#alms fics

[alms4oblivion]

Seven Minutes in Hell

Beatrice thought this was going to be the best Halloween ever. She got to dress as Princess Elsa and go trick-or-treating. She even got a toothbrush with the Frozen characters on it at the third house! She told her classmate, Ava Silva about it...but it turns out Ava didn't want a toothbrush for Halloween. Things went downhill from there, until Ava decided, loudly, that she was going to curse Beatrice with a nightmare, and then Beatrice thought she should curse Ava with a nightmare just in case curses were real and...they never really stopped.

Four times Ava and Beatrice ruined each other's Halloween, and one time when they didn't.

Childhood enemies to lovers, the evil twin of See You In Our Dreams.

Seven Minutes in Hell - Alms4Oblivion - Warrior Nun (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

[mrmissmrsrandom]

Thank you @merimerz for listening to my multi-email ramblings and creating something absolutely beautiful out of them. This art of older Alm and Lukas is based on a scene from my FE Echoes fic, The Lion in Winter. Your kindness and generosity moved me so much, and every time I look at this art I'm filled with both joy and love.

[doomspiral]

Hey guess what

As always heed the warnings at the end of the chapter and in the tags or taste my blade!

[avalost]

Writing tip:

If you don't like how a scene is going but can't figure out how to edit it to make it better - read what you wrote, then open a new doc and rewrite it from memory.

You'll remember the strongest parts and the parts you liked best. You'll naturally discard the weakest parts. It's magic.

[randomnameless]

I appreciate that at least they stayed consistent with the Sword of the Creator being Crest of Flames-exclusive and, as such, Byleth can no longer use it post-CF and is shown using a normal sword instead in their solo and S-Supported Jeritza ending pictures; makes it all the more baffling that they're still alive despite their heart being destroyed and that the Sothis S-Support exists in that route, but i'll give them credit where it's due for keeping the SOTC's lore consistent.

Post Tru Piss, there's no Crest Stone left for the SoC!

So I'd say it's not that it's CoF exclusice, but rather something like without a crest stone, a relic, even the SoC, doesn't "work" anymore.

Adding insult to the injury though, Post!Tru Piss Billy uses Rhea's sword, aka, a Holy Weapon that could be used by everyone (human and nabatean!) and even heal non-crested people : Billy uses at the end of the "we will make a world for humans!" route a sword that conveyed coexistence between humans and nabateans...

Sothis' S-support in this route really felt odd, because she acknowledges Rhea at least, but has no words for her passing when Rhea died crying for her.

Some people tried to theorise that this Sothis isn't the one Rhea remembers so she wouldn't have feelings about her... but idk, it still feels dead wrong, especially since Sothis remembered feelings of joy and sadness in Zanado, and ultimately remembers how Rhea is a her kid thanks to the lullaby (and in SS when she "talks" to her).

If Sothis was a better written character and not accidently written to be the most toxic parent in the FE series, I'd maybe write something about her feeling so bad that, again, she was used to slaughter one of her own children (Nemesis first in Zanado, and now Billy in Tailtean) but as canon!Sothis is, I'm not really motivated to do something like this.

[magicalmadrigals]

Paving A New Way - Chapter 2

Chapter two of my multi-chapter is here! This chapter is a lot more family based than the previous one, but I kind of love that because I live for the fluff so much. They make me so happy. The response to chapter one was so lovely, so I hope you guys like this chapter just as much! As usual, you can read over on AO3 and I'll also post the chapter under the cut. Happy reading!

...

“We should get up soon.”

“Mmph. Ten more minutes.”

Julieta smiled to herself when Gus kissed the back of her bare shoulder with a chuckle, feeling him run his hand down her arm before it found hers and he laced their fingers while putting his arm back around her. She settled again then and let her eyes fall shut, allowing herself a couple more minutes of peace with him before they really did have to get up and start getting ready to go to church. Her being awake so early on a Sunday morning was something of a rarity these days – she much appreciated the lie in she was granted with Mass starting at 9:30 – but she woke naturally at 7:00 this morning. She fully intended on going back to sleep for another hour, but her marido had had other ideas and when he started kissing her neck that was it. 30 years of marriage meant he knew all of her weak spots. For the past hour, the two of them had been wrapped up in one another, but it was slowly becoming time for them to leave the comfort of their bed and get up and greet the day and she was trying her damnedest to delay the inevitable for as long as she could.

Ay, she hadn’t realized it until now, but she feared she was beginning to turn into her hijas.

The three of them had been nightmares to get out of bed when they were teenagers – Isabela more than the other two if she remembered rightly – and now she could see why.

She was so comfortable, lying there next to her husband, and the last thing she wanted to was get up, but at the same time she was looking forward to going to Mass this morning. She knew Catalina was going to be there and it would give her a chance to check in with her. It had been three days since their talk following her appointment and although she had kept an eye out for her each time she had gone into town, not once had she seen her out and about. It worried her. She knew she got out little – unless Eduardo said she could, like she told her, she was practically confined to their home – but she normally saw her getting some shopping or something and there had just been no sign of her at all lately. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to see both of them at church though. For all his faults, she knew Eduardo was deeply religious and there was no chance of him allowing her to miss Mass no matter the state she was in. He would drag her there kicking and screaming if he had to. She hoped Catalina would come and speak to her at some point. Really, she hoped she would come and tell her that she had changed her mind and wanted to confide in Señor Flores about what was going on, but she had very little faith in that happening. She was still scared. Not only of what her marido would do to her if she talked, but what those in town would think about her. She had to get past that fear first.

Until she did, nothing was going to change.

Agustín tightening the arm around her pulled her from her thoughts and she smirked when she felt him bury his lips in her neck, his moustache scratching gently against her skin. She indulged him for a minute or so before eventually rolling onto her back in his arms and letting her head fall against his shoulder, her hand coming up to stroke his cheek as she looked up at him. “I should talk to Isa about the clinic at some point today,” She said quietly. “I keep meaning to sit down with her, but then something comes up and I forget.”

“She might finally stop talking about it if you do,” He smirked, causing her to chuckle under her breath. It had genuinely been all their girl had gone on about since she told her she would have a think about it. “I do think the new arrangement will be a good thing though if it goes well. I know you have more time now than you did back when you still had your gift, but you still go to the clinic straight after breakfast and you rarely make it home before it gets dark. At least with Isa carrying some of the load you’ll have a bit more balance.”

She nodded. “Mmm. I just worry she’ll do too much and tire herself out.”

“You mean you’re worried she’s going to end up turning into you.” He gave her a look.

“Maybe…” She shrugged.

He smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead before tucking a grey curl back behind her ear. “She is going to be fine. I know you’ll make sure she doesn’t go too far.”

Deciding not to respond with words, she reached up and laid a hand on the back of his neck before pulling him down to her and kissing him tenderly. Her thumb grazed his skin as he laid a hand on her hip while the kiss lingered, but she realised they were short on time now and so she broke away from him before they had chance to get too caught up in it. She failed to keep from laughing at his little pout when she looked at him again. “We really do need to get up now. Much longer and people will catch on to what we’ve been up to.”

“And by ‘people’ you mean your hermana.” He sat himself up next to her, raking a hand through his tousled hair.

She shook her head. “I don’t know why she gives me such a hard time about it when I know for a fact she and Félix are the exact same. Actually, I think they might be worse.”

He turned in place to look at her. “The two of you know far too much about each other.”

“I know,” She chuckled. “I think it’s a sister thing.”

“Even more reason to be grateful I was an only child.” He shook his head before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and reaching for his pajama pants.

She laid there a couple minutes longer once he had gotten up, staring up at the ceiling and mentally preparing herself for the day ahead, but eventually she leaned down to retrieve her nightgown from the floor and quickly pulled it on. She got up then and headed for the wardrobe before taking out a pale blue dress and returning to the bed with it. Normally, she made a little more of an effort when it came to Sunday Mass, but they were beginning to run late now and so it was going to have to do. Once she had found some underthings to wear, she shed her nightgown and laid it at the end of the bed before changing into them and putting on her dress. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she watched Gus rake his fingers through his hair in front of the mirror while she approached her vanity to start doing her own. Men had it so much easier. It always took her forever to get her hair done.

As she took her hairpins out of the box on the table, she watched him through the mirror as he came up behind her and smiled when he bent down to kiss her gently on the cheek. “I’ll go down and let them know you’ll be there in a minute.” He ran his hands down her arms when he pulled back again, letting his chin come to rest atop her curls for a second.

“Gracias. I won’t be long.” She told him before he turned and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

She combed her fingers through her curls then, getting rid of any tangles before she started to pin them up on top of her head to keep them out of her face. They were still dealing with the high temperatures and the last thing she needed was her curls getting in the way and making her hotter than she already was. Once she was done with her hair and she was satisfied it was neat enough, she put in her earrings before standing from the chair and walking across the room to her shoes. Slipping her feet into them, she finally made her way out of the room and when she reached the top of the staircase the familia was already beginning to congregate at the bottom of them. She hadn’t even gotten to the foot of the stairs before Pepa gave her an all too familiar look and put her hand on her hip, causing her to chuckle gently as she came to stand beside her. “Seriously?” Her hermana asked.

“What?” She raised an eyebrow at her.

“You were almost late.” Pepa pointed out, her voice soft.

“But I wasn’t.”

“But you almost were.”

“But…” She held up a finger. “I wasn’t.”

“Ay, you two need to choose your moments better.” Pepa rolled her eyes.

She looked at her sister for a second, remembering what her husband pointed out to her earlier. “Gus thinks we know far too much about each other, you know.”

Pepa stood there in silence, thinking for a moment before she frowned. “He has a point.”

“All we all here?” Their mother spoke up, bringing their talk to an end.

They and the rest of the family mumbled in acknowledgement before she said it was time for them to leave and they all began to make their way out of the house together. It was going to be a long, hot morning and an even longer, hotter afternoon, but Julieta didn’t mind that in the slightest. Sundays were family days, days where – when they returned home from church – more often than not, they all headed outside into the garden and spent some quality time together and in her mind there was nothing more perfect than that.

Absolutely nothing.

…

She could see Catalina speaking with a small group of women from across the room as she stood with Gus following the morning service, waiting for him to finish talking with Señor Garcia so they could head home. She needed to speak with her. She had been hoping to speak with her before Mass began, but she and Eduardo had been running late – out of character for them – and they hadn’t actually arrived until about ten minutes in. When they had though, it was by chance that they had sat down right across from her and the familia and she had noticed her black eye right away. She knew for a fact it was recent, not only had she not had it when she saw her last but the colour was an indication too, and she had no doubt as to how she had gotten it either. Should she have needed more convincing though, the way she kept glancing in her direction during the sermon would have been more than enough. This morning, it had been centred around the topic of marriage. Reminders of the way maridos were meant to treat their wives and vice-versa, and it was clear in the way she kept looking at her that a number of points made had spoken to her. She hoped that meant that she had started thinking about what she’d said.

One of her main concerns was that the church would look down on her if she spoke about it, but the sermon this morning had proven different.

A husband was meant to love his wife. He was meant to sanctify her and Eduardo was doing neither of those things, so he was going against those important teachings.

If she spoke to Señor Flores about his treatment of her then she would have the backing of the church and he would be the one the congregation looked down upon, not the other way around as she had been led to believe. That was why she wanted to speak with her before heading home. If she really had changed her thinking – if she was ready to open up about things – then they could get things in motion. They could speak with Señor Flores and arrange to sit down and speak with him at a later date, that way Eduardo would have no need to be suspicious, and both of them could relax a little more. She just felt that it was crucial that they got things started as soon as they could. Especially now, with it being clear he was beginning to spiral and he was gradually becoming more violent toward her.

Looking in her direction once again, she realized the small group had begun to disperse and she watched as Catalina began making her way out of the church while brushing an errant curl from her face. “Amor, I’m just going to step outside for a minute,” She took Gus by the arm when there was a slight break in his chat with Señor Garcia and he smiled, giving her a nod in response before she moved away from him. She made her way through the room then, exchanging pleasantries with one or two people, and when she finally made it out of the building she soon caught sight of Catalina once again. She was standing a little out of the way, waiting for Eduardo to come out so they could start walking home, and so she thought it was the perfect chance for her to have a talk with her without anyone else hearing them. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress as she walked in her direction, returning the smile she gave her when she glanced her way and realized she was there. “Hola.” She said as she came to stand next to her, leaning her back against the wall and watching as people began saying their goodbyes to one another and walking away from the church in opposite directions.

“Hola Señora.” Catalina replied.

For a moment, both of them were silent, but then she turned her head her way to look at her. “I need to ask. Does this have anything to do with me coming to see you? Because if it does, I…”

“No,” Catalina was quick to assure her with a hand on her arm. “Eduardo still has no idea about that. This was my fault. I took a nap and woke up late, so I was running late with dinner the other night.”

“Catalina…”

“Señora, I know what you’re going to say and I actually, uhm, I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

Julieta’s breath hitched. “Alright.”

“I spent some time thinking about what you said the other day and I…I think…”

Right as Catalina was beginning to find her voice, the two of them became aware of the sound of approaching footsteps and Julieta felt her heart sink in her chest as she watched Eduardo approach them both. He had a smile on his face, but she could tell it was ingenuine. He was putting it on for her. It was all a part of his act, but he had no idea she knew the real him and could see right through it. She knew the best thing she could do for her friend at the minute was go along with it though, so she forced a smile of her own as he came to stand in front of them. “Hola, Señora Madrigal.” He greeted her.

“Hola, Señor,” She replied. “How are you?”

“Can’t complain,” He shrugged. “Although we had a bit of a trying morning, hence why we were late. I doubt we’ll have the same problem next week though. Will we, amor?"

There was something in the way he said those words, the way his gaze hardened slightly when he looked at Catalina, that made her feel sick.

She had no idea what had gone on before they had come to church, but she it couldn’t have been anything good.

“No.” Came Catalina’s timid response from next to her before he held his hand out to her and she took it, moving to stand at his side.

“Well, we should be getting home. A lot to do this afternoon,” He explained. “Adios, Señora.”

“Adios.” She echoed before watching the two of them turn and begin to walk away from her, leaving her alone.

She doubted he intended for her to, but she saw the way he pulled his wife close enough to murmur something in her ear as he led her further away from the church and all it did was fill her with a new kind of fear. What was she going home to? What was going to happen to her once the two of them were back behind closed doors, alone together and away from the watchful eye of the townspeople?

Her marido would tell her she was going to make herself sick if he knew she was worrying so much, but she couldn’t help it.

She had been so close, moments away from having her tell her exactly what she wanted to hear, and now it felt as though they were right back to square one.

The look she’d seen on Eduardo’s face told her he had an idea something was going on. He had no idea what, that was something of a relief she supposed, but she could tell he had a feeling. It was that what worried her. She was the only person in town who knew anything about what Catalina was enduring. She was the only person in town she felt she could speak to about it all and with him now on edge, she was starting to worry things were going to change. The time for fretting about that was when it happened though, not right this second. She would likely drive herself insane.

“Ready to go home?” She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her husband’s voice and she gave him a smile when he came to stand next to her.

“Mmm,” She nodded, reaching for his hand and taking it in hers so she could lace their fingers. “I think Mira mentioned something about staying behind for a little while. She wants to speak to Daniela.”

“Alright,” He said before the two of them began to walk away from the church together, his brow creasing when he noted her unusually quiet demeanour. “You’re sure you’re okay? You’re quiet lately.”

She shook her head. “I am, I promise. I think I’m tired, that’s all it is, and I have a couple of patients who need a little more attention at the moment. I’ll manage though.”

“I worry about you.” He sighed, dropping her hand so he could put an arm around her waist and pull her close to him, letting her tuck her head into his neck.

“You have spent the last 30 years worrying about me, I think I’m used to it by now,” She teased as she tilted her head back to look at him. “Really though, I’m okay.”

He stroked his thumb against her hip through her dress. “You promise?”

“I do,” She stretched up to brush her lips gently against his own. “I promise…”

…

“¡Maldita sea!”

Pepa gasped and turned her head to look at her hermana when she yelped, watching her drop the knife in her hand onto the table before she cradled the other in it and inspected the cut she had gotten. She frowned, turning in place while wiping her hands on the front of her apron. She could tell something was wrong. Her sister was a wonder in the kitchen, she had spent half her life in there near enough, but today she was so uncoordinated. She was dropping things, she had burned herself, and now she had gone and cut her hand because clearly her mind was someplace other than on her work. She had noticed she had been acting unusual and she had been a little quieter than normal lately, but she thought it was tiredness more than anything because she’d been so caught up in her work down at the clinic. Now though, she was beginning to doubt. This seemed like more than just fatigue. It seemed as though something was weighing on her mind and she was starting to worry about her.

She heard her breath tremble as she came away from the table and headed for the sink so she could wash the blood from her hand, a deep sigh escaping her as she reached up to tuck a red curl behind her ear before making her way up behind her. She laid a hand on her back which made her look her way and it was clear she could see the concerned look on her face, the way her shoulders slumped. “You can talk to me, you know,” She told her gently, watching her pass her thumb carefully over the cut in her palm to clean it. “And you can’t tell me there’s nothing wrong because I am your hermana.”

Julieta chuckled before turning the tap off once the cut was clean and returning to the kitchen table. “I’m fine.”

“Mhm,” She hummed, unconvinced. “Sit down and let me sort your hand.”

“Pepa…”

“I said sit.”

Realizing that Pepa wasn’t going to change her mind, Julieta admitted defeat and pulled out a chair at the table before sitting down with a huff while she walked off to go and get the medical kit from the cupboard. Her hand trembled as she cradled it in the other and she watched it begin to bleed again, the sound of her hermana returning to the table making her look up a second time. Pepa pulled out the chair at her side and sat down while placing the medical kit down on the table, both of them sharing a look when she took her hand and brought it into her lap before taking a dressing out of the kit. “Out with it.” Was all she said while placing the dressing on the wound and reaching into the kit again for the roll of bandage. Her hermana said nothing for a moment, but eventually she let out a sigh.

“I don’t know…” Julieta shook her head, wincing as she began wrapping the bandage around her hand. “I have a lot on my mind at the minute, I guess. I have things I need to sort before the clinic opens tomorrow and I still need to sit down with Isa so we can talk about these new responsibilities. Oh, I also forgot Gus is going home to see his familia this weekend and I need to sort his clothes for that.”

Pepa tied the bandage to help keep it on before dropping her hand and leaning back in her chair. “I think you’re doing way too much.”

“If I don’t do too much, not enough gets done.” Julieta pointed out.

“You need to learn to ask for help when you need it,” Pepa tutted. “How many times have I told you that I’ll help with things?”

“I know, but you have enough of your own things to see to.”

“Juli, if I didn’t want or have time to help you out then I wouldn’t offer in the first place.”

Julieta gave her a small smile.

“You deal with the things for the clinic and speaking with Isa,” Pepa told her. “If you bring me Agustín’s clothes then I’ll get them sorted for him. Then you have one less thing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” Julieta asked.

“Of course I am,” Pepa nodded. “I think I owe it to you. You help me out enough.”

Julieta reached out and gave her hand a tender squeeze. “Gracias. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“De nada,” Pepa replied before the two of them heard the sound of squeals and laughter coming from the back garden. The children had been hot and bothered when they got home from church and so they had gotten changed and gone out into the back garden, their mamá and the men deciding to do the same, and none of them had come back in yet. It was no surprise though. The heat was nearly unbearable and the pair of them were beginning to feel the effects now, having been cooped up in the kitchen for so long. “I think that pot still has about 20 minutes. How about we sit outside a while?”

“Yes please.” Julieta agreed before they got up with a chuckle and began to make their way out into the garden.

It took them little time to find their family and neither of them could keep from smiling when they saw the children running around together, laughing and squealing while Luisa sprayed them all with the hosepipe. Their maridos had even decided to join in, but that was no surprise. Both of them were still children at heart. Sitting a short distance away from them all was their mamá and Bruno, Valentina sat in his lap with a cup of water while they watched the fun. Silently, they approached them before sitting down in the chairs Félix and Gus must have been sitting in earlier. “Ay, you both look so warm.” Alma commented, slightly concerned, when she stopped watching her grandchildren play momentarily to look at them both. “Stay there, I’ll get you something to drink. It might cool you down a little.”

They thanked her with their eyes before she stood from her chair and headed for the table the drinks were on, Valentina babbling gently in Bruno’s lap making Pepa smile when she turned her attention to her. “No Mamí this afternoon?” She inquired, reaching out to caress her nieta’s chubby cheek lovingly with the back of a finger before she reached for her and she gladly stole her from her hermano.

“Dolores and Mariano said they were going for a nap about an hour ago,” Bruno explained. “I told them we’d wake them before dinner.”

She nodded while bouncing the baby in her lap. “I don’t think either of them – Lolita mainly – are getting much sleep at the minute, so I get it. This heat is a nightmare.”

“Am I allowed to say I miss your gift at times like this?” Julieta only half-teased, palming a curl from her sweaty forehead.

“Meh.” Pepa shrugged.

It was a couple moments later when their mamá came back with a glass of lemonade each for them and they thanked her when she gave them to them, watching her sit back down in her seat with a sigh. No one spoke much for a time then, the four of them content to be in the company of each other while watching the others cool off, but then Gus and Félix stepped away from the group and Julieta and Pepa felt their breath catch. Both of them were completely soaked, their hair free of the product they had put in it for church earlier, and their shirts had become almost see-through and were clinging to them in a way that made them feel even warmer. It got past neither of the men, it was clear in the way the pair of them blinked at them before looking at one another and chuckling when they worked it out, and they cleared their throats as they made their way up to them. “I think we’re going to go up and change before dinner,” Agustín announced. “We, uh, told the others they have five more minutes.”

Julieta nodded and her heart raced a little when he gave her a wink, the corner of her mouth curling into a smirk as she watched him and Félix start making their way back inside.

She felt Bruno looking at her then and turned her head to look his way, unable to keep from laughing as she watched him look back and forth between her and their hermana several times.

“I hate you both.” He told them.

“You love us.” She tutted with a shake of her head, lifting her glass of lemonade and taking a sip.

“Nope.” He argued.

“He loves us.” Pepa laughed, drawing Valentina close and letting her rest her head on her shoulder.

Going back to watching the children run around on the grass, Julieta traced the rim of the glass in her hand and sighed as she leaned back in her chair. It would be time to head back inside and continue with dinner soon enough, she knew that, but for the time being she could just sit and spend time with her familia. She could have a drink with her siblings, watch her mamá smile each time one of the children did something funny, and see her babies – who were no longer babies at all – have fun together and that was her idea of perfect. If someone had told her three years ago that their familia would be like this, all of them together and at peace with each other, then she wouldn’t have believed it. They had come so far in such a small amount of time and she couldn’t have been prouder of them all.

She couldn’t have been more grateful.

…

Julieta set a cup of tea down in front of her hija before pulling out a chair and sitting down at her side at the kitchen table, Isabela giving her a smile as she brought the cup into her hands before sipping carefully at the steaming liquid. “Lo siento, I did mean to talk to you about this earlier on, mi amor, but I ended up having more to get through today than I thought I was going to.” She admitted gently.

“Don’t worry, Mamá, I get it.” Isabela shook her head.

“Okay, so I had a think about what you said about wanting to do more at the clinic and I had an idea,” She told her. “Like I said before, you aren’t going to be doing anything on your own for a while yet. I know how capable you are, but thinking you can handle something and actually being able to handle something are very different things and I don’t want you panicking because something hasn’t gone the way you thought it would. That being said, I do want you to have a little independence though because you’ll learn better that way. I was thinking that, tomorrow, you could be the one to see the first patient of the day. I’ll be in the room with you, but I’ll be quiet and let you handle things the way you think and I’ll only step in if you need me to or if I think I have a reason to do so,” She explained. “I think that one patient will be enough for your first time and then, after, you can have a think about how it went and we’ll have a talk about it when we get home from the clinic. Does that sound alright?”

Isabela nodded. “It sounds perfect.”

“I know you’re worried,” Julieta reached out and tucked her hair back behind her ear, having seen the look in her eyes when she told her she’d be starting in the morning, giving her a smile as she ran the back of her hand down her cheek. “But you can do this and you know you can because you told me yourself. You know the things you need to ask patients about, you know the things you need to look for, and you know more about each of those hierbas than I could hope to. You need to have as much faith in yourself as I do because the only one having doubts right now is you. I trust you completely.”

“And…and you’ll be there. The whole time?”

“You aren’t going to be left on your own for a second.”

“Okay…” Isabela breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back in her chair before she chuckled under her breath. “I think Papí will be glad. He’s tired of hearing me talk about it now.”

Julieta laughed. “No, he is as proud of you as I am and he knows you’re just excited. He loves you so much.”

Isabela smiled and looked down into her tea for a second before drinking the last of it and setting her cup back down on the table. “I think I might go to bed. I want to make sure I sleep.”

“Good idea,” Julieta agreed before the two of them stood from their chairs and tucked them in. “I’ll be going up myself soon. I want to get those dishes done before Señora Lopez comes in the morning.”

“You do know Pá will come looking for you at some point, right?” Isabela brought a hand to her hip and gave her a look.

Julieta rolled her eyes playfully. “I know.”

Giggling, Isabela took a step closer to her and caught her in a hug, burying her nose in her shoulder for a moment when she felt her wrap her own arms around her and bury a hand tenderly in her hair. “I love you, Mamá.” She said into the fabric of her dress, the love she had for her mother deepening when she kissed the side of her head and let her hand run down her back through her nightgown.

“I love you too, corazón.” Julieta replied as she gave her a squeeze before letting her pull back from her.

“Before I go up,” Isabela suddenly remembered. “Things are all sorted for the morning, aren’t they? You don’t need my help with anything?”

“No, I dealt with all that earlier.” Julieta told her, running a hand down her arm.

“Okay. Well, buenas noches.”

“Buenas noches.”

Her daughter stepped around her and walked out of the kitchen then, heading up to bed and leaving her alone, and she failed to keep from smiling to herself as she grabbed the cups from the table and carried them to the sink so she could wash them. She was so, so proud of her little girl. She always had been, from the moment she was born, but there was something about the way she was nowadays that made her prouder than she could put into words. She had changed so much in the time since things changed for them. Her attitude had improved, her relationship with the familia – Mira especially – had improved tenfold, and she was just the most selfless young woman she knew. She still had her moments, of course, she was far from perfect – even though in her mind she could never be anything but – but she was one of her greatest blessings and she was so looking forward to seeing her flourish and go from strength to strength. She had no idea what her future had in store for her, whether she would continue caring for people and go on to run the clinic one day or whether life would take her down another path, but there was one thing that she was completely sure of. She had no doubt about.

She was always going to be there to support her.

[merryfortune]

Picnic by Candlelight

Written for the Sweet and Spicy Bingo 2023

prompts provided by @sweetspicybingo

Prompt: Candlelight

Title: Picnic by Candlelight

Ship: Alm/Celica/Faye

Fandom: Fire Emblem Shadows of Valentia

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,036

Warnings: None

Tags: Polyamory, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Fluff

   The brisk evening with a sky full of violets speckled with stars was perfect for an al fresco outing.

   It was silly, perhaps even juvenile, but neither King Alm nor Queen Celica cared. Their servants had tried to convince them to have a banquet since their favourite guest was in their midsts but they knew her better. Far better. And so, a starlit picnic was decided upon. 

   They could only have these rural pleasures in fleeting splashes throughout the months and so, indulge they would. They wanted to make sweet and precious memories with their unconventional companion, no title given lest waves would be made and she didn’t particularly want to stand out.

   That companion being their dearest Faye.

   “Thank you, again, my dear for making the journey from Ram Village.” Celica said as she kissed Faye’s cheek.

   “I would go to the end of the world for Alm, and you, too, Celica, of course. For either of you, really,” Faye giggled, “it's truly my pleasure.”

   “Glad to hear it.” Alm replied.

   He shepherded both his lovers closer, it was the gentlemanly thing to do after all. Even if he was clumsy with how he divided his attention. It wasn’t a normal nor kingly thing to do, to take two wives. One in public and the other in secret. Though how secret it was remained to be seen given that the garden was adorned with guards, laced with servants, and plenty of eyes to see but they tried to keep it under wraps as best they could.

   Faye’s feelings… They could overcome even fate, separation, and wars. Her desire to be as close knit as she could to her beloved, it resonated and being a good friend of Celica, too, they found a way forward. All three of them. Some in ways which overlapped and other times, in ways that weaved all their relationships differently.

   But for now. There was a level of discretion necessary. Faye understood that and so, was included in whatever ways that she could. As far as the staff knew, she was just a friend visiting for vacation but she knew it would not be the guest suite that she would be retiring to after midnight. 

    Until then, Faye would simply have to wait as her heart burgeoned with anticipation of what was to come and enjoy the present as it, too, was a rare gift. She had all the faith in the world that Alm and Celica would welcome her warmly again later but for now. A certain decorum was necessary. Faye was a distinguished guest and only that, as far as anyone who needed to know could know.

  Their dates could only occur once a blue moon and Faye did not want to jeopardise her stays. It was such agonising sorrow to be parted from either Alm or Celica too long. So they had to behave themselves until the time to come undone, with festivity and excitement, was appropriate.

   So, on this calm and wondrous night, they set themselves down in the middle of the castle's gardens on a picnic blanket. It was a pale purple to match the dusky sky, it was laden with treats and a bottle of wine, candles were lit around to enhance the mood. The weather was mild, if a little cold, but it just made for an ever more perfect dusk for them to have to themselves on a date. 

   Here, amid the glimmering candlelights and atop this woollen picnic blanket in the dewy grass, politics fell to the wayside. As did nameplates and other stifling courtesies. When they were together like this, They became akin to how they were as children. A little jaded, yes, but free and innocent in the same breath. 

they could be themselves and each other’s lovers.

   “We have a fine selection of delicacies tonight, Faye.” Alm said. “Foods from far and wide, excellent wine. Please, help yourself.” He gestured over the spread laid upon the wooden plank of the charcuterie board.

   From one end of it to the other, Faye’s eyes followed the path that Alm’s hand laid out. She gazed over generous mounds of cheese and even chocolate, various fruits and dried meats, little savoury biscuits and more. Her mouth watered just looking.

   But here was the thing about Faye and she knew this humbleness so well it became a vice. It was difficult to spoil her, and right now even, she felt as though she ought to deny the generosity. She pined for the simple things - fresh peeled oranges, homegrown, sugar cookies fresh from the oven and chilled spring water - but she accepted. She glanced at Celica, following her lead to the grapes first.

   “They’re delicious, Alm.” Celica said. She popped another grape in her mouth for good measure.

   Faye agreed wordlessly with a smile after she finished swallowing. The grape was sweet and juicy, truly a bounty of an agricultural region formerly of Zofia but now of Valm. Her heart stammered in her chest as she glanced between her two lovers to affirm the private joke within her thoughts. It was nice that Zofia and Rigel were united as they were, just like Celica and Alm respectively then her in the middle: enjoying the best of both worlds. 

   She watched, fondly, as Alm and Celica leaned into one another. Alm moved his arm behind Celica, inviting her into an angular embrace and their lips met in the middle with a kiss. It was a kiss fitting of a wedding vow. Faye took it upon herself to reach for the wine - it promised notes of peaches and roses - and poured three glasses. 

   “Thank you, dear.” Celica told her when she finished kissing Alm. 

   Faye doled out the wine. First to Alm, who acknowledged her with a nod, and then to Celica whose delicate fingers brushed along her own when she accepted the glass by its slender stem. 

   “To us.” Faye said.

   “To us.” Alm affirmed.

   Faye initiated the gesture again. She held up her wine glass to the middle and the other two kissed her own upon its rim. She would have her turn soon, in more privacy than what this picnic by candlelight would offer.

[thegirloffans]

Me, praying and wishing for more Attoye fics after I went through the entire tag on AO3 in a single day💀

[thedivergingpaths]

Priest of the North

Mycen takes the young Prince Alm, but he eventually gives the baby to Novis Island.

He can come back and train the boy to be a wairror, but he isn't a father figure.

(He doesn't get the chance to come back)

Alm grows up on the sea, saying prayers and beating back pirates. His strength is unmatched even by the mecenaries who come and pray to the Mother Mila.

Silque is assigned to follow and train and hold back the force that is Alm before he is ready to be loosed on the world.

She is, in all ways but blood, his big sister, but she does not hold him back.

As piracy becomes more normal around Novis, Alm takes more and more to the sea. As his skills in battle and the stern improve, he takes companions to fight against villains and protect those he loves and the innocent.

Alm is eventually sent on a quest to check on Mother Mila, his big sister Silque in tow along with the acolytes Mae, Boey, and Genny. Alm has never been particularly skilled with magic, but he can do basic healing and serves as the tank of the group.

Further south in the nation, a rebellion against a coup is growing stronger around a mysterious mage called Celica.

Alm goes on his quest against pirates, but notes the growing rumors of Zofia lost and regained and of growing Rigelian agression.

Alm readies himself to fight, and decides to go forth and meet the liberator of Zofia, Celica.

(He feels the call of trouble at the Temple of Mila)

(He is troubled by dreams of mad dragons and a dying Duma and Mila)

When Alm and Celica do meet in a palace Alm has never seen, it is as strangers. But they feel like they know each other.

Celica was raised and trained far to the south in little Ram Village, and her closest allies are her friends who followed her into the Deliverance. Alm knows he has never been there, but he recognizes the mark on her hand as a blessing of the gods.

He departs before either can figure each other out. Alm heads for Mila's temple to unroot that problem - but he is pursued by his unknown heritage, by the Rigelians who birthed and hid him.

Destiny comes for all in the end.

-

Check out the previous installments of Fire Emblem AU ficlet/ideas at Birthright in Conquest, Time is Not Linear and Macedon's Twist of Fate

** DO NOT USE AI ON MY WORKS **

[chaosandwolves]

Why Derek's death hits me so much?

It's cause it's like the biggest fuck you to us.

They were all marketing the movie as a love letter to the fans and a tribute to the show and they could've chosen to just let us enjoy it.

But no.

Scallison got it all and the rest of us got a slap in the face and a punch to the gut. They didn't have to do that.

And then just the way they did it, just makes it so much worse. Derek is the most traumatized character out of all of them. He deserved peace and a little happiness the most. And it was so senseless.

And then basically giving Eli to Scott who apparently just left his pack behind and didn't give a shit and to Allison an Argent... To make Derek burn, to make Kate succeed in the end...

It's just cruel and nothing else. Kiling off the most traumatized character in an act of self-sacrifice... It's a trope we know...

But it's so much worse this time cause this was supposed to be for the fans...

And I just don't get why. They know how much Derek is loved...

[hirokiyuu]

really what it comes down to is that bc exocolonist is so small im posting more stuff i wouldnt normally post on ao3 the way i would if it had more content. cal+sol would Not have made the cut in bigger fandoms and beskfic would probably have remained a tumblr exclusive or at least gone in the ficlet collection. however, due to fandom size, i Must feed you people

[alms4oblivion]

My Avatrice Fic Masterpost

Only happy endings here.

Multi-chapter

the bane of my existence (ongoing, 8/9) - Bridgerton season 2 AU, Avatrice as Kanthony mostly, Regency romance, slow burn, angst with a happy ending, eventual smut (E)

I'm Coming Out of My Cage and I've Been Doing Just Fine -(ongoing, temporary hiatus, 8/?) - werewolf Bea modern AU, fast burn Avatrice, ambulatory wheelchair user Ava, horror, graphic descriptions of violence (M)

Mrs. & Mrs. Silva (complete, 5/5) - Mr. & Mrs. Smith AU for the 2023-2024 Avatrice Big Bang, Avatrice as wives who don't know they're each other's greatest rival assassin, action, comedy, angst, marital strife (M)

A Practical Guide to Getting Out of the Friend Zone, by Beatrice Adeline Silva (complete, 8/8) - college memoir AU, Beatrice writes the story of how they got together, Ava is her editor, pure comedy, no angst (M)

Friends with my Ex (complete, 12/12) - post-canon post-Holy War mature romance, Ava returns after Beatrice has fallen for someone else, Avatrice friendship to start, then Avatrice endgame, some angst, emotional hurt/comfort, SUPER happy ending (M)

One-shots

I mean it different than you do - Renee Rapp interview AU, singer!Bea gives an interview where she admits she wrong a love song about Ava, Ava confronts her, humor, fluff, description of past angst (M)

See You In Our Dreams - childhood friends AU, Avatrice meet in first grade and become best friends, nostalgia, fluff, and some angst (T)

Seven Minutes In Hell - Halloween special, childhood enemies to lovers, mostly humor, some fluff, very brief angst, the evil twin fic of See You In Our Dreams (T)

A Formal Invitation to Come Inside and Drink My Blood - vamp!Bea, Ava wants to seduce her hot vampire neighbor, humor, crack fic (M)

No Drinking Another Girl's Blood or I Shoot Her With My Crossbow - vamp!Bea Halloween special, Avatrice do Halloween and handle jealousy poorly, still pure humor, hornier than the first one (M)

Untitled Vampire Bea Holiday Special Extravaganza - vamp!Bea Christmas special, still mostly ridiculous humor, but some fluff in this one (M)

Art Others Have Done Of My Fics

The last two images are the wonderful @princington's drawings of scenes from A Practical Guide to Getting Out of the Friend Zone and See You In Our Dreams, respectively (posted with permission).

[mrmissmrsrandom]

Chapters: 26/26 Fandom: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Alm/Lukas, Past Alm/Celica, Lukas/Dealing with some sort of feelings Characters: Lukas (Fire Emblem), Alm (Fire Emblem), Mathilda (Fire Emblem), Ryuto | Luthier, Conrad (Fire Emblem), Leo | Leon (Fire Emblem Echoes) Additional Tags: Mourning, In the rare twist of fate Alm has to stay alive after Celica dies, Nobody is planned to die onscreen but there are mentions of people besides Celica having died, Set thirty years after the end of Shadows of Valentia, Discussions of sexuality, Navigating relationships, Slow Burn, Explicit chapters are marked as such in their chapter titles going forward, Self-Harm Summary:

Lukas, to his surprise, must play kingmaker once more.

---

After several years and multiple moves, the final chapter of The Lion in Winter is published! Thank you to readers both familiar and new for reading my long-ass slow burn fic. :)

[uncaught-coolfish]

My hot take: Blake shouldn't be rich, and she probably should've been an orphan. It really seems like Blake's parents were an afterthought

.

[i23kazu]

waugh good evening guys :3

[lead-acetate]

there are two genders: killing off some canon characters for tragic backstory and creating OCs only to kill them for the tragic backstory

and girl. I know nobody except for me cares but Alme Ki deserved to live. the author (me) killing them off only for Jango to have trauma was a Weak Move. they studied botanics. they loved kids. they liked braiding their hair. they looked at that unhinged traumatised twenty-yeear-old Trad Mando at a bar and said "I want it". they wanted to build a family and a farm and to not live through another civil war--

i feel like a monster. wtf lead. justice for Alme.