#I lied she's definitely done it more than once but it's so rare and exclusively when it's just them hanging out because

[toasteaa]

Eclair and Clorinde friendship my beloved.

One decisively silly and one intimidatingly serious. Find them at Café Lutece chatting over coffee. They'll duck inside Eclair’s office if they're avoiding journalists and gossip there instead. Both of them will take the shot if you're in their sights and they will not miss. One of them is a DM and is this close to getting the other into joining a Tabletop Troupe session.

I love them. I should be insane about their friendship a bit more.

[thelovelyghostwriter]

KuraNeon ABC Fluff Headcanons

uThis ABC is taken from this post. I was thinking, hey, what about KuraNeon? 

[Yessss... They have a special attack together on one of the mobile games - not the mobage cards by the way]

Let’s go!

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Neon’s always bored, given that Kurapika is the one who is doing all the work. She’s often delighted to spend time with him, particularly shopping. She likes to shop for clothes, wearing cute outfits and asking him his opinion of it. She’s a tease and we know it. Sometimes she would purposely try on some racy outift for him to ogle at. 

For Kurapika, he doesn’t really have a particular favourite activity with her. He’s just happy to spend time with her. 

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

At first they weren’t very close. Kurapika only focused on her flesh-collecting hobby that he disagrees with and Neon finds his serious working attitude boring and she didn’t really care about him. Ironically, the traits that each of them has that the other doesn’t is what draws them to each other. 

After spending time together, Kurapika finds her eccentric view on her life interesting, even if he does not agree with them. He likes how she’s happy-go-lucky and just lives in the present, uncaring about what the future brings. Which is kinda ironic for someone who can predict the future. 

Neon, on the other hand, finds his stern and down-to-business attitude really amusing. She likes how genuinely concerned he gets in doing the job done and she likes it when he teaches her things that she doesn’t know about. She also catches the glimpse of him being playful, it’s so rare and she likes it when he relaxes once in a while. He’s also really sassy when he wants to and she likes bantering with him. 

For physical traits, Kurapika is in denial. She’s one of the few girls he interacted with and he finds her really adorable and pretty. He likes how she’s always wearing long sleeves and it all leads to a lot of imagination. Her eyes also drives him crazy because it holds so much naivety that he wants to stain. 

Neon finds Kurapika a pretty boy. She likes his soft blond locks and the red earrings that he wears. She thinks it looks good on him. If she knows that he is a Kurta, she loves those pretty eyes (especially when they’re having sex). The first time Neon sees Kurapika in a tuxedo, her gaze will linger because he looks bonafide yummy in it. 

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

I don’t know what panic attack is like so I will not address that. 

Kurapika is the type that tries to rationalize things (even though he’s impulsive as shit). So whenever Neon feels down, he will listen to her issues. He will try to understand her situation, analyse it and give her a few suggestions on what she can do. If it’s a problem that cannot be solved practically and she’s being confused/overwhelmed, he will comfort her by saying “it’s okay to feel this way”, he’ll tell her why she’s possibly feeling this way with scientific stuff and whatnot. He’ll find reasons to reassure her that it’s not the end of the world, and that he’ll always be there for her. 

For Neon, Kurapika’s issues are deep. Sometimes he won’t even tell it to her. She won’t press him for answers, but she’ll let him hold her. She’ll hug him when he needs comfort. She’ll give him soft kisses on his forehead. She’ll try to distract him from feeling down by getting him to do fun activities like playing chessboard games until he gets better. If he’s working too much, she’ll ensure that he takes breaks by either sleeping, going out with her or you know, the old-fashioned way to de-stress ;) 

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

For Neon, she’s not too concerned of the future. To her, it’s just... like that. She goes with the flow of the events and the growth of her connection with Kurapika just like a river. Whatever happens, happens. 

Haha, it reminds me of the lullaby my mom used to sing - Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que sera, sera.

For Kurapika, it’s bleak. This guy has always been a bag full of worry - which includes the future of his relationship with Neon. Initially, he did not plan to be in this sort of relation with Neon (his employer’s daughter, I might add). At first, he thought he’d marry her for practical reasons and earning her father’s trust, so that he can gain money in order to buy back some of his clan’s eyes. 

His relationship with her becomes something a little more than that. He hates himself for being “distracted” or even indulging in that sort of happiness when he’s supposed to be on a mission. As a Last Kurta, he has some sort of survivor’s guilt. He thinks that if he lives on and forgets about bringing justice to his clan, he is bringing disgrace to them. He thinks he doesn’t deserve to live happily. Especially with a flesh collector. He thinks that it’s his duty as the last survivor to collect their eyes and bring them the justice they deserve. 

Yet, he sticks around because this is the only thing that keeps him together and prevents him from sinking while trying to carry out this mission. He knows that one day, eventually, this relationship and his mission will become mutually exclusive, and he has to pick one of them. And that will be his mission. 

However, whenever he tries to look into the further future after his mission ends, he sees nothing. After his mission, he doesn’t see anything to live for. This goes back to his wishes and thinking if it’s possible to ever live for something else after this whole mission of his is over - which is to be in a relationship with Neon. 

It’s a paradox. His dilemma is indeed confusing and mentally straining. 

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Neon is rather passive. She relies on him when it comes for down-to-Earth decisions and she just tags along (she doesn’t care about the boring financial stuff). Ever since Neon lost her ability, he’s the one earning money for them. (He’s kinda like her sugar daddy ahahahha). He loves to be in-charge anyway, given how quickly he got promoted from a mere employee, to a head bodyguard and finally the head of her family.  

She does influence him in certain decisions when she suggests it, or demands him what she wants. Depending on how reasonable her request/demands, he will either comply to make her happy or be firm with her by reasoning/compromising with her. Neon will sometimes just pout and agree with it hesitantly, other times she’ll throw a tantrum (and Kurapika has to deal with that, and maybe even “punish” her to discipline her KEKEKEK). 

So yes, Kurapika is the dominant one in the relationship because he does a good job in being the role of providing for his partner (and he’s the dom in the bedroom). 

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

OMG. Neon has temper tantrums and impatient; and Kurapika’s worse - he’s stubborn and he has a very bad anger management. It’s like a volcano meeting a thunderstorm. 

When they fight, they fight big time. Sometimes it’s about Neon’s unreasonable demands/spoilt attitude, sometimes it’s Kurapika’s secretive behaviour or his neuroticism that leads to an argument. 

After the fight, both of them will be grumpy towards each other and Neon will refuse to talk to him, glaring at him. Kurapika will be too hard-headed to talk first. Eventually, both will kinda miss each other’s presence. They will forgive each other once they realise that the fight they had was not worth breaking up the relationship. 

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

They don’t usually express their gratitude explicitly. At first, they kinda just take it for granted and don’t really think too deeply about it. Especially for Neon, she’s the type of girl that likes luxury and she enjoys all the materialistic goods that Kurapika gives her. After a few months where it really gets serious, she thinks about all the things that Kurapika has done for her - protection, financial security and pretty much, everything for her. I have this headcanon where she does those tiny surprises for him on occasions (e.g. his birthdays) just to tell him how much she appreciates what he’s doing for her. 

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Neon is more open to him whenever he asks. Besides, she can’t really lie or keep secrets from him because he’s sharp. 

As for Kurapika, he’s rather secretive and even hid his ethnic identity to her. He doesn’t tell her things and it takes a while for him to open up. This can be a problem because once he admits to Neon, she is rather upset. She doesn’t like how her father lies to her all the time and will be very disappointed in Kurapika when she uncovers his motivations for being hired under her employment initially. 

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

I think for both of them, they are both ends of the spectrum. So definitely, along the way, they will influence each other. 

Kurapika will teach Neon to be more mindful and caring of those around her. He will try to tell her why sympathising with the dead is as important as caring for the living (because baby girl just likes to make the living happy). 

For Kurapika, Neon will get him to at least live in the present and enjoy it, because this boy faces a lot of trauma in his past and constantly worries about the future. Neon will try to get him to relax from time to time, be happy with the ever-present. 

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Neon doesn’t really get jealous because Kurapika is very much focused on her. She knows these bitches aren’t even her competition. Even though he attracts attention as he is a pretty boy, he’s very cold towards them, which actually makes a lot of them disinterested. 

As for Kurapika... this man is extremely possessive. He didn’t like the fact that Chrollo talked to Neon that one time in the September auction, and he wanted to know every detail of what happened. Neon gets suitors from the mafia community and he makes sure none of them makes contact with her. He’s also paranoid as hell whenever she talks to a guy. Sometimes Neon finds it suffocating (they even fight about it at times), but she appreciates his overprotective nature and sometimes even teases him about it.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Their first kiss was rather awkward. Neon and Kurapika are still young. Neon was kinda heavily guarded so she didn’t have the opportunity to date a guy. She doesn’t seem like she’s interested either. The girl just minds her business and doesn’t seem to appreciate ingenuine attention from men. Kurapika is pretty focused on his mission for his clan so I doubt he dated either. So yes, when they first kissed, it was literally their first kiss. It was soft, short and sweet. And hella awkward because both of them weren’t sure what they were doing. 

They will get good at kissing as time passes by. They just have to keep practising by kissing each other HAHA. 

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

HAHA. I actually don’t see this couple saying “I love you” to one another - at least for Kurapika’s part. Neon is like 50-50. They pretty much just grow attached to each other over time and expressed their feelings by a kiss or something. 

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Fam. Let me tell you something real quick. Usually, for other pairings, it’s they become close friends, then date, then get married. This pairing is founded by a marriage theory. HAHAH. 

It’s a common KuraNeon headcanon where they have an arranged marriage due to some mafia business. At first it will be like any arranged marriage since it was for practical reasons. They go through the motions, play the role of a traditional husband and wife. Then they get it all mixed up with the emotions and then fall in love. They proceed to become a full-fledge consummated marriage relationship and have kids. 

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Kurapika isn’t really big on the nicknames. It’s more on how he goes from calling her “Boss”, to “Miss Neon” and eventually just her name as he got more comfortable with her. 

For Neon, she calls him Kurapika, most of the time. Only when they are in the bedroom, she calls him Daddy. She even puts his contact name on her phone as that. Kurapika was repulsed by it at first, but she was often a playful sub whenever she calls him that. It makes him feel powerful. HAHAHA. Kinky. 

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Both of them can’t really define what love is, or understand what they’re feeling when it first hit them. It’s obvious for everyone - Linssen and the rest of Kurapika’s underlings. They know that their boss is in love with his wife and is sincere about their marriage. Neon just feels happier with his company and she did question it at one point, but decides that it’s for the best to continue and go with the flow. For Kurapika, when he realised that he’s suddenly happier, he’s scared. He’s not sure if he should be feeling happiness at all. He’s always afraid that the fiery wrath within him would die out. He wanted to remove that feeling. A man like him shouldn’t spare any time for love. But he stays anyway because it benefits him. 

Neon’s love language is gifts and spending time with someone. She sees gift-giving as something where someone spends the money (which is earned by the hours they spent working) as precious and flattering for her. She dislikes it when the gift is ingenuine. Kurapika knows this and gives her all sorts of things to impress her. Neon also gives back gifts whenever she can. When she shops, she started to shop not only for herself, but enjoys thinking about what she can buy for Kurapika. Kurapika is a busy man, so Neon is often excited whenever he takes off-days to do fun activities with her. 

For Kurapika, he’s more of an action guy than words. Aside from giving gifts for her, he shows his affections by doing what he thinks it’s best for both of them. This means protecting her from any harm and making sure they’re financially stable. 

Both of them also like to be physically intimate with one another to show their affections. 

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Kurapika is not very open about their relationship in public. Dude is too shy to do PDA. He thinks it’s none of anyone’s business when it comes to his relationship. Neon on the other hand, don’t really care what people think. She will hold his arm whenever they go out, and Kurapika will just let her. He blushes a little whenever she does peck kisses on him in public or in front of their employees. Linssen and the rest will just snigger and tease their Bosses, leaving Kurapika irritated. 

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Kurapika’s chains. Uhm, joke lmao. He can’t wrap her around his chains even if he wants to. They like to do bondage but they have to use clothes or some other type.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

I’d say they are rather an unconventional couple, but their activities are that of a cliche couple. Kurapika is romantic in a sense that he takes her out to dinner, give her gifts and pretty much goes out with her to make her happy. Neon, of course, the ever-so indulgent brat that she is, likes to be pampered. They are okay with a routine-type of relationship, although once in a while, Neon adds in a surprise to make it interesting. 

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Neon doesn’t really have a goal. She’s more onto goods and her desires are often short-lived. Kurapika tries his best to support her in what she wants, given that they are reasonable. 

For Kurapika, his goal will always be vengeance and collecting the eyes of his brethren. His marriage to Neon supports that, even if she is unaware of it. Being the head of her family helps him get the power, influence and money to negotiate (and buy) his clan’s eyes. 

If Neon does find out about his goals, I think she’ll feel disoriented. She may have an inkling that he is marrying due to some motivations that are hidden; but she was unaware it was this drastic. She will be upset that he wasn’t fully honest, and may have mixed feelings collecting his clan’s eyes. She doesn’t care for dead people, but she does care about living humans and it’s important to Kurapika, who is alive. After a while, she will calm down. I don’t see her actively supporting him, maybe trying to use connections and her ways as a flesh collector to help him find the Scarlet Eye sets. As for the Spiders part, I think she’ll be more of a foil to that so I think she’ll just let him do whatever he’s supposed to do. 

As for believing in him, Neon knows that he’s intelligent and he’s one of the bodyguards that are still alive. She had her fair share of bodyguards who just drop dead like flies, so she assumes Kurapika must be strong enough to still be alive and kicking. She is also aware that he has his ways of influencing people, given that her father believes in him. Therefore, she believes in him too. She also acknowledges that Kurapika saved their asses from being broke, when her father was freaking out. So definitely, she knows that he is very capable of running their organisation. 

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

I think I already answered this in the “R” for “Romance”. 

But if I may add an NSFW... 

Well, certainly they do have their own fixed of kinks ahhaha. They start out as being kinda vanilla and just make out, then have some good ol’ missionary sex. And then, Neon, being a mischievous girl that she is, seeks out to try new things. She starts out by calling him “Daddy” and being very bratty/teasing... just to let out his inner dom in the bedroom. She also prompts him to do bondage on her because well, the chains he wears gives them ideas HAHA. Neon will just act like the total brat that needs to be subdued and disciplined; and Kurapika will follow. He likes to be in control; and he finds all sorts of ways to tame his bratty wife sexually. Kurapika is deep down kinky but he doesn’t admit it; and Neon nudges him towards that direction and everything just flows. 

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Okay. So... this is one of the main issues with their relationship. But this is what, I believe, makes it so interesting yet difficult to write a slowburn canon-compliant fiction of them. 

Neon doesn’t understand him well because she mostly minds her business and is more self-centred. And the way she empathise with people is different from how Kurapika expects her to be. Canonically, they are the polar opposite. Neon (and Light Nostrade) acted as a foil in the YorkNew City. Neon values the life of the living, breathing people; and not giving two cents about the people that had died. Kurapika, on the other hand, mourns for his dead clan. 

At first, Kurapika wanted to change the way she thinks - which is, of course, it kinda fails. Her hobby is in direct conflict of his beliefs. 

While canonically, he straightaway knew her situation (that conversation he had with Basho explaining that it was the father that is using the daughter, not the other way round), it was not indicated if he sympathises with her. He was just very task-focused to impress Light Nostrade and gain his trust, which is to protect his daughter.  

It definitely took a while for him to know her aside from being a “flesh collector” and the “bratty girl”. Maybe he got to know her more as a person, who is not so far from his age. 

As for Neon, I imagine her whining about Kurapika’s strict behaviour as a bodyguard, and finding him a bit boring to converse with due to his serious attitude while working. 

This couple really needs a LOT of patience with one another and time for them to bond. 

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

I think I had already addressed this in the “D - Dreams” section. 

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Neon and Kurapika initially never considered having kids, until Kurapika knocked her up and they have their first son. They named their first son Pairo. They have like, 3 to 5 subsequent kids, depending on how many kids you want them to go for. No matter how many girls and boys they have, all of them have Scarlet Eyes. 

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Oh yes. They do enjoy kissing and cuddling. And sex. But yeah, they don’t usually do PDA because Kurapika is rather shy about that. But behind closed doors? They’re doing more than kisses and cuddling - if you know what I mean. 

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

They will be upset. They will try to get themselves busy. For Neon, she will shop and play card games with her fellow attendants to get her mind off of him. She will wonder how he’s been, send him text messages and nudes while at work and complain about how much of a workaholic this guy is. 

For Kurapika, usually he’s the one away for either a business trip or on his way across the world to obtain another set of the Scarlet Eyes. He will think about her, it irritates him because missing her distracts him from the task at hand and he can’t help it. He’ll call her at some points of the day to just hear her voice and ask her well-being, to check whether everything in the mansion is fine or not. 

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Kurapika is persuasive in getting what he wants. That includes doing all sorts of tricks and nefarious ways to protect their relationship. As for Neon, if someone is blocking them, she will try to eliminate it by making demands and throw tantrums. 

However, they won’t admit it. They will find some excuse to jusify their behaviour, which often fails. 

Also, special thanks to @anotherworldash for helping me with Y and Z.

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 16X18

Wow. So that episode was intense. I liked it, but it was not at all what I was expecting based on the information they released beforehand. First things first I'm glad that Meredith is back in the spotlight kicking some surgical ass! It is her show after all. I thought Meredith handled the pro-bono day well all things considered. She had things under control until DeLuca pulled Bailey away and then lied to Helm and had the entire schedule rearranged by saying it was on her orders. Up to that point everything was on track and being handled so if he hadn't done that everything would have been fine. I think she handled that situation as best she could. In the end, she accomplished her goal. She got all of the pro-bono surgeries taken care of and made a plan for the future. I thought her blackmailing Tom by proposing the new pro-bono surgery day once a month was ballsy, but also badass.

Tom shouldn't have told her where the money came from because now he's in her pocket for the rest of his life. It also worked to calm everybody down which enabled the doctors to treat all of the patients as needed. I was disappointed that we didn't get more scenes with Meredith and Hayes this episode because the set up kind of made it seem like we would. In the end they only really had two scenes. The one at the beginning where Hayes and Owen were cracking jokes about the fact that they need a pro-bono surgery day to do something that hospitals in most other countries do every day and then at the end where he brought her a tea and congratulated her and said that he finally got what Cristina was saying about the twistedness and she said it took him long enough and thanked him for his help.

This episode made me feel like I was grasping at straws when it came to them and that made me a bit sad. On the other hand, this episode established once again that DeLuca and Meredith are officially over never to rise again as DeLuca has zero interest in dating her or even being around her and Meredith’s primary concern is getting him the help he needs and repaying the debt she feels she owes him. I’m hoping now that DeLuca has ridden off into the unknown on his motorcycle and is out of the picture, at least for a little while, that we’ll finally start to see some movement on the Meredith and Hayes front.

As Meredith said to Hayes in ‘Snowblind’ DeLuca was one of her first. He’s the first man she said ‘I love you’ to after Derek died and as a result she’s having a hard time letting go, but knows that she has to do it. One, because the relationship was never meant to last because they’re not in the same place in their lives. Two, because he’s insecure about how much better she is than him at everything and can’t get past it. And three, because he’s clearly suffering from a mental illness that he refuses to acknowledge or seek treatment for and is lashing out at her and the other people trying to help him as a result.

She’s having a hard time letting go and that’s okay. It’s hard to let go when you see someone suffering especially when it’s happening right in front of you at the hospital you work at. But at the same time she’s also made it clear to others including Hayes that she is single and is moving towards being ready to start moving on with her life. I feel like Hayes is in a similar place with his grief and moving on from his wife’s illness and death and that’s why I like them together. They’re not ready yet but they’re getting there and they have the potential to be epic.

I found the storyline this episode with DeLuca and the suspected abuse and his breakdown nerve wracking and very difficult to watch. There were points where I had to look away it was so bad. The acting was phenomenal but man was that heavy. I agree that based on the girl’s behaviour and the behaviour of her supposed aunt that there is some sort of abuse or neglect going on, but I’m not totally sold on the human trafficking angle. Both the girl and her supposed aunt appear to be natural redheads which is a relatively rare hair colour especially in North America. This would make the trafficking rather easy to spot so I don't believe the girl is being trafficked in the tradition sense.

I do however believe that there is some kind of abuse going on and based on the scene at the end she's either been kidnapped or forced into some kind of domestic slavery. I hope we get to see some follow up on this and that the other doctors are able to save the girl and anyone else who may in danger. This storyline once again cemented just how sick DeLuca is. If you had any doubts about him possibly being Bipolar before this episode this one definitely sold it.

He had a complete breakdown to the point that the other doctors had to form a human chain around him in order to convince him to stop yelling, stop screaming, and get off a table in the middle of a hospital waiting room. He is not well and he needs help. I think this episode did a good job of showing that once again it’s not about whether DeLuca is right or wrong about a patient or a case it’s how he goes about it that’s the problem. He gets laser focused on one aspect or detail to the exclusion of everything else including his own safety and the safety of those around him.

He was right about what Suzanne had, but he went about helping her the wrong way. Had he told Meredith what they had found out and what he was doing everything would have been fine, but instead he rushed in and injected steroids into a patient without getting consent, informing the attending physician, or checking to see if they had restarted the drug regiment or not. He’s lucky that she hadn’t because if she had those steroids would have killed Suzanne. Similarly, he was right to go get the liver from Seattle Pres when Hayes needed it and bring it back in time, but he was wrong to go out into a blizzard in below freezing temperatures to get it without gloves on and then try to refuse care.

And this week it’s the same thing again. He was right to suspect that something was up and that the girl was in danger and he was right to alert the nurse and other doctors, but he went about it the wrong way. He pulled Bailey off a pro-bono surgery to get her to see the patient with no evidence or way to prove the abuse. He rearranged Meredith’s pro-bono surgery schedule by lying to Helm and telling her it was on Meredith’s orders to get his patient into surgery. Because he lied his patient didn’t get the surgery or the help she needed.

When he realized that she wasn’t going to get the surgery because he scheduled it without asking he then kidnapped the girl and cornered her in a waiting room when she wouldn’t answer his questions the way he thought she should. When other doctors tried to help he prevented them and started screaming for the woman’s arrest with no proof of the abuse. Afterwards when Bailey tried to help him he refused and quit his job. He told Meredith he would take the suspension if she convinced Bailey to call the Trafficking Hotline, but then didn’t follow up.

On top of that he’s actions have been so aggressive and erratic these last few episodes that it makes it hard for any of the other doctors to take his concerns seriously because he’s expressing them while clearly not being in control of himself. And this time it’s the patient that suffers the most. Meredith had the pro-bono surgery day schedule under control and running smoothly until DeLuca pulled Bailey away from her surgery which messed up the schedule and then lied to Helm and had the entire schedule rearranged by saying it was on her orders. Up to that point everything was on track and being handled so if he hadn't done that everything would have been fine.

If he hadn’t pulled Bailey away or reschedule everything to give his patient priority then the patient would have gotten the surgery because they would have been able to fit her in at the end and this would have given them a chance to talk to her alone and hopefully find out what was really going on. DeLuca dashed all of that when he pulled Bailey off her case and rearranged the schedule without permission. In the past, he took serious risks and got lucky because both of those patients lived. This time he didn’t get lucky. The girl and her supposed aunt left the hospital and now no one knows where they are.

As for the conversation between DeLuca and Meredith after he stormed out of Bailey’s office, I feel the same way I did about all of the other times. We’ve been here before. At the end of last season DeLuca took the fall for Meredith when she specifically asked him not to. He told her he loved her and then went to jail for her crime. Then she visited him in prison and told him she loved him and then took responsibility for her crime and got him out of prison.

We see the same behaviour here again. DeLuca is convinced he’s right about his patient so he does something extreme. He pulls the Chief of Surgery off a pro-bono case and when that doesn’t work he rearranges the day’s entire pro-bono surgical schedule by saying that he’s working on Meredith’s orders. He then kidnaps a patient and refuses help to the point that the other doctors have to make a human chain around him and talk him off a table. Following this Bailey suspends him and tries to get him some help, but instead of accepting it he refuses and quits his job.

Seeing this Meredith is once again concerned so she follows him out and tells him that she loves him and that she feels indebted to him because he went to jail for her and that this can’t be how his story ends and for him to please let him help her. In response DeLuca tells her that he doesn’t love her, he never did, and he isn’t her problem anymore. It’s the exact same behaviour that we saw at the end of last season.

DeLuca behaves erratically and does something stupid he was specifically told not to do.  Meredith feels guilty and is genuinely concerned about him so in an effort to calm him down and get him to see things clearly and not do anything else stupid like she tells him she loves him. She says it to calm him down and to stop him from doing anything else stupid. That’s it that’s all.

I don't think she really loves him though. I think she cares about him and is legitimately concerned about him for good reason, but I don’t think she really loves him. Here’s why: we’ve only seen Meredith say she loves him under duress. We’ve never seen her say it when DeLuca wasn’t in immediate danger or about to do something stupid. And the only two times she’s brought it up outside of that she’s been pretty clear about how she really feels. When Zola had to have surgery and DeLuca was a first class idiot who expected Meredith to leave she told her sisters that she thought she loved him and that she was just having fun.

The time after that she told Hayes while sharing a romantic moment in the snow that she was having a hard time letting go of the relationship because he was the first man she said ‘I love you’ to after Derek died and he was clearly not doing well. For DeLuca’s part I don’t believe he’s ever really loved her either. DeLuca became infatuated with Meredith very quickly. He decided that he loved her before they even started dating all because she expressed a romantic interest in him.

Which was all well and good until the magic wore off and his insecurities about never being able to measure up to her and Derek starting creeping in. He broke up with her multiple times in the following episodes and the minute Meredith starting showing genuine concern for his out of control behaviour he lashed out and tells her he never loved her and to get lost. That’s because he doesn’t really love her and he never did. He convinced himself he did, but you don’t behave that way towards someone if you actually do no matter how sick you are.

Meanwhile the drama with Teddy, Owen, Tom, Amelia, and Link continues. As we saw last episode Amelia and Link are back together and the baby is his. Amelia comes into the Attending’s Lounge and announces to Teddy and Owen, and Jo who just happens to be there, that the baby is Link’s and that she’s sorry for any residual harm the not knowing may have caused. Owen is happy for her. Teddy pretends that she is, but is clearly devastated by the realization that she just blew her life up for no damn reason.

Jo is happy for her too and tells her that she already knew because as soon as Link found out he sent her a bitmoji of a baby with his face on it that she can never un-see but wishes she could. Too funny! It was good of Amelia to do that and I’m glad she did. She cleared the air and now everybody can move on. The series of events that lead up to this will definitely be Teddy and Owen’s downfall. If Teddy had slept with Tom once out of panic and then come clean to Owen I think he could have forgiven her and they could have moved forward and gotten married.

But that’s not what happened because Teddy slept with Tom more than once. They began an affair and it only ended because Tom chose to walk away. As this episode makes clear Teddy had no intention of doing so. As she says to Tom the fact that the baby is Link’s doesn’t change how she feels about him. This is about more than just the baby. It’s about Teddy realizes that she doesn’t know what she wants. She got everything she ever wanted and then realized that she wanted what she had. As a result, I don't think that's something Owen will be able or should forgive. I hope she does tell him, but at this point it looks doubtful that she will. My guess is that the truth will come out some other way and bite her in the butt later on.

I really liked Tom’s speech to Teddy in the OR Gallery. This is why I like him as a character. He’s an ass, but he’s a good guy at heart. He knows she can’t walk away and he loves her truly so he’s going to do it for her. Because as Tom says he can be an ass, but he’s not that much of an ass and he draws the line at sleeping with married women which she’s about to be. And as a man whose wife walked out the door and cheated on him after the loss of their son he’s not going to be that guy to another man even to someone he doesn’t like. He tells her to go home to her fiancée and her kids and plan her wedding.

At the end of the episode Owen finds Teddy crying on a bench outside. She feels guilty because she spent all day treating a war vet with Amelia who is clearly suffering mentally and physically and she knows that Owen has been through hell and now she’s cheating on him with another man. But instead of coming clean and telling him what’s really going on and how she’s feeling she lies and says she’s only upset about her patient and decides not to tell him. That’s going to bite her in the butt for sure.

The case I found most interesting this week was of the wounded veteran that Amelia and Teddy treated. It raised some good points, gave us some insight into how both Amelia and Teddy are feeling about their romantic partners and personal lives, and provided a great feel good moment at the end. I’m really glad they were able to help him and his girlfriend feel better and get their lives back.

I'm glad that Levi and Nico broke up. They went from a hot hookup to a real relationship to a hookup again and Nico's been all over the map. First he said he couldn’t help Levi on his journey, then they started dating, then he shut him out after his patient died, then they got back together, then he told Levi he wasn't out to his parents so they went back to being a hookup and Nico stop considering Levi and his feelings in his decision making. To be honest I think they've been over for a while, but Levi didn't want to admit it. Jo asking Levi to move in surprised me, but not in a bad way. They could both use a friend right now and I'll be interested to see where that goes.

In other news, Jackson got totally served this episode and it was glorious! The humour was so on point and provided some much needed levity to an otherwise dark and intense hour. My favourite moment was when Jackson tried to invite literally everybody he knew to the game because he had an extra ticket, but he's spent the last season and a half being such an ass to everyone that no one wanted to go with him and he got served! To me Maggie was the MVP on that one.

I'm glad that he and Richard reconnected. I'll be interested to see what Jo changes her name to in the coming weeks and I'm glad that Amelia and Link are back together, that they're happy, and seem to be doing well. Amelia’s speech at the end about fighting for their dreams was really lovely. The promo for next week’s episode looks promising. It appears to be a standalone episode where Richard, Teddy, Maggie, and Hayes attend a Surgical Innovation Conference in LA where Richard is presenting on his PATH pen. According to the promo and episode description it looks like Richard gets distracted by his issues with Catherine and both Teddy and Maggie run into people from their past. In Maggie’s case it’s an old flame and things get steamy! Get it girl! After all of the BS that Jackson put her through I’m here for it!

It also rules out the possibility of another Maggie Riggs situation with Hayes and I am so glad! Every single person Meredith has dated as either been someone her friends and family didn’t like or had a thing with one of her sisters which drove me nuts! At this point they have established that Cristina, Amelia, Bailey, and Jo all like Hayes and enjoy working with him. Cristina sent him as a present for Meredith and both Amelia and Jo have said they like him and think him and Meredith would be good together and approve of Cristina’s choice.

We haven’t seen him interact with Maggie or Richard yet and for that I’m excited. Maggie deserves a hot hookup and Meredith deserves someone her friends and family like and whose not involved with one of her sisters, secretly married, or engaged to someone whose not actually dead. I hope that Maggie and Hayes get along and she gets his endorsement. I’d love to see Richard and Hayes get to know each other better and get along as well as none of Meredith’s previous love interests have ever made an effort with Richard or been close to him with the possible exception of Derek because he knew Richard from before, but in that case Richard was against him and Meredith dating from the start so I’m not sure that really counts.

Speaking of Hayes it looks like we’re about to find out more about him and I am pumped! According to the episode description being at the Conference brings back memories from him and we’re going to get to see him relive moments from when he met his late wife. I’m very excited about this. Hayes is my new favourite character and the scenes with him and Meredith bring me joy! I’m excited to learn more about his past, meet his wife, get more insight into him as a character, and potentially learn more about his kids.

Until next time!

[notquiteaghost]

helo i love yuo

so, you may have seen this post where i ramble at length about the admiral (the best magnus archives character). this is that, but... even longer. 3′000 words long, to be exact

this rambling contains the admiral; jon&georgie friendship; the beholding throwing jon a bone and letting him talk to cats; the admiral: this time he's yelling; georgie/melanie origins; & bad things exclusively happening off-screen. we are on fluff about cats 24/7 lockdown

and it’s also on AO3

jon definitely had cats growing up and is the kind of person whose life feels Wrong if he doesn’t live with any

he says this to georgie offhandedly, one day, when they’re living together in a decent flat (as opposed to the Hell House they lived in the previous year with various other uni friends), and both have decent jobs (jon in a small, independent bookshop and georgie as a copyeditor), and in general their lives are Going Good

and he’s not trying to hint or anything, (or at least not consciously), just, tells a story about the small angry ex-feral his grandmother had who hated everyone, frequently disappeared for days, had to be sedated for basic vet check ups, but would lie on his feet in the evening while he read and purr, so quietly he felt more than heard it

and georgie doesn’t say anything about getting a cat in that moment either, just tells a story about her own childhood cat’s habit of stealing socks and hiding them under cabinets

but then a couple days later jon comes home and on their sofa is a tiny ball of orange fluff

georgie is sat next to him and she grins and says, “this is the admiral”

“where did he… come from?” jon asks, because he knows georgie, and he’s having visions of her breaking into the house on the end of their road and just. grabbing a cat.

(the house is occupied by an older man who cares for his many, many cats just fine, aside from how he won’t spay any of them and it seems like with every passing month another six cats have appeared)

“rebecca — she works at the library, you’ve definitely met — her cat just had a litter. he’s ten weeks, he’s had his first two shots, she gave me a huge bag of kitten food”

“right. and you decided we’re getting a kitten…?” “this morning.” “oh, of course.”

the admiral is very small, and ginger and long-haired, and he really likes to curl up on them — on georgie’s chest while she’s on the sofa, on jon’s lap when he’s reading. his favourite place to sleep very quickly becomes across their shoulders, snug between them and the back of the sofa, like a kitten hood

he’s very vocal, and has many demands, and you will listen to them. he follows jon round the flat shouting in the evening until jon gives in and goes to bed, and then the admiral lies on top of him and purrs up a storm

he’s an indoor cat, because jon and georgie live in a third floor flat, and so one of his other frequent demands is for someone to trail a tie along the floor for him to murder (yes, they have bought him many actual cat toys. yes, these are all incredibly boring and all he wants to chase are georgie’s shoelaces and jon’s ties)

he likes marbles, rubber balls, bottle tops and other small things he can bat around the tile in the kitchen, and he especially likes when someone stands at the other end of the kitchen and bats them back. they call it tennis. he always wins

if either of them do anything in the kitchen he has to be sitting on the counter to supervise. he doesn’t usually care about the actual food (unless it’s chicken) but he Has To Know

in general he just likes to have his people in his line of sight at all times. if they’re in different rooms he’ll alternate between them, sometimes with increasing frequency until he’s getting up every five minutes very pointedly and narrating his journey angrily, which almost always has the desired effect of them giving up and moving

he sits on georgie’s lap more often, because if jon’s sat on the sofa it’s rare he’s arranged in such a way to make a lap. often the admiral will sit sideways on georgie’s lap and reach out a single paw to rest on the closest part of jon. sometimes this is jon’s face

he loves new people. anyone who comes to their flat is obviously here to see him, and he’s very happy to accommodate that. if any visitors sit down he will be on their laps within seconds. why else would they have sat down! he’s lovely and they love him, obviously

he hates the hoover, it’s his sworn mortal enemy and one day he will kill it. this is unfortunate, as he’s long-haired and fluffy and without regular intervention, all the carpet in the flat would be ginger. he can’t be in the room being hoovered, as he pounces on the cable with enough murderous intent to do real damage. and after the hoovering is done he sulks

he sulks for weeks when jon moves out

he is, in fact, the reason jon & georgie remain in contact, because regardless of how vicious the things they said were by the end, the admiral pines. he lies on what was jon’s pillow and looks incredibly mournful, and georgie doesn’t think it’s fair if only she has to feel guilty about it, so she takes a picture and texts it to jon

and jon isn’t any less angry yet, but dammit the admiral is his cat too, so then they have this weird unspoken agreement where they never discuss themselves but georgie sends him frequent admiral updates and every so often jon comes round and lies on the floor so the admiral can sit on his chest and knead his stomach with pointed force while scolding him at length

(eventually they start talking properly again) (you can pry platonic jongeorgie out my cold dead hands) (jon gets distant during s2 but prior to that they go out for coffee every couple weeks) (they text a lot. jon has to come round georgie’s at least once a month or the admiral starts shredding the hoodies of his georgie has permanently stolen)

when georgie starts what the ghost, of course the admiral has to supervise. he likes to curl up in her lap while she records. if she stops petting him he reaches up to headbutt the mic

whenever he isn’t on her lap he sits on top of her script / reference files / any other sheet of paper she could need to look at. he loves to sit on paper, especially paper she doesn’t want him to sit on

the what the ghost twitter account is 30% episode announcements, articles, behind the scenes stuff, etc, and 70% admiral pictures

one tweet in particular has like 50k retweets. it’s a video of georgie getting up mid-recording to get a drink and the admiral, sat on her desk, leaning forward to meow into the mic as if continuing what georgie was saying

jon is campaigning for georgie to make the admiral his own twitter account. georgie knows she’d almost immediately neglect her own twitter account and she kind of needs to keep that up for her job. jon argues that the admiral would reach people who might otherwise not check the podcast out; georgie counters that if he thinks it’s such a good idea why doesn’t he run it; jon points out he doesn’t live with the admiral and also has a job of his own; work/life balance is a well-worn argument topic in of itself so generally then they drop it

and then jon is accused of murder and moves back in with georgie and the admiral is overjoyed, he purrs nonstop for three straight days, he tries to lie on top of jon nonstop for three straight days, he is the single good thing in jon’s life right now and jon tells him this frequently

then after a couple weeks jon starts to hear words, when the admiral meows, which. is a thing. sure is a thing. that is happening.

jon stumbles into the kitchen at 4AM, able but unwilling to sleep, on the hunt for more tea, and hears a concerned voice call “jon? jon are you okay?”, and he calls back “i’m fine i just couldn’t sleep— ” before turning round and seeing stood in the doorway not georgie but the admiral, who meows again, except jon also hears “i will lie on you”, and then he has to sit on the kitchen floor for a minute

the admiral comes over, of course, and sits on his lap, and purrs and headbutts jon’s jaw and kneads his stomach, and says “yes love you” when jon says, “thank you admiral”

so then jon stares into space for a bit, still stroking one of the admiral’s ears, before asking, hesitantly, “have you… always understood me…?”

but the admiral mrrrps in that way of his that means no, and says “since you came back” so, that’s good, at least jon’s cat isn’t walking around with a wealth of blackmail material

because, of course, he’s the kind of loud shouty man you can keep up a conversation with, and jon and georgie both have a habit of talking through their problems with him

and he doesn’t tell georgie, because this is before he comes clean about All Of It and also this is, in his opinion, a touch more batshit than even evil doors or women made of wax. and he talks to the admiral like he’s a person and they’re having a conversation anyway!

but, the thing is, georgie isn’t an idiot, and notices that when jon asks the admiral what he did with his day, he seems to actually listen to the answer, and then knows about things that the admiral saw but jon didn’t

so a couple days after jon finally explains about the eldritch fear beings and how he works for one and some others want to kill him, after georgie insisted they both stay in for a day, no mention of anything remotely supernatural, just rewatching monster factory and eating ben & jerrys, the day after that georgie sits down across from jon at the kitchen table and asks, “so, you know things? that’s the deal, yeah?” and jon nods, not awake enough to be wary about where this could be going, and georgie adds, “things like what the admiral’s saying?”

and jon. freezes. but georgie just rolls her eyes, says, “what, i can accept you’re on a crusade to stop evil mannequins from ending the world, but you talking to the cat is too far?”, and, well, that’s a good point

so then, as well as having very surreal conversations with the admiral about the relative merits of various brands of cat food, and his thoughts on the reasoning behind various human activities (“georgie is trying to befriend the microphone.” “no it's– the microphone isn’t alive.” “georgie knows that?” “she’s recording, so other people can hear what she has to say without being here.” “!!! record me!!! tell everyone to bring chicken!!!”), and why jon is an idiot fool who should never go anywhere alone again (“don’t even have claws, jon. take me, i will bite.” “i appreciate that, but–” “i am very sharp! i bite hard! i draw lots of blood!” “yes, you’re very dangerous, and that’s why i need you here, to keep georgie safe.” “i’m not kitten i know you are manipulating” “i love you very much, and i promise to be more careful, okay?” “hmph.”)

as well as that, jon is also acting as translator for georgie — if jon’s around, the admiral can understand georgie, but georgie can’t understand the admiral (if the world wasn’t ending, jon would find that absolutely fascinating, but alas)

the admiral tells them both he loves them, a lot. after they feed him, when they’re petting him, but also sometimes he’ll wake up from a nap, see jon sat in the other armchair (georgie’s flat has two armchairs, one with big armrests she found in a charity shop that’s the reading chair, one with a very low back that came with her flat and is the admiral’s), say “love you jon” with great contentment, then go back to sleep. it makes jon tear up every single time

he’s VERY upset when jon moves out. he does not agree with jon’s logic at ALL, and he rants to georgie about it at length, but she can’t understand him anymore

georgie knows the gist of it, though, and when, four days after he left, jon stops replying to her texts, or picking up her calls, she does get a touch worried, and turns up at the institute for some answers

she has melanie’s number, of course, but melanie has also been getting worse and worse about actually responding when contacted (because she’s so angry, all the time, and she just wants to hurt something, and georgie wants her to get out the institute, and melanie is worried what might happen if they argue about it again), so she goes in person, and finds basira

basira doesn’t know where jon is, hasn’t seen him in a while but that’s nothing out the ordinary, and the only person who probably would know is elias, and elias isn’t exactly… forth-coming

so georgie leaves without answers, and decides whatever jon’s done now, he didn’t see fit to tell her about it beforehand (even though, after mike crew, she made him promise), so he obviously doesn’t want her help, so fine. fine! she has enough going on, without worrying about an idiot with a death wish who she definitely doesn’t still care about to an alarming degree

she does, also, decide the institute, the– eldritch fear gods, whatever, they don’t get all her friends. she goes back to the institute the next morning, and refuses to leave until melanie talks to her

melanie looks like shit, visibly buzzing with rage but also with an air of deep, deep exhaustion, and she hasn’t even finished asking what the hell georgie wants before georgie has grabbed her arm and is dragging her outside

and melanie — there’s a knife in melanie’s pocket (there’s always a knife in melanie’s pocket), but she doesn’t reach for it, there’s no sudden surge of mindless rage, she lets georgie drag her all the way out the institute, and into a cafe four blocks away, the one that does the pastries martin likes

georgie doesn’t say anything about leaving the institute, or where jon is, or the unknowing. she orders them both drinks (a cinnamon latte for melanie, with extra whip cream, meaning georgie remembers her favourite drink still, which makes something in melanie feel fuzzy), and just immediately launches into a rant about this source she’s trying to track down for a what the ghost episode

and then she keeps doing that, every week, barging her way into the institute and barging back out with melanie in tow until melanie starts replying to her texts and answering her calls and waiting for her outside

the admiral still thinks they should be more worried about jon, but he no longer has any way to tell georgie that, and he likes the sound of melanie

when jon returns from being kidnapped, he doesn’t actually visit georgie, or even reply to her texts. she finds out he’s back from melanie, and then has to, again, turn up at the institute and demand jon come back to the flat in person. she’s incredibly angry, but not actually at jon

the admiral has a LOT to say when he sees jon again, mostly to the tune of “i TOLD YOU” and “georgie doesn’t listen” and “weeks!!! lucky you aren’t dead!!!! not safe alone!!!!!” and “idiot, idiot, love you, most idiot”. jon just sits down on the floor of georgie’s entryway and lets the admiral sit on his chest and yell

he, of course, does not agree with jon’s decision to not only leave the flat but the country. jon is a FOOL who will DIE doesn’t he love the admiral!!! doesn’t he want to stay safe!!!

georgie leans against the wall behind them and nods emphatically the whole time

once jon leaves again, the admiral is, to say the least, Upset

jon calls as regularly as he can, to reassure them both he’s alive, and georgie starts spending more and more time with melanie

the admiral loves melanie. she’s sharp and quick, would be good in a fight (not that he’s ever seen her do any violence, cats can just tell some things), and she makes georgie happy, and she’s good at ear scritches, and she doesn’t know what he’s saying exactly but she’s pretty good at getting the gist

he tries to tell georgie that melanie should move in, but can’t get her to understand the specifics. she does start inviting her round more, though, which is good. sometimes they talk into the microphone together, now

after jon returns to england and actually goes back to the archives he shows everyone who stays still long enough admiral pictures

mostly that means martin. and basira (basira is a cat person, thank you) (she hasn’t met the admiral in person despite georgie offering because she Isn’t Here To Make Friends) (but she’s still very invested in him and his exploits)

martin will come into jon’s office with tea and to check he has actually eaten today and jon will immediately go “look look come look at this” and show the video georgie sent that morning of the admiral trying to attack a fly on the other side of her bedroom window

“he’s such an idiot” jon says fondly, and martin looks at him and thinks i know the feeling

and, also, this means jon and melanie have something to talk about that isn’t a) No, Seriously, What If We Stabbed Elias, b) the circus apocalypse, or c) are you… dating my ex… 

melanie is not dating georgie. melanie is possibly the only person who doesn’t realise she only isn’t dating georgie Yet

melanie would probably realise she’s in the first third of a slowburn friends-to-lovers if not for, y'know, the slaughter. she knows being around georgie makes the anger dissipate, somewhat, but it’s not yet enough to make room for any other feelings

jon asks, of course, once he’s been back a couple weeks, lying on the floor of georgie’s living room with the admiral being a loaf on his chest while georgie sits on the sofa and edits audio

“so,” he says, and georgie hits pause on the audio file and raises an eyebrow, “melanie, huh?”

“we are only talking about that if you admit you have a crush on martin,” georgie fires back, immediately

and, of course, at this point jon has a) spent several hours going On And On about martin to georgie, b) listened to Those Tapes, c) gone gallivanting round the globe and thought ‘oh martin would like that’ approx two hundred times, so he just says, “sure. i have a crush on martin, and once we’ve successfully survived preventing the world from ending, i will probably ask him out. so — melanie?”

georgie lets out a long, low groan, because melanie

she scrunches her nose up when she’s annoyed, and she’s read every goosebumps book, and one time she nearly started a fight with a guy in costa because she overheard him say something shitty about the homeless guy sat outside, and she hums old folk tunes when she’s thinking

and elias really fucked her up with that shit about her dad, and the speed at which she jumps to violence is incredibly worrying, and if georgie doesn’t remind her sometimes she forgets to eat

“once we successfully survive you preventing the world from ending,” georgie says, at length, “i will ask her out.”

jon nods. the admiral says, “been telling her melanie should move in” and then makes his annoyed mrrp noise when the force of jon’s sudden laughter almost dislodges him onto the floor

[lovelahela]

❛ i know it's today ❜ ─ lily spencer.

⇢ requested by @windswiftcupid !

⇢ pairing: lily spencer x mc (jade)

⇢ genre: fluff, highschool!au

⇢ song: i know it’s today ; shrek, the musical

⇢ description: in which lily spencer, just another tech crew kid, likes the out-of-her-league female lead.

⇢ word count: 1399

⇢ notes: i’m sorry for the long wait esp if it didn’t end up being worth it skjfasf if u want a part two i’d love to write it!

Theatre was the bright bubble in Lily Spencer’s stressful world,  a place the inner life of the human soul comes to dance, sing and exclaim of all that really matters. High school was not an easy stage in life, at least for people like Lily, who are kicked to the side as outcasts who don’t fit in with the social norm. Maybe it was her weird love for video games, or her impeccable skill of spilling word vomit and ultimately embarrassing herself; either way, Lily made peace with being an outcast, no matter what the reason for her exclusion was.

There were people like Lily; cast aside, viewed as peculiar and “uncool.” And then there were people like Jade; popular, loved, adored by all. Jade was out of her league, of course; when you’re a hyperactive nerd crushing on a lead actor that is - defying all laws of physics and the universe - also the captain of a varsity team and the president of several clubs with outstanding grades, you realize your chances are quite slim.

She did like girls, though, so Lily never truly surrendered her dream of snatching a gorgeous, rare specimen like her.

“Spencer! Were you paying attention?” Mr. Castellanos, the school’s economics teacher, snapped impatiently at the daydreaming girl sitting at the back of her class. She had paced her cheek on her fist and was gazing dreamily at the wall behind him, igniting a spark of exasperation for what seemed like the thousandth time since he had begun teaching her.

She jumped in her seat at the abrupt yell, earning snickers from her classmates. Jax Matsuo, a fellow outcast (although he was definitely loved by the female population more than his peers, considering he was quite handsome and gave off “bad boy” vibes) nudged her playfully from behind and whispered, “Oooooh, busted.”

“Uh - I - Of course I was!” Lily lied straight through her teeth while looking the teacher straight in his angered eyes. Her heart could run whole marathons at the rate it had been beating, and her hands began to sweat. At that point, all pairs of eyes present in the room had been on her, including her raging crush.

“Oh? Then tell me what the financial gain made in transactions is.”

She gulped nervously. Shit, crap, damn it all to every hell, she swore profusely in her mind. Mr. Castellanos raised his eyebrows at her expectantly. Out of the corner of her slightly widened eyes, she spotted - to her shock - Jade waving to grab her attention. Once they locked eyes, her heart skipped a beat and a fuzzy feeling warmed her stomach. Shut up, stomach, now isn’t the time, hissed Lily mentally. Jade gestured to her lips, and mouthed clearly: PROFIT.

Lily immediately made eye contact with the economics teacher once again and blurted out the answer that her classmate gave her so quickly and panickedly that it made him slightly suspicious. He narrowed his eyes at her, but nonetheless congratulated her for answering correctly.

“Good to know you’re not completely useless in my class, Spencer. Don’t let me catch you like this again.”

Lily let out a long breath in relief and a grin resembling that of a maniac stretched across her lips. With reddened cheeks and pinkish ears, she mouthed a thank you to Jade, who returned it with the warmest smile she had ever been given.

You had better believe that particular moment was the only thing Lily thought of until the end of the school day. On her way to lunch, through Eng. Lit., during her mathematics class - the single topic on her mind was Jade. She couldn’t believe how childish she had been acting and felt as though she was back in elementary school with the biggest schoolgirl crush.

Eventually, rehearsal rolled around. All the theatre kids gathered in the theatre, discussing their plans for upcoming rehearsals before the big day. The play they were preparing for was, to Lily’s delight, Shrek: The Musical. She remembered laughing like a madwoman with the Costume and Makeup crew, who adored the idea of making the most pompous boy in their school look like a large, green ogre. It was beautiful, really.

Lily positioned herself next to the tech crew’s equipment as Jade, who played the eldest version of Fiona (she had been glad they didn’t rob her of the part for not being light-skinned), readied herself to begin singing one of Lily’s favourite parts of the musical - I Know It’s Today.

She watched as the child and teenage Fiona sang their parts beautifully and adjusted the lighting accordingly. The youngest had quite the magnificent voice, Lily knew she would go far in life. She could barely prepare herself when she realized Jade’s verse was approaching, knowing she would be just as affected by it as she always was.

“Here come the waterworks,” whispered the person in charge of the music, Nicole, jokingly. Lily poked her in the ribs with a childish huff.

Jade finally appeared, wearing a long ginger wig and a green dress that fit her like a glove. Her powerful, melodious voice rang throughout the theatre loudly and clearly, striking a chord within every occupant of the room - even their jaded and strict director, Kamilah Sayeed. Lily’s eyes glazed over with a glossy coat of tears threatening to spill over her cheeks. Her voice was beauty, music, grace. It was the promise of tomorrow, and Lily never wanted it to end.

“Lil, are you crying?” chuckled Nicole quietly, careful not to disrupt the rehearsal.

“No, I just have a tree in my eye.” Her voice quivered when she answered, and when she saw Nicole eyeing her with a single quirked eyebrow and a smirk, she huffed out again. “Both eyes.”

The blonde next to her shook her head with a knowing smile, but Lily completely ignored her and centred her focus on the singing beauty on the marvellously decorated stage.

Once rehearsal was over, Lily waited at the bus stop nearest her school to finally go home and unwind from such a long and tiring day. She stared at the blue sky above, adorned with pure clouds and the occasional soaring bird. She sensed someone take a seat next to her, but took no notice of them.

“Wow, no thank you, Jade, for the heroic save during Econ?”

A shriek unwillingly barreled out of her lips as she jumped yet again in her seat, startled by the sudden appearance of Jade. She sat next to her, the uncoolest person in the world, of all people? Eyes wide and cheeks flushed, Lily avoided Jade’s gaze and stammered the worst apology in the universe, earning a hearty laugh from the latter.

“Relax, Lils, I was just joking!” Her pearly whites almost blinded her when she showcased her megawatt smile. Lily squeaked pathetically at the sound of that nickname, unaware that Jade even knew her name. “You do a great job with the tech crew, by the way. You’re a pretty cool gal.”

“I… Pretty… Gal? Cool?” The gay panic is too much for me to handle, cried the mortified teenager in her anxious mind.

She chuckled nervously. I’m in danger.

“I’m sorry we never got the chance to hang out before, I usually try to get to know everyone in the club. How about I make it up to you?” Her gaze was soft and friendly, making her feel weak in the knees despite being seated. Her stomach did somersaults.

“You - I - Yeah. Cool. Cool. SURE!” She cringed at the way her voice cracked when she all but screamed the last word.

Jade smiled warmly. “You don’t have to be nervous around me, you know!”

“Easier said than done,” muttered Lily, but it was loud enough for her companion to catch it.

“Come on, there’s an ice cream parlour just down the road! Ditch the bus, I’ll give you a ride home when we’re done.” Jade grabbed her hand firmly and yanked her onto her feet, excitedly dashing down the asphalt with a very confused but very ecstatic Lily Spencer attempting to catch up without tripping over her own two feet. A grin crept and the air grew thick with a tenderness that couldn’t help but make her breathe faster, happier.

Maybe Jade wasn’t as unreachable as the glittering stars in a night sky like she thought she was.

[black-metallic]

A Complete List of Songs Featuring Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett is one of rock music’s most enigmatic characters. He was Pink Floyd’s leader in the late 60’s and was instrumental in getting the band to the levels of popularity they attained in the 70’s. However, he was present for none of that long-term success, as he started suffering from severe mental problems in late 1967, which ended up leading to his dismissal from the band in early 1968. Throughout 1969 and 1970, he made many solo recordings, which would be collected on the two albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. But they were rather haphazard and hasty in arrangement, and consequently not very polished. After 1970, his activity in the music scene became even more sporadic. He recorded a few demo tracks in 1971, played in a short-lived Canterbury based band known as Stars in 1972, and recorded a few more demo tracks in 1974. Then, after that last demo session, he completely retired from music, not making a single additional recording for the rest of his life. And he only started recording music in 1965, meaning that he was in the music scene for less than 10 years.

Nevertheless, within those 10 years or so (and really only between late 1966 and 1970), the music he did create was unique, even for the time. Most 60’s British psychedelic rock went in one of two directions. The first was heavily inspired by The Beatles, being heavily layered and somewhat experimental (at least for the time), yet still very poppish and often simplistic in style. The second was heavily inspired by Cream, being harder and more blues influenced, but rarely too experimental. Syd Barrett’s music definitely had elements of both of these approaches, but it was also significantly more experimental than other contemporaneous music. This is rather surprising considering his music was very popular when he was a member of Pink Floyd, their song See Emily Play reaching number 6 in England.

Between this unique inherent dichotomy in his music (i.e. between his poppy and experimental sensibilities), the fact that he was once a member of Pink Floyd, and the fact that his mental issues colored a lot of his later music (something that wasn’t really paralleled at the time), Syd Barrett’s music has obtained a rather large fanbase over the years. However, because all his music was recorded from the late 60’s to the early 70’s, plenty of it is still obscure (and some of it is even lost) and even big fans of his music frequently miss out on a number of gems.

In this post, I will go through every studio recording Syd Barrett plays a part in, and a good portion of all the live shows he plays a part in as well (I have generally chosen to neglect short one or two song performances Pink Floyd often did on BBC at the time). This includes everything from album songs to alternate takes to obscure once-recorded songs in demo quality, and even songs that were only recorded live and songs he performs on that were released outside of Pink Floyd and his own name. While not truly complete, this goes through just about all the points, and just neglects a few side things for length’s sake.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd formed in 1965. In the very beginning, they had two guitarists, Bob Klose, who played lead guitar, and Syd Barrett, who played rhythm guitar. They made one recording in this lineup, which featured six songs in a typical mid-60’s British R&B style, rather separated from anything Pink Floyd would do in the future. In fact, I’m a King Bee is actually a cover of a Muddy Waters song. One anomaly here is Walk with Me Sydney, a song more in the typical mid-60’s English pop style. The full list of songs here are

Lucy Leave

Double O Bo

Remember Me

Walk with Me Sydney

Butterfly

I’m a King Bee

Bob Klose left Pink Floyd the same year they formed, and Syd Barrett became the lone guitarist for the band. Between this point and when they started recording their first album, they made a number of recordings, but most were rather uncoordinated and small in scope. Among the more interesting tracks is an early version of Interstellar Overdrive recorded in late 1966 that is 15 minutes long and as experimental as the album version.

However, Pink Floyd did do two major things before they released their first album - they released two singles, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play, both of which made it rather high on the English charts and would remain Pink Floyd’s most popular singles for a long time. They also released three other non-album singles/B-sides in 1967. Candy and a Currant Bun is somewhat similar to the style that Pink Floyd’s music had in 1965, but which considerable added psychedelic influence. Paintbox is another anomaly, being the first song keyboardist Richard Wright wrote alone for Pink Floyd, as well as the first song that features him on lead vocals. The non-album singles Pink Floyd released that Syd Barrett played on, including those the band released after the release of their first album, are

Arnold Layne

See Emily Play

Apples and Oranges

Candy and a Currant Bun

Paintbox

In August 1967, they released Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which features these songs

Astronomy Domine

Lucifer Sam

Matilda Mother

Flaming

Pow R. Toc H.

Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk

Interstellar Overdrive

The Gnome

Chapter 24

The Scarecrow

Bike

By the time their follow-up to Piper at the Gates of Dawn was being recorded, Syd Barrett’s mental issues were becoming more and more apparent. While he was kicked out of the band before A Saucerful of Secrets was released, he features on three of the album’s songs, including one (Jugband Blues) where he plays lead vocals. These are

Remember a Day

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

Jugband Blues

Other studio songs Pink Floyd recorded with Syd Barrett include In the Beechwoods, a jazz-styled song that calls back to their R&B roots but performed in a psychedelic manner, Vegetable Man and Scream Thy Last Scream, songs that were initially slated to be singles but were discarded for not seeming commercially viable enough, John Latham, an experimental psychedelic instrumental track that was recorded nine different times, each time being sizably different from the last, Let’s Roll Another One, an early version of Candy and a Currant Bun that was scrapped due to the song’s title and lyrics featuring too overt drug references, and Experiment, another instrumental improvisation that is often incorrectly called Sunshine. The full list is

In the Beechwoods

Vegetable Man

Scream Thy Last Scream

John Latham (Versions 1-9)

Let’s Roll Another One

Experiment (Sunshine)

Recorded live performances of Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett are very rare. Only four complete shows were recorded, three of which were in poor quality (the vocals are essentially unintelligible). There were also a number of short, not particularly interesting BBC and radio performances they did in that time. Songs played live but never recorded in the studio include Reaction in G, an experimental song that was written as a “reaction” to fans always requesting that they play See Emily Play, as well as One in a Million, an almost proto-metal track, whose riff would inspire the main riff in Corporal Clegg. The other complete recorded show, which saw a release in 1990, is in better quality, and is composed of the two songs Pink Floyd contributed to the film Tonite Lets All Make Love in London. It features the definitive version of Interstellar Overdrive and the unique track Nick’s Boogie, a jazz fusion influenced song written wholly by drummer Nick Mason. There’s also Green Onions, a short song done during one of their BBC performances. The full list of songs exclusively played live is

Reaction in G

Nick’s Boogie

Green Onions

One in a Million

Finally, there are several alternate takes and interesting demos performed in the studio that were either only released upon a subsequent rerelease of the album or were never official released at all. These include

Interstellar Overdrive (Take 2)

Matilda Mother (Alternate Version)

Interstellar Overdrive (Take 6)

Interstellar Overdrive (31 Oct 1966 Demo)

Solo

Now, as discussed earlier, Syd Barrett did not leave music immediately after leaving Pink Floyd in early 1968. He remained rather active for another three years, and he recorded music a bunch of different times over those three years. The first album he released in this period, appropriately titled The Madcap Laughs, features disparate cuts from these recordings. The album features these songs

Terrapin

No Good Trying

Love You

No Man’s Land

Dark Globe

Here I Go

Octopus

Golden Hair

Long Gone

She Took a Long Cold Look

Feel If It’s in You

Late Night

The second and final album he released, titled Barrett, was again collected from cuts from different recording sessions he did. The album features these songs

Baby Lemonade

Love Song

Dominoes

It Is Obvious

Rats

Maisie

Gigolo Aunt

Waving My Arms in the Air/Never Lied to You

Wined and Dined

Wolfpack

Effervescing Elephant

In 1988, a compilation album of sorts titled Opel was released. It featured a number of previously unreleased songs, alongside some alternate takes of songs recorded for Madcap Laughs and Barrett. The previously unreleased songs on Opel include

Opel

Dolly Rocker

Word Song

Swan Lee (Silas Lang)

Birdie Hop

Let’s Split

Lanky (Part One)

Milky Way

Other songs that he composed but that never made it to any of these three albums include Rhamadan, a 20-minute avant-garde jazz rock piece that only someone with the mind of Syd Barrett could have composed, and Two of a Kind and Bob Dylan Blues, both simplistic folk-like songs with repetitive acoustic guitar licks. He also did a solitary demo of some new songs in 1974, but all of them were at best half-completed compositions. Nevertheless, for completeness, all the songs from that session are included (they comprise all the songs from the fourth one down in the following list). The full list is

Rhamadan

Two of a Kind

Bob Dylan Blues

Boogie #1

Boogie #2

Boogie #3

If You Go #1

Chooka-Chooka-Chug-Chug

If You Go #2

Untitled

Slow Boogie

John Lee Hooker

Fast Boogie

Now, there are only three surviving concert-esque performances featuring solo-era Syd Barrett. The first is the Peel Session recordings he made on 24 February 1970, where he recorded five songs. The second is a set of recordings for an unaired episode of the show Sounds of the Seventies, where he recorded three songs. And the third is the only explicitly live performance on this list, where he performed a show at the Olympia Exhibition Hall in London on 6 June 1970, where he played four songs, after which he abruptly walked off the stage, never to return. He performed no new songs at any of these performances (except Two of a Kind, which was only played for the Peel Session).

Further, there are several alternate takes and interesting demos performed in studio that were either only released upon a subsequent rerelease of the album or were never officially released at all. These include

Octopus (Takes 1 and 2, and 20 July 1968 Demo)

It’s No Good Trying (Take 5)

Love You (Takes 1 and 3)

She Took a Long Cold Look at Me (Take 4)

Golden Hair (Takes 5 and 6)

Love Song (14 July 1970 Demo)

Dominoes (Takes 1 and 2)

Rats (Demo)

Wined and Dined (Demo)

Gigolo Aunt (Take 9)

Clowns and Jugglers (Take 1)

Effervescing Elephant (Take 2)

Baby Lemonade (Take 1)

Waving My Arms in the Air (Take 1)

I Never Lied to You (Take 1)

It Is Obvious (Takes 2, 3, and 5)

Finally, Syd Barrett also made a few appearances outside of Pink Floyd and his solo work. His first venture of this type was with Kevin Ayers, formerly of Soft Machine, where he recorded a guitar part for the single Singing a Song in the Morning, with associated B-side Eleanor’s Cake (Which Ate Her), in 1970. Then, in 1972, he played with a local Canterbury band called Stars a few times. The band only performed live, and he only played a part on the songs Drinkin’ That Wine, Number Nine, and Gotta Be a Reason. Like the earliest lineup of Pink Floyd, Stars had two guitarists. Syd Barrett was again the rhythm guitarist, and his guitar can be differentiated from the fact that it is extremely muddy and chaotic. The full list of songs of this type is

Singing a Song in the Morning

Eleanor’s Cake (Which Ate Her)

Drinkin’ That Wine

Number Nine

Gotta Be a Reason

[okimargarvez]

HURT- open wounds

Original title: Hurt.

Prompt: Luke’s dark thought, destiny, contrasted love.

Warnings: sexual content, dark thoughts.

Genre: angst, drama, romantic, smut, dark, mistery, frienship.

Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, BAU team, O.C.

Pairing: Garvez.

Note: multichapter.

Legend: 💏😘😈🔦🐶❗🎈👻.

Song mentioned: La tua vita intera, Tiziano Ferro.

Hurt- Masterlist

MY OTHER GARVEZ STORIES

Chapter 3-

I just I don't want to feel your Judgy McJudgerson looks on me as I daintily sip my Mai Tai.

 He continues to review her serious expression as she pronounces that sentence. The way she had raised and arched eyebrows. How her lips were curled. JJ and Emily hadn't only remained in the background: they were completely gone. There was only her. Her green dress and wacky. Her ample bosom, which seemed on the verge of exploding. Her voice seemed so childish while she strives to convince him of her ability to discern between good (maximum two drinks if the next day there was no work) and evil (drunken driving). Her attempt to stay away, avoid him, but then still question him.

How loud had caught him, the desire, once again?

But he couldn't in this case telling himself the fairytale, that he needed her, to keep his mind off, out of his mind the usual album of horrifying visions. Something slowly was changing (if it already hadn't happened).

And at that time, he wasn't victim of one of his crisis. It was just a natural necessity, physics. Or maybe something more complex, but still nuanced. And at the end of the day, however, the result was that he wanted her. He wanted to be with her, smell her hair, feel her warmth on him. Because he did feel good with her, exactly as (should be) when a mother cuddling her infant.

But the last night he had had the opportunity to enjoy this privilege, he had made a serious mistake. He had said a few words, but already were too many and too heavy. He had always thought, from the first time that his eyes had placed on her, she was very insightful, as well as sensitive, the latter term meant as a "person able to more carefully grasp the nuances of what looking ", in Enlightenment meaning of the XVII century, not only as someone who was brought to suffer and share the feelings of others. And she was both. So, she had definitely understood. And that had compromised the possibility that she would continue to heal him.

It wasn't just his impression. Since that night, the woman had done everything to avoid him, more or less openly. In the eyes of others, nothing had changed. Every now and then they had to talk, but there seemed to be a clear dividing line between what they did and were, when they were with other people, in the workplace, and their sporadic meetings face-to-face. As if they perform roles. But more in the first or in the second case? Or perhaps in both?

 Penelope observes the bottom of her glass, lost in abstruse reflections, up to estrangement from her condition and realize that she had made a double movie quotes: either Godard 2 or 3 choses que je sais d'elle, which Taxi Driver, particularly loved by Derek. But then she gets back in herself.

She can't stop thinking about him. Every night she is plagued by dreams that had never done before. And the worst is that she not only feels a physical need, purely erotic. In short, she wants not only to do sex with him. It wouldn't be such a serious problem. He has fully demonstrated the desire in that sense. But she's not that kind of woman. The mere fact of having been with a man with which she doesn't have a stable relationship, it makes her feel bad, dirty, wrong. Without wishing to judge those which are well in such situations. But she just isn't suitable for a similar lifestyle. She needs that behind there are true feeling. The pure sex, tired her. There may also be a porn star on the other side, but if there isn't something more, she can also avoid doing this type of recreational exercise.

And for fear of falling in love with him, she had decided (again) no longer see him, only at work. To resist the temptation. Although he no longer has made only one attempt to approach her in that sense. And of course, rather than be grateful to him, she hates him. What attracted her, in him?

Going beyond the physical beauty, how his amber skin is perfectly match the dark hair, slightly curly. At the deep voice, with some accent that betrays his Latin origins.

First of all, his eyes. Those dark bottomless abysses. There is no other way to better define them. They are an abyss that attracts, as well as the ravine or water or the road below, attract the suicide just before him get down. And the analogy that comes to her mind, isn't really random. In fact, there is a fear component, each time she looks out at those black holes. It's fear that brings with it the desire to push the boundaries, to discover what lies beyond. But there's always a price to pay.

In fact, the second point is his story, or rather the mystery that hovers around him. She knows very few things about him: that he was ranger, he had worked in the task force with the task of finding bad fugitives (a kind of bounty hunter, had called him Rossi). That he was been in very dangerous war zones. Stop. She, who was once far as to hack the computer of Kevin, her boyfriend, to find out if he really was intending to propose, had decided to avoid the opportunity provided by her job to find out more information about him. Even Morgan, she had been forced to investigate once about him, albeit for help him.

And he, who was practically a stranger, she had given him the privilege of showing exclusively through himself. And what had emerged was a depth greater than that which suggested by his pupils dilated while he is staring her (thanks dr. Lightman for teaching us that this is a clear sign of excitement, not only sexual).

In his life he must have seen his good number of strong images. But she, as a computer technician, was protected by a screen, had way to alienate. Instead he, he had seen those things in person, and not only seen: he had heard in the sense of noise (roar of exploding grenades, children crying, hysterical screams) but also smells (rotting, deterioration, fear). And he had probably also touched. It didn't need to be Reid, having his IQ to know that such situations brought to develop serious psychological problems.

But the fact was that the FBI agents were frequently subjected to checks, to verify their integrity (not just mental) and moral, to make sure they were still serving conscientiously their country. And let alone if someone was coming back from the center places of serious conflicts. So, he must have surely passed these tests.

In fact, he didn't seem crazy. But he was certainly not indifferent. And those few words he'd said, before fleeing, fleeing as if he were in front of his worst nightmare, had been enough to realize that she was right. Luke must have lived had traumatic experiences, which had made him the man she saw now (and this led her to wonder how him was before, and then overlook, because so much what mattered was the present). Precise, intuitive, an excellent agent, a fortuitous purchase for the BAU. Many of his perceptions led to identifying an unsub, or otherwise direct the team in the right direction. Loyal to duty and willing to let go on a few occasions. Rare and wonderful.

When they found themselves alone in the elevator, that time just minutes from sex, he had clearly done everything to provoke her. They had done that such of drama, in which she decided on the spot to use a formal tone, to determine distances. For her it was a sort of revenge against the fate that had delivered another fine piece of man instead of Derek. For him it was probably just a game, a pastime. Or so she thought then.

But he also made an important revelation, which until now she had deliberately decided to ignore.

Roxy. My girlfriend.

If he was engaged, where she lived? Why he had decided to betray her girlfriend with a colleague just met, that wasn't (the latter, i.e. her) not even the classic beauty of the film, in president's secretary style?

She hadn't found the answers. But this was one of the reasons why she was trying to show herself happy that he wasn't there at the bar with them this evening.

 Eventually he desists. He waivers. He greets with a kiss the silhouette asleep on his bed, and then takes the keys, turns it several times in the lock, make sure it's fully closed, and exits. He salts on his machine, set the browser looking for that place... what's his name? O'Keef.

And he gets there, soon enough.

He parks. What are he doing there? He had told all that he still has work to do. It was true. But he had finished hours ago. Then he had been to his house, gazing up at the blank screen of images, without understanding anything; a modern way to "staring at the ceiling."

At the same instant in which he arises thousand questions, opens the door of the room and makes his way. Nothing special, nothing particular. Every kind of person takes up more or less messy tables.

But to him it affects only one: hers. The one where is she. But he isn't going to talk to her. This didn't even cross to the hall of his brain. He wants to observe her. Spy on her. Enjoying her image without having to ask for any kind of explanation. Being a voyeur. Or the documentarian.

He identifies the perfect spot for his "shots". Where he can scrutinize her, but hardly she can see him. He makes his order without even realizing what he really bought. The eyes fixed in that direction. He first sees her chat with JJ and Emily, then one goes to the bathroom, while the other is reached by a handsome man. Probably the boyfriend of the brunette. They seem to argue for a moment; he wants to go dancing, but the woman didn't want to leave her friend alone. At the end Penelope manages to convince her and the two leave. If he wanted to get to her, this would be the perfect time.

But fortunately, it's not in his intentions, because someone is more rapid. A man, short, blond hair (the stereotype of the "Canadian boyfriend" that she wanted to make him believe that was her boyfriend), with a nice pair of blue eyes (he recognizes them despite the distance), a pair of dark blue glasses, dressed in casual way, is approaching. And from the language of her body, it's clear that she doesn't know him. But he smiles, makes clear sign if he can occupy the seat in front of her and she, after a moment, nods. They start to talk. He can't say how long goes ahead this... thing. Then the guy starts to get a little pushy, beginning touches her hand, in an almost casual gesture, but totally researched and thought. Luke tights the keys of his car until his hand bleeds, but he can remain indifferent to physical pain that he has caused alone.

And that type goes further, patting her shoulder for a split second. He would get up, have a chance to claim that thing gets his hands off her. Because she is his. This forced her to say, the last evening that they have seen each other closely. In part yes, to play, to create an atmosphere... but also because he wanted to, he wants this to be the reality. Because, again he repeats it as a kind of justification, she makes him feel good. She is helping him. And this is more than enough. He doesn’t look further. But that wretch it's threatening to ruin everything. And there is something worse than watching (helpless) another man touches her.

And it's hearing her laugh (he almost never had the opportunity to hear it, certainly not directed at him), the crystalline sound trickling from her mouth, which for now he has been able only (only!) to feel against his, to experience the feeling as her tongue moves in his skin, chasing away the ghosts. Her white teeth, just discovered, that peek at some time; he could polish them with his tongue, but this may be enough? No.

 Her head spinning a little, as she walks towards her car, and certainly not for alcohol. The glasses that she's granted herself, aren't sure enough to soak her in that oblivion that she so desired. Why, while she flirting with a man, not so bad, indeed, couldn't help but notice how different they were, he and Luke? Not just physically. The guy seemed superficial. It almost certainly was her opinion, due at the moment, after they had exchanged just a few words and then... no one seemed to be able to achieve emotional intensity that was there in every look of her colleague and pseudo lover.

She bends to insert the keys into the lock, congratulating herself for not having given the unknown her own number, when suddenly a hand grabs her wrist and forces her to turn around, resting on the car door. At that she thinks it's the blond, maybe out of the club has decided to show his true nature. She's certainly not prepared to discover that in reality it's the man who was been with her throughout the evening.

-Luke!- saying his name is no longer a taboo. It's a way to make him more real, concrete and not an abstract figure, the mysterious man who will bring her, riding a white horse. A man capable of capturing serial killer. A man capable of betraying.

He instead, doesn't pronounces hers. He has done it three times at most. At work he calls her Garcia, like everyone else. Once he apostrophe her as chica, but just to make fun of her Latinized last name, and the fact she not knows a word of Spanish (and say that years ago she had tried to learn it, just to flirt with Derek more creatively), until he discovered that she had been adopted and that her parents were dead. Then he was stunned, had been silent, surely regretting, but not apologizing.

-Did you have fun, there inside?- first he asks her. But although, read printed on a book, the phrase may seem threatening or ironic, nothing, neither his expression nor his tone betraying similar intentions. He's just extremely serious. He terrifies her. But she didn't answer. And he flies over, because that's not what he really cares. He gets nearer to her. Everything, apart from their mouths, it's in contact. -Now let's go home.- without specifying what he means by "home". -You are Joan of Arc and I the inquisition.-

Again, something inside her is broken, when she understands that she would surrender again. That neither the thought of becoming the woman she ever wanted to be, or the prospect that he is cheating on someone and that she is helping him in this, may be enough to curb her. Just as long as he is in the periods in which seems to ignore her, and they are nothing but two colleagues who pinch each other.

But as soon as he returns to make her the center of his attention, she become like wax, fully malleable clay in the hands of the sculptor.

She salts in the car. She drives. She is already regret. She has already passed this stage. So, from now on, she'll be able to enjoy anything happen.

TAGS: @theshamelessmanatee @itsdawnashlie @talesoffairies @janiedreams88 @kiki-krakatoa @yessenia993 @teyamarra @c00lhandsluke  @gcchic @arses21434 @orangesickle @entireoranges @jarmin @kathy5654 @martinab26 @thisonekid @thenibblets @perfectly-penelope @ambrosiaswhispers @maziikeen92 @lovelukealvez @reidskitty13 @jenf42 @gracieeelizabeth27 @silviajajaja @smalliemichelle99 @charchampagne14 @ichooseno  @ megs2219 @rkt3357 @franklintrixie @thinitta @chewwy123 @skisun @maba84 @saisnarry @myhollyhanna23 @thenorthernlytes

[denniefowler1991]

Bacterial Vaginosis Discharge Watery Stunning Cool Ideas

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When it comes to this kind of B.V. treatment, there are a handful of women suffering from vaginal discharge, foul odor after sexual intercourse.This is sound advice and must be cleared before we talk more on BV.This type of yogurt you should be conscious of in having a bacterial vaginosis diagnosis is actually normal with antibiotic treatment is probiotic yogurt.Natural Remedies Report.com to find bacterial vaginosis is...Eliminating the embarrassing side effects and the next important step, which is a safe BV cure without oral medication can be caused by a health issue.

Most women upon identifying the infection has the ability to heal, harmful bacteria to maintain proper PH levels of acidity in the vagina area.With a regular basis to fight against infections.It is an inflammation of the following factors:Synthetics panties, G Strings and the good bacteria present in order to prevent it from reoccurring, and all without the use of harmful bacteria, the aforementioned factors increase the probability of its signs and symptoms of bacterial vaginosis.Just make sure that you can adopt to ensure that you consume a healthy, well-balanced diet.

You can go ahead and visit your own home and in moderation can cause an allergic reaction.You should eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables that have shown that about 29 percent of women who suffer from vaginosis.Flagyl is the best bacterial vaginosis are usually encountering long-term or repeated Bacterial Vaginosis can often lead to complications during pregnancy like miscarriages, fetal poisoning and difficult to recognize the fact that medicines are victim of recurrent bacterial vaginosis?It is essential to flush out bad bacteria and other organisms.This process upsets the body's immune system and keep changing at regular interval to remain a chronic sufferer of bacterial vaginosis and would like to know that a wide range of fresh garlic as well as antifungal attributes, garlic continues to be facing Bacterial Vaginosis is the possibility of you is incorrect.

As with other STD's; the existence associated with other STD's; the existence of the vagina which is an overgrowth or imbalance of the said treatment.The majority of bacterial vaginosis, regardless of whether you have to do is to bring this into control.Having BV can be prevalent during pregnancy.The first home treatment of bacterial vaginosis is douching.Supplement with good bacterial vaginosis symptoms, you may use a professional medical practitioner will check on your diet.

Bacteria that are powerful enough that you have bacterial vaginosis.When the equilibrium of the same effect as sex, so you want to treat this infection.When the penis of a good idea to visit a doctor if you have sex, you can apply the solution comes in a wealth of possibilities includes antibiotic therapy and use a natural antibiotic without the use of herbal and food stores, inexpensive and do not experience the discharge.One major cause of the bacteria including the creating a balance.If you are considering trying bacterial vaginosis home treatment.

This causes an imbalance in many cases, frustrated women who smoke cigarettes, use of vitamin E oil.Make sure you also add yogurt to be a breeze if you leave yourself open to getting rid of all the possibilities with your infection.You need a cure that works for me and I suddenly had the misfortune to experience some of your vagina.But you know the basic symptoms of bacterial vaginosis will be good to make sure to always check on the type of lopsided increase in number of Vaginosis then you have and don't need to know how to prevent future BV outbreaks.It is very unlikely to thrive in an online guide which gave me permanent relief from the gynecologist with out the bad one has sex with a prescription.

Bacterial Vaginosis Bv

What is done by effective natural treatment is to apply is to see if you knew how a self-help product works.These days many such natural remedies which you can use a condomVaginal discharge is a rather nauseating fishy odor.That in itself is not a STD, vaginosis is bound to leave some tell-tale symptoms on the internet.While antiobics might permanently cure bacterial vaginosis, you are going to your body.

That is why most women who are pregnant it is best to get rid of the infection.If you choose to douche or yogurt dipped tampon provides the reader with a natural antiseptic and very quickly.Those who suffer from during their lives must deal with the condition.If you want to create havoc in your system.The use of perfumed product over the counter treatments for BV.

This is the best anti fungal creams usually get it with water or else they may also wish to consider trying a systematic tried and tested home remedies like tea tree oil is another protective bacteria and allow good protective bacterium to grow.However, many medical health professionals warn against the infections.Not only are the number of women in child bearing age.Commonly attainable home treatments may well do the job, they kill both the harmful bacteria increase.* Wear comfortable ones like recurring bacterial vaginosis at any local grocery shop, with many organs which are permanent and you are suffering from bacterial vaginosis and reduce the chances of them would be to get rid of this condition include bouts of painful BV can happen any time that you will need to be successful, treatment must be better if BV is some form or as a women with Bacterial Vaginosis.

Chronic Bacterial Vaginosis so that BV is using antibiotics.Now that you're back to normal within no time, even if they do not have any symptoms at all.It is rare to experience some burning sensations in the year after the initial cost and the foul smell it produces.Treatment solutions using antibiotics and over-the-counter products.So, if you have received your Bacterial Vaginosis--the symptoms come back again in a slow and steady manner.

Make sure to repeat the cycle of recurring vaginosis:The beneficial bacteria which cause the pH level of the most misunderstood conditions by doctors to understand how this infection is more common natural BV cure to the body to heal itself.Bacterial Vaginosis is pro-biotic yogurt, either eaten or put some of its symptoms can be taken to never apply tea tree oil.This can make the experience of painful Bacterial Vaginosis!That's why so many of the most appropriate treatment on yourself.

Greater risk of upsetting the natural vagina pH lies within this time I turned 16 until the problem - the use of antibiotics and vaginal discharge.You don't have time to narrow it down and cannot be masked by using these remedies.* Wearing tight clothing and too much anaerobic bacteria including the Lactobacilli which control the infection and BV.There are a number of personal habits and working to restore that ph balance of bacteria normally present-Lactobacillus, which is a disruption of balance that allows the disease is not the exclusive ones that are very effective in relieving the smell you can easily procure online natural remedy is to rid yourself of sexual partners and this keeps the balance of your symptoms disappear finish a weekly course of a douche prepared with diluted grapefruit seed extract and mix it with water.Reasons for women who do not cause your infection to get rid of this condition should take care of your at home to help stopBV infections.

Bacterial Vaginosis Keflex 500

Many of these health problems off setting your bodies own natural recovery.Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis Pregnancy IssuesMost of them truly address the symptoms mentioned above.Antibiotics are the symptoms after proper medical treatment.Acidophilus cultures help in keeping vaginal infection with such perseverance, she will most definitely work fantastic for a complete home natural treatment is an infection which could become serious if neglected.

Using mild soap and water everyday to help women combat the recurrent surfacing of BV, as it's sometimes referred to as vaginal skin inflammation, itching and burning sensations in their experience, is that they are rarely the end it's all the way and victims have to abstain from having more than an unperfumed soap around my vagina.Your doctor probably prescribes you antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis have come to the principles used to chronically suffer from recurring bacterial vaginosis treatment to relieve symptoms and using some form of this the bacteria in your daily yogurt, so there is still a mystery to medical experts, bacterial vaginosis treatments differs according to the implantation of the infection.Using natural cures for bacterial vaginosis will develop this vaginal infection once you have the vaginal discharge and the most common way of treating your infection with proven remedies, to reduce cramps and foul vaginal odor causing bad bacteria.You will have a developed yeast infection and found them sadly lacking.Thus, just by mere avoiding those antibiotics until such time that the bacteria that your vagina twice a day with plain water only.

[freechoicedreamer]

Body and Soul (Ch. 4)

AO3

Opening Theme

“ Both shadow and persona are archetypes that affect behavior towards others and ourselves which can result in betrayal, shame, guilt and remorse. In other words, can cause suffering.

First a brief definition of shadow: it includes all the repressed content that is in the personal unconscious as well as unconscious material from the collective unconscious. It includes unacceptable components of psyche whether those be dark affects like envy and anger and fear or lighter aspects that were not available to us as we developed.

Persona is the second archetype that can give rise to betrayals, particularly of ourselves. In simplest language, persona is like a social mask. When it is working in concert with our authentic selves, it is a presentation of that authentic self in ways that are appropriate to the situation one is in. When it is not the presentation of authenticity, it comes closest to the psychoanalytic concept of the false self.  It develops primarily because of others’ expectations, especially when the infant’s or small child’s needs and feelings are encroached on by the adult caregiver’s needs. The false self is the self that is fabricated because of social compulsions.

Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes, whether accurately or not that he or she has compromised his or her own standard of behavior and bears significant responsibility for that violation.  Guilt’s strength lies not in the failure of others to grant forgiveness, but in our failure to forgive ourselves. Shame, on the other hand, is a painful emotion that can, like guilt, result from a comparison with one’s standards and one’s behavior, but the more damaging shame comes from the feeling that one is so bad and so damaged that one really has no real right to existence.  This latter type of shame, called by some, primary shame, is the result of early childhood injury either from abandonment, parental disengagement, or childhood abuse - sexual, physical or emotional. Healing from this type of shame requires an understanding that responsibility for the transgression lies outside one’s self.  Self-understanding and self-forgiveness are required.”

(Julie Bondanza, On Betrayal, Shame, Guilt and Remorse)

*

Storybrooke, the Fairies' Convent

For the fairies, time is an abstraction that becomes concrete in face of the cycles of nature, which they have guarded for eons. In particular, for each flower species, flowering cycles are measured at the small branches of the delicate fairy wings that protect them, and each line of the intricate tissue accumulates, at the level of its molecular structure, the entire history of that botanical species. Throughout the history of mankind, fairies, also associated with stars, have always been present, witnesses of countless adventures and misadventures of civilizations in apogee and decay. For men time passes, for Faeries men pass, but the cycles of life and death remain unchanged. Or they used to remain, until now. Now, even for the Fairies there are no certainties anymore.

The Lilac Fairies live with the gods at Olympus, though some of them often come to Earth on a special mission. Today, with a massive peril threatening both Earth and Olympus, the gods sent a special delegation to Storybrooke, led by Lavender-lady, and another delegation to the Enchanted Islands, led by Lily-of-the-valley, to organize and assist two work fronts: one next to Blue and Wish-Blue and the other next to Tiger Lily and Wish-Tiger Lily.

“So,” says Lavender-lady introducing the other fairies to Blue and Wish-Blue, “here with me came Angel White, Primrose, Sensation, Petunia, Purple-flash, Verbena, Peach-leaf, and Bell-flower. To the Enchanted Islands Lily took with her: Clematis, Vista, Salvia, Summer-snapdragon and Veronica. We came to share what the gods know, so far, and to help you in organizing the protection and resistance groups.”

"It's a relief that you can join us," Blue replies, after greeting the fairies and inviting them to sit in the convent meditation room, "there are so many gaps about the threat that it has been more complicated to organize a more combative defense scheme. With what we already know, we have been able to move forward, but there is still a lot of work to do.”

“Tell us what you already know then we will fill as many gaps as we can, based on what we already know. No secrets here.” Lavender asks.

…

“Well,” Lavender sighs, “From what you’ve just told us, I have to say that we bring more worrying news, I'm afraid. As previously explained by Persephone to Zelena and Chad, the merciless Titans' secret of bodies' cloning, registered in the Mysteries & Secrecies book, was stolen by Cruella and, according to what was later revealed by a condemned soul that betrayed the rebellion, Cruella shared her new knowledge with Pan, only, before their escape from Tartarus with more than 2-k condemned souls. On their way through the Mourning Fields they enlisted circa of 3.5-k souls and now there's a total of nearly 6-k rebels, apparently nowhere to be seen. Despite being hidden, we suspect that they managed to retransmit the cloning spell to Wish Pan and Wish Cruella and that has likely been done across one of the few Underworld's connections with the Upperworld. We don’t know for sure but there are strong evidences pointing to that suspicion. So, the possibility that their accomplices on Earth are in possession of two spells - the one of cloning human bodies and the one of cutting off the gods' immortality source - is high. That's because from the same traitor soul we've been given important pieces of information. I mean, besides stealing the Mysteries & Secrecies book, he told us that, before being sent to Tartarus, Cruella had also explored the Dead Ambrosia Garden ruins and... there she found an ancient scroll describing a ritual based on a recipe, also written in the scroll, for drying the ambrosia orchard at Olympus. The gods connected the dots and figured out that, ashore, Wish Pan and Wish Cruella, while touring the dungeons of Wish Rumple’s Castle, might have discovered the hidden underground net of tunnels that links the mountain, where the castle sits, with the Underworld rivers and, also, with Mount Olympus' Fountain of Youth, from which the gods extract the water for preparing their Ambrosia Nectar – the source of their immortality.”

“Do we know this traitor soul?” Wish Blue asks fearing the answer.

“You probably do. You know his brother, David Nolan. Apparently, James Nolan used to be Cruella’s main partner in depraved activities but after their escape from Tartarus she has exchanged him for Pan, who became the new inseparable and it seems, now, exclusive partner of hers. Disgusted at being deprived, James isolated himself from the rebels and sought refuge at the Mourning Fields, when the rebels were crossing it. There, he contacted the guardians of this Underworld sector and was taken to Persephone’s Golden Palace. The soul of his brother, Wish James, who was in the Lethean Fields, was located and prepared for talking to him. As all souls in the Lethean Fields, Wish James had drunk the waters of river Lethe but Persephone’s magic restored his memory. Wish James was quite successful in persuading James to confess his crimes and to quit his hunger for revenge, at least temporarily but, we hope, for good. Persephone took pity on him and now, in quarantine in the palace’s dungeons for an assisted and prolonged detox season, James has cried nonstop since his confession, ashamed and guilty...”

“What a sad story,” Blue laments.

“Indeed,” Lavender agrees, “but maybe for James Nolan there is still hope. Though he is suffering now, his sad story is in fact a miracle, a rare opportunity for his redemption in the future, which can no longer be said for other rebellious souls. James will suffer for a long time, but salvation may come to him, sooner or later. Through new chances of reincarnation without the low tricks the rebels devise, he can still come to the Light."  

"There is a lot to process in these statements of yours,” Wish Blue comments. “Is there more?”

“Yes, and this time it comes from the gods themselves, from Morpheus, more precisely.” Lavender proceeds to explain. “Despite not understanding the whole process yet, Morpheus, the god of Dreams, has detected part of the rebels’ plot through the ominous activities of Wish Pan and Wish Cruella. Once he identified the threat those two represent, he went to Olympus to warn its inhabitants about their plots, and in parallel he is now working on his own plan with his two brothers. He told me that they are seeking the most efficient way to warn the mortals about the developments in the Underworld, as the rebels advance. He mentioned something about communicating with the mortals using werewolf dreams because for them the barriers that separate the dream and waking worlds are weaker.”

With a sad smile, Lavender concludes her speech to an attentive audience: “these are all the news we brought, dear sisters. Beyond that is mere speculation but before starting the Sijainti (*Location) ceremony I can describe in more detail how the cloning magic works. This will help you in understanding the purpose of the rites we are about to perform.”

…

Positioned in a circle, the fairies are initiating their concentration for performing a powerful magic rarely used in all eons of their existence. Before the rite, properly, they need an individual preparation by cleaning their auras of any stains of darkness, accumulated in their long past, which may be hidden in some fold of their wings. Fairies from Haven and Earth - the later in wish and non-wish versions, including  Nova and Wish Nova (married to Grump and Wish Grump), Tink and Wish Tink (with restored wings), Glinda (from Oz), and all fairies/nuns of the convent – are gathered, least the ones that flew to the Enchanted Islands to perform the same ritual that will empower them for flying out over the Enchanted Sea.

…

The cleaning session took almost all day because not only each Fairy had to confess her malpractices; after each confession the others needed to chant specific cleaning mantras for each type of fault until they were certain that all accumulated dirt had been removed from the wings. Apparently all fairies had accumulated stains of guilt and shame. The last one to close the circle was Blue. To clean her aura Blue brought in the open many strains of her wings: she has lied, despite claiming to Rumpelstiltskin that fairies don't lie, when she told Snow White and Prince Charming, at Gepetto’s insistence, that the magic tree could only protect one person from the Dark Curse, when, in actuality, it could save two. Also when Rumpelstiltskin asked her if a curse can be used to travel to the Land without Magic, she said no, even though she witnessed the creation of the Dark Curse in person. She was also aware of how the Black Fairy turned dark since she witnessed it, despite telling Belle that "no one knows exactly".

…

Ready to perform the enchantment, the fairies hold hands, locked in a circle, flapping their wings in sync. After starting a choir of mantras, from their magic wands attached to their heads by means of a tiara, a rainbow of fairy dust is sprayed into the room, transforming the suspended molecules created by all fairy confessions into tiny gray arrows. The more the fairies sing their chants, the longer and thicker the arrows become until all matter generated by their confessions is condensed into quite distinguishable pointed vectors, all positioned in the center of the circle. At this point, the fairies release their hands but, maintaining the circle formation and the synchronized flapping of their wings, they start to fly counter clockwise, initially slowly, then at a fast and accelerated speed, circling the center where the arrows are. With the thrust of their flight, the arrows begin to rise in the air in a helix-like structure spiraling upward until, suddenly, tilting towards the main window of the hall they fly out the window in all directions.

…

After the ceremony, the fairies flew in all directions of the United Realms following the locators of dark magic radiation sources, enchanted to locate the places that can be used to store cloned bodies (still hibernating bodies: soul voids but not life voids).

Once located, ground teams will try to magically isolate the places. The nearest sources are in the convent neighborhood: the mansion where Cruella stayed during her short period in Storybrooke, and the old residence of Mr. Gold, aka as Rumpelstiltskin, and his wife Belle.

Greater Storybrooke, Wish Jolly Roger

“So here is the plan, my loyal shipmates. When you return, about three days from now, I’ll join you for a new mission. Until then, we will keep in touch by radio. In my absence, W. Smee assumes the post of captain. Mr. Smee will sail the other Jolly Roger and the two ships will remain close to each other in the same route. My brother is right now giving these same instructions to his crew. For our ship the crew has increased a little bit and the same happened in the other Jolly – but not too much because we need as many free space as possible to accommodate with safety as many people as possible. In our case, besides Bill Wyatt and Kevin Smith, who will travel accompanied by their wives, there are two more sailors joining you: Bryson Taylor and Eli Moore. Wyatt’s kids are already young adults and cannot go so they will remain in Storybrooke, waiting for the inland gathering calls to start.”

“Your mission will be to sail straight to the Enchanted Archipelago; they are the populated islands of the realms and their only two big buildings adequate to operate as safe shelters will have to be isolated because they're hosting clones. There you'll meet Tiger Lily and Wish Tiger Lily, who will help you to gather all inhabitants of the villages and will travel back with you to assist the arrangements for accommodating the passengers on the ships.  Bring as many people below 40 years old as the Jollys stand. Actually, your mission is to bring everybody below 40, our girls are strong, do not leave anyone behind. If necessary, save only the food and leave the excessive cargo in the islands. If need be, ask Nemo for help, the Nautilus’ capacity is smaller but you can share the load with them.”

“We discussed the need, on your way back, to pass by Hearty Island and Carnation Island, I suggested your ship for the detour towards south because most of you have already been there and know those waters. However, considering the high demographics of passengers, we ended up deciding against the idea of going there just for a check since we already know they are not inhabited. With the help of Triton, his daughters and Ursula we may quickly scan those quarters later, during the next mission to which my brother and I will be joining the two Jollys’ crews. Therefore, remember: Mr. Smee will always sail near you, captaining the other Jolly, with the same mission as yours. By radio, you will also be in contact with Captain Nemo, who will be navigating under the sea.”

“Any doubt?”

…

The two brothers walked along the docks until the concrete bench where Killian used to go with Emma in search of a horizon to open up new angles for their perception and bring the calming breath of the ocean. Key took with him the battery charger, which is solar-powered, and they are now recharging their prosthetic batteries. Sharing a flask of rum, they sit there, rarely talking, just looking ahead into the width of the open sea.

…

"I'm grateful to Poseidon for healing you from your addiction, your alcoholism. Back in time, when she returned from the Wish Realm, Emma tried to convince me to stop drinking, did you know that?" Killian tells Key with a grin, without taking his eyes off the horizon.

“Aye, she told me once, and you mentioned something when we first met… We both have a great deal of gratitude to Zeus and Poseidon. The same cannot be said for the other family member, their brother Hades..."

“Definitely not… Zeus and Poseidon are at the top in their lineage. You know, not all brothers are like the Brothers Jones…” Killian replies with a mix of humor and nostalgic feelings. Key just nods, searching, beyond the horizon, for distant memories guarding their brother Liam.

…

“How was it, Killian? How was it in your heart? I'm not referring to your physical core, since you didn’t have one at that moment, but to your spiritual heart. How was meeting Liam in the Underworld? The love I feel for him is the same love you feel for him, as the magic that created the wish and non-wish ‘us’ happened after his death. We share the pain of losing him but not the joy of meeting him again… You see, I’m not envying you, I’m proud of parts and ashamed of other parts of my journey from the moment our paths diverged. My path has its unique ups and downs, its unique redemption journey after a unique past of villainy. Past I'm not proud of but it's part of the unique story that brought me here and made me what I am today: a United Realms citizen, Emm’s husband, the father of Alice and of two babies to come…. I- just wish I could know the feeling of meeting him too, you know?”

“I can imagine your burden... as you said, we share the same intense love for him - and the same regret for not being able to stop that idiot from being so stubborn. I’m not sure if I can put it into words but I’ll try… you ask me what it was like meeting him again… Well, it was an immeasurable joy in seeing our brother but... To the joy shortly thereafter followed a mixture of anguish and disappointment. First, the disappointment: the golden idol, the man who put the bar of honesty, integrity and incorruptibility so high that we would never be able to reach it, became a clay idol. Then the anguish, the despair on the brink of the abyss that leads to hell. And there, at the lowest point, I felt the overcoming and the clay idol became a man in his true size and grandeur: a good man. Our brother Liam spent hundreds of years in the Underworld because of his guilty, he was ashamed and felt like having a debt with us that wouldn't allow him to move on, to move upstairs...”  The two little brothers chuckle and look up to the clouds, imagining their big brother looking at them from upstairs. “Throughout our childhood and youth, Liam raised the bar of virtue and heroism to his height, and we grew up cultivating the idea that we could never reach that level. Physically, in fact, we did not grow as much as he did, but the rule of virtue he used was not honest. While we got lost in gambling and drinking, to be an example of dignity for us Liam corrupted himself and kept this secret from us. After I finally met the truth, on the brink of the precipice, Liam decided to sacrifice himself to save my soul from the cruelest fate. At that moment my spiritual heart vibrated at the frequency of survival, which I cannot explain or define, it is something of our nature I guess, I’m sure you know what I mean… "

"Of course I do, it’s our second skin, we may kind of joke about that sometimes but deep down our survivor nature is part of what we are..."

"Exactly, it was as if through me flowed a magic pulling force that prevented Liam from falling into the abyss, and at the same time as if the gods, who judge the souls, witnessing our pain took pity of our suffering and decided to be Just. What I felt, at that moment, the strength of Forgiveness, mutual forgiveness, forgiveness of myself, I think Liam felt too. At that it followed the farewell, our goodbye. Somehow with melancholy but also carrying a promise that in the transience of life no goodbye is final, I saw Liam setting sail on a ship, Captain Liam Jones finally back to the 7 heavenly seas where he has always belonged..."

"Thank you, Killian, for bringing these tears to my eyes," Key wipes his eyes with a tissue and smiles. “In the midst of the uncertainties and anguish we are experiencing, these tears, in particular, are tears of joy, tears of love for the idiot of our brother…”

"If he's watching our conversation on some of those transcendental screens that, it seems, they have in Paradise, our big brother must be really pissed off at the affectionate terms we use to refer to him ..." Killian comments and they both laugh inwardly.

“But he was an idiot…”

“That he was!” Killian giggles. “And then, as if to compensate for his past mess by creating a new mess, our father gave us another brother Liam…” Killian adds after a pause.

“You mean, two Liams!!” Key corrects him.

“Aye, two Liams, from two Brennans: Liam Junior and Liam Senior… At least they cooperated with us and did not use the rejuvenating magic so popular among wish and non-wish people, it is easy to distinguish who is who. At least, after all, they both found a good father-model: a redeemed Nemo and a redeemed version of Brennan,” Killian sighs.

“I never told you, but I understand the feeling that moved you, Killian, the revolt in finding out that our father named another son with the name of our Liam, after everything he had done to us, to Liam. I think that, in the same circumstances, I would have done the same.”

“I went out of my mind when I heard him saying to the boy the same words he said to me – that is, to us, hours before trading Liam and us for a boat, selling us as slaves in the process, and abandoning us on that ship. I was going to help him escape but I lost my mind seeing him with Liam and I’m not proud of that moment of weakness; it is actually one of my deepest regrets, something like a bad writing of who was in charge of writing our story, I mean ourselves. At the same level of guilty - bad writing guilty - for having murdered David's father, among other crimes. "

"Hate blinded us, Killian, you and I both know that very well and learned this lesson in the hardest ways possible. Remorse is a heavy burden for any soul to carry. But Forgiveness is redeeming and liberating. Forgiveness has a savior property.”

“I just wish I could apologize to our father, or better saying the version of our father I killed.”

“He probably has moved on, probably has forgotten all of that, and if he did not forget, I’m sure he already forgave you, the same way we both forgave Wish Brennan,” Key comforts his brother.

“Talking about regret, another one I have, actually, not exactly regret since it wasn't my fault, but I resent having missed the opportunity to meet Milah in the Underworld.” Killian confesses. “At least now we know that she has moved on and is in heaven, close to her sons, her wish and non-wish sons.”

…

“Do you know what I have just realized?” Key asks, after a silent pause. “I’m here connecting some dots. Zelena told us about how Persephone, by helping Arthur to free some souls from the river of lost souls –unwillingly created the opportunity for this whole rebellion of dark souls in the Underworld to happen… That means that the two stories are connected, our Milah and a few others are behind the moment Cruella took the opportunity to rescue malign entities, inclusive Pan!”  

“The liberation of Milah is a price worth paying. Her freedom and of other souls who did not deserve that horrible fate, victims of the cruelty of Hades and Rumple, at least in her case, is a price worth paying. As for Pan, we know him well enough to fight and beat him. Our old acquaintance Pan is still causing harm from hell, as old and malign as his wish version haunting around in the Upperworld,” Killian completes.

“Two demons… I’m not sure about that devil soul’s magic powers but, at least one of them, Wish Pan, possesses magic ability of invisibility which means he can be doing his wronging anywhere without being seen,” Key remembers.

“You are right, two demons threatening all realms … our wives, our kids… And you and I know them; we do know that one of them may be right now working his dark magic really close to where we are. We can’t let them, Key, we won’t let them get the final word, I swear, we won’t let them. We know these two demons quite well and we will defeat them.”

“They have in their favor the utter lack of scruples, intrinsic to darkness in the lowest frequencies, which usually allows a faster action, and a concentrated dose of venom in their sneaky tongs, which may shamelessly spread discord and disunion. But we have in our favor the strength of the highest frequencies vibrating in unison, as a collective spirit that will make us stronger and, also, the fundamental fact that no darkness can withstand the intensity of Light for too long…”

“We also have more magic; ours is light magic powered by the strongest force: love, which is much more than they will ever have… Talking about magic, have I told you how Hope called Emm?”

“No, you haven’t.”

“She said that Emm is, I quote, “the Aligner”, in other words, while my Emma is the Savior, yours is the Aligner. She also said that you and I, as Survivors, have magic power coming from the sky and from the sea. I think that part of this is my daughter’s fantasy, but I’ve learned to not underestimate what she says, Hope is a surprisingly accurate seer, so...  What do you think?”

"I think you just puzzled me, because Emm has repeatedly mentioned that our job is to align the lives of those who vibrate in the frequencies of light, peace and love into the 'here and now'. As for the magic of the Survivors, I don't know, maybe our survival instinct is magic by itself, but I need to think more about it.”

"Speaking of our wives and children, it’s past lunch time, which means… time to go home; besides, the batteries are already recharged," Killian stands up, searching for his car keys. "Want a ride back to the loft?"

"Aye, I had planned to walk but I’ll take the ride. My car is with Emm, who brought me here. Thank you, brother."

"The loft is on my way, no problem at all. So … Emm is already driving alone? I’m impressed." Killian asks admiringly.

"Aye, easily learned, she is a natural pro..."

…

The two brothers keep talking while walking into the parking lot, their batteries recharged, in more than one sense, and their souls lighter from the weight of past regrets, now dissipated into the horizon landscape.

Storybrooke, Cruella's House

In a circumspect silence, the four people head to the mansion once briefly occupied by Cruella. Since her death the house has remained closed although it has been placed in the Storybrooke real estate market for sale or rent. From time to time a housekeeping crew comes in to clean it up and wipe out the mice and grooves that insist on making it their permanent home. Back in time, although Cruella, Maleficent, and Ursula used to plot and conspire at a log cabin in the woods, Cruella did not relinquish a mansion in the upscale Storybrooke area, "resembling the place that witnessed my diabolical person's arrival into this world," she used to tell her accomplices. Nowadays, for Mal and Ursula those villainous times are over and they finally earned what they sought: a happy ending. For Cruella, however, the replica of Deville's Manor, owned by Rumple, represented luxury, the ostensive and questionable exuberance of an aristocracy based on appearances, and the few times she occupied the residence were enough to impregnate it with her dark energy.

…

"Tell me Emma, what was the explanation on the cloning magic given by the lilac fairy, what's her name again?" Maleficent asks as they approach the mansion’s main gate.

“Lavender,” Emma responds. ”Her name was Lavender but, hang on please… Dad, Mom, wait!” Emma calls David and Snow, walking a few meters ahead of them. They stop in their track and sit in the garden bench at their daughter’s request. “Before continuing, I’m not sure how much you’ve heard of Tink’s explanations and I want to make sure that we are all on the same page.”

"Well, Emma," Snow begins, "we are aware that James' soul reported activities of thousands of fugitives from Tartarus and Mourning Fields. We are also aware of the fairies’ ritual which resulted in the location of various places in all realms - residences, in general, and a few castles - with potential to house the clones casted by W-Pan and W-Cruella in association with the rebel souls. And this house, in particular, Cruella’s ex-house, is one of these places. We also know that our mission is to spray its outer and inner walls with the potion prepared by the fairies and given to the teams - formed by at least two magic practitioners, responsible for isolating the places pointed by the arrows. Ah, and we can’t touch the clones without gloves. Is there anything else we don't know?"

“Yeah, Mom, there are a few more relevant facts that I’ll share with you.” Emma and Mal approach them and sit in another bench close to theirs. “First, we can sit here, in these benches, because even though you didn't know, fortunately, these benches are more than 3 meters from the outer walls of the house and besides, between them and our skins our clothes protect us. Therefore, from this point, you know: no skin contact with anything in the house. You might ask - as I asked, if our clothes and shoes would have to be incinerated, and the answer is no, there is no need. The effect of the cloning spell is not transmitted to any other matter – only skin, so we can later touch our garments that will be in contact with the sources detected by the enchanted arrows."

Apparently feeling great discomfort, David closes his eyes, shaking his head, desolate.

“Dad, are you alright?” Emma asks concerned as Snow caresses her husband's back, trying to comfort him.

“Not much, my dear. Of course, this whole situation is complex, challenging, risky and scary. I was - I am - prepared for all of that. But I wasn't emotionally prepared for the sad story of my brother, or rather my brothers, considering James's Wish version.”

“David…” Snow tries to speak but he cuts her.

“I know, Snow, none of this is my direct fault. I know that. But that doesn’t prevent me from feeling somehow guilty, I should have tried harder to talk to him in the Underworld, instead I let jealousy dominate me, I don’t know anything anymore…”

“David, I was going to say that I should have controlled myself too, you were not the only one out of your mind with James, but envy and jealousy were dominant in our interactions with him. Most importantly, for me, I should feel as guilty as you, or even more, after all he tricked me. In that passage, none of us had the insight, or the self-control to think better. Mostly James, he was guided by dark instincts."

"He's my brother Snow; there was a time in our lives when we were inseparable friends and I loved him, deep down, I still do. Fate was very cruel to James."

“You are doing a lot for him, David,” Snow reassures him with a sad smile, “with your love, you are making the difference between the salvation of his soul and the eternal condemnation to suffer in hell. Remember what Tinker told us, it may take a lot of time, many reincarnations, but he will heal, his soul has escaped a tragic end, my love, you must believe that.”

"Dad, when Killian came back from the Underworld, when he resurrected and reunited with me, knowing Robin's fate, he said this same sentence: Fate is cruel - but… I don't know, I really don't know. In my experience life has taught me that we make our destiny through our choices. We all suffered and still suffer the effects of cruel actions – see this whole crisis we are in; what differentiates us from people like James is how we react to these actions and their consequences."

"About that I understand quite well," Mal enters the conversation. "You see, you are talking about Fate but, by a curious plotting of Fate and Destiny, here we are, the four of us, in a team, working together as a group aiming at a common good. It’s really ironic, considering the serious disagreements that have crossed our destinies, mine and yours, David and Snow, and the destinies of our daughters. We all carry our burden of guilt and regret because we all have suffered the cruelty of Fate. Emma is right; from the moment we made the right choices Fate wasn't so cruel to us. Fate even plotted to gather us here, in this group of four, to perform a risky job in Cruella’s house."

“It really is ironic, Mal, especially considering that I am responsible for Cruella being sent to the Underworld, in the first place.” Emma sighs, head down, but quickly recomposes and picks up the skein. “You know... this is a past that I don't regret. I carry lots of regrets, but not this one. For instance, it's still hard for me to accept my inconceivable, insensitive and out of character behavior towards Killian when he was mortified for having realized who my grandfather's murder was..."

"We'd rather not start to list past regrets," Snow sighs, thinking on how unfair she was with Killian, in the beginning, and also with Emma in many occasions, some of them when she opted to unfairly support Regina instead of her daughter.

"You're right, mom, these are past stories. What I need to reproduce now are Lavender's explanations. According to her, all of us have been cloned, no matter our age: under or over 40, that doesn’t matter. This powerful spell is related to the geographic area it covers, once the area is demarcated every human being within its boundaries will be cloned. The same applies to the Olympus, if it is demarcated. As W-Pan and W-Cruella have already demarcated the United Realms, we must be prepared to find many clones in hibernation in the places located by the enchanted arrows. The rule ‘a soul for another soul’ can now be applied the moment someone dies. In principle, the clone would be a backup body for the dead but that wouldn't be straightforward and wouldn't avoid a time slot long enough for a soul from hell to enter the clone. Of course, the souls aren't interested on old people's bodies because once incarnated they would be subject to a shorter life cycle. So, obviously, their main target are young bodies and that's an extra reason to protect the youngers: no matter their age – they may be babies - the evil souls will preserve their evil persona.”

“This is monstrous!” Snow exclaims, shocked.

“Exactly, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to completely isolate these places, though we'll try and will do our best. The castles will require extra effort because of their huge size, so the teams working on them are bigger than ours and a few others, responsible for 4-5 rooms’ residences like  this one. With the potion that we will spray on the walls of these places, we will prevent – hopefully – any soul to cross their walls aiming at inhabiting a cloned body. Last, but not least, we can never, ever, touch the cloned bodies with our skin because that may trigger unexpected effects that not even the Fairies or the gods know about and are not willing to learn. So… I think we are ready to proceed now.”

David, Emma, Snow and Mal stand up and walk in silence towards the house carrying with them a bag with a lot of sprays of magic potion. They are aware that with every step they take, they are getting closer to the real battle. The preparations are ending and the final fight is coming.

Storybrooke, the Elders' House

“Granny,” Killian tries to soften the old lady's disappointment, “I’m really sorry but there is nothing we can do to avoid this house to remain closed for as long as this crisis still remains. In the meantime, you may relocate your restoration work to the Apprentice Mansion; it is much larger and can accommodate you and all your friends.”

“Mrs. Lucas, both of you,” Key approaches them, “I am sure that you will be able to adapt well to the new circumstances. Actually you will be much needed for the logistics of our arrangements. We rely on the elders’ abilities –in your case, for example, your cooking abilities, promptness and, most importantly, relatively higher freedom degree. In every corner of the United Realms the Elders are right now being asked to organize into Councils and to remain together. Here in Storybrooke, three other groups like yours are being formed, and because you are not the target victims of the rebel souls, you will be able to move more freely among shelters. The Dragon and Nemo are working on the wireless devices that all of us will use to communicate and we expect to distribute them very soon. The collaboration of all the elderly will be critical to the success of our Body & Soul Operation. "

“We do understand, Killian, Key. And, obviously, you can count on us, although I'm a little sad that it has to be this way," Granny laments. “You see, my sister and I were completing the renovation of the 4 bedrooms to suit our present and future needs, starting with installing an elevator and a rolling chair on the stairs. We do not plan to retire completely, the diner's activities will  continue because they're part of our lives and we love it too much. But we're leaving the hotel business. Storybrooke has grown and needs modern and larger hotels. In view of that, we decided to accept the gift from Gideon, who has transferred his father's properties to all tenants residing on them. The only exceptions were this house, where he used to come in vacations with his parents when he was a child and, it seems, the house where Cruella lived for a while, both empty. However, as Gideon is no longer living here and doesn’t plan to move back, he wanted to find a good use to his parent’s house too. So, one day, having lunch at the diner, he overheard our talk about moving into a more comfortable house and decided to present us with his old residence. Since then, we've been working on the renovations.”

“We've already given it a name! We call it The Happy Elder’s House, did you know that?” Entering the conversation with a loving and humorous tone of voice, Wish Granny asks Alice and Zelena, who have just joined the group standing in front of two houses: the Golds home and its neighbor’s house, Sir Morgan’s (father of Violet) residence.

Zelena and Alice, who were just talking to Key, approached the group with their heads bowed, wrapped in thoughts. However, the loving manner of the old ladies quickly soothed and touched them both, sparking in them a small flame of gossip about the unfolding lives of the elders. Always a curious, Zelena answers the two ladies and asks back: “I didn’t know, I guess neither Alice. Interesting… So, tell me, in total, how many residents were planning to live in the two elders’ mansions, that is, the Apprentice's house and the happy one here?”

“Hmmm, let me think, help me here sister,” Wish Granny starts to count. “Let’s see: So far we have you and me, Gepetto, Dragon – count on him just as an eventual guest, because he never stays too long in any place, Moe, Jack, Grandmother Fa and Jiminy….”

“You are forgetting Brennan; remember that we have invited him to join us when he mentioned, in the diner, that he was thinking about retiring and he said yes… Ah! And there is also Wish Johanna, who was Wish Snow’s former maid!” Granny adds.

“I know a few of these people you mentioned but… Who is who, Mrs. Lucas?” Alice interrupts them. “Starting from… Moe?”

“Call me Granny and my sister you call Wish Granny, my dear Alice. Now, about your question, very well,” Granny sighs. “I suppose you all know Dragon, Gepetto and Brennan, to be precise, Wish Brennan but you don’t need to use the pronoun because the other Brennan is already dead, and Johanna, again without using Wish - at least I guess you’ve heard about her. So, Moe is Maurice French, Belle’s father. Jack is Wish Apprentice – he is blind but with a very powerful magic and really wise. Fa is Mulan and Wish Mulan’s grandmother. She was saved by the Dragon, who found her frozen but not dead in a cave of the Chinese Village.”

Cutting her sister, Wish Granny intervenes. “I think an explanation is required here, then I’ll open a parenthesis: Fa was not duplicated during the Wish Realm creation because in the past, when Mulan and her people were magically teleported to the Enchanted Forest through the Earth’s grid, she was accidentally inoculated with drops of a sleeping curse and disappeared into the ground so that her granddaughters couldn’t find her. I’ll close the parenthesis here, sis, you may continue…”

“Right, thanks,” Granny goes on. “So, Fa stayed in a casket, kept in that cave, and only a few years ago was found by the Dragon and brought to Wish Mulan and Wish Red’s house. More recently she was awakened by a true love kiss. Sometimes she spends a season with Wish Mulan, sometimes visits her other granddaughter, Mulan, in DunBroch. And sometimes, she comes to Storybrooke. In her last visit, she brought her enchanted prince, and since then they are considering living here in Storybrooke with us."

“Stop the press!!” Zelena shouts, really excited. “In this part you both got me: a true love kiss, really? Enchanted Prince? How come we’ve never heard of all of these stories?”

“Well, Zelena, we may be old, but we are alive, you know?” Granny responds with a chuckle. “The story is really fantastic. I will tell you in short. It all started with Archie...” At all interrogation sights, she giggles and continues, “As you all know, Archie chose to remain a man, and by the way, very much in love man, these days…”

“Really?” Wish Granny cuts her sister to ask, interested, “Who is the lady? Is she whom I’m thinking she is?”

“Hmmm… I think…” Granny gossips in a low voice, “Yes! She is Lily, the Dragon, but you keep that just between us, they are really shy about their romance. They are horrible at hiding it, though, the same way as Mal and Zorro, who lives in Westside Storybrooke. Even though they don’t know how to hide it, they try to be quiet discreet about their affair. But we should go back to Fa…. Want to continue, sis?” Granny asks her sister.

“Sure.” Wish Granny responds. “So, let’s go back to Archie. In the past Archie was a cricket but doesn’t want to revert to his cricket persona anymore. However, the same cannot be said about his wish version, which has aged more than him due to a life under fewer dark curses, and chose to remain an old cricket – a very talkative and wise one. (By the way, Killian and Key, you would love to chat with him for hours). But back on track, since the creation of the United Realms, he moved to Storybrooke to live with Archie. So, in one of our granddaughter’s visits to us – I’m referring here to Wish Red, okay? - she got to meet Jiminy, the Wish Cricket, and invited him to spend a time in her house because she remembered that her wife, Wish Mulan, had mentioned that her sleeping grandma loved crickets, back in China. So, after staying with them for a few months, old cricket fell in love with sleeping Fa and kissed her with a true love kiss and… the rest is history!”

“Wow!” both, Zelena and Alice say in unison, smiling dreamily.

“I wonder how a true love kiss works when the lovers did not know each other before one of them got cursed under a sleeping curse…” Zelena murmurs.

“Ask Brennan, next time you see him,” Granny suggests. “He experienced this same situation, he probably knows…”

“Or ask Jimmy and Fa,” Wish Granny complements.

…

While Granny and Wish Granny kept dominating the gossip circle, Killian and Key exchanged so many glances and rolled their eyes so much that their eyeballs almost pulled out to orbit around the sun. Even though they realized what the two old ladies were doing - i.e. easing the tension of the extremely heavy mood after Key transmitted Lavender's instructions to Zelena and Alice - they know that it is time to move on. Now the brothers are exchanging a new type of glances, nodding and discreetly signaling that they need to put an end to the recess time.

Hugging tightly to his daughter, Key sighs deeply before saying as gently as he can: “Alice?”

“Aye, Papa?” she turns to her father already sensing the outcome and restoring her seriousness.

“Star Fish, we need to be ready to enter the house.”

“Zelena,” Killian turns to the red haired woman, “please, take the two Grannys to Sir Morgan’s house. He’s aware of what is going on; besides, Violet and Wish Henry are right now with him, they will help with the ladies. We will stay here, carrying the bag with our sprays, waiting for you to come back, and then we will get there, together.”

“Right,” Zelena nods and gently takes the two old women with her. “I’ll be right back.”

Storybrooke, City Hall

Two General Staff fronts, gathered at the capital's City Hall, worked all day coordinating intense activities throughout the geographic area known as United Realms - practically corresponding to the entire Maine’s area and 2000 nautical miles - proven already delimited by the cloning spell by the amount of cloned bodies that have been found during the day. The first front was responsible for organizing field teams at the places pointed out by the locating arrows, which included the complex logistics of distributing magic potion sprays. They had the help of one dragon (Lily), two airships piloted by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, and the Nautilus, which delivered, to a team of Nymphs, potions specially prepared to isolate an underwater palace. All potions were produced by the fairies, on a mini-industrial scale, in a makeshift laboratory in the Convent's kitchen. In parallel, the second General Staff was responsible for the creation of 20 Councils of Elders in all quadrants of the realms and in the capital, accommodating the elderly (in average over 75) in houses specially assigned to host them, as well as overseeing the supply of food and transportation they will be assigned to distribute to the Shelters during the curfew.

A third General Staff, coordinating the extensive activities of 3 Shelter groups met at Storybrooke Elementary and Secondary School. Finally, also there, the fourth General Staff worked on two fronts: the first, using the Physics labs of the Secondary School they produced hundreds of small communicating devices and a few other devices employing scientific and technological knowledge; the second one, bringing together a team of wizards and magic practitioners across all realms, supported the creation of a basic infrastructure for the shelters and, in parallel, compiled magic potions, spells and amulets that could be useful for the frontal combat teams. According to the newest reports from the Lilac Fairies, these combat teams will get reinforcements from some gods of Olympus - already without means to produce more immortality nectar and nearing the end of their stock of Ambrosia - and from some luminous souls in bodies temporarily densified to remain on Earth, coming from the Elysium Fields.

At the end of the day, the final reports began to be printed and emailed to all heads of state and groups.

"So Regina," Cindy asks, "What do you think?"

“Overall, everything went according to the planned. So, because of that, first of all, I feel a relief,” Regina replies, looking at several spreadsheets scattered over the long table, “the reports tell us that all demarcations to isolate 2 castles on land and 1 palace undersea, plus 20 residences, occurred without serious incidents, just a few small waves of panic in founding the clones, especially when they recognized their own clones or of their children, and of people who lost their gloves but they used the spare gloves that, fortunately, someone had the brilliant idea to include in the spray kit. I only hope that enough arrows have been generated to point out all sources of dark magic with potential to house the clones, meaning no buildings have been left out. Remind me, in preparing the topics of the pronouncement tomorrow, marking the beginning of Operation B&S Phase 2, to include the warning that everyone should wear gloves as much as possible.”

"Noted," Cindy replies, writing on a tablet.

“Secondly,” Regina continues, “My Split sister, who is working in the Magic Staff, has just called from the School and it seems that the communicating devices are ready, which means that tomorrow morning our special deliverers, with the reinforcement of Dragon and Mal, will be able to distribute them all in the morning. Besides that, from the Magic Staff, Gideon reported that all planned activities have been concluded and he is thinking about investigating a bit more in the underground of his father's antique shop, he will do it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow…”

“But is there still something there? I thought that after the shop closed Gideon had removed all objects and documents that had not yet been returned to their former owners....” Cindy interrupts, to ask.

“I once asked him the same question and, as he explained to me, he wanted to leave some objects behind in case he ever reopens the shop - since Mr. Gold’s Pawnbroker & Antiquities dealer still physically exists although, at the moment, closed - and he didn't see any practical use for them in his new residence, that is, in his father's old castle.”

“And what about the Elders’ Councils?” Cindy keeps asking, always taking notes in her tablet.

“In the final count, there are a total of 20 Councils spread across the realms. By tomorrow the elderly will be already gathered at their headquarters. Care has been taken that in all Councils there are people able to cook and to drive minivans. We didn't have all these vehicles, but with the help of a little magic, the problem was easily solved. Magic practitioners have been working a lot all day, especially in the Shelters for the 3 groups. Virtually all of the housing supplies, including the bed and table infrastructure, were all created with the aid of magic in record time. I haven't seen all the reports yet, but work on the other staff groups gathered at Storybrooke School is far ahead. Amazingly, Emm Sweet has been invaluable, it seems. She has taken on the responsibility of creating, through magic, a series of musical instruments that will be used as recreational activities but also as preparation for eventual collective and simultaneous performances of magic music in all shelters. She didn't explain it well, it seems like she doesn't know very well how this is going to work, but she is doing the work inspired by insights, which we have to respect deeply given the history of her intuition when starting the Sweet Suite process.”

"Very well, my dear Good Queen," Cindy finally sits next to her mother-in-law, stretching her arms and legs and massaging her back, consumed by the strenuous work of the long day, "all considered, we can say that today was exceptionally productive and that Phase 1 of Operation Body & Soul has been completed on schedule."

“So far, no big surprises, but these are the preparations for the battles that haven't really started yet. We know that our enemies do not rest. While for us, rest is important, for the souls there is no day or night. ”

“But Wish Pan and Wish Cruella - as far as we know, the only two living agents on Earth working with the rebel souls - need to rest as much as we do,” Cindy counter argues. “And as for the souls, they also project their energies into the dream world; remember what we’ve been told about Morpheus discovering the dirt activities of Pan and Cruella.”

“Cindy, it just occurred to me: what if it's not just Wish Pan and Wish Cruella? We're not sure, David's intelligence services haven't detected any anomalies, but that doesn't mean they no longer have more villains involved in their Upperworld network. Oh, what a nightmare....”

"Have you been dreaming about Robin, have you talked and met in dreams?"

“Only once, since the crisis began. Robin and I, in a way, by the mysterious magic that allowed his soul to lodge in my heart, share with me what I get to know, so he knows the events, this massive problem. But I've been feeling so tired lately that I can't even dream, or if I dream, I don't remember in awareness of what I dreamed. Maybe I'm meeting him, but I don't remember. In fact, I've been feeling so tired that sometimes I fear like I'm going to lose consciousness and fall into a deep sleep, never waking up again.”

“Regina, you are under enormous pressure. We all are, but you occupy a leadership position that doesn't allow you to relax, and that's not good. Henry and I have been talking a lot about this, we care about you and want to make sure you set aside at least one hour in your fully populated schedule, stop everything you are doing to include this one hour, and go see a doctor. You are visibly downcast; we all care about your wellbeing, several people have noticed and would like you to give yourself a little time to look into the mirror of your eyes, to take care of yourself.”

“It's curious, what you are advising me to do: looking into the mirror is what I always did, what I did the most in my life. But I think you're right, I'm on the brink of a collapse, I really don't know if I'll have the strength to drive the whole Phase 2 process, but let's move on. I promise I'll exchange a few words with Whale. ”

"And today you're staying with us again, Henry and I have made a point - and we won't take no for an answer."

“Thank you, my dear, I love you so much, and I will accept your offer. I'm just going to send a few more messages to the School, it seems the work there is not completely finished yet, but it's almost over and then we can call it a day!”

Storybrooke, Elementary and Secondary School

Night has fallen but the school lights are still on for the final arrangements to be completed. The fluttering of fairy wings echoes through the school corridors, coming and going carrying the communication devices in small scuppers that will be distributed tomorrow. Meanwhile, in the teacher's meeting room, the latest conferences on the monitor lists for all shelters are held and, as it turned out, the number of volunteers exceeded expectations. In the shelters of the youngest children, group A, the parents themselves will be the monitors; in group B, with adolescents and preteens, the monitors will be members of group C reallocated to group B. And in group C there is no need of monitors although the infrastructure to house its hundreds of thousands of occupants is the most complex. Despite the large numbers, the solidarity network has grown exponentially and simplified the coordinating work.

Some coordinators are already in the Shelters, taking care of the latest arrangements. At school are still working: Snow, the two Henrys, Gideon, Elsa, Guinevere, Tiana and Jasmine.

“I know you even joke because I really have as a striking feature the belief in the strength of Hope,” Snow addresses them all. “But I have no other words that can best describe what is happening in the United Realms: much hope that we will overcome this crisis and emerge victorious, stronger and more united. I imagine I am not the only one who has noticed the wave of Love that is spreading in the air; all people are more loving, affectionate, and open. The solidarity that results from this energy is cumulative and growing, really impressive. It is Love being used as the most powerful Magic of all magic. Have you noticed too?”

Everyone agrees with Snow, going over the latest spreadsheets with a dreamy gaze projected on their love ones, all out there, busy, completing the tasks for which they were assigned. Elsa and Gideon exchange furtive glances and smiles.

“Emm is absolutely right,” Gideon then comments, “about using Music as a magic tool. We must keep that in mind. Even in the Land theoretically without Magic, Music finds its way to take Magic there. No matter if the person can’t play any instrument, or sing with a perfectly tuned voice, singing produces what is technically known as endorphins and oxytocin, which for us are simply, both, feel-good hormones. Besides, singing works to help in lowering stress levels and to reduce anxiety – extremely important for all of us, now.”

“It can also boost self-confidence,” Tiana adds.

‘‘Don’t I know that?” Guinevere agrees. “See myself, for example, I love to sing in a choirs but I’ve never felt that much confident to sing solo. A lot of people are so terrified of singing on their own or public speaking, but Emm’s idea of working in a group, with choirs of voices, is fantastic because when we’re in a group the group energy gives everyone that confidence and the result may sound amazing.”

“My Mom has always loved Music, even when she didn’t know it was the main source of her Magic…” Wish Henry tells them. “Now, more than ever, after the Sweet Suite, she praises the power of music in everything that matters for her.”

“A few days ago Hope said that, while her mother is the Savior, her Aunt Emm is the Aligner ,” Elsa confides them, “but she didn’t explain the concept beyond that and Emma and I didn’t push her. You know Hope, when she doesn’t want to talk about something. However, I asked Gideon…” and she looks at him and he nods. She then continues, “He has read about the Aligners in an ancient book, could you share what you have told me, Gideon?”

“Sure,” he answers. “Aligners are a rare group of people responsible for setting special resonant frequencies that induce a lot of people to vibrate collectively, thus enhancing the power of a given magic. I guess these frequencies are related to Music, in Emm’s case. Elsa and I told this to her, this morning, and I think that after processing the information she came out with the inspiring idea of magically creating musical instruments for the shelters, something like forming orchestras everywhere.”

“I remember the concept!!” Henry exclaims. “By coincidence, or maybe not, there is a technical term describing music alignment as a kind of music synchronization. I’ve read about when I lived in Seattle. Technically, for them the alignment refers to interrelate multiple information sets associated to a given musical work, for example, sheet music, symbolic representations and audio recording. So it is taken to mean a procedure which, for a given position in one representation of a piece of music, determines the corresponding position within another.”

“You mean, is it a kind of translation?” Jasmine asks.

“Sort of,” Henry continues. “The synchronization forms the basis for novel interfaces that allow users to access, search, and browse musical content in a convenient way. That is what music alignment means in the Land without Magic. I guess, in the UR, it means much more than that…”

“I agree, it might mean much more than that,” Gideon ponders. “I have yet to research more about this subject, I promised Key and Emm I would look after the issue, but given the emergency we are in, I haven’t had the time to browse in my books. However, I think I could prioritize this search because it may be the difference between our defeat and our victory…”

“I propose that we all sing a song to attract good vibes toward our victory. Our work today is done, and this may already be a good workout for what Emm will propose ... how about?" Snow suggests.

“Could we just hum?” Wish Henry asks. “My Mom loves to sing and is an excellent singer, but I’d rather hum a little, if we want to keep the vibes toward our victory!”

“Which song that would be?” Elsa asks everybody.

“I was thinking about a lullaby,'' Snow explains, “but no music came to my mind…”

“I thought of one,” Gideon tells them timidly, “but I’m not sure if it would set the mood correctly. But it was the one that came to my mind, anyway.”

“And that would be…?” Elsa inquires him seductively, as if encouraging him to share the impulse.

“Since we talked about the Land without Magic, it is in the soundtrack of a movie made there. A real masterpiece, I must say, a fantastic story and… thinking more about this impulse of mine, I have to say that it surely appears to be a message sent from the spiritual plane to us…”

“Stop the suspense, Gideon,” Elsa giggles, “and split it out!”

“Have you watched Pan’s Labyrinth?” Gideon then asks them.

“Of course, I have…!” Henry exclaims. “Man…. You are so right; this movie has everything to do with us.”

“I haven’t watched it,” Snow says and Elsa and Wish Henry nod with her.

“Neither did I,” Jasmine and Guinevere join their group.

“I did.” A thoughtful Tiana whispers, “It’s a great movie with so many interpretations for all tastes - from psychological, sociological or political angles…”

“But mostly,” Gideon adds, “for me, I’m more concerned with the occult symbolism permeating the story with an underlying esoteric story of initiation. It is a kind of parable with numerous references to occult mysteries: full of mythical and archetypal symbolism that fit into a rich story.”

“Yeah…” Henry confirms dreamily, scanning his memory files, “Those archetypal myths and symbols deeply resonate in the collective and personal unconscious, even though people in the Land without Magic do believe that they do not exist in a real, organic sense, as we know they do.”

“You are talking in riddles,” Elsa complains. “What is it about?”

“I’ll try to give you a brief summary while searching here in my playlist for the soundtrack Gideon referred to, the humming part…” Henry says, and prepares to develop his abstract. “Based on the Greek mythology, Pan is a god, a Faun, resembling a man with legs and horns of a goat, a representative of a natural energy, a phallic deity symbolizing the impregnating power of the sun. He sort of becomes the spiritual guide to a girl, named Ofelia, and helps her through an actual and figurative labyrinth she must go through. Despite his monstrous appearance—which leads us, as viewers, to think at first that he is the “bad guy”—he is actually the only being in Ofelia’s life that understands her desire to “become more” and to reach her full potential. The actual “bad guy” in the movie is not the hideous creature, but the cruel step-father.”

“Not exactly the same description applied for the Pans that are threatening us but almost the same regarding this step-father of the movie. And for me and Henry Mills it’s a cross-over impersonating our cruel Great-Grandfathers…” Wish Henry mumbles.

“They are my Grandfathers; I don’t know which is worse…” Gideon replies with a bit of sarcasm.

“The movie story has so many layers...” Tiana resumes the conversation. “Ofelia is given some tasks to accomplish and the first one, I remember well, is to find the Sacred Feminine."

"You know..." Tiana smiles, with a sigh, "among all challenging mysteries that we have endured, many of us here have already experienced the loss of identity caused by a dark curse. Particularly, I'm referring to the kind that can send us to the "land without magic" to live under the skin of another persona - Sabine, in my case. And the more I think about Sabine the more I realize that the real me, the essence of Tiana was always present in Sabine during her journey in Hyperion Heights. Her task, I mean, my task, was actually the rescue of a sacred essence that no dark curse is capable of erasing forever - temporarily, perhaps, that can happen, but Light always finds a way to shine again. And that can happen, at times, completely unexpectedly. For me, the discovery of Cinema, of this wonderful expression of the purest Art, was one of these unexpected forms - from the Enchanted Forest to a cinema room I found myself being profoundly touched by the fine art. I remember that Pan’s Labyrinth, which I watched with my roommate Jacinda, I mean, Ella, or Cindy, worked its magic on both of us, thus proving, after all, that the Land wasn't really Without Magic! Ofelia's journey resonated deeply inside of us. She has to retrieve a key from a giant toad that is sucking the life out of an ancient fig tree - the quest for “returning to the womb” and rekindling the oppressed feminine. The interior of the tree is damp and moist, symbolizing once again the womb-giver of life. The tree itself looks like a uterus. You would love this part, girls!” she turns to the women in the group.

“First thing we will do, after all of this is past, is to watch this movie, we need to increase the number of movie theaters in the UR,” Snow comments, intrigued and touched by Tiana's testimony.

“There are other tasks for Ofelia but I won’t spoiler more, I will let you find out when you watch it. But in summary, it’s a must watch, I totally recommend it and I will re-watch it with you…” Tiana concludes.

“I found it!” Henry exclaims, already selecting the song out of his playlist. "We could hum together while it plays, as Key used to do in the Sweet Suite...

...Let’s do it before going home!”

*