#A Girl's Home Really is Her Castle || Kat's House

[elizabeth-baelish]

Partner in Crime

Part 1/?

Pairing: Petyr Baelish X Reader

Word count: 1738

Warnings: none

Synopsis: With the help of the Vale, the North falls back to the remaining Starks. Petyr and you, his partner in crime move to Winterfell and is about to manipulate everyone to finally achieve your goals, the Iron Throne.

Aidan Gillen Week 2020: Sat, Oct 31 (Halloween)

I was thinking of writing a Petyr fic for a pretty long time now and this week was quite handy 😅 so this is my first fic with him, I hope it's okay!

∆

Blood. Blood and dead bodies everywhere. You were walking above the fallen soldiers at the field after the end of the Battle of the Bastards. John killed Ramsay and the rest surrendered, the wolf flags took the places of the previous ones.

A huge amount of men died: knights of the Vale, soldiers from both House Stark and the Boltons. The flies were already resting on the wounds making them smell. You flinched but then jump when you felt a hand on your ankle.

"Please, hel-." He couldn't finish his sentence since you stabbed him with your sword. You gasped for air and cursed when you saw it was a knight from the Vale. Luckily, no one noticed or thought it was the enemy. Either way you helped him after you glanced at his wounds. No one could've helped.

You didn't take part in the battle since Petyr didn't let you although you were his personal body guard. The game he was playing was dangerous and if he or you didn't pay attention for a moment, he would be dead. Lord Baelish and you met in Kings Landing during a ball. You were lucky to born in a wealthy family, but you didn't feel like that. You didn't want to marry and have children, instead you wanted to do something important and useful. At the event, you were watching the dancing couples from the side when Petyr offered his hand which you accepted happily. After the dance, you were walking in the gardens while you told him about yourself and vice versa, though it was pretty difficult to get any information about him. Then when he escorted you home he offered you a job as you mentioned him about your plans.  It felt like ages since then.

You went through a lot, the plan went well and now Winterfell was yours and Petyr's. Technically the Starks', but Sansa was easy to control. She was in your hands. At least, that's what you thought.

You wiped the blood with a clothing and headed back to the castle. The gates were still a mess only a few guards asked your name and who you were. When you informed them they let you in and followed your way to your room. You opened the door with the big old key and leaned on the closed door with eyes closed. That man really freaked you out. It wasn't the first time to kill though.

"Are you alright, (Y/N)?" Petyr's voice echoed making you gasp.

"Why can't I just be alone in my room for a second?"  You snapped as you took off your sword belt and placed it on the table in the center of the room.

"What happened? Your hands are shaking." He observed and walked over to you from the window.

"Nothing." Petyr gave you a 'You can't fool me' look earning a sigh from you. "Alright. A man scared me then I killed him. I thought he was one of Ramsay's soldiers. He just grabbed my leg and-. Ah, just let it go, I'm fine." You sat down on the edge of your bed, Petyr following you. "Let's talk about something else. For example, what's next?"

"A game, my dear." He smirked. That kind of smirk which he only gave to you and it melted your heart. You had feelings for him, though he didn't know about them. You knew he was head over heels in love with Kat then Sansa so you didn't even bother. You just kept your feelings for yourself.

"I like games." You smiled. "And who are the main players this time?"

"You." He stood up and walked back to the window watching the life of Winterfell. He hoped he would soon observe as the King himself.

"Me? Personally, I would like to remain the Game Master if it's not a problem." You weren't fond of the thought being used as a doll. Particularly, in Petyr's theater.

"Don't worry. It will be easy. I just would like you to talk to Sansa. Braid each others' hair, talk abut love and knights. I would like you two to be friends." He said avoiding eye contact.

"Are you kidding me, right?" He exactly knew that you weren't on speaking terms and only talked if it was necessary. "And I don't think that a girl who was raped and assaulted and was forced to marriage will talk about knights and love." At the word 'rape' you could see that Petyr's jaw clenched and balled his fist. "Petyr it wasn't your fault. We didn't know about Ramsay." You eased you voice to comfort him. You stepped next to him and placed your hand on his shoulder. "We messed it up together."

"No! Only you. You were in charge of asking and getting information about him." He snapped. He was a calm person and only acted like this when he was extremely fed up or disappointed. You drifted away and sighed.

"I can't believe what you've just said. But alright. If you feel like this then achieve what you want alone. I would ruin everything, anyway."

"Stop acting like a child, (Y/N)." He sighed rolling his eyes.

"Get out." You hissed through your teeth.

"Excuse me?" He glanced at you with tilted head.

"You heard me. Get out of my room. Lord Baelish." You crossed your arms and tried to put a strict face on, but the only thing you wanted is to hug him tight and never let him go. He hesitated at first, then he glanced at younbefore he left your room.

The night was full of nightmares with wolves, mockingbirds and faceless men. You woke up swimming in sweat and panting. You were about to make some sense from the dreams when you heard a knock on the door.

"Lady (Y/N)? Lady Stark would like to have a word with you in her chamber as soon you are ready." The guard informed you through the door.

"Thank you, sir. I will made my way there first." You said. After you heard him left you took on your rather masculine clothes as it was much comfortable and useful. You didn't trust anyone there and you were in a dangerous place with hazardous situations, like this one. Why in the seven hells would Sansa want to speak to you?

Your sword hung on your side as you were taking the steps to the next floor. A few knocks on the door and the redhead  yelled to come on in.

"My lady." You bowed your head. "You needed to see me."

"Yes, thank you for coming and also my apologies if I woke you up. And please call me Sansa. I think we have known each other pretty long now and are friends." She smiled. You hid your disgust from the word 'friends' but faked a smile.

"As you wish. So, Sansa, how can I help?" You asked as she gestured towards the empty seats.

"I have a kinda personal question for you. And you don't have to answer if you don't want to." She help up her hands.

"Alright." You shrugged.

"What are Lord Baelish's intentions? I mean, you are the closest person to him and I thought you knew." She was playing with her necklace as she told you her rather intimate question.

"Well, honestly, I don't know." For the long term you knew, but the near future was still a blur. "And if you really want to know, I think you should ask him yourself. All I can say, that he feels sorry and terrible for what he did, Sansa. Even if he looks shady, he cares for you. He sees your mother in you and maybe that's why." You were still mad at him, though you felt the urge to defend him both mentally and physically.

"Thank you for telling me this, (Y/N)." She put her hands on the top of yours making you feel embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I know, you like to stay in the distance." She pulled her hand back and stared in the fire. "It's just... I'm happy that there is someone I trust here. I admire you, (Y/N). Despite that you are a girl, you can defend yourself and at the same time you are gorgeous and attract the men." Your eyes widened hearing all these compliments from the girl you hated. Though, if she knew you also took your part of all the things happened to her, to the kingdom, to the death of her dad, she wouldn't wanted to be so desperately be friends with you.

"Oh, I don't think I'm attractive at all, but thanks." You tucked a lock of hair behind your ear.

"And I hope, I'm not asking too much but would you be by my side? At least, until John comes back." She bit her lower lip down fearing your reaction.

"What about Brienne?"

"I sent her to the Black Fish and I don't want to bother her anymore. So, what do you say?" She asked as your mind were already clicking and the wheels were screeching. Being this close to her can be handy and she may tell you secrets that Petyr will never know about. All in all, that's what he wanted.

"Let it be." You cracked a mischievous smile before you hear the sound of the horns and the gates opening. You shared a look and headed downstairs immediately.

When you arrived to the gates you saw a boy in a chair with a girl. Sansa rushed to him and hugged him tight. You could see Petyr from the corner of your eyes standing upstairs and watching the scene.

"Isn't that the cripple of Ned Stark?"

"Brandon Stark. The last true heir of Eddard Stark." You heard the whispers. If he was Brandon Stark you were both in a pit with Petyr. A quite deep pit. And you just hoped that chaos was a ladder.

[dreamcatcherfication]

The Queens of London Part 5 - I Can’t Breathe and I Can’t Smile

This chapter is... disappointing. I really wanted to get it out today, but I couldn’t find the will to write it. I hope it’s still good and you all still enjoy it, but there’s a lot less effort behind it than previous ones. Don’t worry! The plot hasn’t changed and everything’s already planned out, but this chapter was just harder to write than the rest. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, it’s raining and I’m the itsy bitsy spider.

Writing Masterpost

If you want to send a request or a prompt, my inbox is always open! I publish a story at 8:00 AM PST everyday, so I’m always in need of new ideas (now featuring random asks). If you want to be tagged in my works, just let me know and I’ll be sure to tag you!

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Allusions to sexual abuse, unwanted sexual advances, almost having an anxiety attack

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

It was the night of the party and Kat would be lying if she said she was prepared. All the other queens and ladies were cool and collected, but she could feel all her internal anxieties coming to the surface. Kat didn’t know what she was doing, she had never been to an actual party (unless you counted failed high school Halloween bashes). This was a huge leap Kat was taking with tons of risks, and it was finally setting in how hopelessly unprepared she was.

Standing in front of her mirror, the mix of guilt Kat was feeling about her suit didn’t help to quell her anxiety. It fit perfectly and was absolutely stunning on her, but it was also the most expensive thing she had ever worn. Kat felt dirty with the suit on. It was meant for Katherine Brandon, not Katherine Howard. But she was about to go through with this insane plot to infiltrate Henry’s party and there was no backing out.

There was a knock at her door. “Coming!” Kat called, flexing her fingers. On the other side of the door was Anne, the only person who actually knew where Kat lived. She had agreed to pick her up and take her to Henry’s party so no one would suspect anything from Kat.

Anne had a small bag slung across her chest, her dress just as dazzling as Kat remembered. The bar owner was on her phone, casually texting someone. She glanced up when Kat opened the door and grinned. “Talking with Maggie about tonight,” she explained when Kat’s eyes landed on the phone. “She and the other ladies are going to be in contact with Cathy the whole time, in case something goes wrong.”

“You mean in case I fail,” Kat mumbled, her breathing picking up slightly.

Putting away her phone, Anne wrapped an arm around Kat. “No Kat, don’t think like that. You’re perfectly capable of doing your job. You’re small and basically invisible, you’ll get it done. I have faith in you.”

Kat couldn’t help but feel like that faith was misplaced, but she gave Anne a forced smile and kept her mouth shut. Anne led Kat to her fancy car, some brand Kat couldn’t even identify, and slid into the driver’s seat. “When we get there, everyone’s going to meet before we split up. You get in and out as quickly as you can, okay?”

“Okay,” Kat nodded, staring straight ahead.

“Kat,” Anne leaned towards her cousin, making Kat look her in the eyes. “Promise me that you’ll stay safe. Promise.”

Shivering at Anne’s low tone, Kat set her face. “I promise.”

Satisfied with Kat’s answer, Anne put the car into drive. The two cousins were silent during the entire ride, both of them too nervous to speak. There was a lot weighing on tonight and they were acutely aware of that.

Henry’s house wasn’t just some house, it was a mansion, Kat noted. One of the biggest ones she had seen. It reminded her of a castle, if she was being honest, with its high walls and intimidating gates. Her task of finding his office seemed ten times more daunting even before stepping inside the palace. “Boleyn! Kat!” A voice called out from behind them when they stepped out of the car.

Anna was leaning against the gate, her hands in her suit pockets. The suit was red with black highlights down the side. She had high heels that made her seem like a giant and a thin top beneath her blazer. Kat wasn’t sure if Anna was competing to see who would get more attention between her and Anne, but that’s what it seemed like with the extreme effort she clearly put into both of the outfits. “Anna,” Kat’s cousin acknowledged, “Where are the others?”

“Right here,” Jane answered, walking up with Cathy at her side. Just like Anna, Cathy was breathtaking in her suit. The blue complimented her skin like no other color, and it made her curly hair stand out even more. Kat simply couldn’t understand how Anna and Bessie had been able to come up with these outfits.

From the other side of the street, Aragon walked over to the group, her dress sashaying behind her. “Now that we’re all here,” Aragon started, “we can go over last minute details.”

“Yes,” Cathy reached her hand into the center of the queens and opened it, revealing a small earpiece. “Maria got me an earpiece so I could talk with the ladies. There’s only one, so come to me if you need help. If something goes wrong, don’t hesitate to call for help, you are not at this alone,” she spoke the last part while looking directly at Kat. The others pretended like they didn’t notice, but it was clear they had.

Furrowing her eyebrows with determination, Kat stepped forward. “Do we have any idea where his office is? His palace is gigantic, I won’t be able to find it without direction.”

Jane answered her. “It’s in the west wing. Second floor, third room. It has a golden handle.” At the strange faces of the others, she explained, “He and I have a good relationship, remember? I’ve been to his home more than once.”

Accepting the explanation, Aragon broke from the group. “Jane, Anna, and I will go in together. You three,” she addressed Anne, Kat, and Cathy, “will wait before coming in at different times.”

“You got it. Now shoo, be Aragone,” Anne smirked. Jane laughed at the pun while Aragon shot Anne a threatening glare. With that, the three women entered the gates, disappearing to the party.

Glancing at Kat out of the corner of her eye, Anne tried to be discreet with watching her cousin. It wasn’t working, and Kat knew what she was doing, but neither of them said anything. “Kat,” Cathy ran a hand through her hair, “I want you to come to me immediately if something happens.”

“Why?” It wasn’t that Cathy was cold towards her, she just wasn’t the most open of the other queens. Kat didn’t really expect Cathy to offer herself as a person to seek out.

“I have the earpiece to the other ladies, and we both have similar jobs. You’re putting yourself in a lot of danger, and I’m thankful that you’re willing to do that. But if you need to get away quickly, I’m your best bet,” Cathy stated. “And I’ll help you, no questions asked.”

Suddenly feeling the effects of her nerves returning, Kat awkwardly swallowed. “Yeah, will do. Um, let’s go inside now.”

Kat had no idea how she had managed to escape from the prying eyes of models and politicians all situated in the main hall. The palace was even bigger on the inside than Kat imagined, and she was having trouble navigating around. There were so many different sets of stairs that she wasn’t sure if she was on the second floor or the eighth. Regardless, Kat walked along the quiet hall, counting doors.

For an overcrowded party, no one seemed to be wandering around the palace but her. Everyone was in the same room, and the hall Kat traversed was completely deserted. Stopping in front of the third door, Kat stared at the golden handles. This was it. This had to be it, right? Reaching her hand out, Kat turned the knob and closed her eyes,

“Excuse me darling, what are you doing all the way out here?” Jumping back, Kat scrambled away from the door. She put on a fake beam and turned to face the man who called out to her. He was tall and had a scruffy beard, his body so big he seemed to take up the entire hallway. This was Henry Tudor, Kat was sure of it. She had seen a few photos of him before, but they were all far more flattering than this version of him.

“Uh, I uh, I was looking for the bathroom,” Kat giggled, pretending to be tipsy. “I kept walking and I thought this was it!”

Noticing Kat’s vulnerable state, Henry started taking steps closer. “Well dear,” he lowered his voice, “I could show you the bathroom if you like.”

Fear trickled down Kat’s spine like a spider crawling over her skin. “N-no thank you! I should be back to the party.” 

Henry blocked her way, his teeth flashing dangerously. “But you should use the bathroom if you need it,” he pushed, trapping Kat.

“It was all in my head,” Kat pretended to laugh as if she was drunk, praying it would convince Henry. “I just want to go back to the party now.”

“Well let me escort you,” Henry put his arm on Kat’s shoulder.

She froze, remembering the times Francis had done the same to her. The times that the men before him had - “Henry, what are you doing?” A familiar voice asked. Jane was standing behind Henry, her arms crossed and an unimpressed eyebrow raised. “This poor girl’s trying to get back to the party, let her go.”

Glaring at Jane, Henry released his hold on Kat, allowing her to scamper off. As Kat passed Jane, the woman offered her a short wink that Henry wouldn’t notice. As she left the hallway, Aragon passed Kat. One look at the girl and Aragon was marching down the hall to help Jane. She called behind her “Go find Cathy, get ready to leave. If Henry saw you and Jane together, he’s going to put the pieces together. Now go.”

Moving faster, Kat reentered the main hall. Swiveling her head back and forth, she pushed through throngs of people in search of Cathy. It was happening so quickly, she realized. Henry finding her before she even had the chance to investigate. Jane finding her and Aragon sending her to Cathy. It felt like they had only just gotten here and Kat had already ruined it. 

With so many people around her, Kat started to shrink into herself. Too many people, too many people, why were they all in the same room? She couldn’t see Anne, she couldn’t see Cathy, Jane and Aragon were with Henry, Anna was probably off having a great time. Kat almost ran directly into a wall as she emerged from the mosh pit of people. Steadying herself, Kat breathed in heavily, her chest tightening like a rope was tied around it. 

“Kat?” Cathy noticed her from beside a table filled with champagne. The writer had a notebook in her hand, but she slid it into her jacket as she approached Kat. “Hey, Kat, breath with me,” she whispered, grabbing the girl’s hands. Kat did as she was told, breathing in unison with Cathy’s controlled breaths. Once Kat’s breathing was stable, Cathy put a finger to her earpiece. “Yes, Kat’s here. Something must’ve gone wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Kat whispered, “I’m so so sorry, this is all my fault.”

“Hey,” Cathy assured her, “This whole thing was a huge risk, and it’s not your fault something went wrong. We’ll have other opportunities. For now, we need to leave before Henry starts to figure things out. He’s smarter than he looks Kat,” she commented, pushing Kat around the wall of people. 

They emerged at the front door, quickly leaving the confused waiters behind as they tried to offer bottles of alcohol. “Where are the others?” Kat asked Cathy.

“Anne’s in the thick of it, there’s no way of getting to her until she decides to leave,” Cathy explained. “I’ll shoot her a text and she’ll join us afterwards. Cleves was on standby to be our driver, and she should be waiting for us if the ladies managed to contact her. The ladies are at the theatre, so we’ll join them.”

True to Cathy’s words, Anna was waiting in her car. “I can’t believe you made me leave so early when everyone’s eyes were on me,” Anna complained without any real frustration. “Get in, we should leave now,” she spoke seriously. “The ladies said they’d get Aragon, Jane, and Anne to the theatre as quickly as possible, but their covers aren’t blown yet.” Cathy got in the passenger seat while Kat climbed into the back.

Covering her face with her hands, Kat did her best to quiet her breathing. She had messed this up for them. They had been planning this for so long and she had messed it up right off the bat. She should’ve known better than to try and get involved with them. She was only a burden on them, a hindrance.

She didn’t belong with the queens.

------------------------------------------

Tag List:

@radcowboyalmondtree @boleynhowards @annabanana2401 @babeebobo @dont-lose-your-queerhead @everything-insanity @mindless-pidgeon @i-wanna-dance-and-sing-six @thedemidisaster

[the-quiet-winds]

So Much More than Royal (part five)

yeah... this is the last part. 

no seriously. this is the final chapter of the final story that @ichlugebulletsandcornnuts and i have written for this AU and i’m... a little sad about it? granted, there are no guarantees that there won’t ever be another, but for now... this is it.

thank you all for sticking with it. 8 stories is a lot, i know, and there’s been a lot going on in this clusterfuck of an AU, but it’s my child and i love it dearly. please, continue talking about it. draw stuff. write headcanons. hell, write your own stuff for it. just give me a tag, and i will check it out. promise.

so seriously, thank you all so much.

trigger warnings for the whole story: death, ransom, violence

[part one] - [part two] - [part three] - [part four]

[Part 5: I Know the World’s a Broken Bone]

if you asked katherine exactly how she had escaped her captors, she really wouldn’t be able to give you a straight answer. it all had blurred together to the point where katherine blocked it out, and really felt like she had woken up mid-stride about a mile or so away from where she had been held.

katherine spends two days walking through the countryside, half-convinced she’s walking in circles. she hasn’t seen signs of human life for hours, not a farmhouse nor a mill. she managed to  take a long-awaited drink at a river at some point during the day, but she hasn’t eaten and her energy is fading again. last night was horrible in the freezing cold, and katherine knows that if she doesn’t find somewhere sheltered to rest soon then it’ll be even colder tonight.

it’s nearing sundown when she sees a tiny shack in the distance, a fire burning in the backyard.

it’s better than nothing, katherine deduces, and she really doesn’t know what to expect.

a small figure is huddled by the fire when she approaches. “excuse me?” she calls.

a frail, old woman turns around. her eyes are crossed and irises faded - she had to be at least somewhat blind. “who are you?” she calls.

“just someone who needs some help.” katherine crosses over and takes the woman’s hand in a handshake. “i’m kat.”

the woman’s fingers run over her hand. she’s young, she deduces, sounds young too. “kat,” she repeats. “my name is mildred. what do you need help with?”

“food, warmth, if that’s possible.”

mildred nods vigorously. “i made some stew earlier, love, come enjoy some.”

mildred doesn’t have much, but she’s happy to share what she has with katherine. she even insists katherine take seconds of the food; “you felt cold, love, you need a good warm meal.” her soft and gentle demeanour reminds katherine of jane, except of course, mildred was older.

she’s even willing to let katherine share the small shack for the night. there isn’t another bed, but mildred has plenty of blankets that she gives to her, and katherine manages to make a small nest on the floor. before she falls asleep, katherine makes a promise to repay the old woman’s kindness when she makes it back to the palace.

she stays with mildred for a few days, exploring a bit further each day to try and map her way back to the palace, but she was a very, very long way from home.

on the fourth day, mildred comes back from town, arms heavy with vegetables and bread, shaking her head.

“did you hear the news?” she asks as katherine relieves some of the load from her arms.

“what news?”

“from the palace. you know how the king died about two weeks ago?”

katherine wrinkles her nose slightly. it had really only been eighteen days since henry died, but it felt like an eternity. “what about him?”

“the regent queen, katherine, i think, she died too. said she went missing or somethin’, got killed by some traitors.”

katherine was surprised, more at the fact that it had taken this long for news of her disappearance and apparent passing had taken this long to become public.

“the poor dowager queen,” mildred muses. “husband and daughter within a month.”

katherine can’t help the silent tears at the thought of jane, alone and devastated.

“i couldn’t imagine,” mildred continues. “now she really is queen, too, with only that boy.” she clicks her tongue. “i really couldn’t imagine.”

katherine now can’t think of anything except making her way back home, but she still has no way of getting there, or even working out how to get there. she casually asks mildred later in the day how far away the closest town to the palace was from here.

“a few day’s walk, i imagine,” mildred replies. “though i don’t see why you want to go there when we’ve got a perfectly good town here.”

katherine’s only other option was to find a merchant willing to take her to the town near the castle, or even the castle itself if they had trade there.

there is a merchant to take her, in fact mildred is the one who brings her in once katherine explains she needs to go home.

the merchant, a middle-aged woman named harriet, is very content to have the company through the long journey. however, she was only planning to pass the town and continue south, but katherine couldn’t be happier at all.

she sets off with harriet the next day, seated next to her on the sleigh which is filled with rugs.

“those sea folk,” she says in a rough brogue, “love their rugs.”

harriet doesn’t talk much, katherine learns, but does enjoy katherine’s stories.

the sun dies over the horizon and harriet decides to make camp. katherine helps with the fire and preparing a meal, and harriet steps away to hunt for a boar and smoke a pipe.

she returns victorious only a few minutes later, carrying the boar as if it weighed nothing at all, pipe still puffing between her lips.

katherine helps prepare the dinner as best she can; she hasn’t had to cook for herself before, not when there’s cooks around to do it for her. even at her step grandmother’s house there had been several servants who did all the cooking. if harriet notices katherine’s inexperience then she doesn’t comment on it, simply taking over when katherine doesn’t know what to do.

they both sit back as the meat cooks, katherine with her knees drawn up to her chest and harriet still puffing on her pipe.

“here, lass, what’s got you so far from home?” harriet asks eventually.

katherine stiffens slightly at the thought of all that’s happened over the last three weeks, then shrugs.

“got in with some bad people,” she says quietly. “ended up in the wrong place.”

harriet nods sagely, exhaling through her pipe. “seems like that’s the story of your life, eh lass?”

katherine shrugs again. “i guess.”

they dig into the meal after a few more minutes of silence, then harriet retires for the night, laying amongst the rugs in the sleigh.

katherine stays awake for a while longer, knowing that her mum is out there, crushed and alone because of katherine’s own stubbornness.

“i’ll be back soon, mum,” she whispers as she lays back against the grass. “i promise.”

---

jane’s world felt like it had been ripped away from her over the past few weeks. first henry dying, then katherine. edward had been distraught at the news and barely touched his food at meals, spending most of his time in his chambers alone. jane tries her best to carry on as well as she can; it was her responsibility to look after the country now, but every day was more difficult than the last. mary had helped out where she could; she seemed to feel somewhat guilty for the way she’d treated katherine in the past now kat was gone. elizabeth, too, had tried to offer support. she was a perceptive young girl and wanted to help, but she was barely older than edward. jane feels incredibly alone, more so than she ever had before in her life. before she goes to bed to try and get whatever sleep she could, jane kneels in prayer. she prays to anyone who might be listening that no more tragedy would strike her tiny family. she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to carry on if edward was taken from her too.

she doesn’t sleep all that much, but when does, she dreams of katherine. she sees her little’s girl’s eyes, terrified. she hears her screams, a sound that jane can’t shake out of her head as much as she wishes she could. then she sees the gravestone, the one she’s designing with engraved flowers on a gorgeous marble slab.

all she can think about is some of the last words katherine said to her before her death. ‘should have been me.’

one morning she wakes up and sees katherine sitting cross-legged on the bed, prim and proper and beautiful and waiting for her. she looks fifteen again, so young and innocent.

she’s not real. all she is is jane’s own guilt manifesting before her eyes.

it happens day after day, every time jane opens her eyes kat is somewhere around.

nearly a week after the letter, jane had been through a very long and arduous meeting with concerned townsfolk and closed her eyes for just a moment. she relaxes into her throne, then opens her eyes at hearing shuffling.

katherine is there, kneeling before the queen looking the age she was when she...died. there are bruises on the exposed skin of her arms, a scabbed line down the side of her neck, and a greasy mop of hair that couldn’t be tamed even if she tried. she kneels, silent and resigned, waiting for jane to say something, anything.

for the first few moments jane can do nothing but stare. then it dawns on her; this is another vision, conjured by her worry and lack of sleep. or perhaps this was katherine’s ghost, returned to her to remind her that jane could have done more, could have prevented this. this must have been how katherine looked before she died.

“oh, love,” jane breathes. “i’m so, so sorry. i should have saved you.”

a look of confusion crosses the ghost’s face, but jane barely catches it, closing her eyes and resting her head in her hands. even when she closes her eyes jane can’t escape the spectre; in her mind she can see the teenage katherine looking at her with wide, betrayed eyes.

katherine looks up at her mother. she’s exhausted, heartbroken...but she can’t see that katherine is alive, alive, alive, right in front of her. she edges closer.

“no, mum,” she protests quietly. “it’s really me. i’m really here.”

jane opens her eyes and finds her. she inhales sharply, and katherine nearly thinks she’s won.

“spirit,” she whispers, “please move on.” jane holds out one hand, drawing a shaky cross in the air in front of katherine. “be free. move on, love. i’m sorry i couldn’t save you.” her voice breaks. “i’m so sorry this happened to you,” she mumbles through her tears.

“no, mum, it’s okay,” katherine says as softly as she can. she reaches out and takes hold of jane’s hand. jane jumps at the contact but katherine holds firm. she brings jane’s hand to katherine’s wrist, pressing jane’s fingers against her pulse point.

“see, mum?” she asks, voice gentle. “feel that? that means i’m alive. i promise you, i’m really here. it’s me.”

jane feels the faint sensation of katherine’s pulse under her fingertips and jumps up, wrenching away. tears continue to cloud her vision, distorting her reality even further.

katherine was dead. katherine was dead. now it was just cruel.

“how dare you,” she seethes, “play a trick on your queen in this way? i will have you hanged!”

katherine stands immediately. “no, mum, please, it’s me. it’s kat,” she pleads.

something sticks in jane’s mind. it doesn’t seem physically possible that the ghostlike girl before her was real, or that it was katherine, but, for a moment, she lets herself believe it.

“if you’re really her,” she says quietly, “tell me something only she would know.”

katherine closes her eyes for a brief moment. “my first day as your lady-in-waiting,” she says quietly. “i brought you your dinner and I spilt jam on the bed sheets, and you didn’t shout at me. instead, you asked me to share the food with you, and i almost didn’t because i was so scared, but then you gave me that smile you do, the softest kindest one, and it made me feel safe enough to eat a bite of bread and jam. and in that act, you showed more kindness to me than i’d been given for years.”

jane stares, not knowing what to think. it was impossible that katherine could be standing in front of her, but...

nobody else could have possibly known what happened on that day. jane and katherine were the only two people in the room when it happened.

katherine sees the disbelief lingering in jane’s eyes so she speaks again. “the first time you ever told me that you loved me i panicked. i has just been imprisoned for accidentally giving you tainted wine but you wanted to see me. you forgave me, knew i was innocent, and told me you’d sort it out. i accidentally called you ‘mum’, and you told me that you loved me. i panicked, because that word had so many negative connotations to me before you, and then they took me back to my cell.”

jane continues to blankly state at katherine, still trying to piece together the possibility that her daughter is alive, standing before her.

“it’s me, mum,” katherine says quietly. she puts a hand on jane’s cheek, stroking her thumb over her cheekbone like jane so frequently did to her. “can’t you see that i’m here? i’m real?”

when jane speaks, her voice is hoarse and broken.

“k-kitty-kat?”

“that’s right,” katherine says softly. “it’s me.”

jane raises a trembling hand to where katherine’s hand rests on her cheek and traces her fingertips against katherine’s wrist. then, suddenly, she wraps her arms around katherine and pulls her into the tightest hug.

“oh, kat,” jane manages before the tears start to fall.

katherine can’t help the soft smile she finds herself wearing, but it quickly fades as jane begins to violently tremble in her arms. she pulls jane closer, holding her as tight as possible. “it’s okay, mum, i’m alive. i promise. nothing that can’t be healed.”

jane buries her face in katherine’s shoulder, shame and relief and exhaustion spilling over in unstoppable tears.

“i’m so s-sorry kat,” she whispers. “i should have done better...” she lets out a single, heart wrenching sob mixed with a gasp. “i failed you.”

katherine’s heart drops at that. “mum, no!” she holds jane even tighter, running a soothing hand through her hair as jane’s done for her many times before. “no, you did everything you could, mum. if anything, i failed you.”

jane takes a shuddering breath. “h-how, kat? i should have paid the money, i should have stopped you going-”

“you couldn’t have stopped me, mum,” katherine soothes. “i was being reckless and stubborn and i should have just listened to you, but i didn’t and that wasn’t your fault.”

jane snuffles and pulls away. “but i’m your mother.” she can’t look katherine in the eyes, shame bubbling in her stomach. “i should have looked after you better.” she wipes at her eyes clumsily.

“mum,” katherine cuts in, “you did everything right, i should have listened.” she sighs. “i didn’t want to put a burden on you or eddie, but i did anyway by not listening, being stubborn.” she gently kisses her mum’s cheek. “you’ve never done me wrong, mum, i swear.”

jane suddenly gasps. “eddie! he still thinks you’re-” she can’t quite bring herself to say the word, as if speaking it aloud will make it true.

“we’ll go and tell him,” katherine soothes. she doesn’t make a move to let go of jane, though; she knows her mum needs a little bit longer to let everything sink in.

“i love you, mum,” katherine murmurs. “and you’ve always done what’s best for me, i promise you.” she pulls back and looks her mum in the eyes. “and i’ll love you till the world ends.”

jane gives an odd combination of a hiccuped sob and a laugh. “i’ll love you too, till the world ends.”

[qualquercoisa945]

When You’re On Your Own

Title Inspiration: When The Sun Goes Down from In The Heights

lmfao literally n o n e of you are ready like this is just pure angst have fun y’all

trigger warnings- alcohol mention, illness mention, death mention, none are discussed in heavy detail but they’re mentioned so yeah

In between rehearsals, then touring, then shows, and then moving in together, the six queens didn’t have a lot of time where they were completely alone. Not that they minded, really. Still, there were those rare moments where one of them would be able to be on their own.

Catherine actively seeked out alone time in the beginning, but often times those plans were foiled. And when they did succeed, the consequences rarely made it worth it, which was why she had begun to try to become closer to the other queens.

Still, even then there were moments where silence filled the house, and Catherine’s mind began to run wild with thoughts that her logical side desperately tried to fight off. And of course, it just had to happen when no one else was around- not that Catherine would reach out, mind you, but knowing that she could go be with them afterwards to get her mind out of it always seemed to make it just that tiny bit easier, even if she’d never admit to it.

Images of Henry, flirting with her in the earlier stages of their relationship; of her in the castle, capable of hearing Mary’s cries and whimpers of pain when she was sick but unable to do anything to comfort her; of Henry’s servants, coming to her chambers to inform her of the divorce and of Henry’s plans for her; of herself on her knees before Henry, begging him to let her stay; of her servants, following her to her new residence once the annulment was finalized.

And, of herself, laying on her deathbed shivering, feeling like, if for whatever reason she went to Hell, it wouldn’t affect her, since she was experiencing it in that very moment.

She hated herself for not being able to control her mind, for letting herself wander back to those memories whenever she wasn’t focusing on anything else. She was supposed to be the one that kept her head cool, not the barely contained mess behind a well practiced facade that she forced herself to keep up.

Still, after all those images flashed through her mind, and (although she’d never admit to it) after wiping away tears, upon hearing a voice call out “I’m home!” (was that Jane? She wasn’t sure, but not that it mattered much) she’d take a deep breath, wash her face, make sure there was no way of telling that she’d just been crying, and then go down to meet her fellow queen

After all, one of them had to keep their cool, right?

Alone time was something that Anne had despised since she was a child. She couldn’t help it, she was an extrovert, being around people was as natural to her as it was to breathe. Alone time felt rather suffocating, if she was being honest, and it only got worse after she’d been reincarnated. And God, she sometimes wished she hadn’t. The memories were too strong- of her siblings, of her daughter.

Elizabeth… Anne was oh so proud of her, there was no denying it. And yet, the pang she felt in her chest every time she thought about someone sitting her down, at only two years old, and explaining to her that Mum wasn’t coming back… Well, it wasn’t uncommon for Anne to have to excuse herself from the room when it happened, to have to take a few minutes to collect herself before walking back like nothing had ever happened.

And this was one of those days, where she’d excused herself from their designated table at the bar when the six of them went out for drinks after their last show of the week and fled to the bathroom, locking herself in a stall like some teenager in a dramatic coming of age movie.

And often she’d reach up to her neck and scratch at it, but she knew she had to make sure she could come out without anyone noticing she’d been crying, so instead she just pressed her fingers against the back of her neck, keeping them there until the pain became too much and she had to lessen the pressure, hissing quietly while rubbing the spot lightly.

And then she’d unlock the stall and leave, looking at the mirror in the bathroom to find her makeup pretty presentable. Thank god for waterproof makeup. She examined her reflection, making sure you couldn’t tell she had been crying. And then, as she always did, she walked back to the queens with her usual cocky smirk.

Had to keep the mood up, right?

Company was something that Jane had always enjoyed. Although she didn’t come from as large of a family as some of the others, time spent together was always treated as a good time in her house, and thus she had those values engraved into her.

Still, it’s not that she disliked alone time. Love them as she might, the queens could be a bit much sometimes, and she needed a break from them every once in a while. However, every now and then (which was more often than she’d like), her mind would wander off to unpleasant memories and thoughts. And today seemed to be one of those days.

Specifically, Edward. She regretted not being able to raise him- to see him grow into the bright young man she knew he became. Not to say that she didn’t love her daughter- she’d sacrifice the world for Kat, but that didn’t erase the agonizing pain that came with everything related to her son.

And then there was the subject of Henry. After Kat’s outburst, she’d been mulling over her claim that Henry had never loved any of them. Even after Kat had apologized, it just stuck with her, because the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was right.

Or better yet, accepted. Yeah, Henry didn't love her. He loved her son, but not her. And that hurt. But, while it hurt, she didn’t let herself cry. It wasn’t that big of a deal. The others had it far worse, she had no right to complain.

So, when she heard Kat call her name from downstairs, she swallowed, to stop the knot in her throat from getting any tighter, called out a soft “Coming!”, and then stood up and left her room, heading downstairs like that whirlwind of emotions hadn’t just hit her. She couldn’t let the others see her like this, had to remind them that they could always count on her.

That they would always have her support.

Like always, Anna was the last one in the dressing rooms, still getting ready for the show. She stood in front of the mirror, staring judgingly at her reflection as she made sure her hair was perfect, as well as her makeup, outfit, and just about every aspect of her appearance.

As much as, during the show, she acted like what had happened between her and Henry didn’t affect her, that was a complete lie. Every single comment that she’d heard about her appearance stung, and although she knew her band mates wanted to help with their kind words, they fell on deaf ears.

That was the problem with trying to seek out comfort, wasn’t it? Any words that loved ones tried to use to comfort you felt fake- forced, even. Logically, she knew that wasn’t the case, but that didn’t change the way her heart felt. It was tiring, honestly, to drown in self hatred everyday, but what else could she do?

She heard the intercom turn on, hearing their stage manager call for places. She sighed softly to herself, then turned around as she heard the door open. “C’mon Anna, we gotta go!” Kat called, smiling kindly at her. Anna chuckled, glancing at her reflection one last time before following the girl, chin up and lips quirked up in her usual cocky smirk as if her entire self deprecating inner monologue was non existent.

Staying confident was key to keeping up appearances, after all.

Kath actively avoided staying alone. Being alone meant being vulnerable, and although logically she knew the girls would never do what they did to her, the paranoia was harder to get rid of than simply using logic.

So whenever she actually was alone, she’d grab her phone and put something on, be it a silly cat video, or a conspiracy theory, or whatever. She just needed something that made noise, to give her mind the illusion of not being alone.

However, sometimes not even that was enough, and today seemed to be one of those days. Thoughts swarmed around her mind, of hands roaming all over her body, groping and rubbing all over.

She shivered, trying to shake the thoughts away before she begun actually feeling their touch- it wouldn’t be the first time, and it wouldn’t be nice, at all.

She heard the front door open, and took a shaky breath, trying to keep herself collected. A few tears fell, but she quickly wiped them away. And when she actually went down and sat near Jane and Cath, she kept a healthy amount of distance between them.

After all, getting too near just meant getting hurt.

And although I pretend to not be affected, every night your voice and memory come back to haunt me, never letting me rest until the witching hours, by which I grow too tired due to weeping to stay up. And yet you taught me that silence is survival, thus building up walls that I had no choice but to help construct, trapping me inside my mind. And walls are so much harder to tear down when you’ve helped build them up.

Catherine hadn’t even noticed she’d begun crying until a tear fell onto the paper. She blinked, then pushed the chair backwards, wiping tears away while she looked up, waiting a few minutes to collect herself before pulling the chair forward with her, staring back at the sheet of paper she’d been working on.

And so you trap me again, centuries after your reign over both this country and my life. It frustrates me, to not be able to be rid of your tight grip on me even after all this time. I must assume the others also feel it. I just hope it isn’t as strongly as I do. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

She set the pen down on the paper, before folding her arms on the table and burying her face in them, letting out a quiet sob. She just cried, feeling utterly exhausted of keeping it all in, and yet seeing no way out.

Once tears stopped streaming, Catherine looked up, wiping away at tear tracks before looking back down at the paper, picking up the pen again as inspiration struck.

And when I see even the smallest of cracks, my first instinct is to cover it up. I’ve been living under the assumption that silence is survival, and as one says, old habits die hard. So to be rid of that is to be rid of a big part of me. And if I am truly being honest, I do not want to be rid of it. It keeps me grounded, keeps me safe.

And at the same time, I just want it gone and I want it gone now. Because it traps me, and holds me back from pursuing new friendships, and from deepening my bonds with those I care about. I love the others, but at the same time I cannot help but to hide from them. Because those walls are still there. And you’ve left me with one rule.

Silence is survival.

[otonymous]

Burnt Cake & Bitter Tea (SLBP Kyoichiro)

Description:  Jealousy and miscommunication make for a sweet confession from Kyoichiro Warnings:  None! Word Count:  1466 words (~7 mins of fluff) Author’s Notes:  This story is set in the time before Kyoichiro and his MC have fully solidified their relationship.  Hope you all enjoy this read! AO3:  Read here

Tagging: @duerme07: Here is the fic about Tsuki MC being a bad cook, as promised.  It would mean the world to me if you remember this story the next time you’re waiting in an obscenely long 7-Eleven checkout line 😆

@dear-mrs-otome: who I know appreciates Kyoichiro as much as I do!

Tagging other lovely readers: @fieryanmitsu, @suzi-q-uinn, @kitty-kat-ty, @friedchikyorice, @whalebubblez, @selenecrawford, @kitsune-mana, @azuchi-princess, @classy-mc

All characters & SLBP owned by Voltage Inc.

“What…is that?”

Kyoichiro slips his kiseru pipe from his obi, bringing up one end to prod at the charred mass before him.

“Castella.”  MC replies brightly, hoping his sharp eyes wouldn’t notice the increasingly firm set of her jaw.  “You liked it so much the last time we were at Kiyosu Castle, I thought I would make it for you.”

Kyoichiro blinks a few times in disbelief.  

“Yes, well, that was indeed castella and edible.  This looks like something that’s destined for the garbage heap.  Please, do us both a favour and don’t overexert yourself by experimenting in the kitchen.  Not everyone has the good fortune to have a cook capable of making European sweets like Lord Nobunaga.”

MC’s eye twitches at his mention of her.  “You’re not even going to try it?”

“I think not.  Isn’t it enough that I already eat your Nanban Reuri?   Even you couldn’t whip up a stomach remedy strong enough to deal with the aftermath of eating that.”

“Fine.”  

MC moves to snatch the plate from beneath Kyoichiro’s scrutinizing gaze, sliding the shoji doors shut behind her with such force the walls tremble.

“Hey!  You’re liable for any damages if you tear the house down!”  

His voice chases after her receding footsteps, stomping towards the kitchen, before he wonders aloud to no one in particular, “What in the world has gotten into her?”

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MC scrapes the fruit of her misguided labour into the trash, embarrassment blooming in crimson shades on her cheeks.  Why did she have to throw a fit in front of Kyoichiro and behave like a petulant child who didn’t get her way?  Certainly, if she was trying to gain his affections and get him to notice her the way he noticed Lord Nobunaga’s beautiful cook, this was the wrong way to go about it.

Thoughts of their last trip to Kiyosu Castle swirl about her head as she bends over the wash basin, absentmindedly running her hands over the dirty dishes.  Lord Nobunaga’s cook was young, beautiful and female, looking fresh as a flower in spring when she breezed into the main hall to serve tea and the castella she was so adept at making.  From the way Nobunaga gazed at her, it was clear that she was held in much higher esteem than a mere cook in her lord’s heart and mind.  That much was expected.

What wasn’t expected was the way Kyoichiro’s eyes followed her every move.

“Jerk!  I hope you get captured by Iga!”  

A tidal wave of soapy water spills onto the floor as MC’s fists pound the surface of the grimy pool.  And in her mind, she knows she is being silly, but all the same, the tight coil of anger in her gut starts to unwind as she sets about cleaning up the mess, sheepishly muttering,

“Just kidding.”

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Ishikawa Goemon made his rounds at lightning speed that night, having another mission lined up after his usual house calls.  An exhausted Raita dragged his feet home before surrendering and falling asleep on the tatami in the middle of the room.  Kyoichiro carefully picked up the recumbent fox and tucked him into bed before creeping off to MC’s room, still donning the disguise of his alter ego.

For the past few days, she had locked herself away in her chambers immediately after supper, not emerging until serving breakfast the next morning.  Days at the shop weren’t much better either, with her keeping their interactions to the bare minimum needed to run the business.  As much as Kyoichiro hated to admit it, her cold shoulder treatment was slowly but surely killing him.  Clearly, something was wrong, but he had no idea as to what and she refused to divulge her reasons when questioned.  Tonight, however, he was determined to find out.  

Kyoichiro had stalked past her room on previous evenings when he noticed her lantern lit long after the time she should have been asleep.  Pressing his ear to the door, he heard the faint mumbling of her voice amidst the sounds of brush on paper.  “What is she doing?” He had wondered, suddenly concerned that her drastic change in behaviour was related to these novel nocturnal activities.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he discovered from his hiding spot in the ceiling.

“So what if I’m bad at cooking?  No one ever died from eating bland, unevenly chopped food that may be slightly overcooked.  You know what people DO die of?  Not having the right medicine on hand — THAT will do you in!  Sorry if I can’t cook.  Guess I’ll just have to make up for it by saving some lives then, stupid Kyoichiro!”

He bites down hard on the inside of his cheek to suppress the laughter that would have given him away had MC not been so absorbed in her journalling, slowly voicing her thoughts as her brush flew up and down the page.  Kyoichiro mentally chastises himself, thinking he could no longer afford to point out her inadequacies as a shinobi without being hypocritical.

“I bet if I were beautiful and sophisticated like Lord Nobunaga’s cook from Kyoto, he would’ve crammed the entire castella cake into his mouth without a second thought, burnt or not.  Can it be helped that my fate dictated that I be born not only a shinobi, but a fugitive one at that?  I am a country bumpkin by necessity!  What I wouldn’t have given to poke his eyes back into their sockets.  With the way he stared at her, I’m sure all types of lewd thoughts ran through his mind…”

“Oh, for the love of all the gods…the bumpkin’s got it all wrong!”  Kyoichiro sighs inwardly, the situation finally dawning on him.  Admittedly, he had been completely enamoured during their audience with Nobunaga, but the object of his affection was not the lord’s cook, but rather the tea caddy that never left her side.  

Lord Nobunaga had been testing him that day, ostentatiously serving them tea and castella as a superficial token of gratitude for the rare European clock Kyoichiro presented him with.  Though unassuming in its appearance, the Tsukumonasu tea caddy was a priceless treasure that daimyos would readily part from their domains for, and only true experts would be able to recognize its worth at a glance.  

Kyoichiro had heard talk that Nobunaga was starting to utilize prized teaware in his diplomatic negotiations.  If he was truly a merchant of worth, Kyoichiro would prove indispensable in helping Nobunaga amass his collection, given his extensive travels and contacts with other wealthy merchants and lords.  To that end, the daimyo of Owari kept his sharp eyes trained on Kyoichiro, seeking not only his recognition of the Tsukumonasu tea caddy, but also the merchant’s receptivity to be complicit in his plan.

Caught up in calculating the risks and benefits of the proposition, Kyoichiro hadn’t noticed MC’s increasingly sullen expression as she watched bite after bite of castella disappear past his lips.    

Finally slipping from MC’s room in the early morning hours, Ishikawa Goemon heaves a heavy sigh as he pulls on Kyoichiro’s robes.  He makes his way to the kitchen, anxiously rehearsing the lines he knows he will have to recite when dawn comes.

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“You know, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my travels, I think I really prefer country bumpkins to big city girls.”

MC’s hand flies up to cover her mouth as she almost spits out her breakfast, the other reaching for her tea to chase down errant grains of rice in her throat.  She levels her eyes at Kyoichiro, who continues to talk without ever meeting her gaze, a gentle shade of pink suffusing his cheeks as his chopsticks dip gracefully in and out of his bowl.

“If anyone were to ask, I’d say those country girls are handier to have around.  Sure, they may not know much about the latest fashions or how to properly apply rouge, but they’ve probably had to do everything themselves, lacking the conveniences of living in a city.”

“Since you are of the opinion that I have half a brain, please kindly enlighten me as to where exactly you are going with this?”  MC says, brows furrowed in suspicion as she moves to set down her bowl and chopsticks.

Kyoichiro follows suit before reaching a hand down to retrieve a plate from beneath the table.  He finally meets her gaze as he slides it in her direction, sheepishly saying: “I would rather live to eat another day’s worth of burnt food than die without your medicine.”

MC looks at the peace offering, feeling ridiculously happy at the sight of the castella Kyoichiro made with his own hands, just as misshapenly charred as the one she had baked for him days ago.  

Thanks for reading!  More stories available here! 💖

[dreamsanddreams88]

Bradley Cooper was jesus, had 2 watch him get crucified to the back of a door by some nuns, fuckin brutal

Walkkn thru a blizzard, lil white kitten follows us, we stay in rando house but then next day a baby polar bear is outside. I try to make it go for this smaller lady, then try to lock it in the house. Cant call zoo cuz no phone service

I lived on wildwood. Roommate was matthew broderick and his 2 lil girls, i made some reference to ferris buellher and he laughed. Playing pool with kat and alex, then they disappear. Freak out, run to his house which is kaitlyn allen's old house down the street, crying, dont see his car, assume theyre on a date? Then at weird restaurant, and mema smiths house, she was getting real senile. She asked about the broadchurch case, told her story wasnt real and it was a show, she kept calling the guy a skank. Ppl meeting at her house to tell her off, i tried to stay to vacuum but the thing was all taken apart. Then some disaster happened, lizzees name was philia and lost her phone, izzy had it, kept calling her cuz i thought maybe she was dead. We were by the coast, parents didnt have much food except old bananas. Me and mom saw  a bunch of rainbows, weird ones that were only red and blue, some were full circles or straight lines

In mummy movies, pharoah had 2 mistresses. It was that weird part where they duel in past lives, turned into sexy fight with emily blunt. Then i lived with a lil old lady, left on thanksgiving. Turned into my mom and joe rohl was her son still living at home

Knew korra and asami irl, they broke up and i wanted to make a move. Watching pokemon with matthew, bumpin afroman in my car. Then at alex's apt, he suddenly gets picked up for work early w no warning

Was in creepy haunting of hill house type place with family during storm, really freaked out talm bout the babadook. Then amongst fantasy nations at war, some were tryna negotiate but really just a grab for power, Medici was there maybe?

Lauren was at motel/airport for christmas maybe, i was with her in laundromat area. She was leaving, had weird bruises, said chris died that morning so she had to leave early. Hugs from guys from supernatural? Then at papa d's funeral, in beeeeautiful cave type room, mossy, 2 waterfalls.

Was watching/part of the 4th season of avatar no one knew about where zuko could take away bending. Then i was with alex and a group staying in a house, i was in separate house for some reason. Alex was in one with tori, some blonde girl from hs, and maybe matthew or stretch? Got suspicious of him and other girls, they all shared a room with multiple beds. I wanted to shower in their room cuz i hadnt yet but let tori have it before me

Was in a skyrim game with crew, in a place like crocker. There was a glitch where u could dump swords and switch characters/saves and pick up swords.

In church castle type place, a giant outside was smashing stuff tryna eat me, i hid inside a dumbwaiter

At cispus in cold cold cafeteria, the whole group was in trouble for something. Then staying at the doornbos lake house w family, lauren playing mario games, then hiking round snowy mountains maybe looking 4 hot springs??

At hobbiton theme park thing, tryna shoplift from gift shop with lauren. Then at cispis cafe, had to poo but bathroom stalls super wide and girls had beds across from the stalls. Then at mom and dads house at night, closing blinds but a chimp runs thru the yard, opens door, chases me thru house

Lots of dreams about mystic & rider books, like they were tryna get to spot in forest where animals would congregate, lose trail cuz the Lestra was hunting them. Then found Kats diary, tryna read it for stuff about alex. Then in harry potter, time travel to last book where voldy is at the school, mixed with snape, tryna stop him

Fighting against final boss but IRL and with wood shovels? There were 2 of them, one guy with like 10 flailing, and 1 big sauron type dude. Eventually won, broke shovels, throw stuffed animals at guys face

In a big field, biiiiiig white parachute game going on, colors n stuff projected onto it. Ppl get lifted way into air by it and then fall. Kristen bastug and andrea pay me to get them a lil section of parachute that makes a picture, cant do it for kristen. Tell her that before leaving with owen in work truck

[mulsomusmi1972-blog]

If you've ever gotten a permanent wave, or perm, you know that smell. It's the same smell that many chemical depilatories have, and this is because the same chemical reaction is occurring. During a perm, your hair stylist uses chemicals to break down the protein structure of your hair, so he or she can reshape it into curls. She refused, insisting that he wouldn touch it.She calls me the next day to tell me she found the jewelry in my brother bag of stuff. I asked her if she talked to him about it, and he made up some excuse about just holding it there for some reason. I told my mom this was BS, to which she agreed, but then she added this gem "He at that age where he wants to impress girls is all. I would insist though on learning also their possitive influences. The understanding that a seemingly armonious society can be inherently conflictual (Marx), or the importance of the inner processes that produce an action (Weber) are intensively used today in sociology (and I would think in a large part of feminist theory) and they don seem to have any mysoginist or colonialist lens of note. In other words, they good ideas even if we discover from the quote on a book or a letter that they were racist as fuck.. They don use bait. A long time ago they challenged man, they were known as "Fishbirds" back then. They started their challenge in coastal cities, out fishing the best of the fishermen each area could bring to the challenge. The only thing I would really want to try from Kat Von D is the new line of eyebrow pomades in bright colours. It would be really cool if other companies made something like that, I always found it interesting that 경산출장안마 nobody has really made a line of eyebrow products specifically for people with purple, pink, blue etc hair.fastflan 6 points submitted 5 months agoThank you for taking the time to respond. It really is hard to remember, but I feel like she is getting to much negative input from the people she surrounds herself that I need to be a voice of reason. I have the Etude House cherry blossom quad in the Night time date which are cool toned shades. I also have a bunch of their famous colors in singles takeout without syrup, cafe latte, cafe mocha, hamster sunflower seed. I think the quality is pretty comparable. The important thing to understand about home loans is that interest is calculated on 경산출장안마 the daily balance and charged to the loan account monthly in arrears. Take advantage of this fact. If you can reduce the daily balance, even by just a few dollars, you will save in the long run on both interest paid and the term of your loan.. I absolutely LOVE Rose Mallow Cream. I very goth and like to picture myself as some sort of spooky witch smelling of crumbling castle walls, tears, and brimstone but dammit I will slather myself in this beautiful creation FOREVER. It very girly and feminine but so perfectly balanced. I saw a strange text notification pop up on her phone with a strange mans name saying "I love you baby!". I immediately felt the wind go out of my lungs and felt sick to my stomach. She looks at her phone and silently giggles to herself. Aanya has exercised the right to question the ethics and motivations of a leader. A small fault I have with the show is how we don't know much about the other kingdoms' awareness how much do they know? Maybe she's aware of what Katolis did regarding Thunder, maybe this has been hidden from the other kingdoms, but why on earth would she blindly follow him? She wants to assess the situation herself, make sure she can trust what Viren is saying. As mentioned before, no country would immediately prepare their army just from the words of one person, they'd investigate and check themselves to prevent unnecessary conflict.

[junxashwxrth]

//sow the seed //grant the powers that be //feel that great need

6. 

“Clear your mind, you need to calm down sweetheart,” Juno shook as fingers gently pushed curls from her red face, “just settle yourself.”

“He was hitting her,” her voice was high and reedy, childish in the way that all six-year-olds were, “he shouldn’t be hitting her. We’ve gotta stop her Mama!” her voice pitched as she watched the path the man had dragged the teenager.

“Honey,” Katherine kneeled down, she was not a beautiful woman, she was handsome, with a high arched nose and a deep earthen eyes with these odd gold flakes in them, “go home, go find your father he ought to be back from the castle by now,” the sun was dipping low over the horizon, Juno knew that there were simply a quick walk from the sea, where she often went to watch the sun rise and set when she could get up early enough and drag her father out before arms training. 

“But Mama--”

“Go home Juno, and practice your light spells sweetheart, I have to do something really quick,” so Juno turned and set off down the path, before hiding behind a tree. She peeked and watched her mother gather her loose brown and blue skirts, revealing her wand that was strapped often to her calf. It was a handsome silvery color, with the heartstring of a chimera in it, Juno had held it once. Before she turned, and within a blink of an eye flash-stepped through the thicket, small pops of magic following the trail the man led the girl down. With his bloody fist and her oddly twisted arm.

Juno was going to be exactly like her Mama one day.

8.

“Focus Juno.”

“I’m trying!”

“Not hard enough, come on--”

Juno let out a long huff, and smashed her hand on the table, “I can’t.”

Her mother clapped her hands on her shoulder, “You are Juno Ashworth, and you can do anything you set your mind to understand?” Juno jutted her chin out, “You are boundless Juno, now, do it.”

Juno blinked and pointed her fingers at the candle, “Ignis.” it lit, and Juno stared.

“Good girl.”

10.

“You can’t even lift a sword, how do you expect to beat me,” her brother, younger by less than a year, jeered from where he sat on the fenceline, Juno’s face was dirty as she once more tried to lift the heavy tourney sword that her brother used. Already Tiber was growing taller than her, strapping and could ride a horse with ease. Like herself, he had more than a touch of magic, but chose not to study it beyond, instead of following their father towards knighthood. “Don’t answer with ‘magic’ smartass.”

He was pushed off the fence with a bright gust of wind, falling into the dirt with an off while Juno rushed and stood over him, an elfin grin on her face. “Magic beat you just now didn’t it,” she laughed as he jumped to try and grab her. “C’mon Juno you know you won’t be as good as me, I’m gonna be a knight and you’ll be a witch, witches aren’t as good as knights.” he chased her around the tree, she hopped the sword she left on the ground, sliding in the dust she barely missed his hands.

Grabbing the fence she hauled herself up, crowing loudly, “Mama is just as good as Papa!”

“Yeah, cause Mama is special,” he leaned forward and grabbed sides, pushing her over the fence where she laid, wheezing on the ground, “and you’re not.”

Tiber’s laugh was jarring as she hissed before pushing him away with a loud bang and he half-flipped across the training yard before hitting the ground with a parting screech. She was so angry, and he was so mean. But then as he crumpled on the dirt, his arm, it was bent, Juno gasped as blood came, he was yowling. Her little brother was screaming as her mother rushed from stables, she had been tending to her stallion when she caught sight of Juno, hands spread out and her son bleeding his bone exiting his arm. 

“Juno!” She flinched as her Mother settled next to Tiber who was crying, and holding onto his bone, struck from his arm. Her mother’s eyes were blown with gold, like when she got angry with Father, and when she got angry with the two of them. “What did you do.” her voice rang between them.

Juno approached, quickly, while she watched as her Mother ran her hands down Tiber’s arm, his bone returning, almost seamlessly leaving an open wound that she quickly wrapped, “Go to the House,” he was still covered in blood, glaring at Juno, “and you,” the smack on her face was quick, and Juno lifted her hand to her cheek, already a cooling charm playing on her fingers, “you are stronger than your brother, why in the world would you find him?” 

“I didn’t mean to!” 

“You are 10!” she flinched at the screech in her voice, “you were supposed to get a wand soon, but I see that was foolish, go to your room, no magic for the rest of the day and apologize to your brother.” Katherine stalked away, the wind catching her heels as she picked up the tourney sword and cleaned the ground of blood.

10.30

“I’m getting a wand!”

“Yes.”

“What sorta wand?”

“Whatever the wandmaker gives you that fits well.”

“How long will that take?”

“Will you stop asking silly questions?”They rode in silence, Juno’s mare whinnied until they reached the cottage by the lake, where an older woman sat, smoking from a long pipe and a sparkle in her eyes that Juno noted were cloudly like before a storm. 

“Good morrow Mistress Kane,” Katherine hopped off her own stallion and smiled as she greeted the elderly wandmaker, “I’m here for a new wand for--”

“Your daughter, she is pretty, dark hair and quite stunning blue eyes much like your Robert, she has quite the temper don’t you girl?” the woman stood, she was tall, much taller than the two Ashworth witches, her hair must’ve been amazing in her youth for it was coiled in a tight long braid, a small creature coiled around her ankles, it looked like a weasel but not. 

“I ... how did you know.” the woman approached her and tapped her cheek.

“I can See, I always know. I can See you quite clearly girl,” the woman smiled, it was toothy and bright, and Juno didn’t quite feel at ease. “You have quite the potential, good instinct, but those emotions need to be reigned in. But a good heart.”

“Mother...?”“Listen to the wandmaker my girl, she See’s everything,” her smile was fond and Juno looked at the woman who gripped her wrist and pulled her around the small cottage towards the back, there was a trough and a few low seating benches, an open fire. “Sit, I’ll be back.” Juno sat while her Mother wandered towards the lake, hands brushing over the reeds and her hands were already glowing green, some plant magic no doubt. Her mother was skillful, a powerful witch with a knack for the difficult, though she was best known for her warding spells and battle magic, coincidentally the battlefield was where she found her husband when he was a squire and she a young witch, Juno had never seen anyone like her. Who understood magic in a way no-one else did. She wanted that, that instinctual understanding of magic, though she studied so very often.

“Here,” a wood was pushed into her palm, it was a handsome red and she blinked before dropping it to the ground, it was burning her, “not that then...” the elderly blind woman held out another wand, gnarled wood with no discernable handle, just as it came to her fingertips the woman jerked it back, “no that won’t do at all.” 

Another, it stung, a fifth that felt warm, a sixth that left a trail of pretty purple and blue sparkles. The sevenths and eighth felt much better. It kept going until she had reached fifteen.

“Mistress Kane,” the woman hummed as she ran her fingers through the metal box where the wands were held, “do you think I’ll be a better witch than my Mom?” 

“No.” The next wand was shoved in her palm, it warmed against her fingers before it began to spit spark wildly, it was a handsome dark near black wood. The old woman didn’t go to grab it, as Juno gripped it, with a line of determination on her mouth before she let out a long steady breath. 

The wand stopped spitting and she turned, “Defodio!” the spell was cast like lightning, dark purple and struck the ground, creating a few foot crack. She turned to the old woman, “You’re wrong.” Juno watched as her Mom rushed towards her, a smile on her face. “I’ll be sure to make her proud.”

“Are you sure?”

11.

“Look at her go,” her mother smiled widely as Juno began a set of fancy footwork, setting off hexes and curses in time with the arrows her brother was firing at her, within a blink of an eye two of the arrows were turned into bright yellow birds. “Isn’t she spectacular?”

The wizard laughed, nodding, “She is very much your daughter Kat, an excellent witch.”

“Her footing when it comes to dueling, and her transfiguration work is fantastic, already so amazing.”

“You must be proud.”Katherine watched as her daughter turned her small flock of birds on her brother who struggled to shoot them down before running from the swooping transfiguration feathered beings. Juno was laughing, tossing her raucous curls and fingering her wand. 

“You have no idea.”

11.5

“Is that a dog?” Juno blinked at her brother who was poking at the puppy, it had been a rather large sandy stone.

“Yes.”

“How?” he poked it and it barked, but it sounded wrong and he jumped back, hand going to his sword.

“Found some spells in Mother’s study, thought I’d try them out.” the study where she wasn’t allowed, with books she wasn’t allowed to see.

“Well, I guess even you do something right every once in a while,” Tiber grinned, before poking the not-quite-right-dog, “but it’s still not that good you know.”

12.

Juno began to sweat, she was shaking, as her mother began to raise up barrier after barrier, the village was under attack-- again. Her brother was riding with the scouts. She raised her wand, her fingers were shaking, she was sweating, why couldn’t she just raise a barrier. She’d done it before, she did it often.

“Juno?” her mother looked at her, and her daughter began to feel the world closing around her, “Snap out of it.” everything was too close, this hall was too small, she shivered lightly. “Juno!”

The young witch looked at her Mother who pursed her lips. “Go inside, hide.”

“What no I can do--”

“Go inside. You aren’t ready for this. Obviously I don’t know why I brought you out here.”

12.

“Juno!” Her brother held her arm, pulling her back as she went to take a swing, it was another party and another noble prat of a squire was making rude gestures.

“Will you stop trying to--”

“Didn’t you hear him?”

“Yes!”

“Then why can’t you let me take a swing at him? I can fight him, with magic, his little sword won’t stand against my spellwork.”

“I’ve seen you practice, half the time it blows up in your face.” Tiber twisted her wirst and pulled her away, “You’re only going to do a shit job anyway, just stop.” 

Juno wrenched her arm away, glaring, before stalking back over wand raised, as spark came from it, and she found herself in the dust, while Tiber stared at her with a snarl disspaointed look in his face before he stepped up to fight the squire.

“Never,” Juno stood back up before flinging herself back into the fight. 

13.

Her hand cracked across the elder girl’s cheek, with a snarl before someone grabbed her holding her back. She kicked out her feet before catching the girl again in the stomach, the girl before to cry, “Juno no!”

“Get the fuck off me!” she threw herself from her best-friends arm, he looked on hopelessly as she leapt upon the elder girl, the one who whispered about her brother and his ugly scar. 

14.

Katherine found her, curled up, books surronded her, wand held loosley in her grasp and looking exhausted. There were remnants of magic in the air, several items half turned and little scortch marks left everywhere. She sighed, her daugher was struggling much more recently with her magic, it often happened with young girls as they moved into womanhood. Juno was an excellent witch, she would be fine.

It look only a spell to deposit her daughter into bed, who curled around her pillow, still soundly asleep. She began to gather the books before finding one, and she frowned. Full body transfiguration was dangerous, and difficult. Why would Juno be looking into something that could harm her so deeply? She set it aside and tucked another blanket around her shoulders and setting the book on the top shelf.

Her daughter wasn’t ready for that sort of magic.Why was she looking at it?

Juno slept on even as Katherine frowned, this type of magic was difficult. Too hard for her hectic daughter, who couldn’t seem to reign in her magic properly. 

16.

“It’s a simple spell Juno,” there was an air of exhasperation, “You’ve known this spell, now do it.”

Juno let out a long shaky breath, “Salvio Hexia,” there was a light shimmer as a barrier fell. Her mother looked at her with narrowed eyes before holding up her own wand, “Bombarda!” 

“Protego!” the sheild smashed against the small explosian, while Katherine shook her head. Juno yelped, throwing up her arms as the blast caught her off her feet, sending her sprawling back onto the ground. She slammed her fist on the ground in frustration but refused to get up, even as her she could see her mothing tensing and flexing her fingers and neck to ready for another attack that never came.

“Get up.”Juno let out a long sigh, leaning up on her elbows, her mother was hovering above her, a knot in her brow in concern. Finally, she sighed, shoulders creaking forward, “Go home,” she hovered above her daughter, currently soaking up wet leaves from her now aching arse,“you aren’t focusing, obviously, go home and clear your head.”Her mother disappeared witch a crack like lightning, and Juno stood, flinging out her wand and setting a few bushes on fire. 

Why couldn’t she just do it. She was powerful, she could change stones to dogs and back, cast fire spells and hexes, but any moment that her Mother asked her to do something, when she came under fire, when things got hard. Juno would freeze, her magic would fail, and her brother would laugh and there would be such disappointment in her eyes. Those dark eyes with the gold flecks would stare at her feeble attempts and there would be this wilted line in her shoulders and Juno knew, she knew she failed again. 

Over and over again. 

She hated herself for causing that. 

Juno sat up in the leaves, “Bombarda,” the explosion rocked the little area they called a training ground, and she sighed.

Only when no-one was watching.

Juno wanted everyone watching.

17.

Juno passed between the arms of two men, flitting between them, her skirt was too short and the mead was warm and flowing between her lips and skirting across her tongue. The music came to a stop as she twirled into a knight’s arms, he was strong, strapping with a gap between his teeth so she didn’t look at his mouth. They danced together, her skirts flared out, her wand was strapped to her thigh, and the young knight grinned as he pulled her up and into a lift.As he set her down she flitted away, into a squires arm.

Then again spinning into a noble.

Into a far too tall warrior with a scar on his cheek.

Mead was pressed into her palm, and she laughed as she greedily drunk it down. She spun again, falling against the cold wall with a hapless giggle as several girls crowded around her, giddy and drunk on the late party. This castle was half a hundred leagues away her home, and she drank down more wine, it spilled across her cheek and onto the white lace of her flowing dress.

“Oh Miss, your dress,” the wine soaked into the white lace, the man was two, but one, perhaps twins as she dabbed at the lace, “it’s ruined is it not.”

“No, it’s not,” she lifted her fingers and whispered, “Scourgify,” it swept away, leaving the lace pristine as he stared.She laughed and surged forward to capture his lips, “Dance with me Ser.”

“Witch,” his voice dropped into a hiss, her hands on her shoulders, pushing her down, “you’re a witch.”

She laughed, and giggled and her attendants or friends she could never tell, laughed and giggled. “Dance with me Ser,” Juno ran her fingers across his weak jawline, he’d do, he wasn’t the finest, but he’d do, “you know you want to. Come on, what’s a little magic.”

18.

Juno stared as the barrier fell, she had been doing well again. Her Mother took her again on a trip to a local castle, now under siege, and she watched as the barrier fell again and the knights smashed towards the low wooden walls. She could hear her Mother shrieking behind her, and her brother was roaring from near the walls, his sword gleaming as he ran a charge towards the knights who broke the gates.

“No!” Juno threw open her arms, and stood on the wall, and twisted her wand, “No!”

Juno watched as her brother got closer and closer, no. She could see it in her mind’s eyes, her brother dying and Juno failing. Not today. 

“Fianto Duri! Protego Maxima!” the knights from their side found their steeds haulting at the spark of magic, while the opposing army passed through her curse, her barrier, this spell.

The first knights fell apart, their skin dissolving as they screamed and the opposing army tried to turn around. They couldn’t.

They rammed into her first curse and fell apart, the howls rang through the air.

Juno breathed in and turned, her Mother was staring at her, wand at the ready, leaning over the wall.

Juno breathed in and her brother was looking up at her.

Juno breathed in-- power. 

Oh she liked the taste of that. Success. Glory. She really loved that taste.

She needed more. She looked to her Mother who stared back, and there was a whisper. 

“More.” her mind whispered, she needed to prove that she could do this, she looked at her Mother. She was going to be better. 

[ninja-muse]

Urban Fantasy Recommendation Masterpost

This is a list of the urban fantasies I’ve enjoyed most over the years, split down a few lines and to be updated as I discover new series. I’m also including contemporary fantasies because the lines often blur. Hope you find something you like on it!

$ for LGBT characters £ for characters of colour € for characters with disabilities * for potentially problematic depictions of the above ! for #ownvoices (all based on my slightly spotty memory, so feel free to correct if I’ve missed something)

World-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time steeping you in the magical world

American Gods - Neil Gaiman £

Shadow Moon gets out of jail and is hired by the cagey Mr. Wednesday to … he’s not really clear, honestly, but it puts him in the path of people who may or may not be gods. Multiple mythologies.

Among Others - Jo Walton €!

A 1980s teen flees her troubled home in Wales to get to know her birth father and attend an English boarding school. Is her mother’s family able to work magic or is it just wishful thinking? Reading science fiction might give her the answers. British folklore and faeries, and a very interesting take on magic.

The Boggart - Susan Cooper

A Canadian family inherits a Scottish castle inhabited by a mischievous boggart—who then stows away and finds himself in Toronto. Scottish folklore.

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell £

The life of a woman from teen-hood to old age as she lives her life and occasionally intersects with an ancient war between good and evil, fought with telepathy and other things that look a lot like magic.

The Changeling - Victor Lavalle £ !

After his infant son is violently attacked, Apollo Kagwa, used bookseller, descends into the hidden world of New York in search of his vanished wife.

The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin - $ £ ! for race

New York City, newly alive, is being attacked, and six humans, no longer quite human, must do everything in their power to save their city.

the Dark is Rising series - Susan Cooper €*

A group of English kids—four siblings, a seventh son, and a boy who might be a reincarnated Arthur—versus the forces of darkness. Five books, only the last of which includes all the kids. Cornish and English folklores, Arthuriana.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

The Greek pantheon now lives in North London and is as dysfunctional as ever. Artemis walks dogs. Aphrodite does phone sex. Apollo is a washed-out TV psychic who’s just fallen, via Eros, for the cleaning lady—who’s trying to date someone else, thank you very much. Greek mythology.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker £

A golem and a jinni both find themselves in turn-of-the-century New York, both literally and figuratively. A beautiful exploration of the immigrant experience, friendship, and identity. Jewish and Arabic folklore.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

A mostly-good angel and mostly-wicked demon discover they’ve been training the wrong Antichrist days before the scheduled apocalypse. The real Antichrist wants a dog and to save the whales. Also features a legacy witch, a rookie witch-finder, the Four Horsemen, the Four Other Horsemen, Satanic nuns, and a Queen soundtrack. Christian mythology.

The Hunter’s Moon - O.R. Melling

A Canadian teen visiting her Irish cousin ends up mounting a cross-country road trip to retrieve her cousin who’s run off with the faeries. Irish mythology.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix $£

In the summer of 1983, Susan Arkshaw travels to London to find her birth father. What she discovers is a family of magical booksellers, and an Old World that’s very much alive.

Middlegame - Seanan McGuire

Roger and Dodger are exceptionally gifted, telepathically linked, and a little more than natural. James Reed will stop at nothing to use them, or people like them, to get ultimate power. Alchemy, time travel, and portal fantasies are involved.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman £

Richard Mayhew has it all: a good job, a hot fiancée, a nice flat. Then he helps an apparently homeless girl with the power to create doors and is pulled into the magical community below London. Nothing will ever be the same.

Of Blood and Honey and And Blue Skies From Pain - Stina Leicht

It’s tough, living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and Liam finds it harder than most. No one trusts him, he can’t find work, everyone wants him to choose a side, and to cap it off, he feels like a monster is inside him and knows something inhuman is stalking him and his. The war between the Fey and the Fallen is heating up, and the only people keeping peace are an order of priests—who also, surprise, want Liam’s help. Irish and Christian mythology.

The Sixth World series - Rebecca Roanhorse $£€ ! 

Maggie Hoskie is a Monsterslayer of Dinétah, but she’d rather not be. Even rescuing a kidnapped girl is supposed to be a one-shot deal. But the monster’s a new one, an apprentice medicine man’s attached himself to her, and Coyote’s around, so of course it’s not that simple. Navajo mythology.

Son of a Trickster - Eden Robinson £€ !

Jared’s life sucks. He’s sixteen, living in a crap house in a crap town with crap prospects. He’s paying his dad’s rent with weed money. His mom’s more interested in parties than holding down a job. His only friend’s a pit bull. And just when he thinks that’s as low as it gets, a raven shows up and say he’s Jared’s real dad. Heiltsuk (and other First Nations) mythology and folklore.

Sparrow Hill Road - Seanan McGuire

Rose Marshall, the Phantom Prom Date, the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, hitches her way from coast to coast while dealing with paranormal problems and route witches—and avoiding Bobby Cross, the immortal who killed her.

Sunshine - Robin McKinley

Rae is a baker. Tough and practical and smart, but a baker. Who’s just rescued herself and a vampire from captivity using magic she’d half-forgotten she had. Unfortunately, the master vampire’s still after them, the magical police know something’s up, and she just wants to keep being normal. Includes mild, realistic PTSD and a whole lot of delicious desserts.

An Unkindness of Magicians - Kat Howard

The Turning has started in New York and every magician in the city has their own reason for entering the tournament—power, status, acknowledgement, revenge, revolution. The high stakes would be enough for anyone, but it’s starting to look like there’s something suddenly wrong with magic, too.

Witches of Ash and Ruin - E. Latimer - $ £ € *

Dayna wants to be a witch, live her life, and block her OCD thoughts so she doesn’t have to deal with them. Then scary but gorgeous Meiner and her coven roll into town prophesying Bad Things, and a serial killer reappears who seems to target witches and shit. Meet. Fan. Themes of family and abuse.

Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay

Ned Marriner’s tagging along with his photographer dad to Provence when he begins to notice magic awakening around him. There’s an ancient love triangle that‘s repeated throughout history, using contemporary locals as proxies—and it’s very interested in Ned, his new friend Kate, and his father’s entourage.

Mystery-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time solving a magical crime

The Arcadia Project series - Mishell Baker $£€ !

Millie’s nearly broke, scarred, a double amputee, mentally ill, and Done with all the BS around that. She’s also despairing of ever resuming her directing career, so when a mysterious woman offers her a job with her temp agency, she’s intrigued. What wasn’t mentioned? She’ll actually be an immigration agent working with the Fae of Hollywood, and one of them’s just gone missing.

the Blood series - Tanya Huff $£€

Vicky Nelson is the pinnacle of the tough, no-nonsense PI—which poses a bit of a problem when she’s hired to catch a “vampire” on the streets of Toronto and then actually meets one. (He writes romance novels.)

the Felix Castor series - Mike Carey $*

Felix Castor is an exorcist. A hard-drinking, down-at-the-heels exorcist in a London brimming with ghosts and demons. Unfortunately, he never seems to get the easy cases where he can just waltz in and play a tune—and his past mistakes might be coming back to haunt him.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

Dirk Gently solves mysteries by wandering around, getting into strange situations, and then connecting dots no one believes even exist. Like time traveling robots and Romantic poets, or rampaging eagles and mold-ridden refrigerators.

The Grendel Affair - Lisa Shearin £

Makenna Fraser is a seer working for Supernatural Protection and Investigations in New York. “Seer” meaning she can spot the ghoulies and ghosties few people can, including her coworkers. When an off-the-books gnome removal turns into a blood-soaked crime scene, she and her partner are handed the case—but will her eagerness to prove herself just land her in hotter water?

the Greta Helsing series - Vivian Shaw $£

Dr. Greta Helsing serves the undead of London. Her best friends are vampires and demons. The boundaries between worlds are thinning, causing all manner of metaphysical trouble. Plays with 1800s horror classics; equal parts sensible, disturbing, and funny.

the Greywalker series - Kat Richardson $£

Harper Blaine prides herself on rationality and unflappability, but after briefly dying on a case, she’s suddenly wrong-footed and seeing ghosts everywhere. In the middle of all that, she’s hired by a mysterious voice to track down an organ that’s more than it seems, and suddenly haunted street corners are the least of her problems.

the Incryptid series - Seanan McGuire $£

Meet the Price family, a close-knit group of cryptozoologists whose mission is to protect and preserve endangered cryptids like dragons, gorgons, and the religious Aeslin mice from humans. They’re also hiding from the Covenant of St. George, a.k.a. why the cryptids are endangered in the first place. Technically paranormal romance.

the Iron Druid series - Kevin Hearne £

Atticus O’Sullivan is a herbalist and seller of New Age paraphernalia by day, two-thousand-year-old druid by night. He thought moving to Arizona would keep him safe from gods bent on revenge. He thought wrong. Multiple mythologies.

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge - Paul Krueger $£€ !

Bailey Chen is fresh out of business school, broke, and living with her parents. When a childhood friend offers her a job as a barback, she takes it as a stopgap—but then she discovers the secret cabal of bartenders who fight demons using magical cocktails and after that, there’s no looking back.

Moonshine - Alaya Johnson £

Zephyr Hollis, a charity worker and ESL teacher in 1920s New York, and therefore flat broke, takes a side job from a student, Amir, without asking questions. But will the vampire mob, the drug-crazed vamps, Amir’s literal smoking hotness, or her family history do her in first?

Night Owls - Lauren M. Roy $

Valerie is a vampire with a successful campus bookstore. Elly grew up fighting monsters and fearing for her life. When their paths collide via a book in Elly’s keeping, they must unite to prevent said monsters from unleashing hell and then some.

the October Daye series - Seanan McGuire $£€

Toby Daye wants sleep, coffee, and for everyone to leave her alone already—not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, as a changeling Knight and PI with a knack of finding people and solving problems with maximum chaos, none of those things will ever be easy to come by. Multiple folklores.

the Olympus Bound series - Jordanna Max Brodsky $£

Selene di Silva’s been keeping her head down for a long time, shutting herself off not just from New York, but from the world. (Being a former goddess will do that.) But then she stumbles on the body of a woman who’s been ritually sacrificed and her past as Artemis comes rising up again. Greek and Roman mythology

the Rivers of London series - Ben Aaronovitch $£€

When Constable Peter Grant meets a ghost at a crime scene, it’s only logical for him to take a witness statement. When DCI Thomas Nightingale learns of this, he offers him a job as an auror the sorcerer’s apprentice a valued member of a magically-focused police unit. London, its river goddesses, various magic workers, assorted Fae, and the Metropolitan Police will never be the same.

the Shadow Police series - Paul Cornell $£

Following the mysterious death of a suspect, four Metropolitan Police officers are drawn into London’s sinister magical underworld in their hunt for a killer.

the Smoke series - Tanya Huff $*£

Tony Foster’s found his footing as a PA on a Vancouver-shot vampire show. Unfortunately, the paranormal weirdness that is his life continues and it’s somehow up to him to save the day.

Unholy Ghosts (and following) - Stacia Kane £*

Chess Putnam works as a Church exorcist, partly out of obligation and partly for the pay, which goes to fuel her drug addiction. Unfortunately, no ghosts are nice ghosts and her private life keeps intruding on her cases.

the Watch novels - Terry Pratchett

Ankh-Morpork is the citiest of fantasy cities. Its City Watch is a bunch of misfits. Sam Vimes isn’t putting up with any nonsense. Somehow, they fight crime.

Zoo City - Lauren Beukes £

Zinzi December is a con artist and occasional finder of lost things who lives in the Johannesburg slums with her sloth familiar. Her latest case? Find a pair of missing teen pop stars—before the apparent assassins do.

[romcomathon2016]

A Christmas Prince (USA, 2017)

And now, a special bonus edition, not for any actual occasion, but just because we freaking felt like it. God bless you, Netflix, for this glorious season when all the worst Hallmark movies ever made arise out of the depths for easy streaming upon demand. Happy holidays, Romcomathon readership! (We will also be watching an equally terrible non-Netflix movie, it looks like, on actual Christmas. Prepare yourselves.)

Predictions: Alex, having read the description, knew that it was about a reporter and a prince, perhaps falling in love through a house of lies. Kat, not having read the description, predicted that Christmas was a place as well as a time, and perhaps the Prince of Christmas -- A CHRISTMAS PRINCE, IF YOU WILL -- was looking for a bride. At Christmastime. Perhaps the Kingdom of Christmas only merges with the regular world at Christmastime!!!! Who can say.

Plot: Uh… Kat was joking, but may not have been entirely mistaken. Whereas she was picturing some sort of seasonal magical fairy kingdom, Aldovia is instead a supposedly real country that crowns its monarchs at the Christmas Eve Ball???? But let's back up a bit and explain.

Rose McIver is a "junior editor," aka peon?? at a fashion magazine in "New York" (a whole variety of skylines were used here, though...huh), who inexplicably gets sent to a foreign country to cover the possible abdication of a playboy prince, Ben Lamb. Obviously he turns out to not really be a playboy; she assumes a fake identity by accident (is mistaken for the princess's soon-to-arrive new American tutor); and she immediately finds her way into both his good graces and those of his wayward, overprotected little sister -- who, by the way, has spina bifida AND is super sad about their father's death a year ago. There was literally not a heartstring that this movie did not attempt to tug, y’all; we are shocked that there wasn't a baby animal of some kind wearing a ribbon around its neck at a pivotal moment.

Anyway, Prince Ben Lamb just doesn't know if he wants to be king, guys. Can he handle it? Can he handle it?? No, kind of seems like he can't, tbh, but since his scheming cousin, next in line, seems like a truly terrible person, he should probably try. But wait! Plot twist! Rose McIver stumbles across an incredibly poorly-hidden secret compartment in the king's hunting lodge -- after having been rescued by Prince Ben Lamb from a wolf in the snowy woods, mind you (...yes) -- and discovers SECRET ADOPTION PAPERS. PRINCE BEN LAMB IS ADOPTED, AND NOBODY KNEW!!!! Well, except his parents, presumably.

Here we start a new paragraph specifically to ask HOW. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE ROYAL FAMILY SOMEHOW ADOPTED A CHILD AND KEPT IT SECRET FROM EVERYONE. EVERYONE.

Naturally, Scheming Cousin and his lady friend (actually Prince Ben Lamb's former lady friend, but let's not get into it) discover this as well, because Rose McIver is the worst undercover reporter in the world, and they decide to keep this information under their fancy evil hats until the Right Moment. When is the Right Moment, you ask? Obviously, at the Christmas Eve Ball/coronation. Yes, two for the price of one. The Aldovian monarchy is v. practical and/or thrifty that way! They also have the Prime Minister do the ceremony (perhaps not wanting to spring for a priest), and he (perhaps having never before seen a coronation?!) runs the whole thing like a wedding. Does anyone object to the prince's crowning, he asks, or forever hold your peace?? Guess who doesn't hold their peace, guys -- lol, it's Scheming Cousin. THE PRINCE IS ADOPTED!!!!!!!!

Man, what unfortunate timing, now that Prince Ben Lamb has finally gotten his act together and agreed to be king. Also unfortunate: the scheming duo reveals the truth about Rose McIver's identity. WHAT IS EVEN LEFT FOR PRINCE BEN LAMB TO BELIEVE IN???? He doesn't know who Rose McIver is! HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE IS EITHER. Also, the Prime Minister clearly has no mind of his own, and the Queen somehow has no power???? (We suppose that makes sense, though, since this nation is apparently stuck in like the 1100s or something, because girls still can't inherit and the line skips right over Prince Ben Lamb’s sister??) Anyway, they're all just like, welp, it's Christmas Eve, so we couldn't possibly wait a day to reasonably discuss our nation’s future, and instead we absolutely must crown Scheming Cousin immediately. All is lost.

Rose McIver, meanwhile, is at the airport headed home, all dejected and stuff, when she has a sudden epiphany about the secret poem the prince showed her in the hunting lodge. (SO MUCH SECRET STUFF IN THIS HUNTING LODGE, YOU GUYS. WHAT WAS EVEN GOING ON WITH THE KING. WHY DID HE SHARE NOTHING WITH HIS QUEEN OR HIS COUNCIL????) She rushes back to the castle and breaks open the homemade acorn Christmas ornament that the dead king left for the queen (...yeah), and lo and behold, a secret decree naming his adopted son worthy to be king. The king even took care to mention that it wasn't about blood or anything, but rather about Prince Ben Lamb's good character, which incidentally, Prince Ben Lamb was worried about. HOW PRESCIENT OF HIM. (Though not as prescient as if he had done the normal thing and publicized this before his death and avoided this whole debacle. :|)

Rose McIver bursts into the SECOND coronation; the Prime Minister again has no trouble accepting this latest sudden, poorly-verified turn of events; and Prince Ben Lamb gets properly crowned. Rose McIver goes back home to “New York” and writes a very schmaltzy story about how great he is. Her editor, surprisingly, does not want to publish this CRAZY STORY that she paid for Rose McIver to get, so Rose McIver quits and starts a weirdly successful blog instead. Then, on New Year's Eve, King Ben Lamb turns up on the doorstep of her father's diner and proposes to her. YUP, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY, READER. THE KING OF A NATION PROPOSES TO A WOMAN HE KNEW FOR ONE WEEK UNDER AN ASSUMED IDENTITY. THE END.

Best Scene: It is impossible to choose, perhaps because there was not a single scene in this glorious Christmas masterpiece that did not seem like it had been ripped from another film and spliced into this one in iMovie. The number of lines that we predicted out loud before they were said on screen was, shall we say, astonishing, but then again, not astonishing at all.

Worst Scene: All of the best scenes were the worst scenes, and all of the worst scenes were the best scenes.

Best Line: "You haven't thought about this. I mean, we barely know each other." -- Rose McIver, saying what we are all thinking. I mean, who would marry this royal idiot?? HE HAS BAD JUDGMENT AND WILL SOON BE DEPOSED, AND THEN WHERE WILL YOU BE?? Points for having good sense for once, Rose McIver. Points lost for capitulating moments later.

Worst Line: "A palace is a lonely place for a king without a queen." -- King Ben Lamb, during his proposal speech, all of which was awful, just to be clear. Although we did enjoy how his answer to pretty much all her objections was, money can solve everything! I mean. He's not entirely wrong. The royal family is probably very rich from all the money they've saved on coronations.

Highlights of the Watching Experience: Ummmm, reading the article that Entertainment Weekly wrote about it?? This article, a journalistic tour de force of the sort Rose McIver could never compose, addresses all of the concerns that we could not fit in this blog post. It is accurate and hilarious. Read it here.

Also, this whole watching experience was a highlight of our year. Literally the tropiest film we've ever watched. Cannot believe how many different clichés they managed to cram into one movie.

How Many POC in the Film: Like...2-4? One of her two friends was black (the other was a gay man, of course), a jerk reporter at the magazine was also black, and there may or may not have been an Asian person or two sprinkled in in Aldovia, with hardly any lines. Not awesome, for 2017.

Alternate Scenes: So, how did Rose McIver end up needing to be rescued from a wolf, you ask? Well, it's because she stole a horse from the stables to stalk Prince Ben Lamb, and then it threw her and left her in the snow, à la Beauty and the Beast. Only this low-budget cinematic wonder could only afford one wolf, evidently. Excitingly, though, in the moment before this wolf came on screen, we were wondering if it was going to be a werewolf, and if this movie was REALLY going to take a turn. Truthfully, readers, we kind of wish that had happened. We would watch that alternate film. Possible titles -- iWerewolf? A Christmas Wolf?

Was the Poster Better or Worse than the Film: BETTER. Now, we know we’ve suggested that no film could be better than this one, but this badly-photoshopped family holiday card is clearly the poster for a movie about the Prince of Hell, who rises out of his pentacle in a tower of flame to claim as his bride Rose McIver, who happens to love Christmas. Whereas of course the Prince of Hell hates Christmas, because it's Jesus’s birthday, and he is the Prince of Hell (duh). Hijinks ensue; eventually they overcome their differences, and maybe the Prince of Hell abdicates his hellish throne in order to live on Earth with Rose McIver. The final scene is, of course, them in their charming living room, enjoying Christmas. The Prince jokingly puts a devil-themed ornament on the Christmas tree (yes, they make those; we double-checked). "Oh, you!" says Rose McIver. They giggle together. Pan out into the snow.

Score: 4 out of 10 pasted-together-out-of-a-random-Hallmark-plot-generator smooches. Soooooo bad, you guys. Probably zero actual-movie smooches. But 10 out of 10 smooches in our still-laughing hearts!

Ranking: 72, out of the 109 movies we’ve seen so far. Sadly, we would rather rewatch this than a shocking number of other things. IT WASN'T GOOD, JUST TO BE CLEAR. NOT GOOD AT ALL. Yet...what a grand old time we had. This is the most perfect terrible movie we have ever watched or could ever imagine watching.

[aadmelioraa]

Hi!! I saw your holiday fills and like… yes. Please. Could I request a modern AU with Madi who totally ships it and Parent-Trap style fun ensues?

Thanks for the prompt @montygreens! This turned out a little different than the prompt, bc I ended up making Madi younger than originally planned, but here ya go! Happy Halloween part 2:

“I finished my broccoli, time for candy!” Madi crowed, showing Clarke her empty plate.

“I guess it is!” Clarke chuckled. “Alright, I’m going to clean up, you go get dressed…you have your bucket for candy?”

“It’s on the porch,” Madi called on her way up the stairs, “Let’s go, Mom!”

Clarke quickly tidied up the kitchen and followed Madi upstairs to help her change into her costume.

It was Madi’s first Halloween in their new neighborhood, and Clarke was determined to make it a memorable one. They had decked out the front porch in cobwebs, carved a whole family of pumpkins, and prepared festive cupcakes for Madi’s classmates. Most importantly, they had collaborated to create the perfect costumes. 

Madi’s favorite movie at the moment was The Princess Bride, and her favorite character was Inigo Montoya—she would reenact the fencing scenes for hours, much to Clarke’s amusement. Clarke found her a linen blouse, brown vest, and tiny leather belt that she wore over her favorite leggings. A plastic sword completed the look. Madi had requested that her mom dress as Princess Buttercup, so Clarke found herself a long sleeved red dress that Madi approved. She even, in true mom fashion, let Madi do her hair earlier that day. The braid was rather lopsided, but Clarke loved it.

Since the move several months earlier, Madi had made a few neighborhood friends. A girl in Madi’s second grade class, Ella Green, lived right next door. Ella’s parents—Lincoln and Octavia, both cops—seemed nice enough. Clarke got along very well with them, and Madi and Ella were practically joined at the hip when they were together.

Clarke had made tentative plans with Lincoln to take the girls trick or treating together, so she looked for him as they stepped outside into the crisp October air. Madi instantly smiled when she saw her friend waiting on the sidewalk in front of her house. Ella was wearing a floaty purple dress and sparkly butterfly wings, but instead of standing next to her parents she stood next to an unfamiliar man in a plaid shirt. Clarke frowned, trying to determine his identity as they approached. He was almost as tall as Lincoln, with glasses, dark curly hair and, she had to admit, a nice smile.

The stranger waved to Clarke as they approached. “Hey, you must be Clarke and Madi. I know you were probably expecting Lincoln, but he had a work emergency come up so Ella’s stuck with me for the night. I’m Octavia’s brother Bellamy.” He extended a hand and Clarke grasped it back.

“Oh, ok,” Clarke replied, taken a bit off guard but trying not to show it. She was always a bit wary around strangers, especially since adopting her daughter. “Hi, I’m Clarke Griffin, this is Madi.”

Bellamy grinned down at Madi, who was showing Ella her swordsmanship. “I like your costume, Madi.”

At this moment, Clarke heard her phone beep. She retrieved it from her pocket to read a text from Lincoln.

Lincoln Green 10/31 6:09 PM

Hey Clarke, I got called in for a case and since the wife has to work too Ella’s with her uncle for the night. Just thought I’d let you know since we had plans. Have fun!

Clarke replaced her phone and relaxed a little. Part of her knew it was silly to be so apprehensive. Another part of her also knew she would never cease to be fiercely protective of her daughter. And now, she thought, she was free to enjoy the company of Madi’s friend and her (unfairly attractive) uncle.

“We’re going to start now,” Madi stated matter of factly, and taking Ella’s hand walked ahead, leaving Clarke and Bellamy trailing them at a slight distance.

“Have fun storming the castle!” Clarke called in jest. Madi giggled and Clarke smiled appreciatively.

“Nice costume by the way, princess,” Bellamy commented as they waited for the girls to knock on the door of the first house on their route. “I feel a little underdressed, but this was very last minute, you must understand.”

“You’re forgiven,” Clarke chuckled, giving Bellamy a sly glance as she adjusted the flowing sleeves of her gown. “Besides, this was all Madi’s idea, I can’t take any credit.”

Bellamy chuckled. He had kind eyes and a cute dimple on his chin. Of course Octavia would have a brother even more attractive than she was. And of course he was great with kids. She considered flirting with him in the future, when the kids weren’t around. 

They made their rounds, the girls quickly filling their baskets with candy and growing tired of the growing chill in the air. Ella almost tripped over a tree root on their way home, and Bellamy swept her up into his arms before she could cry, her basket of loot dangling from his elbow.

“Mom,” Madi asked as they approached their house, “Can Ella come over tonight?”

“Yes please!” Ella chimed in, looked up at her uncle with wide green eyes that Clarke was fairly sure he could never say no to.

“Well, it’s not a school night…” Clarke considered, glancing at Bellamy and Ella, “So if it’s ok with Ella’s uncle, it’s ok with me.”

Bellamy caught Clarke’s eye, then grinned down at his niece. “I guess that’s that.”

“Ella and I want to watch Moana,” Madi declared, and Ella nodded. “So you and uncle Bellamy can do something else.”

Clarke chuckled. “Sure, Madi. That sounds fine.”

Clarke set Madi and Ella up in front of the television when they got home, after allowing each of them a reasonably sized ration of their candy.

“You want a drink?” she asked Bellamy, who followed her into the kitchen. “I have a red wine or beer…”

“Beer’s great.”

“Cool,” Clarke grabbed two bottles from the fridge, “That will pair nicely with the halloween candy.”

Bellamy laughed. “I always wondered if parents really did steal their kid’s candy.”

Clarke smirked. “Of course, we take our cut. It’s the best part of Halloween. Besides making the kids happy, of course.” She pulled Madi’s basket towards her. “Alright, good haul this year. Lots of chocolate and no Candy Corn bullshit.”

Bellamy glanced towards the living room to make sure the girls were fully engaged in their movie as he began to sort through Ella’s candy. “Hmmm, she’s got a lot of Reese’s here…trade you for a Snickers?”

Clarke laughed. “How did you know Reese’s were my favorite?”

Bellamy grinned and adjusted his glasses. “Just a hunch. I’ve got to make sure I save the Kit-Kats for O or she’ll never forgive me.”

They spent the next hour or two getting to know each other over a couple drinks, but finally had to admit it was getting late and the girls needed to be in bed. Madi was barely awake, and Ella was already asleep when the movie finished.

“You need help getting her upstairs?” Bellamy whispered, gesturing to Madi who’s eyelashes were fluttering with sleep, despite her will to stay awake.

“I’ll manage, but thanks,” Clarke replied sincerely, brushing her daughter’s hair back from her forehead.

Bellamy gently lifted his niece into his arms for the second time that night, and made his way towards the door. Turning back for a moment, he whispered. “Thanks for the beer. It was nice meeting you, Clarke.”

Clarke smiled. “Nice meeting you too. We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

A smile pulled at the corner of Bellamy’s mouth, but he simply replied, “As you wish.”

Anyway, now I really want to go watch that movie and also write a (gender swapped?) Princess Bride Bellarke AU.

[myndopeus]

you give me something to think about (chapter 10

Read on ao3

Summary: Trini’s never been good at making friends, which only makes being stuck in the same school for seven years even more miserable. But when she finally does meet someone nice, she ends up with a whole lot more than she bargained for.

It’s gonna be one hell of a year.

The Slowburn Hogwarts AU that no one asked for.

Note: I’m not sure if i should continue to post the full chapters on tumblr, or if I should just post the links to ao3. i’m thinking just the links might be better/more convenient.

The team freezes, all of them gaping at Jen. Practice had finished, but Jen had held them back for a second for an announcement, and it clearly hadn’t gone over well.

Kat steps forward. “Hold up. We have practice tomorrow morning?” She has a dangerous look in her eyes, less as if she’s asking for confirmation and more as if she’s giving Jen a chance to change her mind.

“Was I not clear enough?” Jen says. As much of a presences as Kat has, Jen is undoubtedly the scarier one in this interaction. Nevertheless, the rest of team still hasn’t been cowed into submission.

“But tomorrow is the Hogsmeade trip,” Koda protests. Some of the others chime in their agreement.

“Ah, Jen,” Ernie mutters, stepping closer to her. “I was, uh, not informed about this?”

“That’s because I didn’t tell you.” There’s a quiet “ooh” from the back that’s quickly shushed. Jen turns her focus back to the whole team. “Look, I get it, weekend practices suck, morning practices doubly so. But, and this is not going on record,” she intones, and the team quickly nods, “I… I have faith in you guys. I think we truly do stand a chance against the Ravenclaw team, even though they’re more experienced overall. That’s why I’m pushing each and every one of you; if I thought we were going to lose, I wouldn’t bother.”

The team quiets, shocked by Jen’s confession. Coming from her, that was equivalent to standing on the roof of the castle screaming her love for her house. Jen looks to the side and coughs, a little embarrassed by her show of emotion, and Trini smiles to herself.

“Ok.” She surprises herself by speaking up in front of the whole team. She shrugs at their glances. “If Jen says we can do it, then we’ll do it. Besides, it’s a morning practice, so we’ll still be able to go out.”

“But… Hogsmeade…” Koda meekly says, and Trini reaches up to pat him on the shoulder.

“Me too, buddy,” she says sympathetically. Koda pouts at the ground before reluctantly nodding. The rest of the team sighs in resignation.

Jen looks surprised at the sudden change in attitude, and Ernie is looking at Trini with an intrigued expression. To be fair, she’s surprised as well; she didn’t think that she’d have this much sway over the opinions of her teammates.

Ernie is the one who notices that they’re all still standing on the pitch. “Well, uh, that’s it for practice. Unless our captain has any more unexpected announcements to make,” he sarcastically adds, and Jen rolls her eyes at him.

“Oh piss off, I can make decisions on my own just fine.” Ernie’s eyes narrow as he turns to face Jen, and in a flash they’re both bickering about a variety of incidents that are at best tangentially related to quidditch captaincy. The rest of the team watches them uncertainly for a few seconds before they all quickly rush off to the locker rooms, leaving their captain(s) to argue.

* * *

“There you are.” She smells lavender, and she slightly off-guard for a second as the voice comes up beside her. She quickly falls back into her usual mask and turns to face Kimberly, who offers her a friendly smile.

“You weren’t at the library today.” Trini shrugs off-handedly at that.

“Yeah, Jen somehow managed to find the time to squeeze in extra practices, so…” Kim winces sympathetically

“Surprise quidditch practice, every girl’s dream,” Kim says sarcastically, and Trini smirks.

“I hope the boys weren’t too much to deal with,” she remarks, shifting her bag to her other shoulder. She can already tell that her arm is going to be incredibly sore by the end of practice tomorrow.

Kim shakes her head with a small smile. “Trust me, I’ve put up with them in far crazier situations. Although you should have heard Zack’s whining.” She pretends to puff out her chest and deepens her voice. “Guys, where’s Trini? Why isn’t Trini here? How am I going to justify blowing off my homework now? You guys are boring, I wish Trini was here.”

It’s somehow egregiously exaggerated and incredibly accurate, and they both end up laughing at it. Trini is reaching up to comb stray hair out of her face before she stops, groaning in annoyance.

“Damn it, I left my hat in the locker room again,” she sighs. It’s definitely not worth the effort of going back, but it’s still incredibly inconvenient, and she feels a little weird without it. “Whatever, I’ll just get it tomorrow.”

Kim perks up at that. “Oh! Speaking of tomorrow, are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow? The boys and I were going to head down together, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us.”  

The specific wording surprises Trini somewhat. She’s sure that the rest of the group wants her there, no doubt, but Kimberly seems to be emphasizing the invitation as coming from her, personally. That’s… interesting.

Then she remembers Jen’s earlier announcement, and she grimaces slightly. “I mean, I’m going to be heading down, sure, but I can’t join you guys. Jen also called a morning practice tomorrow, so I’ll be stuck at the castle for a bit.”

“Morning practice, on a Hogsmeade day? That’s hardcore.”

“Tell me about it,” Trini grumbles. “Assuming quidditch doesn’t kill me, I’d still like to meet up with you guys.”

“Totally!” Kimberly seems to brighten at that. “We’ll probably run into you at some point during the day, but if not, we’ll just meet at the Three Broomsticks again.”

“Sounds good,” Trini nods.

“Great, I’ll let the boys know.”

When they reach the stairway, Trini notices that Kimberly doesn’t head towards the dungeons, turning to the next ascending flight of stairs instead. “Where are you going?” she blurts out before she can stop herself.

Kimberly freezes, then slowly turns to Trini with a… guilty expression on her face?

“I was heading to the seventh floor.” She tries to pass it off as nonchalant, but Trini quickly catches on to what that means.

“Oh. My bad, sorry for being nosy.” For some reason, Trini doesn’t move. They both end up standing there staring at each other in the quickly emptying stairway.

“If that’s alright with you,” Kim says suddenly, startling Trini (and herself, it looks like). “I mean, I know you… you brought me there the first time, but I realize that that doesn’t count as giving me your permission to use that room, and I shouldn’t have assumed, so if you’re not comfortable with that, I can just go somewhere else-”

“It’s fine.” Trini cuts her off decisively. “It’s not my room, anyways. I mean, it doesn’t belong to me. You can use it.”

“…really?” Kim is hesitant, and Trini just nods. She turns away, intending to leave Kim to her own business, when she’s stopped.

“Trini?” Her name sounds different when Kim says it, and the feeling is so unusual that she almost doesn’t remember that it’s her name. Shaking it off, she turns back.

“Yeah?”

Kim seems to have changed once again. It’s a familiar look, as if she’s looking for something, but not quite. It’s not quite anticipation, but… it almost feels like Kim is waiting for something from her. Trini is used to people scrutinizing her, trying to peel back her exterior and find out what’s under her skin, but Kim’s stare feels nowhere near as invasive.

Trini doesn’t know how to feel about that.

Kimberly seems to realize that she’s staring, and she suddenly blinks, looking away. “It’s nothing, nevermind. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Uh, sure. Goodnight.” Trini waits until her back is to Kimberly before she frowns, her feet automatically following the path back to the dorm.

Of course she had expected things with Kim to be different after the Room of Requirement. Truth be told, she’d expected Kim to start avoiding her and pretending that the whole thing never happened. Instead, Kim seems to have become more open, their conversations becoming less small talk and more friendly banter. It was almost like they were becoming close friends.

Which wasn’t a problem in and of itself. The issue was that while Trini did want to be friends with Kim, she realized that she was also interested in the other girl in a more… physical capacity. It’s no secret that Kimberly Hart is beautiful—you don’t even need to be into girls to understand that—but fantasizing about kissing her is something completely new and unexpected for Trini. It’s not that she has anything against being gay,—although, again, it’s not something that she ever expected for herself— but these feelings are just… confusing. It doesn’t help that Kimberly is probably the first close female friend she’s had. I’m not even sure if I’m actually interested in Kimberly like that, anyways, she thinks to herself.

As she’s getting ready for bed, her eyes land on the open parchment lying on her desk, mostly empty except for one line written near the top:

            Dear Papi,

It’s still relatively early, so she forces herself to sit down and try to continue the letter. But try as she might, she can’t manage to gather all of her thoughts into anything remotely organized or polite enough to write down. What am I supposed to say? ‘I’m staying at Hogwarts whether you like it or not?’ ‘I’m still mad at you and Mami for pushing me away?’ ‘I’m not even sure if I want to go back home?’ Faint memories surface: her father’s smile, her mother’s gentle humming as she cooks, the sound of her brother’s laughter in the background, the smell of the flower garden wafting in.

Eventually she muster the strength to pick up the quill and write. She scribbles down a few words.

            Dear Papi,

            I’m sorry

It’s a long time before she can write any more, and when she finally goes to bed, her cheeks are significantly damper than before.

* * *

On the bright side, she’d been so tired last night that she’d actually managed to fall asleep on time. The only other comfort she has is the knowledge that everyone else on the pitch is feeling just as shitty as she is.

“Good to see you all showed up.” Jen still has an aura of authority, but her intimidating presence is diminished by the fact that she had to yawn her way through that quick sentence.

“Bet you regret scheduling morning practice now,” Ernie half-mumbles, rubbing at their eyes. Jen reaches over and tugs on one of the locks of hair falling out of their messy bun.

“At least we’re suffering as a team. Alright, we’ll have a few laps and exercises to warm up, and then we’ll start running the plays from yesterday. Let’s see how well you guys remember them.”

Needless to say, practice starts out as a complete disaster. There are several near-collisions, and Koda actually drops his beater’s bat on someone’s head. Fortunately, the resulting adrenaline rush seems to wake everyone up somewhat, and after working out a few gaps, they manage to run through the plays quite smoothly.

Unfortunately, the more awake she gets, the more Trini’s mind seems to wander back to all of her usual concerns. She thinks about the now-finished letter sitting on her desk; she still needs to read over it and make sure everything is… appropriately worded for her father. She’s not sure whether she wants to send a reply, but she is one-hundred percent sure that radio silence would just make her parents more upset. All the same, she might need some more time to think over what she wants to say before-

“TRINI! WATCH OUT-”

THWACK!

* * *

“…-cussion. It’s a good thing you didn’t hit that bludger at full strength, otherwise we might be in a very different situation.”

Her mouth somehow feels grossly sticky and desert dry at the same time; she’s also aware of a throbbing pain in the side of her head, as well as something cold and wet trickling down the side of her neck.

She opens her eyes, but instantly squeezes them shut with a groan, raising a hand to shield them from the light. She hears some scuffling around.

“Trini! Trini, I’m so sorry.” Koda’s voice is somewhere off to the left, but her headache intensifies when she tries to turn her head, so she resigns herself to leaning back.

“S’fine, I’m alright,” she mumbles through chapped lips. Her hand reaches up to wipe the moisture off her neck, and her hand brushes what she thinks is an ice pack resting under her head.

“You’re in the hospital wing, my dear. While it’s nothing serious, I doubt anyone would describe your current situation as ‘alright’.”

She gingerly opens her eyes into a squint, and she makes out the form of Madam Pomfrey standing at her bedside, holding a glass in one hand. She leans down to help Trini slowly sit up, handing her the glass. Trini is so thirsty that she drinks it all in one go. It takes a second for her to realize that the liquid was not water, and she gags once the taste registers.

 “Easy now, it’s just something to help you get back on your feet. Your injury isn’t necessarily bad enough to demand the aid of a potion, but I presume you still plan on going to Hogsmeade later, yes?”

“That was the plan,” Trini rasps out, and she checks that the refilled glass she’s handed is indeed water before drinking it. “What exactly happened?”

Koda looks practically devastated. “I was trying to pass you the bludger for a play, but it hit you in the head. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have aimed that high, and I should have waited until you were looking before I passed.”

“It’s fine, Koda, it happens. It was my fault anyways, I wasn’t paying attention.” She touches the side of her head, and sure enough, there’s a small lump of a bruise. “I hope Jen wasn’t too hard on you. Shit, is practice still on?”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to go back. Me, on the other hand…” Trini would feel more sympathetic if her head didn’t feel the size of a melon.

Eventually, Madam Pomfrey dismisses them both, with firm instructions for Trini to “avoid going wild, if at all possible”. She’s not all that upset at the injury; the potion she drank is already starting to kick in and make her feel less shitty. Plus, she got to skip quidditch practice. It was almost like poor Koda (who had to do extra drills with Jen after practice) had done her a favor. After sending him off, she heads back in the direction of the dorms to rest and clean up before meeting her friends in Hogsmeade.

That’s when it hits her.

It happens without warning sometimes. She hasn’t had an attack like this in a while, probably since things have improved since… well, since she got to Hogwarts, so she’d almost forgotten that it could happen. Maybe it has something to do with her concussion. But suddenly, her chest starts to feel like it’s constricting, and when she stops walking to catch her breath, the walls feel like they’re still moving, and it’s like every minute sound, real or imagined, has been amplified. She begins to feel dizzy, swaying on her feet slightly.

Deep breaths, Trini, the small, rational part of her brain that’s still active tells her, trying to regulate the situation. She manages to suck in a breath, and then another one, and the corridor becomes a little less fuzzy. She leans against the wall and slowly slides to the floor. Curling her knees up to her chest, she squeezes her eyes closed, she leans her head against solid stone and focuses on her own breathing. In for 3, hold, exhale…

Eventually, her breathing calms enough for her to try and open her eyes again. She stands gingerly, feeling relieved when the room doesn’t spin. The worst of the attack has passed, but now she feels exhausted and worn out and tired all at once. Every muscle in her body is screaming for her to lie down.

Apparently her brain is lagging two steps behind, because by the time she’s recovered enough to properly think, her feet are already in motion. She’s just barely focused on a single priority: getting somewhere with a vaguely comfortable horizontal surface and passing the fuck out. Her eyelids are already quite droopy, and it’s a miracle that she hasn’t run into anyone or anything yet, or worse, fallen off the stairs.

Everything is hazy for an undetermined amount of time, but Trini suddenly finds herself standing in a very familiar corridor. The math definitely doesn’t add up (the Hufflepuff dorm is much, much closer to the hospital wing), but she honestly couldn’t care less at this point. She drags herself through the requisite three passes before shoving the door open.

The couch has been replaced by a sofa bed, and Trini wastes no time in (carefully) flopping down on it and closing her eyes.

* * *

This time, she doesn’t wake up feeling like a train collided with her skull. She stretches a little before gently feeling the side of her head. To her delight, the bruise is almost completely gone, and there’s no longer a pounding in her head. It’ll be a true shame the day Madam Pomfrey retires.

She sits blearily for a few moments, taking her time to wake up. True to its name, the Room has a tendency to modify itself for whatever dilemma Trini is having when she arrives. Today it’s taken on a very soothing and calming aesthetic, with lots of warm, dark tones and soft textures. If she concentrates, she can tell that some of the candles are probably enchanted to cycle through scents that are comforting to her. She catches a whiff of grass and fresh air, the smell of a rainy night, and for some reason, lavender and spices…

She frowns, and the scent is replaced by the smell of cookies in an oven.

Suddenly, her short-term memory returns, and she bolts upright, looking around for the nearest clock.

Fuck. She’d accidentally slept well into the afternoon. She immediately wills the room to deposit her at the Hufflepuff dorm so she can get cleaned up and changed. She’s grateful to see that someone had brought her bag back from the locker rooms, but her hat was unfortunately still missing. However, there is a folded piece of parchment on the bed next to her bag. She reads the message inside:

            Know how shit the walk to Hogsmeade is. For shortcut, go to Gunhilda statue             on 3rd floor. Tap w/ wand “Dissendium”.

            - Jen

Curious, she gathers what she needs before heading to the third floor. It takes her a bit to find the statue—History of Magic wasn’t really her favorite subject—but it pays off when Jen’s information turns out to be reliable. Working up her courage, she conjures a small light from her wand before throwing herself down the dark tunnel.

The passageway ends in a musty basement-looking room that, judging by the noise coming from behind the door, belongs to one of the Hogsmeade shops. She snoops around a little, checking out the labels on the boxes. Most of them are for various types of candies. This is probably the Honeydukes storeroom. She pauses, a thought infiltrating. I mean, morally speaking, stealing is bad, but…

The doorknob creaks as it turns, light beginning to spill through the widening gap in the doorframe. In an adrenaline-infused rush, Trini somehow manages to make it to a decent hiding spot without knocking anything over. She holds her breath as the door opens and a gray-haired woman walks in. Humming to herself, she purposefully goes through the stack of boxes with the assurance of someone who’s been using that storeroom for years. Trini watches as she uses her wand to levitate a small crate that is emitting a faint buzzing noise. Do I even want to know what that is?

Trini recognizes an opportunity as the lady heads back into the shop. Right as the woman passes her hiding spot, Trini rises and, as quietly as she can, slips through the door behind her. She heads straight for the exit, hoping that she didn’t look too suspicious as she left.

The weather is starting to get colder as fall continues, which Trini is definitely pleased with; she’s always enjoyed cold weather more than the heat. However, on this particular day, it becomes irritating when the wind starts to pick up. Without a hat to keep it down, her hair ends up being blown about more than she would like.

She doesn’t really have a particular destination in mind. Instead, she wanders about the village, visiting whichever shops strike her fancy. Her stomach abruptly reminds her that she hasn’t eaten yet, so she buys a sandwich from a random café and eats on the go. She even nabs a few sweets from Honeydukes on her second pass round.

A sudden squall of squawking makes her jump as she passes the post office, where it seems a barn owl has gone rogue and is trying to escape. She’s suddenly reminded of the letter she’d been writing. Even though she finished it last night, she’s still not sure whether she should send it yet, if she should read through it again, or just rewrite the whole thing. She can feel her anxiety starting to buzz the more she worries about it. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself to walk into the post office. If you don’t do it now, you’ll just never send it, she tells herself.

Sending the letter from the post office turns out to be a good idea; all she has to do is drop it off at the desk and pay for it, and then the whole matter is out of her hands. Almost unconsciously, her hands drift towards her head to adjust a hat that is no longer there.

“I gotta say, finding you was a lot harder than I thought it’d be.” Maybe she’d severely spaced out, or maybe her head injury was still messing with her, but somehow, Trini is now face to face with none other than Kimberly Hart. She blinks hard for a few seconds, which makes Kimberly giggle a little.

“You touched down on Earth yet, space cadet?” Trini glares at her, but it just makes Kimberly’s grin grow wider.

“Shuddup,” she says. She looks around a little. “Are you on your own? Where are the boys at?”

Kim points down the street. “They wanted to check out some stuff in the bookshop, so I figured I’d let them have their fun there while I picked up some stuff I need.”

Trini snorts a little. “It’s kind of like babysitting a bunch of children, isn’t it.”

“Oh God, tell me about it.” Kim rolls her eyes. “You’d think Zack would be the worst one, but it’s actually Billy. He gets so caught up in things sometimes that he’ll walk into the craziest situations without a second thought. You have no idea how many heart attacks he’s given me and Jason.”

“I can only imagine.” It’s strange to be talking about the boys like this with Kimberly. She’s reminded that Kimberly has known them for years, whereas Trini just met them this year. Nevertheless, Kim is treating her as if she’s been a part of the group for just as long. Even now, it still feels weird to think that these people have actually accepted her as one of their own.

When she tunes back in, she notices Kim’s eyes are twinkling a little. It’s the same look as when she’s about to do something impulsive like throw a quill at Jason or kick Zack under the table.

“What?” Kim notices Trini watching her warily.

“I know that look.” Trini’s eyes narrow as Kimberly tilts her head, looking far too innocent. “That never means anything good. I’ve got my eye on you, Hart, I’m warning you.”

“Who? Me?” Trini is nonplussed at Kimberly’s act, and eventually the other girl just laughs. Shaking her head, she reaches out and grabs Trini’s wrist. “Come on,” she says as she starts walking.

If it had been anyone else, even one of the boys, things would’ve probably been thrown to halt by either a swift hex or a well-placed punch. As it is, Trini is too busy staring at Kim’s hand around her wrist and trying not to blush. Caught off-guard, she’s powerless as Kim drags her into what she vaguely recognizes as a clothing shop.

 After several attempts, she finally finds her voice. “Uh, why are we here?” she asks.

“You’ll see.” Kimberly seems to have the layout of the whole store memorizes as she weaves through aisles and racks. Trini ends up following her around like a lost puppy, lest she be lost to the vortex of bright colors and overwhelming scents.

A small voice pipes up in Trini’s head. You’re only letting her drag you around like this because she’s pretty. “Whatever,” she grumbles quietly to herself.

“Hm?” Kimberly pauses, looking over her shoulder. “Did you say something?”

Trini shakes her head, twisting out of the way of what appear to be a whole pack of fourth years barreling in their direction. She ends up shoulder to shoulder with Kimberly, with very little space between them.

“Sorry.” She moves to disengage, but she freezes as soon as Kimberly’s fingers tangle with hers. She looks up, the surprise evident on her face. Kimberly smiles at her, giving her hand a little squeeze.

“Wouldn’t want you to get lost,” she says breezily as she tugs Trini along with her. “You’re so short that I’d never find you. I’d probably have to put out a missing child alert or something.”

“Short jokes. Very original.” It’s the best retort she can come up with, seeing as her brain has inconveniently ceased all function. It isn’t that crowded, so there’s really no reason for them to be holding hands. Don’t get carried away, she reminds herself. This is normal. Probably. I guess? I don’t know what normal friendships are like. She shakes her head a little to control her train of thought.

She’s so focused on keeping herself from overanalyzing that she nearly bumps into Kim when they come to a stop. She’s embarrassed by the disappointment she feels when Kim lets go of her hand to reach for something hanging on the wall. She does a good job of hiding it from Trini’s view, which is tragically easy for her given their height difference.

Looking at Trini with a smirk, she backs away, hiding whatever it is behind her back. “Stay there,” she says before she disappears.

Trini sighs and crosses her arms as she waits for the other girl to come back. She feels a little awkward just standing in the middle of the store, but most of the people around are too preoccupied with their own lives to notice her. Nevertheless, she’s still relieved when Kimberly reappears.

“You gonna tell me what you dragged me all the way here for yet?” she says, raising an eyebrow. In response, Kimberly hands over the object.

It’s a bright red beanie. Trini looks back up at Kimberly. “Uh, what?”

She shrugs. “I owe you a new hat. You know, after your other one got lost in the lake.”

Trini’s mind flashes back to the day that she, Billy, and Kimberly had detention together. It seems like ages ago. “Huh. I didn’t think you’d remember,” she admits.

At that, Kimberly smiles and laughs a little. “Oh come on, it was a pretty memorable day! Who could possibly forget being chased by doxies and tackling a cute girl off a cliff?”

Trini is almost convinced that she completely misheard, so she tries to keep a neutral expression. There’s a beat, and suddenly Trini wonders if Kim expected her to react. But before she can say anything, the other girl is already turning away.

“Come on, it’s too crowded in here,” she says. Trini can’t help but notice that Kim doesn’t take her hand this time. Her brow furrows in confusion: Wait. Did I get something wrong? Or am I just overthinking this? What the hell is happening right now, I’m so confused.

As they push their way out the exit, another gust of wind blows by, tussling their hair. Kim’s short bob is only gracefully ruffled, but Trini ends up with half of her hair thrown across her face. Quickly combing it out of the way with a huff, she tries to put her new hat on to keep her hair out of the way, but she stops halfway there.

“Wait, what?” She could have sworn that the hat wasn’t green when Kim handed it to her. As she watches, the color slowly shimmers, and a deep purple bleeds in instead.

“Oh yeah, it changes color,” Kim adds, almost as an afterthought. Trini pulls out her wand, trying to decide what color she wants. Eventually, she settles on yellow with a tap of her wand, tugging the hat on at last. It’s a bit tighter than she’s used to, but that’s probably because it’s new.

She meets Kimberly’s eyes. “Thanks. I mean, you didn’t have to, but thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” The way Kim says it is a little weird, a little fast, and Trini’s eyebrow rises. Kim quickly looks away. “We should probably find the boys,” she says, changing the subject. Trini just nods slowly, and they start walking down the High Street.

Just as they reach the bookshop, Trini hears a commotion inside, and she can just barely see a flurry of movement through the misted windows. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Zack stumbles out, falling on his face in the snow. Jason hurries out next, dodging a flurry of what look like ink projectiles and hiding behind the door for protection. Billy walks through the open doorway, holding a pile of books.

“Thank you for helping us! And I hope you get those books back under control!” he yells back into the store before Jason lets the door swing closed with a thud.

With a groan, Zack rolls onto his back. Brushing the snow from his face with one hand, he squints at the sun. Noticing Trini and Kim, his face spreads into a lopsided grin. “Hello, ladies,” he says with a flirtatious wink.

“Hello yourself.” Trini reaches down and offers her hand to help Zack up, nearly getting pulled down in the process. “Geez, you’re heavy.”

“Nah, you’re just-”

“Watch yourself, Taylor,” she warns playfully.

“All right,” he concedes, and she’s immediately suspicious of how he backs off so easily. “You doing ok?” he asks.

“I’m fine… are you ok?”

“Just checking in,” he replies, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His usually untidy black hair is hidden under a gray skullcap. “Ran into Kat and she mentioned that you got knocked the fuck out during practice this morning.”

She’s surprised by his genuine concern, but she conceals it by rolling her eyes. “I’m fine, it was just a little bump. Madam Pomfrey did her thing, I’m all good.”

“Suuure,” he drawls. “And I suppose you just randomly decided to be fashionably late and hang around the castle for a few hours.”

 “I was taking a nap, dude. And don’t you dare say anything, because I’ve seen you during your post-practice naps, so you have no right to judge.”

“Wasn’t gonna,” Zack smirks. “Well, now that you’ve had your beauty rest-” She elbows him at that, and when he whaps the back of her head, they get preoccupied with a brief tussle.

“As I was saying,” he continues later, using his longer wingspan to keep Trini at a Zack-sized arms length (which is unfortunately larger than a Trini-sized arms length), “now we can get the party started.” His eyes flicker above her head, where her hat is, and he lets out a quick snort.

She glares at him. “Something funny to you?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

“There you guys are,” Jason says as he approaches. For some reason, his eyes widen a little when he sees Trini. “Hey. Uh… nice hat?” he says uncertainly.

Trini looks between Jason and Zack suspiciously. She turns to Kimberly for an explanation, but her face remains neutral. “Anyone want to clue me in on the elephant in the room? Because I don’t know what you guys are seeing, or if you’re on something, or-”

“Trini!” Billy cries out enthusiastically when he sees her. “I like your hat! I didn’t know you like the color pink, but I think it suits you.”

“Pink?!” She rips the hat off her head, staring down incredulously at the bright pink color. “What the-”

Suddenly, Kim bursts out in laughter, collapsing on the ground. Jason and Zack are both bent double as well. Trini gives them all a deadpan stare.

“Haha, very funny,” she monotones. “And I suppose you were behind this, huh?” She turns to Kimberly, who manages to stop her giggling just long enough to give Trini a helpless expression.

“It- ahaha, it was s-so easy,” she manages to wheeze out. Trini sighs, shaking her head.

Billy stands in the background looking more than a little confused. “Wait… so the pink wasn’t intentional?” When Trini shakes her head, he simply looks more lost. “I don’t get the joke.”

“Neither do I, buddy.” She changes the color back to yellow before putting the beanie back on, making sure not to turn her back to anyone except Billy. “So, where to now?”

“Ah… Three Broomsticks?” Jason suggests as he helps Kim to her feet. Trini feels her eyebrow twitch a little when Kimberly takes his hand.

“But we always go to the Sticks,” Zack complains. “Maybe a change of pace is in order… how about Hog’s Head?”

Trini frowns a little. “I heard that place is kinda shady.”

“Nah, it’s fine, people like to exaggerate. And even if it is kinda shady, there’s bound to be something interesting happening.”

Both Trini and Billy seem uncertain, but Kimberly seems to be getting more excited the longer Zack talks about it. “I’m in. Sounds like fun.”

“I wouldn’t trust that. You two have pretty weird definitions of fun,” Jason says. “But you two are probably gonna sneak off anyways, so it might be better if we all go together. You two good with that?”

Billy nods thoughtfully. “Yeah. I mean, I haven’t been there yet, but it’s probably quieter than the Three Broomsticks, so that’ll be nice. But we don’t have to go if not everyone wants. Trini?”

They all watch her expectantly, waiting for an answer. Wow, no pressure or anything. Trini bites her lip hesitantly before finally nodding slowly.

“Knew I could count on you,” Kim says, her hand landing on Trini’s shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. She starts walking down the street, beckoning to the rest of the gang. “It’s this way, guys.”

As they follow her, Trini notices Zack falling in step with her, trying and failing to look subtle. She spares a quick glance ahead; Kim is at the front, and Jason is unsuccessfully trying to convince Billy to let him carry some of his books. She makes eye contact with Zack, who gives her a worrying smirk. After a few moments of silent staring, he rolls his eyes at her.

“Are you going to tell me, or do I have to spell it out?”

“Spell what out, Zack?”

He leans in conspiratorially. “Come on, you walk in behind Hart with a new hat, looking shook as hell. Clearly, something happened, and I want deets.”

Trini gapes at him, affronted. “First of all, I most definitely wasn’t, quote ‘shook as hell’. I have a reputation to maintain. Second, nothing. Happened.” Zack seems entirely unconvinced. “I mean it. Apparently she thought she owed me a new hat, and who am I to turn down free stuff?”

“Why did she think she owed you a hat?”

“I lost mine in the lake when she threw me off that cliff.”

“WHAT?” he exclaims, causing several people nearby to stare and Billy to jump and drop a few of his books. “Sorry,” Zack whisper-shouts in his direction, before turning back to Trini. “What?!” he mouths.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you that? Yeah, we had detention a while back, and a bunch of doxies were chasing us, and she tackled me off a cliff and I lost my hat.” She says it as nonchalantly as possible, taking her time to enjoy the incredulous face journey Zack is experiencing as he processes the story.

“Oh what, don’t pretend like you don’t know what that means. What kind of baby gay-”

“Shut up,” she snaps at him harshly, startling him into silence. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see his shocked expression, but she can’t make herself meet his eyes. Instead, rather than continuing to face him, she speeds up her pace to walk closer to Billy and Jason, leaving Zack behind.

The buildings get sparser as they walk, the streets get quieter, and by the time they get to their destination it feels like a completely different village. Trini’s first thought is that the Hog’s Head looks disgusting. The chipped paint on the sign is barely visible, and the building itself looks like without magic, it would have fallen apart long ago. Kimberly and Zack march straight through the doors. The others follow with mild trepidation.

The interior looks better than the outside, but not by much. Trini settles at a table with Billy and his books as the others go to grab drinks. She watches as Billy sets about restacking and rearranging his new purchases.

“That’s a lot of books,” she comments.

“They were having a sale, so I took advantage of the opportunity,” he says. He seemed stacking the books alphabetically by author, but he hesitates for a second before shaking his head and rearranging them again.

“May I?” At Billy’s nod, she picks up a random book. “The Complete Herbfinder’s Guide to Medicinal Plants, Both Wild and Domestic. That’s… a lot of information.”

“It’s pretty comprehensive, although it might not be up to date; I hear they might be releasing a new edition in the next few years or so. But it’s not for me, anyhow, I got it for Zack. It’s supposed to be a surprise though, so don’t tell him.”

Trini’s eyebrows rise. “Seriously? I didn’t know Zack was into herbfinding.”

“I don’t know if it’s the herbfinding part so much as the medicinal aspect. He’s been really interested in medicine recently, I guess.” Billy’s eyes flick to the side. In a flash, he seizes the book from her hands and stuffs it inside his bag, right as the others approach with drinks.

“Sorry,” he whispers, but Trini smiles at him understandingly as Zack sits next to her.

After a round or two, Trini can start to see the appeal of the Hog’s Head.  Despite the frightening appearance, it’s actually a quite comfortable place. It also isn’t as cramped and overwhelming as the Three Broomsticks. Trini was actually considering coming back. Definitely not alone, though. Not to judge by appearances, but it didn’t seem like the pub attracted the most upstanding clientele.

They sat there chatting for a while. Trini was forced to tell them how she got knocked out during practice, and Kim ended up having to recount the whole doxy incident to explain Trini’s new hat. Speaking of, Trini was starting to think that Kimberly had jinxed the hat somehow; no matter how many times she set it to yellow, it would slowly creep to a pink color.

Trini lost track of how long they sat there, sharing stories and laughing together. It was only when the bartender rang the bell for last call that she realized how late it was getting.

Jason lets out a heavy sigh. “I guess that means we have to head back to the castle now.”

A devilish grin starts to spread on Zack’s face, and Trini instinctively scoots closer to Billy. “Or do we?” Zack says mysteriously before standing and striding towards the bar. The whole table seems equally confused. A minute later, Zack comes back holding two bottles of firewhisky, which he tucks into his robes.

“That can’t be good,” Jason mutters. With a grin, Zack beckons them to follow him out the doors.

[deputyxjones-blog]

GENERAL INFORMATION

♚┋ FULL NAME: Clara Jenny Jones ♚┋ BIRTH NAME: Isabelle Cordelia Emmeline du Pont ♚┋ NICKNAME(S): Cee, C, CJ ♚┋ DATE OF BIRTH: March 31st, 1993 ♚┋ NATIONALITY: American ♚┋ OCCUPATION: Deputy Sheriff ♚┋ RELIGION: Atheist ♚┋ ORIENTATION: Heteroromantic Heteroflexible

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

♚┋ FACE CLAIM: Chloe Bennet ♚┋ HEIGHT: 165cm / 5′5″ ♚┋ WEIGHT: 55kg / 121lb ♚┋ HAIR COLOUR: Ombre ♚┋ EYE COLOUR: Dark Brown ♚┋ DOMINANT HAND: Right ♚┋ SCARS: Numerous, but the most distinctive is a large slash across her back ♚┋ TATTOOS: A phoenix on her back and three birth dates on her ribs ♚┋ PIERCINGS: Ears

PERSONALITY OVERVIEW

♚┋ JUNG TYPE: ENFJ - T (The Protagonist) ♚┋ ENNEATYPE: Type Eight (The Challenger) ♚┋ MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good ♚┋ HOUSE: Gryffindor ♚┋ FACTION: Dauntless ♚┋ ELEMENT: Fire ♚┋ SIN: Wrath ♚┋ VIRTUE: Diligence ♚┋ TEN QUALITIES: Adaptive, Compassionate, Courageous, Determined, Hardworking, Independent, Intelligent, Intuitive, Loyal, Persuasive ♚┋ TEN FLAWS: Callous, Cynical, Deceptive, Insecure, Insubordinate, Proud, Sarcastic, Stoic, Stubborn, Untrusting

OVERALL BACKGROUND

♚┋ HOMETOWN: New York City, NY ♚┋ CURRENT RESIDENCE: Muddy Waters, IL ♚┋ FINANCIAL STATUS: Upper Class Lower Middle Class ♚┋ EDUCATION LEVEL: Associate’s Degree ♚┋ DEGREES: Associate of Arts (AA) in Legal Studies ♚┋ MISC: Ran away from home at age 14. Moved around before settling in Chicago at age 15, where she was a drug dealing prostitute until she was taken in by her foster family, and moved to Muddy Waters, at age 17. Started working at the Sheriff’s Office at age 22.

RELATIONSHIPS

♚┋ FATHER: Alexander du Pont (biological) John Jones (foster) ♚┋ MOTHER: Olivia du Pont (biological) Peggy Jones (foster) ♚┋ SIBLINGS: Megan Jones (foster sister) ♚┋ SPOUSE: N/A ♚┋ CHILDREN: N/A ♚┋ FAMILY: N/A ♚┋ PET(S): N/A

(DIS)ABILITIES

♚┋ ROUGHLY ESTIMATED IQ: 130 ♚┋ INTELLIGENCES: Musical-Rhythmic and Harmonic, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal ♚┋ SPOKEN LANGUAGES: English, French ♚┋ DISEASE(S)/DISORDER(S): Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ♚┋ DISORDER PREDISPOSITION(S): N/A ♚┋ SCHEMAS: Abandonment / Instability (AB), Mistrust / Abuse (MA), Self-Sacrifice (SS), Emotional Inhibition (EI) ♚┋ FEAR(S): Physical Intimacy, Weakness

MISCELLANEOUS

♚┋ MUTATION: Invulnerability ♚┋ PATRONUS: Lion ♚┋ TROPES: Abusive Parents, Action Girl, Anti-Hero, The Anti-Nihilist, Broken Bird, Cute Bruiser, Deadpan Snarker, Defiant to the End, Family of Choice, Hell-Bent for Leather, Heroic Spirit, Pint-Sized Powerhouse, The Runaway, Screw the Rules, I’m Doing What’s Right, Tranquil Fury ♚┋ DESCRIPTOR QUOTE: “Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway.” ♚┋ INSPIRED BY: Kate Bishop (Marvel), Kat Stratford (10 Things I Hate About You), Erin Lindsay (Chicago P.D.), Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars), Chloe Decker (Lucifer), Ria Torres (Lie To Me), Kate Beckett (Castle), Kristin Ortega (Altered Carbon), Kitty Winter (Elementary), Betty Cooper (Riverdale), Clara Oswald (Doctor Who), Daisy “Quake” Johnson (MCU)

[qualquercoisa945]

Shiver, But Shiver With A Friend

Title Inspiration: Party Tattoos by Dodie

AO3 Link

this is mostly just fluff, with a dash of angst at the end. have fun!!!

trigger warnings: none i believe, but do tell me if there are any!!

After Kat’s outburst, Anna had noticed three major things.

She’d noticed the way Kat and Boleyn had begun to stick closer- in fact, it seemed like Kat was avoiding the other queens, apart from Boleyn. She assumed they’d talked- Kat needed to talk to all of them at one point, at least in Anna’s opinion, but if she’d rather go one of them at a time, she figured that was her choice. Still, it worried her, the way Kat seemed to have retreated back into her shell.

She’d also noticed Jane’s glances towards the pair. She’d stare at them, with a near grief struck look, then look away. She knew she thought she was being sneaky, but she’d notice. She’d gotten good at noticing small changes in mood in people- they all had, honestly, you had to when you were married to him, but Anna had made sure that skill stayed sharp around those she cared about as well.

And finally, she’d noticed how much less time Jane had been spending with them. She’d been out of the house more in general, and was usually the last to arrive to the theatre (something typically reserved for Anna herself) and the first to leave. She’d even had to ask Grace to cover for her on emergency, something that very rarely happened. “A doctor’s appointment, they said they can’t reschedule, I’m sorry,” she’d explained when asked about it, but she hadn’t given them any more details.

Which only worried Anna more, but she knew asking Jane herself would be like talking to a brick wall. So she talked to the others.

She decided she’d talk to Kat last- she wasn’t sure how the girl felt, and trying to talk to her by initiating conversation could lead to a less than desirable outcome. Boleyn had been sticking like glue to Kat’s side, which meant she and Jane hadn’t been spending much time together either. Which left Aragon and Parr.

And really, Parr was closer to Jane, so it would’ve made more sense to ask her first, but Anna and Aragon shared a dressing room, and it just so happened that, on Thursday, the day Jane was absent from the show, Boleyn got dressed after it faster than both Anna and Aragon had.

“Hey, do you have any idea what’s up with Jane?” Anna had asked nonchalantly, as she wiped away the makeup from the show.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s been more skittish. Spending less time in the house. And now she asks Grace to cover for her only one day in advance?” She asks rhetorically, spinning in her seat to look at Aragon. “Seems pretty weird to me.”

“I suppose so…” Aragon murmured in response, staring at the mirror in front of her before turning to face Anna. “It is pretty odd of her to ask for someone to cover so shortly in advance. Maybe she’s worried about Katherine’s… outburst?”

“Jane wouldn’t fake a doctor’s appointment just for that. It’s the fact that she couldn’t reschedule the doctor’s appointment that worries me.” Anna paused for a moment. “For that to happen, it means two things.” She held up her hand in a closed fist, raising one finger for each of her points as she announced them. “One, the appointment is on high demand. And two, the appointment is urgent enough that it can’t wait. Do you know what it means when that’s the case?”

Aragon nodded, staring at the table in front of her grimly. “The thing the appointment is about is really serious.”

“Exactly. And you know how anxious Jane gets when she’s sick. You also know how anxious Kat gets when any of us are sick. This is an awful combination, especially so soon after that outburst.” Anna finished, staring at Aragon as she waited for an answer.

“I suppose we have to wait and pray that nothing bad happens.” She finally replied, clutching her cross necklace while staring back at the table. Then she sighed and stood up. “I’m gonna head out. See you back home?”

Anna nodded, then watched as her bandmate grabbed her bag and left their dressing room. Once she heard the click of the door closing, she sighed, then turned back to the mirror, wiping away her makeup while she mulled over what could be happening, despite her mind’s best efforts to get her to relax.

Kath had been feeling like absolute shit the last few days. Yeah, sure, she’d talked to Anne. But that had been it. After that, the two had basically been glued at the hip, or better yet, Kath had been avoiding being near the rest of them apart from when strictly necessary. Thankfully, her band mates seemed to have caught onto this and had been respecting her space, which she appreciated.

However, her efforts were foiled when, after leaving her dressing room after the last show, she bumped into none other than Anna of Cleves. In the most literal sense of the word- they bumped into each other, causing Kath to stumble backwards ever so slightly.

“Jesus, sorry, I didn’t see you. You okay?” Anna asked. Kath didn’t give her an answer apart from a nod, which Anna retributed, and for a while they just stood there, both staring at the ground.

“Do you wanna walk home with me, Kat?” Anna suddenly offered, and Kath perked up at the familiar nickname. She nodded again, and Anna turned towards the exit, although still looking at Kath with her usual cocky smirk. “Try and keep up then.”

And with that she was off, leaving Kath to run after her to catch up. “That was mean, you know?” “Yeah.”

“Tsk, rude.”

They both laughed as they exited the building, and then fell into silence as they began their walk home.

Not much more than a minute had passed when Anna spoke again. “Hey, Kath?”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember all the balls we used to dance at?”

Kath let out a quiet chuckle at that- for as much as she had utterly despised her time at court, the balls they would throw when Anna was visiting were one of the few times she actually enjoyed during that short period in her life. “Just about the only times I actually liked back then.”

Kath stood by the edge of the ball room, surrounded by men and women all much older and much more well educated than her, at least in affairs such as this- a royal ball.

Being raised at a place such as the Norfolk house meant that, while she was taught how to dance and sing and such, she had never learned how to present herself around royalty, which proved to be a challenge after she had been hoisted up the ranks to Queen of England, wife of Henry VIII.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar- and very much welcome voice. “Care to dance with me, your highness?” Katherine turned around to be met with none other than German princess Anna of Cleves, former Queen of England and Beloved Sister of the King, her hand outstretched.

“Anna, please. Just Kath, formalities are dumb.” She giggled, taking her hand nevertheless. With a smile, she allowed herself to be led to the center of the ball room, setting her hand on Anna’s shoulder while the other woman set her free hand on Katherine’s waist.

And just like that, they began the familiar dance they had taught each other over the few months they got before Henry began courting Katherine. Anna lead, as always, and Katherine found herself giggling as they went over every twist and turn and even the little lift that always made her heart do a little jump.

As they danced, Katherine couldn’t help but to admire Anna- so calm and carefree, so confident in herself. She felt… jealous? And yet that didn’t quite fit what she was feeling. Admiration? It seemed closer, but not quite what it was either.

She was torn from her inner monologue as Anna leaned closer, whispering in her ear just loud enough to be heard over the musicians. “This is becoming a little much. Would you accompany me on a walk around the castle grounds?”

Katherine smiled, before gasping softly and looking at Anna excitedly, almost hopefully. “Can we go see the hounds?” When she received confirmation, she grinned, having to hold back a squeal. “Then let’s go.”

Anna chuckled at this, taking her hand from Katherine’s waist before pulling her to the side and sneaking them both out of the room.

Katherine ran ahead as they made their way out of the castle and over to where the hounds stayed when not out hunting with Henry. She could hear Anna’s footsteps a few meters behind her, but really she was more focused on the dogs.

She gasped when one of them looked up and towards them, grinning as she knelt beside him to pet him. She heard a quiet laugh from behind her, and turned around to look at Anna.

“I apologize. Your excitement is adorable, though.” Anna commented as another of the dogs approached. Kath blushed, watching as Anna turned around to pet him. “Well hello there.” She laughed as the dog tried to jump to lick her, holding him back. “Excitable, that one, isn’t he?” Katherine chipped in, standing up. She noticed the hound she’d been petting stand up, and reached out her hand to pet his head absentmindedly.

The two walked around the castle grounds, the two hounds they’d been petting trotting not too far behind them, talking about everything and nothing. And when silence fell, it was one of the few times Katherine didn’t feel scared when such a thing happened. Silence with Anna was comfortable, not suffocating like with mostly everyone else, and they didn’t even need to try.

They eventually stopped by the lake, sitting near the shore with the hounds free to run around nearby. They just sat and watched them, once again falling in comfortable silence.

Silence that was unfortunately cut short by a courtier- Lawrence, she remembered; he’d joined the court not too long after her, being roughly around her age, if not a tad older. “Lady Anna, Lady Katherine.” He bowed before his queen and former queen, before rising to his full height. “Your Majesty requests your presence so that he may give the final toast and terminate the ball.”

Katherine bit back a groan at that- she knew much better than to argue with Henry, especially since he hadn’t been in the greatest mood lately.

Anna huffed quietly as she stood up, then turned to offer a hand to Katherine. “C’mon then, we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Katherine smiled softly up at her, taking her hand and hoisting herself up. She noticed Lawrence whistle to get the hounds to come back to them, and then they began their walk back to the castle itself. Katherine stayed in the back, staring at the ground.

“Hey, we’ve been over this. Chin up.” Anna corrected softly, using her index finger and her thumb to lift her chin. Katherine gave her a shy smile, and Anna smiled right back at her. “Das ist gut.” She praised, before turning back around and quickening her pace to catch up to Lawrence, something that Katherine was extremely thankful for, as it allowed her to hide the blush that she could feel warm her cheeks.

Yes, she would later decide, what Katherine felt for Anne was more than affection, and moreover, what she had with those men was definitely not love.

The first ball that Anna had attended after Kath became queen flashed through her mind, although she had to linger on that final interaction.

Kath and Anna being gay hadn’t been a secret in a while, and although Anna was a lot more open about it, Kath didn’t make a secret out of it either. Admitting it to herself, however, had caused her to rethink a lot of situations from her past life.

And that had been one of them. She had a crush on Anna back then, plain and simple. It had taken her a while to realize it (curse her obliviousness), but she’d realized it, which painted nearly every interaction they’d had in a new light.

It also brought forward the question of, does she still have a crush on Anna? As far as she was aware, Kath’s answer was no, she no longer did. And after being separated for 500 or so years, you could hardly blame her. Still, the question stayed in her mind, lingering in the back and taunting her every so often. Kath ignored it though: with feelings, she’d rather just go with the flow and hope she didn’t do anything terribly wrong.

“Kat?” She nearly jumped when she heard Anna call her name, startled out of her train of thought, before laughing nervously to herself.

“Yeah?” Anna chuckled. “You were zoning out.” She pointed out, and Kath simply nodded, not sure the conversation was heading. “If you don’t mind me asking… What prompted that explosion the other day?”

Kath looked down at that, hesitating for a moment before sighing. “I was just… tired of keeping it in, I guess. My anger, I mean. What Catherine said wasn’t even that big of a deal, it was just… the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Anna nodded, and Kath sighed quietly before leaning against her side. She felt Anna wrap her arm around her shoulders, and she let herself sink into her embrace. “Thanks. For not being mad at me for snapping.”

Anna didn’t answer, and for a moment Kath was afraid she’d screwed up. She was about to speak again when-

“Do you remember when you first became my lady in waiting?” Anna asked, unusually quiet and unusually serious.

Kath nodded, smiling sheepishly to herself. “I was really nervous.” She mumbled, fidgeting with her hands while the pair walked.

Anna nodded. “Yeah, I could tell. You looked completely out of your element. And you looked so confused…” She paused for a moment. “That’s why I spoke English around you. Figured I should make your time there a little easier.” Kath looked up, frowning as Anna kept her gaze away from her own. “Guess that was all for nothin’ tho, huh?” She muttered, letting out a quiet chuckle as she tightened her grip ever so slightly.

“Anna?” Kath asked softly, trying to get her to look at her.

“I’m fine, I just-” She stopped, sniffling, before finally looking down at her, smiling sheepishly through watery eyes. “Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I’d tried harder. Actually, if I’d tried at all.” And with that, Anna let go of her, turning away from her to wipe away tears threatening to spill.

Kath stared at her for a moment, then studied their surroundings. Spotting a bench, she reached out gently to hold her hand, pulling her towards it and sitting them down there. “Anna, just listen to me for a moment, will you?”

Anna nodded, still teary eyes despite her best attempts to collect herself, and yet Kath continued. “You and I both know you couldn’t have done anything. At best, it’d change nothing. At worse, you’d get yourself killed alongside me. And don’t pull the “Oh, you don’t know that” card, because you and I both know trying to argue with Hen-” She choked when trying to say his name, emotions still much too high. “With him. So don’t blame yourself, Anna. It’s not your fault.”

Anna stared at her for a moment, then pulled her into a tight hug, which Kath quickly retributed. “I was so scared, when I finally remembered you,” She began, all but pulling Kath onto her lap, “that you hadn’t come back too. I’m glad we can be together again.”

Kath let out a soft whimper, pressing herself closer. “Yeah, me too.” She mumbled, then hissed quietly as she felt a sharp pain in the lower right side of her abdomen. “Shit, god damn it.” She muttered, moving her hands to hold onto her waist tightly.

“Are you alright?” Anna asked, pulling away near immediately, sitting there awkwardly.

“Yeah, just…” Kath slowly let go, and although the pain got slightly sharper for a moment, it didn’t take long for it to begin to lessen. “Period cramps. My period was due soon, so it’s no biggie, don’t worry about it.”

Anna nodded. “Want me to carry you home?” She offered with a small smile. Kath hesitated for a moment, then fell into her open arms, way too tired and in too much pain to care.

She was vaguely aware of Anna standing up and beginning to walk, but her brain decided to just, turn itself off for the rest of the way home, only really becoming aware when she was gently set down in front of their house, and even then she let herself lean against Anna until they had to walk again.

Once inside, Kath stretched up to give Anna a kiss on her cheek, at which Anna smiled before returning with a kiss on Kath’s forehead. “Take care of yourself, yeah?”

Kath nodded, pulling her into a quick hug before mumbling a tired “Good night, Anna” and heading upstairs to her room.

[takadasaiko]

Fathers (a Blacklist Father’s Day fic)

Summary: Three Father's Day Blacklist drabbles for our favourite Blacklist dads :)

FFN II AO3

Reddington

The decision had been last minute from what he understood. Constantin was out of town on business and Katarina had decided to travel down to United States to visit with her own father for the weekend. The fact that it was Father's Day may or may not have weighed on her decision, but it meant something to Reddington. Elizabeth was coming with her and it was the first Father's Day he would have a chance to spend with his daughter.

Dom had been the one to reach out to him, not Katarina, though she didn't look too surprised as he stepped out of the car, reaching back in for the large box in the back seat.

Lizzie nearly toppled head over heels as she spotted him and ran down her grandfather's porch steps for him, calling out the whole way. She was laughing, the sound bright, and he set the box down on the trunk so that his hands were free to scoop her up, spinning her as he did and hearing the giggle that followed. She flung her arms around his neck once he brought her in close. "Grandpa promised," she whispered in his ear.

"And here I am," Reddington answered, kissing her cheek and she giggled again.

"For me?" the little girl asked, pointing to the box with the big, pink bow on it.

"It is. Why don't we go up to the porch and you can open it?"

She squirmed and he put her down so that she could race ahead. Red grabbed the box and followed, offering his most charming smile to the toddler's mother who still stood at the top of the steps. "I don't remember inviting you," she told him cheekily.

"Is your husband here this weekend?"

"He's in France."

"Mm. Then I don't see the problem in spending Father's Day with Lizzie."

"Masha," she corrected quickly.

"That's what he named her." Reddington looked down as he felt a sharp tug at his pants leg and Lizzie had her fingers wrapped around the material with one hand and pointing at the box with another.

"Don't make promises that you don't intend to keep, Raymond," Dom chuckled from a few feet away. "And isn't she supposed to be getting you something today?"

Katarina shot her father an indignant glare and Reddington chuckled, setting the box down on the old wooden porch and watched Lizzie tear excitedly at the wrapping. It went flying, a gust of wind taking a stray piece off onto the gravel path below, and she pulled the box lid off to reveal the shiny wooden box beneath.

"What is it, little one?" Katarina asked as she bent to kneel with her, helping small hands pull the gift up so she could see it better.

"Open it, Lizzie," Reddington told her once it was set on the porch and she did as he told her, music playing as the gears turned and her entire face lit up. He smiled. "I spent the better part of the week restoring it. Do you like the song?"

"It's pretty," she answered, mesmerized by the gift.

Katarina stood, stepping closer to him and keeping her voice low. "You shouldn't be giving her things."

"Keep it here. Constantin will never know."

"Just like the rabbit? She won't go to sleep without it."

"It's good that your husband is away so often and oblivious when he's home then," Reddington answered with a small smirk and she rolled her eyes, turning back to watch the little girl who was opening and closing the lid over and over again, enthralled by the way the music turned on and off with it each time. Katarina's expression softened as she watched her and Reddington felt a warmth at the sight. He and Kat were complicated on their very best days, but out of all of that, they had somehow made this beautiful, perfect child together. She never would admit Lizzie was his, but he didn't need her to. He knew. He knew his little girl and he would always love her, even if he couldn't always be there with her. It made moments like these all the more special.

Howard

"You know he's been waiting an hour, don't you?"

Howard Hargrave looked up from the files he was going over, his wife leaning against the doorframe of the office. "I'll only be a few minutes more."

"Do you know how long an hour is to a four-year-old?"

He set his pen down and loosed a breath. "He still has a few weeks until he's four."

His wife gave him slow smile and nodded behind her. "Whatever you're working on can wait. You promised your son a sand castle."

A quick glance at the clock proved Scottie hadn't exaggerated the time and he stood without another word and moved to the front room where he found Christopher sitting on the floor playing with a little red sailboat. He stood there a moment, watching him.

Howard had heard friends talk about how quickly the years passed by, but in that moment he felt it. Hadn't it been months since has held him in the hospital? Weeks since he'd taken his first steps or said his first words? Not years. It didn't feel like years. Howard had thought he had been back in the office just a few minutes. His work was important, but if he wasn't careful, he'd lose track of what was even more important than that.

"You ready to go, kiddo?"

Chris looked up, those big blue eyes focused on him and they brightened suddenly. "You done?" he asked, leaping to his feet.

"Yep. What do you say we go build the biggest sandcastle we can muster?"

Those were the magic words. One small hand grabbed onto Howard's fingers, tugging him towards the door so fast that he barely had time to slip his feet into the flip flops by the door or to grab the bag that Scottie had already packed for them. Christopher was, apparently, more than ready to go with his swimsuit already on and dragging his father out the front door and down towards the beach.

Howard offered a wave to one of the neighbors as she laughed at the sight of an almost-four-year-old child dragging the CEO of a major company towards the waves like their lives depended on it. "Do you have a place already picked out?"

"Uh-huh," Christopher answered, still pulling closer and close to the water itself.

"Chris, if we get too close the waves are going to wash it away before we get it built."

He shook his head, dark bangs falling in his face. "The sand's stickier," he explained matter of factly and Howard found himself chuckling as Chris plopped down onto the sand and started in on their project. There was no doubt that focus was ever going to be an issue. For the next two hours Chris pushed and patted sand where it needed to go, chattering the whole way.

The sun was burning hot in the sky by the time they finished and Howard could see signs of red already showing across the bridge of Christopher's nose. The little boy didn't seem to mind, though, as he stood back and admired their work. "You did a good job, Chris," he praised, drawing a bright grin from him.

"We did," his son told him and turned, wrapping his arms around his legs in a tight hug. "Love you, Dad."

Howard stood there for a long moment, letting the moment stand still with him. He couldn't stop Christopher from growing up. He couldn't pin the moments down very long. He'd grow up faster than either of his parents liked. Soon he'd be in school, studying, off to college. Dating, getting married and maybe, someday, even having children of his own that he could build sandcastles with, but right then, in that moment, Howard had his three-almost-four-year-old little boy with him, and he was so very proud of the sandcastle that he'd built with his daddy. He scooped him up, holding onto him tight. "I love you too, Chris."

"Always?"

"Always."

Tom

Leave it to Raymond Reddington to keep an actual island paradise as his contingency plan. After Katarina's return, after the Cabal had been completely dismantled, and after he had finally felt like he had done everything within his power to keep his daughter and her daughter safe, he'd left what was left of his empire to Liz to do with it what she pleased. As far as the world knew, Reddington was gone. Most presumed dead, and that seemed perfectly fine to the former Concierge of Crime. With Tom stepping into a leadership position at Halcyon they had the jet at their disposal to come see him whenever they wanted and while it was always an adventure putting the in laws together, everyone had wanted to take a breath from the craziness that was their lives and the trip had been planned for a long Father's Day weekend.

Tom had thought that maybe he'd get to see more of his own daughter than he actually had.

He had been gone for just over two weeks with Halcyon and had gotten home just long enough to pack a new bag and jump on the jet again with his family. He'd barely had a moment to kiss his wife and daughter, so it wasn't until they had gotten onto the plane that he realized just how put out Agnes really was with him. Every time he tried to reach out to her she had been intent on focusing her attention on anyone but him. The four-year-old little girl never slept a great deal on planes, even on long flights like this one, but she spent the whole time bouncing between Liz and either of her two grandparents. She would hop from one lap to the next, playing games, and had even managed to get Scottie to sing a song with her at one point, but the moment that her father reached out for her she huffed loudly and moved to find someone else. If she was angry at him for being gone, she'd found the best way to make him suffer for it.

They had landed and she'd dozed on the car drive out to the house, but had perked up immediately when they had stopped, all but piling out over her grandfather and racing to greet the other one, happily chattering with him as he had taken his fedora off and plopped it on her fair hair, pulling a giggle from her as he had carried her inside to where Katarina was waiting. She didn't stay awake long, barely making it through dinner before she'd fallen asleep and Tom had taken a moment when she was too sleepy to squirm away to carry her back into the room that Reddington had set aside just for his only granddaughter. He had kissed her goodnight and received a sleepy mumble, but he couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment that settled over him. He'd missed her. It had been some time since he'd been gone that long and apparently she was reacting badly over it.

Sometime in the night Tom woke to the bed shifting strangely. It took half a moment for him to place his surroundings and he glanced over to see Liz was still sound to sleep, curled up on her side with her dark hair pulled back and out of her face. She didn't look like she'd moved all night.

When he turned back he found was suddenly face-to-face with a large set of blue eyes. "Daddy, I wanna go to the beach," Agnes told him in a loud whisper as she crawled to sit on top of him.

Liz shifted in the bed next to them, but didn't quite wake up and Tom blinked up at his little girl, now perched on his ribs and looking at him expectedly. "Baby girl it's -" he managed to glance over at the clock next to the bed - "barely five in the morning. Don't you want to wait until after breakfast?"

"Everyone else'll be up. I wanna go with you."

"Can't argue with that logic," he teased. "Go get your towel and put your bathing suit on. I'll meet you at the door, okay?"

Her expression lit up and she nodded. "Okay."

She was gone just as quickly as she'd come and Tom was halfway to sitting up when his wife reached over, swatting at him sleepily. "Pushover," she mumbled.

"Yeah, well," he chuckled and saw a hint of her smile and she turned over and buried her face in the pillow, probably already asleep. He shook his head and slipped out from under the sheets, padding over to change into a pair of swim trunks and a different t-shirt.

Agnes was waiting on him by the time he got out there, hopping and tugging his boat shoes on one foot at a time, and he put his finger to his lips to signal that they needed to be quiet so that they didn't wake everyone else up. She mimicked the motioned before reaching up for him expectedly and he knew exactly what she wanted. He scooped her up, spinning her around so that she could sit on his shoulders before bending down to grab her discarded towel and bucket.

No one else was stirring yet, so the sound of the generator was the loudest sound either of them could hear outside the house. It faded behind them as they moved towards the beach, Agnes perched up on her daddy's shoulders so that she could see everything around them, and his shoes crunching softly against the sand.

"Daddy, I can see the moon," Agnes told him, her hand drumming on the top of his head so that he'd look where she was pointing.

"Yeah. A few stars are still up too. See?" he asked he heard her make a small sound of excitement before she folded her arms against his head and he laughed. "Don't you dare go to sleep up there."

"Nuhuh. I wanna see the birds. The big white ones. There!" She started to squirm as she spotted the large white birds that were convening on the sand and he knelt down so she wouldn't fall. Agnes slipped down his back and took off after them.

"Not too close to the water," he warned, but he couldn't keep the smile from his face as his daughter's laugh filled the early morning air as the birds scattered in all directions as she ran towards them. She did her best to copy the sounds they made, but it came out more as a giggle and she fell backwards into the sand.

Tom kept his pace just a little slower as he approached. This was the one place where they could relax just a little. No one was going to snatch her up here if she got beyond his reach. "They ran away huh?"

"It's their game," she told him very certainly and sat up, dusting the sand off her arms.

"So does this mean you forgive me, kiddo?"

She looked up at him, her little face screwing up thoughtfully before breaking out into a full grin. "Yeah," she said after a moment, the word drawn out. "I missed you, Daddy."

"I always miss you," he told her as he took a seat next to her.

"And Mama?"

"And your mama," he agree and offered her a small wink.

"Can I go with you next time you have to go away?"

"Maybe. It depends on why I'm going."

"You catch lots of bad guys like Mama does?"

"I try. She's really good at it though. I don't think anyone's as good as your mom is."

Agnes nodded, her blue gaze shifting to watch the waves and she loosed a breath in a long huff as she leaned over. Tom shifted and wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled in. "Promise to always come home?" she asked, her voice sounding sleepy.

"I will always come home to you, Agnes. I promise."

"'Kay."

She was asleep against him just a minute later, her breathing evening out and Tom didn't dare move. Instead he looked out over the ocean where the sun was just starting to peek up over the horizon and held her close as the sound of the waves and his daughter sleeping against him left him with a deep sense of peace that he never wanted to let go of.

Notes: Happy Father's Day everyone! I hope you enjoyed the overload of Blacklist family feels :D

[manju-girl]

Letters to You pt. 6 (Shigezane X MC X ?????)

@honeybeelily​ @kitty-kat-ty​ here you go dears! a part 6 for you. thank you for reading it this far :(

one | two | three | four | five | six: Lady Maeda

“Oh do forgive me for not introducing myself sooner, I am Ayame. I am Shigezane’s bride.”

Shigezane’s bride.

Oh. That made sense. Right, Ayame. She heard that name before. She was the daughter of that Lord on their neighboring province.

Of course he was supposed to marry a woman of his class too, what was she thinking?

Even though she bears the name of Katakura, she was still a humble cook’s daughter and a page to Lord Masamune. She can’t possibly think of marrying a Date such as Shigezane.

“Ah, yes of course. I am Katakura Akira. It’s a pleasure meeting you, Lady Ayame.” She bowed her head as a gesture of respect to the future Lady Date.

“Please, Aki no need to do that. You must be Lord Katakura’s adopted younger brother. Thank you for taking care of Shigezane.” Ayame giggled. Her voice sounds so gentle, and… cute.

But her?! A brother? Tch. How rude. She thought, but she can’t blame her. She really does look like a man… with her chest binded, a not so feminine voice and hakama. 

Akira raised her head then she saw Shigezane stiffling his laughter. She cleared her throat, and smiled brightly and cheerfully as much as she can to them. Shigezane in return gave her his bright smile. Now her sun has started to rise.

“Ahaha… uh… Lady Ayame and Lord Shigezane, pardon me but I have to go look for something. I’ll see you later then.” They exchanged farewells as the couple proceeded to continue their morning walk and Akira continued to search for Bontenmaru.

-

She went back to the Katakura Residence after a short while, her clothes and hair in a complete disarray, she searched everywhere near the place,only to come back empty handed.

A good morning indeed.

Once again, she slid Kojuro’s door open, to find him feeding the turtle on his damn bowl. She felt the exhaustion and was about to talk when Kojuro spoke first, a relieved smile on his face.

“Ki, Bontenmaru was just hiding himself under his bowl.” Once she saw how happy her older brother is, her exhaustion faded away and was replaced by the comfort and presence of this home she has.

“If Bontenmaru’s fine and eating now, we should also eat, Aniue. Please wait for me while I prepare our breakfast!” She ran down to the kitchen and started to prepare all of Kojuro’s favorite breakfast.

-

Kojuro and Akira spent another peaceful breakfast together. Akira telling him that he should find a lover soon, and him scolding her for being careless and drunk from last night. In the end their bickering turned to laughter. While eating their breakfast, Kojuro noticed how long Aki’s hair got and the hakama she’s wearing now looks worn off.

“We’ll visit the Hachiman shrine soon, Aki. We should get you new clothes. We wouldn’t want Kita-aneue to scold us both now, do we?” Kojuro said, clearly using their visit as an excuse for him to get her a new set of clothes. Upon hearing those words, she smiled, getting another bowl of miso soup.

“KOJUROOOO ANIUEEEE!THANK YOU SO MUCH!I WANT TO SEE KITA ANEUE SOON,TOO! Yes yes… dear brother. I’ll pick a new haka–”

“No Hakama this time, Akira. Kimono and Yukatas are the only articles of clothing allowed,” He said when he finished his meal. He saw her looking disappointed, with a pout she nodded to his orders, and he tousled her hair. “Kita wouldn’t want to see you in a men’s hakama. She wanted to see how grown up our beautiful younger sister had become.” Kojuro can see the happiness in her eyes with what he had said.

“Hey, Kojuro-Aniue. What do you think of me getting married?”

He nearly choked on the green tea he’s drinking, coughing at her question Nope. No. No. No. The idea of Aki getting married was not really a good idea for him, rather, he can’t accept it just yet. He never had a younger sibling to begin with, so he had taken care of her as if she was of their own blood. Yes, she is at that age where she should get married,and a possible candidate has already asked her.

But will she consider Maeda Toshiie? Kojuro knows that Aki had feelings for Shigezane.

“Are you thinking of marrying Maeda Toshiie?” He finally asked when he felt better. His serious gaze on her, she looked at him straight on.

“Ahaha! A joke, Aniue.” She answered, continuing to get the food from the plates. “I have the same resolve as you, Lord Masamune always comes first before anything else.” -

It wasn’t until last night that he knew that his place as her childhood friend, the one who knows her the most has been replaced by none other than the three Date Lords. Not that he had any complaints, it was his fault. That she turned out to be this way, that he’s not the one who’s beside her anymore, her confidant, her childhood friend, her Inuchiyo.

She was supposed to be working at the restaurant her family left behind, not as the Dokuganryuu of Oshu’s page. But because of him, all her dreams have turned into dust.

He was supposed to protect her and her family.

She was just 11 back then. He’s 18.

He still remembers that day, vivid as the crimson skies of sunset, turning to that gloomy and unfortunate night. How her family was murdered right in front of her eyes, when he arrived far too late. How he can’t do anything for the second family he had in Kyoto.

I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…

Ah, who knows how many times have he been saying that to her in his mind? How many sleepless nights and, sorrowful days he’s spent blaming himself. Looking for her, her whereabouts. Is she still alive? Or dead? He does not know. He knows that she loathes him. But he did promise one thing to her deceased family.

If I found her, I’d protect her. I’ll do anything. Just to make sure that she won’t ever get hurt again.

For the safest place for her would be by his side.

Now that she’s within his reach, she still seemed so far away. The years brought them apart. But he won’t let anything or anyone take her away from him.

Inuchiyo looked at the sleeping Keiji on the other side of the room, still passed out from last night’s drinking session. He chuckled at the memories last night, before remembering how Shigezane looked at Akira, and how she looked at him exactly same way as Shigezane. The thought itself was unpleasant, that he went out of their room in the Yonezawa castle for a short walk.

The sky on that morning was clear, the early morning sun sharing its warm, glorious glow on the lands and the people who woke up early to work. Inuchiyo’s eyes wandered all around the well-kept castle, that served as Aki’s home ever since they parted ways.

Then, he remembered it again. He can’t forget the empty look on her eyes, her shivering lips and trembling tiny body. It always brings pain to his own heart. How he wished he could bring back time.

He shouldn’t have left her, he should’ve been with her.

Just as he was near the castle gates, he saw a familiar figure outside the corridor of one of the houses in the castle, he walked closer to see what he thinks is Akira, a bucket of water in hand and on her way to the garden. He followed her, he’s not really sure whether its her or not. Her long hair that was loose last night was tied up in a high ponytail with a red ribbon, and she’s also wearing a hakama…

What is she wearing? He thought. He tried to keep his footsteps light, careful so that she wouldn’t notice him.

“Inuchiyo, if you want to come with me in watering the plants you could’ve just say so.”

“What?!” He was surprised when she turned around to give him a smile, a smile that’s no longer empty, he blushed lightly when he looked in to her gentle yet honest eyes. It’s a good thing, in his guess. That somehow she’s still that girl he knew her to be.

“Good Morning to you too, Inuchiyo. Did you sleep well?“she asked, walking over to him. He glanced around the place, to find it blooming with beautiful summer flowers, he smiled at her, putting his hand on her bangs that almost covers her eyes. “Keiji kept on snoring loudly, but I slept well.” He kept his answer brief. “Ranmaru” his tongue slipped, realizing what he had said, he clapped a hand over his mouth. Did I just accidentally call her Ranmaru?! Blame the hakama and the hair! When did she had a plank chest anyway?!

Her look on him was a deadpanned one, sighing deeply, she spoke. “You… you just mistook me for a man,” it was not a question. It was a statement.

“I… I did not!” He denied, but she giggled, oh gods,how he missed that giggle. “It’s fine,I get that a lot. You want to water the flowers with me, Inuchiyo?” She smiled, handing over the bucket full of water, and a wooden water dipper. Which he gladly took from her hands.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw her touching the flowers gently, carressing its beautiful petals that still has a few droplets of dew from the morning air. He can’t help but smile. Her lips turned up to a sad smile of her own, looking nostalgic at the blooming flowers

But why?

There are so many questions he wanted to ask about her, how she knew how to use a sword, what happened to her in the past 10 years. Is she well? Are they treating her well?

Am I forgiven?

“Inuchiyo.” She called, looking at his direction a silly smile on her face. “Want to spar with me later?” Surprised, he did not know what to answer.

“Oh. You must be busy. Right, let’s just go to the town later. I must prepare Lord Masamune’s breakfast now, I’ll go ahead then!” she hurriedly stood up, and held his hand, which made him surprised. “Huh…?”

“Come with me, Inuchiyo!”

- Shigezane wondered on his actions that morning, when he saw Aki with a morning face he knew he can barely keep his excitement from seeing her. But instead of usually greeting her and spending the rest of the morning with her, he chose not to.

He wondered why, he even invited his future bride on a morning walk. His early morning walks are always spent on Aki.

“Lord Shigezane?” His thoughts stopped when a gentle voice called his name. He smiled at the woman beside him. Sure she’s beautiful, both inside and out. A picture of sophisticated grace.

“Lady Ayame. Do forgive me for spacing out. Is there somewhere you want to go?” He asked, the lady beside him smiled too. Answering his question as she points out the garden ahead of them. Which happened to be the one Akira is taking care of.

“I want to check out that garden, Lord Shigezane. From here you can see all the beautiful summer flowers bloom. It must be lovely up close.” she hooked her arms on his own.

“Oh… aha. Let’s check it out then!” He said with enthusiasm, they walked close to the garden when Shigezane stopped dead on his tracks when he saw Aki running out of the garden , dragging Inuchiyo by hand. The two looked happy.

“Oh, if it isn’t Lord Maeda.” Ayame said, looking at the two ahead of them. “You knew him?” Shigezane asked, “We should greet them. His family was an ally of my father’s.” She answered

Before Shigezane knew it they were walking towards the two, even though he didn’t want to.

“Lord Maeda!” Aki and Inuchiyo stopped running when they heard a voice call out to him.

“Oh. Ayame” Inuchiyo called her casually. Aki turned to the couple, a smile already plastered on her face. Shigezane looked away from them. Not caring to look at Akira

“Oh! Good Morning again, Lord Shigezane, Lady Ayame.” Aki greeted,

“Good Morning to you again, Aki. Lord Maeda it’s been a while, you and Lord Katakura’s younger brother looked like good friends.” Ayame smiled kindly, looking at Akira’s direction. Shigezane was mentally kicking himself for not telling Ayame sooner about Aki’s sexuality.

“Hm? Oh yes. It’s been a while. So you are Lord Date Shigezane’s bride? I heard about this from your father but I did not expect to see you here.” Inuchiyo answered, “Aki? Yes we are close.”Inuchiyo pointed at Akira

That statement made it look like Aki was really a man.

“What brings you here at Yonezawa, Lord Maeda?” Ayame asked once more. Shigezane only knew that Maeda Toshiie was here to visit Aki.

“ I’m here for my bride.” Inuchiyo answered her question briefly. However, answer left Aki looking down at her feet. Ayame and Shigezane were both surprised hearing those.

“Hey… Inuchiyo.” Shigezane saw Aki tug Maeda Toshiie’s sleeve, a look of discomfort in her eyes. Is she blushing?!

Maeda Toshiie stepped closer to Aki, putting his arms around her shoulder. Aki was startled and stiffened.

“You see this woman beside me, the one you called a brother of Lord Katakura will be My bride. The next Lady Maeda.”