#also the balls that it took to cast an unknown as the lead for a four-hour epic

[shiveringsoldier]

“Introducing Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence” and this unknown actor gave one of the greatest film performances of all time

[bhvr]

hey hows it going i watched maxxxine here is my 1.4k SPOILER-FILLED review i typed up literally just as i got home from the theater

“im basically pearl but if i was a screenwriter from florida”

Before even watching the movie, I was INSANELY hyped for this. I love X and Pearl and have rambled on about why I love these movies (especially Pearl) so many times before. It was here! I was in the theater! Watching it! 

And then I finished the movie, went home, and typed this up. 

POSITIVES

MaXXXine feels like it’s set in the 80s without coming off as corny, fake, or inauthentic. It feels like you’re in the city and hanging around the dregs of underground show business. Maxine is a strong-willed, take-no-shit woman who you feel like isn’t just going to survive despite the fucked up people around her, but because of it. She’s rough, skilled, hot, and THAT BITCH. I love her confidence. She never doubts herself for even a second and wants everyone to know it. 

I really liked how the movie was not afraid to make her ruthless. She fought through X and now, years later, there is nothing that is going to stop her from becoming a star. Maxine straight up CRUSHES A GUY’S BALLS (which includes a pretty nasty shot) because he tried to attack her. I love the portrayal of a woman who will do absolutely anything to keep what she’s earned within her grasp, even if it means straight up murder. The scene where she punches the private investigator with her keys, yells, and kicks his car’s shit in? LOVED IT. She’s working and this guy won’t leave her the fuck alone, so fuck the threats of “well I work for a very dangerous guy”, get out of her life! 

Also! I love horror. Obviously. So I enjoyed the references that were scattered throughout the movie that felt pretty natural. Maybe I’m just crazy, but I swore that scene in act three where Maxine is attacked with the plastic bag was a Black Christmas (1974) reference. Also “Texas Porn Star Massacre” is just funny.  

The soundtrack rocks and so do the outfits and cinematography. There’s so many shots in this movie that I loved!! The lighting was fun and really took advantage of how scenes were set in locations like night clubs.

For the most part, the supporting cast is full of great actors. It’s clear Kevin Bacon had fun and thank GOD Giancarlo Esposito got to do a role that wasn’t “cold calculating CEO” or any of that. Lily Collins rocks.

CRITICISMS

However, I do have a number of criticisms about the movie. One thing that stuck out to me the most was how it felt like certain story threads ended up leading absolutely nowhere. No characters, from Maxine’s-seemingly-only-friend to the detectives following her, demonstrate any sort of interest in her past– I fully expected Maxine’s “Maybe she should save herself. I did.” line to provoke curiosity in the female detective, making her wonder what Maxine has gone through to give her such a vindictive “I owe nobody anything because nobody ever saved me” attitude, but it ended up going nowhere. Several lines, details, and scenes that made me think “oh! someone’s going to find out about the farm massacre/her trauma/literally anything!” went nowhere. As for the Night Stalker (which acts almost purely as one of the film’s handful of red herrings), I’m still conflicted on how I feel about it. 

[Side note: why… why was there a line where Maxine’s friend, Leon, sees an unknown guy, says something like “I don’t work in that business anymore, this is a video store”, and then… it’s never addressed. The only info ever shown about the guy is that he’s chill, a good friend, Maxine likes him because he “isn’t trying to fuck her”, he likes horror movies, and works in a video store. He gets murdered after that line and is never mentioned again. Cool.]

I also wish that there had been more scenes of Maxine actually BEING AN ACTRESS. We barely see her on set and from what I remember we never see her actually act in the big shot movie she’s been cast in. C’mon, man. It did not feel like she was struggling to balance work with the shit going on in her life. If anything, her work life felt almost like an afterthought, despite being the thing she’s been working towards her entire life. I know she’s willing to kill and maim without thinking twice for her dreams, but show me the pay-off! Show me her being passionate and glad to be doing her dream job that will launch her into fame!

Speaking of lack of things, I wish Mia Goth had more lines. Shocking, I know. She’s literally THE lead actress we never take our eyes off of and there were at least two scenes where I thought “Why doesn’t she have any dialogue? It’s just the other character talking to themselves and it feels awkward.” She asks her agent if anything she tells him will be legally confidential, and… her lines disappear. No, she does not tell him “back in ‘79 two old people murdered all my friends and tried to kill me so I had to kill them”, but she DOES enlist his help straight up killing a guy. We literally see there’s news evidence of, as the headline reads, “THE TEXAS PORN STAR MASSACRE”. The porno is police evidence. Maxine is known to have been there. It goes nowhere and doesn’t feel threatening in the slightest.

Overall, there are so many intriguing plot threads and storylines this movie could’ve focused on it, but all it did was jump around, unable to settle on one. As a result, all of them suffer.

This movie also suffers from feeling like we’ve gone from an incredibly long act 1 to act 3 in an instant. I LOVE horror movies. This did not feel like it had the rising tension needed in one. I found myself thinking halfway through what turned out to be act 2 “Wow, this is taking a bit to ramp up. I’m sure it’ll be worth it once we’re at the peak of the rising tension” aaaand then we’re in act 3 and catching The #1 Antagonist Of The Movie. Wait, what? Oh. We’re at the conclusion. Cool.

The reveal was lame and felt out of nowhere, to put it bluntly. Please just give me rising tension. Give me Maxine figuring out it’s been her dad all along (if that’s really what we want to go with…) and the drama of it all. Don’t just drop it on my head after throwing red herrings at me for over an hour. 

On another note, I want to circle back around and talk about the acting and the directing. I’m sorry, but the fucking male cop just talking perfectly normally before dying 1 second later took me out of the film. This is a guy who has been shot in the torso and is actively dying– why the fuck is he talking like he ran into Maxine at the grocery store? Further, Mia Goth is a PHENOMENAL actress. We’ve seen Pearl and X, that’s why we’re here, so it’s rather disappointing to see her not get the chance to show emotion. Yes, it has been years since the farm murders and she’s changed as a person, she’s jaded and cold and more cutthroat than ever, but I genuinely can’t tell if it was the intention for her to come off so blank for a chunk of scenes. What happened to her punching the private detective with keys in her fists and leaving him all fucked up and bloody and then kicking his car mirrors in? Show me more of that! Show me her emotion!! You’ve just discovered your father is the one who has been killing those around you and fucking up your life, you’re so shocked and vulnerable that you’re allowing him to take your gun from you without a fight, so WHY–

Anyway. The scenes where Maxine's PTSD is shown felt like they were written with the intention of showing her PTSD without it being intertwined with her character. Once the scenes are over, they're over.

I blame Ti West. A director’s job is to, y’know, direct the actors, so that’s that. But also I don’t think there was any saving Halsey’s performance– sorry, if I was Ti West I would’ve told her to cut the bad Jersey(?) accent before I cut her out of the film entirely. 

I’ll keep my thoughts on how I personally would have written scenes ranging from the death of Maxine’s father to the meeting with her agent to myself, but this felt very much like an early draft that should’ve been beta read by a few more people. There is so much potential in this film, but I genuinely wonder if some part of the production process was rushed and if that’s why the movie is Like This. 

gave it a 3.5/5 on letterboxd

[violettelueur]

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE ONE || RYOMEN SUKUNA

↳ featuring : itadori yuji + fushiguro megumi + gojo satoru + ryomen sukuna from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mentions of blood + mention of killing + mention of mass murder (word massacres is mentioned) + mention of death + swearing and EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 07 february

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 3.8k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ next episode : for myself

↳ barista’s notes : to be honest with you guys, this little imagine here is such a mess and i had fun writing it since it have me an excuse to watch the first and a tiny bit of episodes one and two of jujutsu kaisen again ʕ￫ᴥ￩　ʔ 

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. all the ‘curse spells’ mentioned in this are related to Bleach (their use of Kido - credits go to: Tite Kubo) so these ain’t my original ideas since i started this at like 11pm on a saturday night. 

2. there is some dialogue missing since this is from your perspective as a reader and not Fushiguro’s or Itadori’s 

3. as you all know, the storyline isn’t mine, it belongs to Gege Akutami 

4. this whole thing might be confusing and please don’t expect a part two because i will do it when i am ready or feel like i can at the right time ʕ ᵒ ᴥ ᵒʔ 

5. i don’t know, if i am going to add this onto my masterlist since this was just for fun to be honest!

thank you so much for taking the time to read this and i hope you enjoy your free cup of classic black coffee (jujutsu kaisen) ʕ•ᴥ•ʔﾉ♡

“L/N, are you going to come with us?”

Looking away from the window you were viewing out from, you paused sipping from your carton of orange juice before turning your head to quickly discover two female students looking at you with anticipation in their eyes only for you to look at them in some sort of confusion. 

“Come one, don’t tell me you didn’t hear about it? Coach Takagi and Itadori are competing!” one of the girls complained, obviously slightly annoyed at your oblivious nature to the news that was going around the school at this moment in time.

“Competing for?” you then questioned, as you stood straight from your leaning position causing the other female student to then rapidly answer by saying, “Coach is trying to requite Itadori for the nationals, so if he wins then itadori has to join the track club to compete!” 

‘Huh? What a drag’

“So do you wanna come to the track field with us to see who is going to win?” the two students asked again in a desperate tone, leading you to look at the window you were previously looking from to see the exact location that they had stated. “I’ll watch from here, it has a higher and wider view, so I would have a better look” you replied, before pointing at the track field that was on the other side of the glass causing the students to look out before nodding.

“We really want to see it up close, so we’ll see you tomorrow yeah?” the first female student asked, leading you to smile and nod at them before seeing them rapidly take off to the track field trying to make sure they arrived before the competition started.

Turning your smile back into a straight line, you turn back to the window that you were looking through before being interrupted while placing your drink’s straw between your lips letting the sweet but citrusy juice flow down your throat. Admiring the view, you decided to let your eyes roam free for a bit to see if there was anything interesting to observe before the supposed ‘competition’ started, which then led you to pause at the sight of the closed rugby field down below.

Coming out of the ground was a horrific creature with four arms before climbing up the pole revealing its large teeth leading you to stare at it with complete boredom as you then mentally took a quick note to exorcise it later when the school closed. However, what also came into your sights was a single male student down before staring at the same curse you were observing causing you to continue analysing the situation.

‘Can he see it? I don’t recall a student here having any curse energy’

From what you could tell, the student had black erratic hair with his hands in his pocket but from what you could see that other’s couldn’t, there was a faint but noticeable aura of curse energy surrounding his body generating a feeling of curiosity but nervousness within your stomach as you place your empty carton away from your lips. Suddenly, the male turned around leading you to have somewhat a clearer view of him, only to discover that he also had a pair of emerald eyes which then made you come to the conclusion that he wasn’t a student from the school. How could he? You could tell this ‘student’, and yourself was the same age meaning you would have at least seen him once or twice down the hallways and there was no new information about a student coming in, if there was, it would have been a buzz.

‘Don’t tell me one of the clans managed to find out about me?’ you anxious thought, leading you to take a short step back ensuring this sorcerer didn’t have a vivid view of you when you did of him. Hearing some cheering, you turned your head to the other side to find a small crowd forming with a metal ball being flung as two students ran out to measure the length between the dip of the sand from the coach indicating to you that the competition had started.

“14 metres!’ the one student shouted, leading to a round of applause from the audience spectating the event. However, from what your ears were managing to pick up, there were cheers for Itadori leading you to wonder if you could recall the classmate they were shouting for.

“Ah~ Itadori Yuji ha?” you rhetorically asked the air around you, not expecting an answer in return. Itadori Yuji was a first-year student like you were, member of the small occult research club with second years Sasaki and Iguchi when he could be in any athletic club if he wanted to. However, understandably you knew some people would rather do something than what their natural talents indicated. Once again, you saw the metal ball being thrown - this time from the pink-haired students - only for it to land that the corner of the football goal, yet what was the shocking thing was that the metal of the goal was bent leading you to look at the sight within widened eye - of course, you knew Itadori was fast and strong but not to the extent of what you had just witnessed.

“Wow, no wonder he was called ‘Tiger of the West Middle’,” you muttered under your breath before quickly reverting your eyes to find the sorcerer you were wary of. Surprisingly, he was now on the track field looking upon the competition mixing well with the other students like a little chameleon. Although, before you could continue to observe the student trying to see what his intentions were, Itadori suddenly ran past him with his large backpack on, only for the erratic-haired sorcerer’s eye to suddenly widen the second they crossed each other leading him to reach out for your classmate. However, there was only dust to be collected as Itadori was suddenly out of reach.

“Just what are you trying to gain, sorcerer? It’s already a drag that you’re here,” you quietly mumbled irritation before turning away from the window you were gazing from to collect your school bag from your classroom since you left it there to not have the burden of carrying it on your shoulder. However, what you didn’t notice was the same sorcerer peering up at the same window you were looking from with perplexity painted on his face.

‘Was someone watching me?’

                                              ꕥ

“Don’t tell me someone got a hold of that damn finger?” you angrily stated, as you suddenly felt an immense amount of pressure invade the school causing you to wonder if there was anyone within the school with you right now, as you began to increasingly worry about whoever got a hold of the special-grade object that you found a few nights before.

“I put a protective seal on it, who the hell broke it!?” you muttered, as you panicky ran up the stairs trying to follow the presence of the object you were desperately trying to get a hold of before forcibly pushing a door open leading it to smash against the wall as you continued to sprint across the halls.

As you quickly turned the corner, you saw a large curse blocking the path leading you to instinctively flow your curse energy flow to your hand to the tips of your finger as you began to confidently recite the spell you were about to cast after you had finished drawing the symbol with your curse energy in the air.

“Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with the horror and then claw out your own throat! Binding Curse Spell number nine: Geki!” you chanted, leading to a thin light aqua aura of curse energy to surround the curse causing it to become completely paralysed. However, before you could cast another spell to destroy the curse, there was a sudden interruption causing you to look at the person in complete shock as they flew into the corridor from outside the window only for you to discover it was your own classmate.

“Itadori!” you screamed, only for him to grab what seemed like two people away from the curse as it was still immobilised from your spell leading you to turn to the side to find that it was both Sasaki and Iguchi in his arms causing your eye to further widen only for you to be then distracted by the curse being blown away to your direction leading you to use another spell to make sure you were caught in the process.

“Binding Curse Spell number eighty-one: Danku,” you hurriedly stated, leading to a large rectangular defensive wall to shield you away from the decapitated parts of the curse as well as the technique being used for it to explode the way it did. Unexpectedly, once the pathway was cleared you suddenly came eye to eye with the sorcerer you were peering down on the track field this afternoon causing a wave of uneasiness to consume your body. 

“Who are you?” he questioned leading to the two dogs beside him to growl at you showing their sharp canine that could easily pierce your skin if he commanded them to. Slowly, your hand moved to the hilt of your katana that was hanging horizontally on your back, before quickly coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t difficult to slice the two dogs down if you desired to.

“Shikigamis huh? I should just cut the user down before they could reach me, then they would disappear’

“Oh L/N? What are you doing here?” Itadori asked in shock, leading you and the sorcerer to look at him before the sorcerer suspiciously asked, “you know who she is?”.

“She’s a student at my school, she is in the higher class since she’s smarter than me,” Itadori explained, as he took the time to check on his two club members with a sincere look on his face to then discover that they were unconscious with Sasaki in a decent state with Iguchi in somewhat the same condition but with injuries to his face. Letting your shield gradually disappear, you slowly walked up to your senior as you crouched down to hover a hand over his face letting a flow of curse energy begin to heal his wounds.

“Itadori, how the hell did they get the finger?” you angrily questioned the boy while continuing to heal your upperclassman causing him to look at you in shock - due to your acknowledgement of the object - as he caught the cursed object that slipped out of Sasaki’s pocket once he picked her up in a bridal style. 

“How do you know about it?” the sorcerer then asked, only to be quickly silenced when you gave him a heated glare only for itadori to then explain that he was the one that picked it up for them since they wanted to sneak back into the school to unwrap the talisman for research for the occult club leading an irk to appear on your forehead. “Wasn’t there like a talisman paper placed on the door? You know like those like sheet of paper with Ancient Japanese writing painted on it?” you asked in a stern tone as you completed the healing process only for itadori to give you a questionable look.

“There was a hint of paper being there, but it seemed like it was ripped off,” itadori answered wearily, leading you to look up at him with enlarged eyes as you let out a breath of complete shock.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN RIPPED OFF?” you screamed as you rushed to your feet before grabbing the collar of his classic yellow jumper. From what you could recall, there was no possible way for the seal to be completely ripped off by the hands of a normal person, not even a simple sorcerer could even go through the barrier you had placed on it leading you to turn to the sorcerer, who was looking at the argument that was occurring right in front of his face.

“Was it you? No, from what I can see, you ain’t even a high enough grade to even go through it...Ah shit,” you cursed as you let go of Itadori’s collar before beginning to try to think of all the possibilities that could have happened that led to this accident.

“So, is this it Fushiguro?” Itadori asked the sorcerer, completely ignoring you as you were in a state of shock and confusion on what was going on. “Yeah, that’s the special-grade curse object, Ryomen Sukuna’s finger,” the sorcerer confirmed with Itadori as he then quickly mentioned, “it’s a miracle that it didn’t get swallowed, thanks to L/N curse technique back there.”

‘Fushiguro huh? Not Zenin, that’s a relief’

“Why would anything eat it? Does it taste good?” Itadori asked in curiosity, leading you and Fushguro to look at the boy with a questionable look on both your faces.

“Don’t be stupid,” you and Fushiguro simultaneously stated causing both of you to look at each other in shock before you then explained, “you’d do it to gain stronger curse energy. It’s dangerous, so hand it over to Fushiguro, it’s best to have him keep hold of it since the seal I placed was broken.”

“Sure, sure,” Itadori casually said, as he outstretched his hand to pass the finger to Fushiguro. However, before the sorcerer could take the object away from Itadori’s gasp, a large hand began to reach down below the two people causing you to look up in fear before instinctively pushing the two boys away from the area it was trying to target.

“RUN!” you screamed, before the ceiling crashed down between both of you, leaving you completely alone and vulnerable as the dust invaded your sights. In a panic, you swiftly grabbed the hilt of your katana to release the blade from its casing revealing an all-black weapon your hands, but once the smoked clear you found Fushiguro trapped in the hands of the curse before being forcibly through to the concrete wall causing a few hints of blood escaping from his mouth, to which lead to the two dogs that were protecting Itadori as well as the two second-year to disappear.

‘Shadows? Don’t tell me…’

However, before you could even complete your sudden thought, there was a sudden flash of lights blinding you before the whole side of the school to be destroyed along with Fushiguro, who was thrown across. In a state of terror, you rushed outside before using your speed to jump up the height needed before stabbing back of the curse’s head with your katana before quickly retreating back, leaving it there as the curse screeched in pain while preparing another curse spell to use to finish off the monstrosity.

“Destructive Curse Spell number seventy-three: Soren Soka-” you screamed, but you were interrupted once you suddenly found Itadori aggressively punch the curse’s head leading Fushiguro, who was laying down on the ground with blood pouring down his face to angrily shout, “Itadori! Why can’t you understand to take those two and run?!”.

“You’re in big trouble yourself!” Itadori screamed back, before being swung around as he then suddenly was being dragged along the metal railings of the balcony before his body was then swung into the air.

“Only curses can exorcise other curses! You can’t beat it!” Fushiguro argued back, only for this attempt to fall on death’s ears as itadori continued to fight against the curse as he masterfully dodged its attacks before playing his own as he kicked its ruby eye.

“Besides, I have my own troublesome curse already!” Itadori declared, causing you to look at your classmate in complete annoyance since you didn’t have a single clue on what he was rabbling about. As of right now, all you were wondering was where the cursed finger was since the last time you had seen it was in Itdori’s possession. 

Suddenly, before you realised it, the mentioned cursed object had slipped out of Itadori’s grasp causing you to quickly stand up on your feet to jump across the cure to reach it. On the other hand, it seemed like the curse was blocking your way by how it used both its arms to capture Itadori leading to the student to jump as high as he could to catch the finger by the grip of his teeth.

“You idiot!” you screamed, as you tried to concentrate your curse energy to flow to your palms as your katana was still within the curse’s head. “Hand it over to me or you'll be eaten, too!” Fushiguro yelled in a panic as he finally got up on his feet to chase after the wanted object.

Slowly, you raised your right hand before using your index finger to use it as a guide to where to aim your next spell at the finger without damaging your schoolmate in the process. “Destructive Curse Spell number one: Sho,” you quickly chanted leading to a small amount of curse energy in a concentrated manner to shoot from the tip of your index finger, yet before it even had the chance to hit the finger away from Itadori’s teeth, he threw thing finger up in the air using the force of his head leading your curse spell to be a futile attempt.

“There is a way to save everyone! I just need some cursed energy right. Fushiguro, L/N?!” Itadori cried out, leading you to again attempt to shoot the cursed finger away from where you assumed Itadori wanted it to go, while Fushiguro looked upon the situation in complete fear of what was going to happen.

“Don’t..Don’t do it!” Fushiguro shouted in a hostile tone, only for Itadori to swallow the special-grade cursed object causing you and the other sorcerer to look at the scene in complete disbelief.

‘He’s going to die, that’s a deadly poison..but...there’s a one in a million chance’

Suddenly, the arms of the curse disintegrated into small particles of flesh before Itadori landed on his feet, only for the curse to attempt to attack the salmon-hair boy again, leading to being completely destroyed with a single wing of an arm to which caused your katana, which was stuck within the flesh of the curse, to fly into the air before landing with a loud ‘clunk’. 

Yet, that wasn’t your main concern.

Your feet were glued to the ground as you looked upon the sight right in front of you. Fushiguro was staring at the same scene with dread flooding his green eyes as Itadori was now covered with the black markings of what you both come to know from basic jujutsu knowledge.

‘Y/N dear, I’m so sorry for putting you through this, if Sukuna ever comes into this era, it is your duty as a sorcerer and the only offspring of the L/N clan to exorcise him, promise me that please?’

‘Why.....why did you have to die mother?’

“Ah, I knew it! The light feels best in the flesh,” ‘Itadori’ declared, as he then processed to rip his yellow hoodie in excitement before brisking his flesh to the moonlight that was shining right above him. “A cursed spirit’s flesh is so boring. Where are the people? The women?!” ‘Itadori’ questioned before jumping onto the railings as he continued his speech, “what a wonderful era to be in, women and children are crawling everywhere like maggots. Marvellous! It’ll be a massacre!”

Without the acknowledgement of who you deemed to be Sukuna and Fushiguro, you slowly raised your right hand with an open palm as you began to whisper another curse spell to make the exorcism a little easier for you, “Binding Curse Spell number sixty-three: Sajo Sabaku''. As you closed your palm, there was a sudden manifestation of a yellow electrified chain being created as it loosely surrounded the King of Curse before tightly securing its place around his body.

“Ah-” Sukuna said in surprise before taking a step back from the balcony to observe the yellow chains that encaptured him. “L/N!” Fushiguro shouted as he looked at you with widened eyes surprised at how you figured out how to retain him so fast.

‘At this rate, he should be somewhat easier to exorcise, Itadori has only one finger within his system, it’s going to be okay right?’

However, before you could even comprehend what to do next as your tactic you suddenly heard a change in tone of voice. “What do you think you’re doing with my body?”  Sukuna asked, only for you to realise that it was Itadori who was speaking at this moment in time, “give it back”.

“How are you able to move?” Sukuna questioned his vessel back, as he was in pure confusion on how the human still maintained some control of his body. “I mean, it’s my body,” itadori answered back, only causing you more confusion on what was going on since Sukuna’s markings were still visible to his body.

“Don’t move! You’re no longer human,” Fushiguro stated in a serious tone, as he crouched down before moving his hand in front of him as he processed to make fists. 

“Under Jujutsu regulations, Itadori Yuuji, I will exorcise you as a curse!” Fushiguro announced, causing you to look at him with surprise painted upon your face. However, since you were beginning to lose a certain amount of curse energy, your chains slowly began to disappear leading Itadori’s hands to now more freely while Fushiguro’s worries about you begin to increase.

“Wait, really. I‘m just fine!” Itadori stated in innocence, as he raised his now-free hands as if he was surrendering to the sorcerer while his markings began to fade gradually. “More importantly, you and I are both pretty beat up, let’s go to a hospital,” Itadori declared as he was worried for the male right in front of him. On the other hand, you suddenly realise that there were shadows slowly swirling around Fushiguro leading to your assumption earlier to be true.

‘Fushguro is a Zenin...I..have….to’

“What’s the situation?” 

All of a sudden, a new voice came into the area leading you to turn your head to the side to find a rather tall male standing next to Fushiguro. From a quick glance, you could immediately inform yourself that had spiky white hair with a black blindfold covering his eyes, as he carried a paper bag on his arm while wearing a similar outfit to Fushiguro meaning he was another sorcerer.

“Gojo-sensei?! Why are you here?” Fushiguro asked in surprise, as he turned to look at what you assumed to be his teacher leading to the shadows around him to immediately disappear from sight.

“Gojo…” you muttered under your breath as you looked at the two male sorcerers right in front of you in horror as you came to the realisation on the situation you were facing.

‘Mother…..I’ve been found…..’

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[restlessfandoming]

“new arrivals” (chilumi oneshot)

Lumine and Childe anticipate the birth of their baby. As always, the two of them never have a moment of peace, and unexpected events arise, throwing everything in danger’s way.

//

hey friends! long time no see :p

i’ve finished my fic “the president and the troublemaker” so i’m back to writing one shots for a bit. if you haven’t read it yet, check it out on my profile :D

this oneshot is in response to this ask i received c:

[Fic Masterlist] // [AO3 Link]

* * *

“new arrivals”

Lumine hated Childe. Well, she hated Childe sometimes. She loved him, she really did, but in this moment, she hated him.

“Just because I am pregnant, doesn’t mean I can’t walk,” she nearly growled at him.

With a sheepish smile, Childe removed his hands from her arms. “Sorry, sorry. Your waddling makes me nervous.”

Lumine scoffed. “Of course I have to waddle.” She patted her swollen belly. “How else can I get around with this thing in me?”

Almost as if in retaliation, Lumine felt a kick inside her—don’t call me ‘thing.’

Instantly, Childe’s hand were resting on her bump, eagerly awaiting their baby’s movements. It truly amazed Lumine at how natural Childe’s paternal instincts were.

Their weekly spars had turned into nightly meetings, and nightly meetings had turned into...Well. Their current situation. It hadn’t been planned, obviously, it had just happened.

It had taken Lumine a whole week of nauseous morning after nauseous morning before Childe finally convinced her to visit Bubu Pharmacy where they both received the shock of their lives. Baizhu had been very compassionate, ensuring the confidentiality of the pregnancy as they left.

Childe had been the first one to get over the shock. For Childe, who had spent his life surrounded by family and younger siblings, he had easily grown accustomed to the idea of his own family—especially one with Lumine.

Lumine, on the other hand, took much, much longer. She hadn’t ever given it a thought: her own family?

She was on a quest to find her brother, of course. To regain her powers, defeat the Unknown God, and leave this world with Aether. She couldn’t just settle down and start a family.

Weeks passed, Lumine’s stomach growing, as she slipped into a dark place, thoughts of failure filling her mind—I’m never going to leave now.

Childe had spent all of his time, taking care of Lumine as she looked after herself less and less. Slowly, he was giving up his duties as a Harbinger; the Tsaritsa and his comrades were growing suspicious. Childe knew if they found out, it would only end in violence. A child between one of their strongest Harbingers and the all-powerful Outlander? They would surely want it as a pawn on their side, if they weren’t going to kill it first.

Childe found them a tiny cottage secluded in the vast mountain ranges of Liyue, with help from Zhongli, who was, of course, the most familiar with the lay of the land. He practically had to carry Lumine there, who was still deep in her depressive state, who spent her days laying in bed, staring blankly at the walls of her inn room, unwilling to move.

Once they were in the cottage, Childe again took care of her as she continued to contemplate her fate, unmoving; he made sure she ate, he cleaned her, and was always there to hold her at night, telling her that he would be with her no matter what she decided to do.

Her love for him only deepened as she saw how selflessly he helped her, how loyal he was. Because of him and his love and devotion, she slowly came to terms with their situation.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted this life: some secluded home in the mountains with Childe and a bouncing baby on her hip. A slow, peaceful life; it would be such a luxury from what her life was before. But, there was always that pang of guilt that settled in the back of her throat: the anxious thoughts that she was abandoning Aether, her twin brother, for this.

And perhaps it was that guilt that blocked Lumine from having any real connection with the life growing inside her. She hadn’t envisioned whether it would be a son or daughter, whether it would have her hair or Childe’s eyes—she hadn’t even thought of a name. Thinking of this baby only drew up a blank slate, a missing void.

Now nearing the end of her pregnancy, she felt a lot of movement inside. She knew that those moments were supposed to be special, that mothers cherished those feelings, but Lumine’s body registered them more as just...foreign movements.

There was also the fear. The fear of not being able to be a mother in the first place. She envied Childe and his ease with parenthood: knowing all the things to prepare, the foods she should be eating, the first lessons to teach. Lumine had no clue what to say or do.

She and Aether had been abandoned, left to fend for themselves, from a very young age. She never had a solid parental figure in her life.

How am I ever going to be a good mother?

A soft touch to her cheek pulled Lumine from her ruminations.

Childe gave her a smile. “Need anything, Lumi?”

Lumine put her hand over his. “Hm, I am a bit hungry,” she said.

A light chuckle. “How about some sticky honey roast?” His hand slid down from her cheek, his thumb on the corner of her lips. “You’re drooling already.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Shouldn’t you be hurrying up then?”

Childe laughed, then kissed her forehead. “I’ll come get you when it’s ready,” he told her, exiting to the kitchen.

Lumine turned, looking out the open window, into their little garden. The earthly scent wafted through the window, the warm sunshine adding an extra tang to the air. Through the window she counted the growing vegetables, taking note of those ready to harvest.

Humming quietly to herself, she made her way to the kitchen, standing in the doorway to watch Childe flutter about the room, pulling various pots, pans, and utensils out from the shelves.

Archons, he was going to be such a good father.

!!!

There was another movement in her womb, this time sharper, a bit more painful. She let out a tiny gasp.

Childe turned, and immediately went to her, brows furrowed. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “There’s been a lot of movement lately.”

There was a long pause before Childe spoke. “Must mean it’s nearly time.”

She locked eyes with him. “Already?”

He reached out and soothed out her hair. “Hey, no worries. I will be right here with you—always.” He smiled softly. “We’ll get through it together.”

Lumine nodded, her throat drying. “I’ll be in the garden for a bit.”

“Okay. Can you get some carrots while you’re there? We’re running a bit low.”

She nodded again, leaving the house while Childe returned to his preparations.

She walked through the tall grass, pushing open the wooden fence leading into the garden, her slippers thudding quietly against the little cobblestone path. Finding the patch of carrots, she slowly knelt down, beginning to pull the orange vegetables from the earth.

Birds tweeted, insects chirped, and Lumine again found herself in the vortex of anxiety as she thought about the coming days. Any day from now, she was going to birth a whole new life into the world—a tiny, little, helpless life she was going to have to raise, look after. Can I do it?

She shook her head.

She had helped countless lives, people of all ages and backgrounds, during her time in Teyvat. She had even formed special bonds with so many of them, this child being a result of one of those special bonds. So, surely she would find her way to loving this new life, to caring for it with all her heart, right?

And she would still search for Aether. Aether wouldn’t be angry. He would love a niece or nephew to look after. She was sure her child would love their uncle right back. So, she would have to find Aether for her child and—

BZZT.

Lumine blinked. Was that a bug?

“Found you.”

Lumine looked over her shoulder, finding a familiar blue-haired boy standing behind her. Scaramouche.

“What an annoyance it’s been looking for you,” he said, the ball of electricity crackling dangerously in his hand.

Anxiety pooled into Lumine’s veins. She wouldn’t be able to fight him, not like this. I can’t even stand up quickly right now.

!!!

Another painful movement ripped through Lumine’s body. She bit the side of her cheek in to keep quiet in front of Scaramouche.

“Not going to say anything?” he taunted, taking steps closer to her. “Not even going to raise your weapon at me?”

She dug her nails into the dirt, trying to make the pain go away.

“C’mon. What happened to the almighty Outlander?” His voice continued to drop in annoyance. Lumine could feel the electricity sparking directly behind her now.

“What do you want?” she strained out.

A sardonic laugh rippled through the air as he yanked her up by her hair.

“What I’ve been ordered to do.” He brought the electricity closer to her throat. “To kill—”

He froze, tiny flickers of Electro energy pricking Lumine’s skin. He let her go, stepping around her as she collapsed back onto the ground.

“How...interesting,” he breathed, eyes cast down at Lumine’s pregnant body. “So this is why you’ve hid all this time.” His eyes twitched, calculating what to do with the new information.

Lumine rubbed at her neck. “Are you still going to kill me? Or take me back to your Tsaritsa?”

“Who’s the father?” Violet-blue eyes met amber. “Don’t tell me…” He let out a cynical laugh, eyes growing wide with hysteria. “That idiot? Of course! Why didn’t we see it before? The two of you did disappear around the same time…”

He leaned down, bringing the Electro energy back near Lumine’s face. “Tartaglia’s nearby, isn’t he?”

Lumine glared at him. I can just pull my sword out right now. He was close enough for her to throw a quick jab at. Maybe she could disarm him and get away.

It had been so long since she had last fought, since she last materialized her sword. It was going to take some time to do it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally answered. She focused her energy to her palm, searching through the void for her weapon.

“Playing dumb’s not going to work.” There was a surge of power through the ball of electricity. “You should just tell me before I kill you and find out for myself.”

“You don’t even want the child? You’re just going to kill a potentially powerful weapon?” she tried to bargain. She needed more time. She could feel her sword’s particles slowly returning to her.

Scaramouche paused for a brief second to consider. “Sounds like a liability.” He glanced up at the sky. “The Tsaritsa has all she needs. I’d rather not run the risk of another filthy betrayer.”

SHING!

Lumine’s sword appeared in her hand.

Without hesitation, she stabbed up at Scaramouche, forcing all the elemental energy in her body through the weapon.

Anemo and Geo energy struck the Harbinger in his chest, sending him flying across the garden.

Lumine struggled to stand, stumbling her way back to the house, energy already quickly draining from her heavy body. She glanced back at Scaramouche.

He was standing up, his eyes twitching with rage. “You—” He launched an Electro attack directly at her.

She raised her hand, trying to charge her counter attack as fast as she could.

I can’t get it in time—!

A shield of Hydro formed in front of her, dissipating Scaramouche’s attack.

Relief washed over Lumine as she turned around. Childe—

“Mona?!” she blurted.

The twin-tailed astrologist gave her a small smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here,” she said. Her eyes flickered to Lumine’s belly. “And with child?”

“What are you doing here?!”

Mona threw up a Hydro shield as Scaramouche fired another sphere of Electro.

“The Hydro witch again,” he snarled. “You’re really getting on my nerves.”

Scaramouche charged an arc of lightning straight at them.

Mona casted a large bubble of water to surround them, wincing as the lightning collided with the shield, burning sparks deflecting all over.

The lightning didn’t disappear upon collision, instead continuously barraging against the water. Mona closed her eyes in concentration, brows furrowing with each passing second.

Scaramouche twisted his arm, amping the lightning with more energy, the Electro glow brightening.

CRACK!

Mona let out a sharp gasp; a fine line had splintered in the bubble.

Lumine raised her hands, straining her muscles, and mustering any energy in her body to charge a barrier of her own to help her friend.

!!!

She groaned as she collapsed back onto her knees, a horrible, throbbing pain rippling through her abdomen. Her eyes widened, feeling water trickle down the side of her leg.

No, no, no...not now!

“Lumine!” Mona breathed out. “What’s wrong?”

The blonde cried out as her body underwent another contraction. “I—the baby…,” was all she managed to get out before letting out another cry of pain. The baby is coming!

Mona cursed, another line fracturing in her shield.

“It’s over!” Scaramouche yelled. “There’s no use delaying your deaths!”

A smattering of blue Hydro energy rushed past the women, heading directly for the Harbinger. Just as quickly, Scaramouche withdrew his arc of lightning at Mona and Lumine, blocking the oncoming attack.

Childe locked his daggers with Scaramouche’s Electro shield. His face was twisted in a snarl, a dark, evil expression Lumine had never seen before.

“I’m going to kill you,” he said to Scaramouche, voice gravelly, but plain, as if it were just a simple fact being stated.

The blue-haired boy barked out a laugh. “You can’t. You were always the weakest one of us all.”

Childe mimicked the laughter. “I never did like you, Scaramouche.” His ocean eyes narrowed. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

There was an explosion of Hydro, engulfing the two Harbingers. The two struck each other with ultimate speed and precision, only brief glimpses of their fight visible, disembodied clashes of weapons and elements.

Mona let down her own barrier, short of breath, and knelt next to Lumine.

“I’ll teleport us out of here—to safety,” she said.

Lumine reached out, grasping onto her friend’s arm. “No,” she heaved. “Not...without him.” She looked up, eyes tracking Childe. I’m not going to leave you.

“The father?” the mage asked. She worried her lip as she stared ahead, lost in thought. Then, “Wait here,” she said.

The witch shimmered into thin air with a torrent of water, reappearing next to Childe. Both Scaramouche and Childe immediately turned their weapons at her, which she deflected.

She leapt and grabbed Childe by the shoulder, disappearing yet again, rematerializing next to Lumine. Childe and Scaramouche both let out curses as Mona grabbed Lumine’s arm.

WHOOSH!

Lumine blinked, and the three of them were in a thick forest: a distance aways from where they were before.

Mona cried out as Childe knocked her to the ground, foot pinning her arm, dagger at her face.

“Who are you?” he growled.

“Friend!” Lumine croaked out. “She’s my friend!”

Childe turned towards Lumine. He released his weapons, rushing to Lumine’s side. “Are you hurt?” he asked, gently examining her.

“It’s coming,” Lumine whispered.

She felt his muscles tense against her. “Right now?” Upon her nod, he clenched his jaw. He turned back to Mona. “Do you know anything about childbirth?”

Mona glared at him slightly, rubbing at her bruised arm. “No. I’m an astrologist, not a doctor.”

Childe returned the expression. “Could you get us to Liyue Harbor? To BuBu Pharmacy?”

A shake of the head. “It takes a lot of energy to teleport. I won’t be able to do it for a while, unfortunately.”

!!!

Another contraction pulsed through Lumine’s body. “Now,” she groaned. “It has to be now.” It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming. Tears gathered in her eyes, from the pain, from the fear barraging her mind.

“Okay, okay,” Childe said, tender. He stroked Lumine’s hair. “You’re going to have the baby right here, okay?”

He yanked off his jacket, laying it under Lumine. He motioned at Mona. “You are going to have to hold her leg.”

Mona came to Lumine’s side, face slightly pale, then took off her cape and folded it into a makeshift pillow under the blonde’s head. “You’re a doctor?”

Childe shook his head. His face was taut. “Lots of younger siblings. I’ve seen my mother deliver before.” He grabbed Lumine’s hand softly. “It’s mostly going to be you from here,” he said. He squeezed her hand. “And I know you’re going to do great. Like you always do.”

I can’t.

All her battles combined didn’t come close to the excruciating pain radiating throughout her body now. Her mind was fleeting, blurred—all of her previous anxieties crashing back; she was senseless, she couldn’t fight them off.

“I can’t,” she finally whispered. “I can’t do this; I can’t be a mother.”

Childe tucked her hair back, leaning in close, lips nestled on her forehead. “There is absolutely no one in this world that compares to you,” he whispered back. “It’s terrifying, I know, but if there’s anyone that can be an amazing mother, it’s you.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve seen you defeat armies of men, monsters, and gods—”

“Childe, that’s different—”

“—and I’ve seen how brilliantly resilient you are. You would stop at nothing for those you love.”

“Ahem,” Mona coughed awkwardly.

Lumine and Childe looked at her.

She looked away, bashful. “You have this strange ability to have patience, and to care for everyone,” Mona said. “Even when they’re difficult and stubborn...like me.” She finally looked back at Lumine. “I think...I think anyone would be lucky to have you as their mother, Lumine.”

Lumine sniffled loudly. “Mona…”

“Now, now,” the mage interrupted. “Let’s get this on the way. I suppose being an aunt would be fun…”

“She’s right,” Childe added. “I thank the stars everyday that I’m going to be able to love and cherish this child with you. There’s no one else that could ever come close to you, Lumi.”

Tears fully rained from Lumine’s eyes. Slowly, she began to nod.

They were right. She knew herself more than capable. And she wasn’t going to be alone. Even with her fears, she had her loved ones there to support her. Together, they would be strong enough for anything.

I...I can do this.

“Thank you, both,” she breathed. She reached out, putting her hand in Childe’s. “I love you.”

He smiled at her. “I love you too.” He kissed her before kneeling by her feet.

“Deep breathes,” Childe told her. “Then push, okay?”

She nodded, taking in a lungful of air.

Breathe, Lumine, breathe.

Breathe.

PUSH.

Lumine let out a sharp cry, pushing with every ounce of strength left in her body, nerves excruciatingly igniting all over. The trees swayed as the wind picked up around the three.

Pleasepleaseplease—

“Lumine,” Mona murmured, glancing up at the leaves. “Your energy is leaking out.”

Lumine stopped pushing for a second, forehead slick with sweat. “Wha-What does that mean?”

Mona pointed at swirls of Anemo energy forming above, leaves and branches beginning to snap off. “It may very well mean you might level this entire forest.”

Oh no… “I-I can’t control it right now,” Lumine said.

“Can you form a seal of some sort?” Childe asked.

The astrologist bit her lip. “I can certainly try.” She grabbed Lumine’s hand then nodded.

Taking in another deep breath, Lumine started pushing again. Both her and Mona winced as Lumine squeezed their hands together. A blue glow emitted lightly from her body—Mona’s magic—and she felt her elemental energy rattling in her veins.

“You’re doing great, Lumi,” Childe said over her panting. “You’re almost there.”

Almost...there!

Lumine screamed as she felt a final wave of pain, and the intense release of pressure.

Then, a cry.

Not hers, however. The pitched wailing of a baby.

She relaxed back, just listening to the crying as Childe and Mona shuffled around, checking on the baby.

It’s here.

She looked down at her feet where Childe was wrapping the baby in his gray jacket. He was smiling, his blue eyes blissfully aglow.

He carried the bundle to Lumine. “A son,” he told her. The baby was placed in her arms.

For the first time ever, Lumine looked down at her son.

My son.

“He’s so small,” she said, smoothing down his head of light hair. She held him close to her heart, and the crying quieted down. His tiny eyes opened, bleary blue hues taking in the world.

Her heart ached as it swelled with overwhelming emotion. Seeing this tiny creature, this life she carried for many months—a product of her and Childe’s love and passion—she knew she already loved him, that yes, she would give her all to protect him: her new family.

Childe wrapped his arms around her shoulders, looking down at their son as well. “You did it,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.

“Congratulations,” Mona said. “The battle isn’t over quite yet.”

Lumine looked up at her friend. “What do you mean?”

Mona raised a brow. “There is another child, isn’t there?”

…

What?

Both Lumine and Childe stared at the astrologist blankly.

“How do you know?” Childe asked.

“Oh, Archons, you really didn’t know,” Mona responded, panicked. “When I was using my magic to seal away Lumine’s elemental energy, I felt the two different life forms—it’s twins.”

!!!

Lumine felt her muscles tense as her body prepared for another delivery. She let out a gasp, looking up at Childe to confirm, yes, there is another baby.

“Hold the baby,” he said to Mona, moving back down to Lumine’s feet.

Mona gently took the baby into her arms, a look of uncertainty scrawled on her face.

BOOM!

There was a thunderous strike of lightning right next to the group; as the dust settled, Scaramouche stepped out of the fog, purple electricity crackling all over his body.

“Would you look at that,” he growled, eyes narrowing in on the newborn. “Another body to dispose of.” A wicked grin pulled at his lips. “I was going to kill you all quickly, but now I think I’m going to make it slow. And tortuous.”

Childe stood, eyes dark. “Mona, keep Lumine safe.”

Then, he launched towards the other Harbinger, becoming engulfed in electricity as well. The two impacted, an explosion resonating around them, and Childe stepped out from the smoke, his Foul Legacy transformation completed.

Over the deafening sounds of blades crashing, Mona took the cape from under Lumine’s head, laying it under her body. She spoke to Lumine, “Are you ready to start pushing?”

Lumine shook her head feverishly. “I can’t.” Not without Childe.

“You must,” her friend said. “You can’t help him until you do.”

Lumine’s body locked up in pain with another contraction. “Okay,” she strained out.

Mona nodded, conjuring a glob of water, then placing Lumine’s child on it. “It’s the only bassinet I can make right now.”

“Can you still help seal my energy?”

“Of course.” Mona knelt by Lumine’s feet. “Are you ready?”

Lumine swallowed hard, then nodded. After taking in many deep breaths, she mustered all the remaining strength in her body to push.

A labored cry exhaled from her body, every fiber in her body praying for it all to stop.

“It’s almost out,” Mona encouraged. “Just a bit more!”

The edges of her mind blurred. She imagined her and Childe, living their lives peacefully with their two children, watching lovingly as they skipped around in fields of flowers. Aether would walk up, greeting his little nieces and nephews, waving joyfully at Lumine. Her friends—Mona, Xiangling, Zhongli, and countless others—would take turns coming to visit, to see them and their happy little family in their happy little home.

It was such a lovely dream.

Tears ran down her face, and Lumine pushed just one last time.

…

The familiar sound of a newborn’s cries filled the air once more. Lumine fell back, laying down in the dirt, the sight of tangled tree canopies above returning to her vision.

“A girl,” Mona said, carefully wrapping her cape around the baby. She stood, carrying the little girl to Lumine.

BOOM!

The two women snapped their attention back to the fight, watching as Childe’s armor shattered around him. He fell, kneeling, and gasping for breath.

Despite her exhausted body, Lumine scrambled up. “Childe!”

“You’ve grown so weak, Tartaglia,” Scaramouche spat. “You’re out of practice. Too focused on your meaningless family,” he mocked.

“Run,” Childe gasped out weakly to Lumine.

Scaramouche slammed his foot into Childe’s head, cackling as the Eleventh Harbinger fell down.

Something stirred in Lumine’s body.

“I think,” Scaramouche said, turning to Lumine, “I’m going to kill your children first. Right in front of you. How does that sound?”

Something old, ancient—something she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“Shield everyone,” Lumine said lowly to Mona. In response, Mona gave a small nod, grabbing the two children, and making her way to Childe inconspicuously.

Scaramouche stalked closer to Lumine. “Are you going to try and fight me?” Another cackle. “You’re even weaker than Tartaglia, especially after what you just went through.”

“You threatened my family,” Lumine nearly growled. “You hurt my family.” She raised her arm, materializing her blade. Quicker than before.

“And you’re going to pay for that,” she finished, her veins ignited with ancient energy.

He smirked. “I’d like to see you try.”

There was an overwhelming ringing in Lumine’s ears as she felt the liquid power coarse through her body. The sensation extended through her back, bursting outwards, until...a pair of wings had formed. Her pair of wings.

Her skin was aglow, a golden haze enveloping her, her wings, and her sword.

It was her old power.

Her powers had come back.

“What is the meaning of this?” Scaramouche sneered.

Lumine glanced over at Mona, the two babies in her arms, hovering over Childe, who was stirring awake. A faint blue glow surrounded them—Mona’s barrier.

She turned her attention back to Scaramouche, who was charging up an Electro attack of his own.

“It’s no use,” Lumine said, echoing his words back to him. She leapt up into the air, flying far above him as he cursed below.

She closed her eyes, thinking of her friends, of Aether, her children, her one true love, Childe—her family.

The sword illuminated, crackling with golden arcs of energy. Then, she plunged down.

A sonic boom erupted around her as she landed, acres of dirt and trees uprooting in the explosion. The mountains shook, the clouds parted, and Lumine used the last bit of her energy to blast the dust away.

Laying before her, lifeless, was Scaramouche.

I did it.

She quickly looked around for her family, crying in relief seeing Mona, Childe, and the babies safely protected.

She felt her ancient power drain from her, and she collapsed on her knees as the pain and exhaustion funneled back into her body.

“Lumine!” she heard Childe shout.

“Childe…,” she responded, voice thin.

Then, her vision went black.

* * *

There was the crying of a baby. No, two babies. It sounded so familiar, yet foreign to Lumine.

She was in a black void, looking around for the source of the crying. Whoever they were, she knew they needed her. And she needed to protect them.

Lumine groggily opened her eyes, the black void from her dreams dissipating. Her vision adjusted, and she realized she was laying in her and Childe’s bed, back at their mountain cottage. Muffled through the walls, she heard the crying of her children, and the voice of Childe trying to calm them.

She slowly sat up, the bed creaking under her. At the sound of movement, Mona stirred awake from the corner.

“You’re awake!” she shouted. She went to the door, throwing it open, and yelling, “She’s awake, she’s awake!”

Lumine blinked at her, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, while Mona came to her side.

“How are you feeling?” her friend asked.

Lumine stretched a bit. “Very sore.”

“Hmph. I would expect so; you really did level that forest.” Mona looked out the window. “After exerting that kind of power, you should most certainly be dead.” She bit her lip. “But I am glad you are not.”

“Thank you, Mona. For all your help,” Lumine said with a small smile.

The astrologist flung her blue hair over her shoulder. “You are very welcome,” she said, returning the smile.

“You never did tell me why you were here of all places.”

“Ah, yes, that.” She folded her arms across her chest. “After our encounter with that Harbinger, I decided to track his movements—just to make sure he wouldn’t cause any more trouble.” She opened her hydromancy chart, looking over the sigils. “As fate would have it, I followed him here, to you.”

The wailing of the newborns drew closer, and Childe appeared in the doorway, two wriggling bundles in his arms.

His hair was rustled, dark bags under his eyes, and his usual pressed attire was wrinkled and disheveled.

Archons, Lumine loved him.

It was obvious to her that while she was knocked out cold, he had been taking care of their newborn children all on his own. Which was probably the furthest thing from easy...

He gave her a smile, tired at the edges, but filled with love all the same—and she gave him the same smile, yearning to embrace him and their new family.

Mona mumbled something about going to observe the sky for a while, and slipped out of the room as Childe sat on the edge of the bed.

Wordlessly, he placed the two babies in Lumine’s arms, and their cries were instantly quelled.

“Now that’s something I haven’t heard in forever,” he sighed. “Silence.”

“I hope it wasn’t unbearable.” She looked down at her babies, gently smoothing their little light hairs. It would never cease to amaze her, the overwhelming love and joy she felt looking at her twins. Looking at their tiny hands, their tiny feet, seeing their little breaths—any anxiety or fears she had felt before disappeared into thin air.

Childe wrapped his arm around Lumine, looking down at their children as well. “The only thing that was unbearable was not having you around,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Lumine nodded. “I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.” She leaned into Childe’s chest. “I’ll always be around,” she assured.

“And I’ll always be with you,” he answered. “Our little family.”

Lumine smiled, the happiest of tears coming to her eyes.

“Our little family.”

* * *

[oumaheroes]

Afterlife

Word Count: 2229

Names:

Alba- Scotland

Cymru- Wales

Albion- England

Ériu- Ireland

Set in the same world as ‘Wind Walk’

-----------

‘What happens when we die?’

Alba paused, halfway through carving a gouge in a block of wood to look over at Albion where he was stood by the fire, face turned to the flames. He had his back to Alba, a roughly spun blanket draped over his shoulders which was made from thick, undyed wool that scratched but did the job. Cymru was getting the hang of making them now, able to weave in a few patterns if he had the time and the colours, but it was haphazard work and nothing fancy at all. They were sometimes able to trade for nicer ones, ones with intricate designs of knots and swirls, charms woven into the fabric to dance across borders and seams, but food was more important, usually. Things they couldn’t catch or pick from the land, like bread.

Mama had never really praised overly nice things, or stressed their importance beyond a passing aesthetic appreciation, and so none of them were too concerned that their everyday clothes were dull and shapeless. Their nicer things Alba kept in a bag at all times near his person- golden armlets and bracelets folded in the plaid of their family woven by Mama herself to show them as children of the earth, Gods amongst men. Rich colours and bold patterns that Cymru eyed with greedy wonder.

Alba saved these for when they visited their people, the scatterings of them spread across the island that bore them. He was thankful that he and his siblings didn’t really grow.

‘What do you mean?’

Albion hesitated, mouth pressing into a tight line before opening again to speak, ‘When we die. Because people…’ Albion shifted, casting a quick glance back to him before turning once again to the fire, ‘humans don’t come back, do they?’

Alba, gave up on whittling anything further and sat up straighter, left hand holding what would one day be a bowl resting on his knee, ‘No, they don’t.’

He looked about their camp from his spot on the floor, back pressed again the trunk of a large tree they’d pitched their shelter against. Despite it being night Cymru was off somewhere, away on one of his walks that sometimes took him for days and there was no telling when he’d be back. This time Alba wasn’t too sure what had caused him to need space, the air was calm and friendly amongst them all, but Cymru had grown silent and still regardless and Alba had followed him with watchful eyes until he had taken himself away, seeing him retreat to the West where he could feel him linger on the edge of his perception.

He was the one that usually had these conversations, the ones where there wasn’t a clear answer, or a kind answer. Cymru could mould the truth into something palatable, something easy to understand and swallow without it becoming a lie. These sorts of conversations were not Alba’s strength- he did not like things for which there was no answer, or no easy answer, and so either worked at them silently until there was one, or ignored it. Not all things needed to be understood or reasoned with, some things just were and it was easier in the end to accept that.

But Alba had a feeling that Albion was leading to one of those sorts of questions and he was going to have to be the one to answer it.

‘But we do come back,’ Albion continued on. He said it as a statement; the tone was unquestioning but also unsure and Alba cracked his knuckles on one hand with his thumb as he tried to read between what Albion was saying and what he might be leading up to.

‘Yes, we do.’

An unspoken ‘sometimes’ fell flat and awkward between them. Mama hadn’t come back.

Albion looked down at the ground and rolled a stone underneath his foot. He was barefoot, again, because he refused to stay in shoes for very long if he could help it, and he balanced the pebble under the ball of his foot, round and around.

‘What is it?’ Alba knew this had come out rougher than he had intended by the way Albion’s shoulders twitched, a sudden self-conscious jolt that made Alba click his tongue in regret and try again. He was still getting used to this, ‘What are you thinking about?’

Alba watch the curve of Albion’s brow furrow into a frown, light from the flames silhouetting him and making him appear older and unknown, ‘Do we turn human? When we die? Is that why Mama…’ he trailed off, no words needed.

‘No, we don’t,’ he said it confidently but really, Alba knew as much as anyone did. Which is to say, he knew nothing concrete at all. None of them truly knew what happened to Mama, although her disappearance was as sure and real to him as much as his own hand was. Mama wasn’t missing or elsewhere, she was gone. He felt it as a truth deep within him, somewhere ancient formed long before his time. No matter what Alba didn’t know, he knew this all too well, ‘we stay as we are. We fade, when our time comes.’

He could see that this reply brought more questions than it did answers and thought of a way to try and fill the gaps, ‘humans die from age or sickness, or injury. We die from other things.’

Albion turned around to face him fully, ‘Like what?’

‘By the Gods, what is it with you today? Why so many questions?’

Albion scowled and lightly kicked the pebble he was worrying away from the fire. It rolled somewhere to Alba’s left, landing by the roots of a small shrub. They both watched its progress, ‘doesn’t matter.’

Damn it. ‘Don’t be huffy, why’re you asking all of a sudden?’

Albion shifted his weight from one foot to the other and tensed under the blanket, pulling it tighter around him and huddling in on himself. He ducked his head to stare somewhere off and down, ‘You’ll laugh.’

‘No, I won’t,’ Alba was slightly offended, although it couldn’t say for sure that it was unwarranted. Maybe there had been times when he’d read his youngest brother wrong. Albion was often prickly and capricious and it was difficult to tell how he was truly feeling, hard to know whether he was hiding another truth under thorns.

Alba also wasn’t used to talking with him in such a way yet. Before Mama died, he could be a brother: tease Albion whenever he said something stupid, or fell over, or messed up. But now Alba had to be something more, had suddenly found himself thrust in a role he didn’t ask for and the shape of caregiver hung too large on him. He was trying to fill a space of parent for everyone but all he himself really wanted was for someone else to come and do it for him, for Mama to come back and fill it perfectly.

It was hard to know where to tread on a path you’ve never gone down before, especially one made by someone else.

Albion still looked unsure and as much as a large part of Alba was tempted to let it go, to take the easy option that was presented to him and move on with the evening, another, more stubborn, part wanted to prove Albion, and maybe himself, wrong, ‘I promise I won’t laugh. Now will you just spit it out?’

Albion remained staring somewhere at the ground between them, ‘what if-,’ he cut off, swallowing, ‘what if you die?’

There was a beat of silence in which a flurry of emotions coiled in Alba’s chest, ‘I will die. We all die.’

Albion pursed his lips tight together and blinked a few times in succession- too quick, ‘But I don’t- I don’t want you to.’

Alba’s throat felt thick suddenly, ‘Hey, come here.’

Albion refused to move, still studiously looking down at the ground and locked stubbornly in place, so Alba half stood to reach out and grab hold of the blanket and tug him closer. Albion stumbled at first, unwilling to allow himself to let go easily, but another tug had him near enough for Alba to wrap him in arms, falling back down into a sit with him. Once there, all pretence was dropped and Albion lifted his arms to curl them around Alba’s neck, chin coming to hook over his shoulder.

Alba shifted him to settle more comfortably on his lap, legs around his waist and blanket forgotten on the floor, and rubbed his back, holding him tight with his other arm. Albion’s hands gripped Alba’s tunic in a tight bunch, tugging it awkwardly askew around his back. They stayed there for a few moments, mostly silent and unmoving apart from the odd jolting repressed sob from Albion who still refused to give in completely.

After he’d calmed down, shaky breaths softening into regular breathing, Alba reached up to cup the back of his head and lightly ruffle his hair, ‘I’m not going anywhere any time soon.’

Albion sniffled and released one hold of Alba’s clothes to rub at his eyes, ‘How do you know?’

‘Because I do.’

Albion dropped his hand to once again grabbed hold of his tunic but looser, tugging and pulling at the fabric in a half-hearted distraction, and huffed, ‘That’s a stupid answer.’

Alba prodded him in the side, smiling when Albion twitched in surprise, ‘It’s the truth. I think Mama knew; we knew as well, didn’t we.’

Albion hmm’d, unwilling to agree. Alba knew he had noticed though, as small as he was. He had never fussed or questioned when she’d wandered away and left them, had never tried to follow her on her journeys alone. He had known, as they all had, that she was disappearing into time and a place no one could follow.

‘We are our people. We watch them and speak for them- we remember them,’ Alba shifted him and rested his cheek on the crown of Albion’s head, speaking into his hair, ‘when our people change, sometimes we can’t change with them. I think that’s what happened to Mama.’

Albion stayed silent. Alba could feel him thinking, sense him turning this over in his head to search for holes.

‘What brought this on?’ Alba tried again, gently. He felt Albion swallow against his shoulder.

‘Things feel more different now. Cymru goes away and sometimes I can’t feel where he goes. Ériu feels the most different and-‘ he paused for a moment, thinking, ‘humans feel different. Some I can’t feel them at all, I know they’re not mine now. So, I thought… what if…’

Alba raised his head and shrugged his shoulder for Albion to move off. He leant back, heavy in his lap, and Alba caught him by the chin to keep him from looking away, ‘Just because we’re growing apart now, doesn’t mean we’re going away,’ he smoothed a thumb under Albion’s eye before resting his hand on his neck, steady, ‘we’ll be different but we’ll still be here. You’ll know when it’s my time to go.’

Albion’s eyes slid to stare at Alba’s shoulder so he tapped him under the chin to get him to look back, ‘Alright? You’ll know.’

Albion gave a small nod, ‘yeah, okay.’

Alba eyed him critically, searching for anything lingering that he still wasn’t saying. Finding nothing and feeling satisfied that Albion had taken in what he’d said, Alba gave a moan and rubbed theatrically at his thighs, ‘Good, now get off- you’re heavy.’

Albion scowled, ‘No I’m not!’

‘By Gods you are, I can’t feel my legs.’

Albion shoved at his shoulder but stood, moving off to the side, ‘Maybe your legs are just weak.’

‘Maybe it’s all those raspberries you keep filching when you think I’m not looking.’

Albion coloured, ‘No it’s not!’

‘Must be, I did think you were looking rounder,’

Alba prodded Albion in the stomach and he scowled, swatting his hand away, ‘I’m not round!’

‘Well, you certainly ain’t a feather. Here,’ Alba picked up his block of wood and his carving knife and held them out to him, ‘help me work on this. It can be for you to carry the berries in rather than stuffing them in your shirt and staining everything.’

‘I don’t do that,’ Albion huffed but took the wood and tool anyway, sitting down next to him. Alba picked up the blanket and shook it out to shake off the dirt before draping it back around his shoulders.

‘Do you think I can’t tell? Stop grousing and hollow me out a hole, we can smooth it later.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Albion began to carve in the centre, widening the impressions Alba had made earlier.

Alba fished in his pocket for his hunting knife, ‘I’ll sharpen this and then go and check the rabbit traps.’

He leant behind him and around the tree for his travel bag, pulling it closer and rummaging about inside it for his whetstone.

‘Thanks.’

Albion’s voice was small and quiet- Alba probably wouldn’t have heard it if he hadn’t still been so alert to noise from him.

He prodded his brother on the arm with his knee and turned to carry on digging through his bag, ‘of course.’

-----------

AN:

Another mini story that will be fleshed out for AO3 one day. Can you tell I’m procrastinating updating my other WIPs? Because I am and I am a cretin.

This is very self-indulgent with no historical accuracy or research whatsoever- please forgive me. If I go digging for historical truth, I fall into a rabbit hole and that is very difficult to peel myself out of.

Thanks for reading!

[nashvilledreams]

My Naya, my Snixxx, my Bee. I legitimately can not imagine this world without you.

7 years ago today, she and I were together in London when we found out about Cory. We were so far away, but I was so thankful that we had each other. A week ago today we were talking about running away to Hawaii. This doesn’t make sense. And I know it probably never will.

She was so independent and strong and the idea of her not being here is something I cannot comprehend. She was the single most quick-witted person I’ve ever met, with a steel-trap memory that could recall the most forgettable conversations from a decade ago verbatim. The amount of times she would memorize all of those crazy monologues on Glee the morning of and would never ever mess up during the scene… I mean, she was clearly more talented than the rest of us. She was the most talented person I’ve ever known. There is nothing she couldn’t do and I’m furious we won’t get to see more.

I’m thankful for all the ways in which she made me a better person. She taught me how to advocate for myself and to speak up for the things and people that were important to me, always. I’m thankful for the times I grew an ab muscle from laughing so hard at something she said. I’m thankful she became like family. I’m thankful that my dad happened to have met her weeks before I did and when I got Glee, he told me to “look out for a girl named Naya because she seemed nice.” Well dad, she was nice and she became one of my favorite people ever.

If you were fortunate enough to have known her, you’ll know that her most natural talent of all was being a mother. The way that she loved her boy, it was truly Naya at her most peaceful. I’m thankful that Naya got that beautiful little boy back on that boat. I’m thankful he will have a strong family around him to protect him and tell him about his incredible mom.

I just hope more than anything that her family is given the space and time to come to terms with this. For having such tiny body, Naya had such a gigantic presence, a void that will now be felt by all of us - those of us who knew her personally and the millions of you who loved her through your TVs. I love you, Bee.

My favorite duet partner. I love you. I miss you. I don’t have words right now, just lots of feelings. Rest In Peace Angel, and know that your family will never have to worry about anything.

We started out as the closest friends and then like all new things, we went through a bit of a rocky phase. However, we stuck by each other’s side and created the most beautiful friendship built out of love and understanding. The last I had the chance to see you in person, I had left oranges outside our home for you to take. I wanted to say hi through the window but my phone didn’t ring when you called (which it never does, f*cking T-Mobile), so instead you and Josey left two succulents on our doorstep as a thank you. I planted those succulents and I look at them everyday and think of you. I still listen to your EP on repeat because from the moment I heard it, it struck me and I always wished the world knew more of your voice. You sent me over 5 dozen SnapChat videos when you and Josey woke up in the morning and I kick myself that I didn’t save one of them. You always shared recipes and I admired your love for food. We vowed to spend every Easter together, even though Covid stole this last one from us. You are and always will be the strongest and most resilient human being I know, and I vowed to carry that with me as I continue to live my life. 

You constantly taught me lessons about grief, about beauty and poise, about being strong, resilient and about not giving a fuck (but still somehow respectful). Yet, the utmost important lesson I learned most of all from you was being a consistent and loving friend. You were the first to check in, the first to ask questions, the first to listen..you cherished our friendship and I never took that for granted. 

We never took photos together because we mutually hated taking pictures...our relationship meant more than proof. I have countless pictures of our babies playing, because we shared that kind of pride and joy. So I’m showing the world a photo of our little goof balls for you, because I know that meant more than anything and they remind me of you and I. I speak to you everyday because I know you’re still with me and even though I’m feeling greedy that we don’t get more time together, I cherish every moment we had and hold it close to my heart.

There are no words and yet so many things I want to say, I don't believe I'll ever be able to articulate exactly what I feel but... Naya, you were a ⚡️ force and everyone who got to be around you knew it and felt the light and joy you exuded when you walked into a room. You shined on stage and screen and radiated with love behind closed doors. 

I was lucky enough to share so many laughs, martinis and secrets with you. I can not believe I took for granted that you'd always be here. Our friendship went in waves as life happens and we grow, so I will not look back and regret but know I love you and promise to help the legacy of your talent, humor, light and loyalty live on. 

You are so loved. You deserved the world and we will make sure Josey and your family feel that everyday. I miss you already.

She was bold. She was outrageous. She was a LOT of fun.���

Naya made me laugh like no one else on that set. I always said it while we were working together and I’ve maintained it ever since. Her playful, wicked sense of humor never ceased to bring a smile to my face.⁣

She played by her own rules and was in a class of her own. She had a brashness about her that I couldn’t help but be enchanted by. I also always loved her voice, and savored every chance I got to hear her sing. I think she had more talent than we would have ever been able to see.⁣

I was constantly moved by the degree to which she took care of her family, and how she looked out for her friends. She showed up for me on numerous occasions where she didn’t have to, and I was always so grateful for her friendship then, as I certainly am now.⁣

And even as I sit here, struggling to comprehend, gutted beyond description- the very thought of her cracks me up and still brings a smile to my face. That was Naya’s gift. And it's a gift that will never go away. ⁣

Rest in peace you wild, hilarious, beautiful angel.

How can you convey all your love and respect for someone in one post? How can you summarize a decade of friendship and laughter with words alone? If you were friends with Naya Rivera, you simply can’t. Her brilliance and humor were unmatched. Her beauty and talent were otherworldly. She spoke truth to power with poise and fearlessness. She could turn a bad day into a great day with a single remark. She inspired and uplifted people without even trying. Being close to her was both a badge of honor and a suit of armor. Naya was truly one of a kind, and she always will be. 💔 Sending all my love to her wonderful family and her beautiful son.

Dear Naya, 

I’m failing miserably to process this news. I always imagined old future senior moments where we would hear your infectious laughter down the hall knowing that our funny bone was in for a treat. To many people, myself included, you were the life of the party. Not only able to rock when fun was to be had after a long day but that shining friend that was always willing to listen, offer sympathy, perspective and at times, give much needed levity to any situation. 

You were a beast on the show. I admired you as I watched you nail multi page monologues that you learned moments before and pour your heart into every performance with an energy that had that snicks special written all over it. Our deep conversations about life inbetween scenes are some of my favorite moments with you. Getting to hear about your hopes and dreams for the future and with Josey’s arrival, ‘Your greatest success’ I was so happy to see your dream turn into reality. 

You deserved more. I’m so sorry but you deserved more. You gave life your all and I hope all the good that you have given to the world will be returned in abundance when you reunite with our brother in the heavenly skies. I’m so grateful for our memories. We will make sure to keep your legacy and spirit alive so Josey will grow up to know the incredible woman you were. Love you, Naya. You are already missed. Eternally. 

-HSJ

Naya and I fell into stride with such ease, she was my first friend and ally on our show. In the pilot, our characters came and went with such swiftness. Our enthusiasm brimmed with all of the unknown. We tried to grasp what the other cast members must be feeling as we were working in such separate manners. We dared to dream. What if this show worked? Wouldn’t that be something? Something was brimming, it was palpable. And thank god it worked. Naya’s magnetic talent was going to be unleashed, we just didn’t know it yet. ⁣⁣

I’ve been revisiting Naya’s performances on our show and it has brought me great joy. To work with her was a gift. There was a great deal to absorb - her work ethic, her fearlessness, her talent - supreme. Naya had a laugh that would envelop you and hold you captive. She was mesmerizing. That twinkle in her eye, her luminous smile. Naya lead with truth, humor, wit. I loved her for all of these reasons. ⁣⁣

I loved her sense of curiosity and wanderlust. I was lucky enough to be her travel partner for some of my most favorite adventures. As I write this, I’m grinning with swelling memories of a spontenaous 36 hour excursion - one might even say diversion - to Paris. With Naya, everything was possible and would often simply unfold before us, almost magically.⁣⁣

On this particular jaunt, within ten minutes of checking into our hotel, we found ourselves strolling the halls of L'École des Beaux-Arts, sipping wine from paper cups with students showcasing their latest work. It was fantastic. We were united in our commitment to discovery. And there was always a list of cleverly curated ideas in Naya’s back pocket, should we need it. ⁣⁣

I cannot make sense of this tremendous loss. I will hold onto her and these memories for the rest of time, alongside our Glee family. Please hold space for her, her family, her beautiful boy. ⁣⁣

In absolute, loving memory.

Naya The world is at such a loss and I am truly heartbroken. I still remember the day I met you. You Walked straight up to me, grabbed me by the face and drug me around until I met every single person on set, introducing me as “new booty”. You were one of the first people who made me feel like family when others saw me as an outsider. I didn’t know then that you would become my family and that’s just who you were to everyone.. A Mother, Sister, Daughter and most of all a friend. Your massive heart and bright spark is what carried our entire show, when at times we all felt like giving up. 

You always showed up for me when I needed some wisdom or was down and just needed someone to talk to. You took care of everyone around you in a way that was so warm and comforting and you sure knew how to throw a hell of a party! 

I always admired your bravery and passion to fight for what’s right even when it seemed like you were up against the world. Your spirit is contagious and you continue to make everyone you have touched a better and stronger person by knowing you. 

My favorite part of glee was getting to watch you perform and shine up close every day. You really were the pulse of that show. Anyone who was blessed enough to see and experience your raw talent knows it to be true. You’re one of the smartest and most gifted people I have ever met. There is no one like you and there never will be.

You have changed peoples lives all around the world and you continue to change mine forever. I will never forget your love and kindness. Thank you for sharing your spirit Angel.

I will miss you always. I Love you Naya

For the last 7 years the 13th of July has shattered our hearts beyond repair. There aren’t enough words to describe the pain we are feeling, we are truly heartbroken at the loss of @nayarivera .

Naya, Cory loved you so so much. He cherished your friendship more than you will ever know. From the laughs you shared, to the strength you gave him when he needed it the most. Cory truly adored you. He was in awe of your incredible talent, the way you gave everything you had to each performance; the slap in the auditorium was one of his favourite stories to share. You once said Cory was like a member of your family; you will always be a part of ours. We’ll carry you in our hearts forever. We miss you. Friends reunited for eternity.

We send all our love and strength to your beautiful boy, your family, friends and fans 💔🐻💔

[clavicuss-vile]

25 Days of TES Cheer #22 and #23 - Drink & Freezing!

@korvanjund !!! combined these prompts bc i missed them. again. JSHDSHDJ

TLDR: Nephthys is struggling to communicate with Azura, particularly with nordic runes. Ronthil helps :)

(also hey that gif has my tarot deck in it! i love the wild unknown sm)

Nephthys kneeled in a dusty corner of Castle Volkihar, a pendulum held in a shaky hand, and a bundle of amethyst runes in the other. With every unsuccessful casting, leading scattered and nonsensical messages, he began to tremble more violently. It was freezing. He could barely feel his fingers.

"Azurah, what do I do?" He said through gritted teeth, throwing the runes once more. His preferred divination method was with cards; but he'd refused to bring them into a house of heretics such as this. Harkon's foul energy would taint them in seconds, he'd reasoned. So now he was stuck with a simple pendulum, and a handful of runes.

He looked down, trying to piece together some kind of message. Isa. Fehu. Uruz. Nonsense.

The young dunmer threw a hand over his mouth and begged himself not to cry. He tried to ask are you still here? with the pendulum, but his body was trembling with every attempt to hold back a frustrated sob, making it impossible to get a reading. Azura was silent. Pulling his eyes shut as hard as possible, willing away the tears that began to streak down his pale blue cheeks, he curled himself into a ball and tucked into the cold stone wall. His knuckles turned white with the force of attempting to hold back the sound of his whimpers.

"Hey... Are you okay?"

His eyes shot up, expecting to need to run from one of the elder vampires. Ronthil held his hands out in front of him. "Easy, it's only me. What's wrong? Can I help?" The vampire soothed, moving slowly to sit cross-legged in front of the new Volkihar. Nephthys removed his hand from his mouth and ushered at the runes in front of him, still unable to properly speak without sobbing. Ronthil frowned. "You're having trouble with runes? I thought divination was your strong suit?"

Nephthys shook his head, long grey hair whipping around messily.

"Not runes. I can't-" He took in a shaky breath, and tried to continue. "I can't get them to work. Cards, pendulums, they all talk. I can't get these stupid runes to talk. They're mocking me!" He sobbed, burying his head into his arms.

"Now, I doubt that's true. Let me take a look." Ronthil smiled, prying the younger's arms away from his face. "Try casting them, let me see how you're doing it."

Nephthys collected his small bundle of runes in his right hand, held them tightly, and spoke, before throwing them gently onto the freezing stone ground of the castle.

"Azurah, are you still here?" Was the question he asked. Isa. Kaunan. Ihwaz. Nonsense.

"Hmm... You're treating them like a pendulum." The bosmer said, collecting the runes and handing them back to the young dunmer. He brought out a small leather bag from his pocket, pulling out a handful of runes of his own. Bone, of some kind. "Try these. They're elk bone, might resonate better than amethyst. Also," He placed them in Nephthys' left hand. "Use your left. Feran taught me this, right sends out energy, left brings it in."

"Mhhm?" Nephthys hummed, wiping his eyes and clutching the bone runes tightly.

"And let them breath," Ronthil laughed kindly. "You're suffocating them. One last thing, avoid yes and no questions. They have trouble with those. Go on, try again." He smiled, sitting back and placing his hands over his boots like a gleeful child.

Nephthys held the runes lighter and tried to calm the stress coming in waves from his body.

"Azurah, what is my next task?" He said. Am I making you proud? He added in his head. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and cast the runes. Raido. Mannaz. Sowulo.

"Aren't you seeking out Azura's Star tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Then it seems you have our Lady's approval!"

Nephthys tried not to show how much that statement impacted him. He gave a small smile to the runes in front of him, running through their meanings in his head. Riding, man, sun. He knew rune reading was far more nuanced than that, but he thanked Azurah for sparing him the complexity. He looked back up at Ronthil, who was smiling at him with pride. "Why don't you hold onto those runes? I'll get some more next time i'm sent out for errands."

"Are... are you sure?"

"Of course, I live to serve." He smiled, holding out his hand. "Come on, let's go get you a drink. It's freezing."

[hphmmatthewluther]

" If I had to rate my panic level from 1 to 10, it’d be pi. It’s low level, but always there. "

Name: Matthew David Luther Species: Wizard Gender: Male Physical appearance: Slightly taller and thinner than average with brown hair that falls over his green eyes. Height: 4′11′’(Year 1) - 6′1′’(Year 7) Weight/Body Type: He’s tall and thin, but has no clue how much he weighs. Personality: Matthew is sensitive to other people’s feelings and is very good at reading people, although he is constantly doubting himself. The one thing he is sure of himself in is his intelligence; he is constantly calculating and mentally notes almost everything around him. This comes in handy in a place as confusing as Hogwarts: it may take a bit, but Matthew can always put the pieces together. Date of Birth: 16th February 1973 Blood Status: Half-blood (Wizard Mother, Muggle Father) Family Info: Lucia Doherty was a powerful pureblood Ministry Witch who met and fell in love with Peter Luther, a Muggle plumber, whom she had Jacob with. When Voldemort began to rise she left and wiped Peter’s memory to keep him and their children safe, meaning he forgot about Jacob who stayed with her, but for reasons unknown Peter somehow remembered his wife and eldest son and reunited. Soon after this, Matthew was born, growing up in the Muggle world but enjoying knowledge of Wizardry. Lucia later tried to erase his memories again when the Wizarding War broke out, but Matthew found her and told her to put his father back to normal, discovering his magic in the process. Recently, things have been difficult as Peter has had difficulty finding work. When Matthew attempts to describe Thatcher to his mother, she assumes the Muggle government has been infiltrated by a hag.

He also has wizard Ancestry on his father’s side, with the famous Magizoologist Newt Scamander being his Great Uncle and Queenie Goldstein being his Great Grandmother.

Wand: Cedar wood, 14 1/2 inch, pliant flexibility Boggart: Being stuck somewhere with no way out at all. Animagus Form: Sparrow. Patronus: White Stallion House: Ravenclaw, Prefect in Year 5 Quidditch Position: Chaser Academics: Took Divination, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures into Year 3 Partners: None so far (bar that one time), but the Celestial Ball is on the horizon... Closest Friends: Rowan Khanna: Matthew’s best friend, they have been close ever since Diagon Alley. They both like working on the Cursed Vaults, as well as playing Wizard Chess and Gobstones together. Rowan is always there when Matthew needs him, and even helped him with Merula when nobody else would. Matthew, in return, helps them be more confident, as he’s aware how difficult that can be sometimes. Finally, Matthew is the only one who knows about Rowan’s huge crush on... Penny Haywood: Bonding over their skills at potions, Penny is another of Matthew’s closest allies. Matthew relies on her to keep the Hogwarts rumour mill in check, especially important considering who he’s secretly dating. Matthew did, at first, have a minor crush on her, but always maintained that he wouldn’t intrude on Rowan, which helped improve their confidence in the matter.  Barnaby Lee: Barnaby and Matthew met after Barnaby wound up in the Magical Creatures Reserve on his way to Transfiguration. They both do work with the creatures in the reserve there, sharing a love of animals. Barnaby is a great deal of help to Matthew as he can always be counted on to point out the obvious solution when Matthew starts overthinking. He’s also willing to share what happens in the Slytherin Common Room and No, it definitely isn’t so Matthew knows if Merula’s ok and No he isn’t turning red what do you mean Tulip Karasu: Matthew’s only intellectual equal. When Merula tried to get Matthew framed for stealing potions ingredients he quickly deduced that someone in Ravenclaw was working with Merula. In a rare moment of confidence he declared this to his House, leading to a Battle of Wits between the two. Tulip immediately realised how Matthew felt about Merula and worked to get them together.  Chiara Lobosca: The only girl to pull on Matthew’s heartstrings before Merula. They became friends after helping to quell the werewolf rumours, and worked together to find the Cursed Vaults. They discussed the idea of them being together (and did more than discuss), but decided that they were happier as friends. Bill Weasley: Really, the one who saved the school. Bill helped Matthew out of his shell, so to speak, and consoled him when things became really tough when it came to the Ice Vault. Together, they defeated the Ice Knight and entered the first Cursed Vault together, and went on to work together more in the future. He also was instrumental in pushing Matthew towards curse-breaking. Merula Snyde: Matthew Luther’s rival in the hunt for the Cursed Vaults. For a while, she was a bully, especially towards Ben Copper, but Matthew was able to win a duel against her and made her never pick on him again. After that, while remaining antisocial, she became more tolerable, as several threats forced the two to work together. The two are very close. They’ve shared an accidental kiss, cast their Patronus together, cared for a Thestral, and defeated many evil magical beings. Recently, Matthew has realised that he had met her before, many years ago, on the day he searched for his mother. After that, they agreed to no longer be enemies, merely rivals. Matthew has come to the conclusion that he has a crush.

 Foes: “R”: The dark organisation worked to trap Jacob, thus making Matthew’s early time in school rather difficult. However, there’s more to this cabal than at first glance... Edwin the Changeling: Known as “The Bard”, he attempted to take over Matthew’s body by force, slowly moving to allow more changelings in. However, he was defeated by Matthew and Merula. Controlling, sexist, and rude to everyone around him, he appeared to have been destroyed when Ismelda Murk melted the Ice he had hidden himself in. Preston Crawford: A slimy Slytherin in Matthew’s year who seems to want nothing less than to ruin everyone’s day. Even Merula doesn’t like him, which is saying something. Erika Rath: Matthew’s only foe who doesn’t irritate him. He and Erika became Rivals as a result of being in differing quidditch teams, and this feud only worsened after Skye Parkin spread rumours that she destroyed Matthew’s broom. It’s unclear where they stand after Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup (especially considering she doesn’t talk much). Pets: As of Now (1987) Matthew has a pet Cat named Danny, a toad named Ribby and a rat named Jerma, and has adopted a Niffler, Porlock, Abraxan, Fairy, Thestral and Imp.

Who knows, this sideblog may go somewhere! We’ll see! Thanks to @hogwarts-misery for the template!

[charlthotte]

Breaking Through the Iron Wall - Aone Takanobu x Reader

Chapter 12

 Normally, sharing silence with Aone was a rather comfortable endeavour, but there was something about that walk home that churned the silence into something petrifying. In fact, most of my time spent with him was in silence - however something inside me yearned to hear him speak - to let me know that he wasn't completely shattered. Yet, I didn't want to break the leering silence in trepidation of something unknown to me. Almost at that very second, Aone took on that burden for me... "(Y/N), am I a bad person?" He questioned in a meek manner.

I halted all movements upon hearing that, "No... Not at all... Why would you think that?"

His anguished face stared at the pavement, pausing for a small eternity, "I-I don't know..." He sucked in a shaky breath, "Never mind."

"Hey..." I almost cooed, lifting his head up to face him with an equally quivering hand, "You can tell me anything you know, speak what ever is on your mind, Aone." Glossing over with tears, his eyes released a single tear down his reddened cheek. Gently, I wiped that droplet away with my thumb. Ever so valiantly, I tried to smile up at him - trying to offer the smallest inkling of comfort that I could muster.

Sighing through his nose, he uttered heart-wrenching words to me, "It's my fault that Shiro's sick. Maybe if I-I did something... then..." By then, he was close to spluttering out in the middle of the street. Until, I held a finger up to his quivering lips and shushed him.

"Listen to me." I said in a rather stern tone, "Nothing to do with this is your fault. Nothing at all. I know you feel like you could have helped Shiro somehow. But... The world is a cruel place - especially for pure souls like you." I attempted to compose myself for a second, scared of crying also, "You love him more than life itself and you would do anything for him; I know this better than anyone else. I also know that you're worried like hell right now. So... Please do me and Shiro a favour and try to be happy for the both of us..."

As if on cue, Shiro began nuzzling on Aone's leg. And, upon seeing that, Aone let out an agonised smile. 

"Let's get you boys home then" I spoke, trying to sound a part more peppy to raise the spirits of the sinking atmosphere. Shiro wagged his tail gleefully. It was rather tragic that he was the happy one in that situation, but even so we journeyed on back to the place he'd call home.

Since that short spurt of a conversation, the heavy silence had released its relentless grip on our shoulders - letting us revel in the now almost glorious yet tragic silence.

That had been the first time I had been to his house, but it didn't seem like the nerve-wracking situation that it should have. We both hung up our coats and took our shoes off, almost as I lived there. And, as soon as Aone relieved Shiro of his harness - he trotted instantly onto the sofa - curling up in a messily strewn pile of blankets. Seeing him burrowed in them was a truly wonderful sight.

I instructed Aone to sit done with Shiro while I made him a cool glass of water, and while I did so, my eyes surveyed around his house. Nothing in there seemed out of place - it was simply spotless - as if the only residents were ghosts. Letting my mind drift, I wondered if the rest of the house was that pristine - especially Aone's bedroom. Those thoughts filled me up the the point that I didn't notice the water flowing over the confines of the glass. Cursing under my breath, I wiped the rouge water droplets from the sides of the glass.

As I walked in the room - a weighty aura surrounded me - once again the silence turned sour. Beside Shiro, lay Aone - with them almost looking into each other's eyes; it would have been an adorable sight if it wasn't for the words that Aone was whispering directly to his companion.

A heavy stream of "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." spewed from between Aone's lips. Even though I had explained that he had nothing to be sorry for earlier - he obviously paid no mind to my words of comfort. Placing the glass onto the coffee table, I crouched in front of the sofa - ready to become his pillar once again.

"Aone... Please listen to me. Please don't say you're sorry - you have nothing to be sorry for." Whilst speaking those words, I struggled to make eye contact with him - in fear that I'd simply just breakdown, "Please just try not to put yourself at blame for this. There's nothing you could have done. " My voice began to get shakier, "And, I know you want to put this all right, hell - so do I. But sometimes, the world just works in cruel ways - and we have no power to change that... Now I know that what I'm saying is probably just hurting you even more. So, please, please, please, please, please try not to blame yourself for any of this. I don't know what I'll do if something bad happens to you. I'm just... so sorry, Takanobu." By that point, my head was in my hands, concealing the slow flow of tears rolling over my eyes.

That had been the first time I had called him by his first name - usually something that shows your closeness to someone - but really... It highlighted my desperateness. My breaths became slightly more laboured than usual, as my shoulders shook up and down.

In response to my small soliloquy, all he could muster was an abrupt, "I'm sorry." before breaking down yet again - hiccupping at an unkempt rhythm, curling into a ball as if he was trying to make himself disappear.

I reached my hand up to his head - running my hand through the tips of his hair, trying to soothe him like a lamenting child. Parting his lips, his breath hitched as he tried to curtail his sobs, and whilst nearly choking up again - he spluttered the words, "I just don't know what to do..." Seemingly, that was all he could muster before his shoulders shook with his laboured breaths. It really broke my heart to see him like that - a broken wreck of a man. 

By the time his tears had halted, the night had drew a pitch cloak over the sky - casting ghostly shadows all over his living room. That entire time, neither of us uttered a single word; we simply sat as the hours passed us by - waiting for something to happen.

Given that I had been gone for several hours, a text message from my dad popped up on my phone... "(Y/N), where are you? It's dark outside and I'm worried that you're out somewhere up to dastardly deeds. Just reply soon, okay? :)"

I laughed down at my screen, Dad of course being himself. It was almost funny. 

"Sorry, Dad. I'm just helping a friend out with their issues, I don't think you should expect me home tonight. They really need someone to be with them right now. See you later."

Aone must have been looking over my shoulder at the text, as he finally spoke up, "You can go home if you want to..." He almost whispered as his tired and gravelly voice flew straight into my ears.

Sighing under my breath, I explained to him exactly what I would be doing, "I think I'll stay here a bit longer, I don't think you can be left alone tonight. If that's okay with you..." If it wasn't for the dark shadows cast across the room, he probably would have noticed the reddish hue spread across my cheeks.

"Oh, uh... sure... That's fine..." He stuttered, hesitating between each word. At least he didn't offer me any opposition.

Straight after Aone had finished talking, my phone lit up once again, "Ohhh, okay. I get you. Just be safe, kiddo. ;)" Slamming my phone back onto the coffee table immediately, I internally screamed. He'd taken it entirely the wrong way. But, of course he did - he was my dad - flourishing the final line of his text with a damn winking face. I really hoped that Aone didn't see that message.

After leaving a certain amount of time to pass, I finally picked up my phone again, "Dad, no. It's nothing like that - just see you tomorrow."

---

I must have fallen asleep next to Aone's sofa, as the next time I checked the time - it read close to 1AM. Sleeping on the floor wasn't exactly comfortable, so I shifted over to a smaller sofa on the adjacent side of the room. That wasn't too comfortable either - but special people come before your own comfort. 

--- 

The next time I woke, light had already began to flood into the room through the sheer curtains - illuminating Aone and Shiro's figures - both still curled up together - both still equally adorable. Seeing them together almost made my heart skip a beat or two. Aone seemed so peaceful when he slept, a stark difference to the last state he had been in - his face was almost picture perfect - you could even call it delicate.

As more and more light shone into the room, both sleeping figures began to stir. Shiro first, beckoning that he wanted to go outside. When opening the door leading to the outside, the sun encompassed my skin - the subdued heat making everything around me glow. The small, furry creature began bounding around the garden - completely unaware of his looming fate.

Sensing something coming up behind me, I was almost startled - breaking me from the Sun's bliss. And of course, it was Aone - rubbing his tired eyes, yawning from his presumed fatigue. "You feeling any better?" I asked, sighing through the sentence. 

All he said in response was a simple, "Mhm." Obviously not feeling the need for elaborate conversation.

Making me jump once again - Aone's arms snaked around me, gently rocking me as he did so, "Thank you for yesterday, it means a lot." It felt strange that his emotions were now all in check - but it was perfectly assuring that he hadn't lost himself just yet. 

Being wrapped in his arms was rather comforting to me, or really - it felt perfect. I felt perfectly safe, as if just his arms were protecting me from the rest of the world - I wanted to stay there forever. And as I said my response, he rested his chin on the top of my head, "Don't mention it, you just needed someone to be with you."

Upon hearing that, his arms tightened around me - as if he didn't want me to leave either.

But of course, nothing is infinite - so it had to come to a close soon, perhaps too soon. My phone began vibrating relentlessly from the coffee table. I made a quick scuffle over to it - expecting a call from my dad - but instead I received a slew of furious messages and missed calls from my mother - commanding me to answer her. Filled with apprehension, I pressed the button that allowed me to accept her call, I was not looking forward to her stern tone at all...

"(Y/N), this is completely unacceptable. How dare you leave our house without my permission - you didn't even tell me where you were going. Come home this instant." And with that, she hung up, without leaving me a single second to explain myself. Judging from the volume of my mother's voice - Aone already knew what was going on. In a flash, I had acquired my shoes and jacket upon me, and just as I was about to leave - Aone appeared behind me again - wrapping me in a vice like hug, resting his chin upon my head again. I was right, he didn't want me to leave.

"Thank you, (Y/N)." He whispered into the top of my head.

"You're welcome, Takanobu." I whispered back into his chest. And after savouring that hug for the longest time we could, I departed from his house - ushering myself away whilst waving to a beaming Aone and an ecstatic Shiro at their front door. That was really a night to remember.

---

Throughout the entire walk home, my mind sat in a comfortable silence - only stopping to admire the scenery around me. However, as I stepped up to my front door - one thought popped into my head, "Why weren't Aone's parents at his house?"

---

(A/N) Sorry that there's been a huge wait between this and the last chapter - I'm trying my best - but I'm trying to get through this story as quickly as possible - which may mean a certain event comes up in the story in three days time...

[prentiss-writes]

Until We Meet Again

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Summary: Spencer Reid had been attending CalTech for two years. He had people that were nice to him simply because they needed help on their course work, but Spencer had yet to make a single friend, until he met Y/N. They became fast friends that was until the Reader, without warning, was gone from his life. Now 14 years later a case brings him back to Pasadena, and back to the ghosts of his youth.

A/N: This is the first fic I’ve worked on in a really long time. Let me know what you guys think. Hope your enjoy! 

Words: 3.4k

Chapter 1

Pasadena, California.

1995

Friendship was never something Spencer Reid was ever good at. Being a senior in high school at the age of 12 didn’t lead to a thriving social life. While most of the students seemed to love making his life miserable, not all of his peers were monsters. He had some people that were kind to him, but they were only nice when they needed help in class or when he helped the basketball team win.

That’s why he was excited to start school at CalTech. This was his chance to finally thrive in school. College was a place where people wanted to learn. He would be with people just like him, sure he would be the only person under 16 but at least he shared a common interest with his classmates. 

A thirst for knowledge. 

Spencer didn’t need friends at CalTech. 

Right? 

He could be by himself. In a new state. At a new school. On his own. All alone.

His mom stayed in Las Vegas because she wasn’t well enough to move with him to California. He had been at Cal Tech for two years and would only go home to see his mom on extended breaks.

All by himself. Life was better that way. No one to hurt him. If he was by himself no one could hurt him again. If no one is close to you, no one can truly hurt you. 

But why did the loneliness make his heat ache?  

There was a park not too far from campus that reminded him of home. It was just like one that he would go to with his mom when she would have one of her good days. They would walk to the park and he would lay his head on her lap as she read to him. Her fingers would card through his hair as she read the texts from her days as a professor. While moments like that were rare as his mother’s condition worsened, those were some of his best memories. Coming to this park reminded him of the good moments, and as the ache of loneliness tore as his heart he needed to be reminded of the good moments in life. 

It was comforting. 

Spencer had been coming to this park for the last couple of weeks. He would make an entire afternoon of his outing. He would pack himself enough books to last at least three hours and some snacks. There was a tree that he would always sit under, a mulberry tree. It provided just enough shade when the California sun would be too much. The park was usually pretty empty this time of day. His tree wasn’t super close to the actual play structure meant for the kids so he only saw a couple of joggers and the stray couple here and there. It was nice, the campus was always so crowded it only amplified how lonely he felt there. His tree was a place where he could relax and--- 

“Excuse me?”

Spencer was brought out of his thoughts by someone standing above him. The sun was right behind her, it cast a glowing light around the figure. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to looking into the light. 

“Hi! Sorry--umm my ball?” It was a girl. She looked about Spencer’s age. She was pretty and she seemed nice. She was smiling at him and--

“Hello? Do you mind?” She was pointing at him. No, she was pointing next to him. A soccer ball. There was a soccer ball between Spencer and his backpack. He grabbed the ball and tossed it back to her. He had been so engrossed in his book he hadn’t noticed the ball roll up to him.

“Thanks. Sorry about interrupting you. I’m Y/N by the way. You go to Rose City, right? Cause I’ve never seen you at Blair.” She looked so nice. People never looked at him that way, like he was normal. 

Spencer chastised himself once he realized it was only because she thought he was normal if she knew that he didn’t go to the local high school but CalTech instead he doubted she would continue to look at him like that. No one ever looked at him like that. Once she knew who he truly was she would be just like all the others before her.

“It’s okay.” Spencer didn’t want to give her answers about his schooling because he wasn’t the best liar. Most people could see right through him and if he could let her continue to think he was normal she would keep looking at him with that smile. That smile made his heartache just a little less and he would hold onto that feeling as long as he could. Y/N seemed to take the hint about Spencer not wanting to talk about school so she decided to just brush past it. 

“So I’m giving my little brother some pointers before he starts soccer next week. Do you want to play with us?” She pointed back at a young boy probably around 7 or 8. 

“I’m okay. I just want to get back to my books.” Spencer re-opened his book and continued to read. Y/N’s smile faltered but she decided to move past the rejection. 

“Okay, well if you change your mind, we’ll be over there.” She started to walk back to the little boy. She stopped about half-way between Spencer and her brother. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?” She then smiled at Spencer as she turned back to face her brother and kicked the ball to him. 

Spencer looked up as soon as her back was to him. 

He wanted nothing more than to see her again, but at the same time, he knew that if he saw her again she would figure out he wasn’t like her. If she ever found out that smile that calmed him would no longer be directed at him.  ~~~ A Week Later

Spencer had packed his bag and rode his bike back to his Mulberry tree. The ride there was often one of the best parts of his week. The fresh air was welcome after being in a crowded lecture hall or his stuffy dorm for most of the week. After finally reaching the park he started walking his bike to his spot and he was actually excited to have some time---

There was someone sitting under his tree. 

The girl from the other day was sitting under his tree.

He approached her, he was unsure of why. He should have just gotten back on his bike and went back to his dorm but by some unknown force, he walked up to her. She didn’t notice him until he was right before her. He stood in front of her blocking the sun and casting a shadow on her, similarly as she had done to him the week prior.

“Hey! It’s the book guy!” She looked up at Spencer and her face lit up. A large smile spread across her face. The same kind smile from before.

How could she do that?

How could she calm him with such a simple gesture as tensing some muscles in her face?

Did she do that to every stranger she met? Or did she see something in him no one had before?

 He noticed the change in her clothing. Gone was the athletic wear from their first encounter. She was dressed casually, overalls, and a t-shirt underneath. Spencer noticed a sketchbook in her lap, it looked as if she was drawing the people in the park. She picked a good spot for her people watching. His tree was just removed enough that people wouldn’t notice her looking at them for extended periods of time. He stood above her unsure of how to talk to start a conversation. He shuffled his red converse in the grass, trying to find the right words to say. He wasn’t good at talking to new people, or people in general.

He settled for a simple. “Hello again.”  Her brow furrowed at his response. She leaned to the side trying to look at something that was just past Spencer. She gave up trying for a moment to look back up at him.

“Can I help you? Or are you going to keep standing in front of me blocking the view of  the ducklings I was drawing?” Spencer turned to look behind him, there he noticed a duck leading her ducklings through the park in a line. He quickly moved out of Y/N’s line of sight. 

“Sorry” Spencer, disappointed that the one place in this whole city that brought him genuine happiness was being taken, grabbed his bike, and started his walk back out of the park so he could go back to his dorm. 

“Wait!” She called after the mysterious book boy. He turned back to see her now standing. “This is your spot, isn’t it? You were here when I came here last week and now you’ve come to this exact tree again.” She gave him a small smile now understanding why he looked so sad as he left.

“Yeah, I like the shade that this tree has. It’s also far enough away from most of the people here.” Spencer answered not wanting to meet her eyes. He looked at anything but her, the tree, the couple just down the hill, even the ducklings that had made it a good amount of distance since he had last looked at them. She watched him look at the ducklings. She could tell that he really wanted to use this spot, it was just another tree in the park to her, it seemed special to him. She really didn’t have the heart to keep him from something that made him so happy, Y/N could tell that he didn’t have a lot of things in his life that made him this happy. 

“Well, this is the perfect spot for people watching but, I’ll let you have it since you really like it.” She started packing up her things to let him have the spot. 

“No, it's okay. You were here first and I can’t really claim a tree” He quickly crouched down to her level to stop her from leaving. She really seemed to be enjoying this spot. He knew how relaxing sitting in the shade of this mulberry tree was. He didn’t want her to give it up just for him. 

“No no, I insist. I really don’t mind. I should probably get headed home anyway.” She placed her hand on his with a large smile spreading across her face. This is the closest he had been to her. She had such kind eyes, it was as if there was nothing that could dampen a smile like that. Spencer glanced down at her hand atop his. A smile was now present on his face.

“Thank you Y/N” He looked back up to her face hoping she could see how much this small gesture meant to him. Now it was her turn to look away, she took her hand off of his turning to grab her backpack. Spencer watched her hesitate before she turned back to him.

“Unless… You didn’t mind sharing. I’d like to stay.” Her bright beaming smile was now replaced with a shy one instead. 

“Sure. I’d like that too,” Spencer took a seat next to Y/N. They settled in comfortable silence. She continued her drawings from earlier and he pulled out one of his books for the afternoon. Spencer placed his book on his lap and looked at the girl next to him. “I’m Spencer by the way.” 

“Hi, Spencer.” Y/N looked up from her sketchbook to smile at Spencer. The two both went back to their respective activities, neither speaking. They simply enjoyed this rare moment of pure peace. The only sounds that were made, by either of the two, were the sounds of Y/N’s pencil on paper and the turning of pages in Spencer’s book. Neither knew exactly how much time had passed before Y/N noticed the sunset. 

“Oh no” Y/N started to frantically pack all of her stuff back into her backpack. Spencer looked up from his book, confused. He wasn’t sure what could have brought on her sudden need to leave the park. She looked as if she didn’t get out of the park in the next five minutes she might spontaneously combust.

“What is it?” Y/N stopped her frantic packing to look back at Spencer. She could see how she had started him and instantly felt bad. 

“I didn’t realize how late it was, my mom’s going to kill me” She gave him a sad smile. She really didn’t want to leave but she knew how much trouble she would be in if she wasn’t home before it was completely dark outside. Her parents gave her a lot of freedom but if she didn’t follow their important rules, like be home on time for dinner, she wouldn’t have the privilege of basically doing whatever she wanted. That was a privilege she didn’t want to lose. 

“Oh” Spencer sometimes forgot that other people had parents that had expectations of them. It had been so long since someone had wanted him home by a certain time. In Vegas, his mom would rarely notice if he was home or not. Some days when he would walk home from school he would have to take the long way home to avoid the other upperclassmen that would throw eggs at him as he walked home. This would mean that sometimes he wouldn’t get home well past dark, his mom never noticed. He loved his mom with all his heart, but sometimes he wishes he had a mom like Y/N, someone who cared where he was. 

Someone who was able to care about him in a way no one had before.

“I gotta get home for dinner or my mom will murder me” She was now standing with her backpack on her shoulders. Spencer retreated back into his book, not wanting Y/N to notice his change in mood.

“Okay” As much as he tried to hide it Y/N noticed how sad he had just become. Even though she barely knew him she didn’t want him to ever look like that again

“Do you want to come over? My mom’s making meatloaf, unfortunately, but we can have ice cream for dessert if you want” She really hoped that he would say yes. She saw that he had packed enough food for dinner and the thought of him eating dinner alone in a dark park broke her heart. 

“Oh, I don’t know” She knelt down in front of him taking the book out of his hands. 

“Oh come on Spencer, you can use my house phone to call your parents and let them know you’re heading over to a friend’s. Unless yours are strict? Oh, that’s a real bummer if they’re strict. Mine practically let me do whatever” She knew that his parents couldn’t be strict if they were okay with him eating his dinner in this park, but she didn’t want him to know that she knew his parents weren’t very present.  

“No! They’re not strict. I’ll come over! Ice cream sounds really great actually.” Spencer only agreed to get her to stop talking about his family. He really didn’t want her finding out that his only family was in Vegas and he was all alone here. And the thought of having a home-cooked meal sounded exceptional. 

“Perfect. Come on we can’t be late” She started helping him pack up his belongings. Spencer started to doubt his decision to join Y/N’s family for dinner. Would they really be okay with a complete stranger joining them for dinner? His father before he left drilled into him that he needed to respect his elders and showing up to someone else’s home announced didn’t sound like respect.

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind me coming over unannounced?” All of his things were now packed back into his backpack. He started to shuffle his shoes into the grass. 

“No! My mom is used to it. I’m not the best at asking before I bring my friends over. Besides, she’ll love you. She’ll think you’re a good influence on me. You look like someone who doesn’t get into a lot of trouble.” That smile was now back, she could get him to do almost anything with that smile. There was something about this girl that made him think that he would follow her anywhere.

And that really terrified him, but he was too excited to care.

“Okay.” She grabbed his bike from the grass and pushed it towards him so he could start walking his back to her house.

“She will be mad if we’re late though. We’ve gotta go now. Come on!” She grabbed one of his hands and started to lead him out of the park. Spencer was now freaking out. He really wanted Y/N to be his friend, she was so kind to him but she really had no idea who he was and he couldn’t keep lying to her. He knew this could make her hate him but continuing to lie would only ruin things later. Having her hate him now for being a freak was easier than having her hate him later once she knew he was a liar.

“Wait!” He stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn’t continue on with her thinking he was just a normal kid from the local high school. If he was really going to have a chance at her being his friend he had to be honest with her.

“Jesus Christ Spencer! What is it? I really don’t feel like getting in trouble today.” She turned around to face him, a very annoyed expression on her face. 

“I lied” her brow furrowed and her head tilted to the side at his admission.

“About?” She still hadn’t let go of his hand. Wow her hand was warm and really soft, he didn’t want to let go. He was now staring at their joined hands, it was something so simple holding hands but it was so foreign to him. He wasn’t sure of the last time he had this amount of physical contact with someone, he didn’t realize until now how much he needed it.

“I don’t go to Rose City” He didn’t meet her eyes, his eyes didn’t stray from their joined hands.

“Where do you go then?” Her voice was soft, she talked to him as if he was a hurt animal. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze trying to coax an answer out of him.

“CalTech” Her hand quickly pulled away as if she had been burned by his touch.

“Wait how old are you?” She was now looking at him like he had just killed her dog and spit in her face. Oh no! Spencer realized he must think he was much older since he is in college. He couldn’t let her think that he wasn’t some perv adult trying to hang out with a young girl. They are probably just around the same age.

“14, I skipped several grades,” he said quickly wanting her not to be disgusted by him.

“Shit, you scared me. I thought you were actually super old or something and you just looked my age.” She punched him in the shoulder with a laugh and that beaming smile. She grabbed ahold of his hand again. “You’re weird Spencer. I like it. Now come on I really don’t want my mom to get mad at me” She started to walk forward again, but Spencer didn’t follow

“Wait!” She didn’t understand the extent to which they were different, she would never want to be his friend if she knew how different they were. 

“Holy shit Spencer. I really don’t care that you are some kind of super-genius, now come on.” She started to pull him along with her. He didn’t start walking until she turned back at him with that smile. He wasn’t able to say no to it. He knew that he would follow her anywhere. 

She could possibly be the person that would be his first real friend.

He was scared but this was also the happiest he had been since he arrived in California. 

Maybe he won’t have to be so lonely anymore.

Taglist: 

@clockedstar @pumpkin-goob @emilyprentissisababe

[alkhale]

Shoot the Ball (Ushijima x Reader) Ko-Fi request

Guuuurl can I please get like a bunch of accidental run in encounters with ushiwaka plssss I feel like he doesn’t get much love

Here’s the problem with a school like Shiratorizawa.

It’s a big school.

Fucking huge.

Massive campus yet elite, trimmed student body with a very personal class average of students to teachers. Private tutors are offered in every nook and cranny of the libraries, and the dorms are luscious and extravagant.

Unknown to many of your classmates but most of your team members are aware, you got into Shiratorizawa on a favor from your childhood kyudo coach and a hefty scholarship you had to claw your way towards over a bunch of other studious bookworms. 

You’re the leading star on Shiratorizawa’s kyudo club, the ochi from your tachi group, the last person to shoot, the person who guides the rest of the team. You also hold the position of captain in your third year at Shiratorizawa, and kyudo is all you have ever known and love.

But, but, but, but, at a school like Shiratorizawa where a classic, high performance sport like kyudo, a traditional, beautiful sport like kyudo should be fairly popular, your club and your teammates’ performances are always outshone by more high-energy, easily watchable sports.

Shiratorizawa’s sports expect nothing but the highest level of triumphs from all their divisions. From basketball to dressage on horse, each club is required to perform admirably. If you perform well, the more funding you got for your club, the more prestige, and all good things.

Shiratorizawa’s kyudo club is actually high on the list, last year your team placed first at the Inter High and made it to the top four in nationals. Despite all this, despite the fact that you even scored consecutive kaichus, hitting all your marks and not missing a single arrow, making waves in the kyudo community and getting higher renown for your team, your headmaster still refused to acknowledge your club.

You’d come to him, white headband tied around your head, posters ready, armed and prepared to fight tooth and nail for an increase in funds and a spot at advertisements because if your fellow student body just knew about the sport, more people would join, more people would watch, and your club wouldn’t be in danger of closing down after you graduate or declining—

“It’s just not popular!” your headmaster clapped you over the shoulders himself, beaming. “Keep working hard though! Good job last year!”

Because popular and television-worthy, massive poster worthy, constant overhead announcements in the morning and the afternoon about matches, constant offered opportunities for extra credit, belong to certain sports at Shiratorizawa.

Shiratorizawa’s Boys’ Volleyball team.

Every morning you came to school and stared in disgust, not out of a personal vendetta for the guy, but for his whole damn team for taking the spotlight for the past three years you’d been here at Shiratorizawa, at the giant, blown up poster lining your school’s walls, posted in any classroom you two might have together. He flooded the school’s daily bulletin, online articles, even the god damn konbini near your house when your returned home for the holidays.

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Volleyball star, playing for Japan’s national youth team—which was something you did drool over because nationals was your goal for kyudo—and even top of all his classes.

You kinda hated this guy and you didn’t even know him.

But it was no matter because this year you planned to take your team all the way to the top. Everyone at this damn rich school was going to known kyudo and love it, damn it. They were going to sing your praises all the way down the halls, line up outside the shooting range to get a peek at your beautiful team and fall in love with the bow.

All the way to the same stage this rich, boastful school’s especial crowning achievment and pride, enough to get them their own stupid bus, enough to get them their own damn gym, enough to get them their own damn cheer squad and—

Your first real, personal meeting with Ushijima Wakatoshi goes something like this:

I don’t need more protein, I need better results. You frowned, staring at the picture of the protein drink you’d been texted that was apparently quite popular these days, according to your fellow teammate. She constantly sang its praises, promising nothing but the best and urging you to start getting into it.

“Your practice schedule is too rigid!” she lectured, shaking her hands at you as you notched another arrow and took aim. “You’re going to shoot arrows till you’re an old maid! No one will marry you at this rate!”

“Kyudo will marry me,” you said, completely serious. “I’m marrying the best kyudo archer of this era and no one else.”

“He’s over fifty!”

“I like them older anyways.”

While normally you would have ignored your vice captain in favor of your own home remedies, your joints were acting up lately, specifically your left wrist and that was never a good sign. You had a feeling the tautness to the new string you were trying to break in wasn’t doing you any favors either. You needed to keep an eye on it in case it got worse.

I can’t bring this team down.

The school’s mini-grocery was fairly empty at this hour. Most students were back at the dorms and anyone still lingering around should’ve just finished with their own club practices.

The rows were designed so items could be taken from either side, not just one. You browsed the aisle, tempted by the choco-snacks but willing yourself to put another batch of fruits in instead. Have to treat my health like second nature. Results don’t come from potato chips.

“Finally,” your eyes zeroed in on the brightly colored bottle. A hefty size, meant to be poured out in cups and drunk daily. You had no idea how it would taste, but by your vice captain’s face, it couldn’t be too great.

You crouched down, reaching for the last bottle on the lowest row.

A massive hand engulfed yours at the top of the bottle’s cap, swallowing your hand whole.

“Holy shit!” you shrieked, ripping your hand away—only to find yourself unable to do so with the massive hand still laid down over yours. You hit the floor on your ass, gaping in horror at the monstrous palm and the calloused fingers and fearing this was finally the moment you were dragged into some abyss by an unknown creature and killed—

Eyes like olives, flecked with gold.

You stared, caught, unable to move for a second. You’d always thought his eyes were brown. You never noticed the weird lining to them that gave them a sharper look, like an eagle or—

“My bad,” Ushijima. Ushijima Wakatoshi said, his voice a deep, resounding rumble in his chest like a goddamn bear. 

He crouched there, sitting back on his heels, directly across the aisle from you, peering through the metal shelf like some kind of monster trying to fit through a crack. His massive hand and massive arm barely had to leave his body to reach the same bottle of protein you’d both been shooting for. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

All at once, the flood of posters assaulted your brain. The blaring announcements, the squealing girls, the headmaster, the volleyball buses with his face printed on the side, the magazines, the articles and—

You blinked, once, twice.

His lips parted.

You ripped your hand out from under his with a hefty amount of force. The action sent you flat on your back and you were sure he’d gotten a front row view of under your skirt but you really didn’t give a crap.

“Have it!” you barked out, awkwardly scrambling to your feet. You grabbed your basket and Ushijima blinked once at you, slowly, face monotonous. “You need it more anyway, jerk!”

You huffed, shoulders puffing up. Ushijima was silent on the other side of the aisle, wordlessly taking the bottle of protein with him as he stood.

You gaped.

HE’S A LIVING TREE.

Your neck actually craned a bit, straining to look up at him and he stared down at you from the top of the aisle.

His arm promptly stuck itself through the gap in the shelf, offering the drink to you.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, voice devoid of emotion. “You should take it.”

For some reason that irked you.

You forcefully—struggling with great difficulty—shoved the drink back to his side through the shelves. Ushijima blinked once, slow down at you and you bared your teeth at him before hoisting your basket up into your arm and storming to the check out where you flew through your wallet, aggressively paying the lady at the counter, nearly running into a smirking redhead at the doorway and rushing the rest of the way to your dorm where people kept asking why you looked so damn mad.

“Who was that?” Tendou chirped, sidling up to Ushijima. “A fan?”

Ushijima stared out the still swinging door and calmly examined the bottle of protein in his hand.

“No,” he said.

“...you gonna continue with the sentence or what?” Tendou prodded.

I hate this time of the year. You frowned, burrowing deeper into your muffler as you fought the early morning chill. Several other students were trudging beside you, sleep in their eyes as you all headed to the regular meeting for club time slots. You always showed up as early as possible to get the best dibs for your club. 

You absently kicked a pebble in your way, wondering how you should organize practice this week. You wanted to brush up on your form again and—

Why was everyone looking at you like that?

“Good morning.”

It took you a moment to realize a massive shadow had engulfed your own. You stared at your feet for a moment, rubbing your eyes before slowly turning.

Ushijima Wakatoshi bore down on you, face cast in dark shadows from the early morning darkness, puffs of steam clouding by his mouth where he breathed.

He looked like a monster.

You felt your hackles raise, nearly jumping out of your sneakers as you started to backpedal away from him, “Hah?”

“Good morning,” Ushijima said, looking completely unfazed by the crack of dawn and cold.

You continued to hurry backwards toward the gym while barking back at him as Ushijima took calm steps forward—since you were both headed the same way—every three of your steps one of his own.

To anyone else, it looked as though a bear were advancing on a chihuahua.

“G-Good morning to you too!” you snapped. “Bye!”

“What?” Ushijima asked.

“I said bye you—”

“We’re still headed the same way.”

“Stop following me then!”

 - - - - - - - - 

You smirked, hefting the pile of posters into your arms. This was it, this was going to work for sure. No way anyone could ignore the please join flyers if you were pinning them up all around the school, and the team had worked hard to make it stand out and eye catching, appealing to all genders and interests.

Your wrist was starting to bother you a bit, so you shifted the papers to the other arm. I got careless trying to get the bow turn again. I need to slow it down and ice it tonight.

Who says we’re last on the funding list? You grinned, grabbing your tape. They can’t ignore us with a bunch of members—

“Good afternoon.”

You screeched, dropping your stack of flyers onto your foot. They scattered the hallway.

Ushijima calmly turned his gaze downwards, staring at the colorfully illustrated flyers now flooding both your feet.

Join the kyudo club!

“You,” you snapped, urging your heart to calm and shoving your tape back into your pocket. You hurried, grabbing the flyers and restacking them as he stood, towering above you. “What the heck do you want? Do you get some kind of kick out of scaring people or—”

In one smooth, swift motion, Ushijima had crouched down beside you. You stared, gaping in disbelief as his large hands—he has such big hands, I’ve never seen anyone with hands that big, this guy is all muscle and—moved across the floor, gathering up the papers in one fell swoop. His bangs shifted slightly over the slight furrow of his brows. 

Ushijima looked at you, quiet, somber, unreadable as he carefully put your stack back together.

He looked weird in the school uniform. You were so used to seeing him in his volleyball one. He seemed like a different person. Oh, you’re the type that leaves the first button undone.

“I did not mean to scare you,” he said, slow, with that rumbling voice of his. It sent a timbre down your spine.

Ushijima remained silent, staring calmly at you, seemingly content with the silence.

“Y-Yeah, well,” you started. “My bad then.”

You quickly stood, lifting your stack. You stared down at Ushijima for once as he calmly looked up at you and promptly ran off without another word, unable to figure out the weird awkwardness that sat on your tongue whenever you dealt with him.

I mean, it’s not like I really… hate him right?

Why the hell am I running into him so much?

You just needed to shoot some arrows and you’d feel a lot better.

-----------

You shot too many arrows.

You frowned at your throbbing wrist, giving it a look of utter betrayal. The nurse had said to give her a few minutes for her to come back with some pain killers. You were only in the infirmary this time because the pain had gotten to a point where you’d actually dropped your bow in the middle of a draw.

Prelims are coming up. You glared harder at your wrist. You just needed to ice it and you’d feel better. I can’t let them down.

You were taking them straight to the top and then it’d be kyudo posters this school would see, not just stupid Ushijima’s face and—

“(L/n)-san.”

You screeched, nearly toppling off your stool. Your wrist smacked into the counter and you hissed in pain, tears pricking the corner of your eyes.

Ushijima stood in the doorway of the infirmary, staring at you with furrowed brows.

Why him, why now? You grunted in greeting, gingerly rubbing your throbbing wrist, turning away from him toward the window.

You heard the door close behind him, focusing all your attention on anything else to ignore the massive presence behind you.

“What happened?”

WHY IS HE TALKING TO ME. 

“Oh, this and that,” you said simply, vaguely, struggling to find better words. You… you really didn’t hate this guy personally or anything, but it was personal at the same time? You didn’t know how you felt about him and it was making you confused.

You hated being confused.

Ignoring any and all other social cues, Ushijima took a seat on the stool beside you, back and posture impeccable. His hands calmly set on his knees. His volleyball uniform like second skin against his form, revealing nothing but miles of muscle and hardwork.

You stared at him in disbelief.

Ushijima faced forward, face unreadable.

….okay. You awkwardly glanced to the side, rubbing at your wrist. Way to make it even more awkward. Does this guy not socialize much or what?

“Uh,” no! Don’t talk to him! Just keep your mouth shut! “What happened to you?” you said awkwardly.

Ushijima’s face relaxed an inch. You blinked in surprise.

“My knee,” he said. “Coach made me go get it checked out.”

“...me too,” you said. He looked at you. You looked away. “Not my knee, I mean. My wrist. My vice captain will have my head if I didn’t. I told her I could just ice it.”

“You should be more careful,” Ushijima said.

You looked at him. He looked at you.

“I’m sorry?”

“You do not need to apologize.”

You stared.

Ushijima motioned to your wrist, not taking his eyes off your face, “Your fans would be disappointed if you were unable to perform.”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“You do not need to apologize,” Ushijima said again, shaking his head. You gaped at him. “I would be disappointed. I wish to see your kaichu again.”

Your brain short-circuited. You were left to dumbly look at Ushijima. He seemed to take pity on you and turned fully on his stool, several heads taller, looking down at you before he calmly said—

“I am a fan of your archery.”

The two of you sat there in silence.

Steam shot out of your ears as your face exploded into red. Ushijima watched in silence as you toppled over your stool and back onto the ground.

- i also stan one giant tree

[crispyliza]

Spamano multi-chapter fanfiction recommendation masterlist!

For all you home-quarantined people that have nothing to do and also because I’ve been meaning on making one of these since 2015 (took a global pandemic to get me started lol) 

These fanfics are all with multiple chapters and listed in no particular order. Of course some are better than others, but every single one has its charms! I added only a few with 3 or 4 chapters because i liked them too much not to whereas the rest of the fanfics have at least 5+ chapters. So without further ado, here they are:

Una Notte A Napoli “One night in Naples, by the moon and sea, my heart was stolen by an angel who had forgotten how to fly.” (completed)

Per Sempre Tuo “Lovino Vargas, better known as Romano, is a famous TV actor. He has everything anyone could ever want. The only problem is that the thing he wants, over-night singing sensation Antonio Fernandez, is married.” (completed)

HOVA “The Nova Sagittarius was a ship that would take myself and countless other passengers on a one month trip around our solar system. But things went wrong; the ship changed and just like that, we were stranded. We got to know each other but more than that, we got to know ourselves.” (completed)

What We’d Do Without Gravity  “While lost in a hospital Antonio comes across young terminally ill patient, Lovino Vargas. With Lovino left only six months to live it’s an awful time a romance to blossom between the ill fated pair, but with a bucket list to race through as the clock ticks down, the two find that love is very hard to avoid.” (completed)

Numbered Lithograph “When Lovino starts attending art school with his brother he finds his most important lesson doesn’t come from his professors, but from a culinary student at a sister school: sometimes the flaws hold the beauty.” (completed)

Tienimi Streto “Lovino Vargas is a detective with a poor attitude and a dark past, driven to the side of law by pain and revenge. After his partner quits, he is paired with specially recruited Antonio Carriedo, who becomes something more than just a co-worker. When deaths linked to the Italian start popping up over the city, Lovino begins to question everything he thought he knew.” (on-going)

More than attraction “Antonio says he met his love’s eyes over the bin of tomatoes. Lovino says he was stalked relentlessly until he was forced to give in.” (completed)

Credo “AU, 1502. Fueled by revenge, Lovino Vargas hasn’t failed an assassination job yet - but when a new Spanish captain comes to Rome, killing the unorthodox Antonio Carriedo might just be the death of him.” (completed)

Secret Tunnels from Madrid to Sicily “When Antonio Fernández Carriedo begins work as a professor at a prestigious university in Britain, one of his students, a Sicilian boy who goes by the name Romano, immediately catches his eye. He is a clearly gifted writer, who closes himself off in the wake of a dark and painful history. Even wrapped in his darkness, pushing everyone away, Toni finds himself determined to bring out the potential within Romano…They drag each other into a passionate, inevitable affair–doomed, they know, to end in flames.” (completed)

Why Did it Have to be You? “Lovino’s parents are tired of his horrible behavior, and hire Antonio to babysit him. But time is a cruel mistress, and in absence the heart grows fonder. These are just some of the things Antonio and Lovino will learn.” (completed)

And the Birds Sing No More “Don’t ever leave me.” Lovino said nothing. He allowed the tense heaviness to settle among his shoulders, tighten his lungs, and spread between the space from where he stood to where Antonio was seated lethargically. Antonio’s gaze sharpened. Lovino, inclining his head slightly, whispered, “I won’t.” (completed)

A Dancing Star “Antonio is the easy-going, life-loving art professor and Lovino is the Italian exchange student who walks into his art studio. When Antonio falls in love he thought he only had his job to worry about, but maybe it’s Lovino’s dark secret that’ll push him away. Trigger warning for self-harm and dark themes.” (completed)

Kismet “Lovino learns the hard way that things change and that they can change quickly. The necklace fell and now he’s in a strange land far from home. Will he ever see his brother again? Will he find his way home? Or will he discover home is where the heart is? Fate is a strange woman and can work in mysterious ways.” (completed)

Let that be enough “Lovino had given up hoping for someone who’d care about him. Antonio never expected to fall for the most tormented guy in town. But dark secrets and hidden dangers threatens their blooming relationship. Is it over before it even begun..?” (completed)

Child services “Romano and Feliciano Vargas have just lost their parents. Romano, who is 22, must care for his 6 year old little brother. Enter Antonio Carreido, the agent from Child Services who must record his progress, however, it’s hard for the cheerful Spaniard to keep from falling in love with this little broken down family and with Romano.” (on-going)

Loving a Stranger “You don’t remember, but I know you. We were- I don’t even know how to describe our relationship. That sounds bad, I know. I think you might have been in love with me, although I cannot see why. That’s just what I’ve been told. I acted as though I hated you, but I never did. I was afraid, because you were kind to me. I didn’t know I loved you until you forgot me…“ (completed)

The Many Personalities of Spain “England casts a spell to rid himself of Spain. As expected it goes wrong; leaving Romano to deal with the many personalities of Spain. That sounds like a normal day for Romano, right? It would be if the personalities not had their own personifications.” (on-going)

Daisy Genocide “My name is Lovino Vargas but that’s not who I actually am. I’m my brother. They put his DNA into a little ball of jello and grew me like a house plant. To say it blatantly, I’m a clone and I’m in a disturbing amount of trouble. I’m about to tell the story of my fight to preserve my humanity followed by a vicious history of crime but it’s a secret. Nobody has to know.” (completed)

More Than Meets The Eye “Striving to find approval and meaning, Antonio throws himself into the world of art determined to come out on top. Yet, in all of his searching, burning, and pain, he never thought that a single culinary student could ever manage to tear down his walls and make him face his biggest fear; himself.” (on-going)  

Cryonic “After suffering a fatal attack from an unknown illness, Lovino Vargas underwent cryopreservation, leaving behind his only family, his boyfriend, and a blooming company. Years later the effects are only just coming into play causing more problems than his preservation was supposed to solve. Human AU; T for language; pre-established Spamano.” (on-going)

All of Our Flaws “Antonio is a man whose world revolves around anyone but himself. Lovino is a man with dreams bigger than a job behind a drugstore counter. Antonio is broken; Lovino is incomplete. Will a chance meeting lead them to mending their cracks and finding their missing pieces? Human AU, trigger warning for self-harm.” (on-going)

Truly an artist “Having already completed college, Lovino Vargas lives in Madrid as an artist suffering from severe artist’s block. In one of his visits to his old school he runs into a new teacher, Antonio Fernández Carriedo, who decides he’ll be the one to help Lovino in his endeavor to find himself. However cheerful and optimistic, Lovino still feels there’s more to Antonio than he’s letting on.” (completed)

The Heartbreaker “Sometimes the best things happen unexpectedly. Certainly this is Antonio’s opinion at the moment. The handsome stranger he met upon moving to a new town in Italy seems to be able to do almost no wrong. Until he digs a little deeper below the surface and begins to discover an unsettling reputation. And if the rumours are true, is it wise to trust a man known as ‘The Heartbreaker?” (completed)

We sing, We dance, We eat tomatoes “When Lovino Vargas takes in a starving guitar player called the Curbside Prophet from the streets of Philadelphia, he isn’t expecting the man to tolerate him for more than a couple weeks, much less fall in love with him. Based on the the music by Jason Mraz.” (on-going)

Underwater Land “Antonio was a merman. Lovino hated water. It was truly a match made in heaven.” (completed)

Flashlight “If I throw a tomato at you, vampire bastard, will you still sparkle under the sauce?” Twilight parody. (completed)

Catch you, Catch me “Clumsy, clueless detective Romano is on the trail of the infamous handsome and charming thief El Apasionado Caballero. But there’s more to this, what seems like a simple game of cat and mouse, than meets the eye.” (completed)

Blackbird “Antonio walks into a small coffee joint, hoping for just some caffeine to take the edge off of late-night studying for midterms, and gets a whole lot more than he bargained for in the form of a snarky, foulmouthed, Italian barista.” (on-going)

Counting Stars “Antonio, failed writer and journalist, thinks things are finally going his way when he lands an interview with actor Lovino Vargas. But it’s only the start of a long line of problems… the biggest of which may be Vargas himself.” (on-going)

Cosa Nostra “Based on the historical background of the Sicilian Mafia during the First Mafia War starring Mafia!Romano.” (completed)

Tight Rope “Rich, spoiled kid Lovino Vargas hates pirates. Pirate captain Antonio Carriedo hates rich, spoiled kids. None of them ever thought they could feel something different from hatred towards one another. However, Fate seems to have different plans for them, and twists their lives in unexpected ways.” (on-going)

When You Recover “Nurse Lovino Vargas has to take care of brain damaged patient Antonio Carriedo, who seems to have a strange affection towards him. N-not that Lovino likes it! The Italian is determined to make the man recover, no matter what it takes. What will little Lovino get himself into with this patient?” (on-going)

Like All Things, It Ends “Lovino doesn’t want his family to know how much his childhood trauma still affects him and he does a good job at hiding it. That is, until he moves to a new town and meets Antonio, someone he is unable to hide anything from. (Warnings for PTSD, Depression, harmful thinking of oneself, and violent death of a loved one)” (completed)

Wish upon a star “A drunken wish on a star lands Lovino back in the time of pirates, and when he runs into a familiar face with an unfamiliar personality, he’ll start to question his own heart. Pirate!SpainxRomano. Rated for language, violence, and maybe mature situation” (completed)

Crooked Timber “As an artist, Lovino understands that perfection doesn’t exist. If only Antonio agreed with him, and stopped trying to hurt himself. -Human (College) AU. Spamano multi-chapter with other minor pairings. Depressed!Antonio, Writer!Antonio, Artist!Lovino- TW for self-harm.” (completed)

Just Pretend! “Romano liked Emma- a lot. Except her stupid big brother was too overprotective (and, okay, a little scary)! He wouldn’t allow any guy near her- unless they weren’t romantically interested in Emma. So, Romano decided to pretend to be gay, with the help of Antonio, in hopes of getting Emma to fall in love with him. Perfect plan, right?” (completed)

The Duty of an Elder Son “Lovino Vargas knew a lot about duty.” His Grandfather’s swollen empire puts all of his family in danger, the other gangs are massing, the police are on their tails and Lovino is given a bodyguard in one Antonio Carriedo. 1920s Mafia AU fic. (completed)

Flatmates “They were flatmates, they were best friends and they were really frustrated about relationships. So what would two young men do about this?” (completed)

Zero Tolerance “Lovino lives a perfect life. Or atleast thats how he is suppose to appear. Antonio lives a life as a dangerous gangbanger. North Side meets South Side as these two are partnered in their Chemistry class. But there is one chemical reaction these 2 arent prepared for- Love. AU, human names used. Based on the book “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles.” (completed)

Your Love Can Be My SIght “Seventeen year old Lovino Vargas lost his sight in a terrible car accident. Antonio, a teacher at Lovino’s school was born without it. Can Antonio teach Lovino that even without sight, life can be beautiful?” (completed)

The Greatest Treasure, You Idiot! “Spinoff of the “Sea Foam” chapter in Hetalia Fairy Tales. Captain Carriedo of the pirate ship, Buscador Dorado, seeks a legendary treasure “that is worth gaining” with the help of the infamous wish-giver, Lovino. But what is the true treasure?” (completed)

Crowns of Triple Gold “Things are rarely simple for Romano in the Eternal City, especially when he falls for one of his clients, a Hispanian senator up for consul against his father.” (completed)

Prisoners on the Slave Ship of Love “Lovino Vargas has been captured and taken hostage in a pirate raid led by Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and his band of Spanish buccaneers. Tensions grow high and hearts are tested when Lovino becomes Captain Carriedo’s personal prisoner…” (on-going)

The Lemon Tree “Lovino didn’t want to be a slave in that scary mansion. He needed to break free. The fight for independence, however, is a difficult path, and falling in love with the man that destroyed his life doesn’t make things any easier.” (completed)

Sun Kissed “A powerful man once created gods to rule the sky as the creatures of the land lives. The Sun and the Moon. Brothers since birth, and all powerful, they rule side by side. As time passes, the Sun realizes how unhappy he is watching people hide from him. What happens when he discovers a man who isn’t afraid to live under the harsh sun?” (completed)

Tesoro Mio “Antonio’s the charming, handsome farmer with an infuriating Spanish accent, and Lovino is the mysterious wine entrepreneur who comes and goes. When Antonio falls in love, he throws society, expectations, and religion to the wayside, but can a strict Catholic like Lovino do the same?” (completed)

Because of the war “A first person POV for Romano during and after WW2. His thoughts as he fights and survives. Beware of angst.” (completed)

Just Add one Mermaid’s Tear “To gain something of ultimate value; the unthinkable must be preformed. The line is etched upon the brow of every nation, the taste of the water still on their lips. What happens though when one nation desires the fountain of youth once more?” (completed)

Until the Moss Had Reached Our Lips, and Covered Up Our Names “In a city filled to the brim with gangs, all the territory split between them, peace has lasted for the past sixteen years. It’s a tentative peace, won after the last massive gang war reshaped the entire city. Except all it takes is one domino to fall, and the Vargas patriarch is dead, leaving behind Antonio to lead his house, who isn’t even his blood relative. With an untried Head, the balance of power has started to shift again, and it seems as good a time as any to start calling in old debts and revenges.” (on-going)

The Bet “When someone kisses you, and then moves away you’d think that would be it. But when Antonio comes back from Spain he wants Lovino to be his again. Except Lovino now hates Antonio…which sucks for Lovino because Antonio isn’t going to let go that easily.” (completed)

Wings “People ask me a lot why I love him. Why I spend so much time chasing him when he never returns my feelings. It’s because I see something they don’t.” (on-going)

My Heart is Drenched in Wine “Wine and romance. More importantly, when you cut through my wine!fangirling, this is a story about Lovino and Antonio and how they find their way back together (in spite of the past and occasionally the present) as they attempt to make wine and sometimes love.” (completed)

Of Two Minds “Feliciano and Lovino are living on the streets, with a secret that keeps them from getting close to anyone. Will their lives get better or worse after being forced to join a pirate crew, and what will happen when their secret finally comes out? Rated T for some (minor) violence, Romano’s mouth, and some angsty feelings. Pirate AU.” (completed)

Beats of Fever “Antonio Fernández Carriedo is a doctor working in Madrid dealing with a crush on an Italian tourist when the tensions in Spain reach a head and Civil War breaks out.” (on-going)

All of Our Sins “Lovino is Catholic, but he’s not entirely sure what he believes. Nevertheless, he and his brother Feliciano are forced to attend confirmation classes. When Lovino meets their group leader- bizarre, cheerful Antonio; one of the first people to treat Lovino like he matters- things get complicated. When they find this church is much darker than it appears, things get terrifying. Fast.” (completed)

Es Sólo Tu Corazón “Lovino has been in love with Spain for as long as he can remember. All he wants is to be with his former caretaker, but he soon finds out that the Spain he knew as a child is no longer there…and the real one is far more dangerous.” (on-going)

There Goes My Life “Antonio, 26, a old gourmet chef, a bachelor who’s all party. Lovino a 20 y/o premed student who only has one goal, to be become a doctor. He is determined to let his feelings for the Spaniard fade away, but after receiving devastating news, a drunken one night stand leads to the end of life as Lovino knows it.” (on-going)

As We Were “Rich, bored and unhappy, Lovino Vargas is the heir to his grandfather’s wine brand. Antonio is the restless young traveller prone to attacks of claustrophobia. For them, falling in love is a journey. Literally. Spamano, Human AU, multi-chapter. Warnings for language and sexual themes.” (completed)

NekoRoma “Antonio has been feeling lonely with his recent break up with his on/off boyfriend. The solution: a new kitten that his boss doesn’t want. Just as he gets used to this cat, a new challenge is thrown at him. How do you teach a cat to be human?” (completed)

Summer Sensations “The hot summer nights of Madrid bring many things, but one very special night changes two lives forever. Lovino learns that love is not such a frivolous thing after all.” (completed)

Fools Like Us  “What starts out as a normal Friday night for the “Bad Touch Trio” soon becomes an opportunity for Francis to use his favorite word in reference to his best friends. Unfortunately, Gilbert and Antonio couldn’t possibly have fallen for people who would return their feelings easily, but Francis is determined to help them out despite his own relationship-or lack thereof.” (completed)

Hear Me “Antonio and Lovino are trying their best to get by in high school, but between the stresses of grades, family, friends, and heartache, it’s a lot harder than it looks.” (completed)

Fame and Fortune “Lovino Vargas is a barkeeper and reluctant Stasi informant. As much as he despises what he does, he obeys the terrifying Red Army colonel, Ivan Braginsky. That is, until the secretive and frustratingly attractive Antonio Fernandez Carriedo arrives in his life and breaks all the rules. Inspired by the Elvis Presley song of the same name.” (on-going)

It’s all Antonio’s Fault “Condoms, footballs to the stomach, fake nurses, confusing hallways, and flying backpacks. Lovino Vargas’s first day at World Academy was already one of his worst, and he could only imagine that it would spiral downwards as he got to know the tomato bastard, otherwise known as Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.” (on-going)

My Antonio “Going against everything in his strict, Catholic upbringing, Lovino has fallen desperately into love and lust for his family’s Spanish stable boy, Antonio.” (completed)

Sound Life “Spain is dead, leaving Romano distraught and wishing for there to be a way for him to see his beloved Spaniard alive and healthy…Only to wake up in a strange alternate world… with another Spain seeking his affection.” (completed)

Possessively Scary “Romano begins college late with his brother after their nonno passes away. When entering, he meets a very strange Spaniard. The man is odd but still attractive at the same time. As they get closer, Romano learns more about Antonio and doesn’t know if he should be scared of the man or not. Can he get out of something he got himself into?” (on-going)

This Dance “Antonio wants Lovino to be his dancepartner at Austria’s ball. Lovino, struggling with his growing feelings of love and affection for everyone’s favorite tomato-bastard as always, agrees. Now, there could be worse things, right?” (completed)

Powdered Sugar “Truth, like powdered sugar, tastes sweet but goes down cold. If a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, we might need a bit more.” (completed)

Singles “Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert are three friends who suffered their first heartbreaks at the age of fifteen, and made a pact to never fall in love again. That will change for Antonio when he first lays eyes on a brown-haired young man in a club…” (completed)

A Heated Story “Sky High / superpower hs au. wip. Lovino Vargas is a new kid at Sky High with his brother. He has the power to control fire. Only one problem, he hates the heat. Spamano, and other ships. Doesn’t actually have anything to do with the movie, just used the school.” (on-going)

I Don’t Hate You “Lovino and his brothers face the unknown while on a mission to Earth. The Italian angel comes up against more than he bargained for when a dark angel takes a liking to him and now he and Feliciano might be cast out.” (completed)

Like all things, it ends “Lovino doesn’t want his family to know how much his childhood trauma still affects him and he does a good job at hiding it. That is, until he moves to a new town and meets Antonio, someone he is unable to hide anything from.” (completed)

Disegno e Colore “A young, apprenticing artist, Lovino craves rationality, perfection, and self-possession, and has curated his life to one day attain that. He never expected a chaotic and brash painter to barrel into his life and test everything Lovino thought he wanted and knew of himself, his art, and his heart.” (on going)

Land Beyond Dreams “Antonio is saved from death by someone he’d spoken to only a few times, but who lost his life in the process. Grief-stricken, he only wishes he could have gotten to know his savior, when his dreams suddenly become reality…or are they still only dreams?” (completed)

It’s All Antonio’s Fault “Condoms, footballs to the stomach, fake nurses, confusing hallways, and flying backpacks. Lovino Vargas’s first day at World Academy was already one of his worst, and he could only imagine that it would spiral downwards as he got to know the tomato bastard, otherwise known as Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.” (on-going)

A tale of endurance “Lovino had no idea what to do. Knowing that your life will be over in half a year tends to do that to you. Well, one thing he knew for sure. No one would ever discover this until the day he was pushing daisies. And that was a fact.” (completed)

The Risk of Love “Romano is dead and Spain is broken, spiralling into the deep, blackness of depression. And as he locks himself from the outside world, isolating himself from his friends, from everyone, in his oblivion of pain, Romano find’s he’s the only one who can help. Only, how can useless ghost like him even dream to help the slowly dying love of his life?” (completed)

Dance with me “Lovino Vargas started taking tango lessons completely by accident. Who would have thought that one day he wouldn’t mind those hands roaming over his body? That he would be dancing with his teacher as if there was no one in the room but the two of them?” (on-going)

Fireflies “Lovino was abandoned in Italy with his grandfather at age seven because his parents liked his little brother better than they liked him. On his way back from America, he sits next to a far too happy Spaniard. But, when this childish Spaniard turns out to be his new teacher, what will happen? And with a field trip to Venice on the way, what antics will they get up to?” (on-going)

El Corazón del Pirata “Fate is once kind, twice cruel. And Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo does not have a heart, nor does he fall in love with his prisoners. But Lovino Vargas might just be the fuel to his flame - certainly there’s more to him than meets the eye.” (completed)

More Than Lust “Why did the Spaniard always hope for the impossible? That Romano would come to him one day, confessing his feelings, and they would make LOVE? That they would cry out each others names, he could hold the Italian, wake up the next morning, and he would still be there?” (completed)

The Prince and the Pauper “When Prince Feliciano goes missing, it is up to a poor servant boy Romano to step in to take his place and thwart an evil plan to take over the kingdom. However, falling in love was something neither one anticipated. Based off of the Princess and the Pauper.” (completed)

Talking to My Shadow “Lovino spends his life telling doctors about his brother, Feliciano. They hear about his look-alike brother everyday but never see him. Lovino is finally taken to a new physiologist and he meets the doctor’s son, a springy little Spaniard who’s excited to help his new friend, no matter the difficulty. Will this illness mean a life time of seclusion for Lovino or can he win?” (completed)

Spend my time dancing “As much as Lovino loved seeing the upperclassman in his soccer jersey, he’d much rather help him take it off. It’s about time they started playing on the same field. AU. SpaMano. Various others. All’s fair in love and soccer.” (completed)

Maybe, Just Maybe “Romano couldn’t help but be instantly attracted to the stranger on the train, the one with bright green eyes and an unforgettable smile. How could something so simple end up changing his life so much?” (completed)

Dead Alone “Lovino drains the life from anything he touches, seriously. It seems that he’s the embodiment of death while his lively twin brother is his counterpart life. He has isolated himself from everyone, for their own protection. So what happens when a new transfer student decides to take an interest in him his freshman year of high school?” (on-going)

Lovino and the Conquistador “Lovino lived a life of simple pleasures; a good book, his own little world and an odd, but loving, family. However, in order to save his family, he must take their place as prisoner of a hideous beast within a gloomy castle. Based on “Beauty and the Beast” (completed)

Truth Be Told “The Well of Uncomfortable Truths is discovered & deals Spain a hard fact- "Whenever you said you loved him, you didn’t really mean it. You were thinking of his brother. They were empty words.” Can Romano be convinced about whom the Well was talking about?” (completed)

Scaliest “When his entire life is taken from him, Antonio vowed to slay the beast that ruined his life no matter the cost. But on his travels he meets a secretive, sassy bard who might be more helpful than either of them realize. Is vengeance the answer or is there more at stake?” (on-going)

All I’ve lost “Lovino Vargas has slowly fallen into the trap that is Anorexia. He meets Antonio who is a strangely kind kid. Lovino thinks maybe, just maybe…there is hope. Warnings: Depression, anorexia, bulimia, mental illness and bullying.” (completed)

Infection “Antonio didn’t know what to think of the man who randomly showed up in his home… completely naked. Yet, he still found himself drawn to this “Lovino”, only to be thrown into his worst nightmare.” (on-going)

Tomato Angel “What happens when Antonio get’s jealous? (Aftermath of ‘Awesome Being Evil’)” (completed)

Step-Lovers “King Romulus is getting married to Queen Isabel. While the wedding goes smoothly, things don’t go all that smooth for Antonio and Lovino. The heat is especially turned up when it’s decided that there will be a competition for who gets to be heir to the throne.” (completed)

There goes my life “Antonio, 26, a old gourmet chef, a bachelor who’s all party. Lovino a 20 y/o premed student who only has one goal, to be become a doctor. He is determined to let his feelings for the Spaniard fade away, but after receiving devastating news, a drunken one night stand leads to the end of life as Lovino knows it.” (on-going)

Broken Wings, Healed Hearts “Junior Lovino Vargas, a broken angel, has a dark secret he’s determined to keep to himself, now matter how much of an outcast it makes him. But will his new neighbor, Antonio, change that?” (completed)

The Reunion “Light or Dark?” Lovino asked. Feliciano studied him before answering. “Light. Light always wins” When Feliciano Vargas catches the eye of a mysterious man only by the name of “The Lord,” he finds himself and his brother on an adventure ending in Germany’s infamous Black Forest. However, the Lord’s affections are not what they appear to be and Lovino finds himself worried there is a worse threat other than some creep trying to get into his brother’s pants. (on-going)

Slowly But Surely In Love “Lovino Vargas turns fifteen, the age at which the words of peoples’ soul-mates say to them when they first meet is branded onto their wrists. Feliciano has a brand as soon as the hand strikes midnight, but why doesn’t Lovino?” (completed)

Life with Lyrics Lovino Style “Lovino struggles with what he believes is a one-sided crush and his completely oblivious, also entirely too cheerful, brother. Mentions of suicide, but not a death fic!” (completed)

Walking the Line “Maybe stumbling into Walmart in search of supplies during the end of the world wasn’t as good of an idea as Lovino initially thought. Nothing screamed desperate like raiding the aisles of a fucking Walmart for food while a hoard of the undead snarled at him from outside, but that didn’t seem to matter to the armed trio he stumbled into, or more specifically, the odd Spaniard munching on Skittles. His ideas were getting to be pretty lackluster these days.” (ongoing)

Hymn to the Sea “Please, call me Antonio,” he says. “Oh, and Lovino?” “What?” Lovino snaps, a little sharper than he wants when his brain has finally caught up to his embarrassment and he realizes he’s acting like a love-sick child. He finds he still can’t keep up when Antonio’s smile changes into something different: not the friendliness it was earlier nor the comforting warmth it was moments ago. No, this one is affectionate. “I prefer your smile over Feliciano’s any day,” he says, quiet and honest. (completed)

I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You “Throughout the 500 years they spent together, Antonio never stopped reminding Lovino of how special he was, and Lovino never stopped making Antonio the happiest man on earth.” (completed)

Lentamente “Antonio and Lovino are struggling with catastrophic life changes. A traumatic event leaves Antonio scared of his own shadow; a romantic betrayal destroys Lovino’s ability to trust people. And when coping seems impossible, can dance save them?” (completed)

We’d Be Together “Something felt off about Antonio’s new home. The stairs creaked, the windows groaned, and in the mirror he saw a face he didn’t know. The face was young but the gestures old; Toni began a romance untold. He felt an issue new to most… if only he could touch Lovino the ghost.” (completed)

Blessed WIth A Curse “Monsters are real… and they didn’t just hide in your closet or under your bed. Too bad they came in the form of Antonio Fernandez Carriedo- a Spaniard too sexy for his own good. / AU Vampire!AntonioxLovino” (on-going)

Speak  “Lovino is shy. So is Antonio. Oh dear…” (completed)

You Belong With Me “Lovino wished for a lot of things. He wished he had a family or food or fitting clothes or friends but mainly just wished to belong. He doesn’t quite get what he wished for when he meets filthy rich Antonio, who just came from Spain and has settled in the same town as the little thief. Still…it’s a start.” (completed)

The Witch of Sicily “There were still whispers, rumors that the witch of Sicily remained in that forest, cursing all who would come near. It was a place many feared to tread, treated almost as sacred ground. Only fools would dare incite the wrath of the witch by entering that place. Only fools…and pirates.” (on-going)

We the Dreamers “New York City, 1940: Antonio is a recently arrived refugee from Spain, a scarred soldier with firm political convictions. For Lovino, everything is pointless and nothing ever lasts. The two of them live, love and dream desperately, as World War Two threatens to take it all away.” (completed)

Guide Me “After witnessing a startling event, Lovino Vargas finds himself stricken with blindness from a psychological misfortune called ‘conversion disorder’. Without anyone to guide him, he is placed with Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, a novice seeing-eye counselor, who will try to help him regain his sight and if not, teach him how to live in the new dark, lonely world ahead of him.” (completed)

Pirate’s Lullaby “It was the last thing in the world that Lovino Vargas wanted. To fall in love with Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. But when the pirate takes him aboard his ship, Lovino learns that maybe it’s not so bad to be a pirate.” (on-going)

Infamous “Lovino was a childhood actor, but once the show he was a part of got canceled he thought he was free and could leave all the acting and fame up to his brother Feliciano. However, when a 'follow up’ episode is decided upon ten years later, he ends up going back. There he sees a familiar, face; Antonio Carriedo, a singer with his eye on Lovi making normal impossible” (completed)

Guilty Bliss “Lovino has had a drug problem for years that he’s never been able to stop. With his debts getting out of hand, Lovino finds himself in situations that made him wish he had quit.” (completed)

Bottoms Up! “Follow Lovino on his weird and, well, at least quite interesting trip around Europe in order to find out some of the greatest secrets ever about himself, Europe, tomato-shaped alarm clocks and the past of his lovely, but complicated Spanish partner.” (completed)

A Trip To Spain Could Only End In “Lovino is a foreign exchange student in Spain. Things were going just brilliantly before he happened upon a Spanish restaurant in the heart of Madrid where he laid eyes on a certain Spanish Sex God…” (completed)

The Pirates Treasure “Pirate Captain Antonio wants one thing, and one thing only; a mermaid. Boy or girl doesn’t matter, as long as they are royalty and can make him jewels.He’s got his wish, but dealing with this prince is going to be much harder than he thought.” (completed)

Strike a Pose, Fake a Smile “Antonio loves the stage; Romano hates it. So when he’s “convinced” into coming to drama club, he’s not gonna like it. In fact, he’s going to say things that he’ll regret. And because he’s such a good actor, this time Antonio believes him. Uh-oh.” (completed)

A Helping Hand “Antonio owns a cafe low on business. One day a strange boy comes in, running from a group of men and covered in wounds. Antonio offers for him to stay and repay him with work. As payment, the boy Lovino begins to make new dishes to bring more people into the cafe. Who is this boy and why won’t he tell Antonio anything but his name and age?” (completed)

A Beautiful Story “Lovino Romano Vargas is a suicidal designer who is unhappy with his fate. One day, he chances to meet Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, who turns his life upside down.” (completed)

Careless “This year, Antonio had priorities: grades, girlfriend and the Football competition, securing college with his two best friends! But that was before the Vargas moved in with all their drama including kidnapping, threats, and football talents. If anyone asks Lovino, not getting killed would be a clear ecstatic success. He is just what Antonio needed, or not.” (on-going)

This is it for now but I might update this if I get any suggestions, if I remember any fanfic that I missed or if I find any new good ones. If you’re an author and want me to add your fanfic or if you just want to suggest me one don’t be afraid to PM me! (because this is a masterlist after all)

[omnipokemonproducts]

The Ultra Beast Question

---

“She’s late.” Leigh was already at her patience’s end with Simmons. Vonnegut could not help but agree with her but just sighed. They were going to be meeting with Simmons, who had just happened to capture a UB, in particular, the one entitled Xurkitree. Plus considering her ‘specialty’ of interstellar pokemon, she was the best consultant.

The doors to the briefing room opened to an underwhelming sight. A middle aged woman with dark complexion, with a contained hairdo that still was messy all over. The most striking item was a pair of glasses that could not hide the dark spots under her eyes. Around her waist were four pokeballs all strapped to her not-fanny pack, one of which would be the talking point today. The woman who looked not out of place at all was Simmons Bērōnī.

“What kept you?” Leigh folded her arms and shot her a glare. “We have been waiting for fifteen minutes.”

The woman waved her hands as if to pacify her colleague’s concerns. “Take it easy. Jubjub just found a song they liked and wanted to dance to it.”

“Jubjub?” Vonnegut finally voiced his own concern and confusion.

The young woman reached into her not-fanny pack and clicked the ball open. To both his colleague’s shock the UB itself was as bizarre in person as the data they had been given showed...all quashed by one article of clothing on its neck(?). Closest to what could only be described as the bulb of the mon was a small bow tie. It was a clip on, but it seemed it was attached well enough to where it would not fall off.

“This is Jubjub. They can generate a lot of electricity and has been charging my phone the last few days.” To demonstrate Simmons took a phone charger from her pocket and stuck the plug end into the alien. The latter did not even react.Her phone emitted a small sound, to signify it was charging. Suddenly music began to play from the phone, followed by the electric alien to dance while making some small unknown noises. “I have noticed that is generates massive amounts of electricity when happy that are more stable and consistent than if it is agitated or in pain.”

“Great. Fantastic.” Vonnegut curtly replied. “We need to cut to the chase. Simmons, we need your expertise to develop a means of stopping any inter dimensional invasion.”

“Ah right. Well to be frank I don’t think these Ultra Beasts are merely an inter-dimensional threat. I think this could be the most recent encounter with pokemon from a potential far away planet and they have discovered transportation before we could.”

All four of the Think Tank member’s groaned. Simmons’ tried and true theory: anything new, even the god-like pokemon, always came down to aliens. “Do you have any basis to this?” David was often the one who had to do most of the leg work to prove she was wrong. During the few times she was right he had to confirm it, which only fueled her alien hunter tendencies more.

“Yes actually. In fact I have cross referenced a few reports from the Aether Incident, some other reported sightings, as well as my own testimony.” Reaching into her fanny pack, she pulled out a small tablet and pressed the screen to allow an image to appear projected via hologram. In there, stood a long, lanky humanoid pokemon. Its appearance looked feminine.

“This mon for instance is known as Pheromosa. These pokemon tend to operate in swarms, and are the strongest combat wise out of all the ultra beasts reported. Most tend to operate in a hive mind of a leader.” Pressing another button on her tablet it switched over to an image of the same Ultra Beast but most of its body was black. “Except these black ones are always independent agents, as they are able to operate independently of the swarm. They have also been seen giving some kind of orders to their white counterparts.”

David was at least impressed. Of course he would need his own combat data and his own tests, but this could yield fruit. “And these are the only two you have so far right?”

“I don’t have the pheromosa. Darren Ida was the one who caught most of those. Granted he had suffered some injuries related to said capture. One took a bite out of his arm, but his arm is still intact. Just in a cast now.” All four think tank members would need to interview Darren Ida, despite how difficult it could be to work with him due to his cold and hostile demeanor.

“So what is our new course?” Mercy chimed in, finally speaking up after being silent as to not have to talk to Simmons. “Do we reinstate project Quantum Leap?”

Vonnegut grumbled. It had been a long time since he mothballed that department since the last discovery of a variant of gothitelle that had crash landed in Sinnoh. The goal of operation Quantum Leap was research into pokemon with potential alien or dimensional origins. He had Simmons, but he had a lot on his plate now and out of everyone here, she was the most adept at leading it. For now.

“Yes. Simmons we will leave that department to you. You will be given a budget and a number of resources to do as you see fit on the Ultra Beasts and everything that can be verified adjacent. Do not spend any money on any frivolous side projects.” The malamar knew that giving her complete control of this department would be a bad idea, so he would need to have someone oversee her.

“I have a demand.” Mercy sounded stern and forceful, which was surprising to the other think tank members. “You are to not talk to any undead staff members on anything other than anything related to your project.”

“Oh shit.” Leigh muttered under her breath. She knew exactly why Mercy had said that.

“If it about my own research into echtoplasmic pokemon, I’m sorry if I offended you or anyone in the support group you run. I just don’t think it is healthy for any of them to cling onto false memories. Forcing memories of people who have died is amoral and not healthy. It will just lead to dissociative identity disorder for them. They need professional medical help.” Simmons did not sound mad, but she sounded just as stern.

As she said that Mercy’s eyes got wide and her fangs starting to become more pronounced, with a low snarl.

“Alright that’s enough.” Leigh felt inclined to cut this off before it got uncomfortable. “Simmons get yourself in order so David and I can establish the basis for you to work with.”

“Works for me. I’ll get started right away.” As quickly as she came in, the scientist put Jubjub back in their ball and left the room to somewhere not even she knew.

[soyforramen]

BHDC Day 2

Day 1 Here

Graduation

It didn’t really matter, he reminded himself.  It was just college graduation.  And it wasn’t as if he’d be able to use the degree, being a vampire and, oh, right, majoring in Victorian Lit.  Not much of a market for vampires who fit the Byronic tropes, after all.

Jughead waited in the arena lobby, hoping to see a hint of flaming red hair or over worn flannel.  Happy families swarmed around him, their emotions palpable and overwhelming.  Any other time he’d have been bowled over by the sheer force of emotions surrounding him, the smell of life thick on his tongue.  Instead he was focused more on his own dreary thoughts.  

He’d finally graduated after six long years of late nights, early mornings, and a lot of odd jobs to pull together the money for the ridiculously priced classes.  And he was alone again without anyone there to cheer him on.  It was something he’d grown accustomed to - first his parents, then his sister, then Toni.  But it still stung when the two people who’d always been there for him, no matter the circumstances, were missing.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he could have done this himself.  Not without -

His junky old phone chimed and he answered, turning into an alcove to block some of the noise.

“Jug.”

Fred’s familiar voice was soothing, enough to quell Jughead’s morose thoughts.  That was dashed quickly when Fred continued, his voice tight with worry.

“You haven’t seen Archie, have you?”

Worry grew, its small, biting teeth cutting through Jughead’s stomach.

“No, I thought he was with you guys.  He hasn’t responded to any of my texts.”

“Mine either.”  

Jughead could imagine Fred pacing the floor and rubbing at his forehead.  A single father, he’d never been comfortable without hearing from Archie.  And when Jughead unofficially joined the fold, Fred had worried just as much, if not more, about him.

“He’s done this before,” Fred continued.  “But never for this long.”

“He texted me a few nights ago.  He’d mentioned a club, but -“

“Did he mention the name?”

Jughead shook his head, guilt over not getting more information.  “No, just that he’d met someone.”

“Thanks, Jug.  And I’m sorry we missed it.”

“I would have missed it too if I’d known -“

“No, I didn’t want you missing your big day.  I’m sure I’m just being a worry wart and Archie’s off somewhere chasing some girl …” Fred trailed off.

The silence between them stretched on as families posed for pictures and made plans for lunch.  In any other reality that could have been him.  His parents, smiling and proud, JB teasing him.  But in this one he only had himself, and the Andrews to rely on.

“What can I do?”

“Not much right now.  Archie will call,” Fred said with a certainty that felt forced.  “Rain check on the celebration?”

Jughead agreed, and they hung up, each promising to let the other know when - if - they heard from him.  He wandered around after that, lost in his thoughts.  Archie was a rover, sure.  But he’d never leave like that, not without letting Fred or Jughead know where he was going.  Werewolves were pack animals and they were always in constant communication with the other.  If one went silent, something had to be wrong.

It occurred to him, as he wandered through the arena, that there was one person who could track Archie down.  Someone who owed him, majorly.  The same person he’d sworn never to talk to for the rest of his life.

With nothing else to go one, and trusting that Fred had tracked down every lead, it was a sacrifice Jughead had to make.

His phone rang through to voicemail and he cringed at the sugary sweet message.  Everything about it made him want to hang up.  It wasn’t as if he couldn’t do this alone; if anyone could find Archie, it was Jughead.  They’d grown up together and knew each other better than their own self.

It was a self-soothing lie and he knew it.

The message cut off and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Veronica.  It’s Jughead.  I’m calling in that favor.  Meet me at the diner off East Riverdale, at sun down.”

Now all he had left to do was wait.

Two Truths and a Lie

“Well?”  

The fae grinned, smug in its little game.  

Betty scowled at it and shifted against her bonds.  There was little worse than fae - self-assured tricksters, liars, and thieves - and yet she’d had to deal with far too many of them to get to this point.  If this is what it took to find Polly, she’d damn well better get more at Christmas than a hand-made scarf and a store bought card.

“Just tell me where my sister is, you weirdo.”

Reggie chuckled and leaned forward in his seat.  He curled a lock of her ponytail around his finger, and Betty almost fell over trying to jerk away from him.

“Oh come on, Betts.  I thought you enjoyed our tete-a-tetes.”  

“I don’t have time for this Reggie.  Polly is missing.”

He raised an eyebrow.  “Did you check with her new beau?”

Betty narrowed her eyes.  “Polly hasn’t dated anyone since -“

He hummed.  “I thought you two told each other everything.”  

Reggie examined his fingernails as the realization hit her.  The late nights, sneaking out, hiding her phone, clandestine calls.  It all made sense now why Polly had gone distant the month before her disappearance.

“That bitch,” she muttered, pained by her sister’s betrayal.  Betty had done all this, asked favors from all her contacts, joined up with a vampire for Gaia’s sake, and all because Polly decided to go on a mini-honeymoon with some man!

They told each other everything, and Polly didn’t even hint that she was seeing someone.  Secrets, lies, hopes, fears; nothing was unknown between them.  Polly even knew about her unintelligible crush on Mary Shelley!  

With one single, huge, looming, omission, Polly had broken ties with her, casting her on the same level as their mother.  They were sisters, in blood and magic.  The whole coven was in uproar over her disappearance and yet -

Reggie snapped to bring her attention back to him.  He preened when he saw her turn towards him.

“You can stew later, Betty.  I’m right in front of you, and I’d hate for you to lose this visual opportunity.”

She rolled her eyes but forced her indignation to the back of her mind.  Reggie might be a swell enough guy, for a faery, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t the most narcissistic man she’d ever met.

“Fine.  What else do you know about my sister.”  She cut him off before he could be coy about fae rules.  “And what do you want in return?”

He held up two fingers.  “Two truths,” he paused to hold up one more finger on his other hand, “and a lie.  I get to determine which is the lie.  If I’m right, you stay here and entertain me for a while.  If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Betty huffed, ready for this to be over with.  She’d spent far too long here trying to assuage Reggie’s vanity and Jughead had probably gotten bored and wandered off by now.  

“Fine.”

“What’s your relationship with the odd-ball outside?”

“Business.”

Reggie raised an eyebrow and Betty fought back a groan.  Of course that wouldn’t be enough.  Fae were the biggest gossips in the underground that the appearance of anyone outside of their regular patterns drew the curiosity of all.

“His best friend went missing at the same time and same place my sister did, The Woods two weeks ago, and we’re trying to find them.”

Reggie seemed to accept that answer, mulling it over in his mind.  “Truth.  Question number two.  How far have you two gone?”

Flashes of crimson light, teeth grazing her neck, early morning sunlight in an unfamiliar bed…

“We can’t stand each other to be in the same room.  He’s almost bit me twice -“

“Kinky.”

“- and I tried to catch him on fire.”

Well, she didn’t try to catch him on fire.  Not entirely.  She’d warned Jughead three times not to cross the lines.  

Reggie mulled her answer over like a fine wine.  Betty hadn’t quite followed the rules of the game; her answer wasn’t quite a lie, but it also wasn’t entirely the truth.  

“I’ll decide that one in a minute.  Question three: When was the last time you thought of me naked?”

Betty’s cheeks flushed and she cursed herself for not seeing this coming.  Her ex always had been fond of riling her up, but she didn’t think Reggie would take the opportunity to do so now.  

“Before we came to see you,”  she blurted out, knowing it was a lie.  

She hadn’t thought about Reggie in any way other than an information source, not since her excursion into the Vixen’s Den.  Whatever spell they’d put on her there, she hadn’t thought about Reggie until this morning.  Even then he was just a means to an end.  Any lurid thoughts she might have had ran towards the darker, colder side of the world.

Still, Reggie seemed pleased with her answer.  Ego stroked, he couldn’t help but smirk.  “That’s the truth,” he said confidently.

The bindings around her fell away, and his face turned into the true mask of the fae.  Elongated and wrinkled, it looked more like an old wooden mask than a creature claiming humanity.  At the fear in her eyes he took a deep breath, his face returning to its normal handsome countenance.

“All right.  A deal’s a deal.  I’ll tell you what I know about your sister,” Reggie promised.  

Betty breathed a sigh of relief.  As annoying, frustrating, and untruthful as the fae were, at least he was bearable.

Chatroom/Discord Server

“They responded.”

Betty surged forward, the coffee in her hand barely surviving the movement.  She crowded next to him on the couch their knees knocking together.  Jughead instinctively moved away and rebalanced the distance between them.  There were rules about these things. Rules that polite society dictated, and vampires were sticklers for polite society.  Something to do with longevity, he supposed.  

This witch seemed to throw all those rules out the window.  Perhaps the covens had different rules, but regardless.  There were rules.

She ignored, or perhaps didn’t even recognize, his distaste, her eyes fixed on the screen.  

“Tell them I’m Polly’s sister,” she ordered in response to the on screen question.

Jughead rolled his eyes but did as told.  Bossy as she was, her ideas had worked so far.  Well, all except the one with the ice cream and motor oil.  He’d never get that stain out of his hat.  

A thinking bubble came up on screen, then disappeared, as the person on the other end wrote and deleted their message.  For a long time the screen was blank and he let out a heavy sigh.  Betty stared at the screen and worried at her bottom lip.  

She smelled like coffee now, the lavender and rosemary long gone.  Cheap, burnt coffee from an overpriced cafe.  Nothing like what he’d drunk when he was alive.  It had been one of his vices, the one thing he was willing to pay far too much of his precious earnings for.   He wondered what it would taste like now, whether it would be as bitter as it smelled, or whether the taste of her lips -

The computer dinged and he shook himself out of it.  These strange feelings bothered him; the sooner they figured this out the quicker he could go back to his mostly solitary life and away from this witch trying to draw him under her spell.

She glanced at him, waiting for his reaction.  “Well?”

He shrugged and leaned back against the couch trying to discreetly read the screen.  

“Anyplace we suggest they’ll likely turn down unless it’s clandestine.  If this is who really is behind the disappearances they’re not going to want to take the chance of getting caught.”

Betty’s face fell and she pulled at the sleeves of her sweater.  It stung to see her like that, and he reminded himself he was here for Archie, not some strange puppy crush.  

Wait.

“The South Side park, just off of West 9.”

She glanced up at him, a moue on her face that made him want -

“Isn’t that were territory?”

He nodded.  

“And you’re …?”

He nodded again.  “It’s … complicated.”  She gave him a look, one he was quickly learning she was filing information away for later, but thankfully didn’t ask anything else.

“Noon, tomorrow at the abandoned parking structure,” she said.

Jughead’s fingers flew over the keyboard and, with a final glance at Betty, the message was sent.  This time, the answer came right away.

They both breathed a sigh of relief at the response.  For the first time in a month, the tension eased from Jughead’s body and he allowed himself a moment of relaxation.  

“So, you and werewolves?”

He rolled his eyes and stood.  “Noon, tomorrow,” he reminded her before walking out of the cafe.

[auroraawrites]

what would have been (cedric diggory x reader)

gif not mine! all credit goes to @ronweaslley​

requested by anon: can you please do a cedric diggory oneshot? like angst. basically like show your relationship progression if that makes sense? like when he shows you off to everyone, etc. until he dies, and you cope by like wearing his jumper GAH I WANT TO CRY THANJ U

warnings: major angst ahead! involves discussions about death, loss, and grieving.

author’s note: i’d recently been rereading the hp series and full out cried reading cedric’s parts like all the ways through the last task of the tournament. anyways, the italics means its a flashback memory ♥ enjoy

(everything on my blog is my own writing. please do not plagiarize my work nor repost it anywhere else without my permission. all rights reserved)

---

perched at the edge of your seat, you stared out nervously into the abyss of darkened green that was the third task of the tri-wizarding tournament. it had been exactly an hour since the last of the champions had scurried into the maze, and the nervous anticipation of their audience hung thickly in the air. red sparks had gone off twice already, returning a devilish looking fleur and an unconscious victor to the jeering crowd. you should’ve felt relieved that hogwarts champions were the only two left now, but the pure desperation for cedric to be the one that brang it home was all you could pray for. 

rolling your eyes, you couldn’t help the smile that slipped over your features at the sight of the tall, brown haired boy that stood leaning against the hallway across from the charms classroom. spotting your familiar figure amongst the group of students leaving the classroom, he weaved his way through the crowd to stand in front of you, a goofy grin plastered across his face.

you weren’t quite used to being friends with the champion of hogwarts just yet. you had only met him this year after stumbling upon him one night at the library, feverishly pouring over some books that you had also required for an assignment. the pair of you usually only talked in the comforts of the library, but here he was, standing only a few feet in front of you. 

“cedric,” you acknowledged him with a nod and made to move past him, only for him to step in front of your path again. 

“y/n” he said, the smile still etched onto his lips. “i was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to the yule ball?” a pair of ravenclaw girls passed by them, muffled giggles echoing down the now nearly deserted hall. “as my date, i mean.” he hastened, a slight flush creeping up his neck. 

failing to stifle the smile that had now returned to your features, you cast a shy look up at him and nodded, “i’d love to.”

his grin was blinding as he escorted you down to your next lesson. 

eyes flicking over the entrance again, your heart suddenly leaped at the sight of the yellow jersey that had appeared at the mouth of the maze. standing with the rest of the crowd, your cry of triumph had just erupted from your lips when you noticed the peculiar state of cedric’s arrival. for he wasn’t alone at the entrance, the unmistakable red jersey of harry potter gleaming beside him. harry who looked like he was shouting, stood crouched over cedric’s body, the look of fear and agony unmistakable even across the pitch. and cedric. cedric who had not moved since his arrival, lay perfectly still beneath harry. 

a horrible image of cedric being attacked by an unknown monster flashed through your mind as you stood with shaky legs and followed the crowd of students down to meet the champions. your heart thundered in your ears, pushing through the forming crowd with a growing desperation. cedric couldn’t be that badly hurt could he? but it was the sight of mrs. diggory’s horror struck features that made you stop in your tracks. 

ignoring the growing dread within you, you followed her line of sight to cedric. cedric, who lay pale and unmoving against the grass. cedric who’s lifeless eyes stared blankly up at the darkened sky. cedric, who was unmistakably, dead.

nervously pulling at the bodice of your gown, you looked around the empty dorm room, trying to calm yourself before you dared step out into the ravenclaw common room, where you knew cedric diggory stood waiting for you. finally deciding that there was nothing left for you to do but leave, you stepped out cautiously on to the balcony that overlooked the main area of the common room, a blush overtaking you as you spotted cedric down below. 

a look of pure wonder and surprise greeted you as you made your way down the staircase to stand in front of him. dressed handsomely in a dark dress robe himself, your breath caught in your throat as you stared up at him, unsure of what to say or do. 

before you could so much as utter a small apology for being late, he lifted your hand in his own and pressing a small kiss upon you knuckles, his eyes never leaving your face, “you look... stunning,” he finished in a low voice. a strange pang rushed down your navel at the sound of his voice. 

“you clean up pretty well, diggory,” the words were just barely above a whisper. “shall we get going?”

taking your hand, he wrapped your arm around the crook of his elbow and walked you through the halls of the castle, the stream of conversation between the two of you never wavering. arriving at the entrance to the great hall, you noticed that you two were the last to arrive. mcgonagall shot them a stern look but continued on in her attempt to arrange the champions into a line. it suddenly occurred to you that you were about to announce your relationship with cedric to the whole school and a sliver of nervousness pooled in your stomach. as if reading your mind, he gave your arm a reassuring squeeze as you followed behind the rest of the couples into the great hall. 

at the cue of the starting note, he turned at took your hand softly in his, leaning down to whisper a remark about mcgonagall dress robes into your ear as you passed. the giggle that escaped your lips loosened the worries that had coiled in your stomach. following his lead, cedric led you through the dance floor and you both waltzed gracefully around the hall, eyes only for each other. 

time had slowed down around you. your fellow students moved past you in slow motion as they jostled past, trying to get a better look. in the distance, you could hear harry shouting, his words coming into sudden focus as the world regained its normal pace again, “he’s back! voldemort! he’s back! he killed cedric!” 

knees buckling beneath you, you sank to the ground, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. this wasn’t happening right now. no, it was a dream. this was all a terrible dream. but, as the pitch slowly cleared and you could see the sobbing figures of mr. and mrs. diggory again, you knew that no dark depth of your mind could have ever come up with something like this. 

---

days passed in plastic smiles and reassurances to the people that kept asking if you were alright. you wished they would stop asking. how were you supposed to respond? 

time seemed meaningless to you as day passed into night and back again. you barely left your bed, lying there staring up at the ceiling, a hollow emptiness in your chest. you hadn’t cried. hadn’t thrown a fit of rage. hardly even spoken a word since that night. you knew that your friends were getting worried but you didn’t care. nothing felt real anymore. 

twas the night before the second task and you stood in dumbledore’s office, your hand gripped tightly in hermione granger’s. dumbledore had just explained the premises of the task and after assuring the consent of all the ‘hostages’ as he called them, you watched somewhat ruefully as a potion was making its way down the very short line, soon being pressed into your own hand. 

mustering up all your courage, you popped open the bottle cap and gulped down the sweet tasting liquid in one go. the effects were immediate. as the world slowly faded around you, you quickly wished cedric the best of luck in your head and promptly fell into a deep sleep. 

---

your head broke the surface of the icy water with a large gasp. wiping the water out of your eyes, you caught sight of cedric’s equally drenched and laughing face beside you and you couldn’t help but copy his actions, your own laugh breathy as you both made your way towards the shore. 

cedric had been the first to make it back to shore and the cheers from the hogwarts crowd for it were deafening. helping you out of the water, the pair were promptly bundled up in warm blankets by a muttering mrs. pomfrey. sharing a smile, you sat huddled next to him on the log, listening earnestly as he explained how he had rescued you from the murky depths of the lake. he looked so proud and triumphant. leaning forward before you lost your new found courage, you pressed a quick kiss on his cheek and sat back with a blush. 

having not expected it, cedric sat in shock for a moment before turning to you and returning your earlier peck with a deep, passionate kiss of his own. you could hear the crowd around you crowing at the sight. laughing a little as you pulled back, you returned your head to the crook of his shoulder and stared out into the lake, waiting for the rest of the champions to arrive. 

“y/n,” a soft voice interrupted the quiet that filled the dormitory. turning, you managed a slight curve of your lips as greeting for padma patil, “it’s cedric’s memorial feast tonight.” she whispered, as if afraid that if she spoke any louder, she might break you. 

memorial feast. it was cedric’s memorial feast tonight. nodding, you slowly rose from your lying position. “i’ll be down in a minute.” your voice was hoarse after not being in use for so long. padma left the room and you were once again alone. slowly moving out of bed, you moved towards the trunk of clothes that sat at the foot of your bed. 

pulling it open, your heart gave a painful jerk as you caught sight of the yellow sweater that lay, folded neatly atop it. fingers shaking, you pulled the wool sweater out of the trunk. it was as if the sight of it had brought out the rush of emotion you had been trying to bury these past few days. tears streamed down your cheek as you traced around the hufflepuff badge with shaky fingers and great, racketing sobs echoed through the empty room for the next half hour as you sat, the sweater clutched to your chest. you hadn’t even managed a proper goodbye to him. and now he was gone. 

[medea10]

My Review of Tamako Market

How did I get into this anime? Let’s just say that there were several Kyoto Animation animes I’ve neglected to watch and after the horrific incident back in 2019, I wanted to at least see all of the major Kyoto Animation pieces. No matter if this looks like we’re in the same universe as K-ON!

Tamako Kitashirakawa is a normal, ditzy, moe-looking for a KyoAni anime, teenage girl! She comes from a family that owns a mochi shop inside this tight-knit shopping district. One day, Tamako was at the local flower shop and a bird flew into her face. While stuck to her face, she sneezes him off. And then, the bird spoke.

…

I think I’ll just cross off the theory that we’re in the same universe as K-ON! Give K-ON some credit as they didn’t have a talking bird.

So this bird is named Dera Mochimazzi. I will never pronounce anyone’s last name in this anime! Dera claims he’s royalty from some far-off land and says he is looking for a bride for his country’s prince. Although, it just falls to the waist-side (literally and figuratively) when Dera took up residence at Tamako’s home and gets addicted to eating mochi. I guess for the time being, Dera will be this anime’s adorable mascot. Aside from the misadventures of Dera the talking bird, we also follow this leading lady Tamako in her normal life. We get school stories, friend stories, stuff about her sister, stories surrounding the colorful folks in this shopping district, and mochi. Lots and lots of mochi!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Ah yes, another Sentai licensed anime. I actually watched the entire series dubbed and only the movie subbed. Aya Suzuki is perfection as Tamako with all of her bubbliness. As for the dub, is it just me or was Jay Hickman trying to act too much like Excalibur from Soul Eater? Was he trying to unleash his inner Troy Baker for this role? Aside from Hickman, there’s really nothing else extraordinary to say about the dub. I will give them credit for not casting Luci Christian and Monica Rial as any of these characters. Love them dearly, but give a little spotlight to some of the other voice actors they’ve got. This was fine for what it was. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Tamako is played by Aya Suzaki (known for Mako on Kill la Kill, Kaede on Assassination Classroom, Takitsubo on Railgun, and Shouko on Happy Sugar Life)

*Dera is played by Takumi Yamazaki (known for Bansai on Gintama, Kayneth on Fate/Zero, and Jillas on Slayers Try)

*Mochizou is played by Atsuhi Tamaru

ENGLISH CAST: *Tamako is played by Margaret McDonald (known for Rikka on Chunibyo, Haruka on Little Busters, Sakura on Maid-sama, Risa on To Love Ru, Sachi on Maria Holic, and Harumi on Citrus)

*Dera is played by Jay Hickman (known for Jouichiro on Food Wars, Kurama on Elfen Lied, and Ryuuya on Air)

*Mochizou is played by Clint Bickham (known for Renji on ef – a tale of memories, Akihito on Beyond the Boundary, Haru on Tsuritama, Isami on Food Wars, Finland on Hetalia, and Mochizuki on Another)

SHIPPING: We’ve got a girl-next-door type of romance happening. Mochizou lives next door to Tamako and is infatuated with her. There are however a few little problems with this. The big problem is that Tamako and Mochizou’s fathers are business enemies. They both sell mochi, they live across from each other, and they have kids that are friends. It’s almost Romeo and Juliet except Tamako seems oblivious when it comes to Mochizou’s advances. Or Romeo here has a brain-fart and forgets vital things he wants to do for Tamako. Like episode one, he forgets to give her a present for her birthday. I will let him off the hook for this because dude already buys her a present and has plans and everything. But because Tamako’s birthday is on New Years and both kids work on New Years to help their families, things like this can be forgotten. So again, I can’t hate on our by Mochizou. His heart was in the right place, but his brain couldn’t catch up.

Halfway into this series, I shook my head thinking these two will never hookup. Tamako’s baby sister had more of a chance with her crush and he moved away.

Then again, this was all from the series. The movie got really deep with the Mochizou x Tamako ship that so much in Tamako changes. The movie kinda drops a ball on us so I’ll talk about it down below due to spoilery things.

ENDING: So it seems like this series moves quite fast calendar wise and the episodes seem to be like a problem of the day kind of thing. Like there will be an episode about Valentine’s Day, an episode where Dera goes on a diet, an episode with a festival, and so on. But along the way we do get a few cute moments like when Shiroi opens up to Tamako and her friends or when Tamako’s father remembers his wife through song. And let’s not forget that halfway into the series, we’re introduced to Choi, someone who serves a prince (like Dera). She really doesn’t do much to move this plot along for a while and is only there to stay with Tamako’s family and keep Dera on a short leash. But then at the end of episode 10, Choi makes a rash decision.

By this point in the series you might be wondering if Mochizou’s mochi balls are going to drop and he asks Tamako out. Well that might not happen just yet as Choi has set sights on Tamako to be the bride for the prince she serves under. But Tamako has no interest in becoming the prince’s bride. In fact, Tamako was more excited about winning a medal than learning she might get engaged to a prince of a far-off land. Add to that, the entire shopping district is excited for Tamako to become a prince’s bride. Everyone except for Tamako’s father! He got mad, stinkin’ drunk. And as for Mochizou, he’s just a sad sack. So no mochi balls dropping for this lad! Tamako did get a chance to meet the prince through Dera’s communication for a second. But once the prince landed in Tokyo, he ends up in the shopping district and meeting Tamako up close. Everyone in the shopping district was happy for Tamako and excited that this is happening. There are just two big things!

One, Tamako is too attached to her home and the people around it to ever leave them to go marry a prince from a far-off land. And two, there was a misunderstanding on Dera’s part where the prince has said that Tamako is not going to be his bride.

Choi and the prince end up leaving to return home. Dera on the other hand decides to stick around at least until New Years. Dera, being the little hammy-bird he is tries to make a graceful exit without saying goodbye to Tamako. He leaves Tamako without a word, but in same Dera fashion, he falls asleep in a pile of flowers and ends up inside a box. Turns out that box of flowers is going straight back to Tamako. Mochizou actually remembered Tamako’s birthday this year and gave her a box of flowers for the occasion.

When she opened it, there’s Dera! Don’t worry, Dera eventually goes back home with the prince and Choi. We just don’t actually see it here.

TAMAKO LOVE STORY: Now that Tamako, Mochizou, and the rest are all in their third years of high school, the thought of what they’re going to do with their lives hits. Like is Midori going to take over her grandfather’s toy shop in the district? Is Kanna going to do something carpentry related? Is Tamako going to continue working in her father’s mochi shop? Well, the story focuses on two things. One is a competition that Kanna gets interested in that involves the girls of the baton club. And the second, Mochizou’s decision to go to college in Tokyo to work on films.

Obviously, that’s the big story in this movie. Mochizou is madly in love with Tamako and they’ve known each other since they were babies. It’s just that he’s never made his feelings to Tamako known to her until he reveals his decision to leave town. After that, the once mochi-loving ditz we’ve grown to love these past 12 episodes changes. This is the first time we see Tamako feeling this way and it’s unknown what she’ll do. Is this the moment where she bails on her family’s mochi shop and go to Tokyo with Mochizou? After being told she’s loved by Mochizou, she goes through a lot of emotions. She’s distant, spacier than normal, avoiding mochi, and avoiding Mochizou. It wasn’t until she gets a nudge from her friend Midori to go to Mochizou before he leaves for Japan.

And right there, along with her handmade cup phones, she tells Mochizou that she loves him.

We end the movie with kind of a video that I assume was made by Mochizou and that’s how Tamako Market ends. I guess these two are a couple. Not sure if Mochizou stays in the district with Tamako and his family or if Tamako ditches her family and moves to Tokyo to be with Mochizou. I guess it’s one of those leave it up to your imaginations.

So…The anime was just okay. The series I mean! Love Story was almost at peak KyoAni perfection. Seriously, look at the animation here. The backgrounds are freakin’ gorgeous. And after watching the series and the movie, it almost felt as though they were two separate animes. Dera, Choi, and the prince were only shown in pictures at the record shop, one second near the end, and that short before the motion picture. Take all of those out and you’ve got something solid. I mean let’s face it, Tamako Market was fluff on the same level as watching K-ON or Lucky Star. You’ve got a variety of random crap happening throughout the span of one year except this series has the great fortune to have an annoying, talking bird. I don’t want to dunk on the series that bad, it was cute. But the winner with me was definitely Tamako Love Story.

We see Tamako and Mochizou express a vast variety of emotions that we never saw in the series. Especially, Tamako! She was always this ditzy girl with a love for mochi. And Mochizou was seen as that dope that’ll never get his shit together and tell Tamako how he feels. He always forgets her birthday, what makes you think he was going to get his shit together? But then Mochizou grows a pair and tells Tamako he’s leaving town and that he loves her and you see Tamako change. She’s not sure what to think anymore. She even goes through a phase where she can’t be around mochi. But I suppose we needed the silly fluff with the television series. After all, it’s not just Tamako, but all of the people who live in that shopping district. And I suppose Dera was a fun mascot character. If you want that cuteness, watch Tamako Market. But if you want a more romantic-driven story, definitely check out the sequel movie Tamako Love Story.

If you would like to watch Tamako Market, Hidive has all 12 episodes and the movie available for streaming.

Now then, what’s next on my Sentai Filmworks list?

Redo of He…

Choose your next words wisely.

Well Medea, do you love anime that’s directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara?

Oh dear God. What fresh hell did I miss from that iconic enigma? And is it crazier than kappas eating people’s asses?

Okay Penguindrum…please do not contain penguins eating people’s asses.