#amelia and the one other person who liked her post about it

[laddersmp3]

hear me out guys

[alewritesfics]

Love me again, please

Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton x Fem!reader

Word count: 5.6k

Summary: After a few years, you cross paths with the last person you ever wanted to

Warning: I do not know where I was going with this story at the end so I apologize if it is a little over the place but you all get the gist.

A/n: I'm also posting after months of posting nothing. Very sorry about that but well, I lost the motivation to write, with that being said, Serendipity is on hold for the moment. I have the story planned out but I have no idea what else to write so the main scenes may connect in the end. So I'll be taking my time writing that. Also, I have no posting schedule because I know I won't follow through with it so I'll be posting when motivation hits and I have a fic finished. Lots of love to everyone who takes the time to read this xx.

Forgiveness.

An action that is difficult for human beings to execute. We live in a world that in which resentment , anger and revenge win over anything else. We let ourselves be carried away by the teeth of hatred, that we never take into account that action.

Forgiveness brings us peace and it brings happiness because not only are you forgiving the other person, you are forgiving yourself. Forgiveness is the biggest act of love in this world, and we just have made it complicated.

Although as much as you preach for people to forgive, you yourself, haven’t got it in you to forgive that one person that wronged you so many years ago.

Oh, how you hated him.

The one person that made you fall in love with him, that made you question your morals and break your dignity, allowing yourself to be used as if you were a prostitute from one of the brothels downtown.

He promised you his love, whispered sweet noothings in your ear as he made love to you late in the evenings, when everyone was asleep, telling you to give him more time so he could sort out a few things before making you his wife.

Oh, how you hated him.

Like a fool, you believed everything he promised you, hope blooming inside you at his words, that was all you wished for, to become his wife. But for the meantime, you were happy being his mistress.

If the only way to be with him until he sorted everything out was by being his mistress, hiding in the shadows, where no one was watching, you would take it, you would give yourself to him.

Oh, how you hated him.

That is, until one day, he left you without any word.

He came to your room one evening, you were patiently waiting for him, readying yourself for what you thought would be another night of pleasure.

That is until he arrived and broke your heart.

Told you how he could not be with you anymore and that he would not be coming to your room anymore. When you kept on pleading with him not to leave you, that is when he changed to saying cruel, cruel things.

Like how did you ever believe he would actually marry you, and that he was only with you for the pleasure filled nights you provided, that you were just an easy prey, foolishly believing everything he said. Those words succeeding even further on breaking your heart.

Oh, how you hate – loathe him.

Oh, how you loathed him

Oh, how you really really loathed him

Oh………

how you wished you actually loathed or even hated him.

Because that is the truth, no matter how much he hurt you, no matter how the words he carelessly threw at you engraved themselves deeply inside you, how he completely broke you, even then, you still could not find it in yourself to hate him.

“Your grace?” you snapped out of your thoughts, turning your head to the side, looking at the footman questioningly “We are here, your grace”

You thanked him quietly before looking down at the toddler sleeping on your chest, brushing the hair that was covering her face away, caressing her chubby cheeks.

“Love,” you murmured stroking her head lovingly. Little Amelia moved, shaking her head before burying herself further into your chest “It is time to wake up, darling. Were you not excited to see grandmamma and grandpapa? What about your cousins, Charles and Elizabeth? You were delighted that you were going to be able to play with them”

She instantly sat up, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes “Oh! Charlie and Lizzie! Mama!” she squealed, suddenly very energetic “They said they would show me toys their mama and papa brought them” She clapped her hands and hastily exited the carriage once the footman opened the door.

“Careful” you called out after her, grabbing the blankets you previously set out for her to sleep more comfortably

“Amy!” you could hear your mother’s voice exclaim as you put your feet on the floor and looked around “Oh, look how big you’ve gotten sweet girl!”

“And so beautiful too, just as beautiful as her mother” your papa added happily, bringing you into a hug

“mama, papa, it is so nice to see you” You greeted happily returning the hug before pulling back “has Ed and Ellie arrived? Amy cannot wait to play with Charlie and Lizzie” you ask

“Oh! Yes, they are just inside, come on Amy, let us go see your aunt and uncle” your mama urged grabbing on to your daughter’s little hand, your father offered his hand to you which you rejected, shaking your head

“You three go on ahead, I just want to breathe in a little bit of fresh air, those few hours in the carriage made me a little nauseous” you breathed out, they nodded before walking away and leaving you alone. You sighed, turning to look you at the sky, letting the sun soak into your skin.

It is crazy how fast time passes. It seems like it was just yesterday when you got your heart broken. It seems like it was just yesterday when after getting your heart broken, you decided to move on away from him and instead marry a dear friend of yours.

Jacob Thornwell was his name, the duke of Rosehill, you had met him through your brother as they had gone to Eton together and you become close friends, close enough to marry each other. It wasn’t a marriage out of love but you both cared deeply and respected each other. What more could you have asked for?

You married him because you were heartbroken and wanted to move on and not give that person the satisfaction of seeing you broken, and Jacob married you to escape his family’s complaints.

After a week of mourning over your lost love, you went to him and proposed the idea, he accepted and soon after you married. You were happy, or at least the most happy you could be after getting your heart broken, but everything changed when a few months later, you had little Amelia.

Your world changed after that day, after you held your sweet babe in your arms, after she opened her eyes, those eyes she inherited from her father. And when her little lips formed into a small smile, you knew you would do anything for your daughter, she was now the most important person in the whole world and you would protect her against everything.

You let out a deep breath closing your eyes, after a few moments opening them once again, you turned your head to the side, your body filling with dread when you saw a familiar person looking back at you from across the street.

Your heart started to race when he opened his mouth to say something starting to cross the street , you turned on your heel and entered your parent’s home, not letting him even say anything. You close the front door loudly and lean your body against it, holding your hands close to your chest, willing your heart to slow down.

“Y/n?” You hear your mama’s voice speak up, you turn to look at her, mustering up a smile “Are you alright, dear?”

“Yes, yes I am” you breathed out “I just thought I saw a bug, you know how I get when I see one” you let out a fake laugh, giving a shudder as If you were disgusted to make it more believable

Your mama nodded her head, not quite believing you but deciding to let it go “Of course” She then gestured to the drawing room “Come on now, your brother is anxious to see you” you now smile genuinely before following behind her

After greeting your brother, you were seated on a couch, looking at your daughter and her cousins playing happily in the middle of the room, a smile laying on your face, although that smile faded once you remembered your brief interaction, if you could even call it that, with that man across the street.

How dare he? How dare he look at you as if he was shocked you were in front of him, as if you were the one who had broken his heart and cut all contact with him after, how dare he even try to approach you after everything he did..... after everything he said?

What you would have given to know how he had felt in that moment. That moment when your heart was cracking into a million pieces, that moment where you were crying out for him not to go because you needed him. You wondered how he felt. Did it even hurt him as much as it hurt you? Did he feel that painful tug in his chest or the lump in his throat like you did? Did he even love you as much as you loved him?

You curse the day you met Anthony Bridgerton.

That man was your ruin.

You take it back.

You curse the moment you let your mama convince you to go to the ball Lady Bridgerton was hosting.

Not only because you had to leave Amy at home but because there was also a 50 percent chance that you could encounter Anthony Bridgerton at any given moment, and that was the last thing you wanted to do tonight.

“Fancy seeing you tonight” someone spoke up beside you, you look up, coming face to face with the last person you wanted to see.

Oh, just your luck.

“Lord Bridgerton” You uttered looking back at the couples dancing in the middle of the room

“Miss Y/n – oh, my apologies, I forgot you are now the duchess of Rosehill” he muttered unapologetic “Your grace,” he said sarcastically holding back a scoff, you look up at him once again, sending him a glare

After a few moments of silence, he spoke up “Are you not even going to say anything?”

You sighed angrily, the last thing you wanted to do right now was speak to him “There is nothing to speak about, Viscount Bridgerton”

He scoffed rolling his eyes “Surely you cannot be serious” he grabbed your arm and pulled you into an empty corridor after making sure nobody saw you both “Let us start with something simple, how about the fact that you married Jacob Thornwell when you knew damn well I did not like him”

“Excuse me?!” You scoffed angrily“Who I married is none of your concern”

“None of my concern?” He laughed humorlessly “None… of….my….concern?”

“Yes," you reply “None of your concern, you did not have any say in who I married and whether you liked him or not. Well, guess what? I did not care, not.one.bit” You snapped “ You were the one that left me! Might I remind you of that night when you came into my room and told me all kind of horrible things?”

“I-“ he tried to cut in

“No, no, let me speak!” you glare at him “You told me I was just an easy lay, you told me you didn’t ever have any plans of marrying me and were only looking for an innocent, naïve, foolish little girl who you could fool into sleeping with you. You told me I was a fool for believing everything you ever told me”

“Y/n-“

“Let me speak!” you breathed out harshly, Anthony went silent “Do you have any idea how horrible I felt? How broken I felt? You were the first man I was ever with, the first man who paid even just a little bit of attention to me. The first man I ever loved…. I really loved you, Anthony… I loved you so much that it consumed me entirely. And you left me” you chuckle emotionlessly “But do not worry, I feel nothing for you anymore”

“You seduced me, ruined me, and then left me. I gave you what I should have only given my husband, I was really lucky that Jacob was understanding because if not, I never would have been able to marry, god knows no one would want damaged goods” you shake your head “But I am also grateful, because you showed me how cruel men could be. You showed me how foolish I was for thinking you actually cared about me and you made me realize that I never should have loved someone as heartless as you” you scoffed and turn around, walking away from him, back to the ball

“Y/n, wait!” Anthony called out “Let me explain- y/n- let-“ you ignored him, whatever he was saying now drowned out by the music playing.

“Mama! Look!”

You turn to look at your daughter, she was pointing to a butterfly that was standing on top of a flower. You smiled at Amy, “Yes, it is very beautiful, sweetheart”

Amy smiled and ran to another part of the park “Careful,” you called out to her “And stay where I can see you”

You take a look around the park, looking for any signs of your parents but they seemed to be nowhere. You sighed and sit on a bench nearby where Amy was running around. You groan when you felt your favorite necklace become loose once again, falling down your neck.

“I should really get this fixed” you mumbled trying fasten it around your neck once again, all while you kept your eyes on Amy, making sure nothing happened to her before you felt a presence next to you.

You turn your head, finding Lady Bridgerton next to you with a smile on her face “Your grace” she greets “ It is so nice to see you after all these years”

“Lady Bridgerton” you greet her with a smile “It is so nice to see you as well”

“How have you been? How is your family?”

You smile “ They are fine, thank you for ask-“

“Mama!” You turn your head and stand up quickly when you heard Amy cry out for you. Your daughter runs to you and hugged your legs tightly “What is wrong, darling?” you ask worriedly, before pulling her away, making her look at you

“Look” She shows you her arm which was scraped, tears filling her beautiful blue eyes “I hit a rock and now there is blood” She sniffled

“Oh, now now, do not cry” you coo caressing her cheek. You look up at Lady Bridgerton, who was staring at Amelia with wide eyes, her face turning pale. Dread fills your entire body.

“I- Is that- She looks- what- A-“ She stuttered

“Lady Bridgerton” you cut her off “If you may excuse me, I must find my parents, it was nice seeing you again” you give her one last smile and walked away, holding onto Amy’s hand

You groan as you ruffled throughout your bedchambers. You looked through your clothes, under your bed, on your dresser, anywhere you could think of but you still could not find it.

You exit your bedchambers and head down the stairs to the drawing room. “Mama” you called out entering the room “Have you seen my necklace? I cannot seem to find it anywhere”

Your mama looked up from her embroidery “Have you looked in your chambers?”

“I have” you looked at her worried “but it is not there” you grumble sitting down next to her “I need to find it mama, that is the last thing I have of Jacob, it is really special”

She raises an eyebrow “Well, I seem to think the last thing you have of Jacob is Amy, is she not?”

You stayed still “I – yes, of course, but I mean the last materialistic think left of him” I reply

She hums “Well, now that I remember, I recall Lady Bridgerton saying she has your necklace and you could go over today if you desire”

Your face lights up “Perfect! I will go then” you walk away before stopping and turning back to her “Will you look after Amy for me, please, I will not be long” you smile when she nods and walk out of the house

You open the front door slowly, looking around before walking further in. “Lady Bridgerton?” you called out and enter the drawing room

You huff when you don’t see her inside “She is not even here, why did she say to come here today then? And why didn’t she just send me my necklace with a maid” you roll your eyes before turning around, stopping when you come face to face with Anthony

“Looking for this?” He holds out your necklace, you look down at the necklace before looking back up at him

“Why do you have it? Give me it” you held out your hand, gesturing towards your necklace

He shrugs “If this was so important for you, why did you lose it? Mother found your necklace lying on the ground in the park,” he chuckled “How careless of you. And I, like the good son i am, told her that I would give it to you, how sweet of me, right?” He smirked

“Give it to me” you demand, glaring at him

“Tell me the truth first” He shakes his head

You furrowed your eyebrows “What are you talking about? Give me my necklace, now”

“Tell me you have not forgotten me” He mutters “That you still feel something for me”

You swallow, your eyes flickering between both of his eyes before looking down at your necklace and then back at him “Give me my necklace” you decide to ignore his words, evading his eyes so he does not see how much he is affecting you

“Y/n,” he sighs “I love you” he blurts out, you start to feel a light sting on your eyes.

“What are you even saying?” you needed to get out of there, you cannot stand to be there any longer “You are speaking nonsense!” You step around him to walk away but he stops you before you could make another step

“Come on, Y/n” He pleads holding onto your arms

“Let me go” you demand trying to jerk out of his hold

“If you tell me the truth, I will let you go” He said softly, you ignore his words once more, looking down at your necklace in his hands

“Give me back my necklace or dont, either way I will leave” you stated angrily

“Tell me the truth” Anthony repeated “Tell me you have not forgotten about what we had, tell me you have not forgotten me, tell me that you still love me”

You narrow your eyes at him, chuckling humorlessly “ I do not have to tell you anything”

“Do not do this, Y/n” he sighs exasperated

“Do what?” you glare at him

“Do not do this”

“What should I not do?!” you exclaimed

“I am in love with you, Y/n” Anthony admits looking at you softly

You snort before chuckling and looking around “Love?” you turn to look back at him, he nods in response “ After all these years, you speak to me about love?” You shake your head incredulously

“What did you think? After all these years, you will come to tell me that you are in love with me and I will jump straight on to your arms, right?” You throw your hands in the air in disbelief “In all that time I spent with you, I'm sure you did not know what place I occupy in your life! You treated me like an object, was I your mistress? Your lover? Did you even plan on courting me or did you only want me to be someone you could tumble around in the sheets with? Oh! wait a moment, you did say you were only looking for a easy lay. And now you speak to me about love!” You scoff

He looks down in shame “I had so many things going around, Y/n, I was confused. I did not know what to do and how to do it. And- and I did not want to drag you down with me” you look at him in disbelief “But I have always been in love with you”

You clench your jaw and scoffed “I do not even know why I am talking to you about this” you uttered and walked around him “Let me go” you exclaimed when he pulled you back towards your spot once again

You look at his chest, not wanting to see him in the face as your eyes stung with tears. Anthony looked down at you and nodded “Then tell me you have forgotten me, tell me you do not love me anymore ”

You opened your mouth and then closed it before opening it once more to speak this time “I forgot you” you looked at him in the eye “ Is that all? I forgot you! I do not love you anymore” you affirmed once more

You step away from his hold “What did you think?! That I would wait for you all these years?! That I would act as if I was just waiting for you to decide you wanted me again, to jump back into your arms?! That I would revolve everything around you?! Do you still think everything revolves around you?! –“

He pulls you into a kiss, cutting off your words. You tense, not expecting what he just did. He kisses you for a few more moments before pulling back. You remained emotionlessly, your lips tingling from the kiss you just shared a few seconds ago.

“I’m sorry” you snapped back out off your trance to look at him “I have crossed the line, I am sorry, if you want we can talk” he sighs ashamed at himself

”I may not know much about love, and that is mostly my fault for not letting myself love, but I know a lot about you” Anthony voiced “ I know you like to look at the rain, sometimes you even let the drops grace your hand. I also know you adore looking at the stars, those little lights that make your eyes shine in wonder. And you like to get lost in your thoughts, in that mind so disastrous but philosophical at the same time. You are a riddle that at first sight is complex but when you get to know it, you discover that it is a wonder of the world”

You ponder over his words, looking up at his face before looking back down, wringing your fingers before looking back up at him once again.

You smile sadly “ I cannot forgive you, Anthony, every sweet word you say cannot take away all of the pain you caused me, and I am sincerely sorry if you thought that this encounter would turn out another way, one in which everything is forgiven and you and I could be the perfect picture family but I am sorry to disappoint you. I cannot forgive you, and honestly," you sighed “ I do not want to”

With that, you turned away,

“Y/n…” he mumbled, you stop once again “ Love me again, please” you let out a shaky breath shaking your head and walking away and this time, he willingly lets you.

You wipe your tears away furiously entering your home once again “ Y/n?” your mama comes out of the drawing room, she looks at your tear stained cheeks before looking into your eyes worriedly “What happened?”

Your lips trembled before you hug her, letting the tears fall silently “Oh, what is wrong my dear?” you shook your head hugging her more tightly

After a few moments you pull away, wiping under your eyes carefully, all while your mama is still looking at you.

She sighed before sitting down next to you “I will give you some advice and I hope you listen to it” your mama uttered, her eyes flicking over to the drawing room before she spoke “Cry what you have to cry and suffer what you have to suffer. Because everything is ephemeral in this life, everything gives way at some point and pain is not the exception. And if you have to scream, then do so, if you have to break down, then break down. Do what you have to do to start again, to be able to heal, to be able to be happy and to be able to live”

“Why are you telling me this?” you wonder confused as she stood up, grabbing your hand before she led you out to the garden, where you saw your daughter running around happily

She chuckles softly “Dear, do you really think I did not know about your affair with the viscount?” you stare at her wide eyed, speechless “Do you think I had no idea that you snuck him in every night on your first season? Of course I did know, you are my only daughter and I would be damned if I let you be hurt by anything.”

You went to make up something but she cut you off “ And do not make some excuse that it was actually you who snuck out because you went for morning rides on your horse because it is not even believable” your mama rolls her eyes “ I care for you and your brother, and now little Amelia, more than anyone in this world, even more than your father. I love my children and grandchildren, that is the reason why I never said anything to you or to anyone. I saw how happy he made you, I thought you hid your courtship because you did not desire the society's attention on you both and that you would soon inform us that you were together, maybe even engaged”

“Mama…” you whisper looking down

“But then that light I saw in your eyes faded, you would spend your days locked in your bedchamber's , and imagine my surprise when you announced a month after, that you were getting married to Jacob Thornwell” your mama let out a shaky breath “You do not know how heartbroken I felt to see you like that. So low spirited, that the girl that used to be so happy, laughed so much and had so much love to give, was gone in a matter of a day”

“And I do not know what happened between the viscount and you but I trust you and your decisions. That is why I still supported you when you decided to marry the duke even when you were not in love with him. It was not a marriage of love but at least it was one of friendship, one in which you had a beautiful daughter” she remarked

You smiled lightly “She really is beautiful” you looked at Amelia who went to sit on the swing, looking at a butterfly that was flying by

Your mama hummed “She really did get the best of you and the viscount’s features” once again, you were left speechless, your smile fading as she laughed once she saw your expression “Oh please, I did not for one second believe that you gave birth 2 months early because of some complications you supposedly had, and Amy looks a lot like the viscount, Lady Bridgerton can surely attest to that” she then walked away after dropping that bomb on you.

“Your grace”

You looked to your side “Oh, it is you again” you pursue your lips “You surely do not understand that I do not want you near me, do you?”

“Oh come on, do not be like that” you roll your eyes at his words

“ I am not being like anything” You grumble “ I am simply annoyed that you cannot seem to take a hint and leave me alone”

“Of course I can take a hint” Anthony huffs “I just simply choose not to accede to your desires” You scoff

“Such a nice person you are” you grumble looking away

“I never said I was nice" he tilted his head to look at you better

“I can see that” you said

“Mama!” Amy slammed on to your legs “Grandmamma said i can eat some of the sweets on the table if you allow me” You look down at your daughter “Can I please eat some?” Amy gave you a pout making you laugh

“Of course” you laugh before you turned at your side when you remembered who was next too you. Anthony was looking at Amy wide eyed

“She is – is she your daughter?” He asked you, you nodded, your heart starting to pound faster.

He knelt down to her height and extended a hand, smiling at her slightly “Hello” he greeted her when she turned to him “ I am Viscount Bridgerton but you can call me Anthony”

Amy smiled happily, shaking his hand “I am Amelia but my family calls me Amy” Anthony looked at you for a moment before turning back to Amy

“How old are you, Amy?”

“Amelia, sweetheart,” you cut in “Why do you not go back to grandmamma and eat those sweets you were telling me about?”

“How old are you, Amy?” Anthony asked again

“Amy-“

“5” Amy answered him happily, showing him five fingers. Anthony snapped his eyes towards you quickly when she answered

“Amy” you stressed out, Amy looked at you then “Will you please go to grandmamma now?”

She shrugged and skipped happily towards your mama who was already looking at you three, your mama gave you a look when her eyes met yours flickering her eyes to Anthony and back to you before smiling at Amy who was now next to her.

You sighed looking at Anthony, who was now turning pale “She – why did you – Y/n, I do not understand – is she my daugh –“you cut him off, grabbing his hand and pulling him to an empty room after making sure no one saw you.

“Do not say those things where anyone can hear you, Lord Bridgerton” you snapped

He chuckled humorlessly, his eyebrows furrowing as he clenched his jaw“She is my daughter” He stated

“ No, she is not” you denied “She is Jacob’s daughter” he narrowed his eyes at you

“Do not try to lie to me because I do not believe you”

“Well you must because that is the truth” you rolled your eyes at him

“She is five” he snapped angrily “She has my mother’s eyes, Daphne’s eyes." He looked around before leaning in closer “And you and I both know Jacob liked everything but women.” Anthony stepped back, clearing his throat “You can try to deny it all you want but the proof was right there in front of me” You stayed quiet “Why did you not tell me? Did you not think I deserved to know my daughter?”

“She is not your daughter!” You exclaim “ She is mine and she is Jacob’s, not yours” Anthony looked at you hurt

You both stared at each other silently, your chests rising quickly, heavy breaths escaping both of your lips. Anthony sighed walking closer to you, you swallowed, taking one step back with every step he took towards you.

“Why did you marry Jacob Thornwell?” He asked “Did you love him?”

You shook your head, deciding to answer with the truth “It was not love. I did not marry him for love, but for friendship” he looked at you confused

“You told me you would not marry unless it was for love-“

“Yes, well, things change do they not?” you muttered, he went silent.

“I am sorry,” He admitted quietly after a few minutes “I know whatever I say is not enough, and it will also not take away any of the pain I caused you, but I am truly sorry, please believe me, Y/n” he held onto your hands, you look down at your intertwined hands

He raised your chin with his hand, making you look back up at him. “I cannot defend myself because there is no excuse that can fix what I did to you, I, myself, do not know why I did that” he swallowed “ The only thing I can say is that i loved you then, and I love you now, and if you allow me, I can continue to love you for the rest of my life ”

“There is no one else I would rather have next to me, no one else I would rather love for eternity than the one person I have really loved my entire life. No one else than the mother of my beautiful daughter.” He caressed your cheeks “Say yes, Y/n. Let us have that life that I so stupidly threw away. Let me prove that I can truly make you happy. Let me love you”

You stayed silent before speaking up “I moved on with my life, pretending that nothing had happened between us.” You admitted quietly “But there were times when you crossed my mind, especially when I looked at Amelia” you then added “you caused my heart to explode by the simple memory of something that was. It is strange, to know that even with everything that happened, that love I held for you, the same one I still have for you, never faded” his face started to light up with his words. A small smile appearing in his face.

“Does that mean you will…..”

“I do not know if I will regret this, but I have not stopped loving you. I- Anthony- I promise you, do not make me regret this or else I will really murder you” You grumble

Anthony laughs happily before pulling you into a kiss, his lips moved against yours softly, testing the waters, as if to make sure you won’t pull away before he started to kiss you more passionately. His hands pulling you close by your waist as you wrapped your hands around his neck, kissing him back just as passionately.

“I won’t” he mumbled onto your lips “If so I give you permission to murder me willingly”

You hummed before pulling away“Just let me love you before that happens” you smile.

[whinlatter]

That brings up an interesting point. Since you seen to be a canon girlie, do you think/feel that Hermione DOES become Minister?

What do you make of Harry being Head of Magical Law Enforcement?

thank you for this question anon! i do think it's very plausible hermione becomes minister of magic. i think it's equally plausible that harry becomes head of magical law enforcement. mostly because, well:

basically: i think both characters' career trajectories are in keeping with the politics of the series as a whole - eg. the goodies are all liberal, pro-state, non-revolutionary moderates who support a gradualist reformist agenda rather than a radical re-imagining of societal organisation. i also think both career options track with who each character is in canon (or rather, who the teenage versions of these characters might become as adults). and i think most of the reasons people are disappointed by either idea, and especially by harry coming 'a cop' then rising up the ranks to run law enforcement, is because they are putting their own more radical ambitions around social justice onto characters that would be poor vehicles for them.

on hermione - i don't know how many people have huge issue with the idea of hermione as minister of magic. i imagine the complaints with this idea come from people who a) like hermione and think hermione's politics as a teenager - identifying systemic injustice and labour exploitation of a subject people - jar with the idea of her settling within a political system that upholds and enforces that structure and others like it, or b) people don't like hermione as much and who think she would be too unpopular to get elected. to the former group, i'd trot out the arguments made far better than people other than me: that hermione's support for the house elves mostly boils down to a bit of a saviour complex and 'be nicer to your slaves', which is not especially radical position, and also point out the ministry's institutional culture seems to reward high-achieving technocrats with establishment credentials (or at least, prior records of academic and professional achievement), and i could see hermione riding that train straight to the top, especially on wave of post-war reformism with diminishing anti-muggleborn prejudice. (the wizarding world also loves a good (and bad) law and is extremely vigilant in enforcing them to a fault. hermione jean granger absolutely loves a rule. it's a match-made in heaven. it is - i fear - giving keir starmer).

to the second point, as i talked a bit about here, the wizarding world does not seem to be a democracy. so hermione wouldn't even need to be especially popular to get the top job. i personally love the idea of hermione quietly parking her commitments to representative democracy to get a bit of good labour legislation passed, or even thinking about wizarding democracy in victorian terms (as long as you're representing what you think the enlightened citizenry want, you're gucci). i mean honestly, what do the masses know! ignore em, queen. they're all kind of pureblood racists anyway!

on harry: i have a feeling it's harry's trajectory that most pisses people off. and i absolutely get it! people hate cops, and harry appears to become one, after spending a lot of the series raging against how shit senior leadership at the ministry of magic tend to be. while i do see the argument that teenage harry has strong criticisms of the ministry for its officials' self-interest, corruption and lack of accountability for their many miscarriages of justice, the truth is that a) harry never really associates being an auror with representing the ministry of magic as an institution, that b) he thinks of lots of characters who work in and around the ministry of magic, including in law enforcement, as agents of good (arthur weasley, kingsley, tonks, mad-eye, amelia bones) and c) harry at no point shows himself interested in thinking about ideology, about political systems, or about a more developed worldview beyond a deep sense of right and wrong and a need for justice. i think harry would like being head of magical law enforcement much less than hermione would like being minister, and i could see him finding the job enormously frustrating both for how much politicking it likely requires and for how little field action it would require. but i don't think that means it's out of character for him to rise up the ranks in pursuit of a more effective justice system and eventually take the top job as a means to an end.

the only other thing i'll say is that i do think there is something a bit culturally specific about imagining these two characters we think of as morally good actors taking up roles within the state to try to work for what they feel to be positive reform and progressive causes. the state appears quite neutrally in the hp series: it's a tool to be picked up and used to affect political change. this reflects its author's worldview, the political moment in which it was written (eg. under blair's new labour), and a longstanding dimension of real-life centre-left social democratic british politics usually expressed, at various times and to varying extents, by the political programme of the labour party throughout its history (to say nothing of a wider european context). it's not an inherently problematic political worldview (it is a core social democratic and socialist principle; it is also my own view of the state...), though ofc it can become so in the wrong hands. for instance, it's a consistent through-line in jkr's political evolution and a staple of her practically single-issue dangerous anti-trans politics even now - terf politics is a lot about wielding the state to remove legal protections from trans people, stop them from accessing health care etc. but the idea of the big state and of laws and government as a positive interventionist tool does colour hp as a text in lots of ways and is reflected in the worldview of many of its characters with which the reader is supposed to side. and i don't think we should overlook that.

conversely, hp is also a series devoid of political movements, and certainly of a meaningful far-left ideology or political sphere. and that's important to remember too if we're interested in canon coherence: hp is a liberal text in that it seemed plausible for its author to vacate a great deal of politics from her world-building. and i think that is, regretfully, worth remembering when we're claiming hermione should have been a trade union agitator or harry should have been an acab abolitionist organiser or whatever.

[buffyfan145]

Word of warning we just got a ton of possible leaks about season 2 of "Rings of Power" coming from The One Ring Net source. However, I will point out while a few of these seem possible this reminds me a lot of other "leaked" things for my other fandoms, especially DC and Marvel movies/shows, and most of those turned out to be false and fans just posting things for their own enjoyment. However, this is how it first leaked that Halbrand was Sauron before season 1 aired. Some of these do match scoops/spoilers we've gotten from Fellowship of Fans an interviews with the cast, but some of these are so out of left field. I'll post a breakdown under a cut of the major ones but you can see the post in full here. But I will point out some of these would be massive changes to the lore that even I'd be shocked if they do it, so again we'll see.

So the first thing that matches what FOF and even Charlie Vickers teased is that season 2 is going to show a lot of Sauron flashbacks and tell his side of the story and that we'll be in on his plans the whole time. But according to this post the Mairon version is a separate actor and that Gavi is actually the Annatar version but Halbrand/Charlie is still the main one going forward.

They're saying the Tolkien estate gave Amazon more access to "The Silmarillion" and we will see all the Valar, Maiar, Eru (he's just a voice though so we won't see a person), Melkor/Morgoth, Mairon (even called this name), Gandalf/Mithrander (who is Daniel's The Stranger), and even Ungoliant as we get this full backstory in the show.

Halbrand will go back to the dwarves and reveal he's Mairon to them and they truth him because of Aule.

It'll be revealed that Sauron/Mairon had a son and Adar killed him, which was why the line Adar said about "a woman or a child" was said in s1. No idea who the boy's mother is but possibly Amelia Kenworthy's character. This is a huge departure but would be interesting to have Sauron/Mairon/Halbrand actually have been a father and the 2nd Maiar besides Melian to have children.

Gandalf/Mithrander will also have flashbacks, including that he almost sided with Mairon, and even introduce Shadowfax.

Tom Bombadil and Goldberry will appear, which we already saw a leak about this possibly happening last year.

Supposedly Halbrand/Sauron does keep up his infatuation with Galadriel but actually goes back to Eregion not as just Annatar but as Celeborn!!! 😮 So they don't rescue Celeborn after all but it is Sauron/Halbrand and it's making it sound like there's romantic scenes between them but again it's actually Sauron/Halbrand with Galadriel and not Celeborn. I know some of us Haladriel shippers have written this exact thing in our fics and if this really does happen that again hints that Sauron/Halbrand really could be Celebrian's biological father which I would be shocked if the show did this even though I'd also love it. LOL Then add in if they do this change where Sauron had a son that died and possibly ends up having a daughter with Galadriel. It does sound like the real Celeborn does come back too at some point so if this happens this is going to be interesting, even though I know a lot of the purists and regular LOTR fans might hate it.

The season does end with Sauron forging the One Ring, which FOF has also been speculating. The thing is if Galadriel will be with him when he does as FOF reported on her being captured by Adar during the Battle of Eregion with this also confirms happens in the last 2 episodes.

They're also saying too that the season will also end with Galadriel making a choice to save either real Celeborn and/or Sauron/Halbrand as Celeborn, which again could point to above that she gets captured and then decides to stay with him. So this is going to be very interesting if any of these turn out to be true.

[igetthedisneybox]

In your next gen Encanto au, who gets along with who the best and why?

(Between the cousins, their parents and grandparents or whatever you'd like to do).

Decided to format it where I say their friend group, their "favorite" kid/grandkid/sibling/cousin.

Of course, by "favorite" I mean "person they get along with best/ spend the most time with" but that's long and complicated to say.

No one actually has "favorites" is what I'm trying to say (except for a few of them lol)

Alma: She hangs out with the other elders of the village, including Señora Guzmán. Once Raimi and his side of the family get introduced into the Encanto, she also spends a lot of time with them. Out of her kids, Bruno is the favorite, no question. She spends a lot of time making amends with him. Similarly, her favorite grandkid is now Mirabel. Great-grandkid wise, I'd say her favorite is either Zoe or Mariana.

Julieta: She has a handful of friends in the village, but she seems like the type of person to focus on having a small circle of close friends, rather than a lot. She's close with Augustín's mother, but not so much his father (they have a terse relationship). She claims not to have a favorite child, but like...it's Mirabel, come on. She also claims to not have a favorite grandchild, but she and Fuega bond over cooking.

Pepa: Pepa has a lot of friends from the village, including Félix's brother, Gabriel. Her favorite child is Camilo (he's a mama's boy) and she's...less subtle about it than Julieta is. Her favorite grandchild is easily her "twin" Leta, the first grandbaby, no matter how many heart attacks she gives her.

Bruno: Bruno slowly but surely acquires a small friend group upon his return (mainly with Pepa and Julieta's help). It's only about four or five people (which includes both Amelia and Sofía's crushes' parents), which is just fine by him. He also claims not to have a favorite child, but he empathizes with Sofía a lot.

Augustín: He's kind of a nerd, and so doesn't have many friends outside of the Madrigals. He mainly spends time with Julieta and her friend group. He doesn't have a favorite child, he loves his girls equally, but his favorite grandchild is probably Lidia. He likes her sass, okay?

Félix: He's very popular among the townsfolk, and has more friends than even Pepa. His favorite child is Dolores, but the only two people who know are Pepa and Mariano (because he threatened Mariano with death if he ever hurt his baby girl). His favorite grandchild is José. They have the same personality.

Isabela: She has many friends around the village, including Maria (Fuega's mom) and Lili. Most of them were made either after she dropped her "Señorita Perfecta" persona, or from before she felt pressured to be perfect. Her favorite parent is actually Augustín, and her favorite sibling is probably Mirabel, let's be real. Her favorite cousin is Dolores (I would DIE for their friendship). She actually doesn't have a favorite of her girls, not even a secret one.

Dolores: Poor Dolores doesn't have many friends. It's hard for her to be social with her gift, and she's gained a reputation for being a snitch. She is close with Mariano's sisters and brothers, though. Her favorite parent is Félix, and her favorite sibling is Antonio (Camilo's not offended, as Antonio is also his favorite sibling). Her favorite cousin is Isa. Her favorite kid is Andrés, and she is not subtle about it.

Luisa: She never really had a lot of time for friends pre-Encanto movie, so all of her friends were made post-Encanto. She's kind of socially awkward, like her dad, so she doesn't have a lot of them. Her favorite parent is Augustín (I loved their few interactions in canon) but she refuses to have a favorite sibling. Her favorite cousin is Antonio though. Her favorite child is Zoe, just because she gives her less heart attacks than the twins.

Camilo: He had tons of friends pre-Encanto, but lost quite a few of them when he started using his gift less. He made some more (including his future husband) when the city joined the village, though. His favorite parent is Pepa (Mama's boy Camilo is sacred to me). His favorite sibling is Antonio, and his favorite cousin is Mirabel. Everyone thinks that Camilo's favorite kid would be José or Héctor, but it's actually Hugo.

Mirabel: She has a little friend group, mainly consisting of the older siblings of the Encanto's children and Mariano's family. Her favorite parent is Julieta, favorite sibling is Isabela (now, anyway) and her favorite cousin is obviously Antonio (cue offended Camilo noises). She tries not to have favorites, but she can't help but sympathize with Óscar.

Antonio: He's friends with Little Alejandra, Juancho, Cecilia, and some of the other kids in town. His favorite parent is Félix, but he doesn't have favorite siblings. His favorite cousin is Mirabel.

For the next gen, I already put who they like best from each generation in their profiles, so I just copied those from them. (because I got lazy)

Miranda: She is very popular with the Encanto's kids, as she likes to babysit them. Her favorite parent is Alejandra, just because she knows how much she's sacrificed for her. She doesn't have a favorite sibling, she loves Amelia and Sofia equally. Her favorite cousin is Antonio, over their shared love of animals, and her favorite second cousin is Héctor, because he always sticks to her while they do their chores.

Amelia: She has many, many friends in the village, including her girlfriend, Rosana. She doesn't have a favorite parent, but Miranda is her favorite sister. Her favorite cousin is Camilo, due to their shared love of performing, and her favorite second cousin is Princesa, because they both are more girly.

Sofía: She doesn't have many friends due to her gift, but she hangs out with her crush, Tristán, and his little friend group. Her favorite parent is Bruno, since they're so similar, and her favorite sister is Miranda, since she doesn't think Amelia likes her very much. Her favorite cousin is Dolores, as they like to be quiet together. Her favorite second cousin is Óscar, as they like to bitch to each other all the time.

Princesa: She is very popular in the Encanto, mainly due to her gift, which makes a lot of her 'friends' flaky, at best. Her favorite sister is Mariana, due to her being afraid of Fuega. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Mirabel, over their shared love of sewing and embrodery, and her favorite cousin is Beatriz, because they like to gossip to each other.

Fuega: She doesn't have many friends, mainly due to her gift. She does hang out with Felicidad and her friends, though. Her favorite sister is Mariana, due to Princesa being afraid of her. Her favorite pf the grandkid generation is Luisa, because she's tough and Fuega isn't afraid to burn her, and her favorite cousin is Andrés, because he helped her and Felicidad get together.

Mariana: She is popular in the Encanto, mainly with the younger kids. She doesn't have a favorite sister, she loves them both equally. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Mirabel, because they are VERY much alike, and her favorite cousin is Rómulo, because they like to do crazy stunts with their powers together.

Leta: She is popular in the Encanto, in part due to her gift. She doesn't have a favorite sibling, though many would argue that it's Carlos. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Luisa, because they are VERY much alike, and her favorite cousin is Lidia, because they like to wrestle and be idiots together.

Andrés: He has almost zero friends, due to his shyness. His favorite sibling(s) is the twins, just because they're so cute. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Antonio, due to their shared quietness, and his favorite cousin is Fuega, mainly because they just match well. Firey anger and quiet shyness.

Carlos: As the resident black market dealer, he is very, very, very popular in the Encanto, especially with the younger kids. His favorite sibling is easily Leta, though the twins are a close second. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Camilo, because. Obviously, and his favorite cousin is José, because they're like two peas in a pod, despite the age difference.

Avila: She is mildly popular in the Encanto, despite her odd gift. Her favorite sibling is Carlos, because he gives her free stuff. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Antonio, because ANIMALS, and her favorite cousin is Héctor, because they like to play futbol together.

Amada: She is pretty popular in the Encanto, along with her twin. Her favorite sibling is Carlos, because he gives her free stuff. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Isabela, because FLOWERS, and her favorite cousin is Tomás, because they like to watch each other do tricks with their powers.

Tomás: He is pretty popular in the Encanto, along with his twin. His favorite sibling is Zoe, because he and Rómulo are both in agreement that she is their favorite. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Isabela, since he likes all her weird plants, and his favorite cousin is José, because they both like playing mind games (of a different kind, but still)

Rómulo: He is pretty popular in the Encanto, along with his twin. His favorite sibling is Zoe, because he and Tomás are both in agreement that she is their favorite. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Antonio, since he lets Parce and the other big cats race him, and his favorite cousin is Mariana, because they like to do crazy stunts with their powers together.

Zoe: She doesn't have many friends, mainly due to her gift. She doesn't have a favorite between her brothers. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Isabela, because she loves her bright dresses and plants, and her favorite cousin is Hugo, because of all his buggy friends.

Hugo: He doesn't have many friends, mainly due to autism. He doesn't have a favorite between his brothers (it's Héctor). His favorite of the grandkid generation is Dolores, because they're both quiet, and his favorite cousin is Zoe, because she is adorable.

José: He is unpopular with adults, but popular with the kids. He doesn't actually have a favorite of his brothers. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Isabela, because she kinda sorta encourages his gambling, and his favorite cousin is Carlos, because they're like two peas in a pod, despite the age difference.

Héctor: He is pretty popular in the Encanto, mainly because of his gift. His favorite sibling is Hugo, because he looks up to him. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Antonio, since their gifts are similar, and his favorite cousin is Miranda, because she acts so kind and motherly to him.

Óscar: He has almost zero friends, due to his scary gift. He doesn't have a favorite of his sisters, he loves them both. His favorite of the grandkid generation is Dolores, due to their shared...odd quirks, and his favorite cousin is Sofía, because they like to bitch to each other. He acts more like a protective older brother to Sofía.

Beatriz: She is mildly popular in the Encanto, but her gift stops her from being truly liked. She has no favorite sibling (for real). Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Dolores, because their gifts and the reaction their gifts get are similar, and her favorite cousin is Amelia, because they like to dance and sing together.

Lidia: She is pretty popular in the Encanto, although some of the adults are nervous at her behavior. Her favorite sibling is Óscar, and Beatriz is slightly bitter about it. Her favorite of the grandkid generation is Luisa, because they both act tough, and her favorite cousin is Leta, because they like to wrestle and be idiots together.

[katiekatdragon27]

Guys, there is a severe lack of Sodascent content on this site and it irks me greatly. These are super self-indulgent lol.

Meet Dusty and Lucile Hansen-Euler. Lucy is a molotov cocktail and Dusty is a sand candle (like that one product that was shoved in my face for two weeks straight on Insta) They are 10 and 15 respectively, and they are a girl and demiboy.

Lucy is an excitable tomboy with a ton of explosive energy and a proactive mindset. She's always in everyone's business (if they let her) and is constantly egging on dangerous stuff. Half of the time she is the one doing said dangerous stunts. Her self-preservation is pretty low, but once she begins forming alcohol in her body instead of juice, she becomes more cautious. She still has a very unhealthy and worrying interest in fire.

Dusty, on the other hand, is a grumpy dude who's full of cringy preteen angst and a rebellious mindset. He's the guy to post stuff like "It's not a phase, Mom" and "The shadows are the only things that truly understand me" and other edgy quotes like that. He's also that kid that hates that his parents love him cuz he's a "how can I relate to these edgy characters when my family is so nice????" person. Also, his wick is burnt since I think that all candles have the ability to light up when feeling strong emotions (for him, usually anger).

Bryce is doing his darndest to be present in his kids' lives (parent issues) but tends to over-worry about them and comes off as strict as a result. Amelia is more laid back and calm of the two and is more inclined to trust her kids' decisions (good childhood), but she is the scarier of the two when she's mad.

(The dust bag above is my brother's character)^^

Take a wiiiiiiiild guess who's kids are the first two 💀

They'll get their own post eventually, I just have to finish their refs.

The ref sheet w/out shading and the sketch are below:

Have a good day bros 👍

[atlasdoe]

hello, i am bored. here are some unpopular opinions that may very well get me cancelled if i posted this on tiktok

do not read if you know youre going to get mad if i say something you disagree with

the over feminisation and over-aggressive characterisations of sirius and remus are so left field it makes my eye twitch. like if you wanna write them like that then fine but don't tell me that one scene of sirius wearing something nice and one scene of remus throwing harry up a wall (while he's in the middle of like a twenty year war with all of his friends dead mind you) means that they were as people are interpreting them in cannon

the fandom isn't misogynistic. you just want everyone to care about the same characters the way you do despite the fact that very little of them (especially the girls really besides lily and the black sisters) have any character/story to care about to begin with

on that same note, it is not wolfstar and jegulus' shippers job to write dorlene and marylily fics. there are over 6000 fics tagged under dorlene and over 2000 for marylily which is really impressive and a really big number for ships containing two people who don't have any connection to one another

we cannot blame every death on dumbledore. dumbledore was manipulative and not a very good person but he wasn't out here deliberately getting all the people on his side killed

this fandom is obsessed with tragedy so much that tragedy has now become repetitive and boring. i love a good sad story but what is the point in taking every single character and making them live the worst life possible. its like yall are only capable in caring for a character if they have literally the worst ending ever

the marauders weren't child soldiers. They were young but they weren't children.

on the same note just because barty, evan and peter (and any other death eater) was young does not excuse them of their actions. I'm 20 and I know that i wouldn't betray all of my friends or help torture new parents into insanity

deciding that pandora somehow had to be a part of a death eater family was the worst thing this fandom did to her character

it pisses me off when the fandom will bend over backwards to try to connect the same 12 characters to every headcannon imaginable when there are so many other characters that you could use

despite this tho i hate the whole "ravenpuff" thing. As someone who actually cares about Emmeline, Edgar, Fabian, Gideon, Amelia, Benjy, Caradoc and all of that it annoys me to no end when the only time people post about them is to shove them all into the two least cared about houses and decides that they were all friends while giving them the most uncreative name out there. if you dont care about them then dont post about them

marlene is the most overrated character in the fandom

james and marlene being childhood best friends is my least favourite headcannon

mary obliviating herself is the worst headcannon

remus lupin is a bottom

sirius black is tall

marlene being in ravenclaw > marlene being in gryffindor

this fandom really needs to remember that barty and evan were villains. if you like them then that's completely fine but stop trying to make them secretly good

i can only ship sirius with remus but i can ship remus with literally anyone (so long as they are actually his age or older. for some reason i cant ship remus with people who are over a year younger then him)

i dont think its fair to say that if you like regulus then you cant shit on snape stans but it is utterly unfair to stan barty and evan but shit on snape stans

fancasting and commenting on normal peoples tiktoks is stupid and embarrassing. we are HATED by other fandoms and is it because we are unable to stay in our lane. stop getting into other peoples buisness by commenting "REMUS LUPIN" under a Spiderman edit

james would not have stopped talking to sirius after the prank. He'd be mad at him and he'd tell him off but he wouldn't stop talking to him. If James had to pick between Sirius and anyone he's picking Sirius

on that note i think the only people who weren't talking to sirius after the prank was remus and lily. mostly because i dont think anyone other then the marauders and lily would even have known that remus was a werewolf at the time

ALSO evan, barty and regulus would not befriend remus after the prank. firstly they wouldnt care and even if they did they would be more likely to abuse the fact that they know about him being a werewolf

im sick of seeing people try to shame others for shipping wolfstar but not marylily because "theyre the same ship." theyre literally not. just because YOU hc mary and lily to have a similar dynamic as remus and sirius doesnt mean that theyre the same and doesnt mean that everyone else should think so to. Same with literally every other ship that gets compared to another based on headcannons

this is getting really long so imma leave it there

[tboycamilo]

encanto next gen au - fourth generation madrigals

wrote these bios for the fankids forever ago but just realized i haven't posted them here and that's a shame bc im proud of my little guys and want to talk about them. anyways here they are in birth order (and also if anyone wants to learn more about the spouses i can write bios for them too bc i love them)

AMELIA 'AMI' MADRIGAL

first child of camilo and marco madrigal. the first of the fourth-generation madrigals. born 1955. has the gift of self-duplication, able to create and dematerialize limitless clones at will. her gift gives marco and camilo hell quite a bit especially when they're young first-time dads attempting to wrangle up all her clones. like marco, ami is very reserved and quiet, but unlike him, she is not socially anxious or shy. she just prefers to observe rather than engage, and tends to be aloof and keep her thoughts to herself. many people see her as stoic and intimidating. because of this, she struggles building relationships with her peers at times, and worries that others perceive her as cold or scary. she's sweet once you get to know her, though, and is a great planner and a good listener. she tends to be the voice of reason in the family and is probably more mature than her dads. a little bit of a nerd.

IMELDA 'IMA' MADRIGAL

ami's twin sister, the second child of camilo and marco madrigal. 'born' 1960 - she was the first clone to materialize when ami got her gift, and gained a mind of her own, unable to dematerialize at ami's will. though physically identical to ami, ima does make efforts to change her appearance so she isn't mistaken for her sister - a definite daddy's girl, she emulates camilo with her shorter hair and bold yellow wardrobe. personality-wise, she is basically a mini version of her papa - energetic, flirty, mischievous, and outgoing. she has a sense of humor, too - she purposely named herself the reverse of her sister's name. but just like camilo, she suffers from identity issues - her boisterous personality and over-the-top style are a direct result of her attempting to compensate for being a clone and avoid being confused with her sister. she often feels like she has no sense of self and fears being seen as a mere copy of ami. if the magic were to fade again, so would she, but we don't need think about that right now!

BRUNO 'BRUNITO' MADRIGAL

third child of camilo and marco madrigal. born 1960. he looks like the perfect mix of his dads, almost all his features halfway between those of marco and camilo. he tends to dress similarly to his namesake, with a hooded poncho shrouding him in mystery. his gift is invisibility at will, so he has become a master of presenting himself inconspicuously. though camilo would never admit it, brunito is kinda his favorite child and is extremely spoiled (and may or may not be the only one of camilo's children who was actually planned). he has a friendly but nervous personality, much like his father marco, and whether his personality developed because of his gift or vice versa is anyone's guess. he is very sweet and tends to see the best in people, and can be somewhat naive - but he's not oblivious to the fact that he tends to get special treatment from his dads and often leverages that to his advantage, much to the irritation of his siblings. he is very attached both to his parents and to his brother felipe. 

VALENTINA MADRIGAL

first child of luisa and inés madrigal. born 1961. despite being adopted, she takes after luisa both in appearance and athleticism. she always has some form of bandages on her in at least one spot. her gift is indestructibility - she is able to withstand injury that would be painful or even fatal to anyone else. because of this spectacular gift, she often tends to throw caution to the wind. valentina is extremely daring and brave, and loves getting into all kinds of trouble and doing stunts that terrify both her mothers. despite her recklessness with her own self, she is very protective of her little sister and younger cousins, and feels a level of responsibility to keep them safe. like luisa, she is susceptible to the pressure she puts on herself, but she is much more comfortable with confrontation than her mother. she bonds with her abuela julieta often.

JACINDA MADRIGAL

first and only child of isabela, lilli, and rosa madrigal. born 1963. her gift is terraforming - she can create structures from the earth and form the land around her at will. with three doting moms who waited until they were fully ready to adopt a kid, jacinda is very spoiled and, in her moms' eyes, she can do no wrong. ima's mischievousness pales in comparison to jacinda's - she is the master prankster of her generation who puts camilo's past mischief to shame. she doesn't discriminate with her pranks, and is always causing hell for her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. despite her troublemaking nature, she is also very charismatic and friendly, and the kids in town love to be around her - she always has something fun up her sleeve. she loves her family, but probably harbors a little jealousy towards ciela and later the triplets for replacing her as the baby of the family. 

CIELA MADRIGAL

second child of luisa and inés madrigal.  born 1965. she has the gift of levitation and is able to float from place to place. her clothes are covered in dreamy pastels and cloud patterns, reflecting both her gift and personality. as the baby of her immediate family, ciela is innocent and creative. she has a very go-with-the-flow attitude and is great at helping others through their emotions and calming them down. she has an appreciation for nature and the arts, and likes to paint and draw in her spare time. she gets along well with her great aunt pepa, who likes to make clouds for her to float on. ciela can be a little naive at times and often has her head in the clouds literally and figuratively, but many still envy her relaxed and happy attitude.

IGNACIO MADRIGAL

the eldest of camilo and marco's triplets and their fourth child overall. born 1971. his appearance takes after camilo a lot more than his other siblings. his gift is fire manipulation - he can create fires of virtually any size at will. because of how dangerous his gift can be, he spent a great deal of his life teaching himself restraint and is very in control of his emotions. despite his levelheadedness, he can be very pompous and bratty - although he grows out of it sooner or later when he's older. he's also quite boy crazy, which he doesn't exactly grow out of. although he loves to tease and annoy his siblings and cousins, he is fiercely protective of them deep down. he's very passionate about his interests and very dedicated to his loved ones, but he tries not to show it outwardly too much out of fear of his gift getting the better of him.

FELIPE MADRIGAL

fifth child of camilo and marco madrigal, the middle triplet. born 1971. his name was inspired by his grandfather felix, and his appearance takes after him too. his gift is water manipulation, essentially the opposite of his brother ignacio's gift. as expected, the two have a big rivalry and get into arguments all the time - their personalities, much like their gifts, tend to clash quite often. felipe is bubbly and polite, but also quite an emotional boy. he often catastrophizes and lets his feelings get the better of him, much like his grandmother pepa. he's a very hard worker and tends to boss his siblings around when it's time to do chores. he's a total papa's boy and is always on the lookout for praise from marco. he's also best friends with his brother bruno despite being so many years apart in age. his wardrobe, unlike the rest of his immediate family, consists of lots of cool blues.

SOFIA MADRIGAL

the youngest of camilo and marco's triplets and their sixth and final child overall. born 1971. her gift is enhanced eyesight - she is able to see in the dark as well as from far distances, and is acutely aware of minor details that most may not pick up on. her jewelry and dress are adorned with eye designs, and the family knows better than to try and sneak anything past her. just like her tia dolores, she has dirt on everyone and can deduce when something shifty is going on in seconds. she's kind of known as the weirdo cousin for her quietness and ominous behavior. she talks very little and seems to be always watching. it's nothing the madrigals aren't used to, though - dolores was exactly the same way when she was a child. bruno, dolores, ami, and sofia all bond over being viewed as fearsome or outsiders for their quirks. she gets a lot of attention as the baby of the family but she doesn't seem to like being in the spotlight very much. 

that's all of them for now, i may also post bios for the other madrigals just to show where they end up in the future in my au but the au generally revolves around the fourth gen! also feel free to ask more about the au and characters bc i absolutely love to yap about this stuff. also sorry about all the babies camilo i only make you suffer bc ur my favorite character 💛

[sebastianstansqueen]

Lost In The Shadows: Part Twelve

A/N: This one is short, sorry, also have began writing my next series, my stuff about that will be up once i'm finished posting this story, hoe you like it, If you want to be Tagged, either send an ask or comment on this or click on Taglist open.

Wordcount: 1,159

Warnings: angst, Guns, Bucky being unaware, Wayne, and Brock if I forgot anything let me know please!

Masterlist // Series Masterlist // Taglist open// 

Tags: @cherryblossomsky- - @babylooneytoonz - @wonderlandfandomkingdom - @miraclesoflove - @amelia-song-pond- @leyannrae- @avengerlex - @pineprincess - @nik2write - @dorothea-hwldr - @rosie-posie08 - @scxrletrecsmarvel - @sebsgirl71479- @missvelvetsstuff - @hadesownhell - @casa-boiardi- @winterslove1917- @hallecarey1 - @ash-craze - @barnesxstan - @unaxv - @bethexo07 - @itsmytimetoodream - @sebastians-love - @stoneyggirl2  - @ordelixx - @arunabrak

After the stress of being at the hospital worried sick everyday, Y/n had to admit being at her villa in Italy was a nice change from the compound back home. It was also nice that she was able to get Bucky an arm with the thought of mind that money was no object, so she got the best of the best. The best part was it was just her and Bucky, since everyone  back home wanted to keep it hush hush that they were leaving, there wasn’t a security staff always lurking nor did she have any professionals roaming the house like cleaners, and kitchen staff, it felt normal, and she almost didn’t dare say she liked it. 

Currently she sat by the pool, while Bucky was swimming laps, she softly smiled to herself as she thought about it. Tonight they were going to roam the city, starting with an art gallery and then dinner. A lot of this felt so domestic to her and she couldn’t fully hate it. “You okay?” Bucky asked, her eyes opened as she looked at him. “I know you’ve been stressed.” And there was also that, if Bucky remembered he would probably understand the why, because technically you were both in hiding. 

“Bucky, if anything I’m for once not stressed.” She lied through her teeth, she was more stressed than ever before, because they were stuck in a foreign country Bucky had no memory of the Mafia, and for the first time since taking her family business back she wasn’t the one in control of everything, and she hated that. “If anything, I’m excited about tonight, it’s gonna be romantic.” 

As the two of them walked around looking at different paintings, sculpture and other pieces of work. It was nice until a bullet hit one of the paintings, Y/n’s eyes widened. “Get down!” She yelled, she pulled out her own gun that had been tucked away in a secret pouch in her overly big purse, as more bullets came through breaking the glass.

“What the hell is going on?” Bucky asked with wide eyes. 

Y/n looked at him. “Believe me Bucky in another life you’d understand, but for now follow what I do.” She aimed her own gun at the glass ceiling of the building, where she couldn’t see even an outline of a person, she took a deep breath in irritation. “Okay, we’ve gotta get on that roof.” 

“That’s where the bullets came from.” Bucky hissed out. 

Y/n nodded. “I know.” She got up moving, Bucky moved her as she had told him. As people who weren’t dead ran around in panic and fear, and red lights went off with an annoying alarm and people who had gotten shot in the spray of bullets moments earlier laid on the ground crying or dead.  She moved around until she found a roof entrance, she began running up the stairs, when both of them made it up to the roof Y/n found who she was looking for meaning whoever it was wanting to kill her had an open air shot to get her. As Y/n saw it was two people, Sharon and Wayne, Y/n scoffed, wind caused her hair to blow everywhere. “You two have got to be shitting me! You're working together?” 

They both looked at her with wide eyes. “She betrayed Brock, so I'm here for both of you!” Wayne was the first to speak. 

Y/n began to actually laugh. “That’s a good one Wayne, you're working for Rumlow, you're not even stupid enough to do that.” 

“You're the one who’s gonna lose out, Y/n, you are the one who lost doing business with him, and you're gonna die for it.” Wayne smiled wickedly, Y/n noticed he looked different; he'd been bulked up or something. 

“Are you on that fucking staroids he wants to sell on the streets?” She scoffed able to tell, by the obvious side effects. 

“It’s called ‘the serum’.” He said aggressively. 

“Oh, please, all those blue crystals are gonna do for you is kill you eventually.” Y/n was taunting him. 

“Okay that's enough.” Sharron stopped her from continuing. “I’m killing you, and then taking everything you’ve built.” The blond held up a gun at Y/n, making her do the same. 

Y/n, wasn’t aiming for her sister but Wayne, as her finger pressed the trigger Sharons did the same and she ducked down, with Bucky as she watched Wayne fall off the building with blood spreading on his shirt. 

Sharon watched and hurried to follow where he fell, jumping off knowing Y/n was giving her one more chance to get her. Y/n liked a game especially with her sister, so she was willing to play it, if Sharon killed her next time she’d win, only getting one more chance to try again, before Y/n would kill her. Y/n looked at Bucky making sure he was alright, he looked shaken up but no wounds, she helped him up. “Are you okay?” She asked, and he nodded. “Okay come on.” 

When they got back to the villa she began packing everything they had brought, moving as fast as she could.  “Y/n what the hell was that!” Bucky yelled, making her freeze up, stopping what she was doing.

Y/n whipped around. “You're not gonna talk to me like that!” She yelled back. “You're the one who doesn't remember anything, and doesn't know what is going on so you're not gonna yell at me, I’m doing this for your safety, because I care about you.” 

“Explain what’s going on then.” He said with irritation. 

“My sister, who is a skilled assassin, and a guy I refused to do business with are trying to kill me and possibly you, and that’s how we ended up in the hospital I’m assuming, and your don’t remember this because of what you got in the accident, Bucky I’m a mafia boss and so is your brother, but we’ve gotta go if you want to live.” She spoke with pure urgency, she moved up to him, placing her hand in his, she slowly moved in closer to him, kissing him softly. “Bucky, I love you, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, if you come with me I’ll make sure you don’t die.” 

Bucky pulled her closer to him. “I’ll go with you, but be honest with me from now on.” 

Y/n looked at him and nodded. “Okay, for now pack, I’ll figure out where to next.”

_____

Brock shook his head, as Wayne's feed and tracker turned red, he slammed his hand on the desk, a mix of anger and joy. Wayne had been helpful but soon became a pest on his shoulder, he huffed knowing he needed to know Y/n’s next move. He had to be the one to finish her off. 

[sideblog-delete-later]

Let's talk about the doc. I'm going to share the notes I've made as I read through it. (just in case disclaimer that Alex said that he uses any pronouns so sometimes in this I refer to Alex with she/her and sometimes he/him)

Okay I'm reading the doc and the part I'm currently reading talks about Alex' gender identity and the screenshots provided are just... Alex talking about being confused about her gender identity, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that? This feels kinda transphobic. The perceived problem is Alex being parasocial, not Alex being trans

"Before Alex left Server B, he publicly explained that Amelia was a joke after a member expressed they were uncomfortable that Alex shared their dead name. People who were supportive of the change would feel weird about this." WHAT

I don't blame Alex for backtracking on the new name after SOMEONE SAID THAT THEY'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT.

Like I understand that seeing your dead name can be uncomfortable but it's not like Alex wanted to upset them. Alex was (presumably) just experimenting with going by a name she liked.

Even if Alex is a bad person, can we not be transphobic against her?

So far, the way the doc is worded makes me think that stirringjuice wants people to think that Alex talking about her gender is a part of the reason why we should dislike her.

Compare "I decided to release some information into this server because I was tired of hiding everything. These were my friends as well. From the beginning, we planned to release this publicly..." to "Originally, I decided against talking about my side of the story especially when I promised to keep quiet, however, I feel like it is necessary to understand the context. I and several others have noticed this behavior pattern that Alex exhibits. This was dealt with in private many times before coming to a conclusion."

It comes off as Ven trying to make people think that the 16 year old mentioned is DB. The "this was sent to a 16-year old" is squeezed conveniently between Ven talking about DB. And then, after the doc is released and people assume (logically) that the 16 yo mentioned must be DB, Ven basically says "btw DB is an adult and I don't know why anyone would assume that they're the 16 yo mentioned".

"I do not want my name to be associated with this situation and all other names will be censored (the victims are allowed to come forward if they wish to). I understand it will be impossible to hide and that’s why, afterward, I will be leaving my accounts associated with this name" and then Ven went on to post many more messages on his Twitter and some on Tumblr (some of which he later deleted)

I've also noticed that there's emotionally manipulative language used throughout the document meant to evoke a strong emotion and make the reader feel sorry for Ven.

The annotated document I saw (a reblog of it can be found on this blog) sums everything up perfectly.

"He understands power dynamics" except for all those times Ven said that he didn't

"A quote from DB’s father, who is a lawyer consultant" it's a quote from justia dot com

Also why did Ven censor his username and profile picture in some of the screenshots, even though it's not censored in other ones? (this includes censoring his face, why would he censor Alex's face when we all know what Alex looks like?)

[dufferpuffer]

Order member ages

Just wanted to post this as its own thing for future reference. People often say Dumbledore recruits directly from Hogwarts, but it never seemed to line up with how old most of the members were...? So - I looked up who all the known members are! :)

First War:

Order was founded 1970 at the earliest - dissolved 1981. Earliest birthday possible: 1953, graduating 1970

S. Black, class of 78. R. Lupin, class of 78. P. Pettigrew, class of 78. J.+ L. Potter, class of 78. S. Snape, class of 78 E. Bones - Murdered w. wife + kids. Brother of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones. M. Fletcher - already well integrated in Wizarding crime world. A.+ F. Longbottom - They would have been OLDER than the Potters as they were 'Prominent Aurors' and Auror training takes years to complete. A. Moody - Legendary Auror. Retired after this war. S. Podmore - Born 1956/1957, apparently…? G.+ F. Prewitt - Molly Weasley's brothers. E. Doge - Albus' schoolmate. Ab. Dumbledore - His brother. A. Figg - old Squib. R. Hagrid - He was 51 when Harry was born Unknown age estimate: C. Dearborn - Missing. D. Diggle. B. Fenwick - 'bits of him' were discovered. D. Meadowes - Personally killed by Voldemort, might mean he is a skilled adult. M. McKinnon - Killed 'with her whole family' E. Vance - 'stately looking with a green shawl' in the the 90s.

Note with the Longbottoms: They were 'Prominent Aurors' - which means they worked for the Ministry for some time. If they were born 1953, and thus graduated 1970 - they would only be 27 when Neville was born... giving them a little time to have built their careers while still being a younger couple. But was the Order formed right at the crack of the war...?

Second War:

F. Delacour - 95/96 at Gringotts, joined the order through Bill. H. Jones - Unknown age. Never mentioned to be at Hogwarts while Harry is there. N. Tonks - Adult, well into Auror training. C + B Weasley - Adult, well into their own careers. A + M Weasley - Born 1949/1950. M. McGonagall - I mean I suppose she was recruited from Hogwarts hey haha K. Shacklebolt - An Auror; my man became Minister of Magic F + G Weasley - 'Graduated' 95/96 - opened store H. Granger; R. Weasley - First mission seems to be when 17 H. Potter - Did some things with Albus at 16...? Unclear.

If I am missing anyone please add B^)

- Harry was doomed to face Voldemort anyway. Does he really count as an Order member...? He's more the reason the order exists. - Ron and Hermione are there in support of Harry - and only do things for the Order after Albus' death, when they are 17 and don't have much choice, they are hunted. Is it really 'joining the Order' when the order barely exists anymore...? - Fred and George... did they do any Order things before Albus' death...? Were they just running their shop, with their Mum breathing down their backs to not get involved? Unclear.

Notes to do with the second Order: Molly is against the children participating. Sirius, Lupin, probably some others but I can't remember are in support of it.

Albus Dumbledore was also against the children participating - especially in 95/96, where his whole deal was trying to keep them at school, safe - even though they weren't learning jack shit. It takes Harry having a meltdown, Sirius dying - and Dumbledore being cursed - for him to go "Fuck it... Harry, you should help. I gotta teach you before I die."

Observations about both Orders:

They both have a large group that come from one source. In the First War it was the Marauders, in the second the Weasleys.

They also share an 'Auror talent' that seem more affiliated with Moody than they do Albus: Tonks and the Longbottoms.

It makes sense that when one person joins others are likely to follow. The Weasley parents -> the Weasley kids -> Fleur. James, Sirius -> Peter, Remus, Lily -> Severus.

That's not really recruitment from school.

If I personally were to use the school to groom/recruit children to fight for me in a war: I would be trying to get the best from every year. I would be heavily encouraging kids from all year levels that show promise to take certain classes and learn certain spells... Then, I would assess them when they graduate: '71, '72, '73, '74, '75, '76, '77, '78 was a big year. '79, '80... A constant trickle. A couple of new people this year, one the next - and they are all likely to bring at least a friend along, too - right...?

Yet we don't really see that happen. It's just that one bumper crop from 78, that one friend group. Were there NO talented graduates in any other year...? Was ONLY Griffindor considered...?

There isn't exactly a 'skill requirement' to join the Order. You had people there just to source information. Remus did werewolf jobs. Peter Pete'd all over the place. There were min. 2 pregnancies...

They were losing people - if they needed quantity over quality, if they only really needed base loyalty and a good heart... why NOT recruit more students? And yet there's just one blip in 78.

That doesn't particularly scream 'groomed child soldiers' to me. BUT - there are 6 people from the first Order whose ages can't be estimated. Are they the missing child soldiers from the years before/after the Marauders? Dunno.

[memoria-99]

Female characters of SWD

Wizardess Heart

Liz: Innocent, naive and airheaded girl. Happy go lucky. "Things would turn out well!" Then all the others miraculously agree. At least she's better when she's a prefect but she's still an airhead.

Amelia: Honestly nothing to talk about. All she does is girl talk, especially about Liz's romance. I wanted to give her some popcorn to enjoy with.

Eress: I love this girl. A bit hot tempered and never takes any shit from others, but also dreams about true love. Keeps her promises to the very end. And her true form is very pretty.

Chica: Arrogant plus tsundere. Encourages others strongly when needed. Not a fan of her endless fangirling but overall she's a nice friend to accompany.

Mischa: She's my favorite girl in Wizardess Heart. She has very cute appearance but inside she's very mature. Speaks elegantly like noble lady does. She appears to be rather nonchalant but doesn't ignore when someone close to her has difficult times. Gives a lot of enigmatic yet helpful advices. If Eress and Chica are more like friends, Mischa is more like an older sister.

Blood in Roses

Witch MC: She's mature and experienced, especially when it comes to relationships. Though being a kind figure, she never hesitates to stand for herself, even becomes aggressive at times. She's quite smart too.

Hunter MC: She really is competent in physical fights. Very skilled with bow and arrow, and has a strong sense of responsibility. A bit aloof but loyal to her people.

Bridget: As a child, she's a lovesick spoiled kid with a bit of tsundere. However, as an adult, she's a wonderful woman. She's pretty, elegant and carries no prejudice. Gentle and friendly but also assertive and has a strong sense of justice. Doesn't want to be treated as a sheltered princess so learned to wield a gun.

Matilda: Seductive and mysterious but also a soft hearted girl who longs to find her one and true soulmate. She can fight with knifes.

The Niflheim

Princess: She's not one of those typical princesses. She's a tomboy who's funny and quirky. Though she's mostly bright and is referred to as the sun, she knows when to take matters seriously and never sits still.

Sunny: Cynical girl with sharp tongue. However, she's witty and flexible, making her a good comrade.

Lost Alice

Alice: Literally the star who shines the most in Lost Alice. Though she have lost her memories, she's still a headstrong girl who never takes shit from anybody. Also has a kind heart that makes herself jump into risk for another person's sake.

Queen of Hearts: Has pure and gentle heart. She also is a very determined girl with inner strength.

Lily: She's an antagonist but attractive woman at the same time. Friendly and mischievous, also sly and smart.

Destiny Ninja 2

Ayame: Has a strong sense of responsibility, and keeps going forward no matter what. She's far from being a pushover and good at fighting with a sword.

So many girls are attractive but Liz and Amelia's characters are kinda too poorly written...

Ironic that Wizardess Heart is my favorite but Liz and Amelia are my least favorites.

Finishing this post with my love Mischa

[skyland2703]

Javi x Amelia for ships 👀

What is this a joke 😭 I just know this essay is gonna get out of hand asdfghjkasdfghfds

OKAY SO I’m gonna try keeping other ships out of this, so it’s only just taking about Javelia

If you know me, you know I’m OBSESSED with this ship. This one ship that just takes my world by storm because of how badly I got obsessed with it. I don’t even know how it happened.

So you see, we see Amelia and Javi meet for the first time at Buzzblast. That is where the story begins. The “nice harmonica, catchy tune” line— and BOOM! Instant attraction. I believe Amelia saw him as a friend, initially, but she really did care for him— “best friend” even, maybe. But nothing more than that.

Javi, on the other hand, got OBSESSED. Not the bad kind, but the “I think I have a crush on you.” Obsessed. We see him teasing her, we see him showing up in places with her, we see them AS COWORKERS— they’re literally Co-workers OH MY GAWD— and we see them as rangers and as friends.

Javi supports her in her ghost hunting, he never pulls her down. She and Javi have a “we’re both made fun of because of what we like to do” kinda bond, Javi with his music, and his father not letting him live it down, and Amelia with Ollie criticising her every move. They support each other, Amelia acts like the #1 fan of Javi’s music and Javi is always ready for helping her hunt ghosts— he makes a fucking theme song for her ghost hunting programme!!!!! They have a “at least I got you in my corner” vibe to them that drew me to their ship in the first place. This kinda support, this kinda FRIENDSHIP. WHERE DO YOU FIND THAT!!!!

But BUT we see Javi showing the “more than friends” signs, and we see Amelia friendzoning him. If you notice, Javi stops showing the signs after she starts dating Ollie. There is just one??? Two?? Scenes??? Of them??? In the last couple episodes of DF— BECAUSE of what I believe, Javi respectfully abandoning his chase, like Theo did, as I mentioned in the Theo/Lily post— when he realises that Amelia’s affections lie somewhere else.

BUT THEN WE COME TO COSMIC FURY. We come to Amelia’s heartbreak, and we SEE Javi being there for her like no other member of the team is!!!!!! Because you see, Solon and Billy were making the morphers, Aiyon was busy @ Zayto, either looking/worrying for him, or with him. Izzy was with Fern. THESE TWO. HAD NOBODY ELSE. Only each other. And I believe, the bond forged in forced intimacy is the greatest bond of all, because it reminds you of the trauma you’ve suffered, and all of the things you went through together.

Amelia was hurt. Javi was injured. And Ollie was evil. The situation works out with such perfection, that when Amelia takes the role of The Red Ranger, JAVI, automatically, becomes her second in command. Now we all know how much I like the Leader x Second in command trope. Javi pitches ideas, he follows behind her, he acts as THE support system a leader needs in case things go awry.

But that’s not where this ends, you see? Because feelings MIGHT develop between them during all of this, but Amelia still has a boyfriend(?). Javi is still “that dorky friend” of hers in her mind.

THAT changes when he loses his arm. She gets respect for him, because all of Dino fury, Javi was just the “sexy lamp” of the team, the guy who crushed on Amelia, and “Izzy’s brother.” He did not have a proper standing of his own, but the way he goes out of the way to sacrifice himself? That opens a new avenue of his personality TO HER. It makes HER realise that “oh my god, I’ve been looking at a diamond in the rough, this entire time.” Because sacrificing yourself isn’t easy. Offering yourself for sacrifice TWICE?

Yes. Yes, that’s the turning point of Javi and Amelia’s relationship. The moment in episode 9, when Javi chooses to sacrifice himself, ONCE AGAIN. When he tells her, in episode 10, that he made it through once, he can do it again? And she looks at him with that “but at what cost, Javi?” And he laughs and tells her he’ll be okay? THAT WORRY IN HER EYES?!! THAT EXPRESSION THAT SMILE?!!? That was the moment Amelia realised she had not only fallen for him, but that she had fallen SO HARD. That she not only “loved him”, now, she also respected him more than she had EVER respected him in the past.

I feel like that RESPECT formed the basis of their bond after that. That they probably never went back to being “just friends.” Because while Javi had respectfully abandoned his chase, Amelia realised she could not let him go. He wasn’t someone she could EVER let go. All because of the way he had acted when things went awry.

While she stepped up to take the leadership of the team, he stepped up to offer himself for the taking. THAT forged their bond harder than steel. They were never going back.

I still feel like after cosmic fury, it takes them a little time to figure out their feelings, but eventually, they do. The love and worry Amelia’s eyes spoke no lies at that moment, and Javi too saw it. ONCE AGAIN ITERATING the Hindi dub made Javi say HE WAS *hER* JAVI

So yes, Tl;dr, they started out as friends, but situations made themselves so that they could not remain friends. They fell in love. Their love was too strong.

I SHIP IT OKAY 😭😭😭 They’re my #1 OTP.

LOOK AT THAT SMILE. Is that how friends look at friends?!!???!!?

Send me a ship and I will explain why I do or don't ship it

[trojanteapot]

INFINITY TRAIN CLASSPECTS 

In this post I will be merging my two "hyperfixations" / "special interests" by assigning Homestuck Mythological Roles (a.k.a. Classpects) to some of the Infinity Train characters.

What the fuck is a Classpect?

Classpects are like Zodiac signs or Hogwarts Houses except excruciatingly convoluted, because it’s from Homestuck. I will attempt to simplify them as much as possible. 

Basically every character receives a title in this format:

[Class Role] of [Aspect]

which, in Homestuck canon, gives the character sweet reality warping powers!

Some examples include the Witch of Space being able to shrink entire planets, or the Heir of Breath whipping up tornadoes out of nowhere! One of the coolest examples in canon was the Rogue of Void can steal non-existence from an object and make it real!

But the titles are also assigned based on a character's personality, goals, how they interact with others, and their overall character arc. And because they are Zodiac-adjacent, it also means that classpects can be applied to any sort of character in any media in existence.

Why are you doing classpects for Infinity Train you cringey Hussie simp?

First off, I don’t care for Andrew Hussie beyond the fact that they authored Homestuck, and one can certainly argue it wasn’t entirely on their own. This is an irrelevant tangent.

Secondly, both the video game Sburb in Homestuck, and the Train in Infinity Train are essentially character arc generators. 

This means it’s extremely straightforward to assign classpects onto these Train peeps because their character arcs have been spelled out for us, in the same way that Sburb spells out the character arcs for the Homestuck characters when they play the game.

SUMMARY OF CLASSES

A Class determines how a character is, or acts, or behaves, they are analogous to D&D classes. This system is based on the one developed by @optimisticduelist2 and @homestuckexamination

Role Active Passive Description*

Create Maid Sylph Create or Mend for self / others

Destroy Prince Bard Destroy or Subdue for self / others

Change Witch Heir Change or Manipulate for self / others

Know Mage Seer Understand or Learn for self / others

Give Page Knight Give or Serve to self / others

Take Thief Rogue Take or Steal for self / others

*Note: Just because a character is in a passive or active class does NOT mean they must ALWAYS use their aspect in a selfish or selfless manner!

SUMMARY OF ASPECTS

Aspects are analogous to classical elements (Water, Earth, Fire, Air, etc). They come in pairs that counterbalance each other like Yin and Yang. I also try to summarize their core concept in as little words as possible. (Note if you are using the dark theme some of the font colours might not show up properly. Just highlight it if that's the case.)

Space - Creativity Time - Inevitability

Light - Knowledge Void - Mystery

Life - Abundance Doom - Futility

Hope - Faith Rage - Chaos

Mind - Motives/Decisions Heart - Identity/Emotions

Breath - Freedom Blood - Bonds

***Key point: Thinking about the character’s Character Arc is the best way to classpect them!!!***

If their character arc revolves (mainly) around themselves, they are an ACTIVE class.

If their character arc revolves (mainly) around other people, they are a PASSIVE class.

CHARACTERS AND THEIR CLASSPECTS

Tulip Olsen – Mage of Light

“One who knows Light for themselves.” 

Tulip gained the most knowledge of the Train other than Amelia out of the main characters, and her understanding of the Train (the world around her) as well as her own issues allowed her to free herself from the Train. Her knowledge inadvertently led to a better Train system through her teaching her knowledge to One-One (mages are great teachers).

You may be wondering, if her knowledge also benefited others, why is Tulip a mage and not a seer? That’s because Tulip took the initiative to seek the knowledge of her own volition (i.e. actively), and is more open to accepting and assimilating new knowledge. 

Seers on the other hand, receive a ton of knowledge passively, but it takes them time to parse the amount of information, and seers tend to struggle to understand the meaning behind the information they receive (Rose, the Seer of Light in Homestuck suffered the brunt of this early on, and Terezi, the Seer of Mind, had this struggle in the middle to the end of the webcomic. Also see the entry for Simon).

Amelia Hughes – Maid of Doom

“One who creates Doom for themselves.”

I don’t think I need to explain the ‘creating doom for herself’ part of Amelia’s whole schtick, since doom is tied to futility and suffering. However, looking more deeply into it, you can say that she has created so much suffering on the Train that to make amends (hehe mends), she needs to go and fix the mistakes she made, thus also mending her own Doom and mending through Doom. 

By taking Hazel in, not only is she mending the doom that she had brought onto Hazel by creating her in the first place, but she also averted Hazel’s doom by saving her from Grace and Simon. [non-canonical tangent: in my fanfic, she helps Simon realize what his issues were, thus averting his doom as well].

In addition, Doom is tied to technology and systems, and Amelia is an engineer, and if you buy my idea that the Train itself can be seen as an Agent of Doom, or even the embodiment of Doom, then her creating Train Cars to reenact her past life (also an act of futility) also falls very much in line with Maid of Doom. Also she is basically MADE of doom as the False Conductor.

Lake – Thief of Breath

“One who takes Breath for themselves.”

Lake wanted freedom from their existence as a reflection, and then they wanted to be free from the Train like a passenger can eventually be. Lake wasn’t afraid to get their hands dirty in order to obtain that freedom as well, something thieves are prone to do. We see them try to trick Tulip in the Chrome Car in order to escape from the mirror dimension, and they also full-out killed a cop they were handcuffed to so they could be free.

Jesse Cosay – Knight of Blood

“One who serves Blood to others.”

Blood is tied to bonds in terms of the bonds we create between people, i.e. family and friends. Jesse’s key issue was that he was giving too much of himself to his toxic friends and his swim team that he hurt his little brother in the process, and he needed to learn to give in a healthier way. 

He also in a sense has to ‘set boundaries’ with others too, and not get too influenced by peer pressure. Finally, the most important use of his aspect was he was able to free Lake by offering (giving) his friendship (blood) to them.

Grace Monroe – Witch of Heart

“One who changes Heart for themselves”

Grace is basically the queen of putting on masks in order to get what she wants from others. She acts in a friendly and understanding teacher/guardian manner to the younger Apex kids, but in a cool girl big sis kind of way to Jesse in order to convince him to join the Apex. So not only does she exhibit the changing of identity, but also to change how others feel about her, both to her own benefit. She is really the most “herself” only with Simon.

Grace’s entire character arc is centered around her having a ‘change of heart’ too, re-evaluating and changing her whole identity once she found out she was wrong about numbers and denizens. She will then change the hearts of the Apex kids as well, changing the purpose and identity of the Apex.

Simon Laurent – Seer of Mind

“One who knows Mind for others.”

You're probably rolling on the ground with laughter right now. Believe me I was too when I thought of this. But let me explain.

Because Simon’s arc ended in his tragic death, then we need to see what he did wrong in order to figure out his classpect. Simon’s troubles started when he rejected new information about the Train, when he refused knowledge. In addition, he was so sure of his own correctness that he couldn’t properly understand Grace’s motivations and couldn’t predict her decisions. He forcibly peered into Grace’s private thoughts for himself, and then came to the entirely wrong conclusions. 

He was, in essence, completely unaware of the minds of others, and thus blinded himself to the truth. Thus, he is the Seer of Mind. 

We can therefore imagine that if his character arc had run its course not to tragedy but towards self-actualization, he would have become somebody to understand other’s minds, and to know his own mind for the benefit of others (cough my fanfics coughcoughcough). This will not be easy for him, because as mentioned before, Seers receive information very naturally but struggle with understanding it and synthesizing it into a coherent whole.

It is also possible he was exercising some of his knowledge of mind in a positive way by being the Apex’s second in command, as he was the strategist to Grace’s commander.

Ryan Akagi – Heir of Space

“One who changes Space for others.”

Ryan is a creative spirit, with his eyes to the stars. He’s always making plans to spread his art to the whole world. He is driven but in a way where it seems like creativity is driving him, and he is just along for the ride. 

Yes, music is normally associated with time, but Ryan isn’t cynical, dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. He is a guy that’s in the present moment. Plus, his gigs include lots of theatrics and visuals… when he is able/allowed to accomplish that of course. So this aligns his musicality more towards Space than Time.

He inspired Min-Gi to follow his artistic pursuits. He also finds creative solutions to Train cars that his companions didn’t see (especially the Art Gallery Car, where as soon as he found the solution he literally changed space). He definitely fits the ‘driving inspirational force’ that Heirs are for others.

Min-Gi Park – Page of Hope

“One who serves Hope to themselves.”

Min-Gi didn’t have faith in himself and his musical abilities. He dreams of being a musician but he did not ‘believe in himself’ enough to follow that dream. In the end, he had to have faith in his abilities, to allow himself to hope for the future that he wants. Pages also have very slow progression rates, and Min-Gi certainly fits that; not understanding his true calling until his best friend/crush accidentally dragged him into several repeated life or death situations in another dimension. 

[Non-canonical note: Min-Gi having the Hope aspect could be why I headcanoned him and his family as religious for my fanfics (Hope is very much tied to spirituality and religion, and the hope symbol is a pair of angelic wings for crying out loud). And also apparently that was a lucky thing I did because Korean-Canadian immigrants in the sixties were all just missionary families sponsored by the Presbyterian Church!]

REFERENCES 

Homestuck Character Classes (Most Official Fanon): https://homestuckexamination.tumblr.com/post/175472060924/homestuck-examination-classpect-analysis https://mspaintadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Class

Homestuck Cosmic Aspects (Canonical): http://hs.hiveswap.com/ezodiac/aboutaspects.php

[red-velvet-0w0]

boo. tell me about your ocs

oh dear this is going to take a while.

honestly im pretty tired right now so i might not go as into detail as i might normal but heres the gist of it

5 teenagers get trapped in a time loop mystery trying to figure out who trapped them in a time loop while being hunted down by a cult, the US government, and a varied collection of eldritch gods

to be more specific basicaly the five are trapped in a timeloop and loose most of their memoreis between loops, only really remembering their relationship with the people around them, though each have a special ability allowing them to remember one thing

the characters are:

(heres an old lineup i made of them for reference) (need to remake this at some point)

in order we have

Amelia Augur: genderfluid lesbian artist with an interest in the supernatural and a pet raven named Ray who keeps all memories throughout loops but struggles to communicate anything due to being a bird

Jane Hare: lesbian transfem writer in an abusive relationship with an eldritch mirror god who wakes up with a lymeric every morning crypticly outlining what happened the loop before

Ida Vidya: pansexual aromantic journalist who is obsessed with knowing everything even if it kills her (and it has killed her, many, many, many, many times) who has a camera that keeps 10 pictures over to the next loop

Jack Edmund-Kang: bisexual former jock son of the Mayor with self hatred issues, a dead mother, and a dad he wishes was dead, who has the ability to keep all physical changes to his body between loops, meaning he can grow muscle and learn muscle memory, but also keeps so so so so so many scars. also he can remember all the blood hes seen in any loop

Blake Payne: gay emo transmasc drummer with mommy issues and a knife, who can remember things based off of sound

Special Agent Booker, CIA: a secret agent sent to figure out what is going on in this one town and is given all the government resources and manpower she needs, only to immediately become worsties with a furry

Mayor Kang: jacks father, the mayor of the town, and also a secret cult leader who has lived for hundreds of years protecting an ancient magical artifact called the Pentagramic Pocketwatch that he was planning on using to revive his dead wife, only for it to get stolen and used to trap everybody in a time loop, and him assuming that his son had stolen it and trying to kill him

The Day: Minor god of days who dies every night and is born every day, who was the actual one who stole the Pentagramic Pocketwatch to try and escape having to die over and over agian, though thats not revealed until pretty late in the story

The Mask: Minor god of manipulation who dresses like a furry and manages to immediatly become enemies with the first two women dressed in blue it can find. its by far one of the physicaly weakest characters, but is just really smart and good at outmanuvering everyone so that it can get its hands on the Pentagramic Pocketwatch

The Beast: Minor god of hunting wants to steal the watch for itself and has toxic old man yaoi with the mayor

The Reflection: Minor god of mirrors who is by far the worst person i have ever created.

basicaly the plot is split up into 5 arcs of

the main five find themselves in a time loop oh no

they find out that actualy theres some other weird stuff going on in town

oh shit magic and gods and shit is real?

hey i wonder who actualy stole the pocketwatch if it wasnt us

hey the day has the pocketwatch lets get our hands on it before any of the other people manage to get their hands on it

anyways if you want more clarification you can ask me for specific details later, otherwise heres a link to a different post where i explain everything far more in depth

[rainbowmoonstonestories]

Let Your Dreams Be Your Wings | Chapter 10

Chapters: 10/? Fandom: The Sandman (Netflix 2022, minor content from the Comics) Rating: Explicit Relationships Dream of the Endless/Morpheus x F!Reader  Characters: Dream of the Endless/Morpheus, Lucienne, Matthew the Raven, Mervyn Pumpkinhead, Hob Gadling, Death, Rose Walker, The Corinthian, other minor Sandman characters, Original Characters. Warnings: 18+ content (minors DNI), explicit sexual content, POV switching, very long chapters to read. Summary: You always dreamed of becoming a successful Fashion Designer, sharing your creations with the world and making your father proud. But with him being very ill and so many costs solely weighting on your shoulders, things didn’t go as planned and you had to take a different path instead. An interesting offer led you to the elder Alex Burgess and you were hired as a new housemaid for a very good pay. However, your kindness and outstanding empathy convinced the man to give you an additional task for a doubled compensation; gaining the trust of Dream Of the Endless, held captive into the basement for over a century. Despite the shock of finding such an ethereal entity stripped of all his clothes and contained into a confined space, you had to accept for the sake of your father. But the more you got to speak to the mysterious anthropomorphic personification who didn’t utter a single word, the more you were lost into his eyes that, conversely, seemed to contain the entire universe. A deep connection formed between the two of you, separated only by a thick layer of glass.

Little did you know, what started like a simple housemaid job was about to change your life forever.

Credits: The moon dividers were made by firefly-graphics

Tagging: @number-0-iz. If anyone else wants to be tagged in the next updates, let me know! I noticed that Tumblr sometimes won't let me tag everyone for some unknown reason, so if it comes to that I can at least send you a message to notify you.

Ko-Fi (If you ever wish to support my work)

Note: I posted an interlude with pictures on AO3, I highly recommend checking that!

You thought you could keep that little secret to yourself, but in the end, your curiosity got the best of you.

The elevator ride felt much longer than it actually was. You tried to calm your pulse while adjusting your hair and clothes, waiting for the doors to open at your desired floor. Upon reaching your destination, you stepped out of the elevator and tightly gripped the strap of your bag. As you looked around, you absorbed the lively atmosphere and energetic banter in the air as the cacophony of scissors slicing through fabric and sewing machines filled your ears.

A middle-aged woman with kind brown eyes and a big hair bun catched sight of you and met your gaze. She put her pen aside, left her desk, and approached you with a big, bright smile. As she moved closer, you could detect a sweet fragrance of roses.

“Y/N Y/LN, I presume?”

You swallowed down your growing tension and greeted her, "Good morning. Yes, it is me.”

She offered her hand and you quickly took it, shaking it lightly in return.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Amelia Foster, but everyone here calls me Amy. Please, don’t worry about the formalities with me.”

Her amiable manners and endearing reception instantly put you at ease. Your face involuntarily lit up and you returned her smile.

As time went by, other employees began to take notice of your presence. They walked away from their tasks to approach you, each of them introducing themself to you with a level of enthusiasm to which you were not accustomed. They treated you like an established member of their team, patting your shoulder, complimenting your appearance, and offering you tea and snacks as if you were a welcome guest in a warm household.

Remembering their names may be a challenging endeavor, but you were already feeling positive sensations from your potential future coworkers. There was only one person, a sullen-looking woman who stood apart from the forming crowd, not really instilling a good feeling in you. Although she exuded a sense of elegance, the crossed arms and subtle glare she directed at you gave off a rather unfavorable impression. Her deep, black curls looked as smooth as cotton, shimmering in the natural light coming from the windows. The fitting dress she was clothed in accentuated her feminine figure, and the crimson shade of her lips curved in what appeared to be a frown, reminiscent of a villainous character from an old Disney movie.

You couldn't dwell on it for too long because the sound of a door opening caught your attention. Before you could even turn your head, a pair of small yet strong arms wrapped around you, almost knocking you backward. A piercing scream reverberated through the room as Ella began to hop up and down, forcibly pulling you along with her. You felt pleased to see that, even after several years of separation, she still retained her youthful energy.

You returned her hug, feeling a bit self-conscious in front of the team witnessing such a display of affection. After removing herself from the embrace, she had a tear-filled gaze with her big emerald eyes. Her blonde tresses had extended in length, replacing her former cute bob with a style that framed her facial features more elegantly. Her makeup was more natural and simple compared to the thick eyeshadow she once loved utilizing.

Although she still resembled her younger self, you could clearly see a fully matured woman before you.

In a brief exchange, Ella conveyed her immense pleasure at reuniting with you, unafraid to show her exuberant emotions in front of her team. It was striking to you how everyone seemed more like a family than just a group of workers. It brought back memories of your previous job and of how Paul used to treat you at Fawney Rig.

Sometimes, you actually missed the man.

Taking your hand in a tight grip, Ella pulled you out of the room without much ceremony. The office appeared to be quite spacious, with multiple rooms and a long corridor connecting all of them. Your surroundings were completely unfamiliar to you, but you could visualize yourself regularly pacing back and forth across the location during work hours on a regular basis.

As you entered her office, Ella invited you to take a seat on the cozy couch for an informal conversation. After removing her high heels, she positioned herself against the velvety cushions, lifting her legs and comfortably stretching out. "Doesn't this bring back memories? It’s been so long since we’ve had a proper chat.”

You flashed a smile and took off your bag, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. "And now look at you; a successful married woman managing an empire.”

With a hearty chuckle, she proclaimed, "It is not the big castle with rainbow unicorns I wished for as a child, but I’m proud of what Oliver and I have built. After all, he is my Prince Charming.”

"It does feel like a dream just to be here right now. You've accomplished so much more than I ever could.”

Ella’s beaming face switched to a slight frown, and in a rapid motion, her hands found themselves resting atop yours. “Y/N, your talents will bring you far in life. I’m sure of it.”

For the first time, you were inclined to believe it.

"I want to apologize again for not reaching out. I really should have called you," she continued.

You shook your head lightly. "I didn't call you either.”

"I know that you only wanted me to have my space. Besides, life as an adult can get bumpy every now and then," she said, showing her understanding.

“Tell me about it.”

Ella let out a deep sigh, stroking your arm up and down in a friendly manner. "How about we catch up? You're not in a hurry, are you?”

Your friend had missed out on a significant amount of things over the past couple of years alone. Fortunately, you had decided to allot the entire day for yourself, being certain that discussing each other's lives, as well as recollecting events from the past, would demand a prolonged stretch of time before initiating the informal interview.

Regrettably, you were unable to divulge the complete particulars of your relationship with Morpheus, forced to devise a creative option with alterations to the original story, in an effort to fabricate a statement that would safeguard his identity. Despite this, your friend was exceedingly ecstatic upon hearing that you had found a good man. She immediatly expressed her desire to meet him in person, in addition to the vigorous impulse to strike your former lovers in the face.

The conversation progressed just like that, and eventually, you spoke of your close friend Hob Gadling, as well as your father's health problems and the struggles you had to go through to take care of him. Upon hearing the news, Ella was awed and almost broken into tears. She frequently visited your house and came to appreciate your father a great deal as you two grew up together. You could still vividly remember the sleepovers, the fake tents you used to build with sheets and chairs with his joyful participation, and the galaxy projector you both loved to admire as it cast beautiful stars and nebulae on the ceiling while drifting off to sleep.

"Oh, Y/N. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. You should have called me then," she said apologetically. “I feel like an awful friend right now. I never once asked you how you were doing,”

"I couldn't call anyone, Ella. That was not your burden, it was mine to deal with,” you explained. “I should offer you the same apology."

“Not really. You needed that more than I did.”

As you shifted your attention downwards, you noticed that she had begun to scratch the back of her right hand. Her skin immediately reddened as soon as her fingernails came into contact with it.

Without a second thought, you took hold of her left wrist and pulled it away. "I see that you never got rid of your old habit.”

Ella pressed her lips together, avoiding your eyes. “I did for some time, after meeting Oliver. Still, the itching comes back whenever I feel stressed or worried.”

"If you are concerned about me, don't be. I promise you, everything is okay now," you clarified reassuringly.

“I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”

“It was better that way,” you stated. “You were following your dreams.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

"But it makes me feel better to see what an extraordinary woman you have become."

Ella let out a light chuckle, lightly tapping the damp skin under her eyes with her fingertips. "I'll cry if you keep doing that," she said with a wry smile, her voice tinged with a hint of playfulness.

"You already are!”

"Oh, shoosh.”

In an instant, it felt as if the two of you had never been apart. The nervousness and anxiety lingering in you easily dissipated, replaced by a sense of comfort and familiarity. With every shared secret and heartfelt joke, the bond between you grew as strong as it ever was, solidifying your certainties and eradicating your insecurities.

As time passed, the conversation eventually moved to the professional aspect. Ella began to inform you about the specific duties and tasks that their former Fashion Designer had been responsible for, as well as what was expected of you as his successor. Not only would you be in charge of the creative direction and elements for all future lines of their brand, but they also desired a more innovative approach to portraying their products in magazines and advertising boards. As Ella guided you through a tour of their entire structure, the Photo Studio and Graphic Laboratory took center stage, emphasizing their importance in achieving these goals.

To you, everything you were witnessing felt like an incredible dream coming true. The opportunity to be a part of this environment and take on such significant roles was beyond anything you had ever imagined and wished for.

"I know this is a lot to take on, especially since you haven't worked directly in this field," Ella acknowledged. "But I believe in your abilities and I trust that you would be the perfect choice.”

Being aware of your own capabilities, you placed your own faith in the knowledge you had acquired through your studies and the personal work you had accomplished over the years. You had taught yourself the skills that you believed were ideal for the position that Ella proposed, investing countless hours in various online courses on Design, Photography, and 3D development.

"I know I told you to take your time to decide, but I hope you can give me a response as soon as possible. We need to prepare for the Fashion show that will take place in three months, and without a designer, we are completely unprepared now.”

As Ella further elaborated upon the topic at hand, you couldn't contain your delight and kept examining the surrounding environment. A comparable chance had never arisen to you before, and you were determined not to let it slip away.

In the end, you gave her a piercing gaze, all the while maintaining a determined expression. “I accept.”

Ella found herself blinking multiple times, trying to confirm if she had understood your words correctly. “Wait, what?”

"I don't need to think about it, Ella. I know exactly what I want, and you can count on me.”

The tight, warm hug she gave you lasted for a few seconds, leaving you breathless with its robust squeeze. In response, Ella expressed her gratitude by using every bit of air in her lungs.

“Lucienne,” "Morpheus called his librarian's name as he walked along the shelves. “Did you want to see me?”

The woman raised her face from the sizable volume she was contemplating, her glasses almost slipped down from her nose doing so. "Yes, my lord," she responded. "It appears that I omitted something in my previous research. About your human lady.”

Morpheus' attention was immediately piqued. “Tell me more.”

Lucienne directed her gaze at the Lord of Dreams, releasing a deep sigh. She turned the book around to grant him a view of its contents. "Perhaps you should see for yourself," she suggested.

Morpheus hesitated, then took a step closer to examine the book, which lay spread open in front of him. His eyes scanned the words imprinted on the bound scrolls, and a frown formed on his countenance as he absorbed their revelation.

He tilted his head upwards, once again meeting Lucienne's worried eyes.

"Sir, are you going to tell her?" she asked.

Morpheus allowed his fingertips to gently glide across the page, engaging in deep contemplation to determine what alternatives were available to him.

"Uhm, if I can make a suggestion, I think she should probably know," Matthew intervened, flying over the table and landing next to Morpheus' hand.

"You are not incorrect, Matthew,” he confirmed. “"Nonetheless, this needs to be approached with the utmost caution.”

For a moment, the raven glanced at Lucienne before redirecting his dark, glassy eyes towards the Endless once more. “I suppose so. Still, this is something she might find interesting to learn about. I definitely would.”

Being someone with extensive knowledge surpassing that of a typical mortal regarding his realm, his siblings and their place in the universe, Morpheus understood that the amount of information you had acquired up until this moment was already quite overwhelming for you to process alone. In light of this, the Endless wanted to give you the necessary time to adjust to the several truths you had discovered. He aimed to avoid making the already complex situation worse and refrain from adding fuel to the active fire.

"Thank you, Lucienne," he said, closing the book. "I shall reflect on this matter.”

Lucienne nodded, watching as Morpheus silently left with the tome tucked under his arm, his coat billowing behind him as he walked briskly.

Upon arriving at your apartment, your mind was torn between two conflicting emotions. On one hand, you were in complete disbelief, yet also content and motivated, as the job of your dreams had materialized before your eyes. At the same time, you couldn't shake off the memory of the peculiar meeting you had earlier in the day, where those strange ladies discussed topics that were simply inconceivable to you.

The women you encountered seemed particularly eager in their efforts to portray Morpheus in a negative light. It seemed that their goal was to persuade you that your decision to align with him was impulsive and unwise. Furthermore, they claimed that the Lord of Dreams had once been married and conceived a child, whose name and story were well-documented and extensively explored in various literary works familiar to your kind.

The Fates, also known as the Kindly Ones, proclaimed that the Endless was directly responsible for the tragic fate of Orpheus. If the published books were indeed based on factual events, it was difficult for you to comprehend how the Endless could be solely and entirely accountable for the disastrous downfall of his son.

According to Greek mythology, Orpheus was the child of Calliope and Apollo, described as a famous musician, prophet, and celebrated poet. In the childhood fairytale you had with you, it was mentioned that, in certain instances, the King of Dreams was indeed associated with Apollo.

Despite your extensive research, you didn't manage to uncover any sort of information about Orpheus losing all his flesh at the behest of Apollo. You were on the verge of approaching Morpheus with a query, as the idea of him killing his own child was unimaginable and hard to believe.

However, Morpheus had started to open up about his past, describing the unfortunate circumstances that Nada had to endure because of his sorrow and broken heart. This made you question whether you should delve deeper into his personal matters, considering the sensitivity and privacy of the topic, which he probably wanted to forget.

That night, when you found him in your dreams, you realized that it wasn't the most appropriate moment to bring it up. With a warm smile masking your curiosity, you used the delightful news of your employment as a diversionary tactic. Morpheus, from his side, displayed no signs of suspecting anything, wholeheartedly congratulating you on your deserving success.

You were unaware that he was also hiding a crucial secret from you.

A month later, the job you took at Corbyn&Jones proved to be one of the most demanding positions you've ever held, but also the most enjoyable and fulfilling role you could have asked for. When you first met the CEO, you had to make an effort to remain composed and ensure that your friendship with his wife wouldn’t impact your performance. However, as you worked alongside Oliver, you became more familiar with each other and developed a mutual respect. You discovered that he was truly open, easygoing, and down-to-earth.

On top of that, your colleagues proved to be incredibly kind, supportive, and engaging individuals to work with. It didn't take long for you to form strong friendships with most of them, casually enjoying tea or coffee together during your short breaks.

In the office, you could rely on them to successfully complete tasks and execute projects. Every minute spent there felt more like a fun occurrence rather than a stressful routine focused solely on making money. Everything was perfect, in proper sync with the ideal working environment you had envisioned for yourself.

If there was anything to nitpick and scrutinize, the one factor that would be considered an impediment was that one woman, Maya Davies, who glowered at you from afar on the day you came in. According to what Ella told you, she used to be Isaac's right-hand person and had aspirations of becoming the new Fashion Designer of the company. Whenever you had to spend time alone with her for the sake of your work, she seemed to scrutinize you with contempt, speaking minimally and making a few passive-aggressive remarks. Ella admitted that Maya had a tendency to be boastful in her behavior, but she was still considered a valuable addition to their team for her marketing skills.

Eventually, you accepted the situation as it was. The issue with Maya was a minor obstacle that had minimal impact on the progress of your ongoing projects and dwelling on it would be a waste of time and effort.

Furthermore, your relationship with Morpheus remained smooth, even though you still couldn't define its true nature despite the clear affection he had for you. He would occasionally visit you in the Waking World or join you on your extensive nocturnal adventures in his realm of dreams, adding more depth to your ever growing connection and intimacy.

That night, you stood by Morpheus' side in front of the old tavern once known as The White Horse. Instead of its usual decrepit state, it appeared fully intact and emanated a typical medieval atmosphere from within.

"Wait, is this...?”

"It is the year 1389," he confirmed. “Come with me.”

You followed him with a sense of bewilderment, observing as he opened the door and gestured for you to step inside before him. As soon as you entered the tavern, you were immediately captivated by the soft glow of candlelight and the sight of numerous citizens adorned in antique garments. The tavern was bustling with men and women, sipping from large wooden mugs with metal handles, engrossed in lively conversations that filled the air with a vibrant murmur.

Morpheus guided you to an unoccupied table and pulled out a chair for you. Without saying a word, you settled yourself next to him and took another moment to inspect your surroundings.

“Can they see us?”

“They cannot. This is a recollection of the past,” he explained.

"A memory within a dream? I’m curious now. Why did you bring me here?”

Morpheus’ lips raised into a small grin as he looked at the farthest table a few feet away from your position. Following his line of sight, you noticed a group of men joyfully indulging in their leisure time at the tavern. They sat comfortably, clutching large tankards in their hands. Among them, you immediately recognized a familiar man, someone you couldn't possibly overlook.

“Hob?!”

There was no room for error, it was him. He had shoulder-length hair, a full beard, wore a dark brown cloak, and what appeared to be a commoner uniform with long sleeves underneath. He laughed and enjoyed his alcoholic drink, completely unaware of your presence and the future that awaited him.

Morpheus simply made an affirmative sound, silently observing the scene next to you.

And then, you heard Hob speaking, while Morpheus waved his hand in a subtle gesture to silence the other sounds around you and amplify the volume of what caught his interest.

“Look, I’ve seen death. I lost half my village to the Black Death. I fought under Buckingham in Burgundy, it’s not like I don’t know what death is.”

Hob's demeanor suddenly turned serious as he addressed the other men, sharing his perspective with them. “Death is… stupid.”

His friends chuckled. “You’re a fool, Hob.”

“Nobody has to die,” he insisted. “The only reason people die is… is ‘cause everyone does it. You all just go along with it. But not me.”

You couldn't help but let out an amused guffaw, vigorously shaking your head. While you could easily recognize his common attributes, it was apparent to you that Hob was clearly inexperienced and quite immature in comparison to the person he would eventually become.

"I've made up my mind; I'm not going to die," he said confidently.

The men around him burst into laughter, but Hob maintained his smile, unwavering in the face of their expected reaction.

“Hobs, death comes for every man.”

“You don’t know that, I might get lucky. There’s always a first time. There’s so much to do, so many things to see.” He took hold of his tankard again. “Women to swive. Ale to drink. People to drink with.”

With that, Hob raised his arm and the others followed suit, cheering and clinking their tankards together in a lively toast.

Morpheus gestured with his hand once more, directing your attention to two other figures, a man and a woman, who also bore a striking resemblance to someone you knew. A younger version of Morpheus, with his longer hair and a dark tunic that matched the time period, stood before his sister, who in turn was disguising herself as a nun.

They were both the same, except for their different appearances.

With a warm, affectionate smile, you turned to the Morpheus sitting beside you, gently running your fingers through his short, tousled locks. "Nice hair," you remarked, referring to the style he had in 1389.

Morpheus returned your smile with a slight curve of his lips.

“Why would any sensible creature crave an eternity of this?” Past Morpheus asked.

Teleute looked at him with a satisfied expression. “You could find out.”

He appeared delighted, intrigued by his sister's statement. "How?”

“I could grant him his wish,” she replied.

The other Endless raised his eyebrows, his mouth spreading into a mischievous grin. “Do that and he will be begging for death within a century, I assure you.”

“This will prove very interesting.”

Both siblings turned their gaze back to Hob's table, listening to the ongoing conversation among the mortal men.

“What will you do with all that life?”

“I can find better friends than you, I can tell you that.”

You giggled once more, resting your head against your palm as you propped your elbow on the tabletop.

Death then looked at Dream once more. “Are you gonna tell him, or should I?”

Morpheus gazed at her with the same smile as before, a glint of amusement shining in his eyes. “I shall.”

As he turned to make his way to the table, Teleute replied, "Very well, little brother." She watched him walk away with a satisfied expression on her face, and before turning away, she repeated, "Very well.”

Morpheus approached Hob's seated position with deliberate steps, coming to a stop and placing one hand on top of the other. In that moment, you observed that he had adorned himself with the same ruby that Roderick Burgess had stolen in 1916.

Silence descended upon the ones present as Hob’s attention was captured by with the enigmatic figure who stood tall near his chair.

“Did I hear you say you have no intention of ever dying?” Morpheus inquired.

Hob showed a hint of confusion, but he still went along with it, letting out a faint chuckle. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then you must tell me what it’s like,” Morpheus stated.

Hob continued to laugh.

“Let us meet here again, Robert Gadling,” Hob's face suddenly registered shock as he heard his name spoken by a complete stranger. “In this tavern of the White Horse in 100 years.”

Hob's companions laughed wholeheartedly, while Hob himself remained surprised. He showed an increased level of curiosity towards the man in front of him.

“A hundred years and I’m Pope Urban,” said one of his friends.

Meanwhile, Morpheus swiftly turned to his sister, who gave him an encouraging nod. He responded to her gesture with equal confidence.

“Don’t mind them,” Hob interjected. “A hundred years’ time, on this day?”

Morpheus agreed with an affirmative tilt of his head.

“I will see you in the year of our Lord 1489, then.”

After a moment of contented reflection, the Endless departed, holding the men's inquisitive gazes until he disappeared from view.

“Who was that, then, Hobsie?”

“Haven’t a clue. But tell you what, I’ll ask him in 100 years’ time.”

The surroundings suddenly became brighter and blurrier. You could still hear the voices of people conversing in the distance, but it was as if someone had turned down the volume of a television, leaving only a faint, unintelligible noise in the background.

And so, you turned to Morpheus, who met your gaze with silence, his eyes unwavering.

"Hob has told me about this day. It's remarkable how vivid his memories are, considering how much time has passed.”

And then your gaze shifted to his chest, searching for the missing ruby that was nowhere to be found. You delicately touched the fabric of his shirt with the tips of your fingers, tracing a path down to his upper abdomen.

“You’re not wearing the pendant.”

“No. The ruby was destroyed.”

“Oh.”

“No matter. The power that was enclosed into that jewel has returned to me.”

You looked down, taking one of his hands between yours, firmly gripping it as you placed it on the table. "Sometimes, I find myself pondering what you revealed to me that day. It pains my heart whenever I recall seeing you trapped in that cage.”

“Y/N-”

"You're okay now, right?”

Morpheus parted his lips as if about to respond to your question, but instead, he moved his beautiful blue eyes to the side, lost in contemplation. After a moment, he tightened his hold on your hand, offering a reassuring caress. “I am.”

A sense of tranquility washed over you as you heard his response. You reciprocated with a warm, genuine smile and gently brushed the surface of his palm with your thumb. You remained in that position for a while, gazing at each other's faces in silence.

Meanwhile, your mind drifted to the Fates and their revelations about Morpheus' son, yet you still lacked the courage to broach the subject in his presence. Once again, you opted to keep your thoughts to yourself, even though the burden of the secret was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as time passed by.

"Dad, do I have any Greek roots?”

As soon as you posed that question to him, your father suddenly choked on his water. Tears welled up in his eyes as he desperately tried to regain his composure, coughing violently. You repeatedly patted him on the back, offering comfort as he gasped for breath.

"Are you all right?”

“Y-yes,” he declared, loudly clearing his throat. “I’m okay, I was drinking too fast.” You waited for him to stabilize himself, inhaling at a slower pace. “Greek roots? Where did that come from?”

"One of my coworkers asked me if I’m partially Greek because of my features," you lied with a subtle shrug. "I don't know much about our family, so I was curious.”

Your father demonstrated a rather odd nervousness, wiping his mouth and kneading the rear of his neck. "Well, if you do, it certainly must be from your mother's side.”

Upon mentioning his lover, you noticed a significant degree of melancholy and distress befall on your father. Your chest tightened with the sight of his despondent state, which led you to hastily grasp his shoulder in an earnest way.

"I'm so sorry, dad. I know how much it pains you to talk about her.”

He released a shaky sigh, smiling at you. “It’s okay, lovey. It’s been a long time.”

“But you still haven’t moved on.”

It took a brief moment for your father to come up with a reply. “No, I have not.”

"I can only imagine how hard it's been for you," you said. "The day I was born is also the day she passed away. Sometimes, I can't help but think that it was all my fault.”

“Absolutely not!” he exclaimed. “My dear, none of that happened because of you.”

“I just… I wish you could be happy, Dad.”

“Oh, but I am, sweetie. Even more so now that you’re following your dreams.”

You absentmindedly started toying with the food on your plate, rotating the fork on its surface. "Don't you get lonely? Now that Miss Bailey is no longer assisting you 24/7.”

He scoffed. "As good as she is in her profession, having her glued to my ass all day was not pleasant.”

A slight laugh escaped your throat. "I bet she's glad too. You drove her nuts.”

"Come on! Do you know how frustrating it is to have her following you to the bathroom's door? Good thing that I could still clean my butt on my own.”

The process of finishing your lunch proved to be a considerable challenge, with you chortling at all the jokes that your father offered. You recalled Morpheus' words about the connection between the two of you, which coud have enabled him to directly benefit from an Endless presence through you. As a result, seeing him sitting at the table, beaming and radiating vitality, made it seem as though he had never been ill in the first place.

And yet, you couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling of something mysterious lurking beneath the surface. There was an indescribable sense of an imposing secret being concealed from you, leaving you unable to pinpoint exactly what it was.

Each day that went by, you became increasingly adept in your profession. The constantly rapid pace didn't seem to faze you, as you were completely absorbed in your creative pursuits. You would bring your unfinished assignments home and continue working on them until late into the night, fully engrossed in the process, without even glancing at the clock. Morpheus had to visit you to make sure everything was under control, as your absence from the Dreaming during sleep time was deemed unusual.

It was both amusing and flattering to see him sulking for attention, but the last thing you wanted was to cause him any worry, particularly in light of the past events involving Nada.

More often than not, you had to assure him that you would join him soon enough, rather than letting your work consume you until the early hours of the morning.

If anything, immersing yourself in a busy schedule helped keep your mind occupied with a multitude of things to process, preventing you from lingering on what the Kindly Ones had told you once again. The more you found yourself in his company, the harder it became to suppress your curiosity as it swam through you and threatened to emerge. Simultaneously, you yearned to provide him with solace for his profound loss, regardless of the passage of time.

One night, you came to the realization that you simply couldn't withhold it from him any longer. It took you a moment to recall your intentions as you crossed the threshold from your world to the realm of dreams, but once you did, you were completely unsure of how to initiate the conversation.

Although he was showcasing a variety of marvels and breathtaking landscapes that you could only imagine stumbling upon in the Waking World, you found it difficult to uphold your attentiveness on Morpheus’ face.

Eventually, the Endless concluded his narrative and turned his frowning gaze towards you. “My love?”

As soon as you heard his voice calling you, you turned back to him in a hazy state. “Mh?”

“Something’s wrong.”

“What is?”

“You are not listening to me. You seem… lost.”

“Poor Y/N, so naive and lost.”

“I’m not lost.”

“Yes you are, my child. We came to warn you, little one.”

You pondered the responses you could provide, but every excuse appeared feeble and ineffective.

"I have something to talk to you about,” you admitted in the end.

Morpheus tilted his head slightly. "Go on.”

With the opportunity to finally release the burden from your chest, you now felt uncertain, almost fearful, as you looked into his profound and intense eyes, preparing to discuss something so personal and dramatic. You were tempted to abandon the idea, to fabricate a different story and redirect his attention elsewhere, but you had never been skilled at deception. It wasn’t your forte.

Taking a deep breath, you began to explain. "The day I got my job, I encountered someone on my way to the interview. Three women dressed in black materialized before me, introducing themselves as 'The Kindly Ones'.”

A change came over Morpheus immediately. You could clearly notice the tension in his jaw, and his demeanor underwent a complete shift. His body became utterly motionless, as if he had been struck by a spell leading to his paralysis. "What?”

Your heart raced, as his evident shock mixed with anger did not bode well.

"I don't even know what they wanted from me," you continued with your speech. "They spoke in riddles, but... I believe their intention was to warn me about something. About... you.”

You could sense the ground slipping away beneath you as he closed his eyes in surrender.

"They revealed things to me, Morpheus. They spoke about your past, about something I shouldn't have learned about. Not like that.”

Crossing your arms, you felt a tremble shaking you as the wind picked up and the sky darkened once again, mirroring the alteration in his mood.

At that moment, you came to the realization that you probably should have let it go, brushed it off, and moved on from it all. But despite knowing it was a wrong thing to do, a part of you was desperate for more information directly from the source.

Morpheus remained silent, his neck growing even more rigid, his eyes sparkling as he fixed his gaze upon you with even greater intensity.

Yes, you should have stopped right there and then, as you knew. And yet, you failed to do so.

"They told me you were married to Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry. And that you had a son, Orpheus... who, according to them, perished by your own hand.”

“Y/N.”

The way he uttered your name sent chills down your spine, his voice resonating with a terrifying power, both formidable and filled with an ominous presence.

"Choose your words wisely.”

For the very first time, you were feeling positively intimidated by the man you had fallen in love with. Your enchanting Dream, so kind and wonderfully magical, now felt like a haunting nightmare ready to consume you.

"Please forgive me, I... I didn't mean to upset you," you said in your defense, as futile as it may be. "I realize that this is not something to be taken lightly. I simply want to understand how you're feeling about it, what led them to believe you were at fault.”

Hearing that, Morpheus appeared to grow even more enraged. "You dare meddle with my affairs?”

Your eyes were so wide that you thought they could pop out of their sockets at any random point. “No! I would never do that!” A loud thunderclap made you jump on the spot. "Morpheus, please. I’m trying to make sense of what I’ve heard. All mortals are familiar with the story of your son, what happened with Hades, with Eurydice, with the Maeneads. It has been documented in numerous books and performed in countless theatrical works for many years.”

This time, the Endless remained silent, but the way he scrutinized you now, with such a stark and heartless expression, made you yearn to rewind your dream and restrain yourself from speaking the truth in the first place.

You let the cat out of the bag, and there was no way for you to put it back into it.

"If these depictions are based on reality, if our narrative is grounded in actual events, why are the Fates spreading lies about you?”

As menacing and invincible as he could be, Morpheus was not the monster that everyone portrayed him to be. Roderick and Alex Burgess, the former basement guards, now the Kindly Ones. How much suffering and persecution did he have to endure?

Eventually, Morpheus revealed a truth that was not what you were expecting to hear.

“Because it is, in fact, quite true.”

You looked at him in disbelief, carefully observing his body language and searching for a glimmer of hope in his somber, reddened eyes.

“I don’t believe it,” you declared.

“Whether you do or don’t, it cannot change what I have done.”

"Are you suggesting that the Maeneads were not real? That you were the one who tore your own son apart? No, I'm not buying it. I know you are better than that.”

He approached you, closing the distance until his face was just inches away from your nose. The version of him standing before you was hardly recognizable, twisted by a darkness far beyond what you could had ever imagined.

But deep down, you knew you shouldn't have been surprised. After all, he was not only the King of Dreams but also the ruler of Nightmares.

“You know nothing about me.”

The words stung, but you made a conscious choice to stay strong and unwavering.

"You're right, maybe I don't. But I trusted you when nobody else did, even without you speaking a single word to me.”

Morpheus couldn't deny the strength of your will, but given his pride, you should have anticipated his next response.

"I never sought your trust. I did not ask a human like you to come to my aid.”

With regards to the reason for his sudden change in temperament and the subsequent surge of rage, it was understandable to witness him shielding himself with a cold and emotionless temperament. Nevertheless, the venom in his words found a way to penetrate your chest, causing your heart to constrict in pain. You took in a sharp breath, and a single tear escaped from the corner of your eye, rolling down your cheek.

"This isn't fair," you replied, your voice breaking.

“No. It is not.”

You could tell that there was something more, something he clearly didn't want to reveal. You understood that he didn't desire to hurt you, as causing harm to others, like he did to Nada, was his way of concealing and alleviating his own suffering.

“Please, don’t do this. I was taken by those three, just tell me what happened. What truly happened.”

Morpheus gulped a couple of times, pressing his eyebrows together and intently observing you with a smidge of annoyance, blended with astonishment, at your stubbornness.

You had to consider the possible repercussions. It was within the realm of possibility that he would simply choose to banish you from the Dreaming, without providing a response to what you wanted to know. Still, you didn't retreat, holding on to your consciousness to stay asleep and lucid for as long as necessary.

Finally, he complied. "Very well. If that is what you wish.”

“Yes.”

Morpheus stepped back, distancing himself from your personal space and averting his eyes. “My son came to me, seeked my assistance to plead his case to Hades. To bring back the soul of his deceased wife.”

“And did you?”

“I did not.”

An ominous black fog was gradually forming in the distance, stealthily covering the ocean with a deathly curtain of gloom.

“I told him to bid the dead farewell, to grieve, and to continue with his life.”

You listened to his tale, anticipating more information being appended to it. Once he met your gaze again without further expanding on what he had mentioned, you found yourself shrouded in a cloud of bafflement.

“Wait, that’s it…?”

“You asked.”

Your mouth was agape, but no sound emanated from it. While you could accept a certain level of resentment held towards him for turning Orpheus down, which was followed by his son’s subsequent decision to travel to the Underworld alone, it was difficult for you to believe that this was the only reason leading the young man down a similar path.

"Have you seriously considered yourself at fault, because ot this?" you asked him, unable to accept such an explanation. "We all have the power to make choices, Morpheus. There are always different circumstances that influence our destiny and lead to different outcomes. Orpheus willingly chose to go to the Underworld, you didn't force him.”

"You merely feign understanding, when the matter is far beyond your range of comprehension,” he said firmly.

"I don't need to pretend anything. What else is there to understand apart from what you just told me?" you snapped, clearly frustrated in your voice.

In an instant, you could feel your own body vibrate in accordance with his thunderous words.

"Are you aware of the significance of a father picking the head of his son on the seashore?” He questioned.

“I-”

You were left speechless, frozen in place, as you contemplated the thought of Morpheus facing that very same fate. You were aware of the risks your revelation could have brought to you and him, but you didn't stop reflecting, not even for a second, on the sorrowful memories that would have been unearthed.

It was well within your rights to inquire following the interaction that took place with the Kindly Ones. Nevertheless, it was a story that held no connection to your personal existence. You had faith in Morpheus, therefore you would have never asserted that he was the abomination whom the Fates seemed to desire him to be. Why did you allow your curiosity to completely override his sentiments?

"Hold your tongue when touching upon subjects that do not concern you.”

The way he spoke to you made you feel like you had been reduced to an insignificant speck of dirt in his eyes. He viewed you as a creature that he detested, one with whom he didn't want to have anything in common with, ever again.

“Morpheus-”

“Leave.”

“Please, just let me-”

“This dream is over.”

You sprung awake with a heavy gasp escaping your lips, feeling disoriented as your vision adjusted to the gentle glow of your room, emanating from the window. The sun had not yet appeared on the horizon, but you were convinced that it would be impossible for you to drift back to sleep given your current distress.

You straightened your posture on the mattress, allowing the sheets to slip off your body as you stared at your hands and replayed the sequence of events from your dream in your mind. The seashell resting on your nightstand glistened with a captivating radiance, containing a fragment of the realm from which you had just been banished, probably forever.

You sucked in the air, feeling your innards writhing and your chest being ablaze from a raging fire that could not be tamed or contained.

"What have I done..." you whispered aloud, allowing guilt to course through your entire being for the rest of the night.

You messed up. Big time.

The following day, everyone noticed that the energy had dissipated from you during your work hours. While you didn't allow that to influence the caliber of your services, your usual smile was extinct from your face, and your eyes appeared to be as blank as those of a doll.

Due to your significant inner exasperation, you were unable to care in any way regarding Maya's provocations. She continued issuing them, notwithstanding your annoyance with everything around you.

"Were you bitten by a spider this morning?" she taunted you, sipping her coffee while sitting on the table in the break room with one leg crossed over the other. “You look terrible.”

You inhaled deeply, waiting for your own beverage to be produced by the machine. "Ever the sweet snowflake, are you, Maya?”

The woman let out a forceful giggle as she swished her voluminous, curly ink-black hair off her shoulders. “I’m just stating facts.”

Once your warm drink finished being dispensed, you took it in your hand and put on one of the fakest, most devilish grins your lips had ever formed. Without faltering, you turned to the poisonous woman, delivering such a cold, piercing look that her own smirk was wiped away like never before.

"I see you like playing the part of the Evil Queen like an average middle school girl, yet you should know how those stories typically end," you calmly remarked, your words laced with a cutting edge. "I win, you lose. Try to keep that in mind, will you?”

Seeing her rendered speechless was utterly priceless for you. You had constantly tried to ignore her hostility, pretending like you had no qualms with her constant jealousy. On that particular day, you were so mentally drained that you solely wanted a semblance of peace and seclusion, something that she had always failed to provide.

As you left, you could hear her groaning to herself, relishing in the way she cursed as you continued walking along the corridor with a heavy heart.

You didn't want to fall asleep that night. For all you knew, Morpheus no longer wanted to see your face in his realm again after what you did.

You kept your mind occupied as much as possible, engaging in your typical activities such as work, reading, and watching TV. You were consuming copious amounts of coffee with the intention of staying awake and maintaining your alertness intact.

Deep down, you harbored the hope that Morpheus would reappear, concerned about your absence from the Dreaming and prepared to patch things up with you after calming himself down. Be that as it may, even though the clock read 4 a.m., there was still no trace of him in your apartment.

You waited, praying with great fervor, and made a tremendous effort not to shed tears over the spilt milk. As the sunlight slowly spread across the sky, you felt completely exhausted and profoundly heartbroken.

Back at work, you felt like a walking dead, moving slowly around the office, typing on your computer, and taking charge of the photography session for your debut collection. Despite witnessing your own creations come to fruition, you couldn't find any joy in anything. The struggle to stay focused on your tasks was overwhelming, leaving you devoid of the happiness you should have felt.

Eventually, it became evident to Ella that you were not behaving like yourself anymore. Out of nowhere, she grasped your arm and silently led you to her office, while informing the rest of the team about your break.

She made you sit on her couch and looked straight into your eyes. "All right, sweetie, it's time to spill the beans.”

You looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. You've been acting strange since yesterday, so tell me what's going on.”

“Are you asking as my boss?”

“I’m asking as your friend."

After a brief pause, you responded, "It's not a big deal, really.”

“Oh no, I won’t accept that.”

You watched as she filled a couple of empty glasses with a drink. She handed one to you across the coffee table and asked, "Y/N, is your father all right?”

You nodded slightly and took a quick sip of your drink. "Don't worry, he's perfectly fine.”

“What’s bothering you, then?”

You let out a long, anguished sigh, carefully setting the glass down and crossing your fingers over one knee. “I think I broke up with my boyfriend,” you confessed.

‘Was he even my boyfriend in the end?’

She froze in her actions, her eyes widening as she sat up straight, intensely staring at you. "Wait, are you serious? I thought you two were doing really well."

"This time, it was actually my fault. Mostly, at least."

Ella turned her glass in her hand, glancing at the swirling liquid. "Did you have an argument?"

"We did. I made him angry.”

“How?”

You swallowed the growing lump in your throat, crossing your arms and leaning against the back of the couch. Your drink was completely forgotten. "You see, I heard something from someone. It's a secret from his past, something really significant and personal," you explained. “I wanted to ask him about it, but I thought it would be better to just wait and see if he would share it himself. He’s only just started opening up to me and we haven’t known each other for very long.”

Ella smiled warmly at you. "Curiosity always kills the cat. So, did you confront him about it?”

"I did. I just didn't want to keep any secrets from him. Unfortunately, I pushed things a little too far. I touched upon a very sensitive subject, and he didn't appreciate it.”

Ella hummed as she brought her glass to her lips, finishing the last of her drink. "And you haven't spoken since then?”

"No. He doesn't want to see me or hear from me, evidently.”

She licked her lips, savoring the lingering taste of liquor. "Do you love him?”

"I've never loved anyone the way I love him.”

“Does he know that?”

“I…. think he might….?”

Her jaw dropped. "Are you telling me that he doesn't even know about your feelings?”

You shook your head. "It's... complicated. He's different from the other men I've dated.”

“Aren’t they always?”

If only you could explain to her just how different and unique Morpheus was. “I don’t know what to do, Ella. I wish I could apologize to him.”

She pondered for a moment, a wide grin spreading across her face as she realized something. "Why don't you write him a letter?”

“A… letter?”

"I know it may seem old-fashioned, but I did that with Oliver when we broke up a few years ago. It helped me release the emotions I had inside. I opened my heart to him and wrote down everything I felt.”

You blinked in surprise. "You and Oliver broke up…?”

"At least twice. We had our ups and downs, but we managed to work through it.”

You pondered the logistics of sending your personal correspondence to Dream Of the Endless. Was there even a way to communicate with the Dreaming from the Waking World without falling asleep first?

Summoning Matthew, the raven who could travel between the two worlds, seemed like a good way to deliver your message to Dream. However, you were unsure of how to call upon him, as Morpheus was the only one who could track his movements and see through his eyes.

Nevertheless, the concept did not seem like it would be a bad idea to you.

"Thank you, Ella. I will definitely take your suggestion into consideration.”

"Great! Go ahead, reconcile, kiss and make babies!”

“Ella!”

“What?”

Describing Morpheus as restless would be an understatement. Ever since he awakened you from the Dreaming, he had been experiencing excruciating convulsions and constriction in his insides. As a powerful and ancient entity, it was quite atypical for him to experience such physical torment.

Morpheus was enraged, truly. But besides that, he was berating himself for being too quick-witted and allowing his arrogance and pride to take over once again. He was already consumed by self-hatred for his impulsive outburst, and he actually felt more upset with the Kindly Ones than with you.

Despite your efforts to delve deeper into his most agonizing memory, one he had tirelessly tried to bury for eternity, your ultimate objective was for him to confront his guilt and find solace. Unlike everyone else, you didn't accept the Fates' words at face value as they had intended. You managed to keep your encounter with them hidden for over a month, always projecting unwavering confidence and fearlessness in his presence.

In fact, he didn't nourish any hatred towards you. On the contrary, he yearned for your return to the Dreaming, longing to embrace you in his arms. He eagerly awaited your arrival the previous night, but to his dismay, you were nowhere to be found within the depths of his realm.

From a distance, Matthew watched you. And from this, Morpheus understood that you resisted seeking rest and remained anchored to the Waking World until morning. Not only did he make you cry, but he also prevented you from falling asleep.

Would you ever be willing to forgive him for his cruelty? Would you let him take you back, or would you despise him and abandon him like Calliope did before you?

As he became lost in his thoughts, Lucienne cautiously entered the Throne Room. Morpheus sat there like a despondent cat, his long coat draped over the stairs as he perched there.

"My Lord," she said, interrupting his self-loathing. "Something has arrived. I believe this is for you.”

Morpheus glanced up, extending his hand to receive the folded paper that she was holding. “What is it?”

"It seems to be a letter, sir," she said. "I will leave you to it.”

Lucienne spun on her heels and walked away, the sound of her footsteps reverberating off the walls until she disappeared into the library. Morpheus gazed at the paper with curiosity, his name beautifully written on the outside in graceful calligraphy.

In an instant, his heart leaped into his throat, for he knew precisely who had penned it.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 (currently reading) Go to Chapter 11 ->

Read on AO3!