#Maya Midnight Melody | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

girlinlotsoffandoms · 3 years ago

Text

she's her daddy's girl, her momma's world - chapter 22

Title: I hope you dance

Summary: Three times Kelly and Maya danced, creating a special tradition for father and daughter.

Happy Father’s Day!

Read on AO3 or below

8 months old.

Kelly paced back and forth, a fussy Maya in his arms. It was after midnight, he’d just gotten home from a Blackhawks game with Casey, and the infant was awake (for some reason) and not happy. Maya had always been a great sleeper; she’d started sleeping through the night around six weeks old and, apart from the odd night here and there, she’d never stopped. It was something her parents were very thankful for.

Maya had a set night routine they stuck to and, according to Stella when she texted him earlier, she was happy and sleepy when she put her to bed that night. That was usually a sure sign she’d sleep all night, but it seemed like Maya had other plans. Almost immediately after entering the loft, Kelly heard cries start to come from Maya’s nursery.

Kelly cursed softly—he thought he’d entered quietly enough to not wake either of his girls up but apparently not. Knowing Stella had the baby monitor on in their room, Kelly moved quickly, hoping to get to Maya before she woke Stella up.

Entering the room, Kelly found Maya standing in her crib. Her chubby little hands were gripping the rail and, in the glow of the nightlight in the corned, her pout and tears were easily visible. Kelly made his way over to her, turning her sound machine off and flicking on a small light as he walked.

“Hey,” Kelly cooed as he reached the crib. Reaching over, he pulled Maya into his arms. “What’s with the tears baby girl? Huh?”

He went through the normal steps of changing her diaper and giving her a bottle, he even checked her temperature, but nothing seemed to make her happy. So, Kelly just held her, cuddled her, and walked soothingly back and forth to try and lull the baby back to sleep.

Maya’s cries had quieted but she was still wide awake so, in the silence of the room, Kelly began humming softly. Unfortunately, the late hour and the few drinks he’d had at the game were wreaking havoc on his memory and he could only remember two songs to cycle between—two songs Maya quickly grew tired of. She made her dad aware of her displeasure by fussing again.

“Shhhhhh, ok,” Kelly murmured. He changed Maya’s position, leaning her against his chest, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Unlocking his phone, he pulled up one of the playlists he and Stella listen to and immediately recognized the first song that played. “Let’s try this. It’s one of mommy’s favorites.”

As the soft melody began playing, Kelly sat his phone on the dresser and wrapped his arms around Maya, keeping her close to his chest with her ear over his heart. Kelly began swaying back and forth and, as the music played, his movements turned more into a dance as they moved around the room.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Stella had woken up the second she heard Maya cry. She was about to get out of bed and go to her daughter when she heard Kelly enter the nursery. Stella knew Kelly was more than capable of getting Maya back to sleep, so she settled back into bed. She was just about to fall back asleep, but the quiet conversation coming through the baby monitor kept her awake.

Maya was usually an easy baby to get back to sleep but, as Stella heard Kelly change her diaper, give her a bottle, and go through all the normal steps of getting her back down to no avail, Stella started to worry that something was wrong. Slipping on one of Kelly’s old shirts, Stella got out of bed and quietly made her way across the loft to Maya’s nursery.

She arrived at the door and was about to announce her presence, and maybe even take over trying to get Maya back to sleep when she saw Kelly pull out his phone and put on one of their playlists. Stella smiled when she heard one of her favorite songs start playing and she leaned against the doorframe, watching adoringly as her two favorite people danced, rocked, and swayed in the dim light of the room.

Maya was asleep by the end of the first song, but Kelly kept swaying with her through one more song, just to be safe. As the second song ended, Kelly carefully walked over to the crib and laid Maya down. The baby girl didn’t even flinch.

Stella quietly walked up behind Kelly and wrapped her arms around his waist, causing him to startle slightly. Once recovered, he wrapped his arms around Stella, bringing her to his side. “I was trying to get to her before she woke you up.”

“I was gonna go back to sleep, but after a while of her fighting sleep, I was coming to see if there was anything I could do,” Stella shrugged. Then, she smiled and turned to face Kelly, wrapping her arms around her neck. “But it looks like all she needed was a dance with her daddy.”

Kelly’s face flushed, but he chuckled. “You saw that?”

“I did,” Stella confirmed. “It was very sweet.”

Kelly shook his head playfully before leaning forward and meeting Stella for a kiss.

“Let’s go to bed.” Stella breathed out, breaking away from the kiss. Kelly readily agreed.

Maya slept through the rest of the night that night and if midnight dances with her daddy became the go-to trick to get her to sleep on those difficult nights well, none of them were complaining.

4 ½ years old.

Stella walked into their bedroom to find Kelly standing in front of the mirror, working to get his tie fixed. He made eye contact with her in the mirror and smiled at her. “She ready?”

“Oh yeah. Dress is on, hair is done, and she’s currently making herself dizzy twirling around the living room.” Stella answered with a chuckle. She walked over to stand next to Kelly and then turned to face him, her hands going towards his tie. “Here, let me.”

Kelly released his tie, allowing Stella’s experienced hands to take over the task of tying it. His hands found their way to her very large baby bump. “You sure you’re gonna be OK here tonight?”

Stella rolled her eyes but smiled. This pregnancy had been harder than Maya’s, but she’d turned a corner after reaching the third trimester and Stella was feeling better than ever. Kelly still worried though, despite the baby’s due date being well over two months away. “I’ll be fine. Hailey’s coming over since Jay and Ella are joining you and Maya. We’re going to have a little girl’s night.”

Kelly nodded. “But you’ll call me if you need me?”

“Yes, I will call you if I need you,” Stella said, finishing with his tie. Her hands moved up to fix his collar. “But I won’t need you because it’s a special night for you and Maya and you two need to enjoy it.”

The City of Chicago put on a Father-Daughter dance every year as one of their many fundraisers. It usually happened around Father’s Day but scheduling conflicts and the dates of the year’s Lollapalooza festival caused it to be pushed back a few months.

Maya had heard about the dance from one of her friends at preschool and it was all the little girl could talk about for weeks. Since she was finally old enough to attend, Kelly surprised her with tickets and Stella took her shopping for a special new dress and even let her pick out a tie for Kelly that matched. With the impending arrival of the new baby, both parents were eager to have as many special moments with Maya as they could.

The day of the dance had finally arrived, and Maya had been bouncing off the walls with excitement from the moment she woke up. That excitement only grew once she was told her best friend Ella and ‘Uncle Jay’ were going to be joining them at the dance. Keeping her entertained until it was time to start getting ready was a challenge, but they’d managed to do it and now it was finally time for them to leave.

Once Kelly was dressed and ready, he and Stella exited their bedroom to join their daughter in the living room. Maya smiled at her parents and ran up to her dad, grabbing Kelly’s hands. “Daddy! Dance time?”

Kelly smiled at her. Maya’s excitement was palpable, and the little girl was practically vibrating. “Almost baby girl. We’re going to go meet Ella and Uncle Jay for dinner and then it’s dance time.”

Maya’s eyes lit up and her smile stretched even wider. She started trying to pull him towards the door. “Let’s go, let’s go!!!!”

Her parents laughed but Kelly conceded, giving Stella a quick kiss goodbye before giving in to Maya’s pulling and following her to the front door.

Stella snapped a quick picture (or twenty) of the duo and gave them one last goodbye and then Kelly and Maya were off.

The two met up with Jay and an equally excited Ella at a diner a few blocks away from the hotel where the dance was being held. The girls insisted on breakfast for dinner, and it took a plethora of napkins and the undivided attention of both fathers to ensure the girls kept all the syrup from their waffles in their mouths instead of on their dresses.

By the time they reached the hotel’s ballroom thirty minutes later, the sugar rush had kicked in and both girls were ready to hit the dance floor.

Maya’s little brain was fascinated by everything inside the ballroom. Not only was the dance floor big and inviting, but there was a large table full of drinks, snacks, and candy, a photo booth with fun props, and a coloring station where the kids could take a breather and draw or color. She was overwhelmed by all the possibilities and looked to her daddy for what to do.

Kelly smiled down at her and squeezed her hand. “How about we go take pictures first and then we can dance for a little bit? Sound good?”

Maya smiled and nodded before leading the way to the photo booth. She took pictures with Kelly and Ella took pictures with Jay before both girls took a few pictures together. Picture printouts in hand, they made their way to the dance floor.

Maya and Ella danced around while the music played, and Kelly and Jay watched the adorable sight while talking about the newest little Halstead and the soon-to-arrive baby Severide.

The girls weren’t dancing alone for long—after a few songs both Maya and Ella were grabbing their dads’ hands and pulling them further onto the dance floor. They danced for several songs together, only stopping for a break when event workers started passing out glow sticks.

The Halsteads and Severides took a break from all the dancing to put their glow sticks on (Maya insisted on wearing hers around her head and as a bracelet on each wrist) and grab a snack from the refreshments table.

Maya rallied quicker than Ella did after the snack break, so she grabbed Kelly’s hand and dragged him back onto the dance floor.

They danced for several songs and, as the night grew later, Maya grew more and more tired. However, even at 4 ½ years old, she had never been one to miss out on any fun. Maya continued to dance around not even stopping when her dancing turned into slow sways. Kelly smiled at her determination and lifted her up to set her feet on top of his, allowing her to keep dancing while he did most of the work.

It wasn’t too much longer until the Father-Daughter dance was officially over but by that point, Maya had lost all her steam. She was asleep in Kelly’s arms as he carried her out of the hotel and got her loaded into the car. The Halsteads had long since headed home, Ella having fallen asleep an hour or so before Maya did.

With Maya buckled in, Kelly got in and drove home. Traffic from the dance mixed with normal Chicago traffic and the journey home took longer than normal but Maya stayed asleep the entire time. By the time they arrived home, Maya was deep asleep and didn’t even stir when Kelly transferred her from her car seat to his arms. She even stayed asleep the entire walk from the driveway to the house.

Stella was in the living room when they entered, and she smiled at the sight of Maya passed out in Kelly’s arms. “I take it she had fun?”

“She had a blast,” Kelly said with a quiet chuckle. He shut and locked the front door behind him. He carried Maya towards Stella. “I’m not even sure if this is from exhaustion or a sugar crash.”

Stella laughed and reached up to brush a few loose curls off Maya’s face. Even deep asleep, the toddler had a smile on her face. It was clear she’d had a great at the dance with her daddy.

With a new baby arriving soon, Maya’s moments as an only child was coming to an end. She would no longer be the center of her parents’ attention. The coming months would be an adjustment for them all, especially Maya, but they were taking advantage of every moment they could with her even if it meant long nights dancing in hotel ballrooms.

26 years old.

Kelly Severide loved all his kids but as his first born, he’d always had a special bond with Maya. With many years as a firefighter and a parent under his belt, he always felt prepared for everything but the one thing he wasn’t prepared for was his daughter’s wedding. From walking Maya down the aisle to listening to her say her vows, nothing could have prepared him for the emotions flooding through him—emotions that continued to build throughout the night.

After her first dance with her new husband, Maya grabbed Kelly’s hand and drug him to the middle of the dance floor. The DJ began playing the start of their special song, a long-time Severide family favorite, as Kelly and Maya started moving and swaying to the music.

There was a crowd of people surrounding the dance floor and camera lights flashed as the two danced. Friends, family, and loved ones gathered around and smiled at the scene in front of them.

Kelly smiled at his daughter. She made him proud every single day and watching his little girl grow into the beautiful, strong, and smart young woman she was today had been one of the biggest joys of his life. But, as happy as he was for Maya, Kelly had been dreading this day. Maya had long since left home, going away for school then getting her own place and starting her career, but this change, this loss almost, felt final. His little girl wasn’t so little anymore and everything about the day made it real. It was bittersweet.

“You know your mom and I are so proud of the woman you’ve become, right?” Kelly asked, interrupting the quiet, looking down at his daughter.

“I know dad.” Maya smiled through the tears in her eyes. “But don’t worry. I will always be your little girl.”

Kelly chuckled but felt his own tears welling up. “Good. Remember that!”

He twirled Maya once before bringing her back to continue their swaying.

Kelly wasn’t the only one with mixed feelings about the day. Maya had been waiting for this day since she met her now-husband and it had been perfect, but as happy as she was, there was also some sadness. She loved her family but getting married meant growing up and starting her own family, inevitably leaving them behind in a way. Maya didn’t know if she was ready for that – that’s why she included her family in the wedding as much as she could. Her siblings were in the wedding party, and her mom and Aunt Sylvie had helped her plan almost everything just like she wanted.

Maya was the furthest thing from a bridezilla, but the number one thing she wanted (after the groom and the vows and the rings of course), the only thing she wouldn’t compromise on, was the father/daughter dance with Kelly. Her dad had always been the most important man in her life and she wanted to make sure he knew how much she loved, respected, and cherished him especially now that he was the second most important man in her life.

She’d already told him that, multiple times, but dancing together was their special thing. Despite Kelly Severide swearing up and down that he wasn’t a dancer, he would always dance with her if she asked.

As her dad twirled her on the dance floor again, Maya thought back to all the dances they had shared over the years.

Dance parties in the car when he would pick her up from or drop her off at daycare, head banging and obnoxiously loud singing included.

Poorly executed waltzes in the living room whenever one of the princesses had a ball in the movies she watched.

Nearly a decade of attending the city’s Father-Daughter dances—she loved it every year, even after she started having to share Kelly with her sister.

So many of her favorite memories, both big and small, had dances with her dad attached to them. This dance at her wedding was another memory added to the list and perhaps the most important one.

As the song came to an end and those around them started clapping, Kelly pulled Maya into a tight hug and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I love you kiddo.”

“I love you too dad.”

Breaking apart from the hug, Kelly noticed his new son-in-law walking toward them. Kelly smiled and stepped aside, allowing Maya to join her husband for another dance. He made his way over to Stella and the two watched their daughter and son-in-law with misty eyes and warm smiles. Maya was happy, blissfully so, and that was all they’d ever wanted for her.

After a minute or so, the DJ opened the dance floor for other couples to join the newlyweds for a dance. Kelly offered his hand to Stella and led her onto the dance floor. Stella and Maya definitely enjoyed dancing more than he did, but it made his girls happy, and he would never stand in the way of their happiness.

#she's her daddy's girl her momma's world #kelly severide #stella kidd #maya severide #father daughter dance #chicago fire

19 notes · View notes

namelists · 5 years ago

Photo

a list of names inspired by: colours

this list includes names of colours and names relating to colours and rainbows

Reds

Auburn: reddish brown, usually describes hair

Barbera: a red Italian wine grape variety

Burgundy: a deep red color like that of burgundy wine

Cabernet: a red wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape

Cardinal: a New World songbird of the bunting family

Carmine: a vivid crimson pigment made from cochineal

Carnelian: a semiprecious stone; an orange-red variety of chalcedony

Cerise: from the French for “cherry”

Cherry: a bright or deep red colored fruit

Claret: a red wine from Bordeaux

Coral: a tiny soft-bodied animal that lives grouped in large colonies

Crimson: a rich deep red color inclining to purple

Garnet: a precious stone consisting of a deep red vitreous silicate mineral

Magenta: a light purplish red that is one of the primary subtractive colors

Malbec: a full-bodied red wine that grows mostly in Argentina

Maroon: a brownish-crimson color

Merlot: a red wine from Bordeaux

Rose: a warm pink or light crimson color

Rosika: Hungarian for “little rose”

Rosso: “red” in Italian

Ruby: a precious stone consisting of corundum

Rufous: reddish brown in color

Scarlet: a brilliant red

Syrah: a red wine made from the Shiraz grape

Vermelha: from the Portuguese for “red”

Vermillion: a brilliant red pigment made from mercury sulfide

Oranges

Aidan: Irish origin, “little fire”

Aki: Japanese origin, “autumn”

Alani: the Hawaiian word for “orange”

Arancia: the Italian word for “orange”

Autumn: the third season of the year, when crops and fruits are gathered and leaves fall

Blaze: a very large or fiercely burning fire

Clementine: a tangerine of a deep orange-red North African variety

Dahlia: a tuberous-rooted Mexican plant of the daisy family

Fox: a carnivorous mammal of the dog family with a pointed muzzle and bushy tail

Ginger: a red-haired or ginger-haired person

Paprika: a powdered spice with a deep orange-red color and a mildly pungent flavor

Rusty: the reddish-brown colour of rust

Saffron: an orange-yellow flavoring, food coloring, and dye made from the dried stigmas of a crocus

Sienna: a kind of ferruginous earth used as a pigment in painting

Spice: an aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor food

Tiger: a very large solitary cat with a yellow-brown coat striped with black

Turmeric: a bright yellow aromatic powder obtained from the rhizome of a plant of the ginger family

Yellows

Amber: hard translucent fossilized resin produced by extinct coniferous trees

Aurelia: from the Latin for “golden”

Canary: a mainly African finch with a melodious song

Carmela: from the Hebrew for “golden”

Daisy: small grassland flower with a yellow disk and white rays

Dawn: the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise

Dior: from the French for “golden”

Gilda: from an Old English word meaning “golden”

Goldie: Scottish, from a diminuitive of “gold”

Haimi: Sanskrit, meaning “golden”

Honey: a sweet, sticky yellowish-brown fluid made by bees

Marigold: a plant of the daisy family

Ochre: an earthy pigment containing ferric oxide

Sepia: a color associated particularly with photographs of the 19th century

Soleil: French for “sun”

Summer: the warmest season of the year

Sunny: bright with sunlight

Tuscany: a region of central Italy known for sun

Xanthe: Greek, meaning “blond-haired”

Zehavi: from Hebrew, meaning “golden”

Greens

Absinthe: a potent green aniseed-flavored alcoholic spirit

Army: an organized military force equipped for fighting on land

Clover: plant of the pea family that has dense, globular flower head

Covet: yearn to possess or have

Emeraude: French for “emerald”

Envy: a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck

Fern: a flowerless plant which has feathery or leafy fronds

Forest: a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth

Hunter: a person or animal that hunts

Ivy: a woody evergreen Eurasian climbing plant

Kelly: from the Cornish name celli, which means wood or grove

Leif: Scandinavian, meaning “descendant”

Midori: Japanese for “green”

Mint: an aromatic plant native to temperate regions of the Old World

Moss: a small flowerless green plant which lacks true roots

Olive: a small oval fruit with a hard pit and bitter flesh

Patrick: Apostle and patron saint of Ireland

Sage: an aromatic plant with grayish-green leaves

Shamrock: a low-growing clover-like plant with three-lobed leaves, used as the national emblem of Ireland

Teal: a dark greenish-blue colour

Verdell: from Latin for “green, growing”

Veridian: a long-lasting, bluish-green pigment

Blues

Sky: the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth

Azure: bright blue in color like a cloudless sky

Cadet: a young trainee in the armed services or police force

Marine: of, found in, or produced by the sea

Cobalt: a deep blue pigment containing cobalt and aluminum oxides

Midnight: twelve o'clock at night

Indigo: the dark blue dye obtained from the indigo plant

Navy: the branch of a nation’s armed services that conducts military operations at sea

Celeste: from Latin meaning “heavenly or celestial”

Denim: a sturdy cotton twill fabric, typically blue, used for jeans

Admiral: a commander of a fleet or naval squadron

Sapphire: a transparent precious stone, typically blue

Steel: a hard, strong, gray or bluish-gray alloy of iron

Lake: a large body of water surrounded by land

Periwinkle: an Old World plant with flat five-petaled, typically bluish flowers and glossy leaves

Maya: a unique bright azure blue pigment manufactured by cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, such as the Maya and Aztec

Tiffany: an American luxury jewelry and specialty retailer

Royal: having the status of a king or queen

Cyan: a greenish-blue color which is one of the primary subtractive colors

Cerulean: deep blue in color like a clear sky

Larmina: Persian, meaning “blue sky”

Marlais: Welsh for “blue”

Mazarine: a deep purplish blue

Okelani: Hawaiian for “from heaven”

Purples

Amethyst: a precious stone consisting of a violet or purple variety of quartz

Aubergine: the purple egg-shaped fruit of a tropical Old World plant

Iole: Old Greek for “violet”

Iris: a plant with sword-shaped leaves and showy flowers, typically purple

Lavender: a pale blue color with a trace of mauve

Lilac: of a pale pinkish-violet color

Mauve: a pale purple color

Morado: Spanish for “purple”

Mulberry: a dark red or purple color

Pansy: popular cultivated viola with flowers in rich colors

Sangria: a Spanish drink of red wine mixed with lemonade, fruit, and spices

Violet: a bluish-purple color seen at the end of the spectrum opposite red

Other

Alba: from Latin origin, meaning “white”

Bianca: Italian, meaning “white”

Blanche: from a Germanic word meaning “white”

Brown: a color produced by mixing red, yellow, and blue, as of dark wood or rich soil

Ebony: heavy blackish timber from a mainly tropical tree

Grey: a color intermediate between black and white, as of ashes or lea

Iro: the Japanese word for “colour”

Ivory: a hard creamy-white substance composing the main part of the tusks of an elephant, walrus, or narwhal

Jett: a hard black semiprecious variety of lignite

Onyx: a semiprecious variety of agate with different colors in layers

Rainbow: any display of the colors of the spectrum produced by dispersion of light

Raven: a large heavily built crow with mainly black plumage

Silver: a precious shiny grayish-white metal

Veselka: Ukranian word for “rainbow”

#rph #name list #name help #character names #baby names #character development #this took... so long? please love it lol

285 notes · View notes

ironwoman359 · 4 months ago

Text

Gonna try to make this taglist work, all my pasting attempts earlier did not so here is a different method:

Our Own Villain taglist:

@veryvirginvirgil, @cinnamonrollpatton, @fandomsofrandom, @buzz-by-bee, @funsizedgremlin, @ccecode, @fandomfrend, @callboxkat @olirs55 @emissary-of-stuff @fudgeyouandyourmoose @sammy-writes-stuff @erlenmeyertrash @inksandpensblog @fancydelusionluminary @afilhadehades-blog @the-rainbow-witch @blue-astro @timeywimeygalaxy @equipodeleo-blog @roman-is-a-gay @romanasanders @sombraplayslazertag @officialotpgirl @peace-love-and-fandoms @everythingfanblogkingsman @ghostilda, @phlying-squirrel @sanderstalker @faithfreedom-art @myworstdays @give-me-a-minute-to-think @teenager-of-phandoms @obsessedfangirlwithissues @small-reptile-cake @thesoftestlittlepuffball @band-be-boss-blog @maya-tl @guys-chill @justsomerandomhooman @shadowjag @ignitethenight5984-blog @secretlyondrugs @anotherfandomtrasher-blog @nuttytheorizer @musicphanpie-b @kikifinntastic @kri-marie-b-the-nb @basically-trash5 @amazable01 @temmiecupcake @samathekittycat @aj-the-psycho @anxious-witch @i-identify-as-a-mango @heartsaved @today-only-happens-once @cosmic-melodies @justpure-trash @princessromania13 @lovingcreatorstrawberry @dreaming-about-kittens @hazelswann @jlyk-im-kinda-crazy-so-blog @ifwewerehistory @brownie-aunt @as-if-unreal @thefancon10ent @ps-reblogs @midnight-tragedyy @winterrs-child @booksnbandsnbooks @overly-caffinated-crow @croftersjam15 @lunatatic

Our Own Villain Ch. 9

Prologue, Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch.7, Ch.8, Ch.9, Ch.10

Word Count: 5,570

Chapter Summary: Everything Roman has worked for threatens to crumble around him as Logan puts his plan to save his friends into motion.

Pairings: Logicality, could be read as romantic or platonic, platonic Moxiety

Chapter Warnings: Anxiety, guilt, isolation and anger, overworking, fantasy violence, just generally unhealthy thought patterns going on for Roman.

Check the reblogs for a link to read on AO3!

AN: IT'S HERE! As always, I cannot post this story without acknowledging the incredible @theinvisiblespoon, who helped me edit this and resulted in over 400 extra words of flavor for this chapter. They're the absolute best! Also, shout out to @teacupfulofstarshine for helping me get over some writers block with a few of these passages, she's an absolute darling <3

— — —

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

The captain of the guard bowed low before Roman, a faint tremor in his posture betraying his nerves.

“I’ve had my men up all night, searching the city from top to bottom,” the captain continued, “but there’s been no sign of the fugitive.”

The man kept his head low, glancing tentatively up at Roman who paced back and forth across the floor of the throne room, arms crossed across his chest. He barely noticed the captain’s discomfort, lost entirely in thought.

Where could Logan be? There was no way he could have left the Imagination, so how had the guards not found him yet? Roman supposed he could have snuck out of the city somehow, but there was nothing for him out there but wilderness, and it was cruel, even for Logan, to run away without even trying to rescue Patton and Virgil. No, he had to be hidden somewhere, somewhere that he thought was clever enough to escape Roman’s notice.

“Keep searching, Captain,” he ordered. “He must be somewhere in the city. Perhaps he has enlisted the help of one of the townspeople and is being kept out of sight. Issue a decree that anyone found to be harboring criminals will face charges of treason. I want every-”

“Your Highness!” a new guard burst into the room, and Roman spun around with a glare.

“What is it now? Are you men so utterly incompetent that you’re incapable of following the most simple of commands? I said that I was not to be disturbed!”

“It’s just, your highness,” the guard stammered, cowering in the face of Roman’s rage. “There’s an attack at the gates–”

“What on earth makes you think I care about the gates right now?” Roman exclaimed. “There is a traitor loose in the city, corrupting the people and conspiring against me. Nothing at the gates could possibly be more important than finding–”

A roar pierced the air, and Roman went rigid, his hand automatically gripping the hilt of his sword.

“Dragon Witch,” he hissed, and the guard nodded frantically.

“She was spotted flying down from the mountains, your highness. The gate guard sent me to warn of her attack.”

Roman slammed his fist down on the table.

“Of course she would strike now, when we are distracted and unprepared. Captain, send criers through the streets to order your men to mobilize at the main gate. And bring me my armor! We must not let her take the city!”

The soldiers scrambled from the room, and for a moment, Roman stood alone. After everything he’d done, everything he’d worked for, he now was faced with this. His oldest and strongest enemy, coming to challenge him when he was at his weakest. Did she think he would simply cave before her might? He was Roman, Prince of the Imagination, Thomas’s Hero, the last bastion of goodness left for the entire mindscape. He wouldn’t be overthrown by a mere construct. He laughed to himself. No one was around to hear it.

The next several minutes were a flurry of activity, and soon Roman was on his horse, his silver breastplate glinting in the first red rays of sunrise poking over the horizon as he cantered through the city streets.

The thought of Logan somehow escaping the city during the battle briefly crossed his mind, but he pushed the idea away. They would find the logical side eventually; after all, there was nowhere for him to run.

Outside the city wall, the Dragon Witch let out another roar, and Roman urged his horse forward, drawing his sword.

Right now, Logan didn’t matter.

What did matter was making sure that his realm did not fall. He was Roman, Creativity, creator of this realm and Prince of the mindscape. He was a hero, the only hero Thomas had left after all the others had fallen prey to the wicked machinations of those accursed Dark Sides.

And nothing, not the others, not the Dragon Witch, nothing, was going to stand in his way.

— — —

Screams rang out through the streets as another of the Dragon Witch’s roars shook the city. Seth pressed himself up against the wall of the alleyway, peering out from behind a corner. The palace drawbridge lowered and Prince Roman and his guards in full armor appeared. The thunder of the horse’s hooves on the cobblestone and with the blare of the soldiers’ warhorns echoed all around Seth, and he ducked out of the way as the battalion rode past his hiding spot.

The market was quickly emptying as merchants and shoppers fled the streets, and he intended to take full advantage of the chaos. Now that he had secured a place by the square, he hoped to pilfer enough foodstuffs from the merchants to be set for at least a week. Seth waited until the last terrified shopkeeper had disappeared from sight, then he crept out from the alleyway into the square.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him back into the shadows. He spun with a cry, his fists up in an instant ready to strike, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who had attacked him.

“Maddie?”

“We had a deal, Seth,” the girl said, glaring at him.

“But I saw you…the Arachnids…”

“Show me the servant’s entrance, please,” Maddie interrupted, folding her arms.

“What, now? We’re in the middle of a siege! Come on, let’s comb through the market and see if we can get any–”

“Seth, if you don’t show me that servant’s entrance right now, I will ensure that you spend every waking moment for the rest of your life fighting tooth and nail for that market spot. I said it was yours once you showed me the entrance, and unless you take me right this second–”

“Okay, okay!” Seth said, raising his hands in surrender. “Sheesh, Maddie, what’s gotten into you?”

“It is vitally important that I gain access to the palace. The reason why doesn’t concern you,” Maddie said as Seth led her up the street towards the palace walls.

Luckily, the entire city guard had ridden out to the gates with the Prince to fight the Dragon Witch, and the barred gate where Seth met his contact on the palace staff stood unprotected.

“There’s a door on the other side of the garden that the servants use,” he said, pointing through the courtyard. “Though I don’t know why that would matter to you, it’s not like you could get in. There are easier places to steal food from, especially since the city is under attack right now?”

Maddie didn’t bother answering, she just pushed past him and pulled experimentally on the gate. It was locked and didn’t budge, but she didn’t seem put off by that fact.

“Thank you, Seth. Our deal is complete. The spot by the market is yours. Now, I suggest you take cover; as you so aptly pointed out, the city is under attack.”

“What about you?” Seth asked.

“I have something I need to do,” Maddie answered, pulling a small glass vial from her dress pocket. She uncorked the bottle and poured a few drops of its contents on the gate’s lock, and Seth stared in awe as the metal melted away like ice on a summer’s day.

“Now go,” Maddie ordered. “I’ll explain later…if we ever manage to resolve this whole ordeal.”

Part of Seth wanted to stay and see what on earth the girl was up to, but just then the very sky seemed to explode, bright purple lightning and blue streaks of light flashing all around as the ground shook. Seth became overwhelmed with nausea, and he fell to his knees, retching. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maddie still standing, seemingly unaffected by whatever strange spell had caused the world to fall apart around them. He tried to call out to her, but she slipped through the gate and disappeared into the palace grounds before he could force his mouth to form words.

As soon as it began, the lightning stopped, and after a moment of gasping, Seth regained his bearings. He looked at the open palace gate, but then another roar rang out, and he turned and ran back through the city towards his new market spot. Maybe after he scavenged what food he could, he’d risk the gangs and take cover in the sewers until this was all over. Whatever had Maddie acting all weird, he didn’t want to know about it. He’d have a hard enough time surviving the Red Sun as it was.

The Dragon Witch’s roar echoed through the streets and Seth stumbled as he skidded around a corner.

When would this madness end?

— — —

“Prince Roman!” the Dragon Witch called out, her voice reverberating through the city. “Show yourself and face me!”

She hurled a spell at the city walls, and they buckled and folded beneath the weight of her magic. She stretched out her wings and roared, the very sound of her fury sending a squad of guards who were approaching to draw back in fear. A few of the gate guards tried to stand their ground, but she batted them away easily with a swing of her tail.

Slowly, she stalked into the city, giving the peasants in the streets plenty of time to run screaming from her mighty presence. The slower and more dramatic she was in her approach, the more time it would give Prince Roman to muster his entire guard and ride out to face her.

After a few minutes of her lazy destruction, the sound of battle horns rang out in the distance, and the Dragon Witch smiled. Looking up, she caught sight of Prince Roman’s black and red banner fluttering in the breeze, signaling that her quarry was coming within her grasp.

“Ready, little hero?” she asked quietly. She felt the grip of the human sitting on her back tighten.

“As I’ll ever be,” came the answer, and the Dragon Witch chuckled.

“Don’t worry,” she reassured. “Just stick to the script we practiced and you’ll be fine.”

Prince Roman came into view then, and she had to give him credit where it was due. Even in this mindset, when the very fabric of her reality was changed because of his pain and anger and frustration, he was personally leading the charge against her. How many tyrant kings would send their armies out to die in a battle that they wouldn’t dare to risk themselves?

He wants so badly to be good, she thought as the prince stared up at her, his face twisted in a look of disgust. Not just good. Perfect. If only he could see the truth.

“So it comes down to this!” Roman called up in a loud, clear voice. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you capable of this level of betrayal, Logan.”

He spat the name out like it was poison, and the Dragon Witch felt her passenger tense.

You can do this, little hero, she thought. Save us all.

“Prince Roman!” Logan’s voice was firm and unwavering, and the Dragon Witch couldn’t help the small swell of pride she felt at the sound.

“Release your prisoners and surrender, or see your realm destroyed!”

— — —

Roman stared up in disbelief as the Dragon Witch sneered down at him. Of all the possible outcomes, of all the ways that he’d expected a confrontation with the last remaining free Light Side to go, he’d never expected this.

Logan sat on the Dragon Witch’s back, staring down at Roman with a determined expression on his face. He looked almost comical, in his simple polo shirt, tie, and glasses while riding atop such a majestic and mighty beast, but Roman wasn’t in the mood to find humor in the situation.

“Release my prisoners?” Roman repeated. “And why, exactly, would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t, we will destroy the realm,” Logan repeated simply.

“If you think that I and my forces won’t be able to defeat the Dragon Witch before she destroys the city, let alone the realm, then you’re sorely mistaken.”

Logan frowned, tilting his head.

“You would risk your entire world’s existence, rather than accept defeat?”

“I’ve not been defeated yet!” Roman shot back. “Besides, I made this world. If it is destroyed, then I will simply make it again. Your threat is meaningless!”

“And the lives of the people living in it?” Logan demanded. “Are they meaningless too?”

Roman opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, the world split apart. Purple lightning filled the sky, and he let out a cry of anguish as a wave of emotion slammed into the walls he’d placed up between his realm and Thomas.

There was the same fear and anxiety from Virgil as there had been before, but there was also sadness, doubt, and guilt, manifesting in bright blue flashes throughout the storm. The guilt was somehow even more debilitating than the fear, and as he fought to keep the emotions from reaching Thomas, he could feel his grip on the realm itself slipping.

No… he thought, desperately trying to hold on to his composure. No, no, no…

— — —

It has to be perfect. If it’s not perfect, then I’m just a fraud, I’ve basically been lying to my fans this entire time, and I can’t let that be true, I won’t let them down like that, it has to be perfect.

Thomas let out a gasp as his creative flow slammed to a halt, replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread.

“It will be good enough,” he said aloud to his empty room, but the swirling thoughts of dread and despair only grew stronger.

But what if it isn’t? What if you’ll never make anything worth watching again and all the sacrifices you’ve made, all the friendships you’ve harmed along the way, all of that will have been for nothing? Your dreams will never come true and your friends will all abandon you. You’ve never really been that good a person anyway, why on earth would they stay? You’ll end up all alone for the rest of your life, and it will be your fault.

“What is going on?”

Thomas started to reach out for his sides, but he wasn’t sure who exactly to summon. Who could be responsible for this type of thinking? He’d never felt like this before, as though his thoughts were being forcibly pulled out of his control, except…

Except for that time when Virgil had ducked out. He hadn’t been as aware of it, but his thoughts had felt just like this: foreign and strange and fully divorced from what he was directly experiencing.

Thomas frowned, and decided that the best thing to do would be to summon all the sides together. He started to reach out with his mind, but before he could contact anyone specific, somebody appeared in the corner of his vision.

Unfortunately, it was the last side he wanted to see.

“Janus?” he asked. “What are you doing? What’s going on?”

“I think you should take a break, Thomas,” Janus said quietly. “Put the laptop away and try to get some rest.”

“What? No,” Thomas said, shaking his head. “I need to keep working on this, it’s my best idea ever. It could completely change the course of my creative career, I just have to get these feelings under control and then I’ll–”

“Thomas,” Janus interrupted sharply. “You’ve been working for fifteen hours straight.”

Thomas glanced at the time on his laptop and was startled to see that Janus was right; it was nearly three in the morning, and he couldn’t recall the last time he’d stopped to take a break.

“You need to stop,” Janus said, his voice firm. “Your magnum opus can wait until tomorrow.”

“I guess…” Thomas said slowly. “But what’s going on with the others? I felt…strange, just now.”

“Get some sleep,” Janus said. “If everything goes right, you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Thomas frowned, giving Janus a skeptical look.

“Is that my Deceitful side lying to me, or is it the truth?”

“At the end of the day, does that really matter?” Janus asked with a tight smile. “Either way, you need the rest.”

“I suppose,” Thomas said, stifling a yawn even as he spoke.

Janus watched as he closed his laptop and got up, a strange expression on his face. Thomas tried not to pay him much attention, quickly swapping his jeans out for some pajama pants before falling into bed.

“Summon the others tomorrow,” Janus said as Thomas closed his eyes. “By then, they should have things straightened out.”

Thomas was already drifting off, and he felt more than heard Janus’s final words.

“I hope.”

— — —

Roman was losing his control. He looked up, and he could see the imagination around him beginning to crumble away. He noticed bits and pieces from his room, the bright white of his bedspread, the shine of the lights around his mirror, the blood red of his sash where he’d thrown it on the floor. The fantasy around him– his soldiers, his city, the Dragon Witch, even Logan himself– it was all flickering in and out of existence as the mental barrage continued.

“NO!”

Roman stopped trying to channel the emotions away and instead closed his eyes and pushed, forcing his mental walls back up, stronger and better than before.

“You won’t take this from me!”

He opened his eyes, only to see that the outburst of energy had reverted the Dragon Witch into her human form. She stood before him, leaning heavily against her magic staff, Logan now on his hands and knees at her side. Roman drew his sword, pointing it at the pair with a shaking hand.

“You. Can’t. Take this from me!”

Logan’s entire body was trembling, but he looked up and met Roman’s gaze, glaring at him even as a tear rolled down his cheek.

“You’re insane,” he whispered.

Roman let out a bitter, hollow laugh.

“If you just now figured that out, then you’re…” he trailed off, looking down at the shaking side.

He had begun to fade away as Roman’s control over the imagination loosened, but he was fully solid again now. His breath was ragged and his skin was pale, as though he’d just attempted to run a marathon while running a fever.

“You’re…not part of this realm,” Roman said slowly. “You’re part of Thomas. You shouldn’t have disappeared.”

Logan still looked ill, but at Roman’s words he pushed himself to his feet.

“What was that word he used?” Logan asked, looking over at the Dragon Witch, and a small, triumphant smile spread across his face as he looked back to Roman. “Checkmate.”

Roman’s eyes widened, then the Dragon Witch lashed out suddenly, her staff glowing as she swung it towards him in a wide arc. Roman threw his sword up and blocked her strike, and her spell went ricocheting off through the city.

For a moment, all his attention was on the fight, on blocking and parrying and counter attacking, but he’d sparred with the Dragon Witch dozens of times, in both of her forms. By the third strike from the witch, he’d settled into a familiar rhythm, and turned his attention back to Logan…or what he’d thought was Logan.

“Who are you?” he shrieked. “You can’t be him! He shouldn’t have disappeared! So you must be–”

“Meaningless?” asked a voice he’d never heard before.

Roman pushed the Dragon Witch away and took a step back, staring in disbelief as Logan’s form began to flicker, just like the rest of the imagination had, just like all the other characters Roman had designed to fill his vast fantasy world had done when he was losing his control over the scene. But he was back in control now; this shifting had another cause. He’d barely had enough time to form the thought before the image of Logan was gone.

In his place stood a barefoot girl in a tattered dress, her hair a wild mass of curls and her fists clenched at her sides. She looked somehow…familiar, and Roman tilted his head.

“Do I know you?”

The girl didn’t answer, but she didn’t need to. He remembered now, for the longer he looked at her the more he recognized where she’d come from. When he’d first created the town surrounding the castle, he’d decided it needed citizens to make it feel more lived in. He’d made soldiers, peasants, shopkeepers, tradesmen and artisans, and then, to make the place more realistic, he’d made a handful of street urchins.

He’d scarcely given the creations any thought after forming them and setting them loose in the city, and why would he? They weren’t meant to be important; the girl had no family, no backstory, no real role to play in his realm. So how on earth had she ended up here, fighting alongside the Dragon Witch and impersonating one of Thomas’s sides?

She looked up at him and he could see fear in her eyes, but there was a quiet strength too. The girl folded her arms and took a step towards him, and the Dragon Witch held out an arm, as if to shield her.

“Careful, little hero,”she murmured, and Roman looked back and forth between the two in disbelief. The girl ignored the witch and took another step, looking up at Roman with a determined expression.

“Like I said,” she repeated. “Checkmate.”

Roman turned and ran, knowing even as he did so that he’d never make it back to the palace in time.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, he should have known something was wrong! Why else would the Dragon Witch attack now when she’d never attacked during the Red Sun before? Why else, except to draw him and all his guards away from the palace, leaving the castle vulnerable to an unseen enemy, a more crafty enemy…

A shadow fell over him, and he glanced up as he ran to see the witch in her dragon form flying along above him, the little girl on her back once more. She quickly overtook him, and landed in the market square, spreading her wings out and blocking his path to the castle.

“You’re too late, Prince Roman,” the Dragon Witch declared.

“I’ve defeated you before,” Roman cried, shifting into a fighting stance. “I can defeat you again!”

“You can defeat me all you like,” the Dragon Witch replied, her mocking voice echoing his own inner thoughts. “But you’ll never be able to outsmart him.”

— — —

Logan had no idea what was causing Roman’s realm to fall apart, but he was exceptionally grateful for it.

The few remaining guards inside the castle were too overwhelmed by the effects of their very fabric of reality unraveling around them to notice a small girl running through the corridors searching for the dungeons.

He found the correct door after only a few minutes of searching; Roman’s penchant for the dramatic meant the one door that very obviously looked as though it led to a dungeon did in fact lead to a dungeon, and he pulled the vial of acid the Dragon Witch had given him out of his pocket. Technically, the Dragon Witch had described the liquid inside as a magical potion that would dissolve any substance besides its own container, but the ‘potion’ was functionally identical to a freakishly effective vial of hydrochloric acid.

Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, Logan thought as he poured a few drops onto the door handle of the dungeon. After a moment of sizzling, the lock dissolved away and he pushed the door open.

The room was dark, faint torchlight flickering ominously off the stone walls. Six cells lined the room, and the two at the end of the row were occupied.

“Patton?” he called. “Virgil?”

The prisoners looked up, and relief flooded through him when he saw their faces.

“Maddie?” Patton cried, jumping to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Who is that?” Virgil whispered to Patton, but Logan ignored the question.

“Not Maddie,” he said breathlessly. “It’s me.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out another vial, downing its contents in a single gulp. A strange tingling sensation enveloped his body, and he had to admit that in this case, he didn’t have a scientific explanation for the shapeshifting potion that the Dragon Witch had given him.

“Logan?” Virgil asked in disbelief.

“Watch your hands,” Logan said, stepping forward to pour the remainder of the acid on the locks on their cell doors.

“I knew you’d figure something out,” Patton said, his eyes shining with pride. “I just knew it.”

In a moment, both cells were open, and Patton rushed out, pulling Logan and Virgil both into a bone crushing hug. For once, Logan didn’t think, didn’t analyze or worry, he just wrapped his arms around his friends and let himself slump into them.

They were all safe, and they were all together. For one, shining moment, that was all that mattered.

“Are the two of you alright?” he asked when he eventually pulled back. “You’re not injured, are you?”

Patton shook his head.

“We’re fine, Logan,” he said, and Virgil nodded in agreement.

“My head will be a bit sore for a few days, but I’ll live. What about you? We heard the Dragon Witch attacking…”

“I’m fine,” Logan reassured him. “In fact, the Dragon Witch attack is my own doing.”

“What?” Virgil exclaimed.

“The potion…” Patton said, his eyes widening. “That’s where you got that potion that made you look like Maddie, isn’t it?”

“Technically, the potion made me look like myself, as it was an antidote to the spell that she cast to make me look like Maddie–”

“Hang on, where is Maddie?” Patton interrupted.

“She’s with the Dragon Witch…pretending to be me.” Patton’s jaw dropped open, and Logan grimaced. “I know! I tried to tell her that it would be safer if she stayed behind in the cave, but she insisted. She said that the distraction would hold Roman’s attention for longer if I appeared to be aiding the Dragon Witch directly in her assault.”

“Back up,” Virgil said, holding up his hands. “You let the Dragon Witch cast a spell on you?”

“She is Roman’s biggest villain,” Logan said simply. “Asking her to help us defeat him was the only logical choice left.”

“To be fair,” Patton admitted, “It’s not that much crazier than what we tried to do.”

Logan frowned.

“What you tried to do?”

“We’ll tell you on the way out,” Virgil said. “Right now, we should move, before the guards come back.”

Logan nodded, and the three turned and began making their way out of the dungeon.

“Remember what happened on the bridge?” Patton asked as they climbed the stairs, and Logan nodded. “Well, I had a feeling that it wasn’t Roman who caused it…I thought it might have been Virgil. And it turns out I was right!”

“You caused the Imagination to fall apart?” Logan asked, looking back at Virgil. “How?”

Virgil shrugged.

“I’m not exactly sure. I had an overload of anxiety, but something was blocking me from channeling it away the way I normally do.”

“Roman’s cutting off our access to Thomas,” Patton added. “I think that’s also why we can’t sink out. Reach out for him now; you can’t feel him, can you?”

They’d reached the top of the stairs, and Logan paused. Normally, he was at least subconsciously aware of whatever external stimuli Thomas was experiencing, so that he could filter through the information and assist with decision making. He’d been so distracted by the quest to save Virgil and Patton that he hadn’t even noticed the lack of that awareness.

“I can’t,” he said aloud, and Patton nodded.

“I can’t either. Whatever Roman’s done, it’s making him our only access point to Thomas. So we’ve been waiting for the right time to try overloading that access point.”

“When we heard the Dragon Witch attacking, we thought it would be our best shot,” Virgil said. “And for a minute there I thought we would actually do it, but just before we could break through, the wall went back up again. Somehow, Roman was still stronger than the two of us put together.”

“Perhaps…” Logan mused. “But nonetheless, the two of you did have a strong effect on the Imagination. I wonder…would it be successful if all three of us tried to breach that barrier?”

As they spoke, Logan led them outside and through the palace gardens to the servants’ gate in the side of the wall. The three stepped out onto the street, and Virgil looked around hesitantly.

“So…now what?” he asked.

Logan opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a familiar roar sounding from the market square. He grimaced, and looked back at his companions.

“Our original plan was to try and sneak out of the city. But simply escaping from Roman isn’t actually going to solve this problem.”

Patton glanced at Virgil, and at a small tilt of the anxious side’s head, he locked eyes with Logan and nodded.

“You’re right,” he said firmly. “This whole thing happened because we’ve been ignoring this problem. The only way we’re going to bring an end to this is if we confront it head on.”

“Guess we’ll get a chance to test out your hypothesis, Logan,” Virgil added as they hurried towards the square.

“If it comes to that,” Logan agreed. “I do still hope that we’ll be able to use reason with Roman, though after all we’ve done to reach this point, I don’t know if that will be effective.”

“Probably not,” Patton said quietly, and Logan glanced at him.

Patton met his eyes for a moment, and Logan was surprised at the amount of melancholy he saw there. All through their ordeal, Patton had maintained a level of optimism that bordered on recklessness. As much as Logan had found that to be unrealistic, he also had relied on it for strength more than he’d realized. That Roman had somehow managed to dampen that was almost more offensive than the fact that he’d locked Patton and Virgil up.

Before Logan could think of an appropriate response, the trio rounded the corner into the square, then immediately skidded to a halt. Patton let out a gasp and Virgil swore under his breath; all Logan could do was stand there blankly and take in the scene.

Guards in full regalia lined the square, blocking off every possible avenue of escape. The Dragon Witch lay sprawled out on the ground, a deep wound in her side causing her breath to come in quick, pained gasps.

Roman stood over her fallen body, and the red sunlight shining down on his silver breastplate made it look as if he was bathed in blood. His face was twisted in a terrible mix of fury and triumph, and he brandished his sword at his defeated foe, as though daring her to stand and challenge him again.

She was in her dragon form, but as her wound spilled blood down onto the cobblestones, that body fizzled away, revealing the humanoid woman Logan had first met outside her lair. Her robes were torn and bloody and her face was deathly pale, but her eyes still blazed with a defiant fire as she stared up at her opponent.

“Any final words, Witch?” Roman asked in a steely voice.

The Dragon Witch opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a high pitched cry rang out through the square.

“Stay back!”

Maddie darted forward, putting herself between Roman and the witch’s body, gripping Dragon Witch’s staff tightly in both hands. The thing was nearly twice her height and she brandished it clumsily, but Roman still paused in his advance.

“Out of my way, girl,” he said, but Maddie shook her head.

“I said back!” she insisted, shaking the staff towards him.

“Run along now, little hero,” the Dragon Witch coughed, reaching weakly towards the girl as if to pull her back. “Your part is done.”

Maddie shook her head again, and Roman frowned.

“I won’t tell you again. Stand. Down,” he said coldly.

Maddie shifted her feet and gripped the staff more tightly, but she did not move, and Roman sighed, raising his sword.

“Enough!” Logan shouted before he could bring the blade down.

Roman looked up, his eyes flashing with hatred as they landed on his three fellow sides. Logan’s confidence faltered as the full force of that glare landed on him and he swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

What if it doesn’t work? What if it’s not enough? I have no more tricks up my sleeve…if this plan fails, then what are we going to do?

Logan’s racing thoughts were pulled to a stop with a sudden, simple touch. He looked down and saw that Patton had stepped forward and intertwined their fingers. The moral side glanced up at him and nodded, a slight waver in his smile the only sign betraying his own nerves. Virgil stepped up beside them, locking eyes with Logan as he wordlessly took Patton’s other hand. An understanding passed between them, and Logan smiled, giving Patton’s hand an encouraging squeeze. He looked back to the square, and took a deep breath.“Enough, Roman!” he repeated, his voice steady and strong. “This ends now!”

— — —

AN: So I know that LAST time I updated I said I wanted to update the fic more and then almost 5 years passed, but I can say with confidence that THIS YEAR chapter 10 at least will be released, if not the entire end of the fic (I won't actually know whether the conclusion takes one or two chapters to write until I, you know, write it, but it's outlined, I promise). I've been trying to finish this story for so long, and I know it looks like nothing happened between these updates, but rest assured, I thought about this story and how much I wanted to finish it often during these past few years. Thank you so much for being patient with me, and thank you to anyone who still has stuck around to read this, even after all this time. I love each and every one of y'all <3

(If you were on the Our Own Villain taglist, I will be tagging you in a reblog, tagging has changed so much in four years that my taglist copy-paste doesn't even work anymore)

#taglist reblog #my writing

28 notes · View notes

ptf · 4 years ago

Text

2020

BEST LOCAL MUSIC

1. Maya LaMacchia - Midnight, Here 2. Jacob King - Wired 3. Manic Jackson - Sampler Science Vol 1 4. Spit Kink - Spit Kink 5. Kial Lowski - Changeover 6. All Seeing Eye - Grey Plan 7. Olmsted - Clementine 8. Lifemusik mit Andre - Psychic 420420 9. Konyac - 2019 OST 10. Fantasy Island - Fantasy Island

BEST ALBUM DISCOVERIES

1. Good Morning - Basketball Breakups 2. Spirit of the Beehive - Hypnic Jerks 3. Melody’s Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage 4. Crack Cloud - Crack Cloud 5. Eerie Wanda - Pet Town 6. EIEIEIO - Gentle Spaniels 7. Sitcom - Be the One You Love 8. Caroline Rose - LONER 9. Fog Lake - Carousel 10. Donna Blue - In Between EP

BEST SONGS

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BJkrUYSqXt8jdJ2gbBeGA

BEST FILM DISCOVERIES

1. I’m Thinking of Ending Things 2. Moonlighting 3. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki 4. Salt of the Earth 5. Nofinofy 6. Neighbouring Sounds 7. Portrait of a Lady on Fire 8. Waves 9. Vivarium 10. The Sound of Metal

HONORABLE MENTIONS

1. Knives Out 2. Dick Johnson is Dead 3. The Rental 4. Bad Hair 5. Kiss of Death 6. The Day Shall Come

BEST TV DISCOVERIES

1. Undone (amazon) 2. Midnight Gospel (netflix) 3. Ozark (netflix) 4. Devs (hulu)

4 notes · View notes

steakandcakerecords · 2 years ago

Text

2020

MY FAVORITE LOCAL MUSIC

Maya LaMacchia - Midnight, Here Jacob King - Wired Manic Jackson - Sampler Science Vol 1 Spit Kink - Spit Kink Kial Lowski - Changeover All Seeing Eye - Grey Plan Olmsted - Clementine Lifemusik mit Andre - Psychic 420420 Konyac - 2019 OST Fantasy Island - Fantasy Island

BEST ALBUM DISCOVERIES

BEST SONGS

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BJkrUYSqXt8jdJ2gbBeGA

BEST FILM DISCOVERIES

HONORABLE MENTIONS

1. Knives Out 2. Dick Johnson is Dead 3. The Rental 4. Bad Hair 5. Kiss of Death 6. The Day Shall Come

BEST TV DISCOVERIES

1. Undone (amazon) 2. Midnight Gospel (netflix) 3. Ozark (netflix) 4. Devs (hulu)

1 note · View note

zsarkan · 2 years ago

Text

https://xxlunaclara.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/adding-tags-on-my-blog/

August 16, 2022

Adding tags on my blog

Now I remember, when I was making these accounts on twitter and getpocket, I was adding these #tags (connecting words to my profile), time helped me forget these, is something very weird happening, that I am just driven out/away, unable to continue and reach my goal. I guess is because of the audience, who can see it and what is doing about it, that’s making my present or unfortunate fate. Now I am upset for losing these accounts, is like I leave a piece of me inside it taken by the wind away. I think I omit to say about my way of naming on colourlovers.

#music #electric #electronic #future #dark #silence #rainfall #glowinthedark #electro #dance #night #darkfall #nightfall #starlight #icy #landofice #time #freezing #endless #lagoon #tropical #aurora #abyssal #crystal #illusion #progressive #obsessive #labyrinth #dusk #dawn #crepuscular #netherworld #journey #solar #lunar #karma #flamboyant #divine #fractal #shine #sparkle #glittersky #distance #ghostdom #andromeda #nebula #magickal #parloka #druid #fairy #nemesis #newmoon #cascade #rhodium #zirconium #astral #trident #serpentine #gorgona #hourglass #stellar #fatamorgana #maya #electrised #summernights #sunshine #sunday #aquacristalina #worldofcolors #luckystar #rocktheworld #musichypnotic #stardust #insomnia #dancehall #snowflake #sandcastle #starfish #alien #hardstyle #sunlight #fireflies #imagination #iceberg #forget #mirrors #portal #mirage #delirium #darkangel #coma #visions #stress #foolish #pearl #lotus #incendiary #neverland #mystical #nomad #desert #beach #aquarium #rainbow #mermaid #alive #flashback #sentiment #prison #eternal #enigma #superstar #sunset #tonight #longestnight #vortex #spiral #silvermoon #typhoon #aura #phenomenal #sensational #strange #tornado #monsoon #igloo #eclipse #toxic #sandstorm #fenix #arcadia #fireball #euphoria #utopia #gemstone #midnight #nocturnal #celestial #lostinparadise #escape #fantasia #cyber #neptunian #nightingale #dragon #breeze #pandemonium #precious #shiny #ablaze #onyx #luna #zeropolis #evening #destiny #melody #lemuria #musical #akasha

… to be continued

#turquoise #cyclamen #underworld #mermaid #rhyme #dancinginthenight #sunlight #wandering #mist #rudraksha #soul #animism #silent #stillness #foolish #young #iceberg #realism #dualism #shiningstar #superstar #cosmos #peacefulness #spirit #special #distance #supernatural #equatorial #pagan #pyroxmangite #rhodonite #onyx #heavenly #visualart #flashback #storm #soundofthewar #shaman #lightning #null #myth #emptiness #rock #wind #legend #sleep #treasure #summer #metal #maya #mirage #mystic #crystaloasis #icicle #avalanche # parapsychology #logic #rolls #holography #iridescent #luminescent #exotictribe #revert #return #violet #ultraviolet #amethyst #paradise #coral #crystal #ravana #laxmi #esperanza #cyclone #tornado #cyan #solstice #equinox #lunaclara #exoticgarden #lampion #chameleon #frost #sapphiresky #cobalt #cleopatra #splendourofthenight #najanivea #cobra #angelic #fate #hope #selena #seawave #tsunami #tremor #typhoon #aloud #maze #forgotten #realm #stratosphere #atmosphere #stream #gleam #secret #transparent #opal #opaque #translucent

1 note · View note

sincerelyilliana · 7 years ago

Text

Updated List Recommendation List- Differently Abled H/h

I want to thank everyone who threw out recommendations for the differently abled reads. Here’s a list in case there are others interested:

The Language of Flowers- Christina Rose Andrews

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie- Jennifer Ashley The Many Sins of Lord Cameron- Jennifer Ashley The Seduction of Elliot McBride- Jennifer Ashley

Silent Melody- Mary Balogh The Escape- Mary Balogh Dancing with Clara- Mary Balogh Lord Carew’s Bride- Mary Balogh The Arrangement- Mary Balogh

Never Seduce a Scot- Maya Banks

The Year We Fell Down- Sabrina Bowen

Firelight- Kristen Callihan

Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed- Anna Campbell

Bet Me- Jennifer Crusie

Hidden Hearts- Olivia Dade

Romancing the Duke- Tessa Dare Three Nights with a Scoundrel- Tessa Dare When a Scot Ties the Knot- Tessa Dare

Lord of Ice- Galen Foley

Rage- Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Saving the CEO- Jenny Holiday

Dearest Rogue- Elizabeth Hoyt

Chained by Night- Larissa Ione

When Beauty Tamed the Beast- Eloisa James

A Notorious Love- Sabrina Jeffries

Soldiering On Series- Aislinn Kearns

Scandal in Spring- Lisa Kleypas Devil in Spring- Lisa Kleypas Again the Magic- Lisa Kleypas Midnight Angel- Lisa Kleypas Seduce Me at Sunrise- Lisa Kleypas

The Admiral’s Penniless Bride- Carla Kelly

Flowers From the Storm- Laura Kinsale

Sweet Disorder- Rose Lerner

Yours Till Dawn- Teresa Mederios

Greygallows- Barbara Michaels

Unveiled- Courtney Milan

The Beauty and the Rake- Erica Monroe

Arranged Marriage- Miranda Neville

The Sum of all Kisses- Julia Quinn

The Lass Wore Black- Karen Ramsey

Beard in Mind- Penny Reid

Fortune Favors the Wicked- Theresa Romain It Takes Two to Tangle- Theresa Romain To Charm a Naughty Countess- Theresa Romain

Archer’s Voice- Mia Sheridan

The Christmas Knight- Michele Sinclair

Lord of the Abyss- Nalini Singh

Corrupted Hearts- Tiffany Snow

#romance novels #historical romance #contemporary romance #books

47 notes · View notes

trendpk · 7 years ago

Text

The evening bridal showcase was opened by Nomi Ansari who showcased his bridal collection “Qabool Hai” in collaboration with Hamna Amir Jewellery at the seventh edition of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week. The collection was buoyed by regal, Islamic and Mughal iconography in vivid jewel tones, including traditional floral motifs and miniature art.

Each design of the 26 piece bridal collection was additionally redolent of the stirring melodies from K. Asif’s magnus opus Mughal-E-Azam, starring Madhubala and Dilip Kumar, including Mohabbat Ki Jhooti Kahani et al and traverses a color palette ranging from ivory and écru; to peach, ochre and rust; and from a rich cornucopia of intense hues, including lime, Rani pink, magenta, violet, emerald to meditative midnight blue. For added drama and versatility, a series of custom-made digital prints canvassed with traditional flora and fauna motifs including the Mughal lotus flower; the perennially romantic rose as well as ornamental miniatures and exotic birds are transposed onto a bevy of statement lehengas.

Actress Maya Ali participated in the designer’s showcase as a celebrity showstopper.

Dovetailed with and to complement the exquisite bridal collection is a range of custom-made jewellery by Hamna Amir from Lahore who has created stunning artisanal pieces with meenakaari, kundan, aari work and delicate fretwork for a traditional-meets -contemporary vibe.

Today we are sharing New bridal wedding dresses 2017-18 by NoMI Ansari. Many people don’t like same bridal wears that are available in markets. Nomi Ansari Bridal Wedding Dresses 2017-18. As you all know Pakistan Fashion Design Council is going to showcase best bridal dresses in Lahore with the help of different designers. As u know, some fashion brands are providing same designs and styles of formal wears from over the years. Modern women are tired of same prints. Actually they want a change look to attract everybody.

Nomi Ansari Bridal Wedding Dresses 2017-18. Famous designer Nomi Ansari is a well known fashion master who is always ready to give you a trendy look. He knows how to win the hearts of people. His amazing collections are available not only in Pakistan but also in other countries of this world. He named this beautiful wedding arrival as “Qabool Hia”. All the models are wearing stunning jewelry that is from Hamna Amir (jewelry artist). Actually, the fame and success of this fashion house is increasing day by day due to its unique collections. Stay connected with this log to get information about latest fashion ideas. Now Let’s see what Nomi Ansari has brought for you people in this bridal week council. All clothes of this arrival are posted below.

Nomi Ansari Bridal Wedding Dresses 2017-18. These embroidery patterns are perfect for a traditional bride. The colorful embroidery and gorgeous stitching styles will make you crazy. When any bridal or women will wear them she will definitely look beautiful and attractive. In this post you will see a unique and wide variety of bridal lehangas with kurti, maxi and frocks with pajamas, open shirts and gowns.

Nomi Ansari Bridal Collection “Qabool Hai” at PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week 2017 The evening bridal showcase was opened by Nomi Ansari who showcased his bridal collection "Qabool Hai" in collaboration with Hamna Amir Jewellery at the seventh edition of PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week.

#Bridal Collection #Bridal Dresses #Bridal Lehenga #Bridal Week #Fashion Week #L’Oréal #Nomi Ansari #Paris #PFDC #PFDC Fashion Week #Qabool Hai

1 note · View note

dentrounaltraestate · 7 years ago

Text

Il suono di Numb era trascinante, Chester screamava disperato il bisogno di essere se stessi, di ripudiare quello che gli altri vorrebbero che fossimo, di ignorare i giudizi di chi pensa di esserci superiore. Crawling, dal precedente Hybrid Theory, ad uno sguardo superficiale ed abbastanza egoista quale quello di un’adolescente, sembra solo l’ennesima canzone nu metal orecchiabile con un testo che parla di flirt con la morte, di dismorfofobia e paura di essere sé stessi: ma ora mi pento di non aver mai compreso il dolore, sincero, che si celava dietro quelle parole. Come hai fatto a vivere e a creare così a lungo con un tale mostro dentro, Chester? There’s something inside me That pulls beneath the surface Consuming, confusing This lack of self control I fear Is never ending, controlling Chester Bennington aveva dentro di sé molte più ferite, mai rimarginate, di quanto l’ascoltatore comune possa anche solo concepire. Come tanti bambini che sono stati abusati, ha sviluppato una sensibilità differente dalla comune, una fragilità che permette di cogliere le sfumature più delicate dell’animo umano, ma che fa anche sì che si spezzi con tragica facilità. La depressione è un male difficile da riconoscere, da accettare, da processare mettendo da parte l’orgoglio: è una malattia atroce, un cancro che priva della voglia di vivere e di amare, che si insinua e cresce lentamente, ma è arduo da estirpare. Ed una tragedia appare la vita di Chester: abusi sessuali a neanche 10 anni e da lì le dipendenze per le droghe, da cui solamente la musica e l’amicizia dei componenti dei Linkin Park parevano dar periodicamente sollievo. Chester sente di essere un soldato con ali di libellula e vorrebbe volare via, ma deve lottare e lo fa con i testi e la musica del primo album della band, il leggendario Hybrid Theory del 2000: il successo è internazionale, 30 milioni di copie vendute e la produzione di RE-Animation, una raccolta di remix in chiave nippo e mecha, con un robottone di Gō Nagai che campeggia sulla copertina. L’anno dopo esce Meteora, da cui è estratta proprio quella Numb che ha fatto confondere i Linkin Park per un gruppo emo dai neonati emo stessi; album meno aggressivo e più melodico del precedente, più maturo e meno arrabbiato: ed in tale album è proprio contenuto un tentativo, da parte di Bennington, di gettarsi alle spalle quel passato oscuro e turbolento. La musica lo aiuta, lo salva, lo aiuta a distruggere abitudini autodistruttive (So I’m breaking the habit tonight) per quanto senta che tale distruzione fa parte di lui e che non sarà mai sulle stesse lunghezze d’onda del mondo: l’interferenza tra lui e l’umanità sarà (quasi) sempre distruttiva. Eppure, sulle note di Somewhere I belong, si vede un lumicino di ottimismo: I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long Chissà, forse gli anni dell’incredibile successo di Meteora per Chester sono stati i più felici. Il matrimonio con la ragazza del colpo di fulmine, Samantha Marie Olit, ed il figlio avuto da quest’ultima (precedentemente aveva avuto una relazione con Elka Brand da cui era nato Jaime Bennington), la bellissima sincronia che si era creata con gli altri membri della band, le tastiere ora aggressive ora dolcissime di Mike Shinoda forse hanno lenito quel dolore. L’hanno tenuto nascosto per un po’. Non è stato dimenticato, quello mai sarebbe possibile, ma forse Chester credeva di poterlo tenere a bada. Almeno per un po’. Per qualche anno di serenità. Ti prego mostro, lasciami vivere. Nel mentre nasceva la collaborazione con Jay-Z, quella Numb-Encore che ancora in tanti hanno come suoneria sul cellulare; Shinoda suonava frenetico tastiere nel particolarissimo Rising Tide dei Fort Minor, suo pseudonimo, dando una svolta più melodica anche al successivo sound della band. Da lì, 4 lunghi anni di attesa per i fan (me compresa, che scalpitavo sui vari forum in attesa di qualche info leakata, di qualche demo finito su internet per sbaglio): prima i tuffi al cuore per il rilascio della copertina dell’album, poi per il nome dei singoli. Ed, infine, ecco Minutes to Midnight, altra allegoria di distruzione, rimando all’orologio dell’apocalisse: quanti minuti mancano alla fine del mondo? E di nuovo, rileggendo il testo di Given up, “abbandonato”, nel senso di rinunciare di continuare ad impegnarsi in qualcosa, mi pento di come ho, al tempo, preso con sufficienza, come licenza poetica, le urla d’aiuto di un uomo che, nonostante fosse circondato d’affetto, si sentiva terribilmente solo: Take this all away I’m suffocating Tell me what the fuck is wrong With me Melanconico requiem a se stesso era già, e me ne rendo conto solo a posteriori, la bellissima Leave out all the Rest, straziante ballad distantissima delle urla disperate di Papercut : voi tutti, ricordatemi per ciò che sono stato, per ciò che ho dato al mondo, non per i miei peccati, quando non ci sarò più. Non sarò mai come voi e non potrò mai esserlo. Non biasimatemi per questo, non tutti sono fisicamente in grado di provare la felicità. Minutes to Midnight, al tempo, fu stroncato dalla critica: troppo melodico, dicevano. Shinoda non rappa, Bennington urla educatamente, il ritmo è lento. Eppure sono certa che ora vedranno l’opera per quello che è, cioè una sorta di accettazione della distruzione come parte della vita, come qualcosa che da significato ad essa. Passano altri 4 anni fino all’uscita di A Thousands Suns. Mille soli. Album, se vogliamo, meno caratteristico, meno corale: sembra essere di Shinoda solo. Lui la fa da padrone e soprattutto sul singolo più famoso, The Catalyst, la fa da padrone con effetti elettronici distorti alla Depeche Mode di Personal Jesus e col suo rap incalzante. È un concept album, l’apocalisse profetizzata in Minutes to Midnight si è avverata, la bomba atomica di Oppheneimer è esplosa, i cieli bruciano di funghi atomici. Chester è ancora più delicato e, sebbene non parli di sé, è forse l’album più intimo di tutti. In Burning Skies: The blame is mine alone For bridges I have burned So don’t apologize I’m losing what I don’t deserve Il filone della distruzione è sempre presente, il mostro è ancora là sotto. Ora la guerra si combatte con le bombe e con le armi da fuoco. In un mondo che brucia, a che serve avere ali da libellula? Chester, nel 2011, decide di allargare ulteriormente la famiglia: la seconda moglie, Talinda Bentley, da alla luce due gemelli e lui adotta il fratellastro del primogenito Jaime. È il 2012, anno dell’apocalisse maya, ed esce Living Things: l’album è un ritorno al passato ma con gli effetti elettronici di uno Shinoda adulto che appreso, da solo, ad aggiungere modulazioni differenti in ogni canzone, si combina a testi meravigliosi, melodie coinvolgenti ed immediate. Forse Living Things, dopo tanto peregrinare, è l’album della maturità anche per Chester: canta di religione, canta di ecologia, canta di vita, canta di morte, canta come Chester dei LP dovrebbe cantare. Ruvido, arrabbiato, delicato quando serve, sussurrante in Castle of Glass, e affonda bassi in I’ll be gone e pare di sentire la versione adulta di With you: When the lights go out and we open our eyes, out there in the silence, I’ll be gone, I’ll be gone. Let the sun fade out and another one rise Climbing through tomorrow, I’ll be gone, I’ll be gone. E la strofa acquista un significato così diverso, oggi. A Living Things si succede The Hunting Party, mentre Bennington cantava anche per gli Stone Temple Pilots: una caccia al migliorare se stessi ed a rendersi diversi, finalmente scrollarsi di dosso, dopo i tentativi falliti, l’etichetta di band nu metal. Sulla copertina dell’album torna il soldato alato, impegnato ora come un angelo metallico ad incoccare una freccia verso un bersaglio fuori campo, lasciato dal creatore James Jean, all’immaginazione. Collaborano con Rakim, collaborano con Daron Malakian, collaborano con Tom Morello, ma c’è collaborazione soprattutto fra i membri fissi: l’armonia creativa nella band c’è e si sente. The Hunting Party è un album esemplare, composto dal giusto equilibrio ballad e di pezzi energici, di grandi nomi e di interpretazioni strumentali perfette ma ci dice poco di Chester Bennington. Forse davvero sua è solo Final Masquerade: nei versi evocativi del refrain si riconosce il suo spirito malinconico, stanco di come sia difficile comunicare ed intessere solide relazioni in un mondo di maschere. The light on the horizon was brighter yesterday With shadows floating over, the scars begin to fade We said it was forever, but then it slipped away Standing at the end of the final masquerade The final masquerade Forse Chester Bennington in questo periodo si illudeva ed illudeva i suoi sei figli ed amici e compagni che il tempo potesse guarire tutte le ferite, che al tramonto della vita, ormai anziano, avrebbe dimenticato; che la depressione, con la saggezza dell’età adulta, l’avrebbe abbandonato. Prima di passare a parlare dell’ultimo album, One more light, va fatta nota dell’amicizia fraterna che legava due anime fragili e simili, cioè quella fra Chester Bennington e Chris Cornell. Cornell collaborò con i LP fin dal 2007, durante un tour in Australia. Cantò Crawling, forse perché sentiva anche un po’ sue quelle liriche strazianti. Chester, a sua volta, ricambiò il favore interpretando assieme a Chris il pezzo dei Temple of the Dog, Hunger Strike, cantando la parte scritta originariamente per Eddie Vedder. Chissà, forse i demoni che erano nascosti dentro ai loro cuori erano gli stessi; la spinta creativa si esprimeva in maniera diversa, ma sottesa ad essa c’era lo stesso dolore sordo e muto, incapace di far provare serenità. Il loro legame era così intimo che Cornell volle che Bennington fosse il padrino di suo figlio undicenne. Eppure il sole sembra sempre più brillante mentre si fa strada fra le nuvole. Ad inizio del corrente anno è stato rilasciato One more light, rivelatosi subito un gigantesco flop. L’artwork è grazioso, persone felici su una spiaggia al tramonto. Il suono è pop, ricorda i primi lavori degli Owl City, non fa rimpiangere i Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, ma il solo leggere i titoli e le liriche delle canzoni da i brividi. Vi farò una confessione: ascoltando l’album facendo attenzione ai testi, dopo aver appreso della morte di Chester, non sono riuscita a trattenere le lacrime. E, così, ho visto il lavoro sotto un punto di vista differente: e mi ha ricordato Funeral degli Arcade Fire, in cui la morte è trattata come fine di un ciclo, la morte è accettata e vista come fine della sofferenza sulla Terra. Come fine di tutte le illusioni di felicità che un’anima incapace di provarne si era fatto ed allora i motivetti banali di Nobody can save me, Good Goodbye, Battle Simphony, Sorry for Now, hanno acquisito un significato diverso. Quasi cantautoriale. Un addio annunciato, kafkiano, ma con grazia, di nascosto, quasi per non disturbare, per non fare proclami, per non attrarre l’attenzione: ed è ciò che chi è davvero sicuro delle proprie decisioni fa. Senza giustificazioni. Been searching somewhere out there For what’s been missing right here (I wanna fall wide awake now) I’ve been searching somewhere out there For what’s been missing right here (I wanna fall wide awake now) I wanna fall wide awake now So tell me it’s alright Tell me I’m forgiven, tonight [Ho cercato a lungo, là fuori, ciò che mancava qui (voglio svegliarmi, ora) Voglio svegliarmi ora! Dimmi che tutto va bene, dimmi che mi hai perdonato, stasera] E sulla copertina sono ritratti, immortali e senza tempo, i figli di un amico dei componenti della band, eppure, ora, si riesce a intravedere solo una dedica finale di Chester ai propri figli: pare voler dire che loro sono la cosa migliore che abbia mai fatto, il lascito più bello che possa dare a questa terra. Canzoni falsamente allegre come Heavy (che ricorda davvero tanto Rebellion degli Arcade Fire) conducono poi a One more light, l’unica che forse parla apertamente di morte. Dedicata ad un loro collaboratore venuto a mancare, ci si interroga su come e quando il lutto finirà e su quanto davvero conti una sola luce spenta in un tappeto di stelle illuminate. Sharp Edges chiude l’album e Chester si tuffa nel passato, rivivendolo e dedicando una canzone a tutte le sue cicatrici, a tutti i suoi errori e peccati, ai consigli che non ha mai ascoltato ma che l’hanno reso l’uomo che è ora. Percussioni leggere ed archi delicati. Ed è con la morte nel cuore che Chester Bennington canta Hallelujah di Leonard Cohen al funerale di Chris Cornell. Appreso della morte dell’amico, aveva twittato: Caro Chris, ho sognato i Beatles la notte scorsa. Mi sono svegliato con Rocky Raccon che suonava nella mia testa ed uno sguardo interessato alla faccia di mia moglie. Lei mi ha detto che un mio amico era appena venuto a mancare. Pensieri di te sono fluiti nella mia mente ed ho pianto. Sto ancora piangendo, a lutto, con tristezza, ma anche con gratitudine per aver condiviso alcuni momenti speciali con te e la tua meravigliosa famiglia. Mi hai ispirato in modi che non potrai mai sapere. Il tuo talento era puro e senza rivali. La tua voce era gioia e dolore, rabbia e perdono, amore e maldicuore tutti mescolati in uno solo. Suppongo che è un po’ quello che tutti siamo. Mi hai aiutato a capirlo. Ho appena guardato un video di te che cantavi A day in the life dei Beatles e ho pensato a quel mio sogno. Mi piace pensare che mi stessi dicendo addio a modo tuo. Non riesco ad immaginare un mondo senza di te. Prego che tu abbia pace nella prossima vita. Mando il mio amore a tua moglie e ai tuoi figli, famiglia ed amici. Grazie per avermi permesso di esser parte della tua vita. Col tutto il mio amore. I demoni nel cuore di Chris e di Chester erano gli stessi. Ora sono morti entrambi ed i loro mostri interiori con loro. Ed entrambi già sono leggenda, eppure mi ritrovo a scrivere questo articolo proprio per ricordare che, prima di tutto, Chester era un uomo. Con i propri difetti, con i propri pregi, ma soprattutto, con tutto l’amore che era in grado di provare per la musica, per i compagni di una vita, per la sua famiglia. Con One more light ha voluto dire addio a tutti, ai suoi fans, ai suoi compagni, alla sua famiglia. Non sapremo mai perché, profondamente, ha maturato un gesto così estremo: la depressione è un orrore indescrivibile, un abisso viscido da cui è difficile uscire, perché le unghie scivolano sul terreno viscido ed i demoni ti rispingono nel profondo. Ciò che è certo, ed è spaventoso allo stesso tempo, è che la morte di Chester Bennington è la cronaca di una morte annunciata, i cui sintomi erano nascosti sotto gli occhi di tutti e virtualmente invisibili. One more light è, il forse volontario, testamento di un uomo che ha vissuto sempre al massimo, 41 anni ma che sembrano cento per densità di avvenimenti e per i ricordi che ha lasciato a milioni di persone. Addio Chester, tutti speriamo che ora ti ritroverai in un mondo migliore di questo. Un mondo che risuoni alla tua stessa lunghezza d’onda.

2 notes · View notes