#a full summary so i dont have to worry about writing a novel to explain everything

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Wizard of Oz (the whump AU) Plot Summary

While I love so much about this project, I don't see myself having the time/motivation to do anything for it story-wise. I may still post short comics or doodles, but the main story will probably never get its prose, at least not in the foreseeable future

Therefore, for those who were interested in it, under the cut is a (pretty detailed) synopsis of how the story would've gone :)

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Character Details:

(note: art of the characters is linked, but some lead to full comic pages/whumpier art. Also, characters will be referred to as their better-known names throughout the synopsis to lessen confusion)

Dorothy Gale - Stranded in Oz at 12, Dorothy has since made a name for herself as a witch hunter and general assassin.

Tokoret "Toto" Nightshade - Dorothy's partner. A tiefling-like humanoid from the land of Shahaedr, and an ex-mercenary. Dorothy rescued from his former employers.

The Tin-Man/Farran Black - A fallen soldier who was "rescued" and resurrected by the Wizard. His heart and a few limbs were replaced by enchanted inventions, and the Wizard keeps his original heart in his lab, preserved by magic.

The Scarecrow/Wil Ironcrest - A thief imprisoned by the Wizard after being caught one too many times. His voice was magically sealed away due to his tendency to insult his captor, and his mouth was stitched closed for good measure.

The Lion/Reyne Arada - Taken in by the Wizard after his village was destroyed. Subject to several magical experiments meant to turn him into a ferocious protector.

The Wizard/??? - A powerful and mysterious magician. Guardian and unofficial ruler of the Emerald City.

Kanna Lanterne/The Woods Witch - A master of nature magic. Actively opposes the Wizard, and lives in an isolated part of the woods.

Glinda Utara/The North Witch - One of the Wizard's closest allies, and occasional tormenter of the Tin Man.

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Setting Details:

Oz is the country as a whole. It borders Shahaedr, known by less-tolerant Oz citizens as 'the shadowlands'. Oz and Shahaedr are almost constantly at war with each other, and are currently in one of their periods of fragile peace. The war Tinman died in was between Oz and Shahaedr. The Emerald City is one of the closest settlements to the border of the two lands.

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Summary:

Dorothy and Toto are traveling via horse-drawn cart to the Wizard's castle to meet about a hunting job, when they encounter Scarecrow, who is in the middle of attempting an escape. The pair try to help him, and make an effort to figure out what he's running from, but are horrified to discover that his mouth has been sewn shut, and he cannot speak. Before they're able to do anything, a pair of guards appears to drag him away, claiming he's a dangerous criminal in the care of the Wizard, and apologizing for the disturbance.

They carry on, soon reaching the Wizard's castle, and are told the Wizard will see them at dinner that night.

When the time comes, they briefly meet the Tinman, who serves the meal. Dorothy asks after Scarecrow, mentioning she met him on the road, but the Wizard says he's been taken care of and moves on to discussing the job.

He asks her to kill the wicked witch of the wood, and offers a large sum. Dorothy tells him she cares less about the money than the justice, and asks what the witch has done. The Wizard spins a tale of her evil deeds, and Dorothy agrees to begin the hunt the next day.

Meanwhile, Tinman is excused, and goes to check on Scarecrow, who's been beaten and confined to a cell. He does what he can to treat his fellow captive.

Later, Dorothy is settling in, and tells Toto that she doesn't trust the Wizard, especially with the way he treats his supposed servants. After dark, she sneaks out of their room to have a look around, and is drawn to a strange green light that seems to be coming from a staircase. When she tries to get closer, she runs into Lion, who attempts to scare her away, but fails, and becomes upset because of it. Dorothy comforts him, and they have a quick conversation. He promises not to tell the Wizard she was snooping.

The next day, the Wizard confronts her for snooping.

Lion is with him, looking somewhat ashamed as the Wizard boasts about his familiar's loyalty. Dorothy doesn't mention her distrust, but admits she was curious about a green glow she saw earlier. The Wizard claims it's his "own special brand of magic", and deflects any further questions. At this point, Scarecrow, who's been cleaning the hall throughout this conversation, collapses. When Dorothy runs to help him, the Wizard tells her to not bother.

She tries anyway, despite being met with wariness from the three captives, and helps Tinman get him to a bed. They talk briefly, and she expresses disapproval of the Wizard's disciplinary methods. The Wizard comes upstairs and hurries her along before she can ask any questions, but the Tinman is now more trusting of her. Afterwards, she begrudgingly goes into the Emerald City to get information on the witch.

While there, she notices an alarming amount of citizens are wearing green spectacles. They claim it's a wearable protection spell gifted to them by the Wizard. When asked about the witch, the lenses seem to glow as the people speak of evil and treachery. Later, Dorothy finds a broken pair and cautiously moves to try them on, but is stopped by Jade, a street vendor. Jade warns her they poison the wearer into madness, and it's all the Wizard's doing. Dorothy asks about the witch and the captives, and is given honest, if uninformed, answers. The Wizard took the three in under the guise of helping them and providing 'gainful employment', but anyone can see none of them are treated well, and the witch's only crime is refusing to ally with the Wizard.

Meanwhile, it's revealed that the Wizard was watching them through the broken glasses.

When Dorothy returns, she claims she's learned enough and will leave to hunt the witch the next morning. The Wizard offers to pay her in advance, but she declines, and is dodgy about further questions, having made up her mind about where her loyalties lie.

That night, she and Toto make plans to break in a week later, when the Wizard is supposed to be away, and free his captives, as well as investigate the odd green magic. They find Lion spying on them, and calm him down, talking him into not telling the Wizard.

Lion goes to tell the other two, but the Wizard is nearby and overhears some; afterwards cornering Lion and coercing him into revealing the duo's plans, threatening to hurt the others if he doesn't.

When Dorothy and Toto set out the next day, they're ambushed by the Wizard's guards. Dorothy escapes, but is wounded, and passes out in the middle of the woods after running a good distance. Upon waking, she finds herself in the witch's garden. The witch knows Dorothy by reputation, and introduces herself as Kanna. Despite being on edge and distrustful at first, they come to an understanding and agree to help each other: Kanna will help to free Toto and the captives, and Dorothy will aid her in taking down the Wizard.

Meanwhile, the Wizard hosts Glinda, who is delighted to take part in interrogating a captive Toto, and agrees to help the Wizard with his plans to invade Shahaedr, Toto's homeland, despite the delicate treaty Oz currently holds with them.

Back in the woods, Kanna tells Dorothy she'll put the Wizard's guards under a sleeping spell, but must stay in her garden to focus. She promises to catch up with Dorothy and lead them all back to the safe haven once the three captives are freed.

With the advantage of being presumed dead by the Wizard, Dorothy easily breaks in and finds the Tinman and Lion locked in separate cells. Scarecrow has been tied up outside, left to starve as a punishment. There is no sign of Toto, and Dorothy is forced to flee when the Wizard seems to be returning, taking her horse, which had been stabled at the Wizard's after the ambush.

They cut the stitches that seal Scarecrow's mouth, but he still can't speak due to the Wizard's magic. (He has totems that grant him more control over them: a straw doll for Scarecrow and an iron one for Tinman).

Meanwhile, the Wizard is outraged to find his prizes gone. His eyes fall on the totems, and he reaches for the metal doll.

On the road, Tinman suddenly starts writhing in pain as the Wizard holds his totem's metal leg over a fire, then saws away at his arm with a file. Dorothy is unsure what to do, resolved to simply holding Tinman and trying to comfort him. Lion is panicking, and Scarecrow is still too weak to be of much help.

Kanna suddenly arrives, and analyzes the scene. She and Dorothy remove his metal limbs, and the Wizard watches as the totem's corresponding limbs crumble away, becoming furious. He seizes Tinman's heart, and holds it over the fire.

When Tinman starts screaming, Kanna realizes the Wizard also replaced his heart, and orders Dorothy to cut it out quickly while she makes a replacement. Dorothy does, apologizing all the way through, and Kanna gives him a heart of living plants in the nick of time.

The Wizard watches Tinman's totem crumble, and angrily turns to Scarecrow's.

As the women help a barely conscious Tinman onto the horse, a frantic noise from Scarecrow stops them. They quickly figure out he's been blinded and deafened by the Wizard. Kanna isn't able to do much, as she can't replace a mind. Tinman manages to calm him down by weakly signing into his hand, and they proceed to the safe haven.

Dorothy talks to Lion, who feels restless and guilty over leaving. He hates and loves the Wizard in equal parts, since the castle is the only home he can fully remember. Afterwards, Dorothy gets a psychic message from the Wizard, taunting her with the image of a beaten Toto.

Meanwhile, Kanna looks after Tinman, creating him new prosthetic limbs out of plants.

Dorothy leaves in the dead of the night to confront the Wizard and rescue Toto, but he defeats her by controlling several of the villagers' minds through the emerald glasses. Dorothy is horrified, realizing he has the capability to turn the people of the Emerald City into an army. She manages to get away, taking Scarecrow's totem with her.

While she's gone, Glinda finds and terrorizes the garden, overpowering Kanna, then beating up Scarecrow and taunting Tinman. Lion momentarily overcomes his fear to save his friends, and claws Glinda across the face, forcing her to retreat.

Dorothy returns, and gets mildly chewed out by a recovering Kanna. Together they use the totem to help restore Scarecrow's senses and voice.

Now that Glinda knows where they are, the group decides to relocate. Kanna and Tinman start to bond, but when things veer into a more intimate territory, he freezes up, prompting her to pull back. The two talk it out, and set some healthy boundaries.

Dorothy is once again taunted with Toto, who's in bad shape, but this time everyone's dragged in as the Wizard offers to exchange him for Lion. Just Lion. The others tell him not to do it, but with all the times his friends have shielded him, Lion refuses to cooperate, deciding to give himself up if that means the Wizard will stop coming after Tinman and Scarecrow.

He sneaks off to meet the Wizard, but the Wizard simply shoves a bound and injured Toto into the woods, claiming this was technically the deal. Lion tries to stand up to him, but is swiftly cowed.

Toto is found by Jade, who recognizes him and takes him in. At this point, she realizes things around the city are getting weird as the Wizard makes his final preparations to storm Shahaedr. The people wearing the emerald glasses seem strangely intent on finding or improvising weapons.

With Lion missing, the remaining four set out to find him, with Jade encountering them in the process. Dorothy and Toto reunite, but it's cut short when the citizens of the city begin marching in rank towards Shahaedr.

They return to the Wizard's castle. Tinman and Scarecrow split off to find and free Lion, while Dorothy and Kanna go to confront the Wizard. They fight their way past the Wizard's guards, and finally make it to his lab. Glinda is standing beside him as he channels energy through a huge orb that's glowing green, and Kanna challenges her to a fight as Dorothy attacks the Wizard.

Despite his being a skilled magic user, Dorothy is a witch hunter, and manages to match the Wizard, blow-for-blow. Just when she manages to get the upper hand, the Wizard draws energy from the green orb, healing himself and regaining his energy. Though it seems like a lost cause, Dorothy fights on.

Kanna manages to defeat Glinda, but even together, the Wizard has them outmatched as long as he has access to the orb. Just when it seems like he's won, his ex-captives make it to the lab, and Lion breaks away from the group, attacking him.

Surprised and hurt that his own Familiar would hurt him, the Wizard is initially too shocked to fight back, and Dorothy and Kanna surge in to help. Meanwhile, Tinman and Scarecrow manage to reach the orb, and shatter it.

The glow immediately stops, and the Wizard is defeated soon after.

Going back into the Emerald City, they find piles of broken green glasses, and confused, but unharmed civilians. With both their friends and the city freed from the Wizard, the group heads back to Kanna's garden, to rebuild and recover.

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@blackberry-bloody , @unicornscotty , @whumpwillow , @grizzlie70 , @burtlederp , @madrono-but-i-am-not-a-fruit , @outofangband , @whumpy-catfish ,

and thank you to @whumpingwithclara-alt for the emerald glasses idea :)

if anyone actually read this whole thing and wants more of a specific scene mentioned, let me know and I can try to draw it

[sosa-sketch]

Fright or Flight: Chapter 2

Parings: Prinxiety // Logicality // Platonic LAMP

Story Summary: Virgil and Patton investigate the New Prince Castle, when a brutal accident kills Patton. Patton wakes as a ghost and meets friendly ghoul Roman, who has been haunting the castle for 20 years. Virgil is determined to bring Patton back to life and brings Logan, the ghost expert, to help him out. Time is quickly running out, and the four must work together to undo death. If only it was as simple as Logan made it sound.

Unknown to them, a secret entity in the castle does not plan on letting them succeed.

Previous Chapter   Next Chapter 

When Patton first met Virgil, his last intention was to become friends with him. Virgil had built up a notorious reputation over the first few months of school, and his grades did nothing to disprove his status. Patton wasn’t the type to judge a person’s character based on rumors nor looks. No one was a higher believer in the benefit of doubt than Patton! However, Virgil’s first impression did not help his case.

Virgil transferred into Patton’s English class the second semester due to a schedule change. When the teacher stated a new team project was to be completed, Patton did not shy away from offering to be Virgil’s partner. He understood how difficult it could be being the new kid in a class full of friends and cliques.

The project was hefty, an collection of novel analyzing, essays, vocabulary, and journal entries. Patton was not looking forward to the Shakespearean project-Shakespeare’s language was alien to him. It occurred to Patton that pairing up with the soon-to-be-dropout may not have been his best idea. Nonetheless, Patton refused to be jaded.

The first day of the project, Virgil refused to touch the work.

“There’s no way I’m touching this project.” Virgil sneered. “Especially about Shakespeare.”

“Huh?” Patton had not fully processed Virgil’s words. “Is it because you don’t understand it?”

“Sure.”

“Neither can I! I guess Shakespeare really has our brains shaken up! Maybe we can ask the teacher to go over it for us?”

The teen huffed and shook his head. Virgil laid his head on the wooden desk and his eyes slipped closed. He napped for the rest of the period.

His behavior continued for weeks. Patton had tried everything in his power to get Virgil to help him out. Patton’s seemingly endless supply of compliments and encouraging gestures served no help.

Patton’s mind had conjured countless excuses for Virgil since Virgil himself refused to give one. At the beginning the excuses had seemed feasible. Lack of sleep? Family issues? However, by week three, Patton was already scraping the bottom of the barrel, trying to justify Virgil’s dismissive attitude with clones and possible mind control. Virgil was no closer to lifting up a pencil, there were ten days left of the project, and Patton still understood little to nothing about Shakespeare. Patton was flying solo and time was ticking.

The final week before the project was due, Patton caught the flu.

Patton would chalk up the flu to the top three sucky sicknesses of his lifetime. His fever was raging, his skin drowning in sweat while the insides of him iced over. Patton couldn’t tell when being awake ended and when sleep began. The only alarm in Patton’s body was the churning in his gut that rushed him to the toilet.

Understandably, the project was the last thing on his mind.

Patton would not remember his Shakespeare mission until the Sunday before it was due, when he was shaking off the final remnants of the flu. The realization hit him like a train, but by the time he went flying off his bed and hurriedly logging on to his computer to check the time, Patton knew it was hopeless. There was no way he could get the project done in a few hours and counting. Not when all his energy was going into fighting of sneezes and headaches.

Patton was dejectedly scrolling through his email filled with newsletters from adoption sites and animal protection agencies when a subject line caught his eye: “English Project.” Linked to the email were word documents and an audio file. Perplexedly, Patton opened the email.

To: patpetspups@gmail.com

From: killjoy_2001@icloud.com

Subject: English Project

Patton,

so apparently you’ve been sick. class is way more quiet without you their, which is wierd.

i think i did everything you hadn’t done. it’s gonna be really mispelled and confusing and shit. sorry. i’m not the best with righting. feel free to fix anything.

get well soon.

-V

p.s. sorry for acting like a jerk. i owe you a explanation monday.

Patton hugged his computer screen and laugh with relief. He had no idea why Virgil was so nervous. His ideas were brilliant. A week later, Patton would see an A in his gradebook for the Shakespeare project.

There was a reason why Patton never lost faith in people.

True to his word, the next week Virgil explained his mistreatment to Patton. Virgil struggled with dyslexia. While he was getting tutoring in overcoming his learning disability, Virgil’s writing made him incredibly insecure. His old teacher always let him work individually, but the new teacher wasn’t having it. Before class, the teacher pulled him aside and told Virgil he was no different from any other student and would have to work with a partner. Virgil, determined to spite the teacher and anxious to seem like an “idiot” in front of Patton, would pretend to sleep the whole period.

“All your writing took was a quick grammar fix. The ideas were so good! I’m not just saying that to say that, they actually were! I could never think of something like that.” Patton reassured enthusiastically.

Virgil flushed a bright red. “I didn’t do much. Shakespeare is a lot easier to understand with audio.”

Patton listened to the audiobook of Macbeth that night. Virgil clearly wasn’t giving himself enough credit.

Virgil and Patton quickly grew close once the project was done. Virgil was still quiet, snappy, moody, and detrimentally insecure, but he began to open up more as the months went on. By senior year, Patton and Virgil was joined at the hip. Two peas in a pod.

Virgil had grown a lot since freshman year.

Being joined at the hip with Virgil meant that Patton got to understand Virgil by the simplest change in body language or expression. It also meant that Patton became aquatinted with anyone close to Virgil.

Patton already had a bad feeling while Virgil’s tone had shifted on the phone the night they were chatting about yearbook quotes. Remy sending Patton a text only confirmed the ball of dread in his stomach.

Rem: pat can we talk ?

Patton: You don’t even have to ask! Everything ok?

Rem: it’s about v

Rem: have you guys talked recently ? out of school

Patton: We talked last weekend. Over the phone. Why? Is Virgil fine??

Rem: idk. he came over to my house a couple nights ago at like 5 am. talked about some ghost shit.

Patton: He woke you up to talk about ghosts??(language!)

Rem: looking for affirmation that he wasn’t some obsessed ghost freak. i told him nah

Rem: but tbh he kinda is obsessed

Patton: He is passionate about his ghosts! But that’s not a bad thing.

Rem: v strongly disagrees. the whole thing about the yearbook and ghost quotes really messed with his head

Patton: I didn’t mean anything bad by it! It was just an idea! I promise! I’ll apologize to him!!!

Rem: wait no thats not what im saying. no one blames u

Rem: is he doing any ghost stuff anytime soon

Patton: Yep. He’s going to visit a castle!

Patton: Is that bad?

Rem: don’t you remember last time v became paranoid abt something? he pulled some real stupid stuff just to prove ppl wrong

Patton: Yeah. I know.

Patton: Gosh now I’m worried :(

Rem: i just dont want him doing anything he’ll regret on the trip. can u just…idk watch out for him pls ? ik v can take care of himself. but sometimes he gets into this headspace that’s self-destructive

Rem: tbh i dont like his ghost stuff as it is. i dont need him doing something dumb either

Patton: I understand Rem. That’s really sweet of you <3 <3

Patton: I’ll look out for him! I promise!!!! :-) :-)

Rem: ty. dont tell v abt this convo tho

Despite feeling uneasy about it, Patton understood Remy’s request to keep silent. Telling Virgil about their conversation would only push Virgil away and make him defensive. It’d be impossible to look out for him.

Virgil had already given Patton a way in. Patton had to talk to Logan for Virgil and get any supplies he might need. Patton loved visiting Logan in and of itself. Maybe Logan could help him out.

Logan’s business was located near small shops clustered along the beach. It was a hotspot for tourists, where knickknacks and souvenirs were sold and expensive attractions were advertised. Patton walked along here with Virgil sometimes, stopping at the arcade or mirror maze. Patton had met some of the most interesting people in the small touristy town.

Among the attractions was a dark blue shingled building with a pointy-roofed top. Painted letters on a wooden board spelt out “Afterlife Exposed.” Patton stepped through the door and a bell gently ringed, signaling his arrival.

At the sound of the bell, a tall, dark-haired man turned around. His navy suit blended in with the darkness of the shop. The man’s lean body was captivated beautifully in the suit. Patton quickly averted his eyes, blushing furiously.

“I have been expecting you-oh. Greetings, Patton. What a surprise.”

“Hi Logan!” Patton waved enthusiastically. “Who were you expecting?”

“No one. It’s a new rule Father has implemented. I must say it to every customer to ‘set the mood,’ as he calls it.” Logan dragged his hand over his face exasperatedly. “I find it quite ridiculous. But business shall be business.”

Logan’s father technically owned Afterlife Exposed. But he was always hidden in the back, gathering supplies or experimenting. Logan was currently studying entrepreneurship in college in order to take over the family business someday.

“How may I help you today, Patton?” Logan inquired, stepping around the counter to stand in front of him. He was even taller up close.

Patton filled Logan in about the New Prince Castle family murder and Virgil’s plan to investigate the castle for one of his ghost routines. Logan nodded politely the whole way through.

“I see. What an intriguing case. What exactly does he need from me?”

Patton shrugged cluelessly. “Anything you think might help, I guess.”

“What’s his budget?”

“A coffee and cake pop from Starbucks, if he uses his gift card.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “And he sent you to purchase something from here? Why, he couldn’t even afford a keychain.”

“Come on, Logan! He’s one of your most loyal customers and between us, he’s going through a rough patch. Can’t you help him out? Please?”

Logan massaged his temples and sighed. “Patton, it’s just not something the business can afford to do right now. My Father and I have been dealing with a sort of rough patch as well. You and Virgil have my sincerest apologies-truly, you do.”

Patton nodded dejectedly, “I understand.” Spotting Logan’s hesitant expression and tense form, he rested a hand on Logan’s shoulder and grinned. “Really, I do. I don’t blame you.”

Logan gave a small, tight-lipped smile in return. Gently shaking Patton’s hand off his shoulder, he clasped his hands together tightly. “Well, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I’m not too sure.” Patton pursed his lips in thought. “Well, actually. I was wondering if you could tell me the dos and don’ts of ghost hunting. The yays and nays. The cats and dogs-actually no scratch that, both of those would be a yay.”

“With all due respect, Patton, I think Virgil has got that covered.” Logan reassured. “He must have asked me a dozen times prior to his first investigation.”

“Oh yeah, I know. It’s for me.” Patton corrected.

Logan raised an eyebrow in perplexion. Patton had never shown an interest in ghost hunting when Virgil wasn’t to be found.

Patton thought quickly. “I just want to understand more. For when I talk to Virgil. Sometimes I really don’t get half the explanations coming from the kiddo’s mouth.” It wasn’t a lie. “Just…how do you deal with ghosts?

“I see.” Logan clicked his tongue. “I’m sure Virgil could explain it to you more in depth. But, if you’re ever in doubt, chalk it up to one thing: respect. Is what you’re doing respecting the afterlife and their home? Are you portraying common courtesy? Treat them with the same respect as the living, if not more. There are exceptions, as with anything, but for the most part, that should keep you out of trouble with spirits.”

“Respect.” Patton repeated.

“You have strong morals, Patton. If you’re concerned about involvement with the afterlife due to your closeness with Virgil, I would not worry. Lack of respect is the last of your weaknesses.”

Logan pulled out his phone from the back of his pocket. “I apologize, I must return to my work. However, if you or Virgil have any more questions, feel free to give me a call.”

Patton gushed and thanked Logan, jotting down his number. Logan flushed a gentle red and held out his hand for a handshake.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Patton.”

Patton swatted Logan’s hand away and brought him in for a hug. “Thank you, Logan.”

Logan awkwardly pat Patton on the back before ungracefully untangling himself from the embrace. “I was only doing my job. Now, I understand it’s none of my business, but I recommend getting some rest. You look exhausted.”

“High school has permanently carved bags under my eyes.” Patton shook his head defeatedly.

Logan gave an amused smirk. “You sounded like Virgil.”

Patton beamed. “Like father, like son!”

Just as Patton was about to turn around to leave the store, something in the corner of the room glistened, catching his eye. “Hey Logan? Just one more thing?”

Logan hummed at him, encouraging Patton to continue.

He pointed to the object at the corner of the room. “How much can I get that for?”

 “Walkie-talkies. I sent you to Logan Berry, one of the smartest, most knowledgeable people about the afterlife in this town, and you come back with a Ghost Buster walkie-talkie.” Virgil grunted, dangling the toy by its antennae.

“You can have the Casper the Ghost one instead.”

“What? No! Ghost Busters is better, anyway.” Virgil groaned. “That’s not the point. How about advice? Did Logan say anything?”

“Just to respect the ghosts. Have common courtesy. Which you better be doing anyway, even without Logan telling you to do so.”

Virgil threw his hands up in exasperation and fell down into his sofa as the cushions engulfed the skinny man. “Obviously I respect them! The last thing I need is coming home possessed and cursed! He knows I know that. That’s really all he said?”

“Besides giving us his number.” Patton confirmed. “Which I already gave you.”

Virgil grumbled. “Whatever. One day I’ll get enough money to- wait. The walkie-talkies. There’s no way you could have bought them with my money, I would not have had enough. Please don’t tell me…”

Virgil got a glance of Patton’s sheepish look and groaned. “Patton, we have a rule! No buying each other anything!” He buried his head in his hands. “I can’t pay you back. You know that.”

“Hey…” Patton took a seat next to Virgil and laid a comforting hand on his knee. “It’s okay. They weren’t expensive. You don’t have to pay me back.”

Virgil looked at Patton in between his fingers. His voice was muffled against his palms. “You know how I feel about that, Pat.”

“Virgil, come on.” Patton pleaded.

Virgil shook his head. “Thank you. But, you need to return them.”

Guilty silence settled among the two, but neither made a move to leave. Both were lost in their own worlds when an idea struck Patton.

He nudged Virgil. “I know a way for you to pay me back without money.” At Virgil’s unimpressed look, he protested, “Seriously! It would mean a lot more to me than whatever these walkie-talkies cost.”

“Yea?” Virgil lifted his head from his hands. “What is it?”

Patton stared at Virgil’s stormy eyes as his heart pounded. In all honesty, this was the last thing Patton wanted to do. He was terrified. But, he thought back to the conversation he had with Remy, and the last time Virgil did something senseless unsupervised due to paranoia. “I want to go ghost hunting with you. At the New Prince Castle.”

Virgil’s jaw dropped. His eyes darted around Patton’s face before he shook his head and gave a weak chuckle. “Sure, Pat. Whatever you say.”

“No, I’m serious!” Patton insisted. “I’ll respect the ghosts and do whatever you tell me to do!”

Virgil was dismissing Patton before he could finish his sentence. “No, no, no. You hate ghost stories, Pat! Especially ones that are spooky and gruesome. You’d hate ghost-hutning. It’s dark and there’s lots of weird noises and tons of spiders. No way. I’m not adding more guilt to my conscience.”

Virgil made a move to get up from the sofa, but Patton refused to let the conversation drop. He grabbed Virgil’s hand and pulled him back to the seat. Virgil landed with a clumsy thump.  

“Kiddo, I know I hate all those things. I’m sure I’ll be scared. But, you’ll be there too! I love you more than I hate all those things combined.”

“Patton, we can do something else together. Go to the movies. Or bowling. Normal teen stuff.” Virgil reasoned.

Patton retorted, “But ghost hunting is important to you.”

“It’s not that important. It’s a simple hobby. I don’t care that much about it.” Virgil cut off.

“I know, I know!” Patton quickly backtracked. “What I meant was that ghost-hunting has been a cool way for us to bond. It intrigues you-a perfectly normal amount-and I like seeing you happy! Just like you go walking with me along the shops by the beach even though it’s super crowded and you hate it.”

“Patton, what’s your point?” Virgil grilled.

“My point is I want to try this thing that you enjoy with you. Just like you try things for me. It’s senior year, Virgil. No one hates thinking about it more than me, but we don’t know what things are going to be like after high school. I want to find a husband, start a family. Maybe study veterinary science. You could have a publisher for your writing, become a famous author, and move. I want to do this with you. I want to get over my fear.”

Patton stared at Virgil hopefully and held out his hand. “What do you say? One more big adventure for the dynamic duo?”

Virgil stared at Patton, looked down and roughly shook his head, froze, then stared at Patton once more. Virgil’s foot rapidly tapped against the floor, creating a dizzy, distracting melody. Finally, Virgil pulled his hair and glared at Patton. “You’ll be careful?”

Patton nodded eagerly.

“And you’ll stick with me no matter what? At all times? I want you in my sight.”

Virgil dramatically groaned, closing his eyes and throwing his head back. “I guess you can come.”

Patton shot up from his seat, whooping with joy and hopping around the sofa. “Thank you, Virgil! Thank you! We’re going to have such a great time!”

Virgil peeked one eye open and gave a soft grin. “Yeah, I guess we are. You’re sure you wanna do this?”

“Never been more sure of anything in my life besides my love for you and cats! I pinkie swear it.”

Patton and Virgil intertwined pinkies before Patton winked and let go, embracing Virgil.

“Let your moms know you’re going to be gone for the weekend.” Virgil smirked. “We have a haunted castle to explore.”

[eshtarwind]

Tokyo 7th Sisters: Episode Queen of Purple Novel Summary Part 1

It’s a bit late but I decided to write the summary of QoP Novel because I REALLY NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO and I cannot wait for the full translations to be out so that you guys can read it (but really, you should really read the full translations once it is out—pssst it is on the way–because Furuse Fuu is a really good writer and also because some details are just precious). Anyway, without further ado, the Novel Summary will be under the cut!

Warning!!!!! Even if I said “summary”…. I did not intend to make it as short as possible as opposed to writing everything I remember.

Prologue: Summer Day Crossroads

This chapter isn’t about QoP, but 4U. So 4U management, which usually let them do what they want, came up with the idea of them doing their major debut to get inside professional musician chart. Because they will be going to the Pro music field, Ume went like sure lets do it with a new song. With the image of the majority of music theme in Pro musician tier being love song, which also seems to reverberate with much of the population, Ume decided to make their major debut song as a love song.

There was only one problem: Ume has never fallen in love. Or any of 4U members, in that case. When Ume presented her song to both Emoko and Hina, none of them approved it–not even Hina. Both agreed that the music itself is great and that with Hina’s drums and Emoko’s bass it will be well polished but the lyrics are so cringeworthy that Emoko even dared if Ume even have the balls to sing such embarrassing lines. In the end, the flustered Ume then dragged the two of them to special brainstorming session to perfect the song. They even prepared to sleep in the studio for that purpose (Emoko should make it clear that she cooperate just so that Ume didnt drag all of them down with her incompetence or something). Anyway after hours of brainstorming, they perfected the song, but not the lyrics. With none having real experience in love, eventually Ume had the idea to just watch a romance movie for scientific purposes as inspiration. Even if tired, Emoko and Hina volunteered to also watch the movie with her. Sandwiched by them both, Ume said that she won’t allow them both to sleep or quit midway. By the end of the movie, however, only Ume woke up and the two had fallen asleep by both of her side.

The content of the movie aside, in the notes they had before they slept, there was one word that came up: Akogare = the feeling of admiration with longing/yearning. Falling in love seemed to be extremely close with that word. Ume could only remember that one time when she felt that feeling, along with heat in her heart, the feeling like something light up within her, it was when that woman  “Hey you rascaaal!!!–” Snapping back to reality, Ume then began go write according to those feelings

Anyway, one day Seto Ferb walked to her rendezvous place with her light music club. She passed the station and found out that there are a bunch of people gathering for something.Turned out, a newly debuted band named “4U” is having their Guerilla live by the station and apparently they were pretty famous already. The band then played their debut song: Watashi Ai 4U.

Her light music club friend called her and told her that there was a Guerilla live, which Ferb replied she knew it already as she was exactly at that place at the moment. Ferb actually took off her earphone, which plays Hanyuuda Mito’s songs, and she remarked how catchy and upbeat the song is.

“4U, eh? I will remember it.”

She said before going away.

~The end of Prologue~

Chapter 1. Are You Gonna Be My Rose?

Being scouted by the producer, by the reception space of 777 sisters studio, Ferb was listening to super rare unreleased version of Hanyuuda Mito song when someone asked her what she was listening. The first thing Ferb noticed from someone upon hearing them talk are their voices. Noting the voice and its owner, she answered that it was Hanyuuda Mito. Or rather, the song that supposed to be a 7th Sisters song, but did not--A super rare copy which only circulate once on the net before taken down. The one talking to her immediately understood which one and they both realized they liked Hanyuuda Mito, both with the same impression of Mito’s voice: like a wind overlooking somewhere form a high place…. or some kind. Anyway, It was how Ferb and Murasaki met the first time, the receptions of 777 stars when they have just been scouted by our Shihainin.

Fast forward to the present, Ferb was sitting at the park near Nanasis office. She was called by Shihainin but took a bit more time to go. Her song, which she poured her heart into making, was rejected by her light music club friends to play in the school festival. They did not say it was particularly bad, however it was true that they were just not interested in it, and wanted to do cover band instead of an original song. Ferb then dropped from the school festival, saying that they dont particularly need her, as there are other bassist to fill up the space and Ferb did not feel the drive to join them. The novel did not write if she was angry, or disappointed, and Ferb seemed to say it a matter of factly, where she did not blame anyone and that was just how it went: their taste just did not match. Finally she continued her walk but she met someone else on the way: Yumeno.

Apparently, Yumeno was also called by Shihainin just like her. They conversed as they go, and the novel reflected just how well Ferb brushed away Yumeno’s super excitement when it comes to cute girls (including her ofc). It seemed Ferb has some respect in Yumeno, because of Yumeno’s proficiency in her guitar and how she put her personality in her guitar (regardless of her reasoning to start playing–Which in Yumeno’s case was because of a manga character). Ferb remarked that to be proficient in the level that Yumeno was atm needed hardwork and Ferb commend her for that.

In Nanasuta, Shihainin explain that there would be 7th Christmas Rock Festival a few months from then aimed for rookie band, and he asked if both of them are interested. Shihainin said several times that it does not have to be that year, as it must be an original piece, a full band, and there would be an elimination round soon. Both girls were interested (More like, Yumeno would, if Ferb would), but considering it needed a full band and preparation and the fact that they did not have any additional band member and there was a need to make an original song fast, Shihainin said several times that there was no pressure. However, Ferb said that there was a song that they can use.

She gave them a listen to the song she had made for her light music club and both were extremely excited upon hearing it, saying how it sound like a pro. Ferb said she had an idea on who the vocalist should be but she had to ask her, however the problem was they had no idea who is proficient enough for drums. Shihainin said that recording backsound is allowed, but Ferb firmly said that it won’t be able to fully bring out the soul of her song. Finally, saying, again, that there is no pressure about joining the fest, they closed the meeting. After they did, Ferb apologized to Yumeno about singlehandedly deciding their decision to continue with the project, which Yumeno said that she agreed to it anyway, to there was nothing Ferb should worry about. They both then went to the place of their prospective vocalist.

Turned out, Ferb also had never been to Murasaki’s place before. It was not something she thought would have been necessary and naturally Murasaki also never invited her. Yumeno expressed her surprised, because she thought Murasaki and Ferb are close with each other. Ferb said they were, but for as long as Hanyuuda Mito and music was concerned. It seemed their topic of conversation rarely broaden to anything personal and never once has they ever thought of, say, having sleepover. Yumeno said that kind of relationship is okay too, that she still see it as moe (Ferb dismissed this as something she doesnt understand about Yumeno Number #whatever). With that, they finally arrived at EZ Bar, which displayed “close”. It was nearing dusk but the bar has not opened already, which speaks much of its costumers demography.

When they came into the bar, Ferb’s impression of the bar was that it seemed to have a different air than the atmosphere they used to be (you should pay attention to this in the novel, really, at how Ferb describes situations and atmosphere, it's soooo poignant. From the lights, the reflection on the floor, etc.). They found Murasaki cleaning the place and was surprised to find them there. Ferb explained about the circumstances and Murasaki said that Ferb should have been the first person to know what kind of music genre she usually sang and Ferb answered yes she did, it was Jazz and not Rock but I want you to sing my song and just you. Murasaki contemplated, and then she answered, that if it was for something in the near future, she cannot give a yes answer to the proposition.

~~ End of Chapter 1 ~~

Since this is getting long, I will stop by here. Thank you for reading, get ready for Part 2 later!

Continue to Part 2