. Please.

He bows and EDITH takes the gemstone and she holds it in both hands. Scrutinizing it and holding to her eye and looking through it. She looks at VIOLET and sees her current aura, it was all pink and with EDITH’S magic it amplified it. Seeing the emotion of love. The excitable EDITH curious as always smiles after the discovery.

EDITH

V? (She steps closer to her) You like someone? (She whispered)

Surprised and scared by the question, VIOLET had believed EDITH knew her feelings for her.

VIOLET

How did you know?

She was scared and embarrassed that her true feelings were revealed.

EDITH

Is it a prince?!

Showing some relief, she answers.

VIOLET

No. It’s not a prince.

EDITH

Knowing you no prince can win your heart. A Military man?

VIOLET

Uh… no.

EDITH

Oh my… a normal boy?

VIOLET nods and shows embarrassment.

EDITH (cont’d)

A NORMAL BOY! A princess and a simple boy. That reminds me of a fairy tale momma read to me once. TELL ME! TELL ME!

VIOLET

We met… uh… we met during a trip to a Blacksmith. Father was making a request for a blade to be made once I reached eighteen. He was the son of the blacksmith… and I thought he was handsome.

EDITH

That’s so adorable! YOU SHOULD MEET HIM AGAIN!

VIOLET

I don’t think I can.

EDITH

Don’t deny your feelings V… You’ll never know how he truly feels.

VIOLET

Edith… you know me… I’m not raised by my emotions… everything I am I was just… I don’t know! (She became emotional) I’m a Princess and a military commander… I trained myself to be serious and…

EDITH

You wear a heart of steel.

VIOLET

Yeah…

EDITH

But knowing you… determined as always. You’ll find a way to show that handsome… handsome boy love you.

VIOLET

Yeah…

CUT TO:

INT. JUSTIN’S PRIVATE QUARTERS

JUSTIN doing research as he has a plate of food and soda next to a fancy glass cup. VIOLET rushes in and was extremely worried. She hugs JUSTIN to which he responds to treat her like a big baby.

JUSTIN

Hey! How was the picnic? Was it bad?

VIOLET

Not it was good…

She sounded like a child as she said her sentences like a child.

JUSTIN

Then why are you upset?

VIOLET

Because… she… almost found out I liked her… (She pouts)

JUSTIN

Did she?

VIOLET

No… she saw my aura with this gemstone that amplified her magic. It was pink… I was in love.

JUSTIN smiles sits her down on a chair.

JUSTIN

That’s good! Did you tell her?

VIOLET

No… I made up someone…

JUSTIN rubs his face with his right hand.

JUSTIN

Are there any further plans?

VIOLET

I don’t know…

JUSTIN

I think you should tell her.

VIOLET jumps out of her seat grabbing JUSTIN by his shirt.

VIOLET

No! I can’t Justin!

JUSTIN

But why?

VIOLET

Because I can’t do it! I don’t think I can do it! (She starts to cry)

Tears were falling down her face.

I am just a princess… and a soldier… and I’m complicated! Edith wants normal! And simple! And everything else normal! I’M NOT NORMAL! I AM EVERYTHING COMPLICATED!

She cries in JUSTIN’S shoulder to hide her face. He caressed her back to make her feel better.

How can someone so beautiful have so much power over my heart?

JUSTIN

It’s called love… it’s the most complex feeling in the world and yet it makes you feel so happy. And I can’t believe you said that about her.

VIOLET

Said what?

JUSTIN

You called her beautiful.

Despite the tears, that little sly comment made her smile.

VIOLET

She really is… how can someone like that ever love someone so complicated as me?

JUSTIN

Love suffers long and is kind.

VIOLET

Where’s that from?

JUSTIN

A thing called the Bible. It’s an Earth thing.

VIOLET laughs.

VIOLET

What am I gonna do?

JUSTIN

You get her attention. How’s a dinner in the Lapis Forrest? Any good spots?

VIOLET

Um… there’s this spot that would be nice for a dinner date. It’s by a stream and it’s a huge space.

JUSTIN

Sounds perfect. Enoch, do you still have the Digital Construction Box?

ENOCH

Of course, Captain.

ENOCH makes the item appear on the table through digital transport. JUSTIN grabs the box and throws it in the air catching it.

JUSTIN

You ready?

VIOLET

I guess…

JUSTIN

No. (He kneels before her) Violet Choi. Look at me.

She does so and looks at him in the eyes. Her face showing a somewhat of wallowing sadness and shame. JUSTIN’S face held this slight smile but didn’t give off the sense of happiness. He held much of his breathe in as it was too raspy. His heart had opened to Violet as he spoke about the one girl that he honestly and truly loved.

JUSTIN

Again… I know what this feels like. You are beyond… terrified. Despite being something so impossible. That somebody so normal as Edith…  can make all the difference in our lives so much better. I was scared, afraid that I would mess up… but I told her because I couldn’t stand the longing and the aching pain of my heart. Now, she loves me… somebody I believed I wasn’t worthy enough for… somebody who always had their heart open just for me.

His heart was worn as if it were a crown and laid out for Violet to see. What he had spoken was all too true for her as well, as is with everyone else who experiences love, I guess in some cases.  

JUSTIN (cont’d)

So please don’t say, “I guess” say “I’m ready.” because deep down you love her… and somewhere along the way, you won’t know if she feels the same way.

VIOLEt had raindrop type of tears, she still held a serious face but had that sadness attached to it.

VIOLET

I want to tell her so bad… but I can’t. My heart feels locked… and it stops me from telling how I truly feel.

JUSTIN

I think I can help with that.

JUSTIN breathes in and puts both hands together, he breathes out and his eyes glow orange. Using his aura manipulation to unlock his Empath powers. He places his right index and middle finger on VIOLET’S forehead. Sending a wave of energy to her heart, as the orange energy zooms straight to her heart as it glows ever so brightly through her skin. Showing a little animation of a keyhole on her heart and it was magically unlocked.

VIOLET felt different, her heart was… lighter… no more steel, no more hiding behind the armor she built so long ago. She stood up from her chair and smiled.

VIOLET

I feel different… I feel… uh…

JUSTIN

Happier? (He smiles awkwardly)

VIOLET

I think so… (She turns to Justin) Huh… you handsome Jus.

JUSTIN

Thank you… (He laughs a little) Violet, I think it worked.

VIOLET

How?!

JUSTIN

You complimented me… you rarely do that.

VIOLET realizing this had her eyes prop up like a map being opened up and down.

VIOLET

You’re right… I… I am happy. I feel happy! And… I love Edith Nox! (She closes her mouth)

Realizing she said that aloud, she reached a new level of happiness. She jumps for joy and hugs JUSTIN.

VIOLET (cont’d)

I’m happy! (She says with glee)

JUSTIN

That’s amazing! Now… let me ask you this. What would Edith like on a dinner date?

VIOLET thinks to herself.

VIOLET

She loves music.

JUSTIN

Do you guys have any love songs? Like before the apocalypse?

VIOLET

There are several… but I don’t think they’d be good.

JUSTIN smirks again, now holding his phone in his hand.

JUSTIN

(He smiles) Luckily you have a friend, who's an alien, from another universe. Who also happens to live on Earth.

VIOLET

This is gonna be perfect. (She smiles once more)

CUT TO:

INT. ASTRIFEROUS GROVE. NIGHT

The stage has been set, no literally. JUSTIN had used the 3D Digital Construction Box and digitally built a wooden deck that filled the surroundings of the grove. Complete with a table meant for VIOLET & EDITH and a piano. JUSTIN had set up fairy lights along the surrounding trees to help with the lighting. To accent the glowing and enormous lapis lazuli rocks.

There were other lights to help brighten up the stage. The sound of the stream nearby made things seem so peaceful. Everyone was there, JUSTIN, NOEMI, PERIWINKLE, ARGENTO. They all had a hand in helping to make this date perfect. The Wooden Deck also came with a perfect kitchen, to which JUSTIN had the ultimate experience of knowing how to cook, having spent time with his adopted human father.

JUSTIN had prepared a series of Hawaiian foods, due to growing up in Hawaii for a few years of his life. From appetizers to dessert, it was all prepared. NOEMI & ARGENTO have dressed accordingly as waiter and waitress.

JUSTIN

You guys ready?

NOEMI

This is gonna be great! I still can’t believe Violet likes Edith!

ARGENTO

Ok! First Thanks for inviting me! Second, (She turns toward Justin) You’re an alien! I can’t believe that! Three, this is so friggin romantic! (She squeals joyfulness with each sentence)

PERIWINKLE

THIS IS REALLY PRETTY! I CAN’T WAIT!

JUSTIN

We’re all ready! Noemi, Argento! You are the waiters and you shall deliver the food! Peri, I want you to take them to their seats after that set the mood. (He whispers in her ear)

They all break, as the food had already been prepared and they take their places. VIOLET & EDITH had shown up with EDITH wearing a blindfold.

EDITH

Where are we going?!

VIOLET

It’s a practice dinner… when I meet with the boy again…

Having seen JUSTIN in the distance and PERIWINKLE on a stepping stool near her hand. She was the Restaurant Host. VIOLET takes the blindfold off of EDITH and both smile. EDITH takes her excitement to a new level, as her containment was held by VIOLET’S hands who she placed on EDITH’S shoulders.

VIOLET

Hi Peri! Our reservations?

PERIWINKLE

Right, this way you two!

She steps off her stool and holds both VIOLET & EDITH’S hands. Standing in the middle of both of them, leading them to the only table in the center of the huge deck. They both sit on the chairs, and PERIWINKLE had presented them with the menu of what’s to come.

PERIWINKLE

Welcome to… Astriferous Grove! Chef Justin has prepared an alternate universe main course from his universe. Your waiters will be my big brother, Noemi and the love of his life Argento.

JUSTIN had some lyricless music, play as it was a simple tune, a peaceful beat. (Play Monday Loop by Tomppabeats until you see stop) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2z8CSRP_ok) PERIWINKLE summons her wind constructed wings and rises to the sky. She sets the mood, she manipulates the wind with her magic. Creating a light breeze having the trees sway to the beat of the music. NOEMI & ARGENTO show up as waiters, handing them the menu of what to expect to eat.

NOEMI

For your appetizers, expect a… (He grabs the menu from Edith) Spicy Ahi… Poke (Po-kay) and a Spam Musubi.

ARGENTO For the main course, Loco Moco. A bed of rice topped with a cooked burger patty and a sunny side up egg. Drenched with gravy with hints of chili flakes due to the liking of spiciness.

NOEMI

And for dessert. Malasadas, Coco Puffs, Chocolate Hau- Haupia… Pie. With Shave Ice.

ARGENTO

Let’s start off with drinks. Water?

EDITH

I’d love some water! (She speaks with a boyish voice.)

VIOLET

Water as well, please.

NOEMI with his wings flies over to the kitchen counter and holds a plated dish to carry the cups of water. ARGENTO placing them down on their specific side of the table. They both disappear to the kitchen leaving EDITH & VIOLET to talk alone. Having the uncaged excitement she bursts with such happiness.

EDITH

OH MY GOD, THIS IS SO FRICKEN ROMANTIC AS EDEN!

VIOLET smiles.

EDITH (cont’d)

DUDE YOU’RE SMILING! (She wiggles in her seat)

VIOLET

I know I am. (She laughs)

EDITH

Everything about this place is perfect! The glowing lapis lazuli! The little lights! The swaying breeze and the music! AND FOOD FROM A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE! AH!

VIOLET

I’m glad you love it! (She smiled)

EDITH

Love it? I’m infatuated with this! This is so romantic! Wish someone would do this for me.

VIOLET

Well… since you're my dinner date right now… I’m doing this for you.

EDITH

Why thank you, your highness!

NOEMI & ARGENTO return with the appetizers, a bowl of Spicy Ahi Poke (Po-kay), and a spam musubi. Both grab a fork and dig into the first dish. The forks stabbed into the dish, the prongs had easily pierced the raw tuna marinated with sriracha mayonnaise. Cutting part of the rice with it and scooping it up and taking the first bite. Their eyes brighten as their taste buds had taken the first bite.

The taste of the spicy ahi was unique. The cold and raw tuna had sent that chill, it was as if there was dance was going on. The combined spice from the sriracha mayo, combating with the chill and made it all too delectable. The crunch of the sliced up scallions was heard and the small bed of rice of its warm heat calms both elemental flavors of spice and chill. Leaving behind the everlasting heat, but the chill that was a simple breeze.

VIOLET

(With her mouth full and eyes closed) That’s so good!

EDITH had probably seen the face of God… well, in this case, she already has seen them. She was the same as VIOLET eyes closed and internally happy with her mouth full. They finished the bowl, holding their faces.

EDITH

OH MY GOD, THAT’S THE TASTE OF HAWAII?! I LOVE IT! (She had tears of joy.)

The move on to the Spam Musubi, this rectangle sushi like creation. This version is shown two spams, one of each on both top and bottom. Wrapped in the middle was a seaweed wrap, the spam had a lightish brown sauce underneath.

NOEMI

Justin suggests eating this with your hands. Better experience.

They do so, and their first bite was… well, it was delicious. The saltiness of the spam was laid out as a bed on their tongues. The sweet teriyaki sauce made the salt taste all to better. The moistness of the seaweed complimented the heat of the rice. They were in love all over again, knowing the taste of Hawaiian food made this dinner date all too delectable.

NOEMI & ARGENTO had taken away their appetizer plates and return to the kitchen. Where JUSTIN had been all too articulate with serving them their main course.

JUSTIN

Did they enjoy?!

NOEMI

They did!

JUSTIN

Awesome! I have some plates for you guys too. Peri is actually eating the ones made for her right now. (He points to his right)

PERIWINKLE had her eyes closed as she had gone to Food Heaven.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Just finish serving them and you guys get to enjoy your plates.

NOEMI & ARGENTO both look at each other and grab the main course. Loco Moco. A dish with a bed of steaming rice topped with a cooked burger patty and a sunny side up egg. With gravy poured over all the dish. VIOLET & EDITH grab knives and forks.

They dig in immediately, the heat from the patty and rice sent the sensation of a fire steaming in their mouths. The yolk of the egg was cut open as the slice let the yolk runs down every inch of the dish. The yolk had made the gravy more delectable and the chili flakes kicked in the spiciness added to the dish. They felt the same feelings as before.

Dessert had arrived immediately, as NOEMI & ARGENTO were so eager to try JUSTIN’S cooking. They take away their dinner plates and immediately return to the kitchen. They see their plates dinners ready and rises up to Food Heaven.

Desert for VIOLET & EDITH was sugar galore. The Malasadas was like biting off a piece off a cloud of fluffiness. The fluffiness of the bread had released pockets of warmness on their taste buds. The sugar complimented the taste as the sweetness added an entire level.

They move onto the Coco Puffs, it was chilled to the point where the bread had this stale-ish taste. Although the cream filling inside chilled inside made the taste of it ultra better. VIOLET had taken a like to the custard coco puff, as it oozed custard filling. As well again, the chill of the desert. While EDITH enjoyed the chocolate cocoa puff as the chocolate filling was a different taste.

The penultimate one was this gorgeous looking pie with whipped cream covering a haupia layer and chocolate filling inside. IT too was chilling and the coldness of the desert was all too tasteful. VIOLET loving every single cold desert, she hadn’t noticed that her ice magic was crawling up on her. EDITH was a major sweet tooth and couldn’t stop eating and wanted more.

EDITH

THIS IS SO GOOD! (She cries out)

VIOLET

Can we just live in Justin’s universe?! I WANT HAWAII FOOD FOREVER!

Their last and final dessert was Shave Ice. A Hawaiian snow cone, but is way massive than what normally people expect. The colors of the rainbow surrounded it. Eating ice with different flavors was rather addicting, as the colors laid down on their tongues and the over sprinkled sugar had caused them to go into a state of insanity for the moment.  

The Dinner Date had ended, both VIOLET & EDITH were full. Sitting on their chairs like they eat half of a feast made for kings and queens from near and far.

EDITH

I’m so full… (She rubs her tummy as she moans in agony)

VIOLET

Me too… but it was all worth it.

EDITH

Yeah… it was. (She smiles a little but places her head on the table)

JUSTIN appears near their table. (Monday Loop STOPS PLAYING)

JUSTIN

I suggest you guys move around to help with the digestion.

He nudges VIOLET, motioning her to a dance floor near the stage. JUSTIN suddenly appears at the piano, ready to play a song. He speaks into a mic.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Alrighty… this lovely night special night for a Princess and her soon to be the love of her life. Uh… what his name Violet?

VIOLET

Um… uh… Edward… Edward Lux.

EDITH

Aw, cute!

JUSTIN

Alright. Let’s dance.

JUSTIN places both hands on the piano keys, ready to play. Feeling the ivory material under his fingertips. He plays the song Your Song by Elton John.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

Uh… grab a partner.

Being that VIOLET & EDITH were the only ones on the dance floor. They realized JUSTIN meant the two of them to dance.

VIOLET

Oh… I think he means you and me.

EDITH

Oh, makes sense. Considering were the only ones on the dance floor and since I am filling in for Edward. May I have this dance? (she does a bow as respect)

VIOLET smiles and returns the bow and they begin to dance. JUSTIN begins to play the song. He sings the song which surprises everyone around, hearing a voice of what some would describe as an angel or an even a god. He didn’t prefer either title despite literally being a god himself. He was just a simple alien boy playing and singing music.  

 VIOLET (V.O)

Justin, you always surprise everyone, don’t you? (She smiles)

EDITH

OH MY EDEN! HE CAN SING TOO?!

They danced to the song, suddenly they see waves of colorful light of the sound of the song. They look at on and continue to dance. EDITH with her magic senses the feelings of happiness all around. VIOLET inside was having the time of her life. Dancing with the girl she deeply, deeply loves.

After the dance, JUSTIN speaks again.

JUSTIN

I’d like to make a mention of my little sister, Hathor. Who is an amazing artist and comes from a planet where art is taken to a whole new level. Violet… I think it’s time to say what you need to say.

VIOLET comes to the stage and is handed the microphone by JUSTIN.

VIOLET Ok… um… I’m not very good at this. But… uh… I never admitted something like this before… so please just… uh… bear with me,(She breathes in, then out.) I love you. I know that’s so broad and out there but… I really and truly love you. The first time I met you, I hated you. It was unreasonable and I… I’m so so sorry. I blamed you for the one thing I couldn’t control… and I felt so terrible about it. But over the course of our story, we became friends. You defeated the one thing I couldn’t and gave me a reason to keep going despite all the painful and aching memories. And that… after all that… my heart just longed for you. You filled the missing piece of me that was ripped away by that monster. And I held this in for so, so long, and I can’t wait any longer.

She steps off the stage and walks up to EDITH. Her eyes were teary-eyed, like shiny stars. Gleaming with the colors of the glowing lapis lazuli. Her heart of steel along with ice had been unlocked and melted away. It was gleaming every essence of “True Love” had resonated.  

VIOLET (cont’d)

Edith Nox… I love you.

EDITH’S heart had stopped for that one moment. Her magic revealed to her senses that VIOLET’S aura was glowing pink aka love. Actual and true love for her. JUSTIN plays the piano, playing song Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. VIOLET steps a few paces back and begins to sing the song.

EDITH begins to cry tears of joy after feelings of VIOLET even more through the song she sang. NOEMI, ARGENTO & PERIWINKLE dance in a circle with all hands together. The songs ends and VIOLET sees EDITH standing in the same spot, unresponsive.

VIOLET (cont’d)

Look… I know this was a huge surprise… but I don’t know… I love you and if you don’t share the same feelings I understand.

She begins to ramble but EDITH taking her by surprise gives her a kiss. NOEMI, ARGENTO, & PERIWINKLE cheer for them. JUSTIN sits on his piano chair and smiles at the fact this mission was a total success. With their heads pressed against each other and eyes closed.

EDITH

I love you too, Violet Choi.

She laughs which makes VIOLET give her a kiss in return.

Hidden within the darkness was the shadow of the slime and sneaky frog man, VODNIK. With his magic floating orb.

VODNIK

Mistress, we found them.

NEYDOLYA

Start the spell. (She says to herself) It has begun. (She has this malicious smile on her face)

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE 8