#...a few of those visits were field trips actually

[madrigaljail]

Since these tags are basically "say EPCOT one more time" I will say I did go to Magic Kingdom....maybe three times?? not counting that time when I was four and my mother took me on Space Mountain and I spent the entire time weeping and screaming and wanting to go home to my cat. Also MGM Studios maybe twice and Animal Kingdom once because why go there when I had an annual pass to Busch Gardens for like $50 and could pop in to ride the log flume between classes at college.

[alphynix]

Crystal Palace Field Trip Part 2: Walking With Victorian Dinosaurs

[Previously: the Permian and the Triassic]

The next part of the Crystal Palace Dinosaur trail depicts the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Most of the featured animals here are actually marine reptiles, but a few dinosaur species do make an appearance towards the end of this section.

Although there are supposed to be three Jurassic ichthyosaur statues here, only the big Temnodontosaurus platyodon could really be seen at the time of my visit. The two smaller Ichthyosaurus communis and Leptonectes tenuirostris were almost entirely hidden by the dense plant growth on the island.

Ichthyosaurs when fully visible vs currently obscured Left side image by Nick Richards (CC BY SA 2.0)

Head, flipper, and tail details of the Temnodontosaurus. A second ichthyosaur is just barely visible in the background.

Ichthyosaurs were already known from some very complete and well-preserved fossils in the 1850s, so a lot of the anatomy here still holds up fairly well even 170 years later. They even have an attempt at a tail fin despite no impressions of such a structure having been discovered yet! Some details are still noticeably wrong compared to modern knowledge, though, such as the unusual amount of shrinkwrapping on the sclerotic rings of the eyes and the bones of the flippers.

———

Arranged around the ichthyosaur, three different Jurassic plesiosaurs are also represented – “Plesiosaurus” macrocephalus with the especially sinuous neck on the left, Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus in the middle, and Thalassiodracon hawkinsi on the right.

They're all depicted here as amphibious and rather seal-like, hauling out onto the shore in the same manner as the ichthyosaurs. While good efforts for the time, we now know these animals were actually fully aquatic, that they had a lot more soft tissue bulking out their bodies, and that their necks were much less flexible.

———

The recently-installed new pivot bridge is also visible here behind some of the marine reptiles.

———

Positioned to the left of the other marine reptiles, this partly-obscured pair of croc-like animals are teleosaurs (Teleosaurus cadomensis), a group of Jurassic semi-aquatic marine crocodylomorphs.

A better view of the two teleosaurs by MrsEllacott (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Crystal Palace statues have the general proportions right, with long thin gharial-like snouts and fairly small limbs. But some things like the shape of the back of the head and the pattern of armored scutes are wrong, which is odd considering that those details were already well-known in the 1850s.

———

Finally we reach the first actual dinosaur, and one of the most iconic statues in the park: the Jurassic Megalosaurus!

Megalosaurus bucklandi was the very first non-avian dinosaur known to science, discovered in the 1820s almost twenty years before the term "dinosaur" was even coined.

At a time when only fragments of the full skeleton were known, and before any evidence of bipedalism had been found, the Crystal Palace rendition of Megalosaurus is a bulky quadrupedal reptile with a humped back and upright bear-like limbs. It's a surprisingly progressive interpretation for the period, giving the impression of an active mammal-like predator.

This statue suffered extensive damage to its snout in 2020, which was repaired a year later with a fiberglass "prosthesis".

———

Reaching the Cretaceous period now, we find Hylaeosaurus (and one of the upcoming Iguanodon peeking in from the side).

Hylaeosaurus armatus was the first known ankylosaur, although much like the other dinosaurs here its life appearance was very poorly understood in the early days of paleontology. Considering how weird ankylosaurs would later turn out to be, the Crystal Palace depiction is a pretty good guess, showing a large heavy iguana-like quadruped with hoof-like claws and armored spiky scaly skin.

It's positioned facing away from viewers, so its face isn't very visible – but due to the head needing to be replaced with a fiberglass replica some years ago, the original can now be seen (and touched!) up close near the start of the trail.

———

Two pterosaurs (or "pterodactyles" according to the park signs) were also supposed to be just beyond the Hylaeosaurus, but plant growth had completely blocked any view of them.

Although these two statues are supposed to represent a Cretaceous species now known as Cimoliopterus cuvieri, they were probably actually modeled based on the much better known Jurassic-aged Pterodactylus antiquus.

A second set of pterosaur sculptures once stood near the teleosaurs, also based on Pterodactylus but supposed to represent a Jurassic species now known as Dolicorhamphus bucklandii. These statues went missing in the 1930s, and were eventually replaced with new fiberglass replicas in the early 2000s… only to be destroyed by vandalism just a few years later.

(The surviving pair near the Hylaeosaurus are apparently in a bit of disrepair these days, too, with the right one currently missing most of its jaws.)

Image by Ben Sutherland (CC BY 2.0)

The Crystal Palace pterosaurs weren't especially accurate even for the time, with heads much too small, swan-like necks, and bird-like wings that don't attach the membranes to the hindlimbs. Hair-like fuzz had been observed in pterosaur fossils in the 1830s, but these depictions are covered in large overlapping diamond-shaped scales due to Richard Owen's opinion that they should be scaly because they were reptiles.

But some details still hold up – the individual with folded wings is in a quadrupedal pose quite similar to modern interpretations, and the bird-like features give an overall impression of something more active and alert than the later barely-able-to-fly sluggish reptilian pterosaur depictions that would become common by the mid-20th century.

(Much like the statues themselves, the "modern" reconstruction above is based on Pterodactylus rather than Cimoliopterus)

———

The last actual dinosaurs on this dinosaur trail are the two Cretaceous Iguanodon sculptures. At the time of my visit they weren't easy to make out behind the overgrown trees, and only the back end of the standing individual was clearly visible.

Named only a year after Megalosaurus, Iguanodon was the second dinosaur ever discovered, and early reconstructions depicted it as a giant iguana-like lizard.

The Crystal Palace statues depict large bulky animals, one in an upright mammal-like stance and another reclining with one hand raised up. (This hand is usually resting on a cycad trunk, but that element appeared to be either missing or fallen over when I was there.)

Famously a New Year's dinner party was held in the body of the standing Iguanodon during its construction, although the accounts of how many people could actually fit inside it at once are probably slightly exaggerated.

A clearer view by Jim Linwood (CC BY 2.0)

Considering that the skull of Iguanodon wasn't actually known at the time of these sculpture's creation, the head shape with a beak at the front of the jaws is actually an excellent guess. The only major issue was the nose horn, which was an understandable mistake when something as strange as a giant thumb spike had never been seen in any known animal before.

(The fossils the Crystal Palace statues are based on are actually now classified as Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, but the "modern" reconstruction above depicts the chunkier Iguanodon bernissartensis.)

———

Image by Doyle of London (CC BY-SA 4.0)

I also wasn't able to spot the Cretaceous mosasaur on the other side of the island due to heavy foliage obscuring the view.

Depicting Mosasaurus hoffmannii, this model consists of only the front half of the animal lurking at the water's edge. It's unclear whether this partial reconstruction is due to uncertainty about the full appearance, or just a result of money and time running out during its creation.

The head is boxier than modern depictions, and the scales are too large, but the monitor-lizard like features and paddle-shaped flippers are still pretty close to our current understanding of these marine reptiles. It even apparently has the correct palatal teeth!

Next time: the final Cenozoic section!

[mosaickiwi]

Fall Unto Me

Meant to post this before Halloween except it got reaaaally long so I split it up. 🙈 It works as a standalone, though. I'll put the other parts up at some point hehe.

Actual!Angel and Devil!Ren AU (yoinked from da discord bot once again) One visit to earth turns into eternity. 1.4k words + GN reader

cw// religious themes

14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI

With pearly white wings and a halo of gold, you were a disciple in heaven’s endless library. Duty bound to organize records and histories of paradise and its worlds below. Though you’d never looked within those records, just being in their presence gave you curiosity about your god’s creations all the same.

Once every hundred or so years in your infinite lifespan, you sought to venture into the human realm before returning to your celestial duty. It was an odd request to your peers. None were as interested in mortals as you so each visit was a lonely affair. You never stayed more than an hour or two, merely observing how they had changed from a favored seat in the clouds above, lest someone spotted you. It was only meant to be a short trip as always. This time something felt different.

In the quaint seaside town you were fond of visiting, you'd sensed a devil and dared to investigate. Of course, you'd never met one, so you had no idea what that uneasy feeling even was until your feet touched the ground for the very first time.

The devil seemed to be asleep in a field of blossoms, butterflies fluttering about. Spring was always in full bloom when you descended to earth. Pastel pink hair blended with the flowers, only making the black horns atop his head and the symbols scrawled along his arms stand out even more.

You approached with caution and curiosity. Though they were meant to be your sworn enemy, heaven's few rumors about devils already appeared untrue. The fauna and flora around him weren't withered and rotting, but full of life. He didn't smell of burning flesh, nor was he covered head to toe in the blood of his victims. If anything, his form seemed almost angelic.

He opened his eyes as you came closer, and their sky blue color welcomed you further. "Ah, could I be dreaming? Or has an angel come to rescind my eternal punishment?" he spoke wryly. 

"Nay, devil. I want no trouble from you," you said in response, caught off guard by his casual, relaxed greeting. You took a few fearful steps away when he rose to lean back on his hands.

"Hmm... You have some holy divination or blessing to bestow upon this land, I assume. I've no intention of interfering." He smiled up at you, and those angelic features seemed even more prominent. Were it not for the pointed tail swishing with vigor behind him, you'd think this devil was one of your own.

"There's no mission I've been given," you explained with a shake of your head, "I'm only here to observe my god's world for a few moments, out of my own curiosity."

"Fascinating. I've never known angels to take interest in mortal affairs before their passing. Then, if no duty calls for thee—" he stopped to pluck a white bud that hadn't quite fully bloomed from the sea around him. "Might you grace me with your divine visage for one moment longer, little angel? I've called earth my home for millennia—and damnation is dreadfully boring. I could help with those curiosities, if you so desire." He held the bud out to you as an offering.

Though his words sounded sincere, you felt unsure. “...Do you take me to be so naive? I know your kind favor trickery.”

“I only offer my companionship,” he gave an innocent shrug. That heavenly smile was still fixed on you.

Your eyes darted between his outstretched hand and his face. Eventually, you took the flower from him. You could sense no ill intent on their part, so it wouldn't hurt to stay a little while. Nonetheless, you’d do your best to stay on guard.

~

The sun dipped lower in the sky as you lost track of time. Ren, you learned, knew far more of humans than you ever imagined. Your interest in them grew with each story he told of the world. At his urging, you'd gone to the beach to wander up close among them. It was a bit of a struggle to prepare—you'd never been told that your wings could retract or your halo could be hidden. But he coached you through it, not so much as flinching at the sting of divine power when you accidentally hit his arm with a wing on the first try. For a devil, he was oddly knowledgeable of things beyond his damned realm.

“You said your visits were always over in the late morning. So you haven’t seen this time of day, have you?” he asked as you both walked along the shore, waves glittering in gentle reds and pinks you’d never known the sun to make.

“I haven’t seen this terrain either.” Even with the occasional pausing stares of young children and animals—the only beings who could see your true form, as they were without sin—you were thrilled at the new experiences you were having. Your footsteps painted the sand rather unevenly compared to his. It was impossible to get used to the sinking feeling, nor the coarse sand getting into your sandals. You laughed at the sensation. “Heaven is all clouds and gardens. Here… it’s so different. The sun shines differently. But it’s still just as beautiful.”

He took your hand in his to keep you steady, pulling you towards the water’s edge. They were all too comfortable with the action, but you didn't spare it a thought. The guard you were meant to keep up had been thrown aside long ago. “I’m honored to show you such new experiences. And I only hope to give you more.” Ren’s face was bathed in a heavenly glow as he guided you into the water. 

It was a stark contrast. The once warm sand turned to a bracing cold, almost slimy texture as the water slowly rose up to your waist. You raised your other hand up high to avoid it, still clutching the late blooming bud he’d picked for you.

The pink-haired devil brought you to a stop and nodded out at the setting sun with an unreadable look, “I’m sure you won’t be able to take your eyes away from it. I couldn’t, my first time seeing the sun disappear.” At his suggestion you turned your head to watch, barely aware of the way their tail wrapped around your hips to keep you close.

It was captivating as the sun began to fall further beyond the horizon, the hues of the day gradually shifting both in the sky and sea before your eyes. Golds, reds, pinks, and purples all chased after the light, leaving behind a blue as cold as the water felt. In what seemed like an instant, it was over too soon—not a trace left of the glorious sun that never set back in the heavens you called home. Strangely enough, your body tensed with heavy feelings. As if you were saying goodbye to a part of you. You stood staring out at the graying ocean for a long while, until the cold water lapping against your skin felt no different from the air.

“How was it?” he gently broke the silence. You felt his hand move to rest over your own, cradling the flower still between your fingers. The heat of his touch guided you to meet his gaze.

“Breathtaking, I think,” you whispered with a frown as you looked up at him. “And a bit sad? All that warmth disappeared—I’m not sure how to feel.”

“Breathtaking as the sun is, you’ll find on earth that some flowers show their true beauty without its watchful eye, my little angel,” he said to reassure you. The bud in your shared grasp opened slowly at his words, its tapered white petals unfurling to reveal pale lavender edges as the sky darkened further. His fingers traced behind your ear before he tucked the flower among the strands of your hair, seeming to admire it. “You’d never have known if you’d only stayed those few moments.”

You searched his eyes as his hand lingered at your cheek. Just as when you first met, there was no malice in their voice. A devil who appreciated your god’s work felt unheard of. From Ren's intense gaze he looked as if he revered them. He must've been a kindred soul—or the equivalent of a soul in demons. You wanted to know more about him as well, not just mortals. 

Their fangs gleamed in the faint moonlight when you quietly asked, “What else can you show me?”

[skijumpingf1]

The End (D.Prevc x D.Tande)

This was my way of coping with Daniels retirement. So this oneshot is about the whole situation around the retirement (Domiel´s version). I was on a field trip from uni these past weeks so had to write this on my phone, and it is probably not as good because I hate to write on my phone. But I had like an urge to do this. So enjoy! This is set in my interconnected oneshot series (last part is here) and it is from Domens perspective just to let you know.

Wordcount: 3984

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I am a bit nervous as I stand in the arrival hall at the airport in Ljubljana. Daniel was just training over in Norway and seeing his family. Judging by his mood over the phone at least one of those didn’t go so well. He seemed a bit stressed, but he wouldn’t tell me why. Maybe he hasn’t figured it out yet. I hope it has nothing to do with the fact that he officially moved to Slovenia a few months ago. He seemed happy with it but maybe he got homesick.

After planica it was pretty clear that Daniel would move and not me. Still, I gave it a bit of thought and he spoke to his family. His mom was hesitant, but she loves us together (and me too) and she knew that we were ready for the next step. Our national teams were pretty open about it too. So, we went apartment hunting in the area of the airport. The commute from our home to the airport shouldn’t be high when he would fly that much. To be honest, the first few weeks were a bit like heaven and hell at the same time. Heaven in the way that we could finally spent as much time together as we want. Hell because we went public at the same time and we may have underestimated the attention we would get. Especially here.

We were recognized almost every time we went outside. That lead to us not going anywhere which wasn’t good for Daniels acclimatization here in Slovenia. Eventually the attention got less and less, and we could move on.

Now that Daniel lives with me, it is my regular duty to collect him at the airport. I still love seeing him again. But today I am not just thrilled that my boyfriend is back.

His flight has landed about fifteen minutes ago and customs and stuff is always quick here so he should be out any minute. The door between the secluded area and the world outside opens and a few people in suits step out. I peak behind them. Daniel is coming out next. Automatically I form a smile at him. I spot him first and I get a moment of just looking at him when he doesn’t feel seen. He looks worried. Or stressed. Maybe unsure even. I swallow hard. So, it wasn’t my imagination that something was up. Then he notices me and his face lights up. His steps are getting faster and then he is back with me. I open my arms and pull him into a tight hug. “I missed you so much.”, I greet him.

“I have been gone for just six days.” “Yes, and? I still missed you.” The apartment was painful quiet without him. I even went to my parent’s house for a night. Officially to hang out with my sisters but I was there because I couldn’t stand the emptiness.

“I missed you too.” He presses a small kiss to my lips and takes my hand. I grab his suitcase but not without him complaining that he could do it himself. On the drive back home, he updates me on his family who are planning on visiting in a few months. This makes me think that something on the ski jumping side is up. Which is kinda scary. His from isn’t the best right now but he never acted this down. Something must have happened. Did he fall again and not told me? Or the team? After last season the whole dynamic changed. It wouldn’t surprise me if there would be still tensions inside team Norway after that.

“What’s up?”, I ask when I put a glass of wine in front of his face. We reheated the Lasagne that I made this morning for us (Yes, I actually can do a proper lasagne.) Now he is already sitting down waiting for me to do the same. “Nothing is up. Should be something up?” I take a sip from my glass and sit down. “I don’t know. Tell me.” He frowns a bit. His beautiful face is making a grimace. “I hope it is nothing major, so I didn’t want to tell you. You know the rule. I don’t know if I am really serious yet.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Oh god. He is thinking about retirement. That’s out rule. No talk about retiring if you are not serious.

I know him. The way he acts, the way he talked. He really thinks about it. “But you are serious considering it, aren’t you?” “I mean, it crossed my mind a few times. Especially this past week.” He doesn’t look at me. Daniel studies the tablecloth. I reach over the table and take his hand. “It is okay, Daniel. If you are considering it, talk it through with me.”  He finally looks up and I can spot a few tears in his eyes. I squeeze his hand tighter. “I know how hard Peros retirement was for you. I don’t want to burden you with another potential hard hit.” “You know the worst part was that he didn’t spoke to me, right? So, talk to me. Why are you considering it?” I can’t believe we are actually having this conversation now. In a few years for sure but it is so soon. Obviously, I would respect his decision either way, but I would miss him greatly in world cup.

“After Planica I hoped that every time, I would jump the fear would be getting less overwhelming and at the beginning it was like that. I don’t know what changed but now it feels like the opposite. Every time I am at the gate the fear is getting stronger and stronger again. Maybe it has to do with my bad form and that I am not trusting myself a hundred percent. Maybe it is me getting older.” Gosh sometimes I hate him. Why doesn’t he tell me stuff like this? It must be overwhelming to fear the thing he loves. Conflicting and hurtful. I know how much he loves it. I have seen it first hand. It is a passion we share. I couldn’t even imagine how hard it is to start losing it.

Daniel takes a sip from his wine. The Lasagne is long forgotten. “Do you think it could change again when you get into shape?” He raises his shoulders and sighs. “That’s what I am trying to find out.” I run my hand through my hair. That is a lot to be honest. “Ok.  If you want to talk it through, let me know. And I mean it. If you can’t sleep because of it wake me up.” He raises an eyebrow and puts a hand on my cheek. “I will try but I know that topic is hard for you too.” “Obviously I want you to continue with ski jumping. It means that we can spent so much more time together. Especially since it would be the first season since we are out. But if you just torture yourself with it, let it be. I can understand it. Ultimately ski jumping should bring you more joy than fear.”

Ziga stares worriedly at me when lift my weights. There is really no reason for it. I am doing everything like I do usually. Same weight, same posture. “What?”, I ask my teammate as soon as I set the weights down. “You just look emotional. That is rare.” “Very rare.”, adds Lovro who just finished his rotation on the weights too. I sigh and let myself sit down at the bench. “A lot on my mind recently.”, is my vague answer to the unasked question. “Care to elaborate?” I actually would but it is not my thing to share. So, I couldn’t. Also, it wasn’t like Daniel made up his mind in the last two days. Even though I think I know in which direction he will decide. Subconsciously he knows he can’t continue. But he needs to figure it out himself.

“Nope. I don’t want to elaborate.” “Ah, it is Daniel. Do you want to propose? I mean I think you guys are endgame, but you just moved in together. Maybe wait at least half a year.”, Timi chimes in. My eyes widen. Proposing and marriage can wait a few more years. Until we are comfortable living together. “No, I am not proposing. It just complicated stuff. Stuff that I can’t really talk about now.”  My teammates look not sacrificed but that is not my problem. “Don’t you think Daniel would be okay with you talking about it with your friends? I mean he knows how teams work. He probably talks about you with his teammates as well.” Normally I would agree but this is a sensitive topic. Daniel isn’t sure yet. And I don’t want him to get pressure from the guys since he trains with us quite often. “Maybe I just don’t want to talk about it with you guys.” I wink at them and stand back up. Lovro rolls his eyes. “Idiot.”

When I come home a few hours later. Another car is parked in front of the house. A car that I am pretty familiar with. What is Peter doing here? Did I forget that we were supposed to babysat today? Normally Peter would remind me twice before he brings his kids to our home. Slowly I enter the airy apartment that always reminds me of Daniels flat in Oslo. “I know it is a hard decision, but I don’t think it is a decision anymore.”, I hear my brother speaking. Oh. Seems like Danny invited my brother to talk about his potential retirement. Judging by Peros last sentence he also thinks that Daniel already made up his mind.

“I am home.”, I call out loudly to make my presence know. It was only fair, and I don’t want to spy on boyfriend. I take off my jacket while I hear rumbling in the living room. Seconds later Daniel is standing in the small hallway. A half smile on his lips. He is wearing jeans. Probably because Peter is over. Normally he prefers sweats at home. Or just boxers, my favourite choice. He closes the distance between us and puts an arm around my torso to pull me in. “Hei.”, he whispers. We are so close that I can feel his breath on my lips. I lean in and kiss him softly. As soon as I wrap my arms around him, I can hear a mumbled noise. Peter. I almost forgot he is here too. Reluctant, I let go of my boyfriend.

“Hello Peter.” My brother is standing in the doorway and has a smile on his lips. He is always so weird about Danny and me. He still looks so ... proud, I guess. As if he still couldn’t believe it. “I don’t want to annoy you guys any longer. Daniel if you want to talk again, I am free most of the time.” Peter pats me on the shoulder when he passes us on the way to wardrobe. “Or you could stay for dinner. If Mina doesn’t mind of course. Daniel made Kjøttboller.” Both of them look at me in surprise. It was not typical for me at all to spend more time with Peter than I needed. Especially outside of our childhood home. Mum hosts a Dinner once a week since I moved out. Whenever we could, Tuesdays were spent there. Recently I used this to speak with Peter more. It is weird but I miss him around. Apart from the dinner I only see him at hand overs for babysitting.

“If it wouldn’t burden you, I would love to try whatever Daniel made.”, Peter replies. “Don’t expect too much. There just meatballs.”, says Daniel and than he presses as short kiss to my lips.

“Do you have time to fly to Norway soon?” We are both not sleeping that night. He didn’t tell me that he is going to retire yet. But I know he knows that I know. If that makes sense. Daniel probably hasn’t said it out loud yet. Not even to himself. Saying something makes something more official. It is like when you say I love you for the first time. It is a big step that can’t be taken back. Nevertheless, the unspoken words are hanging between us. Both too restless to sleep because of it.

“I am going to Wisla. But I could fly to Norway before or after that.”, I answer his question. His hand is running over my chest. It is dark so I can’t really see him, but I think he is sitting a bit up. “I need you there when I tell people. Without you I can’t do it.” “Of course. Tell me when to book flights and I will do the rest.” I swallow hard. Just don’t start to cry, Domen. Daniel is now living here. I will see him more often now since he doesn’t need to go back to Norway that often. And Danny will probably come to a few competitions at least. I close my eyes. “I am proud of you.”, I say and try to hide my trembling voice. “Don’t you think it is cowardly to just give up? To just retire?” There it is. Retire. Fully officially spoken. I turn to my side to face him. I trace his hand on my chest and take it into my hand. “I think it is brave that you know when to stop and to leave the world you have known forever.” It is quiet on the other side of the bed for a few moments. “Thanks, I needed to hear this.” “I love you, Daniel. Of course, I know what you need and now you need a big cuddle session.” As I speak, I wrap my arms around him and pull him into my side. “I love you too.”

The whole flight to Oslo, Daniel squeezed my hand so bad that I almost asked him if he changed his mind. But the look of relief on his face when he realized that he wouldn’t need to jump this time he was back in Norway, made me realize that he was just scared. Scared of what his family and team will say.

The first stop of our list is his family. Trude Tande breaks out in tears as soon as her son announces his retirement. Tears of relief, I should add. Daniel told me once that she always is nervous watching him jump but after Planica it got worse. After we left his family home, we get to his trainer. The only time Daniel said it makes more sense to be alone when he tells someone. So, I wait in the car. He is already in there for half an hour. I don’t know if it’s long or short for this kind off conversation. I never had one myself and I never occurred to me to ask my brothers about their talks with our coaches. I run my hand through my hair while I text Nika to ask how she has been doing. Our schedules didn’t really align the past couple of weeks, so I just saw her once. I would probably have to wait a few hours for a reply since she is in the gym right now.

I look at the watch in the car. Now it has been 40 minutes. At what point should I go in and storm into the office? An hour? Just as I open the car door, Daniel comes out of the building. His eyes puffy and cheeks red. I slam the car door behind me and take a step towards him. He wraps his arms immediately around me when I reach him and buries his face in my neck. “Everything will be alright.”, I say because I don’t know what else to say. Daniel is clinging onto me, and I brush lightly over his back. “It was just so hard seeing the petty look on his face.”

We stand there for a while. I don’t know for how long exactly. At some point his cries get less and less. “Are you okay getting in the car?”, I ask him. He nods quietly and I let him go but without really letting him go. I still hold his hand until he is sitting in the passenger seat. Before I close the door, I give him a small kiss. I take a deep breath outside the car. It hurts so much seeing him like this. We both know it is the right decision, but ski jumping was such a big part in his life. Of course it hurts.

“Should I call the guys and cancel?”, I speak when we finally reached Daniels flat. He invited his teammates and a few old friends to his apartment in Oslo, which he kept until now. It is time to tell them about the retirement as well but after the conversation with his trainer I don’t know if it is the right thing to do today. Some of his teammates are on the way to Wisla as well and booked their flights over Oslo to be here. But I am sure they would understand if he would cancel. “No. I think I have to do this today and I want them to know.” While I nod, I wrap my arms around his torso. He is too restless to sit down, but I trap him near the couch where I sit. He puts his hands over mine and breaths in. Finally, the nervous energy leaves. “Do you want a shot maybe? Or a glass of wine? Beer?” My boyfriend turns inside my arms until he faces me. I open my legs for him and invite him to take a step closer to me. He runs a hand through my hair. “I have a better idea to get the energy out.”, he smirks. “You know the guys are coming in an hour, right? And we need to do the food.” I know logically that it isn’t a good idea, but I let my hand run down his spine until I reach his ass. “Strong words for someone who is practically forcing me onto his lap.” “Force of habit.”, I reply while I put more force in to get him on top of me. He chuckles. “We make it quick.”

 Daniel looks so much relaxed when the doorbell rings. While I put the last mini pizzas in the oven, he opens the door. Andres Fannemel is the first to arrive. He is already retired and not much around in the ski jumping community at the moment. I probably haven’t seen him in at least two years. But Daniel and him kept close contact. “If you want something to drink, Domen is in the kitchen and will get you something. I just put some music on.”, speaks Daniel and the hallway.

I can hear the steps of the Norwegian and swiftly put the last utensils in the cupboard. “Domen.”, nods Anders when he enters the kitchen. “Hey Anders. How is it going?” The retired ski jumper shrugs. I don’t think he is particularly fond of me. Maybe he thinks it was my fault that we took so long to make our relationship public or maybe he just doesn’t like me. But it has gotten better of the years. “Good actually. How are things with you?” “Still trying to figure my form out. Apart from that everything is relatively fine.” Apart from the fact that all my close people in world cup chose to retire. First Cene, then Mac (who just took a break but somehow hasn’t been back), of course Peter and now Daniel. “Are you coping without Peter in training?” “It has been harder than I thought but it is okay. I am a bit closer to my other teammates now.” I take a glass out and give it to Anders. He looks suspicious at it. “Behind you are the drinks.” “And how are you coping with this?” He pours himself a coke into the glass and leans against the table. “With what?”, I reply hesitantly. A smirk is building on Anders face. “It is kind of obvious. Never have I ever seen that Daniel hosts a team dinner and the way he spoke about ski jumping the last few weeks. You forgot that I am already retired. I know what leads to this decision. So, how are you coping with Daniels retirement?”  

Daniel pops into the kitchen. “Rob just texted that he and the others are almost there. The flight from Trondheim was delayed.” Just as he speaks the doorbell rings, and he is out of the door again. Anders still looks awaiting at me. “For him it is the best decision, and I am happy for him. Personally, I would want him to continue but not under those circumstances. Luckily, we live together now. Without that I would be way more stressed about this.”

Daniels flat is packed with ski jumpers and ex ski jumpers. I get a few surprised glances when Dannys teammates realize that I am also here. It is uncommon that I would join a team get together from team Norway. I mean I have done it from time to time but not regularly. But this one is a Daniels place, so I don’t think it is too strange. But it raises suspicions. Robert takes one look at Daniel when he arrives, and I know that he could tell like Anders. It is the way his gaze softens when he picks up on the energy of Daniel and me.

“So, Daniel, why are we here? What’s up?”, says Marius once everyone is settled in with drinks. My gaze shoots up my boyfriend who is already looking at me. I give him a warm smile and lean a bit against him. Again, I am sitting on the couch, and he is standing. This is our thing now apparently. He sets his hand on my shoulder and holds himself steady. Daniel looks up at his friends. I do the same. Some look worried, some look curios. Anders looks proud. “Ehm, I invited you guys over to officially tell you that I am retiring.” I can feel the way he tenses through his hand on my shoulder. I lay my hand on top his and wait on the reaction of his teammates. Robert is the first to speak. “Daniel it was a pleasure.”, he stands up and gives my boyfriend a hug. “I don’t know what to say. My god, Danny.”, Halvor follows. A few seconds later Daniel is surrounded by his teammates in a big group hug.

Next day is the day of the official public announcement. The team thought it would be fitting to shoot the video at the holmenkollen hill. I must agree that the location is perfect. It still is the last place where Daniel won. I am standing behind the camera and watch my boyfriend prepare. The whole night he was up to find words. “Okay Daniel. When ever you are ready.” And then he begins. He is more pulled together than I thought. A proud smile appears on my face. When our gazes meet, he nods barely visible. “I have given this decision a lot of thought. There is a mental barrier that remains after my fall in Planica, the fear has grown bigger than the joy of jumping.” I smirk when I hear a version of my words from when he told me.

When he is done, he takes a few steps in the direction of the hill. I follow him. Daniel looks up the hill with a smile laugh. “I can’t believe this is it. This is really the end.”

[esta-elavaris]

Jesus fucking Christ.

I’m very sorry for all of the dramatic posts lately, but it’s been a day. I woke up to a call from my dad basically announcing that my grandmother - in hospital and in very bad shape - had announced she wanted all of the family in to visit her today (staggered across several trips, because she’s too weak to be overwhelmed by a shitload of visitors.)

Usually when she’s in hospital (she’s in poor health often, lots of chronic conditions), the only people who go to see her are my grandfather, and one of my aunts, because she doesn’t like a big fuss. So my grandfather is her husband of 60+ years so there’s no explanation needed there, and my aunt works in the medical field so she advocates like fuck for her. I have literally NEVER been asked to go and see her when she’s in hospital, and there’s always been the distinct impression that none of the grandkids should ask to do so, because she doesn’t like us seeing her like that. Nobody beyond those two family members have. So, naturally, my brother and I wake up to those calls and think “Jesus fucking Christ she’s saying her goodbyes”. I was in a state all day.

I get into the car this evening and my grandfather has the biggest heart to heart with me he’s ever had - he’s usually very unsentimental - but he basically goes “listen, she’s very weak, and she’s giving up. I need you to go in there, make your jokes, make her laugh, cheer her up.”

So I muster every single fucking ounce of clown energy in my body and do that. And I DID make her laugh, a few times, for the first time in over a week. She’s falling in and out of sleep, but she’s waking up to laugh at my fucking jokes and crack them back (notable one was “for god’s sake, Nana, the things you’ll do to make me leave the house” when I arrived, because she loves to nag me for not going out enough). Honestly it meant a lot to me that my dumbass humour actually was useful here. I always struggle to feel like I’m actually being helpful when she’s not well, compared to other family members who work in medical fields and can actively help more efficiently, so seeing me just making my stupid jokes bring a change in her…it meant so, so much. Especially because of how much she’s done for me, and how fiercely she’s there for me.

And honestly, it was a bad day. It was rough, and I was so glad she was sleeping when I first arrived because I needed that little bit of time while the nurses woke her up to control my face, but it wasn’t the “I’m about to say goodbye to the woman who has been my mother my whole life”. But it was a hint of the day that might come a couple of years from now, or could come a lot more quickly if she doesn’t start improving.

She’s still not good. Better than she was when she went in, but only marginally, considering she was struggling to fucking stay alive yesterday when my aunt drove her across the city to the hospital. We hope she’s on the mend, but it’s hard to tell right now, though today wasn’t the deathbed scene I thought was walking into when I heard she was asking for me, so I feel very fortunate for that.

So I’m sticking around on here for now. I’m half considering trying to salvage the 50k month just to give me something to do, and I’m sorry for all of the back and forth “I’m leaving - wait, no I’m not - I won’t be around - never mind I’m working on a chapter” but it just exemplifies how completely up in the air everything is right now.

And I’m just so, so glad that me and my brother being there seemed to give her a real boost. We were leaving and my aunt who goes there multiple times daily was like “okay mum I’ll see you tomorrow” and she was dead ass like “I don’t care, I’ve seen these two, that’s what I wanted.”

And considering none of the rest of my family are fucking acting right atm (some of them literally started fucking arguments at her bedside earlier today, during their visits, to the point where she told me today “I wish I’d never asked them to come” when I arrived), I’m just focusing on making the biggest difference I personally can. Even if it’s just with my clown blood.

I can feel Loki’s approval on that score.

[brightdarkness-2013]

Chapter 39: Here We Are! Again!

Summary: Jazz talks to his sister again and goes on a field trip.

I was actively searching for my sister this time. Faking smiles and enthusiasm and pleasantries through and around flocks of people as I hunted. I found her with her little clique. Several guys were around them. Either they were boyfriends or they were hitting on the girls. Quite honestly I couldn’t care less about that. Right now I needed Nat.

“Nat.” I filled my voice with fake cheer and I approached. “It’s good to see you.”

“Jazz, it’s good to see you as well. It has been a while.”

“Almost an entire week.”

“I assume your trip went well?”

“It did. Rather boring compared to this.”

“Yes. It’s so hard to find good entertainment nowadays. Excuse me everyone. I’d like to catch up with my brother.”

I followed my sister outside and into the small garden. The grass was far livelier than the areas around it due to the watering it got. Each blade was thick and healthy. The flowers flowed in a circle around the path to the single fountain where my sister stopped. It was warm and the lights from the building made the world around us seem far darker.

“So what do you want?”

“Can’t I just want to talk to my favorite sister?”

“No.” Came the clipped response.

“Ok then. I wanted to ask ya a few things.”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Do ya have any idea who Shane’s boss is? Who runs that building? Anyone else who works for him? Anything?”

“Nope. The guys a mystery. Only mom and dad know who the guy is. They do visit him at various locations though. He isn’t always in that building apparently.”

“Where?”

“Geez. So pushy.”

“Nat. Please.”

“...They usually bounce around to the high tech buildings around on the other side of the bridge. There’s a few of them. Half of the guys who work in those places are idiots. So simple minded.”

“What are they doing there?”

“How should I know? I avoid going anywhere further than the lobby whenever I can. I only go because dad wants me to start training in basically ripping people off. Gotta keep the ‘family business’ going. I talk to the idiots. Not try and figure out what they’re doing. I’m not doing the dealing and I don’t plan to do it anytime soon.”

“Could ya start paying attention?”

“You want me to Spy on mom and dad?”

“No. Not exactly. I want ya to start asking about the idiots jobs and… further your training and just… coincidentally tell me about it.”

“You’re a piece of work. You know that?”

“I can live with that. So how about it?”

“... If I get caught it’s your fault and I had no idea what you’re doing.”

“Ok.”

“And you owe me one.”

“Meaning?”

“If I ever need someone to do something stupid that I don’t want to risk I’ll call you.”

“Basically cause some damage to some people ya don’t like.”

“Yep.”

“Ok. So Where exactly are these places?”

“Ocean Klean Tech. You know the whole ‘because the ocean matters’ place. They really need a better catchphrase. Then there’s that place far on it’s own down the road almost reaching that shut down skydiving place they had a few years ago. That place is really creepy. Then the other one is basically your competition for donations. It’s another mer facility, but it’s run by whoever Shane’s boss is. Place is practically a zoo though. You can pay to get in and see what they have.”

“Anything else ya can tell me?”

“Every single one of them is either an idiot or is like everyone else here.”

“So they’re assholes.”

“Yeah. Try not to get yourself jailed.”

444444444444444444 The Fours Are Crafting Some Sort Of Device!4444444444444444

The following day after work we were off. The place was definitely more glamorous than our facility. The one at the desk was a little slow, but cheery nonetheless. Much better than the last lady we had to deal with. They had a variety of mers on display and it even appeared that they were taking and selling the scales of some of them. Had their own little gift shop and everything. Yep. She was right. This was more a zoo than an actually facility to help them. The ones here seemed rather healthy besides the missing scales and most of them had pods or trines. They had a lot of Geminus Avium. Trine upon trine stared out at everyone with anger and a few even looked fearful, but those were few and far between. The main emotion that we saw was anger and I couldn’t really blame them. They were being stared at on a regular basis and their scales were being yanked out on top of being forced to share space with mers outside of their pod or trine. I had to wonder just how many had gotten injured and killed before they got them to begrudgingly accept that they were going to have to share the space. Many of them had scars of some kind or another from those fights. They didn’t even have the materials to make any nests. No flora. No coral. Nothing. They were in blank tanks that looked like our quarantine tanks. They had nowhere to hide.

Then there was an outlier. A Scindo Lascivio of blue and white coloration. Species nicknamed the Soundwave. Only there was something very wrong with this one. This one was quiet. This one was still. A species that communicated and scouted long distances by sound alone was silent. It was a form of echolocation that they could use and create with even the simple movement of its fins which was why it was always constantly moving. It made them deadly hunters at night as they didn’t need to rely on their sight. But not this one. Not even a twitching fin to churn the water to make sure it didn’t get snuck up on. And even weirder were the all of the Fractura Videte that clung to it. They were of various colors and subspecies. Likely from various nests and had either lost them or were runts and abandoned. Two nearly identical besides color Fractura Ante who seemed rather fidgety under the stares. One black Fractura Bestia whose ear fins didn’t so much as twitch. And two Fractura Geminus whose wing fins opened and closed gently. Normally Scindo Lascivio didn’t accept Fractura Videte as having the extra weight would slow it down and dampen the vibrations that they made with their fins. And yet this one didn’t seem even slightly bothered by its company and they all seemed rather happy to be there.

Next

First

Masterpost

[gwenbrightly]

Of Milk and Cookies Chapter 19: Hide and Seek World Champions

It had to be some sort of glitch. Or something. It was just a silly game meant to entertain tweenage girls who have nothing better to do than gush over crushes and obsess over their “perfect match”. No reason to panic. No reason to say anything to anyone about it. Right?

Nya hadn’t had a lot of time to dwell on her bizzarro Perfect Match results earlier, what with the entirety of Borg Tower trying to kill her and her students. Which seemed like such a waste of all that beautiful, beautiful technology, to be honest. But now that the kids were (reasonably) safe with Dareth, and she had (finally) gotten ahold of Lloyd (he really needed to start checking his phone more often), there was nothing to do but wait for everyone else to meet up with her. She had grabbed a few things from one of her Samurai X hideouts and was now chilling in the forest near Garmadon’s monastery gathering branches to hide everyone’s vehicles with. This was giving her plenty of time to (over) think about it.

What did it say about Nya that she was allowing this to affect her so much? It was embarrassing, really. She’d always been so sure of what she wanted before now. She and Jay went so well together. They shared so many of the same interests. Jay always went out of his way to make her feel special and most of the time, he succeeded. And he had looked awfully adorable when he was geeking out over getting to visit Borg Industries. So what if he had been smothering her a bit lately? It was probably justified considering she’d just gotten out of the hospital not that long ago, even if she didn’t particularly like it.

Speaking of which- maybe all the jumping and backflips earlier hadn’t been such a great idea. Her side ached where the stitches had recently healed. Painkillers were definitely in order. Nya reached into her backpack and pulled out a water bottle and choked down some pills. That was better. Whoever invented Tylenol was a life saver. She sank down against a tree and rested until she could see an assortment of (probably stolen) vehicles in the distance. The boys were quick to unload themselves amongst a cacophony of chatter as they tried to summarize what had happened since they last saw her that morning.

“We met the Cyrus Borg, Nya! Can you believe it?!” Jay told her excitedly (as if she didn’t already know this). “ItwasSOcool!”

“Yeah and he was such a total geek about it, sis. Should’a been there,” Kai said.

Hey - that was so unfair! It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t been invited. Nya would have loved to meet him in person, though obviously under less… deadly circumstances. Emailing back and forth with him and his assistant to set up the field trip had been fascinating. She didn’t understand why she hadn’t been included! She was every bit as smart and skilled as the ninja were. She was just… a girl. Wait. Was that it? Did Mr. Borg see her as less valuable because of her gender? The thought infuriated her. The sexist treatment she got from the boys at school was bad enough, but now it was coming from grown men? Ugh! Deep breaths, Nya. This is not a good time to lose it over things outside of your control.

“And I got to throw Zane off a building!” Cole announced, interrupting her train of thought. He looked maybe a little too proud of himself. Kai grinned enthusiastically.

“Yeah! It was so badass! It’s a shame nobody was around to appreciate it…”

“Don’t worry! I am fine,” Zane jumped in to assure her, “It was actually quite invigorating.”

Why was she not surprised? Leave those boys alone for 5 minutes and all hell breaks loose.

“And then we almost got captured,” Cole started in again.

“But Golden Boy swooped in out of nowhere,” Kai interrupted, “and Wu came up with this brilliant plan to trick the Overlord- who is back, by the way - but we had to leave him behind.”

Well, that explained things. Some things, anyway.

Lloyd looked a bit dejected at the mention of his uncle’s fate. Poor kid. Nya hoped seeing his parents would help perk him up a bit. He really didn’t deserve another round of trauma. Not that anyone did, but Lloyd was a special case. They all knew it.

“Don’t worry, Lloyd. We’ll do whatever we have to to get him back,” she told him, patting his shoulder gently. She meant it. It would be a good distraction from… whatever was going on with her love life?

“Yeah!” Jay agreed. He pumped his fist in the air. “With these new techno blades, what could possibly go wrong!”

“Don’t say things like that!” Cole complained, obviously worried that Jay was going to jinx them all or something.

“In the meantime, perhaps we should get our vehicles under cover. We do not want to risk being spotted,” Zane observed before Jay and Cole could start bickering over word choice.

“Definitely,” Nya agreed, “I’ve got a whole pile of brush I gathered while I was waiting for you slowpokes to get here.”

“Hey! I’d like to see you try navigating anywhere without a GPS! It takes freaking forever!” Kai complained, glaring at her.

“We were worried the Overlord might be able to use the system to track us, so we chose to navigate the old fashioned way,” explained Zane. It had probably been the right call. There was no telling what type of technology might betray them next.

“And that would’ve been fine if somebody hadn’t made so many wrong turns,” said Cole. He threw an accusatory glance Kai’s way.

“That is so not fair!” The fire ninja protested.

“I’ll take the map, he said. It’ll be fine, he said,” Cole muttered, giving his best impression of Kai, who looked like he wanted to strangle him.

And just like that, another round of bickering broke out. Nya was relieved when they finished camouflaging the vehicles and the argument finally died down.

Unfortunately, arriving at the monastery did not provide the respite she had been hoping for. Nya just couldn’t stop herself from circling back to the Cole vs. Jay situation, and Misako was exactly zero help. Thank goodness that conversation hadn’t lasted very long. She definitely didn’t need to know anything about Lloyd’s mom’s love life. That was just too weird for her.

She snuck down to hide out by the waterfall behind the monastery, hoping a moment away from the boys (and Misako) would help her get her head on straight before things could get any weirder.

Plunk. Nya tried to skip a stone. It sank. Stupid Perfect Match getting her all confused.

Plop. Plop. She tried again. This time it bounced twice. Stupid boys. Stupid Misako.

She threw again and again, losing herself in pebbles and splashes. Something about the way the water rippled was just so satisfying.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were avoiding me,” a teasing voice said from behind her.

Nya yelped in surprise and nearly fell into the pond. “Jeez, Lloyd! You nearly gave me a heart attack!“

“Sorry!” the Green Ninja apologized awkwardly, “I, uh, came to get you for dinner.”

…Heck. When had it gotten so late?

“Oh. Dinner would probably be a good idea, huh,” she replied, dropping the pebble she’d been about to skip.

“Definitely. Anyway- are you okay? You’ve been down here for an awfully long time…” Lloyd said, giving her a worried look.

Was she okay? That was probably up for debate, though the pebble throwing session had been awfully therapeutic.

“It’s just… been a really weird day,” Nya told him. That was the best explanation she could come up with. She didn’t even know where to start.

“You can say that again,” he agreed. He looked tired. “Hey, maybe I should’ve come and hidden down here with you earlier. Mom keeps trying to bond with me, when all I wanna do is figure out how we’re gonna get Uncle Wu back.”

Oof. Nya really should’ve made sure he was ok before abandoning him like that. She felt a little selfish, now.

“Oh, ew. You know, it’s not too late to become the elemental master of hiding,” she offered.

“I’m sure there’s a huge demand for that,” he agreed. He gave her a weak grin.

“I can see it now. Lloyd ‘Garmagone’, hide and seek world champion.” Nya gestured dramatically.

“I would be so good at hiding, they wouldn’t even be able to find me to give me my trophy,” Lloyd joked. They both giggled.

“Take me with you and teach me your ways, oh great one! That way your mom can’t try to give me any more crappy relationship advice,” Nya begged him. She’d give anything for a solid escape plan.

He looked totally disgusted at this. “Wait- what? I’m not sure I even wanna know.”

Oops. Maybe she shouldn’t have let that slip.

“I… well, Misako may have noticed some tension between Jay and I,” Nya stated vaguely. If she didn’t mention the whole Perfect Match thing, maybe it would just… cease to exist.

“Okayyy. That might actually win the prize for worst thing that’s happened today. Did you and Jay have a fight or something?” Lloyd asked, obviously unsure how to help in this situation.

“No! Yes! I don’t even know?” Nya groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Jay’s just been so clingy since I got back from the hospital - and I know that scared everyone, and I know I probably do need to take it easier, but he’s just so smothering! And I don’t know how to tell him that without hurting his feelings! And don’t even get me started on how sexist the boys at school have been lately - seriously. It sucks. Jay sucks. My students suck. Cyrus Borg and his killer tech suck!”

Lloyd just stood there quietly and let her have her moment. He patted her shoulder awkwardly when she was done venting.

“Better?” He asked eventually.

Nya paused to consider before answering.

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“Look, I don’t know much about relationships, but you and Jay are both some of my favorite people. If Jay knew how much all this was bothering you, I’m sure he’d tone it down. And Kai and the others would totally crack down on the kids, too. I really think when all of this is over, you should try talking to everyone about what you’re feeling,” Lloyd told her, fixing her with a way too mature and grown up look. Darn it. When had he gone and gotten so wise? She and Kai were gonna need to up their game for serious lectures after this.

“How dare you make so much sense,” Nya complained.

“What can I say? You’ve always pushed me to talk things out instead of bottling it up. Now it’s your turn to try it.”

“Okay, fair enough,” she relented. In the distance, Kai yelled at them to hurry up and threatened to eat all the creamy biscuits without them.

“We should probably go. I don’t think he’s bluffing,” Lloyd stated.

“Oh, no, he definitely isn’t. Race you?” Nya didn’t wait for his reply.

“Cheater!” He called after her, but she refused to be guilted into letting him win.

Sooner or later, she was going to have to face the complicated and yucky mess that was her love life, but maybe it was ok to ignore that reality a little longer. She just hoped there wouldn’t be too much fallout in the end.

[rupturefarm]

What kind of clients does Paradise have, and does she prefer a certain type of client or are they all the same

I'm still learning a lot of the lore with OddWorld and I tend to get mixed up with Star Wars lore so bear with me if I say anything inaccurate! I'll go back and amend.

Paradise isn't the only Mudokon within Bawde's little collection obviously, but she is by far the highest earning Showgirl. She caters in particular to refined and influential clientele, and draws in a mix of high-ranking Glukkons, wealthy industrialists, and various VIPs and GlockStars who can appreciate the exclusivity and high-end nature of Madame Bawde's establishment in contrast to more 'sleazy' joints. Her performances, whilst dazzling, are tailored in particular to a crowd that values both spectacle and the promise of discreet, personalised services. Her star appeal ensures that only those with the right status and means get to experience the full extent of her 'talents', so she isn't just thrown at anyone who walks through the doors (and Madame Bawde only extends these services to those with a lot of Moolah, anyway. Regular folk, like Puds and Chumps, might find it harder to negotiate for a 'happy ending').

Paradise doesn't necessarily discriminate based on a strict preference for one type of client over another. Rather, her allure naturally curates a selection of individuals whose wealth and influence can help maintain the Cabaret's reputation. That being said, the inherent prestige of being serviced by Paradise means that she (and Bawde) are most likely to reserve her for exclusive, intimate performances for those who bring added value — be it through their substantial patronage or the social capital they provide.

Paradise prefers the high spenders, as they tend to actually treat her well (whilst this isn't guaranteed, from my own experience as an exotic dancer a few years ago in a 'full nude, full touching club (minus genitals), it was those men who were less willing to spend who were the most demanding and the most likely to cross boundaries). Mudokons may be 'owned', but Madame Bawde's Menagerie allows a fantasy escape where these performers are on more of an 'equal level' to the patrons, and where they get to refuse or provide service. If a Gluk has a lot of money, but Paradise (and the other performers) are not comfortable with them, Bawde is more than willing for them to deny their patronage until they come back and learn some manners. In the end, whilst this may lose them money in the short-term, it means that there is a decorum that is had within the Menagerie that is maintained, thus ensuring a continuous flow of customers who are more than willing to pay highly for exceptional and enthusiastic performances and service.

Besides -- a lot of the patrons actually like having a space where they can be on a more equal playing field in secrecy, without worrying about their reputations. This would no doubt extend to any fetish or bondage clubs that are set up in the city.

Despite catering to high-end clientele, it's clear that Paradise, with all her colours and feathers and frills and lace, is more of a traditional saloon 'Show-Girl', so likes to spend time with industrialists the most. This would include Gluks like Molluck, etc. Think like a stereotypical oil-barron or a mega-rancher. Etc. She finds she gets along with them the best as they're more likely to 'have a sense of humour'. She has some surprising 'friendships' with a few Glukkons. Nothing that would ever extend beyond the walls of the Cabaret, but patrons that she enjoys seeing visit on recurring trips.

[all-routes-lead-to-simping]

Any theories for the next volume??

I saw that vol 14 will be in Cyrus's hometown, so at first I thought it would be similar to vol9 which was just Catarina, Maria, then their +1, in a mini arc being pretty much separated from the rest of the characters. I also had the vague impression that Catarina had just taken some excuse to visit, in order to see all his crops back home.

BUT THEN I saw one of the insert arts where Sora (!!!) was in the carriage and looking thrilled. (And I read the actual description). So it seems like there's some genuine ministry related reason for them to be going.

Cyrus lives in a reasonably poor noble household on the mountainous border with Xiarmah (described in a previous novel to have a culture similar to China). It's supposedly peaceful, at least moreso than other countries mentioned so far, but those who live on the border grow up learning martial arts just in case of a war breaking it.

This was a few volumes ago but is likely to be some form of foreshadowing.

The j-novel description states there to be unrest in the borderlands between the two countries. On its own, this could just be any sort of problems that happen to be taking place in the location, but because of the above I think it is likely to be because of some political unrest. (Also it states that Cyrus has a childhood friend from Xiarmah, and what better way to cause trouble than to have said friend on an opposing side?)

Of course, the wider plot dictates that this must also be related to dark magic. It's likely that the ministry already knows this to some degree, and therefore sent Maria for her light magic, Catarina and Sora for their dark magic, and Cyrus for his local experitise. There might be one or two extra people going, and a few new magic tools.

I believe we will see more of the Mystery Guy that scared Cezar, Sarah, and a few more local but less important figures. We might even get a name for Mystery Guy, and Catarina will possibly have another nice chat with Sarah, who might even help them in some way (a full switch of sides might be a little fast, but the groundwork has somewhat been laid out so I don't think it's impossible).

It's also likely that Sora will kind of be there for the whole thing, but not actually with Catarina, instead being punted of to the side for various reasons. If this happens I will cry, and if this doesn't happen I will cry even more but from joy this time.

I'm manifesting for his "work outside the office" from ln13 to be relevant. It's plausible that his trips away were some sort of recon for this mission, and he was investigating the situation, scoping how safe it was, etc etc. I'm also hoping for this to indirectly give explanation as to his appearance in the movie, because he was clearly sent there to check on the dark magic seal??? But this part of his job hasn't been acknowledged at all in the novels. If it turns out that he was just delivering things or something vague I'll feel a little wronged. He deserves more thought than that 🥺.

It would be a shame if Cezar didn't appear, given how limited his time in Sorcier is, so he will probably turn up at some point. Perhaps he's on another work trip, or trailing Mystery Guy, or possibly Larna even asks him to lend a hand with the investigation. Who knows.

Cyrus theoretically should be the "main guy" of this volume, given how it's his hometown and all. Hopefully he will get more comfortable around Maria, and we can see more of his martial arts ability. I think it's almost certain that his accent will reveal itself to not only Maria, but also everyone else. It would be funny if this occurred in such a way that he does not even notice what happened until finishing a whole debrief. I'm also expecting to see new sides to him, I can't say what exactly I think they will be, because they'll probably be pretty left field.

If there's another kidnapping plot I'll be a little surprised. While this seems to be a relatively go-to plot device, Xiarmah doesn't seem as receptive to human trafficking as other countries are. This is because there's no ocean routes (that we know of) and their claims to be peaceful, if true, suggest that overland trafficking would be difficult. Of course, it isn't entirely impossible, but I think the unrest in question will more likely materialise in the form of some local players throwing their weight around, extorting the civilians, and possibly sneaking in some Xiarmah soldiers to start a war. Perhaps backed by a few dissatisfied nobles of Xiarmah.

Most importantly!!! I'm really hoping Catarina can finally eat some rice when she's there, because as I can personally attest, going more than a few weeks without beautiful beautiful jasmine rice WILL have you crying upon finally getting some.

As such, I'm fully expecting a tearful reunion to be had. (Very likely to the intense confusion of everyone else). I'm also expecting this scene to appear at one of the inset artworks, just because of how emotionally impactful it will be. I mean, this will be the first time in many years Catarina will have rice. That's got to be a major milestone.

Maria will probably respond by demanding Cyrus teach her how to cook rice. Catarina will probably respond to that by praising her for being an angel. Ah, MariKata wins again...

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK 💙💙💙

[fanficfish]

no ones doing this so i will

random purrfect tale headcanons for Oliver (best boy)

Probably has a list of all the best restaurants in the area in his phone's notes app. Ranked, witth details.

has totally also chased his housemates out of the house when they start committing kitchen crimes. He gets nervous when Boss Mo starts trying to cook.

almost joined the swim team during his short stint as a student before realizing he'd have to shower literally every day and hell nah he ain't doing that, but damn were they persuasive.

The MC originally got him into some not-ripped clothes, but he still kept his old stuff since it was actually decent once ran through the wash (he spent most of his time as a cat before, after all). Later, Boss Mo dragged him out to a clothing store and then Bangs did the same thing, because "Oliver those shirts look so out-of-season/worn/you've worn the same thing three times this week, do you not have any other clothes?" MC thinks it's kinda fun seeing what he comes home with, because surprisingly Oliver has reasonable taste. MC's still the one picking out half of his outfits though.

haa been freeloading off the MC'a streaking service account to watch Oliver and Company and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Also got into those travel shows and has a list of places he wants to visit. He really wants to visit Greece. For the cats.

Sometimes he lounges in the window or on places he probably shouldn't be, like a cat, but in his human form. He has broken a shelf and fallen out a ground floor window this way.

He's also gotten very distracted by butterflies before. The dwy he went to school and they took a field trip to the butterfly sanctuary was a time.

When people ask about his ears he usually goes with a "oh yeah, aren't they cool? I think it's a pretty popular trend" then goes on his way. A few times he's said "i'm a cat obviously" with a deadpan look and people weirdly just accept that his quirky.

he's a regular at the fishery and it's now a whole thing where he and the workers are very chill with each other.

he still doesn't like rain a lot but the snow is interesting, especially fresh snow. He'd rather not be in it but he thinks it looks very pretty.

has a wecat blog that's just food and cat pics. His main salmon acount is for regular studd.

[quincyhorst]

BW Headcanons: Quincy Horst

BONUS FOR THE 15TH BENCHIVERSARY! I had this draft collecting dust, so I've decided to share it for the occassion.

These are more centered around Quincy's profile and his experiences on the outback. Enjoy!

His profile implies he searches the outback by himself, and I like the idea that he has tried to explore the wildnerness a few times. At first his family allowed it, given it was a fun way to spend time, but it was when Quincy started to go too far that his parents got worried. But when his father noticed how supringly capable his son was, he got the idea of instead accompanying him on larger trips. Win win situation, Quincy had somebody more experienced at his side, and Perceval Horst could make sure his son was alright.

...It was also a perfect excuse for them to bond, given Percy was aware his job often distanced him from his children. He'd try to compensate by visiting the household often, but this was also a nice change of pace.

Quincy's knowledge on the outback isn't specialized, but it's a mixed bag of all fields (Fauna, flora, climate, relief). He won't be able to tell you in detail every single species of the area, but he will gladly categorize whose will and whose won't hurt you.

And because of this, he pretty much realized... The outback dangers are just few, actually. Things like spiders and snakes might be creepy to look at, but he's so used to see them he's not that afraid at all. Plus, their venom can be countered if the worst scenario happens.

Though, if there's an outback animal Quincy is afraid of, is the dingo. Finding groups of them feels always like a russian roulette, in which they can either act normal or extremely aggresive.

Never expect Quincy to say this by himself, but another reasons why he travels alongside his father is because he's just that afraid of dingos.

Regardless if aussie animals are actually dangerous or not, one thing is sure, and is that they have quite a reputation. Reef and Clark tend to be bothered with this, wishing to show the world that their fauna isn't that dangerous; but Quincy? ...He doesn't mind. In fact, he takes advantage of it to boast about his outback adventures.

Quincy: "You HAD to see that spider! It was HUGE!!!! And it's legs were LONG!!!! But fortunately, I survived with my intellect!" Clark: "...That thing has no venom mate, of course you came out fine..."

Since Mr.Horst had the failed dream of being an Astronomer, he at least passed on to his kids many interesting info about the starry sky. What Quincy treasures the most are the constellations useful for navigating the outback at night, such as the Southern Cross, which helps to indicate the south.

And while not that important for navigation, Quincy also holds very dear to his heart the constellation of the Seven Sisters, or how his father calls it, The Seven Horst Children. Whenever he is, those stars are a beautiful reminder that his family will always be with him. (I like the idea that when he -or any other sibling- is the one seeing this constellation, he replaces his own spot with Bruce, given he considers him a brother too).

Final topic for now, mascots: There's the family dog (Dobermann), which Quin likes to play with; and a rather big seahorse tank Perceval bought of pure self-indulgence. The family likes to cooperate in taking care of the fish if he's absent, and Quincy's not exception. In fact, he's probably the most attached to these animals. If one of them dies, he'll cry for weeks (Or better said, he'll hide on his room to cry. He does not like being seen that way).

[alphynix]

Crystal Palace Field Trip Part 3: Walking With Victorian Beasts

[Previously: the Jurassic and Cretaceous]

The final section of the Crystal Palace Dinosaur trail brings us to the Cenozoic, and a selection of ancient mammals.

Image from 2009 by Loz Pycock (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Originally represented by three statues, there are two surviving originals of the Eocene-aged palaeotheres depicting Plagiolophus minor (the smaller sitting one) and Palaeotherium medium (the larger standing one).

The sitting palaeothere unfortunately lost its head sometime in the late 20th century, and the image above shows it with a modern fiberglass replacement. Then around 2014/2015 the new head was knocked off again, and has not yet been reattached – partly due to a recent discovery that it wasn't actually accurate to the sculpture's original design. Instead there are plans to eventually restore it with a much more faithful head.

These early odd-toed ungulates were already known from near-complete skeletons in the 1850s, and are depicted here as tapir-like animals with short trunks based on the scientific opinion of the time. We now think their heads would have looked more horse-like, without trunks, but otherwise they're not too far off modern reconstructions.

There was also something exciting nearby:

The recently-recreated Palaeotherium magnum!

This sculpture went missing sometime after the 1950s, and its existence was almost completely forgotten until archive images of it were discovered a few years ago. Funds were raised to create a replica as accurate to the original as possible, and in summer 2023 (just a month before the date of my visit) this larger palaeothere species finally rejoined its companions in the park.

Compared to the other palaeotheres this one is weird, though. Much chonkier, wrinkly, and with big eyes and an almost cartoonish tubular trunk. It seems to have taken a lot of anatomical inspiration from animals like rhinos and elephants, since in the mid-1800s odd-toed ungulates were grouped together with "pachyderms".

———

Next is Anoplotherium, an Eocene even-toed ungulate distantly related to modern camels.

(Apparently the sculpture closest to the water is a replica of a now-lost original, recreated from photo references in the same manner as the new Palaeotherium magnum. I can't find a definite reference for when this one was done, though – I'd guess probably during the last round of major renovations in the early 2000s, at the same time as the now-destroyed Jurassic pterosaur replicas?)

Anoplotherium commune is a rather obscure species today, but it was one of the first early Cenozoic fossil mammals to be recognized by science in the early 1800s. Depicted here as small camel-like animals, the three statues are positioned near the water's edge to reflect the Victorian idea that they were semi-aquatic based on their muscular tails.

Today we instead think these animals were fully terrestrial, using their tails to balance themselves while rearing up to reach higher vegetation. Their heads would also have looked a bit less camel-like, but otherwise the Crystal Palace trio are still really good representations.

———

Next is a sculpture that's very easy to miss in the current overgrown state.

Who's that peeking over the bushes?

Going all the way around to the far side of the lake reveals a distant glimpse of the Pliocene-to-Holocene giant ground sloth Megatherium.

A better view of the Megatherium | "Tree Hugger" by Colin Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Fossils of Megatherium americanum had been known since the late 1700s, but the 1854 Crystal Palace statue was still one of the first life reconstructions of this animal. Its anatomy is actually very close to our modern understanding, depicted with correctly inward-turned feet and sitting upright to feed on a tree with its tail acting as a "tripod".

However, we now know it didn't have a trunk-like nose, but instead probably had prehensile lips more like those of a modern black rhino.

Something weird also appears to have happened to the Crystal Palace Megatherium's hands. Early illustrations of the sculpture all consistently show it with the typical long claws of a sloth, but today it's missing its right hand and its left has only a strangely stumpy paw – suggesting that at some point in the intervening 170 years there was an unrecorded crude repair.

———

And finally we end the trail with three Megaloceros, the Pleistocene-to-Holocene "Irish Elk" that's actually neither exclusively Irish nor an elk.

A closer look at the second stag and the doe.

There was originally a fourth giant deer sculpture in this herd, a second resting doe, but it was destroyed sometime during the mid-20th century. The stags also initially had real fossil antlers attached to their heads, but these were removed and replaced with less accurate versions at some point by the mid-20th century.

One of the stags' antlers suffered some damage in 2020, ending up drooping, and since then one antler has either fallen off or been removed.

In the 1850s Megaloceros giganteus was thought to be closely related to deer in the genus Cervus, and so the Crystal Palace reconstructions seem to be based on modern wapiti – specifically in their winter coats, fitting for ice age animals – since both the stags and the doe sport distinctive thick neck manes.

The stags from the other side.

We now know Megaloceros was actually much more closely related to modern fallow deer, and so probably resembled them more than wapiti. Cave art also shows that it had a hump on its shoulders, and even gives us an idea of what its coloration was.

———

…But wait!

There's actually one more thing.

A small statue sitting on the far side of the deer herd, missing its ears, and seemingly representing a Megaloceros fawn.

Except it's actually something very different and very special.

Ceci n'est pas un cerf.

Some recent investigation work revealed some surprising information about the Crystal Palace mammal statues – much like the nearly-forgotten large Palaeotherium, there was originally an entire group of four small Eocene-aged llama-like Xiphodon gracilis that had disappeared from living memory.

There was also no historic record of a fawn with the giant deer, but instead a suspiciously similar-looking sitting sculpture is illustrated among what we now known are the four missing Xiphodon in early records.

An 1853 illustration of the sculpture workshop. The four Xiphodon are shown in the center, directly in front of a Megaloceros stag and doe. (public domain)

Somewhere in the late 19th or early 20th century three of the Xiphodon must have been completely lost, and the remaining individual was misidentified as a fawn and placed with the giant deer herd.

———

Rediscovering a whole extra species among the Crystal Palace statues is exciting, but it also demonstrates just how much of these sculptures' history has gone completely undocumented. 

The mammal statues especially seem to have suffered the most out of the "Dinosaur Court", being often overlooked, neglected, disrespected (at one point the Megatherium was inside a goat pen in a petting zoo!), and subjected to cruder repairs. A total of five original statues are now known to be missing from this Cenozoic section – the original large Palaeotherium, the three other Xiphodon, and the second Megaloceros doe – compared to the two pterosaurs lost from the Mesozoic island.

Hopefully the excellent recreation of the lost Palaeotherium magnum is the start of a long overdue new lease of life and conservation attention for all of the Crystal Palace sculptures. It was disappointing seeing them all in such an overgrown state, and with signs of ongoing disrepair in places such as the plant growing out of the big ichthyosaur's back.

But there has been some resurgence of interest and public attention in the Crystal Palace sculptures over the last few years, so with any luck these historic pieces of early paleoart will survive on to their 200th anniversary and beyond, to keep on reminding us of where things began and how far our understanding of prehistoric life has since come.

[filhadoboto]

The chosen one

Summary: During the reading of his mother's will, Aleksander Morozov discovers that, so that his inheritance does not end up in the hands of his hated cousin Malyen Oretsev, he will have to get married within a year.

AO3

chapter 1; chapter 2; chapter 3; chapter 4; chapter 5; chapter 6; chapter 7; chapter 8; chapter 9; chapter 10

Chapter 11 - The Engagement - part 2

Two days later, Aleksander and Alina were on the road to Os Kervo.

Since his family ring was an object easily recognizable to those who lived with Baghra, Alina left it in the Little Palace safe. Even though only a few days had passed since he had placed it on her finger, Aleksander didn't like looking at her hand and not seeing the ring, but they needed to keep the engagement a secret and people would know she was his fiancée the moment they saw the ring on her finger.

Although Aleksander suggested that one of the Little Palace's maids accompany them on their trip to Os Kervo, Alina refused. Her argument was that no one would think she was anything other than a maid accompanying her master, and that she doubted anyone would even pay her any attention when they made a stop . Knowing the society they lived in, Aleksander was forced to agree. Even dressed in her finest clothes, Alina would never be mistaken for anything other than a maid.

Although he didn’t like his fiancée’s self-deprecating tone at all, she was right. Anyone who saw her would have dismissed her as a maid traveling with her master and nothing more. In a way, it was a good thing that things were this way, as it would reduce the chances of anyone who saw them deducing that Alina was his chosen one and of news of the marriage spreading and reaching Malyen.

The journey took about five hours, but he couldn’t deny that he was glad to have so much time alone with his fiancée. The last three days had diluted the awkwardness that had arisen between them after he had discovered the truth and the easy camaraderie between them had returned.

She was nervous and afraid of Ulla’s reaction and, at Alina’s request, Aleksander listened to her entire story to help her focus on something else. His fiancée began by telling him that she actually had no memories of her past, her life before the orphanage was a big blur in her mind. She didn't remember anything about her parents or where they had lived before she was taken to the orphanage in Keramzin. Alina told him that she sometimes remembered a field at dusk and fireflies, the sound of laughter and the gentle voices of people she believed were her parents. She confessed to him that she sometimes dreamed of a man and a woman in a field full of fireflies at dusk, but she didn't know if this was a memory or just a reflection of her desire to know where she came from.

She didn't remember her birthday and wasn't even sure of her age, but the person in charge of the orphanage thought she was eight years old when she was taken there. Alina only remembered her name and that the person who had taken her to the orphanage had found her wandering near a village somewhere in the Dva Stolba valley. Alina was starving and very sick, and if the man hadn't found her and taken care of her, she would have died. She never saw this man again after he left her at the orphanage, and she didn’t remember his name, only that he had a kind smile and a musical voice. She was very sick and weak when she arrived at the orphanage, and she not only had trouble eating but also sleeping. The people who worked at the orphanage believed that she wouldn’t survive long, but she did.

A few weeks after her arrival at the orphanage, a friend of Duke Keramzov, Mrs. Margareth Oretseva, Aleksander's aunt, visited the orphanage. Mrs. Oretseva made occasional visits to the orphanage, and during the summer she would often welcome the orphanage children to her family's estate so they could have fun in the large park and with the animals. Upon being introduced to the newly arrived children, Margosha showed great interest and genuine concern for Alina and her health. At Margosha's insistence, Alina was taken to Os Alta and examined by one of the woman's trusted physicians.

After a few months of treatment, Alina fully recovered her health and, in a sense, was adopted by the woman, as she spent more time with Margosha at her home than at the orphanage. It was only at this time that Alina learned that the woman had lost her daughter a few years earlier and that she would have been the same age as Alina if she were alive. Although Margosha had told her that she had a son, Alina only met Malyen in person when she returned from Os Alta.

Despite their differences in social class, she and Malyen got along well and the two soon became inseparable friends. Seeing this, Margosha decided that Alina would be her protégé and, as such, would receive the same education as her son. Mrs. Oretseva paid for Alina's education and sent her to a good girls' school in Polysnaya, as she wanted to ensure that she would have a good future and find a good husband.

As he listened to her story, an old memory came flooding back to Aleksander. His aunt Margosha had said on one of the rare occasions when the whole family had gathered at Morozov Hall that she had decided to honor her daughter Anna by giving financial support to the local orphanage. And occasionally, in their letters, she had mentioned how she had a special affection for one of the girls at the orphanage who was the same age as her daughter would have been if she were alive. Now he realized that the girl was Alina Starkova. His aunt helped with her education, and Alina and Malyen had practically grown up together because of their bond.

There was a mixture of pain and resignation in her voice when Alina confessed that she had loved Mal yen from the first moment she saw him, and that she had always believed that she knew him, that he truly cared about her, and that she would love him forever.

A heavy silence hung between them as she made this confession.

Would Aleksander's heart ever get used to hearing those words without suffering?

But at that moment his suffering was insignificant compared to hers. He wanted to hug her and comfort her. He wanted to tell her that Malyen had never deserved her and never would, but his fiancée had already understood that and was beginning to accept the truth.

He wanted to tell her that he was in love with her and that he would do anything to make her happy, to make her heart whole once more. But he just looked at her and, realizing that Alina was lost in her thoughts, waited patiently for her to continue her story.

Alina shook her head as if to dispel the memories and took a deep breath before continuing with her story. Time passed and she and Malyen grew as did her love for him. All the care and attention she had received from Margosha had caused Alina to transfer her affection and love to the woman and her son. She was sent to the girls' school in Polysnaia and she looked forward to the answers to her letters to Malyen and Margosha and the reunions during the summer and the end of the year in Keramzin. During her visits, Alina used her free time to visit and entertain her benefactor, Mrs. Oretseva, and sometimes when Malyen was away, she would spend a few days with her at her residence to keep her company. Mrs. Oretseva loved to hear her play, even though Alina was not very talented, and she also often read aloud to Margosha.

Knowing that their differences would keep them apart, Alina hid her love and contented herself with being Malyen's friend and confidant. He would often tell her about the girls he found pretty, about the people he knew, and about his adventures in the new places he had visited . And even though she felt jealous, she never had the courage to talk about it or reveal her true feelings for him.

After finishing her studies, Alina returned to Keramzin and discovered that Margosha had several suitors in mind for her and had even taken on the role of matchmaker a few times, but Alina rejected them all, claiming that she did not feel ready to be a wife yet. The truth was that she could not imagine marrying another man when she loved Malyen. In her deluded heart she held out hope that as long as he was single there would still be some chance that he would fall in love with her.

Aleksander couldn't help but wonder if the only reason Alina had accepted his marriage proposal was the fact that Malyen had set the date for his wedding with another woman and that everything else Malyen had done would have had no bearing on her decision if his cousin was still single. Alina loved Malyen deeply, and even though it hurt a lot, it was hard to believe that Alina would give up any tiny chance of being with Malyen as long as she believed there was any hope of her feelings being reciprocated by him.

Alina returned to live at the orphanage and gave music and drawing lessons to the children as a way of repaying them for what they had done for her. Duke Keramsov even praised her dedication to the children and considered the idea of ​​her becoming the successor to the orphanage's administrator, but Alina wanted to get a job as a tutor for a family and her experience teaching the children at the orphanage would probably help her in this. She loved Malyen and knew she could never marry him, so her plan was to spend some time in Keramzin while she looked for a governess position in some family’s residence. With that in mind, she applied for a few governess positions she had seen in the newspapers and was waiting for responses.

Alina was visiting Mrs. Oretseva and listening to her praise the eldest son of one of her tenants and talk about what a good husband he would be for Alina when the news of Baghra's death arrived. The news, however, did not make the woman sad and her reaction was to continue the conversation as if nothing had happened after instructing one of the maids to pack her bags for her trip to Kirbrisk for the reading of the will.

Having grown up listening to Mrs. Oretseva talk about where she grew up and how she and her sister had a terrible relationship, Alina was not shocked by her reaction to the news of her sister’s death. And it was to Alina that Malyen confided about his hatred for his cousin over the years, a cousin whom Alina had also learned to despise in support of the man she loved. So Alina was happy when they returned from the reading of the will and informed her that Malyen could inherit his maternal grandfather's family fortune if the cousin he hated did not marry within a year.

The next day, Malyen visited her alone at the orphanage and asked her to take a walk with him. Alina, who had never refused him anything, accepted. This was not the first time that they would take a walk alone around the orphanage or the Oretsev family estate. When they arrived at a meadow where they had often gone since childhood, Malyen revealed his true intentions in taking her there.

Malyen confessed that he had loved her all his life and that he was also aware of her feelings for him. He explained that he had kept quiet because of his financial dependence on the family's money and because he knew that his mother would disown him if he chose her as his wife, who belonged to a social class so far below his own. She felt like she was in a dream as she heard him say that now that there was a possibility of him inheriting Morozov Hall, he felt for the first time that there was hope for them and decided to reveal his feelings in the hope that she would agree to help him secure the inheritance.

Alina was so happy that her feelings were reciprocated that she didn't hesitate to agree to help him and told him that she would do whatever it took to ensure that they would be together. Then he told her his plan and how she could help him. Malyen wanted her to write to Alexei asking him to help her get the job as a maid at the Little Palace and to spy on his cousin so that he could take action to prevent Aleksander from getting married before the deadline.

His plan surprised her. Alina hadn’t hidden anything about her life from Malyen and his mother, and had told them not only about her friendship with Alexei, but also about the letter her friend had sent her informing her about the maid position at the Little Palace. But what she hadn’t had the courage to tell them or anyone else was the reason why Alexei wanted her to apply for the position. Both Alexei and his master had praised her drawings and paintings, and her friend had mentioned that Duke Morozov patronized artists he thought were talented, and Alexei was certain that he would become her patron if he saw her work. Alexei felt that a job as a maid at the Little Palace was her best chance of gaining his patronage and realizing her dream of owning a studio.

Aleksander couldn't help but smile at that. Alexei knew him well and he wasn't wrong in thinking that he would indeed recognize Alina's talent when he saw her work. And it was at that moment that he realized what would be the perfect wedding gift for Alina, one that he would need help preparing, but that would certainly make Alina very happy.

However, from everything Malyen had told her, Alina did not believe that Duke Morozov would be so generous, and it was only when the position began to represent the possibility of a future with the man she loved that she became truly interested. However, she had already committed to another employer. While Malyen and his mother were in Kirbrisk for the reading of Baghra’s will, she had received a reply to her application for a position as governess to a family living near Ivets asking her to visit the family as soon as possible. She had told him so, but Malyen had insisted that he needed her to be his spy at the Little Palace and help make sure that Aleksander would not be married on time.

Before she could argue, Malyen had told her that he loved her, that she was the only person who could help him, and then he had kissed her. At that moment, overwhelmed by her own feelings and hopes, Alina found no strength or reason to deny him anything. Much less access to her body, because Malyen didn't just want to kiss her and she couldn't deny him her body since he had always had her heart.

Alina stopped talking and the two of them were silent for a few seconds. She was pale and he imagined that not only remembering but confessing all of that to him must be very painful.

His fiancée closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath before opening them and continuing her story. Determined to help Malyen, she had written to the family in Ivets informing them that for personal reasons she could not visit them and had replied to Alexei's letter telling him that she would love to work at the Little Palace and try to secure the Duke's patronage. Malyen was so anxious for her to get the job that he visited her every day to see if Alexei had replied to her letter.

After receiving Alexei's reply in which her friend informed her that he had taken all the necessary steps and made all the necessary arrangements for her to take the position, Malyen had offered her the family carriage to take her to the inn where Alexei would wait for her to accompany her to Morozov Hall. She didn't stop to consider the morality of what she was doing until she had been at the Little Palace for a few weeks and had had the chance to meet Aleksander and talk to the other employees.

“You already know the rest of the story, Aleksander.” She finished in a tired tone and he nodded slowly.

Yes, he knew the rest of the story. They had developed a friendship and he had fallen in love with her.

“Do you still love him, Alina?” he heard himself ask and it took them both by surprise.

Why had he asked that? Of all the things she had just told him, why ask about that? He already knew the answer, but he wanted to know if she still loved him anyway. And what difference would it make to him to hear confirmation that she still loved Malyen? Even if Alina would never come to love him as much as she loved Malyen, he knew he had enough love for both of them.

Alina looked at her hands clasped tightly on her lap for a few seconds and ran her thumb over her ring finger. The same finger that had carried his family ring until that morning. When he thought she wouldn’t answer, the girl looked him in the eye and replied simply, “I’ve loved him almost my entire life.”

Aleksander felt immense discomfort at hearing that answer. Although it was an evasive answer, he knew that the obvious answer was yes. Alina had made it quite clear that she loved Malyen both in her letters and in her story. Aleksander couldn’t help but study her as he tried to understand why she hadn’t given him a straight answer.

He saw fear in her eyes as she asked, “Has knowing all this changed your mind?”

Changed his mind? Not even death would make him give up on her, for he would search for her in another life and keep searching until he found her again.

He gave her a mischievous smile to hide his true feelings and replied, “It’s not that easy to get rid of me, Alina. Besides, it’s not your love that I need to receive my inheritance. Your consent before the reverend and the magistrate is enough.”

Alina nodded and began, “You asked me if there was any chance I could be carrying his child. I was wondering and I need to ask.” She stopped and looked him in the eyes before asking, “Aleksander, would you still propose to me if I was pregnant?”

He thought carefully about her question for a few seconds. He wouldn't be happy raising another man's child, especially someone he hated, but he was in love with Alina and he couldn't imagine rejecting her because of that.

“I would not mind raising his child as my own, since that child would be linked to me by blood, as long as he never knew of the child's existence.”

She gave him a small, relieved smile and he couldn't help but ask, “Would you marry me if you knew you were carrying his child?”

Alina seemed taken aback by his question, but answered after a few seconds, “If I were carrying his child, I wouldn't have hesitated to tell him.”

That didn't answer his question, so he persisted, “But would you marry me?”

Alina took a deep breath and answered honestly, “It's complicated. I couldn't hide something like that from you or him. The guilt would destroy me.”

He nodded and was taken aback when she asked, “Do you want to know what I wrote in the letter I sent him informing him that I would no longer spy on you?”

The letter that had triggered the response Aleksander had read and led him to discover everything. Without that letter he would never have known of his cousin's plans. Without that letter he would never have discovered Alina's true intentions in coming to Morozov Hall. Without that letter he would not be engaged to the woman he loved.

Curious, Aleksander nodded.

Alina looked out the window for a few seconds before saying, “That letter was the hardest I’ve ever written in my life, but at the same time it made me feel relieved when I finished it.” She looked at him and added, “I told him that I had decided to listen to my conscience and stop spying on you, and that if you found a bride, word would surely reach him in time for him to act to prevent your marriage.” He nodded and she took a deep breath before continuing, “I assured him that I would keep his secrets, and I asked him to keep mine. And I ended by informing him that I would not return to Keramzin and that we would probably never see each other again.”

“So you had no plans to go to him?” he asked before he could stop himself. All this time he had assumed that Alina intended to return to Keramzin to wait for his cousin to fulfill his promises to her.

“No, I hadn’t,” she answered truthfully.

“I assumed that you intended to return to Keramzin at some point and…”

“And force Mal to fulfill all the promises he made to me?” she finished, and he nodded. “I still didn't know where to go, but I knew I didn't want to go back to Keramzin at that point.”

“May I ask why?” he asked in an anxious tone.

“I prefer to keep my reasons to myself,” she replied, repeating his words and giving him a teasing smile before adding, “At least for now.”

He smiled at her using his words against him and simply said, “It seems fair to me.”

Alina laughed, making it clear that she felt comfortable with him. He couldn’t help but join her.

He might not have her love, but he had her friendship and that was enough.

---

The afternoon was beginning when their carriage stopped in front of his family home in Os Kervo.

They had planned to stop to stretch their legs and get something to eat halfway, but Alina had fallen asleep shortly after finishing telling him her story and Aleksander preferred to let her rest.

Aleksander watched her the whole time as he fell into a delirium about what their life would be like, if one day Alina would fall in love with him, if they would be happy even if she never loved him. He thought about what it would be like to spend his days with her and grow old by her side. He thought about whether she wanted children and if one day he would be able to hold one of their children in his arms. In his mind, he lived entire lives by her side and it was only when they entered the city that he was pulled out of his delirium and woke her up.

His fiancée watched the streets and people curiously and attentively, and he watched her expressions and reactions as closely as he could. And it was only when the carriage turned onto the street where the Morozov residence was that he felt a pang of fear. What if his fiancée's fears were realized and Ulla would not accept Alina as his bride? What if Ulla and Genya tried to convince him not to marry the woman he loved? What if he had to choose between his sister and the woman he loved? What would he do?

He shook his head and banished those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was no reason for him to suffer in advance. He would look for a solution to problems when they arose, if they arose.

As soon as they got out of the carriage, Aleksander heard the door of the house open and Ulla and Genya came out to greet them with wide smiles of welcome and he had no doubt that the two had spent at least the last hour looking out the window and waiting anxiously for them. He smiled and waved to them before helping Alina to disembark.

Though her expression was serene, he felt the tremor in her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Alina gave him a grateful smile and the two of them turned to the girls waiting for them. He watched the two of them and noticed that Genya looked intrigued and curious and Ulla didn't seem the least bit surprised to see Alina with him, holding hands with him.

Ulla walked over to them and hugged him before greeting Alina with a smile and a warm embrace. His sister did not look at the carriage again or ask if there was anyone else inside and when she took Alina's arm and introduced her to Genya as her dear friend, Aleksander's intuition told him that his sister had already deduced that Alina was his fiancée.

Or maybe she's just happy to see her friend again and is thinking that Alina has accompanied me and that my fiancée must be on her way with her family , he thought.

Genya wrapped her arms around him and told him she was happy to see him again and before he or Alina could say anything the newcomers were ushered inside. Mrs. Yakovleva was waiting for them at the entrance and greeted them as well. The four of them went up to the living room and made themselves comfortable. Even though they didn’t know she was his fiancée, Ulla and Genya welcomed Alina with all the attention, consideration, and affection he knew he could expect from them.

They only had time to answer questions about how their journey had been before two maids entered the room carrying refreshments and a light meal.

“You must be starving,” Ulla commented and looked at Alina before adding, “My brother always needs to eat something sweet when he comes back from a trip.”

Alina nodded and commented with a sweet smile, “I know. Mrs. Stepanova never lets the Little Palace kitchen run out of sweets.”

Aleksander couldn’t help but smile. The four of them sat down and ate while Aleksander, Ulla, and Genya exchanged information about their mutual friends and other family members. His sister and cousin would include Alina in the conversation when they explained who they were talking about. Although Alina didn't know who most of the people they were talking about were, she seemed interested in the gossip the other girls were telling them and laughed as she heard about the embarrassing things these people had said or done or that had happened to them.

“So, Aleksander, when are you going to officially introduce us to your chosen one?” Genya asked when they had finished their meal, her intelligent golden eyes fixed on Alina.

Of course, they had already deduced that Alina was his chosen one. It had been foolish of him to think otherwise.

Alina looked at him and he saw a mix of uncertainty and fear in her eyes. He gave her a small nod, stood up, and offered her his hand. Alina held it tightly, stood up, and stood beside him. Aleksander gave her hand a comforting squeeze before turning to the other two girls who were looking at them with curiosity and expectation.

“Sister. Cousin,” he began, and there was a hint of nervousness in his voice. “I would like to introduce you to my chosen one. Miss Alina Starkova.”

He expected surprise or even protest, but the two girls exchanged a knowing look and a conspiratorial smile. Then they both looked at Alina with sincere smiles, stood up and hugged her again as they congratulated her on their engagement. His fears were dispelled, for he knew the girls well and knew that their reactions were sincere. His Alina seemed surprised by the reaction and reception of the other girls, but accepted the congratulations with a grateful smile.

Genya then hugged him and whispered in his ear, “I’m glad you found a solution, Sasha.” referring to the conversation they had at his godmother’s house in the Lake District.

He looked her in the eyes and said with a smile, “Me too.”

Genya kissed his cheek and gave him a mischievous smile before adding, “I can’t wait to hear every detail about you two.”

Before he could comment, Aleksander was being hugged by his sister, who simply said in an emotional tone, “I’m so happy for you, brother!”

He hugged her tightly, relieved that his sister had approved of his choice, and couldn't help but smile back as he looked into her eyes and said sincerely, “I'm very happy too, sister.”

“I have no doubt that you two will be very happy together, Sasha!” she added, looking at her future sister-in-law.

He looked at his fiancée too and saw that Alina was smiling, but the smile didn't reach her eyes and he could see that she was tense even though she was so warmly accepted .

She's feeling guilty, a voice whispered in his mind, she feels guilty for what she did and this warm welcome and immediate acceptance must be making her feel even worse.

His sister must have noticed Alina’s discomfort, for she remarked, “How insensitive of us! You must be exhausted from the journey, Alina.”

Alina gave her a guilty look and nodded before commenting, “I didn’t expect sitting in a carriage doing nothing for a few hours to be so exhausting, Miss Morozova.”

The two girls nodded, but Aleksander knew that other things had contributed to her exhaustion. Alina was emotionally drained after telling him about her life.

Ulla gave her a disapproving look and corrected her, “We’ll be a family soon, my dear friend. Please call me Ulla.”

Alina nodded, but still looked uncomfortable with the idea.

“Your quarters are ready,” Genya commented and called one of the maids and asked her to accompany Alina to her quarters, leaving the three of them alone.

He had promised them both in his letters that he would explain everything to them in person. Although he could see the anxiety and questions in their eyes and expressions, they did not voice it, much less pressure him to explain his change of mind or his choice. He knew that they would wait for him to take the initiative and tell them what had happened so that he would not only change his mind but also choose a maid as his bride.

“I promise I will answer all your questions after I rest,” he said.

The two agreed and he retired to his quarters.

[poupeesdecirque]

Travel Blog - Büsum (North Sea) - 20/21/22 September 24

Took me the whole week to finally have time to write the travel blog for my trip to the north sea. I can tell it was an amazing weekend and a lot of things settled for me, Mom & I had time to talk and we didn't have each other much this year bc it was either me or her traveling or working.

I didn't expect work to mess with me so hard that I wasn't even able to think of putting the photos onto the laptop... I am currently trying to work through a huge backlog. But more important if you are interested read further, a post with some HQ impressions of the trip is queued up and will be posted later on :)

Friday

It was not the first time for us to travel to Büsum, i like the small town it's very relaxed and I love the wattenmeer, i love just walking there and therefore I was looking forward a lot to this trip.

Did you know the area there is known for cabbage? So yes that field is a lot of ... cabbage.

Arrived we were able to check into the Hotel and visited a restaurant that had opened last year in the place a very good pancake place was once before. They had closed in spring though as there was a fire ... I am glad they were able to reopen.

After eating a Kaiserschmarrn we walked around the town. We had planned to take photos later on so we decided it would be best to check restaurants for dinner while taking a stroll. The weather was beautiful and reserving a table was the smarter choice here.

There were truly quite a few interesting things to see... like those french bulldogs (if you take a photo you were asked to donor something for animals which we gladly did).

Then we went out for photos. I took overall 5 dolls with me, can you spot which one got photos here :D?

The day ended with us having dinner at a rather traditional place. This is only the second time I had fish without batter... I am proud I have progressed so far from being a picky eater. It was quite late already, we fell into bed.

Saturday

As you might know I am an early bird... I took the time and went out for a small walk to enjoy the sunrise a bit before we attended the hotel buffet.

The hotel we stayed in is over 100 years old and the walls are decorated with 100.000 shells from all over the world, it was impressive.

My only complain here is that the serving sizes were itty bitty small... like 1 serving of yogurt was 1 teaspoon.. for someone who loves their yogurt it felt weird to get more than two servings (which was still only two teaspoons) :') the buns were like 1/4 of a normal sized one.

Anyways after breakfast we had planned to hike. Morning the Watt would be ours as there was supposed to be ebb and in the afternoon we decided to walk in the other direction this time as Mom never went to Deichhausen.

Inbetween we went to a Cabbage festival, met Mom's cousin and got some snacks. We had to hike over the Deich and there were several herds of sheep munching through the grass.

In Deichhausen we just relaxed for a while before we went back over the Deich and were greeted by a lots of sheep again.

There was also the Manga Day and we went to a Bookshop (I actually restricted myself oh boy so many good books) and I got those three previews for free, it's the first few chapters each. I haven't had the time to read them yet.

Here is my snack from inbetween and what I got for dinner. The Burger is with a potato-vegetable patty, topped with halloumi and roasted veggies. Side was Coleslaw and sweet Potato Fries. If you know me... you know I need to end my day with something sweet.

Then we watched the sunset once more (top photo). I was incredibly beat as I managed to walk almost 35k steps that day and even watching TV in the evening was too loud for me.

Sunday

The last day came way too soon as we only had the half day to hike once more, then we wanted to check out an old car/US car meet up, and ofc the drive home.

Once more itty servings at the breakfast. Can we talk about the croissants? The cereals next to them are NORMAL sized... so tiny.

We took a long stroll in the Watt before we headed to the meet up.

It was really interesting but I have to say the noise, the people and the sunlight lead to a sensory overload for me, I dodged two panic attacks and just wanted to flee :') so we did.

Before we went home we OF COURSE had to buy some cabbage. ... there is a lot of cabbage on my menu this week.

Traveling back took forever because of traffic and blocked roads (4 hours for a 2,5 hour distance). I'm just glad the next time I travel to Hamburg will be by train.

[apathetic-dry-rot]

Wilting Nerium- Chapter 4: Kill Bill

CW: Mental Breakdown/Panic Attack, Marijuana Usage, Gun Purchasing.

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Disclaimer: I do not condone any of the content in this fanfic or game in real life!

Lawrence Oleander belongs to Gatobob

NOW PLAYING: Kill Bill- SZA

It was a slow day at the reserve, our last three stags all accounted for, their does and fawns following behind them. Milo’s mate had passed on due to grief, the pair unable to have conceived any offspring before Milo’s death.

Most of our visitors were traveling families, or weathered retired folk who wanted the silence of nature. There was the occasional school field trip, too, but I never really stayed around for those unless absolutely necessary, I stuck to monitoring the animals.

It was 4:50 in the afternoon, and I was packing up the last of my things when the bell on the visitor’s center’s front desk chimed. My eyes rolled into the back of my head.

I just wanna go the fuck home, come on, are you serious right now?

“One second!”

I took a deep breath before walking out to the desk, putting on my best customer service smile. This was usually Lola’s job, but she was sick, so I had to cover for her.

“Thank you for visiting the St. Lawrence River Nature Sanctuary, what can I help you with today?”

I took in the appearances of the two girls in front of me.

One had her hair in a braid, falling over her right shoulder, with a yellow tank top that brought out the yellow highlights in her baby blue eyes, while the other girl’s matching blonde hair was falling loose around her shoulder, rectangular glasses perched on her nose, and a loose short-sleeved blue flannel hung on her slim frame.

Probably twins.

The braided one smiled at me kindly, her eyes scrunching up.

“Hi! Um, my sister Laurel and I were wanting to enroll in the volunteer program? We tried to come in yesterday but you guys were already closed.”

“Uh, yeah sure, um…”

I began hunting for the applications, Lola’s organizational skills being questionable at best.

After a few moments, and ruffling through a multitude of drawers, I pulled out the applications and a sign-in sheet.

“In, uh, In addition to the applications, I’m gon- ‘scuse me, gonna need your names on this sign-in sheet so the actual front desk person knows you stopped in today, I’m covering her position.”

The one with glasses- Laurel, nodded, while the braided one spoke up again, reaching for the sign-in sheet.

“Oh, yeah no problem!”

She scribbled something down, passed it to her sister, who did more of a scrawl, before passing it back to me. I set the sheet down on the desk, wiping my hands together awkwardly.

“So, um, when you guys are done, just, uh, just ring the bell and I’ll come get the applications.”

I gave them my name, and told them to holler if they needed anything, not missing the way their eyes lit up with recognition, looking between themselves and back at me with a look of heavy sympathy.

No, not sympathy, it was pity. Fuck. Here comes the spiel.

“You’re the one from the news, right?”

I cleared my throat, nodding, having my response ready.

I don’t remember anything after leaving the Jackalope until I woke up in the woods.

“Um… yeah. Yeah, that’d be me.”

I let out a half-hearted awkward chuckle, shifting back and forth on my feet.

The pair looked at each other again, then back at me.

“And you really don’t remember anything?”

I cleared my throat, scratching at my scalp impulsively.

“I mean, I remember blacking out in an alley after some guy swung at me, and I remember pain… a lot of it. But other than that, no. Not a thing. Woke up in the woods tied to a tree and left for dead.”

They looked at me with varied degrees of horror on their faces, Laurel speaking up in a hushed tone.

“So, the cops literally can’t do anything?”

I shook my head no, watching as their expressions fell into shock and disbelief.

“That’s such bullshit! It’s incredibly unfair, shouldn’t they at least be trying to find anything?”

I shrugged noncommittally.

“All they were able to do was I-D the guy that swung on me, but they were never able to track him down, so they gave up.”

“Oh my god, that’s awful.”

I shrugged, indifferent.

“That’s the way the police system is. Nothing I can really do about it.”

Lie.

The girls exchanged sympathy with me before finishing their applications and leaving with enthusiastic goodbyes.

I went back to grab my bag, stopping at the front desk to organize Lily and Laurel’s papers before I locked up. The papers crinkled in my hands and I froze at the names on the papers, my breath catching in my throat.

Lily and Laurel Oleander.

The venture home was a haze, people blurring together and time feeling nonexistent as I meandered through the streets to my flat, locking the door behind me as the dust settled. I leaned back into the door with a heavy sigh, sinking to the floor and curling into a ball. The sun was setting as I sat there for what felt like ages, my eyes unfocused and hot tears slowly dripping down the apples of my cheeks and off my chin.

I didn’t move until it was almost completely dark, standing up on trembling legs and opening a small drawer in my desk where I kept a sparse collection of pre-rolled joints that I had made shortly after the party, reaching in and grabbing a random one and a green lighter, sinking onto my bed and lifting the joint to my lips and lighting the end.

I just want it all to stop. The thoughts, the fear, the anxiety, everything.

After a few minutes of smoking, time seemed to fuzz in a more positive way as my brain was enveloped in a dream-like haze.

After the joint was done I grabbed my keys and wallet, and once again left my apartment into the near empty streets.

Winter seemed like a blessing, the people clear out earlier, when the sun goes away.

I wandered for a bit, finding myself in a slightly more populated area of the town where some stores and antique shops were nestled in a sort of strip mall.

I’d kill for a burrito right about now.

Hungrily, my eyes scanned the area, a scarce amount of food trucks remaining. I zeroed in on my target- a random Mexican truck.

Fucking bingo.

A few short minutes, and $12.79 later, I found myself on a bench with the most mouth-watering, greasy, divine burrito I’d ever laid eyes on in my hand. I took a bite and nearly moaned, grease from the ground beef and sour cream falling onto my face.

This is the best burrito I’ve ever had in my entire fucking life.

It felt like nearly instantly that I had scarfed the tiny piece of heaven down and wiped my face clean, the weed haze dimming slightly, as I took another look at my surroundings. There was only one store that was left open that caught my eye.

Tom’s Gun and Pawn Shoppe.

I slammed the door to my apartment shut, hinges crying as I walked over to my desk, setting down my personal belongings and the brown paper bag onto the faux wooden surface. Plopping into the chair, I sighed, rubbing my face before holding my hand on my mouth, staring at the bag in front of me. Slowly, and as if on their own, my hands reached in and wrapped around the two items inside, the box in my right hand making a small jingle sort of clinking noise as I moved it around and held the two items in my hands. I paid no mind to the box and dropped it gently onto the desk before cradling the other, significantly more important item, in my hands as I contemplated if what I was doing was even considered to be in sound mind.

A Beretta 96.

Word Count: 1323

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Winx Au (extra S7)

:3

Have S1 for an index right here

Za people have spoken!

They want glittery fairy Bois kicking ass :3

Anyway! I didn't initially plan it... Like season 6 was the final one in my agenda... Ya know...

BUT! but but but! Ya know... Time-line wise... Winx's season 3 would start after this au's S6 finished... So... Not only it would be a perfect lil final season, but also we get the cannon and au characters getting to know each other. :3

And also ✨Valtor✨

Anyway! Under le cut! We get with the FINAL final season of the series(I mean it this time U-Ub)

So... We start off, in the summer vacation, near the end of it.

Already the whole Requix squad was absolutely done and over with saving twisted wonderland, so they decided to just relax in their holiday.

During this time, ofc NRC was reorganising the management, the press issues and also renovating and rebuilding the damaged sides of the school.

Azul had his official crowning as emperor of the infinite ocean(see S5), but he didn't want to paint a big target on his back, nor did he want to deal with so much political warfare, so the ceremony was very retreated and kept a secret upon Azul's insistences. The Requix squad and the twins were the only ones who knew and also came. (due to sirenix)

Rollo also was a very cool guy to hangout, so occasionally the group would also visit him at the city of flowers. The city itself was very nice and lively.

Even so, with the school getting closer and closer and the group being actually expelled from NRC, they couldn't just ask to be officially enrolled in NBC and they weren't meeting the qualifications for other schools that would allow a transfer. They were supposed to be 3rd years, but already their whole cumulated skills and knowledge would give them early graduation.

Yet, to cheer them up, Idia brought up Solaria's upcoming princess ball. Since he did graduate NRC, he took over STIX as executive director. And because of STIX having various connection, including the royal family of Solaria. And because they need to keep up those connections, Idia has to attend the said party as his parents had to attend some more important duties.

But Idia actually had the opportunity to get with him some other guests. And this time, it was a party at the palace, guarded to the brim. They had literally nothing to worry about, except maybe what they will wear. It is a royal ball after all.

So with that stuck in mind, the group decided to just go to magix city and see what's poppin. It was a royal ball, so of course, they needed to look like they came straight from the runway.

And all was going great. Some looking around, chatting, yet they came here around lunch time, so they firstly decided to eat. There was a pizzeria around, so clearly not in the mood for some fancy cafe food, the group decided to take a pizza and be over with it. As long as it fills them up, it's no problem.

So they go in, place their order and wait in there. It was gonna come out in 10 minutes, which left a bit of time to discuss what each of them did in the holiday since the last time they saw each other.

Jack was more of a stay at home guy, playing with his siblings and also hanging out with Vil a bit. They are getting around with a better friendship, so Jack is hopeful they will sort out. Sebek had a few field trips with his family. Since he used his wish to bring them together, the whole Zigvolt family was trying to work out, which yes, it had Sebek at the bridge and subject of affection, which was a bit annoying, but the field trips were very fun.

Epel again, stood in his village, helping around. He had some small adventures from time to time, but it were more like short funny stories to tell at a pijama party. Deuce mostly took up with his training as a nymph. His mom was very supportive of it and more often than not, Deuce blew something up on accident. Sevens bless the repairing spells, they are sure handy.

Ortho wasn't that much into staying at home for holiday, but he also didn't like to travel alone, so he mostly helped his big brother and parents around and also dealing with some relationship formalities. As for the last, Ace had the time of his life at the palace. Sure, he mostly stood at home with his nana, but he did go at the palace from time to time. Now, he wasn't really a prince, yet, but still it was absolutely bonkers to explore the whole thing like you own the place. His brother and sister in law still are planning little details for their wedding, so clearly it's a very important thing for the whole queendom of roses. Deuce notes that it's gonna be on live TV, so you bet the whole gang would watch just to see Ace mess up on live TV.

So while they were chatting, Sebek notes that the pizza was ready. The chef just put it on the counter. So Deuce is the one that came to pick it up from the intense rock-paper-scissors match.

Except that poor Deuce happens to miss it when a girl literally takes it from him. There was another girl, who was accusing the latter of stealing her pizza. Deuce really was dumbfounded, because they were the ones who stood in here for 10 minutes for their pizza. It wasn't a lot of time, but still, they were here first and that was their order. Even the chef looked apologetically at Deuce and told him that the next one is coming in another 10 minutes.

So being witnesses to this clownery, Ace is the one who steps in, yanking the box from Chimera and declaring loud and clear that this is their pizza, which they ordered first, and waited patiently for it. If they want to fight for another, better do it on something that it's not already pre-ordered.

And of course, an argument escalates, Chimera asking Ace who tf does he think he is and that if he was oh so patient, he could wait another 10 minutes, all while trying to yank the pizza out of him. Stella on the other hand, realised her fault and properly apologised to Deuce(Bloom nudged her), for taking their food. Deuce kindly says that it's no biggie, but he is a bit worried that Ace might just rile up Chimera a bit too much.

And BOI does Ace really love to rile up the situation. Jack tried to be the peacemaker, but Chimera also took a jab at him, which in turn sent Epel into the riling up. Ortho was just palm-facing and Sebek really was ready to yank the 2 out of there. Deuce still tried to form a coherent thought about the situation.

At this point, Ortho told Ace to just give the girls the pizza. Another one was almost ready and the group really wants to eat something. Ace, for a sec, thinks that maybe Ortho was right, but that second of thinking was all it took for Chimera to grab the box and yank it, to the point it ripped open and the contents fell on both Ace and Chimera.

Of course, Ace really does not take this kindly. Like girl, he was seconds away from actually giving it to you, so why did you have to do that?! Now both of them were covered in pizza toppings. Thankfully Ace knew a quick clean-up spell and already Ortho grabbed the next done pizza, which ortho also apologised to the chef for the commotion, before he got the group to scram from there and finally get to eat something.

After eating, the group finally take on to go and shop around. Ace really was praying to never see that whiny chick ever again. Great! Now no one is ever gonna consider working in retail. What are they gonna do since they have no chance of a graduation certificate? >:v

Again, it's a colective 'screw you, Crowley' moment.

But in the end, the group do find some nice clothes for themselves. They went to a shop for Ortho, since man was so indecisive that he needed to scout the whole city before settling on something. But he did like the accessories in here and they would go well with his fit for the ball, so why not?

Except that when they head for paying for their shit, a wild Chimera also appears. Sebek was almost yelling a 'you again?!' if Epel didn't shush him down. Already the saleswoman was cashing Ortho's things as chimera demanded to cash in her dress first. Ortho tried to be civil and say that he will just pay with the card and he's almost done, bit Chimera again insisted, clearly in a hurry.

The others noticed that Stella and Bloom were fast approaching the store so maybe it was again a race for something? At this point they were done and over with it. Chimera insists that she will be the princess of Solaria, so she needs this dress for her princess ball. The poor saleswoman was reassured when Ortho gracefully allowed her to checkout chimera, even if that meant re-doing Ortho's objects yet again. The saleswoman did thank him for his patience.

Fortunately, our group had mad patience skills over this 2 years since they entered and got expelled from NRC. Ace, Epel and Sebek did run short on it sometimes, while Jack had the longest record of standing.

Ortho again was ready to pay, when Stella barges in and heads straight for the cashier. Really Ortho was ready to punt someone. Like??? Sorry, ladies, but he just wants to slide in that damn card and get properly his accessories. It doesn't take more than a few seconds!

This time, Bloom apologises for her friend's little rash attitude today, but Chimera really pushed the limit today and Stella was having none of it. Well, surprise, but the group also had none of it when someone screws over with them.

But in the end, they just hoped to never run again into chimera, which was very unlikely, since she was gonna be 'the future princess of solaria' and they will attend to the princess ball in solaria after all. Bloom was surprised to hear that, since she knew it was Stella's princess ball in solaria, not Chimera.

Jack brings up that it sounds a bit fishy and that maybe they should look out for this ball...

But nonetheless, they leave it like this for now, until the actual ball itself comes. On the big day, the group did remeet again in advance, mostly to finish up their looks(Ortho would absolutely punt each and every one of them if they dared to go without any proper prep). But they were slaying and ready to party.

And unlike the rose queendom's palace, this one was even bigger and more grander. The guests were coming in fancy carriages and of course, most were of noble blood or apart of the royal court. Really there was a high standard when it came to how someone was dressed.

Unfortunately, our group realised a bit too late that the comune theme around were lighter colors. Yep... Surely they won't stand out too much with their blacks and darker colors... :'3

Back on the better notes... There was a lot of food there... :D

But even so, the group mostly stuck after Idia like ducklings. They were never properly at a party without having a mission to fulfill or being abruptly stopped by a surprise bad guy attack. Add to this the fact that this is a royal ball, where it was expected a certain level of class and elegance.

And Idia, was an anxious mess. He was approached by a lot of people from the royal court, curious of his presence in here. And also if the pelicular fashion taste. Clearly the group had to be from another planet altogether, but it was hard to say from where, as most magix alliance planets always had very distinct and colorful styles.

Thankfully, king Radius comes to greet Idia, happy to see the oldest of the Shroud children being able to attend the princess ball. He was oddly in a great mood today. Idia does greet awkwardly a bit, excusing his parents's absence and also introducing Ortho and the rest of the Requix squad.

Now, Radius only saw Ortho as a baby, so to see him all grown up as a teen was a surprise. He does note that there is quite the resemblance to the father at the face, while Idia always looked more like his mother. Nonetheless, he was happy to see his old friends's children all grown up and here. That, before he leaves to search for his daughter, Stella.

The rest of the group does ask how tf does the king know the 2. Idia responds that this is not his first time in here. Their parents were actually long time friends with King Radius. Idia was actually just one year older than Radius's daughter, Stella. So they did use to play together when they were very young and STIX was under the direction of his grandparents. He actually still kept in touch with Stella. She was the one that taught Idia how to make braids and buns. Ortho was just a small baby when he was in here so really, he was probably unrecognizable now.

Now leave the friendship story aside, the group wants to see the baby pictures. Ya know... Must make fun of each other with each occasion. :v

So King Radius again returns, but this time with Stella as well, who is absolutely thrilled to re-see her childhood friend. But then you see the Requix squad gasping like absolute dumbasses, realising that Stella was one of the girls they kept running into back in magix city. At least she was the actual nice one, who apologised for being mean. :'3

Cue very awkward proper introduction. :'3

Ace does bring up that the other girl, Chimera, said that she was' the future princess of solaria', so this begs the question: what tf is going in this royal family drama. Stella again denies that it's impossible, because it was her princess ball...

Welp... King Radius, the ever so dumb(/j), just makes the official announcement that he will be marrying Countess Cassandra, whom daughter was none other than Chimera herself. Oh if this wasn't one of the most predictibile things for our group. Even so, they do try to reassure Stella along the rest of the winx.

For all they knew, Chimera could be bratty, but she could also be better than prince Mangor. U-Ub

Cue the dance opening for the ball. Epel oh so happened to be the closest to the countess and her daughter, seeing Chimera ready to cast a spell.

So naturally, knowing the very brief history in between the 2 girls and NOT wanting another scandal, Epel is making a counter spell, stopping Chimera's spell in time, which does gain her attention, unfortunately.

So Chimera aims this time at Epel, who was easily countering her spells. Like he didn't even try that much. :'3

But, the dance still wasn't over, so seeing that Chimera had a hard time placing the spell, Cassandra takes the opportunity window to place the spell on Stella, which immediately gains the panic of the court.

Of course, the first person Radius calls for help is Idia, in hopes that maybe he could pinpoint what kind of dark spell this is. The fire head was ready to come forward when suddenly the king declared that this wasn't his daughter, rather a monster that had to be arrested immediately.

Welp... This surely came quick to chaos...

So because of the absolute chaos with winx trying to escape, Idia calls out that he will take the king to safety. Countess Cassandra does seem very against this, but Idia replies that mayhaps she wanted to keep the king in the aera of danger. Of course, Radius indulged into Idia's plead to flee to more safe quarters.

Unbeknownst to Cassandra, Deuce and Ortho followed in tow, using their clavix powers(see S6), to figure out if the king was spelled.

Of course, the mark of Valtor appeared on his neck. None of them ever saw such mark until now, so their best shot was to use the fairy dust and see if it will get rid of it. Thankfully it does clean the spell, and King Radius finds himself very confused about what happened. Idia takes the job to fill him in, while Deuce and Ortho try to find out where the rest were.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group were defending against the guards. Chimera really decided to paint a target on their back too for the soldiers, so now someone had to hold back Ace from squaring up. Solaria soldiers also were pretty good at keeping up against enchantix spells, so everyone split up, with Sebek and Epel helping the winx to escape and Ace with Jack were giving a hand to the specialists.

In the end, the Winx escape and the specialists as well. Yet still, there was a bit of an issue, mainly on why Stella was cursed as a monster.

And our Requix squad also make a proper introduction, saying that they are also fairies, but already they reached enchantix. With hope, they do try to use the fairy dust on Stella.

Unfortunately it doesn't work. So because Stella was the fairy of the sun and the moon, Deuce was the nymph of the night sky, meaning that he could try and connect to Stella's magic and pinpoint what may be wrong.

It turns out that the spell Chimera used was a spell, meant to latch onto the target's magic in such a way that as long as the target believes this is truly their truest form of their soul, it will be reality. That's why the fairy dust didn't work: Stella had to also work on her own self-image, not just spell it away.

So here comes sum library search. The winx in the Alfea library, while our group in the secret library, with Neressa's help(see S6 ending). They do find something about the mirror of truth and thankfully, the winx also found about it, so at unanimous decision, the group was going to take on finding that mirror.

And yes, the group and Idia do help out winx. Idia cuz childhood friend and our Requix squad because, as much as they would want to not get in anymore adventures and saving people, these mfs really can't help themselves to not help out.

At this point everyone in the group hates that they can't say no to saving people. :'3

But they embark on the quest. Some more magic shenanigans and finally, they find the mirror of truth. Stella and Brandon have a nice moment together and Stella gets to break the spell with the help of the magic mirror.

After that, our Requix group does return home, only to be faced with the fact that they were accepted back in NRC. Of course with Leona as the new headmaster, for once our group was breathing in somewhat relief that maybe this time, the school year will be peaceful. Even if it was announced that they officially skipped a grade, it was their last year, might as well have a peaceful one.

What a big. Fat. Lie. :P

Meanwhile, as the emperor of the infinite ocean, Azul felt when the Andros seas got in danger due to Valtor. Since his mother was living there, Azul rightfully was going there, mostly to protect his family. So all this time he went deadbeat, and the twins do bring it up at NRC to the group. They tried to contact Azul, since he suddenly left to Andros for some business and told them to just go to school and not mind it.

The group does try to tell the twins that maybe Azul returned to cloud tower and that he's busy with work. It was still far from the truth, but none of them knew that now.

In truth, no one really heard from Azul anymore. Not even Idia or Malleus, whom the latter 2 decided to take matters into their own hands. Malleus did send a spell message, but he never got a reply back. He was starting to worry, but as crowned prince of Thorn Valley, he had to take more in his royal responsabilities. One in particular being his attendance at the Eraklyon party. He did try to invite Idia as his boyfriend, but the firehead had to refuse. 1 party fiasco was enough for him. And the situation on solaria gave to Idia the confirmation that indeed, Countess Cassandra put again a spell on the king and was executing a throne stealing attempt. With Stella's crowned princess title being given to Chimera, something really fishy was going on in there.

Meanwhile, the winx fight on Andros and Aisha gets her Enchantix! :D

As the fairy/witch of the seas, Azul took it upon himself to patch up for the winx's absence, while Valtor was still running havoc in there. Before departing, Azul tells them that fairy dust can clean off Valtor's mark. Unfortunately, the spell of the zombie mermaids seems to be recast multiple times, which makes many attempts to be futile.

And so, before fully saying goodbye and entrusting the frontlines to Azul and Queen Ligea, the octomer tells the winx to look for the Requix squad. They are a bit of troublemakers, but they always knew how to put up a fight.

Of course, the Winx turn up to our fave group of tired bastards. :3

Except that this time, our group really wanted nothing to do with any kind of trouble. They had a nice school year start, let's keep it that way. U-Ub

But the winx insist, saying that Azul was the one who told the girls to search for them. They were enchantix fairies for more than a year. They also have Mythix, Sirenix and Clavix. And Valtor will not stop only at Andros, that was clear.

So getting fully filled in about the andros situation. Azul was currently fighting the mer-monsters and Valtor seems to still keep on resisting. Someone also had to keep in check the omega portal, which only made everything harder.

Azul's power as the emperor wasn't enough to gain him the right to close and open the omega portal. He could only open and close portals in between seas. And even so, he only has a fourth of his actual full power.(see S5 ending)

So it was a very critical moment for Andros. Aisha surely was devastated at the thought of her home being destroyed and yet, there wasn't anything she could do now.

So in the end, against their initial skepticism, the Requix group decide to help. They were not that eager on another adventure, but they will try and do their best to help.

Even so, the group did contemplate what to tell the twins. In the end, the truth did have to come out one way or another. And the twins, rightfully demanded to have a leave from the school to go and help Azul on Andros.

Now, if it was Crowley at the desk, this kind of formal leave would take weeks. But Leona was understanding of the problem at hand. With Valtor on the loose, it was clear that Twisted wonderland will be on the list of soon to be attacked planets. So he did start to take measures, including getting the other magic schools of this planet on board about the situation. So far, every school had a magic barrier, that will repel outsiders. Unless Valtor specifically decides to pay a visit, no more further action was taken.

Stella does tell to Idia her worry about the Solaria situation. And with King Radius attending the said Eraklyon party, he could be again freed from the spell Cassandra put on him. It was doubtful it would be for long.

But Idia does have an invitation. In the form of 1 Malleus Draconia. Idia surely didn't tell Malleus about Azul's situation, as he was 100% certain Malleus would declare war on Valtor in a heartbeat. And while this was probably a good thing, to get some action against the root of this, Idia still needed Malleus to not turn the invitation down if they wanted to get into the Eraklyon castle and mend again with the spell status of King Radius.

And so, another party commences. Really, at this point our Requix squad was thinking that it was absolutely ridiculous how many times they had to crash a royal party or the party was crashed by someone/something else.

But Malleus is there! So it's a very awkward time in between him and Sebek. :'D

It doesn't help that most likely, Sebek will become a guardian fairy, so he will have to work for Malleus in a way or another. Malleus also didn't know about the mission at hand, so Sebek wasn't going to break it to him why he was actually there.

So firstly the ball is opened by Bloom and Sky. So far, everything was going great on that end. Meanwhile, with King Radius, he was always in the presence of Cassandra and Chimera, which made our group's mission harder.

But things go to shit when Sky suddenly switches sides and declares Diaspro his new girlfriend, then deems the winx as dangerous witches, so they have to make a run for it, out of the palace. First of all, it was a dick move. Second....

Nah... Still a dick move... >:v

Malleus is again, very confused of the display, but this time Jack has to drag him out of the danger as Sebek stood behind with Deuce to fight the guards and keep them further from the group.

It all goes to shit when the actual dragons are released. 1 or even 3 would be no problem for our group. But they were more than that. Unfortunately they were an equivalent of horses in here. So again, it's a split up in trying to get the dragons off their trails.

And Stella also saves her father like in cannon, which earns her Enchantix. Yet she couldn't take her father with her, so the best she could do is make sure he was ok before departing.

Results: they failed to re-lift off the spell off King Radius and now Sky was clearly under the same spell.

It was simply a mess.

So the group has to give this point to Valtor unfortunately. Finally, Malleus gets filled in to the whole situation and, as expected, man is ready to declare war. Idia holds him from doing that, since they couldn't do much. On Andros they would need to cast and recast a water resistance spell, which would also weaken their attacks. They couldn't drag Azul down.

Even so, Malleus does take a small moment to talk with Sebek. Mainly about his ignorance regarding what happened during the previous 2 years at NRC. Sebek is nudged by the others to accept the apology, yet he wasn't going to just waltz back into a friendship with Malleus, Lilia and Silver. He still needs time.

Later on, the news of Sky's matrimony with princess Diaspro is announced. Of course, that plus the connection with Valtor, prompts Bloom to retreat to Gardenia for a bit.

Meanwhile, at NRC, our group realise that since they skipped a year, they are in the same courses as Riddle, Kalim and the rest of their group. It was very wierd, but in the end, the group still excelled at their practical tests. For written tests, most did pull an intensive aincent library research, with Neressa's guidance.

Deuce tho, does express his worry about Andros. Valtor sure was piling up allies who act for him outside of Andros. And Deuce fears that Valtor might already put his influence in twisted wonderland, but they have no idea.

Epel points out that Chimera was at Beta Academy for fairies and she also repeated a year because she didn't get enchantix. Which meant that however one may try to deny it, the spell that was cast on Stella at the princess ball was initially chimera's doing. Epel didn't give it much thought then, but now that he actually thought about it, it was a complicated dark spell, which meant Chimera and by extension Cassandra as well, must've had a meeting with Valtor.

Neressa also seems to know about Valtor. A greedy wizard born from a spark of the dragon's flame that was mixed with dark magic. So far, the only known counter for the dragon's flame were the water stars. Those stars were very powerful and dangerous at the same time.

But thankfully, our group knew someone who happened to be the fairy of the water stars themselves.

But Floyd was on Andros along Jade, helping Azul. If Valtor was still there, the 2 were bound to meet somehow.

Cue permission request to Leona yet again. As long as you 6 don't hit the bucket and do your homework, you can go nuts. :3

Riddle does express his worry over the whole mingling with Andros thing, but he knew that our group was dead set onto going there, so the best he could do was to make a copy of his notes in class, for when the group returns.

And so, the group go to Andros, mostly to help and also get Valtor out of there.

Except that when they go there, they get faced with the news that Valtor fleed Andros, not after he stole all of the magic scrolls this planet had. Azul was doing his best at calming down the seas of Andros, while the twins were trying to keep stable the omega portal. It was an absolute chaos, especially with the monster mermaids running havoc around.

Thankfully, the winx also arrive in there, which makes the job far more easier.

Azul does fill in the group that sadly, Valtor moved to cloud tower. Headmistress Griffin escaped thankfully, but the Cloud Tower magic scrolls and archive were all in Valtor's hands now and the poor witches were under hypnosis, used as mere lackeys.

There is a lot of fights going on, mainly everyone trying to both close the omega portal and also heal the monster mermaids and take the innocents to a safe place.

Unknown to our group who were helping out the people, winx went on their merry way to try and close the omega portal.

Techna sacrifices herself, gets enchantix and now is probably lost in the omega portal. :'3

But at least now, Andros was freed from Valtor's influence. But the Winx and specialists were inconsolable. Techna was gone and for them it was a hard hit.

Fortunately, to try and give them a bit of more hope that their friend is at least alive, the group turn up to Idia. He confirmed that no fairy of technology died today, but that was about all he could do.

Still, their main goal was to talk to Floyd and get him on board. He was the fairy of the water stars after all. Floyd himself was recovering from the long fight he had on Andros. Still, the group didn't hurry too much. The winx also needed to reconcile about their loss. And this time, our group wasn't hurrying from all parts. They could allow themselves to take small breaks.

Even so, Floyd explains that his power was very volatile on Andros. Only after some time did it stabilise properly. That also was marked with Valtor's leave from there. Floyd adds that the water stars and the dragon flame are like Ying-yang. Opposites and deadly to each other. So just how he would be a danger for Valtor's powers, so is he for Floyd's. And while Floyd would really like to punch the guy, he wasn't going to risk it. At least for now.

But he points out that there are water stars on their own. They are hard to control and as such, locked away so they won't accidentally mingle with the dragon flame and create chaos.

And due to the cloud tower being under Valtor's regin, Azul had to settle at NBC. Rollo did get filled in on the situation and again, the Noble Bell college was more than ready to help against this, only if it targets them as well. For now, they were merely on defence.

The next time our Requix squad hears from the winx is after they got Griffin from cloud tower, when they attempted to give Valtor revenge for Techna's situation. It was an absolute dumb thing to do, but for now, only Ace voiced his opinion. Bloom was gone on Pyros to try and unlock her enchantix as well.

Jack brings up the fact that Valtor did not make any move. Griffin was after all, free. Sebek theorises that he is still in the process of taking all of cloud tower's spells. Those must've taken a toll on him. Too much raw power is simply messing with your mind if Mangor was something to learn from. :'3

With this in mind, the group thinks of a magi-lock. (see S2) They could use a magi-lock on Valtor and thus leave him locked in there. Then maybe throw the damn thing in oblivion or something. Maybe Azul could open another small gate to throw it? So that even if it's broken in there, Valtor won't be able to escape at all.

So our boyos go to the library again. They were absolutely going to make again a magi-lock. This time, since they are long past charmix, they feel much more confident that it would go smoothly.

In fact, it doesn't go that smoothly. In between classes and running around, it was tiring. Thankfully Neressa found again the book they needed and Ace with Ortho only needed a small refresh of it to just do it quickly. :'3

Their magilock, just like the last time, it was a small box. With this, the group were absolutely certain of their inevitable win.

So the box stays at Epel for the mean time. Cue the boys deciding to meet up in magix city with the winx and tell them of the magilock box they have.

Except that they encounter a wierd guy spying on them. Sebek and Ace are the ones who straight up confront the guy, who presents himself as Nabu, Aisha's fiancé from an arranged marriage. Ortho is the one who confirms that indeed, his soul is clean of any lie in regards to this. There was no spec of Valtor's influence whatsoever.

Still, it wasn't ruled out the possibility that Nabu could still be a spy. He could be helping Valtor out of his own will for all they knew.

Speaking of the Devil, Valtor makes an announcement that he will steal the eye of the aincent Ancestress. So everyone heads up to the museum, leaving Nabu alone to just go home. Like pls, don't follow us anymore, we are literally 12 people all with enchantix, we can manage.

Nabu still follows. :'3

The museum of magix mostly makes Deuce feel a bit uneasy. Mayhaps it was because there was a lot about the nymphs of magix, nymphs who weren't naturally born like this, like Deuce was. The others do reassure that his wish (from S6) was for people to accept natural nymphs. Still Deuce was a bit uncomfortable with all of this.

So because of that, Sebek took Deuce on a detour to the main valut, passing through the room where originally, the eye was kept. That was a room, mostly dedicated to the nyphs themselves, which none of the 2 actually knew of. They've never been here to begin with, so it was natural.

Except that they also run into the Trix. The 3 witches of course understated the 2 as they never meet Sebek or Deuce properly. Which allows for the 2 to have the advantage of surprise and hold the Trix enough for their commotion to get the others in here too.

Valtor also comes, which of course, escalates everything. Due to being a smaller room and 16 persons fighting with magic, clearly it was a mess. But, we also have Epel and Ace on the line-up, who have a habit of fighting dirty, meaning they would pull on icy's cape, or push away the enemy to make them lose balance. Heck, even throw stuff at them, not just spells. We're they brats? Yes. Did they care? Nope.

But, due to all this mess, Epel couldn't use the magilock box, because there was a high chance it could also catch someone else in it. And you can't open it without letting all the contents out first.

Unfortunately, Valtor uses Nabu as a bargain chip, so that Aisha would give him the Agador box.

And as such, Valtor flees happily with the box and Epel punches Nabu for not listening to them. Now Valtor could make more space for more spells to steal. At least they had the magilock box and as such, they had a chance to put a swift stop to everything.

Bloom does worry over the chance that Valtor truly knows what happened to her birth parents and her planet altogether, but Jack tries to reason with her: it's either Valtor is on the loose and could spread any lies to try and let Bloom lower her guard, or they could swiftly put an end to him and prevent anymore damage from being done. Now Valtor seems to have moved places yet again. Cloud tower was free but at the same time left of any magic book or scroll. The building itself wasn't happy with this, but it was better than the abuse Valtor put on it. Poor Cloud tower needs to be avenged. U-Ub

Surely Valtor would aim to get stronger, which in turn it will get harder to lock him up. So they still need to weaken him. The water stars are brought up and as such, it is no surprise that they need Floyd's help in the matter.

Floyd himself is skeptical of this. Especially knowing that there is a chance that if Valtor can overpower Floyd, he would be over. Then it comes the problem of Bloom's tie with Valtor through the dragon flame. To what degree can Floyd use his power on Valtor without indirectly harming Bloom? If the dragon flame and water stars attack each other, it would reverberate to anyone influenced by them to various degrees.

Those of course, were all known by Floyd. So unless they weaken Valtor with enough power, he cannot step in the game due to the backlash such thing has.

So Ace asks if by chance, they could use the original water stars. If Floyd resonates with them, then they could easily use them and would have more chances of taking down Valtor from every direction. Trix surely won't be that much of a problem afterwards.

As such, the group wanted to head out for the water stars, but the Requix squad and Floyd are called back when it's revealed that Valtor was spotted in twisted wonderland. As such, they split up: winx go for the water stars, Requix go to protect their home planet. :v

We also have a nice lil subplot where Ruggie, Kalim and Jade help the pixies against Trix. :3c

But back to the main plot, despite having the water stars, Valtor fleed and no one was able to track him down. Apparently upon clashing with Floyd, both had a violent magic reaction and both had to retreat. So Floyd had to recover from the altercation before activating the water stars.

In that time, king Radius announces his wedding with countess Cassandra. This, of course, is making Stella very angry. Now Idia could only do oh so much and his parents will also attend. Cassandra had no word in that aspect at least.

Cue crashing the wedding in grand style. But it's OK, it's for saving the world and avoiding a mass political scandal and also some future wars. Plus Stella said it's alright. :3

And FINALLY, we get permanently rid of Cassandra and Chimera's influence on Radius. The wedding was dropped off and Stella has her dad back in full health and conscious.

And as such, once Floyd was back in full force, he was able to easily tap into the water stars and resonate with them. He gave them back to the winx, but he warned that they are very volatile when they come in contact with the dragon flame. As such, Floyd did keep one water star for himself, later on giving it to Jade. If anything were to go to shit, Jade would be able to heal up his brother using the water star.

After some thinking and a long night of research in the aincent library, the Requix group realised something: Valtor never attacked Alfea properly. The trix only stirred some chaos there from what they recall, but Valtor personally didn't go for the archive.

This also follows some period of actually attending courses properly and taking exams. Really the group's social life at NRC was in shambles. Most times, the group would invite Riddle over to do homework together. Sometimes Kalim also tagged along.

For Sebek at least, since he made a truce with Malleus, he didn't really take in account that Lilia and Silver weren't aware of what happened on Eraklyon. The constant approaching from the 2 got the group to mobilise more quick. It was akin to a reflex. In the end, if Sebek managed to get Malleus to understand, he is confident Lilia and Silver will also understand.

Thankfully, Sebek first tackles Silver, who also apologised first for his ignorance. He didn't mean to take credit for Sebek and his group's work and as such, he understood pretty quick that friendship was off the table for now. They could at least be classmates and study buddies for now. For Lilia, it took some convincing, but in the end, he also left Sebek to do his own thing. Surprisingly he was the most stubborn of all. U-Ub

With those 2 out of the way, finally the group could say that now, no one in school will ever pose as a distraction. Sure there were some 3rd and 4th years who still didn't get over with our group. Mostly for what they pulled during previous years, which now put them in a bad light. (see S4-exams and S6) it was much more simple to ignore them, eventually use a counterspell for their little 'pranks'.

There were also the training with the RSA specialists. Oh they were going down. Sum training never brings bad. >:3c

As such, when Valtor challenges the old company of light to a duel, using the dissappearance of cloud tower as a bargain chip, our Bois immediately head to Alfea, while the winx go to cloud tower, using the water stars to undo Valtor's spell of invisibility. As such, they could immediately prevent Valtor from taking anything from the archive while the winx returned with the water stars and weakened him enough.

So finally, Epel summons the magic lock, but before he could actually use it, Valtor brings up some 'info' about Bloom's birth parents, which makes her to stop Epel from proceeding with the sealing and thus, allowing Valtor to escape.

This time, Ortho brings it up, saying that it's utter bullshit. Valtor couldn't have kept their souls inside of him. Otherwise his body would be taken over by the 2. No matter how powerful he was, he was weakened many times, which immediately would grant the 'souls' inside to take over. It was a cheap trick and Bloom fell for it. Valtor was simply pushing on her buttons to buy time and escape every time he was cornered.

Sebek clears it out: weather he knew or not, Valtor will never tell Bloom anything about her parents. As such it's better to just capture him in the box and leave it at that. There are many other methods they could use to find her birth parents.

In truth, our Requix squad were absolutely done and over with Valtor. Oh how much would they want to punt the guy in a wall. You know? Why not punch that pretty face? But of course, they couldn't voice this out. The last thing they needed was to put up bad with the winx. :'3

So here it comes a big chase for Valtor. Firstly, in the cloud tower, to finally free it from any of the influence Valtor had. Bloom searches for the ancestral witches, with the help of Ortho, who's tapping in his disenchantix powers to at least grab the ancestral witches's attention. They do listen to him, Ortho marking as the bridge in between the 2 parties. The ancestral witches do seem to have some resentment for Valtor, confirming that indeed he lied about Bloom's birth parents. They were cooperating now with information for Bloom, just so they can still screw over with Valtor, ya know? Priorities. :3

Cue Trix getting also disenchantix, even so, that didn't stop Sebek to charge straight through them and leave the 3 witches at the mercy of the rest of the group. Epel follows suit after Sebek, both using clavix to find Valtor and confront him 2 on 1.

Valtor does manage to flee unfortunately. And as such, they were again unsuccessful. Their only win was that finally Griffin and Azul could return to the cloud tower. And just like anyone expected, after an investigation, no sign of Valtor was found. Man dipped with the Trix and spells too.

So Wut to do? Of course look everywhere for that fucker. They couldn't possibly let Valtor escape again. Fortunately, they do find him. Unfortunately, Valtor has the spell of 4 elements and thus, he's going nuts with it.

This goes more or so like in cannon. They free off the spells and Valtor, high on power, doesn't notice it. The Trix already abandoned his ass, so when Epel summoned that magilock box, it was easy to get Valtor dragged inside, via a convergence spell.

Imagine poor Azul, trying to have some peace and quiet after this whole mess, only for our favorite group of mfs to come to him like 'hey... Your majesty... We need a portal to oblivion to throw sum trash...'. This time Azul doesn't complain, because he personally wanted to throw in Valtor. Like... It's a want for everyone in the end. :3

Yes, the Requix squad and the twins still use 'your majesty' to tease on Azul. It's their lil inside joke since still the fact that he is emperor didn't come out. (see S5 ending)

And as such, to celebrate, a big party was thrown at Alfea. This time, nothing crashed it down, which frankly was a miracle. :'3

This also marks the end of the year for our group, which ends up with them officially getting their titles of guardian fairies. They finished NRC after all. Leona was the one who gave each of them the said titles. :D

And that would be how everything ends up.

Sebek gets his job as a guard for Malleus, later on being promoted to general.

Ortho took on STIX duties, later on taking as the new director after Idia married and got in the Draconia royal family.

Epel was working at the farm, being also the village protector. It was a simple and happy life for him.

Jack also followed Epel's ways, except that he got himself a place in the rescue forces, mainly since he was living in a touristic mountain area and it was bound to be accidents in there that needed intervention.

Ace got himself a nice secure place as a duke, his brother as prince consort to the future queen. :3

And finally, Deuce was promoted to a guard and also advisor, as he was a nymph. So he and Ace got themselves a pretty nice spots as a duo, later on more than that. ;3

And it is done! The 7th and last LAST season of the winx Au :3

Maybe at one point I would also draw the Bois's fairy forms... Who knows... Maybe y'all want to imagine them differently... Even so, there will be glaring differences from the cannon winx transformations, but ya know... I wanna keep a similar pattern, but with some ✨flair✨.

I say this as I am still an absolute mess at designing....

Thankfully, I already drew down on the notebook the wings's overall forms and also notes for season looks(except S7)... Ya know... To keep it consistent. :3

Until next time! Buh bye!