#~there's quite a few new or newish muses on there

[feraecor]

Let’s drop this here for tomorrow. Like this for a starter!

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

Fanfiction Asks

tagged by @galadrieljones, thanks!

Name: I like having “Shakes” as a fun alter ego, hehe <3

Top 5 Fandoms Written: In order

Dragon Age, and I have written for all three games at some point or other

DBH, Retired from it. Main fic is done and I said my peace. I just liked the robots as well, lol.

Red Dead Redemption 2. Finished main work, but door isn’t closed on writing more.

Game of Thrones/ASOIAF. Just Jaime and Brienne, actually went back to a fic I started last year for them.

Resident Evil. Just one piece, Leon and Ada. I will probably write more when we get more RE content. 

Top 5 Fandoms You Want To Write For/More: Much like Gala fandoms aren’t something I choose, they knock on the door and ask me to write for them. I find  just because I love a piece of media (like Outlander) doesn’t mean I necessarily want to write for it as well. I started with Dragon Age I think because I loved the idea of developing my own OC’s backstory and dynamic she has with others in between game moments. Briefly however I wrote some Mass Effect a few years ago and would love to again once the release comes out.

Stories You Wish More People Knew About: I’m grateful for all my interaction to be honest. I think I’ve been very lucky. However at the time I’ll admit I wished my DBH fic got more feedback. Comparison is the thief of joy but I noticed how Connor x Reader fics got more attention than writing OCs and it bummed me out because I worked really hard on this story. (I was however not a great mental place at the time. It was not pleasant HOWEVER I am much better now <3) That being said I am grateful for the people who did read this story and left me comments, because there were quite a bit in retrospect and I am so thankful for you all :)

Ship(s) Written The Most: There is no contest, it’s Cullen and Lydia from Dragon Age between my ongoing series with them, one shots, and tumblr prompts throughout the years now lost to the void. Recently (well, November) I recently got back into them as well. that’s when I decided to continue my long fic like I always wanted--but just got distracted with other fandoms in the time in between. It’s good looking at them with fresh eyes however, especially since I finished the first part before starting grad school...like the week before, and now I’m about to finish (Knock on wood) Poetic cinema. 

Character(s) Written The Most: Cullen and Lydia between everything. There’s no contest, though Connor and Sophie from DBH follow. After that it’s Jaime and Brienne and Charlotte and Arthur from RDR2.

How Many OCs Do You Have: Lydia is my most developed OC followed by Sophie from DBH. I also have a newish Cousland Warden OC that romances Morrigan and a Hawke that features in my DA longfic that I’ve tried to write more of recently who romances Fenris. I have a last of Us OC as well for a short fic I may publish one day, and completely original characters from my novel. I also have side characters from my fics that technically count as OCs. (Lydia’s brother, her templar boyfriend from the Circle, Cullen’s ex girlfriend from Kirkwall, Lydia’s father, Sophie’s father and mother, Charlotte’s brother....list goes on) 

How Many Series Do You Have: My “Dreams” saga where all the Cullen and Lydia stuff go, a series of assorted Dragon Age one shots, and all my Connor and Sophie stuff which includes the main fic and a few one shots. 

What Do You Do With Fics You’re No Longer Interested In?: Wait for the muse and accept it might not come back. It did for my RDR2 fic and my GOT fic, and heck my DA modern AU. Others haven’t been so lucky but it does happen.

Coming Soon: IWD, chapter 65. More Tulsa Queen, though since my exam is coming up I have to focus more on that than my WIPS, but April I’ll be a new woman. :D And My Morrigan fic as well. Also that Jaime and Brienne actor/actress AU. Smutty POTO one shot.

Do you see a problem here? I do. lol.

Line From A WIP: Christine is every star in the night sky. More so a placeholder we’ll see if it stays or sticks

Do You Accept Prompts?: I did on a regular basis once, but I got burnt out and people asked me for pairings I honestly wasn’t interested in. Now every so often, I reblog a prompt list and sometimes they sit in my box forever oops I’m sorry.

How Do You Feel About Kudos?:Every one is precious. Thank you all who’s every felt compelled to click it. 

Do You Read Fic As Well?: I try to! Between writing, reading assigned readings and published books it’s difficult but I definitely do :)

tagging @thevikingwoman @juliafied @musetta3 @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold @jentrevellan @kunstpause @elveny  @noire-pandora @laraslandlockedblues @dismalzelenka @queen-kass-the-writer @laelior @alyssalenko​​

[dust2dust34]

It’s Always Been You (3/6, Olicity AU, T)

Summary: Oliver and Felicity run into more old friends and get closer to being on the same page.

A/N: Read previous chapters here. Thank you for fabulous response, I'm so insanely glad you guys are enjoying this fic! Hope you’re staying safe!

(read on AO3)

*

Oliver watched her lips move as she said, “I promise.” Lips he had already been lucky enough to feel against his own, lips he had touched a second ago, because he had been too close to cutting her off with a kiss.

She promised.

He was going to hold her to that.

“Queen!”

They both started, the boisterous call of his name shattering the bubble they’d been caught in. For a second, the music, the chatter, the unique smell of gym mats and chlorine that this part of the building always held, all of it had disappeared.

It was just so easy to fall into her.

“You son of a bitch.”

The words had Oliver smiling, especially when Felicity blinked rapidly as she turned to face the approaching couple. It did not escape his notice that she didn’t let go of his hand, keeping their fingers laced together. He had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot.

“Lyla?” Felicity asked just as the other woman’s jaw dropped on a surprised, “Felicity?”

Oliver didn’t get the chance to hear or see more because the hulking man next to their old classmate dominated his vision with a finger in his face. “What’s this I hear about you talking to my wife more than your commanding officer?”

“If I remember correctly, she was also my commanding officer,” Oliver replied. “And yours.”

John Diggle chuckled. “She still is,” he said before throwing an around Oliver’s shoulders and yanking him in for a back-thumping hug. “It’s good to see you, man.”

“You too,” Oliver said with a grin. When he felt Felicity’s arm moving away from him as she hugged Lyla, his fingers instinctively tightened around hers. Too late he realized what he was doing, and it occurred to him that he should probably let go. But then her fingers grasped onto his just as tight. He wondered if Digg felt his heart somersault, or if the slam of it was something only he felt.

“Felicity, this is my husband, John Diggle,” Lyla said with a radiant smile as she looked up at her husband. “Johnny, this is Felicity Smoak.”

“Felicity Smoak,” Diggle said slowly, holding his hand out.

She finally let him go.

Oliver followed her hand without even thinking, a move that didn’t go unnoticed by Lyla as Diggle and Felicity shook hands. His former - and far scarier - commander raised an eyebrow at him and he ducked his head before she could see his blush. He instantly felt stupid. They were professionals, damn it. She had just called him for a consultation three days ago. This was ridiculous. Biting the tip of his tongue, he looked up, hoping to keep his eyes on Diggle and Felicity. Except all he saw was the knowing smile on Lyla’s face that made his blushing worse. She barely stopped herself from laughing out loud.

He glared at her and she pinched her lips to keep from grinning.

It was like they were in high school or something.

Diggle smiled at Felicity. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” Felicity’s eyes darted to Lyla. “I hope only good things because judging by the size of your arms, you could not only throw me across the room, you could bench press three of me.”

Diggle chuckled and then looked at Oliver. “Only good things from this guy.”

His cheeks practically burst into flames.

“Is that so?” Felicity asked as she looked up at him.

Oliver glanced at her and he could only imagine how bright red his face was because the amused tick of her lips turned into a full-blown grin. He turned his glare on Diggle.

“Thanks for that,” Oliver said to him with a pinched smile.

Diggle shot him a needling grin. “What? It’s true.”

Oliver was ready to flip him off, but then he got distracted. By Felicity wrapping her arms around his and lacing their fingers back together. A trifecta of sensation walloped him - his breath caught, his stomach dropped, his heart spasmed. He looked down at their hands and then at her smiling face.

He couldn’t look away, and he didn’t want to.

“So this is new,” Lyla commented, forcing them to refocus on their surroundings.

Felicity’s eyebrows popped as she looked up at Oliver, just as his furrowed as he looked at her. The synchronicity was perfect, and he smiled while she said, “Well…”

“Newish,” Oliver offered, glancing back at the couple. “We’re definitely not engaged.”

The startled look on both their faces alone would have been worth it, but what really made it was the huff from the woman next to him. His grin exploded as he looked at Felicity in time to see her rolling her eyes.

“Uh, that’s…” Lyla started as Diggle’s eyes bounced between them.

“He’s making fun of me,” Felicity said, jabbing her nail into his side. He jerked with a noise at the ticklish pain and she did it again. He managed a near-silent, “Hey,” that only she heard. She stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled as she explained, “I now suffer from a severe lack of brain filter.”

“She’s exaggerating.”

“I really am not.”

“It’s cute.”

“Until I’m telling people about our sex lives. No, not that. Never that. There’s nothing to tell. Not to say there isn’t anything to tell, because there is. Of course there is, have you seen this guy? Talk about dreams coming true- I’m… going to stop talking in three, two… one.”

Oliver leaned into her, his lips ghosting over her temple as he whispered, “Don’t you dare.”

A hint of coconut filled his senses as her hair tickled his mouth and chin. He lingered, probably too long. The thought disappeared when she practically fell into him, and he kissed her temple as she squeezed his hand really hard at her faux pas.

He didn’t mind in the least.

It suddenly hit him that this was the second - no, third? Fourth? - time he’d kissed her forehead.

“I think I hear a drink calling our names,” Diggle said as Oliver pulled back to gauge her reaction. But she had buried her forehead in his shoulder. Was it her words, or because he was pushing the line of pretending? Diggle clapped Oliver on the shoulder, jerking his attention back to the other man. “See you guys in there?”

“Yeah,” Oliver replied as Felicity finally pulled back and gave them a nod.

“Oh, and hey,” Diggle said with a nod to Oliver to step closer for a moment. He pulled away from Felicity enough for her grasp on his arm to slip, but not their hands. “Lyla told me you’re gonna be assisting on the Ghost Fox case. I’m taking the lead on it.”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll hit you up in a bit.” Diggle waited for a confirming nod from Oliver before he glanced at Felicity. “It was very nice to finally meet the woman who makes this guy realize life is something to enjoy every once in a while.”

Oliver cursed under his breath. “Give it a rest, will you, John?”

“Never.”

With a wink, he and Lyla headed back to the gym entrance.

“Did he say Ghost Fox?”

“Hmm?” Oliver asked, looking back to her. “Yeah. It’s a, uh… consulting project I’m doing for them. I do some work for them on the side from time to time.”

“You know, I don’t actually know what it is that you do. Which I probably should.”

“Well, this semester I’m teaching Russian and French.”

“You’re a teacher?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” Oliver grasped her hand tighter in his and tugged for her to follow him towards where a semi-steady stream of people were stopping at a long table to pick up name tags before entering the gym. “Last year it was Spanish and Mandarin. I have a knack for languages.” He basked in the awed look she gave him and he couldn’t help but ask, “Impressed?”

“Extremely,” Felicity replied. “And… confused.” Off his look, she added, “Not about you. It’s more that I don’t remember them offering such a colorful array of languages when we matriculated.”

“No, we definitely didn’t. But Tommy needed a foreign languages teacher and I needed a change.”

Understatement, he mused silently, although the weight of it didn’t hit as hard as it usually did.

“A change,” Felicity repeated slowly. “Does that have something to do with whatever you needed commanding officers for?”

“Uh…” There was the hit. Oliver tried to shake it off. “Yeah. It… it’s a long story-”

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have asked. I have this thing about mysteries and you are proving to be quite the mystery.” Felicity stopped walking and he turned back to her. “I’m sorry.”

He frowned. “For what?”

“Oliver, these aren’t just old high school buddies we’re talking about,” she said. “They’re your friends. Like, real friends. You served together, if I’m guessing right, and you work together, if I’m - again - guessing right, and I’m asking you to lie to them-”

“Felicity. Stop. Please.” The look on her face told him she had every intention of doing the exact opposite. The table holding name tags was blissfully people-free, so he stole the moment to grab theirs before she could get a word in. Most of them were already picked over, so it was easy to spot theirs. Coming back, Oliver held her name tag out to her. “How about we put these on, go inside, get a drink, mingle, dance, do whatever people who attend these things do.”

She reluctantly took it. “Oliver…”

“C’mon. It’ll be fine. I promise.”

She stared at him for a beat before sighing. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you doing this for me.”

“You’re you,” was all he said as he put his name tag on.

Felicity harrumphed and held up her nametag where her senior picture sat next to her name. “Are you sure your brain didn’t get all jostled around in the last few years, because I remember this girl being particularly bitchy most of the time. Not exactly worthy of a favor like this.”

“You are literally the only reason I graduated, Felicity.”

“That’s not true,” she said as she situated her name tag on her left shoulder. “You were always way smarter than you gave yourself credit for.”

“See? That right there is why if it’s you asking, I’ll do it,” Oliver said. “Because you believed in me when nobody else did.” He held his hand out to her. “Shall we?”

It took a moment - really, it took an eternity, if his racing pulse had anything to say about it - but then she gifted him with a gorgeous smile.

It was like the clouds parting and the sun shining down on him for the first time in years.

She grasped his hand in hers.

It fit perfectly.

“We shall.”

*

Thank you for reading! More tomorrow! Reviews literally the soul and muse!

[crvelsovls]

—

delphine laurent has been seen walking around town. hazelgrove is familiar of the twenty-nine year old demon as she is against restoring the town’s glamour spell. the people of hazelgrove can agree that the dancer can be poised yet still be destructive. let’s just hope something can be settled before the town is turned upside town. + rose gold highlighter shimmering along the height of prominent cheekbones, black satin dresses draped over a svelte frame and blood-red roses in a vase on the window sill.

why, hellooo there !! i’m chrissie and i’m super duper excited to be here !! this here is the first of my gals ; delphine aka my sassy lil demon child fkhfjh she’s kinda a newish muse so pls bear with me while i navigate this chaotic hellcat lmao anywaysss i’m utter plot trash so feel free to slap a lil heart on this and i’ll come pester you for plots n all that good stuff !! : )

FUNDAMENTALS.

full name. delphine athena laurent.

nicknames. del, & della.

physical age. twenty-nine.

actual age. three hundred and fifty seven.

birthday. unknown.

gender. cisgender female.

pronouns. she / her.

species. demon.

nationality. unknown.

religion. agnostic.

birthplace. unknown.

current residence. hazelgrove, me.

sexual orientation. pansexual.

romantic orientation. aromantic.

education. psychology degree.

occupation. dancer at purgatory.

CONNECTIONS.

birth mother. unknown.

birth father. abraxas.

full blood siblings. unknown.

significant other. n/a.

children. n/a.

pets. n/a.

PROFICIENCIES.

spoken languages. english, spanish, french, italian, german, & russian.

negative traits. brusque, obstinate, destructive, deceptive, & promiscuous.

positive traits. elegant, headstrong, observant, independent, & confident.

strengths. etiquette, resourcefulness, knowledgeable, quick-thinker, original, brainstorming, charismatic, & energetic.

weaknesses. argumentative, insensitive, intolerant, finds it difficult to focus, & dislikes practical matters.

skills. skilled with blades and various knives, skilled with firearms, hand-to-hand combat, memory recall, physical stamina, able to use initiative, & excellent problem-solving abilities.

talents. violin, dancing, & photographic memory.

APPEARANCE.

eye colour. green.

hair colour. dark brown.

height. five feet, five inches.

weight. 61 kg.

build. she is considered average height for a female and is both slender and toned.

scars. a rather noticeable one across her clavicle and a few others in less visible places.

tattoos. n/a.

piercings. earlobes.

glasses. n/a.

MISCELLANEOUS.

zodiac. unknown.

element. fire.

house. slytherin.

myers briggs type. entp-a.

alignment. chaotic neutral.

enneagram. type eight.

temperament. choleric

intelligence type. intra-personal.

character label. the vixen.

diseases. n/a.

past mental disorders. post-traumatic stress disorder, & acute stress disorder.

current mental disorders. undiagnosed.

addictions. tobacco, cocaine, & alcohol.

vices. lust, greed, & wrath.

virtues. temperance, diligence, & humility.

allergies. n/a.

diet. carnivore.

dominant hand. ambidextrous.

accent. american.

blood type. o negative.

felonies. petty theft charge when she was fifteen. she also has a history of both kleptomania, & pyromania when she was a teenager.

vehicle. red 1966 shelby 427 cobra.

BACKGROUND.

trigger warning(s). mention of death, mention of imprisonment, & mention of murder.

although the region of her birth remains a mystery to delphine, she knows for certain that her parentage is a complex story. the by-product of a human mother and a demonic father, delphine entered this world destined for a life of chaos and disarray. though she never knew her mother, her father had been thrilled by the sheer idea of having a child he could mould and shape into the pitch-black soul he desired her to be, minus the influence of a mortal. indeed, the demon abraxas had big plans for his little girl, plans she grew to work against despite her father’s best efforts to rein her in.

the instant little delphine began to display her powers, make use of her abilities and disobey daddy dearest, the girl was locked in her room. a room that contained every possible thing that a child could want. for the first few years of her life, delphine was homeschooled by a demon under her father's command. while her father made sure she had wanted for nothing, the older she grew the deeper she desired to explore the world  and her capabilities. one fateful night, the girl managed to escape her father's abode; used her enhanced speed and endurance to run far into the dark night. of course, it wasn't long until her father's demonic henchmen were on her tail, dragging her back to her prison. delphine knew her father gave her the best life possible but she also knew that there were ulterior motives behind his kindness.

eventually, delphine proved to defy her father to breaking point resulting in him having her shipped off to an all-girls boarding school. during her schooling years there, her father sparsely visited or, instead, often sent one of his subservient demons to check in with his daughter in his place. then, after a long period of time, the visitations ceased; the last thing delphine heard was that her father had wound up entangled with a couple of hunters.

delphine deemed this both a blessing and a curse. a curse as all she'd known was her father's rule. a blessing as she was finally free to lead her own life; make her own choices and follow her own path. she wasted no time in graduating from the academy before deciding to move to new york city where she found herself enrolled in new york university, undertaking a psychology degree.

still, with no word from her father or his servants, a small element of delphine continued to look over her shoulder in fear that they would creep back into her life. perhaps her father’s involvement with the hunters had ended in disaster. or perhaps he’d simply given up on his daughter fulfilling the prophecy he placed upon her. though the latter seemed unlikely to her, delphine wasn’t entirely sure if she truly cared enough to give any of it a second thought.  

after her graduation, she was cornered by a demon who claimed to work for her father. it soon became apparent that her father had vanished, seemingly having fell off the face of the earth altogether, and that this demon had stepped in to fill his shoes. naturally, the demon was trying to recruit delphine into the fold once more but refusing to take no for an answer had deadly consequences for this other demon.  

having killed the new ruler of her father’s faction, delphine made her way across various states until she would up in hazelgrove where she laid low for the first year. after a while, she began working in purgatory as a bartender until she decided she wanted to be front and centre stage, ending up becoming a dancer. 

while delphine isn’t fond of the idea of serving demons, she isn’t utterly opposed to working alongside them nor using her demonic powers. delphine can be a ruthless, callous creature who most definitely doesn’t exist to serve anybody or bend to the will of anyone.

PERSONALITY.

the semblance of delphine can only be accurately encapsulated by ribbed turtlenecks and skin-tight jeans with red-bottomed heels. the air of her seemingly callous persona epitomised by the ease of narcissism and offhand sardonic quips accompanied by a playful grin. delphine is the perfect balance of an elegant, self-assured woman and an intelligent, artful creature; effortlessly displaying only a rare sum of her persona, the elements of her she wishes others to see while concealing all the other elements of herself she deems less than favourable. one’s initial opinion of delphine might be that she appears cold, the kind of person who wouldn’t blink while grasping any opportunity to cut you down only to build herself up. delphine couldn’t be farther removed from her childhood self. every inch, every last detail of the once bright-eyed young girl has been broken down and reshaped into the icy-glared creature who lives today. life strengthened her, shaped her into a careless adaption of who she once was; a woman who stands her ground and speaks up for herself and what she believes in, never fearing the consequences of her actions.

QUICK FACTS.

owns waaay too many pairs of heels.

her signature look is her blood-red lips.

often wears suits and totally rocks them.

extremely skilled with knives and blades. always carries one on her person at all times.

has never been in love or had her heart broken.

although she wears a lot of red, black is actually her favourite colour. she feels her most powerful in an all-black outfit.

her most prized possession is her brushed chrome zippo. it has her initials engraved on it and where she got it or from who is something she’ll never tell.

always seen with a cigarette in hand. she seriously chain smokes. always says she needs to quit but never does and probably never will either.

is very soft underneath and a lot more sensitive than she lets on but she’d rather die than expose this about herself.

has a history of both kleptomania and pyromania when she was a teenager.

has a felony of petty theft when she was fifteen.

has a psychology degree from nyu but never tells people about this.

drives way too fast but loves the thrill of it.

is aromantic. believes she doesn’t have the capacity to love.

can speak quite a few different languages though she never usually makes use of this.

she can be pretty deadly if you piss her off enough.  

thrives on chaos.

a tad theatrical.

is truly an independent woman who don’t need no man.

her drink of choice is vodka tonic.

WANTED PLOTS.

for wanted connections and potential plots, i’m open to anything and everything. seriously, throw any idea at me and if it has angst, i’m a million per cent there !! however, some connections i’d love to see delphine have are :

a confidant / friendship.

a best pal.

an unlikely supernatural creature who turns out to be her friend.

of course, fellow demons.

a potential love interest.

past or present flings / hookups / fwb / one night stands.

frenemies or plain ole enemies.

clashing personalities.

somebody she often spends time with, most likely drinking with.

[thebibliomancer]

100 Days of Comics! 034/100: Astonishing X-Men #48 (2012)

Today’s pull from the box of mystery is another fairly recent comic. And also brings me slightly over a third of the way through the box!

-confetti-

I know jack about Astonishing X-Men but if I know anything about X-Men in general its that bad life choices will be made and Wolverine will probably be on the team. These factors are probably related.

We start with a brief peak ahead. Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier; mutant from Alpha Flight; grab-bag of speed, strength, flight, shininess; first openly gay character in Marvel comics; soon to be the first gay married gay character in Marvel) is running through the sewers musing on love and trying to avoid being killed by Wolverine and Gambit. Iceman saves him and Northstar runs for the light at the end of the tunnel.

But that’s soon and now is now. And now Northstar wakes up in Hell’s Kitchen in the new apartment he’s sharing with his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu.

They have some cute relationship banter and some Real Talk but eventually Kyle talks Northstar into unpacking all their boxes with his superspeed.

Jean-Paul: Seriously? I’m super hot and all you can think about is how I can clean for you?

Kyle: That’s right. What else are you good for? -wiiink-

So now the apartment is unpacked in a flash and everything is good forever except the dedicated Jean Grey school line is ringing and Northstar promised he’d help out at the school if he ever needed a french teacher.

Elsewhere, the Upper West Side. Also, Gambit and Dr. Cecilia Reyes. Its their special hangout night. Dr. Reyes is telling Gambit that she wants a cheap place to live, not far from her hospital and a landlord that won’t raise the rent so high that she has to move.

Gambit says she can stay with him but she doesn’t want to be too close to X-Men stuff. X-Men stuff means aliens from space trying to eat her. She just wants to doctor and forget all about X-Men stuff.

Also, she has to laugh at Gambit being a school-teacher now.

But even though its Gambit and Dr. Reyes’ special just them hangout and drink wine night, someone comes knocking on the door.

SURPRISE ITS WOLVERINE (and also a disgruntled Northstar). Wolverine has come to raid Gambit’s whiskey cabinet and also to have a secret no-eavesdropping conversation. Oh, hey Dr. Reyes. They could use a doctor at the school.

“Bite me.”

And then Warbird shows up with a decapitated head and Northstar facepalms and asks if he can go home.

And then the apartment explodes.

Good thing Dr. Reyes’ special mutant power is a forcefield. But this is the exact kind of X-Men stuff she was probably hoping to do without.

There’s a helicopter hovering outside the apartment but they’re just there to be a distraction. And are soon taken down by Iceman anyway. But then Iceman is taken down by green energy dragons.

Its apparently a newish version of the Marauders! Y’know, the people that mutant massacred the Morlocks? I had to look it up because I don’t know these people but apparently its Chimera, Arclight, Harpoon, Prism, Blockbuster and Vanisher. What did Gambit ever do to you to warrant his apartment being explode, aside from putting together the first Marauders team!

Elsewhere nearby, Kyle Jinadu is not-quite-but-kinda stalking Northstar with an app he has on his phone. He says out-loud to himself that its not stalking, he’s just on a walk that happens to be in Northstar’s direction but I think he’s concerned about Northstar being involved in X-Men stuff. And the giant explosion that just happened in the direction that Northstar is in is definitely concerning.

Oh and then Kyle gets kidnapped by some off-screen figure and that’s a to be continued. I’m not too worried since he has to live long enough to get married in a few issues. In fact, I don’t think Kyle ever dies, unless you count the beginning of Secret Wars which kills nearly everybody in every universe with a few exceptions. But lets not.

[kes-au]

Lost Island

Prompt: There is an island where all lost things end up. Today you wake up, cold and wet, on the beach of that island. Sophia shifted slightly where she lay. Whatever it was she was lying on wasn't very comfortable, it was cold, wet and scratchy. As reason began to return, she realised she was lying on wet sand and there were waves splashing with increasing frequency and strength up her legs. She groaned her way up into a sitting position and looked around. She was on a deep but narrow piece of sandy beach, backed by cliffs and the bay it bordered showed piles of jagged rocks above and just below the waterline. A waterline that was rising as the tide came in. She wasn't sure how far or fast it rose, and decided to err on the side of caution. Staggering to her feet, she made her way towards the rocky walls at the back of the beach hoping to find a way out. Luck was on her side, briefly, there was a narrow, but clearly well-used path snaking up the cliff towards, well, who knew what. It was better than drowning though, so up she went, trying to work out how she'd come to be here on the way. The trek up was a decent one, but she still had no clue as to where or why and was starting to realise she was a bit sketchy on who as well. It wasn't that she didn't know her name, or who her parents were, or her home, she just couldn't remember who she was meant to be. Tucking the problem away to examine when there wasn't a cliff to scramble up, she continued up the path. Arriving at the top, Sophia found herself in a field of sorts, bordered by a wood, and a strange combination cottage/tower off to one side. Since her destination was now obvious, she took the time to look back across the bay she'd woken up in. Beyond the rocks, was spray and mist, and, very faintly behind that, she could see the hills, woods and city of her home, the royal palace standing proud atop the jumble of buildings leading to the port. The gasp hurt, she was on the Lost Island, she had lost herself. Stories had been told of people disappearing, some never to return, while others came back, changed, not always for the better. They had all lost some part of who they were, and the magic of the island, on which all lost things ended up, pulled them there in the same way as a dropped coin, or wind-snagged scarf. The ground met her backside with a thump, what part had she lost, she rummaged through her mind. Then it came back. Sophia had been betrothed to the Crown Prince in her cradle. All her life she had been brought up with the sole purpose and focus on being the best possible future queen of the country, and the best possible wife to its future king. Everything in her life had revolved around this truth. She was educated in history, economics, international trade and alliances, she spoke five languages fluently and could be charmingly uncertain in two more. She could dance, sing, sew, negotiate, strategise, take out four attackers bare handed (her father didn't like the idea of a defenceless queen - which is why he also taught her woodcraft, tracking and a few other, rather less than expected skills). And now Crown Prince Stephen had gone off on an adventure, found a damsel in distress, fallen in love, and proposed. She couldn't blame him (well, mostly not, in strong moments), they were good friends, having grown up together along with his younger brother, Michael, and their cousin Connor, but it meant their affection was more that of friends and siblings than lovers. Both sets of parents assured her this was a good thing, until yesterday. Yesterday Connor had galloped up to the front door of her parents' home, so much fury and pain radiating, Sophia thought someone had died. Instead, the core of her identity was torn out and thrown to the winds. Her future husband was now someone else's future husband and Connor didn't want Sophia to find out when Stephen brought his new love to visit, later that day. He'd always been her loyal champion, and his anger and misery on her behalf held her strong through that afternoon tea with the new future queen. That memory got her off the ground and walking. It had been excruciating. The girl was a pretty little thing, rather like a kitten, and a kitten was not ever going to sit well on a throne. Sophia hoped that wasn't sour grapes speaking, but she worried. Stephen wasn't the strongest of people, he was so kind, without someone like her or Connor - who'd been raised to guard Stephen's more extreme impulses - he was likely to give away the farm (often literally). A caring monarch was good, a doormat was a problem and she knew a large part of her upbringing had been structured especially to counter Stephen's weaknesses, just he was to counter hers. Her musings were interrupted by her arrival at the cottage/tower, she knocked. The door was opened by a bright-eyed woman who may have been thirty, fifty, or anywhere in between. She called back into the house, "I was right, we have another waif." The lady smiled and gestured for Sophia to enter. Sophia figured she was already lost, if this was a dangerous move, it wasn't likely to be any less dangerous than running into the woods, especially now evening was drawing in. The interior of the cottage managed to combine light and airy, with cosy and welcoming - it could never be created by, or house, anyone with malicious intent. A door on the far side of the room opened and a man came through from what Sophia presumed was the base of the tower. "Aha! And in what way are you lost young lady? Have you lost your mind, your memory, your religion or your reason?" Sophia paused, trying to explain her particular loss - "I've lost my identity and purpose, I think, it's all a bit confusing." "Well it would be, but at least you can still speak and know down from up, that's a better starting point than some of the others who've been through here over the years." Sophia grimaced, that sounded deeply unpleasant. "So, what now? How do I get home? Is there a boat or something? Or am I going to have to do some crazy quest to find myself? Please don't let it include freezing showers in mountain waterfalls, I hate being cold." The couple laughed. The woman picked up the conversation, "You're partially right, you do need to go on a quest of sorts, but it's really just you looking for your way off the island - it's different for everyone - and generally involves the finding of other things along the way." "But not right now, night's falling and you've had a rather busy day, how about a bath and change of clothes, dinner and a good sleep in one of our spare rooms? We can look at your situation in the morning and make some more considered suggestions and decisions in the light of day." Sophia smiled and decided to go with her gut in trusting these people, a short time of peace in the haven of their home sounded perfect, and she was hoping to hear their story at some point as well. The couple introduced themselves as Evan and Imelda and Imelda showed Sophia through to a warm, comfortable room, fully equipped with a comfortable bed, with slightly mismatched posts, and a dressing table sporting a full brush and mirror set. "This will be yours while you stay, now come along to the clothing rooms and see what we can find in there for you." As they walked, Imelda explained, the various lost items were sorted by magic (Evan's magic) into various 'receiving areas' so they could be more easily dealt with. "Otherwise we'd fast be drowning in odd socks and pot lids." Arriving at a room that was a mix of wardrobe and laundry pile, they started looking through for clean, newish things in Sophia's size - there was a surprising amount. "Oh yes, people are awfully careless with their washing - we always get a load in after a windy day." "How do you 'deal' with them and the other lost items?" "Oh it's quite easy really, we sort through what's good enough to be re-homed, and what's only good for rags, then send out packages to various charity homes, orphanages, hospitals and the suchlike. It saves them a great deal of trouble and makes sure whatever was lost is properly used and appreciated. Anything that's not good for people works well for crafters making rag rugs, patchworks and other useful odds and ends." Sophia was now in possession of fresh, clean underwear, still wrapped in paper from the store, she thought it might be the set she had ordered a month or so before, that somehow never made it home - the embroidery looked very familiar - along with a dress that, while not as ornate as those her mother preferred to see her in, was well-made, sensible and a lovely shade of soft spring green (except for special state occasions where she must be seen, a future queen should opt for quiet good taste, soft colours and modest styles). The next stop was the bathing room, a deep bathing pool gently steamed in tiled surrounds while piles of fresh towels stacked themselves up against the wall and a set of shelves displayed a bewildering array of soaps, lotions and interesting potions. "Are ALL these lost items?" "Yes, as I said, people do get awfully careless and it's the richer who are the more careless, so the items we get do tend to be rather nice.": With that, Imelda left her to her bath and new wardrobe. A short time later, clean, warm and freshly turned out, Sophia returned to the kitchen, led by her nose. It has been a long time since that awful afternoon tea. She joined the older couple at the table and tucked in to her serve of a delicious stew with fresh bread. Once the edge was off her hunger, her questions crowded in again. Evan eyed her with amusement, "well you'd best be out and asking them, or your head will surely explode." Sophia flushed, "Am I really that obvious?" (A future queen should show interest and concern, but never vulgar curiosity) "To those of use who've met many people under many circumstances on this island, yes. There are always things that are hard to understand and it quite often starts with the two of us." Imelda laughed, "Such an ego on the man, but sometimes knowing this island provides a comfortable and happy home to those that wish it, makes things easier for those who no longer know their place in the world." "So how did you both come to be here?" Evan looked slightly guilty, "Well the island is really my fault." "WHAT?!" "Well, I'm a wizard and back when I was young and rather over-dramatic, I fell in love with a young lady who didn't love me back. Now fair's fair, you can't compel love where it doesn't wish to be, so I thought I could fix my sad situation by compelling my lost heart to return to me. Unfortunately my dramatics led to some imprecise wording in the spell and EVERYTHING that's lost now comes to my home." "The lass I was making a fool of myself over couldn't decide between hilarity and sympathy, but she helped me put some order to things and then went her own way, married a farmer just up the coast and used to occasionally accidentally on purpose lose my favourite apple pies. I figure I've done some silly things for love, but my heart has always had very good taste." Sophia turned her head to Imelda, "My story doesn't hit Evan's level of whimsy I'm afraid. I'm the one who arrived unable to speak." She smiled sadly at Sophia's horror. "I lost my memory, and my voice after my husband tried to choke me for not having his preferred beer in the cellar. I arrived completely disoriented and unable to speak and utterly terrified of Evan, without knowing why. His patience and care are the only reasons I'm alive." Evan reached for Imelda's hand. "Once I was healthy enough, I undertook my quest, found the deity of Lost Island who returned my memories, and I knew I was never going back. Evan showed me what a true partnership is and how real love can be, and I'd be cursed as beyond a fool to ever give that up." Evan leaned forward, "And if you're wondering about that scum-sucker of an ex-husband, well, let's just say he rather sadly lost his human form, but seems to have become quite comfortable as a toad." Imelda smiled, and the atmosphere at the table lightened again. "Now I think that's enough for tonight, you can ask more tomorrow." Sophia's head was still spinning, trying to make sense of too much information and too many emotional pitfalls, she agreed and retired for the night, falling asleep immediately, despite her crazy situation." The next morning, her head was still overflowing, but one element from the previous night's conversation begged further explanation. As she helped Evan prepare breakfast (a future queen should always know how her household runs and be able to pitch in at any time) she asked about the reference Imelda had made to a god the night before. "Oh, not a god, a deity. God implies a masculine gender and the deity decided to do away with such mundane things as gender, and in fact a corporeal body for much of the time, when they were lost to their worshippers." "Your island attracted a lost GOD? Sorry, deity?" "Yes, and I wouldn't say that's the strangest thing here. We have quite a collection of creatures who survived on human belief that was somehow lost over time. Everything from unicorns to dragons to brownies to fae. And the more we get, the wider the island's reach seems to become. We used to just fetch up lost items from the city. Now, well we had a mass inundation of genie lamps last week, we're trying to work out how to free them without turning any over-powered psychopaths into the world" "I feel like I've wandered into a fairy story." "In some ways you have, and you need to follow the rules of a fairy story to come out the other end. The trick is to make sure you're following the path as a hero, not a villain." "And how do I do that?" "Good question, the villains have always believed themselves to be heroes of some sort." With that he called through the door to Imelda to join them for breakfast. Imelda brought a child with her, sleepy and a little scared of a new person but not enough to sacrifice breakfast. Sophia looked to Imelda in question, she shook her head a little sadly, "Too many children are lost and only the lucky ones make it here." "Do they stay here with you?" "Generally no, that old flame of Evan's started an orphanage on her husband's farm when it became obvious what was happening. It's healthier for them to be in the normal world. It's one of the main recipients of the clothing bundles, along with the lost coins, rings and other assorted trinkets that can pay for a comfortable childhood." Sophia nodded and smiled at the child, "What's your name?" The child looked down and mumbled, "n't know" "Well do you have a name for yourself in your mind that you'd like to use?" Evan looked across approvingly. The child looked up, caught by the idea, "I could choose?" "Of course." The little face lit up, "Can I be Princess Sunshine?" Imelda quietly said, "Since you're a boy, most people would expect you to prefer Prince Sunshine, but if you'd rather be Princess, then that's who you are." The child thought deeply, then huffed, "That's too silly and hard, I'll just be Sunshine then." Evan smiled, "You can always work out if you want to be Princess, Prince, Warrior, Artisan or Jester later on." Sunshine, serious again, nodded, storing the titles away for future review. The room was silent for a while as everyone tucked in. Once she had eaten her fill, Sophia sat back and started reviewing what she knew so far, and what her next steps might be. The rest of the group finished in their own time, allowing her the space to think. She looked between them, "So what will you be doing today, anything I can help with?" Evan looked at her, "You don't want to get straight into your quest?" "I don't think it's a good idea. I feel like I need a couple of days to just collect myself and understand what I might need to do in order to find who I am again. That will give me a better outline of what the quest should be, at least to start with, than me running out the door unplanned and unprepared." She felt a quiet approval roll across the table towards her and relaxed a little. These people were already important to her and knowing she was approaching things in a way they felt suitable was comforting. Breakfast over, she helped with the cleaning up, then was turned loose in the maze of rooms below the cottage that were set aside for the collection of various types of lost items.