#also I have a lot of headcanons about Violet's little smiles okay | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

iffeelscouldkill · 5 years ago

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it only means there is no room for you to fall

A/N: I wrote a fic! This very fun, self-indulgent ficlet helped me get out of a bit of a fic-writing rut that I’ve been stuck in for the past month or so, and I loved writing it. I wrote a longer ramble about it in my notes on AO3, but basically, it’s a post-Episode-5/alternate-Episode-6 fic in which Sana talks Violet through a panic attack after Elion, and then pining ensues between Sana, Violet and Arkady. But don’t worry, it ends in cuddles <3

Content note: This fic contains a description of a panic attack - not from the perspective of the POV character (that is to say, outsider POV) - quite early on. If you’d like to skip over that section, it starts about a dozen paragraphs in with the line “It’s Sana. Are you all right?” and ends with “Eventually, Violet’s breathing slows and quiets.”

Cross-posted to AO3

After the complete and unmitigated disaster that is Elion, Sana is angrier that she can remember being in a long time.

She’s angry at not having been able to do more to protect Violet, Brian and Arkady from what just happened. She’s angry at the creeping certainty that they’ve been sold out, and at what that must mean. And she’s furious at the Regime for causing all of this, for hounding her and her crew across the galaxy, never giving them a moment to rest.

Because she’s the Captain and the crew are depending on her to get them through this, she pushes the anger down, compressing it into a tiny ball, and does what needs to be done. She helps Arkady dump the body of the unfortunate guard at the Capitol Landfill; there’s a hollow look in the other woman’s eyes that Sana hasn’t seen in years, and had hoped she wouldn’t see again. After they get back to the ship, she watches Arkady disappear into the air vents, and tells Krejjh to chart a course for Rosalind.

As she walks through the ship’s corridors, Sana fans herself with her hand. Is she imagining things, or is it warm in here? Her train of thought is cut short as she runs into Brian, who is humming to himself, looking perfectly at ease. Sometimes she thanks God – well, maybe not God, but the universe, or fate – for Brian and Krejjh, and their unwavering positivity at times like these.

“Hey, Captain. Anything more I can do to help?” Brian asks. “Violet and I got the cargo all stowed away.”

“Thanks, Brian. Nothing much at the moment, but if you can help Krejjh keep an eye on the rearview in the cockpit for the next hour, that would be appreciated,” says Sana. “Is Violet around?”

“Pretty sure she went back to her room,” Brian says. “She was starting to look kind of pale and shaky, so I told her I could finish up on my own. I think she went to go lie down.”

“Thanks, Brian,” says Sana. Brian gives her a salute and heads off in the direction of the cockpit.

Sana worries her lips together, thinking about what Violet just went through. She knows that some people – Arkady being a prime example – prefer to be left alone and not bothered with company when they’re upset. But she has a hunch that Violet would benefit from some company right now.

Her mind made up, she walks along the corridor to the other woman’s room and knocks on the door. “Violet?” she calls gently. “I just wanted to check that you’re okay.”

There’s no answer, but the light around the button next to Violet’s door is green, so it’s not locked. Sana hesitates, wondering what the odds are of Violet having fallen asleep this quickly, and then knocks again. “Violet?” she calls, a bit louder. “It’s Sana. Are you all right?”

She listens, and thinks that she hears ragged breathing coming from the other side of the door. Okay then. Sana puts on her Captain Voice (Arkady calls it her Mom Voice) and calls through the door, “Violet, if I don’t hear anything from you in the next few seconds, I’m coming in, okay?”

There’s a pause, then she hears Violet call, very faintly, “Come in.”

Sana presses the button, and the door slides open to reveal Violet sitting on her bed, clutching onto a pillow for dear life. She’s shaking all over and taking uneven, panicked breaths in, her pupils dilated. Sana rushes forward, catching up Violet’s hands without thinking about it and looking into the other woman’s eyes. “Violet. Focus on me,” she says, speaking as evenly and calmly as she can. “You’re safe. We’re all safe. No-one got hurt.”

“Sana-” Violet tries, her breaths becoming faster and sharper. She grips Sana’s hands tightly, her skin clammy and cold.

“Don’t try to talk, just breathe, Violet,” says Sana, squeezing Violet’s hands. “Breathe with me.” She starts taking slow, deep breaths in and out.

For what feels like an age, Violet’s panicked breathing pattern doesn’t change, and Sana wonders if she’s just making things worse with her presence. Then, slowly, she notices Violet’s breaths in getting longer, and her breaths out becoming slower and more even.

“Good. That’s good,” she murmurs, rubbing soothing circles on the backs of Violet’s hands with her thumbs.

Eventually, Violet’s breathing slows and quiets. Once she’s sure that the danger has passed, Sana moves to sit beside her on the bed.

“Thank you,” Violet says quietly, hoarsely. Then, “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Sana says immediately. “You went through an unbelievably stressful situation and managed to stay totally calm the whole time. You did amazingly. But it’s okay to be…”

“A total mess afterwards?” Violet asks, wryly.

“I was gonna go with ‘shaky’,” Sana replies, smiling. “The point is, don’t feel bad about it.”

“But… all of the rest of you are so calm and collected when dealing with this kind of situation,” Violet says, quietly. “And here I am just… having panic attacks-”

“Hey,” Sana says, squeezing Violet’s arm, not wanting to let her go any further with that train of thought. “First of all, we’ve had a lot of practice in dealing with that kind of thing. We didn’t develop a whole system of colour codes from nowhere. And secondly, you do not want to see how hard my hands were gripping the steering wheel when Arkady and I drove back from meeting the Fowleys. I think they’re still shaking.” She holds her hands out to show Violet. They are trembling slightly, though in reality it’s more due to the adrenaline of talking Violet down from her panic attack, along with her suppressed anger over everything that’s happened.

Violet laughs slightly (so, mission accomplished) and leans into Sana a little. It feels natural for Sana to put an arm around her, so she does. She’s a tactile person, but keenly aware of other people’s boundaries, and usually prefers to let them initiate contact. Violet, to Sana’s slight surprise, rests her head against Sana’s shoulder. Sana looks down at Violet’s dark hair and thinks about pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Instead, she holds Violet just a little bit tighter.

What started as a brief spark of attraction the first time she saw Violet laugh – startled, when Sana offered her a cup of moonshine that she mistook for a cup of tea – that Sana was sure would die down in a couple of days has grown and grown, into a mixture of attraction, respect and fondness that some days feels too much to contain. Sana has watched Violet devote herself to the hunt for the other Violet Liu, take being thrown into the midst of a crew of renegade smugglers in her stride, and drastically reconsider her entire worldview. She’s resilient, brave, funny and insightful. Also, Sana will admit to having always had a thing for smart women.

Unfortunately, so does Arkady. Sana has seen the way she looks at Violet (and vice versa), and she doesn’t intend to stand in the way of that. Not when Arkady has had so, so few good things in her life to call her own.

Sana used to be on the receiving end of those looks, once upon a time. But she’d been too afraid to act on them, back when it was just the two of them, in case it all went south and they both lost the only person they could really depend on. She told herself she’d rather have a best friend who had her back than a romance that might not last, and she almost believed it.

It still hurt a little when she realised that, at some point, Arkady had moved on from her. But if it has to be anyone, she’s glad it’s Violet. The two of them go well together.

Sana has her crew; she doesn’t need any more than that.

“Um… Have you seen Arkady since we left Elion?” Violet asks, as if she’s somehow picked up on Sana’s thoughts.

“Yeah, uh…” Sana tries to think what answer to give. She doesn’t want to lie to Violet, but she isn’t sure when Arkady plans on coming down from the vents. “She’s around. I think she just needed to… regroup for a bit.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay.” Violet sounds a little resigned. Sana waits for her to say or ask something more about Arkady, but instead she says, “Is it just me, or is it pretty warm in here? – I mean, not ‘me’ in the sense of that cheesy joke, but uh, in the sense that I can’t tell if I’m just-”

Hiding a smile, Sana takes pity on Violet and cuts her off. “No, it’s definitely not just you, I’ve been feeling it too. I may need to take a look at our temperature reg.” Violet tenses, as if about to pull away. “If you need to go do that now, I can-”

“No, it’s fine, it’ll probably start working again on its own,” Sana assures her, and Violet relaxes back against her side. “Some of our equipment is a bit temperamental.” “Temperamental?” asks Violet, with a tiny smirk.

“Oof. Bad pun,” Sana says, smiling. “If it’s still acting up in a few hours, then I’ll give it a closer look. And pray that we have the parts to fix it.”

Violet winces. “Right. And if we don’t?”

“I’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” Worst case scenario, Sana could probably jury-rig something. They would just need to make sure they picked up the right parts on Rosalind.

Violet nods and sits up. Sana’s side feels suddenly cold.

“Well, still, I shouldn’t keep you any longer - I’m sure you have plenty of more important things that need your attention.” “My number one priority is always the wellbeing of my crew,” Sana says firmly. “Anything else can wait. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. I’m.. I’ll be fine, Captain,” says Violet with a small smile. “Really.”

“You know you can call me Sana if you want to,” Sana finds herself saying. She’s not sure why; the others all call her “Captain” and “Sana” interchangeably, but she doesn’t think she’s heard Violet use her name yet. Maybe she just wants to hear it once.

Violet gives her a full smile, and it’s devastating. “Thank you, Sana.”

—

The temperature reg does not start working again on its own, and the next six hours are hellish as temperatures slowly and steadily climb inside the ship. Despite Sana’s best efforts, it’s past two in the morning by the time the temperature reg is finally fixed. Arkady spends as much of that time as she can bear lurking in the air vents, avoiding Violet. Finally, when she thinks the stuffy recycled air might be preventing oxygen from getting to her brain and she’s sick of playing back Violet’s horrified expression on a constant loop, she eases herself down and heads for the cockpit.

She winds up talking to Krejjh about the war. It’s been on her mind ever since they ran into Eejhgreb and Krejjh recounted the tale of how – and why – they deserted the military. Arkady has her own memories of that night, but they’re bittersweet. She and her unit had celebrated all through the night, but lurking under it was a fear much greater than anything Arkady had felt during the war. Of what would happen when they no longer had a common cause.

Sana would probably say the conversation has been a “long time coming”, that it’s good for Arkady to get it all out. But all it does is make Arkady feel more frustrated and angry over things that happened years ago. All she’s ever wanted is to put her past behind her.

After they’ve exhausted that topic, as Arkady digs into Krejjh’s stash of fruit jerky, Krejjh jokingly changes the subject. “Speaking of which… do you want some love advice?”

“No,” Arkady says flatly.

“Cripes, trying to lighten the mood a little here, First Mate Patel,” Krejjh says, holding up one of their pairs of hands. “Y’sure?”

“Krejjh, remember when you and Brian weren’t officially together yet?” Arkady reminds them. “And he kept asking you to dinner, and you kept inviting the rest of the crew?” God, that was a shitshow. A very funny shitshow, but by the end of it even Arkady was feeling sorry for Jeeter. All that time spent studying mediaeval Dwarnian hadn’t given him a single clue about Dwarnian romantic customs.

“Yeah, romantic tandem eating is not as universal as you guys think it is,” Krejjh says.

“Well, I don’t need your advice.” God, nothing says ‘romantically incompetent’ like taking love advice from a purple space alien.

Krejjh, of course, persists. “Just sayin’, if y’like someone, maybe don’t spend all your time hiding from them.”

“I’m not being bashful, Krejjh,” says Arkady shortly. “I all but murdered someone in front of her.”

She looks up to find Krejjh giving her an odd smile. “I wasn’t just talkin’ about Science Officer Liu,” Krejjh says.

Arkady stares at them. “What are you talking about?”

Krejjh leans back a little in the pilot’s chair, seeming to look up and out at the stars. “Ya know, one of the other human romantic customs I’ve never understood is why relationships are supposed to be limited to just two people. I guess it’s a hold-over from the whole gender binary thing, but from what I can tell, even most humans don’t think that’s important any more. So why keep limiting yourselves?”

Arkady swallows, her throat suddenly dry. “We do have polyamorous relationships too,” she points out. “They’re not even that unusual these days, but legally there still isn’t that much recognition. A lot of human society is still geared around two-person relationships. And a lot of people still… prefer them.”

“That sounds like a pretty big assumption,” Krejjh counters. “Why not just talk to ‘em? See how they feel about it? What’ve you got to lose?”

Arkady raises an eyebrow. “Okay, assuming we’re talking about me and Liu and Tripathi here and not about you and Jeeter inviting me to some weird interspecies ménage-à-trois…”

Krejjh laughs. “First Mate Patel, I am wounded that you would reject our advances like this.” They put a hand on their chest, a distinctly human gesture that Krejjh has picked up – Dwarnians don’t have a heart in the middle of their chests in the way that humans do.

Arkady snorts, but then becomes serious again, looking down at her lap and toying with the half-open pack of fruit jerky. Now that they’ve broached the topic, she might as well keep going. She could have pretended that they were still speaking hypothetically, or discussing human social conventions, but all of a sudden she’s too tired to keep dancing around things.

“What do I have to lose? One of the best friendships I’ve ever had, with one of the only people I can count on to always have my back,” she says. “And at the same time… someone that I’m only just getting to know, who is also the first people I’ve felt any kind of connection with since…” Since Sana, she doesn’t say.

Arkady can feel Krejjh’s eyes on her, but doesn’t look up for fear of seeing pity in them. “Besides which, Krejjh, my life just doesn’t work that way. I don’t get things that I want – it’s a well-established fact. I’ve had a long time to come to terms with it.”

“That doesn’t sound fair at all,” Krejjh says quietly.

“Yeah, well, life isn’t fair,” Arkady replies. She meets Krejjh’s gaze defiantly, but instead of pity, all she sees is empathy.

Silence falls between them, and Arkady figures that as the person who brought the mood back down again, she should be the one to lighten it this time. But while she’s casting about for another change of topic, Krejjh says,

“Where has Crewman Jeeter got to with that ice? I can’t think who he could be talking to down there.”

Arkady gives Krejjh a suspicious look, not trusting their casual tone. “What, are you implying that-”

“Krrrejjh to all crew,” Krejjh sing-songs, activating their comm. “Folks, this is your pilot speaking. I’ve got a very important announcement to make to the whole crew.”

Arkady stiffens in alarm. “Krejjh, what are you doing?” she hisses.

“Boy am I embarrassed,” Krejjh goes on, in a rueful tone, “but I seem to have misplaced something important. My fiancé? Crewman Jeeter? Along with a cup of ice he totally still owes me? Gonna advise that you sit tight as I dispatch our very own First Mate Patel to the kitchen to solve this little mystery. So, keep an eye out for that, crew, and plan accordingly. Krejjh out.”

Krejjh meets Arkady’s unimpressed stare with a smug look. “Maybe you can’t have everything, but you can at least go talk to Science Officer Liu,” they point out. “Can’t hide from her forever. You might as well clear the air.”

Arkady rolls her eyes and reluctantly makes for the door of the cockpit. “Fine, but if it’s a disaster? I’m officially blaming you.”

—

It’s not a disaster. Although Arkady would never, ever admit it to anyone, least of all Krejjh themself, Krejjh was right. After they’ve got past the horrible first five minutes of what Violet would call “puking it all out”, things get… better. Violet pours them both a cup of kai shui (Mandarin for boiled water – something Violet says her Chinese grandparents drank back on Earth) because they’re out of tea, and they talk properly for the first time since Violet came abroad the Rumor. And okay, maybe Arkady had jumped to a few too many conclusions based on those fraught early interactions.

She’d still liked Violet in spite of what she thought was Violet’s hero worship of the regime, but she’d been fighting it down, convinced that it was just a front that Violet was putting on because she had to, that she’d be shot of them tomorrow if she was given the chance to clear her name and make a clean getaway. It had made it much easier to ignore the feelings flaring in her chest, the way that Violet’s admiration inexplicably lifted her mood, the guilt that she felt over having tricked and lied to her.

Now that she’s come to terms with the fact that she’d misjudged Violet (or at least, judged her too quickly), those feelings have come rushing back in full force. Arkady tries to will her frantically hammering heart to calm down at Violet’s gently affectionate tone as she says,

“Okay, I’m not going to keep arguing with you, because I don’t see us getting anywhere on this tonight, and I’m not even going to try to thank you again for saving my life-” here, a small smile that threatens to give Arkady an aneurysm “-but. For what it’s worth? Except for the times it really does seem like we’re all about to die, living on this ship is the safest I’ve felt since before the war.”

“Well, Violet,” Arkady begins after a beat of trying to find her voice. “That’s very disturbing!” She utterly fails to keep an answering smile off her own face.

“Then why are you smiling?”

“Sometimes I smile! Y’know, every now and then.”

“Good to know,” Violet teases. Arkady mentally composes an epitaph: Here lies Arkady Patel, slain by a cute girl flirting with her. She hopes she’s not blushing as hard as she thinks she is.

An expectant silence falls between them, and Arkady reaches for the first thing she can think of to fill it. “Look, I’m… sorry for vanishing on you right after we left Elion,” she blurts out. Violet gives her a quizzical look, but Arkady has been feeling worse and worse about disappearing and avoiding Violet in the wake of what happened. Sure, she’d been feeling like shit about killing that guard, and part of that had been down to the look on Violet’s face, a look that had seemed to confirm every one of her fears about how Violet saw them. Saw Arkady.

She hadn’t been thinking about what the aftermath of those events would have been like for Violet. How she’d managed to suppress all her panic and terror, remain calm, act and improvise in the face of mortal danger – only to get caught and believe she was about to die. Again. Finding out that Violet has an anxiety disorder only compounds Arkady’s guilt.

“I wasn’t thinking about… you did really well with the, uh. Setting aside your panic thing. But I know it was hard for you, and then you literally thought that you were about to die again when everything went south…” Arkady’s rambling, and she really wishes she could stop. “I just mean, I could have stuck around. To make sure you were okay.”

“It’s okay,” Violet says quickly. “I mean, you’d just – been responsible for getting us out of a really bad situation-”

Arkady snorts. “If that’s what you want to call bludgeoning a guy over the head-”

“-and then I, well, kind of freaked out,” Violet continues over her. “So I don’t blame you for needing some space.” She pauses, and smiles a little. “Actually, the Captain – Sana – came to find me. To make sure I was all right.”

“Really?” Arkady asks, feeling a lurch in her stomach like she’s missed a step. She supposes it must be jealousy, but she’s not sure who she’s jealous of.

“Yeah.” Violet has a soft, admiring look in her eyes that Arkady recognises all too well, though she stopped gazing starry-eyed at Sana years ago, wanting the other woman to see her as more than just a naïve kid. “She just talked with me, calmed me down, and then… sat with me until she was completely sure I was okay. She didn’t once act like she had somewhere else to be.”

Arkady swallows. “Yeah, that’s the Captain for you. She’s one hundred percent genuine with how much she cares.”

“And then she must have gone straight on from sitting with me to her shift in the cockpit, and then to fixing the temperature reg,” Violet goes on. “Brian said she was pretty worn out… Does she ever take time for herself?”

Arkady snorts. “It’s a battle. She can’t rest until she makes sure that everyone on the ship feels loved and appreciated.” She’s aiming for snark, but the words come out fonder than she intends them to. “Trust me, I’ve tried to get her to take more breaks. She acts upbeat, but I think things get to her more than she lets on.”

Violet looks thoughtful. “Maybe next time we should try together.”

She meets Arkady’s eyes, and gives her the tiniest of smiles, just a quirk of the lips, and her eyes are so knowing, and Arkady feels it again, that missed-a-step lurch in her stomach like she’s taken a leap into the unknown. This time, she doesn’t think it’s jealousy.

“She might listen to both of us,” Violet finishes.

“I- uh- sure, yeah, we should. Do that,” Arkady stammers. Jesus. Tonight is not her finest night for dignity, but somehow she finds herself not caring as much as she normally would.

Violet smiles fully and looks away, down at the floor, her cheeks red. “Cool. Great. Um, listen, on a different topic, there’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you – well, more like show you…”

—

Sana is having a no-good, very bad night.

As if having to run for their lives on Elion and barely making it out hadn’t been enough, the broken temperature reg had stubbornly resisted Sana’s attempts to fix it. She’d sworn and sweated in the engine room as the temperature climbed steadily higher, and eventually managed to improvise a solution with some spare fuse wire and a viciously-applied screwdriver. (She’ll have to switch it out for a more permanent fix after they get some proper supplies, but for now, it’ll do).

It’s coming up on 3 a.m. and she’s hot, irritable and exhausted, but instead of being able to get any kind of rest, Sana has had to endure a tense and difficult call with Campbell that resulted in her cutting off contact with one of their longest-standing and most reliable customers, and leaving Sana with the nagging feeling that she’s made a serious error in judgement. But she hasn’t even had the chance to process that, because minutes after Campbell severed the connection, Ricky Q rose up like an elitist, blackmailing spectre from the depths of her and Arkady’s shared past to make threats against Sana’s crew.

Something about it doesn’t fit right, and she’s convinced that there’s more to what’s happening than Ricky Q’s “middleman” story. Unfortunately, the only way she can know what it is is to play along for now.

Sana can feel a headache building as she practices how she’s going to sell the idea of changing course for Hafizah to the crew. It only gets worse when, in the middle of making the case to Brian and Krejjh, Violet and Arkady enter the cockpit, full of shared excitement about some epiphany they’ve had. They’re standing closer together than usual, shoulders brushing, and as badly as Sana wants to be happy for them, she just can’t deal with this right now.

“So, me and Violet were talking about that alien robot swarm cloud, and she said-” Arkady begins.

“Arkady, is this pressing?” Sana interrupts tiredly.

“It could be,” Violet puts in.

“Is the swarm outside the ship right now, knocking on the door, trying to get in?”

“No, but we think we might’ve found a possible connection-”

“You think you might’ve found a possible connection,” Sana repeats, placing sceptical emphasis on all of the relevant words. She knows she’s going to feel bad about her tone later, that normally she’d be in favour of Arkady and Violet devising theories and following whatever lead they can, but her headache is intensifying and she’s just done with everything tonight. “Have we made any progress on tracking down the other Violet Liu? Are we any closer to solving Alvy’s mystery? Given how we changed our entire course for this, I’d love to get past speculation and into… anything else.”

She sees Violet’s face fall, hurt flashing across it at the implication that the detour to rescue her had been a burden for the Rumor crew. Sana will feel terrible about that later, too.

“Look. We all liked Campbell,” Arkady says gently (for her). “But when somebody turns on us because we missed an appointment? Their loyalty was never worth shit.”

Arkady clearly believes that Sana’s terrible mood is due to Campbell’s probable betrayal, and it’s far easier to let her go on believing it than to go anywhere near the truth, so Sana doesn’t correct her. “I appreciate that. But honestly, it’s just – been a long couple of days, and it’s almost 3 a.m., and I don’t see why this can’t wait until tomorrow?” She injects a pleading note into the last syllable, in a last-ditch attempt to soften things.

“Yeah. Of course,” Violet says.

“Captain, if there’s anything we can do-” begins Arkady.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you know,” she promises them, already turning to leave the cockpit. As a result, she misses the look of concern that passes between Arkady and Violet, Violet’s raised eyebrows, and Arkady’s slight nod. “Krejjh, I’ll update you on those coordinates as soon as I’m able to.”

“Aye-aye, Captain.”

Finally alone, Sana trudges down the corridor to her room, goes in, and presses the button to lock the door behind her. She flops face-down onto her bunk with a groan.

“Fucking IGR. Fucking Ricky Q,” she mumbles into her pillow.

Barely a few minutes later, there’s a knock at her door, polite but firm. Sana raises her head angrily, and only just manages to clamp down on her urge to shout, “Go away!” She knows that being a captain is a full-time job and that the others depend on her, but damn it, can’t she rest for just a few hours?

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Captain,” comes Arkady’s voice. Sana frowns. Arkady wouldn’t bother her in her room unless it was important, but…

“Kady, seriously, whatever it is, can it wait?” she asks. “I’m really just… I really need to crash right now.”

There’s a pause, and Sana thinks that her best friend is going to relent, but then her voice comes back, insistent: “This will only take a minute. I promise.”

Sana sighs heavily and sits up, brushing her hair out of her face. At least with Arkady she doesn’t have to be as put-together as she does for the others, but she also doesn’t want Arkady to start asking questions about what exactly has got to her so badly. She walks over to the door and presses the button to open it. “What do you need?”

Arkady stares at her for a few seconds, almost as if sizing her up, and then very slowly and stiffly pulls her into a hug.

“K-Kady?” says Sana, shocked. Arkady doesn’t do hugs unless she’s really, really drunk. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you a hug.” At least the flat, snarky, I’m-stating-an-obvious-fact tone is one hundred percent in character.

After a moment, Arkady lets go. That’s when Sana spots the other person standing slightly apologetically behind her. “Violet? What are you doing here?”

“Also giving you a hug,” says Violet a little shyly. “If that’s okay.”

She waits for a second, and when Sana doesn’t resist, she wraps Sana up in a warm, gentle hug. It’s a little more satisfying than Arkady’s stiff embrace, though Sana was touched by that, in a bewildered kind of way. Violet is very good at giving hugs; she squeezes just enough to make the hugged person feel cared for, but not so much that it becomes suffocating. After a few seconds, Sana hugs her back, feeling a little guilty for taking as much pleasure in it as she does. The only real downside is that some of Violet’s hair is tickling her nose.

Violet lets go after a few minutes, and Sana tries to summon up a breezy dismissal, or better yet, to ask just what exactly is going on, but the words get stuck in her throat.

“Captain,” Arkady begins. “Is something going on? Something you’re not telling us about?”

“Whatever it is… we want to help you,” Violet puts in. “You don’t have to deal with everything on your own.”

“I…”

I’m fine, Sana wants to say. Needs to say. But her throat is closing up, and she’s so, so tired. She’s been holding it together by a thread, and suddenly, that thread is fraying. She squeezes her eyes shut against the suddenly-spinning room. Damn it, don’t let me do this, not now…

“Okay,” she hears Arkady say, and then there’s a tug on her hand, leading her into her own room. Sana goes. She hears the door swish shut behind them and the lock engage.

Sana follows the pull of Arkady’s hand down onto her bunk. Someone is gently taking off her shoes. She lies down and feels warm, strong arms around her, holding her together. Violet slips in on Sana’s other side, a reassuring presence at her back.

Sana blinks and looks into Arkady’s dark eyes. “I don’t understand what’s happening here,” she mumbles.

“We’ll figure it out in the morning,” Arkady tells her.

Violet slides an arm around Sana’s waist. “Go to sleep, Captain,” she says, and so Sana does.

#TSCOSI #The Strange Case of Starship Iris #Sana Tripathi #Arkady Patel #Violet Liu #femslash #just fluff and cuddles and some pining thrown in #this was actually meant to be much shorter but someone (ARKADY) insisted on pining longer than I expected #in all seriousness though I can't blame her #Krejjh is a matchmaker in every timeline #also hugs for Sana plz #this is a fix-it of sorts for Episode 6 in which Violet doesn't bring up the samples right away #and Sana gets the love and support she deserves in the midst of all that ugh #also I have a lot of headcanons about Violet's little smiles okay #I just realised I put them in like... every fic #but she definitely has a cute smile #Tripateliu #Sana/Arkady/Violet #I realised that I originally used two different ship tags for this and the epilogue SMH #but ghostsquidandspacebees came up with the perfect OT3 ship name!

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ohtobealady · 2 years ago

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i just read ur post about the cora/robert scene in a new era and i’m literally begging you to talk more about your thoughts on how cora is bad at expressing sincere emotions !! that didn’t really click for me until i read ur post but now it makes PERFECT sense and i need to hear more 😩

~hears the distant echo of Robert’s line “Sometimes, Cora, you can be curiously unfeeling” from S2 & nods sagely~

Yes. Julian’s had this aspect of her character pegged from nearly the very beginning. Perhaps even S1E1.

*sips tea & clears throat*

Oh boy, where to begin? First by calling upon @randomabiling , @modernamericangirl , and @thedowntonhistorian who are all so much more eloquent than I am, and whose ideas are so intermingled with my own at this point that I’m not sure whose is whose anymore.

First of all, this isn’t to say that we don’t think Cora feels emotions. She does. But we’ve analyzed again and again how totally inept she is at expressing them, in particular sincere emotions of love, though it isn’t limited there. This is something we noticed, gosh, probably seasons and seasons ago (years, as we are some of the grandmothers of this fandom ha!)

We notice how, when there is any sort of real heaviness to any sort of emotion, she tends to lighten it or sometimes downright change the subject.

This has to come from her station, yes, and her upbringing, and I’m sure the sort of quiet trauma of essentially giving up her entire world at a very fundamental age for adult development (18-20 depending on Julian’s mood) for a man she knew did not love her the way she was in love with him.

But, think of every Cora scene you can. She never really tells anyone she loves them. It’s obvious, of course, but to verbalize that sort of vulnerable emotion is difficult for her. The other upstairs characters do. Even Violet. She outright says she loves Mary. Robert tells Cora and his daughters. Matthew and Mary, yep. Edith? Yeah, she tells Bertie. But Cora does not. She smiles, she holds people’s hands and touches at their wrists, but the only time she ever says she loves someone is when she tells Mary in S1 when Mary is having a bit of a meltdown. That’s it.

In fact, she actively tries to neutralize the moments where saying ‘I love you’ happens or should happen.

This doesn’t at ALL mean she doesn’t feel it, but that she’s so in love and feels so deeply that it’s hard for her to say it without losing composure. And she has to maintain some feeling of control? Maybe? (Lots to conjecture on that note.)

Examples of teasing/unable to be sincere:

1. Robert gives that really sweet anniversary speech at dinner to which Lord Gillingham is all “awww that was really nice” and she responds “if only it were true.” Self-deprecating, yeah. But she could’ve answered ANY other way. Even a “Yes.”

2. When Robert is panting after rolling around his bedroom floor with a man who was literally trying to go to bed with her, Cora’s response to his VERY apparent anger (which, okay, he can be a Donk, but let’s cut him a little slack on that one), is “Golly, what a night!” Honey, what? Are you that bad at reading the room? No. You can’t just brush off strong emotions!

3. Or like when her husband is, y’know, bleeding out onto the dining room floor and he thinks he’s dying and he wants his last words to be that he’s “loved [her] very, very much” she doesn’t even say she loves him back! She is SO shaken that she barely manages “this isn’t it. We won’t let this be it.” She snaps at Violet over Marigold, totally unnecessarily in the next scene, and even Violet is like, “what the hell? Can we just focus on Robert?” When they’re pulling away after the ambulance, Cora is turned almost entirely towards the window of the car, not next to her daughters. Too much feeling. Too much. (Also my headcanon that her go-to strong emotion is nearly always anger because it makes her feel a sense of control in a situation she has no control over.)

4. When Isis goes, and Robert is sad and says AGAIN to her that he loves her, pretty plainly, “two people who love her, and each other, very much on either side,” she could’ve totally responded with a “yes; very much” or even a nod, but she barely manages to look up at him and says some weird thing about how she hopes when she dies she’ll be surrounded by loved ones. Robert is visibly NOT okay with that response (lol). But what she does manage to do is take his hand. (That’s her little I love you signal to EVERYONE, by the way.)

5. I’ve already discussed in length the Bricker scene where she chokes up in admitting that no one could take Robert’s place (though in not even those words), and Robert is so moved by this that he physically shrinks back and you can see the anger leave him. But does she edge into “I love you” next? No. Oh no, no. She pushes out a tired “very well!” and instigates anger time because feelings of deep love are Too Much!

6. Lastly, the DA2 scene sums it all up, too. “We aren’t sad people.”

Honey, you just told your husband that you’re probably dying of cancer and he’s sobbing because life is really screwing him over from every direction, and your response is “We aren’t sad people” as he’s crying???

But, the thing is, it isn’t to Robert, that line. It’s for herself. She’s not a sad person. She doesn’t let emotion get in her way, get the better of her. Is it because it caused her nearly a year of deep unhappiness when her husband did not return her love? Maybe. Is it because she was trained up by her ambitious mother to be totally and completely scheming to get ahead? Perhaps. Is she really just a realist and Robert is the romantic out of the two. Yeah, it does seem that way. But the fact remains that for her to even use the word ‘love’ about someone specifically (or at all, with various exceptions of generality) is unusual in the entirety of the series. In the garden scene, when she says “I loved you from the start,” Robert’s expression is one of shock, really. Like he’s realizing the enormity of the moment. Like an, “oh my god, she really is dying.” And then she trips into teasing and smiling again, though it NOT a smiling sort of life event.

You also see the moment the dam breaks for her, the most raw emotion we’ve ever seen of her (outside of Sybil) when she says “and then love came.” And then after he kisses her, and he tells her she’s been everything to him, her expression is so full of love and joy, then ZOOP “hope we can get tickets on the blue train!” Or is it the fact that she’s said ‘love’ three separate times in the space of two minutes and cannot keep going or she won’t be able to take it?

I think this may all be because her loving him is NOT what they say, or what they have to say. It’s a given. It’s something unsaid and established from years and years ago and to broach the subject is uncomfortable and creates feelings of shame in Robert. But Robert needs to pour out his expressions of love because he felt he owes that to her. As a sort of way to erase his shame, his penance of sorts for pursuing her dishonestly is to remind her that he does love her now. And Cora lets him because she loves him. She comes across as this passive recipient of his love, the vessel for it, but she isn’t really. She’s really the more physical of the two of them. Anyway, I’ve drifted into an enormous tangent.

I’ll sum this mess up by inviting my ladies who I tagged to pipe up, or anyone else for that matter. I’d love to hear your thoughts, too, anon. Over-analyzing characters is my favorite pastime. Sincerely.

#downton abbey #cobert #cora crawley #long post

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yukina-otome · 4 years ago

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Ikevamp pregnancy and family headcanon pt.1

So I don’t usually write headcanons. English is only my 3rd language so I make a lot of mistakes. But these days I work at the Maternity hospital and I got those baby vibes so I decided to write this. Please be nice to me. I’m a noob at writing lol. I will illustrate what I think the children would look like with pictures of characters that are NOT MINE. Pls be understanding. If you want a part 2 tell me what other boys you would like in the comments and live me a little encouragement because I have 0 confidence lol.

Part 2 | Part 3

1-Napoleon : 2 sons and 1 daughter

-Napoleon always dreamed of a normal peaceful life -That peaceful life of course included you, and kids that would look like you running around. -And so when you first got pregnant Napoleon was beyond happy. -He wanted a little girl that would look exactly like you. -9 months later you gave him the cutest little boy with his dark hair and Turquoise eyes. -The second he laid his eyes on him he adored him. -5 years later napoleon asked if you were ready to have another one. A little girl this time hopefully. -And BOOM 10 months later a little boy was born again with dark slightly blue hair and blue eyes. -Still Napoleon loved him to death and was happy. -The third time you got pregnant was not planned. -You 2nd son was still 2 years old. -But you guys were still very happy. -9 months passed and napoleon was almost sure he'll get a little boy again. -But this time a beautiful baby girl was born with your brown hair and blue almost gray eyes. -Napoleon couldn't have been any happier. -He loved and cherished all his children equally. -His first born was calm and cool but very sensitive. He loved reading and studying. He spent a lot of time with uncle Isaac who taught him everything from math to physics to Latin. -The second born was more like Napoleon. He trained with his father and uncle jean as soon as he could walk. He loved his mother a lot and vowed to protect her from bad guys ("like uncle Arthur who always flirts with mama"). -The third born looked a lot like you but her personality was just like napoleon. She had charisma and everyone was in awe in front of her. she usually went on horse rides with her father. -The family would usually cook crepes together on Sunday and all of napoleon children still had to learn how to defend themselves. -He's very open minded and forging but very strict when it comes to their safety.

2-Mozart : 2 daughters (Twins)

-Mozart never thought about having children. -But being with you opened many new horizons in his life and he started thinking about what it would be like having a family with you. -So when one day you told him you were pregnant, he froze for 1 min before scooping you in his arms. -You've never seen Mozart smile wider. -When you were in your fifth month Arthur told you that you seemed bigger than most pregnant woman at that stage. -You wondered if he was right and visited your doctor the next day. -After some examination your doctor told you you were most likely pregnant with twins. She started explaining about the risks that could have. -When you told Wolf about it he was horrified. The thought of loosing you was unbearable. -But you told him you wanted this and that you would fight for your life and the life of your babies no matter what. You also made him promise to treasure and take care of your babies no matter what happens. -Your labor started early. In the 7th month to be precise and after few hours of fear and anxiety the doctor told Mozart that you gave birth to two beautiful girls and that both the babies and you were okay. -Of course the twins were very small and needed extra care but thankfully everything went well. -When you finally brought them to the mansion all the guys went crazy over them. -The first twin was the spitting image of Mozart with white hair and purple eyes. She was calm and cold looking but inside she was a big softie. Of course you guys named her Violet. -The second twin had your brown hair and her father violet eyes and she reminded you of a sunflower. She was cheerful and a bit clumsy. Theo loved her a lot because she reminded him of Vincent. Her name was Sonnen (solar in German) and Mozart always called her my Sonnenblume (means my sunflower). -Both the twins would learn piano from their father but Violet liked it more. Sonnen preferred to go out and play with king and uncle Theo -You would spend hours cooking with Sonnen who always had crazy ideas like marmalade butter beef cookies. (thankfully you would stop her). When you guys finished you went in the piano room where violet and Mozart were playing piano and invite them to eat. -You would all eat in the dinning room though because of the "No food in our piano room" rule.

3-Leonardo : 1 daughter (warning mention of character death)

-Leonardo didn't want kids at first. -He always thought about how you would feel if you saw yourself growing old while your child would stop growing out. -He also didn't want to see his child suffer the same way he did and would again eventually. -And so when one day you told him nervously you were pregnant he grew silent. You knew he needed some time to think it over so you gave him some space. -Few days passed and Leo still kept silent. He was in his thought most of the time and le compte felt something was wrong with his friend. -When Leo told le compte, le compte frowned and told him that both of you need to have a conversation and that he cant stay silent for the rest of his life. -That night Leo knocked at your door and told you about his fears. You smiled at him and told him that you would never regret giving birth to his child. -"I know a day would come when i will have to leave you, that makes me very sad but what sadden me even more is imagining you alone after i leave. I want to leave you someone who can share your pain and happiness for eternity. Someone to remind you of me, of us." -After that Leo relaxed and as months pass the fear is replaced by excitement. He starts reading tons of books about pregnancies and child raising and his room becomes even more of a mess. -But one day after you tripped on a pile of books and almost fell leo decided that he would keep his room clean of all time. The next day when you entered his room and saw how tidy it is you got into shock. -Anyways few months later you give birth to a beautiful baby girl. Of course as Leo expected the baby was a true blood. -She had light brown hair and yellow eyes identical to his. -She was cute and sweet and at the same time had a fierce aura. She shared her father interests and always sat to read with him books that were way beyond her age. -She loved swords, fighting and sports. -She loved her uncle le compte the most and he always bought her all kind of dresses. -But one day she told him she didn't want any more dress cause she was going to wear pants from now on. -She was a tomboy and loved going to the pub with her uncle Arthur and Theo and start fights (once she was old enough of course) -She became her father best companion and even hundreds of years later he never felt alone ever again because she was always by his side even after you left them both.

4-Arthur: 2 daughters and 1 son

-Arthur knew you were pregnant way before you even noticed that you were late on your period. -He was not surprised because you two would go at it like bunnies every night so it was bound to happen. -He always dreamed and what it was to have a family with you but at the same time he was terrified. His past and trauma coming to haunt him again. -Outside he seemed fine but you knew better. You spent long nights reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. -He was feeling better but still needed your reassurance from time to time. -As the 9th month got closer he became incredibly overprotective. He stuck to your side at all time and got his old medical books out to study again Obstetrics and pediatrics. -He was ready. Or so he thought. -But when the time came he was an absolute mess of panic. It took Theo to give him a good punch on the face for him to get his s**t together. -DOCTOR MODE ACTIVATED. -Thankfully everything went smoothly and a baby girl with black hair and huge blue eyes was born. -He knew that moment he would never be the same ever again. -OVERPROTECTIVE PAPA MODE ACTIVATED. -He never let any man approach her (even the 2 year old who wanted to play with her in the park) -"All men are wolves my darling" he would say as his 1 year old daughter looked at him with he big blue eyes. -Eventually you got pregnant again (Again Arthur was not surprised). -But this time Arthur was a lot more calm. -A beautiful baby girl was born again with smaller blue eyes and brown hair. -She looked like a mini you but with Arthur's eyes. -Arthur wanted to name her Victoria but dropped the idea because he thought it would be confusing (because of Vic). -The two girls loved spending time with uncle Vincent and Theo -The first born favorite hobby was teasing her uncle Isaac as soon as she was old enough to talk. -"As expected of my daughter" Arthur would say as he rolls on the floor laughing. -She shared her father sharp instincts and would help him solve the cases in the city. -The second daughter was much more calm and gentle. Just like her mother. She loved her father stories but not Sherlock Holmes. Her favorite book was "The Coming of the Fairies" -She had an almost obsession with fairies and supernatural beings. - When your daughter were both 10 and 12 years old you accidentally got pregnant again (If You think two daughters would stop Arthur you are very wrong). -This time it was the cutest baby boy with curly black hair and big blue eyes. -Your baby boy was a huge crybaby and was always stuck to his mother. He was delicate and sensitive. He cared about others well being more than anything and he dreamed of being a doctor. -When he told Arthur he was absolutely against it. He didn't want his son to go through the pain he had to endure. But as your son grew up he became less of a crybaby while still being sensitive and delicate. He showed great talent in the medical field. -"Arthur, you were alone but our son is not alone. He got us and his sisters to hug him and wipe his tears when he'll need a break. Let's support him together." you told Arthur one night and eventually his father accepted to let him live his dream.

I only did the 4 first suitors but if u want any of the others pls do tell me in the comments. I’ll make a part 2. Also since this is my very first headcanon pls tell me what u think. Don’t be too mean pls.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp napoleon #ikemen vampire napoleon #napoleon bonapart #ikevamp headcanons #ikevamp mozart #ikemen vampire mozart #mozart #ikevamp leonardo #ikevamp leo #ikemen vampire leonardo #leonardo da vinci #ikevamp arthur #ikemen vampire arthur #Arthur Conan Doyle

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gumilac · 3 years ago

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Then can I request a headcanon for Kageyama, Hinata and Kunimi with a female violinist s/o??👀

I kinda want them to be high schoolers but I don't mind the timeskip ver too. Surprise me🌚

Haikyuu Boys with a Violinist S/O

character/s: kageyama tobio, hinata shoyo, and kunimi akira

genre: fluff and crack

warning/s: timeskip haikyuu manga spoilers, swearings

a/n: i actually lost the first one... 😐 this is my second time writing this bc my dumbass forgot to save as draft MSADASJDAS SCREAMS anw this is so cute,,, fun fact abt me i played violin too, but i'm not amazing at it i only know twinkle little star SAJDASHSAD also your meme pls yes, i agree TT-TT anw i hope you like it my love, enjoyy !!

kageyama tobio

▹first of all, man doesn't know what a violin is

▹ he legit thought it was the color violet (in japanese violet is baioretto and violin is baiorin)

▹ similar, right? he was so dumbfounded when you told him you played the violin

▹ his brain really went, "how the fuck do you play colors?"

▹ the first time he actually saw you play was when he passed by an empty classroom and he saw you practicing

▹ his heart zoomed out of his chest. the way you created beautiful melodies along with your movements, stance, and expressions just looked so wonderful to him. that's when he started falling harder for you

▹ when he's free, he'd come with you to practice and he'll just watch you with heart in his eyes sobs cute cute tobio he'll deny it tho when you point it out

▹ he's awestruck when you play, his heart just fluttering at the sight of you and he'll act all nonchalant about it (spoiler: he does not hide it well)

▹ when you ask him if you did good, or if it sounded okay. he'll shrug and say, "you always play perfectly, idiot," cue him looking away with a small pout on his lips and a faint blush on his cheeks

▹ we love our grumpy tsundere

▹ when you gave the violin to him he stood there awkwardly, scared that he might drop it as he held on to it like his life depended on it

timeskip !!

▹ when you live together, he loves hearing you play

▹ it just calms him down and his stress just flows away. it honestly helps him sleep sometimes

▹ when you made him try the violin, it didn't take much convincing because he was interested too

▹ holy moly is he attractive when he got the stance right. you stood there for a good while staring at him, missing his question if he's doing it right

▹ he'll look at you from the corner of his eye, and he smirks when he sees you before teasing

▹ "like the view?" yES SIR PLS STAY THAT WAY

▹ he's so careful with it too. he'd wipe the dust off the instrument, loosens the bowstrings when you forget, and a he makes sure it's inside the case always

▹ he goes to every.single.one. of your concerts or performances

▹ there's a small smile on his lips as he watches you play

▹ he's just so proud and it shows. he'd sometimes always whisper to the person beside him, "that's the love of my life." I AM IN LOVE???

▹ HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THE PERSON, BUT HE JUST LOWKEY FLEXES YOU OFF,,, the person just nods and smiles prolly does a double-take when they realize its the kageyama tobio of shweiden alders

▹ when you're done performing, he'll go backstage giving you a small bouquet of your favorite flowers if you don't like flowers, a bouquet of your favorite food like a chicken nugget bouquet

▹ he'd give you your favorite thing honestly, it doesn't even have to be a bouquet

▹ wraps his arms around you, pulling you in for a hug as he kisses your forehead. giving you a soft head pat before saying in the softest voice, "you're always so amazing, dumbass" is the dumbass needed? yes, it's his love language go away

▹ i mean your his dumbass. only his.

▹ overall: he's such a sweetheart

hinata shoyo

▹ he doesn't know what a violin is either

▹ asks a lot of questions on what it is, that eventually you just showed it to him

▹ cue *loud amazed shoyo noises*

▹ immediately asks you how to play it and begs you to teach him. of course you will, anything for your sunshine, right?

▹ he got so happy when he made a sound, even tho it's scratchy and screeching

▹ will look at you with sparkles in his eyes and says, "DID'YA SEE THAT?! I MADE A SOUND"

▹ praise him please, he'll get so giddy and he'll say, "of course it's good!! you're my teacher!!" protecc at all costs

▹ he's honestly so supportive of you and just loves watching you play as he drowns you with so many compliments

▹ he probably broke one of your bows at least once rip wallet

▹ legit played w it like a sword at least one 😐 and you kinda got mad because those are expensive, but he made it up to you tho and bought you a new bow that he could afford

timeskip !!

▹ we all know he went to brazil to get stronger and everything, so he leaves you for quite some time

▹ he video calls you every night. he'll prop his phone up on the pillows as he watches you get ready

▹ you two would talk about your day, while you rosin up your bow and he just smiles at you the whole time be still my beating heart

▹ when you start playing he closes his eyes, a smile on his face as he starts drifting away

▹ he eventually falls asleep but you don't end the call yet, you'd admire his features before ending the call after 10 mins or so, leaving a message for him to read when he wakes up diff timezone things SOBS

▹ something like, "good morning my sunshine, i hope you have a great day ahead. i miss you and love you always!!" it honestly makes the start of hinata's day so much better

▹ when he comes back home. his first agenda is to surprise you in one of your performances

▹ he is so proud of you when it's your turn to play, and he also didn't know he had to be quiet because when you came on stage he clapped before saying, "that's mine right there!!" quite loudly. people gave him looks and thankfully, one kind person told him that you don't do that during concerts

.▹ he immediately runs backstage after your performance, a big smile on his face and maybe a little tears in his eyes when he finally sees you again

▹ to say you're shocked is an understatement. you'll give your violin to someone before running up to him, hinata catching you in his arms lifting you up to twirl you around. he puts you down before nuzzling his face at the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent

▹ he kisses your cheek and caresses your head before whispering, "im home, my love. i'm so proud of you."

kunimi akira

▹ OKAY I HAVE A FEELING KUNIMI PLAYS THE VIOLIN,,, idk he just gives off that vibe

▹ he started playing when he was a kid but he stopped at the 2nd year of middle school, just losing interest because, to be honest, he was forced to play it

▹ he never knew you played the violin until he saw you practicing for a school event, and his heart just hammered in his chest as he watches you

▹ you were shocked when he casually brought it up during lunchtime. he told you he used to play the violin, and you begged him to play at least one piece. of course, he couldn't say no to you because he loves you. he won't tell you that tho

▹it really took some persistent badgering and bribing for him to play

▹ when he finally agreed, boy were you in love. he looks so pretty and attractive as he gracefully moves the bow, creating lovely tunes

▹ for someone who stopped playing for at least 3 years, it sounded amazing and it seemed like kunimi never stopped

▹ you, heart eyes for him and your heart just went crazy. that's when you started teaching him more pieces and he agreed

▹ he'd teach you some tips he picked up too, like how to do vibrato better and other things

timeskip !!

▹ he started learning the piano in his third year of high school,,, see where i'm going with this?

▹ he never stopped playing the violin, but he focused more on learning the piano making it his main instrument

▹ when you moved in with kunimi, you were shocked to see a piano in the living room because he never told you that he learned it and you begged him to play it for you

▹ you definitely didn't say, "please kunimi, think of it as your welcoming performance because i'll be living with you."

▹ he's so good with it please, like *chefs kiss* the melodies are so soothing and he looks hella handsome while doing it. he's not one to be expressive, but when he sits on the piano and plays? it's like a whole different kunimi

▹ he closes his eyes while he plays, and his expression depends on what piece he's playing. a soft smile when it's happy and furrowed brows with a frown when it's sad

▹ weekend dates would consist of you and him just playing music as he watches you from where he sits, a soft smile on his face seeing how breathtaking you are

▹ he sings. change my mind you can't.

▹ his voice is not loud nor powerful, rather it's soft and calming, perfect for his quiet personality. his voice sounds so nice with the piano accompaniment and he'll sing for you if you ask

▹ you'd sit beside him as you lay your head on his shoulder while he sings to you, placing soft kisses every once in a while

▹ he doesn't join concerts or performances because he's shy and he doesn't want to. so instead he supports you and boy he is proud proud every.time.

▹ he only joined once, ONLY because he accompanied you. he doesn't wanna play alone, but he would play with you

▹ best piano partner because you two play a lot at home so it just comes naturally and ya'll are in sync

▹ your performance was amazing and he cuddles you a lot when you get home because that drained him so much and he needs to recharge. run your fingers through his hair and he's out

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wonderland-in-bloom · 4 years ago

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riddle, ace, deuce, and malleus watching a meteor shower w/ the reader

anon asked: hi! may i request hcs for a reader who's a super nerd for everything related to space and stars (as in. they'd talk about it for literal Hours if u'd let them) dragging out their friend (who maaybe has a crush on them lol) ace, deuce, riddle and malleus to stargaze after hearing there's gonna be a meteor shower that night, perhaps from astronomy class? how would they react, would they enjoy such an activity + how would they deal with such an excitable and odd person such as the reader? tysm!! 💖

im bacccccccc from deeeeeeeed,, hey guys how are y’all doing? i think this will be the last request i’ll do before i focus my attention on the summer beach bash writing collab event held by the amazing, the lovely @nonsensical-twistedriddles anyways i hope you all are doing alright and enjoy these headcanons ❤️

for a better visual/image of what the meteor shower is like, refer to kimi no na wa or episode 6 of violet evergarden “somewhere, under a starry sky”

headcanons under the cut :))

riddle rosehearts

being the dorm leader of heartslabyul means that he’s always busy and he has tons of things to do, so when you first approached him he was a little hesitant

“i....i don’t know (y/n)...” “pleaseeeeeeee”

you gave him your signature ‘cute puppy dog eyes’ and that was when he knew he couldn’t resist, so he agreed

that night he was surprised to find himself in a hill at the back of the school. you had laid out a blanket and brought a couple of pillows and a telescope just in case. a couple books about the whole meteor shower, and books about stars and space in general were sprawled across the grass as well

“ah riddle! you’re on time!” “of course. those who are late have to be taught a lesson”

you patted the empty space next to you and he sat down beside you

“i’ve actually read about tonight’s meteor shower in one of my books. it happens once every 300 years! i’m just getting super duper excited just thinking about it! the fact that i get to see a comet that happens once in 300 years! aaaah! it’s amazing!”

personally, riddle didn’t know too much about comets or meteors or just astronomy. he just knew what he needed to learn for the subject. but seeing you being so happy and hyped about the meteor shower made him want to learn more

as you continued to ramble, riddle let out a small chuckle, causing you to focus your attention on him

“sorry, sorry. it’s just...you’re so cute rambling about these things. please tell me more.”

riddle saw a light in your eyes as they seemed to sparkle and you continued

he didn’t really understand half of the things you were saying but he enjoyed it

“and...and then it said that-” your sentence got cut off as the meteor shower started. an array of colors filled the sky as the sight before your eyes was the most beautiful thing you’ve seen

you stood up and just gazed at the whole thing in amazement, riddle followed but half of the time, he was looking at you. he was amazed at how passionate you were in this and how he wants to see you smile like this all the time

“(y/n). thank you for inviting me.” “it’s no problem, really!” “they say that when two people who are truly in love are together gazing at a meteor shower...their love for each other will be known to both and it will continue to grow.”

riddle blushed and so did you. were you saying...?

“well it’s just an old legend, though. we should head back.”

the next day in class, riddle approached you out of nowhere and handed you something. it was a crystal necklace in the shape of a star

“i really hope there’s another meteor shower soon. and i want you to come along with me.” he smiled before quickly running to his own class.

and as the legend went, after spending time with riddle during that meteor shower, your love for each other grew and grew

ace trappola

“haaah? a meteor shower? what’s so interesting about that?” “oh come on ace! you owe me one anyways! remember that one time-” “okay! okay! i’ll go.”

truth be told, ace really doesn’t mind doing anything and going anywhere as long as you were there. but his big ego doesn’t allow him to agree that easily.

you were both snuck into the astronomy classroom and went out the window to the balcony. a perfect view of the meteor shower

“what’s so cool about this meteor shower, anyways?” “a lot of things actually!” you continued to ramble on about it

ace could care less about space, stars, meteors, all that jazz, but since you were the one talking about it, he really doesn’t mind. there was one sentence which grabbed his attention though

“tonight’s meteor shower is called ‘the falling stars’” “what? so like...stars come falling from space? or is it just one big ass star?” “no! it’s called ‘the falling stars’ because they say if you make a wish while gazing at the meteors, it’ll come true.”

“what the-that’s all-” “ace! it’s starting!”

he glanced up at the sky, and truth be told, he never saw a scene as beautiful as that. it was really as if the stars from the sky were falling down.

“it lasts only for three minutes! hurry up and make your wish!” he turned his head to face you and saw your eyes closed and face scrunched up. some wish. “alright then~”

once the meteor shower ended you giddily asked ace what his wish was

“hmm...maybe i’ll tell you someday.” “what?! why not tell me now?!” “my wish is something you should figure out on your own.” “what?! hey! that’s not fair! ace! wait for me!”

the next day, ace was delighted to find you skipping through the hallways with a bright smile on your face

“good morning guys!” you smiled to your two best friends. “what’s with the smile, (y/n)?” deuce asked you. “nothing! just feeling happy.” “so my wish did come true.” ace whispered to himself.

“what did you say?” “nothing. now let’s get to class.” “ow! ace that hurt!” “it was just a playful slap, you big baby.”

now what was ace’s wish, you may ask?

i wish for (y/n) to always be happy, and to let me see her beautiful smile on her face each day

deuce spade

“what!? it’s tonight?!” “jeez you never keep your eyes open in astronomy class, do you? but yes! it’s tonight. so we should go together, okay?”

you and deuce were known to be the chaotic, nerd-like duo over these things. you were much more invested than deuce however, but he just likes to listen to you talk about it.

he helped you up the roof of the ramshackle dorm where you both could get a good view of the sky

truth be told, you were trembling a bit. heights weren’t your thing and now here you were sitting on top of a roof which could’ve collapsed any second.

you clung onto deuce’s arm, causing him to blush slightly but he assured you that you both were going to be fine

the sky changed from a dull dark blue to a bright, glowing purple and light blue, and you both knew that the meteor shower started

“it’s...beautiful.” the both of you whispered in amazement. you and deuce just stayed up talking about astronomy and how the both of you got interested in it as the meteor shower continued.

“you know something about this meteor shower?” deuce shook his head. “...no? what?”

“it says that you’re granted good luck if you’re under the sky of this meteor shower.” “that means everyone in night raven college gets good luck huh?”

“i don’t know. it’s not specific! they didn’t even say how long the luck lasts or...yeah. it’s just not specific. it’s just an old saying anyways.” you and deuce laughed.

you both felt something slip under your feet. “uh oh.” it was a roof tile.

this caused you both to slide from your position and started tumbling down the roof.

“deuce! do something! summon something soft so we don’t fall!” “u-uhhh, okay!”

it was his and your safety in his hands so he prayed that he was able to come up with something appropriate

“i summon...a big fluffy pillow!” you and deuce managed to fall off the roof without any harm and landed on the pillow, slightly bouncing even

you both laughed in relief as the both of you were okay. “hey, you managed to summon something good!” “well..maybe it’s the good luck from the meteor shower.”

“and you know, i’m feeling pretty lucky. so...i can do this.” he leaned in and pecked your cheek. your cheeks instantly burned up as you buried your face in your arms.

“deuce you idiot! you should consider being lucky that i don’t slap the heck out of you!” he just laughed at your cute behavior and attacked you with a big hug

you two ended up accidentally falling asleep on that big, fluffy pillow and you both woke up to find yourselves in each other’s arms

malleus draconia

“(y/n).” he called out to you. “yes?” “i heard there’s going to be a meteor shower tonight.”

“ah! yeah...about that. i was thinking...if you would want to come see it with me?” you fiddled with your fingers. “me? i’m...invited?” “yes! i wouldn’t want to invite anyone else in the whole world.”

malleus felt delighted and was just looking forward to that night. he didn’t really matter what else happened during the day.

“but i don’t really know where we can watch it from. the other students are planning on watching it too...” “we can see it from the diasomnia observatory.” “WAIT, YOU HAVE THAT?!” you shrieked a little too loudly

“i mean....if you don’t mind.” “of course. it’s alright.”

you were shocked to find yourself in a neat and organized observatory. bookshelves surrounded the whole room and a big telescope was in the middle of it. “this is amazing...”

“you could always come here if you want.” “WHAT?! WAIT, REALLY?” you beamed as you followed malleus. “i know your love for space, (y/n).”

you mentally slapped yourself, was it always that obvious? am i just too loud about it? ugh damn it.

“you shouldn’t worry about it. it’s fascinating to learn all about it.” you were always there for malleus when he was in depth into talking about gargoyles and you treated him with the utmost respect. you also joined in the conversation and actually asked him a few things. he wanted to do the same for you.

“i was the one who invited you, yet here you are doing everything.” “i don’t mind...” if i can spend time with you, i’d do anything.

“malleus, look!” you pointed at a golden glow coming from the sky. it was starting.

you two stood in silence for a while, enjoying the view of the night sky and each other’s presence

“you know...i’ve seen this meteor once. when i was a child.” “really?” you scooted closer to him. “sadly, back then, i didn’t have anyone to enjoy it with. i didn’t have anyone who is as passionate talking about it as much as you. and now, i’m glad you’re by my side, (y/n).”

“and i’ll continue to be by your side! i promise, we’re going to see as many meteor shower as possible! we’ll go stargazing, go chase clouds, everything! and--ah sorry. am i rambling too much?”

malleus took your hand in his and placed a gentle kiss atop it. “hearing you talk about these things makes me happy, (y/n). and i’m glad you’re by my side. i promise we’ll do all these things together. i’d do anything with you, as long as we’re together.” “thank you.” you smiled back (trying your best not to lose your composure)

and you both spent the whole night in the balcony, hand in hand, with your head resting on him as you watched the stars in the night sky and as the sky turned from a dark blue to a bright blue

just like the way you both wanted it to be

and now i wanna go stargazing uuuugggghhhhh or watch kimi no na wa/violet evergarden again efjwoejfowe. FAIRY GALA EVENT TOMORROW!!!! the best of luck to everyone who’s scouting !!!

love, a♕

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shadow-scenarios · 4 years ago

Text

Date Headcanons | Everyone

Thought I’d write something for everyone so that I can get used to it & you can see my style of writing.

- Nexus.

Joker { Akira Kurusu }

✧ Akira is definitely the type of partner who indulges in more casual dates. Although he has the money & resources in order to do something more classy due to his moonlighting as a Phantom Thief, he prefers more quaint locations where both himself & his partner can enjoy each other’s company instead of the location.

✧ He fundamentally believes that if he can enjoy himself around his significant other without needing to spend vast amounts of money, he’s found someone he can rely on for life. His life is naturally very very stressful so he finds solace in moments where he can simply be himself.

✧ During the date itself, he is the epitome of a gentleman { he does have max Charm, after all! }. Offering to pay for the meal; blatantly flirting but not crossing any unspoken boundaries; Casual touches of affection to fluster them. All in all, Akira simply enjoys having company that’s not related to Phantom Thief business & having someone who doesn’t only want to see him in order to seek out comfort.

Skull { Ryuji Sakamoto }

✧ Another one who likes casual dates. However, he is much less formal about it. Although confident on the outside, on the inside he is very nervous about a date. Ryuji is of the opinion that if he cannot be himself during a date, it would not feel natural. So, he takes his significant other places that seem like fun.

✧ Being the athletic type, Ryuji encourages his significant other to run with him. It is rather cathartic and good training. Starting out with shorter routes, they would be encouraged by him all throughout. Afterwards, there’s a high chance that the two of them would head out for ramen together as a ‘ treat ’.

✧ Other ideas would include the arcade or simply heading to his house. Introducing his partner to his mother is a key part of the relationship, since he desperately wants them to like each other { it wouldn’t be difficult, Ryuji’s mother is just as sweet as his son!! }.

Panther { Ann Takamaki }

✧ There are two types of dates with Ann: Food dates & Fashion dates.

✧ Food dates are usually more common. They consist of going to a restaurant she recommends or finding a dessert and ordering two. Ann encourages her significant other to try new things & expand their horizons much like how she’s trying to strengthen her heart.

✧ Fashion dates occur when Ann’s side job as a model comes into play. If she is in need of new clothes for a particular style or wants to try something new, it is likely to be turned into a date.

✧ Ann knows exactly what fits the body type of her partner & clothes that would make them look good. She wants them to be able to express themselves and feel good about it at the same time!!

✧ In return, all that is asked of them is that they honestly critique the clothing choices she has selected out for herself { she looks great in everything though }.

Fox { Yusuke Kitagawa }

✧ Yusuke’s interpretation of dates is... Strange. No matter what, it has to be visually stimulating & help inspire him in his career of art. He would die for art without a second thought and that reflects in his choices of location.

✧ For example, Inokashira Park is a perfect spot. It costs little money, has beautiful scenery & has a relaxing atmosphere. Throughout the entire experience, there is small gestures of casual affection. Not enough for people to be staring but just enough for it to be noticeable by them.

✧{ After his scuffle with searching for true beauty with Akira, he learns a little more about social ettique & how the boat ride they took could have been misinterpreted as a date. }

✧ However... Sometimes he forgets that going to places costs money. If a local art museum has a special showing, Yusuke will buy two tickets impulsively & invite his significant other to the event. Then he’ll be crushed by the reality of the train fares.

Queen { Makoto Niijima }

✧ At first, Makoto has no idea how to plan a date. She would definitely flunk a test about love, so to speak. However, it is very endearing. Study dates would be the most common, where they could go over any material either of them didn’t understand in classes. She prides herself over being able to assist her significant other.

✧ Once she becomes more adapted to stereotypical teenage life, there is a higher likelyhood of more outdoorsy dates. Her favourite spot is Chinatown because of all the vastly different stores and foods.

✧ She finds it a relaxing experience to people watch. Usually it’s done through the window of a cafe where she offhandedly comments about how different people are dressed & how they interact with each other. Makoto is very insightful.

Oracle { Futaba Sakura }

✧ Going anywhere is mostly out of the question. Futaba struggles with socialising & although she is trying her best to open up a little more, it will be an ongoing process.

✧ Playing video games until 3am or talking about the latest manga edition released from the comfort of her bedroom is one of her favourite things to do with a significant other. It is the one time where she feels comfortable to talk & even if they do not quite understand every thing she is saying, she is very happy to go into depth and explain.

✧ However, there would be one or two occasions where Futaba wants to push herself & go out somewhere. Beforehand, Sojiro would be lecturing her partner about keeping her safe & making sure she’s okay but wishes the two of them a good time.

✧ Although there’s moments where Futaba is overstimulated & needs a break, it is a fun experience! Akihabara is definitely a good place to start & buying a game as a reward for braving it will earn them a beaming smile of sunshine.

Noir { Haru Okumura }

✧ Haru has very few qualms about spending extravagant amounts of money on a single date. She thinks like a celebrity & aims to impress her significant other. Just because she spends a lot of money does not mean she is not thoughtful, though. Most dates will be something her significant other has mentioned interest in. She pays attention!!

✧ Throughout the entire outing, she is not afraid to initiate physical contact. Holding hands is a common & subtle gesture that she never really achieved with her previous marriage so she cherishes gentle intimacy.

✧ However, it eventually becomes known that she prefers cheaper & more heart-to-heart style dates. Making a picnic for her partner with the vegetables / fruits from her garden brings unparalleled joy. Especially when they give advice and talk about the taste & how they could improve. Her dream is to run a homegrown café after all!!

Crow { Goro Akechi }

✧ Akechi is either the most gentlemanly man anyone has ever been on a date with or he wants to unwind from a stressful day. Dates are few & far between with his particularly busy schedule, alongside the influence of his female fans bothering him particularly turns him off the idea most of the time.

✧ So, there are two solutions: Dates that are indoors so that no one knows where they are & incredibly extravagant dates that the media cannot gain access to.

✧ Indoor ones usually involve attending the Jazz Club in Kichijoji. It is a relaxing place with few people to bother his significant other, since there are few that know about the place. Throughout the entire occasion, he makes light conversation and is hesitant about accepting physical contact for fear of his reputation but eventually settles on taking his gloves off and interlocking hands with them.

✧ The other solution is usually reserved for special occasions. Although Akechi is wealthy due to his work as a detective, he is more deliberate with his purchases and understands the value of money. In these situations, he intentionally plays up his role as a detective prince & is even more suave than Akira. There is a lot of flirtation in a very polite manner, almost as if testing the waters.

✧ Although he genuinely enjoys these sessions, it is his job to play the role of a prince, even for his significant other. Akechi is practised at pretending.

Violet { Sumire Yoshizawa }

✧ Incredibly flustered at first, no matter what happens. Every step with her is filled with stuttering & a face the same colour as her hair but she’s willing to try her best!!

✧ Absolutely wants her significant other to come to her routines & competitions. If they are not there, she feels incomplete. It throws her game off which in turn creates more issues in the future.

✧{ At some point, her coach comes to speak to them and essentially demands they be at every session so Sumire can achieve her best. }

✧ Sumire also really likes different scenery. The aquarium in Shinagawa is a breathtaking sight from her perspective. No pressure to perform & the ability simply be herself allows for a much more natural date.

{ Yuuki Mishima }

✧ Mishima is much like Futaba in that he would prefer a date indoors. Although he is more confident after everything that happened with Kamoshida, he is still more shocked that he actually has a significant other.

✧ Most of his spare time when not doing schoolwork is spent on running the Phansite so when Mishima wants to spend time with them, he prefers low energy activities at home such as watching a movie with snacks or sitting & talking together.

✧ If he ever attempted to take them out somewhere, it would be adorable. There would be a lot of doting on them and ensuring that they’re having a good time & he needs this validation because of his self esteem issues. { Telling Mishima that the date was fun or that they enjoyed it will result in an adorable smile & red face }.

{ Hifumi Togo }

✧ Much like Yusuke, Hifumi enjoys dates with her significant other that are practical. If there’s a new book on some of the lastest Shogi techniques, she’ll take them to the bookstore in Jinbocho & make a date out of it.

✧ Although she sometimes struggles to articulate her feelings properly, it is often made up for with the purchase of a gift. Nothing expensive since she is still a high school student but instead something deeply personal that will mean a lot, such as a piece of jewellery or a particular book they are interested in.

✧ Also loves going to the church in Kanda for a practice game. Even if they are not very good at Shogi, she’ll teach them how to play and encourages them to develop their own style of play. After each game, she analyses all of the different moves used in that game & how they changed the game.

Word Count: 1.7k

Publish Date: 25.09.20

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #p5r #persona 5 x reader #akira kurusu x reader #ryuji x reader #ann x reader #yusuke x reader #makoto x reader #futaba x reader #haru x reader #akechi x reader #sumire x reader #mishima x reader #hifumi x reader #persona 5 imagines

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dream-a-little-bigger-x · 3 years ago

Text

Parallels | Chapter 6

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist! | Parallels Masterlist

Characters: OC! Violet Grace Dawson, Luke Patterson, Julie Molina, Carrie Wilson, Bobby Wilson, Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer, Flynn nolastname, Willie nolastname, Nick Danforth-Evans, Dirty Candy

Guideline: Sunset Universe is the universe in which Sunset Curve is famous and Violet is friends with Carrie, Julie and Flynn. Candy Universe is the universe in which Dirty Candy is more famous and Sunset Curve has broken up.

Song(s) used: Now or Never - Sunset Curve / Livin’ on a High Wire - Lemonade Mouth

Warnings: Bobby raps in this... I have a headcanon that he’s a rapper (also made the most sense out of all four?) / Mention of parents divorce / Mention of alcohol and intoxication

Words: 6,302

“Are you sure that was such a good move?” Bobby asked, brows furrowed, “Promising them you’re joining the band while you’re still in Dirty Candy? That won’t work…”

Violet shrugged dismissively. “It worked for Alex and I’m sure it’s gonna work on Reggie…” She heaved in a breath, gathering her courage for the next part in the plan. “Where do we find our favorite bassist?”

“The library?” Violet asked when the Wilson siblings brought her to the school’s library. “You’re telling me the Reggie in this universe actually studies?” Carrie nodded in response. “Groundbreaking.”

Carrie and Violet made their way to the back of the library where they found Reggie with Dana and Dexter. Dana, Violet knew, was an aspiring musician who actually joined Dirty Candy in her universe. Dexter was a friend of Nick’s and part of his band.

“Reggie,” Violet spoke up, getting the students’ attention.

“Violet? Carrie?” Confusion dripped off their names as they rolled off Reggie’s lips.

Dana narrowed her eyes at the two girls. “What do you want?” she spat.

Choosing to ignore the blatant hate that Dana spewed at the girls, Violet focused back on Reggie and shot him a smile. “I heard you’re a pretty good bassist…” She tested the waters.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that…” he answered.

“Well… I was wondering if you would be interested in coming back to Sunset Curve?”

Reggie’s eyes widened before he scoffed. He was clearly taken aback, but tried to play it cool. “We broke up for a reason, Violet. Not gonna happen.”

“Not even when I’m joining the band?” she tried again, which very clearly sparked a little more interest as the boy’s eyebrows shot upwards before his teeth started gnawing at his lower lip.

“Okay,” he replied. “If you get Luke to join your band, I’m in too.”

Carrie and Violet exchanged glances and nodded. They were a little surprised this one was so easy, though they should’ve expected that. Reggie had always been more of a trustworthy puppy than a leading lion anyway.

“Cool. We’ll keep you posted,” Carrie said and the two girls left the students alone.

Now, their next stop was Luke Patterson. The real challenge out of the three boys. Not only because he was going to be the hardest to convince, but because Violet was nervous to see him again. She hadn’t forgotten what he had said to her and even though this was a different version, she knew seeing him would make her nervous and cause her to shut down.

“Yo, Luke!” Carrie yelled at the group of boys on the lacrosse field. He stopped mid-conversation with Nick before jogging up to the girls that had beckoned him.

“You girls lost?” he asked and pushed his hair back.

That crush the girls were talking about in the other universe seemingly still counted in another universe. Violet’s throat closed up and her entire body heated up from the inside out.

“I uhm…” she stuttered and stumbled, but no proper words came out.

After spending a few days with this new Violet, Carrie had gotten to know this version pretty well, and decided to take over from her. “We were wondering if you’d consider rejoining Sunset Curve if Violet would join the band too?” she asked the jock confidently.

Luke chuckled. “Really? What about Dirty Candy?”

“She can do both,” Carrie replied in Violet’s place as the girl didn’t even dare to look Luke in the eye. For whatever reason that was, Carrie would find out later.

The brunette jock let his eyes glide down the shy girl in front of him. She was going to lead their band? This little tiny mouse over here? He remembered her being more obnoxious and confident, but she was a lot less up close.

“No, thank you,” he said and started jogging away.

“No, thank you? Seriously?!” Carrie’s shrill voice stopped him.

He sighed and turned around again. “Look, Sunset Curve didn’t work out because of your brother. I doubt it will when she joins in. We don’t need no Bubblegum Princess in our non-existing band.”

As Luke walked away, Violet felt herself falling farther and farther away from her own universe. There was no way she was ever going to make it back. There was no way she could ever get that band back together.

“What do we do now?” she asked Carrie. “How are we gonna get them to talk?”

Carrie smiled and wrapped her arm around Violet’s shoulders, guiding her back towards the school building. “The only way Carrie Wilson knows how to,” she said dramatically. Violet looked up to her best friend with questioning eyes. “Throwing a party!”

Carrie entered the garage after their last school day on Friday where her three best friends were waiting for her, impatiently. The blonde girl had promised them she’d get them all Sunset Curve tickets for their gig at the Orpheum that night.

The place where it all began for the boys was the Orpheum. It was where they had their first big showcase and a manager signed them to their label. That night’s show was the most important one to Sunset Curve, coming back after skyrocketing in the charts and around the country for a while.

It was the most important gig to the girls, too. With their tickets, they’d be able to go and see the band live while also setting their whole plan in motion to get Luke to fall in love with Violet.

To say it made Violet a little nervous would be an understatement. Though in her world, she looked like this young woman that oozed confidence, she didn’t quite feel so hot right about now. The Luke from her universe was a bit of a loser. Someone she’d easily wrap around her finger. But this Luke could be completely different and that scared.

“Did you get the tickets?” Julie asked with wide eyes and a nervous, bouncy leg Violet stopped by placing her hand on her knee as she sat next to her on the couch.

Carrie smirked and showed them the four concert tickets in her hand. “Not only that…” she added before showing her other hand, which held four backstage passes. Two girls in front of her squealed and got up from their spots to admire the passes up close.

Violet, however, stayed put and tried to manage a smile. A smile that turned into a grimace before finally disappearing from her face. One that Carrie immediately noticed fading.

“You okay, Vi?” she asked, causing the two other girls to turn to their friend as well.

The girl on the sofa lifted her eyes to meet her friends’. “What– Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

Carrie’s lips pressed together in a thin line as her eyes met Julie’s and Flynn’s. All three of them knew something was off. She wasn’t the confident girl they met days ago. She wasn’t the overly demanding, no-nonsense woman. For a moment, they saw the rawest possible side of Violet. One that reminded them of their Violet.

“You’re gonna be fine, babes,” said Julie and rejoined Violet on the couch, wrapping her arm around the girl’s shoulder.

Violet scoffed. “Of course I am. What makes you think I’m not?” She was trying to feign her confidence, but her friends could see right through her.

“Your face,” Flynn spoke up. Her bottom lip stuck out into a pout whilst she joined the two girls on the sofa, Carrie following her example. “You look like Julie when she has to play in front of a crowd.”

Julie slapped Flynn’s shoulder playfully before Carrie joined into the conversation again. “What’s going on in that pretty mind of yours, Lettie… Maybe we can help?”

Violet wasn’t used to hearing the nickname anymore. It was something her father used to call and she hadn’t seen him in a good few years since her parents got divorced. But if it bothered her, she didn’t show it.

“In my universe, Luke is a loser. He gave up on his biggest dream. He’s still the school’s jock, yes, but people know what happened to him and they pity him. He’s an extremely easy target to wrap around your finger. But this version of him…” she heaved in a deep breath. “I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to wrap him around my finger as easily.”

Flynn lifted her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind Violet’s ear while Julie spoke up. “This one is known as the womanizer of the band,” she said.

Carrie continued, “In every tabloid, on every internet page, he’s seen with a new woman on his arm.”

Violet’s eyebrows furrowed. That didn’t sound like the Luke she knew at all. “I think it’s a publicity stunt but…” Flynn said and shrugged. Violet slowly nodded her head, processing all the information she was given. When Flynn saw this, she nudged Violet’s shoulder. “You’re gonna do great. You’re a charming, attractive woman and, from what I’ve seen so far, pretty confident in your skin.”

The girl smiled, and her friends even noticed a tint of red coloring her cheeks. “You got this,” said Julie with a smile. “You so got this!”

With the girl’s words echoing in Violet’s mind, she went back home and, when she started getting ready that night, she hyped herself up. She listened to Sunset Curve’s albums on repeat to at least know a few of the songs and danced around her bedroom whilst trying on various outfits.

Looking at her own reflection in the mirror, she judged the outfit she was wearing. A light green dress with a flower pattern. She wasn’t normally one to wear flowers, but this looked really cute on her, especially with the black belt she had fastened around her waist. It perfectly showed all her curves and had quite the plunging neckline, which showed the right amount of cleavage to put to use when flirting with Luke.

As the thought of Luke flashed through her mind, she felt the nerves bubble up again. Never in her life had she been this nervous except for the first time she performed for a live audience with Dirty Candy. Or when she was the lead in the musical in seventh grade.

Her train of thought got interrupted before its fatal crash by someone barging into her room, all excited. Violet almost didn’t recognize him until he spoke up. “Vivi, you gotta see this, honey!” her father exclaimed while holding something out to her.

Violet didn’t even bother to look at what was in his hands, she was busy freaking out over the fact that her father, the person she hadn’t seen since he divorced her mom, was in her bedroom.

Trying to keep her cool, Violet swallowed all her pride and smiled. “Looks cool, dad,” she said. “I uhm… I’m getting ready for a night out with the girls, so could you…” she pointed her thumb towards the door.

“A night out?” he asked, his brows furrowed. “You never go on nights out…”

Violet scolded her parallel self for not living her full life here but shrugged her shoulders at her dad dismissively. “It’s a concert. Bobby Wilson’s band is playing the Orpheum tonight and Carrie has tickets.”

“Ah,” her dad said, nodding his head. “Cool. I’ll let you get ready then–” he looked down at her outfit. “That’s a pretty dress, sweetie. It’s been a while since you wore it.” He gave her one last smile before heading out the door and shutting it on his way out.

Violet exhaled a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding before grabbing her phone and calling the first person she could think of over FaceTime. Within seconds, the smiling, blonde haired best friend appeared on the small screen.

“Hey ba–” before she could finish her sentence, Violet cut her off.

“When were you gonna tell me my parents were still together?!” she whisper-shouted to make sure her dad didn’t hear in case he was still in the hallway.

Carrie was taken aback for a moment and blinked rapidly. “Your parents are divorced?” she asked and Violet nodded, remembering the terrible fights and anxious nights when her dad came home drunk for the nth time. She remembered hearing her mother cry in her bedroom and being unable to do anything about it. She had hated her dad for a good while after that. But seeing him here, now, reminded her of the good days they’d had back in the day.

“I’m sorry, Vi,” Carrie said, her usual bright smile turning into a sad frown. “What happened between them?” she asked, curiously. “If you wanna tell me, that is.”

Violet heaved in a deep breath. “It’s been years since it happened, but five years ago, my mom kicked dad out of the house… He’d come home drunk, night after night, and I would hear mom and dad fighting while I was in bed… Mom couldn’t handle it anymore, so she packed his bags for him and kicked him out. They made everything official and we haven’t seen him or heard from him since the divorce.” A tear rolled down Violet’s cheek as she spoke, but she wiped it away quickly and chuckled. “Sometimes, I wonder if he’s even still alive.”

“That’s terrible, Vi, I’m sorry…”

Violet shrugged. “It’s alright. I’ve gotten over it by now… Until I just saw him here.”

“I would’ve told you if I’d known, Violet… I’m sorry.”

The brunette chuckled tearily. “Stop saying sorry, Care. It’s all good. It just took me off guard, that’s all.” Carrie pressed her lips together and tilted her head a little in compassion. “But let’s talk outfits, shall we?” A flash of nostalgia coursed through her as she remembered her and Carrie talked about outfits before she got here.

“What are the options?” Carrie asked, respecting Violet’s wish to drop the previous subject. Violet got up from her bed and placed her phone on the chest of drawers opposite of her bed.

“This dress,” she said and twirled to show the cute dress she was wearing. Carrie hummed, impressed by the outfit, but not entirely convinced just yet. Violet then reached for the clothes she had sprawled across her bed. “Or ripped jeans with a crop top and a cute jacket.” She juggled to hold the three items up to the camera of her phone. “But it’s a pink jacket and pink is your color, so I’m not sure about this one.”

“It’s not my color here?” Carrie suggested. “What else you got?”

“Uhm…” she placed the clothes back on the bed and reached for another one. “This.” She showed a black mesh top with gold stars embroidered on it, along with black skinny jeans.

Carrie gasped. “Did that come out of our Violet’s closet?!” she asked.

“Yup,” Violet nodded. “I found it near the back of the closet. I take it your Violet doesn’t wear it that often?”

“Try at all!” Carrie exclaimed. “Can you try it on for me, please?”

Violet nodded and started unbuckling the belt on her dress.

“You always change in front of cameras?” Carrie asked, giggling, which caused Violet to stop in her tracks with her fingers curling around the hem of the dress.

“Carrie and I always change in front of one another,” she shrugged and pulled the dress over her head, leaving her in just her underwear. She pulled the mesh top over the black bralet she was wearing and squeezed herself into the black skinnies.

“Needs a belt,” Carrie demanded, trying to hide the obvious blush that had crept to her cheeks. Violet nodded in agreement and reached for the belt she had put over the dress before. “Necklaces.”

Obeying her best friend’s demands, Violet browsed through the box of jewellery the other Violet had on the cupboard until finding some gold necklaces that would go well with her outfit.

“Now black ankle boots.”

Violet nodded again and went into the closet to find black velvet boots with the slightest block heel on them. A smile befell her face as she inspected the shoes. These were shoes she would buy and, judging from what she’d heard about the other Violet, something she wouldn’t buy. There had to be a part of her in her parallel self, more than just their appearances.

She quickly put the boots on her feet and showed the outfit to Carrie over FaceTime, earning a gasp the second she walked into frame. “If Luke doesn’t fall for you now, then that boy is blind.”

Violet giggled and sat down on the floor in front of her window, taking her phone with her, so she could talk to Carrie some more. It was the only familiar thing she had and though their dynamic had changed from the one she had with her Carrie. It still felt somewhat normal.

“When are we leaving?” Violet asked when a honk was heard from outside her house. Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked outside to find Julie getting out of a car that was parked in front of Violet’s house. “I guess the answer’s now…” she giggled.

Carrie’s eyes widened. “Julie’s already there?!” she exclaimed and Violet watched as the girl scrambled up from her bed and started rushing through her bedroom.

“I’m gonna let you get ready. See you in a while!” she said but Carrie was too busy to hear, so Violet pressed the red button and took one last glance in the mirror. After fixing a bit of run-out mascara, she grabbed all of her stuff and made her way downstairs where her dad was talking to Julie at the front door.

“Hey Vi,” Julie greeted once her eyes fell on the girl. “Looking good!”

Violet’s dad turned now too and had to blink a few times. “Since when do you have that in your closet?!” he asked and Violet could feel the anger rising within him. She had heard that tone on him enough to know what was going to happen if she didn’t step in.

“I’ve had this for ages, dad,” she grabbed Julie’s hand. “Now, we have to go ‘cause otherwise, we’ll be late.” She dragged the Latina girl out the door at a speed where she could just about say goodbye to Mister Dawson before he was completely out of earshot.

Once the girls were safely in Mister Molina’s gray Subaru Outback, Violet could finally breathe properly. Seeing her father again had her a little on edge, she couldn’t lie about that but she had to play it cool.

“You girls ready?” Mister Molina questioned, looking back at the girl in his backseat and the girl next to him. The two nodded excitedly before the man started the car again and drove off to go and pick up Carrie and Flynn.

The closer they got to the Orpheum, the more scared Violet got. It had gotten to the point where her outfit didn’t feel right anymore and she felt like her makeup had already melted off. This plan wasn’t going to go the way they wanted and Violet knew this. Something was going to go wrong.

“We’re here,” Ray said in a sing-song voice as he stopped the car. “I’m picking you girls up when it’s over, yeah? Julie, keep your phone close and your friends closer, okay?”

“Yes, dad,” Julie replied with an eye roll before planting a kiss to her father’s cheek and getting out of the car with the girls.

The wait in line was agonizing. So agonizing that Violet didn’t even participate in the excited conversation the girls were having about this concert. They clearly looked forward to it more than Violet did. But that might have been because their life didn’t depend on it.

“You got this,” Julie mumbled in Violet’s ear as her fingers laced through hers in an attempt to calm the girl’s nerves as they waited at the front row for the boys to get on the stage.

Violet had barely noticed that they had gotten to the front. Everything felt so hazy and unreal, like all of this was just a dream. But then the lights turned out and bright flashes lit up the stage as a guitar riff zoomed through the venue’s speakers.

Soon thereafter, Luke’s voice followed the sound of the drums, guitars and bass, and the entire crowd went completely insane as they sang along and danced around to the music the boys were creating on the stage.

“Take off Last stop Countdown till we blast open the top”

“Face first Full charge Electric hammer to the heart”

“Clocks move forward But we don't get older, no Kept on climbing Till our stars collided”

“And all the times we fell behind Were just the keys to paradise”

This was, thankfully, the one song Violet had had on repeat while she was getting ready and so, she knew the lyrics to the chorus. Softly, she sang along with Luke while keeping her eyes on all four of the boys.

“Don't look down 'Cause we're still rising Up right now And even if we Hit the ground We'll still fly Keep dreaming like we'll live forever But live it like it's now or never”

The more songs they sang, the looser Violet became and the less nervous, too. Though she had never thought she was ever going to see these boys on a stage together, she felt a sense of pride rushing through her. She was proud of Bobby, mostly, since she had the closest bond with him. In her universe, she had never seen him this confident, this happy while being in the center of attention. For the first time in knowing Bobby, she actually found him a little attractive, but she would never tell him that. Or Carrie, for that matter.

“Okay,” Luke panted into the microphone as they finished playing In Your Starlight, one of Violet’s new favorite songs. “We have one last song for you guys before we head out. This is a new one that will soon be released as a single for our next album…” The crowd cheered loudly for him and the chuckle that echoed through the venue did something to Violet that she couldn’t quite place. “This is called Livin’ on a High Wire.” Luke stepped back from the microphone and played a sick guitar riff whilst Bobby walked behind the keyboard to his left.

Alex joined in with his drums at the same time Bobby’s voice floated through the speakers.

“Listen up This is the story on how we lived The glory of what we did It started when we were kids With music up in our heads We said”

Violet’s eyes were wide and her jaw dropped when she heard Bobby rap the verse. Bobby Wilson could rap and she had no clue. As quickly as she got surprised by this new revelation, Luke’s voice woke her up and did something to her insides.

“I've been out on the edge Breathin' a little bit of fresh air Big dreams, I took a chance Held out for everything I got here I've been feeling this life's a circus Hanging on without a fear”

Reggie and Alex joined in on the chorus, bringing the whole thing together and the whole crowd jumping to this song they didn’t know quite yet.

“Livin' on a high wire Runnin' through a wildfire You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere Walking on a tight rope No net, high hopes Step back, I'm gonna make it over”

“Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire”

Then, Bobby came in again with his rapping. This whole show had been slapping Violet with surprises left, right and center. Never did she think she would actually enjoy watching a concert by a band that didn’t even exist in her world anymore.

“This is the story on how we lived The glory of what we did It started when we were kids With music up in our heads We said”

Luke took his turn again when his eyes landed on the girl in the front row. She wasn’t quite moving, just her head flicking back and forth from him to Bobby and back. Sometimes, her eyes would land on Reggie, but most times, they were on him or Bobby. He smiled and his confidence got fuelled.

“Big top, turning round, no clowns I'm running as I hit the ground Front row, big show sold out So I'm ready for the crowd roar, let's go I've been feeling this life's a circus Hanging on without a fear”

“Livin' on a high wire Runnin' through a wildfire You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere Walking on a tight rope No net, high hopes Step back, I'm gonna make it over”

By now, the crowd knew the words to the post-chorus and everyone sang along with them. Everyone except Violet. She had no clue what to do. Her nerves about the whole plan had vanished, but she was overwhelmed with all the things happening on the stage.

“Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire”

Bobby grabbed the microphone from its stand as he stopped playing the keyboard and instead, moved towards the edge of the stage where his sister and friends were standing. He rapped the bridge like an absolute pro.

“When it comes to the beat Seeing that the heads are moving Move off your seat Achievement is what we're really doing Freedom of speech I'm in it just to win it I'm springin' and I can see it In the end that you can be it 'Cause it's patience, it's statements Famous greatness Movin' 'til you make it through And maybe you can make it too”

Bobby returned to his keyboard whilst Luke moved towards Reggie. Together and in the same microphone, Luke and Reggie sang the chorus with just Bobby playing on his keyboard.

“Livin' on a high wire You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere Walking on a tight rope”

Alex joined back in with the drums, as did Luke and Reggie on their instruments while Luke retreated to his own microphone.

“No net, high hopes Step back, I'm gonna make it over”

Reggie’s high note echoed through Violet’s bones as the other three continued singing the post-chorus with the crowd backing them up ear-piercingly loud.

“Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Yeah, yeah Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire”

The last notes floated through the space before the audience burst into loud applause. Violet was stumped. She didn’t know what to do. She was so overwhelmed with everything that had happened in front of her. From hearing Now or Never to the new song just now, she felt an immense sense of pride and attraction to both Luke and Bobby. She didn’t know what to do with all of that information.

“Thank you, LA! We’ve been Sunset Curve!” Luke yelled into the microphone and stole another glance at the girl in the front row. She was still overwhelmed and didn’t move a muscle. Not even when her friends tried to shake her out of it. He chuckled as he noticed Carrie and Julie as one of her friends trying to bring the girl back with both feet to the ground.

As he took a step towards the wings, he took another glance and then it dawned on him. He knew that girl from somewhere but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it from where.

“Did you see that?!” Flynn yelled as the lights turned back on and the post-concert adrenaline buzzed through the venue. Her hands clasped at Violet’s arm, squeezing it in excitement. “Luke couldn’t keep his eyes off you!”

Violet scoffed. “He probably just thought what a complete weirdo I was, staring up at them in utter shock of how good they actually are.” She involuntarily rolled her eyes at her own behavior. It felt weird. Feeling proud of those boys up there. Feeling attracted to someone she just saw as a brother. It all felt weird.

“Let’s go say hi!” Carrie squeaked and pulled at Violet’s hand towards the side entrance that led to the backstage area. The nerves she felt beforehand came bubbling back and she could feel herself pulling back from Carrie.

Violet usually never felt this nervous. For nothing. She could perform in front of a good hundred people but meeting this one boy? That was just too much to handle for her.

The girls approached the band as they returned their instruments to the tech guys and excitedly chatted about the gig they had just done flawlessly. While Carrie’s smile widened, Violet’s nerves grew until they settled in her stomach and she felt like hurling.

“Hey guys!” Carrie greeted with a smile and immediately went to hug her brother.

“Aaah! Little Wilson!” Alex exclaimed excitedly before hugging the blonde girl as well.

Bobby looked at Violet while his sister went to hug the others. “Hey Violet,” he said, capturing the nervous girl’s attention. “Long time no see.”

Violet managed a smile and a deep breath in to gather all her courage. “Hey Bobbers,” she greeted and wrapped her arms around him as well since Julie and Flynn were hugging the others too. It must be a thing they did…

“Bobbers?” Bobby chuckled. “You haven’t called me Bobbers in ages. Are you okay?” he joked as they pulled away.

Violet’s mouth opened and closed as she thought of something to say but nothing came out. Thankfully, Carrie was confident and herself enough to jump in and save her. “She was just feeling nostalgic, bro. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you.”

The girls exchanged a quick smile before Reggie interrupted their conversation. “You’ve changed your style, Violet,” he pointed out. “I quite like it. It’s more rock-chick.”

A heat surged to her cheeks as she looked down at the outfit she had chosen and wondered how much different the other Violet dressed. Judging from everything she’s heard, it was very different.

“That’s why I didn’t recognize you...” Luke mumbled, the epiphany causing his lips to curl up into a smile. “Y-you look great, Dawson.” If Violet didn’t know any better, she’d say he was a bit flustered. The thought of getting Luke Patterson all flustered gave her at least a tiny boost in her confidence.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to, ya big rockstar,” Violet said sassily and flicked her hair over her shoulder. The confidence dripped from her lips and body, and her friends could all see it. The three of them exchanged glances before Carrie took the lead.

“You big rockstars got some time for common folk like us? Maybe we could get some food at Chubbie’s?” she suggested with her always charming smile. The boys exchanged glances, silently agreeing to go ahead with this suggestion.

“We do wanna get a shower first,” Alex then said, “But we’ll meet you at Chubbie’s in a few, yeah?” The girls nodded and each group turned another direction. Flynn and Julie wrapped an arm around Violet while Carrie wrapped hers around Julie.

Giggling, Flynn whisper-shouted, “And now we know the real reason why Luke couldn’t keep his eyes off you!”

“And that is?” Violet asked, though her cheeks already tinted pink. She knew the answer to this one, she just didn’t believe it.

Her three friends let out a loud laugh. “Because he thinks you’re hot, of course!” Julie cackled. “Rightfully so!” Violet’s cheeks felt as hot as the sun as her friends giggled at the fact that a boy was into their friend. Their plan was working.

The girls had taken a booth at the back of the diner, far away from any prying customers that might recognize the boys, who arrived about a milkshake and a half later.

Luke and Alex squeezed in with Flynn and Julie while Reggie and Bobby slid into the booth on Violet’s and Carrie’s side. Of course they made it so Luke and Violet were as close to each other as possible.

As the conversation flowed from life on the road to life in Los Feliz, Violet couldn’t help but notice Luke’s stares and glances. Not for one second could Luke take his eyes off of the girl. They were glued to her. But it didn’t make her that nervous anymore. Instead, it fuelled her confidence. Their plan was actually working.

“So, Violet,” Luke started when the laughter about something Flynn had said to Reggie died down. “What do you do in life?” he asked and all four girls let out a collective “uhm”.

“Well….” Violet dug through her brain to find something that sounded enough like their Violet to be true while still sounding remotely cool. “I’ve been… Working on a lot of music and, you know… going to school and stuff.”

While the boys looked at her with interest, the girls gave her cautious looks, hoping that, whatever came out of that girl’s mouth, would make sense for their Violet and didn’t give away that she might not be the Violet they used to know.

“We wouldn’t know,” Reggie responded and lifted his arm to rest on the back of the couch, behind Violet’s head. “We dropped out of school,” he whispered in her ear with a smirk on his face.

Violet wasn’t used to this behavior from Reggie. In her universe, Reggie was the dorky one. He was sweet and kind and kind of clumsy and not the brightest tool in the shed. He was the himbo-est of himbos. Not this confident, flirty dude that tactically placed his arm behind a girl's head.

“But you’re into making music?” Luke asked, completely dismissing Reggie’s flirty behavior. Violet nodded her head as she sipped from her strawberry milkshake. “I would love to see some of your work…. Maybe we could get together sometime?”

Violet nearly choked on her milkshake, but quickly recovered herself and wiped the splash of milkshake from her lip, making sure Luke noticed the action. “Yeah, who knows… Maybe… If you’re not too busy with your rockstar life, that is.”

The others around them stared at the two as though they had just said something insanely controversial. Jaws were dropped and eyes were either wide or narrowed in suspicion.

Before anyone could say anything, Julie’s phone ringing cut any of those possibilities away. Though each of them would like to know what was going on between the two of them. Luke was being more flirty than ever and Violet was more confident than ever before. Something didn’t quite add up here.

“Yeah, we’re at Chubbie’s, dad,” Julie said into her phone. “Okay! Yeah, see ya in a bit!” The girl hung up the phone and looked up at the group. “Dad’s gonna be here in a few minutes,” she informed them.

“I’m gonna go for a wee, then,” Carrie announced and Violet, Reggie and Bobby all stood up so the girl could slide out. Before Violet could take a seat again, Carrie grabbed her by the wrist. “You’re coming with me.”

“Okay,” Violet mumbled and let her best friend lead her towards the restrooms. “What’s this all about?” she asked.

“I need a wee,” Carrie told her and disappeared into one of the stalls. “But also, what was that between you and Luke?!”

Violet shrugged before turning to the mirror. She fixed her hair and a bit of her run-out lipstick whilst speaking. “I’m playing hard-to-get… Kinda? I guess?”

“You think that’s gonna work?”

“It seems to be working. Didn’t you see the way he looked at me? He’s into me, I think.”

Carrie flushed and exited the stall, looking straight into Violet’s eyes. “And are you?”

“No,” Violet defended. “It’s all for the plan.”

The blonde girl heaved in a deep breath and started washing her hands. “I hope it is. I don’t wanna see you hurt again.” Violet’s brow furrowed, but figured it had probably something to do with the universe-thing and decided not to ask about it. Instead, she followed Carrie out the door after she had washed and dried her hands.

When the girls returned to the booth, Flynn and Julie were already climbing out of the booth, along with the boys. Ray had probably already arrived at the diner and they were just waiting for them.

“You’re coming home tonight?” Carrie asked her brother as he took her in for a hug.

He hummed. “Yep. For a few weeks, at least.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, breaking away from her. “But I gotta help get the equipment back in the rehearsal studio first. So, I might be late.”

Carrie nodded her head in understanding before saying goodbye to the other boys. The other three girls did the same and as Julie and Flynn followed behind Carrie, Luke held Violet back for a moment.

“Don’t be a stranger, yeah?” he licked his lips and let his eyes fall down to her mouth. “You can take me up on that offer to work on some music together…”

Violet smiled and nodded her head. “Sure,” she said and teasingly let her eyesight fall on Luke’s lips before turning around and running after the other girls. This was going to be a whole new adventure and all Violet wanted to know was how it was going to end. For her. For the boys and her friends. But mostly, with Luke.

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#parallels #jatp #luke patterson #oc! violet grace dawson

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carnelianns · 5 years ago

Note

You’re such a good writer I’m so happy I found your blog!!! Hope youre safe during this quarantine. May I request ★ ⚚ and♩ for Nobu? Sirius and Jean too if it’s alright >.< Thank you!

ure too kind :(( hope u stay safe too, anon!

★ - sad headcanon

Nobunaga Oda

The man’s happy enough as is, with you by his side on his journey to rule the world, so not much can make him sad — he doesn’t enjoy dwelling on the past.

Sometimes, it just can’t be helped, though. When he’s feeling particularly blue, he’s noticeably more quiet, often staying cooped up in his chambers, staring wistfully at the sky if his presence isn’t needed elsewhere.

Whenever this happens, make sure to wrap your arms around his waist, pressing light kisses across his back to remind him that you’re here, you’re alive, and you love him. He might quip back with some suggestive line such as, “Is that an invitation, fireball?” though those words are hollow;

He’d much rather feel your warmth than do anything else at that moment.

Sirius Oswald

Sirius would definitely choose to care more for others than for himself, often leaving him no time to sort out his emotions, especially when he’s sad.

The burden of all the responsibilities he chooses to shoulder saddled with the hollow feeling in his chest only causes him to be a bit more languid than usual, and more often than not, you’d hear him sighing a lot whenever he’s feeling down.

You’d have to physically pull him away towards the comforts of his room for him to rest, not taking “no” for an answer. And, before he knows it, he gives one last sigh before crumbling down into your embrace.

“Sirius, don’t bottle up your feelings, yeah? It’ll only be worse like that,” you frown at the man in your arms whose head is currently buried into the crook of your neck. He can only nod.

You two stay unmoving with your arms wrapped around Sirius for hours on end, though it pays off when his silence is exchanged with little snores, only causing you to chuckle.

Jean d’Arc

It’s no secret that Jean has his fair share of angst and sadness behind his guarded mask, so a sad Jean would keep himself locked away until he learns how to temporarily forget his gloom.

Whenever he disappears once more, your best bet is to check either his room, the balcony, or the training room. He busies himself with whatever he can, by sparring, staring at the moonlight, or simply laying in bed, under his blanket and hands pressed to his ears.

Your presence is enough to calm him down. Even if you’re writing away in your journal, or dozing off in a comfy seat, simply being in the same room as him and in his sight is enough for Jean.

“Mademoiselle…” You hear a familiar voice, unable to keep the slightly shocked smile off your face as you turn towards the man who’s gone missing practically the entire day.

“Jean! Do you need anything?”

Gaze averted, his mouth opens and snaps shut multiple times, a flurry of unease and regret and everything in between swimming in his violet eyes before he finally manages, “Would you mind... keeping me company for a while..?”

You promptly drop everything to accompany him back to his room, doing nothing but humming soft tunes and running fingers through the raven locks of the man resting in your lap.

♩ - music headcanon

Nobunaga Oda

He’s very open-minded, listening to all genres before settling on something he actually enjoys.

The type of person to listen to only one artist that he thoroughly enjoys, which would probably be a singer who’s done just about any genre possible, such as The Beatles.

Nobunaga, sadly, is also the type of person to have one, huge playlist of all the songs he likes. Your ears would be enjoying a cute, little James Bay original before suddenly being harassed by Black Veil Brides or the likes.

Sirius Oswald

Sirius would enjoy mellow tunes more than anything. Music he could simultaneously listen and work to, keeping him in a tranquil mood the whole day.

He isn’t very mainstream — not on purpose; it’s simply hard to find artists with the exact melodies he wishes for — and the most popular artist he listens to would probably be either Joji or NIKI.

Super into slow dance music; James Arthur mixed with some old Ed Sheeran, songs he enjoys swaying to with you. If he’s in a particularly chirpy mood, you’d hear some nostalgic Nat King Coles and Ella Fitzgeralds in there.

Jean d’Arc

He’s technically only 19 so, when introduced to music, the angsty teen definitely had an emo phase. A lot of Fall Out Boy (which he still listens to) and Panic! At the Disco, a bit of Paramore here and there as well.

Once he gets past this phase, however, he’s all about those soft acoustic tunes, even preferring the acoustic version of songs rather than its normal version — he isn’t particularly inclined to listen to Justin Bieber, but if you put a cover of “2U” or “Sorry” on, he’d actually enjoy it.

Jean has a godly sleep playlist, stemming from his inability to fall asleep. A lot of covers are on there, though incomparable to all the piano pieces he’s added. He'd rather die than admit Moonlight Sonata puts him to sleep as well.

⚚ - fear headcanon

Nobunaga Oda

Nobunaga isn’t very fearful — in fact, you’re unsure just what causes your lover to even do so much as shudder.

You find your answer one night when you wake up to a restless Nobunaga, muttering and murmuring in his sleep as a cold sweat breaks out upon his face. Your tries at waking him up all fail, and he awakes by himself, eyes shooting wide open and breath uneven.

Before you can even ask what’s wrong, his rough, calloused hands are already cradling your face, staring into your eyes with such intensity that you can’t bear to look away. The look in those tawny eyes was far too haunted, too heartbreaking for you to break his gaze.

“... If you disappear on me, every second of my life after that moment will be meaningless,” he murmurs, tone firm against his feather-like touches against your face. “So please.. do not leave me.”

You reassure him that you have no plans to. His grip on your waist seems a bit tighter that night.

Nobunaga Oda’s one true fear is losing you, the one he swore his life to, the only one he’d allow himself to fall for in each and every lifetime he could possibly live.

Sirius Oswald

When you asked him what he feared of, Sirius blinked at your sudden question, before proceeding to list events you’re sure have already happened.

Fenrir and Ray fighting too hard... Luka running away... Seth and Fenrir setting the kitchen on fire... Ray flooding the Quarters with cats... Seth and Fenrir setting the Quarters on fire... Seth and Fenrir...

“Okay, so you’re basically afraid of Seth and Fenrir?”

His eyes widen for a moment, thoughts swirling in his head before he finally nods. “Huh. I guess you’re right.”

"Sirius... you’re such a dad, you old man.” Shaking your head, you manage an amused eyeroll.

Narrowing his eyes, he suddenly hoists you up into his arms, a smirk on his face as you squeak. “Can you say that again, little lady? I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch it.”

He’s big on the scoldings, if you haven’t noticed.

Jean d’Arc

The French warrior doesn’t have many fears, though you see the way his eyes widen infinitesimally when he sees flames, the way his jaw clenches ever-so slightly at the mention of fire.

He’s not so fearful of it that he avoids fire completely, but you can sense the unease radiating off of his stiffer-than-usual form whenever exposed to such heat.

The topic had come up in a conversation between you two one day and, sensing your unease, Jean decides to crack a joke, smiling slightly.

“However, if I were to pick between flames and Le Comte, I would pick the latter.”

You blink, before bursting out into laughter. “I think he’d be happy. That almost sounds like a compliment.”

Jean stills, conjuring up an image of the man, eyes bright and tone jovial. “... I take it back.” He’s joking. You hope.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikemen sengoku #ikesen #ikemen revolution #ikerev #ikevamp x reader #ikesen x reader #ikerev x reader #nobunaga oda #sirius oswald #jean d’arc #headcanons #200 followers

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twisted-nox-sidus · 5 years ago

Note

Hello there, I’ve just read your headcannon of Strix trolling the Octavinelle trio. LOL. Thank you for the laughs. Since April fool’s day is coming. If you have the time, can you do a scenario where Strix trolls the other dorms with the help of her dream eaters. If you can include Malleus, it’s okay. If not, I understand. Thank you and stay safe.

Anon continued: Hi there, during my previous post, I was asking whether or not Malleus would join Strix’s trolling in trolling the other dorms since April Fools is coming. Oh! I almost forgot, can Grim and Lilia join with Strix in trolling. Thank you and have a good day or night.

Oof, doing six other dorms is a lot in one post, so I’ll keep things condensed, hence the headcanon format (sorry if you really wanted a scenario version!). I see Malleus and Lilia as types to watch for entertainment than directly take part in it. Strix left Grim out of her plans since he himself is chaotic already. It was time for her to assume the lead and let it out, at least for the day.

It’s come to my attention that I like doing headcanons of Strix and her dream eaters, so I plan on doing more headcanons/scenarios involving the pesky but cute spirits. They don’t stop here so look forward to it! Happy April Fool’s~

Heartslabyul

Heartslabyul could handle strange things more so than any other dorms. Just not anything against the crimson tyrant’s 810 rules.

“WHO PAINTED THE ROSE MAZE BLUE?!!!”

Riddle’s face fumes as red as his hair. Not a single trace of red is found! There was only blue as far as the eye can see.

Deuce, Trey, and Cater were rendered speechless by the sight. Just...wow. They’re not even dreading the culprit’s fate at Riddle’s mercy; instead they’re impressed with the feat. Such commitment!

Meanwhile Ace was resisting from bursting in a fit of laughter. That madwoman actually did it! She even casually remarked about doing such a feat but no one had paid her words seriously. Bravo! Bra-freaking-vo!

Ah, speaking of...

“You have a lot of nerve showing your face, Strix! You must be begging for your head to roll! This is defying the Queen of Hearts herself! Repaint every single rose -by yourself- until all is red!”

“Sheesh, let’s not get a rage stroke. You’re still so young...” Strix nonchalantly yawns. “I wanted to surprise you so I spent the whole night painting every rose blue. Of course, I had a helping hand with me.”

She vaguely gestured to the dream spirit hiding behind her leg. Me Me Bunny’s ears act as another pair of hands, and this cutie is quite dextrous; it also knows “bun fu”.

“Oh you surprised me all right. [Surprise] is only an understatement!”

A sigh. “You don’t get it, Riddle. Think of it this way. Blue makes the red stand out. Then the only red rose we’ll see...is you, my queen.”

She leans forward to slip a strand of Riddle’s velvet red locks between her fingers and graze her lips on them. Her half-lidded bright blue eyes gaze into his steel gray pair. Perhaps she was still under the drowsy spell to comprehend what she was doing, though a part of her was knowingly teasing.

Riddle stared wide-eyed. His cheeks flushed in a different meaning this time.

She pulls back to give space and turns the other way.

“Plus, contrary to your words, I think you actually like my surprise. It’s certainly not boring. And it’ll only be for today.”

Strix flashed a lazy grin his way.

“Happy April Fool’s~”

Savanaclaw

Strix’s dream eaters are quirky, adorable, and colorful spirits. Jack often questions their capabilities. What can little prey do to the brawny hotheads of Savanaclaw?

A lot.

One day Strix was on patrol. Jack had been keeping an eye as she works part-time as the “cleaner” of Savanaclaw. Just how much power can she draw from these familiars? It was a test for Strix to see if she can meet the standards of a respectable magician in this academy.

Meanwhile Ruggie anticipates something interesting will happen. Strix’s dream eaters are an enigmatic force to reckon with. He himself certainly doesn’t plan on confronting them since that’s not what he signed up for as vice dorm leader.

The hyena snickered his trademark laugh. What mayhem will the prefect student do?

Strix had to break up a fight for the nth time this week. Things happened, and one of the students said something that forced Strix to deal her hand.

Instead of commanding her eagle and hawk to attack, she summoned a single chubby cat/dog hybrid with stubby legs. It doesn’t look like a clever beast.

Aww, look at it roll around and paw at air for affection while its pink tongue stuck out. They’re going to die of cuteness.

Strix blankly stared ahead. “Meow Wow... Balloon.”

Said spirit stood on all four legs and stopped wagging. Every onlooker watched as it inflated in size. It continued to grow and grow until no one could see the light of day. It was then everyone thought it’d be wise to run from immediate vicinity.

However it was too late when Meow Wow deflated in puffy smoke and sparkles, drowning its victims along with the plume of clouds.

Jack and Ruggie watched from a platform above where they could see the area in action.

“Magic familiar tamers have unique strengths...” Was what Jack concluded. A hawk and eagle’s cries pierce the sky.

Ruggie rubbed the back of his head. “Let’s be real; in this world, birds are a real hassle. As long as you don’t make an enemy of them...”

Strix was already gone by the time Meow Wow inflated. Her eagle dream spirit now willingly massive in size acted as her glider and transporter. Strix’s body dangled as she clung tightly to her Eaglider’s talons until it settled her on the balcony of a dorm room. Eaglider flew to patrol elsewhere alongside Halbird, the hawk dream eater.

Sitting on a chair was Leona playing with a chess piece in his hand. A chessboard was already set up on the table, the black side facing him.

“Enjoying your job, aren’t you.”

Strix allowed a sheepish smirk. She’s not exactly proud to engage in cleaning up people’s messes, but there’s the thrill she finds in it. “To be honest, yeah. I think I might be a sadist at this point...” She mumbled under her breath and continued, “Sorry for the wait. Let’s start.”

Scarabia

“Jamil, a rainbow fish is swimming through the skies!”

“Nonsense. There are no aquatic animals in Scarabia. You probably just saw a magic carpet.”

“Then how come no one told me magic carpets can shoot lasers??”

Before Jamil can decipher whatever the hell Kalim meant by that, the sapphire blue skies turned murky. No, that wasn’t the work of clouds.

To everyone’s bewilderment, they bared witness to a school of colorful fish roaming freely through the air and above the whole dormitory aimlessly.

Lasers shoot from their mouths and make contact with the other to cause sparks to erupt in colorful fireworks. So that’s the laser part...

Kalim’s eyes sparkled. “It’s like the aquariums at Octavinelle, but airborne! *gasp* I just got a great idea for the next party!”

“For the nth time Kalim no more parties this month!”

*whistle* “Fin Fatale’s actually enjoying this. Who’d knew?”

The two boys turn to see Strix approaching them causally.

Strix grinned. “Bet you don’t see this in Scarabia often.”

Pomefiore

Pomefiore students have a tendency to look into a mirror at almost any given opportunity. They recognize every detail of their their highly bestowed beauty, lest they would fail to maintain perfection.

Imagine their surprise when a carbon copy of themselves suddenly replaces their reflection, except in a horrendous eye-burning color palette that screams “clown”

Turns out the copy really is a clown creature with a large tongue. Jestabocky simply loves to prank people at the expense of their reactions, and it took a liking to Pomefiore students.

Strix giggled in amusement, much to Vil’s chagrin. Standing next to the man was a Vil duplicate, except in that hideous orange carrot and lemon yellow palette that made his eyes want to bleed. Of course no one could ever compare to the original, especially a circus mimic at that.

Rook was examining his blood red and ice blue carbon copy. What a refreshing change of pace! “Your dream eaters never cease to amaze, little owl.” “Don’t hunt them for sport though!”

Epel was staring at his clone awkwardly. Cotton candy hair and yellow eyes are an odd combination. And would it stop grinning uncharacteristically like that? It’s freaky.

Strix looks beside her. Teal green hair, violet eyes, and an orange to yellow uniform color scheme. It’s horrendous, but that’s where the fun lies. Her dream eaters don’t know the meaning of color coordination.

Ignihyde

Strix thinks a surprise here and there in the shut-in dorm leader’s life ought to keep him on his toes. She knows how much Ortho wants him to come out his room, and so she’ll deliver just that.

Idia recieved an alert message as he was browsing the net. A window pops up displaying the security camera footage across the entire Ignihyde dorm.

To his horror, rainbows invaded the cameras everywhere he looked. In each one there was a massive bipedal colorful panda doing something to the students behind the screen. One was lifting a student to the air, another swinging and cradling, and others generally giving bear hugs to any soul -dead or living- that enter their vision.

Though the pandas are harmless and students are unharmed (some seem to enjoy it while others are bewildered in shock), Idia was quaking in his chair. If he walks out the room he’ll be crushed by the pandas’ mercy! (And by rainbows and cuteness!)

He zoomed in one of the footages. A Kooma Panda held a sign directly to the camera.

[YOU’RE NEXT]

This is nightmare fuel! Nightmares, he tells you!

Just as he spun around to hide and cower in the safety of his blankets, he had failed to notice the looming shadow over his flaming head prior to this very moment.

There was the same panda. In his bedroom. Staring right into his soul.

It smiled. (I reread this part and lowkey I realized I was writing a FNaF fanfic for a moment wut)

Idia wheezed. How did it get here?! Was it capable of teleporting?!

The shut-in had never ran for the door to the outside world with such eagerness in his life up to now. He slammed the door open and was about to hit the breeze when suddenly he recognized Strix standing right in front of him.

He practically tackled the poor girl (oof). Just when he dreads the contact with the floor, he felt something bouncy push them off. And then the same bouncing source came from behind. Now he’s squeezed between something.

The world spun in his eyes. Light-hearted laughter snapped him out of his trance. His soul actually came close to leaving him the moment Strix’s face registered in his vision. So close!

Two Kooma Pandas were hugging and nuzzling the two in a human-dream eater sandwich. Awww.

From the sidelines, Ortho watched in awe. That’s one way to bring his big bro out of the room. He eagerly joins in the hug fest with Strix and an all-too drained Idia.

Strix giggled and wrapped her arms around Idia and the panda behind him. She was clearly enjoying this. “Happy April Fools~”

Diasomnia

First things first: Strix can’t fool two all mighty and powerful faeries. Instead, she’ll entertain them like she and her dream eaters have always done. After all, boredom is their kind’s biggest enemy.

One day, Diasomnia students were walking down the halls when they notice a colorful bat creature hanging upside down from the ceiling, innocently watching people pass by.

There was one Komory Bat. The next door over there are two. The door after that door appeared three. In front of the dorm gate there may or may not be a bat perched to greet students in and out.

In the library, students are surprised when they’re greeted by the librarian aid...who was working upside down and levitating with gravity magic.

Strix casually acts as though it was natural. When she had to move away from the counter she continued walking upside down on the ceiling. If the ceiling was too high she’d float over just above people’s heads, and address when needed.

Strix likes to mess with Sebek by doing a “handstand” on his broad shoulders while talking to Silver. Sebek would shoo her off and when he does, Strix still pesters him by floating with a mocking haughtiness behind the way she rocks back and forth while grinning mischievously. The sight is hilarious, much to Sebek’s chagrin.

She can see why Lilia likes doing this. By the end of the day though, that’s enough walking on ceilings for the year.

Strix greets Malleus at eye level. “How’d you like it? Not boring, right?”

The horned fae chuckled. The glimmer of accomplishment in her stunning blue eyes amuses him the most. Like a child who proudly boasts their little achievements to appeal to their parents. It was adorable. “Certainly.”

#twisted wonderland #my post #strix noctowl #anon #headcanon asks #diasomnia #heartslabyul #savanaclaw #ignihyde #pomefiore #scarabia #dream eater spirits

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whitherliliesbloom · 5 years ago

Text

what a queen must be ♔

Like leaves on the boughs, are her subjects to the queen. And like roots to a tree, a queen must be... Words: 6,521 words. This is a long read, grab a drink ;w;

[[ So quick note before starting.. This is obviously a fairy au fanfic, and it has quite a few cameos of other people’s characters who are involved in the fairy kingdom au ;w; I couldn’t quite find a way to fit everyone in though, so please don’t be upset if your oc isn’t included. It’s kind of hard to find ways to squeeze everyone into this. It also contains a lot of lore both from my own fanfics, as well as bits and pieces from other people’s fairy headcanons to make one big story..

The fairy au masterlist is here! It’s highly recommended that you at least read my fanfic about illya’s backstory here first to get the context of this whole fanfic. Other highly recommended reads is @windupnamazu‘s headcanons for Lunya for section 2, @ofthesilverlining‘s heaadcanons for Laurelis, @firstblesssed‘s fanfic for section 3 and sort of @earthlystar‘s headcanons for Yume regarding the impending war between humans and fae referenced in section 4. Though in general I tried to keep the story and lore here consistent with everyone’s headcanons.. no guarantees, because there may be some contradictions ;w; ]]

➤ A queen must always be smiling

“’Tis a rare sight to see the palace so crowded.”

A guard in a fiery red robe paces about the room, eyes scanning the many other dress and suit clad fairies as they made merry conversation with one another. Ambrosia was served - a delicacy even by royalty standards.. and a rare sight especially after the catastrophic age of mortals. And yet she dared not partake in the drink herself - such was Yume’s tendency to take her job overly seriously.

A hand placed upon her shoulder causes her to flinch for but a moment, but she relaxes upon seeing the smiling face of a forest nymph, her usual brown leather suit traded for a much more fitting leafy green dress.

“You needn’t pace about so much, Yume! Here, eat!”

A neon pink mini cake covered in sprinkle was thrust forward towards the fire fairy’s lips, who could do naught but sigh and take a bite out of the sweet treat, much to Laurelis’ delight.

She turns to her side, where the snow fairies were huddled close by, a certain scale covered one in particular with her arms folded over her chest in uncertainty.

“You too, Shuri, Mint! Eat something before you return to the mountains!”

The shorter of the pair was far more eager to accept the cake Laurelis had offered her, her companion merely furrowing her brows and shaking her head.

“I come only at the behest of my new queen.”

“And the queen wouldn’t like for one to mope about during a party now, would she?” With arms crossed, the forest nymph pouts, and the snow mother casts a frown downwards on the floor.

“I suppose not.”

Delighted to have gotten her way, Laurelis hands the fairy of ice yet another palm sized pastry.

She wasn’t lying when she said that the queen wouldn’t want for her subjects to be moping or upset during such a celebratory event - a celebration of her coronation, no less.

Many a fae invited to the palace were more than delighted at the news of the previous Titania’s dismissal - a foolish king who allowed for the desecration of their once thriving kingdom. And while there was no one else but the king’s very own daughter to take up the throne in his stead, the fae were always of the belief that everyone was more than their ancestor’s blood.

They lived in the here and the now - and in the present they were ready to welcome the newly crowned Titania who shall deliver them from the mistakes of the previous.

It was nothing if not a joyous occasion.

And yet the smile Laurelis’ wore upon her face was in itself a huge hypocrisy.

“Look, there’s Illya!” Mint announces, shortly before the advisor of Titania even does, and all who were present in the room knew to bow upon one knee, looking towards the large pair of doors that opened for the queen’s grand entrance.

The room is silent, save for the telltale fluttering of large translucent purple wings. Small in stature though she was, the glowing staff that she held in her hand, the crown upon her head and the very glittering, flowing dress she wore was more than enough for all fae folk to set her apart as royalty.

While most looked in awe upon the queen’s visage as she hovered over the room, Laurelis could not help but feel the corners of her lips threaten to tug downwards into a frown.

“Welcome, one and all!” Her soft voice calls out, shaking in tone. The bright smile upon her face glows, and she continues to speak against the restraints of her timid vocal cords, natural to all but those who knew the girl beneath the crown well enough. “I bid you welcome, and thank you kindly for your attendance to this banquet. I hope you enjoy the food and beverages we have served here tonight!”

With a wave of a hand, the queen gestures for all to rise to their feet, smile never once wavering.

Chatter returns to the room once more, accompanied by Mint’s enthusiastic claps.

“I would have thought she’d be more nervous about speaking in public, but she’s holding herself well!”

There weren’t too many fae in the kingdom who knew Titania by name, let alone the person who was but a mere princess before her coronation. All who did nodded in agreement, save for the forest nymph whose gaze had not once left the queen.

She held herself too well, Laurelis thought. Mismatched eyes narrowing through the crowd of fluttering wings to gaze at her friend, who has settled on her own lonesome in the corner of the room, neither cake nor ambrosia in hand.

Laurelis excuses herself, pushing past the giggling and twirling bodies of fairies in the midst of an ambrosia intoxicated dance towards her dearest friend.

Her hand settles upon the queen’s shoulder, and violet eyes shift upwards to look at Laurelis. Anybody else who would dare approach Titania would have long been stopped by Urianger, who stood guard over the girl a mere few fulms away. And yet their friendship has reached back far enough that the man knew the forest nymph meant the queen no harm.

Perhaps, Urianger even believed.. that she would be able to help the queen in ways which he cannot.

“Illya-” Laurelis blurts out, but she catches herself and flashes a sheepish smile down at her smaller friend, “Ah.. I guess I’m supposed to call you ‘your majesty’ now..”

“Oh...” a soft murmur and a nervous chuckle later, and the queen responds with a widened smile. “Right.. but you needn’t call me so in private..”

“Illya it is then.”

You will always be Illya to me.

Laurelis wished to say. She wished to speak - as she always does in their friendship. She was always the more talkative of the pair after all.. the chatter box who talked so much she’s surprised her friend’s pointed ears hadn’t fallen off.

And yet Illya would listen - she always does. For a princess who sneaked out of the safety of the palace, she was attentive of others - of even the forest that bordered up the kingdom and its tall grand walls.

Laurelis swears that she’d listen too - if Illya would give her a chance to. It’s the least she could do.. and may perhaps even be the only thing she can do.

Something inside Laurelis’ heart aches as she watches Illya’s unwavering facade of happiness shine brighter before her, and as if in desperation the forest nymph drops her very own trademark glowing grin to lower her voice.

“Are you okay..?”

A crack forms in Illya’s defenses - a glistening in her eyes that she rapidly blinks away. Her chapped lips tremble, complexion paling and the knuckle that held her staff turns white. It is all Laurelis needed to know the answer.

What hypocrisy is it for her to convince the others to make merry and joy, to smile in ignorance and celebrate to their heart’s content, when she herself would attempt to tear down the walls of her friend’s barricaded feelings?

The queen is several decades too young for this burden, a fairy who had just barely blossomed past her peak physical maturity. The fae cares not for age, and certainly not for the concept of time.

But surely there was something so oddly cruel about this - so tragic that a fae so young would be forced to see the disappearance of her parents, and to bear the weight of their sins upon her own two shoulders.

Illya was no fool, and is far from power hungry. She, of all people, must know her own plight better than anybody else.. and it must be tearing her up inside.

Please frown. Please cry. Please tell me again about how much you love your parents. Anything, anything but pretend.

And yet Illya never stops smiling, a far more pitiful, lonely cry for help that almost sends Laurelis herself bursting into tears on the spot.

“I’ve never been better.”

Laurelis forces a wide smile past the burning of her eyes as she gazes down at her most cherished friend. The hand upon her shoulder rubs gently in a comforting manner, and her other hand has to clench into a fist to keep herself from doing what she wishes.

“Just remember that you can talk to me about whatever you like.” Despite the smile on her visage, her voice is hushed and choked, her own throat threatening to close on her. She has never been as good at masking her feelings as Illya. “After this is over, we should go to your room. I — I...”

Her voice now is a little stronger as the grin grows less forced. “I found a new hairstyle I think you’ll look beautiful in.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

➤ A queen must be forgiving

“By order of Titania, you are all to leave at once!”

The clouds gather in the night sky, and the voice of the royal guards come to chase the remaining mortals away echo throughout Lydha Lran.

It had been decreed even before the coronation of the new Titania that the ban upon mortal entrance be enacted once more - an order that came from none other than the mother of the current Titania.

A law in which mortals are not allowed entry to the rainbow kingdom, and yet the crime of trespassing shall not be met with the punishment of death - but a mere trial in the presence of Titania and her royal guards.

Mortals present - ill intent or not are to be sent away without exception.. and while the Titania of the present had been lenient in giving those remaining enough time to pack and leave, now came an age for some rapid and drastic changes - as adviced by Urianger himself. Unfortunate, the few who had not left yet are in fact among the most vile of those who had set foot upon their home in the first place.

Plunderers, come to leech off the prosperity of the fae for their own greed.

The pixies still remembered how vast and wide their forests had been, how tall their glaciers and mountains spanned, and even the vividness of the very flowers that bloomed upon their land.. All tarnished within less than a decade of mortal interference.

But that wasn’t enough for them. It wasn’t enough to pluck them of their resources. They would burn their very home to the ground if they must, a final act of defiance against the law of the haughty ruler who hid in the safety of her shiny castle.

“Screw these stupid new laws! And screw the dumb ass new queen of yours! We have a right to stay!”

The queen had anticipated the plunderers to not want to leave quietly, and so it was perhaps a wise choice to order a small platoon of guards to usher the mortals out of Lydha Lran, the village closest to the gates where mortal world met with the kingdom of fairies.

With axes once brandished to cut down their enchanted trees, and lances to spear the backs of their porxies they were now turned against the innocent citizens of the village and the royal guards who fought to stop them.

The sea of blooming pink flowers were trampled on, as if they hadn’t been enough already, with the blood of both mortal and fae alike spilling upon the stone pathway that led through the quaint little village.

Amongst the clashing of steel, the pitter patter of frantic feet carried a girl through the chaos to the center of the village. Her pants grow louder, pleas to stop going unheard.

At the very front Lyhe Mheg, a burly woman stood, weathered sword raised against a pixie folk who had none save their tiny trembling arms to defend themselves.

“Stop!” crying out, the dwarf puts herself in between the mortal and pixie, furrowed glare however pointed towards one of her own kind - the very one who had ferried her here in the first place.

“Step outta the way, Lunya.. or I won’t hesitate to cut you down too.”

In the midst of her pounding heart, and every voice in her head yelling, begging for her to obey, her legs stood firm with arms outstretched to either sides of her, a physical shield for the innocent fae behind her.

“This is lunacy! Have you not taken enough from them?!”

You too, Lunya. You’ve taken from them too. You’ve taken from her.

“Last warning. I’m telling you to get out of the way or die with them.”

The gathered clouds grow darker and block all view of the stars and the moon from view, as if a storm of rain was about to fall upon them. The sky is weeping this needless bloodshed.

Lunya glares, hands tightened into a fist.

“Over my dead body.”

...

“The queen! She comes!”

Voices sound muffled, and what little light she can see past half-lidded teary eyes feel like they are a far distance away. Her body feels heavy and light all at the same time, as if she was drifting underwater further and further from view of the surface. It feels cold and so very dark.

She does not register the blood that stained her shirt a bright scarlet red, or the dark grey of the clouds that hung above her head. She does however note a flash of violet and the voice of someone familiar.

It’s a voice she associates with quiet conversations by the lake under the starry night sky after sneaking away from her bunk, of the one glimmer of happiness in the midst of a sea of guilt and regret. She, who was but a petty thief from the outside, who would spend the night alongside a girl so alike yet so different from herself, counting the stars and drawing constellations with the tip of their fingers.

The princess wondered about all sorts of things - from the stars above them to the flowers that took bloom beneath their feet.. and the world of the mortals that stretches beyond the gates of Il Mheg.

And she would tell her, about the world she was born from.. about the world fae cannot experience. While the princess gave her the company she so desperately needed to keep waking up to tomorrow, company she knew she didn’t deserve.

Lunya is numb from head to toe, consciousness drifting away in the wind.

But a bright light glows from her torso, a warmth spreading from where the blade of that woman’s sword had cut her body open. She feels something beginning to protrude from her back, and the roots of her hair bleaching a pale white to match the queen’s.

Lunya doesn’t quite understand right away what had just transpired - but she knows that she owes her friend a debt yet again, this time one that was the very weight of her life.

By Illya’s healing touch, she was given the unfortunate gift of remembering her sins, and the tears that had pooled in her eyes begin trickling down her face.

“I’m......sorry.”

But her friend merely shakes her head, hand cradling the back of Lunya’s head gently, petting her hair as it changes their hues - as if in forgiveness for what she had done.

--------------------------------------------

➤ A queen must be hardworking

Juggling his responsibility of helping with the fae’s errands as well as investigating the cause of the dreaded curse that afflicted his kind certainly wasn’t easy, but the boy did begrudgingly admit that the work was..fulfilling.

Restoring the damage his people had caused to the land of the fae gave him a sense of accomplishment that not even his speedy graduation from the studium had given him - nor the many years he spent pouring over tome after tome in the lonesome of his study.

Interacting with fae folk was refreshing, as was their culture and their very beliefs.

He thus has no complaints when he is summoned yet again by the pixies of Lydha Lran, though he’d be lying if he said he were not nervous of what possible pranks they could pull on him yet again.

“Not a moment too late like last time!” a pixie twirls in the air in delight, tiny wings fluttering behind them as Alphinaud greets them with a sincere smile.

“I wouldn’t dare, Beq Thon. Your call made it seem like you urgently needed help.”

“Yes, well..” turning to gaze out onto the field that sat right outside the village, the pixie’s shoulders slump. “I need all the help I can get.”

With a curious tilt of his head, Alphinaud’s eyes turn upwards to look at the field, an almost unending landscape of flowers both withered and newly bloomed, crystals of light embedded along the path that led towards Pla Enni, their glow and hues a tad more dull than they had once been before the era of mortals - as he had been told multiple times.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“The weeds! Oh the dreaded weeds! They seem to keep coming back no matter what I do!”

The very idea of weeds causes Alphinaud’s heart to sink to the pit of his stomach. Weeds? In Il Mheg? From the sheer size of the kingdom, one would expect such a pest to be nonexistent.. He shudders thus to think of the amount of time one would take to have to rid the ground of them before their flower beds would be infested.

“Forgive me for asking but.. has this always been a problem? If it is, there certainly must be a better way to take care of them rather than pulling them by hand.”

“Always so bright you are, Alphinaud! But so very dim too!” Beq Thon plants their hands upon their hips with a frown, and Alphinaud merely shrugs.

“Long, long ago, we had dew mosses aplenty. Sure, they weren’t the prettiest flowers around.. a bit stinky, even! But they helped to keep the weeds at bay, and even had some medicinal effects when used in potions!”

A frown graces upon Alphinaud’s expression. He needn’t hear the rest of Beq Thon’s explanation to know what had happened to those fabled helpful flowers. It was always the same tale, the same story... recollections of how mortals came upon their land. They plundered, they stole.. all at the expanse of the fae who had prospered in their isolation for so long.

If there was anything of significance worth even a fraction of a gil, they’d take it for themselves. Such was the nature of some of the more cruel of heart among his kind.

“Is there no way to grow more of these dew mosses?”

“Oh, we’re not dim like you are, silly! Of course we’ve started growing more of them, courtesy of those Fuath, unfortunately. But it will be another year or two before enough of them blooms to cover the land. So! For now, what say we... and by that, I mean you, get your hands working and pull at those weeds!”

There wasn’t much Alphinaud could do to protest, not against the earnest urges of Beq Thon and the symbol of loyalty to the queen he wore upon his finger.

The pixie wasn’t kidding when they said that the entire plot of land had to be weeded.. and while they had been kind enough to offer their own hands to pull one or two stray weeds out, Alphinaud could swear his hands were growing callous from all the pulling he’s doing.

He worked his way through the field, from the terrains of Timh Gyeus up until the edge of longmirror lake, where he caught a glimpse of a water nymph who poked her head out of the water for but a brief moment before diving back beneath the surface - no doubt curious, but perhaps also uncertain of the motives of his stay.

And who could blame her - or any fae who has doubts about him? The bright blue wings that fluttered behind his back, still clumsy in their movements.. are but a temporary gift given by Titania to allow him to serve under her.

He isn’t truly fae.. and perhaps will never fully be welcomed as one either.

“Alphinaud?”

In his listless and wandering thoughts, blank stare broken at the calling of his name, Alphinaud snaps his head up to look at the fairy who hovered just ilms from the ground in front of him. He can see Urianger standing a little away behind her, eyes locked upon the piece of parchment he held in his hand, but otherwise darting up momentarily to check on the queen.

“Your majesty!” Alphinaud is quick to straighten himself up, the weeds he’d tugged from the soil dropped to his feet, much to the dismay of Beq Thon who flutters to pick them up.

“S-sorry! I-I didn’t startle you, did I?” As ever, the queen stutters, expression twisting into one of horror as she glances down at the fallen weeds.

“Not at all, your majesty! Forgive me for not noting your approach sooner.”

It takes a moment for Titania to settle down, violet eyes darting back and forth from the pixie to the boy before her hand moves to the front of her heart.

“Full glad I am to hear that.. And I see that you’re helping Beq Thon again.”

“As he is, your majesty! Our Alphinaud here has been hard at work, pulling and pulling away at those nasty weeds!”

“O-Oh dear.. Are they back again? Don’t tell me you’ve been pulling weeds out all morning-”

There was no reason to lie.. no reason at all why he’d have to be dishonest. After all, he’d not too long among planned to retell the ordeal of his backbreaking labor to his sister earlier.. And yet at the sight of her look of guilt, Alphinaud could not help but to wave away her concerns and flash a smile.

“Pray don’t worry yourself over me, your majesty. It isn’t difficult at all. In fact, I should perhaps ask yourself if you had any need of my assistance.”

The fairy’s eyes widen, and she shakes her head frantically.

“Me? Oh, oh no.. I’m just here for inspections.. And to see if anybody needed my help.”

“Help, you say?!”

If Alphinaud was unwilling to accept the queen’s oh so benevolent offer of help, Beq Thon certainly had no qualms too. With an excited waving of their arms and a twirling of their body, they flew in front of Alphinaud’s rapidly scowling face.

“Y-yes.. I’ll help in whatever way I can. It’s only natural.”

“Well then.. Your majesty.. If I may-”

“Your majesty! Alphi!”

A voice interrupts, and Beq Thon curses under their breath, sending sharp piercing glares upon the approaching fairy who seemed utterly oblivious to their scorn.

A woman much taller in stature than they, clad in a purple robe smiled warmly at the pair.. and had she not had her hands full carrying bottles of a certain green potion in her hands, she’d certainly have waved in greeting to them.

“Fancy seeing you two here together! I was just looking for you both!”

“Both of us? Whatever for?” Alphinaud tilts his head.

“Well, different reasons, actually. So first!” Hovering closer, the head of the infirmary pushes the bottles into the boy’s hands, his navy blue eyes staring down at them in confusion until the fairy deigns to explain with a grin. “Potions for energy. You, my dear boy.. work yourself far too much to the bone.”

A panicked glance over to the queen, and Alphinaud gulps as he watches Illya’s eyes widen in shock.

“You really shouldn’t be doing so much physical labor too when you just recovered from that bruised arm of yours! I shall have to ban you from the infirmary if you come back in asking for-”

“Yes- Thank you, Elletha!”

His arms raised, a feeble attempt to silence her. But the damage has already been done. He can see the queen’s head bow, long white bangs just barely obscuring the saddened glimmer in her glistening violet eyes.

“I... I didn’t know you were getting injured so much while helping us..”

“I- No- That was when you were teaching me to fly, your majesty.”

“I-I.. I made you injured?!” Titania gasps, eliciting a panicked shake of his head and a chuckle from Elletha.

“I jest, your majesty. Alphi is hale and healthy, as much as a mortal with fae blood can be.”

Elletha was anything but cruel - a woman far too eager to tease him..and to his dismay intuitive enough to catch his growing interest in the queen.. but not cruel.

“I-If you say so..” Titania’s unwillingness to drop the subject shows in her pause, but the girl is quick to shake her head to look back up at the other fairy. “You had business with me too, Elletha?”

The fairy in question grew quiet, her once jovial, almost motherly smile down turned into a seriousness Alphinaud hadn’t quite seen from her before - not even after his multiple trips to the infirmary.

“Ah.. yes. It regards our shortage of calendulas.”

“...Already..?” As if the frown upon Illya’s face hadn’t been deepened enough, Alphinaud could swear his heart was about to shatter from the utterly look of helplessness upon her face.

“I’m afraid we’ll require your magicks again, your majesty.. And even then, I hope you don’t burden yourself with the idea that it’d last us very long.”

His lack of knowledge about calendulas doesn’t keep him from feeling the gravity of the situation, nor does the lack of protests from Beq Thon as Titania finally nods, and with a forced smile turns to look at the pixie.

“I’m sorry.. I’m afraid my assistance is needed elsewhere.”

“Oh, no no, your majesty! No apologies needed! Do what you have to! Alphinaud and I will be fine!”

Beq Thon bows, and Alphinaud is quick to mirror the gesture. It was all that he could do as he watched the queen fly away with Elletha, with but a mere apologetic glance back towards him.

Silence was quite uncharacteristic of Beq Thon, and it wasn’t long until they’d let out a yelp and pull on Alphinaud’s ear.

“Chop, chop! We don’t have all day, and the weed won’t pull themselves, you know!”

He’s left with no complaints now, not even as he bend down on one knee once more, and his hands grasp tightly onto a weed wrapped around a flower. The aching of his body is nothing compared to the aching of his heart, mind fixated upon the image of the queen just as hard at work as he is.

--------------------------------------------

➤ A queen must be selfless

“Forgive mine rude interruption, your majesty.. but this is of great import.”

“I don’t doubt you have reason to call me so suddenly, Urianger.. But why is Alphinaud needed too?” The fairy glances to her side, boy with glowing blue wings hovering beside her looking as equally perplexed.

The throne room is dark, save for the several few lanterns that hung upon the stone white pillars surrounding the interior. The royal guards that would once normally take station around the castle now absent, rallied near the entrance of Timh Gyeus in response to the growing presence of mortal troops around the forest.

Word has spread about the curse - and of the nature of said very curse. Enough studies and investigations both on the part of the few mortals who have entered Il Mheg, and of the scholars outside their walls have proven that the dreadful ailment was indeed of fae origin.

The humans have not invaded - not yet.. but their growing protests and demands by the gates have worried Titania and her advisor alike enough to deem added security near their borders a necessity.

Illya’s mine briefly slips away to wonder about her friends - particularly the forest nymph whom she has ordered to retreat into the kingdom.. but such distracted thoughts was unbecoming of a queen.

“I thought it best to inform him, as the spokesperson of the mortals.”

Urianger’s tone is serious, and though one could argue that the man was always so uptight, there was no denying the urgency in his step, and the raising of his voice as he pulls a trinket out of his bag and holds it out for the pair to behold.

A hand-sized mirror, bordered with what was once unmistakably shining gold, now tainted and rusted beyond reparation.

“This was found, your majesty.. upon one of the mortal intruders who had been caught by Angelique. The pixies found this upon his persons as they were scavenging his unconscious form and thought it best to deliver it to me personally after seeing the carvings upon its back.”

Urianger turns the mirror to reveal the carvings - letters of the fae spelling out in their tongue the nature of its power.

“The mirror of lost visions- It disappeared so many years ago during my father’s reign.. That a mortal would have it means that-”

“Indeed.. T’was this mortal, or at least a mortal who has had contact with the one we caught that stole this from us..”

By the blessing of fae blood that Titania had so graciously granted onto him, Alphinaud had been given the benefit of a myriad of things. Of the wings upon his back, protection against the mischief of pixies and Fuath alike, and more than anything else, the ability to read and understand ancient fae writing. It would do his investigation no good after all, if he could not at least read their tomes.

And yet the description provided by the supposedly enchanted mirror was in itself vague at best.

“By one who seeketh their deepest desires, thou shalt behold the answers?”

“It’s a mirror that allows one to see whatever it is they ask of it. Be it the past or the present.. but not the future.” Titania explains, hands reaching out to take the mirror from Urianger’s grasp gently. Her fingers trail upon the lining of the rusted gold, lips frowning as she notes just how worn out and poorly maintained the metal rim itself is. The mortals certainly did nothing to care for its appearance.. she’d hate to know just how they have abused its powers.

“An ancient mirror of Voeburtite descent, gifted to Titania of millenias ago. A treasure the fae hath kept locked away, ordered by Titanias of all generations to never be used unless in dire circumstances.. for its magicks are limited with the passing of the last Voeburtite emperor. Although.. T’would seem the mortals hath not the fraction of fae’s restraint in their use of it.”

With a raising of his hand to hold his temple, Urianger scowls.

“By mine own estimation.. It would seem that the mirror has but only enough energy for one more vision to be projected.”

Silence fills the room, and the bubbling anger from the crimes of his own kind wells up within him again, only restrained by the unreadable expression upon Titania’s face as she stares down at the mirror, taking in Urianger’s words.

“Then... It’s not worth keeping as a treasure anymore..?”

“I’m afraid so, your majesty.. And thus I call for your judgement. Whatever it is that you decide shall be done with it, I shall stand by your decision, my lady.”

Perhaps it was the glance Urianger gave him, perhaps it was the pitifully sad glimmer in her eyes.. but Alphinaud’s memories are jogged, and he suddenly remembers..

Titania was not anything if not a kind, hardworking ruler.. who did all she could to shoulder the burdens of the kingdom that would be left in the wake of the previous King’s dismissal.

But beneath the bright sparkle of her wide fluttering wings, to the almost magical way her face glows as she smiles upon her subjects was a sorrow that few knew about, and fewer still who cared enough to stay by her side through it all.

Alphinaud had given it much thought - about what the queen could possibly want. Aside from her responsibilities as the queen, aside from the benevolence she showed her people, there must almost certainly hidden wishes and desires.

And yet no matter how many nights he’d spend tossing and turning in bed, his conclusion only fell to one possibility.. a wish so impossible that he hated to admit he could not grant her. Until now.

“Your majesty.. if I may..” Alphinaud’s hand raises to place in front of his chest, a gentle smile gracing his expression. “You could use the mirror to see where you parents are.”

Violet eyes widen in shock, and the queen glances towards Urianger, who does nothing but bow silently as apology.

“I... My.. parents...?”

“As I was informed.. the previous king and queen disappeared without a trace from Il Mheg.. and you were their only daughter left to inherit the throne.” despite his best efforts at a gentle, comforting smile, he could see the queen’s hands tremble, head sinking down to cover her eyes with the length of her bangs. “If you wished to see where they were now.. you could find them. You can see them again.”

Her deepest, darkest desires revealed, Titania could only bow her head in shame. She could not even bring her eyes to glance into the mirror, for fear of setting sights upon the selfish, naive girl who the kingdom had the misfortune of being crowned.

But there was something within her that raced.. the beating of her foolish heart that jumped as she heard his words, the proof of his concern for her.

That he would care this much for her.. to learn not just of the fae, but of herself, even if it would do nothing to aid in his pursuit of a cure.

There was nothing left to hide between them, now that he knows the little girl behind Titania’s title.

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Alphinaud..”

But there was more to this kingdom than her own selfish desires - more to the world outside and the mortals.

She remembers his words to her, as they sat side by side and read a tome about the history of Lyhe Ghiah’s architecture.. and the conversation drifted towards the fae curse that was rapidly spreading throughout his people.

“I feel partly responsible.. That this horrible curse would indeed be of fae origin.. It would make me responsible, as queen of my people.. that one of my own would so horribly doom the lives of many.” she had said to him, her fingers trailing circles around the pages of the book she held, only for the boy to shake his head in response.

“I recall a saying, your majesty.. A saying of the fae.. that one is more than the blood of their ancestors.” Like a light in the dark, like a warmth to her ice cold sorrow, he’d stood by her side and given her words of strength. “Does that not then extend to the blood of our own kind?”

What did she do to deserve such kindness from a man whose people were afflicted by her own..? A kindness from a mortal, people that fae folk had banished from their homeland more than once - punished for the sins of the few minority of thieves.

She had not the power to decide the actions of the fae who aided in the affliction of mortals.. in the same way Alphinaud, and the many kind mortals she has met had no say in the selfishness of their own kin.

A queen is nothing if not benevolent.

“I believe.. Wishing for the source of the curse.. would be a much better use of the mirror’s powers, would it not?”

Blue eyes widen up at her, his lips agape for a moment.

“But.. your majesty..”

“You could wish to see who cursed your people.. you could finally find the source and work out the antidote you’ve been working so hard to find.. Perhaps.. perhaps that mortal who came to us with the mirror had taken this to us for that very purpose.”

“Even after... everything we’ve done to you?”

They’ve robbed their kingdom of everything, they’ve robbed the queen of her beloved parents. As polluted as the lands of Il Mheg, were the hearts of those who would misuse the very kindness showed to them by the fae. How could she sacrifice her one chance to meet her parents for a kind that has done nothing but stolen from her?

“We’re more than the blood of our own kind.”

Her voice trembles, yet echoes loudly in his ears, glistening violet eyes gazing into his own. Her hands extend out the mirror for him to take, and Alphinaud has naught the words nor the heart to refuse as she slowly takes it from her.

“Illya.. I...”

Illya’s eyes widen for a moment, before she finally smiles past her tears, a smile that is sincere and true.

“Please, don’t thank me.. If anyone, it should be me who is thanking you. For.. coming into my life.”

The drumming of his heart sends blood rushing up to his face, and he finally finds the strength in him to flash a bright smile.

A knock on the door of the throne room, and before the guard was even invited in, they grant themselves entrance to rush towards the group.

“Your majesty! Please forgive my intrusion!! But the mortals have begun to invade the gates of Timh Gyeus!”

Their heads lift up to look upon the kneeling guard in armor in horror, and Urianger is quick to turn back to the queen.

“Your majesty, thy-”

“Don’t stop me from going out there, Urianger.” Illya’s stern warning causes the man to reel back, and despite much of his wish to protest, she offers a singular bow of obedience.

Illya’s grip on her staff tightens, and Alphinaud notes the girl stretching her wings, which seemed to begin growing in size behind her back.

“Hurry, Alphinaud.. You have to save your people.”

With one last gentle smile, Illya nods towards the mirror Alphinaud held in his hands, hovering closer to him to lean her forehead against his chest. Her head’s lowered by habit, hiding the burning of her glowing red cheeks beneath bangs that he has long learned to see through. Sensing her hesitation, his arms wrap around her form, pulling the girl close in a tight embrace for a single fleeting moment.

“Be careful, Illya.”

“I will.”

Titania is many things... to the many people of this kingdom and beyond. But as Alphinaud clutches the mirror close to his chest, and rushes out the throne room after making his wish, he comes to the startling realization that the queen, more than anything, was the woman who has stolen his very heart.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #illya skawi #alphinaud leveilleur #fairy au #fanfic #mine #too lazy to tag cameos and mentions imsorry #this took me.. 7 hours to write #yes #i took breaks in between but #i didn't get to play at all while writing this ;w;

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 5 years ago

Text

I Need to Talk About “Problematic Faves” within TWDG [3/?]

Character design, being drawn towards characters we find visually attractive, and how big of a role in plays in our feelings towards them.

“He's a murderer but like.... a cute murderer, y’know?”

This goes hand in hand with the whole first impressions thing we’re talking about, but rather than talking about the character’s traits, dialogue, history, and overall character, we’re talking about physical appearance.

This is something I want to touch on even though I already know the answer to it. It’s just a food for thought sort of idea that I wanted to explore given how much we talk about our favorite characters appearances while discussing them with one another.

Let’s face it: We’re all a little shallow at some point in our lives.

“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is bullshit. I pick up that book in the first place because it’s pretty and has sprayed edges. The only reason I put it back it is because I can’t find an actual summary of the book because publishers think we want to read a bunch of “Best book of da year!” by Who The Fuck Cares written all over the place rather than an actual summary...

....What was my point?

Oh, right, character design.

When we’re first introduced to a character, we immediately make a judgement of them based off their looks.That’s not to say that our opinions remain the same based on our first impressions after only looking at them, but it’s something we do initially.

Game developers, artists, writers, and directors will usually strive to make their characters as visually appealing to us as possible because that’s what makes us go “ohhh they pretty *picks thing up.*”

There are issues that develop from this, such as unrealistic expectations of what true beauty is and how it actually affects the audience. After taking in so much of this content, I started to wonder if it had any affect on why we have “Problematic Faves” and if there IS something linked within the way we view them as physically attractive.

While I believe that appearance is an important factor in character development and is what draws us to them, it’s also a bit more complicated than that.

One of the many things I adore about the final season is it’s character design for all the students at Ericson. All of the Ericson kiddos have their own unique looks and manners of which they hold themselves.

Sure we’ve got Louis and Violet, who we all gush about all the time on how beautiful they are. How many times have we talked about Louis’ freckles or Violet’s eyes or just how gosh darn pretty we think they are while incorporating it into writing our fanfics or headcanons or creating out artworks of them?

But what’s great is that they aren’t all “conveniently attractive” or someone a shallow Hollywood director would look at one time and say “there’s our star!”

Willy is a fan favorite among many in our community. What I love about his design is his teeth. He’s a kid growing up in the apocalypse without proper dental care. His teeth are crooked, there are gaps between them, and he’s even missing some. If that same Hollywood director were to look at him, they’d either slap some extreme braces on him or cast him as a tree troll.

But not everyone has those perfectly straight pearly whites. Some of us have crooked teeth, or we’ve had painful braces to try and straighten them, or we’ve lost or broken a tooth at some point. You know how refreshing it is to see a character as likable as Willy show up with that smile of his while still being considered a fan favorite?

Speaking of refreshing, what about Ruby? Everyone loves Ruby. She’s not tall and thin, she’s short and thicker.

I remember seeing nasty posts questioning why someone like Aasim would have any interest in her because of the way she’s built, and that that pisses me off.

It’s so damn great to see someone like Ruby portrayed the way she is in this game. As someone who IS more on the shorter and heavier side, it’s hard to find a character like this who doesn’t suddenly become slim therefore “prettier” over the course of the story or who isn’t a terrible or whose weight and build is all their character is. The last movie I watched that featured a plus size main character was that god awful Sierra Burgess movie on Netflix and that character made me want to punch things.

All I can say is thank god for Ruby.

Speaking of which, how about Omar? He’s short and stocky, too, but y’know what? We made this dude a GOD. What does that tell you?

These are examples using more minor characters that fall into that non-”Problematic Fave” tier, but what about our characters that do?

I used to have a strong theory that some characters got more love and attention JUST because they’re more attractive to the audience, even if their character is boring, holds little to no plot relevance, or is an “evil” being beyond forgiveness.

It’s a theory that I believe still holds some truth, though I think that truth lies more with the younger fans, or those who aren’t quite as mature.

As someone who has worked around elementary school children, as well as 13-14 year olds, I think I can safely make the assumption that they tend to take things at face value a good chunk of the time.

Pretty person = Good!

Not pretty person = Bad!

That sort of deal.

So, the question I pose is:

Does a character’s level of attractiveness have an effect on our willingness to forgive some of their more problematic behaviors?

I’m sure most of you read that and said “Uh, is this a trick question? No?”

When you think about the kinds of stories that we’re always told about the beautiful princesses who are pure and good and the ugly stepmothers who are evil and bad, it’s not hard to see why the younger ones would see things as more black and white rather than a shade of gray.

If the pretty princess poisons her “evil” stepmother during their morning tea, how easily do we forgive her just because we’re told that she’s a pure, pretty princess? We know poisoning someone is bad, but... if the stepmother was ugly and evil, then the princess must have had a reason for doing this, right? So... it’s okay... right?

Is the princess justified in her actions, even if the stepmother wasn’t doing anything more than drinking her morning tea?

I look at that and say, “No,” whereas a much younger person might say, “Yeah. The stepmother was evil.”

Young children are fascinating to talk to, by the way. They’re sponges who absorb knowledge like you wouldn’t believe but somehow they still take everything at that face value and believe whatever the “good” person says in a story until you help them see the bigger picture. That’s why they tend to be more susceptible to falling for twists.

But once you explain to them the more complicated elements of the princess and the stepmother, they’re intelligent enough to grasp that the princess is wrong.

I believe once we grow older and open ourselves up to more complex stories full of gray characters, learning about them through experience, we start to see that beauty isn’t just in the eye in the beholder, but also that it doesn’t mean shit at the end of the day.

You can have the most beautiful person in the world be your main character, but if that beautiful person drowns a bag full of kittens, suddenly they aren’t so attractive, now are they?

One of a kid’s favorite example of a good-looking antagonist is Hans from Frozen.

While I think the whole “he was actually evil the whole time haha we fooled you” thing in that movie is garbage, I give it credit for being the first exposure of this concept to young kids, sending them down a path of looking at different characters they see in a new light.

We like characters who are attractive because, well, they’re attractive. But we’re also mature enough to know that their attractiveness isn’t solely based on their appearance. It’s merely the seed that only grows with development, personality, and an arc. It only makes up a small portion of why we like a character in the first place. We know that just because someone is good-looking, it doesn’t justify their actions.

But for those who are still growing out of those black and while fairy tales and just starting to expand their views of different characters while learning that looks can be deceiving, are they more likely to forgive a character or not fully understand that they’re in the wrong just because they’re visually pleasing?

Another example outside of TWDG that I can give you is Nathan Prescott from the game Life is Strange. I’ve mentioned this game several times before, and even wrote a whole segment on it in my Louis and Violet essay from a while back.

When I was a young lass, I picked up this game and really liked it. I wasn’t as into it as I am TWDG, but I liked it enough to play every episode as it came out and then check the tag to see what everyone thought.

While browsing this tag, I noticed that a lot of the fan base seemed young. Makes sense, it IS a game starring teens set in an academy setting and I was young, too.

But with that, one thing that always bothered me was how a number of young people talked about Nathan.

Nathan who, if you haven’t played the game, is one of the antagonists. They would gush about this kid, seeming to make up excuses for the appalling things he did and it felt very tied to his looks.

I’m sorry to any Life is Strange fans who might’ve been one of these young fans... but that really is the impression I got at the time.

Maybe I just didn’t get the hype about this dude who drugged girls so he could pose and take pictures of them because of his weirdly under-explained relationship with the surprise villain of the story, but he doesn’t seem like the type of guy to get all “Poor, precious, beautiful baby boi didn’t deserve this !” about.

Then again, if writing this has taught me anything, I might have missed something by not being involved with that fandom, but what I gathered was that he didn’t become the redeemable character they all thought he would be and they didn’t like that, so it becomes harder to try and justify the things he did because he didn’t end up being good in the end even though they all thought he would be. I guess.

But, gathering that a lot of them were so young and going off the content I predominately saw... I don’t know. It didn’t ever feel right. I had suspicions that lead to this theory. That’s what I’m saying.

This can apply to other fandoms, too, where a group of people will take a character/person they find attractive and gush about how pretty they are rather than anything else that makes them interesting. Not everyone, of course, but I get the feeling you all know what I mean and have come across something like it before. I’m just trying to explain it.

Or maybe it is just me and you have no idea what I’m talking about.

Either way.

Returning back to our “Problematic Faves,” lets ask this question about them in particular.

How much of David’s attractiveness plays into my love of him?

I mean, he’s not a bad looking dude. In fact, I dare say that the Garcia brothers are both very attractive guys. I give ‘em both a 10/10.

But does that actually aid in my actual feelings towards him at all?

What about the others we’ve talked about so far?

I don’t see many people talking about how pretty they think Kenny is... though his mustache IS majestic and that’s something we all agree on.

And Lilly’s okay. I guess.

Nate could be a good-looking dude if he’d just put his crazy eyes away.

I believe our best bet it in getting a more clear answer to this question would to be take a quick look back at Minerva.

Remember how I said Minerva was so hyped up based on a two second appearance in the ep3 trailer? Granted, we did have more than JUST her appearance to form this hype around.... but admit it, a huge part of the hype was how good she looked.

She looked awesome.

Hell, just seeing her had me excited to see what she would do in ep3, even though I had the feeling she wouldn’t be an ally.

I used to have a hard time wrapping my head around why so many people love her as much as they do, and I previously thought it was based a lot on her appearance.

Is it ignorant and shallow of me to think y’all loved her based solely on her looks?

Probably. Yes. Yes, it was.

Now that I’ve looked into this further, I see that there’s more to the love and interest surrounding her, but..... it’s kind of what my first thought was? In the beginning?

Either way, it’s still an interesting idea to consider when thinking about a character you love.

With that said, what if we apply this question to a character who is less of a “Problematic Fave” and more of my “God Tier Fave.”

You all know that Louis is my favorite character across ALL the games. My love for him is vibrant, but one of the many things I love about him IS his character design. He’s a visually appealing guy, and his personality, different traits, dialogue, flaws, and character arc only build onto the attractiveness of his character.

If Louis didn’t look like this, would I still love him?

Assuming that everything else about him is the same, then yeah.

What if the developers went with the concept art of him that looked like a odd Harry Styles knockoff? Would I still love him?

Again, I want to say that I would, assuming that everything else about him be the same. But going with that certain concept art does take away an important aspect of his character and his relationship to Clementine.

Many of you have told me how much you appreciate the fact that Clementine and Louis represent a sweet, healthy black couple. That’s important to all of us. If we went with the first concept art, then that’s something we’d lose. Would we still ship clouis? Probably, but again, that important element and representation is lost and that would affect our overall opinion of it, even if just a bit.

But, what if Louis looked exactly as he does now, but were to do something awful? Would I still love him?

Well, my first instinct is to say, “Yes.”

In ep3, Louis tells us that he purposely broke up his parents marriage because his father wouldn’t let him take singing lessons. He broke into his father’s credit cards and made it look like he had a mistress, then made sure his mother knew about it. He did this over the course of a year. Then, when the divorce was finalized, he threw his father’s words back in his face: “You get to be happy or you get to be rich. You can’t be both.”

Knowing this, I still love Louis.

What he did was awful, but the reason I don’t hate him or even like him any less is because of how he acted while telling us. You can feel the guilt and remorse in his voice, the shame that he was once a person who thought that was okay to do.

He did that a long time ago, he learned from this terrible mistake he made, went as far as to punish himself by taking on a irresponsible, piano-playing jokester persona who anyone rarely ever took seriously. Louis changed for the better and he’s still a likable, relatable, lovably character despite this.

But in order to dig a little deeper into this idea of attractiveness and just how far we’ll go to try and justify a character based solely on their looks, I then thought:

“Okay, then consider this: What if Louis and Minerva switched places with him doing all those things she did that made me dislike her? Would I still love him?”

And things got a little complicated.

Because my immediate first thought was “Yes.”

That shocked the hell out of me.

Why the fuck would I be okay with LOUIS acting the way Minerva did, but not MINERVA herself? That makes no sense.

Louis betraying us on the boat by knocking Clementine out and locking her in the cell isn’t suddenly okay because it’s LOUIS.

Louis showing up on the bridge to try and murder Tenn isn’t suddenly okay because it’s him and not MINERVA.

The reality is this: If Louis and Minerva traded places, I wouldn’t love Louis. I don’t care how attractive his character design is, I would feel the same way about him that I feel about Minerva. I love Louis for who he is within the context of the canon game, but if Louis traded places with Minerva, he wouldn’t be that Louis that I love.

The problem with asking myself this is I know Louis’ character and I want to think the best of him. I’m attached to him. I don’t want to imagine him doing anything that horrible because I know that would be an breaking of his character. His appearance has nothing to do with it.

But my first instinct was to side with him.

That’s when it all came together.

A character’s appearance is important in the first impression, but our perception of that character’s attractiveness is only elevated or lowered based on the important things: personality, backstory, relationships, flaws, fears, regrets, change, and complete character arc.

So how does this apply to my love for David?

Well, it eliminates any possibility that I only like David just because he’s pretty.

Perhaps I’m not so shallow after all.

Yeah, that’s the conclusion of this segment: something I already knew. But, I felt it was a concept that could spark some thought about what attractiveness really means while debunking any idiots who may grasp at straws with the insult of, “You only like [blank] and excuse their toxicity because you think they’re hot!”

... except the Life is Strange community might come after me for implying a nicer version of that towards one of the antagonists... but hopefully you understand the point I was attempting to make in bringing that up as an example.

I like David’s design, but him being an attractive dude isn’t why I like him. If anything, his looks being appealing to my eye is at the end of my long, complicated list of why I like him.

Conclusion:

Looks matter initially, and our perception of a character’s attractiveness is either elevated or lowered based on the more important qualities of their character, problematic or otherwise.

[continued in 4/?]

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diamondcamefromhell · 5 years ago

Text

Crazy witch

Jaskier x witch!Reader [non-romance]

Summary: Y/N is a witch, who after graduating Brotherhood, abandoned her post, not really enjoying serving royal clowns. This lead to her becoming friends with Yennefer, a witch of similar nature, as two of them go to look for Geralt, Yen’s love.

Warnings: Swearing

Word count: 2,033

A/N: I am posting three posts today, as the first two were just reuploads, as the tags werent working [hope they work now] but usually i probs will stick to one or two posts a day. i hope you enjoy this little fic i wrote, i have a lot of ideas, but timeless love is taking a lot of time, as i want to write ahead so i have something to post during my work days, but more one-offs are coming, maybe even some headcanons

requests are open & all feed back is appreciated [can be left anonymously on my ask page!]

“Yennefer, wait!” I say, rushing after my friend, who glances at me, not slowing down her pace.

“Y/N, go back.” She says coldly, as I finally catch up to her. I breathe heavily, still half-running. She now glares at me, stopping. “I said go back.”

“Yeah, how about no?” I say in between my breaths. Her violet eyes spark up, as she presses her lips. “Oh, let me come along. This town is mighty boring, and you know it too.”

“You are safer here.” I roll my eyes, as she sighs. “I don’t want to babysit you.”

“First of all, fuck you.” I say, jokingly pushing her, as she finally breaks a smile. “Secondly, I can take care of myself, Yen. And don’t worry, I wont steal Geralt.”

“You can have the Witcher for all I care.” She says, proudly, but I know she would break my knees if I dared to look at him wrong. She had love written all over her face.

“You said he travels with a friend too.” I grab her hand, and she doesn’t push me away. I know I’m getting on her good side. “You can have one as well.”

“You are better than Jaskier.” She says, nudging me. We begin to walk, and I know I am tagging along now.

“I am a witch,” I wink at Yen, who grins, “better than any bard.”

Yennefer never said she was going to look for Geralt. But I knew she was heading out for that. We were close friends, at the end of the day. While I didn’t go to brotherhood with her, I much like her, didn’t like serving royal clowns, and abandoned my duties. We ran into each other and quickly became friends.

But since I was younger than her, she was ever so protective. I was nowhere near as powerful as her, at the end of the day, I didn’t bear any elven blood, but I could take care of myself. She knew it too, but more often than not, she told me to stay back.

That’s why I never met Witcher with his bard. Even if she would talk about Geralt a lot. Maybe I will finally get to see them.

She decides it’s best to ride, so we take our horses, embarking on the adventure. A sense of excitement rushes over me, as we gallop out of town. The breeze is warm, as the sun is just rising. The day seems clear.

However it takes us a week to find them. She sees a horse, who seems like a normal mare to me, but Yen insists it’s Roach. More so the Roach. Tied next to a tavern that has a name so faded, I can’t make it out. We tie our horses as Yennefer looks at me.

“They can’t know we looked for them.” She hisses at me, as if that wasn’t obvious. I hear loud cheering from the inside, anxious to get it.

“Right. Let’s say we are looking for…” I try to think of something. “A place to sleep.”

“Sure.” She rolls her eyes, taking a deep breath. I like seeing her anxious, it reminds me she is not that different from me.

We open the door as the smell hits me. Ale. Strong, strong sent of ale. And blood. I frown, looking around to see a white-haired man, his hands covered in blood. He didn’t seem to care, drinking his ale, looking like he is ready to kill again. His yellow eyes focused on the bar top. I raise my eyebrows, recognizing the White Wolf.

“That’s Geralt?” I grab Yen by her dress, as she glares at me. She sensed that my tone wasn’t exactly impressed.

“And Jaskier.” She nods towards the man playing a lute.

I didn’t even see him at first, even in his obnoxiously bright green outfit. He’s stringing the instrument, prancing around like a little girl. The men seem to find it entertaining. His voice, however, does sound good.

The bard seems to notice us, as he takes one glance at Yen, and his music stops in a heartbeat. That makes the witcher look at us too, as his face paints with surprise.

“Geralt.” Yennefer breaks the sudden silence. She manages to sound unimpressed. I try not to grin, knowing we literally searched for him. “Long time no see.”

“Yen.” His husky voice sends a wave of whispers in the tavern.

“Oh hey, it’s the witch.” Jaskier grunts, walking towards his friend. I silently follow Yennefer. Bard’s eyes go from her, to me. “Two of them.”

“Jaskier.” I grin. “Heard so much about you.”

“What brings you here?” I turn to Geralt, who directed this question to Yen. His gaze is literally glued to her.

“Just stopping by for some drinks.” She sits down as Jaskier and I awkwardly stand by our friends. “Ladies need to rest.”

“Hm.” Witcher smirks, and part of me thinks he knows we went out of our way to find them. “You got a friend.”

“Y/N.” I introduce myself, as Geralt nods.

“Also a sorceress?” He asks and I see Jaskier roll his eyes.

“Well noticed, witcher.” I tease, looking at the bard now, who looks really annoyed. When our eyes meet, however, his expression softens. I know what Yennefer did to him, so I understand his resentment. But it’s been years. “See you made up with the bard?”

“Hard to get rid of him.” Geralt says, his eyes back at Yen, who was silently watching this exchange. I see her glance at me.

She wants me to leave them two alone. She also glances at the bard. Make him leave them alone too. I give her a slight glare, however nodding. I know how much it means to her, to be with Geralt after all this time. They’ve met a few times since the dragon fight, but she always played her cold and angsty self. But she missed him, dearly.

I look at the bard, smiling.

“May I ask you to continue playing? I didn’t get to hear enough of your music, Jaskier.” He presses his lips tightly together, squinting. I know he’s trying to assess me, see what my intentions are. “Please, entertain the lady.”

My slight flirt seems to work, as Jaskier picks up his lute, picking up a tune. Mere seconds later he is prancing around again, shooting a glare at Yen and Geralt from time to time. I smile at them both, making my way to a table away from them. I keep giving Jaskier kind and flirtatious smiles, and slowly but surely, even the angry glares stop.

After a couple of songs, he sits down in front of me. I can tell he’s eager to ask something, but seems to struggle to find the right words.

“You can ask me whatever you want.” I encourage, as he seems slightly confused and worried. “I won’t hurt you. I am not trying to regain… anything. Unlike Yen, years ago.”

“You know the story.” He says, bitterly. I smirk.

“She’s my friend, Jaskier. I know all of her stories.” I lean back, keeping my eyes on the bard. “She did forget to mention you were cute.”

“She what?” It seems my words threw him off, as he stutters ever so slightly. So cute.

“Yeah, you know. When she told me about you, she didn’t exactly describe you as cute.” I continue teasing, making Jaskier flutter ever more. There is a blush to his face. “Or that you’re talented.”

“I don’t think she got to see that.” He manages to say, as I take a moment to respond, allowing him to calm down.

“She missed out.” I look at her, just to catch the pair look at each other dreamily. “She’s a good person, Jaskier. I know she hurt you, but desperate people do crazy shit like that.”

“She’s crazy.” I give him a quick glare.

“She was crazy.” I lean on the table, getting closer to him. “Imagine having a choice like that getting ripped from you. To hell, maybe she would never even want to be a mom, if she could bear children. But the pure thing that she had no choice.”

“Neither do you, but I don’t see you trying to eat a djin.” I squint, grabbing Jaskier’s arm. It makes him flinch.

“Doesn’t mean I’m not crazy.” I say, tightening my grip on his arm. Bard glares at me. I let go, leaning back again. “You’re a man. You can’t understand.”

“Yeah, Y/N, blame it on me, not her.” I glare at him again, but then I try to see it from his perspective. She did nearly kill him. Trapped him. I take a couple of deep breaths, relaxing.

“Point is. She was crazy back then, I can’t deny her. In many ways, she still is.” My voice softens, as I look at my friend. “But your friend, Geralt, truly makes her better. Makes her more complete. They both are… kids of experiments, if you will. They need each other. Your hate towards her only makes things worse between you and Geralt.”

“As if you’d know.” I look at the bard, offering him a sad smile.

“I know. I almost lost her when I was resentful and angry at Geralt.” I chuckle to myself. “When she came to me and told me what witcher did to her, I was about to go and get his head on a spike. I hated him. Until I saw just how much she loved him. And she’s my friend, my best friend.”

“So you just forgave him?” He asks, lifting his eyebrows. I shrug.

“It wasn’t easy, but I had no choice.” I reach out through the table, this time gently wrapping my fingers around his hand. “I know she hurt you personally, but for Geralt’s sake, it’s best you forgive this crazy witch.”

“Did she ask you to tell me this?” I laugh, leaning back. My hand, however, stays on his.

“I don’t think she really cares what you think about her.” I say, as Jaskier also finally smirks.

“Then why are you telling me this?” I wink at him, as a slight blush comes back to his cheeks.

“I don’t want you to think all of the witches are the same.” Then, I sigh. “Besides, there may be a day where two of them actually get together. Then us, their two companions, will also be together. I want things to be okay then. I want us to be friends.”

“You want to be friends with me?” He doesn’t sound too impressed and I pretend to be hurt, putting hand to my chest. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Well, whatever you mean, I do.” Our eyes lock, and suddenly me having my hand on his feels a little too intimate, so I pull away. “One day we all will have to be one big family.”

“Not looking forward to that.” He jokes and I also let out a laugh. His eyes light up as I see him fully relax. His shoulders drop, and he rests his elbows on the table, his face on his hands. He stares at me. “It’s not fair that all witches are so pretty.”

“It comes at a price.” I smirk, flattered by his compliment. I copy him, resting my hand in my palms too. “You aren’t as bad as she made you out to be.”

“For a crazy witch, Y/N, you don’t seem too bad yourself.” We both giggle. “Thank you. For trying to talk some sense into me.”

“We will get to see each other often, something tells me.” I say as we both steal a glance, as Yen and Geralt leave the tavern. “So I am doing myself a favour.”

“You know what, Y/N?” Jaskier sprints to his feet, winking at me. “I hope we get to be friends. Who knows, maybe it will lead to great things.”

“Who knows.” I whisper, watching him spring the instrument to life.

He picks up a tune, and I wonder how Yen ever managed to hurt such a pure soul. I stand up, going for a dance, as the night is just beginning.

#tags better be workin #jaskier x reader #yennefer #jaskier #geralt #witcher #witcher netflix #yen is a queen #i love her #also jaskier hating all witches #thats canon #prove me wrong #hope you enjoy this #witcher fic #love you #bye

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steeltoss · 4 years ago

Text

Pre Naruto — Naruto Headcanons. Ages 9-15.

I have nothing better to do while my phone is dying.

Age 9

We're starting here since I'm working on something already. Okay so the day her whole clan was obliborated and sent straight to Jesus, Hokkaido was taken from Konoha under the Third's order. From there, she went to an orphanage in Amegakure.

The orphanage wasn't too bad, but Hokkaido couldn't help missing Konohagakure. She wanted to leave the orphange and debated running away.

However, she didn't get to run away as a couple who never had children together spotted this lonely dark haired girl and wanted to adopt her. This led to confusion. Someone genuinely wanted to adopt her, a broken child?

They did adopt her. But she was quiet, confused even.

The lady was one of the most beautiful ladies she had ever seen, complete with Auburn hair and deep green eyes and a pallor complexion. Her new mother's name was Emi Suzuki of the Hidden Rain.

The man was strong, and he looked very mean, but he wasn't. Hokkaido just didn't know that yet. He had short, messy Sandy blonde hair and cocoa colored eyes. This was Shindou Suzuki, a very strong Shinobi of the Hidden Rain.

Upon going to her new home, things were very different. This family was patient with her learning and never pushed her too much, they had accepted her as if she really were their own child. But she didn't want to call them mom or dad because she only ever had one mom and one dad.

Hokkaido was given a nice room with a twin sized bed and a desk for schoolwork, Emi enjoyed buying her stuffed animals, her favorite was her stuffed panda that somehow made her think of Shisui. She slept with it every single night.

Entering the academy, she made two friends that she held close to her heart.

Aito Fugikame, a small and dark haired girl with violet eyes who reminded her of Hinata Hyūga from Konoha, maybe that's why she enjoyed her company so much.

Eiji Yamada, a brunette make who seemed a little idiotic but super friendly and was outcasted for being such a loveable idiot. This was in ways, her Naruto of Amegakure.

She began to adjust to her new life, the pain seemingly subsiding as she always came home to a hot meal and was called Yua, (and it literally means binding love and affection) by Emi.

Things were starting to go great, and for once after the massacre, Hokkaido Uchiha was smiling as she came home. But she missed her brother, Sasuke. She wondered how he was doing in Konoha.

Age 10

Having a good birthday, she blew the candles out on her cake before hiding her face in her hands. She was crying but didn't know why. Sure, she was happy, but how long would it last without her only other blood relative?

The trio [Hokkaido, Aito and Eiji] often roamed the village together and practiced their skills together, she finally perfected her Fireball Jutsu.

That's when people began looking at her all weird, she was an outsider, and they knew just how strong the Uchiha clan was.

Aito's mother wouldn't let her visit nor talk to Hokkaido anymore. This was the downfall.

Hokkaido shut herself off, she barely exited her room unless it was to eat or go to school.

Age 11

Emi had conceived her first daughter this year and she seemed rather focused upon the new baby that was due to arrive in July. Hokkaido was conflicted on how to feel, she was once her foster parents primary focus, and it seemed they had less and less time for her now. She never brought it up. She was still grateful she was given a family.

In July, Emi gave birth to a healthy little girl named Ichika. Hokkaido wanted eagerly on the front steps of their house, but was only met with a sullen faced Shindou and a baby in his arms. Emi was no where around.

Later that evening, Shindou had explained that Emi had passed on, and that Hokkaido was now rightfully the woman of the house.

Even though Emi wasn't her biological mother, Hokkaido was broken again. She had lost two mother's in her life. This was the very first time she cried over someone who wasn't related to her in any way.

But Ichika reminded her so much of Emi. She had beautiful Auburn hair and a buttoned nose, just like Emi. And Hokkaido would constantly talk to the growing child about how amazing their mother was.

At the time, she hadn't even realized she reffered to Emi as her own mother. She just knew she missed her more than anything.

Age 12

Celebrating Ichika's first birthday wasn't how she ever imagined it to be. Emi wasn't there to see her daughter grow up, she hadn't even gotten to see Hokkaido graduate from the Academy and become a genin.

Hokkaido was put in a squad with Aito and Eiji, but things were still tense with herself and Aito. Hokkaido never knew how to process her emotions. She used to go to Itachi or Shisui for things like that. But Shisui had died a year before the massacre.

This year also happens to be the year Hokkaido got her menstrual cycle. She went into a panic, thinking she was dying and bleeding out. After all, she really didn't have a grown female figure to turn to about this.

She was embarassed to even tell Shindou, but he was very calming and understanding. He explained she was becoming a woman and even gave her the birds and bees talk. She was disgusted.

Sasuke is now ten, and she wonders how he's doing. She debated on writing him a letter, but out of nervousness, she doesn't.

Age 13

Hokkaido spent a lot of her time doing activities as she was now co sidered am elder sibling by Ichika. Ichika was walking and talking and every day passing, looked more like Emi.

Hokkaido began training for her chunin exams, which, were coming up very shortly. She spent many hours training with her squad a day and had often had to be retrieved by Shindou.

Shindou often scolded her for overworking herself as he forced her to drink plenty of water and eat her greens. He was only looking out for his eldest after all.

Upon the day of the exams, Hokkaido finds out all three of her squad had to sign up. And they had. They are now officially beginning their journey as chunin.

The first exam, she nearly crapped a brick. The written test was hard and she knew nothing. But she still tried her hardest, hearing and seeing others being disqualified for cheating. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

Afterwards, when she found out the objective was to cheat without being caught, she literally facepalms herself because she hadn't even thought of cheating. And then that damned question was asked.

Back at the exam, the proctor states that the candidates are free to choose whether or not they want to try and solve the tenth question. If they opt out, the entire team will fail. If they choose to answer the question but get it wrong, they will be barred from taking the Chūnin Exams forever.

Hokkaido's heart hit her guts. She was afraid of never becoming a chunin. But she pressed forward, only to find out the tenth question was already asked. The question was to test their determination and bravery.

Since I'm a lazy bastard and ive worked on this almost all damn day, I'm moving forward.

During the one on one fights, Hokkaido was matched against Kabuto Yakushi. [you know. Cuz this mf kept taking the exams cuz he a spying little-]

She lost.

She didn't become a chunin on her first try, but congratulated Aito and Eiji upon becoming Chunin.

Age 14

Sasuke was finally old enough to take his own chunin exams and they were being hosted in Konohagakure! Hokkaido was estatic, she was finally going home to Konohagakure, even if it was just for the exams.

The exams started the same, and she passes. She couldn't help but keep glancing toward her brother however, a tugging on her heart. He hadn't even looked her way.

She wondered if he forgot her. He hadnt.

After the written exams, they prepared for the second part. Hokkaido was paired with two Amegakure genin.

However, a red haired sand ninja with a foul attitude caught her eye. Gaara.

Another skip, I'm half dead.

Anyway,, she became a chunin because of the circumstances and after the fight with Gaara and Naruto, Hokkaido goes home back to Amegakure.

Sasuke had changed so much, her little brother was growing up.

Age 15

Hokkaido had been caring for Ichika and tried being a great big sister to the four year old who somehow ended up looking up to her like she had to Itachi. It left her heart hurting a little.

Still, she would sometimes think back to that red haired boy.

She often ignored it because she didn't want to even tell Shindou about a possible boy she liked, let alone one that was so damn destructive.

Things were going well, and she was being sent on a mission to Konohagakure soon. This mission, however, required her to move away for six months. She would be aiding the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.

She wondered why she was chosen for such a thing...

Okay. That's rushed but there. Heres her OG Naruto Headcanons. Shippuden comes next. Feedback is much appreciated. Nah this isn't proofread either.

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crue-sixx · 6 years ago

Text

Having a Baby with Machine Gun Kelly/Colson Baker (Headcanon)

This was requested.

Also, this is going to be long and fluffy so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Y/B/N means your baby’s name.

• You and Kells had been married for only a few months when you found out you were expecting.

You’d planned on having a baby eventually, but not that soon.

He was busy with his music and filming for a movie.

Regardless, you were so happy.

• You were nervous about telling Kells, however.

You decided to try to make it special so you ordered a custom made Machine Gun Kelly onesie online.

It didn’t take long for it to arrive, thankfully, because you were busting at the seams to finally tell him.

You presented it to him one evening in a gift bag along with a cute card that read, “Roses are red, violets are blue, I have a secret and here’s the clue!”

The pregnancy test was taped inside the card.

He was confused when he saw the onesie, but once he saw the pregnancy test inside the card it all clicked for him.

“Are you serious, babe?! You’re pregnant?!”

You’d never seen someone so happy before.

He was up off the couch in an instant and had you in his arms, spinning you around with the widest grin you’d ever seen on him.

• The next step was telling Casie and you were really nervous about that.

You and Casie had an amazing relationship, but you didn’t know how she would take the news.

It’d just been her and Kells for so long.

He kept you calm about it though and assured you she would be ecstatic, but deep down he was kind of nervous himself.

• You and Kells decided that taking Casie out for a fun day of doing anything her little heart desired should help.

You went out and all had a fun day together.

You went to an ice cream shop at the end of the day and told her in the best way you could.

“So...I’m going to be a big sister?”

You both nodded at her.

She squealed in excitement much to your shock and relief.

“I’m going to be a big sister!”

• Things went pretty smoothly after that.

• You didn’t even have to deal with much morning sickness, which was a bonus.

• Kells really went into work mode so he could finish up before it came time for you to give birth.

• You both decided to find out the gender of the baby when it came time so you did a gender reveal party.

Surprise, it’s a boy!

Kells will never admit it, but he cried after the party when you two were alone because he was having a boy and he was so excited.

Casie will never admit it, but she was happy she would be the only girl and she was looking forward to a baby brother.

• You and Casie did lots of shopping to buy things for the baby.

She insisted on helping and you were more than happy to let her.

She also helped you and Kells by picking out names.

• Kells was jealous when you were able to feel the baby kick and he couldn’t.

• He was ecstatic when he did finally feel it.

“Did you feel that, Y/N?! This little guy is strong! Did you feel it?!”

“Kells, the baby is literaliy in my stomach so, yes, I felt it.”

• He was constantly feeling your stomach after that.

Casie liked to touch your stomach a lot too because she thought it was the coolest thing ever when her little brother kicked.

• Of course, Casie was curious so she asked you where babies came from one day.

“Kells, can you come here for a minute!”

He was horrified when you told him what Casie had asked you.

He was even more horrified when you left him to tell her himself.

• Kells had to make a lot of late night trips out to get you whatever you were craving.

He didn’t ever complain though.

He usually got him some food too because that man could always eat.

• He dealt with your mood swings as well as any man would.

• There were a few times that he would have to leave you for multiple days to work.

They were absolute torture for him.

He always checked in and would FaceTime you a lot to make sure you were doing okay.

• Your water broke unexpectedly one day.

Thankfully, Kells was nearby at the studio.

Casie insisted on being the one to call him so you let her.

“Daddy, come home quick! Y/N’s about to have my baby brother!”

You could hear Kells hollering over the phone and freaking out, which was amusing really.

You were pretty calm yourself and there Kells was losing it.

• He made it home in record time with the help of Pete Davidson because he had been hanging out with him at the studio.

He grabbed the bag you packed weeks before then helped you out to the car with Casie running ahead of you both in excitement.

“My baby brother’s coming! My baby brother’s coming!”

• Pete drove you all to the hospital while Kells helped you through your contractions, which weren’t too bad just yet, but they were definitely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Casie was talking excitedly with Pete about her baby brother.

She really was excited.

• Pete dropped you and Kells off at the front of the hospital so you could check in then went to park the car, taking Casie with him.

• Hours went by with no baby and the pain was horrible even with an epidural.

Kells was a big help through it all and did your breathing exercises with you.

Casie came in every so often to see you, but you hated for her to see you so uncomfortable and in pain.

You didn’t want her to worry so Pete and some others helped keep her distracted by taking her to the gift shop to find something to buy for her new brother and taking her to eat in the cafeteria.

• The time finally came and you were a nervous wreck.

Kells talked you through it and encouraged you through the whole process though.

It was painful and seemed to be taking so long.

“You’re doing so good, baby. You’ve got this. Just keep going and we’ll meet our baby boy soon, Y/N.”

• Finally, it was over and you heard a small cry.

You teared up immediately at the sound.

Kells didn’t tear up till he cut the umbilical cord.

Holding your baby for the first time was absolutely amazing.

• A nurse took him to clean him up while some others assisted you and helped you.

• Once everything was settled and the baby was with you again in your arms, Kells went out to get Casie so she could meet her brother.

It was quite late, but Casie certainly wasn’t going to leave that hospital or even sleep until she met her new baby brother.

• When she ran into the room and jumped onto the bed with you, she stared at the baby in complete awe.

“Hi, baby. I’m Casie, your big sister!”

You helped her hold him and smiled at the cute moment.

Kells stood there and stared at all three of you, his heart filling with so much love.

• You, Kells, and Casie all talked about names again and finally agreed on one together.

“Welcome to the family, Y/B/N Colson Baker.”

#machine gun kelly #mgk #colson baker #machine gun kelly headcanon #mgk headcanon #colson baker headcanon #machine gun kelly imagine #mgk imagine #colson baker imagine #headcanon #imagine

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nitr0glycer1ne · 5 years ago

Text

Ducktober/Duckvember Day 8 - Ship

Hooooo there it is!!! Some Drakepad!!! Well, some pre-relationship Drakepad, but still! And also I get to write Lena and Gos for the first time! My headcanon is that Gosalyn is a year younger than Webby (HDL's age), and that Lena "is" a year older than Webby. Gos and Violet are the same age, but Violet skipped a grade. Also I mainly took inspiration from the original Gosalyn, though I did make her a bit more done with her dads maybe??? Please enjoy!

“Uuuuugh!” “What’s going on, Gos?”

The redhead let her head slump on the table, while Webby gave her a puzzled look. It was rather unusual to see Gosalyn look so discouraged; the fiery girl was usually the first to motivate other people when they felt down, and was a seemingly endless well of energy. But Gosalyn had seemed a bit distant since the morning. Since they were a year older, Webby and Violet didn’t have classes with her; but when the three of them and Lena had met up before classes, Gosalyn had already seemed a bit down.

“It’s my dad.” she mumbled. “And Launchpad.” “Are they arguing about whether or not you should be allowed to stay up past nine again?” Violet asked, finishing her yogurt. “No, thank God.” Gosalyn answered, her face still again the table. Lena, who was a grade above Violet and Webby, looked at her with a small smile. “Then come on, spill the beans."

Drake had bonded with her and Violet’s dads, and while she considered him a friend, she also loved teasing him, since he was very easy to tick off.

“It’s just that they won’t go out together! It’s annoying!” Gosalyn complained, lifting her head from the table and rolling her eyes. “They look at each other all lovey-dovey, Launchpad basically lives in our guest room and acts like he’s also my dad, and when they argue it’s like seeing an old married couple!”

She almost added that they fought crime together, but she wisely decided to keep quiet about that last fact.

“It’s true that I did hear Launchpad talking to Dewey about the many ways in which your dad is amazing and looks dashing and stuff for half an hour the other day.” Webby remembered as Lena snickered and Violet nodded in understanding. “It was sweet, but also pretty funny to see the exact moment when Dewey’s face lost all expression. He does that a lot when he’s bored.” “See!” Gosalyn roared. “That’s why I’m talking about! There’s nothing not romantic about that! But when I tell dad that he should date Launchpad, he gets super pissed off!” “Hmm…” Violet lost herself in her thoughts for a moment, gathering them. “Maybe you should try a different approach, if direct confrontation was inefficient.” “I’m sure I could make some sort of love potion.” Lena offered, eating the last piece of her fruit salad. “They’re already in love, dummy!” Webby smiled and affectionately ruffled her best friend’s hair. “But I have another idea, and I’m sure you’ll like it!” “You do? Really?”

Webby nodded, offering her friend the brightest smile she could. Gosalyn couldn’t help but be a little bit scared.

“Ahem. Ladies, thank you for being here today!” “You literally dragged us here right after school.” Lena reminded Webby, who coughed a little. “Details, details, my dear Lena. Anyways, let’s kick off Operation Drakepad!” “Drake… pad?” Violet asked, tilting her head. “Is that a portmanteau of my dad and Launchpad’s name?” Gosalyn asked in disbelief. “That’s so… cheesy. Exactly like them. I love it!” “Thank you, Miss Mallard.” Webby bowed, pleased. “But I’m not the one who came up with the name. Meet my associate in romantic cases, Hueeeeey Duck!”

Like a proud mother, Webby pointed her two indexes at the duckling who was standing right next to her.

“Why does he have to be involved?” Gosalyn asked. She didn’t mind the Duck triplets at all; but she was curious as to why Webby had decided Huey would be, in her words, “a precious ally”. “Oh, because he was the other brilliant mind behind Operation Fendra!” “Fendra?” Lena repeated. “Huey, seriously?” “Hey!” Huey replied defensively. “It was a great name! Short, efficient, straight to the point!” “Silence!” Gosalyn yelled. “Was that operation about making two idiots in love realize that they’re in love?”

Huey and Webby looked at each other, suddenly embarrassed.

“… kind of?” the girl answered. “OK, and did it work?” “Weeeell…” Huey hesitated. “Not really, but we didn’t really have a backup plan for the eventuality of one of them being a spy sent by Mark Beaks to infiltrate Gyro’s laboratory, so it… wasn’t a failure either?”

Lena, Violet and Gosalyn looked at each other in disbelief. Gosalyn was starting to look even more disappointed than during lunch, so Webby was quick to do her best to avoid further damage:

“But there’s no reason it shouldn’t work for Drake and Launchpad! I mean, I don’t think either of them own a laboratory? Or that they’re an enemy of Mark Beak?”

Gosalyn thought back to the time her father had investigated a case involving the egotistical and childish owner of Waddle, but she remained silent. After all, Launchpad had been investigating alongside Darkwing Duck, and there was absolutely no way the loyalty the pilot had towards her father was anything but genuine.

“Nah, I don’t think so.” “Then the plan should be an absolute success, I guarantee it!” Webby giddily promised, although Huey looked a bit more skeptic. “And what is than plan?” Violet inquired, curious. “Will you tailor it to the targets’ personalities and interests, or is it something you can apply to every situation and soon-to-be couple?” “A mix of both.” Huey answered. “The idea is to set them up for a date, and to try to make it a date they’ll enjoy.” “So, Gos!” Webby turned her attention to her redhead friend, who seemed a bit lost, somewhere between tempted by the idea and being in utter disbelief at the somewhat surreal scene that was unfolding in Webby’s room. “What do you think your dad would like for an ideal, romantic, sure-to-sweep-Launchpad-off-his-feet date?”

Gosalyn did have an idea, but she wasn’t sure making the date Darkwing Duck theme was going to help set a romantic tone- it would just be like one of their regular Darkwing Duck marathons.

“It’s really nice for your boss to invite us for dinner.”

Launchpad, Drake and Gosalyn were in the pilot’s car, an old thing that had seen better days but that Launchpad lovingly took care of. The trio was headed towards the McDuck manor, the two adults sitting in the front while Gosalyn was in the back, seemingly innocently reading comics. However, her mind was focused on what awaited her father and his almost-boyfriend that night.

“In fact, it’s almost too nice.” Drake continued suspiciously. “I mean, he does owe us for the heroic help I provided when those aliens invaded us, but still, isn’t it a bit weird for Scrooge McDuck to-” “Daaad.” Gosalyn rolled her eyes. “Geez, can’t you enjoy a nice gesture from an old man?” “Gosalyn is right!” Launchpad nodded. “Mr McD is nicer than people think. He took me in when I didn’t have a place to stay, you know!” “Mmmh.” Drake nodded. “Still…” “You worry too much!” Gosalyn scolded, putting her comic aside. “That’s what too much crime fighting will do to you.” “What?! There’s never enough crime fighting, young lady!” “Whatever. Just… let Darkwing in the car for tonight, okay? Be Drake and have fun.” “Yeah, DW! It’s gonna be a fun evening!” “Launchpad, don’t call him that!”

They had been so busy bickering that they barely noticed they had arrived. Launchpad almost crashed the car when parking it in front of the garage, but the three of them arrived in one piece in front of the manor’s entrance. Out of habit, Launchpad was about to open the door, but Drake gently grabbed his wrist and rang instead. A surprised Mrs Beakley opened them.

“Launchpad? What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be coming back here before Sunday.” “What?” it was the pilot’s turn to be puzzled. “We’re here for dinner?” Drake clarified, suspicious. “The one Scrooge McDuck invited us to?” “Dinner? Mr McDuck hasn’t told me-” “Oh hey, hi Launchpad! Hi Mr Mallard! Hi Gos!”

Webby had sled right in front of her grandmother, offering the trio the warmest and most welcoming smile she could. Mrs Beakley looked at her granddaughter, suspicion growing more and more obvious on her face, but the girl ignored the heavy gaze she felt on her back:

“How wonderful of you to join us for a magical evening sure to please your minds and your palate! Please, come inside.”

Launchpad stepped inside the house, oblivious, but Drake kept looking at Webby as if she had grown a second head. He then glanced at his daughter, but she raised her shoulders, the very picture of innocence. Sighing, Drake followed his friend. When Gosalyn entered the manor, she saw Mrs Beakley was talking with Lena in a hushed tone, looking somewhat displeased but mostly perplexed. The redhead understood Webby hadn’t told her grandmother about their plan, probably because she would have done everything in her power to dissuade the kids from putting it to execution.

And, to be honest, Gosalyn couldn’t blame her.

But the plan was now in motion, for better or for worse. Gosalyn had, of course, been heavily helping Webby and Huey with it; but in the end, the last steps were entirely up to them, and she truly hoped it would succeed. She would never forgive herself if her meddling somehow hurt her father and Launchpad’s relationship; but she truly believed neither of them would do the first move, and that someone had to intervene, for their own good.

She met with Violet and Lena, who had apparently managed to convince Mrs Beakley to let them handle the situation if the way the housekeeper had gone upstairs while muttering “children…” half annoyed and half affectionately was any indication.

“And now, we wait.”

“Woah! Did you change the decoration? The kitchen didn’t look like that last week!”

While Launchpad looked around the room, amazed, Drake felt like he had stepped into one of those trashy novels oozing with over the top romanticism. Every surface available was covered in rose petals and candles, save for the table at the center of the room, covered with a pink tablecloth. Soft jazz music was playing, and strings of small paper hearts had been taped to the wall.

One of the Duck triplets – Drake still had trouble telling them apart, this one wore a white shirt with a red bow tie – greeted them, a napkin thrown over his arm.

“Ah, welcome, welcome! Your table awaits, gentlemen.”

The duckling guided them to the table, which was around two meters away from them, and let the two adults sit down. Launchpad was still looking around, marvelling at the gentle and cosy atmosphere the candles gave the room, while Drake listened to him, feeling a smile blossom on his beak.

It was when Webby brought them a menu, one that only had a single option available – labelled as “Cupid’s Choice” and whose main dish was a plate of meatball spaghetti – that everything clicked in Drake’s head. Gosalyn’s enthusiasm when she had told them of the dinner, the way she had been looking at him and Launchpad all day long, Beakley’s confusion, the ridiculously romantic decoration of the room-

Gosalyn may not have been his biological child, but she was definitely his clever daughter. She took so much after him, and after Launchpad too, now that he thought about it.

And as a complete understanding of the situation hit him, Drake laughed, taking Launchpad by surprise.

“DW- uh, I mean, Drake, what’s going on?” “Oh, nothing, nothing, don’t worry.” Drake reassured his friend, looking at the emerald eyes he could get lost in, noticing for the first time how close their hands were, resting on the table. “I’m just looking forward to this dinner.”

-------

And of course the dinner was a success!! Let me know if I should write it! I'm just weak for the Mallard-McQuack family......... and Webby and Huey's matrimonial agency of sorts... and Team Magic befriending Gos.... I hope I did this pairing justice, it's my favorite DT17 ship!!

#drakepad #drake mallard #launchpad mcquack #gosalyn mallard #ducktales #ducktober #violet sabrewing #lena de spell #lena despell #Webby Vanderquack #huey duck #bentina beakley #mrs beakley #dt17 #my writing #my fics #team magic

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