#Ace (and maybe Deuce) end up with him and ace is just a fucking nightmare

[buff-muffin]

Thinking of a Whitebeard modern AU where Newgate gets out of a gang life, cleans himself up and starts fostering kids, teens specifically. He takes in teenagers and usually ends up adopting them. They may only be in his house for a few years but he is their support system. He’s the one they call in an accident. Or when your passport expires. Or a work reference. No strings attached. He helps them no matter the situation with no judgment. He has been so many teenagers fresh start and their safe place. Some of his kids are in their 40’s now. Some are only 17 but he takes in and helps as many kids as possible and so many of them, now adults do their best to help out too. Marco was one of his first and raised him from when he was a child. And now that he’s aging, has moved back in to care for him. They try their best to meet for holidays though they all have their own lives. So the real family celebration is Pop’s birthday where all of them show up to celebrate the man that saved them and spend time with their siblings.

[twstfanblog]

This is more of a worldbuidling question but what do the commoners live like in each district??? I'd there more of an emphasis on art in the west and everyone has like. Crazily painted houses or elaborate gardens, and do southern commoners have a higher cost of living because it's so expensive to shop there? In southern schools, is there a surplus of those kids that bring snacks to school and sell them because if how ingrained business practices are? Or is it just normal? I want to know more about the more middle class characters like Jack and Trey T_T. Speaking of which how did Ace and Deuce become Riddles servants 🤔?

Also what about the slums and Ruggie? Are there more slums in a certain district, I'd assume he'd be placed in the east... maybe the kingscholars like to cut costs and corners to make more profits, even though it leaves the general population poorer? Also do leona and ruggie ever meet in this au???

That's all my questions for now! I'm probably gonna have more but if you don't want to answer them that's totally fine! Hope you have a good day ^^!

*Cracks knuckles*

Ok, here we go. Long Answer coming!

The price of living increases the closer you get to the capital. So the slums of each area are around the edges of the district on the opposite side of where the palace sits.

Class-wise, the southern district is mostly populated by nobles since no matter where you go, it's considered prime real estate. So the South doesn't really have a slums, since its main population are rich commoners and business-owning nobles.

Oh the kids try...but the schools are already running school stores where you can purchase lunches, snacks, school supplies, small plots of land. You gotta be a very crafty school child to get your foot in the door starting a business while still in school.

Schooling is pretty standard across the empire, the southern district puts a heavier focus on math and reading though, just because most of the kids who do attend school normally end up working for their family business. East has a number of culture studies, the west has so many electives to pick from it's almost scary. Northern children basically get funneled into the military (The fuck are you feeding these kids? Why do they all grow up to be TANKS????)

Lord the West district is a nightmare to HOAs. So many houses all with different vibes and color palettes. The scholars who picked the middle ground and became architects building the most insane 'shouldn't be standing against a strong wind' kind of houses. The theming gets more uniform the closer to the capital, but that's just because that's the more tourist area, where all the big theaters and conference halls are.

Speaking in terms of just size, the East has the biggest slums of the empire. Since they are the main resting point for visiting diplomats, it became a culture hub and most of the immigrants moved their because it was more familiar to their homelands. in turn there's just A LOT of people there and sadly not enough work for everyone. at this point it's just cheaper to live on the edge of the empire than moving to the second cheapest housing; the West slums. The Northern slums are basically just living on a mountain and surviving off the land.

Ruggie and Leona do meet! As he gets older, Leona's fights with his dad get worse. One night it was bad enough that Leona just ran away and was missing for nearly a week. Ruggie finds who he assumed was a homeless man and helped him out a bit 'We've all been there man'. In his time in the slums, Leona finds a bit of purpose and wants to help the people he technically rules over.

Leona is found and leaves without saying goodbye to Ruggie. YEARS LATER, a servant of the Duke Kingscholar comes to the slums asking for Ruggie to come with him. Farena is slowly taking over the Duchy from their aging father and Leona listed Ruggie as a good choice for a consultant. Ruggie actually does pretty well in the role, just gotta give him a crash course in etiquette before every formal dinner he has to attend now.

Let me list where everyone is!

North

Jack lives with his family after his mother secured a tutor job for a noble child when they first came to the empire. Once in the north, his family of wolf beastmen flourished and lowkey are treated as untitled nobles.

Sebek's family has strong ties to the royal army since his grandfather served and is friends with THE LILIA VANROUGE. Sebek's dream is to join the army to continue his family's legacy (And maybe see the prince. HE RESPECTS HIM OKAY!? DON'T TEASE HIM ABOUT THE POEMS HE WRITES!)

Epel lives with his family on one of the many farms contracted to supply produce to the palace. As such they have very high standards of their produce and won't let you talk down to them even if they aren't nobles.

East

Ruggie moved to the empire with his 'grandma' in a big group of refugees when he was very young. He does odd jobs around the district to help support his community.

Rook was born and raised in the upper-middle-class East District. He only moves to the West District to further his art career once he comes of age. From there he meets Vil and they fall in artist love.

South

Azul's mother owns a very popular seafood restaurant. It's half in the water and displays the first shell coin her great-great-great grandmother made in the sea (For luck!). She married into nobility with Azul's stepfather who accepted Azul as his own.

The Tweels family aren't titled but with how many dirty dealings they've done with the various shady business owners, they might as well just buy a title. A very wealthy and dangerous commoner family

Trey's family owns a very nice bakery! With the high-quality baked goods and fair pricing, they're normally packed by commoners and noblemen alike.

West

Vil and his father live and breathe the theater. They've been living in the West since Vil's dad moved from the capital to help an old friend establish his theater.

Riddle lives with his mother and live-in attendants and is lowkey miserable but working hard to achieve in his studies. They use to live in the South, but his mother said he was distracted too easily there.

Deuce lives in fairly cheap housing with his mom and grandma. Deuce's mom travels from the West to the capital to work for a week then to come back for a week off.

Ace has a similar situation to Deuce with his mom AND older brother going off for work. It's why they take the jobs to be aids for Riddle. Also known as 'Riddle's mom had to buy him friends'.

The Capital

Cater's dad is a senior member of the imperial bank! He and his family live pretty cushy lives even though they don't have a title. Cater's looking to change that and has been studying how to bag a noble beau every social season since he was seven.

Silver lives in the palace with his father and Malleus since Lilia brought him home. His curse is slowly getting worse with age but he's still working hard so that he can try to pass the army entry exams.

I hope this answers everything! Let me tell you guys, world-building is much FUN!!!!

[starburts-addict]

Aftermath

Note: I did my own aftermath version of the Shiny Jr fic. Some details were heavily inspired by Qeirxing's fic. Because I really did like how some things played out in their fic, but mine has noticeable differences. This work isn't 100% original fanfiction material, but it was just a fun thing I decided to write. Also it isn't 100% proofread.

CW: graphic recollection of choking, paranoia, PTSD-like symptoms,, obsessive behavior, threats (on the reader's side), unhealthy coping mechanisms

How long has it been? How long has it been since you arrived at what was supposed to be a wonderful and bittersweet experience? You don't know, nor do you care. Being stuck in such a cursed place that used to be your escape from reality was terrifying. Hell, you may have physically recovered from the multitude of attacks that day, but you haven't been the same. Constantly lacking sleep due to nightmares and you being paranoid if anyone who had the balls to break into your 'home away from home' would do so. You couldn't even call it your home away from home. It felt more like a prison you decided to isolate yourself in as Grim comes and goes as he pleases. You don't get mad at him for staying indifferent to what had happened. After all, he knew what these guys were like before your arrival in this game world.

Things were okay. You just had to stay inside, make sure you only go outside at certain times to get fresh air, and remove any social apps from your phone. That includes deleting any accounts it came with. It was just Magicam, you wished you could delete the calling and messaging in your phone, but all you could do was block any calls and texts that weren't from the teachers and faculty. Honestly, it was just the Teachers and Sam. You had half a mind to block Crowley as sometimes he would call you to start attending classes with Grim. Saying that the students have been rowdier with each other. Whatever that meant.

Grim still hung out with Ace and Deuce like normal, but ever since that attack, he's been more annoyed towards them. Fucking! Not just them! He's been annoyed at the entirety of the main cast!

Not only have they been badgering him with questions about your status, but they have been sending him home with stuff for the both of you. And most uncanny of all of this, they've been nicer to grim. Which, honestly? Has been very disturbing to him. Grim was so used to the hostility he's seen that seeing their desperate and futile attempts to get you to forgive them was terrifying.

Crewel, Trein, and Sam have the major staff who have come to visit you. Vargas was too busy making sure none of the boys could come to impose on your privacy. Crewel and Trein would sometimes tell you how holing yourself in the ramshackle dorm, but you reminded them that you aren't in a world that you don't belong in and have consequently received a trauma that you should have never gotten in the first place. Sam sometimes had to mediate when things almost turned into an argument. The three of you end up apologizing to each other. The only people you would ever apologize to in this game. Crowley would sometimes come visit and even try to demand you start attending classes. Saying he just wanted things to be less hostile between the students. Every single, annoying time he did, you'd end up threatening him with your departure to the rival school, saying that they will most definitely be the better school to take care of you. You knew that was a lie. You were actually unsure if the main side cast of Royal Sword Academy were any less dangerous. If you do end up running away, you'd rather stay on the island with the NPC residents of Sage Town.

It has just been another day that you have lost track of. Grim had come back from classes just like every other day. It's not like they get weekends off, Maybe in the story, but not within the actual mechanisms of the game. Once again Grim is watching videos on the phone on the couch, and this time you watched along. Usually, you'd spend your time cleaning the rundown place or even talking to the ghosts about your life in your own world. Beyond the game. You missed a lot, but today you were bored. You didn't like having that phone from the game. It only has reminders that this isn't your world. You started to get bored with the videos. It was starting to get dark, and you were tired of having Trein and Crewel open every single library book for you and find you a way home. You were tired of waiting. So you decided that right now seemed like the right time to go to the library. You stood up and looked at Grim. "Grim, I'm going to the library, want to come with?" Grim looked at you surprised, as if you just told him something shocking, well, it might as well have been because ever since you got here you haven't really gotten beyond the Ramshackle dorm ever since that day.

"Are you sure? You avoided stepping out further than the back door." He was worried, which brought you comfort. Out of everyone in the game, you could trust Grim the most. After all, he saved you from an untimely death and apparently cleared up a misunderstanding. A deadly one. Thinking about it, you nodded at Grim and gave him a simper. "Of course. I need to help find a way home." Grim exhaled. "As your protector, I must go. Just in case you get uncomfortable." You petted him as you got up from the couch.

Walking out the front door, you hesitated to open it, but in the end, you ended up opening the door. Off in the distance towards the mailbox that seems to stand barely. You see the plethora of packages and letters they have sent you after you blocked all their numbers and had Vargas fend off anyone who dares enter. It wasn't like the headmaster would fully prevent them from coming to your doorstep. Once you made sure the coast was clear you walked towards the gate where the mailbox was. Curiosity filled you as you wanted to see what the letters held. Although you had a huge idea of what they held, which held you back. As you patted the mailbox sorta to praise it for standing like this, one of the letters fell down. You picked it up and noticed it was from Malleus. The one who almost killed you.

You wanted to rip apart, cut and leave it on the mailbox to show the others what you would start doing if they didn't quit sending you things and harassing Grim about you but against your wishes, you decided to open it up. Grim looked at you with a concerned look. "You don't have ta if you don't want to." You shook your head. "It's fine." You opened up the letter carefully, tearing the wax seal off first and then tearing the flap off. The contents disturbed you, to say the least. The letter was desperate as soon as you read the beginning. You looked at the back, and that was even more disturbing.

The back had started off as a continuation of the beginning, but when the letter was supposed to stop at one sentence of 'I'm Sorry', it continued. The sentence 'I'm Sorry' continued towards the page's bottom. You couldn't tell if it was a diary entry that he decided to mail or what. There were two things that you can deduct. Grim had severely underestimated their obsessive admiration for you, it was beyond that. There were hardly any words that could describe this beyond deplorable behavior. Without a second thought, Grim swatted the card from your hand and tossed it alongside the pile of cards and packages he made without you paying attention. Before you could do anything, he burned it all. "No more of that. Besides, you're on a mission! Don't get so distracted [First]!" Grim stated, marching his way to the library. You followed behind catching up to Grim. Feeling relieved that Grim still wanted to protect you.

Eventually, you both arrive at the Library. You were actually surprised to hear from Grim that the library is open all day and night, but you are in a game, so you ended up losing that surprise. You wandered the library trying to find a starting place to even think where you could start looking. Eventually, you and Grim decide to split up. Hoping that maybe one of us can find a good starting place. As you were walking on the other side of the library, you felt a pair of eyes on you. Your paranoia was kicking in, and bad. You tried so hard to ignore it, but your feelings from being chased came back and you turned around.

To your horror, it was Malleus. He was about to approach you and you just stared at him. You couldn't move. The feeling of your throat being squeezed and the feeling of blood trickling down your throat, the pressure of the nails, and the feeling of air under your feet as you dangle up in the air all come rushing back as you hold back the urge to hold your throat. You didn't want to insult the dragon prince and face his wrath again. It was quite terrifying the first time, it will be the second time.

You couldn't squeak out anything, you seemed like a deer in headlights, but when you were about to open your mouth, Malleus spoke."How have you been?" He uttered. He seemed to be walking on a minefield, making sure that what he does is correct to not set off anything. You wanted to sneer at him for even asking that stupid question. You wanted to respond by saying, you clearly weren't doing well if they haven't seen them in a long time, but you advised yourself against it. "Okay, I guess." Malleus clearly wanted to rebuttal but didn't. "Have you received our cards, me and the others have noticed you haven't gotten the mail every time we drop something off." You almost physically cringed when he brought that up. You remember the card of his you read and how truly disturbing it was, but you don't bring it up. "I don't really leave Ramshackle itself." You shrugged. "I just saw the letters today, I'll read them when I get back." You said. It was a lie, of course. Grim had burned everything to a crisp after seeing you look terrified again. You couldn't tell him that though, you don't know what would happen to Grim if he found out.

There was a pause of silence. Both of you glanced away from each other to avoid awkward staring. It was annoying to you how Malleus so far has been pretending as if he didn't almost kill you. That was until Malleus spoke. "I really want you to know how sorry we are for hurting you. How sorry I am for hurting you and causing physical pain." To you, he looked absolutely pathetic for even trying to apologize. You wanted to humiliate Malleus for almost killing you, but you held back. That would make you as bad as the main cast. "… Don't worry about it. Just drop it." You ended up insisting. The fae prince seemed saddened by your response but didn't say anything. After all, he isn't the type to beg from what you gathered from his character when you played the game in the comfort of your room.

More silence ensued, but instead of Malleus breaking the silence, you did. "What brings you to the library?" Malleus seemed surprised that you asked him something about him, even if it was to ask about the purpose of his arrival. Just for a second, he seemed a little too happy for your taste. "I'm here on club activities, I would like to see the architecture of the library." He sounded a little too desperate. That caused you suspicion, instead of egging on, you thought it was best if you didn't.

Then you heard more voices coming in through the library, they sounded loud. Well, at least one of them did. The other one tried to shush the loud voice. You knew who they were. It sounded exactly like Silver and Sebek. "It sounds as if Silver and Sebek are here, I'll leave." You bluntly stated. Before you could turn around, you heard loud footsteps coming closer and almost at a running speed and then you heard him. "MY LO-" Sebek had cut himself off as he saw you. You recoiled at his voice, which was the loudest thing in the library. Then Silver and Grim came along. You weren't as scared of Silver as you were of Sebek and Malleus, but you were terrified of him nonetheless. You took a small step back and Grim took the initiative to stand in front of you just in case.

You were surprised to see Sebek kneel in front of you. Before Silver could say anything to prevent him from saying anything, Sebek yelled his apology. "Player, please forgive me for my insolence! Punish me as you see fit!" Malleus was left stunned and Silver grabbed Sebek and pulled him up and covered his mouth. It seemed out of character to you, Silver isn't really the type to get physical unless he has to. Grim was stunned at Sebek, dumbfounded even. The sleepy knight turned to Malleus and tried to hold himself back from scolding his lord. "My Lord, please stop trying to run off like that. We're lucky that Sebek has a good eye and saw where you ran off to." Malleus cringed when he said that. You looked at Malleus suspiciously. "I thought you said you were here for club activities." Silver looked at you and Malleus, he seemed to have had the color of his face drained as he still held Sebek who sounded muffled and tried to shake Silver off. Malleus couldn't even look you in the eye and turned his head in shame.

Grim shook his head in disappointment. "You guys keep making things worse for yourselves." You looked at Grim and then at the three Diasomnia members before speaking. "We'll take our leave, let's go Grim." You walked off towards the end of the row of books to avoid going through the three men who tried to bring harm to you once. Grim followed behind you and three other men seemed like they wanted to protest your departure, but they walked in the opposite direction.

The way back to Ramshackle was quiet, but you were busy thinking about that interaction. Maybe it would be best if you visit the library later in the night whenever you want to do research.

[delusionsofmid-daymoon]

For real, almost everyone is sleeping on the angst potential, i mean one of the bases of their friendship is literally trauma bonding

Since day one they are together and almost being killed, i would kill to see dinamic of "us vs the world", but like they really beliving it and not trusting anyone besides eachother, it's not dificult considering what happened and what kind of place nrc is

Plus there's a lot of times where they get separate and one almost dies,SPOILER OF EVENTS HERE like book 4 and 6, in endless halloween ace history is literally he being upset because he spent the night worried about his friends only to no one take the event seriously

In vargas camp deuce spent a whole day and night hidding from an overblot phantom with no food or water, using magic without a stone, he would have literally died there if they didn't come search him

Also the whole glorious masquerade chaos were ace was left behind in nrc, or playfuland where yuu and the others are captured one by one and almost sold to human traffic

END SPOILER

The separation anxiety basically writes itself at this point, especially ace's

I really want to see something like the upperclasmens seing how close they are and just thinking "aw how cute ^u^ usually you don't see that in nrc"

Then they have to separate the trio for a long period, maybe on some school trip with no phones, because the teachers say they cause too much trouble together

And the others watch they have a literall meltdown

Yuu and grim are warching over their shoulders all the time, waiting for something to go wrong ,for someone to try to drag them on their problems again, grim refuses to leave yuu for even a second and even hisses for anyone that looks suspicious to him, they don't feel safe without adeuce, almost resembling a cornered animal

deuce's temper gets worse and then he beats some guys into a pulp only to see what he has done and curl into a ball and cry, thinking he is such a failure, going back to his old self, ace and yuu join on fights sure but they usually stop him from going too far, they also reassure him that no he isn't a failure," those guys deserved it anyway, and you stopped right?" the poor boy doesn't know what to do without them, he doesn't trust himself

Ace tries to pretent but the constant worry is killing him, what if something happened again? what if they are in danger again? What if they are almost dying and he isn't there to help? It doesn't help he has to be around his upperclasmen all the time, it's not that he hates them but...after what they have done, knowing how they are...he just can't relax, he is snapping mean coments much more frequently and trying to avoid them the most he can, he could deal with it if others were here with him, but they aren't and he can't even know if they are okay and he is so anxious all the time he doesn't even notice the worried gazes he atracts

They are all stressed and paranoid, waking up screaming or having insomnia

And then the others discover that they didn't sleep in a cuddle pile only because they were super close friends, but because of the nightmares

And even if they try to hide, to put a tough facade, they are all so...afraid of everyone

That really shows the upperclasmen how they fucked up, and how these kids need therapy

i am physically incapable of writing ace and deuce as two separate entities when it comes to prefect!reader. in my mind they are three parts of a single whole. they do not come separately. take one away and the other two develop suicidal tendencies.

[thesunshineriptide]

Science fiction double feature (part 1)

Characters: Riddle, Trey, Ace, Deuce, Cater, Azul, Jade, Floyd, Vil, Rook

In which twst boys watch some classic Halloween films (that aren’t horror) with you (reader)

Cw// spoilers for these movies and also octavinelle typical behavior

Heartslabyul - Nightmare Before Christmas

Watching a fun family friendly movie with the Heartslabyul gang sounds fun for about 5 minutes, and then you remember who’s actually in the gang. Sitting in the dorm lounge with the TV booted up and ready to go, popcorn and cocoa and cider and tea all practically perfect in every way, settled on the ground in throw blankets and pillows with Ace and Deuce, the upperclassman on the couch above you and the queen of tarts herself in the armchair, it’s picturesque.

In terms of watching the movie, it’s not really happening, though. Cater is scrolling through magicam and taking pictures of all the snacks and the movie night as a whole. He has no idea what’s going on in the movie.

Riddle, despite watching it intently, also evidently has no clue what’s going on. It’s like watching it with a toddler and cinemasins at the same time. He ends up making you pause the movie once every 30 seconds to explain to him what’s going on or to make a mean comment about the continuity. “Why does Halloween town have a king and a mayor? What is this political structure? Who’s in charge of the voting system? What kind of-“

Trey is the most normal of everyone not watching the movie, since he’s just sitting there doing his homework while the movie plays. He doesn’t talk through the whole movie or make you pose for pictures or do what Ace and Deuce are doing, but he’s also not exactly participating. True dorm dad material.

Speaking of Ace and Deuce, they’re sort of watching the movie, but since Riddle keeps making you pause it they’ve lost interest and are more content to whisper stupid shit to each other and throw popcorn at everyone in the room, including you.

After finally telling everyone to watch the fucking movie, it settles down somewhat. Deuce ends up falling asleep on your shoulder, Cater continues to fuck around on his phone but now he’s paying Tetris, Riddle continues asking questions but much more occasionally, and Trey finished his homework so he’s sort of watching the movie and sort of watching Cater play his game.

Ace is the lone culprit of annoyance now because he has the bladder the size of a pea and keeps getting up to go to the bathroom and insists that you pause the movie.

In the end, Riddle ends up relating to Jack more than he thought he would, Trey ends up relating to Sally (no surprise there) and everyone else didn’t care that much about the movie or didn’t see most of it.

Trey rates it a 6/10, Riddle a 2.4/10 (for plot inconsistencies), Cater a 10/10, Ace a 7/10, and Deuce a 10/10 as well. None of them will watch this again.

Octavinelle - Coraline

Maybe, just maybe, this was a bad idea. Sitting down Mansplain, Manipulate, and Murder down for a family fun movie sounded like a good idea in concept, but there will be long lasting consequences to your actions.

The first is that you managed to freak out THE Floyd Leech. Yes, Floyd Leech, terror of Night Raven College and poison apple of my eye, is actually scared. He’s trying not to show it, laughing too loudly and pointing at the screen, but he’s leaning toward (on) Jade, and he looks toward his phone frequently.

Azul is on the other side of Jade, but he’s leaning toward the arm of the couch. He’s trying to guess every plot point of the movie to varying degrees of success. He can read the red flags just fine, but figuring out the motives is tripping him up. It’s been a little too long since he’s blinked, because the last time he looked away for a second the other Wybie had his mouth sewn up and scared the shit out of him

Jade is by far the most calm, and actually seems to enjoy the movie. There’s a sadistic glee on his face as he watches the spidery other mother lure in Coraline, all smiles and sweets until she unravels. Perhaps he finds kinship there, perhaps he simply wants to make you scared.

After the movie, Jade spends entirely too much energy on making a creepy, handsewn doll version of you and hiding it places. At first it seems like a threat, but the smile on his face that contains nearly no malice says he simply enjoys this little game.

Floyd becomes weird about buttons. He ends up removing most of them from his uniforms, and it doesn’t entirely matter since he never wears them properly anyway, but it does make Vil stop him in the hall. He tries to sew buttons back on, and Floyd freaks.

Azul is virtually unchanged from the situation, just a little more cautious. When he finds out about Jade’s goings on he is deeply uncomfortable but says nothing since he doesn’t want to be jades victim.

Overall, Jade rates it a 10/10 movie, Floyd rates it 2/10, and Azul already forgot that you guys watched the movie so he says it’s a 5/10.

Pomefiore - Rocky Horror Picture Show

Epel has left the chat due to the fact that he’s baby. He will reappear with Ortho later.

Now that you’re alone with Vil, the film snob, and Rook, the Frenchman, you get to enjoy the last moment of peace you’ll ever know.

Traditionally you’re supposed to see Rocky Horror at a theater, dressed up, and ready to participate. But twisted wonderland isn’t even supposed to have this movie so you just have to watch it alone and without audience participation because life has no joy.

Vil and Rook are not only the best audience members for a movie because they don’t talk through it, but they’re also the best people to show this movie too because it’s Their Brand. Queer comedy horror with a bunch of risqué content? It’s like it was made for them.

They both get really into it until the death laser and then they get a bit lost. The rest of the film seems like a fever dream and they simply. Cannot process it.

After the movie Vil texts you a 40 page essay on the deep meanings behind the film because he really wants to talk about it. He and Rook end up forming their own little club.

Vil also 100% dresses up as Franknfurter for a concert of his. It makes headlines, it makes people faint, women throw themselves at him, rook also throws himself at him, he ends up solving world hunger and brings a wave of peace to the realms through his sheer beauty-

Rook ends up kinning riffraff. I can’t say why it’s just vibes. He hums time warm when he goes Leona hunting.

Vil rates it a solid 7/10 (which is like a 10/10 for a normal person) and Rook rates it 1000000/10 because he’s a simp

[sandbees]

(Finally figured out how to send asks using paragraphs! And there's no word limit, too!) (Adding to previous ask)

HTF!Yuu's friends would keep a very close eye on the new Yuu, as they aren't sure if they'll be death-prone or if they'll come back. Somewhere else, HTF!Yuu dies by not being careful. The next day they ask their friends why they didn't clean the blood. The TWST boys understandably freak out.

The boys watching over SP!Yuu would go, "why are you nice" at this new person and hope SP!Yuu would eventually tone down to that. If SP!Yuu somehow ends up in the House of Mouse, they probably won't hate Mickey but they would recognize him from a public freakout compilation.

Because of school uniforms and other school stuff, a few Yuus would be too busy paying attention to class and wouldn't realize something wrong until they're asked about their magic/bending skills/powers/zombieness. Other Yuus would figure out quickly, in the form of "wait, I have a child/sibling/weird house/eldritch pet cat"?

The "deathtrap" refers to the Addams!Yuu's house. They're somewhat disappointed about the different aesthetic, but they know it's rude to modify a room that isn't their own. Elsewhere, here's hoping that it's one of the athletic Yuus that wake up in the house. Hopefully not LN!Yuu.

People do NOT trust the silent AnimalCrossing!Yuu that replaced their friend... and get bonked by a net.

Child!Yuu's elder brothers get either a reminder they'd grow up (with varying degrees of shock depending on if they get one of the more violent or (un)dead Yuus), or a nightmare in the form of LN!Yuu or SP!Yuu.

Ghost!Yuu awkwardly greets their shocked living friends who suddenly realize the gravity of the situations they were in.

One Yuu wakes up in a frikkin abandoned pizzeria while a large, terrifying, possessed anthropomorphic robo-Grim wakes up and scares the lights out of a small, fleshy living Grim. They think it's nice to see how their friends would be if they all reached their teenage years. Even if his younger brother is a cat/raccoon/whatever he's supposed to be.

(This was ask 2/2, the first ask was this:

BUT I LOVE THIS IDEA!! OWNXNDJDNE IMAGINE-

All the Yuus swapping overnight. It’s very strange.

I am now going to make a bunch of random Drabbles for a few of them: (Warning: Some will get a little angsty)

Child Yuu → Ghost Trio! Yuu

The people alive begin sobbing as soon as they see Child! Yuu. They look so innocent and they’re so sweet but they’re going to die when they grow older. It isn’t fair.

Crowley experiences the five stages of grief and so so much guilt as he raises the child with care and trying to find a way to maybe stop Child! Yuu from growing up.

Child! Yuu is just confused. Why is their family acting weird? Why are they sad all of the time And it gets worse when Yuu sees Ace and Deuce. Because- because they’ve definitely gone through the Ghost Wedding event, and now Ace and Deuce are ghosts. How did they die- why did they die?!

Yuu begins sobbing and it’s just the pain train from there.

Ghost Trio! Yuu → HoM! Yuu

You don’t expect a fucking ghost to suddenly show up at the dorm. Everyone at NRC panics as they wonder why Yuu is suddenly a ghost. Meanwhile Yuu wonders how Ace and Deuce are alive. Also since they only speak in *Musical Ghost Noises* it gets more terrifying.

Eventually Lilia contacts Maleficent. So when Maleficent sees Ghost! Yuu she says, “Oh. Oh that’s not our Yuu. They’re from an alternate universe.”

Everyone calms down but they’re extremely concerned. Maleficent contacts Mickey about it, Mickey understands and says he’ll let Yuu off of work. However, Yuu is kind of curious about working so they go to work anyways. Guests and staff alike are a little off put at their close friend being a ghost, but they still get along anyways.

HoM! Yuu → Zombie! Yuu

The day Zombie! Yuu doesn’t lose an arm makes everyone suspicious. Especially their friends with a good scent. Because Yuu doesn’t smell like a rotting corpse.

Well, it gets odder as Yuu suddenly comes to NRC and says, “Guys the mirror isn’t working! Has mirror travel stopped working?”

“What do you mean???”

“How am I supposed to get Madols now?!?!? Crowley won’t pay me shit!”

It gets cleared up really quickly, actually. Now Yuu has some time off of work (much to their displeasure…their work is fun!) and the guys don’t have to worry about Yuu falling apart!

Zombie! Yuu → Disney Fanatic! Yuu

Ace screams when he sees Yuu’s arm fall off.

“Oh fuck not again. And Ace come on man; it’s not funny anymore. Stop being dramatic over my arm falling off again.”

“AGAIN???”

They begin to miss their Yuu as now they have to witness Zombie! Yuu’s body parts falling off. Students who have a keen sense of smell back off far away, which Zombie! Yuu is used to. Oh well, at least they’ll have some calm times here.

Disney Fanatic! Yuu → Addams Family! Yuu

Disney Fanatic! Yuu almost dies because of the traps in NRC. They’re confused. Did- did the ghost decide to go far and prank them?? Did someone want them dead?? WHAT??? Also, where the FUCK did their

Everyone is so confused when Yuu comes out wearing the usual outfit without any of their flair or acting like they usually do. It is until Yuu sings a song from Disney that they figure out something is wrong.

Like, “Ace??? Deuce?? Grim??? Why aren’t you singing along??”

Time for them to learn about DF! Yuu’s eccentrics.

Addams Family! Yuu → Animal Crossings! Yuu

Suddenly, AC! Yuu’s aesthetic choice of dressing changed. Instead of some silly design, it becomes more darker. Which is…well, it’s odd when they start speaking.

Yuu Addams is just confused. Who changed their home? How did they not die? Well, they did put a room full of boxed tarantulas, so they guess it’s fine.

With different styles, it was easy to guess that Yuu wasn’t their Yuu. Still, it’s all normal between them :)

Animal Crossings! Yuu → GemHybrid! Yuu

To see someone who looks like GemHybrid! Yuu but blatantly isn’t is unnerving. Especially when they barely talk. However, they do have that infinite space so maybe it was Yuu??

It isn’t, but good try at least! Most assume it’s one of Yuu’s different forms because I do headcanon that GemHybrid! Yuu. AC! Yuu knows that they aren’t in their NRC instantly when they don’t find their turnip stocks in the basement. However, they don’t really mind and proceed to do their normal thing. They act like it’s one of the islands they’re visiting. You know, don’t touch any of the private stuff and then take all of the natural resources. The usual.

Gem Hybrid! Yuu → Parent! Yuu

Percy and Penny knew that their parent got replaced by an imposter! …though their imposter parent is really nice, and even they don’t know why they were here instead of their parent…BUT THEY ARE STILL SUSPICIOUS!

Percy and Penny watch their imposter parent like a hawk. The others are also suspicious but since they’re more older they understand that some weird magic thing must have happened. They just have to wait for Yuu to come back and explain what the fuck happened. Otherwise, GemHybrid! Yuu just vibes with the cast.

Also they sing to Percy and Penny any of the SU songs if they get the twin’s trust. It’s super cute how they snuggle into Yuu’s hair and listen as Yuu strums their ukulele.

Parent! Yuu → Child! Yuu

“You…adopt two children on your first week of visiting the village here?”

“….Yeah.”

“I’M TOO YOUNG TO BE A GRANDFATHER!”

“SHUT UP CROWLEY YOU’RE NOT THEIR ACTUAL GRANDFATHER!”

“…I envy my child counterpart. Also, I always carry pictures of my kids, want to see?”

“YES!!!”

Just wholesome moments :)

[capri-ramblings]

Ruggie Bucchi x male reader Angst? (it's ok if you're uncomfortable, you can put neutral reader in here! ^^) Reader confess their feeling to ruggie but ruggie reject reader feelings and say sharp words towards the reader. Time passes and ruggie starts to develop feelings toward the reader and starts to regret what he did. I hope it's not too much to ask for this!

This was too long I have to make a separate post for Part 2 lmao but I hope you love this as much I loved working on it even when angst isn't my best skill 😩💖

[A Hyena's Nip] Part 1

Ruggie always kinda knew you had a thing for him. It was in the glances you stole at him when you thought he couldn't see, in every good morning smile you gave to him each time you passed him in-between classes. You also always seemed so... flustered whenever he came near you, but if he was being honest, it didn't bother him all that much.

He did find it a bit weird though, cause he was a guy and you were a guy and there's like a lot of other guys out there that you could be crushing on and honestly, you looked like the clingy type too. The same type of clingy Ruggie always wanted to avoid in girls.

So,it didn't came as a surprise when you went and confessed to him after club activities, telling him how much you liked him and stuff, but it still kinda took him off guard. Ruggie wasn't actually expecting you to pour out your feelings, well, he was hoping that you weren't going to because if he had to be honest,this situation you put him in was very awkward.

He didn't like guys as much as he didn't like girls and not because he doesn't have those kind of urges but because he finds the whole 'i like you,you like me,let's date!' relationship kinda pointless, and time consuming.

You were a good kid though. Ever since you came and got stuck in this school, you always made an effort to lend a hand to anyone who needed it, and there was that time when Leona almost turned his hand into nothing more than dust particles and you practically threw yourself in front of him to stop that from happening. He was grateful, of all the people present then, he wasn't expecting you to come and save him.

Staring down at you now, with your head lowered as your hands fiddled with the hem of your gym wear, Ruggie felt bad that he was going to reject you flat out and he wasn't going to be nice about it too, cause chances are you'll tell him it's okay and that being friends is just enough and when has that actually worked out well for both parties? No. You weren't going to be okay and being friends after telling someone that big of a secret isn't a good story.

He was doing you a favour. Yeah, you'll be down about it, but there's literally a bunch of guys out there other than him. You'll move on and get over him quick. All Ruggie had to do was give you that first push. Even if you'd scrap your knee from it.

"I really,really like you, Ruggie and I know this sounds weird seeing that we're both guys but—"

"But what?" Ruggie cut you off before you could finish and all the nerves you were trying to not acknowledge immediately came washing over you as you saw Ruggie's expression shifted into annoyance.

"If you know that this is weird, what were you expecting? Some kind of fairytale to happen?"

He sounded so harsh despite his voice barely budging, and the words he threw at you made your skin cold. Was he mad? Did you actually went and made Ruggie mad? You were hesitant at first to use this opportunity of the two of you being alone to cleanup after club activities to confess to him, but was it a bad move?

"I,well,I...um.." You tried to speak but your words seemed too far away now and instinctively you averted Ruggie's gaze.

This was a mess. An absolute nightmare. And as if it couldn't get any worst, Ruggie started laughing. He started laughing and you could feel your existence cave in on you.

"Man,look at you! You actually did think some kind of lovey-dovey scenario was going to play out, didn't you?"

One of the things you always found attractive about Ruggie was his laugh. It never failed to make you feel better about a bad situation. But as the realization dawned on you that the same laugh was being used to condescend you...You wanted to cover your ears and run away. If only you could though, it was hard to move when your knees felt like buckling down.

"Hey,answer me." Ruggie nudged you in the shoulder and you winced. "Did you think I was going to feel the same?"

No. Of course not. You had a feeling this was going to happen, you kept denying it but it was often there lingering in the back of your mind. You only hoped for a mutual feeling from Ruggie.

"I'm sorry." You muttered out,lips quivering and eyes burning from the tears you fought back. Your throat felt dry and your chest hurt. Scratch that, your heart felt like it fucking stopped and you regretted ever thinking Ruggie would like you.

"What? Now, you're apologizing?" Ruggie sounded frustrated and looking at you trembling from the rejection kinda ticked him off somehow. Were you really a boy if something as simple as a crush got you all teary eyed?

"Look, I don't know what you were expecting from this whole confession thing, but the bottom line here is that I don't like you that way, and I probably never would." He placed a casual hand on your shoulder then, giving you a slight shake before he pulled away and turned on his heels, his hands folded behind his neck.

"So,just drop it okay? See ya around,kid."

The sound of Ruggie's voice along with the light steps he left behind felt too distant for you to actually hear, but the weight of it all, the rejection and hurt that swelled inside you then, seemed too real to be just a simple nightmare.

As you stood there, motionlessly staring at the ground, you felt your heart shattered in your chest, the bits and pieces of its shards prickling into your flesh.

***

"Hey,____!" Deuce was waving his hand in front of your face, his brows furrowed when you looked up at him all dazed and distant.

"You weren't even listening were you?"

"...Sorry,Deuce. I was thinking."

"And here I thought thinking would only hurt Deuce that way but I guess you guys do share a brain cell after all,huh?" Ace was smirking when he said this, obviously pleased with the reaction he got from Deuce who all but scowled at him.

Another class had ended today, and still, you weren't sure you even heard anything that went on throughout each lesson. Ever since your confession, your headspace had been slightly off. It's like you couldn't even go to your own thoughts without replaying Ruggie's words.

You planted your head on your table with a dull thud and both Ace and Deuce looked to you worryingly.

"You look kinda sick,dude. What about you just skip classes for today?"

"Ace, skipping classes will only get him into trouble"

"What are you? His mom?"

Deuce frowned but turned to you instead, staring at you as if he was trying to read your defeated form, and though you knew well enough that neither one of them would know the reason behind your dispirited self, the fear of them actually finding out still bothered you.

So when you lifted your head, you forced on a smile even when the simple gesture felt like tearing off parts of your own skin.

"I'm fine guys,stop worrying or you're really gonna start looking like my mom."

"Yikes" Ace grimaced. "Definitely not letting that happen,no offense. I'm sure your mom's pretty decent"

Deuce was touching his face when he shook his head and crossed his arms. He still looked worried and unconvinced, and it was starting to give you a churning feeling in your stomach.

"Still,I think you should get some early rest today. You look too pale and your eyes are super red. Didn't you get any sleep?"

No. No you didn't. You spent most of your nights staring blankly at your ceiling while your chest throbbed against your ribcages. You couldn't sleep because whenever you did you heard Ruggie's laugh mocking you and then you'd see him glowering down at you like you were the most disgusting thing he's ever seen.

You heaved a shaky sigh, trying so desperately to keep up your smile despite your voice cracking slightly when you spoke.

"It's nothing,really."

Deuce still frowned,but he let the subject go and the three of you spent the remaining day in various classes as usual before school day ended, and you were heading back to your dorms.

"You could stay and hang with us for a bit, bet Riddle wouldn't mind if we told him you were coming over?" Deuce sent you a sympathetic smile, as if somehow despite how dense you thought he was he knew something wasn't right with you, and for a minute, you wondered then why you hadn't fell for Deuce instead. Maybe he wouldn't have been so harsh.

"Thank,Deuce, but Grim stayed behind today cause he claimed one of the ghosts punched him too hard while they were playing and I think having too much alone time for him would be bad"

Deuce laughed and nodded his head.

"See ya around then, Mr. Prefect"

"Yeah. See ya."

The walk back to Ramshackle Dorm felt like an eternity, and as you placed one foot in front of the other, each step heavy and reluctant, you were beginning to wonder if you'll ever get there without passing out. It's been like this for almost a month now. You were eating lesser each passing day too, which didn't really help your already lethargic self. But every food you ate tasted stale, every small thing you did made you too tired and nothing really meant much point to you now. It all seemed so dull, so terribly agonizing. And all because you believed in that stupid dream of yours where Ruggie Bucchi would return your feelings.

You let out a self degrading laugh before rolling your eyes and gritting your teeth.

"What a dumbass" You said, speaking to yourself. "He's right you know, did I really think he was gonna sweep me up in his arms and say he liked me too? What a load of bullshit."

You stopped, shoulders slumping as the air you tried breathing in turned cold and hard to swallow.

How pathetic did you looked to him then? You couldn't help but wonder. Did he feel weirded out? Disgusted? Did he went back and told Leona and made it their joke of the day? The thoughts spiralled you back to square one and suddenly your throat burned.

Staggering to the closest bush, you fell to your knees and began to throw up.

[softsillytwsted]

The Sleep of Blue Roses

I had this thought in my head of a what if story about an Ace betrayal and couldn’t stop myself from writing this until it was done. This is honestly not what I usually write because it’s kinda dark, but hey - it fits October doesn’t it?

Warnings: implied character death, implied domestic abuse, angst, the slow crawl of helplessness

Somewhere between now and back when you were still here, Deuce never understood limits. How can he? You were magicless, but you selflessly faced those impossibly stronger than you and succeeded. Deuce felt that nothing was out of reach when he was with you, with Ace, with Grim, Jack, Epel, Sebek...

When did things go wrong?

After weeks of strategizing a way to rescue Grim, who’s habit of eating everyone’s negative energy finally caused him to overblot, the gray monster was finally back to normal. Looking back, Deuce could only see how reckless and impossible the task was. They were up against a monster that had the combined magic and unique magic of the 7 strongest students from an academy of elites. The situation that promised death loomed over everyone, yet with you there, no one had any doubts they would fail. Not Riddle, not Leona, not Azul, Kalim, Vil, Idia, nor Malleus. And the impossible was made possible.

And you left this world thinking the impossible can be made possible.

“I arrived in Twisted Wonderland right after my mom contacted me,” you admitted shyly. “I haven’t talked to her since I was a kid because my dad always told me to stay away from her but... I really want to see her again.”

You were in front of the mirror, bags packed and your friends surrounding you. You can finally return back home and with a piece of the Dark Mirror in your hands you can communicate with them whenever you desired.

Deuce beamed at you, “It’ll go great, I know it will! My mother is always kind to me and she wanted what was best for me. I’m sure yours will be the same too!”

Ace hugged you before you left. “It’s seriously going to get so boring without you around. You better contact us or I’ll go over there and kick your ass.” Jokes aside, you and Deuce could tell by the glint in Ace’s eyes that he meant every word. You smiled at him then, because despite knowing each other for a year, the three of you shared an inseparable bond.

“I promise.”

You left them.

Days passed, then weeks, with no word from you. After one month, Ace angrily stormed into the Mirror Chamber and demanded to go see you.

“They do not exist.”

“Of course they don’t fucking exist, they’re in another world- now lead me to them!”

“They do not exist in this world or in any other world.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that!? They were here just a month ago!” Ace lunged at the mirror. His fists futilely pounded on its glassy surface before he tried to shake the mirror out of its placeholder. Deuce had to restrain the wildly thrashing Ace before the ginger stilled in his arms- lifeless. “Whatever, I’m over it.” He took a deep breath and walked away, ignoring Deuce’s and Grim’s cries after him.

If Deuce took better notice of the chill that followed Ace’s steps, maybe things would’ve been different. Instead, he visited the Mirror Chamber until a year passed and he too gave up- only visiting again on occasion, whereas Grim still stops by everyday.

Ace’s friendship with Deuce and Grim were strained at best. The ginger acted the same, but something was different. Like a cherished photo misplaced. Deuce didn’t question when Ace started hanging out with Kalim and Jamil more and Deuce and the other first years less. Nor did he stop to think about why Ace volunteered to do errands for Azul and Crowley. He even looked away when he saw Ace chatting it up with the two princes of the school.

They graduated like this without mentioning the name Y/n.

***

“AAH! Oh no are you alright?” Deuce yelled after you when you somersaulted from a heavy onslaught of his color-changing magic. “I’m so sorry!”

You could only giggle at your current state. Ace warned you not to get close to Deuce while he was changing the colors of the roses, but you assumed being behind Deuce would be safe. You were now paying for your mistakes. “Don’t worry about it Deuce,” you paused. The smile you flashed him revealed a weariness he couldn’t comprehend. “It was my fault too.”

***

Two years later, Deuce finally passed his test to become part of Rose Kingdom’s Elite Division. Right after orientation, he was pleasantly surprised by a visit from Ace who threw an arm over the bluenette’s shoulders and cheekily grinned at him like the two never grew apart. For a long moment, Deuce believed they never did as the two went to a bar to celebrate and catch up. Deuce breezed through all the sleepless nights he spent studying and training; Ace regaled his continuation of his internship. 

“They loved me so much they made a new position to get me to stay!” he said. “And guess what? He said that if he becomes prime minister he’ll make me one of his advisors. Not too bad huh?”

Deuce couldn’t be happier for Ace. He always wondered what Ace, who blanched at the idea of the future, would do with his life. He admits, however, that politics was the furthest thing he would ever imagine his friend doing. “Being in the political scene can be dangerous I hear. Luckily I can assign my own bodyguards, including a certain elite policeman.”

This was news to Deuce. He was unaware of any political strife that would need the Elite Division, which specialized in magic-related crimes, to act as bodyguards... Maybe he needs to follow the news more closely. Regardless, Deuce grinned with all teeth and slammed his fist in his palm. “Just leave it to me, no way in hell I’ll let my buddy get hurt.”

“...Glad I can count on you... buddy.”

***

Deuce helped you up and tried to wipe off the paint on your uniform. You didn’t bother telling him that he was only smearing the paint into your clothes because of the look of concentration on his face telling you how hard he wanted to make this right. “Oh Deuce, you ended up painting the finished roses blue too.”

“What? Oh no...” he groaned at the extra work he’ll have to do. Will he be in time for the Unbirthday Party?

“Hey relax, I’ll help you out! We should be finished within an hour if we hurry,” you reassured him. He flashed you a grateful smile which you returned with a soft smile of your own.

***

The time between then and the election passed with a blink of an eye. Once his candidate won, Ace swaggered over to Deuce’s department with the confidence and authority that didn’t fit a 21 year-old advisor. It didn’t take long for Deuce to find himself a part of Ace’s security detail. It took an even shorter amount of time for Deuce to feel like he was slowly crawling into a waking nightmare.

Deuce tried to ignore it, tried to give Ace the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn’t excuse the things Ace did right in front of him. Dismissals of important emergency committees, deregulation of organizations with authority, increased spending on militarized weapons. The public blamed all these new policies on their new prime minister, but Deuce knew who the real mastermind was.

It didn’t take long for him to confront Ace - especially after he realized that the recent strings of overblot cases popping up across the country were a direct result of Ace’s policies.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Ace sneered. Deuce looked away; the gun in his hand hung lifelessly by his side. “You couldn’t even stop Y/n from leaving to die. You definitely won’t stop me from having my way with this country.”

“What?”

“Don’t give me that... You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Ace looked at Deuce like he was a bug beneath his shoe, but the quake in his eyes said otherwise. “You’re hereby dismissed from your post. If the next time I see you and you try to stop me, I’ll crush you.”

Ace walked away from Deuce- just like he did years ago.

“I’ve done too much to have you get in my way.” 

***

Deuce felt so lucky to have met you, despite the rocky beginning. You never hesitated to help and encourage him. Sometimes, when his vague idea of an honor student wasn’t enough to guide him, he would look to you.

He wondered if you knew how much he wanted to repay you for being you.

He wondered if he can one day be someone you would be proud to know.

He wondered... what you thought of him.

***

The familiar halls of Night Raven College felt comforting - a temporary balm to the turmoil Deuce felt lately. He had hoped to see some of his old teachers and Crowley, but the school’s headmaster was tasked to find the Magic Mirror, the legendary mirror that the Beautiful Queen used once upon a time. No doubt, this was Ace’s doing.

When Deuce reached the Mirror Chamber, he was surprised to find Grim was nowhere to be found. Deuce ignored the churning in his stomach and thought to himself that maybe he was just early. After all these years, Grim never stopped believing that you would return to them. Crowley always spoke with pity in his voice about how the little monster would visit the Dark Mirror everyday- waiting, staring.

Deuce respectfully crouched in front of the mirror - like a mourner in front of a grave. 

“Hello Y/n I’m sorry it’s been a while since my last visit,” Deuce began, he softly smiled while thinking of all the memories he had of you. “I was able to pass the qualifications to be part of the Elite Division. One of my first assignments was actually to guard Ace, can you believe that?”

He paused and tried to gulp down the lump in his throat. “Um… about Ace he… he’s made it big as a politician. He’s my friend and I was happy for him but… a part of me is scared. He’s not the same anymore after you left Y/n. Looking back, I can’t help but think how reckless and dumb we were to risk our lives against people we had no chance against. But we always made it through thanks to you.” Every single sentence, every single word came out in a rush. It was a confession to all the sins he committed letting Ace go. A realization that he could never be the man he wanted you to be proud of.

“You somehow make the impossible possible… I… I really need that right now...” He begged, “Please… I need...”

Deuce didn’t realize he was crying until the tears flowed down his cheeks and onto his clenched fists. He looked up at the Dark Mirror and activated it. “Oh Dark Mirror, show me Y/n.”

“...”

“They do not exist.”

***

“Hey Deuce,” you began as you picked up a blue rose. The two of you were almost done cleaning up the mess Deuce made and you decided now was the time to take a breather. Deuce slouched in the shade of the hedge, too tired to do anything but hum to show he was listening. “In my world, blue roses were never found naturally, so they symbolized the impossible. But after years of research, my world was able to grow one.”

You handed Deuce the rose, its petals shone brilliantly despite its withering edges. Deuce took it curiously and the two of you shared a sweet smile.

“They now symbolize miracles.”